Tennis ball picking machine

Abstract

The tennis ball picking machine comprises a base, a ball picking assembly and a driving wheel set assembly used for driving the base to advance are arranged on the base, the ball picking assembly comprises a ball collecting bin fixedly arranged on the base, a ball inlet is formed in the front end of the ball collecting bin, and a shovel plate is arranged at the front end of the bottom of the ball inlet. According to the tennis ball picking machine, the ball collecting bin and the shovel plate are arranged, the rotating roller is arranged above the shovel plate, friction acting force is formed on tennis balls through rotation driving of the roller so that the tennis balls can roll rapidly, the front end of the shovel plate makes contact with the lower portions of the tennis balls, the balls are rolled to the guide plate through the rolling speed, and the balls are picked up through the downward gradient of the guide plate. The tennis balls are collected into the ball collecting bin, the guide plate at the rear end of the ball collecting bin is provided with a corresponding gap reserved with the ball supporting plate, it can be guaranteed that the balls smoothly roll to the ball supporting plate through downward inertia, the phenomenon that the balls are clamped by the ball supporting plate is avoided, and the balls are conveyed to the basket through the bucket type lifting mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of sports equipment and relates to a tennis ball picking machine. Background Art

[0002] Tennis has gradually become one of the most popular national sports. The development of tennis is very dependent on closed venues. Like table tennis, picking up balls in the venue is also one of the important tasks of players.

[0003] Among the existing ball picking products used in tennis courts, some hand-held or hand-pushed tools that require manual operation are more commonly used. These tools can effectively pick up balls when used manually, but for people who are particularly physically exhausted by playing tennis, picking up balls is undoubtedly an additional burden. The commonly used ball picking tools on the market are time-consuming and laborious. The wish of this patent is that after practicing a basket of balls, when the players drink water and take a break, the ball picking machine can automatically pick up the balls, so that the players can concentrate on playing tennis and put more energy and physical strength into improving their tennis level. There are also some automatic ball picking products designed in the form of machines, which can achieve the effect of picking up tennis balls through mechanical grasping structures or vacuum suction structures. However, the existing tennis courts include not only acrylic courts, but also grass courts and clay courts. Common forms of mechanical grasping or vacuum suction are not well applicable to grass courts and clay courts, and are easily affected by grass or loose soil, resulting in low picking efficiency or often causing equipment failure. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a tennis ball picking machine.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tennis ball picking machine comprises a base, on which a ball picking assembly and a driving wheel assembly for driving the base to move forward are provided, the ball picking assembly comprises a ball collecting bin fixedly arranged on the base, the front end of the ball collecting bin is provided with a goal hole, the bottom front end of the goal hole is provided with a shovel plate, and the front end of the shovel plate is provided with a plurality of comb-shaped gaps distributed in an array; it also comprises a roller, which is horizontally arranged at the front end of the goal hole, and the roller and the shovel plate form a gap of a set height; it also comprises a lifting pipe and a basket that pass through from top to bottom, the lifting pipe is arranged at the rear end of the ball collecting bin and is connected with the ball collecting bin, the basket is arranged at the top of the lifting pipe, the lifting pipe is provided with a lifting assembly for conveying tennis balls upward along the lifting pipe, the base also comprises a guide plate, the middle part of the guide plate protrudes upward to form a ridge, and one end of the guide plate forms a set height with the bottom of the lifting pipe.

[0007] Furthermore, the ball opening is configured as a conical opening structure with expansion on both sides.

[0008] Furthermore, a rotating shaft is inserted into the drum, two ends of the rotating shaft are respectively connected to two sides of the base, and a first driving motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate is arranged on the base.

[0009] Furthermore, the lifting assembly includes a chain transmission structure, which includes two sprockets respectively arranged on the upper and lower sides of the lifting pipe, the outer sleeves of the two sprockets are provided with chains, and the outer peripheral side array of the chain is provided with multiple ball-supporting plates.

[0010] Furthermore, the ball holding plate is provided with a set curvature.

[0011] Furthermore, a central shaft is arranged on the sprocket at the lower side, a second driving motor is arranged on the base, and an output shaft of the second driving motor is connected to the central shaft by a belt transmission.

[0012] Furthermore, a partition is provided in the lifting pipe, a plurality of comb-shaped gaps are provided on the ball supporting plate, the partition is provided with comb-shaped gaps for forming staggered gaps with the ball supporting plate, and the partition is located above the sprocket on the upper side.

[0013] Furthermore, the driving wheel assembly includes a driving wheel and a universal wheel.

[0014] In summary, the present invention is beneficial in that:

[0015] The tennis ball collecting machine provided by the present invention is provided with a structure of a ball collecting bin and a shovel plate, and a rotating roller is provided above the shovel plate, and the friction force is formed on the tennis ball through the rotation drive of the roller to make the tennis ball roll quickly, and the front end of the shovel plate contacts the lower part of the tennis ball, and the ball is rolled to the guide plate by the rolling speed, and the tennis ball is collected into the ball collecting bin by the downward slope of the guide plate, and the guide plate at the rear end of the ball collecting bin is provided with a corresponding gap reserved with the ball holding plate, which can ensure that the ball can smoothly roll to the ball holding plate by the downward inertia, and the ball holding plate will not be stuck, and the ball is sent to the basket by the bucket lifting mechanism. The present invention can effectively and quickly collect tennis balls in the venue, and the setting of the basket enables the players to quickly and efficiently get the training balls, giving users a good experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the ball picking machine of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ball picking machine.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure after the roller is hidden in the ball collecting bin.

[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the ball collecting bin.

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the lifting mechanism.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the partition in the lifting mechanism.

[0022] Markings in the figure: 11. Shell; 12. Radar and visual camera; 13. Driving wheel assembly; 2. Base; 21. Ball collecting bin; 22. Shovel board; 23. Roller; 24. Guide plate; 3. Lifting assembly; 31. Lifting pipe; 32. Ball support plate; 33. Sprocket; 34. Chain; 35. Partition; 4. Basket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0024] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention, and thus the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0025] All directional indications in the embodiments of the present invention (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, horizontal, vertical...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0026] Due to installation errors and other reasons, the parallel relationship referred to in the embodiments of the present invention may actually be an approximately parallel relationship, and the vertical relationship may actually be an approximately vertical relationship.

[0027] The invention provides a tennis ball picking machine, which is used for self-driving picking up tennis balls scattered on the ground of various types of tennis courts (such as acrylic courts, grass courts or clay courts, etc.).

[0028] The ball picking machine includes a base 2, referring to Figure 2A driving wheel assembly 13 and a ball picking assembly are provided on the base 2. The base 2 includes a bottom support plate. The driving wheel assembly 13 includes two groups arranged at the bottom of both sides of the bottom support plate. The driving wheel assembly 13 includes a driving wheel and a plurality of universal wheels. The driving wheel is driven to rotate by a motor to realize power control of the ball picking machine. The universal wheels provide multi-point support for the ball picking machine and the ground, as well as flexible steering.

[0029] The base 2 is provided with a housing 11. Figure 1 The shell 11 is provided with a plurality of radars and visual cameras 12 and other equipment, wherein the radars and visual cameras 12 can be arranged at the front of the shell 11, or can be additionally arranged at both sides of the shell 11. The orientation of the tennis ball on the ground can be identified by the radars and visual cameras 12 and other equipment, so as to locate the position of the tennis ball, thereby controlling the ball picker to move toward the orientation of the tennis ball. In this embodiment, the technology of identifying the tennis ball on the ground and its position by the radars and visual cameras and other equipment is a direct application of the existing visual recognition technology. There are many similar technologies in the prior art, such as the Chinese invention patent CN111488837B, a tennis ball picking method and system based on visual recognition, so it will not be repeated here.

[0030] A cavity for arranging a ball picking assembly is formed in the middle portion below the bottom support plate, and the ball picking assembly includes a ball collecting bin 21 fixedly arranged in the cavity, and the front end of the ball collecting bin 21 is opened for a tennis ball to enter a goal hole in the ball collecting bin 21, and a shovel plate 22 is arranged at the front end of the bottom of the goal hole, and the shovel plate 22 forms a set height with the ground, and the front end of the shovel plate 22 is inclined downward so that the front end thereof can contact the bottom of the tennis ball.

[0031] In order to adapt to the smooth use of the shovel board 22 in the grass court or the clay court, the front end of the shovel board 22 is configured as a comb-shaped structure, referring to Figure 3 That is, a plurality of gaps for grass or red soil to pass through are arranged in an array distribution to prevent the shovel plate 22 from being stuck.

[0032] The ball picking assembly also includes a roller 23, referring to Figure 4 The roller 23 is a straight cylindrical structure, and is horizontally arranged in front of the ball entrance of the ball collecting bin 21 and is located above the shovel plate 22. A gap of a set height is formed between the roller 23 and the shovel plate 22, and the height of the gap is slightly smaller than the diameter of the tennis ball. A rotating shaft is passed through the roller 23, and both ends of the rotating shaft are respectively connected to both sides of the base 2. A first driving motor is also provided on one side of the base 2, and the output shaft of the first driving motor forms a transmission with one end of the rotating shaft, so that the first driving motor can drive the rotation of the rotating shaft, thereby driving the rotation of the roller 23.

[0033] When the ball picking machine is moving, the top of the tennis ball comes into contact with the surface of the roller 23, and the driving system roller 23 rotates in the direction toward the ball collecting bin 21, and the tennis ball quickly passes through the gap along the shovel plate 22 and rolls into the ball collecting bin 21.

[0034] Furthermore, the surface of the roller 23 can be set to be a soft rubber or silicone surface to form a greater friction force when in contact with the tennis ball, thereby ensuring that the tennis ball is pushed into the ball collecting bin 21.

[0035] In addition, the front end goal hole of the ball collecting bin 21 is configured as a conical opening structure expanding toward both sides to increase the effective ball picking area at the front end of the ball picking machine, so that the tennis balls at the front end can enter the ball collecting bin 21 along the goal hole under the action of the roller 23.

[0036] A guide plate is also provided at the bottom of the ball collecting bin 21, and an upwardly protruding ridge is provided on the guide plate on one side close to the goal entrance. Both sides of the ridge are downward inclined surfaces, and the inclined surface on one side is connected with the shovel plate. When the roller 23 pushes the tennis ball into the ball collecting bin 21, the tennis ball moves to the rear side of the ball collecting bin 21 over the ridge due to the inertia after leaving the roller 23, and the height of the ridge is set to maintain the tennis ball on the rear side of the ball collecting bin 21.

[0037] A lifting mechanism is also provided at the rear of the base 2 for lifting the tennis balls in the ball collecting bin 21 upward and outputting them. A basket 4 is provided above the base 2 for storing the lifted tennis balls.

[0038] A ball outlet is formed at the rear end of the ball collecting bin 21, and the lifting mechanism includes a lifting pipe 31 and a lifting assembly 3. The lifting pipe 31 is vertically arranged and vertically penetrated inside, and openings are formed at the top and bottom of the lifting pipe 31 respectively. The lifting pipe 31 is fixedly connected and installed with the ball collecting bin 21, so that the bottom opening of the lifting pipe 31 is connected to the ball outlet.

[0039] The lifting assembly 3 includes a chain transmission structure, which is arranged in the lifting pipe 31. The chain transmission structure includes two sprockets 33 respectively arranged on the upper and lower sides of the lifting pipe 31, and a chain 34 mounted on the two sprockets 33. A plurality of ball supporting plates 32 are arranged in an array along the linear direction of the chain 34 on the outer peripheral side of the chain 34, wherein the sprocket 33 located on the lower side is close to the ball outlet, and a notch is opened at the top of the ball outlet for the ball supporting plate 32 to pass through, so as to avoid interference of the ball supporting plate 32 during movement.

[0040] A second driving motor is arranged on the base 2, and a central shaft is arranged axially on the sprocket 33 located on the lower side. The output shaft of the second driving motor is connected to the central shaft through a belt drive, so that when the second driving motor is working, it can drive the rotation of the central shaft and the sprocket 33, thereby driving the movement of the chain 34 and the ball supporting plate 32.

[0041] exist Figure 5 From the perspective shown, the chain 34 and the ball supporting plate 32 perform transmission action in a clockwise direction, and then under the action of the ball supporting plate 32 located below, the ball supporting plate 32 moves from the lifting pipe 31 toward the ball outlet of the ball collecting bin 21, and the tennis balls in the ball collecting bin 21 are gathered at the rear end ball outlet under the inclined guidance of the guide plate, so that the ball supporting plate 32 can lift the tennis balls at this position upwards, and drive the tennis balls to move upwards along the lifting pipe 31, steadily rising to the top of the lifting pipe 31, and finally falling from the top opening of the lifting pipe 31 into the basket 4 under the manipulation of the ball supporting plate 32.

[0042] The rear end of the guide plate has a set height relative to the ball outlet and the bottom of the lifting pipe 31, thereby forming a groove structure for the tennis ball to fall into. The ball supporting plate 32 is formed with a certain curvature. The ball supporting plate 32 will enter the groove when it moves at the bottom. When the tennis ball rolls toward the ball outlet, it can roll into the groove and fall on the ball supporting plate 32. The arc-shaped setting of the ball supporting plate 32 can stably support the tennis ball and lift it upward, while also avoiding contact and friction between the tennis ball and the inner wall of the lifting pipe 31, reducing wear on the tennis ball.

[0043] In order to ensure that the tennis ball can fall out from the top opening of the lifting pipe 31 instead of falling back with the lifting assembly 3, a partition 35 is also provided in the lifting pipe 31. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the partition 35 is arranged above the upper sprocket 33, close to the top opening of the lifting pipe 31, and the partition 35 is inclined. A plurality of comb-shaped gaps are arranged in an array on the ball supporting plate 32, and a plurality of comb-shaped gaps are also arranged in an array on the partition 35. When the ball supporting plate 32 moves to the top, it is staggered with the partition 35. Specifically, the comb-shaped gaps of the ball supporting plate 32 and the comb-shaped gaps of the partition 35 are staggered and interspersed with each other, so that the two can intersect and pass through each other, and then when the ball supporting plate 32 carries the tennis ball up, when the partition 35 and the ball supporting plate 32 are staggered, the tennis ball contacts the partition 35 and is blocked by the partition 35 to break away from the ball supporting plate 32, so that the tennis ball rolls out to the opening of the lifting pipe 31 along the inclined partition 35 and enters the basket 4.

[0044] The basket 4 is fixedly connected to the top of the lifting pipe 31, and the top opening of the lifting pipe 31 faces the inside of the basket 4, so that the lifted tennis ball can directly fall into the basket 4 through the top opening for storage.

[0045] Furthermore, a valve structure is also provided at the front end of the basket 4. When the valve structure is opened, the tennis balls in the basket 4 can fall out, thereby realizing operations such as transferring a large number of tennis balls. The valve structure can adopt an opening and closing door panel structure connected by a hinge or a slide rail. The valve structure has been widely used in the prior art, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0046] Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tennis ball picking machine, characterized in that: The invention comprises a base (2), on which a ball picking assembly and a driving wheel assembly (13) for driving the base (2) are arranged, the ball picking assembly comprises a ball collecting bin (21) fixedly arranged on the base (2), a ball slot is arranged at the front end of the ball collecting bin (21), a shovel plate (22) is arranged at the bottom front end of the ball slot, and a plurality of comb-shaped gaps distributed in an array are arranged at the front end of the shovel plate (22); and the roller (23) is also arranged horizontally at the front end of the ball slot, and a gap of a set height is formed between the roller (23) and the shovel plate (22); The base (2) further comprises a lifting pipe (31) and a basket (4) which are connected vertically, wherein the lifting pipe (31) is arranged at the rear end of the ball collecting bin (21) and is connected to the ball collecting bin (21), and the basket (4) is arranged at the top of the lifting pipe (31). The lifting pipe (31) is provided with a lifting assembly (3) for conveying tennis balls upward along the lifting pipe (31). The base (2) further comprises a guide plate (24), wherein the middle portion of the guide plate (24) protrudes upward to form a raised portion, and one end of the guide plate (24) forms a set height with the bottom of the lifting pipe (31).

2. A tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ball opening is configured as a conical opening structure with expansion on both sides.

3. A tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating shaft is inserted into the drum (23), and two ends of the rotating shaft are respectively connected to two sides of the base (2). A first driving motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate is arranged on the base (2).

4. A tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting assembly (3) comprises a chain transmission structure, and the chain transmission structure comprises two sprockets (33) respectively arranged on the upper and lower sides of the lifting pipe (31), and the outer shells of the two sprockets (33) are provided with chains (34), and the outer peripheral side array of the chain (34) is provided with a plurality of ball support plates (32).

5. A tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ball holding plate (32) is provided with a set curvature.

6. A tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: A central shaft is arranged on the sprocket wheel (33) located at the lower side, a second drive motor is arranged on the base (2), and an output shaft of the second drive motor is connected to the central shaft in a belt transmission manner.

7. The tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: A partition plate (35) is also provided in the lifting pipe (31), a plurality of comb-shaped gaps are provided on the ball supporting plate (32), and the partition plate (35) is provided with comb-shaped gaps for forming staggered gaps with the ball supporting plate (32), and the partition plate (35) is located above the sprocket (33) on the upper side.

8. The tennis ball collecting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving wheel assembly (13) comprises a driving wheel and a universal wheel.

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