Tile lifting device, tile lifting mechanism and mahjong machine

Abstract

The application aims to provide a tile lifting device capable of accurately performing tile lifting, and a tile feeding mechanism and a mahjong machine comprising the same. The tile lifting device comprises a bearing unit, a swinging unit and a tile lifting control unit. The swinging unit comprises a swinging motor, a swinging driven wheel rotating under the driving of the swinging motor, a swinging connecting rod capable of reciprocating and translating with the rotation of the swinging driven wheel, a swinging arm capable of swinging up and down with the translation of the swinging connecting rod, and a swinging sensing assembly sensing the rotating position of the swinging driven wheel. The swinging driven wheel is provided with a first swinging sensing part corresponding to the upper swinging position of the bearing plate and a second swinging sensing part corresponding to the lower swinging position of the bearing plate. The tile lifting control unit judges whether the bearing plate reaches the upper swinging position and the lower swinging position according to the sensing signal, and controls the swinging motor according to the judgment result.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of mahjong entertainment devices, and relates to a mahjong machine, in particular to a tile lifting device for lifting a tile stack, and a tile feeding mechanism comprising the tile lifting device and a mahjong machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] A mahjong machine generally comprises a tile shuffling mechanism for shuffling mahjong tiles, a tile feeding mechanism for stacking the shuffled tiles and feeding the tiles to a table top for use, an operation panel mechanism for a user to input operation instructions, and a table frame mechanism for overall support.

[0003] The tile feeding mechanism needs to be provided separately for each user. For example, a conventional mahjong machine is used by four users, and thus four sets of tile feeding mechanisms are needed. In this case, each set of tile feeding mechanism needs to realize tile stacking, tile storage, tile pushing, tile lifting, and the like, and thus the layout space is limited, and the structural design needs to be very compact.

[0004] Some prior art mahjong machines are provided with a tile lifting device in the tile feeding mechanism for lifting a tile stack to the table top. For example, CN111991798A discloses a full-automatic mahjong machine, which comprises a lifting swing arm and a lifting push rod. The lifting push rod drives the lifting swing arm to swing, and the lifting swing arm drives the tile feeding seat carrying the tile stack to rotate through a push block, thereby realizing tile feeding. In such a tile lifting assembly, the lifting push rod relies on an intermittent gear train to drive reciprocating motion, and the start or end of the lifting action depends on the intermittent gear train, and thus precise automatic process control cannot be realized.

[0005] In particular, if the user wants to use different tile feeding modes (for example, wants to feed the starting hand and the tiles to be taken at one time, or wants to feed the starting hand and the tiles to be taken in two times), the lifting action needs to be precisely performed (started, paused, or ended) according to the action state of other components in different modes. However, the existing tile lifting device cannot perform such precise action control, and thus the different tile feeding modes described above cannot be realized in practice. SUMMARY

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a tile lifting device capable of precisely performing tile lifting action, and a tile feeding mechanism and a mahjong machine comprising the tile lifting device.

[0007] Specifically, the application provides a tile lifting device arranged in a mahjong machine and used for lifting a tile stack delivered to a table top, and characterized in that the device comprises: a bearing unit having a bearing plate for bearing the tile stack; a swinging unit for lifting the bearing plate so as to swing the bearing plate on the bearing plate to lift the tile stack or to swing the bearing plate downward to receive a new tile stack; and a tile lifting control unit, wherein the swinging unit comprises a swinging motor, a swinging driven wheel rotating under the drive of the swinging motor, a swinging connecting rod capable of reciprocating translation with the rotation of the swinging driven wheel, a swinging arm capable of swinging up and down with the translation of the swinging connecting rod, and a swinging sensing assembly for sensing the rotating position of the swinging driven wheel, one end of the swinging arm is matched with the bearing plate so as to be capable of swinging the bearing plate up and down by swinging up and down, the swinging driven wheel is provided with a first swinging sensing part matched with the swinging sensing assembly and corresponding to the upper swinging position of the bearing plate and a second swinging sensing part matched with the swinging sensing assembly and corresponding to the lower swinging position of the bearing plate, the tile lifting control unit is connected with the swinging sensing assembly and the swinging motor, the tile lifting control unit judges whether the bearing plate reaches the upper swinging position according to the sensing signal corresponding to the first swinging sensing part, judges whether the bearing plate reaches the lower swinging position according to the sensing signal corresponding to the second swinging sensing part, and controls the swinging motor according to the judging result.

[0008] As a first implementation form, the tile lifting device provided by the application can further have the following technical features: the swinging sensing assembly comprises a first swinging sensor matched with the first swinging sensing part and a second swinging sensor matched with the second swinging sensing part, the tile lifting control unit judges whether the bearing plate reaches the upper swinging position according to the sensing signal of the first swinging sensor and judges whether the bearing plate reaches the lower swinging position according to the sensing signal of the second swinging sensor.

[0009] In the tile lifting device of the above-mentioned first implementation form, the first swinging sensing part and the second swinging sensing part can be magnets, the first swinging sensor and the second swinging sensor can be magnetic induction sensors, and the first swinging sensing part and the second swinging sensing part can be located on different circumferences of the swinging driven wheel.

[0010] In addition, in the tile lifting device of the above-mentioned first implementation form, the swinging driven wheel can be provided with a track groove on one side surface, the track groove has a far end farthest from the rotating center of the swinging driven wheel and a near end nearest to the rotating center of the swinging driven wheel, the swinging connecting rod is provided with a roller slidingly fitted in the track groove, when the roller is located at one of the far end and the near end, the bearing plate reaches the upper swinging position and the first swinging sensor is opposite to the first swinging sensing part, and when the roller is located at the other of the far end and the near end, the bearing plate reaches the lower swinging position and the second swinging sensor is opposite to the second swinging sensing part.

[0011] As a second embodiment, the card-raising device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features, wherein the swing sensing component includes a swing sensor that can cooperate with the first swing sensing part and the second swing sensing part respectively. The swing sensor is a distance sensor. The first swing sensing part is one of a protrusion and a concave hole, and the second swing sensing part is the other of a protrusion and a concave hole. The first swing sensing part and the second swing sensing part are located on the same circumference of the swing driven wheel. The card-raising control unit determines whether the support plate is in the upper swing position, the lower swing position, or between the upper swing position and the lower swing position based on the different sensing signals formed by the swing sensor on the protrusion, the concave hole and the surface of the swing driven wheel.

[0012] In the second embodiment of the card-raising device described above, there may also be a technical feature in which a track groove is provided on one side surface of the oscillating driven wheel. The track groove has a far end that is farthest from the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel and a proximal end that is closest to the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel. The oscillating connecting rod has a roller that is slidably engaged in the track groove. The track groove has a far end that is farthest from the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel and a proximal end that is closest to the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel. When the roller is located at one of the far end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the upper oscillating position and the oscillating sensor is opposite to the first oscillating sensing part. When the roller is located at the other of the far end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the lower oscillating position and the oscillating sensor is opposite to the second oscillating sensing part.

[0013] In addition, the tile-raising device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical feature: the end of the support plate for receiving new tile stacks is provided with a support sensor. The support sensor is used to sense whether there are still mahjong tiles on the end of the support plate. When the support sensor does not sense mahjong tiles, the swing control unit determines that it is in a state where the next tile raising can be carried out.

[0014] The card-raising device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the other end of the swing link is provided with drive teeth arranged in a straight line, and one end of the swing arm is provided with a swing shaft for rotational installation. The swing shaft is provided with swing shaft teeth that match the drive teeth and are distributed circumferentially along the swing shaft.

[0015] The card-raising device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical feature: the swing gear assembly further includes a swing drive wheel installed on the output end of the swing motor, and the swing driven wheel meshes with the swing drive wheel, so that the swing driven wheel can be driven to rotate by the swing motor.

[0016] The present invention also provides a tile-feeding mechanism, which is installed in a mahjong machine, characterized in that it includes: a tile-feeding device for absorbing mahjong tiles from a shuffling device and feeding them; a tile-stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles fed by the tile-feeding device to form a tile stack; a tile-storing device for storing the tile stack; a tile-pushing device for pushing and conveying the tile stack; and a tile-lifting device for raising the conveyed tile stack to the tabletop, wherein the tile-lifting device is any of the above-mentioned tile-lifting devices.

[0017] The present invention also provides a mahjong machine, characterized in that it includes: a shuffling mechanism for shuffling mahjong tiles; and multiple tile-adding mechanisms for adding the shuffled mahjong tiles, wherein the tile-adding mechanisms are as described above.

[0018] Invention Function and Effect

[0019] According to the present invention, the tile-lifting device, the tile-adding mechanism, and the mahjong machine containing the tile-lifting device are provided with a first swing sensing part that cooperates with the swing sensing component and corresponds to the upper swing position of the support plate, and a second swing sensing part that cooperates with the swing sensing component and corresponds to the lower swing position of the support plate. The tile-lifting control unit determines whether the support plate has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first swing sensing part, and determines whether the support plate has reached the lower swing position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second swing sensing part. Therefore, the tile-lifting control unit can accurately determine the current position of the support plate and control the swing motor according to the determination result. Regardless of the tile-adding method (e.g., tile-adding once or tile-adding twice) or the user suddenly inputs a tile-adding command, the tile-lifting device can perform the tile-lifting action in a timely, rapid, and accurate manner. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention from one angle;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the structure omitted.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle registration mechanism from one angle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle registration mechanism from another angle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the card-supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the stacking device of the present invention with the stacking housing and stacking motor omitted;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of the parts where the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device cooperate in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 15 This is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 16 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device according to an embodiment of the present invention from one angle;

[0036] Figure 17 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle;

[0037] Figure 18 This is a structural block diagram of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 19 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 20 This is a structural diagram of the plate-lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, omitting the support frame;

[0040] Figure 21 This is a structural diagram of one side surface of the driven wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 22 This is a structural diagram of the swing linkage of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 23 This is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 24 This is a flowchart of the card-raising operation of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure label:

[0045] Mahjong machine 100; Card feeding mechanism 101; Card supply device 10; Card suction wheel 11; Card supply frame 12; Belt assembly 13; Card supply motor 14; Card supply belt 15; Guide wheel 16; Tensioning wheel 17; Card stacking device 20; Card stacking block 21; Card stacking block groove 211; Card stacking block drive rod 22; Card stacking drive shaft 221; Card stacking drive wheel 23; Card stacking drive groove 231; Concave section 231A; Protruding section 231B; Card stacking motor 24; Card pushing block 25; Card pushing connecting rod 26; Card pushing drive block 27; Card pushing slide 271; Card stacking housing 28; Card stacking control unit 2 91; Stacking card counting sensor; 29; Card storage device; 30; Card storage tray; 31; Rotating shaft; 310; Baffle wall; 311; Card slot; 312; Upper card slot; 312A; Lower card slot; 312B; Support column; 313; Driven wheel slot; 314; Connecting rod mating slot; 315; Driven wheel shaft; 316; Upper slot plate; 32; Flange; 321; Lower slot plate; 33; Inner slot plate; 34; Card storage sensor; 35; Card pushing device; 40; Card pushing seat; 41; Notch; 41A; Rotating slot; 411; Recessed section; Card pushing rotating seat; 42; Push arm mounting protrusion; 421; Push arm mounting hole; 422; Rotating seat tooth 423; Card pusher arm 43; Card pusher head 431; Card pusher slider 432; Card pusher motor 44; Card pusher drive gear 45; Card pusher sensing assembly 46; First card pusher sensor 461; Second card pusher sensor 462; Card pusher control unit 47; Card lifting device 50; Card lifting control unit 501; Support frame 51; Support groove 511; Open end 511A; Support plate 52; Support sensor 502; Support mating groove 521; Swing motor 53; Swing arm 54; Swing shaft 541; Swing shaft gear 542; Swing slider 543; Swing connecting rod 55; From 551; 552; 553; 554; 56; 57; 572; 572A; 572B; 58; 59; 60; 61; 62; 102; 103; 104; 105; 105A; 106; 107; 108; 200; mahjong tiles. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0047] <Example>

[0048] Figure 1This is a structural block diagram of a mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention from one angle. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the structure omitted.

[0049] like Figures 1-3 As shown, this embodiment provides a mahjong machine 100 for automatically shuffling and loading mahjong tiles 200, including a tile loading mechanism 101, an operation panel mechanism 102, a table frame mechanism 103, a shuffling mechanism 107, and a control device 108.

[0050] The table frame mechanism 103 includes an outer frame 104, a tabletop 105 mounted on the outer frame 104, and a lower frame 106 that supports the tabletop 105 and other mechanisms. The bottom of the lower frame 106 is provided with table legs for supporting the table on the ground. Figure 2 , Figure 3 Table legs were omitted in all of them. Figure 2 The outer frame 104, lower frame 106, tabletop 105, and shuffling mechanism 107 are further omitted.

[0051] The control panel mechanism 102 is located in the middle of the tabletop 105, and its top is equipped with a control panel 1021. The control panel 1021 has multiple different operation buttons (not shown in the figure) for users to input operation commands. In this embodiment, the control panel mechanism 102 is also equipped with a lifting component, which can lower the control panel 1021 under the control of the control device 108, exposing the gap between the control panel 1021 and the tabletop 105. At this time, the user can push the used mahjong tiles 200 through the gap to shuffle the tiles.

[0052] The shuffling mechanism 107 is located below the operation panel 1021 and is used to receive the used mahjong tiles 200 and shuffle them. It includes a shuffling plate for carrying and rotating the mahjong tiles and a drive motor for driving the shuffling plate to rotate. Its specific structure and function are the same as those of the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] The mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment can be used by four users at the same time, and is provided with four card-adding mechanisms 101, which are located at the four corners of the lower frame 106 respectively.

[0054] The control device 108 is used to control the operation of various components of the mahjong machine 100 according to the operation commands input by the user. The control device 108 may be a chip with a predetermined control program, an industrial control computer, or a microcomputer, and is connected to the operation panel mechanism 102 and the various controlled components and sensors of the mahjong machine 100. In this embodiment, each control unit may include a control program integrated into the control device 108, or it may include a control program set in a separate chip, which is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device 108. Simultaneously, each control unit may also be equipped with an appropriate signal transmission or control circuit structure to receive sensor signals and control the controlled components.

[0055] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle registration mechanism from one angle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle registration mechanism from another angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] like Figures 1-5 As shown, the card-issuing mechanism 101 includes a card-supplying device 10, a card-stacking device 20, a card-storing device 30, a card-pushing device 40, and a card-raising device 50.

[0057] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the card-supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the tile feeding device 10 is used to pick up mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism and feed them to the mahjong tiles, and includes a tile-picking wheel 11, a tile-feeding frame 12, a belt assembly 13, and a tile-feeding motor 14.

[0059] The card feeder 12 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106 and located near the shuffling mechanism 101. It has an opening facing the shuffling plate of the shuffling mechanism 101. The card suction wheel 11 is rotatably installed at the opening. The output end of the card feeder motor 14 is connected to the card suction wheel 11 and can drive the card suction wheel 11 to rotate under the control of the control device 108.

[0060] The belt assembly 13 includes a feeding belt 15 wound around the card-feeding wheel 11, a guide wheel 16 for guiding the feeding belt 15, and a tensioning wheel 17 for tensioning the feeding belt 15. The guide wheel 16 is mounted near the card-stacking device 20 so that the feeding belt 15 can transport the mahjong tiles on it to the card-stacking device 20.

[0061] In this embodiment, the card-collecting wheel 11 is equipped with several card-collecting magnets, and each mahjong tile 200 is inlaid with magnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the shuffling magnets. When the card-collecting wheel 11 rotates under the drive of the card-feeding motor 14, the card-collecting magnets that rotate to the downward position can attract the mahjong tiles 200 below. As the card-collecting wheel 11 continues to rotate, the mahjong tiles 200 are carried to the top of the card-collecting wheel 11 and then transported to the stacking device 20 by the card-feeding belt 15.

[0062] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, omitting the stacking housing and the stacking motor.

[0063] like Figures 4-5 As shown in Figures 7-9, the stacking device 20 is used to stack the single mahjong tiles supplied by the tile supply device 10 to form stacks of two tiles together. It includes a stacking unit, a tile dispensing unit, a stacking control unit 291, and a stacking sensing component, wherein the stacking sensing component includes a stacking counting sensor 29.

[0064] The card stacking unit includes a card stacking block 21, a card stacking block drive rod 22, a card stacking drive wheel 23, and a card stacking motor 24. The card pulling unit includes a card pulling block 25, a card pulling linkage 26, and a card pulling drive block 27. In addition, the card stacking device 20 also has a card stacking housing 28 that houses and supports the various components in the card stacking unit and the card pulling unit.

[0065] The top of the stacking block 21 is flat. In the initial state, this flat surface is located near the guide wheel 16 of the supply belt 15 and can receive the mahjong tiles fed from the supply belt 15. The stacking block 21 is also provided with a stacking block groove 211. One end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a movable end, which is slidably fitted into the stacking block groove 211 by a slider.

[0066] like Figure 9 As shown, the card stacking drive wheel 23 is mounted on the output shaft of the card stacking motor 24 and rotates under the drive of the card stacking motor 24. A card stacking drive groove 231 is provided on one side of the wheel. The card stacking motor 24 receives the card stacking control signal sent by the card stacking control unit 291, and operates and drives the rotation of the card stacking drive wheel 23 according to the card stacking control signal.

[0067] The other end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a fixed end, which has a stacking drive shaft 221 hinged to the stacking block housing 27; the middle part of the stacking block drive rod 22 is also provided with a slider that is slidably fitted in the stacking drive groove 231. When the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, the stacking block drive rod 22 swings up and down, and drives the stacking block 21 to move up and down through its movable end.

[0068] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] like Figure 10 As shown, the stacking drive groove 231 is approximately annular, with a concave section 231A with a decreasing radius and a convex section 231B with an increasing radius. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 is in the concave section 231A, the top plane of the stacking block 21 is lower than the upper plane of the end of the feeding belt 15, and the height difference is slightly greater than the thickness of two mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles fed by the feeding belt 15 can be stacked on the top plane of the stacking block 21. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 moves to the convex section 231B, it can drive the stacking block 21 to move slightly upward, which facilitates the card-picking block 25 to perform the card-picking action.

[0070] like Figures 8-9 As shown, the card-pulling block 25 is fixed to the top of the card-pulling linkage 26. The card-pulling linkage 26 is approximately L-shaped and bent, with its lower end fixed to one side of the card-pulling drive block 27.

[0071] Figures 8-9 This is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] like Figures 8-9 As shown in Figure 11, an arc-shaped card-dispensing groove 271 is provided on the other side of the card-dispensing drive block 27, and a slider is provided on the other side of the stacking drive wheel 23 (i.e., the opposite side of the surface where the stacking block groove 211 is located) that is slidably fitted into the card-dispensing groove 271. As the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, under the action of the slider and the card-dispensing groove 271, the card-dispensing drive block 27 moves back and forth intermittently and drives the card-dispensing block 25 to move back and forth through the card-dispensing connecting rod 26. Thus, when the two mahjong tiles 200 at the top of the stacking block 21 overlap to form a tile stack, the tile stack is pushed toward the card storage device 30.

[0073] like Figure 12 As shown, the stacking tile counting sensor 29 is located near the stacking tile block 21. It can be installed on the tile slot components of the tile storage device 30, or it can be mounted on a separate bracket. This stacking tile counting sensor 29 is a magnetic induction sensor. When a mahjong tile 200 with an embedded magnet passes through, it generates an induction signal, thereby counting the mahjong tiles 200 that are stacked and enter the tile storage device 30. Since the mahjong tiles 200 are stacked in pairs to form a pile, the total number of mahjong tiles 200 counted by the stacking tile counting sensor 29 can be divided by 2 to simultaneously determine the number of piles of mahjong tiles 200.

[0074] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] likeFigure 13 As shown, the card storage device 30 is used to store card blocks, including a card storage tray 31, an upper slot plate 32, a lower slot plate 33, an inner slot plate 34, and a card storage sensing component.

[0076] The card storage tray 31 is approximately square in shape, with one corner notched and the other three corners rounded. Vertically upward-extending baffles 311 are provided along the edge, and the center protrudes upwards, forming a groove, i.e., a card slot 312, between the baffles 311 and the central protrusion. Additionally, a support column 313 is provided at the bottom of the card storage tray 31, which is used to mount it to the lower frame 106.

[0077] The upper groove plate 32 is a plate-shaped component that matches the shape of the baffle 311 and is embedded in the upper part of the inner surface of the baffle 311 (equivalent to the outer side of the card slot 312); the lower groove plate 33 is a plate-shaped component that matches the card slot 312 and is embedded in the bottom surface of the card slot 312; the inner groove plate 34 is approximately annular and matches the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31, and is installed on the outer edge of the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31 (equivalent to the inner side of the card slot 312).

[0078] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of the mating parts of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 4-5 In order to show the cooperation between the components, some components of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device have been omitted.

[0079] like Figure 14 As shown in Figure 13, the card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20 are located at the notch corner of the card storage tray 31 and are positioned near one end of the card slot 312. The card stacking block 21 is located at the end opening of the card slot 312. When the card block 25 is pushed towards the card storage device 30, the card block will enter the card slot from the end opening of the card slot 312. When the next card block is stacked and pushed towards the card slot 312 by the card block 25, the card block will also push the card blocks that have already entered the card slot 312. This process is repeated to allow a certain number of card blocks to be stored in the card slot 312.

[0080] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] like Figure 15As shown, the upper slot plate 32, lower slot plate 33, and inner slot plate 34 are all adapted to the tile slot 312, together forming a tile storage slot structure that can store and allow the tile stacks to pass through. The bottom end of the upper slot plate 32 has a flange 321 protruding towards the center of the tile slot 312, while the upper half of the inner slot plate 34 protrudes outwards, creating two sections within the tile slot 312 with different radii of movement (i.e., distances relative to the center of the tile storage tray 31): the upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B (as shown in the dashed box). The upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B correspond to the upper and lower mahjong tiles in the tile stack, respectively. Because the upper tile slot 312A has a larger radius of movement, during movement within the tile slot 312, the upper mahjong tile will lag slightly behind the lower mahjong tile.

[0082] The tile storage sensing component includes a tile storage sensor 35 with an opening at the end of the tile slot 312 (i.e., near the tile lifting device 50). The tile storage sensor 35 is a magnetic induction sensor, which senses the magnets in the mahjong tiles 200 and generates a corresponding induction signal when there are tile blocks at the end of the tile slot 312.

[0083] Figure 16 This is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 17 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device according to an embodiment of the present invention from one angle. Figures 4-5 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle.

[0084] like Figure 18 As shown in Figures 15-17, the card pushing device 40 is used to push and transport the card stacks stored in the card storage device 30. It includes a card pushing seat 41, a card pushing rotating seat 42, a card pushing arm 43, a card pushing motor 44, a card pushing drive gear 45, a card pushing sensing component 46, and a card pushing control unit 47. The card pushing sensing component includes a first card pushing sensor 461, a second card pushing sensor 462, and a card pushing sensing trigger.

[0085] The card pusher 41 is fixedly installed in the middle of the card storage tray 31. The middle part has a circular notch 41A and a rotating groove 411 around its perimeter. The shape and outline of the rotating groove 411 are basically matched with the card slot 312A, but the size is smaller. At the same time, there is a recessed section 412 near the notch of the card storage tray 31.

[0086] The card pusher rotating seat 42 is rotatably mounted on the card storage tray 31 via a rotating shaft 310. The entire seat is located within a notch 41A, and its upper surface protrudes from the notch 41A. A push arm mounting protrusion 421 is provided on the upper surface of the card pusher rotating seat 42, and a push arm mounting hole 422 extending horizontally through the protrusion 421.

[0087] One end of the pusher arm 43 is movably fitted into the pusher arm mounting hole 422, and the other end is provided with a pusher head 431 for pushing the tile blocks in the tile slot 321. The lower end of the pusher head 431 is provided with a pusher protrusion 433 extending along the pushing direction, which can push the lower layer of mahjong tiles forward more. Combined with the structural design of the tile slot 312A having a larger movement radius, it can always ensure that the upper layer of mahjong tiles is slightly behind the lower layer of mahjong tiles.

[0088] When the tile stack reaches the tile lifting device 50, the upper layer of mahjong tiles has less friction because it only contacts the lower layer of mahjong tiles. After the pushing force of the tile pusher 431 is removed, it usually slides forward a short distance. However, in this embodiment, through the combination of the structural design of the tile pusher protrusion 433 and the larger movement radius of the tile loading groove 312A, the upper layer of mahjong tiles always stays slightly behind during the movement. After the pushing force is removed, the upper layer of mahjong tiles slides a short distance and then overlaps exactly on top of the lower layer of mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles can be stacked neatly when the tiles are loaded.

[0089] The pusher arm 43 is also provided with a pusher slider 432 located near the pusher head 431, which is slidably embedded in the rotating groove 411.

[0090] A card-pushing motor 44 is located below the card-pushing base 41, and a card-pushing drive gear 45 is mounted on its output shaft. The lower surface of the card-pushing rotating base 42 has rotating seat teeth 423 that mesh with the card-pushing drive gear 45, thereby enabling the card-pushing motor 44 to drive the card-pushing rotating base 42 to rotate. When the card-pushing rotating base 42 rotates, the card-pushing slider 432 also moves accordingly within the rotating groove 411, driving the card-pushing head 431 to push the card blocks within the card slot 321. Because the rotating groove 411 has a recessed section 412, when the card-pushing slider 432 reaches the position of this recessed section 412, the distance between the card-pushing slider 432 and the rotation center (i.e., the rotating shaft 310) of the card-pushing rotating base 42 will shorten, causing the card-pushing head 431 to retract inward towards the rotation center and avoid contact with the components of the card-feeding device 10 and the card-stacking device 20, thus preventing mutual interference.

[0091] Both the first card pusher sensor 461 and the second card pusher sensor 462 are magnetic induction sensors, installed below the card pusher rotating base 42 and located on the same circumference as the card pusher rotating base 42 rotates. The lower surface of the card pusher rotating base 42 is also provided with a card pusher sensing trigger, which is located on the same circumference in the vertical direction as the first card pusher sensor 461 and the second card pusher sensor 462. This card pusher sensing trigger is a magnet. When the card pusher sensing trigger moves to directly above the first card pusher sensor 461 or the second card pusher sensor 462 as the card pusher rotating base 42 rotates, the first card pusher sensor 461 or the second card pusher sensor 462 can sense the card pusher sensing trigger and generate a corresponding sensing signal.

[0092] Driven by the card-pushing rotating seat 42, the card-pushing head 431 rotates approximately circumferentially within the card slot 312. When approaching the card-stacking device 20, it typically waits for the card-stacking action to complete (i.e., reaching the predetermined number of card stacks) before proceeding. It then contacts the card stacks from the card slot 312 in front of the card stack block 21 and begins pushing the cards. During this process, the position of the card-pushing head 431 as it approaches the card-stacking device 20 and waits for the card-stacking action to complete is the card-stacking entrance waiting position. Furthermore, after the card-pushing head 431 has pushed all the card stacks to be stacked along the card slot 312 to the card-lifting device 50, it typically waits in place for the card-lifting device 50 to complete the card-lifting process; this position is the card-lifting entrance waiting position.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first card pusher sensor 461 is set to correspond to the card stacking entrance waiting position of the card pusher head 431. When the card pusher rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the first card pusher sensor 461 senses the card pusher trigger (that is, when the card pusher trigger is approximately directly above the first card pusher sensor 461), the card pusher head 431 just reaches the card stacking entrance waiting position. When the card pusher rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the second card pusher sensor 462 senses the card pusher trigger, the card pusher head 431 just reaches the card lifting entrance waiting position.

[0094] The push card control unit 47 controls the operation of the push card motor 44 based on the sensing signals of the first push card sensor 461 and the second push card sensor 462, so that the push card head 431 can push all the predetermined card blocks from the card slot 312 to the card lifting device 50 when push cards are needed.

[0095] Figure 19 This is a structural block diagram of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 20 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 3-5 This is a structural diagram of the plate-lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, omitting the support frame.

[0096] like Figure 21 As shown in Figures 18-20, the card-lifting device 50 is used to push the card-pushing device 40 to lift the card stacks delivered to the tabletop. It includes a support unit, a swing unit, and a card-lifting control unit 501. The support unit includes a support frame 51, a support plate 52, and a support sensor 502. The swing unit includes a swing motor 53, a swing arm 54, a swing linkage 55, a swing gear set composed of a swing drive wheel 56 and a swing driven wheel 57, and a swing sensing component 60.

[0097] The support frame 51 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106, located near the card supply frame 12 and fixedly connected to the card supply frame 12 to form a frame. An opening is formed at the lower end of one side of the support frame 51 to facilitate the exposure of the card suction wheel 11, and a support groove 511 is formed at the upper end. The support groove 511 has an open end 511A, which faces the tail end of the card slot 312, and the depth of the support groove 511 gradually increases from the other end to the open end 511A.

[0098] The support plate 52 is used to support the card stack to be placed. The support plate 52 is a long strip plate-shaped piece. One end is a receiving end that can receive the card stack pushed by the card pusher arm 43 from the card slot 312, located at the open end 511A; the other end is a mounting end, which is rotatably mounted on the other end of the support slot 511 opposite to the open end 511A via a rotating shaft, so that the support plate 52 can swing up and down in the support slot 511, and correspondingly its receiving end can rise or fall at the open end 511A.

[0099] In this embodiment, a load sensor 502 is provided at the edge of the receiving end of the support plate 52. This load sensor 502 is a magnetic induction sensor. When the pusher arm 43 pushes the tile block in the tile slot 312 onto the support plate 52, the load sensor 502 can sense the magnet in the mahjong tile, thereby generating a corresponding induction signal; when the tile at the edge of the receiving end is removed, the load sensor 502 can no longer sense the magnet in the mahjong tile and no longer generates a corresponding induction signal.

[0100] Since the tile stacks pushed by the tile pusher arm 43 are usually distributed from the edge of the receiving end towards the installation end, and the tiles at the edge of the receiving end are usually the last to be removed, if the load sensor 502 does not detect the mahjong tiles, it means that all the mahjong tiles on the load plate 52 have been removed, and it is time to prepare for the next tile raising action.

[0101] The tabletop 105 is provided with a card slot 105A that corresponds to the position and shape of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings upward until the receiving end rises to the highest position, the entire support plate 52 protrudes from the card slot 105 onto the tabletop, and the user can remove the card stacks on the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the upward swing position of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings downward until the receiving end descends to the lowest position, the receiving end is basically flush with the bottom of the card slot 312. The card pushing arm 43 can push the card stacks in the card slot 312 from the receiving end onto the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the downward swing position of the support plate 52.

[0102] The swing motor 53 is installed below the card storage tray 31, and its output axis extends upward to the card storage tray 31.

[0103] The swing drive wheel 56 is mounted on the output shaft of the swing motor 53 and can rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0104] A driven wheel groove 314 is provided on the card storage plate 31 near the swing drive wheel 56. The swing driven wheel 57 is rotatably mounted in the driven wheel groove 314 through a driven wheel shaft 316 and meshes with the swing drive wheel 56. Therefore, it can be driven by the swing drive wheel 56 to rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0105] Figures 19-21 This is a structural diagram of one side surface of the driven wheel in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0106] like Figure 22 As shown, a track groove 572 is provided on one side surface of the oscillating driven wheel 57. The track groove 572 is shaped to protrude on one side. The farthest part of the track groove 572 from the center of the oscillating driven wheel 57 (rotation center, i.e., the center of the driven wheel shaft 316) is the far end 572A, and the closest part to the center of the oscillating driven wheel 57 is the near end 572B.

[0107] Figures 19-20 This is a structural diagram of the swing linkage of the present invention.

[0108] like Figure 20 As shown in Figure 22, each end of the swing linkage 55 has a straight rod-shaped end. One end is the driven wheel engagement end 551 that engages with the swing driven wheel 57, and the other end is the swing engagement end 552 that engages with the swing arm 54. In this embodiment, the driven wheel engagement end 551 and the swing engagement end 552 are parallel to each other in length direction.

[0109] The driven wheel groove 314 is provided with a straight connecting rod mating groove 315 whose size matches the driven wheel mating end 551. The driven wheel mating end 551 is located in the connecting rod mating groove 315, so that the driven wheel mating end 551 is approximately below the oscillating driven wheel 57.

[0110] The side surface of the track groove 572 of the oscillating driven wheel 57 faces downward. A roller 553 is also provided on the upper surface of the driven wheel mating end 551. The roller 553 is slidably embedded in the track groove 572, so that when the oscillating driven wheel 57 rotates, it can drive the oscillating connecting rod 55 to reciprocate along the length direction of the connecting rod mating groove 315 through the roller 553.

[0111] like Figure 23 As shown, the lower end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing shaft 541, which is provided through the support frame 51, so that the swing arm 54 can rotate around the swing shaft 541 and swing up and down.

[0112] The swing shaft 541 has circumferentially distributed swing shaft teeth 542 on the end exposed outside the support frame 51, and swing mating teeth 554 are distributed along the length direction on the swing mating end 552. The swing shaft teeth 542 and the swing mating teeth 554 mesh with each other. When the swing connecting rod 55 moves back and forth, it can drive the swing arm 54 to swing up and down.

[0113] The lower surface of the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 is provided with a bearing mating groove 521, and the upper end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing slider 543 that is slidably engaged in the bearing mating groove 521. When the swing arm 54 swings up and down under the drive of the swing connecting rod 55, it can drive the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 to swing up and down, that is, swing back and forth between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0114] Since the far end 572A and the near end 572B of the track groove 572 correspond to the two ends of the reciprocating translation stroke of the swing link 55, when the roller 553 moves to the far end 572A, the swing arm 54 will rotate away from the swing link 55, and vice versa.

[0115] In this invention, depending on the different meshing states of the swing shaft tooth 542 and the swing mating tooth 554, the relative positions of the swing connecting rod 55 and the swing arm 54 can change. Therefore, the movement of the swing connecting rod 55 can correspond to different lifting and lowering movements of the swing arm 54, as follows:

[0116] When the swing link 55 is in the retracted state (i.e., the roller 553 is located at the proximal end 572B and the swing link 55 is located closer to the swing driven wheel 57), the swing arm 54 is facing upwards, and the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move downwards; when the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is facing the swing link 55 (at this time the swing arm 54 is in an approximately horizontal state), the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move upwards.

[0117] Therefore, the far end 572A of the track groove 572 corresponds to one of the upper swing position and the lower swing position of the support plate 52, while the near end 572B corresponds to the other of the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0118] In this embodiment, the first scenario (i.e., the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is in the vertical state) will be used as an example for specific explanation.

[0119] Figures 19-20 This is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] like Figure 23As shown in Figure 23, the other side surface (i.e. the upward-facing surface) of the swing driven wheel 57 is provided with a first swing sensing part 58 and a second swing sensing part 59.

[0121] Figure 19 Different circumferences of the oscillating driven wheel 57 are shown in dashed circular frames. For example... Figure 24 As shown, with the center of the driven wheel shaft 316 as the center, the first swing sensing part 58 and the second swing sensing part 59 are distributed on both sides of the driven wheel shaft 316, and the two are located on the same diameter of the swing driven wheel 57, but on different circumferences of the swing driven wheel 57 (that is, the distance between the two and the rotation center of the swing driven wheel 57 is different).

[0122] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distal end 572A and the proximal end 572B are also on the same diameter line of the oscillating driven wheel 57.

[0123] The swing sensing assembly 60 includes a first swing sensor 61 that cooperates with the first swing sensing unit 58 and a second swing sensor 62 that cooperates with the second sensing unit 58.

[0124] In this embodiment, the first swing sensing unit 58 and the second swing sensing unit 59 are both magnets, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are both magnetic induction sensors.

[0125] In this embodiment, the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are both located at specific positions, such that when the roller 553 reaches the near end 572B, the first swing sensor 58 just reaches below the first swing sensor 61, and at the same time, when the roller 553 reaches the far end 572A, the second swing sensor 59 just reaches below the second swing sensor 62.

[0126] Thus, when the roller 553 reaches the proximal end 572B, causing the swing arm 54 to be in a vertical state and the support plate 52 to be in an upward swing position, the first swing sensor 61 just senses the first swing sensing part 58 and outputs a sensing signal; when the roller 553 reaches the distal end 572A, causing the swing arm 54 to swing from a vertical state to a horizontal state and the support plate 52 to be in a downward swing position, the second swing sensor 62 just senses the second swing sensing part 59 and outputs a sensing signal.

[0127] Furthermore, when the roller 553 is neither at the near end 572B nor at the far end 572A, neither the first swing sensor 61 nor the second swing sensor 62 outputs a sensing signal, indicating that the bearing plate 52 is at a position between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0128] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first swing sensing unit 58 corresponds to the upward swing position of the support plate 52, and the second swing sensing unit 59 corresponds to the downward swing position of the support plate 52. By observing the real-time output signals from the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62, it is possible to accurately determine whether the support plate 52 is currently in the downward swing position, the upward swing position, or a position between the two.

[0129] In this embodiment, the actions of each component in the card-raising device 50 are all performed under the control of the card-raising control unit 501. The specific card-raising operation process is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0130] In this embodiment, when the user needs to shuffle the mahjong tiles 200, he / she can input a shuffling command through the operation panel 1021. The control device 108 controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to descend and controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to start shuffling. At this time, the user can push the scattered mahjong tiles on the table 105 into the gap for shuffling.

[0131] After the shuffling is completed (for example, the shuffling time can be set), the control device 108 can control the card feeding device 10 to feed cards and control the card stacking device 20 to stack cards. At the same time, the card pushing control unit 47 controls the card pushing head 431 to reach the card stacking entrance waiting position.

[0132] During the stacking process, the card supply device 108 can determine how many stacks of tiles have entered the tile slot 312 based on the sensing signal from the stacking counting sensor 29. Once the required number of stacks is reached (e.g., the number required according to the current game mode), the card supply device 108 controls the stacking device 20 to pause or stop stacking, and simultaneously controls the pushing device 40 to push the tiles. Subsequently, if the storage sensor 35 senses the mahjong tiles 200 for the first time, it indicates that the pushing device 40 has pushed the stacks into place, with the first stack reaching the end of the tile slot 312.

[0133] In this case, the control device 108 can receive the sensing signal from the carrier sensor 35. When it senses that there are no mahjong tiles 200 on the carrier plate 52 (meaning that the original mahjong tiles 200 have been removed), it can directly control the tile-raising device 50 to raise the tiles, or wait a while and control the tile-raising device 50 to raise the tiles when the user wants to raise the tiles according to the tile-raising command input by the user from the operation panel 1021.

[0134] For example, in the one-time card-raising mode, since the stack of cards to be raised simultaneously contains both the starting hand and the cards to be drawn, the control device 108 does not need to determine whether there are still mahjong tiles 200 on the support plate 52. Instead, it controls the card-raising device 50 to raise the cards after the user inputs the card-raising command. In the two-card-raising mode, in the first card-raising (raising the starting hand), the control device 108 also does not need to determine whether there are still mahjong tiles 200 on the support plate 52. Instead, it controls the card-raising device 50 to raise the cards after the user inputs the card-raising command. However, in the second card-raising (raising the cards to be drawn), since the user may not have taken all the initial hand cards, the control device 108 needs to determine that there are no mahjong tiles 200 on the support plate 52 before directly controlling the card-raising device 50 to raise the cards.

[0135] Figure 24 This is a flowchart of the card-raising operation of the card-raising device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0136] like ​ As shown, in this embodiment, under the control of the control device 108, the card-raising device 50 performs the card-raising operation process including the following steps:

[0137] Step S1: The card-raising control unit 501 receives the sensing signal from the second swing sensor 62;

[0138] In step S2, the lifting control unit 501 determines the current position of the support plate 52 based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor 62. When it is in the downward swing position, it proceeds to step S5; when it is not in the downward swing position, it proceeds to step S3.

[0139] In step S3, the lifting control unit 501 controls the swing motor 53 to rotate, which drives the swing drive wheel 56 and the swing driven wheel 57 to rotate, thereby driving the swing linkage 55 to translate, so that the swing arm 54 drives the carrier plate 52 to swing down and the receiving end to descend. Steps S2 to S3 are repeated until the lifting control unit 501 determines the current position of the carrier plate 52 to the lower swing position based on the sensing signals of the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62, and then proceeds to step S4.

[0140] In step S4, the lifting control unit 501 controls the swing motor 53 to stop rotating, so that the support plate 52 is stationary in the lower swing position. At this time, the control device 108 can control the pushing device 40 to push the card to push the card block that needs to be put on the support plate 52 according to the judgment result that the position of the support plate 52 has reached the lower swing position. After the pushing head 431 reaches the waiting position of the lifting entrance, step S5 is entered.

[0141] In step S5, the lifting control unit 501 controls the swing motor 53 to rotate, which drives the swing drive wheel 56 and the swing driven wheel 57 to rotate, thereby driving the swing connecting rod 55 to translate, so that the swing arm 54 drives the support plate 52 to swing and the receiving end to rise, and then proceeds to step S6.

[0142] In step S6, the card-raising control unit 501 receives the sensing signal from the first swing sensor 61, and then proceeds to step S7;

[0143] In step S7, the card lifting control unit 501 determines the current position of the support plate 52 based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor 61. When the upper swing position is reached, the card lifting action ends.

[0144] After the tile-raising action is completed, the tile-raising control unit 501 continues to receive the sensing signal from the bearing sensor 502 and determines whether there are still mahjong tiles 200 on the receiving end. If mahjong tiles 200 can still be sensed, it means that the next tile-raising cannot be carried out. After mahjong tiles 200 are no longer sensed, the tile-raising control unit 501 determines that it is in a state where the next tile-raising can be carried out.

[0145] Subsequently, under the control of the control device 108, the tile-raising control unit 501 can perform the next tile-raising action based on the overall operation of other devices (e.g., whether the tile-pushing device 40 has pushed the first stack of tiles to the end of the tile slot 312), the sensing status of the load sensor 35, and / or the instructions input by the user.

[0146] Functions and effects of the embodiments

[0147] According to the tile-raising device, the tile-loading mechanism, and the mahjong machine containing the tile-raising device provided in this embodiment, since the swing sensing component includes a first swing sensor 61 and a second swing sensor 62, the swing driven wheel 57 is provided with a first swing sensing part 58 that cooperates with the first swing sensor 61 and corresponds to the upper swing position of the support plate 52, and a second swing sensing part 59 that cooperates with the second swing sensor 62 and corresponds to the lower swing position of the support plate 52. Furthermore, the tile-raising control unit 501 determines whether the support plate 52 has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor 61 and whether the support plate 52 has reached the lower swing position based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor 62. Therefore, the tile-raising control unit 501 can accurately determine the current position of the support plate 52. Regardless of the tile-loading method (e.g., tile loading once or tile loading twice) or if the user suddenly inputs a tile-loading command, the tile-raising device 50 can perform the tile-raising action in a timely, rapid, and accurate manner, making the mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment adaptable to various different application scenarios.

[0148] Furthermore, since the first swing sensor 58 and the second swing sensor 59 are located on different circumferences of the swing driven wheel 57, during the rotation of the swing driven wheel 57, the first swing sensor 61 will not sense the second swing sensor 59, and the second swing sensor 62 will not sense the first swing sensor 58. That is, there will be no mutual interference between the first swing sensor 58 and the second swing sensor 59. Therefore, the judgment result of the lifting control unit 501 is more accurate and will not affect the use process due to judgment errors.

[0149] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a load sensor 502 is present, it can also generate a corresponding sensing signal when there are still mahjong tiles 200 on the support plate 52. Therefore, the swing control unit 501 can determine whether the next tile-raising operation is possible based on the remaining mahjong tiles on the support plate 52. This allows it to combine the operation of other devices and the user's instructions to proceed with the next tile-raising operation. This method ensures that the next tile-raising operation will not occur until all the mahjong tiles 200 on the support plate 52 have been picked up, thus avoiding interference with the user's ability to pick up and use the remaining mahjong tiles 200.

[0150] Since the load sensor 502 is located at the edge of the receiving end of the load plate 52, even if only one mahjong tile 200 remains, the next tile-raising action will not begin. This avoids misjudgment when there are few mahjong tiles 200, which could lead to the next tile-raising action starting before all mahjong tiles 200 have been picked up, thus improving the user experience.

[0151] Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the technical solutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0152] For example, in the embodiment, both the first swing sensing part 58 and the second swing sensing part 59 are magnets, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are corresponding magnetic induction sensors. In this invention, as long as the corresponding cooperation between the first swing sensor 61 and the first swing sensing part 58 and the corresponding cooperation between the second swing sensor 62 and the second swing sensing part 59 can be achieved, other sensors and sensing parts can also be used. For example, the first swing sensing part 58 and the second swing sensing part 59 can be set as concave holes and / or protruding pillars with a specific depth or height, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 can both be set as distance sensors. The lifting control unit 501 can determine whether the sensing part has reached below the corresponding sensor based on the distance signals of the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62, and determine the position state of the support plate 52 accordingly.

[0153] Based on the above changes, further modifications can be made. Specifically, the first swing sensing part 58 can be configured as either a protruding post or a concave hole, and the second swing sensing part 59 can be configured as either a protruding post or a concave hole. Both can be arranged on the same circumference, and the overall height of the circumference is uniform except for the first swing sensing part 58 and the second swing sensing part 59. In this case, the swing sensing assembly can include only one distance sensor as the swing sensor. When the swing sensor detects a signal with a longer distance, it indicates that the concave hole is below it; when it detects a signal with a shorter distance, it indicates that the protruding post is below it; and when it detects a signal with a distance between the two, it indicates that neither the concave hole nor the protruding post is below it. The lifting control unit 501 can determine the position state of the support plate 52 based on these different signals.

[0154] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first swing sensing unit 58 and the second swing sensing unit 59 are located on the same diameter. However, in other embodiments, they may not be located on the same diameter. It is sufficient to adjust the positions of the two sensors so that the first swing sensor 61 can sense the first swing sensing unit 58 and the second swing sensor 62 can sense the second swing sensing unit 59.

Claims

1. A tile-lifting device, installed in a mahjong machine, for raising the delivered tile stacks to the tabletop, characterized in that, include: The supporting unit has a supporting plate for supporting the plaque holder; A swing unit raises and lowers the support plate, thereby swinging the support plate to load cards onto the card holders or swinging the support plate downwards to receive new card holders; and Upgrade control unit The swing unit includes a swing motor mounted below the card storage tray of the card storage device, a swing drive wheel mounted on the output shaft of the swing motor, a swing driven wheel meshing with the swing drive wheel, a swing linkage that can reciprocate and translate with the rotation of the swing driven wheel, a swing arm that can swing up and down with the translation of the swing linkage, and a swing sensing component that senses the rotational position of the swing driven wheel. One end of the swing arm is adapted to the support plate, thereby enabling the support plate to swing up and down by swinging up and down. The oscillating driven wheel is provided with a first oscillating sensing part that cooperates with the oscillating sensing component and corresponds to the upper oscillating position of the support plate, and a second oscillating sensing part that cooperates with the oscillating sensing component and corresponds to the lower oscillating position of the support plate. The lifting control unit is connected to the swing sensing component and the swing motor. It determines whether the support plate has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first swing sensing part, and determines whether the support plate has reached the lower swing position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second swing sensing part. It then controls the swing motor based on the determination results.

2. The card-raising device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The swing sensing assembly includes a first swing sensor that cooperates with the first swing sensing part and a second swing sensor that cooperates with the second swing sensing part. The lifting control unit determines whether the support plate has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor, and determines whether the support plate has reached the lower swing position based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor.

3. The card-raising device according to claim 2, characterized in that: in, Both the first and second swing sensing units are magnets, and both the first and second swing sensors are magnetic induction sensors. The first oscillation sensing unit and the second oscillation sensing unit are located on different circumferences of the oscillation driven wheel.

4. The card-raising device according to claim 2, characterized in that: in, The oscillating driven wheel has a track groove on one side surface, which has a distal end farthest from the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel and a proximal end closest to the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel. The swing linkage has rollers that slide within the track groove. When the roller is located at one of the distal end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the upper swing position and the first swing sensor is opposite to the first swing sensing part; when the roller is located at the other of the distal end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the lower swing position and the second swing sensor is opposite to the second swing sensing part.

5. The card-raising device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The swing sensing assembly includes a swing sensor capable of engaging with both the first swing sensing unit and the second swing sensing unit, wherein the swing sensor is a distance sensor. The first oscillation sensing part is one of a protruding post and a concave hole, and the second oscillation sensing part is the other of a protruding post and a concave hole, and the first oscillation sensing part and the second oscillation sensing part are located on the same circumference of the oscillation driven wheel. The lifting control unit determines whether the support plate is located at the upper swing position, the lower swing position, or between the upper swing position and the lower swing position based on the different sensing signals generated by the swing sensor on the surface of the protrusion, the concave hole, and the swing driven wheel.

6. The card-raising device according to claim 5, characterized in that: in, The oscillating driven wheel has a track groove on one side surface, which has a distal end farthest from the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel and a proximal end closest to the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel. The swing linkage has rollers that slide within the track groove. The track groove has a distal end that is farthest from the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel and a proximal end that is closest to the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel. When the roller is located at one of the distal end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the upper swing position and the swing sensor is opposite to the first swing sensing part; when it is located at the other of the distal end and the proximal end, the support plate reaches the lower swing position and the swing sensor is opposite to the second swing sensing part.

7. The card-raising device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The end of the support plate used to receive the new tile stack is equipped with a load sensor, which is used to sense whether there are still mahjong tiles on that end of the support plate. When the bearing sensor does not detect the mahjong tile, the tile-raising control unit determines that it is ready to raise the tile again.

8. The card-raising device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, One end of the swing linkage is provided with drive teeth arranged in a straight line. One end of the swing arm is provided with a swing shaft for rotational mounting, and the swing shaft is provided with swing shaft teeth that match the drive teeth and are distributed circumferentially along the swing shaft.

9. A card-adding mechanism, installed in a mahjong machine, characterized in that, include: A tile feeding device is used to pick up and feed mahjong tiles from a shuffling mechanism. A stacking device is used to stack the mahjong tiles supplied by the tile supply device to form a tile stack; A storage device for storing the card holders; A card-pushing device for pushing and conveying the card stacks; and The card-lifting device is used to raise the delivered card stacks to the tabletop. The card-raising device is the card-raising device according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A mahjong machine, characterized in that, include: A shuffling mechanism used to shuffle mahjong tiles; Multiple issuing mechanisms are used to issue the shuffled mahjong tiles. The vehicle registration agency is the same as the vehicle registration agency described in claim 9.

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