JP3370020B2 - Arm throwing machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an arm-type pitching machine used for baseball practice and the like, and more particularly to an improvement in pitching speed setting configuration thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art JP-A-55-55 previously filed by the present applicant
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 26971, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a conventional pitching machine 101 that can throw a fastball is a front and rear portion on a base 102 on a pitching direction side by a horizontal pin 103. A powerful spring 121 of a quick drive means stretched between the machine frame 110 tiltably supported and the crank 22 surrounds the pitching arm 15 which is rapidly driven in the pitching direction via the crank 22 and the rotary shaft 23. Release pin 25 of the rolling drive device 30
The torque motor 26 is driven to rotate slowly via the speed reducer 27, and the balls are supplied to the supply unit 13
After being received by the pitching hand 16 at the tip of the pitching arm, the spring 121 is further tensioned with the rotation of the pitching arm 15 and then the tension of the spring 121 exceeds the maximum position at the pitching start position. The crank 22 and the arm 15 are rapidly driven. Then arm 1
5 rapidly rotates away from the release pin 25 and throws the ball at the pitching position in front of the top dead center of the hand 16
I'm trying to pitch from.

The release pin 25 is attached to a sprocket wheel 28 that is slowly rotated around a chain C1 by a torque motor 26 at a constant cycle (pitch cycle). After the pitch is finished, the release pin 25 is braked and stands by. Press the arm 15 again to push it, and the spring 121
It is supposed to stretch. Also, the shaft 23 of the arm 15
Is rotatably supported by a sprocket wheel 28 connected to the crank 22 via a bearing, and can be separately rotated without the release pin 25. The motor M1 is for adjusting the tension of the spring 121 to change the ball speed, and operates the cam mechanism 120. By the way, as the pitching speed is lowered, the degree of the ball dropping by the time it reaches the bat increases, and since the ball gradually deviates downward from the strike zone at the bat, if the pitching speed is lowered, the machine frame 1
It is necessary to raise the front part of 10 a little, and conversely, when raising the pitching speed, it is necessary to raise the front part of the machine frame 110 a little. Therefore, the machine frame 110 supported in the front portion so as to be tiltable in the front-back direction is adjusted in the front-back tilt by the expansion and contraction operation of the hydraulic cylinder 105 of the front-back tilt adjustment means provided on the base 102 in the rear part. Has become. The degree of expansion and contraction of the hydraulic cylinder 105, that is, the degree of inclination of the machine frame in the front-rear direction is determined by operating a pitching speed selection switch provided at the bat at the time of selecting the pitching speed, in conjunction with the operation of the tension adjusting motor M1 of the spring 121. It is set by controlling a pitching speed setting limit switch attached to the output section.

[0004]

In the conventional pitching machine 101 as described above, the strong spring 121 of the rapid drive means, which is stretched between the machine frame 110 and the crank 22, has the maximum tension. After the ball is crossed and the accumulated strong spring force rapidly drives the crank 22 and the arm 15 through the rotary shaft 23 to complete the pitch, the springs contract rapidly and the coils of the springs come into contact with each other.
In particular, when throwing a slow-speed ball, if the tension of the spring 121 becomes loose, the number of times the coils of the spring come into contact with each other to generate considerably large vibrations and noises, and the spring 121 suffers minute scratches. Therefore, there is a problem that the service life is shortened. Also, the spring 121
Vibration of the machine cylinder 110 is transmitted to the machine frame 110 and is damped by the hydraulic cylinder 105, which causes oil leakage of the hydraulic cylinder 105, shortens the life of the hydraulic cylinder, and sets the inclination of the machine frame 110 due to oil leakage. There is also the problem of saying crazy. Furthermore, an oil tank, a hydraulic pressure generator, a hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valve and the like are required, which complicates the configuration, and the stroke setting of the hydraulic cylinder 105 is apt to go too far, resulting in poor controllability. In the pitching machine having the machine frame 110 where vibration easily occurs as described above, in the mechanical machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means using the plate cam, the supported part bounces on the plate cam, and the vibration is hard to be suppressed, Also, it could not be used because it made a dent in the plate cam.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems, and maintains a good ball speed adjusting performance comparable to that using a conventional tension spring, and at the time of the completion of the pitch, particularly for a slow ball. No vibration or noise is generated even when the pitching is completed, and a long-life spring torsion spring is used for the quick drive means, and the machine frame tilts back and forth automatically in response to changes in the pitching speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an arm-type pitching machine that employs a mechanical machine frame forward / backward tilt adjusting means having a cam with a head difference that has a simple structure and a stable control setting and excellent controllability. .

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an arm type pitching machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is in a substantially horizontal state on a machine frame supported on a base so as to be capable of tilting back and forth. A rotatably supported rotary shaft, an arm that is attached to the rotary shaft in a substantially orthogonal state, and is slowly rotationally fed at a constant speed by a circumferential drive device that engages only in the pitching rotation direction, and an arm of the arm. A pitching hand attached to the tip, a brake that engages with the rotary shaft so as to operate after pitching, and a drive that rapidly rotates the rotary shaft over a partial center angle of 180 degrees or less to reach the pitching position. , A torsion spring rotatably supported substantially parallel to the rotation shaft at a location apart from the rotation shaft in the horizontal state, and twisting the torsion spring in the circumferential direction. A rapid rotation driving means including a spring force adjusting means for adjusting the pulling force, a ball supplying means for supplying a ball to the pitching hand before the rapid rotation driving, and a front portion of the machine frame provided on the base. Or, the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means with a cam having a peripheral surface or groove having a lift difference for adjusting and setting the front-back inclination of the machine frame in the rear portion, and the operation of the brake, the rapid rotation driving means, and the ball supply means. , And a control means for controlling the setting of the lift of the cam of the machine frame front-back tilt adjusting means in conjunction with the adjustment of the spring force in the spring force adjusting means of the rapid rotation driving means.

Therefore, the pitching arm, which is rotationally fed by the circumferential drive device under the control of the control means, is rapidly rotated after the ball is supplied to the pitching hand at the tip of the pitching arm at the ball receiving position. When the device is driven to rotate rapidly via the rotary shaft by the means, the arm is swung at a high speed away from the circumferential drive device, and the ball receives a centrifugal force and is thrown. After the pitching, also under the control of the control means, the pitching arm is decelerated via the rotary shaft by the brake braking to receive the next supply of the ball. The pitching arm that is decelerated after the pitching and stands by is re-engaged with the circumferential drive device that slowly chases at a constant speed and sent to the ball receiving position, and the next pitching operation as described above is performed. In that case, since the rapid rotation drive means is composed of the torsion spring and its spring force adjusting means, while maintaining good ball speed adjusting performance, unlike the conventional coil spring, it is possible to operate from high speed to low speed. No large vibration or noise is generated when the pitch is completed over the pitching speed of, and the service life of the spring is extended. At the same time, the front and rear inclination of the machine frame is automatically and mechanically adjusted by the cam peripheral surface or groove having the lift difference of the machine frame front and rear inclination adjusting means corresponding to the change of the pitching speed, and the strike zone at the bat is This mechanical machine frame front-back tilt adjustment means stabilizes the control settings and improves the controllability. Furthermore, the vibration of the machine frame eliminates the occurrence of cam dents and dents, resulting in a longer service life. It can be postponed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the arm-type pitching machine according to the first aspect, the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means is mounted orthogonally to a horizontal axis provided on the base and has an axis center. Plate cam having a curved peripheral surface or groove smoothly connecting a high head and a low head, a tilt adjustment motor for slowly rotating the horizontal shaft, and a plurality of rotations of the horizontal shaft for the tilt adjustment motor. From a rotation angle setting means that stops at an angular position, a remote control means that remotely starts the tilt adjustment motor to control the rotation angle setting means, and a cam lift difference transmission elevating means that transmits a cam lift difference to a machine frame. The tilt control motor is rotatably driven by the remote control means, and the rotation angle setting means controlled by the remote control means can stop the horizontal axis and the cam at the set rotation angle position of the cam. Longitudinal inclination adjustment of the machine frame corresponding to the pitching rate through the cam lift transmitted elevating means by the plate cam having a track circumferential surface or groove attached is easily performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the arm-type pitching machine according to the second aspect, the remote control means works in conjunction with the spring force adjusting means to select the toe selected between a high speed pitch and a low speed pitch. A plurality of position indicating rings mounted positionably on a horizontal rotation axis so as to set the rotation axis of the plate cam to the plurality of rotation angle positions according to a plurality of degrees of increase and decrease of the spring force of a John spring, and Corresponding to these, it can be configured with a position confirmation limit switch mounted on the base, and responds according to the degree of adjustment of the spring force of the torsion spring corresponding to the ball speed selected between high speed pitching and low speed pitching. The rotation of the tilt adjustment motor is controlled by the position confirmation detection means such as the position indication ring and the limit switch, and the water is moved to the rotation angle position that the detection means takes charge of. Can be stopped rotating shaft and the plate cam, the control is made in simple, easily corrected further changes with time at the position correction of the position indication ring.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the arm-type pitching machine according to the first aspect, the machine frame is supported on the base so as to be capable of tilting forward and backward at a front portion on the pitching direction side. The frame front-back inclination adjusting means is provided on the base at the rear part of the machine frame, and the cam of the front-back inclination adjusting means contacts the rear part of the machine frame via a roller, and the remote control means is provided. Has a pitching speed selection switch provided at the bat, and the rotation angle setting means and the spring force adjusting means each have a detection function of a number corresponding to the number of pitching speed selections of the pitching speed selection switch. It has a detection means such as a switch, and the machine frame front-back inclination is detected by the detection means corresponding to the pitching speed selected by the pitching speed selection switch. The rotation angle position of the cam of the node means and the spring tension position of the spring force adjusting means can be controlled, and the detection means corresponding to the pitching speed selected by the pitching speed selection switch provided at the bat. The front and rear inclination of the machine frame can be easily controlled and set at the rear part of the machine frame via the roller by the cam of the front and rear inclination adjusting means in which the rotation angle is set, and at the same time, the above detection corresponding to the pitching speed as described above. It is possible to set the tension of the spring by means of the spring force adjusting means.

According to a fifth aspect, in the arm type pitching machine according to the first aspect, the spring force adjusting means is a spring end rotatably held at an end portion of the support shaft on the spring force adjusting means side. A sprocket wheel fixedly mounted on a part fixing flange, a chain fixed to at least one tooth of the sprocket wheel at one end and partially bridged, and fixed to the machine frame at the other end, at an intermediate portion of the chain A small sprocket wheel can be rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of the crank, and a motor for driving the crank to rotate. The motor may be a one-way rotation type, and the crank may be rotated even if the motor is rotated too much. It is possible to prevent the spring from being excessively twisted only by twisting the spring by the maximum stroke of. Further, the throwing speed can be arbitrarily selected by twisting the spring in a stepless manner or in a plurality of steps.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the arm type pitching machine according to the first aspect, the torsion spring is composed of a coil spring, and both ends of the coil spring rotate substantially parallel to the rotation axis. It can be configured to be fixedly mounted via sockets on the flanges at both ends of the support shaft supported by the machine frame, and the coil spring that is easily available should be mounted stably on the pitching machine so as to withstand repeated use. You can

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a right-handed baseball of an arm-type pitching machine will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a right side view of an arm-type pitching machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of a machine frame front-back tilt adjusting means of the pitching machine, and FIG. 3 is a plate cam of a machine frame front-back tilt adjusting means of the pitching machine. FIG. 4 is a side view of the position indicating ring, (a) shows a plate cam having a peripheral surface having a different lift, and (b) shows a groove cam having a groove having a lift. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a skeleton of the rapid rotation drive device of the pitching machine, and FIG. 5 is a side view of an arrow V in FIG.

1 to 5, a right over-throw arm type pitching machine 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped machine frame supported on a base 2 by a horizontal pin 3 at a front portion on the pitching direction side so as to be capable of tilting forward and backward. A rotary shaft 23, which is rotatably supported in a substantially horizontal state via a bearing (not shown) on the front upper part of 10, and is attached to the rotary shaft 23 in a substantially orthogonal state and engages only in the throwing rotation direction. An arm 15 that is slowly and rotationally fed at a constant speed by the orbiting drive device 30, a pitching hand 16 attached to the tip of the arm 15, and a brake that engages with the rotary shaft 23 to operate after the pitching ( 35) in FIG. 7 and the rotary shaft 2
A rapid rotation drive of 3 over a partial center angle of 180 degrees or less to reach the pitching position, and a rotation spring that is rotatably supported substantially parallel to the rotary shaft 23 at a position apart from the horizontal rotary shaft 23. 41 and a rapid rotation drive device 40 including a spring force adjusting device 50 that twists the torsion spring 41 in the circumferential direction to adjust the spring force, and a ball supply device that supplies a ball to the pitching hand 16 before the rapid rotation drive. 13 and is provided on the base 2,
In the rear part of the machine frame 10, the machine frame 10
Machine frame front and rear tilt adjusting device 60 with a cam having a head difference for adjusting and setting the front and rear tilt, a brake 35, a rapid rotation drive device 40, and a ball supply device 13.
And a control device that controls the setting of the cam head of the machine frame front-back tilt adjusting device 60 in conjunction with the adjustment of the spring force in the spring force adjusting device 50 of the rapid rotation drive device 40. Ball feeder 1
3 and arm 15, pitching hand 16 thereof, orbital drive device 3
0 is the same as the conventional machine shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the operation will be described later by the same reference numerals with reference to the drawings.

The rapid rotation drive device 40 uses the torsional force of the coil spring 41 used as a torsoion spring to give the pitching arm 15 rapid rotation of the pitch, and the machine frame 10 remote from the rotary shaft 23. The rear lower part includes a coil spring 41 rotatably supported in parallel with the rotary shaft 23 through a bearing B, and a spring force adjusting device 50 that twists the coil spring 41 in the circumferential direction to adjust the spring force. There is. Specifically, both ends of the coil spring 41 are fixedly mounted via the sockets S to the flanges F1 and F2 at both ends of the support shaft 42 supported by the machine frame 10 via the bearings B. The flange F1 on the rapid rotation drive device side is rotatably held by the support shaft 42, and the flange F2 on the opposite side is fixed to the support shaft 42. Further, both ends of the spring 41 are detachably inserted into the socket S. The spring force is transmitted from the flange F2 fixed to the support shaft 42 to the pitching crank 22 via the wire W. A turnbuckle T for spring force initial setting is attached to the wire W.

The spring force adjusting device 50 includes a support shaft 42.
A sprocket wheel 51 fixedly mounted on a spring end fixing flange F1 rotatably held at the end on the side of the spring force adjusting device, and fixed at one end to at least one tooth thereof and partially hung over and A chain C2 fixed at the end to the machine frame 10 and a crank 53 in which a small sprocket wheel 52 engaged at an intermediate portion of the chain C2 is rotatably mounted on an outer peripheral portion.
And a motor 55 that rotationally drives the crank 53 via a speed reducer 54. Fig. 5 shows the crank 53
When rotated in the direction of arrow A1 with, the sprocket wheel 51 is rotated through the chain C2, and the flange F1 is rotated in the direction of dotted arrow A2 to tighten the spring 41 and increase the spring force. When the maximum stroke of the crank 53 is exceeded, the chain C2 loosens and the sprocket wheel 51 and the flange F1 return and rotate in the direction of arrow A3 by the spring reaction force. The motor 55 is reversibly rotated to adjust the pitching speed within the range where the small sprocket wheel 52 is engaged with the chain C2, but the position of the sprocket wheel 51 is always set to the small chain wheel C2. It arrange | positions so that it may engage, and the motor 55 is rotated only in one direction, and pitching speed adjustment is performed. The spring force adjusting device 50 is not normally operated, but the ball speed is adjusted in three stages by three limit switches when adjusting the ball speed. Of course, the number of stages is not limited to three, and the ball speed can be adjusted over a larger number of stages, and can be adjusted without stages.

The support shaft 42 is divided into two parts by an intermediate screw device 45 and is firmly connected to each other, and is removably mounted on the machine frame 10 together with the mounting plate P on which the bearing B is mounted. At the time of mounting a new spring, the spring 41 is in a free state and is supported by the bearing B on the mounting plate P at both end flanges F1 and F of the support shaft 42.
It is attached to the socket S of No. 2, and a predetermined spring force is obtained by screwing it in for connecting the support shaft 42, and finally the detent of the screw device 45 is applied. You can do it.

The machine frame front-back inclination adjusting device 60 is
Lowering the pitching speed lowers the pitch at the bat, so raises the front of the machine frame 10, and increasing the pitching speed increases the pitch at the bat, so the front and rear tilt of the machine frame 10 is adjusted to lower. A curved peripheral surface 62A, which is mounted in a state orthogonal to a horizontal rotary shaft 61 rotatably supported by a bearing B1 on the rear portion of the base 2 and smoothly connects a high lift and a low lift from an axis O (FIG. 3). (Shown in (a)) or a cam 62 having a groove 62B (shown in FIG. 3 (b)), a tilt adjusting geared motor 63 for slowly rotating the horizontal rotary shaft 61, and a geared motor. 63
A plurality of rotation angle positions of the horizontal rotation shaft 61 and the cam 62, for example, three rotation angle positions H and M for high-speed pitching (high head), medium-speed pitching (medium head) and low-speed pitching (low head), A rotation angle setting device 64 that stops at L, a remote control device (not shown) that remotely starts the tilt adjusting geared motor 63 from the bat and controls the rotation angle setting device 64, and a lift difference of the cam 62 to the machine frame 10. It is configured by a cam lift difference transmission lifting device 66 for transmitting.

The rotation angle setting device 64 sets the high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed pitches of the above example selected by a pitching speed selection switch (not shown) provided at the bat constituting the remote control device. In association with the spring force adjusting device 50, that is, the rotary shaft 61 of the plate cam 62 is set to one of the above three levels according to the degree of increase or decrease of the spring force of the torsion spring 41 selected for high speed pitching, medium speed pitching, and low speed pitching. Three position indicating rings 64H attached to the rotating shaft 61 so that the position can be set by a set screw so as to set the rotation angle position,
64M, 64L and corresponding position confirmation limit switches 65H, 65M, 6 mounted on the base 2
5L, the motors 55 and 63 are stopped at the positions corresponding to the high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed pitches selected by the pitching speed selection switch (not shown) for the bat and each selected pitch. The spring tension position and the cam lift corresponding to the speed are set.

The cam lift difference transmission / elevation device 66 for transmitting the set lift of the cam 62 to the machine frame 10 includes a cam 6
An elevating tube 66B rotatably mounted on the lower end portion of a roller 66A with a collar that abuts the peripheral surface 62A of the second member, and a pair of guide rods 67A erected on both bearings B1 to guide the elevating and lowering of the tube 66B. A guide portion 67 including a guide ring 67B attached to the pipe 66B so as to be guided along the guide rod 67A and slide up and down, and a screw inserted from above so as to be screwed into an internal screw of the lift pipe 66B. The rod 68A is connected to the output shaft and comprises a reversible geared motor 68B fixed to the rear end of the machine frame 10. The geared motor 68B is used to initially set the pitch height of the pitching machine 1 when the pitching machine 1 is installed by its rotational drive, and then to the bat to correct the average difference in height between adults and children. It is used according to the selection of the provided adult / child selection switch. Adult / Child settings are for flange 69A attached to threaded rod 68A and for adult / child.
The flange setting 69A and the limit switch 69B, 6 are used for the geared motor 68B operated by the height setting limit switches 69B, 69C for children and operated by the selection switch.
It is designed to be stopped by pressing 9C. By the way, in the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting device, the vertical adjustment is opposite to the high and low pitching of the pitch.
It can easily be inferred that it can be installed in the front part of the car. When using the cam groove 62B, the roller is in the groove 6
Although it becomes a small size that fits in 2B, the vertical restraint is enhanced and the stability is improved.

Next, the operation of the pitching machine 1 will be explained together with the explanation of the control device. After throwing the ball, the spring 41 relaxes and the arm 15 and the pitching hand 16
Is lowered downward in a free state, the circumferential drive device 30
The torque motor 26 slowly moves through the speed reducer 27 in the pitching direction at a constant cycle (for example, 10 revolutions per minute, that is, 10R).
The release pin 25 of the sprocket wheel 28, which is circumferentially driven by the chain C1 (arrow A) at PM every 6 seconds, catches up and is pushed. On the way, the ball is received from the supply unit 13 by the pitching hand 16 at the tip of the pitching arm, and then the spring 41 of the rapid rotation drive device 40 is gradually stretched strongly as the arm 15 rotates. The strong spring 41 is stretched between the pitching crank 22 and the spring force adjusting means-side flange F1, and the crank 22 is integrally connected to the rotary shaft 23. The spring 41 is located slightly before the uppermost position of the pitching hand 16. The arm 15 is driven to rotate rapidly by the strong spring force accumulated beyond the maximum tension state of (1) to start pitching.

Since the crank 22 and the rotary shaft 23 are rotatably supported by the sprocket wheel 28 via bearings, when they are rapidly driven in the pitching direction A ', the arm 15
Throws down the uppermost pitching hand 16 to a horizontal position, and throws a ball from the pitching hand 15 in a state close to the pitching form of a human pitcher at the pitching position during this time. Further, the pitching hand 16 descends from the horizontal position to the lowermost position so as to approach the machine frame 10. During this time, a cam type 35, an electromagnetic type, a hydraulic or pneumatic type brake 35 is used.
When the brake 35 is released after deceleration to below RPM, the above free initial state is restored. The ball supply unit 13 supplies a plurality of balls in the tilt holder to the ball 16 on the pitching hand 16 at the tip of the pitching arm that has reached the ball receiving position one by one by opening and closing the well-known shutter 14. Instead of using the coil spring 41, the rapid rotation drive device 40 may employ a spring made of a torsion bar made of various materials.

When changing the pitching speed, the pitching speed selection switch provided in the bat constituting the remote control device is operated to set, for example, high-speed, medium-speed, or low-speed pitching. In association with the spring force adjusting device 50, that is, the rotary shaft 61 of the plate cam 62 is set to one of the above three levels according to the degree of increase or decrease of the spring force of the torsion spring 41 selected for high speed pitching, medium speed pitching, and low speed pitching. Three position indicating rings 64H, 64M and 64L attached to the rotary shaft 61 so as to set the rotation angle position, and position confirmation limit switches 65H, 65M and 65L corresponding to these and attached to the base 2 Depending on the selected high-speed, medium-speed, or low-speed pitch, the motor 5
5, 63 are stopped, and the spring tension position and the cam lift corresponding to each selected pitching speed are set, and the machine frame 10 corresponding to the selected high-speed, medium-speed or low-speed pitch is selected. Tilt adjustment is performed. It goes without saying that other detecting device such as a reflection type photoelectric tube can be adopted as the position detecting means instead of the limit switch.

[0024]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the arm type pitching machine of the first aspect of the present invention, the pitching arm rotationally fed by the circumferential drive device under the control of the control means. When the ball is supplied to the pitching hand at the tip of the pitching arm at the ball receiving position and then rapidly rotated by the rapid rotation drive means via the rotation shaft, the arm swings at a high speed away from the circumferential drive device. Is done
The ball receives a centrifugal force and is thrown. Under the control of the control means also after the pitching, the pitching arm is decelerated via the rotating shaft by the brake braking to receive the next ball supply, and the pitching arm decelerated after the pitching and waiting is It is re-engaged with the orbital drive device that slowly chases at a constant speed and sent to the ball receiving position, and the next pitching operation as described above can be repeated.
In that case, since the rapid rotation drive means is composed of the torsion spring and its spring force adjusting means, while maintaining good ball speed adjusting performance, unlike the conventional coil spring, it is possible to operate from high speed to low speed. No large vibration or noise is generated when the pitch is completed over the pitching speed of, and the service life of the spring is extended. At the same time, the front and rear inclination of the machine frame is automatically and mechanically adjusted by the cam peripheral surface or the groove having the head difference of the machine frame front and rear inclination adjusting means corresponding to the change of the pitching speed, and the strike zone at the bat is reduced. This mechanical machine frame front-back tilt adjustment means stabilizes the control settings and improves the controllability. Furthermore, the vibration of the machine frame eliminates the occurrence of cam dents and dents, resulting in a longer service life. It will be possible to postpone.

According to a second aspect of the pitching machine of the present invention, in the first aspect, the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means is attached in a state orthogonal to a horizontal axis provided on the base and has an axis center. Plate cam having a curved peripheral surface or groove smoothly connecting a high head and a low head, a tilt adjustment motor for slowly rotating the horizontal shaft, and a plurality of rotations of the horizontal shaft for the tilt adjustment motor. From a rotation angle setting means that stops at an angular position, a remote control means that remotely starts the tilt adjustment motor to control the rotation angle setting means, and a cam lift difference transmission elevating means that transmits a cam lift difference to a machine frame. In order to be configured, the tilt control motor can be rotationally driven by the remote control means, and can be stopped at the rotational angle position set by the control of the horizontal axis and its cam by the rotational angle setting means that receives the control. So that the longitudinal inclination adjustment of the machine frame corresponding to the pitching rate through the cam lift transmitted elevating means by the plate cam having a degree difference with songs circumferential surface or groove is easily performed.

According to a third aspect of the pitching machine of the present invention, in the second aspect, the remote control means works in conjunction with the spring force adjusting means to select between the high speed pitch and the low speed pitch. A plurality of position indicating rings mounted positionably on a horizontal rotation axis so as to set the rotation axis of the plate cam to the plurality of rotation angle positions according to a plurality of degrees of increase and decrease of the spring force of a John spring, and
Corresponding to these, it consists of a position confirmation limit switch mounted on the base, so it can be adjusted according to the degree of adjustment of the spring force of the torsion spring corresponding to the ball speed selected between high-speed and low-speed pitch. It is possible to control the rotation of the tilt adjustment motor by the position confirmation detection means such as the corresponding position indication ring and limit switch, and stop the horizontal rotation shaft and its plate cam at the rotation angle position that the detection means takes charge of. It becomes simple and the change over time can be easily corrected by correcting the position of the position indicating ring.

According to a fourth aspect of the pitching machine, in the first aspect, the machine frame is supported on the base so as to be tiltable forward and backward at a front portion on the pitching direction side. The frame front-back inclination adjustment means
The rear of the machine frame is provided on the base, the cam of the front-back inclination adjusting means is in contact with the rear of the machine frame via a roller, and the remote control means is provided at the bat. It has a pitching speed selection switch, and the rotation angle setting means and the spring force adjusting means each have detection means such as a limit switch having a detection function corresponding to the number of pitching speed selections of the pitching speed selection switch. The rotation angle position of the cam of the machine frame front-back tilt adjusting means and the spring tension position of the spring force adjusting means are controlled by the detection means corresponding to the pitching speed selected by the pitching speed selection switch. Therefore, the tilt angle is set by the detecting means corresponding to the pitching speed selected by the pitching speed selection switch provided at the bat. By means of the cam of the means, the front and rear inclination of the machine frame can be easily controlled and set in the rear part of the machine frame via the roller, and at the same time, the spring force adjusting means controls the spring force by the detecting means corresponding to the pitching speed. Can be set up stretched.

According to a fifth aspect of the pitching machine, in the first aspect, the spring force adjusting means is a spring end rotatably held at an end portion of the support shaft on the spring force adjusting means side. A sprocket wheel fixedly mounted on a part fixing flange, a chain fixed to at least one tooth of the sprocket wheel at one end and partially bridged, and fixed to the machine frame at the other end, at an intermediate portion of the chain Since the small sprocket wheel is rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the crank and the motor for rotationally driving the crank, the motor may be a one-way rotation type. It is possible to prevent the spring from being over-twisted simply by twisting the spring for the maximum stroke. Further, the pitching speed can be arbitrarily selected by twisting the spring in a stepless manner or in a plurality of steps.

According to a sixth aspect of the pitching machine of the present invention, in the first aspect, the torsion spring is composed of a coil spring, and both ends of the coil spring rotate substantially parallel to the rotary shaft. It can be configured to be fixedly mounted via sockets on the flanges at both ends of the support shaft supported by the machine frame, and the coil spring that is easily available should be mounted stably on the pitching machine so as to withstand repeated use. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a right side view of an arm-type pitching machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means of the pitching machine.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a plate cam and a position indicating ring of a machine frame front-back tilt adjusting means of the pitching machine, FIG.
Shows a plate cam having a peripheral surface having a different lift, and (b) shows a groove cam having a groove having a lift.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a rapid rotation drive device of the pitching machine with a skeleton.

5 is a side view of an arrow V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a left side view of a conventional arm type pitching machine.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the pitching machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 pitching machine 2 bases 10 machine frames 13 Ball supply means 15 arms 16 pitching hand 23 rotation axis 30 Orbital drive means 35 brakes 40 Rapid rotation drive 41 Torsion Spring 42 Support shaft 50 Spring force adjustment means 51 sprocket wheel 52 small sprocket wheel 53 cranks 60 Machine frame front-back inclination adjustment means 61 Horizontal rotation axis 62 cam 62A Cam peripheral surface 62B cam groove 63 Tilt adjustment motor 64 Rotation angle setting means (position indicating ring) 65 Detection means (position confirmation limit switch) 66A roller C2 chain O axis

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A 61-29372 (JP, A) JP-A 9-285586 (JP, A) JP-A 55-26971 (JP, A) JP-A 54- 74134 (JP, A) Actual Open Sho 62-1668 (JP, U) Actual Open Sho 63-29573 (JP, U) Actual Open Sho 53-15868 (JP, U) Actual Open Sho 57-5264 (JP, U) Patent 2980903 (JP, B1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63B 69/40 501

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotary shaft rotatably supported in a substantially horizontal state on a machine frame supported on a base so as to be tiltable forward and backward, and a rotary shaft mounted substantially orthogonal to the rotary shaft and engaged only in a pitching rotation direction. An arm that is slowly rotationally fed at a constant speed by a matching orbital drive device, a pitching hand attached to the tip of the arm, a brake that engages with the rotary shaft so as to operate after the pitching, The rotary shaft is driven to rotate rapidly over a partial center angle of 180 degrees or less to reach the pitching position, and the toe rotatably supported in parallel with the rotary shaft at a position apart from the rotary shaft in the horizontal state. A rapid rotation driving means comprising a John spring and a spring force adjusting means for adjusting the spring force by twisting the torsion spring in the circumferential direction;
A ball supply means for supplying a ball to the pitching hand before the rapid rotation drive and a lift difference provided on the base for adjusting the front and rear inclination of the machine frame at the front part or the rear part of the machine frame. For adjusting the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means with a cam surface having a peripheral surface or a groove, the operation of the brake, the rapid rotation driving means and the ball supplying means, and the adjustment of the spring force in the spring force adjusting means of the rapid rotation driving means. An arm-type pitching machine, characterized in that the arm-type pitching machine comprises a control means for interlocking with the above-mentioned machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means to control the setting of the lift of the cam. 2. The machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means is attached in a state orthogonal to a horizontal rotation shaft provided on the base, and a curved peripheral surface smoothly connecting a high lift and a low lift from an axis or A cam having a groove, a tilt adjusting motor for slowly rotating the horizontal rotating shaft, rotation angle setting means for stopping the tilt adjusting motor at a plurality of rotation angle positions of the horizontal shaft, and the tilt adjusting remotely. The pitching machine according to claim 1, further comprising remote control means for starting a motor and controlling the rotation angle setting means. 3. The remote control means operates in conjunction with the spring force adjusting means in accordance with a plurality of adjustment levels of the spring force of the torsion spring selected between a high speed pitch and a low speed pitch. The position indicating rings that are positionably attached to the horizontal rotation axis so as to set the rotation axis to the plurality of rotation angle positions, and the positions of the limit switches and the like that are mounted on the base corresponding to these The pitching machine according to claim 2, further comprising a confirmation detecting means. 4. The machine frame is supported on the base so as to be able to tilt forward and backward at a front portion on the pitching direction side, and the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means is provided on the base at the rear portion of the machine frame. The cam of the front-back inclination adjusting means is in contact with the rear part of the machine frame via a roller, and the remote control means has a pitching speed selection switch provided at the bat, The angle setting means and the spring force adjusting means each have a detecting means such as a limit switch having a detection function of a number corresponding to the selected number of pitching speeds of the pitching speed selection switch. The rotation angle position of the cam of the machine frame front-back inclination adjusting means and the spring tension of the spring force adjusting means are detected by the detecting means corresponding to the selected pitching speed. The pitching machine according to claim 1, wherein the position is controlled. 5. The sprocket wheel fixedly mounted on a spring end fixing flange rotatably held at an end of the support shaft on the side of the spring force adjusting means, and at least one tooth thereof. A chain that is fixed at one end and partially hung around and fixed at the other end to the machine frame, and a crank that rotatably mounts a small sprocket wheel engaged at the middle part of the chain on the outer peripheral portion, The pitching machine according to claim 1, comprising a motor for rotationally driving the crank. 6. The torsion spring is composed of a coil spring, and both ends of the coil spring are flanges at both ends of a support shaft rotatably supported by the machine frame so as to be rotatable substantially parallel to the rotation shaft. The pitching machine according to claim 1, which is fixedly mounted via a socket.