A tile sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine and the automatic mahjong machine

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of card sorting mechanism and automatic mahjong machine of automatic mahjong machine.The card sorting mechanism of a kind of automatic mahjong machine, including pick-up unit and card unit, pick-up unit includes the pick-up part for picking up mahjong from shuffling disc and the conveying part for conveying mahjong card;Card unit includes the card-accepting plate for receiving mahjong from conveying part, the push card piece for pushing stacked mahjong, and the drive assembly for driving card-accepting plate and push card piece movement;Conveying part has the extension section extending from pick-up part to card-accepting plate, and drive assembly is set below the extension section of conveying part.It also discloses a kind of automatic mahjong machine, using the above-mentioned vertical card mechanism.The utility model has the advantages that: when needing maintenance, drive assembly below the extension section of conveying part can be directly observed and contacted after machine head is disassembled, without disassembling card mechanism, the inspection, maintenance or replacement of drive assembly can be completed, greatly shorten overhaul time, reduce operation difficulty.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of entertainment equipment technology, and in particular to a tile sorting mechanism for an automatic mahjong machine and an automatic mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic mahjong machines, as a highly automated entertainment device, are widely used in homes, card rooms, and other venues. Their basic working principle involves using an electromechanical integrated structure to simulate and replace manual labor in the entire process of shuffling, arranging, and dealing the tiles. A typical automatic mahjong machine usually includes a central shuffling plate and four sets of tile arranging and dealing mechanisms evenly distributed around it.

[0003] Each set of actuators can be broken down into three consecutive steps: First, the card-picking mechanism (usually including a magnetic card-collecting wheel and a conveyor belt) picks up and conveys the shuffled single mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray; then, the card-stacking mechanism (usually including a liftable card-holding plate and a card-pushing assembly) receives the conveyed mahjong tiles and stacks two tiles into a pile; finally, the card-distributing mechanism (usually including a card-storage track and a card-lifting plate) pushes and lifts a certain number of piles of tiles to a predetermined position on the table, completing one dealing process.

[0004] like Figure 1 As shown, in the current mainstream automatic mahjong machine design, the tile stacking mechanism is entirely located inside the tile feeding mechanism. Specifically, the tile picking mechanism is located in the gap between two adjacent tile feeding mechanisms along the circumference of the shuffling disc, while the tile stacking mechanism is installed inside the outer shell of the tile feeding mechanism, located directly below the tile entry point of the tile feeding track.

[0005] While this traditional layout saves radial space, it presents a significant drawback: extremely poor maintainability and repairability. The card-laying mechanism, being the most frequently used and most prone to failure module (e.g., card-holding plate jamming, card-pushing component misalignment, transmission mechanism wear), requires maintenance personnel to first disassemble the entire mechanism from the mahjong machine for repair or replacement. This process is not only cumbersome and time-consuming, but also requires specialized tools and technical experience, making it virtually impossible for ordinary users or non-professional repair personnel to complete independently. This greatly increases the later maintenance costs and time, negatively impacting the user experience.

[0006] Despite existing technologies aimed at improving the reliability and efficiency of mahjong machines, the fundamental structural layout problems mentioned above have remained unresolved. Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a new tile-sorting mechanism layout that can fundamentally improve maintainability while ensuring the compactness and functional reliability of the equipment. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a tile sorting mechanism for an automatic mahjong machine that is reasonably laid out and easy to manufacture, assemble and maintain.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0009] An automatic mahjong machine's tile sorting mechanism includes a tile picking unit and a tile stacking unit. The tile picking unit includes a picking section for picking up mahjong tiles from a shuffling tray and a conveying section for conveying mahjong tiles. The tile stacking unit includes a tile receiving plate for receiving mahjong tiles from the conveying section, a tile pushing component for pushing stacked mahjong tiles out, and a driving assembly for driving the tile receiving plate and the tile pushing component to move. The conveying section has an extension extending from the picking section to the tile receiving plate, and the driving assembly is disposed below the extension of the conveying section.

[0010] In the aforementioned tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine, the tile-picking unit and the tile-stacking unit are mounted on a common frame; and / or, the tile-picking unit and the tile-stacking unit are detachably connected. Traditional automatic mahjong machines often employ independent frame designs for the tile-picking and tile-stacking units. During assembly, the installation positions of the two units must be positioned separately, and their relative positions must be repeatedly calibrated, resulting in cumbersome procedures and a high risk of positioning deviations. With the above solution, the tile-picking and tile-stacking units can be pre-assembled and precision-calibrated on the common frame before leaving the factory, forming an integrated module. During subsequent assembly of the entire machine, only this module needs to be installed onto the main structure of the automatic mahjong machine, eliminating the need to adjust the positions of the two units separately. This significantly reduces on-site assembly steps, lowers operational difficulty on the production line, and avoids tile-sorting deviations caused by improper on-site calibration.

[0011] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, the driving assembly includes a driving component and a transmission mechanism driven by the driving component. The transmission mechanism is connected to the tile-bearing plate and drives the tile-bearing plate to intermittently rise and fall. The transmission mechanism is also connected to the tile-pushing component and drives the tile-pushing component to intermittently reciprocate linearly. By simultaneously driving the tile-bearing plate and the tile-pushing component through the transmission mechanism, the number of driving components is significantly reduced, making the overall structure of the tile-sorting unit more streamlined and avoiding layout conflicts caused by too many driving components.

[0012] In the tile-sorting mechanism of the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine, the transmission mechanism includes:

[0013] A cam driven by the driving member, the cam having a first annular groove surrounding the cam's circumferential surface and a second annular groove located on the cam's end face;

[0014] A first driven member connected to the pusher, the first driven member engaging with the first annular groove;

[0015] A second driven member connected to the plate bearing, the second driven member engaging with the second annular groove.

[0016] The pusher and the plate holder are driven by a cam and two followers, which greatly reduces the total number of transmission components, making the overall size of the transmission mechanism smaller and adaptable to the limited installation space under the extension of the conveyor section, avoiding layout conflicts caused by multiple sets of transmission components occupying space.

[0017] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, when the first driven member slides in the first annular groove, it drives the tile-pushing member to complete one forward stroke and one return stroke, with the forward stroke taking longer than the return stroke. During the forward stroke, the tile-pushing member needs to push two stacked mahjong tiles. If the pushing speed is too fast, the mahjong tiles are prone to misalignment, tilting, or even slipping off the tile-holding plate due to excessive instantaneous force. A longer forward stroke means the tile-pushing member pushes the tiles more smoothly, allowing the pushing force to be applied evenly to the mahjong tiles, ensuring that the two mahjong tiles remain neatly stacked and smoothly enter the tile-laying track, significantly reducing the risk of tile stacking deviation and damage caused by the impact of pushing the tiles. After pushing the tiles, the tile-pushing member needs to return to its initial position as quickly as possible to avoid affecting the tile-holding plate's ability to receive the next set of mahjong tiles. If the return journey takes too long, the pusher will occupy space around the receiving plate during the return process, preventing the receiving plate from descending in time to receive new mahjong tiles, or causing newly delivered mahjong tiles to collide with the pusher that has not yet returned, resulting in tile jamming. A shorter return journey allows the pusher to quickly evacuate the receiving plate's working area, freeing up space for the next round of tile stacking, significantly improving the overall tile stacking speed without affecting the stability of the pusher.

[0018] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, the first annular groove includes a pushing section and a returning section. The pushing section and the returning section have equal lengths along the cam axis, and the trajectory length of the pushing section is greater than that of the returning section. This results in the first follower's sliding time in the pushing section being longer than its sliding time in the returning section. Since the cam rotates at a constant speed, the linear velocity of the follower sliding along the annular groove can be precisely controlled by the included angle; the larger the included angle, the slower the speed. Furthermore, the time required for the pushing stroke can be greater than the time required for the returning stroke by controlling the lengths of the pushing and returning sections. When the trajectory length of the pushing section of the first annular groove is greater than that of the returning section, under the premise of a fixed cam speed, the total time required for the follower to slide along the longer pushing section is naturally longer, and the time required to slide along the shorter returning section is shorter. The time ratio between the pushing and returning strokes is directly locked by the difference in stroke length, and the target time difference can be achieved by controlling the linear length of the annular groove.

[0019] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, the first annular groove further includes a stationary section located between the outlet of the return section and the inlet of the push section. When the first driven member slides into the stationary section, the tile-pushing member remains stationary, providing sufficient time for the tile-bearing plate to complete its upward movement and mahjong tile stacking alignment, ensuring that the mahjong tiles are in a stable, ready-to-push state when the tile-pushing member starts. This design locks in the waiting sequence at the mechanical structure level, avoiding tile-stacking deviations caused by the tile-pushing member's movement being too early or too late, as is common in traditional designs without a stationary section, thus ensuring seamless connection between the tile-bearing and tile-pushing processes.

[0020] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, the second annular groove includes at least a descending section to drive the tile-bearing plate to descend after receiving a single mahjong tile; the second annular groove also includes at least an ascending section to drive the tile-bearing plate to rise to a position where it docks with the conveyor section after the mahjong tile is pushed out. When the second driven member slides into the descending section, the tile-bearing plate descends precisely by the thickness of a mahjong tile, ensuring that placing the first tile does not affect the conveying of the second tile; when the second driven member slides into the ascending section, the tile-bearing plate is pushed upward to a position where it docks with the conveyor section, preparing to receive the second stack of mahjong tiles. This mechanical drive design based on annular grooves can achieve automated matching of tile-bearing action and tile-stacking requirements without additional control components, avoiding the action delay and height deviation problems that may occur in traditional manual or decentralized control, and ensuring the accuracy of double tile stacking.

[0021] In the aforementioned automatic mahjong machine's tile-sorting mechanism, the picking unit includes a drive pulley with magnets arranged circumferentially, and the conveying unit includes a driven pulley and a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt wraps around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. The driven pulley is located at the end of the extension section and has a smaller diameter than the drive pulley, creating a space below the conveyor belt that can at least accommodate part of the drive assembly. This design allows a height difference space to naturally form below the extension section of the conveyor belt after it passes the smaller-diameter driven pulley. Furthermore, the height and lateral span of this space can precisely match the volume requirements of the drive assembly, preventing the drive assembly from being unable to be installed due to insufficient space or from interfering with the conveying unit.

[0022] An automatic mahjong machine is also disclosed, including a shuffling plate and four sets of card-feeding units. Each set of card-feeding units includes a card-feeding track with a card inlet. Each set of card-feeding units is equipped with a card-sorting mechanism as described in any of the above schemes. All card-feeding units and card-sorting mechanisms are arranged alternately around the shuffling plate. The card-holding plate and card-pushing component of the card-sorting mechanism are located at the card inlet of the card-feeding track of the corresponding card-feeding unit.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are:

[0024] The drive assembly of the card-sorting unit is located below the extension section of the card-picking unit's conveyor section, directly utilizing the idle space naturally created during the extension of the conveyor section, eliminating the need for a new installation area for the drive assembly. This design makes the internal structure of the card-sorting mechanism more compact, achieving an efficient layout of components without increasing the overall size of the automatic mahjong machine. It avoids the structural redundancy problems caused by low space utilization and scattered components in traditional layouts. When maintenance is required, the drive assembly below the extension section of the conveyor section can be directly observed and accessed after disassembling the machine head. The drive assembly can be inspected, repaired, or replaced without disassembling the card-picking mechanism, significantly shortening maintenance time and reducing operational difficulty. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an existing automatic mahjong machine;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the card-sorting mechanism of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the card sorting mechanism of this utility model after the frame has been removed.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the card-picking unit in this utility model;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the code plate unit in this utility model;

[0030] Figure 6 The three-dimensional cam in the code unit of this utility model Figure 1 ;

[0031] Figure 7 The three-dimensional cam in the code unit of this utility model Figure 2 ;

[0032] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the code plate unit in this utility model;

[0033] Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the card sorting mechanism of this utility model;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the active mahjong machine of this utility model;

[0035] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A magnified view of a portion of area A.

[0036] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0037] Card picking unit 100, picking section 110, driving pulley 111, magnet 112, conveying section 120, driven pulley 121, conveyor belt 122, tensioner 123, extension section 130;

[0038] The components include: a code plate unit 200, a card receiving plate 210, a guide block 211, a card pushing component 220, a drive assembly 230, a drive component 231, a cam 232, a first annular groove 233, a pushing section 2331, a returning section 2332, a stationary section 2333, a second annular groove 234, a descending section 2341, an ascending section 2342, a holding section 2343, a first follower 235, a second follower 236, a slide bar 240, and a swing bar 250.

[0039] Shuffle plate 300;

[0040] License plate unit 400, license plate track 410, license plate entrance 411;

[0041] Frame 500, guide groove 510. Detailed Implementation

[0042] An automatic mahjong machine's tile arrangement mechanism includes a tile picking unit 100 and a tile stacking unit 200. The tile picking unit 100 includes a picking section 110 for picking up mahjong tiles from a shuffling plate 300 and a conveying section 120 for conveying mahjong tiles. The tile stacking unit 200 includes a tile receiving plate 210 for receiving mahjong tiles from the conveying section 120, a tile pushing component 220 for pushing out stacked mahjong tiles, and a driving assembly 230 for driving the tile receiving plate 210 and the tile pushing component 220. The conveying section 120 has an extension section 130 extending from the picking section 110 to the tile receiving plate 210. The driving assembly 230 is disposed below the extension section 130 of the conveying section 120.

[0043] The drive component 230 of the card-sorting unit 200 is positioned below the extension section 130 of the conveyor section 120 of the card-picking unit 100, directly utilizing the idle space naturally formed during the extension of the conveyor section 120, eliminating the need for a new installation area for the drive component 230. This design makes the internal structure of the card-sorting mechanism more compact, achieving efficient layout of each component without increasing the overall size of the automatic mahjong machine, avoiding the structural redundancy problems caused by low space utilization and dispersed components in traditional layouts. When maintenance is required, the drive component 230 below the extension section 130 of the conveyor section 120 can be directly observed and accessed after disassembling the machine head, allowing for inspection, maintenance, or replacement of the drive component 230 without disassembling the card-picking mechanism, significantly shortening maintenance time and reducing operational difficulty.

[0044] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0045] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", and "outer" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0046] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0047] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0048] See Figures 2 to 9 This invention relates to an embodiment of an automatic mahjong machine's tile sorting mechanism. The tile sorting mechanism includes a tile picking unit 100 and a tile stacking unit 200. The tile picking unit 100 is mainly used to pick up the shuffled mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray 300, while the tile stacking unit 200 is mainly used to stack the mahjong tiles picked up by the tile picking unit 100 into two stacks and then push them into the tile loading track 410.

[0049] The tile-picking unit 100 includes a picking section 110 for picking up mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray 300 and a conveying section 120 for transporting the mahjong tiles. The picking section 110 is mainly used to pick up mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray 300. It usually uses rollers and magnets 112 are set on the peripheral wall of the rollers. The mahjong tiles are picked up by the attraction between the magnets 112 and the magnets 112 inside the mahjong tiles. The conveying section 120 transports the mahjong tiles picked up by the picking section 110 to the tile-stacking unit 200. The picking section 110 can use a conveyor belt 122 for transmission or a combination of a sliding plate and a push rod for transmission. In this way, an extension section 130 is formed in the conveying section 120, extending from the picking section 110 to the tile-holding plate 210 of the tile-stacking unit 200.

[0050] The tile-stacking unit 200 includes a tile-receiving plate 210, a tile-pushing component 220, and a drive assembly 230. The tile-receiving plate 210 is used to receive mahjong tiles from the tile-picking unit 100, the tile-pushing component 220 is used to push a stack of mahjong tiles off the tile-receiving plate 210, and the drive assembly 230 is mainly used to drive the tile-receiving plate 210 to perform vertical lifting and lowering movements and the tile-pushing component 220 to perform tile-pushing actions.

[0051] Since the pickup unit 110 needs to pick up mahjong tiles, its roller diameter must be large enough. This reduces the curvature of the roller's outer circumference, allowing for more stable adhesion when contacting the tiles. Furthermore, the large diameter ensures sufficient space between the tiles, preventing interference during adhesion. The conveying unit, however, only needs to meet conveying requirements and doesn't require as much vertical space as the pickup unit 110. Therefore, a free area is created below the extension 130 of the conveying unit. The drive assembly 230 of the tile-stacking unit 200 is located below this extension 130, fully utilizing this free area. The drive assembly 230 of the tile-stacking unit 200 directly utilizes the idle space naturally created during the extension of the conveying unit 120, eliminating the need for a new installation area. This design makes the internal structure of the tile-stacking mechanism more compact, achieving efficient component layout without increasing the overall size of the automatic mahjong machine. It avoids the structural redundancy problems caused by low space utilization and dispersed components in traditional layouts.

[0052] Furthermore, traditional automatic mahjong machines often use separate frame designs for the tile-picking unit 100 and the tile-stacking unit 200. During assembly, the installation positions of the two units need to be positioned separately, and their relative positions must be repeatedly calibrated, such as ensuring the alignment accuracy of the conveyor section 120 of the tile-picking unit 100 and the tile-stacking plate 210 of the tile-stacking unit 200. This process is cumbersome and prone to positioning deviations. Therefore, placing the tile-picking unit 100 and the tile-stacking unit 200 on a common frame 500 makes them a single unit. Alternatively, they can be detachably connected to form a single unit. The tile-picking unit 100 and the tile-stacking unit 200 can be pre-assembled and calibrated to form a tile-stacking module. During subsequent assembly, this module only needs to be installed onto the main structure of the automatic mahjong machine, eliminating the need to adjust the positions of the two units separately. This significantly reduces on-site assembly steps, lowers operational difficulty on the production line, and avoids tile-stacking deviations caused by improper on-site calibration. Furthermore, the rigid connection between the card-picking unit 100 and the card-stacking unit 200 prevents relative displacement due to vibration, ensuring precise alignment of the card-feeding path of the conveyor 120, the receiving position of the card-bearing plate 210, and the pushing trajectory of the card-pushing component 220. This reduces operational errors during card arrangement and improves the stability and reliability of the automatic mahjong machine. The detachable connection allows the card-picking unit 100 and the card-stacking unit 200 to be flexibly combined according to actual needs. If a faulty unit needs replacement (e.g., a damaged drive motor in the card-picking unit 100), the detachable design supports direct replacement of the individual faulty unit without replacing the entire card arrangement mechanism, significantly reducing maintenance costs (no need to purchase complete modules). Simultaneously, the replacement process is faster, shortening downtime of the automatic mahjong machine and improving equipment efficiency.

[0053] The specific structures of the code unit 200 and the card picking unit 100 are described below, including but not limited to the structures listed below.

[0054] The drive assembly 230 of the code tag unit 200 includes a drive element 231 and a transmission mechanism driven by the drive element 231. The drive element 231 is generally driven by a motor. The conventional mechanism is simultaneously connected to the card holder plate 210 and the card pusher 220, and drives the card holder plate 210 to move up and down intermittently, and drives the card pusher 220 to move back and forth intermittently. In this way, one drive element 231 drives the card holder plate 210 and the card pusher 220 to move simultaneously through the transmission mechanism, which greatly reduces the number of drive components, makes the overall structure of the code tag unit 200 more streamlined, better adapts to the limited installation space under the extension section 130 of the conveyor section 120, and avoids layout conflicts caused by too many drive elements 231.

[0055] The transmission mechanism includes a cam 232, a first follower 235, and a second follower 236. The cam 232 has a first annular groove 233 and a second annular groove 234. The first annular groove 233 is located on the circumferential surface of the cam 232, and the second annular groove 234 is located on the end face of the cam 232. This facilitates the adaptation of the lateral linear reciprocating motion of the pusher 220 and the vertical lifting motion of the support plate 210. Thus, when the cam 232 rotates around its axis in one direction, the reciprocating linear motion of the pusher 220 and the lifting motion of the support plate 210 can be achieved. When the drive member 231 is a motor, the rotation axis of the cam 232 coincides with the axis of the motor output shaft, meaning the drive member 231 directly drives the cam 232 to rotate, and the axis of the cam 232 is horizontally positioned. The first follower 235 is connected to the pusher rod and engages with the first annular groove 233, driving the pusher rod to perform intermittent reciprocating linear motion; the second follower 236 is connected to the support plate 210 and engages with the second annular groove 234, driving the support plate 210 to perform intermittent lifting and lowering motion. In this way, the transmission mechanism achieves simultaneous driving of the pusher 220 and the support plate 210 through only one cam 232 and two sets of followers, making the overall size of the transmission mechanism smaller.

[0056] Since the first annular groove 233 and the second annular groove 234 are integrated into the same cam 232, and the cam 232 is driven to rotate by the same drive member 231, the reciprocating motion of the pusher 220 and the lifting motion of the support plate 210 are essentially based on the same rotation cycle of the cam 232. This design ensures a perfect match between the timing of the two actions from the outset. For example, when the cam 232 rotates to a specific angle, the second annular groove 234 drives the card-bearing plate 210 to rise precisely to the receiving position where it docks with the conveyor, receiving the first mahjong tile; when the cam 232 rotates to a certain angle, the card-bearing plate 210 descends by the thickness of one mahjong tile, receiving the second mahjong tile; when the cam 232 rotates to a certain angle again, the first annular groove 233 drives the card-pushing component 220 to start pushing the mahjong tile from the card-bearing plate 210 into the card-loading track 410, at which point the card-bearing plate 210 remains stationary; when the cam 232 continues to rotate, the first annular groove 233 drives the card-pushing component 220 to return, and the second annular groove 234 drives the card-bearing plate 210 to rise to the receiving position to receive the next tile. Compared to the timing deviations that may occur in independent transmission mechanisms due to differences in power sources (such as different speeds of two motors), this design completely avoids problems such as the card holder 210 not being in place before the card pusher 220 starts, or the card pusher 220 not returning to the card holder 210 before it descends, ensuring a smooth and stable card marking process.

[0057] The shape of the annular groove of cam 232 directly determines the motion trajectory and speed of the follower. By designing specific shapes for the first annular groove 233 and the second annular groove 234, the pushing stroke and return stroke of the pusher 220, as well as the lifting height and lifting speed of the support plate 210, can be precisely controlled. For example, by optimizing the curve of the first annular groove 233, the pusher 220 can exert force smoothly when pushing the tiles, preventing the mahjong tiles from tilting due to excessive force; by designing specific sections of the second annular groove 234, the support plate 210 can appropriately slow down when descending to the bottom, preventing the received mahjong tiles from suddenly stopping and causing deviation. This parametric design based on annular grooves makes the movement of the pusher 220 and the support plate 210 more closely match the actual tile stacking requirements, further improving the tile stacking accuracy.

[0058] Furthermore, since the first annular groove 233 surrounds the circumference of the cam 232, when the first follower 235 slides in the first annular groove 233, it drives the pusher 220 to complete one advance stroke and one return stroke. That is, for every revolution of the cam 232, the pusher 220 completes one reciprocating linear motion, and the time taken for the advance stroke is greater than the time taken for the return stroke. The receiving plate 210 needs to receive two mahjong tiles and stack them. After they are stacked in place, the pusher 220 pushes the stacked mahjong tiles into the tile-loading track 410. During the advance stroke, the pusher 220 needs to push two stacked mahjong tiles. If the pushing speed is too fast, the mahjong tiles are prone to misalignment, tilting, or even slipping off the receiving plate 210 due to excessive instantaneous force. The pushing stroke takes longer than the return stroke. The longer pushing stroke ensures that the pusher 220 has more time to smoothly complete the pushing action, avoiding the mahjong tiles from tipping over or becoming misaligned during the pushing process due to pushing too fast. The shorter return stroke allows the pusher 220 to quickly return to its initial position after completing one push, waiting in time for the receiving plate 210 to complete the stacking of the next set of mahjong tiles. This avoids interference between the pusher 220 and the mahjong tiles on the receiving plate 210 due to the delayed return of the pusher 220, preventing it from being unable to return to its initial position.

[0059] Specifically, the first annular groove 233 includes a pushing section 2331 and a returning section 2332. The lengths of the pushing section 2331 and the returning section 2332 along the axis of the cam 232 are equal. The trajectory length of the pushing section 2331 is greater than that of the returning section 2332, thus making the sliding time of the first follower 235 in the pushing section 2331 longer than that in the returning section 2332. Under the premise that the cam 232 rotates at a constant speed (the angle through which the cam 232 rotates per unit time is fixed), the sliding time of the first follower 235 is directly positively correlated with the trajectory length: the longer trajectory of the pushing section 2331 naturally results in a longer sliding time, which can enable the card pusher 220 to push the cards slowly and smoothly, avoiding the two stacked mahjong cards from tilting, misaligning, or colliding with the card-laying track 410 due to pushing the cards too fast; the shorter trajectory of the returning section 2332 results in a shorter sliding time, which allows the card pusher 220 to quickly return to the initial position.

[0060] Additionally, a stationary section 2333 can be provided on the first annular groove 233. The stationary section 2333 is located between the outlet of the return section 2332 and the inlet of the push section 2331. The stationary section 2333 is a trajectory perpendicular to the generatrix of the cam 232 along the circumferential surface of the cam 232. That is, the first follower 235 slides within the stationary section 2333, but the first follower 235 does not produce displacement along the axial direction of the cam 232. This ensures that the cam 232 can continue to rotate during this stage while the pusher 220 remains stationary. With the first follower 235 located in the stationary section 2333, the card receiving plate 210 performs the action of receiving and stacking cards. After a stack of cards is stacked on the card receiving plate 210, the first follower 235 enters the push section 2331, and the pusher 220 begins to push the stack of mahjong cards. This design locks in the waiting sequence at the mechanical structure level, avoiding the card marking deviation caused by the card pushing component 220 moving too early or too late in the traditional design without a static segment 2333, and ensuring seamless connection of the card receiving and pushing process.

[0061] To achieve the linear motion of the card pusher 220, the following scheme can be adopted: Parallel slide rods 240 are set on the frame 500, and the card pusher 220 slides along the slide rods 240. The length direction of the slide rods 240 is the sliding direction of the card pusher 220. To simplify the design, the length direction of the slide rods 240 is parallel to the axis of the cam 232. This ensures that when the cam 232 rotates, the first follower 235 moves relative to the first annular groove 233, driving the card pusher 220 to perform intermittent reciprocating linear motion.

[0062] To achieve intermittent lifting and lowering of the plate holder 210, the following structure can be adopted: A vertically arranged guide groove 510 is provided on the frame 500, and a guide block 211 adapted to the guide groove 510 is provided on the plate holder 210. The cooperation between the guide groove 510 and the guide block 211 restricts the plate holder 210 to move only in the vertical direction. A swing rod 250 is also rotatably connected to the plate holder 210. The other end of the swing rod 250 is rotatably connected to the frame 500, and a second driven member 236 is connected to the middle of the swing rod 250. The second driven member 236 moves within the second annular groove 234, driving the swing rod 250 to swing, thereby controlling the intermittent lifting and lowering of the plate holder 210. Therefore, the groove shape of the second annular groove 234 determines the movement of the tile-bearing plate 210. The second annular groove 234 includes at least a descending section 2341 and an ascending section 2342 to drive the tile-bearing plate 210 to descend after receiving a single mahjong tile, and to rise to the initial position where it docks with the conveyor section 120 after the mahjong tiles stacked on the tile-bearing plate 210 are pushed out. Of course, a holding section 2343 can also be provided between the outlet of the descending section 2341 and the inlet of the ascending section 2342. That is, when the second follower 236 moves in the holding section 2343, the tile-bearing plate 210 remains in a low position, allowing the tile-pushing member 220 sufficient time to push a stack of mahjong tiles into the tile-raising track 410. The entire second annular groove 234 can be arranged around the rotation axis of the cam 232 on the end face of the cam 232. The second annular groove 234 controls the up-and-down swing amplitude of the second follower 236 by its radial distance from the rotation axis of the cam 232. The holding section 2343 can be an arc centered on the axis of the cam 232, so that the second follower 236 remains stationary when it moves within the holding section 2343. If the second follower 236 is always in the upper half of the end face of the cam 232, then the rising section 2342 is a section where the diameter of the second annular groove 234 gradually increases, and the second follower 236 gradually moves away from the axis of the cam 232, pushing the rocker arm 250 to swing upward; correspondingly, the falling section 2341 is a section where the diameter of the second annular groove 234 gradually decreases, and the second follower 236 gradually moves closer to the axis of the cam 232, causing the rocker arm 250 to swing downward. If the second follower 236 is always in the lower half of the end face of the cam 232, then the diameter of the rising section 2342 gradually decreases, and the diameter of the falling section 2341 gradually increases.

[0063] Based on the above embodiments, the structure of the pickup unit is as follows: the drive pulley 111 of the pickup unit 110 and the conveying unit 120 are combined, that is, a magnet 112 is arranged circumferentially on the drive pulley 111, which actively drives the pickup of mahjong tiles on the shuffling plate 300 and also drives the conveyor belt 122 to rotate. However, the diameter of the driven pulley 121 is smaller than that of the drive pulley 111. In order to keep the mahjong tiles transported smoothly, the apex of the driven pulley 121 and the apex of the drive pulley 111 are on the same horizontal line. In this way, the section of the conveyor belt 122 between the drive pulley 111 and the driven pulley 121 can also remain horizontal. When the conveyor belt 122 is between the driven pulley 121 and the drive pulley 111, due to the difference in diameter between the drive pulley 111 and the driven pulley 121, the conveyor belt 122 will be tilted. This creates a space below the conveyor belt 122 to accommodate the drive assembly 230.

[0064] Furthermore, a tensioner 123 can be added. The tensioner 123 is located in the section between the driven pulley 121 and the driving pulley 111 of the conveyor belt 122. The tensioner 123 can pull this section of the conveyor belt 122 upwards by a certain distance, so that the space for accommodating the drive component 230 is larger, and the wrap angle between the conveyor belt 122 and the driving pulley 111 is larger.

[0065] like Figure 10 , Figure 11 The present embodiment also discloses an automatic mahjong machine, including a shuffling tray 300 and a four-legged card-feeding unit 400. Each card-feeding unit 400 includes a card-feeding track 410 with a card inlet 411, and each card-feeding unit 400 is provided with a card-sorting mechanism of any of the above-mentioned schemes. The card-feeding units 400 and the card-sorting mechanisms are arranged alternately around the shuffling tray 300, and the card-bearing plate 210 and the card-pushing component 220 of the card-sorting mechanism are located at the card inlet 411 of the card-feeding track 410 of the corresponding card-feeding unit 400.

[0066] The drive component 230 of the card-sorting unit 200 is positioned below the extension section 130 of the conveyor section 120 of the card-picking unit 100, directly utilizing the idle space naturally formed during the extension of the conveyor section 120, eliminating the need for a new installation area for the drive component 230. This design makes the internal structure of the card-sorting mechanism more compact, achieving efficient layout of each component without increasing the overall size of the automatic mahjong machine, avoiding the structural redundancy problems caused by low space utilization and dispersed components in traditional layouts. When maintenance is required, the drive component 230 below the extension section 130 of the conveyor section 120 can be directly observed and accessed after disassembling the machine head, allowing for inspection, maintenance, or replacement of the drive component 230 without disassembling the card-picking mechanism, significantly shortening maintenance time and reducing operational difficulty.

[0067] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present utility model, but the technical features of the present utility model are not limited thereto. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present utility model are covered by the patent scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A tile-sorting mechanism for an automatic mahjong machine, comprising a tile-picking unit and a tile-stacking unit, characterized in that: The tile-picking unit includes a picking section for picking up mahjong tiles from the shuffling plate and a conveying section for conveying mahjong tiles. The tile-stacking unit includes a tile-receiving plate for receiving mahjong tiles from the conveying unit, a tile-pushing component for pushing out stacked mahjong tiles, and a drive assembly for driving the tile-receiving plate and the tile-pushing component to move; the conveying unit has an extension section extending from the picking unit to the tile-receiving plate, and the drive assembly is disposed below the extension section of the conveying unit.

2. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card picking unit and the card coding unit are mounted on a common frame; and / or, the card picking unit and the card coding unit are detachably connected.

3. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a drive component and a transmission mechanism driven by the drive component. The transmission mechanism is connected to the card holder plate and drives the card holder plate to move intermittently up and down. The transmission mechanism is also connected to the card pusher and drives the card pusher to move intermittently in a reciprocating linear motion.

4. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes: A cam driven by the driving member, the cam having a first annular groove surrounding the cam's circumferential surface and a second annular groove located on the cam's end face; A first driven member connected to the card pusher, the first driven member engaging with the first annular groove; a second driven member connected to the card receiving plate, the second driven member engaging with the second annular groove.

5. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the first driven member slides in the first annular groove, it drives the pusher to complete one advance stroke and one return stroke, and the time taken for the advance stroke is greater than the time taken for the return stroke.

6. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first annular groove includes a propulsion section and a return section. The propulsion section and the return section have equal lengths along the cam axis. The trajectory length of the propulsion section is greater than the trajectory length of the return section, so that the sliding time of the first follower in the propulsion section is longer than the sliding time in the return section.

7. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first annular groove also includes a stationary section located between the outlet of the return section and the inlet of the propulsion section.

8. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second annular groove includes at least a descending section to drive the card-receiving plate to descend after receiving a single mahjong tile; the second annular groove also includes at least an ascending section to drive the card-receiving plate to rise to a position where it docks with the conveyor section after the mahjong tile is pushed out.

9. The tile-sorting mechanism of an automatic mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pickup unit includes a drive pulley with a magnet arranged circumferentially, and the conveying unit includes a driven pulley and a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is wrapped around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. The driven pulley is located at the end of the extension section and has a smaller diameter than the drive pulley, so that the space below the conveyor belt after passing over the driven pulley is formed to accommodate at least part of the drive components.

10. An automatic mahjong machine, comprising a shuffling tray and four sets of card-dispensing units, each set of card-dispensing units including a card-dispensing track with a card-entry opening, characterized in that, Each card-issuing unit is equipped with a card-sorting mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; All card-loading units and card-sorting mechanisms are arranged alternately around the shuffling plate. The card-holding plate and card-pushing component of the card-sorting mechanism are located at the card-loading inlet of the corresponding card-loading unit's loading track.

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