Device for aligning the direction of mahjong tiles for an automatic mahjong table and tiles in the automatic mahjong table

Abstract

A device for aligning mahjong tiles in an automatic mahjong table is provided, which can arrange tiles in such a manner that patterns and characters on the tiles face the same direction. In the automatic mahjong table, a game is played using tiles embedded with magnets having a constant length in the tiles so that the tiles are staggered in the same direction and of the same size in the longitudinal direction of the tiles. A tile sensing sensor (31), a magnetic force sensing sensor (32) embedded in the tiles, and a tile dropping mechanism (20) for dropping the tiles onto the rotating table (14) are sequentially arranged in the middle of a transportation process of a tile delivery mechanism (20) that magnetically attracts the tiles with their longitudinal directions facing the transportation direction and transports them from a rotating table (14) to a tile arrangement table (17). The tile dropping mechanism (20) is activated when the tile sensing sensor (31) and the magnetic force sensing sensor (32) detect tiles with patterns and characters facing opposite directions at different times of passage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure of mahjong tiles for an automatic mahjong table and a device for aligning the tiles in the automatic mahjong table. When the tiles are used to play a mahjong game, all tiles arranged as hand cards can be aligned in such a way that their patterns and characters face the correct direction. Background Art

[0002] As an automatic mahjong table that can automatically arrange and stack hand cards and wall cards, for example, as described in patent document 1, it comprises: a table top with a card input port in the center and hand card supply ports and wall card supply ports on four sides; a rotating table that stirs all cards (mahjong cards) put in from the card input port of the table top; a hand card lifting table and a wall card lifting table, which are respectively arranged below the hand card supply ports and wall card supply ports on the above-mentioned four sides; a hand card arranging table and a wall card arranging table, which are arranged in parallel along these hand card lifting tables and wall card lifting tables; a card feeding mechanism that feeds a specified number of cards to the hand card arranging table and the wall card arranging table; a card feeding mechanism that transports the cards stirred by the above-mentioned rotating table to the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism; and a card transferring mechanism that transfers the hand cards and wall cards fed onto the above-mentioned hand card arranging table and the wall card arranging table to the above-mentioned hand card lifting table and the wall card lifting table.

[0003] A magnet is embedded in the center of the interior of all mahjong tiles used in the automatic mahjong table constructed in the above manner, and the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism that transports the tiles from the rotating table to the tile feeding mechanism is composed of a chain conveyor belt with magnet pieces installed at constant intervals in the length direction. When the magnet pieces pass in a downward state on the outer periphery of the rotating table due to the circulation and movement of the chain conveyor belt, the magnet pieces are opposed to the tiles whose surfaces with patterns and texts are in an upward state due to the stirring of the rotating table. While the length direction of the tiles is directed to the conveying direction, the tiles are magnetically attracted to the magnet pieces and transported toward the tile feeding mechanism.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-18274 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0006] However, in the automatic mahjong table constructed as described above, when the cards are magnetically attracted to the magnet pieces installed on the chain conveyor, the patterns, text markings, and graphic directions set on the surface, for example, in the case of the card "ten thousand" in the Wanzi card, which is a number card, there are cases where it is magnetically attracted in a state where the "one" is facing the conveying direction of the chain conveyor and in a state where it is magnetically attracted in a direction opposite to the conveying direction.

[0007] In this way, the direction of the patterns and texts of the number cards and character cards is random, and they are transported to the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism by the chain conveyor. The card feeding mechanism is used to feed the cards into the above-mentioned hand arrangement table and wall card arrangement table. A specified number of cards are arranged horizontally on the hand card arrangement table to form a hand card, and are arranged on the wall card arrangement table to form wall cards stacked in two layers. In this case, the direction of the patterns and texts of the arranged hand cards and wall cards is obviously random. When the players stand up their hand cards on the table, there are number cards and character cards with patterns and texts facing opposite to the up and down directions. When playing the game, it is necessary to turn upside down the cards with patterns and texts facing opposite directions in the cards arranged as hand cards and align or correct them so that the marking direction of the patterns and texts becomes the correct direction in the up and down direction (hereinafter referred to as the positive direction).

[0008] Therefore, not only can the mahjong game not be smoothly played using the automatic mahjong table, but also, when the opponent is an advanced player, there is a case where the hand cards are read due to the action of turning the cards upside down.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a mahjong set for an automatic mahjong table having a structure that can align the patterns and characters of all cards in a hand facing forward when used in an automatic mahjong table, and a mahjong set direction alignment device for the automatic mahjong table that can provide an aligned hand so that the patterns and characters of all cards are facing forward when the mahjong set is used to play a mahjong game.

[0010] Technical solutions to technical problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the mahjong tiles for an automatic mahjong table of the present invention are as described in Technical Solution 1, characterized in that all mahjong tiles (hereinafter referred to as tiles) used in the automatic mahjong table have magnets of constant length embedded inside them in a state of being staggered in the same direction and the same size in the longitudinal direction of the tiles, so that the size between one end of the longitudinal direction of the tiles and one end of the longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned magnets is different from the size between the other end of the magnet and the other end of the tiles.

[0012] The invention of technical solution 2 is a device for aligning the direction of cards in an automatic mahjong table using the above-mentioned cards, and is characterized in that, in an automatic mahjong table equipped with a card feeding mechanism for magnetically adsorbing the cards stirred on a rotating table with their length directions facing the conveying direction and conveying and supplying them toward a hand card arrangement table and a wall card arrangement table, the following are sequentially arranged at prescribed intervals in the middle of the card conveying of the card feeding mechanism: a sensing sensor for sensing the cards conveyed by the card feeding mechanism; a sensing sensor for sensing the magnetic force of a magnet embedded in the cards; and a card dropping mechanism for causing the card to fall from the card feeding mechanism to the rotating table when these card sensing sensors and magnetic sensing sensors detect that the passing time of the card from the card sensing sensor to the magnetic sensing sensor is different from that of the card with the pattern and text facing the forward direction.

[0013] In the automatic card direction aligning device for a mahjong table constructed as described above, the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the card dropping mechanism is operated only when cards are fed to the hand card arrangement table.

[0014] The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the card dropping mechanism includes a rotary solenoid and a card dropping arm attached to a rotation shaft of a rotor of the rotary solenoid.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the invention of technical solution 1, all the cards (character cards and number cards) used in the automatic mahjong table have magnets of constant length buried inside them in a state of being staggered in the same direction and the same size in the length direction of the cards, so that the size between one end of the magnet and one end of the card is different from the size between the other end of the magnet and the other end of the card. Therefore, by arranging a device in the automatic mahjong table that can detect the conveying direction of the cards according to the different sizes, the hand cards can be arranged so that the patterns, text markings, and diagrams of all the cards are in the correct direction.

[0017] According to the invention of technical solution 2, a sensing sensor for sensing the cards and a sensing sensor for sensing the magnetic force of the magnet embedded in the cards are provided in the middle of the card transport of the card delivery mechanism that magnetically adsorbs the cards stirred on the rotating table with their length directions facing the transport direction and transported toward the hand card arrangement table and the wall card arrangement table. When the cards pass in front of these sensors at a constant transport speed with one end side facing the transport direction, one end of the card can be sensed by the card sensing sensor so that the magnetic force of the magnet embedded in the card can be sensed by the magnetic force sensing sensor. Similarly, when the cards pass in front of these sensors at a constant transport speed with the other end side facing the transport direction, the other end of the card can be sensed by the card sensing sensor so that the magnetic force of the magnet embedded in the card can be sensed by the magnetic force sensing sensor.

[0018] The magnets embedded in the cards are staggered at a constant length in the length direction of the cards, so that the size between one end of the card and one end of the magnet is different from the size between the other end of the card and the other end of the magnet. When the above-mentioned card sensing sensor and magnetic sensing sensor are used to sense the cards conveyed by the card feeding mechanism with one end side facing the conveying direction and the cards conveyed with the other end side facing the conveying direction, there is a difference in the passing time of the cards after being sensed by the card sensing sensor and until being sensed by the magnetic sensing sensor. Therefore, these sensing sensors can be used to distinguish and detect cards with the direction (marking direction) of the patterns and texts set on the surface facing the conveying direction (hereinafter referred to as the forward direction) and cards facing the opposite direction.

[0019] In addition, a card dropping mechanism is provided which causes the card to drop from the card feeding mechanism to the rotating table when the card sensing sensors and magnetic sensing sensors detect that the card has a pattern or text facing in the opposite direction. Therefore, only the cards with the pattern or text marked in the positive direction can be fed to the hand card arrangement table. The patterns and text of all the cards arranged as hand cards are in the correct direction from the top to the bottom when the hand cards are stood up, and the game can be played smoothly.

[0020] According to the invention of technical solution 3, the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism is operated only when cards are fed to the hand card arrangement table. Therefore, on the wall card arrangement table, like a conventional automatic mahjong table, cards can be arranged in a random forward or reverse state in the direction of patterns and texts, so that all the cards drawn by oneself will not be reversed, thereby allowing for a smooth game.

[0021] As the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism, as described in Technical Solution 4, a rotating solenoid with a card-dropping arm installed on the rotating shaft of the rotor is used, but a solenoid with a plunger that moves forward and backward in the axial direction as the card-dropping axis and a motor with a card-dropping arm installed on the rotating shaft can be used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of the automatic mahjong table tiles of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a top view of an automatic mahjong table with a portion of the table top cut away to show the internal structure.

[0024] Figure 3 It is a longitudinal sectional view of an automatic mahjong table.

[0025] Figure 4 It is a side view of the card alignment device.

[0026] Figure 5 It is its stereogram.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the card delivery mechanism part, omitting the card direction alignment device.

[0028] Figure 7 It is a longitudinal sectional front view of the portion where the hand card arrangement table and the wall card arrangement table are provided.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a line diagram used to explain how to determine the direction of the cards.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a simplified top view for explaining the delivery and arrangement of cards from the card delivery mechanism to the hand card arrangement table.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a simplified top view used to illustrate the delivery and arrangement of cards from the card delivery mechanism to the wall card arrangement table.

[0032] Description of Reference Numerals

[0033] 1 card;

[0034] 2 magnets;

[0035] 3. Patterns and text;

[0036] 10 table tops;

[0037] 11 card input port;

[0038] 12 hands give the card mouth;

[0039] 13 Wall cards are given to the card mouth;

[0040] 14. Rotating table;

[0041] 15-hand card lift;

[0042] 16 wall sign lifts;

[0043] 17-hand arrangement table;

[0044] 18 wall plaque arrangement table;

[0045] 19 cards are delivered to the institution;

[0046] 20 cards are given to institutions;

[0047] 21 chain conveyor;

[0048] 22 magnet pieces;

[0049] 30. Card alignment device;

[0050] 31 card perception sensors;

[0051] 32 magnetic sensing sensors;

[0052] 33 card drop mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 As shown, the tiles 1 used in the automatic mahjong table are provided with patterns and characters 3 of number tiles (Wanzi, Tongzi, Suozi) or character tiles (East, South, West, North, Bai, Fa, Zhong, Hua) on the surface of the tile body of the longitudinal rectangular shape with constant thickness formed by resin molding, and inside all these tiles 1, magnets 2 with a longitudinal rectangular shape of constant length shorter than the tiles 1 are buried in a state of staggering a constant size in the longitudinal direction of the tiles 1 so that the size (interval) between one end of the tiles 1 and one end of the longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned magnet 2 is different from the size (interval) between the other end of the tiles 1 and the other end of the magnet 2.

[0054] Specifically, the pattern and text 3 provided on the surface of the card 1 are arranged so that when the card 1 is erected with one end of its length as the upper end, the marking direction of the pattern and text 3 is not in the upside-down direction but in the normal direction, and the magnet 2 is staggered relative to the center of the length direction of the card 1 and offset toward one end of the card 1, so that the dimension between the other end of the card 1 and the other end of the magnet 2 is larger than the dimension between one end of the card 1 and one end of the magnet 2. It should be noted that Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the card 1, but for the sake of convenience, the patterns and characters 3 provided on the surface of the card 1 are marked.

[0055] In an automatic mahjong table using cards 1 constructed in this manner, as will be described later, card direction alignment devices 30 are provided corresponding to the four directions of the east, south, west, and north in the quadrilateral table top 10. The card direction alignment devices 30 can align the patterns and text 3 of all the cards 1 constituting a hand so that the marking directions are oriented in the same direction.

[0056] like Figures 2 to 7As shown, the automatic mahjong table comprises: the above-mentioned table top 10, which is provided with a card input port 11 in the central part, and at the four sides corresponding to the above-mentioned directions, a hand card feeding port 12 and a wall card feeding port 13 are arranged parallel to each other in a manner that the hand card feeding port 12 is close to the front; a rotating table 14, which stirs all the cards 1 put in from the card input port 11; a hand card lifting platform 15 and a wall card lifting platform 16, which are respectively arranged to be able to be lifted and lowered below the hand card feeding port 12 and the wall card feeding port 13 respectively provided at the four sides of the above-mentioned table top 10; a hand card arranging platform 17 and a wall card arranging platform 18, which are arranged between these hand card lifting platforms 15 and the wall card The lifting platforms 16 are respectively arranged in parallel with the hand card lifting platform 15 and the wall card lifting platform 16; the card feeding mechanism 19 feeds a specified number of cards 1 onto the hand card arrangement platform 17 and the wall card arrangement platform 18 and arranges them to make them into hand cards and wall cards; the card delivering mechanism 20 magnetically absorbs the cards 1 stirred by the above-mentioned rotating platform 14 and transports them to the side of the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism 19; the card transferring mechanism 23 transfers the hand cards arranged on the above-mentioned hand card arrangement platform 17 and the wall cards arranged in two layers on the wall card arrangement platform 18 to the above-mentioned hand card lifting platform 15 and the wall card lifting platform 16 respectively.

[0057] like Figure 6 As shown, the card feeding mechanism 20 that transports the cards 1 from the above-mentioned rotating table 14 to the card feeding mechanism 19 includes: a chain conveyor 21, which is hung between the sprockets in a ring shape; a plurality of magnetic pieces 22, which are installed on the chain conveyor 21 at constant intervals in the length direction of the chain; the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism 20 is inclined upward from the upper part of the outer periphery of the rotating table 14 toward the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism 19 set on each side. When the magnetic pieces 22 pass in a downward state above the outer periphery of the rotating table 14 due to the winding and running of the chain conveyor 21, they are opposite to the cards 1 with the surface provided with patterns and texts 3 facing upward due to the stirring of the rotating table, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the card 1 is conveyed toward the card feeding mechanism 19 by being magnetically attracted to the magnetic sheet 22 via the magnet 2 embedded in the card.

[0058] It should be noted that the automatic mahjong table constructed as described above is a well-known structure, so detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0059] In the middle of the card conveying of the chain conveyor 21 of the above-mentioned card delivering mechanism 20 in the automatic mahjong table, sensing sensors 31 and sensing sensors 32 are arranged at constant intervals along one side of the chain conveyor 21, wherein the sensing sensor 31 senses the card 1 delivered by the card delivering mechanism 20, and the sensing sensor 32 senses the magnetic force of the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1, and a card dropping mechanism 33 is arranged above the card delivering mechanism 20 at a constant interval in the conveying direction from the magnetic sensing sensor 32. The card dropping mechanism 33 works when the card sensing sensor 31 and the magnetic sensing sensor 32 detect that the card 1 is delivered in the opposite direction (wrong direction) to the hand arrangement, so that the card 1 falls from the card delivering mechanism 20 onto the rotating table 14.

[0060] In this way, the card direction alignment device 30 is formed by sequentially arranging the card sensing sensor 31, the magnetic sensing sensor 32 and the card dropping mechanism 33 in the middle of the conveying of the cards 1 by the card feeding mechanism 20. The direction alignment device 30 can make the marking direction of the text and pattern of all the cards 1 transported by the card feeding mechanism 20 toward the card feeding mechanism 19 side that feeds the cards 1 into the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table 18 be in the correct direction.

[0061] The card dropping mechanism 33 includes a rotary solenoid 33a, positioned above the card feeding mechanism 20 midway along the card feeding path, and a card-sweeping arm 33b, mounted on the rotating shaft of the rotor of the rotary solenoid 33a. The rotor's rotating shaft is parallel to the card feeding direction. The card-sweeping arm 33b is positioned above the card feeding mechanism 20 and reciprocates at a predetermined angle perpendicular to the card feeding direction of the card feeding mechanism 20. As it rotates from one side of the card feeding mechanism 20 to the other, it whisks the cards 1 off the card feeding mechanism 20 and onto the rotating table 14. When the rotary solenoid 33a is not operating, the card-sweeping arm 33b faces one side of the card feeding mechanism 20, maintaining a non-contact state with the cards 1 being fed by the card feeding mechanism 20 and allowing the cards 1 to pass through.

[0062] As the circuit that makes the card brush off with arm 33b work / do not work, as Figure 9 As shown, it comprises: a circuit 40, which detects the length of time from the time when the card sensing sensor 31 senses the card 1 to the time when the magnetic sensing sensor 32 senses the magnetic force of the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1 and compares it; a circuit 41, which makes the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism 33 not work when the time detected by the comparison circuit 40, that is, the time when the card passes from the card sensing sensor 31 to the time when the magnetic sensing sensor 32 senses a magnetic force of a constant size, is short, and makes the card dropping mechanism 33 work and sends a signal to the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism 33 when the time is long.

[0063] In this way, the card feeding mechanism 19 is arranged on one side of the terminal portion (upward tilt end) of the card feeding mechanism 20 in which the card sensing sensor 31, the magnetic sensing sensor 32 and the card dropping mechanism 33 are arranged in sequence at predetermined intervals during the transportation of the card 1. Figure 6 、 Figure 9 As shown, the card feeding mechanism 19 will arrange the hand card feeding component 19a and the wall card feeding component 19b which move back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the card feeding direction of the card feeding mechanism 20 in parallel in such a manner that the hand card feeding component 19a is on the outside (competitor's side), and on the extension lines of these hand card feeding components 19a and the wall card feeding components 19b, the above-mentioned hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table 18 are respectively arranged in a state where one end side of their end faces the front end side of the hand card feeding component 19a and the wall card feeding component 19b across the feeding terminal part of the above-mentioned card feeding mechanism 20.

[0064] In addition, between the above-mentioned hand card feeding component 19a and the wall card feeding component 19b, a switching component 19c for switching the feeding of the cards 1 delivered by the card feeding mechanism 20 to the hand card feeding component 19a side and the wall card feeding component 19b side is freely arranged to rotate upward and downward. When the switching component 19c rotates upward, the cards 1 delivered by the card feeding mechanism 20 pass under the switching component 19c and are fed into the hand card feeding component 19a side. When it rotates downward, the feeding of the cards 1 to the hand card feeding component 19a side is interrupted and the cards 1 are blocked, so that they stop near the wall card feeding component 19b. When the switching component 19c descends and cuts off the feeding of the cards 1 to the hand card feeding component 19a side, the circuit 41 that makes the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism 33 work is in a closed state and the card dropping mechanism 33 is kept inactive. Only when the cards 1 are supplied to the hand card arrangement table 17, the circuit 41 is in an open state and the card dropping mechanism 33 is operated.

[0065] Next, the operation of the automatic mahjong table provided with the tile alignment device 30 when playing a game using the tiles 1 configured as described above will be described.

[0066] When the next round of game is played after the end of one round, the card input port 11 provided on the table top 10 is opened and all the cards 1 on the table top 10 are put onto the turntable 14. The cards 1 are stirred due to the rotation of the turntable 14 and move toward the outer periphery of the turntable 14. When the chain conveyor 21 of the card feeding mechanism 20 arranged on all sides of the turntable 14 is circulated and traveled, the magnetic piece 22 installed on the chain conveyor 21 passes over the outer periphery of the turntable 14 in a downward state, and is opposite to the card 1 on the turntable 14 with the surface provided with the pattern and text 3 facing up. While the length direction of the card 1 is directed to the travel direction of the chain conveyor 21, the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1 is magnetically attracted to the magnetic piece 22. In this state, the card 1 is flipped around the sprocket on the starting end side of the conveying and is conveyed toward the card feeding mechanism 19 with the back of the card 1 facing up.

[0067] At this time, the card 1 is magnetically attracted to the magnet piece 22 installed on the chain conveyor 21 with its length direction facing the traveling direction of the chain conveyor 21 of the card feeding mechanism 20. The direction (marking direction) of the pattern and text 3 set on the surface of the card 1 is facing the traveling direction of the chain conveyor 21, that is, the conveying direction of the card feeding mechanism 20 (upstream side) or the opposite direction (downstream side) to the conveying direction, and is conveyed with the pattern and text 3 facing any of these directions.

[0068] In this state, the card 1 is transported to the card feeding mechanism 19 side facing the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table 18 by the card feeding mechanism 20. In the middle of its transportation, when the card 1 reaches the position of the card sensing sensor 31 in the card 1 direction alignment device 30, the card sensing sensor 31 senses that the card 1 has arrived at the card sensing sensor 31, and then the magnetic force sensing sensor 32 senses the magnetic force of the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1.

[0069] Figure 8 It is a line diagram showing the perception of the card 1 by the card sensing sensor 31 and the magnetic perception of the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1 by the magnetic sensing sensor 32. Line a is a line showing the card perception state of the card sensing sensor 31 when the card 1 passes through the card sensing sensor 31, and line b is a line showing the magnetic perception state of the magnetic sensing sensor 32 when the card 1 passes through the magnetic sensing sensor 32. Figure 8 In the figure, the upper end a1 of the rising line in the line a representing the card sensing working state is the point at which the card 1 is sensed to have reached the card sensing sensor 31 and a signal is sent to the comparison circuit 40, and the midway point b1 of the rising line in the line b representing the magnetic sensing working state is the point at which a signal is sent from the magnetic sensing sensor 32 to the comparison circuit 40 when the magnetic force sensed by the magnetic sensing sensor 32 reaches a constant size.

[0070] As described above, when the card 1 is erected with one end of its length as the upper end, the marking direction of the pattern and text 3 set on the surface is not in the upside-down direction (wrong direction) but in the positive direction, and the magnet 2 buried inside is staggered relative to the center of the length direction of the card 1 in a manner biased toward one end of the card 1. Compared with the size between one end of the card 1 and one end of the above-mentioned magnet 2, the size between the other end of the card 1 and the other end of the magnet 2 is larger.

[0071] Therefore, when the card 1 constructed in this manner is transported toward the card feeding mechanism 19 side leading to the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table using the card feeding mechanism 20 having a chain conveyor 21 that circulates and travels at a constant conveying speed, for the card 1 transported with one end side facing the conveying direction and the card 1 transported with the other end side facing the conveying direction, the movement time, that is, the passage time, of the card 1 from the point a1 where the above-mentioned card sensing sensor 31 senses that it has reached the card sensing sensor 31 to the above-mentioned point b1 where the above-mentioned magnetic force sensing sensor 32 senses the magnetic force of the magnet 2 embedded in the card 1 is longer in the latter than in the former.

[0072] The comparison circuit 40 is used to compare the detection signals of the above-mentioned card sensing sensor 31 and the magnetic sensing sensor 32. In the case that the passing time of the card sensed by the card sensing sensor 31 and then sensed by the magnetic sensing sensor 32 is short, that is, in the case of a card 1 with one end side facing the conveying direction so that the pattern and text 3 when arranged as a hand card face the normal direction, the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism 33 is not operated and is kept in a non-operating state, and the card 1 is conveyed to the card feeding mechanism 19. On the other hand, in the case that the passing time of the card sensed by the magnetic sensing sensor 32 after being sensed by the card sensing sensor 31 is long, that is, in the case of a card 1 with the other end side facing the conveying direction so that the pattern and text 3 when arranged as a hand card face the upside-down direction, that is, in the incorrect direction, the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism 33 is operated. Figure 9 As shown, the card 1 is flicked off from the card feeding mechanism 20 and dropped onto the rotating table 14.

[0073] The card 1 that has fallen onto the rotating table 14 is magnetically attracted again by the magnet piece 22 of the card feeding mechanism 20 , and if it is magnetically attracted with one end facing the feeding direction, it is directly fed to the card feeding mechanism 19 .

[0074] The steps of supplying and arranging cards 1 onto the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table 18 are as follows: First, cards 1 are fed relative to the hand card arrangement table 17. In order to be able to feed cards 1 to the hand card arrangement table 17, the card dropping mechanism 33 is operated only when the feeding of cards 1 delivered by the card feeding mechanism 20 is switched to the hand card feeding component 19a side and the wall card feeding component 19b side and the switching component 19c moves upward.

[0075] Therefore, when a specified number of cards 1 are arranged on the hand card arrangement table 17, only the cards 1 with one end side facing the conveying direction, that is, the cards 1 with the patterns and texts 3 facing the forward direction when standing as hand cards, pass through the card dropping mechanism 33 of the card direction alignment device 30 and are conveyed to the card feeding mechanism 19 side by the card feeding mechanism 20, and reach the position of the hand card feeding component 19a of the conveying terminal part of the card feeding mechanism 20 through the bottom of the above-mentioned switching component 19c in the state of being separated upward relative to the conveying path of the cards 1 on the conveying terminal side of the card feeding mechanism 20. When reaching this position, the hand card feeding component 19a advances and conveys the cards 1 horizontally from the card feeding mechanism 20 to one end of the hand card arrangement table 17 through its front end, and retreats to the original position after the horizontal conveyance to wait for the next card 1 to be fed.

[0076] Like this, the board 1 that will be delivered to mechanism 20 conveying by above-mentioned board is delivered to hand board arrangement platform 17 horizontally successively and is arranged horizontally, and all boards 1 that become hand board are as follows: Figure 9 As shown, the cards are arranged on the hand arrangement table 17 with one end side of the length direction facing the competitor (direction), that is, with the pattern and text 3 facing forward. Figure 9 In the figure, for the convenience of explanation, the pattern and text 3 provided on the surface of the card 1 are shown in a perspective state.

[0077] When a specified number of cards 1 are fed into the hand card arrangement table 17 as hand cards, the switching component 19c is moved downward according to the signal from the counter of the card 1 to cut off the conveying path of the card 1 to the hand card arrangement table 17 side, and at the same time, the card dropping mechanism 33 of the card alignment device 30 is placed in an inoperative state.

[0078] Therefore, similar to the automatic mahjong table without the card alignment device 30, the card 1 is magnetically attracted by the magnetic piece 22 of the card feeding mechanism 20 from the rotating table 14 with one end side in the longitudinal direction facing the conveying side or the other end side facing the conveying side and is conveyed to the card feeding mechanism 19 to reach the position in contact with the switching component 19c. The wall card feeding component 19b advances and conveys the card 1 horizontally from the card feeding mechanism 20 to the wall card arrangement table 18 through its front end. After the horizontal conveyance, it retreats to the original position and waits for the next card 1 to be fed (refer to Figure 10 ).

[0079] In this way, the cards 1 delivered by the card feeding mechanism 20 are sequentially transported horizontally onto the wall card arrangement platform 18 by the card feeding mechanism 19. When the cards 1 are arranged horizontally in a row in a prescribed number of rows, the wall card arrangement platform 18 moves downward at the height of the cards 1, and the cards 1 delivered by the card feeding mechanism 20 are arranged horizontally in a prescribed number of rows on the horizontally arranged cards 1 by the card feeding mechanism 19 to form a wall card stacked in two layers. In the wall card, if Figure 10 As shown, the tiles 1 constituting the wall tiles are arranged with their patterns and characters 3 randomly facing forward or reverse.

[0080] Like this, wait for the next round game to begin so that the board 1 of regulation number is arranged on hand board arrangement platform 17 and wall board arrangement platform 18, when the next round game begins, as Figure 7 As shown, the hand card pressing component 23a and the wall card pressing component 23b of the card transfer mechanism 23 are moved toward the direction of the arrow, that is, the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall card arrangement table 18, and the hand cards arranged on the hand card arrangement table 17 and the wall cards arranged on the wall card arrangement table 18 are directly transported horizontally in the arrangement state and pressed and transferred to the hand card lifting table 15 and the wall card lifting table 16 waiting at the specified position.

[0081] The card transfer mechanism 23 is utilized to transfer the hand card lifting platform 15 and the wall card lifting platform 16 carrying the hand cards and the wall cards from the hand card arrangement platform 17 and the wall card arrangement platform 18 respectively, and they rise toward the hand card feeding ports 12 and the wall card feeding ports 13 corresponding to the hand card feeding ports 12 and the wall card feeding ports 13 set on the four sides of the table board 10. The hand card feeding ports 12 and the wall card feeding ports 13 are closed by the platform, and the hand cards and the wall cards are in a state of being arranged side by side on the table board 10.

[0082] At the start of the game, the cards arranged on the card lifting platform 17 in a state lying down next to the hands of the players sitting in various positions are stood up, and all the cards 1 constituting the hand are in a state with one end side facing upward, that is, the marking direction of their patterns and texts is not upside down but facing the normal direction. There is no need to turn the cards upside down and arrange them in the correct direction, and the game can start immediately.

[0083] It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the size between the other end of the card 1 and the other end of the magnet 2 is larger than the size between one end of the card 1 and one end of the above-mentioned magnet 2, but the size between one end of the card 1 and one end of the above-mentioned magnet 2 can also be larger than the size between the other end of the card 1 and the other end of the magnet 2. When the other end side of the card 1 is facing the conveying direction of the card feeding mechanism 20, that is, when the pattern and text 3 are in an upside-down posture when arranged as a hand of cards, the card sensing sensor 32 and the magnetic sensing sensor 32 in the card arranging device 30 are used to detect the card 1, and the card dropping mechanism 33 is used to make it fall onto the rotating table 14.

Claims

1. An automatic mahjong table card alignment device, which uses a magnet having a constant length inside to embed mahjong tiles in a state of staggered length in the same direction along the length direction of the tiles, characterized in that: In the middle of the card conveying of the card delivering mechanism that conveys the cards stirred on the rotating table by magnetic adsorption in a state where the cards are facing the conveying direction with their length directions, there are provided in sequence at prescribed intervals: a sensing sensor for sensing the cards; a sensing sensor for sensing the magnetic force of the magnet embedded in the cards; and a card dropping mechanism on the rotating table that makes the card drop from the card delivering mechanism to the rotating table when these card sensing sensors and magnetic sensing sensors detect that the passing time of the card from the card sensing sensor to the magnetic sensing sensor is different from that of the card with the pattern and text facing the forward direction.

2. The device for aligning the direction of the tiles in the automatic mahjong table according to claim 1, characterized in that: Only when cards are delivered to the hand card arrangement platform, the above-mentioned card dropping mechanism is operated.

3. The device for aligning the direction of the tiles in the automatic mahjong table according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card dropping mechanism includes a rotary solenoid and a card dropping arm mounted on the rotation axis of the rotor of the rotary solenoid.

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