JP2008148883A - Pitching machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pitching machine which can easily throw breaking balls. <P>SOLUTION: The pitching machine is fixed on a platform 1 with one end in a rotatable manner in one direction around a rotating shaft as a supporting point and is composed of a ball throwing arm 4 with a ball throwing band 5 installed on the other end. The pitching machine is provided with a ball discharging mechanism which discharges a ball 8 received by the ball throwing arm 4 in a specified direction by reversely rotating the shaft around the supporting point and a sidespin adjusting mechanism which a rotating circular disc 7 and a belt that runs in a direction that the ball is thrown are installed in parallel with each other at an interval for receiving the ball 8 sandwiching the ball at a position for receiving on an extension of the ball 8 thrown by the reverse rotation of the ball throwing arm 4. The breaking ball can be thrown freely by varying speed and the rotation of the ball 8 thrown by adjusting the rotating speed of the rotating circular disc 7 and the running speed of the belt of the sidespin adjusting mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lateral rotation mechanism of a ball in a so-called arm-type baseball practice pitcher (pitching machine), and more specifically, by providing a lateral rotation adjustment mechanism of a ball, it is close to a pitch by an actual pitcher. The present invention relates to a pitching machine that makes it possible to throw a sharp and changing ball.

  As pitching machines, there are those shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 as baseball throwing devices for throwing changing balls such as ball curves and sliders.

  In the throwing machine driving device described in Patent Document 1, there is a so-called roller-type pitching machine using two rollers rotating in opposite directions. The throwing device attaches the rotating shafts of two rotating rollers to the gantry in parallel, and throws the ball forward from between the rollers by the rotational force of the rollers. At this time, by throwing a difference between the rotation speeds of the two opposing rollers, the thrown ball rotates in a curve, a slider, or a chute. However, when actually throwing a ball against the batter, it is very difficult for the batter to take the timing with respect to the batter, and the batter often sees off the ball, and effective batting practice cannot be performed.

  Further, the disadvantage of the roller pitching machine is that the time when the thrown ball is in contact with the outer periphery of the rotating roller is very short. For example, when the ball speed is 130 km / H, the roller pitch is 32 cm. For example, the time that the ball is in contact with the roller is probably less than 0.001 seconds, and in order to throw the ball instantly and to give the ball a lateral rotation, the distance between the opposing rollers is extremely narrow relative to the diameter of the ball. Yes. For this reason, the surface of the ball is worn and the life of the ball itself is short, and the ball diameter variation, the seam of the ball, surface contamination, etc. have a bad influence on the control so that it cannot be overlooked in the hitting practice.

The throwing machine described in Patent Document 2 is composed of two rotating disk-shaped ball contact members. However, attention is required to control the ball, and the ball is greatly damaged. Needs more ingenuity.
In general, a pitching machine corresponding to a changing ball combining an arm-type pitching machine and a roller-type pitching machine can be considered, but in order to give lateral rotation to a ball flying at high speed like a baseball ball, The contact length (time) between the ball and the ball contact member must be increased. Moreover, in order to give a lateral rotation to the ball passing through the contact portion at a high speed, in the roller type, a considerable pressure by two rollers must be applied to the ball. For the above reasons, the roller-type defects described in the previous section cannot be overlooked.

Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model No. 59-159607 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61-73379) Japanese Patent Publication No.57-53115

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above situation, and in order to solve the difficulty of timing of the batter at the time of pitching the roller type pitching machine, the arm type pitching of the same overhand pitch as the pitcher The machine is provided with a lateral rotation adjustment mechanism that imparts torsional rotation to the thrown ball so that the trajectory close to the pitcher's thrown ball can be limited again.

  The gantry (1) is composed of a pitching arm (4), one end of which is fixed to be rotatable in one direction around the rotation axis and the other end is provided with a pitching hand (5). (4) The ball (8) received by the ball is released in a predetermined direction by reversing the shaft (8) as a fulcrum, and the ball (8) thrown out by reversing the pitching arm (4) A rotating disk (7) and a belt (15) that travels in the throwing direction are arranged in a receiving position at a position where the ball (8) is sandwiched between the horizontal rotation adjusting mechanisms provided in parallel with each other. By adjusting the rotation speed of the rotating disk (7) and the traveling speed of the belt (15) of the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism, the changing ball of the ball to be thrown can be freely changed by changing the speed and rotation of the ball (8). Pitching Massy It is obtained by the.

  In the present invention, in the pitching machine in which the ball placed on the hand is thrown forward by rotating the pitching arm provided with a ball receiving portion (hand) for placing the pitching ball on the tip, the pitching arm The ball is thrown from the hand toward the home base by swinging at a high speed. A disk rotating at high speed is disposed in parallel with the parallel surface in the direction in which the pitching arm is reversed on the extended line in the pitching direction, and the disk surface is on the outer surface of the ball. It arrange | positions in parallel so that it may contact | connect (FIG. 1).

  A lateral rotation adjusting mechanism comprising a protruding belt contact portion having a large friction coefficient and moving at a low speed, facing the disk surface in parallel with the above-mentioned ball sandwiching the above-mentioned ball. The distance between these parallel disks and the belt contact portion is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball to be thrown. The ball thrown vigorously by the throwing arm passes between the disk and the belt contact portion (FIG. 2), but at this time, the rotational peripheral speed on the radius R of the disk through which the ball passes passes. The belt contact portion, which is slightly faster than the speed of the ball and located on the opposite side of the disk, moves in the direction of travel of the ball at a low speed. For this reason, the ball in contact with the disk is pressed against the belt contact portion without impairing the propulsive force at the time of throwing, the ball seam is hooked on the protrusion of the belt, and the ball is rotated laterally to the front. It is thrown out vigorously (Figure 3).

  The ball thrown out from the horizontal rotation adjusting mechanism of the ball advances toward the home base while performing horizontal rotation by itself, and the force of the straight traveling ball is weakened by air resistance, so that the ball rotates laterally from several meters before the home base. The lateral force due to aerodynamics wins and turns left or right. A freely changing ball can be achieved, and there are few overthrows, the operation of the changing ball is easy and can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  The overall structure of the pitching machine device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The best mode of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. In the pitching machine in which the ball placed on the hand (5) is thrown forward by rotating the pitching arm (4) provided with the hand (5), the pitching arm (4) is swung at high speed. By doing so, on the extended line from which the ball is thrown out from the hand (5) toward the home base, the disc (7) rotating at high speed parallel to the parallel plane on which the pitching arm (4) rotates The disc surface is disposed so as to contact the outer surface of the ball.

The entire frame of the pitching machine can be used with any combination of general purpose materials such as ferrous metal for strength, aluminum for light weight and stainless steel for rust prevention where needed. This is also within the scope of normal design matters.
The pitching arm (4) is installed on the gantry (1) so as to swing at a high speed in one direction with the arm rotation shaft (9) as a fulcrum. This rotational force is given by the motor (2) as the power of the starting point of the pitching arm (4) swing. The instantaneous swing of the pitching arm (4) is adjusted by the spring (3), and the accumulated force of the spring can be adjusted by the rotation of the handle.

The positional relationship between the pitching arm (4) and the rotating disk (7) will be described with reference to FIG.
The disc (7) is provided at a position on the extension line where the ball is thrown out from the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism consisting of the hand (5) in the direction of the home base. For example, 3 to 60 cm is sufficient as an interval between the swinged hand (5) and the disk (7), but this is within the range of the design change. This disk (7) is installed on the same mount (1), is fixed to the disk rotating shaft (12), and can rotate about the rotating shaft (12). The rotational power can be obtained by the motor (6).
The disc (7) is lined with a ball contact member (13) to improve the feeling of contact with the ball, to prevent damage to the ball, to maintain buffering and an appropriate coefficient of friction with the ball. , Change sphere can be achieved efficiently.
As the ball contact member (13), a natural rubber material, a synthetic rubber material, a plastic material such as polyurethane, or a material such as cloth can be arbitrarily used. In addition, a material whose strength is increased by crosslinking or vulcanization can be arbitrarily used.

A projecting belt (15) contact portion with a large friction coefficient that runs at a relatively low speed and faces the disk in parallel with the disc on the opposite side across the ball symmetrically with the disc (7) is disposed. . The protrusion-shaped belt (15) having a large friction coefficient is made of any material such as natural, synthetic rubber, plastic such as polyurethane, cloth or leather. Protruding irregularities are provided on the belt surface to increase the ball contact area mechanically and to form a friction surface, thereby improving the ball capture performance. Of course, any material that functions like a belt, such as a belt, a band, or a fabric, can be applied without any problem. A structure in which an orderly uneven pattern is formed on the belt surface by embossing can be arbitrarily used.
As the belt (15), an endless belt is recommended, and the ball contact surface of the belt (15) and the disk (7) surface are paired and the surface is balanced by the pair of rollers (16). Maintained. The belt (15) is in contact with the drive pulley (20) of the belt and can run by a belt drive motor (18) interlocked with the drive pulley as shown in FIG.

  Since the elastic member (14) does not hinder the smooth running of the running belt (15) and prevents the belt (15) from loosening, a rubber material, a plastic material such as polyurethane, a cloth, etc. Although materials such as leather can be used, it is also within the scope of design changes to maintain a running property by arranging a large number of rotating bodies such as rolls. As shown in FIG. 2, the position of the elastic member (14) is held by a spring (17). When the belt (15) captures the ball, the elastic member (14) absorbs vibration or Has come to play a role.

On the back side of the ball contact surface of the traveling belt (15), the elastic member (14) is affixed to a metal fixture, and the traveling belt (15) is pressed by the pinched balls so that the belt is deeply recessed. It prevents formation and slackness due to belt elongation.
The belt contact portion provided on the opposite side of the disc (7) is composed of a belt (15) having a large wear-resistant friction force such as a commonly used timing belt and a compressible elastic material (14). Has been.

  The distance between the contact portions of the disks (7) and the belt (15) arranged in parallel is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball to be thrown to improve the catching of the ball. The ball thrown out from the throwing arm (4) vigorously passes between the contact portion of the disc (7) and the belt (15) (FIG. 2). At this time, the radius R of the disc through which the ball passes. The upper rotational speed is preferably slightly higher than the speed of the passing ball. Further, the belt (15) contact portion arranged in a pair on the opposite side of the disc (7) travels in the traveling direction of the ball at a low speed. For this reason, the ball in contact with the disc (7) is pressed against the contact portion of the belt (15) without impairing the propulsive force at the time of throwing, and the seam of the ball is hooked on the protruding portion of the belt. A rotation is given and it is thrown forward vigorously (FIG. 3).

  The ball thrown out from the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism of the ball advances toward the home base while rotating laterally by itself, and the force of the straight traveling ball is weakened by the air resistance. The lateral force due to mechanics wins and turns left or right.

  In the present invention, a rotating disc (7) provided in the vicinity extending line thrown out from the pitching arm hand (5) and rotating in the direction in which the pitching arm rotates and pitches, and a belt ( 15) The contact portion is provided so that the surfaces are parallel to each other, and the length (time) that the thrown ball passes through the contact portion of the disc (7) and the belt (15) is the same as the conventional type. It is much larger than the contact length (time) when passing between two rollers of a roller pitching machine, and it can give a sufficient lateral rotation to the ball without applying extreme pressure to the ball. The rotating disc (7) is provided in a direction that is exactly perpendicular to and parallel to the plane of rotation of the pitching arm (4), so that the ball thrown out from the front pitching arm (4) is in the home base direction. Contro to It serves as a guide plate which is rotated so as not to detract from the. The length of the belt contact portion is a design item determined in consideration of the size of the ball, the contact time of the ball, and the speed of the ball.

  The ball thrown out from the throwing arm (4) enters between the rotating disk (7) and the belt (15) contact portion, and the rotation of the disk (7) in the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism The ball travels without impairing the propulsive force of the ball. On the other hand, the clearance between the belt (15) opposite to the disc (7) and the gap is set to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball. Given that the contact area between the belt and the ball is not a point but a surface, and the contact length is sufficiently long, it gives the ball a chance to change sufficiently, and it also damages the ball surface and damages and degrades the ball There is nothing. Since the running speed of the belt (15) is extremely slow compared with the peripheral speed of the rotating disk (7), the ball is given a lateral rotation and is efficiently thrown forward.

The principle of the changing sphere of the pitching machine of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
By attaching the disc (7) perpendicularly to the parallel plane in the direction in which the throwing arm (4) rotates, the ball jumps into a position of a radius r slightly shorter than the radius R of the disc (7), When the ball that has been given horizontal lateral rotation (spinning) at the belt contact portion (point A in FIG. 3) is thrown out from the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism, it is in a position (see FIG. 3), the rotation axis is tilted forward by the rotation of the disc (7). This is because the ball falls sideways from the front of the home base where the straight force of the ball weakens, so it takes the same trajectory as the actual pitcher's slider and curve.

  The base is composed of a pitching arm, one end of which is fixed so that it can rotate in one direction with the rotation axis as a fulcrum, and the other end has a pitching hand. The ball received by the pitching arm is supported by the axis. It is equipped with a ball release mechanism that releases the ball in a predetermined direction by reversing the position of the ball and throws it at a position that is on the extension of the direction of travel of the ball thrown out by the swing of the pitching hand and can receive the ball A pitching machine was designed which consists of a ball lateral rotation adjusting mechanism in which a disc rotating in the direction and a belt running in the pitching direction are arranged in parallel with an interval received in a state of sandwiching the ball.

With this device, an experiment was conducted to set the conditions with the distance between the pitcher of the actual baseball and the catcher and to measure the accuracy of the pitch to the target of about 50 × 50 cm. Actually, a change ball is generated by cooperation of the ball adjustment function. It was found that if the speed and the degree of the changing ball were not set too high, the hit accuracy to the target of the ball approached approximately 95% or more.
If the rotational speed of the disc of the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism and the belt running speed are changed arbitrarily, and the relative speed of the disc rotating speed and the belt running speed is adjusted, the effect on pitching, especially the change It can be seen that there is an effect on the sphere.

The throwing speed of the ball is sufficient before and after the normal official baseball speed. Based on the usage conditions of the pitching machine, it is not necessary to raise or lower the throwing speed excessively and at a normal speed that the pitcher can throw. The pitching machine achieves a high-throwing pitch with almost no blow.
It was found that the difference in relative speed between the rotational speed of the disc and the running speed of the belt greatly affects the ball changing ball.

Also, the distance between the disc and the belt varies depending on the diameter of the ball, such as a baseball ball formula, soft, softball, or volleyball.
If the distance between the disk and the belt is made narrower than necessary, the ball will be damaged more quickly and the accuracy will tend to decrease.
As described above, the pitching machine of the present invention can achieve a throwing ball rich in changing balls, and can change a changing ball arbitrarily by a simple and safe operation with few overthrows.

  The principle of this pitching machine can be easily and arbitrarily applied to the field of training equipment for tennis, softball, volleyball, soft and hard baseball, so the industry in the sports field, school physical education field and health-oriented leisure field It will greatly contribute to development, and will contribute greatly to such industry.

It is an external view of the pitching machine of this invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a ball lateral rotation adjusting mechanism enlarged in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. It is a state figure when a ball is thrown out from a horizontal rotation adjustment mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 2 Motor 3 Spring 4 Throwing arm 5 Hand 6 Disc rotation motor 7 Disc 8 Ball 9 Arm rotation shaft 10 Pulley belt 11 Bearing 12 Disc rotation shaft 13 Ball contact member 14 Elastic member 15 Belt 16 Roller 17 Spring 18 Belt Drive motor 19 Motor pulley 20 Drive pulley

Claims (4)

The gantry (1) is composed of a pitching arm (4), one end of which is fixed to be rotatable in one direction around the rotation axis and the other end is provided with a pitching hand (5). (4) A ball release mechanism for releasing the ball in a predetermined direction by reversing the ball (8) received by the axis as a fulcrum, and an extension of the ball (8) thrown by the reversal of the throwing arm (4) A pitching machine having a lateral rotation adjusting mechanism comprising a rotating disk (7) and a belt (15) traveling in a throwing direction at a receiving position. In the horizontal rotation adjusting mechanism, the rotating disk (7) and the belt (15) that travels in the throwing direction are arranged in parallel with each other with an interval received with the ball (8) sandwiched between them. The ball according to claim 1, wherein a ball changing ball is freely achieved by adjusting the rotational speed of 7) and the running speed of the belt (15) to change the speed and rotation of the ball (8). Pitching machine. The pitching machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating disk (7) of the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism is lined by a ball contact member (13) so as to be exchangeable. The belt (15) of the lateral rotation adjusting mechanism comprises a protruding ball contact portion having a large friction coefficient, and is supplemented from the back side surface of the ball contact surface by an elastic member (14). 4. The pitching machine according to any one of 3.