Swing unit, tile lifting device, tile placing mechanism and mahjong machine

Abstract

This invention provides a swing unit, and a card-raising device, a card-dispensing mechanism, and a mahjong machine including the swing unit. The swing unit includes a swing motor, a swing gear assembly, a swing linkage, a swing arm, and a sensing unit. The swing gear assembly includes a driven wheel that rotates under the drive of the swing motor. A track groove is provided on one side of the driven wheel. A roller is provided at one end of the swing linkage. The roller reciprocates and translates with the rotation of the driven wheel. The swing arm drives a support plate to rise and fall with the translation of the swing linkage. The sensing unit includes at least one sensor. The driven wheel is provided with a first sensing part and a second sensing part corresponding to the at least one sensor, so as to achieve the effect of accurately feeding back the rising and falling motion.

Description

Swing unit, tile lifting device, tile placing mechanism and mahjong machine Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mahjong entertainment equipment, specifically a mahjong machine, and more particularly to a swing unit for swinging and lifting a support plate of the tile stack, as well as a tile lifting device, a tile loading mechanism, and a mahjong machine containing the swing unit. Prior Technology

[0002] Mahjong machines typically include a shuffling mechanism for shuffling the mahjong tiles, a stacking mechanism for stacking the shuffled tiles and placing them on the table for use, a control panel mechanism for providing user input instructions, and a table frame mechanism for overall support.

[0003] The card-dealing mechanism needs to be set up separately for each user. For example, if a typical mahjong machine is used by four users, then four sets of card-dealing mechanisms need to be set up. In this case, each set of card-dealing mechanisms also needs to perform functions such as stacking, storing, pushing, and raising cards. Therefore, its layout space is relatively limited, and the structural design needs to be very compact.

[0004] In some existing technologies, to lift the stacked tiles on a support plate to the tabletop, a swinging unit is included in the tile-loading mechanism to swing the end of the support plate. For example, CN111991798A discloses a fully automatic mahjong machine whose tile-lifting assembly includes a lifting swing arm and a lifting push rod. The lifting push rod drives the lifting swing arm to swing, and the lifting swing arm, in turn, drives the tile holders on the support plate to rotate via a lever, thus loading the tiles. In this structure, because the lifting push rod relies on an intermittently engaged gear system to achieve reciprocating motion, and the current state of this intermittent gear engagement, whether the lifting swing arm is in an upward or downward swinging position, is difficult to determine. Therefore, the entire lifting action cannot provide accurate feedback information, which is detrimental to the automation and intelligent control of the mahjong machine.

[0005] In particular, if the user wishes to use different card-dealing modes (e.g., to deal the initial hand and the waiting card at once, or to deal the initial hand and the waiting card separately), the lifting and lowering motion needs to be performed at appropriate times according to the different modes, and other components also need to pause in coordination with the lifting and lowering motion to avoid mutual interference. The existing swing unit lacks a feedback mechanism, therefore it cannot properly set the timing of the lifting and lowering motion, nor can it set the working actions of other components according to the current state. In fact, it cannot realize the aforementioned different card-dealing modes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a swing unit capable of accurately feeding back lifting and lowering motions, as well as a tile-raising device, a tile-adding mechanism, and a mahjong machine incorporating the swing unit.

[0007] Specifically, this invention provides a swing unit, which is installed in a tile-lifting device of a mahjong machine. It swings to raise and lower a support plate used to hold a tile stack, thereby raising the support plate to place a tile on the stack or lowering the support plate to receive a new stack. The unit includes: a swing motor; a swing gear assembly containing a driven wheel that rotates under the drive of the swing motor, one side of which has a track groove; and a swing linkage with a roller at one end that slides within the track groove, rotating with the driven wheel. The device is capable of reciprocating translation; a swing arm, one end of which is adapted to the other end of the swing linkage, and the other end of the swing arm is adapted to the support plate, which can swing up and down with the translation of the swing linkage, thereby raising and lowering the support plate; and a sensing unit, which includes at least one sensor disposed near the driven wheel, wherein the driven wheel is provided with a first sensing part that cooperates with the sensor and corresponds to one of the swing positions of the support plate, and a second sensing part that cooperates with the sensor and corresponds to one of the descending positions of the support plate.

[0008] This invention provides an embodiment in which the at least one sensor includes a first sensor that cooperates with the first sensing part and a second sensor that cooperates with the second sensing part, the first sensing part and the second sensing part being located on different circumferences of the driven wheel.

[0009] This invention provides an embodiment in which both the first sensing part and the second sensing part are magnets, and both the first sensor and the second sensor are magnetic induction sensors.

[0010] This invention provides an embodiment in which the first sensing part and the second sensing part are located on the same diameter of the driven wheel.

[0011] This invention provides an embodiment in which the track groove has a far end that is furthest from the rotation center of one of the driven wheels and a near end that is closest to the rotation center of the driven wheel. When the roller is located at either the far end or the near end, the support plate reaches the upper swing position and the first sensor is opposite to the first sensing part. When the roller is located at the other of the far end and the near end, the support plate reaches the lower swing position and the second sensor is opposite to the second sensing part.

[0012] This invention provides an embodiment in which the at least one sensor includes sensors capable of cooperating with the first sensing portion and the second sensing portion respectively, the at least one sensor being a distance sensor, the first sensing portion being one of a protrusion or a recess, and the second sensing portion being the other of the protrusion or the recess.

[0013] This invention provides an embodiment in which the other end of the swing linkage has a plurality of drive teeth arranged in a straight line, and one end of the swing arm has a swing shaft portion for rotatable mounting. The swing shaft portion has a plurality of swing shaft teeth that match the drive teeth and are distributed around the circumference of the swing shaft portion. In addition, the swing gear assembly may also include a driving wheel mounted on an output end of a swing motor, and a driven wheel meshing with the driving wheel, so that the driven wheel can be driven to rotate by the swing motor.

[0014] This invention provides a tile-lifting device, which is installed in a mahjong machine to raise a stack of tiles to a tabletop. The device includes: a support unit with a support plate for supporting the stack of tiles, and a tile-adding sensor on the receiving edge of the support plate; and a swing unit that swings the support plate to raise or lower the support plate to receive a new stack of tiles. The tile-lifting device is the swing unit described above.

[0015] This invention provides a tile-feeding mechanism installed in a mahjong machine, comprising: a tile-feeding device for absorbing and feeding a plurality of mahjong tiles from a shuffling device; a tile-stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles fed by the tile-feeding device to form a tile stack; a tile-storing device for storing the tile stack; a tile-pushing device for conveying the tile stack; and a tile-lifting device for raising the conveyed tile stack to a tabletop, wherein the tile-lifting device is as described above.

[0016] This invention provides a mahjong machine comprising: a shuffling mechanism for shuffling a plurality of mahjong tiles; and a plurality of tile-dealing mechanisms for dealing the shuffled mahjong tiles, wherein the tile-dealing mechanisms are as described above.

[0017] Creative Function and Effect

[0018] According to the present invention, a swing unit, a card-raising device, a card-adding mechanism, and a mahjong machine containing the swing unit are provided. Since a sensing unit includes a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near a driven wheel, the driven wheel is provided with a first sensing part that cooperates with the sensors and corresponds to the swing position of a support plate, and a second sensing part that cooperates with the sensors and corresponds to the swing position of the support plate, the current position of the support plate can be accurately determined by sensing the signal, which facilitates the setting of the working actions of each component according to the position state during the automatic control process. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0019] Figure 1: It is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine from one angle according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 2: This is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to one embodiment of this invention, with a portion of the structure omitted; Figure 3: It is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from one angle in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 4: This is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from another angle in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 5: This is a structural diagram of the card-dispensing device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 6: This is a structural diagram of the stacking device in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 7: This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to one embodiment of this invention, omitting the card stacking housing and the card stacking motor; Figure 8: This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 9: This is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 10: It is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 11: It is a structural diagram of the mating parts of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 12: This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in this creation; Figure 13: This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from one angle in this creation; Figure 14: This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device in this creation from another angle; Figure 15: This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device in this creation; Figure 16: This is a structural diagram of this work with the support frame omitted; Figure 17: This is a structural diagram of one side surface of the driven wheel in this creation; Figure 18: This is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in this creation; and Figure 19: It is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in this creation. Implementation

[0020] The specific implementation of this invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] <Example>

[0022] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to one embodiment of the present invention from one angle, and Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to one embodiment of the present invention with a portion of the structure omitted.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this embodiment provides a mahjong machine 100 for automatically shuffling and loading a plurality of mahjong tiles 200, including a shuffling mechanism, a loading mechanism 101, an operation panel mechanism 102, and a table frame mechanism 103.

[0024] The table frame mechanism 103 includes an outer frame 104, a tabletop 105 mounted on the outer frame 104, and a lower frame 106 that supports the tabletop 105 and other mechanisms. The bottom of the lower frame 106 is provided with a plurality of table legs for supporting the ground (the table legs are omitted in Figure 1 and Figure 2, and the outer frame 104, the lower frame 106 and the tabletop 105 are further omitted in Figure 2).

[0025] The control panel 102 is located in the middle of the tabletop 105. It contains a control module that controls the operation of various components of the mahjong machine 100. Operation buttons are located on the top for users to input operating commands. The shuffling mechanism (not shown in the figure) is located in the middle of the lower part of the tabletop 105. It is used to shuffle the mahjong tiles 200 after use. It includes a shuffling disc for carrying and rotating the mahjong tiles 200. Its specific structure and function are exactly the same as existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0026] The mahjong machine 100 of this invention can be used by four users at the same time. It has four card-dealing mechanisms 101, which are located at the four corners of the lower frame 106.

[0027] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from one angle in one embodiment of this invention, and Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from another angle in this invention.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the card-feeding mechanism 101 includes a card-supplying device 10, a card-stacking device 20, a card-storing device 30, a card-pushing device 40, and a card-raising device 50.

[0029] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the card-dispensing device according to one embodiment of this invention.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the tile feeding device 10 is used to pick up mahjong tiles 200 from the shuffling mechanism and feed them to the tiles. It includes a tile-picking wheel 11, a tile-feeding frame 12, a belt assembly 13, and a tile-feeding motor 14.

[0031] The card feeder 12 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106 and located near the shuffling mechanism. It has an opening facing the shuffling plate of the shuffling mechanism. The card suction wheel 11 is rotatably installed at the opening. The output end of the card feeder motor 14 is connected to the card suction wheel 11 and can drive the card suction wheel 11 to rotate.

[0032] The belt assembly 13 includes a feeding belt 15 wound around the card-feeding wheel 11, a guide wheel 16 for guiding the feeding belt 15, and a tensioning wheel 17 for tensioning the feeding belt 15. The guide wheel 16 is installed near the card-stacking device 20, so that the feeding belt 15 can transport the mahjong tiles 200 on it to the card-stacking device 20.

[0033] In this embodiment, a plurality of magnets are installed on the card-collecting wheel 11, and each mahjong tile 200 is inlaid with a magnetic material that can attract the shuffling magnets. When the card-collecting wheel 11 rotates under the drive of the card-feeding motor 14, the magnets that rotate to the downward position can attract the mahjong tiles 200 below. As the card-collecting wheel 11 continues to rotate, the mahjong tiles 200 are carried above the card-collecting wheel 11 and then transported to the stacking device 20 by the card-feeding belt 15.

[0034] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of a card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a structural diagram of a card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention with the card stacking housing and card stacking motor omitted.

[0035] As shown in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7, the stacking device 20 is used to stack the single mahjong tiles 200 supplied by the tile supply device 10 to form a stack of two tiles together, and includes a stacking unit and a tile dispensing unit.

[0036] The card stacking unit includes a card stacking block 21, a card stacking block drive rod 22, a card stacking drive wheel 23, and a card stacking motor 24. The card pulling unit includes a card pulling block 25, a card pulling linkage 26, and a card pulling drive block 27. In addition, the card stacking device 20 also has a card stacking housing 28 that houses and supports the various components in the card stacking unit and the card pulling unit.

[0037] The top of the stacking block 21 is a flat surface. In the initial state, this flat surface is located near the guide wheel 16 of the supply belt 15 and can receive the mahjong tiles 200 conveyed from the supply belt 15.

[0038] The stacking block 21 is provided with a stacking block groove 211, and one end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a movable end, which is slidably fitted into the stacking block groove 211 by a slider.

[0039] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the card stacking drive wheel 23 is mounted on the output shaft of the card stacking motor 24 and rotates under the drive of the card stacking motor 24. A card stacking drive groove 231 is provided on one side of the wheel.

[0040] The other end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a fixed end, which has a stacking block drive shaft 221 hinged to the stacking block housing 28; the middle part of the stacking block drive rod 22 is also provided with a slider that is slidably fitted in the stacking block drive groove 231. When the stacking block drive wheel 23 rotates, the stacking block drive rod 22 swings up and down, causing the stacking block 21 to swing up and down.

[0041] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card blocks in one embodiment of this invention.

[0042] As shown in Figure 8, the stacking drive groove 231 is approximately annular, with a concave section 231A with a decreasing radius and a convex section 231B with an increasing radius. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 is in the concave section 231A, the top plane of the stacking block 21 is lower than the upper plane of the end of the supply belt 15, and the height difference is slightly greater than the thickness of the two mahjong tiles 200, so that the mahjong tiles 200 delivered by the supply belt 15 can be stacked on the top plane of the stacking block 21. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 moves to the convex section 231B, it can drive the stacking block 21 to move slightly upward, which facilitates the tile-picking action of the tile-picking block 25.

[0043] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the card-pulling block 25 is fixed to the top of the card-pulling linkage 26. The card-pulling linkage 26 is bent in an approximately L-shape, and its lower end is fixed to one side of the card-pulling drive block 27.

[0044] Figure 9 is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block in one embodiment of this invention.

[0045] As shown in Figures 6 to 7 and 9, an arc-shaped card-dispensing groove 271 is provided on the other side of the card-dispensing drive block 27, and a slider is provided on the other side of the stacking drive wheel 23 (i.e., the opposite side of the surface where the stacking block groove 211 is located) that is slidably fitted into the card-dispensing groove 271. As the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, under the action of the slider and the card-dispensing groove 271, the card-dispensing drive block 27 moves back and forth intermittently and drives the card-dispensing block 25 to move back and forth through the card-dispensing connecting rod 26. Thus, when the two mahjong tiles 200 on the top of the stacking block 21 overlap to form a tile stack, the tile stack is pushed toward the tile storage device 30.

[0046] In this invention, the stacking device 20 also includes a counting sensor 29 facing the stacking block 21. The counting sensor 29 is a magnetic induction sensor that can generate an induction signal when a mahjong tile 200 with an embedded magnet passes through, thereby counting the mahjong tiles 200 stacked and entering the tile slot 312.

[0047] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a card storage device according to one embodiment of this invention.

[0048] As shown in Figure 10, the card storage device 30 is used to store the card stacks and includes a card storage tray 31, an upper slot plate 32, a lower slot plate 33, and an inner slot plate 34.

[0049] The card storage tray 31 is roughly square in shape, with one corner notched and the other three corners rounded. A vertically extending baffle 311 extends along the edge, and the center protrudes upwards, forming a groove, i.e., a card slot 312, between the baffle 311 and the central protrusion. Additionally, a support column 313 is provided at the bottom of the card storage tray 31, which is used to mount it to the lower frame 106.

[0050] The upper groove plate 32 is a plate-shaped component that matches the shape of the baffle 311 and is embedded in the upper part of the inner surface of the baffle 311 (equivalent to the outer side of the card slot 312); the lower groove plate 33 is a plate-shaped component that matches the card slot 312 and is embedded in the bottom surface of the card slot 312; the inner groove plate 34 is approximately annular and matches the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31, and is installed on the outer edge of the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31 (equivalent to the inner side of the card slot 312).

[0051] Figure 11 is a structural diagram of the mating parts of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card feeding device according to one embodiment of this invention. In Figure 11, some components of the card storage device 30, the card stacking device 20, and the card feeding device 10 are omitted in order to show the mating relationship between the components.

[0052] As shown in Figures 3 to 4 and Figure 11, the card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20 are located at the notch corner of the card storage tray 31 and are positioned near one end of the card slot 312. The card stacking block 21 is located at the end opening of the card slot 312. When the card block 25 is pushed towards the card storage device 30, the card block will enter the card slot 312 from the end opening. When the next card block is stacked and pushed towards the card slot 312 by the card block 25, the card block will also push the card blocks that have already entered the card slot 312. This process is repeated to allow a certain number of card blocks to be stored in the card slot 312.

[0053] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in this creation.

[0054] As shown in Figure 12, the upper slot plate 32, lower slot plate 33, and inner slot plate 34 are all adapted to the tile slot 312, together forming a tile storage slot structure that can store and allow tile stacks to pass through. The bottom end of the upper slot plate 32 has a flange 321 protruding towards the center of the tile slot 312, while the upper half of the inner slot plate 34 protrudes outwards, creating two sections within the tile slot 312 with different radii of movement (i.e., distances relative to the center of the tile storage tray 31): the upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B (as shown in the dashed box). The upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B correspond to the upper and lower mahjong tiles 200 in the tile stack, respectively. Because the upper tile slot 312A has a larger radius of movement, during movement within the tile slot 312, the upper mahjong tile 200 will lag slightly behind the lower mahjong tile 200.

[0055] Figure 13 is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from one angle, and Figure 14 is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle.

[0056] As shown in Figures 3 to 4 and Figures 13 to 14, the pusher device 40 is used to push and transport the stack of cards stored in the storage device 30, and includes a pusher seat 41, a pusher rotating seat 42, a pusher arm 43, a pusher motor 44, and a pusher drive gear 45.

[0057] The card pusher 41 is fixedly installed in the middle of the card storage tray 31. A circular notch 41A is provided in the middle, and a rotating groove 411 is provided around the perimeter. The shape and outline of the rotating groove 411 are basically matched with the card slot 312A, but the size is smaller. At the same time, there is a recessed section 412 near the notch of the card storage tray 31.

[0058] The card pusher rotating seat 42 is rotatably mounted on the card storage tray 31 via a rotating shaft 310. The entire seat is located within a notch 41A, and its upper surface protrudes from the notch 41A. The upper surface of the card pusher rotating seat 42 is provided with a push arm mounting protrusion 421, which has a push arm mounting hole 422 extending horizontally through it.

[0059] One end of the pusher arm 43 is movably fitted into the pusher arm mounting hole 422, and the other end is provided with a pusher head 431 for pushing the tile blocks in the tile slot 312. The lower end of the pusher head 431 is provided with a pusher protrusion 433 extending along the pusher direction, which can push the lower layer of mahjong tiles 200 further forward. Combined with the larger movement radius of the tile slot 312A, the upper layer of mahjong tiles 200 can always be slightly behind the lower layer of mahjong tiles 200.

[0060] When the tile stack reaches the tile lifting device 50, the upper layer mahjong tile 200 has less friction because it only contacts the lower layer mahjong tile 200. After the pushing force of the tile pusher head 431 is removed, it usually slides forward a short distance. However, this invention, through the combination of the tile pusher protrusion 433 and the larger movement radius of the tile loading groove 312A, allows the upper layer mahjong tile to always remain slightly behind during the movement. This ensures that after the pushing force is removed, the upper layer mahjong tile slides a short distance and then overlaps exactly on top of the lower layer mahjong tile, so that the mahjong tiles 200 can be stacked neatly when the tiles are loaded.

[0061] The pusher arm 43 is also provided with a pusher slider 432 located near the pusher head 431. The pusher slider 432 is slidably embedded in the rotating groove 411.

[0062] A card-pushing motor 44 is located below the card-pushing base 41, and a card-pushing drive gear 45 is mounted on its output shaft. The lower surface of the card-pushing rotating base 42 has rotating seat teeth 423 that mesh with the card-pushing drive gear 45, thereby enabling the card-pushing motor 44 to drive the card-pushing rotating base 42 to rotate. When the card-pushing rotating base 42 rotates, the card-pushing slider 432 also moves accordingly within the rotating groove 411, driving the card-pushing head 431 to push the card blocks within the card slot 312. Because the rotating groove 411 has a recessed section 412, when the card-pushing slider 432 reaches the position of this recessed section 412, the distance between the card-pushing slider 432 and the rotation center (i.e., the rotating shaft 310) of the card-pushing rotating base 42 will shorten, causing the card-pushing head 431 to retract inward towards the rotation center and not contact the components of the card-feeding device 10 and the card-stacking device 20, thus avoiding mutual interference.

[0063] Figure 15 is a structural diagram of the plate-raising device in this creation, and Figure 16 is a structural diagram of this creation with the support frame omitted.

[0064] As shown in Figures 2 to 3 and Figures 15 to 16, the card lifting device 50 is used to push the card pusher 40 to lift the card stacks to the table. It includes a support unit and a swing unit. The support unit includes a support frame 51 and a support plate 52. The swing unit includes a swing motor 53, a swing arm 54, a swing linkage 55, and a swing gear set composed of a drive wheel 56 and a driven wheel 57.

[0065] The support frame 51 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106, located near the card supply frame 12, and is fixedly connected to the card supply frame 12 to form a frame body. One side of the support frame 51 has an opening at the lower end to facilitate the exposure of the card suction wheel 11, and a support groove 511 is formed at the upper end. The support groove 511 has an open end 511A, which faces the tail end of the card slot 312, and the depth of the support groove 511 gradually increases from the other end to the open end 511A.

[0066] The support plate 52 is used to support the card stack to be placed. The support plate 52 is a long strip plate-shaped piece. One end is a receiving end that can receive the card stack pushed by the card pusher arm 43 from the card slot 312, located at the open end 511A. The other end is a mounting end, which is rotatably mounted on the other end of the support slot 511 opposite to the open end 511A via a rotating shaft, so that the support plate 52 can swing up and down in the support slot 511, and correspondingly its receiving end can rise or fall at the open end 511A.

[0067] In this invention, a tile-adding sensor is provided at the edge of the receiving end of the carrier plate 52. This tile-adding sensor is a magnetic induction sensor. When the tile-pushing arm 43 pushes the tile piles in the tile slot 312 onto the carrier plate 52, the tile-adding sensor can detect the magnets in the mahjong tiles 200, thereby generating a corresponding induction signal. When the tiles at the edge are removed, the tile-adding sensor can no longer detect the magnets in the mahjong tiles 200 and no longer generates a corresponding induction signal. Since the tile piles pushed by the tile-pushing arm 43 are usually distributed from the edge of the receiving end towards the mounting end, and the tiles at the edge of the receiving end are usually the last to be removed, if the tile-adding sensor cannot detect the mahjong tiles 200, it means that all the mahjong tiles 200 on the carrier plate 52 have been removed, and the next tile-adding action can be prepared.

[0068] The tabletop 105 is provided with a card slot 105A that corresponds to the position and matches the shape of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings upward until the receiving end rises to the highest position, the entire support plate 52 protrudes from the card slot 105A onto the tabletop, and the user can remove the card stacks on the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the upper swing position of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings downward until the receiving end descends to the lowest position, the receiving end is basically flush with the bottom of the card slot 312. The card pushing arm 43 can push the card stacks in the card slot 312 from the receiving end onto the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the lower swing position of the support plate 52.

[0069] The swing motor 53 is installed below the card storage tray 31, and its output axis extends upward to the card storage tray 31.

[0070] The drive wheel 56 is mounted on the output shaft of the swing motor 53 and can rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0071] A driven wheel groove 314 is provided on the storage plate 31 near the drive wheel 56. The driven wheel 57 is rotatably mounted in the driven wheel groove 314 through a driven wheel shaft 316 and meshes with the drive wheel 56. Therefore, it can be driven by the drive wheel 56 to rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0072] Figure 17 is a structural diagram of the driven wheel's surface on one side in this creation.

[0073] As shown in Figures 15 to 17, a track groove 572 is provided on one side surface of the driven wheel 57. The track groove 572 is in the shape of protruding on one side. The farthest point from the center of the driven wheel 57 (the rotation center, i.e. the center of the driven wheel shaft 316) is the far end 572A, and the closest point from the center of the driven wheel 57 is the near end 572B.

[0074] Figure 18 is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in this creation.

[0075] As shown in Figures 15 to 16 and 18, each end of the swing linkage 55 has a straight rod-shaped end. One end is the driven wheel engagement end 551 that mates with the driven wheel 57, and the other end is the swing engagement end 552 that mates with the swing arm 54. In this invention, the length directions of the driven wheel engagement end 551 and the swing engagement end 552 are parallel to each other.

[0076] The driven wheel groove 314 is provided with a straight connecting rod mating groove 315 whose size matches the driven wheel mating end 551. The driven wheel mating end 551 is located in the connecting rod mating groove 315, so that the driven wheel mating end 551 is approximately below the driven wheel 57.

[0077] The side surface of the driven wheel 57 with the track groove 572 facing downwards, and the upper surface of the driven wheel mating end 551 is also provided with a roller 553. The roller 553 is slidably embedded in the track groove 572, so that when the driven wheel 57 rotates, it can drive the swing connecting rod 55 to reciprocate along the length direction of the connecting rod mating groove 315 through the roller 553.

[0078] As shown in Figure 16, the lower end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing shaft 541, which is provided through the support frame 51, so that the swing arm 54 can rotate around the swing shaft 541 and swing up and down.

[0079] The swing shaft 541, which is exposed on the outside of the support frame 51, is provided with swing shaft teeth 542 distributed in the circumferential direction. The swing mating end 552 is provided with swing mating teeth 554 distributed in the length direction. The swing shaft teeth 542 and the swing mating teeth 554 mesh with each other. When the swing connecting rod 55 moves back and forth, it can drive the swing arm 54 to swing up and down.

[0080] The receiving end of the bearing plate 52 is provided with a bearing mating groove 521 on its lower surface, and the upper end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing slider 543 that is slidably fitted in the bearing mating groove 521. When the swing arm 54 swings up and down under the drive of the swing connecting rod 55, it can drive the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 to swing up and down, that is, swing back and forth between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0081] Since the far end 572A and the near end 572B of the track groove 572 correspond to the two ends of the reciprocating translation stroke of the swing link 55, when the roller 553 moves to the far end 572A, the swing arm 54 will rotate away from the swing link 55, and vice versa.

[0082] In this invention, depending on the different meshing states of the swing shaft tooth 542 and the swing mating tooth 554, the relative positions of the swing connecting rod 55 and the swing arm 54 can change. Therefore, the movement of the swing connecting rod 55 can correspond to different lifting and lowering movements of the swing arm 54, as follows:

[0083] When the swing link 55 is in the retracted state (i.e., the roller 553 is located at the near end 572B and the swing link 55 is located closer to the driven wheel 57), and the swing arm 54 is pointing upwards, the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move downwards; when the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm is facing the swing link 55 (at this time the swing arm 54 is in an approximately horizontal state), the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move upwards.

[0084] Therefore, the far end 572A of the track groove 572 corresponds to one of the swing position above the bearing plate 52 and the downward swing position, while the near end 572B corresponds to the other of the upward swing position and the downward swing position.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first scenario (i.e., the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is in the vertical state) is used as an example for specific explanation.

[0086] Figure 19 is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in this creation.

[0087] As shown in Figures 15 to 16 and Figure 19, the other side surface (i.e. the upward-facing surface) of the driven wheel 57 is provided with a first sensing part 58 and a second sensing part 59.

[0088] Figure 19 shows the different circumferences of the driven wheel 57 in the form of a dashed circular frame. As shown in Figure 19, with the center of the driven wheel shaft 316 as the center, the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 are distributed on both sides of the driven wheel shaft 316, and they are located on the same diameter of the driven wheel 57, but on different circumferences of the driven wheel 57 (that is, the distance between the rotation centers of the two driven wheels 57 is different).

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distal end 572A and the proximal end 572B are also on the same diameter line of the driven wheel.

[0090] The swing unit also includes a sensing component mounted above the driven wheel 57. The sensing component includes a first sensor 61 that cooperates with the first sensing part 58 and a second sensor 62 that cooperates with the second sensing part 59.

[0091] In this embodiment, the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 are both magnets, and the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 are both magnetic induction sensors.

[0092] In this embodiment, the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 are both located at specific positions, such that when the roller 553 reaches the proximal end 572B, the first sensing part 58 just reaches below the first sensor 61, and at the same time, when the roller 553 reaches the distal end 572A, the second sensing part 59 just reaches below the second sensor 62.

[0093] Thus, when the roller 553 reaches the proximal end 572B, causing the swing arm 54 to be in a vertical state and the support plate 52 to be in an upward swinging position, the first sensor 61 just senses the first sensing part 58 and outputs a sensing signal; when the roller 553 reaches the distal end 572A, causing the swing arm 54 to swing from a vertical state to a horizontal state and the support plate 52 to be in a downward swinging position, the second sensor 62 just senses the second sensing part 59 and outputs a sensing signal.

[0094] Furthermore, when the roller 553 is neither at the near end 572B nor at the far end 572A, neither the first sensor 61 nor the second sensor 62 outputs a sensing signal, indicating that the bearing plate 52 is at a position between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0095] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first sensing unit 58 corresponds to the upper swing position of the support plate 52, and the second sensing unit 59 corresponds to the lower swing position of the support plate 52. By observing the sensing signals output in real time by the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62, it is possible to accurately determine whether the support plate 52 is currently in the lower swing position, the upper swing position, or a position between the two.

[0096] Functions and effects of the embodiments

[0097] According to the swing unit provided in this embodiment, as well as the card-raising device, card-adding mechanism, and mahjong machine containing the swing unit, since the sensing unit includes a first sensor 61 and a second sensor 62 disposed near the driven wheel 57, and the driven wheel 57 is provided with a first sensing part 58 that cooperates with the first sensor 61 and corresponds to the swing position above the support plate 52, and a second sensing part 59 that cooperates with the second sensor 62 and corresponds to the swing position below the support plate 52, the current position state of the support plate 52 can be accurately determined by the sensing signal output by the two sensors, which facilitates the setting of the working actions of each component according to the position state during the automatic control process.

[0098] Furthermore, since the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 are located on different circumferences of the driven wheel 57, during the rotation of the driven wheel 57, the first sensor 61 will not sense the second sensing part 59, and the second sensor 62 will not sense the first sensing part 58. That is, the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 will not interfere with each other, and the position of the current bearing plate 52 can be determined reliably and accurately.

[0099] Those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, various changes and improvements can be made to the technical solution, and all such changes and improvements fall within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0100] For example, in the embodiment, both the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 are magnets, and the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 are corresponding magnetic induction sensors. In this invention, as long as the corresponding cooperation between the first sensor 61 and the first sensing part 58 and the corresponding cooperation between the second sensor 62 and the second sensing part 59 can be achieved, other sensors and sensing parts can also be used. For example, the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 can be set as concave holes and / or protruding pillars with a specific depth or height, and the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 can both be set as distance sensors. The distance signal sensed is used to determine whether the sensing part has reached the bottom.

[0101] Based on the above changes, further modifications can be made. Specifically, the first sensing part 58 can be configured as either a protruding post or a concave hole, and the second sensing part 59 can be configured as either a protruding post or a concave hole, with both positioned on the same circumference. The circumference, except for the first and second sensing parts 58 and 59, has a uniform height. In this case, the sensing unit can contain only one distance sensor. When the sensor detects a signal at a longer distance, it indicates that the concave hole is below it; when it detects a signal at a shorter distance, it indicates that the protruding post is below it; and when it detects a signal at a distance between the two, it indicates that neither the concave hole nor the protruding post is below it. Thus, the detection of two sensing parts can be achieved with a single sensor, enabling the detection of the swing position above and below the corresponding position.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first sensing part 58 and the second sensing part 59 are located on the same diameter. However, in other embodiments, they may not be located on the same diameter. As long as the positions of the two sensors are adjusted accordingly, the first sensor 61 can sense the first sensing part 58 and the second sensor 62 can sense the second sensing part 59.

[0103] Therefore, this creation is indeed novel, progressive, and industrially applicable, and undoubtedly meets the requirements for patent application under the Patent Law of our country. Thus, we hereby file a utility model patent application in accordance with the law, and earnestly pray that the Bureau will grant the patent as soon as possible.

[0104] However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of this invention and is not intended to limit the scope of this invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made to the shape, structure, features and spirit described in the claims of this invention should be included within the scope of the claims of this invention.

[0105] 100: Mahjong Machine 101: Vehicle registration agency 10: Tag supply device 11: Card Suction Wheel 12: Talisman stand 13: Belt assembly 14: Branded motor 15: Supply belt 16: Guide wheel 17: Tensioner 20: Stacking Card Device 21: Stacking Cards 211: Stacking Card Slot 22: Stacking Block Drive Rod 221: Stacking Block Drive Shaft 23: Stacked Card Drive Wheel 231: Stacking Card Drive Slot 231A: Concave segment 231B: Outer convex segment 24: Stacked brand motor 25: Draw the cards 26: Card-pulling linkage 27: Card Draw Driver Block 271: Card-drawing slide 28: Stacked Card Shell 29: Counting sensor 30: Tag storage device 31: Card Storage Plate 310: Rotating shaft 311: Barrier 312: Card slot 312A: License Plate Slot 312B: Lower Card Slot 313: Pillar 314: Driven wheel groove 315: Connecting rod mating groove 32: Upper groove plate 321: Flange 33:Lower groove plate 34: Inner groove plate 40: Card Pushing Device 41: Pushing the card holder 41A: Gap 411: Rotary slot 412: Depressed section 42: Card Push Rotating Seat 421: Push arm mounting protrusion 422: Push arm mounting hole 423: Rotate the seat gear 43: Card Pusher Arm 431: Push the card head 432: Push Card Slider 44: Push Card Motor 45: Card Pushing Drive Gear 46: Pushing the card holder 50: Plate-raising device 51: Support frame 511: Bearing groove 511A: Open end 52: Support plate 521: Bearing mating groove 53: Oscillating Motor 54: Swing Arm 541: Swing shaft 542: Oscillating shaft teeth 543: Oscillating slider 55: Swing Link 551: Driven wheel mating end 552: Oscillating mating end 553: Roller 554: Oscillating meshing teeth 56: Drive wheel 57: Driven wheel 316: Driven wheel shaft 572: Track Slot 572A: Remote 572B: Proximal 58: First Induction Unit 59: Second Induction Unit 61: First Sensor 62: Second sensor 102: Operating Panel Mechanism 103: Table frame mechanism 104: Outer border 105: Tabletop 105A: Card Play Slot 106: Lower Frame 200: Mahjong tiles

Claims

1. A swing unit, disposed in a tile-lifting device of a mahjong machine, for swinging to raise and lower a support plate for carrying a tile stack, thereby raising the support plate to place a tile on the stack or lowering the support plate to receive a new stack, comprising: a swing motor; a swing gear assembly including a driven wheel that rotates under the drive of the swing motor, one side of the driven wheel having a track groove; a swing linkage having a roller slidably fitted into the track groove at one end, capable of reciprocating translation with the rotation of the driven wheel; a swing arm having one end fitted with the other end of the swing linkage, the other end of the swing arm fitted with the support plate, capable of swinging up and down with the translation of the swing linkage, thereby raising and lowering the support plate; and a sensing unit including at least one sensor disposed near the driven wheel; wherein... The driven wheel is provided with a first sensing part that cooperates with the sensor and corresponds to the swing position on one of the support plates, and a second sensing part that cooperates with the sensor and corresponds to the descent position on one of the support plates.

2. The swing unit as described in claim 1, wherein, The at least one sensor includes a first sensor that cooperates with the first sensing part and a second sensor that cooperates with the second sensing part, the first sensing part and the second sensing part being located on different circumferences of the driven wheel.

3. The swing unit as described in claim 2, wherein, Both the first sensing part and the second sensing part are magnets, and both the first sensor and the second sensor are magnetic induction sensors.

4. The swing unit as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein, The first sensing element and the second sensing element are located on the same diameter of the driven wheel.

5. The swing unit as described in claim 2, wherein, The track groove has a far end that is furthest from the rotation center of one of the driven wheels and a near end that is closest to the rotation center of the driven wheel. When the roller is located at one of the far end and the near end, the support plate reaches the upper swing position and the first sensor is opposite to the first sensing part. When the roller is located at the other of the far end and the near end, the support plate reaches the lower swing position and the second sensor is opposite to the second sensing part.

6. The swing unit as described in claim 1, wherein, The at least one sensor includes sensors capable of engaging with the first sensing part and the second sensing part respectively. The at least one sensor is a distance sensor. The first sensing part is one of a protrusion or a recess, and the second sensing part is the other of the protrusion or the recess. The first sensing part and the second sensing part are located on the same circumference of the driven wheel.

7. The swing unit as described in claim 1, wherein, The other end of the swing linkage is provided with a plurality of drive teeth arranged in a straight line. The end of the swing arm is provided with a swing shaft for rotational mounting. The swing shaft is provided with a plurality of swing shaft teeth that match the drive teeth and are distributed around the circumference of the swing shaft. The swing gear assembly further includes a drive wheel mounted on an output end of the swing motor. The driven wheel meshes with the drive wheel, so that the driven wheel can be driven to rotate by the swing motor.

8. A tile-lifting device, installed in a mahjong machine, for lifting a stack of tiles from a conveyor onto a tabletop, comprising: a support unit having a support plate for supporting the stack, wherein a tile-adding sensor is provided on the edge of a receiving end of the support plate; and a swinging unit for swinging the support plate to raise and lower it, thereby raising the support plate to add a tile to the stack or lowering the support plate to receive a new stack of tiles; wherein... The swing unit is the swing unit of any one of the requests 1 to 7.

9. A tile-feeding mechanism, disposed in a mahjong machine, comprising: a tile-feeding device for receiving and feeding a plurality of mahjong tiles from a shuffling device; a tile-stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles fed by the tile-feeding device to form a tile stack; a tile-storing device for storing the tile stack in a slot; a tile-pushing device for conveying the tile stack in the slot; and a tile-lifting device for lifting the conveyed tile stack onto a tabletop; wherein... The card-raising device is the same as the card-raising device described in claim 8.

10. A mahjong machine, comprising: a shuffling mechanism for shuffling a plurality of mahjong tiles; and a plurality of tile-dealing mechanisms for dealing the shuffled mahjong tiles; wherein, These registration authorities are the same as those mentioned in claim 9.

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