A three-pulley ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance

Abstract

This application discloses a three-friction wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance, including a ball-collecting module (support frame, ball-scoring track, pin shaft, synchronous belt 4, friction belt drive motor, active friction wheel, driven friction wheel, connecting rod, friction belt connecting plate, friction belt), a ball-passing module (cylinder, roller, ball-stabilizing plate, one-way gate connecting plate, cantilever, slide rail), and a launching module (friction wheel drive motor, friction wheel, centering device, friction wheel seat, fiberglass board). This application effectively improves problems such as ball jamming and excessive launching deviation by closely coordinating the ball-collecting, ball-passing, and launching modules, combined with the three-friction wheel launching method and adaptive ball-collecting friction belt, etc., realizing a complete process from ball collection to launching, and achieving good ball-receiving and launching continuity, self-accuracy, and high launching accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of spherical object launching structure technology, and relates to a three-friction wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with steady economic growth, the gradual improvement of people's quality of life, and the increasing abundance of material resources, people have become particularly enthusiastic about sports. Sports such as basketball and tennis, in particular, have attracted a large number of enthusiasts due to their competitiveness, power, and trendiness. For beginners, a repeatable training robot is needed. For advanced athletes, receiving more diverse and repeatable serves is especially important for intensive professional training. There is a pressing need to develop an integrated structure with functions such as collection, self-calibration, and precise, repeatable multi-pose launches for the creation of small, patrol-capable robots, enabling intelligent upgrades to sports fields. This also provides a mature structural solution for ball launching.

[0003] Currently, there are relatively few products with a three-friction wheel ball-launching mechanism that can collect, self-calibrate, and launch balls, and existing products have some issues that need improvement, which are briefly described below:

[0004] (1) Most serving mechanisms currently lack self-calibrating structural performance when serving, making it difficult to guarantee serving accuracy.

[0005] (2) The continuity from collecting the ball to launching the ball is poor, and sometimes the ball gets stuck.

[0006] (3) Most existing launching mechanisms use single or double friction wheels, which limits the launching attitude and momentum range. Three friction wheels allow for a more comprehensive launching attitude and a qualitative improvement in momentum. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to address the requirements for collecting, self-calibrating, and launching spherical objects, and to overcome the aforementioned technical problems to a certain extent, by providing a three-friction wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration capabilities.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] This application provides a three-friction wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance, comprising:

[0010] The support frame includes an inlet frame and a launch frame. A ball track and a slide rail are provided between the inlet frame and the launch frame, and they are connected by a crossbeam. The inlet of the ball track is located at the inlet frame, and the outlet is located at the launch frame.

[0011] The ball retrieval module is installed on the entrance frame, with its entrance located at the entrance frame. It is used to correct the posture of the ball entering the entrance frame and transmit it to the passing module.

[0012] The passing module is mounted on a slide rail, with its inlet connected to the ball retrieval module and its outlet connected to the launching module, and is used to transfer the ball from the ball retrieval module to the launching module;

[0013] The launching module is located on the side of the launching frame away from the entrance frame. Its entrance is connected to the passing module and is used to straighten the ball from the passing module before launching it.

[0014] Furthermore, the inlet frame and the launch frame of this application are rectangular frame structures or circular ring structures; guide plates are provided on both sides of the inlet frame to guide the sphere entering the inlet frame.

[0015] Furthermore, the ball-retrieving module of this application includes a mounting base fixed to the top of the crossbeam. Along the direction of ball movement, the mounting base is sequentially arranged with a driven friction wheel, a driving friction wheel, a crank-rocker drive motor, and a friction belt drive motor. Below the mounting base, along the direction of ball movement, is a pair of opposing friction belt connecting plates. The two friction belt connecting plates are opposite each other and connected at both ends by pins. Two friction belt wheels are respectively fitted onto the pins at both ends. The friction belt wheels are located inside the two friction belt connecting plates, and the two friction belt wheels on the pins are spaced apart. Two friction belts are respectively fitted onto the friction belts at both ends. A synchronous pulley is fitted onto a pin shaft near the launch frame. Both ends of the pin shaft are fixed to the crossbeam via connecting lugs. The friction belt drive motor is connected to the synchronous pulley via a synchronous belt. The synchronous pulley is fixed to the friction belt pulley, driving the friction belt pulley to rotate around the pin shaft. The active friction wheel is connected to the output shaft of the crank-rocker drive motor, and the active friction wheel and the driven friction wheel are interference-fitted. The side of the driven friction wheel is connected to one end of the connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is connected to the friction belt connecting plate. The active friction wheel, the driven friction wheel, the connecting rod, and the friction belt connecting plate constitute a crank-rocker mechanism.

[0016] Furthermore, the present application has an interference fit of 1.84mm between the active friction wheel and the driven friction wheel, which causes the active friction wheel to slip when the load is 1N·m, thereby protecting the crank rocker drive motor.

[0017] Furthermore, the crank-rocker mechanism of this application, consisting of an active friction wheel, a driven friction wheel, a connecting rod, and a friction belt connecting plate, causes the entire assembly of the friction belt and the friction belt connecting plate to rotate around a pin shaft that serves as the center point, forming an angle of -3 to 19 degrees with the horizontal ground.

[0018] Furthermore, the ball-passing module of this application includes a one-way gate connecting plate, a ball-stabilizing plate, and a cylinder; a slider is provided on the slide rail, and the one-way gate connecting plate is connected to the cylinder through the slider, and the cylinder drives the one-way gate connecting plate to move along the direction of the ball's movement; four cantilever arms are provided on the one-way gate connecting plate evenly arranged circumferentially, one end of each cantilever arm is connected to the one-way gate connecting plate through a spring, and the other end is equipped with a roller; the ball-stabilizing plate is mounted on the crossbeam through a spring.

[0019] Furthermore, at least two ball-stabilizing plates are provided on the crossbeam of this application.

[0020] Furthermore, the launching module of this application includes two mounting plates that are arranged opposite each other and have the same shape; a through hole is provided in the middle of the two mounting plates for launching a sphere; three friction wheel mounting seats are arranged evenly at 120° between the two mounting plates, and each friction wheel mounting seat is equipped with a friction wheel and a stabilizer.

[0021] Furthermore, the centralizer of this application includes a pin and a bearing. The two ends of the pin are mounted on the friction wheel seat, the bearing is sleeved on the pin, and a sleeve for axial limiting is also sleeved on the pin.

[0022] Furthermore, the mounting plate of this application is a fiberglass board; the friction wheel is an aluminum wheel, and the aluminum wheel is wrapped with a 5mm thick polyurethane layer with a Shore hardness of A60 using a rubber roller process; the friction wheel seat is an integral structure.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] This application employs a dual-friction belt ball-picking system, featuring automatic centering and minimal requirements on the ball's entry state. The crank-rocker mechanism allows the friction belt to freely adjust its position when facing balls of different sizes, making it widely applicable. The crank-rocker transmission utilizes a pair of friction wheels for overload protection, preventing damage to the motor from severe overload caused by the friction belt upon initial contact with the ball or other factors. A ball-passing module consisting of a one-way gate and a cylinder is added, improving overall continuity and ensuring the ball has self-alignment before launch, while effectively preventing ball jamming due to improper connection between ball picking and launching. In the launching module, the three-friction-wheel launching method offers higher accuracy compared to dual-friction-wheel and four-friction-wheel systems. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is an isometric side view of the overall structure of this application.

[0027] Figure 2a This is an isometric drawing of the ball-retrieving module of this application.

[0028] Figure 2b This is a cross-sectional view of the ball-retrieving module of this application.

[0029] Figure 3a This is an isometric drawing of the passing module in this application.

[0030] Figure 3b This is a cross-sectional view of the passing module of this application.

[0031] Figure 4a This is an isometric drawing of the launch module of this application.

[0032] Figure 4b This is a cross-sectional view of the launch module of this application.

[0033] Among them, 1-support frame, 2-goal track, 3-pin shaft, 4-synchronous belt, 5-friction belt drive motor, 6-active friction wheel, 7-driven friction wheel, 8-connecting rod, 9-friction belt connecting plate, 10-friction belt, 11-cylinder, 12-roller, 13-ball stabilizing plate, 14-one-way door connecting plate, 15-cantilever, 16-slide rail, 17-friction wheel drive motor, 18-friction wheel, 19-centralizer, 20-friction wheel seat, 21-mounting plate. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0035] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "horizontal," or "inner" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of the invention is in use, they are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] Furthermore, the use of the term "horizontal" does not imply that the component must be absolutely horizontal, but rather that it can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" simply means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical," and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0040] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0041] See Figure 1 This application discloses a three-friction wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance. Through a support frame 1, a ball-collecting module fixed above the support frame 1, a ball-passing module fixed inside the support frame 1 via a cylinder 11 and a slide rail 16, and a launching module fixed in front of the support frame 1 are organically combined into a whole. The ball enters from the entrance at the rear of the frame and, driven by the friction belt 10, passes through the ball-passing track 2. The cylinder 11 drives the one-way gate composed of four cantilever arms 15 and a one-way gate connecting plate 14 to send the ball into the launching module. The centering device 19 ensures that the ball is in the correct pre-launch position. The three friction wheels 18 rotate simultaneously to complete the launching action of the ball.

[0042] like Figure 2a and 2bAs shown, the ball-retrieving module includes a friction belt drive motor 5, which is bolted to the support frame 1. Power is transmitted between the friction belt drive motor 5 and the friction belt 10 via a synchronous belt 4. Two friction belts 10 are joined together using a friction belt connecting plate 9, with one end hinged to the support frame 1 via a pin 3 and the other end hinged to a connecting rod 8. The active friction wheel 6 is mounted on a crank-rocker drive motor and fixed to the support frame 1 together with the driven friction wheel 7. There is an interference fit of 1.84mm between them to ensure active friction. Wheel 6 slips when the load is 1 N·m, thus protecting the drive motor. The crank-rocker mechanism composed of the above components allows the friction belt 10 and the friction belt connecting plate 9 to rotate around the center pin 3, forming an angle of -3 to 19 degrees with the horizontal ground, improving the contact effect with the sphere. The two friction belts 10 are arranged in parallel and maintain a certain distance. When the sphere enters with an attitude biased to the sides, the frictional force generated by the two friction belts 10 will drive the sphere to center, thus realizing the automatic correction of the sphere's attitude.

[0043] like Figure 3a and 3b As shown, in the passing module, a cantilever 15 is mounted on the one-way gate connecting plate 14. One end of the cantilever 15 is connected to a spring, and the other end is equipped with a roller 12. The four cantilever 15s and the two connecting plates together form a one-way transmission gate, which allows the ball to pass through from back to front in one direction. The two connecting plates are respectively fixed to the cylinder 11 and mounted on the slide rail 16. The ball stabilizing plate 13 is mounted above the support frame 1 and connected to a spring, which can realize the ball's one-way passage and ensure the stability of the ball after passing through. When the friction belt 10 brings the ball into the ball-scoring track 2, the cylinder 11 drives the one-way gate to move backward behind the ball and then forward, driving the ball through the upper ball stabilizing plate 13.

[0044] like Figure 4a and 4b As shown, in the launching module, the friction wheel 18 and the corresponding friction wheel drive motor 17 are mounted on the friction wheel seat 20. The three friction wheel seats 20 are evenly distributed at 120° on two mounting plates 21 to form a whole; the mounting plate 21 is made of fiberglass board. The friction wheel 18 is coated with a 5mm thick layer of polyurethane on an aluminum wheel using a rubber roller process. According to experimental verification, polyurethane with a Shore hardness of A60 has the best performance. The friction wheel seat 20 adopts an integrated design, which makes each launching wheel assembly more modular and increases maintainability and replaceability. The centralizer 19 is installed on the friction wheel seat 20, with a pin sleeve holding the bearing and a sleeve for axial positioning. When there is an installation error in the friction wheel seat 20, the centralizer 19 can still straighten the ball to the center of the inscribed circle of the three friction wheels 18.

[0045] The principle of this application:

[0046] This application uses a double-friction belt ball-retrieving method, which automatically corrects the ball's trajectory by utilizing the frictional force generated when the belt contacts the ball's surface, keeping the ball centered. A crank-rocker mechanism allows the friction belt 10 to freely adjust its distance and contact angle with the ball to a certain extent, greatly improving adaptability. The friction wheel 18 transmission method effectively provides overload protection for the motor. A ball-passing module is added after the friction belt 10 retrieves the ball, improving the smoothness of the ball's transmission within the mechanism and avoiding potential ball jamming and waiting issues that might occur when the friction belt 10 directly transmits the ball to the serving module. A three-friction wheel 18 method is used for serving, and a centering device 19 is used to calibrate the initial position before serving, ensuring high serving accuracy. Through the division of labor and close cooperation between the ball-retrieving, ball-passing, and serving modules, a complete process from ball retrieval to serving is achieved.

[0047] In this application, the sphere enters through the opening of the ball-collecting module. The ball-collecting module is equipped with a power unit consisting of two parallel friction belts 10. Powered by a drive motor, the sphere is propelled into the passing track by friction with the sphere's surface. The two friction belts 10 are connected as a whole by plates and, together with the friction wheel 18 and connecting rod 8, form a crank-rocker mechanism, causing the ends of the friction belts 10 to swing up and down, achieving contact between the friction belts 10 and the sphere's surface for collection. Simultaneously, the friction belt collection process features full-process control. The passing module is equipped with four movable... The boom, using springs and limiters, forms a one-way gate. The one-way gate moves back and forth on the slide rail 16 via two cylinders 11 placed on both sides, realizing the transfer of the ball from the ball-collecting module to the launching module. The launching module is equipped with three friction wheels 18 and a centering device 19. The centering device 19 straightens the ball to the center of the inscribed circle of the three friction wheels 18. The three friction wheels 18 are connected by two mounting plates 21 and are evenly distributed at 120°. There is a certain interference fit between the ball and the three friction wheels 18, and the launching is achieved through the interference contact friction with the friction wheels 18.

[0048] The ball-collecting module is equipped with two parallel friction belts 10, which maintain a certain distance. During the contact and transfer process with the ball, the ball will move closer to the center line of the distance left in the middle under the action of the resultant friction force, so that the ball automatically completes the action of aligning from the initial deviated position to the center. The two friction belts 10 are connected into a whole by a plate, and together with the large friction wheel 18 and the connecting rods 8 on both sides, they form a crank rocker structure, which allows the friction belts 10 to change the angle and distance between themselves and the ground, making it convenient for the friction belts 10 to collect balls of different sizes or heights.

[0049] The crank rocker arm is driven by friction wheels 18. The small wheel is made of steel, and the friction surface of the large wheel is made of polyurethane with a Shore hardness of 60A. By adjusting the size of the large and small wheels and the interference fit between them, the small wheel slips when the load is 1 N·m, so as to protect the motor in case of overload.

[0050] The passing module uses cylinder 11 for transmission, which has a faster response speed.

[0051] The ball-serving module uses a three-friction wheel 18 launching method, which has higher accuracy. At the same time, with the help of the limiter and the centering device 19, the ball has a more accurate initial position before launch, further improving the accuracy of the ball-serving.

[0052] The working process of this invention is as follows:

[0053] Step 1: The crank-rocker mechanism of the ball-retrieving module operates, causing the friction band 10 to contact the surface of the ball;

[0054] Step 2: The friction belt 10 transports the ball into the ball-scoring track 2 and performs initial centering adjustments;

[0055] Step 3: The cylinders 11 on both sides of the ball-passing module move the one-way gate backward to the back of the ball, and then move the ball forward together. The ball stops when it passes the limiter and reaches the preset initial position before launch.

[0056] Step 4: When the ball reaches the initial position, the centering device 19 of the launching module ensures that the ball is aligned with the center of the inscribed circle of the three friction wheels 18. The three friction wheels 18 start to rotate at the same time, and the interference contact drives the ball to launch.

[0057] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A three-pulley ball launching mechanism having self-calibration performance, characterized in that, The application relates to a ball supporting and launching device. The ball supporting and launching device comprises a supporting frame (1), a ball taking module, a ball transmitting module and a ball launching module. The supporting frame (1) comprises an entrance frame and a launching frame, a ball entering track (2) and a sliding rail (16) are arranged between the entrance frame and the launching frame and are connected through a cross beam; the entrance of the ball entering track (2) is arranged at the entrance frame, and the exit is arranged at the launching frame; The ball taking module is arranged on the entrance frame, the entrance of the ball taking module is located at the entrance frame, the ball taking module is used for correcting the posture of the ball entering the entrance frame and transmitting the ball to the ball transmitting module; the ball taking module comprises a mounting seat fixed on the top of the cross beam, a driven friction wheel (7), a driving friction wheel (6), a crank rocker driving motor and a friction belt driving motor (5) are sequentially arranged on the mounting seat along the movement direction of the ball; a pair of friction belt connecting plates (9) are arranged below the mounting seat along the movement direction of the ball, the two friction belt connecting plates (9) are oppositely arranged, the two ends are connected through pin shafts (3), two friction belt wheels are respectively sleeved on the pin shafts (3) at the two ends, the friction belt wheels are arranged on the inner sides of the two friction belt connecting plates (9), the two friction belt wheels on the pin shaft (3) are arranged at intervals, and two friction belts (10) are respectively sleeved on the friction belt wheels at the two ends; a synchronous wheel is sleeved on the pin shaft (3) close to the launching frame, and the two ends of the pin shaft (3) are fixed on the cross beam through connecting ears; the friction belt driving motor (5) is connected with the synchronous wheel through a synchronous belt (4), the synchronous wheel is fixedly connected with the friction belt wheel, the friction belt driving motor (5) drives the friction belt wheel to rotate around the pin shaft (3); the driving friction wheel (6) is connected with the output shaft of the crank rocker driving motor, the driving friction wheel (6) is in interference fit with the driven friction wheel (7); the side surface of the driven friction wheel (7) is connected with one end of a connecting rod (8), and the other end of the connecting rod (8) is connected with the friction belt connecting plate (9); the driving friction wheel (6), the driven friction wheel (7), the connecting rod (8) and the friction belt connecting plate (9) form a crank rocker mechanism. The ball transmitting module is arranged on the sliding rail (16), the entrance of the ball transmitting module is connected with the ball taking module, the exit of the ball transmitting module is connected with the ball launching module, and the ball transmitting module is used for transmitting the ball from the ball taking module to the ball launching module.

2. The three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball launching module is arranged on the side, away from the entrance frame, of the launching frame, the entrance of the ball launching module is connected with the ball transmitting module, and the ball launching module is used for righting the ball from the ball transmitting module and launching the ball.

3. The three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The entrance frame and the launching frame are rectangular frame structure members or circular ring type structure members; the two sides of the entrance frame are provided with guide plates for guiding the ball entering the entrance frame.

4. A three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The interference amount between the driving friction wheel (6) and the driven friction wheel (7) is 1.84 mm, so that the driving friction wheel (6) slips when the load is 1 N.m, and the protection of the crank rocker driving motor is realized. The crank rocker mechanism formed by the driving friction wheel (6), the driven friction wheel (7), the connecting rod (8) and the friction belt connecting plate (9) makes the whole of the friction belt (10) and the friction belt connecting plate (9) rotate around the pin shaft (3) as the center point, and forms an included angle of -3-19 degrees with the horizontal ground.

5. The three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pass module comprises a one-way door connecting plate (14), a ball stabilizing plate (13) and a pneumatic cylinder (11); a sliding block is arranged on the slide rail (16), the one-way door connecting plate (14) is connected with the pneumatic cylinder (11) through the sliding block, and the one-way door connecting plate (14) is driven to move along the movement direction of the ball by the pneumatic cylinder (11); four cantilevers (15) are arranged on the one-way door connecting plate (14) in a circumferential uniform manner, one end of each cantilever (15) is connected with the one-way door connecting plate (14) through a spring, and the other end is provided with a roller (12); the ball stabilizing plate (13) is mounted on the cross beam through a spring.

6. The three-rubber wheel ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 5, characterized in that, At least two ball stabilizing plates (13) are arranged on the cross beam.

7. The three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The launching module comprises two mounting plates (21) which are oppositely arranged and have the same shape; the middle portions of the two mounting plates (21) are provided with through holes for launching the ball; three friction wheel seats (20) are arranged between the two mounting plates (21) in a 120° uniform manner, a friction wheel (18) and a centralizer (19) are mounted on each friction wheel seat (20).

8. The three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 7, characterized in that, The centralizer (19) comprises a pin and a bearing, the pin is mounted on the friction wheel seat (20) at both ends, the bearing is sleeved on the pin, and a sleeve for axial limiting is further sleeved on the pin.

9. A three-roller ball launching mechanism with self-calibration performance according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The mounting plate (21) is a glass fiber plate; the friction wheel (18) is an aluminum wheel, the aluminum wheel is wrapped with a 5mm-thick polyurethane layer with a Shore hardness A60 by a rubber roller process; and the friction wheel seat (20) is of an integral structure.

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