TWM564464U - Ball launcher device - Google Patents

Abstract

A ball launching device comprises a pipe body, a pushing unit and a air pressure unit. The pipe body has a passage; the pushing unit comprises a push rod and a first drive, the axial direction of the push rod extends into the passage parallel to the axial direction of the pipe body, and the push rod has a third axial end and a fourth axial direction opposite to each other The fourth axial end is configured to abut against a ball body in the tube body; the first driver is coupled to the third axial end and controls the push rod to move along the axial direction of the push rod in the channel to push the ball to a position; The unit comprises a valve mechanism, a pneumatic cylinder and a gas storage barrel, the valve mechanism has an outlet end communicating with the passage; the pneumatic cylinder driving the valve mechanism to close or open the outlet end; the gas storage barrel is for storing compressed air, and the valve mechanism is open to the gas. At the end, compressed air is released into the channel and the ball is pushed out of the tube.

Description

Sphere launcher

The present invention relates to a sphere launching device, and more particularly to a sphere launching device that can make the launching position of the sphere the same and the launching speed is accurate.

Different types of ball machines are currently available on the market, and their role is to launch spheres (such as tennis, baseball, golf, table tennis, etc.) to provide convenience for personnel to perform ball games (especially when individuals practice alone).

The structure of the conventional ball machine mainly includes a tube for launching, and one side of the tube body is connected with a scoring line to provide a ball into the tube body, and one of the axial ends of the tube body is provided with a compression connected to a gas storage barrel. a gas emitting device; the working principle is that a static thrust is generated at one end of the compressed gas emitting device by instantaneously releasing the compressed air in the gas storage tank, and the thrust direction is parallel to the axial direction of the pipe body and acts on the sphere, that is, The ball can be emitted from the other axial end of the tubular body.

The user can adjust the pressure of the gas storage bucket as needed to determine the speed of the sphere. Under ideal conditions, after the setting is completed, the sphere should be continuously emitted at a certain angle, direction and distance. However, due to many structural factors The effect is that the angle, direction and distance of the emitted sphere cannot be consistent.

For example, since the outer diameter of the sphere has an error, when the sphere falls into the tubular body, the distance between the spheres from the outlet end of the compressed gas emitting device is not necessarily the same. When the outer diameter of the sphere is smaller than the tubular body, the sphere will be lower toward the tubular body. Rolling, however, when the outer diameter of the sphere is larger than the tube body, it will get stuck in the tube body, which will cause a speed drop due to different starting points of the emission.

In addition, when the air pressure is released, the instantaneous airflow will cause the ball to float slightly, causing the ball to collide with the junction of the pipe body and the goal pipe connection, resulting in an increase in the variation of the ball speed.

Accordingly, how to have a "spherical launching device" that can make the launching position of the spheres the same and the emission speed is accurate is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the relevant art.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a ball launching device comprising: a tubular body having a first axial end and a second axial end, and having a first axial end in communication with the tubular body a pushing passage unit is disposed at the first axial end, and the pushing unit comprises: a push rod extending axially parallel to the axial direction of the tubular body into the passage, the push rod having a relative one a third axial end and a fourth axial end, the fourth axial end is for abutting and pushing a ball in the tube body; a first driver connecting the third axial end of the push rod and controlling the push rod The channel moves along the axial direction of the push rod to push the ball to a position; a pneumatic unit includes: a valve mechanism having an air outlet end connected to the passage; a pneumatic cylinder connected to the valve mechanism relative to the connection passage At one end, the pneumatic cylinder drives the valve mechanism to close or open the air outlet; a gas storage barrel is connected to the valve mechanism for storing compressed air, and when the valve mechanism is open to the air outlet, the compressed air stored in the gas storage tank is released to Inside the channel and The second end of the body is pushed out axially the tubular body.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , a ball launching device 100 of the present invention mainly comprises a pipe body 10 , a pushing unit 20 and a air pressure unit 30 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the tubular body 10 has a first axial end 11 and a second axial end 12 . The tubular body 10 has a first axial end 11 and a second axial end 12 . Channel 13. The axial direction (X-axis) of the tubular body 10 has an angle θ1 with the horizontal plane H, and the horizontal position of the second axial end 12 is higher than the first axial end 11, so that the tubular body 10 assumes an upward elevation angle. The angle θ1 is set as desired, for example equal to or greater than 1.5 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the pushing unit 20 is disposed at the first axial end 11 , and the pushing unit 20 includes a push rod 21 and a first driver 22 . The axial direction (X-axis) of the push rod 21 projects parallel to the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the tubular body 10 into the passage 13. The push rod 21 has a third axial end 23 and a fourth axial end 24 opposite to each other. The first driver 22 is coupled to the third axial end 23 of the push rod 21 and controls the push rod 21 to move between the ready position and the push position in the passage 12 along the axial direction of the push rod 21. The first driver 22 is not limited in any aspect, and may be, for example, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a mechanical or electrical actuator.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the air pressure unit 30 includes a valve mechanism 31 , a pneumatic cylinder 32 and a gas storage tank 33 . The valve mechanism 31 includes a casing 311 and a valve 312. One end of the casing 311 is connected to the passage 13 by an outlet end 313. The pneumatic cylinder 32 is disposed at the other end of the casing 311 opposite to the outlet end 313. The valve 312 is disposed on the casing 311. One end of the valve 312 is connected to the pneumatic cylinder 32, and the other end of the valve 312 is opposite to the outlet end 313. The valve 312 of the valve mechanism 31 is driven by the pneumatic cylinder 32 to move relative to the outlet end 313 to close or open the outlet end 313. 1 shows that the air end 313 is in a closed state.

The valve mechanism 31 is connected to one end of an air passage 34, and the other end of the air passage 34 communicates with the passage 13. The longitudinal direction (Y-axis) of the air passage 34 is perpendicular to the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the tubular body 13, and the air outlet end 313 The outlet direction (X-axis) is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the air passage 34 (Y-axis). The gas storage tank 33 is connected to the valve mechanism 31 by a connecting pipe 35. The valve mechanism 31 has a compressed gas input hole 314 for inputting the compressed gas into the valve mechanism 31 and flowing into the gas storage tank 33 to store the compressed air in the gas storage tank 33. Inside (as indicated by the dashed arrow), the outlet end 313 is now closed.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipe body 10 bypasses a ball supply unit 40, which includes a ballway 41 and a stopper 42 that communicate with each other. The fairway 41 is used to carry a plurality of spheres 50A-50D, and the fairway 41 is in communication with the channel 13. The block 42 is disposed at a communication between the ball path 41 and the channel 13. The block 42 is coupled to a second driver 43. The second driver 43 controls the block 42 to move along a Y-axis between a closed position and an open position. The second driver 43 is not limited in any aspect, and may be, for example, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a mechanical or electrical actuator. Figure 1 shows that the stop 42 is in the closed position to close the communication between the fairway 41 and the passage 13; Figure 2 shows that the stop 42 is raised in the open position to open the communication between the fairway 41 and the passage 13, so that one of the spheres 41A of the fairway 41 falls. Into the channel.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, FIG. 1 shows that when the push rod 21 is in the preparatory position, the fourth axial end 24 is located on one side of the projection range of the intersection of the fairway 41 and the passage 13 and is closer to the first axial end. 11; FIG. 4 shows that the push rod 21 is in the push position, and the fourth axial end 24 is located on the other side of the projection range where the ball path 41 is in communication with the channel 13 and is closer to the second axial end 12.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a bar 44 can be provided to ensure that only one ball falls into the channel 13 at a time. The axial direction (Z-axis direction) of the stopper 44 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the fairway 13. The bar 44 is connected to a third driver 45. The third driver 45 controls the bar 44 to move along an axial direction (Z-axis) between an extended position and a retracted position. The third driver 45 is in a state of the third driver 45. It is not limited, for example, it can be a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a mechanical or electrical actuator. 1 shows that the lever 44 is in the retracted position, the balls 50A-50D are blocked by the stopper 42 and do not fall into the passage 13; FIG. 2 shows that when the stopper 42 is raised in the open position, the lever 44 is in the extended position and Projecting in the fairway 41 and abutting against the side of the sphere 50B, the plurality of spheres 50B-50D can be blocked in the fairway 41, thereby ensuring that only one sphere 50A adjacent to the stopper 42 in the fairway 41 can fall into the passageway 13. Inside.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 for explaining the operation flow of the present creation, including the following steps: Step 1: As shown in FIG. 1 , the stopper 42 is in the closed position, and the ball 50A 50D is blocked in the fairway 41; 21 is in the preparatory position; the compressed gas is stored in the gas storage tank 33, and the outlet end 313 is in a closed state. Step 2: As shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 42 is raised to the open position, the stopper 44 is located at the extended position and the plurality of spheres 50B-50D are blocked in the lane 41, and the sphere 50A falls into the passage 13; since the tube 10 has An elevation angle (an angle θ1 as shown in FIG. 1), the ball 50A will then roll toward the push rod 21 and abut against the fourth axial end 24. Step 3: As shown in FIG. 3, when the ball 50A falls into the passage 13, the stopper 42 is lowered back to the closed position, and the lever 44 is retracted to the retracted position. Step 4: As shown in FIG. 4, the first driver 22 drives the push rod 21 to the push position, and the fourth axial end 24 abuts and pushes the ball 50A to a position, so that the ball 50A avoids the communication between the ball path 41 and the tube body 10. At the office. The pusher 21 has a neck 25 that corresponds to the communication of the air passage 34 with the passage 13 when the pusher 21 pushes the ball 50A into position. Step 5: As shown in FIG. 5, the pneumatic cylinder 32 pulls the valve 312, and the outlet end 313 is in an open state, so that the compressed air in the air reservoir 33 is instantaneously released from the air reservoir 33 into the air passage 34 and the passage 13, and The ball 50A is pushed out of the tubular body 10 by the second axial end 12. By the provision of the neck 25 of the push rod 21, the resistance of the compressed air into the passage 13 can be reduced. The type of sphere to which this creation is applicable is not limited. For example, it can be a non-metallic sphere such as tennis, baseball, golf, table tennis, etc. The inner side wall of the tube 10 can be mirror-polished and subjected to chemical nickel heat treatment to improve smoothness and reduce The friction of the ball as it slides within the tubular body 10. After the ball 50A is emitted, return to step 1, the push rod 21 is returned to the preparatory position, the valve 312 is closed, and then the steps 2 to 5 are performed to emit the next ball; the steps 1 to 5 are repeated to continuously transmit. Sphere. It should be noted that the operation of the first driver 22, the pneumatic cylinder 32, the valve 312, the second driver 43, and the third driver 45 can be controlled by a computer or a program; in addition, the power of the launching sphere depends on the air reservoir 33 The size of the volume and the pressure of the incoming air pressure.

In summary, the sphere launching device provided by the present invention uses a push rod to push the sphere to a position that does not affect the launch of the sphere, and indeed enables the launching position of the sphere to be the same and the launching speed is accurate.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any person having ordinary knowledge in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of this creation is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application.

100‧‧‧Spherical launcher
10‧‧‧ tube body
11‧‧‧First axial end
12‧‧‧second axial end
13‧‧‧ channel
20‧‧‧Pushing unit
21‧‧‧Put
22‧‧‧First drive
23‧‧‧ Third axial end
24‧‧‧fourth axial end
25‧‧‧ neck
30‧‧‧Pneumatic unit
31‧‧‧ valve mechanism
311‧‧‧ Shell
312‧‧‧ Valve
313‧‧‧Exhaust end
314‧‧‧Compressed gas input hole
32‧‧‧ pneumatic cylinder
33‧‧‧ gas storage barrel
34‧‧‧ airway
35‧‧‧Connecting tube
40‧‧‧Ball unit
41‧‧‧ fairway
42‧‧ ‧block
43‧‧‧Second drive
44‧‧ ‧bar
45‧‧‧ third drive
50A~50D‧‧‧ sphere
H‧‧‧ water level θ1‧‧‧ angle

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of the embodiment of FIG. 1 when the stopper is moved to the open position and the ball falls into the tubular body. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of the embodiment of FIG. 1 when the stopper is moved to the closed position and the ball falls into the tubular body. 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of the push rod of the embodiment of FIG. 1 pushing the ball to a position. Figure 5 is a schematic view showing the structure of the compressed air of the embodiment of Figure 1 pushing the ball out of the pipe body.

Claims (16)

A ball launching device comprising: a tubular body having a first axial end and a second axial end opposite to each other, wherein the tubular body has a first axial end and a second axial end a pushing unit, disposed at the first axial end, the pushing unit comprises: a push rod extending axially parallel to the axial direction of the tube body, the push rod having a relative one a third axial end and a fourth axial end, the fourth axial end is for abutting and pushing a ball in the tube body; a first driver connecting the third axial end of the push rod and controlling The push rod moves along the axial direction of the push rod in the passage to push the ball to a position; a pneumatic unit includes: a valve mechanism having an air outlet end connected to the passage; a pneumatic cylinder connected to the The valve mechanism is driven by the pneumatic cylinder to close or open the outlet end with respect to the other end of the connecting mechanism; a gas storage barrel is connected to the valve mechanism for storing compressed air, when the valve mechanism is open At the outlet end, stored in the gas storage tank The compressed air is released to the ball and from the second axial end pushed out of the tube within the channel. The ball launching device of claim 1, wherein the first driver controls the push rod to move between the preliminary position and a push position along the axial direction of the push rod in the passage; the push rod is located In the preparatory position, the fourth axial end is located on one side of the projection range of the communication between the fairway and the tubular body and is closer to the first axial end; when the push rod is located at the pushing position, the fourth axis The end is located on the other side of the projection range of the intersection of the fairway and the tubular body and is closer to the second axial end. The ball launching device of claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism comprises: a casing having one end at the outlet end, the pneumatic cylinder being disposed on the outer casing opposite to the other end provided with the outlet end; and a a valve disposed in the outer casing, one end of the valve is connected to the pneumatic cylinder, and the opposite end of the valve is opposite to the air outlet end, and the pneumatic cylinder drives the valve to move relative to the air outlet end to close or open the air outlet end . The sphere launching device of claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism has a compressed gas input hole for inputting compressed gas into the valve mechanism and flowing into the gas storage tank. The spherical body emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism is connected to one end of an air passage, and the other end of the air passage is connected to the passage, and the longitudinal direction of the air passage is perpendicular to an axial direction of the tubular body. The sphere launching device of claim 5, wherein the outlet direction of the outlet end is perpendicular to the length direction of the air passage. The ball launching device of claim 5, wherein the push rod has a neck, and when the push rod pushes the ball to the positioning, the position of the neck corresponds to the communication between the air passage and the passage. At the office. The ball launching device of claim 1, wherein the pipe body bypasses a ball feeding unit, comprising: a ball path for carrying a plurality of the ball, the ball path communicating with the channel; and a stopper, Provided at a communication between the fairway and the passage, the stopper is driven to move between a closed position and an open position, and the stop can close the communication between the fairway and the tubular body when the stop is in the closed position, the stop Located in the open position, the fairway can be opened in communication with the tubular body such that one of the fairways falls into the passageway. The ball launching device of claim 8, wherein the stop is coupled to a second drive, and the second drive controls the stop to move between the closed position and the open position. The ball launching device of claim 8, wherein the ball path is provided with a bar that is driven to move along an axial direction thereof between an extended position and a retracted position, the bar being located at the extension When the position is out, the ball path can be protruded and the plurality of balls can be blocked in the ball path. When the bar is in the retracted position, one of the ball balls can fall into the channel. The sphere launching device of claim 8, wherein the axial direction of the baffle is perpendicular to the length of the fairway. The sphere launching device of claim 11, wherein the lever is coupled to a third actuator, and the third actuator controls the lever to move between the extended position and the retracted position. The sphere launching device of claim 1, wherein the tubular body has an angle between the axial direction and the horizontal plane. The ball launching device of claim 13, wherein the second axial end has a horizontal position higher than the first axial end. The sphere launching device of claim 13, wherein the included angle is equal to or greater than 1.5 degrees. The sphere emission device of claim 1, wherein the inner side wall of the tube body is mirror-polished and subjected to chemical nickel heat treatment.