JPS6218187B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic mahjong table, and more particularly to an apparatus for stirring tiles, sorting the front and back sides of the tiles, and aligning the tiles.

Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 19232/1983, this type of tile stirring and arranging device transports tiles dropped into a hopper obliquely upward using a lifting belt with protrusions, and then removes the tiles from the hopper. The inventor has devised a device that aligns the tiles by transferring them to a square belt having notches at small intervals in the direction of the tiles, and then using a posture control disk to attract only the tiles with their backs facing upward using a permanent magnet. has been done. but,
In this device, many tiles are transferred to the square belt at once by a wide pull-up belt, so the posture control disk cannot pick up the tiles one by one in a predetermined posture. The tiles were confused in front of and below the disk, making it impossible to mix and align the tiles accurately and efficiently.

Therefore, in the present invention, a turntable is disposed below an opening provided on the deck, an endless tile conveyor is installed around the outer periphery of the turntable, and the tile conveyor is slightly lower than the turntable. An alignment control member is disposed at a predetermined height higher than the turntable and facing the high position of the tile conveyor and has permanent magnets with NS poles arranged alternately on the lower surface. The tiles are transferred from the turntable to the tile conveyor at a low position, and then at a high position of the tile conveyor.
The front and back of the tiles are sorted based on the permanent magnet of the alignment control member, which is located close to either the front or back of the tile and is buried long in the longitudinal direction of the tile, and also based on the alternately arranged NS poles of the permanent magnet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for stirring and arranging tiles in an automatic mahjong table, which is configured to align the postures of the tiles and attract the tiles, thereby eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Embodiments based on the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In Fig. 1, 1 is an automatic mahjong table, and 2 is the legs that support it.

At the end of the competition phase, a start switch 14 installed on the outer edge of the top of the automatic mahjong table 1 is activated.
When one of the contestants sitting adjacent to the switch presses the button, blocking the electrical circuit of this switch,
This electrical signal is sent to a push-type solenoid 15 via a switch 19 fixed on the lower surface of the deck 3 near the opening/closing port 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the opening/closing opening 4 is connected to the deck 3 by a claw 17 attached to the tip of the opening/closing opening attached to a support arm 16 fixed to and protruding approximately in the middle of the pallet 12. held at the same level. The bush solenoid 15 receives an electric signal from the start switch 14 and is energized, and the tip of the plunger (movable iron core) kicks off the claw 17 and is removed from the support arm 16. It can be pivoted and lowered to the position shown by the chain line to create an opening on the deck. The contestant throws the group of tiles that have been played into the table through this opening.

Once the injection is complete, the contestant presses the start switch 1 again.
When 4 is pressed to send an electrical signal, the switch 19, which is pressed by the lower surface of the opening/closing port 4 to switch the circuit, sends an electrical signal to the half-rotation mechanism. As shown in FIG. 6, the half-rotation mechanism has a solenoid 21 and a switch 19.
The half-rotation solenoid 21 is excited based on
Notch 2 of a half-rotation wheel 22 that attracts the plunger and is fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 20
3, remove the claw 25 connected to the solenoid, and at the same time press the switch 26 connected to the motor drive circuit below to close the circuit, so the half-rotation motor 20 starts rotating. do. When the rotational motion is half a turn, the other notch 24 provided on the opposite side of the notch 23 of the half-rotation wheel comes to the lower position, so the claw 25 is moved by the restoring force of the spring 27. It fits into the notch 24, suppresses the rotational movement of the motor, and opens the electric circuit of the switch 26, thereby stopping the rotational movement.

This rotational motion is transmitted by a gear 28 to a crankshaft 29 provided directly below the pallets 12 arranged on all sides, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The pallet 12 and the crankshaft 29 are connected and held at two locations each by a crank mechanism as shown in FIG. That is, the pallet is supported by the rotating shaft at the upper end of the crank rod 30, and by the half-rotation movement of the crank shaft 29, it is guided by the guide plate 31 and lowered vertically to the lowest position shown by the chain line in the figure. Stop at. At this time, at the lower pole, the switch 32 is pressed with the lower surface of the pallet to close the electric circuit, and an electric signal is sent to the single rotation solenoid 34 provided close to the single rotation motor 33.

This single rotation mechanism is shown in FIG.
is excited and the claw 35 connected to the plunger (movable iron core) is removed from the notch of the single rotation wheel 36 fixed to the rotating shaft of the single rotation motor 33, and at the same time the motor is driven. The electric circuit of the switch 37 connected to the circuit is closed and the motor starts rotating. After one rotation, the pawl 35 again fits into the notch of the single rotation wheel 36 due to the restoring force of the spring 38, suppressing the rotation of the motor, and at the same time opens the circuit of the switch 37, so the motor remains at the position where it has made one rotation. Stop. This one-rotation motion is transmitted from the coaxial sprocket 39 to the chain 40, and further to the sprocket 41 of the push plate device provided at the lower center of the tile distribution table 10 arranged on all sides. Sprocket 3 mentioned in the single rotation device
9 and a sprocket 4 used in this push plate device.
1 has the same number of teeth, so one rotational motion is reliably transmitted by the chain 40.

The push plate device is shown in FIG. 7, and an arm is fixed to the upper surface of a sprocket 41 of this device, and a roller 42 is attached to the tip of the arm. Guide rod 43
The lower surface of the slider 44 mounted on the slider 44 has a horizontal groove provided perpendicularly to the guide rod, into which the roller 42 is fitted. With one rotation of the sprocket 41, the slider 44 makes one reciprocating piston movement along the guide rod 43. That is, due to this movement, the push plate 13 fixed to the upper part of the slider moves a predetermined number of tiles onto the standby tile row 45, which is already arranged in two stacks and waiting on the tile distribution table 10.
is moved to the position indicated by the one-dot chain line on the pallet 12 that has descended and stopped. Also this slider 4
4 pushes down the protruding lever of the snap switch 46 in the opposite direction at the forward pole of the piston movement to form a reverse rotation circuit for the half-rotation motor 20, and at the same time sends an electric signal to the half-rotation solenoid 21; Chain conveyor motor 47 and slope conveyor motor 48
The drive circuit shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is also closed and conductive.

The electric signal sent to the half-rotation solenoid 21 causes a reverse half-rotation motion by the half-rotation mechanism shown in FIG. Therefore, the crank mechanism shown in FIG. 7 makes a half turn in the reverse direction, and the pallet 12 rises with the row of standby tiles 45 indicated by a dashed dotted line on it, and comes to rest at a position on the same plane as the deck 3. In this way, the row of standby tiles shown by the two-dot chain lines that have risen onto the deck from all sides form the castle wall tiles, and the next stage of the competition begins. The tip of the support arm 16 that protrudes from the pallet that is attached to the opening/closing opening 4
The player scoops up the ball and closes the opening, making it perfectly possible for the next competition to begin.

The chain conveyor motor 47 and the slope conveyor motor 48 whose drive circuits are turned on by the snap switch 46 start rotating, and the chain conveyor 9 further transmits the rotational movement to other sprockets 49, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a belt pulley 50 fixed coaxially with this sprocket transmits rotational motion from the turntable 5 and friction wheel 52 to the ring 6 and to the selector 7 through a belt 51. do.

As shown in FIG. 4, the group of tiles 53 thrown into the tabletop from the opening/closing port 4 mentioned at the beginning are piled up randomly on the turntable 5, and the tiles 53 are thrown into place by the rotational movement of the turntable. The group also rotates and is successively moved to the circumference by the obstacle rod 54-1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and further transferred to the outer tile conveyor 6 by the obstacle rod 54-2. I am forced to post it.

The tile conveyor 6 consists of an endless ring.
It has a width slightly wider than the length of the tiles, is located on the outer periphery of the turntable 5, and further has a friction wheel 52 and three locations such that it is lowest at the position 55 and highest at the position 56. Guide car 57
It is supported and rotated in an inclined state. The tile conveyor 6 is located at a position slightly lower than the turntable 5 at a low position 55, and at a position several centimeters higher than the turntable 5 at a high position 56.

The tile is 1 at the low position 55 from the turntable 5.
The tiles are transferred one by one onto the conveyor 6 and further moved on the conveyor 6, and if the tiles are in a position other than the prone position, i.e. in a standing or horizontal position, an obstacle bar 54 is used.
- Killed by 3 or returned to the turntable. In this way, only the tiles in the prostrate position will pass directly under the alignment control member 7.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the alignment control member 7, a permanent magnet 59 such as ferrite is continuously fixed to the lower outer surface of a rotating disk 58, so that the flat tiles on the tile conveyor 6 are slightly It is set at a height that allows it to pass through without leaving a gap.

Furthermore, in all tiles used in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the iron plate 61, which is normally buried in the tile 60, is buried in a position close to the surface of the back plate 62 of the tile. This is what is being done.

As a result, among the flat tiles passing directly under the alignment control member 7, those with the back plate 62 facing upward are energized by the iron plate 61 inside, and fly up, and are attracted to the magnet 59. At this time, since the permanent magnets are arranged in alternating N and S poles as shown in Figure 9, and the iron plate 61 in the tile is buried long in the longitudinal direction, the tile jumps up and is attracted. At this time, the posture of the tiles attracted according to the polarity of the magnet is such that the longitudinal direction is naturally parallel to the tangent to the disk 58, and the posture of the tiles is aligned in this direction.

The flat tile passing under the back plate of the tile is outside the excitation range of the permanent magnet and passes without being attracted, and is returned to the top of the turntable 5 by the obstacle rod 54-5. At this position, since it is higher than the turntable, the tiles fall from the tile transport conveyor 6, but the tiles hit the reversing protrusion 63 provided in the middle of the falling trajectory and receive a shock, and the tiles are reversed. Move onto the turntable 5 in a position above the backboard. The moved tiles go through the above-mentioned process, and are again transferred directly under the alignment control member 7 and adsorbed thereon. This is useful for increasing the adsorption efficiency of the alignment control member 7 and increasing the probability of attitude control.

Due to this rotational movement, the tiles attracted by the permanent magnets 59 of the alignment control member 7 are guided by a guide plate 64 fixed to and extending from the end of the slobe conveyor 8, and are guided to the outside of the member 7. Forced to move, he ended up deviating from the excitation zone, and the slope conveyor 8
fall on top. The fallen tiles are transported on this conveyor belt, and their forward movement is stopped by the stopper 65, so that their movement is stopped. At this time, the tiles are attracted and transferred by the hanger 66 of the chain conveyor 9, which is moving in the right angle direction while maintaining a small gap just above the tiles.

As shown in FIG. 11, the chain conveyor 9 is
A base of hangers 66 is fixed to a normal chain with an attachment at regular intervals, and a permanent magnet 59 such as ferrite is fixed to the bottom surface of this base, and a stopper 65 of the slope conveyor 8 is attached to the base of the hanger 66. When the tiles pass very close to each other directly above the tiles that are in a stopped state, they are picked up and transferred in a quadrangular shape directly above the center line of the tile distribution tables 10 arranged on all sides in a suspended state. The tiles to be transferred are first moved to the fixed damper 6 at one end of the tile distribution table 10-1.
7-1 prevents it from moving, it detaches from the permanent magnet of the hanger and lands on the tile placement table 10-1. Then, the tiles carried by the chain conveyor 9 are dropped one after another onto the tile placement table, forming a two-tier stack.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, the tile distribution table 10 has a sawtooth-like upper surface with a pitch equal to the tile width, and a damper 67 is installed at the tip of the chain conveyor 8 at a slight incline. It is equipped with the following equipment. Only the damper on the tile-distributing table 10-1 is fixed, and the dampers on the other tile-distributing tables 10-2, 3, and 4 are designed to move up and down, and normally, suspended tiles can easily pass over them. It is fixed at a lower position where it can be used.

The number of tiles carried by the chain conveyor 9 is
The cards are sequentially electronically read by a photoelectric switch 69-1 installed at a position immediately after passing the damper 67-2 of the tile distribution table 10-2. This value is input to a separately provided counter IC, and when the predetermined number of tiles reaches 34, it is immediately input to the damper solenoid 70 as an output signal.

The solenoid 70 receiving the electric signal attracts the plunger, and as shown in FIG. Moves to the upper position and prevents subsequent transfer from passing tiles. As a result, the two-stage stacking and arranging operation progresses on the tile arrangement table 10-2, as in the case of the tile arrangement table 10-1.

Then, the photoelectric switch 69-4 is set to a predetermined number of 34×
When the 4=136th tile, that is, the last tile is read, an electrical signal is sent to the push-type solenoid 72 shown in FIG. Then, the power circuits of the chain conveyor motor 47 and the slope conveyor motor 48 are opened, and at the same time, the reverse rotation circuit of the single rotation motor 20 is switched to the forward rotation circuit. In this way, all movement stops, and the aligned tiles on the tile placement tables 10 on all sides stand by, waiting for their next turn.

Pander 67-2 in the above-mentioned upper position,
3 and 4 are pushed down by a separate protruding part from the pallet 12 that descends at the beginning of the competition, and are hooked by the tip of the damper solenoid and returned to their original positions.

As explained above, according to the present invention, since the tiles are stirred by the rotating turntable 5, the tiles can be stirred well, and the tiles are conveyed from the turntable 5 at a position slightly lower than the turntable 5. As the tiles are transferred to the conveyor 6, together with the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the turntable 5, the tiles are transferred to the tile conveyor 6 smoothly and without becoming lumpy. By doing so, the permanent magnet 5 can be used without the tiles being confused by the alignment control member 7.
9, it is possible to pick up the tiles one by one, accurately and efficiently select the front and back sides of the tiles, and to keep the postures constant. Furthermore, since the tiles are arranged by the alignment control member 7 at a predetermined height higher position than the turntable 5 of the tile conveyor 6, the alignment control member 7
There is no problem such as the permanent magnet 59 attracting tiles on the turntable 5, the alignment control member 7 can be placed above the turntable 5 or close to the turntable 5, and the structure of the turntable 5 is similar to that of a flat plate. Together with this, it is possible to achieve significant downsizing. In addition, only the turntable 5, the tile conveyor 6, and the alignment control member 7 are required, which simplifies the structure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an automatic mahjong table incorporating the device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the internal mechanism, and FIG.
The figure is a vertical sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the internal mechanism, Figure 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the opening/closing device, and Figure 6 is the half-rotation mechanism. , FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the crank mechanism and push plate device, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the single rotation mechanism, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the alignment control member as seen from the bottom, and FIG. 10 is a partial view. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cutout tiles, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the chain conveyor seen from below, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the damper portion. 1... automatic mahjong table, 3... deck, 4... opening/closing opening, 5... turntable, 6... tile conveyor, 7... alignment control member, 55... low position, 5
6...High position, 59...Permanent magnet, 60...
Tile, 61... iron plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A turntable is placed below the opening in the tile agitation/alignment device for an automatic mahjong table that stirs the tiles that have fallen from the opening provided on the deck, sorts the front and back sides of the tiles, and aligns the tiles. Further, an endless tile transport conveyor is installed around the outer periphery of the turntable, and the tile transport conveyor has a position slightly lower than the turntable and a position higher than the turntable by a predetermined height, and further, the tile transport conveyor Facing a high position, an alignment control member with permanent magnets with alternating NS poles arranged on the bottom surface,
The tiles are transferred from the turntable to the tile transport conveyor at a low position of the tile transport conveyor, and at a high position of the tile transport conveyor, the permanent magnet of the alignment control member is placed close to either the front or back of the tiles and the tiles are In an automatic mahjong table configured to pick up tiles by sorting the front and back sides of the tiles based on iron plates that are long buried in the longitudinal direction, and aligning the posture of the tiles based on the alternately arranged NS poles of permanent magnets. Tile stirring and alignment device.