Mahjong machine and tile feeding mechanism thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a mahjong machine and a tile feeding mechanism thereof, the tile feeding mechanism comprises a stacking and pushing assembly, a tile storage assembly and a tile feeding assembly, the stacking and pushing assembly is provided with an upper tile bearing platform and a lower tile bearing platform which are located in the same vertical direction; the mahjong tile storage assembly is provided with an arc-shaped mahjong tile storage channel, the mahjong tile storage channel is provided with a mahjong tile inlet, a first mahjong tile outlet and a second mahjong tile outlet, and the first mahjong tile outlet and the second mahjong tile outlet of the same mahjong tile storage channel are located in the same direction of the mahjong machine. A main channel connected between the mahjong inlet and the second mahjong outlet is located at a lower position of the outer side, and the first mahjong outlet is communicated with the main channel through a branch channel located at a higher position of the inner side; the upward pushing assembly is used for pushing the mahjong tiles in the mahjong tile storage channel from the mahjong tile inlet to the first mahjong tile outlet and the second mahjong tile outlet. The mahjong machine can be compatible with various mahjong playing methods, and has excellent shuffling efficiency all the time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of mahjong machines, and in particular relates to a mahjong machine and a card loading mechanism thereof. Background Art

[0002] Each side of the eight-mouth mahjong machine has two card-raising ports. The card-raising port near the player is the dealing sequence, while the card-raising port near the center of the mahjong machine is the drawing sequence. In this way, players do not need to manually draw cards at the beginning of the game, they can directly take the dealing sequence to start the game.

[0003] In order to deliver two rows of tiles to the table, there are two main types of eight-mouth roller coaster mahjong machines with different card loading systems in the prior art, according to the number of card storage tracks.

[0004] The first type, such as the Chinese invention patent application with publication number CN110433481A, discloses a mahjong machine, in which two card storage tracks arranged up and down are provided in the card loading system of the mahjong machine, and a card stacking stand with a double-layer card receiving platform is also provided, wherein the lower card storage track is used to convey the card drawing sequence (from the lower card receiving platform of the card stacking stand), and the upper card storage track is used to convey the card dealing sequence (from the upper card receiving platform of the card stacking stand).

[0005] The shortcoming of this mahjong machine is that the card drawing sequence and the card dealing sequence transmitted by the same card loading system are not on the same side of the mahjong machine, which results in different card raising directions of the two card raising ports on the same side of the mahjong machine, low user acceptance and small audience.

[0006] The second type, such as the Chinese invention patent application with publication number CN118903805A, discloses an eight-mouth mahjong machine, in which only one card storage track is set in the card loading system, but the card storage track has a card inlet, a card-dealing sequence card outlet and a card-drawing sequence card outlet, the position of the channel connecting the card inlet and the card-dealing sequence card outlet is lower and on the inside, and the position of the channel connecting the card inlet and the card-drawing sequence card outlet is higher and on the outside. When the three-layer card pile enters the card storage track from the card inlet, the upper two layers of card piles will be sent to the card-drawing sequence card outlet, and the bottom layer of mahjong tiles will be sent to the card-dealing sequence card outlet.

[0007] Taking three-layer stacked piles as an example, when the mahjong machine has the function of avoiding card drawing, in many playing methods, the number of piles M in the dealing sequence will be more than the number of piles N in the drawing sequence (Y more piles). Therefore, the branch channel for conveying the dealing sequence is usually set at a lower position. When storing cards, Y mahjong tiles will be stored first, and then the N piles of three-layer piles will be stacked and stored; then the N+Y mahjong tiles on the bottom layer constitute the dealing sequence, and the N piles of double-layer piles on the upper layer serve as the drawing sequence.

[0008] The disadvantages of this mahjong machine are that the number of cards stored in the early stage of shuffling is small, which seriously affects the shuffling efficiency; a part of the mahjong cards stored in the card storage channel must become the card dealing sequence, so this mahjong machine can only be played with eight slots, and cannot be compatible with four slots at the same time. Summary of the invention

[0009] The invention aims to provide a mahjong machine and a card loading mechanism thereof, wherein the mahjong machine not only has high card sorting efficiency but also is compatible with a variety of playing methods.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A card loading mechanism for a mahjong machine, the card loading mechanism comprising: A stacking and pushing assembly, wherein the stacking and pushing assembly is provided with an upper card-bearing platform and a lower card-bearing platform in the same vertical direction, wherein the upper card-bearing platform is used to receive a card-dealing sequence, and the lower card-bearing platform is used to receive and stack a card-drawing sequence; A card storage component, wherein the card storage component is provided with an arc-shaped card storage channel, the card storage channel having a card inlet, a first card outlet and a second card outlet, the first card outlet and the second card outlet of the same card storage channel are located on the same side of the mahjong machine; the main channel connecting the card inlet and the second card outlet is located at a lower position on the outside, and the first card outlet is connected to the main channel through a branch channel located at a higher position on the inside; The upward pushing component is used to push the mahjong tiles in the card storage channel from the card inlet to the first card outlet and the second card outlet.

[0011] In the present invention, only one card storage channel is provided, and the branch channel for storing the dealing sequence is at a higher position, while the main channel for storing the drawing sequence is at a lower position. Then, after the mahjong tiles are stored in the card storage channel, the mahjong tiles in the lower two layers become the drawing sequence, and the mahjong tiles in the uppermost layer or two layers become the dealing sequence. At this time, the drawing sequence is sent to the tabletop through the second card outlet, and the dealing sequence is sent to the tabletop through the first card outlet. At this time, the mahjong machine is in an eight-mouth machine mode, and the traditional eight-mouth machine playing method can be performed. When it is necessary to switch to a four-mouth machine mode, only two layers of card piles need to be stored in the card storage channel. At this time, the traditional four-mouth machine playing method and the new eight-mouth machine playing method can be performed in the four-mouth machine mode (the dealing sequence and the drawing sequence are successively raised to the tabletop through the second card outlet). The mahjong machine has high compatibility with a variety of card playing methods and has a wide audience.

[0012] In the present invention, in the early stage of shuffling, the upper card receiving platform and the lower card receiving platform are used to receive cards, and three or four layers of card piles are stored in the card storage channel, and these card piles include both the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence. When the number of stored card piles is the same as the number of piles in the card drawing sequence but less than the number of piles in the card dealing sequence, in the later stage of shuffling, only the upper card receiving platform can be used to receive cards, and then the remaining card dealing sequence can be stored above the card drawing sequence (the stored piles will be pushed forward by the later ones), which greatly improves the shuffling efficiency.

[0013] Preferably, in the above-mentioned card loading mechanism, the card storage assembly comprises: A card storage device, wherein the card storage passage is formed in the card storage device; The card distributor is arranged above the card storage device and is used to guide the card dealing sequence into the branch channel.

[0014] Under the guidance of the card distributor, as long as the push-up component starts pushing cards, the front end of the dealing sequence will enter the branch channel, or, when mahjong tiles are stored separately in the dealing sequence at the end of shuffling, the front end of the dealing sequence will be pushed into the branch channel.

[0015] However, due to the different numbers of mahjong tiles used in different regions and different playing methods, in order to facilitate the card dealing sequence to enter the branch channel, as a preferred embodiment, a patch is detachably provided in the card storage channel, and the patch has a supporting convex eave protruding from the branch channel to the main channel and extending to the card inlet; The protruding width of the supporting convex eaves gradually widens from the end close to the card inlet to the end close to the branch channel.

[0016] In the above-mentioned card loading mechanism, the push-up assembly includes a card loading push rod, which includes a rod body and a fixed end and a free end at both ends of the rod body, the fixed end is connected to the push-up motor, and the free end is provided with a card loading push head; The card pushing head is used for pushing cards in the main channel, and the rod body is used for pushing cards in the branch channel.

[0017] The present invention only needs one card-loading pushing head, which is located near the card inlet, and the entire three-layer or four-layer card pile is pushed forward by the card-loading pushing head; as the card-loading pushing rod comes to the connection between the branch channel and the main channel, the card-loading pushing head continues to push the card-drawing sequence in the main channel, while the card-dealing sequence at a higher position on the inside is directly pushed by the rod body, the structure is simple and can realize separate card loading.

[0018] Preferably, in the above-mentioned card loading mechanism, a slope for guiding the card dealing sequence to move toward the first card outlet is formed on the side of the shaft facing the first card outlet, and the slope is arranged at an obtuse angle to the extending direction of the shaft.

[0019] Compared with a flat surface that is flush with the card loading pusher, the inclined surface facilitates the card dealing sequence to enter the branch channel more smoothly and quickly and move to the first card outlet.

[0020] Preferably, the card loading mechanism of the present invention also includes a card lifting component, which includes a first card lifting board and a second card lifting board. The first card lifting board has an eight-mouth machine working position that is driven by the second card lifting board and rises and falls synchronously with it, and a four-mouth machine working position that remains horizontal when the second card lifting board descends.

[0021] In the eight-port machine working position, both the first and second card raising plates must be lowered to receive cards respectively; in the four-port machine working position, only the second card raising plate is lowered, and the card receiving plate of the card issuing sequence does not fall. Of course, in the four-port machine playing method, even if the card issuing sequence is not stored in the sub-channel, the synchronous lowering of the first and second card raising plates will not affect it, except that no cards can be received.

[0022] In order to facilitate the switching of the first card-lifting plate between the eight-port machine working position and the four-port machine working position, preferably, a magnetic suction unit is provided between the second card-lifting plate and the first card-lifting plate to enable the two to rise and fall synchronously; The card-raising component also includes a card-raising mode switching unit, which has a first working position for blocking the first card-raising board from descending when there is no card-delivering sequence to the first card outlet in the card storage channel, and a second working position for removing the obstruction to the first card-raising board when there is a card-delivering sequence to the first card outlet in the card storage channel.

[0023] In this way, in the four-mouth machine, since the card-raising mode switching unit supports the first card-raising board from below, the magnetic unit cannot function and the second card-raising board cannot bring the first card-raising board down; in the eight-mouth machine, the card-raising mode switching unit only needs to change its position so as not to hinder the first card-raising board from descending.

[0024] As a further preference, in the above-mentioned card-raising mechanism, the card-raising mode switching unit includes a swing arm, which includes a hinge point and a long arm end and a short arm end on both sides of the hinge point, the long arm end is provided with a supporting member for supporting the first card-raising plate, and the short arm end is movably connected to the lever; The lever is slidably mounted on the mahjong machine and is connected to a trigger module, which is used to sense whether there is a card dealing sequence in the card storage channel and control the lever according to the sensing result.

[0025] The top support is normally kept directly below the first card raising board, which not only prevents the first card raising board from falling, but also ensures that the first card raising board will not collapse when under pressure (the pressure comes from above the table). When the trigger module senses that the card storage channel has stored the card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet, it will drive the lever to slide, and then drive the swing arm to swing, so that the top support moves to the side and below the first card raising board, facilitating the first card raising board to fall.

[0026] Preferably, in the card loading mechanism, the stacking and pushing assembly comprises a card stacking seat, and the upper card holding platform and the lower card holding platform are arranged on the card stacking seat; The card stacking seat is also provided with an upper card baffle plate and a lower card baffle plate, and the upper card baffle plate and the upper card holding platform, the lower card baffle plate and the lower card holding platform respectively form an L-shaped card holding space.

[0027] The present invention also provides a mahjong machine, which comprises a frame, and each side of the frame is provided with the above-mentioned card loading mechanism.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the technical effects of the present invention are embodied in: (1) In the present invention, only one card storage channel is provided, and the branch channel for storing the card dealing sequence is at a higher position, while the main channel for storing the card drawing sequence is at a lower position. When the mahjong tiles are stored in the card storage channel, the mahjong tiles in the lower two layers become the card drawing sequence, and the mahjong tiles in the uppermost layer or two layers become the card dealing sequence. At this time, the card drawing sequence and the card dealing sequence are respectively sent to the table through different card raising ports. At this time, the mahjong machine is in eight-mouth machine mode, and the traditional eight-mouth machine game can be played. When it is necessary to switch to four-mouth machine mode, only two layers of card piles need to be stored in the card storage channel. At this time, the traditional four-mouth machine game and the new eight-mouth machine game can be played in the four-mouth machine mode. The compatibility with various card playing methods is high and the audience is wide.

[0029] (2) In the present invention, in the early stage of shuffling, the upper card receiving platform and the lower card receiving platform are used to receive cards, and three or four layers of card piles are stored in the card storage channel. These card piles include both the dealing sequence and the drawing sequence. When the number of stored card piles is the same as the number of piles in the drawing sequence but less than the number of piles in the dealing sequence, in the later stage of shuffling, only the upper card receiving platform can be used to receive cards, and then the remaining dealing sequence can be stored above the drawing sequence (the stored piles will be pushed forward by the later ones), which greatly improves the shuffling efficiency.

[0030] (3) The push-up assembly of the present invention only needs one card-loading push head, which is located near the card inlet, and the entire three-layer or four-layer card pile is pushed forward by the card-loading push head; as the card-loading push rod comes to the connection between the branch channel and the main channel, the card-loading push head continues to push the card-drawing sequence in the main channel, while the card-dealing sequence at a higher position on the inside can be directly pushed by the rod body. The structure is simple and can realize separate card loading.

[0031] (4) In the eight-slot machine, the first card-raising board of the present invention is driven by the second card-raising board to rise and fall synchronously. In the four-slot machine, the first card-raising board can still rise and fall synchronously with the card-drawing sequence, or it can remain at the bottom and be supported by the card-raising mode switching unit to release the connection between the first card-raising board and the second card-raising board. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the card loading mechanism of the mahjong machine of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the card loading mechanism of the mahjong machine of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 The exploded structural diagram of the card loading mechanism shown; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle stack push assembly; Figure 5 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle stack push assembly from another perspective; Figure 6 for Figure 3 Structural schematic diagram of the middle push-up assembly; Figure 7 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle push-up assembly from another perspective; Figure 8 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of Zhongsheng brand components; Fig. 9 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the Zhongsheng brand component from another perspective; Fig.10 for Figure 3 A structural diagram of the Zhongsheng brand mode switching unit; Fig.11 It is a structural schematic diagram of a mahjong machine of the present invention; Fig.12 Another structural schematic diagram of the mahjong machine of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Example 1

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the present embodiment is a card loading mechanism of a mahjong machine, which includes a stacking and pushing component 1, a card storage component 2, an upward pushing component 3 and a card raising component 4, wherein the stacking and pushing component 1 is used to stack the mahjong tiles picked up from the shuffling plate into card piles and push them into the card storage component 2, and the card storage component 2 is used to store the card piles. When the number of stored card piles reaches a preset value, the upward pushing component 3 pushes all the mahjong tiles into the card raising component 4, and the card raising component 4 raises the mahjong tiles to the table.

[0035] Among them, Figure 4 and Figure 5 Shown, combined Figure 1 It can be seen that the stacking and pushing assembly 1 of the present embodiment includes a machine head 11, which is connected to the stacking and pushing motor and is driven by the stacking and pushing motor to rotate; a card pushing rod 12 is horizontally arranged above the machine head 11, one end of which is hinged to the card storage device 21, and the other end is fixedly installed with a card pushing head 13; an eccentrically arranged card pushing bearing 14 is fixedly installed at the top of the machine head 11, and a card pushing curved groove 121 is formed on the card pushing rod 12, and the card pushing bearing 14 is received in the card pushing curved groove 121. When the machine head 11 rotates, the card pushing rod 12 swings under the drive of the card pushing bearing 14, so that the card pushing head 13 can implement the card pushing operation.

[0036] In this embodiment, a card stacking stand 15 is installed on the card storage device 21 in a lifting manner, and the card stacking stand 15 is formed with an L-shaped upper card holding space composed of an upper card baffle plate 151 and an upper card holding platform 152, and an L-shaped lower card holding space composed of a lower card baffle plate 153 and a lower card holding platform 154.

[0037] In the eight-port machine mode, the L-shaped upper card receiving space is used to receive the card dealing sequence (which can be single-layer or double-layer), and the attached drawings of this embodiment are illustrated with dimensions adapted to the single-layer card dealing sequence, while the L-shaped lower space is used to stack the card drawing sequence (usually double-layer). Correspondingly, the card pushing head 13 of this embodiment also has an upper card pushing portion 131 and a lower card pushing portion 132 for pushing cards in the L-shaped upper card receiving space and the L-shaped lower card receiving space, respectively.

[0038] It should be noted that in different playing methods, the length of the dealing sequence may be greater than the length of the drawing sequence, or may be the same as the length of the drawing sequence. When the lengths of the two are the same, the stacking stand 15 only needs to repeatedly stack three or four layers of card piles, and in this case, there is no need to set a double-layer card-holding space on the stacking stand 15, and only the lower card-holding platform 154 is required. However, when the length of the dealing sequence is longer, it is necessary to store additional multiple mahjong tiles above the drawing sequence to complete the dealing sequence, and in this case, it is necessary to set a double-layer card-holding space on the stacking stand 15.

[0039] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, a card receiving curved groove is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the machine head 11, and a card stacking bearing 155 inserted into the card receiving curved groove is fixedly installed on the card stacking seat 15; when the machine head 11 rotates, the card stacking bearing 155 rolls in the card receiving curved groove, thereby driving the card stacking seat 15 to rise and fall according to the program to stack cards.

[0040] Specifically, the card-holding curved groove of the present embodiment includes a long horizontal section 111, a descending curved section 112 and an ascending curved section 113 which are arranged in sequence and connected end to end. When the card stacking bearing 155 rolls in the long horizontal section 111, the card stacking seat 15 maintains its position unchanged. When the card stacking seat 15 rolls in the descending curved section 112, the card stacking seat 15 descends so that the mahjong cards are stacked on the lower card holding platform 154 and the upper card holding platform 152 in sequence. When the card stacking bearing 155 rolls in the ascending curved section 113, the card stacking seat 15 rises to lift the card pile to the initial height so that the card pushing head 13 can implement the card pushing action.

[0041] Since the card stacking stand 15 of this embodiment is provided with two layers of card receiving platforms, the mahjong tiles are first stored in the lower card receiving platform 154 and then in the upper card receiving platform 152, that is, the card stacking stand 15 has at least three card receiving heights: at the first height, the lower card receiving platform 154 stores the first mahjong tile; when it drops to the second height, the lower card receiving platform 154 stores the second mahjong tile; when it drops to the third height, the upper card receiving platform 152 stores a mahjong tile.

[0042] In order to prevent the upper card-bearing platform 152 from affecting the second mahjong tile being deposited into the lower card-bearing platform 154, the downward curve section 112 can be divided into three sections in sequence: a slowly descending curve section 112a, a short horizontal section 112b, and a steeply descending curve section 112c. When the stacking bearing 155 rolls in the slowly descending curve section 112a and the short horizontal section 112b, the stacking seat 15 relatively slowly descends from the first height to the second height and stays at the second height for a while; after the second mahjong tile is deposited into the lower card-bearing platform 154, the stacking bearing 155 rolls into the steeply descending curve section 112c, and the stacking seat 15 relatively quickly descends from the second height to the third height.

[0043] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the card storage assembly 2 of this embodiment includes a card storage device 21, and a card storage channel is recessed on the card storage device 21, but the card storage channel has a card inlet 211, a first card outlet 212 and a second card outlet 213, wherein the card stacking seat 15 is installed at the card inlet 211.

[0044] from Figure 3It can be seen that the first card outlet 212 and the second card outlet 213 of the same card storage channel are on the same side of the mahjong machine; and, the first card outlet 212 is at a higher position on the inside, while the second card outlet 213 is at a lower position on the outside; a lower main channel 214 is formed between the second card outlet 213 and the card inlet 211, and the first card outlet 212 is connected to the main channel 214 through a branch channel 215 at a higher position on the inside.

[0045] At the card inlet 211, three layers of card piles or four layers of card piles (under the eight-mouth machine mode) are stored in the main channel 214. As the number of stored card piles increases, when the card pile storage position reaches the connection between the branch channel 215 and the main channel 214, the top one or two layers of mahjong tiles enter the branch channel 215 and become the card dealing sequence; while the bottom two layers of card piles continue to stay in the main channel 214 and become the card drawing sequence.

[0046] The card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence go their separate ways and are guided by the card distributor 22. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that the card distributor 22 is detachably mounted on the outer edge of the card storage 21, and an arc-shaped guide surface 221 is formed on the side facing the center of the card storage 21; the starting end of the arc-shaped guide surface 221 is at least opposite to the starting end of the branch channel 215, and can also extend toward the card inlet 211 of the card storage channel, and the terminal end of the arc-shaped guide surface 221 extends to the first card outlet 212 after crossing the main channel 214. Obviously, the movement of the card drawing sequence in the main channel 214 will not be affected by the card distributor 22. At the end of the main channel 214, the card distributor 22 and the card storage 21 form a tunnel-like structure for the card drawing sequence to pass through.

[0047] In different playing methods, the number of mahjong tiles stored in the card storage channel, the length of the card dealing sequence, etc., are quite different; in order to enable the sub-channel 215 to quickly connect to the card dealing sequence regardless of the playing method, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the branch channel 215 also has an extension section 216 extending from the connection point with the main channel 214 toward the card inlet 211; in order not to hinder the work of the card loading pusher 33 (this is the case where the card loading pusher 33 is relatively high, so as to push the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence simultaneously up and down at the card inlet end. If two independent card loading pushers are used to push the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence respectively, there is no requirement for the width of the extension section 216 and the supporting convex eaves 231 described below), the width of the extension section 216 is smaller than the width of the main channel 214, and the closer to the card inlet 211, the smaller the width of the extension section 216.

[0048] In addition to providing the extension section 216, the purpose of extending the sub-channel 215 can also be achieved by installing the patch 23 in the sub-channel 215. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the patch 23 has a supporting convex eave 231 protruding from the branch channel 215 toward the main channel 214 and extending toward the card inlet 211; similarly, the protruding width of the supporting convex eave 231 also gradually widens from the end close to the card inlet 211 to the end close to the branch channel 215.

[0049] The extension section 216 and the supporting convex eave 231 can be provided at the same time or separately, and both can achieve the intended purpose. In this way, under the guidance of the card distributor 22, as long as the push-up component 3 starts pushing cards, the front end of the card dealing sequence will enter the branch channel 215, or, when the mahjong tiles of the card dealing sequence are stored separately in the late stage of shuffling, the front end of the card dealing sequence will be pushed into the branch channel 215.

[0050] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the push-up assembly 3 of this embodiment includes a card-loading push rod 31, which includes a rod body 311 and a fixed end 312 and a free end 313 at both ends of the rod body 311; wherein the fixed end 312 is disc-shaped and is rotatably connected to the card storage 21, a transmission gear ring 314 is provided at the bottom of the fixed end 312, and a driving gear 32 meshing with the transmission gear ring 314 is also rotatably connected to the card storage 21, and the driving gear 32 is connected to the push-up motor. In other cases, the fixed end 312 can also be directly connected to the push-up motor (i.e., the driving gear 32 is not required).

[0051] Depend on Figure 6 and Figure 7 It can be seen that the free end 313 is provided with a card loading pusher 33. Before the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence are completely separated, the card loading pusher 33 pushes the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence simultaneously in the main channel 214; and when the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence are completely separated, the card loading pusher 33 continues to push the card drawing sequence in the main channel 214, and the rod body 311 that has passed through the branch channel 215 begins to push the card dealing sequence.

[0052] In order to improve the efficiency of pushing cards, in this embodiment, the side of the shaft 311 facing the first card outlet 212 is set as a slope 315, and the slope 315 is set at an obtuse angle to the extension direction of the shaft 311; when the shaft 311 pushes the card dealing sequence, the card dealing sequence can enter the branch channel 215 more smoothly and quickly along the slope 315 and move toward the first card outlet 212.

[0053] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, the card-lifting component 4 of this embodiment includes a first card-lifting plate 41 and a second card-lifting plate 42 hinged to the mahjong machine, wherein the second card-lifting plate 42 is connected to a card-lifting driving unit 43, and the second card-lifting plates 42 on the four sides of the mahjong machine are all driven by the same card-lifting driving unit 43 (this linkage method has been proposed in the patent owner's previous patent documents and is not repeated in this embodiment; obviously, it is also applicable that each second card-lifting plate 42 is driven by an independent card-lifting driving unit); and the first card-lifting plate 41 is connected by a magnetic suction unit 44 arranged at the bottom of the first card-lifting plate 41 and the second card-lifting plate 42, so that the second card-lifting plate 42 can drive the first card-lifting plate 41 on the same side to rise and fall synchronously, so that the eight-mouth machine can be played.

[0054] However, in this embodiment, the first card-raising plate 41 is not rigidly linked with the second card-raising plate 42, and the magnetic connection with the second card-raising plate 42 can be released with the aid of the card-raising mode switching unit 45 when necessary.

[0055] like Fig.10 Shown, combined Figure 1 It can be seen that the card-raising mode switching unit 45 comprises a base 451 detachably mounted on the card storage device 21, a lever 452 is slidably mounted on the base 451, the head end of the lever 452 faces the card storage channel and is provided with a sensing module 453 extending into the card storage channel, the sensing module 453 is used to sense whether the card storage channel has stored therein a card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet. The tail end of the lever 452 is movably connected to a swing arm 454, the swing arm 454 is movably connected to the card storage device 21 via a hinge point 454a, the swing arm 454 is divided into a long arm end 454b and a short arm end 454c by the hinge point 454a, the lever 452 is hinged to the short arm end 454c, and a top support member 455 may be mounted on the long arm end 454b as appropriate (in the case where the long arm end 454b is far away from the first card-raising board 41, if the distance between the long arm end 454b and the first card-raising board 41 is very close, then the top support member 455 does not need to be provided).

[0056] The top support member 455 is normally kept directly below the first card raising board 41, which not only prevents the first card raising board 41 from falling, but also ensures that the first card raising board 41 will not collapse when under pressure (the pressure comes from above the table). However, when the card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet is stored in the card storage channel, the card dealing sequence will squeeze the sensing module 453, causing the lever 452 to slide backward, and then drive the swing arm 454 to swing counterclockwise, and the top support member 455 will also be transferred to the side and lower part of the first card raising board 41, and the first card raising board 41 can fall freely at this time.

[0057] In addition to directly setting the sensing module 453 on the lever 452 and using the card dealing sequence to squeeze the lever 452 to achieve sliding, a sensor can also be used to monitor the presence of the card dealing sequence, and then a linear drive can be used to control the sliding of the lever 452 based on the monitoring results of the sensor.

[0058] When the first card-raising board 41 is supported by the top support member 455, only the second card-raising board 42 can be raised and lowered freely. At this time, the mahjong machine is equivalent to a four-mouth machine, which can be used for traditional four-mouth machine playing methods as well as one or two new eight-mouth machine playing methods. The patent owner has disclosed these two eight-mouth machine playing methods in the Chinese invention patent application with publication number CN118615691A, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0059] Obviously, even if the first card raising plate 41 is not supported by the top support member 455 and falls freely, but the card dealing sequence is not stored in the card storage channel, the mahjong machine is essentially a four-mouth machine, and the traditional four-mouth machine gameplay and the new eight-mouth machine gameplay can be realized in this four-mouth machine mode.

[0060] In this embodiment, the sensing module 453 is close to the card inlet 211 of the card storage channel, ensuring that when the card dealing sequence is completely stored in the branch channel 215, the sensing module 453 can still maintain the perception of the card dealing sequence, so that the top support member 455 always avoids its descending path before the first card raising board 41 descends. When the card dealing sequence no longer squeezes the sensing module 453, the first card raising board 41 has descended. At this time, even if the swing arm 454 swings back, the top support member 455 only leans against the side of the first card raising board 41, and because the squeezing force of the top support member 455 is small, it basically does not affect the ascent of the first card raising board 41.

[0061] In this embodiment, the top support member 455 can be fixedly mounted on the swing arm 454. At this time, the card pushing path adopted by the card loading push rod 31 is: running from the card loading port 211 to the card output port and then returning to the card loading port 211 along the original path. However, the card loading push rod 31 has another card pushing path, that is, running from the card loading port 211 to the card output port and then continuing to run back to the card loading port 211 (rotating 360°); under this card pushing path, the top support member 455 is located on the running path of the card loading push rod 31, so it is not suitable to be fixed. At this time, the top support member 455 can be movably mounted on the swing arm 454 through an elastic member. Under the action of the elastic member, the top support member 455 is erected on the swing arm 454 under normal conditions, but when the top support member 455 is subjected to pressure from the card loading push rod 31, it will flip downward to avoid the card loading push rod 31. After the card loading push rod 31 passes, under the action of the elastic member, the top support member 455 will return to its original position.

[0062] In order to facilitate the card loading push rod 31 to pass through, the present embodiment further provides a wedge surface 455a on the top support member 455 facing the card loading push rod 31.

[0063] When playing the eight-mouth machine in the eight-mouth machine mode, the working principle of the card loading mechanism of this embodiment is as follows: The stacking motor is started, and the machine head 11 rotates with the output shaft of the stacking motor. At this time, the stacking bearing 155 rolls in the long horizontal section 111 of the card-bearing curved groove, so that the stacking seat 15 stays at the first height. At this time, the lower card-bearing platform 154 is flush with the card inlet 211 of the card storage channel; after the lower card-bearing platform 154 receives the first mahjong tile, the stacking bearing 155 rolls into the slowly descending curved section 112a and the short horizontal section 112b in sequence, so that the stacking seat 15 descends to the second height and pauses at the second height for a while; after the lower card-bearing platform 154 receives the second mahjong tile, the stacking bearing 155 rolls into the steeply descending curved section 112c, so that the stacking seat 15 drops to the third height, at which time, the upper card-bearing platform 152 is flush with the card inlet 211 of the card storage passage; after the upper card-bearing platform 152 receives the mahjong tiles, the stacking bearing 155 rolls into the upward curve section 113, so that the stacking seat 15 rises from the third height to the first height; at this time, the card-pushing head 13 is also driven by the card-pushing bearing 14 to wait at the card inlet 211, and when the stacking seat 15 returns to the first height, the card-pushing rod 12 also starts to swing toward the card storage passage, and the card-pushing head 13 uses the upper card-pushing part 131 and the lower card-pushing part 132 to simultaneously push the mahjong tiles on the upper card-bearing platform 152 and the lower card-bearing platform 154 into the card storage passage; This goes on and on until the number of three-layer or four-layer piles M stored in the card storage channel is the same as the number of piles in the card drawing sequence. If all the card dealing sequences and all the card drawing sequences have been obtained (i.e., the lengths of the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence are the same), the card loading component starts pushing cards. Under the guidance of the card distributor 22, the card dealing sequence enters the branch channel 215, waits for the card to be raised at the first card outlet 212, and then is raised to the tabletop via the first card raising board 41; while the card drawing sequence moves along the main channel 214, waits for the card to be raised at the second card outlet 213, and then is raised to the tabletop via the second card raising board 42. If the number of mahjong tiles in the dealing sequence is still insufficient (i.e., the length of the dealing sequence is greater than the length of the drawing sequence), the stacking motor continues to work, and the stacking seat 15 continues to descend. Before the stacking seat 15 descends to the third height, the mahjong machine controls the conveying motor (used to deliver the mahjong tiles picked up by the card suction wheel to the stacking seat 15) to prevent it from delivering tiles to the lower card receiving platform 154 of the stacking seat; after the stacking seat 15 descends to the third height, the upper card receiving platform 152 receives the tiles, and then returns to the first height according to the procedure, and the upper card pushing unit 131 pushes the second type of tile pile into the card storage channel and the second type of tile pile is stored above the lower layer of tile pile (generally two layers) of the first type of tile pile, and the upper layer of tile pile (one or two layers) moves relative to the lower layer of tile pile under the push of the second type of tile pile, and at this time, the front end of the upper layer of tile pile has at least climbed onto the supporting convex eaves; After N mahjong tiles are stored again, M+N is the number of tiles in the dealing sequence, at which time the push motor starts, and the card-loading push rod 31 rotates around its fixed end 312, so that the card-loading push head 33 enters the card storage channel from the card inlet 211 and starts to push tiles; at the end close to the card inlet 211, the card-loading push head 33 pushes all three or four layers of tile piles forward at the same time; after the dealing sequence enters the branch channel 215, the card-loading push head 33 continues to stay in the main channel 214 to push the card-drawing sequence to the second card outlet 213, while the dealing sequence is pushed to the first card outlet 212 by the rod body 311 that sweeps through the branch channel 215; Since the sensing module 453 is partially protruding in the card storage channel, when the card storage channel stores the card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet, the sensing module 453 is squeezed by the card dealing sequence to make the lever 452 slide backward, and then drive the swing arm 454 to swing counterclockwise, and the top support member 455 is also transferred to the lower side of the first card raising plate 41; when the card raising drive unit 43 drives the second card raising plate 42 to descend, the first card raising plate 41 is also driven by the magnetic unit to descend; at this time, the card raising push rod 31 continues to operate, and the rod body 311 and the card raising push head 33 push the card dealing sequence and the card drawing sequence to the corresponding card raising plate respectively; When the pressure exerted by the card dealing sequence on the sensing module 453 disappears, the supporting member 455 tends to return to its original position. However, before the first card raising plate 41 rises, the supporting member 455 can only lean against the side of the first card raising plate 41. However, the pressure of the supporting member 455 is relatively small, so it will not affect the first card raising plate 41 even when it rises. After the first card raising plate 41 and the second card raising plate 42 rise, the supporting member 455 can return to its original position. At this time, the supporting member 455 supports the first card raising plate 41 from below to prevent the free end 313 of the first card raising plate 41 from collapsing; and the card loading push rod 31 continues to run in order to return to the card inlet 211; when the card loading push rod 31 runs to the supporting member 455, the card loading push rod 31 applies a reaction force to the supporting member 455 to overcome the elastic member, so that the supporting member 455 flips backwards, and after the card loading push rod 31 passes, the supporting member 455 will flip upwards under the action of the elastic member and return to its original position.

[0064] When playing the four-mouth machine or the eight-mouth machine in the four-mouth machine mode, the working principle of the card loading mechanism of this embodiment is as follows: In the stacking seat 15, only the lower card receiving platform 154 receives cards, and the upper card receiving platform 152 does not receive cards (when the upper card receiving platform 152 drops to a position where it can receive cards, the mahjong machine does not transport mahjong tiles to the stacking seat), so the card storage channel stores double-layer card piles, which cannot enter the branch channel 215, and are therefore sent to the second card outlet 213 through the main channel 214; In this case, no card dealing sequence is stored in the card storage channel, so the sensing module 453 will not be triggered, and the supporting member 455 remains below the first card raising plate 41 to prevent the first card raising plate 41 from falling; In this case, the double-layer card pile can be sent to the table via the second card raising board 42 in three ways: The first is that all cards are sent to the table at once. This is the traditional four-card machine game. Players draw cards on the table to obtain the card sequence. The second type (such as Fig.12 ), the second card raising plate 42 is raised and lowered once, and the card dealing sequence is first sent to the table, and after the sensor 6 detects that the card dealing sequence is taken away, the remaining card drawing sequence is continued to be sent to the table; The third method is that the card-loading pusher 33 runs between the card-dealing sequence and the card-drawing sequence, the second card-lifting plate 42 is first raised and lowered once to deliver the card-dealing sequence to the table, and then the card-loading pusher 33 returns to the card-entry port 211 and runs to the rear side of the card-drawing sequence, and the second card-lifting plate 42 is raised and lowered once again to deliver the card-drawing sequence to the table; It can be seen that the second and third types are new eight-mouth machine gameplays performed in the four-mouth machine mode. At this time, the card dealing sequence is in the main channel 214, which is different from the position of the card dealing sequence in the eight-mouth machine mode. Example 2

[0065] like Fig.11 or Fig.12 As shown, the present embodiment is a mahjong machine, comprising a frame 5, and each side of the frame 5 is equipped with a card loading mechanism identical to that of the first embodiment.

Claims

1. A card loading mechanism for a mahjong machine, characterized in that: include: A stacking assembly (1), wherein the stacking assembly (1) is provided with an upper card-bearing platform (152) and a lower card-bearing platform (154) located in the same vertical direction; A card storage component (2), the card storage component (2) being provided with a card storage channel, the card storage channel having a card inlet (211), a first card outlet (212) and a second card outlet (213), a main channel (214) connecting the card inlet (211) and the second card outlet (213) being located at a lower position, and the first card outlet (212) being connected to the main channel (214) via a branch channel (215) located at a higher position; An upward pushing component (3) is used to push the mahjong tiles in the card storage channel from the card inlet (211) to the first card outlet (212) and the second card outlet (213).

2. The card-carrying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card storage component (2) comprises: A card storage device (21), wherein the card storage channel is formed in the card storage device (21); A card distributor (22) is arranged above the card storage device (21) and is used to guide the card dealing sequence into the branch channel (215).

3. The card-carrying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A patch (23) is detachably provided in the card storage channel, and the patch (23) has a supporting convex eave (231) protruding from the branch channel (215) toward the main channel (214) and extending toward the card inlet (211); The protruding width of the supporting convex eave (231) gradually widens from an end close to the card inlet (211) to an end close to the branch channel (215).

4. The card-loading mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The push-up assembly (3) comprises a card-loading push rod (31), the card-loading push rod (31) comprising a rod body (311) and a fixed end (312) and a free end (313) at both ends of the rod body (311), the fixed end (312) being connected to the push-up motor, and the free end (313) being provided with a card-loading push head (33); The card pushing head (33) is used to push cards in the main channel (214), and the rod body (311) is used to push cards in the branch channel (215).

5. The card-loading mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A slope (315) for guiding the card dealing sequence to move toward the first card outlet (212) is formed on one side of the shaft (311) facing the first card outlet (212), and the slope (315) is arranged at an obtuse angle to the extension direction of the shaft (311).

6. The card-loading mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a card-raising component (4), the card-raising component (4) includes a first card-raising plate (41) and a second card-raising plate (42), the first card-raising plate (41) having an eight-port machine working position that is driven by the second card-raising plate (42) and rises and falls synchronously therewith, and a four-port machine working position that remains horizontal when the second card-raising plate (42) descends.

7. The card-loading mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: A magnetic unit (44) is provided between the second card raising plate (42) and the first card raising plate (41) to enable the two to rise and fall synchronously; The card raising component (4) further comprises a card raising mode switching unit (45), the card raising mode switching unit (45) having a first working position for blocking the first card raising plate (41) from descending when there is no card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet (212) in the card storage channel, and a second working position for removing the obstruction to the first card raising plate (41) when there is a card dealing sequence to be sent to the first card outlet (212) in the card storage channel.

8. The card-carrying mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The card-raising mode switching unit (45) comprises a swing arm (454), the swing arm (454) comprising a hinge point (454a) and a long arm end (454b) and a short arm end (454c) located on both sides of the hinge point (454a), the long arm end (454b) being provided with a supporting member (455) for supporting the first card-raising plate (41), and the short arm end (454c) being movably connected to the shifting rod (452); The lever (452) is slidably mounted on the mahjong machine and is connected to a trigger module, which is used to sense whether there is a card dealing sequence in the card storage channel and control the lever (452) according to the sensing result.

9. The card-loading mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stacking and pushing assembly (1) comprises a card stacking seat (15), and the upper card holding platform (152) and the lower card holding platform (154) are arranged on the card stacking seat (15); The card stacking seat (15) is also provided with an upper card baffle plate (151) and a lower card baffle plate (153), wherein the upper card baffle plate (151) and the upper card receiving platform (152), and the lower card baffle plate (153) and the lower card receiving platform (154) respectively form an L-shaped card receiving space.

10. A mahjong machine, comprising a frame (5), characterized in that: Each side of the frame (5) is provided with a card loading mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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