JPH0323189B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention provides for transporting tiles that have been chaotically agitated and washed by a platform and whose surfaces have been turned over downward to a tile alignment area on the side of the platform by a conveyor. 1 each 2
This invention relates to an automatic mahjong machine that can lay out tiles in one row.

Prior Art For example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-101697, in a conventional fully automatic mahjong table, the washed tiles are turned over downward and placed on the receiver, and then the subsequent tiles are Turn the surface of the tiles inside out, carry in one more tile to form a two-tier stack, send the two tiles in the upper and lower tiers from the receiver to the tile alignment area, and repeat the same operation as described above. Therefore, a required number of tile blocks were constructed on the tile arrangement area.

Problems to be Solved In the conventional automatic mahjong machine described above, each tile is stacked in two tiers, which complicates the operation, generates noise, and causes each part to It is easy to wear out and break down, and the structure is complicated and the cost is high.

Means and Effects for Solving the Problems The present invention relates to an improvement of an automatic mahjong device that overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties, and is capable of storing a large number of tiles dropped from a tile drop opening of a mahjong table and stirring the tiles. a base plate, a tile alignment area disposed on the side of the base plate, a conveyor for conveying the tiles stirred on the base plate to the tile alignment area, and a conveyor for transporting the tiles on the conveyor. In the automatic mahjong apparatus comprising a tile carry-in mechanism that carries tiles into the tile alignment area, the tile alignment area is configured to be able to swing up and down about a point that is far away from the tile carry-in mechanism. This is a characteristic feature.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the tile alignment area is swung upward so that the top surface of the tile carry-in end of the tile alignment area is at the same height as the top surface of the tile carry-out end of the conveyor. in a moving state,
When the base plate, the conveyor, and the tile carrying mechanism are operated, the tiles are washed on the base plate and are conveyed to the conveyor with the surface turned downward, and the tiles are transported by the conveyor to the conveyor. After being transported to the carry-out end, the tiles are carried one by one into the carry-in end of the tile alignment area by the tile carry-in mechanism. When a predetermined number of tiles have been carried into the tile alignment area, if the tile carry-in upper surface of the tile alignment area is swung downward by the thickness of one tile, one tile will be placed on the tile alignment area.
Further tiles are carried in one by one on top of the tiles arranged in one row, and thus a predetermined number of tiles are placed in two rows and one row on the tile arrangement area.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9 will be described below.

1 is a tile with a permanent magnet 2 embedded near the display surface 1a (the surface carved with letters and figures), the polarity of the permanent magnet 2 closer to the tile surface 1a is N pole, and the polarity of the opposite side is S
set to pole.

In addition, a base board 3 is arranged at the lower center of the table (not shown), and a tile alignment area section 12 is arranged diagonally above the outside of the base board 3 and parallel to each side of the square. Conveyors 14 are respectively disposed between the protruding guide 8 located on the outer periphery of the platform 3 along the inner side of the section 12 and the entrance section 13 of the tile alignment section 12 on the clockwise side. .

In the base plate 3, a rotating shaft 5, which is rotated clockwise in FIG. 4 by a motor (not shown), is disposed at the center of a fixed disk 4 that receives the tiles 1 that have fallen from a tile drop opening (not shown) on the tabletop. Four stirring arms 6 are integrally protruded in the radial direction from the rotating shaft 5 at a central angle of 90 degrees to each other, and a wall 7 is formed along the lower inner edge of the conveyor 14. A protruding guide 8 is formed adjacent to the lower entrance 15 of the conveyor 14, and a tile return member 9 is provided above the tip of the protruding guide 8.

Further, it is preferable to cover the surface of the fixed disc 4 with an elastic member in order to prevent the tiles 1 that fall and collide with the tiles from being damaged and to suppress impact noise. In order not to impede the movement of 1, it is better to avoid having a large coefficient of friction.

Further, the stirring arm 6 is set to a length that allows it to approach the wall 7, so that it can also stir and push out the tiles 1 near the wall 7.

Furthermore, inside the wall 7, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, there are
A permanent magnet 10 is buried, and a permanent magnet 11 is buried in the fixed disk 4 near the wall 7 so that the upper surface side becomes the south pole, and the tiles 1 are When the display surface 1a faces the wall 7 with its longitudinal side facing down, the tile 1 is turned over counterclockwise due to the repulsive force of the permanent magnets 2 and 10, and the display is reversely displayed as shown in Fig. 5. When the surface 1a faces away from the wall 7 side, the tile 1 is tilted counterclockwise by the attractive force of the permanent magnets 2 and 11.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the tile 1 that has been pushed forward by the stirring arm 6 and approaches the entrance portion 15 with the width direction of the tile 1 as the traveling direction touches the tip of the protruding guide 8. The tile 1 is rotated around the center, the longitudinal direction of the tile 1 is changed to the advancing direction, and the tile 1 is fed into the entrance section 15.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the width of the tile alignment area 12 is set to be approximately equal to the vertical length of the tile 1, and the length is the length (approximately 17 The length of tiles 1 arranged side by side) is set, and its surface is formed smooth, and the length of tiles 1
An edge is formed upward so that the tiles 1 do not fall off to the side, and the tiles 1 pushed out by the pushing means 23 serving as the tile carrying mechanism are smoothly moved.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 9, the tile alignment area section 12 includes a horizontal section 12a, a swinging section 12b, and a hinge section that pivotably connects both sections 12a and 12b. 12c, and when aligning the tiles 1 for one layer, swing the swinging member 12b upward so that the tip of the swinging member 12b matches the top surface of the conveyor belt 14, as shown in FIG. After arranging the 17 tiles 1, the tip of the swinging part 12b is swinged downward by the thickness of the tile 1, and the swinging part 1
The tile alignment area 12 is configured such that the tiles 2b and 2b are flush with the horizontal portion 12a.

The conveyor 14 has a belt conveyor structure as shown in FIG. It consists of a side pulley 18 and an endless belt 19 that spans these pulleys 16, 17, and 18, and within the belt 19 is a permanent magnet 20 whose S pole is on the side where the card is placed, as shown in FIG. It is buried and the display surface 1a of tile 1
is designed to be able to adsorb and transport only the tile 1 facing downward.

The position of the upper part of the lower pulley 18 is approximately aligned with the surface position of the fixed disk 4, and the plate mounting surface of the belt 19 at the entrance portion 15 of the conveyor 14 is approximately aligned with the surface of the fixed disk 4. It has become continuous.

Furthermore, near the upper end of the conveyor 14,
A stopper 21 is provided to prevent the transported tiles 1 from falling to the left in FIG. 2.

Furthermore, a sliding guide means 22 is disposed near the upper inner side of the conveyor 14 for returning the tiles 1 with the display surface 1a facing upward to the fixed disk 4, and the sliding guide means 22 is shown in FIG. As shown, the inner edge of the endless belt 19 of the conveyor 14 and its upper edge are in contact with each other, and are formed into a smooth curved surface facing the fixed disk 4.

The pushing means 23 also includes a sensor 24 attached to the stopper 21, as shown in FIG.
It is designed to operate in response to a detection signal from the

Since the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are constructed as described above, they can provide the following effects.

First, the tiles 1 are pushed one after another into a tile drop opening on a table (not shown) and dropped onto the base fixing disk 4.
Next, a motor (not shown) is activated to rotate the rotary shaft 5 and stirring arm 6 clockwise, stirring the group of tiles while pushing them toward the entrance 15 of the conveyor 14. At the same time, by each means shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the tile 1 is placed in a predetermined orientation, with its longitudinal direction being the direction of travel and its display surface 1a facing upward or downward, and is placed at the entrance of the conveyor 14. Let it reach 15. At approximately the same time, the conveyor 14 is activated to adsorb the tiles 1 with the display surface 1a facing downward and convey them to the upper stopper 21 side. The tile 1 with the display surface 1a facing upward is
Due to the repulsive action of the permanent magnets 2 and 10, the entrance portion 11
or fall onto the fixed disk 4 immediately after landing on the
Alternatively, it may be conveyed halfway due to friction or the like, and fall onto the sliding guide means 22 due to its own weight and repulsion, but in any case, it is returned to the base plate 3 side by the width direction inclination of the belt 19 ( Third
figure). In this way, only the tiles 1 in the correct state with the display surface 1a facing downward are successively conveyed to the tile alignment area section 12. Then, the tiles 1 are stopped one by one by the stopper 21, and the tiles 1 are pushed out one after another into the tile alignment area 12 by the coordinated action of the sensor 24 and the pushing means 23 as described above, When a predetermined number (usually 17 tiles) of the first row of tiles are lined up, the tip of the swinging piece 12b of the tile alignment area 12 is lowered by the thickness of the tiles by a swinging device (not shown). After that, the tiles 1 of the second row are arranged one after another on top of the group of tiles of the first row by the same action again, and the castle building tiles are completed. The thus-formed castle tiles are transferred from the tile alignment area 12 to the elevator 25 by a batch extrusion device (not shown). The elevator 25 then
It rises and floats the castle building tiles through the long hole at the game's predetermined position on the tabletop. In this way, the remaining three sets of castle building tiles are completed one after another or simultaneously and come out of the other long holes on the table, completing preparations for the start of the game.

The above embodiment has the following various effects compared to the conventional one.

The time required for stirring the tiles 1, transporting them, forming the castle tiles, and setting them on the tabletop is extremely short, and can be done smoothly and reliably, so that the game progresses smoothly and is useful. That is, the four sets of castle building tiles can be completed almost simultaneously. Furthermore, even if the tiles 1 fall on the conveyor 14, they are gently returned to the fixed disk 4 by the sliding guide means 22, so the tiles 1 are not damaged and impact noise is suppressed. Furthermore, since the conveyor 14 and the tile alignment area 12 are substantially continuous, the conveyance time is extremely short.

Moreover, since the structure is relatively simple, it can be easily set up, leading to low cost.

In addition, since the rotational speed of the stirring arm 6 of the platform 3 can be changed, the degree of stirring of the tiles 1 or the pushing of the tiles onto the conveyor 14 can be changed as necessary. . Also, a permanent magnet 10 provided on the wall 7, a protruding guide 8, a tile return member 9, and a permanent magnet 11 provided on the fixed disk 4.
Although it is an extremely simple means, it is possible to reliably orient the tiles 1 in a predetermined direction. Furthermore, the tile alignment area section 12 has an extremely simple structure, yet allows castle building tiles to be formed smoothly.
In this case, the conveyor 14 has a simple belt conveyor type structure, and includes pulleys 16 and 1.
Since the axles 7 and 18 are tilted toward the fixed disc 4, the belt 19 is also tilted in the same direction, and thereby,
The tile 1 with the display surface 1a facing upward can surely fall to the fixed disk 4 side by its own weight and repulsion. In this case, the downhill guide means 22 is a smooth inclined surface, and has a simple structure with great effects. The extrusion means 23, the stopper 21, and the sensor 24 are in a very close relationship to move the tiles 1 to the tile alignment area 1.
2 and align them smoothly.

In addition, in the tile arrangement area 12, the swinging piece 12b only swings downward around the hinge part 12c.
Since the tiles 1 in the second row can be stacked on the row of tiles 1 in the first row, the tiles 1 can be stacked by simply transporting the tiles 1 one by one into the tile alignment area section 12 using the extrusion means 23. It is possible to reliably build tiles in one row and two rows above and below without turning them over, resulting in high reliability, simple operation, no vibration noise, and simple structure. Therefore, cost reduction is possible.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, after forming the first row of tiles on the tile alignment area, without repeating the operation of stacking one tile on top of the one tile below, By simply swinging the tip of the tile alignment area downward by the thickness of one tile, you can build a castle with two rows and one row of upper and lower tiles, which simplifies the operation and eliminates the generation of vibration and noise. This simplifies the structure, reduces costs, and increases durability due to less wear.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing essential parts of an embodiment of an automatic mahjong apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing its inclined conveying means, and FIG. 3 is a cut along the line shown in FIG. 2. 4 to 7 are explanatory diagrams showing the means provided on the fixed disk to orient the tiles in a predetermined direction, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the action of the permanent magnet 10 provided on the wall 7. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the action of the permanent magnet 11 provided on the fixed disc 4, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the action of the protruding guide 8, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the action of the tile returning member 9. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams showing the tile alignment area. 1...Tile, 2...Permanent magnet, 3...Base board, 4...
... Fixed disk, 5 ... Rotating shaft, 6 ... Stirring arm,
7...Wall, 8...Protruding guide, 9...Tile return member, 10, 11...Permanent magnet, 12...Tile alignment area section, 13...Inlet section, 14...Transport conveyor,
15...Inlet part, 16,17,18...Pulley,
19...belt, 20...permanent magnet, 21...stopper, 22...downhill guide means, 23...extrusion means, 24...sensor, 25...elevator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A platform for storing and stirring a large number of tiles dropped from the tile drop opening of a mahjong table, a tile alignment area provided on the side of the platform, and a platform for stirring the tiles on the platform. In an automatic mahjong machine, the automatic mahjong device includes a conveyor that conveys the tiles that have been placed on the conveyor to the tile alignment area, and a tile carry-in mechanism that carries the tiles on the conveyor into the tile alignment area, wherein the tile alignment area includes: An automatic mahjong device characterized in that it is configured to be able to swing up and down about a point far away from the tile carrying mechanism.