Mahjong machine

Abstract

This invention discloses a mahjong machine, belonging to the field of card and board game equipment. It solves the problem of high failure rates caused by the complex driving structures of the pusher and lifter plates in existing technologies. The technical solution mainly includes a frame and a support plate, a pusher plate, and a lifter plate mounted on the frame. The support plate and pusher plate are located on the outer periphery of the lifter plate, with the pusher plate above the support plate. A drive motor is mounted on the frame, and a crank is mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor. The crank has a first output end and a second output end. A transmission swing arm is provided between the first output end and the pusher plate. When the drive motor rotates forward, the first output end acts on the swing arm, causing the pusher plate to move and push the tiles. The second output end acts on the lifter plate. When the drive motor rotates in reverse, the second output end pushes the lifter plate to lift the tiles. This invention mainly simplifies the structure driving the pusher and lifter plates, reduces the number of parts, and lowers the failure rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to card and board game equipment, and in particular to a mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0002] In existing mahjong machines, to reduce the number of drive motors, the drive motors generally drive the push plate to push the tiles and the lift plate to lift the tiles together. For example, CN109464800A invention patent application discloses a tile-loading mechanism for a mahjong machine, which specifically discloses that the tile-loading drive motor 2-1 drives the drive gear 2-2 to rotate. The rotation of the drive gear 2-2 synchronously transmits the rotation of the first output gear 2-3, the baffle groove wheel 8, the second output gear 2-4, and the third output gear 2-5. The first output gear 2-3 drives the tile-lifting rocker arm 3 to rotate. The rotation of the tile-lifting rocker arm 3 causes the bearing at the end of the tile-lifting rocker arm 3 to move along the descending arc surface 4-2 of the tile-lifting plate bracket 4-1 of the tile-lifting plate 4 to the arc-shaped hook 4-5, and pulls the tile-lifting plate 4 along the bushing 9. The slide plate 4 slides down until its bottom surface contacts the top of the bushing 9. Simultaneously, the baffle wheel 8 rotates. The sliding shaft of the movable baffle 7, after passing through the high-position holding section 8-1-2 of the annular track groove 8-1 via the large arc section 8-1-3, engages with the low-position holding section 8-1-4, causing the movable baffle 7 to descend and maintain its position. At this point, the top surface of the lifting plate 4 is flush with the top surface of the card-bearing device 1. The second output gear 2-4 and the third output gear 2-5 respectively drive the two cams 5-2 of the cam transmission assembly 5 to rotate until they contact the driving bearings 5-3-1 of their respective card-pushing rocker arms 5-3, thus driving the card-raising process. Motor 2-1 continues to drive the drive gear 2-2 to rotate. The second output gear 2-4 and the third output gear 2-5 respectively drive the two cams 5-2 to rotate, which in turn push the drive bearings 5-3-1 of their respective card-pushing rocker arms 5-3 via the rising surface 5-2-1. This causes the two card-pushing rocker arms 5-3 to flip towards the card-bearing device 1. The two card-pushing rocker arms 5-3, through the pusher plate 6-1 of the card-pushing plate 6, push the card-pushing plate 6 towards the card-lifting plate 4, pushing the mahjong tiles onto the card-lifting plate 4. The card-loading drive motor 2-1 continues to drive the drive gear 2-2 to rotate, and the first output gear 2-3 drives the card-lifting rocker arm 3 to rotate. The lifting arm 3 rotates, and the bearing at the end of the lifting arm 3 moves along the rising arc surface 4-3 of the lifting plate bracket 4-1 of the lifting plate 4 to the holding surface 4-4, pushing the lifting plate 4 up and holding it in a high position, so that the mahjong tiles extend out of the mahjong table. At this time, the second output gear 2-4 and the third output gear 2-5 respectively drive the two cams 5-2 of the cam transmission assembly 5 to rotate. The drive bearing 5-3-1 of the pushing arm 5-3 loses its engagement with the rising surface 5-2-1 of the cam 5-2, and the pushing plate 6 resets under the action of the tension spring 1-2-1, pushing the pushing arm 5-3 to reset through the push plate 6-1. It can be seen that the above structure is very complex and involves many parts, so it is more prone to failure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mahjong machine that simplifies the structure of the push plate and lift plate, reduces the number of parts, and lowers the failure rate.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a mahjong machine, comprising a frame and a tile-bearing plate, a tile-pushing plate, and a tile-lifting plate disposed on the frame. The tile-bearing plate and the tile-pushing plate are both located on the outer periphery of the tile-lifting plate, and the tile-pushing plate is located above the tile-bearing plate. A drive motor is provided on the frame, and a crank is provided on the output shaft of the drive motor. The crank has a first output end and a second output end. A transmission swing arm is provided between the first output end and the tile-pushing plate. When the drive motor rotates forward, the first output end acts on the swing arm, and the swing arm swings to make the tile-pushing plate move horizontally and push the tiles. The second output end acts on the tile-lifting plate, and when the drive motor rotates in reverse, the second output end pushes the tile-lifting plate to lift the tiles.

[0005] Furthermore, the width of the card-bearing plate is greater than the stroke of the card-pushing plate, a guide rail is provided below the card-bearing plate, and a slit is provided on the card-bearing plate, through which the card-pushing plate passes and is slidably connected to the guide rail.

[0006] Furthermore, the inner and outer sides of the card-bearing plate have downwardly extending side plates, the guide rail is fixed to the side plates, the guide rail is provided with a slide block, and the card-pushing plate is fixed on the slide block.

[0007] Furthermore, the push plate includes a fixing strip and a plate body. The end of the fixing strip passes through a slit and is connected to the slide. The plate body is detachably connected to the fixing strip. The height difference between the lower edge of the plate body and the plate bearing the tile is less than the thickness of the mahjong tile.

[0008] Furthermore, a support is provided below the plate, the swing arm is hinged to the support, the top of the swing arm is provided with a groove, and the end of the fixing strip is provided with a protrusion that cooperates with the groove.

[0009] Furthermore, the drive motor and the swing arm are arranged along the length of the card-supporting plate. The drive motor is fixed on the motor bracket, and the motor bracket is provided with a swing rod. One end of the swing rod is hinged to the motor bracket, and the other end presses against the swing arm. The first output end of the crank acts on the swing rod to drive the swing rod to swing. The swing rod presses down to make the swing arm swing, and the swing arm drives the card-pushing plate to move and push the card.

[0010] Furthermore, the first output end is provided with a first roller that contacts the rocker arm.

[0011] Furthermore, the swing arm is hinged to the support via a pivot, and the pivot is provided with a torsion spring that keeps the swing arm in a tendency to push the card plate back to its original position.

[0012] Furthermore, the lifting plate is formed by four straight plates connected vertically end to end in sequence. Each straight plate is equipped with a drive motor below it. All drive motors drive the cranks on their respective output shafts so that the second output ends of the four cranks act on the lifting plate to lift the plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the second output end is provided with a second roller that contacts the lower edge of the plate lifting plate.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages: The push and lift actions are achieved by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor, respectively. When the drive motor rotates forward, the crank starts rotating from the initial position, the push plate gradually moves to push the cards, and the second output end gradually moves away from the lift plate. That is, when the mahjong machine pushes the cards, the lift plate remains stationary. When the drive motor rotates in reverse, the first output end also moves away from the swing arm in the opposite direction. When the crank rotates back to the initial position, the second output end contacts the lift plate. That is, after the push plate resets, the lift plate begins to lift the cards. Therefore, this conforms to the control logic of pushing and lifting cards. Since the first output end only needs to transmit force through the swing arm to make the push plate move horizontally, and the second output end directly contacts the lift plate to transmit power, fewer parts are required. The structure for separately driving the push and lift plates is greatly simplified, which can effectively reduce the failure rate. The drive motor only needs to drive the crank to rotate forward and backward within a certain angle range, instead of rotating 360 degrees. Therefore, the crank can be selected to swing within a range without dead points, resulting in stable and reliable transmission. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mahjong machine according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mahjong machine according to the present invention (part of the tabletop is hidden);

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the drive motor assembled with the push plate and the lift plate in this invention;

[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point I in the middle;

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Enlarged view at point II;

[0021] Figure 6 for Figure 3 The main view;

[0022] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of section III;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of one of the drive motors and the push plate of the present invention after assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0024] This invention provides a mahjong machine, including a frame 1 and a tile-receiving plate 2, a tile-pushing plate 3, and a tile-lifting plate 4 disposed on the frame 1, as shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, both the card-supporting plate 2 and the card-pushing plate 3 are located on the outer periphery of the card-lifting plate 4, with the card-pushing plate 3 positioned above the card-supporting plate 2. A drive motor 5 is mounted on the frame 1. Figures 3 to 8 See, the output shaft of the drive motor 5 is equipped with a crank 51, which has a first output end 511 and a second output end 512. The first output end 511 and the push plate 3 are connected by a transmission swing arm 31. When the drive motor 5 rotates forward, the first output end 511 acts on the swing arm 31, and the swing arm 31 swings to make the push plate 3 move and push the card. The second output end 512 acts on the lifting plate 4. When the drive motor 5 rotates in reverse, the second output end 512 pushes the lifting plate 4 to lift the card.

[0025] This invention achieves two actions—pushing and lifting cards—by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 5. When the drive motor 5 rotates forward, the crank 51 starts rotating from its initial position, and the card-pushing plate 3 gradually moves to push the cards. The second output end 512 gradually moves away from the card-lifting plate 4, meaning that when the mahjong machine pushes the cards, the card-lifting plate 4 remains stationary. When the drive motor 5 rotates in reverse, the first output end 511 also moves away from the swing arm 31 in the opposite direction. When the crank 51 rotates back to its initial position, the second output end 512 will contact the card-lifting plate 4. That is, after the card-pushing plate 3 is reset, the card-lifting plate 4 will start lifting the cards. Therefore, this conforms to the control logic of pushing and lifting cards. Since the first output end 511 only needs to transmit force through the swing arm 31 to make the card-pushing plate 3 move, and the second output end 512 directly contacts the card-lifting plate 4 to transmit power, fewer parts are required. The structure for separately driving the card-pushing plate 3 and the card-lifting plate 4 is greatly simplified, which can effectively reduce the failure rate. The drive motor 5 only needs to drive the crank 51 to rotate forward and backward within a certain angle range, instead of rotating 360 degrees. Therefore, the crank 51 can be selected to swing within a range that will not produce a dead point in motion, and the transmission is stable and reliable.

[0026] In this embodiment, the drive motor 5 is hidden below the card-supporting plate 2. In the horizontal direction, the first output end 511 and the second output end 512 are located on the same side of the output shaft of the drive motor 5. That is, when the crank 51 swings upward, the first output end 511 and the second output end 512 move upward together. When the crank 51 swings downward, the first output end 511 and the second output end 512 move downward together. In this way, the length of the crank 51 can be designed to be shorter, which makes it easier to compress the movement space of the crank 51 and is conducive to the ultra-thin design of the mahjong machine. The movement heights of the first output end 511 and the second output end 512 can be completely separated to avoid interference between the first output end 511 and the card-lifting plate 4.

[0027] It is understandable that if the first output end 511 and the second output end 512 are located on both sides of the output shaft of the drive motor 5, then when the crank 51 swings upward, the first output end 511 moves upward to drive the lifting plate 4 to lift the plate, and the second output end 512 moves downward away from the swing arm 31. When the crank 51 swings downward, the first output end 511 moves downward away from the lifting plate 4, and the second output end 512 moves upward to drive the swing arm 31. This is also feasible. The length of the crank 51 will increase to a certain extent, and the required movement space will also increase.

[0028] In this embodiment, the width of the tile-supporting plate 2 is greater than the travel of the tile-pushing plate 3. A guide rail 32 is provided below the tile-supporting plate 2, which allows the tile-pushing plate 3 to move reliably. A slit 201 is provided on the tile-supporting plate 2, through which the tile-pushing plate 3 passes and is slidably connected to the guide rail 32. Increasing the width of the tile-supporting plate 2 hides the guide rail 32 and the corresponding sliding connection structure below the tile-supporting plate 2. The tile-supporting plate 2 isolates the mahjong tiles from the components below, reducing the possibility of mahjong tiles getting stuck in the gap between the tile-pushing plate 3 and the tile-supporting plate 2 or falling below the tile-supporting plate 2 from the gap between the tile-pushing plate 3 and the tile-supporting plate 2.

[0029] As a feasible structure, the inner and outer sides of the card-carrying plate 2 can be designed to have downwardly extending side plates 21. Here, the inner and outer sides are relative to the mahjong machine. The side closer to the center of the mahjong machine is the inner side, and the side closer to the edge of the mahjong machine is the outer side. The guide rail 32 is fixed to the side plate 21, and the guide rail 32 is provided with a slide 33. The card-pushing plate 3 is fixed on the slide 33.

[0030] To facilitate assembly through the narrow slit 201, the push plate 3 can be designed to include a fixing strip 301 and a plate body 302. The end of the fixing strip 301 passes through the narrow slit 201 and connects to the slide block 33. The plate body 302 is detachably connected to the fixing strip 301, and the height difference between the lower edge of the plate body 302 and the support plate 2 is less than the thickness of the mahjong tile. The fixing strip 301 is relatively lightweight. After connecting the fixing strip 301 to the slide block 33, the plate body 302 is then fixed to the fixing strip 301, which can improve assembly efficiency. To facilitate the connection between the fixing strip 301 and the slide block 33, they can be connected by a plug-in method. For example, a slot can be provided on the slide block 33, and the end of the fixing strip 301 can be inserted into the slot for fixation. To increase the stability after fixation, it can be further tightened with screws.

[0031] To install the swing arm 31, a support 34 can be provided below the plate 2. The swing arm 31 is hinged to the support 34. The top of the swing arm 31 is provided with a groove 311, and the end of the fixing strip 301 is provided with a protrusion 303 that mates with the groove 311. The support 34 can be fixed to the frame 1 or to the plate 2. The protrusion 303 and the groove 311 are connected by a weak positioning method, which allows for a high degree of freedom of movement and prevents jamming. For ease of assembly, the top of the groove 311 can be designed as an open structure.

[0032] To fully utilize the space beneath the card holder 2, the drive motor 5 and the swing arm 31 can be arranged along the length of the card holder 2. The drive motor 5 is fixed to the motor bracket 52. Besides directly driving the pusher plate 3 by the first output end 511 of the crank 51 against the swing arm 31, to avoid the crank 51 becoming too long, a swing rod 53 can be provided on the motor bracket 52. One end of the swing rod 53 is hinged to the motor bracket 52, and the other end presses against the swing arm 31. The first output end 511 of the crank 51 acts on the swing rod 53, causing it to swing. The downward pressure of the swing rod 53 causes the swing arm 31 to swing, and the swing arm 31 drives the pusher plate 3 to move and push the card. To reduce resistance, a first roller 513 that contacts the swing rod 53 can be provided on the first output end 511. In this embodiment, two swing arms 31 are provided, and the crank 51 or the swing rod 53 can act only on the closer swing arm 31. The number of swing arms 31 is the same as the number of guide rails 32. It is also feasible to increase the number of swing arms 31 and guide rails 32 to improve the stability of the push plate 3 movement. If the strength of the fixing strip 301 is high enough, it can be connected to the guide rail 32 at only one end, and only one swing arm 31 needs to be set accordingly.

[0033] The swing arm 31 is hinged to the support 34 via the pivot 312. In order to drive the push plate 3 to reset, in addition to reversing the drive motor 5, a torsion spring (not shown in the attached figure) can be provided on the pivot to keep the swing arm 31 driving the push plate 3 to reset. By using the elastic force of the torsion spring to reset the push plate 3, the drive motor 5 will no longer drive the push plate 3 to reset when it reverses, which can reduce the load.

[0034] Existing lifting plates 4 are generally composed of four separate small plates, with four rectangular holes cut into the tabletop 6 to fit one-to-one with the lifting plate 4. This process is relatively cumbersome in terms of manufacturing and assembly. In this embodiment, the lifting plate 4 is designed to be formed by four straight plates connected vertically end-to-end, creating a single integrated structure. Manufacturing can be completed through two wire cuts, resulting in high precision. Installation is completed in one step, making it more convenient. To ensure smooth lifting and lowering of the lifting plate 4 and synchronized lifting of the four straight plates, a drive motor 5 can be installed below each straight plate. Each drive motor 5 drives a crank 51 on its respective output shaft, causing the second output ends 512 of the four cranks 51 to act on the lifting plate 4 to lift the plate. To reduce resistance, a second roller 514 that contacts the lower edge of the lifting plate 4 can also be provided at the second output end 512.

[0035] In addition to the preferred embodiments described above, the present invention may have other embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications based on the present invention, and all such changes and modifications should fall within the scope defined in the claims of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mahjong machine, comprising a frame and a tile-receiving plate, a tile-pushing plate, and a tile-lifting plate disposed on the frame, wherein the tile-receiving plate and the tile-pushing plate are both located on the outer periphery of the tile-lifting plate, the tile-pushing plate is located above the tile-receiving plate, and a drive motor is provided on the frame, characterized in that, The drive motor has a crank on its output shaft, which has a first output end and a second output end. A transmission swing arm is provided between the first output end and the card-pushing plate. When the drive motor rotates forward, the first output end acts on the swing arm, and the swing arm swings to move the card-pushing plate and push the card. The second output end acts on the card-lifting plate. When the drive motor rotates in reverse, the second output end pushes the card-lifting plate to lift the card. The card-lifting plate is formed by four straight plates connected vertically end to end. Each straight plate has a drive motor below it. All drive motors drive the cranks on their respective output shafts to move the four cranks... The second output end acts on the lifting plate to lift the plate. A support is provided below the plate, and the swing arm is hinged to the support. The top of the swing arm is provided with a sliding groove, and the end of the fixing bar is provided with a protrusion that cooperates with the sliding groove. The drive motor and the swing arm are arranged along the length of the plate. The drive motor is fixed on the motor bracket, and a swing rod is provided on the motor bracket. One end of the swing rod is hinged to the motor bracket, and the other end presses against the swing arm. The first output end of the crank acts on the swing rod to drive the swing rod to swing. The swing rod presses down to make the swing arm swing, and the swing arm drives the pushing plate to move and push the plate.

2. The mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the card-bearing plate is greater than the stroke of the card-pushing plate. A guide rail is provided below the card-bearing plate, and a slit is provided on the card-bearing plate. The card-pushing plate passes through the slit and is slidably connected to the guide rail.

3. The mahjong machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The card-bearing plate has downwardly extending side plates on both its inner and outer sides. A guide rail is fixed to the side plate, and a slide block is provided on the guide rail. The card-pushing plate is fixed on the slide block.

4. The mahjong machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The push plate includes a fixing strip and a plate body. The end of the fixing strip passes through a slit and is connected to the slide. The plate body is detachably connected to the fixing strip. The height difference between the lower edge of the plate body and the plate bearing the tile is less than the thickness of the mahjong tile.

5. The mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first output end is provided with a first roller that contacts the rocker arm.

6. The mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The swing arm is hinged to the support via a pivot, and the pivot is equipped with a torsion spring that keeps the swing arm in a tendency to push the card plate back to its original position.

7. The mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second output end is provided with a second roller that contacts the lower edge of the plate lifting plate.

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