Tile feeding device and mahjong machine

Abstract

The application provides a tile feeding device and a mahjong machine. The tile feeding device comprises a tile feeding frame, a tile suction wheel, a synchronous belt assembly, a tile feeding driver and a driving gear. Since the tile feeding frame is detachably mounted on a tile lifting bearing frame of a tile lifting device, and other components of the tile feeding device are arranged on the tile feeding frame, the tile feeding device can be installed or detached as a whole module, so that the condition of the tile feeding synchronous belt can be conveniently checked, the position of the synchronous belt can be corrected, or another tile feeding device can be replaced, so that the checking and maintenance of the components of the tile feeding device are more convenient. Since the synchronous belt assembly is arranged between the tile suction wheel and the tile stacking device, that is, the tile feeding synchronous belt is no longer sleeved on the tile suction wheel, but takes the mahjong tiles from the tile suction wheel, so that the tile feeding synchronous belt can be prevented from being impacted when the mahjong tiles are sucked, so that the service life of the tile feeding synchronous belt can be prolonged, the frequency of checking and replacing the synchronous belt can be reduced, and the tile feeding synchronous belt can be prevented from being deviated due to the impact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of mahjong machine entertainment equipment, specifically relating to a tile supply device and a mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0002] A mahjong machine is an entertainment device that allows multiple users to play simultaneously, saving users the trouble of shuffling and stacking tiles, thus providing a better gaming experience. A mahjong machine typically has a shuffling mechanism for shuffling the tiles, and multiple tile-dispensing mechanisms for stacking and placing the shuffled tiles onto the table for multiple users. The tile-dispensing mechanisms usually consist of four sets. Each set typically includes a tile-feeding device for drawing tiles from the shuffling tray and conveying them a certain distance, a tile-stacking device for receiving tiles from the tile-feeding device and stacking two tiles together to form a tile stack, a tile-storing device for storing the tile stacks, and a tile-pushing and tile-lifting device that work together to push the stored tile stacks onto the table.

[0003] The commonly used structure for tile feeding devices typically includes a tile-collecting wheel with embedded magnets, a belt mounted on the wheel, a transmission structure and motor that drives the belt to rotate and synchronously rotate the wheel, and a frame for mounting these components. After being attracted by the wheel, the mahjong tiles move with the belt and are transported to the tile-stacking device. In this structure, because the mahjong tiles frequently impact the belt as they are attracted, the belt is prone to premature aging and even cracking. The belt is also prone to misalignment due to the impacts. Therefore, after a period of use, to ensure a good gaming experience, the timing belt needs to be inspected, and if necessary, its position needs to be corrected or replaced.

[0004] However, due to limitations in room size and the need for multiple users to play, mahjong machines cannot be too large. The tile-feeding mechanism typically employs a very compact design, with components of the tile feeding device and other parts of the tile-feeding mechanism mounted on the same frame. This makes inspecting, aligning, and replacing the belt assembly inconvenient and time-consuming. When users disassemble the mahjong machine to inspect or replace the belt, the compact structure of the tile-feeding mechanism can easily damage or affect other components, causing inconvenience and frustration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses the aforementioned problems by providing a tile-feeding device that facilitates inspection and replacement, as well as a mahjong machine employing this device. The invention utilizes the following technical solution:

[0006] This invention provides a tile feeding device, installed in a mahjong machine having a shuffling tray, a stacking device, and a lifting device. The lifting device has a lifting support frame. The tile feeding device has the following technical features: a tile feeding frame, detachably mounted on the lifting support frame; a tile suction wheel, rotatably mounted on the tile feeding frame for suctioning mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray; a timing belt assembly, mounted on the tile feeding frame and located between the suction wheel and the stacking device, having a timing belt and a timing belt drive pulley for driving the timing belt to rotate, the timing belt for receiving the mahjong tiles from the suction wheel and conveying the mahjong tiles to the stacking device; a tile feeding driver; and a drive gear, mounted at the output end of the tile feeding driver, wherein one end of the suction wheel is a suction wheel gear portion, which is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear from one side, and one end of the timing belt drive pulley is a timing belt pulley gear portion, which is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear from the other side.

[0007] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: it further includes a card suction wheel cover, which is fitted on the card suction wheel. The card suction wheel also has a card suction wheel body part coaxially arranged with the card suction wheel gear part. A card suction magnet is provided on the inner side of the body part for adsorbing the mahjong tiles embedded with magnetic material. The card suction wheel body part is cylindrical, and the card suction wheel cover includes a wheel body covering part that covers the outer peripheral surface of the card suction wheel body part.

[0008] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: a card suction wheel cover made of a quiet and wear-resistant material, which is fitted on the card suction wheel. The card suction wheel also has a card limiting flange disposed between the card suction wheel gear part and the card suction wheel body part, and protrudes radially relative to the card suction wheel body part. The card suction wheel cover also includes a flange fitting part integrally formed with the wheel body covering part, which fits against the surface of the card limiting flange facing the card suction wheel body part.

[0009] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the card-collecting wheel body includes a plurality of flat plate portions and a plurality of arc-shaped portions spaced apart. The arc-shaped portions are disposed between two adjacent flat plate portions and protrude radially outward. The outer surface of the portion of the wheel body covering the flat plate portions is flat and is used to contact one surface of the mahjong tile in the thickness direction. The card-collecting wheel also includes a plurality of magnet mounting portions, which are respectively disposed on the inner side of each flat plate portion. The magnet mounting portions have magnet mounting holes for fitting and mounting one or more card-collecting magnets.

[0010] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features, wherein the synchronous belt assembly further includes at least two synchronous belt driven pulleys, including a first synchronous belt driven pulley disposed next to the card suction pulley and a second synchronous belt driven pulley disposed next to the card stacking device. The card feeding synchronous belt is fitted onto the synchronous belt driving pulley and the plurality of synchronous belt driven pulleys. The card feeding synchronous belt between the first synchronous belt driven pulley and the second synchronous belt driven pulley is its card feeding conveying section. The height of the second synchronous belt driven pulley is higher than the height of the first synchronous belt driven pulley, so that the card feeding conveying section is inclined upward along its conveying direction.

[0011] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: each of the driven pulleys of the synchronous belt has a guide protrusion in the middle; the inner surface of the card feeding synchronous belt has a guide groove in the middle that matches the guide protrusion; the guide protrusion is embedded in the guide groove; the driving pulley of the synchronous belt has a driving pulley body and two synchronous belt limiting flanges disposed at both ends of the driving pulley body; the card feeding synchronous belt is fitted on the driving pulley body and located between the two synchronous belt limiting flanges.

[0012] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: on both sides of the guide protrusion of the synchronous belt driven pulley, there are two driven pulley bodies; the outer periphery of the driving pulley body and the driven pulley body have multiple synchronous belt teeth; on the inner surface of the card feeding synchronous belt, on both sides of the guide groove, there are multiple mating tooth grooves that match the synchronous belt teeth; and the protrusion distance of the synchronous belt limiting flange is greater than the thickness of the card feeding synchronous belt.

[0013] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features, wherein the card feeding frame includes: a card feeding main frame body, detachably mounted on a card lifting support frame; and a component protection plate, fixed on the card feeding main frame body, wherein the card feeding main frame body and the component protection plate are respectively provided with multiple pairs of synchronous belt pulley mounting holes for mounting the synchronous belt driving pulley and the synchronous belt driven pulley, and one end of the card lifting support frame has: a main frame fixing part, which is strip-shaped and has multiple frame fixing holes; and a protection plate fixing part, which is plate-shaped matching the component protection plate and has multiple protection plate fixing holes, the upper end of the card feeding main frame body has multiple frame mounting holes corresponding to the multiple frame fixing holes, and the component protection plate has multiple protection plate mounting holes corresponding to the multiple protection plate fixing holes.

[0014] The card feeding device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features, wherein the main frame of the card feeding device further comprises: a circular groove for mounting the card suction wheel, wherein at least the card suction wheel gear portion of the card suction wheel is accommodated in the circular groove; an irregular groove communicating with one side of the circular groove, wherein the drive gear and at least the drive wheel gear portion of the synchronous belt drive pulley are accommodated in the irregular groove; and a component protection plate is disposed on the irregular groove to cover the drive gear, the synchronous belt drive pulley, and a portion of the card feeding synchronous belt.

[0015] The present invention provides a mahjong machine having the following technical features: a shuffling tray for holding and shuffling multiple mahjong tiles; a stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles into a stack; and a feeding device for absorbing the mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray and feeding them to the stacking device, wherein the feeding device is the aforementioned feeding device.

[0016] The role and effect of invention

[0017] According to the present invention, the tile feeding device and mahjong machine include a tile feeding frame, a tile suction wheel, a timing belt assembly, a tile feeding driver, and a drive gear. Since the tile feeding frame is detachably mounted on the tile lifting support frame of the tile lifting device, and other components of the tile feeding device are mounted on the tile feeding frame, the tile feeding device can be installed or disassembled as a single module. This allows for convenient inspection of the timing belt, correction of its position, or replacement with another tile feeding device, making the inspection and maintenance of the components more convenient. Furthermore, since the timing belt assembly is located between the tile suction wheel and the tile stacking device, meaning the timing belt is no longer fitted onto the tile suction wheel but instead receives the mahjong tiles from it, impact on the timing belt during tile suction is avoided. This extends the lifespan of the timing belt, reduces the frequency of inspection and replacement, and prevents the timing belt from slipping due to tile impact. This also avoids noise and interference with the normal operation of other components in the tile feeding mechanism caused by timing belt slippage. Furthermore, one end of the card-collecting wheel and one end of the synchronous belt drive wheel are both configured as gears, and they mesh with the drive gears from both sides respectively. Therefore, the card-collecting wheel and the synchronous belt assembly can be synchronously driven by the same card-feeding driver and drive gear, so that the running speed of the two is basically the same. This allows the card-feeding synchronous belt to stably pick up mahjong tiles from the card-collecting wheel, and there is no need to set separate drivers for the two, which avoids increasing the number of parts and keeps the card-feeding device with fewer parts and a compact structure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a portion of the mahjong machine structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the vehicle registration mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the vehicle registration mechanism from another angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the card-supplying device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the partial structure of the card feeding device and the card stacking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the card holder in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the lifting support frame in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of a portion of the card-feeding device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 9 This is an orthographic projection of the card-supplying device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the card-absorbing wheel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 11 These are perspective views of the card-collecting wheel at different angles in embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the synchronous belt component in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] Mahjong machine 100; Card feeding mechanism 101; Card supply device 10; Card suction wheel 11; Card suction wheel gear part 111; Card suction wheel body part 112; Flat part 1121; Arc-shaped part 1122; Card suction wheel fixing hole 1124; Card limiting flange 113; Magnet mounting part 114; Magnet mounting hole 1141; Card supply frame 12; Card supply main frame 121; Frame mounting hole 1211; Circular groove 1212; Irregular groove 1213 groove; 1214 mounting protrusion; 1215 slot; 1216 fitting protrusion; 122 component protection plate; 1221 timing belt pulley mounting hole; 1222 protection plate mounting hole; 13 timing belt assembly; 131 timing belt drive pulley; 1311 timing belt pulley gear section; 1312 extension; 1313 drive pulley body section; 13131 timing belt tooth; 1314 timing belt limiting flange; 1314 first timing belt driven pulley 132; Driven wheel body 1321; Synchronous belt tooth 13211; Guide protrusion 1322; Second synchronous belt driven wheel 133; Card feeding synchronous belt 134; Card feeding conveyor section 1341; Receiving end 1341a; Feeding end 1341b; Guide groove 1342; Card feeding motor 14; Output shaft 141; Drive gear 15; Card suction wheel cover 16; Wheel body covering part 161; Adsorption surface 1611; Flange with fitting part 1 62; Stacking device 20; Stacking block 21; Stacking motor 24; Dispensing block 25; Storage device 30; Storage slot 31; Pushing device 40; Lifting device 50; Lifting support frame 51; Main frame fixing part 511; Frame fixing hole 5111; Protective plate fixing part 512; Protective plate fixing hole 5121; Receiving slot 513; Shuffling mechanism 102; Shuffling plate 1021; Lower frame 106; Mahjong tiles 200. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of the present invention easy to understand, the following describes the card supply device and mahjong machine of the present invention in detail with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the mahjong machine portion of the structure in this embodiment. Figure 1 The table frame and part of the outer casing are omitted to show the internal structure of the mahjong machine.

[0034] like Figure 1As shown, the mahjong machine 100 includes a shuffling mechanism 102 and multiple tile-loading mechanisms 101. The shuffling mechanism 102 is used to shuffle the tiles, and the tile-loading mechanisms 101 are used to retrieve mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism 102 and stack them into a tile pile for placement on the table. The mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment can be used by four users simultaneously, and correspondingly, four tile-loading mechanisms 101 are provided. The mahjong machine 100 also has a table frame mechanism, which includes an outer frame, a tabletop, and a lower frame 106 that supports the tabletop and other mechanisms. The bottom of the lower frame 106 is provided with table legs for support on the ground. The shuffling mechanism 102 is located in the middle of the lower frame 106, and the four tile-loading mechanisms 101 are respectively located at the four corners of the lower frame 106.

[0035] In this embodiment, the shuffling mechanism 102 adopts a structure from the prior art, therefore only its parts related to the card-adding mechanism 101 will be briefly described. The shuffling mechanism 102 includes a shuffling tray 1021 for holding and shuffling multiple mahjong tiles.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the vehicle registration mechanism in this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the vehicle registration mechanism from another angle in this embodiment.

[0037] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the tile-feeding mechanism 101 includes a tile-feeding device 10, a tile-stacking device 20, a tile-storing device 30, a tile-pushing device 40, and a tile-lifting device 50. The tile-feeding device 10 is positioned between the shuffling tray 1021 and the tile-stacking device 20, and is used to pick up mahjong tiles 200 from the shuffling tray 1021 and transport them to the tile-stacking device 20. The tile-stacking device 20 is used to stack the single mahjong tiles transported by the tile-feeding device 10, forming stacks of two tiles each. The tile-storing device 30 has a tile-storing slot 31 for storing a certain number of stacks. The tile-pushing device 40 is used to push the stacks in the tile-storing slot 31 to supply them to the tile-lifting device 50. The tile-lifting device 50 is used to place the stacks onto the tabletop.

[0038] In this embodiment, apart from the card supply device 10, the other devices in the card loading mechanism 101 can adopt the corresponding structures in the prior art, so they will not be described in detail. The following mainly describes in detail the structure of the card supply device 10 and part of the structure of the card stacking device 20 that cooperates with the card supply device 10.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the card-feeding device in this embodiment. Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the structure of the card feeding device and the card stacking device in this embodiment.

[0040] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the card stacking device 20 includes a card stacking unit and a card-dispensing unit. The card stacking unit includes a height-adjustable card stacking block 21, a card stacking block drive rod, a card stacking drive wheel (not shown in the figure), a card stacking motor 24, and a card-dispensing block 25. Driven by the card stacking motor 24, the card stacking drive wheel rotates, causing the card stacking block drive rod to swing up and down. This, in turn, drives the card stacking block 21 to move up and down through the movable end of the card stacking block drive rod, thereby cooperating with the card supply device 10 to stack cards. After stacking into a card pile, the card-dispensing block 25 can dispense the card pile into the card storage slot 31. According to the size design of the card stacking block drive rod 22 and the card stacking drive wheel 23, the card stacking block 21 can rise to a predetermined first card stacking height and fall to a predetermined second card stacking height. The upper surface of the card stacking block 21 is flat and is used to place the mahjong tiles 200.

[0041] The card feeding device 10 includes a card suction wheel 11, a card feeding frame 12, a timing belt assembly 13, a card feeding motor 14 (card feeding driver), and a drive gear 15.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the card holder in this embodiment.

[0043] like Figure 6 As shown, the card supply frame 12 includes a main card supply frame 121 and a component protection plate 122.

[0044] The main frame 121 of the card supply system is an irregularly shaped plate, its overall shape being close to a rectangular plate with a certain curvature. Multiple columnar protrusions are distributed along the upper edge and one side edge of the main frame 121, each with mounting holes 1211. A circular groove 1212 is formed in the middle of the main frame 121, with a through hole in the center of the bottom for mounting and accommodating the card-collecting wheel 11. On one side of the circular groove 1212, the main frame 121 also has an irregularly shaped receiving groove 1213 communicating with the circular groove 1212, for accommodating components such as the drive gear 15 and the card-supplying timing belt 134. A raised assembly protrusion 1214 is formed around the periphery of the irregularly shaped receiving groove 1213 for mounting the component protection plate 122. Multiple mounting holes are also formed at the assembly protrusion 1214. Furthermore, one end of the main card supply frame 121 is stepped along its length, and this end has a slot 1215 and multiple fitting protrusions 1216. The lower frame 106 has a matching assembly structure. When the card supply frame 12 is installed on the lower frame 106, one side of the circular groove 1212 faces the card suction plate 1021, forming an opening facing the card suction plate 1021.

[0045] The component protection plate 122 is an irregularly shaped plate, with one end being semi-circular along its length, parallel to the bottom surface of the circular groove 1212, for mounting the card-collecting wheel 11 in conjunction with the circular groove 1212. The other end of the component protection plate 122 has a protruding structure that matches the assembly protrusion 1214 and is fixed to the assembly protrusion 1214, partially concealing the irregularly shaped groove 1213. Multiple protection plate mounting holes 1222 are distributed on the component protection plate 122. Multiple pairs of synchronous pulley mounting holes 1221 are formed on the card-feeding main frame 121 and the component protection plate 122.

[0046] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the lifting support frame in this embodiment.

[0047] like Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, the card-lifting device 50 has a card-lifting support frame 51 for mounting its components, which is fixed to the lower frame 106 and to the outer side of the card storage slot 31. The card-lifting support frame 51 is a complex irregular-shaped component, with a main frame fixing part 511 and a protective plate fixing part 512 at one end in the length direction.

[0048] The main frame fixing part 511 is elongated and has multiple columnar protrusions distributed on it. The columnar protrusions have frame fixing holes 5111, which are used to cooperate with the corresponding frame mounting holes 1211 to fix the main frame 121 of the card supply to the card lifting support frame 51.

[0049] The protective plate fixing part 512 is an irregular plate shape corresponding to the component protective plate 122. Multiple columnar protrusions are distributed on the side surface facing the component protective plate 122. The columnar protrusions have protective plate fixing holes 5121 for cooperating with the corresponding protective plate mounting holes 1222 to fix the component protective plate 122 on the lifting support frame 51.

[0050] Furthermore, a receiving groove 513 matching the card supply frame 12 is formed between the main frame fixing part 511 and the protective plate fixing part 512. The component protective plate 122 of the card supply frame 12, as well as the card suction wheel 11 and the timing belt assembly 13 installed on the card supply frame 12, can be accommodated in the receiving groove 513.

[0051] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the structure of the card-feeding device in this embodiment. Figure 9 This is a frontal projection of the card-supplying device in this embodiment.

[0052] like Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, the card feeding motor 14 is fixed on the card feeding frame 12, and its output shaft 141 is horizontally arranged. The drive gear 15 is installed on its output shaft 141. Furthermore, the card feeding motor 14 is fixed on the outside of the card feeding main frame 121 (the side away from the shuffling plate 1021), and its output shaft 141 extends through the corresponding through hole on the card feeding main frame 121 to the inside of the card feeding main frame 121. The drive gear 15 is accommodated in the irregular groove 1213.

[0053] The card-suction wheel 11 is rotatably mounted in the circular groove 1212 of the card-supply rack 12 for suctioning mahjong tiles 200 from the shuffling tray 1021 through the aforementioned opening.

[0054] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the card-collecting wheel in this embodiment. Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the card-collecting wheel at different angles in this embodiment.

[0055] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, the card-collecting wheel 11 includes a card-collecting wheel driven gear portion 111 and a card-collecting wheel body portion 112 coaxially arranged, and a card-limiting flange 113 forming a circle is provided between the card-collecting wheel gear portion 111 and the card-collecting wheel body portion 112. The card-collecting wheel 111 also includes a plurality of magnet mounting portions 114 disposed on the inner side of the card-collecting wheel 111.

[0056] The card suction wheel gear section 111 is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear 15. Multiple columnar protrusions are formed on the inner ring of the card suction wheel gear section 111, and the columnar protrusions have card suction wheel fixing holes 1124 for fixing the card suction wheel 11 to the card supply main frame 121.

[0057] The card-collecting wheel body 112 is cylindrical, consisting of three spaced-apart flat sections 1121 and three arc-shaped sections 1122. The flat sections 1121 are rectangular plates, and their dimensions match the dimensions of the mahjong tiles 200. All three flat sections 1121 are the same size. The arc-shaped sections 1122 are arc-shaped plates, connecting adjacent flat sections 1121 and forming a radially outward convex arc shape.

[0058] The card limiting flange 113 is annular and protrudes outward along the radial direction of the card suction wheel 111 from between the card suction wheel gear part 111 and the card suction wheel body part 112. It is used to limit the mahjong card 200 that is attracted to the card suction wheel 11 and prevent the mahjong card 200 from shifting to the side of the card feeding motor 14.

[0059] The magnet mounting part 114 is a flat rectangular block with a missing corner, and is located on the inner side of the flat plate part 1121. The magnet mounting part 114 has a magnet mounting hole 1141 extending along the axial direction of the card-attracting wheel 11, which is used to fit and install one or more card-attracting magnets to attract mahjong tiles 200.

[0060] In this embodiment, the card suction wheel 11 is a one-piece molded part.

[0061] In addition, a suction wheel cover 16 is fitted onto the suction wheel 11. This cover is made of a quiet and wear-resistant material, which prevents wear on the surface of the suction wheel 11 caused by the impact of the mahjong tiles 200 on the suction wheel 11 when the tiles are being absorbed. It also minimizes the noise generated by the impact of the mahjong tiles 200 on the suction wheel 11. In this embodiment, the suction wheel cover 16 is made of silicone.

[0062] The card-collecting wheel cover 16 includes an integrally formed wheel body fitting portion 161 and a flange fitting portion 162. The wheel body covering portion 161 covers and fits onto the outside of the card-collecting wheel body portion 112, and the outer surface of the wheel body covering portion 161 at the flat portion 1121 is the adsorption surface 1611, which is generally flat. The flange fitting portion 162 is generally fitted onto the side surface of the card-limiting flange 113 facing the card-collecting wheel body portion 112. One surface of the mahjong tile 200 adsorbed by the card-collecting wheel 11 in the thickness direction contacts the outer surface of the wheel body covering portion 161, and one surface in the length direction contacts the outer surface of the flange fitting portion 162. Therefore, the mahjong tile 200 can be completely kept away from the card-collecting wheel 11 itself.

[0063] Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the synchronous belt component in this embodiment.

[0064] like Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 12 As shown, the timing belt assembly 13 includes a timing belt drive pulley 131, a first timing belt driven pulley 132, a second timing belt driven pulley 133, and a timing belt 134 for feeding.

[0065] The first driven pulley 132 is positioned near the card-feeding wheel 11, and the second driven pulley 133 is positioned near the card-stacking blocks of the card-stacking device 30. The driving pulley 131 is positioned below the first driven pulley 132 and the second driven pulley 133, and is relatively closer to the second driven pulley 133. The driving pulley 131, the first driven pulley 132, and the second driven pulley 133 form a triangular arrangement. The axial directions of the driving pulley 131, the first driven pulley 132, and the second driven pulley 133 are all aligned with the axial direction of the card-feeding wheel 11, and are all in the same horizontal direction. The card-feeding synchronous belt 134 is fitted onto the driving pulley 131, the first driven pulley 132, and the second driven pulley 133 and is tensioned, allowing it to rotate under the drive of the driving pulley 131. Viewed from the side, the timing belt 134 for feeding tiles forms a triangular loop. The section between the first timing belt driven pulley 132 and the second timing belt driven pulley 133 is straight. This section is the tile feeding conveyor section 1341 used to carry and transport the mahjong tiles 200.

[0066] That is, in this embodiment, the card feeding timing belt 134 is set between the card suction wheel 11 and the card stacking block 21, and is no longer fitted on the card suction wheel 11.

[0067] The first driven pulley 132 of the synchronous belt is generally cylindrical, with two driven pulley bodies 1321 on its axial sides. The structure of the driven pulley bodies 1321 is basically the same as that of synchronous belt pulleys in the prior art. Multiple synchronous belt teeth 13211 are distributed on its outer periphery, and a tooth groove is formed between adjacent synchronous belt teeth 13211. In this embodiment, the structure and dimensions of the two driven pulley bodies 1321 are identical, and each synchronous belt tooth 13211 is aligned axially. The central part of the first driven pulley 132 of the synchronous belt is flattened cylindrical, and the radius of this part is equal to or greater than the radius at the tip of the synchronous belt tooth 13221. Therefore, a guide protrusion 1322 is formed in the central part of the first driven pulley 132 of the synchronous belt in the axial direction, protruding outward in the radial direction relative to the tooth groove on the outer periphery. The width of the guide protrusion 1322 is approximately 1 / 5 to 1 / 4 of the axial length of the first driven pulley 132 of the synchronous belt.

[0068] The structure and dimensions of the second synchronous belt driven pulley 133 are the same as those of the first synchronous belt driven pulley 132, so they will not be described again.

[0069] In this embodiment, the timing belt assembly 13 is provided with two timing belt driven pulleys. Optionally, timing belt driven pulleys with similar structures can also be appropriately provided in other positions to better guide the timing belt 134 for the card supply, making the movement of the timing belt 134 smoother.

[0070] The synchronous belt drive pulley 131 includes a synchronous belt pulley driven gear portion 1311, an extension portion 1312, and a drive pulley body portion 1313 arranged coaxially in sequence. Furthermore, a synchronous belt limiting flange 1314 is formed at each of the axial ends of the drive pulley body portion 1313. The synchronous belt pulley gear portion 1311 is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear 15, and the synchronous belt pulley gear portion 1311 and the card-feeding wheel gear portion 1111 are located on opposite sides of the drive gear 15. The extension portion 1312 is cylindrical, and its diameter is smaller than that of the synchronous belt pulley gear portion 1311. The axial length of the extension portion 1312 allows the card-feeding synchronous belt 134 to be positioned relatively further away from the card-feeding motor 14, thereby aligning with the position of the card-feeding wheel 11. The structure of the driving pulley body 1313 is basically the same as that of the synchronous belt pulley in the prior art. It has multiple synchronous belt teeth 13131 on its outer periphery, and the cross-sectional shape and size of the synchronous belt teeth 13131 in the axial direction are the same as the cross-sectional shape and size of the synchronous belt teeth 13211 on the first synchronous belt driven pulley 132. Two synchronous belt limiting flanges 1314 protrude radially outward relative to the driving pulley body 1313. They are two parallel rings. The distance between the two synchronous belt limiting flanges 1314 is slightly larger than the width of the feeding synchronous belt 134. The protrusion distance of the synchronous belt limiting flanges 1314 (that is, the width of the ring) is greater than the thickness of the feeding synchronous belt 134. Thus, during the rotation of the feeding synchronous belt 134, it plays a limiting role on the feeding synchronous belt 134 and prevents the feeding synchronous belt 134 from running off-center in the axial direction of the synchronous belt driving pulley 131.

[0071] The timing belt 134 is a timing belt with a guide groove 1341 in the middle of its inner surface width direction that matches the guide protrusion 1322. On both sides of its inner surface width direction, there are multiple mating tooth grooves (not shown in the figure) that match the timing belt teeth 13211. The guide protrusions 1322 in the middle of the first timing belt driven pulley 132 and the second timing belt driven pulley 133 are respectively embedded in the guide groove 1341, thereby guiding the timing belt 134 during rotation and preventing it from deviating axially from the first timing belt driven pulley 132 and the second timing belt driven pulley 133.

[0072] In this embodiment, a plurality of magnets are installed on the card-collecting wheel 11, and each mahjong tile 200 is inlaid with a 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 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 transferred from the card-collecting wheel 11 to the card-feeding synchronous belt 134 on the side, and are conveyed by the card-feeding synchronous belt 134 to the stacking device 20.

[0073] like Figure 9 As shown, the first synchronous belt driven pulley 132 is disposed on one side of the card-collecting wheel body 112 and near the upper end of the card-collecting wheel body 112, such that the upper surface of the card-feeding conveying section 1341 of the card-feeding synchronous belt 134 near the receiving end 1341a of the card-collecting wheel body 112 is approximately flush with the upper end of the card-collecting wheel body 112, thereby allowing the mahjong tiles 200 to be smoothly received from the upper end of the card-collecting wheel body 112. The distance between the first synchronous belt driven pulley 132 and the upper end of the card-collecting wheel body 112 is less than half the width of a mahjong tile 200.

[0074] The installation height of the second synchronous belt driven pulley 133 is slightly higher than that of the first synchronous belt driven pulley 132, so that the upper surface of the feeding end 1341b of the card feeding synchronous belt 134, which is away from the card suction wheel body 112, is higher than the upper surface of the receiving end 1341a. The card feeding conveying section 1341 is slightly inclined, with an inclination angle of 3° to 8° relative to the horizontal direction. This can prevent the mahjong tiles 200 from sliding or rolling along the card feeding synchronous belt 134 due to the high conveying speed during the conveying process, making the conveying of the mahjong tiles 200 more stable.

[0075] The second synchronous belt driven wheel 133 is positioned on one side of the stacking block 21, approximately at the first stacking height. This ensures that the end of the feeding section 1341 near the stacking block 21 is roughly flush with the upper surface of the stacking block 21 at the first stacking height, and the distance between the second synchronous belt driven wheel 133 and the stacking block 21 is less than half the width of a mahjong tile 200. This allows for the smooth feeding of a mahjong tile 200 onto the stacking block 21 at the first stacking height. Subsequently, when the stacking block 21 descends to the predetermined second stacking height, the end of the feeding section 1341 near the stacking block 21 is roughly flush with the upper surface of the mahjong tile 200 on the stacking block 21 at the second stacking height, allowing for the smooth feeding of another mahjong tile 200 onto top of it, forming a stacked tile pile.

[0076] And, as Figure 4 As shown, the synchronous belt assembly 13, the card feeding motor 14, and the drive gear 15 are all fixed on the card feeding frame 12. The card feeding frame 12 is detachably installed on the lower frame 106 and one end of the card lifting support frame 60. That is, the card feeding device 10 can be assembled into the card feeding mechanism 101 as an integral module, or it can be removed from the card feeding mechanism 101 as an integral module for maintenance or overall replacement.

[0077] Moreover, such as Figure 4As shown, when the card feeding device 10 is disassembled as a whole module, most of the card feeding timing belt 134 (except for the card feeding conveyor section 1341), part of the card suction wheel 11, the timing belt drive wheel 131, the drive gear 15, etc. are housed inside the card feeding frame 12, and the card suction wheel 11 is covered and protected by the card suction wheel cover 16. Therefore, the components in the card feeding device 10 are not easily damaged or subject to relative positional shifts during or after disassembly.

[0078] The role and effect of the embodiments

[0079] According to the tile feeding device and mahjong machine provided in this embodiment, the tile feeding device includes a tile feeding frame, a tile suction wheel, a timing belt assembly, a tile feeding driver, and a drive gear. Since the tile feeding frame is detachably mounted on the tile lifting support frame of the tile lifting device, and other components of the tile feeding device are mounted on the tile feeding frame, the tile feeding device can be installed or disassembled as a single module. This allows for convenient inspection of the timing belt, correction of its position, or replacement with another tile feeding device, making the inspection and maintenance of the components more convenient. Furthermore, because the timing belt assembly is located between the tile suction wheel and the tile stacking device—meaning the timing belt is no longer fitted onto the tile suction wheel but instead receives the mahjong tiles from it—impact on the timing belt during tile suction is avoided. This extends the lifespan of the timing belt, reduces the frequency of inspection and replacement, and prevents the timing belt from slipping due to tile impact. This also avoids noise and interference with the normal operation of other components in the tile feeding mechanism caused by timing belt slippage. Furthermore, one end of the card-collecting wheel and one end of the synchronous belt drive wheel are both configured as gears, and they mesh with the drive gears from both sides respectively. Therefore, the card-collecting wheel and the synchronous belt assembly can be synchronously driven by the same card-feeding driver and drive gear, so that the running speed of the two is basically the same. This allows the card-feeding synchronous belt to stably pick up mahjong tiles from the card-collecting wheel, and there is no need to set separate drivers for the two, which avoids increasing the number of parts and keeps the card-feeding device with fewer parts and a compact structure.

[0080] In this embodiment, the two synchronous belts of the synchronous belt assembly have guide protrusions in the middle of their driven parts, and the inner surface of the synchronous belt has a ring of guide grooves that match the guide protrusions. Therefore, the synchronous belt can be guided and limited axially by the synchronous belt driven wheel through the cooperation of the guide protrusions and guide grooves, which can further prevent the synchronous belt from running off-center, thereby extending the service life of the synchronous belt and ensuring that the feeding device can work stably for a long time.

[0081] Furthermore, both driven pulleys of the synchronous belt are synchronous pulleys, and the driving pulley of the synchronous belt also has a synchronous pulley section. The synchronous belt for feeding the tiles is a corresponding synchronous pulley. Therefore, the conveying accuracy of the mahjong tiles is high, and it can achieve good conveying coordination with the tile suction wheels and stacking blocks on both sides.

[0082] Furthermore, the width of a guide protrusion is only 1 / 5 to 1 / 4 of the axial length of the driven pulley of the synchronous belt. The guide groove is located in the middle of the width direction of the feeding synchronous belt, and the width of the guide groove is also significantly smaller than the width of the feeding synchronous belt. Therefore, while the guide protrusion and guide groove play a guiding and limiting role, their setting will not affect the normal operation of the synchronous belt.

[0083] Furthermore, the driving pulley of the synchronous belt is provided with synchronous belt limiting flanges at both ends of the driving pulley body. The width of the flanges is greater than the thickness of the supply synchronous belt, so they can form a clamping shape on the supply synchronous belt in the width direction, further preventing the supply synchronous belt from deviating.

[0084] Furthermore, the first synchronous belt driven pulley is positioned near the upper end of the suction wheel body, with the distance between them being less than half the width of a mahjong tile. Therefore, the feeding synchronous belt can stably pick up mahjong tiles from the suction wheel, preventing tiles from getting stuck between them or deflecting. Similarly, because the second synchronous belt driven pulley is positioned near the upper end of the stacking block, and the distance between them is less than half the width of a mahjong tile, the feeding synchronous belt can stably transport mahjong tiles to the stacking block, again preventing tiles from getting stuck between them or deflecting.

[0085] Furthermore, since the installation height of the second synchronous belt driven pulley is higher than that of the first synchronous belt driven pulley, the tile feeding section of the synchronous belt between the two is set slightly upward along its feeding direction. This can prevent the mahjong tiles on this section from sliding or rolling forward undesirably when the feeding speed is relatively fast, thus making the mahjong tile feeding more stable.

[0086] In this embodiment, a wear-resistant cover made of a card-collecting material is fitted onto the card-collecting wheel. The card-collecting wheel cover covers the entire outer circumference of the card-collecting wheel body and fits against the surface of a card-limiting flange. Therefore, when collecting mahjong tiles, the front and one side of the mahjong tile are in contact with the card-collecting wheel cover, but not with the card-collecting wheel itself. Thus, the card-collecting wheel cover can buffer and protect the card-collecting wheel, preventing the mahjong tiles from impacting the card-collecting wheel and damaging its surface, which could lead to unstable card collection. Furthermore, after a long period of use, if the card-collecting wheel cover is worn, it can be replaced separately without replacing the card-collecting wheel, making subsequent maintenance more convenient and cost-effective.

[0087] Furthermore, the suction wheel body has multiple flat sections, the suction wheel cover has a uniform thickness, and the outer surface of the suction wheel cover covering the flat sections is basically flat. Therefore, the setting of the suction wheel cover does not affect the suction wheel's adsorption effect on mahjong tiles.

[0088] In this embodiment, the card feeding frame includes a main card feeding frame and a component protection plate fixed thereon. The main card feeding frame has a connected circular groove and an irregular groove. The card suction wheel gear is accommodated in the circular groove, and the drive gear and the drive wheel gear of the synchronous belt drive pulley are accommodated in the irregular groove. The component protection plate covers the drive gear, the two gear parts, and most of the card feeding synchronous belt, placing them inside the card feeding frame. Therefore, it can protect these components, making the card feeding device more integrated. During the disassembly of the card feeding device and after it is disassembled, the components in the card feeding device are not easily damaged, and the components are not easily displaced. This makes the inspection and maintenance of the card feeding device more convenient and quick.

[0089] Furthermore, the card feeding device has multiple safety holes corresponding to the fixing holes on the card lifting support frame. One end of the card feeding device has a slot and a locking protrusion that match the mounting structure on the lower frame. The card feeding device can be easily installed as a whole module by locking it in and installing several fasteners. Similarly, it can be easily disassembled as a whole module. Therefore, the assembly and disassembly of the card feeding device are very simple, and the assembly is firm after assembly.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a synchronous belt with one side having a toothed or grooved surface is used to transport the mahjong tiles instead of a belt. Compared with the traditional method of using a belt to transport mahjong tiles, its function, operation, motor stress, adhesion of friction during mahjong tile transportation, and durability are all superior to the traditional belt method. Therefore, it further improves the performance and service life of the tile feeding device.

[0091] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of specific implementations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the description of the above embodiments. 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 only for illustrating the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tile feeding device, installed in a mahjong machine having a shuffling tray, a stacking device, and a lifting device, capable of being installed or disassembled as a single module, wherein the lifting device has a lifting support frame, characterized in that, include: A card-supplying frame is installed on the card-lifting support frame; A card-collecting wheel is rotatably mounted on the card-supply rack for collecting mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray; A timing belt assembly is disposed on the card feeding rack and located between the card suction wheel and the card stacking device. It is used to pick up the mahjong tiles from the card suction wheel and transport the mahjong tiles to the card stacking device which has card stacking blocks. The assembly includes a timing belt for feeding tiles, a timing belt drive wheel for driving the timing belt to rotate, a first timing belt driven wheel disposed next to the card suction wheel, and a second timing belt driven wheel disposed next to the card stacking device. The timing belt for feeding tiles is fitted onto the timing belt drive wheel, the first timing belt driven wheel, and the second timing belt driven wheel. Licensed drive; and The drive gear is located at the output end of the card supply driver. One end of the card-collecting wheel is a card-collecting wheel gear section, which is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear from one side. One end of the synchronous belt drive pulley is a synchronous belt pulley gear section, which is gear-shaped and meshes with the drive gear from the other side. The card-collecting wheel, the synchronous belt drive wheel, the first synchronous belt driven wheel, and the second synchronous belt driven wheel all have the same horizontal axis. The timing belt for feeding cards between the first and second timing belt driven pulleys constitutes its card feeding conveyor section. The height of the second synchronous belt driven pulley is higher than the height of the first synchronous belt driven pulley, causing the card supply conveying section to tilt upwards along its conveying direction. The card-collecting wheel has a card-collecting wheel body that is coaxially arranged with the card wheel gear section, and is used to collect the mahjong tiles. The distance between the first synchronous belt driven pulley and the upper end of the card-collecting wheel body is less than half the width of a mahjong tile, and the distance between the second synchronous belt driven pulley and the stacking block is less than half the width of a mahjong tile. Both the first and second synchronous belt driven pulleys have a ring of guide protrusions that bulge outwards radially at their center. The inner surface of the timing belt has a ring of guide grooves that match the guide protrusions, and the guide protrusions are embedded in the guide grooves.

2. The card-feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The card-collecting wheel cover, made of a quiet and wear-resistant material, is fitted onto the card-collecting wheel. The card-collecting wheel also has a card-collecting wheel body coaxially arranged with the card-collecting wheel gear section, and a card-collecting magnet is provided on its inner side for attracting the mahjong tiles embedded with magnetic material. The card-collecting wheel body is cylindrical. The card-collecting wheel cover includes a wheel body covering portion that covers the outer peripheral surface of the card-collecting wheel body portion.

3. The card-feeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: in, The card-collecting wheel also has a card-limiting flange, which is disposed between the card-collecting wheel gear portion and the card-collecting wheel body portion, and protrudes radially relative to the card-collecting wheel body portion. The card-collecting wheel cover also includes a flange fitting portion integrally formed with the wheel body covering portion, which fits against the surface of the card-limiting flange facing the card-collecting wheel body portion.

4. The card-feeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: in, The card-collecting wheel includes multiple flat plate sections and multiple arc-shaped sections spaced apart. The arc-shaped sections are positioned between adjacent flat plate sections and protrude radially outward. The outer surface of the wheel-covering portion covering the flat plate is flat, for contacting one surface of the mahjong tile in the thickness direction. The card-collecting wheel also includes multiple magnet mounting parts, which are respectively disposed on the inner side of each of the flat plate parts. Each magnet mounting part has a magnet mounting hole for fitting and mounting one or more of the card-collecting magnets.

5. The card-feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The inclination angle of the plate supply conveying section relative to the horizontal direction is 3° to 8°.

6. The card-feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: in, The synchronous belt drive pulley has a drive pulley body and two synchronous belt limiting flanges disposed at both ends of the drive pulley body. The timing belt is fitted onto the drive pulley body and is located between the two synchronous belt limiting flanges.

7. The card-feeding device according to claim 6, characterized in that: in, The guide protrusion on one side of the synchronous belt driven pulley has two driven pulley body parts. Both the driving wheel and the driven wheel have multiple synchronous belt teeth on their outer periphery. On the inner surface of the timing belt, there are multiple mating tooth grooves on both sides of the guide groove that match the teeth of the timing belt. The protrusion distance of the timing belt limiting flange is greater than the thickness of the timing belt.

8. The card-feeding device according to claim 5, Its features are: The card holder includes: The main frame for the sign supply is detachably mounted on the sign lifting support frame; and The component protection plate is fixed to the main frame of the card supply. The main frame of the card supply unit and the component protection plate are respectively provided with multiple pairs of synchronous belt pulley mounting holes for mounting the synchronous belt drive pulley and the synchronous belt driven pulley. One end of the plate-raising support frame has: The main frame fixing part is strip-shaped and has multiple frame fixing holes; and The protective plate fixing part is plate-shaped to match the protective plate of the component, and has multiple protective plate fixing holes. The upper end of the main frame of the card supply has multiple frame mounting holes corresponding to the multiple frame fixing holes. The component protection plate has multiple protection plate mounting holes corresponding to the multiple protection plate fixing holes.

9. The card-feeding device according to claim 8, Its features are: in, The main frame of the license plate supply also has: A circular groove is provided for mounting the card-collecting wheel, and at least the card-collecting wheel gear portion is accommodated in the circular groove; An irregularly shaped groove communicates with one side of the circular groove, and at least the gear portion of the drive gear and the synchronous belt drive pulley are accommodated in the irregularly shaped groove. The component protection plate is disposed on the irregular groove, which covers the drive gear, the synchronous belt drive pulley, and a portion of the timing belt.

10. A mahjong machine, characterized in that, include: A shuffling tray is used to hold and shuffle multiple mahjong tiles. A tile stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles into a stack; and A tile-feeding device is used to absorb the mahjong tiles from the shuffling tray and supply them to the tile-stacking device. The card-feeding device is the card-feeding device according to any one of claims 1-9.

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