JPH0261275B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements to a suction ring in a tile supply device for an automatic mahjong table.

The automatic mahjong table A is, as shown in FIG. When a machine frame 1a supporting the mahjong table 1 below is provided with an automatic mahjong tile sorting machine a as shown in FIG. 2, and a game is played,
Each time a game is completed, the mahjong tiles are dropped into the hopper 21 of the tile supply device 20 of the automatic mahjong tile sorting machine a by opening the slot 11 and washing the tiles in the hopper 21. While arranging the tiles in a certain posture, the tile arrangement unit 3 is sequentially moved from the tile supply device 20.
conveyor 31 of the alignment section 30.
is transferred to a predetermined position by the conveyor 31 and transferred to the upper surface of each lift 12 by the extrusion plate 32.
The lift 12 is used to push the mahjong table 1 up to the top surface and use it again for the game, and the tile supply device 20 is used to catch the mahjong tiles that have fallen from the slot 11 of the mahjong table 1 and wash the tiles. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 21, which is formed in a cylindrical shape, is provided with an inclined support shaft 22 at the bottom of the hopper 21, as shown in FIG. A rotating table 23 is provided, and a suction ring b formed in an annular shape that overlaps the upper surface of the peripheral edge 23a of the table 23 in a plan view is disposed horizontally in the upper opening of the hopper 21. Magnets K are arranged in a ring and attached to the bottom side of the mahjong tile P, and an adsorption piece made of iron is embedded in the inside of the mahjong tile P near the top side of the mahjong tile P. The suction piece inside is suctioned by the suction ring b, so that it assumes a certain posture with the back side facing up, and is further suctioned by the suction ring b, carried out by the rotation of the ring b, and transferred to the conveyor 24, There is a configuration configured such that the conveyor 24 supplies the material to the alignment section 30.

By the way, the suction ring b used in the tile supply device of the automatic mahjong table of this type has a conventional suction ring b with an appropriate spacing in the circumferential direction of the suction ring on the lower surface side of the suction ring. By attaching a large number of magnets arranged in an annular manner with alternating polarities so that adjacent magnets have opposite polarities, the lower surface of the adsorption ring When a mahjong tile is attracted to one of the magnets, the iron piece inside the mahjong tile is magnetized, and the adsorbed magnet is repelled by the magnetic force of the adjacent magnet with the opposite polarity. The mahjong tiles are rotated around the center to maintain a constant posture relative to the suction ring, but when a mahjong tile is attracted to the center of one of the magnets arranged in a ring on the underside of the suction ring, the mahjong tiles are attracted. Since the mahjong tiles are held in the same position as when they are suctioned, not only is it necessary to have a separate correction means for correcting the position of the suction ring with respect to the suction ring, but also when the mahjong tiles are suctioned, If the magnet is straddled by two adjacent magnets, it will be subject to both attraction and repulsion, resulting in a problem in which the attraction effect will be poor and efficiency will not improve.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, improve the efficiency of suctioning and picking up mahjong tiles, and correcting the posture of the suctioned mahjong tiles with respect to the suction ring, which affects the suction length of the mahjong tiles. To provide a new suction ring that automatically and reliably performs suction without receiving damage.

To achieve this purpose, the suction ring in the tile supply device for an automatic mahjong table according to the present invention is formed by a magnetized metal material so as to have a downward channel-like cross-section and to be continuous in an annular shape. A magnet or a plurality of magnets arranged in an annular shape with a width narrower than the spacing between the inner and outer side walls of the ring, or a plurality of magnets arranged in an annular shape, are attached so that one magnetic pole overlaps the inner surface of the top plate of the ring. and one magnetic pole is divided into respective free ends of the inner and outer side walls of the ring, and a division consisting of each free end of the inner and outer side walls on both sides of the other magnetic pole of the magnet facing the lower surface of the ring. It is characterized by being configured such that one of the magnetic poles is located at each position.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral b denotes a suction ring, which is located above the peripheral edge 23a of the table 23, which is tilted at the bottom of the hopper 21 and pivotally supported on the support shaft 22, at the upper opening of the hopper 21. The support wheels 40 are arranged as follows and are pivotally supported on the machine frame 1a...
supports the rail portion 41 on the outer periphery, and by driving a suitable one of the supporting wheels 40 through the transmission mechanism 42, it rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 (rotates counterclockwise). ).

Reference numeral 5 denotes a ring made of a magnetized metal material such as an iron plate, and is formed in a continuous annular shape with a downward channel-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. The distance D formed between the inner and outer side walls 50, 50 is as shown in FIG.
Left and right width d of mahjong tiles P used in automatic mahjong table A
The width W of the lower surface of the suction ring b is the length L of the mahjong tile P in front and back.
(No. 8)
figure). Furthermore, the ring 5 has the aforementioned rail portion 41 formed integrally and continuously in the shape of a brim on its outer circumferential surface, so that the ring 5 becomes the main body of the suction ring b. . Note that the ring 5 may be formed separately from the rail portion 41 and the main body of the suction ring b, and attached to the lower surface side of the separate main body of the suction ring b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the magnet K for adsorbing mahjong tiles held on the lower surface side of the adsorption ring b has a width W narrower than a width D between the inner and outer side walls 50, 50 of the ring 5. It is formed into a square block shape in which the height h from the magnetic pole N to the other magnetic pole S approximately corresponds to the protruding length of the side walls 50, 50, and the ring 5 is formed in the inner cavity of the ring 5 in the circumferential direction of the ring 5. The rings 5 are arranged in an annular shape at appropriate intervals (FIG. 6) and are integrally fixed to the ring 5 by an appropriate means such as insert molding using a synthetic resin material 6 poured into the inner cavity of the ring 5, thereby forming the main ring 5. These magnets K...
is inserted into the inner cavity of the ring 5 with one magnetic pole N facing the inner surface of the top plate 51 of the ring 5. Arranged at the center of the inner surface in the width direction, the one magnetic pole N is joined to the inner surface of the top plate 51 of the ring 5, and fixed in that state,
The magnets K arranged in the ring 5 are aligned so that their magnetic properties are aligned and their other magnetic poles S are directed toward the lower surface of the ring 5, as shown in FIG. As a result, one magnetic pole N of the magnet K disposed within the ring 5
However, the direction of the magnetic pole N is changed by the ring 5 superimposed on it, and the inner and outer side walls 5 of the ring 5 are
The free ends are divided into 0 and 50 free ends, and are located on both the inside and outside of the other magnetic pole S facing the lower surface side at the center of the width direction of the ring 5.

The magnets K, which are arranged in a ring shape with uniform magnetic properties, and the ring 5, which has a channel-like cross-section made of a magnetized metal material, are used to divide the magnet K by changing the direction of one magnetic pole N, as described above. Therefore, when the magnets K are arranged in an annular shape, they may be arranged in close contact with each other in the circumferential direction of the ring 5 without any interval, or they may be formed in an integral continuous ring shape. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 11, the ring 5 is overlapped with the inner surface of the top plate 51 of the ring 5.

In addition, in the mahjong tiles P used in correspondence with the attraction ring b, the attraction piece 7 made of an iron piece buried inside the mahjong tile P may be replaced with a magnet. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the magnetic attraction piece 7 has a magnetic pole N opposite to the magnetic pole S on the lower surface of the magnet K provided on the attraction ring b on the upper surface side, and a magnetic pole N on the lower surface side that is opposite to the magnetic pole S on the lower surface side of the magnet K provided on the attraction ring b. Bury it so that the magnetic pole S is opposite to the magnetic pole N.
In addition, when a magnet is used for the attraction piece 7 in this way,
An iron piece 71 formed in a channel shape as shown in FIG. 14 or a channel-shaped iron plate 71' with a rising wall 71a cut out diagonally as shown in FIG. 7
0, and the iron plate 71 is superimposed on the lower surface of one of the magnetic poles S of the magnet 70, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, to form an adsorbing piece. 7, it is desirable to do this because when the mahjong tiles P are attracted to the suction ring b in a cross position as shown in Fig. 8, the turning to the state shown in Fig. 7 will be smooth. .

Next, to explain the operation, the suction ring in the tile supply device of the automatic mahjong table configured as described above has a magnet K disposed annularly on the bottom side of the suction ring.
is in a state in which the polarity is aligned with one magnetic pole S facing the lower surface side, and the other magnetic pole of the magnet K is placed at both positions of the one magnetic pole S of the magnet K inside and outside of the adsorption ring b. Since the free ends of the side walls 50, 50, which are the magnetic poles N and N divided by the inner and outer side walls 50, 50 of the ring 5 overlapping with the N, are located, the mahjong tiles P
However, when the mahjong tile P is attracted to the lower surface of the suction ring b by the attraction of the adsorption piece 7 made of an iron piece or a magnet buried inside it to the magnet K, the mahjong tile P
is always adsorbed under the same conditions,
The efficiency of picking up mahjong tiles P by adsorption is improved. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the mahjong tiles P are attracted with their front and back directions perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the attraction ring b, the side walls 50 located on both the inside and outside of the magnet K, An adhesion piece 7 of a mahjong tile P in which divided magnetic poles N and N composed of 50 free ends are adsorbed by one magnetic pole S of a magnet K.
The mahjong tile P is pushed out by the magnet K.
As shown in Fig. 7, the mahjong tiles P are rotated around the center of the suction point, so that the front and back directions of the adsorbed mahjong tiles P are aligned in the circumferential direction of the suction ring b, making it stable. The magnet K that attracts the mahjong tiles P ensures that the posture of the ring b is corrected in a constant direction with respect to the circumferential direction.

Therefore, according to the present invention, both the magnetic poles are located on the lower surface of the ring due to the inner and outer side walls of the annular ring and the magnet inside thereof, so that the efficiency with which the suction ring attracts and picks up mahjong tiles is increased. is good and
Since the magnetic poles of the center magnet and the magnetic poles of the side wall magnets are arranged close to each other, the mahjong tiles themselves rotate so that they are aligned in the direction of the magnetic poles and are attracted to the suction ring, and at the same time, the posture of the mahjong tiles can be corrected. The effect of automatically and reliably performing mahjong without affecting the adsorption state of the mahjong tiles can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an automatic mahjong table that can implement the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the automatic mahjong tile sorting machine described above, Fig. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a suction according to the present invention. A vertical cross-sectional side view of the ring set in an automatic mahjong tile sorting machine, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same suction ring, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the same suction ring, and FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same suction ring. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the action, Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the suction ring same as the above, Fig. 10 is a vertically developed view of the suction ring same as the above, and Fig. 11 is a longitudinally developed view of the suction ring of another embodiment. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal front view of mahjong tiles, 1st
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the same mahjong tile, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an iron plate used as an adsorption piece of the same mahjong tile, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another example of the iron plate. Explanation of drawing symbols, A... Automatic mahjong table, D... Spacing width, K... Magnet, L... Front and rear length, P... Mahjong tile, W... Bottom width, a... Automatic mahjong tile Alignment machine, b... Suction ring, d... Left and right width, h...
Height, w... Width narrower than D, 1... Mahjong table, 1
a... Machine frame, 10... Board, 11... Drop opening, 1
2...Lift, 20...Tile supply device, 21...Hopper, 22...Spindle, 23...Table, 23
a... Peripheral portion, 24... Conveyor, 30... Aligning portion, 31... Conveyance conveyor, 32... Extrusion plate, 4
0...Support wheel, 41...Rail portion, 42...Transmission mechanism, 5...Ring, 50...Side wall, 51...Top plate, 6...Synthetic resin material, 7...Adsorption piece, 70...
Magnet, 71, 71'... Iron piece, 71a... Standing wall.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the inner cavity of a ring formed of a magnetized metal material so as to have a downward channel-like cross-sectional shape and to be continuous in an annular shape, the ring is formed to have a width narrower than the width between the inner and outer side walls of the ring and to be continuous in an annular shape. A magnet or a plurality of magnets arranged in an annular shape are mounted in such a manner that one magnetic pole overlaps the inner surface of the top plate of the ring, and the one magnetic pole is divided into free ends of the inner and outer side walls of the ring. A tile supply device for an automatic mahjong table, characterized in that one magnetic pole divided from each free end of the inner and outer side walls is positioned on both sides of the other magnetic pole of the magnet facing the lower surface of the ring. Adsorption ring in.