JP2010057544A - Rotor type pitching machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pitching machine improving the durability of balls by avoiding an excessive retention when compressively retaining a ball with rotors. <P>SOLUTION: This pitching machine retaining a ball with rotors and pitching the ball by a rotating force heading outward of the rotors, includes a buffer means between a rotor support member for either one of the rotors and a machine body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a rotor-type pitching machine, and mainly includes three throwing rotors arranged in a Y shape, a ball is sandwiched between the three rotors, and the ball is thrown by the rotational force of the rotor. In the pitching machine, a three-rotor pitching machine is provided in which a cushion device is provided in a lower central rotor, which is at least one of the three rotors.

  In order to obtain stable control when throwing a ball with the rotational force of a rotor, a three-rotor pitching machine in which the ball is held by three rotors to throw the ball has been used.

  This three-rotor pitching machine has already existed as a free implementation technique as disclosed in Patent Document 1. After that, for the three-rotor pitching machine, a technique of combining with video as seen in Patent Document 2 and a technique using a special control method as seen in Patent Document 3 have been proposed.

  However, when the ball is thrown between the three rotors, the ball is compressed by the rotor, so that stable pitching is possible, but this damage also speeds up the ball damage. No improvement in this regard has been made in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-14074 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-537919 Japanese Patent No. 3936539

  The present invention is a pitching machine proposed for the purpose of avoiding excessive holding and increasing the durability of the ball when the ball is compressed and held by a rotor.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention is a pitching machine in which a ball is held by a rotor and a ball is thrown with a rotational force directed outward of the rotor, and the rotor support member and the machine body of any one of the rotors A pitching machine characterized in that a buffer means is provided between the two.

  In the second invention, in a pitching machine in which three throwing rotors are arranged in a Y shape, a ball is sandwiched between the three rotors, and the ball is thrown by a rotational force directed outward of the rotor, A pitching machine is provided in which a cushioning means having a relief structure is provided on a support member of a rotor located below.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the buffer means is provided between the rotor support member of any one of the rotors and the machine body. Therefore, when the compression of the ball in the ball insertion space 7 becomes too strong, the buffer means is provided. The rotor provided with a slight retraction causes the ball to be prevented from being excessively compressed, and the durability of the ball can be increased.

  Further, in the pitching machine in which the three throwing rotors are arranged in the Y shape, the buffer having a relief structure downward on the support member of the rotor located below among the three rotors is an effect of the second invention. Since the means is provided, the buffer means can be installed with a simple structure, and since it is a downward escape, it is not necessary to make a complicated response to the control of the ball control. Furthermore, it has been found from the results of throwing experiments that the control performance is also improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described together with examples according to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front explanatory view of a three-rotor pitching machine according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side explanatory view showing a cushion device which is a characteristic part of the present invention, and FIG. FIG.

  An outline of the three-rotor pitching machine 1 according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the three-rotor pitching machine 1 is provided with a rotor support structure 3 on a gantry 2, and the rotor support structure 3 has three rotors: an upper left rotor 4, an upper right rotor 5, and a lower center rotor 6. 3, 4, 5 are arranged in a Y shape, and a ball insertion space 7 is formed by the adjacent outer peripheral surfaces of the three rotors 4, 5, 6, and a shooter unit 8 for supplying a ball is provided behind the ball insertion space 7. Is arranged.

  The operation of the three-rotor pitching machine 1 is to supply a pitching ball to the ball insertion space 7 via the shooter unit 8 and hold the ball between the outer peripheral surfaces of the three rotors 4, 5, 6. The balls are thrown by the outward rotational force of the rotors 4, 5, 6. In addition, the code | symbol 11 in a figure is a pitching outlet.

  Wheels 9 for movement are installed on the gantry 2 at four locations, front, rear, left, and right, and are movable. Further, an angle adjusting mechanism 10 is provided between the gantry 2 and the rotor support structure 3, although details are omitted in FIG. 1, and an angle for tilting the support structure 3 in the front-rear and left-right directions can be adjusted. is there. Thereby, the height and direction of the pitching of the ball can be adjusted.

  The three rotors 4, 5, 6 are disk-shaped, and the outer peripheral surface is configured with a shape and material that can easily hold (grip) a pitching ball, and a material harder than the outer shell of the ball is used. . The upper left rotor 4 and the upper right rotor 5 are connected to rotor drive motors 16 and 17.

  The left and right motor holders 14 and 15 are fixed to the fixing plates 12 and 13 fixed to the rotor support structure 3. The motor holders 14 and 15 serve as rotor support members for the upper left rotor 4 and the upper right rotor 5.

  Rotor drive motors 16 and 17 are fixedly installed on the motor holders 14 and 15. The rotation shafts of the rotor drive motors 16 and 17 are connected to a rotor shaft (not shown in FIG. 1) which is a rotation shaft of the upper left rotor 4 and the upper right rotor 5. In the embodiment, the upper left rotor 4 and the upper right rotor 5 are not equipped with the cushion device 20 which is a feature of the present invention.

  Although the rotor drive motor 18 of the lower center rotor 6 also exists uniquely, the rotating shaft 19 of the rotor drive motor 18 is not directly connected to the rotor shaft 21 of the lower center rotor 6. Accordingly, the rotational force of the lower central rotor 6 is applied by being transmitted from the motor pulley 22 attached to the rotating shaft 19 of the rotor drive motor 18 to the drive pulley 24 attached to the rotor shaft 21 via the drive pulley 23. Is done. The driving force between the pulleys 22, 23, 24 is transmitted by belts 25, 26.

  The rotor shaft 21 of the lower center rotor 6 is attached to the rotor support structure 3 via the cushion device 20. The cushion device 20 serves as a buffer means in the present invention. A support frame 27 of the cushion device 20 is formed in the vicinity of the arrangement of the rotor shaft 21 of the lower central rotor 6 of the rotor support structure 3, and a spring 29 serving as a cushion material is interposed on the lower frame material 28 of the support frame 27. The cushion device 20 is attached to the support frame 27 so as to be movable up and down.

  The spring 29 is set so that an optimum compressive force for throwing can be applied to the ball insertion space 7 and can be adjusted with a nut or the like. Therefore, the cushion device 20 can be moved up and down with respect to the rotor support structure 3.

  A rotor shaft 21 is attached to the central portion of the cushion device 20 so as to be rotatable only with respect to the cushion device 20 and not movable in the vertical and horizontal directions. The bolt mounted above the cushion device 20 is an upper limit position setting bolt 30 for regulating the upper limit position of the cushion device 20. The member for setting the upper limit position need not be a bolt but may be a spring.

  As described above, the rotor shaft 21 of the lower center rotor 6 moves up and down with respect to the rotor support structure 3 together with the cushion device 20. On the other hand, fixing plates 12 and 13 fixed to the rotor support structure 3, motor holders 14 and 15 fixed to the fixing plates 12 and 13, upper left rotor 4 fixed to the motor holders 14 and 15, and upper right rotor 5 are Since the rotor support structure 3 does not change in position, the center lower rotor 6 has a downward relief with respect to the upper left rotor 4 and the upper right rotor 5.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. A ball is sent from the shooter unit 8 to the ball insertion space 7 constituted by the outer peripheral surfaces of the three rotors 4, 5, 6. The balls are thrown by the outward rotational force of the rotors 4, 5, 6 while being compressed and held on the outer peripheral surfaces of the three rotors 4, 5, 6 in the ball insertion space 7. At this time, if the compression is too strong, the lower central rotor 6 is slightly lowered together with the cushion device 20 due to the pressure, and the pitching is performed with an appropriate compression force.

  In the embodiment, the cushion device 20 is provided in the lower center rotor 6 of the three-rotor pitching machine 1, but the cushion device may be provided in one place of the other rotors. Further, the three-rotor pitching machine 1 may be provided. Even a rotor-type pitching machine other than the above can be provided with a cushion device in at least one position of the rotor.

Front explanatory view of a three-rotor pitching machine according to an embodiment Expanded side view showing the cushion device Enlarged front view showing the cushion member

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 3 rotor type pitching machine 2 ... mount 3 ... rotor support structure 4 ... upper left rotor 5 ... upper right rotor 6 ... lower center rotor 7 ... ball insertion space 8. ..Shooter unit 9... Wheel 10 .. Angle adjustment mechanism 11. Throwing opening 12, 13... Fixing plate 14, 15... Motor holder 16, 17, 18. ..Rotating shaft 20 ... Cushion device 21 ... Rotor shaft 22 ... Motor pulley 23 ... Drive pulley 24 ... Drive pulley 25, 26 ... Belt 27 ... Support frame 28 ...・ Lower frame material 29 ... Spring 30 ... Upper limit setting bolt

Claims (2)

In a pitching machine in which a ball is pinched by a rotor and a ball is thrown with a rotational force directed outward of the rotor, a buffer means is provided between the rotor support member of one of the rotors and the machine body. Pitching machine.
  Three pitching rotors are arranged in a Y shape, the ball is sandwiched by the three rotors, and the pitching machine that throws the ball with the rotational force that goes outward of the rotor, the rotor located below the three rotors 2. A pitching machine according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member is provided with a buffer means having a relief structure downward.

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