Mahjong playing mechanism of intelligent mahjong machine

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of mahjong machines, in particular to a mahjong playing mechanism of an intelligent mahjong machine. The card playing mechanism comprises a lifting platform, a first driving device for driving the lifting platform to ascend and descend, and a first transmission mechanism arranged between the output end of the first driving device and the lifting platform. The mahjong machine further comprises a mahjong abandoning mechanism capable of pushing the lifting platform to move in the horizontal direction, the mahjong abandoning mechanism comprises at least one second rack and a second driving device for driving the second rack to move, an output shaft of the second driving device is provided with a second gear, and the second gear is meshed with the second rack. And the lifting platform is lifted to different stations, so that the mahjong tiles are pushed to the center of the tabletop or discarded. The intelligent mahjong machine provided by the invention does not provide a tile wall type taking mode, but is designed on the basis of a basic structure of a traditional mahjong machine, so that the mahjong machine lifts the tiles from the center for players to touch the tiles.

Description

[0001] Priority application This application claims priority to Chinese invention patent application filed on August 28, 2025 [Application No.: 2025112156790] [Invention Title: An Intelligent Mahjong Machine System and Control Method, Storage Medium], which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of mahjong machine technology, and more specifically to a card-dispensing mechanism for an intelligent mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0003] Mahjong is a popular form of entertainment and leisure for multiple players. Based on the fact that people who love playing offline mahjong often encounter situations where they are "lacking" players to form a game but do not want to compromise by playing online mahjong, we designed a smart interconnected mahjong machine that can be played remotely, with AI assistance, and retains the feel of playing mahjong.

[0004] As a smart, interconnected mahjong machine, it can perform the basic functions of a traditional mahjong machine, namely the gameplay elements of mahjong, such as dealing, discarding, and ponging tiles, as well as auxiliary functions (like scoring). Furthermore, when there are insufficient players, it can connect to a remote network, allowing players in different locations to participate in the same game in real time. The system supports multiplayer online play and features a low-latency communication mechanism to ensure a smooth and responsive experience for players. In addition, the device integrates an AI-assisted gameplay function, which can serve as a supplement for absent players or as a practice opponent to improve the user experience.

[0005] Traditional mahjong machines transfer the mahjong tiles from a large tray to four or eight slots, and then use a tile-lifting device or a whirlwind device to lift the tiles to the table, forming a wall of tiles, from which players take their tiles.

[0006] For example, utility model patent application CN201049199Y discloses an automatic mahjong machine tile-lifting mechanism installed on the bottom plate of an automatic mahjong table. It includes a motor, a power transmission device connected to the motor, a tile-lifting swing device and a tile-pushing swing linkage device and a tile-supporting device respectively connected to the power transmission device. The power transmission device includes a connecting sleeve, a main bevel gear, a secondary bevel gear, a main drive shaft, a secondary drive shaft, a first cam and a second cam. The connecting sleeve is located between the motor and the main drive shaft. The main bevel gear is sleeved on the connecting sleeve. The secondary bevel gear is connected to the secondary drive shaft and meshes with the main bevel gear. The main drive shaft and the secondary drive shaft both pass through the first cam and the second cam in sequence.

[0007] The patent documents mentioned above aim to improve the accuracy of the automatic raising and lowering of traditional mahjong tiles, but the traditional way of forming a wall of tiles and then drawing tiles is not convenient enough. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a card-dispensing mechanism for an intelligent mahjong machine, partially solving or alleviating the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art. It offers a completely new card-dispensing method: cards are dispensed from the center of the table, and instead of using a wall of tiles to raise and lower all the tiles to the table, a small number of tiles are raised and lowered to the center, allowing players to draw tiles directly without manually moving the wall. Specifically, the mahjong tiles are placed on a liftable platform, which lifts them from the center of the table. Furthermore, before being raised, if a tile is not needed, a discarding mechanism pushes the corresponding tile off the platform, ensuring that the tiles ultimately raised are all actually needed.

[0009] To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution: A card-dispensing mechanism for an intelligent mahjong machine includes: A lifting platform, a first driving device for driving the lifting platform to rise and fall, and a first transmission mechanism disposed between the output end of the first driving device and the lifting platform; The card-discarding mechanism also includes: a card-discarding mechanism that can push the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform away from the lifting platform. The card-discarding mechanism includes: at least one second rack and a second driving device for driving the second rack to move. The output shaft of the second driving device is provided with a second gear, and the second gear meshes with the second rack. When the first driving device drives the lifting platform to the card-playing position in the center of the table, the lifting platform raises the mahjong tiles to the center of the table to facilitate the user's drawing of tiles; When the first drive device drives the lifting platform to the discarding station, and the second drive device drives the second rack to move, the second rack pushes the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform away from the lifting platform for discarding.

[0010] Furthermore, the card-dispensing mechanism also includes: a detection device for detecting whether there are mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, the detection device including: a movable component that can move along the height direction of the lifting platform, the movable component being provided with an adsorption component; and a signal transmitter and a signal receiver respectively disposed on both sides of the movable component to receive the detection signal emitted by the signal transmitter; When there are no mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, the moving part is located in the signal path between the signal transmitter and the signal receiver, thereby blocking the signal path. When the lifting platform is placed with mahjong tiles, the moving part moves upward under the action of the adsorption part and the first magnetic part in the mahjong tiles, so that the signal path is restored to smooth.

[0011] Furthermore, the detection signal includes a radio frequency signal or an infrared signal.

[0012] Furthermore, guide structures are provided on both sides of the lifting platform. The guide structures include: symmetrically arranged lugs on both sides of the lifting platform, and guide columns that pass through the lugs and extend along the lifting direction of the lifting platform. Driven by the first driving device, the lifting platform moves along the guide column.

[0013] Furthermore, the lifting platform also includes a second magnetic element disposed on the plane of the lifting platform and capable of being attracted to the first magnetic element of the mahjong tile.

[0014] Furthermore, the discard mechanism also includes a limiting structure, which includes a first fastening member disposed on opposite sides of the second rack to prevent the second rack from moving in a first direction, and a second fastening member to prevent the second rack from moving in a second direction, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction; The limiting plate is located at the bottom of the second rack, and the top of the limiting plate is provided with a first fastener and a second fastener on opposite sides, which cooperate with the first fastener and the second fastener.

[0015] Furthermore, the first fastening member is located at the end of the second rack and extends downward and then inward to form a first groove; the second fastening member is located in the middle of the second rack and extends downward and then inward, and finally extends upward to form a second groove; the cross-sections of the first fastening member and the second fastening member are "L" shaped, the first fastening member is engaged in the first groove, and the second fastening member is engaged in the second groove.

[0016] Furthermore, the discard mechanism also includes a third gear disposed between the second rack and the second gear, the third gear meshing with both the second gear and the second rack.

[0017] Furthermore, the lifting platform has at least two slots for placing mahjong tiles arranged side by side.

[0018] Furthermore, the card-playing mechanism also includes: when the card-playing mechanism is installed in the intelligent mahjong machine, the card-playing mechanism is located at the center of the intelligent mahjong machine.

[0019] Beneficial effects: In existing technology, mahjong machines transfer mahjong tiles from a large tray to a play area, and then use four tile-lifting devices to raise the tile wall to the four play openings on the table. Players then manually push the tile wall at the play opening to any desired position and take their own mahjong tiles from the tile wall. The intelligent mahjong machine provided by this invention does not provide a tile wall-style tile-lifting method. Instead, it designs the traditional mahjong machine's basic structure so that the tiles are lifted from the center for players to draw directly. Furthermore, each time the tile is raised, the number of mahjong tiles on the lifting platform is small (for example, during the drawing phase, if four players are playing offline, only four tiles are raised from the table each time; if there are three offline players and one online player, only three tiles are raised each time; and during the skip phase, only two tiles are raised for the dealer, and only one tile is raised for the other player), unlike the tile wall in a traditional mahjong table.

[0020] The present invention relates to a card-dispensing mechanism located at the center of a mahjong machine, comprising: a lifting platform for placing mahjong tiles, a discarding mechanism, and a first driving device for driving the lifting platform to move up and down. The discarding device pushes invalid mahjong tiles (i.e., tiles with incorrect suits and ranks) off the lifting platform (e.g., into a discarding compartment), while the lifting platform raises valid mahjong tiles to the center of the table. The discarding mechanism includes at least one second rack, which is driven to move by the second driving device to push unqualified / unnecessary mahjong tiles off the lifting platform. The lifting platform moves up and down via the first driving device and its cooperation with a first transmission mechanism. For example, if the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform are in two layers, and the mahjong machine identifies either the first or second layer as invalid, the lifting platform rises to a second or third height to reach the discarding position, and then the second rack pushes the mahjong tiles. If both layers of mahjong tiles are valid, the lifting platform rises to a first height to reach the card-dispensing position, raising the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform to the center of the table.

[0021] The lifting platform of this invention is also equipped with a second magnetic component, which interacts with the first magnetic component of the mahjong tiles. The magnetic attraction ensures that the mahjong tiles adhere to the lifting platform, preventing them from slipping during movement.

[0022] The present invention also includes a guide column that allows the lifting platform to rise along the target path. The guide column passes through the support lugs on the lifting platform and is fixed in the mahjong machine structure, thereby ensuring that the lifting platform will not deviate during the lifting process. Furthermore, the second rack is also provided with an anti-deviation structure. Through the cooperation of the first fastening member and the second fastening member with the first latching member and the second latching member, respectively, the second rack will not deviate to the left or right when moving horizontally. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. The elements or parts in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the mahjong machine of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting platform and discarding mechanism of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the card-playing mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the card-playing mechanism of the present invention from another angle; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting platform of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the lifting platform of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the mating structure between the second rack and the limiting plate of the present invention; Figure 8 for Figure 7 A side view; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the detection dynamic structure of the detection device in this invention.

[0025] Summary of attached labeling and identification: 1. Lifting platform; 2. First rack; 3. First drive unit; 4. First gear; 5. Second rack; 6. Second drive unit; 7. Second gear; 8. Moving part; 9. Support lug; 10. Signal transmitter; 11. Signal receiver; 501, First fastening component; 502, Second fastening component; 503, Limiting plate; 504, First locking component; 505, Second locking component; A - First direction; B - Second direction. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] In this document, suffixes such as "module," "part," or "unit" used to denote elements are used only for the purpose of illustrative purposes and have no specific meaning in themselves. Therefore, "module," "part," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0028] In this document, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front," "rear," "one end," and "the other end," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the present invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] In this document, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In this document, "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed related items.

[0031] In this article, "multiple" means two or more, that is, it includes two, three, four, five, etc.

[0032] As used in this specification, the term "about" typically means + / -5% of the value, more typically + / -4% of the value, more typically + / -3% of the value, more typically + / -2% of the value, even more typically + / -1% of the value, and even more typically + / -0.5% of the value.

[0033] In this article, "playing" refers to the routine actions during a Mahjong game, such as drawing (also known as taking or picking up) and discarding (also known as playing). Special playing actions refer to other actions taken by a player based on the discards of the player before them, the player opposite them, or the player after them, or after they have drawn a tile, according to the rules. For example, "eating" means declaring and revealing the corresponding tile set when the discarded tile by the player before them can form a sequence with their own hand; "ponging" means declaring and revealing three identical tiles when any player discards a tile that matches two identical tiles in their hand; and "konging" means declaring and revealing four identical tiles when they already have three identical tiles and then draw or have another player discard a fourth identical tile. Kongs are divided into open kongs, concealed kongs, and additional kongs.

[0034] Example 1: As Figures 1-6 As shown, this embodiment provides a card-playing mechanism for an intelligent mahjong machine, including: a lifting platform 1, a first driving device 3 for driving the lifting platform to rise and fall, and a first transmission mechanism disposed between the first driving device 3 and the lifting platform 1. Preferably, the first transmission mechanism adopts a gear and rack mechanism.

[0035] In some embodiments, the gear and rack mechanism specifically includes: a first rack 2 that can move along the lifting direction of the lifting platform 1 and is connected to the lifting platform 1, and a first gear 4 is provided on the output shaft of the first drive device, the first gear 4 meshing with the first rack 2.

[0036] In some embodiments, the card-discarding mechanism further includes: a card-discarding mechanism that can push the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform 1 away from the lifting platform 1. The card-discarding mechanism includes: a pushing component that pushes the mahjong tiles, a second driving device 6 that drives the pushing component to move in a horizontal plane (or in an oblique direction or other direction that ensures that the pushing component can eventually push the mahjong tiles), and a second transmission mechanism disposed between the second driving device 6 and the pushing component. Preferably, the second transmission mechanism is a rack and pinion mechanism.

[0037] In some embodiments, the second transmission mechanism includes at least one second rack 5, and the output shaft of the second drive device is provided with a second gear 7, which meshes with the second rack 5. Preferably, the end of the second rack 5 near the lifting platform 1 serves as the pushing component, or a pushing component is provided at the end of the second rack 5 near the lifting platform 1.

[0038] In specific implementation, when the first driving device 3 drives the lifting platform 1 to rise to the first height, that is, the card-playing position located in the center of the mahjong machine table, the lifting platform raises the mahjong tiles to the center of the table to facilitate the user to draw tiles; when the first driving device 3 drives the lifting platform 1 to move (rise or fall) to the discarding position (corresponding to the above-mentioned pushing component), and the second driving device 6 drives the second rack 5 to move, the second rack 5 discards the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mechanism for conveying mahjong tiles in the automatic mahjong machine (or the tile-dealing mechanism, which is prior art and will not be described in detail here) can place / push a corresponding number of mahjong tiles onto the lifting platform 1 as needed, and arrange them in a preset manner. For example, they can be placed in a first arrangement, a second arrangement, or a third arrangement. The first arrangement includes two stacked layers, each layer containing two mahjong tiles placed side-by-side; the second arrangement includes two mahjong tiles arranged left-right; and the third arrangement includes one mahjong tile.

[0040] For example, two tile positions for placing mahjong tiles are set side by side on the lifting platform 1. During the drawing phase, two layers of mahjong tiles are stacked on each tile position, so that one tile can be provided to each of the four players at the beginning of the drawing phase. During the skip phase, for the dealer, one mahjong tile is placed on each of the two tile positions, or two mahjong tiles are stacked on one of the tile positions, while for the other players, only one mahjong tile is placed on the tile position. If there are three offline players and one online player, three mahjong tiles are placed on the tile positions, that is, two mahjong tiles are stacked on one tile position and one mahjong tile is placed on the other tile position.

[0041] Of course, the number of layers or quantities of mahjong tiles placed on each position can be adjusted according to actual needs. In other embodiments, only one position may be set up, with the required number of mahjong tiles for each stage placed on it each time. For example, during the drawing phase, four mahjong tiles are stacked on the position; during the skipping phase, two mahjong tiles are stacked for the dealer, and one mahjong tile is placed for the other players.

[0042] Preferably, all mahjong tiles at each play station are valid. For example, in the case of multi-layer stacking, from bottom to top, a new layer of mahjong tiles will only be added on top of the next layer if the tile played on the next layer is valid (e.g., it conforms to the correct suit and rank; according to the rules of mahjong, a valid mahjong tile is one where the number of tiles of a single suit and rank does not exceed the limit, and no more than four tiles of the same suit appear consecutively; otherwise, the last tile of the consecutively appearing tiles of the same suit is invalid). (At this time, the lifting platform can be lowered to a certain height before adding tiles; that is, for each additional layer of mahjong tiles, the lifting platform is lowered by the height of one layer of mahjong tiles). If a mahjong tile on the next layer is invalid, it will be discarded. Similarly, if a mahjong tile on the next layer is invalid, it will be discarded, and a new layer of mahjong tiles will be placed.

[0043] In other embodiments, if at least one of the four players is an online player, then during the drawing and discarding phases, the mahjong tiles corresponding to the online player are also discarded by the discarding mechanism. The discarding mechanism works on the same principle: the lifting platform moves to the discarding station, and then the discarding mechanism pushes the corresponding mahjong tiles away from the lifting platform. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first height refers to the height of the lifting platform relative to the tabletop, at which the mahjong tiles are raised to the center of the tabletop for players to draw.

[0045] In this embodiment, the second height and the third height refer to the height of the lifting platform when different layers of mahjong tiles are stacked on the lifting platform, and the mahjong tile to be discarded corresponds to the second toothed rack. For example, when the first layer of mahjong tiles is placed in a slot on the lifting platform, the mahjong tile recognition mechanism identifies the tile's information (this is prior art (document number CN108854051A), which will not be elaborated here), and determines that it is invalid based on the tile's information, then the lifting platform rises to the second height, so that the invalid mahjong tile corresponds to the second toothed rack, that is, it reaches the discarding station, and can be discarded through the second toothed rack; similarly, if the second layer of mahjong tiles placed in a slot on the lifting platform is invalid, then the lifting platform rises to the third height, so that the invalid mahjong tile corresponds to the second toothed rack, that is, it reaches the discarding station, and can be discarded through the second toothed rack. Similarly, if a mahjong tile on the first-height lifting platform is the tile that an online player wants to draw, the lifting platform is lowered to a certain height so that the mahjong tile corresponds to the second rack (i.e., the pushing component), that is, it reaches the discarding station, and then it is discarded by the discarding mechanism.

[0046] Of course, if there are more layers of mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, a corresponding fourth or fifth height can be set to ensure that the mahjong tiles to be discarded are raised to the corresponding height and are aligned with the position of the second toothed rack, so that invalid mahjong tiles can be discarded.

[0047] In some embodiments, the card-playing mechanism further includes: a detection device for detecting whether there are mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, the detection device including: a movable member 8 that can move along the height direction of the lifting platform, the movable member being provided with an adsorption member; and a signal transmitter 10 and a signal receiver 11 respectively disposed on both sides of the movable member to receive the detection signal emitted by the signal transmitter.

[0048] like Figure 9 As shown, when there are no mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, the moving part is located in the signal path between the signal transmitter and the signal receiver, thereby blocking the signal path.

[0049] When the lifting platform is placed with mahjong tiles, the moving part moves upward under the action of the adsorption part and the first magnetic part in the mahjong tiles, so that the signal path is restored to smooth.

[0050] Specifically, the movable component 8 includes: a slider movable within the lifting platform, and a baffle extending outside the lifting platform. The slider and the baffle are connected by a connector. A signal transmitter and a signal receiver are located on opposite sides of the baffle. When the movable component moves upward under the action of the first magnetic component and the adsorption component, the baffle moves away, forming a signal path between the signal transmitter and the signal receiver. See [reference needed]. Figure 6 and Figure 9 .

[0051] A detection device is installed so that the intelligent mahjong machine in this embodiment can detect and identify whether mahjong tiles have been placed on the lifting platform, thereby determining whether the tile-playing mechanism will proceed to the next stage of operation.

[0052] In other embodiments, the detection device may not employ the above-described scheme, but instead use a proximity sensor installed within the lifting platform. This proximity sensor can detect the mahjong tiles when they are placed on the lifting platform. This method also achieves the purpose of identifying whether mahjong tiles are placed on the lifting platform.

[0053] In some embodiments, the detection signal includes a radio frequency signal or an infrared signal.

[0054] In some embodiments, guide structures are provided on both sides of the lifting platform. The guide structures include: symmetrically arranged lugs 9 on both sides of the lifting platform, and guide columns passing through the lugs 9 and extending along the lifting direction of the lifting platform 1. (See also...) Figure 4 .

[0055] Driven by the first driving device, the lifting platform moves along the guide column.

[0056] Specifically, the guide column is fixedly mounted on other structures of the mahjong machine, so that the position of the lifting platform will not shift when it moves up and down, thus ensuring the stability of the lifting process.

[0057] In some embodiments, the lifting platform further includes a second magnetic element disposed on the plane of the lifting platform and capable of being attracted to the first magnetic element of the mahjong tile.

[0058] In this embodiment, the second magnetic component has an adsorption and fixing effect on the first magnetic component of the mahjong tile, ensuring the stability of the mahjong tile placed on the lifting platform and preventing it from slipping during the lifting process. Furthermore, when the mahjong tile is placed on the lifting platform, the combination of the second and first magnetic components forms a stronger magnetic field, attracting the adsorption component of the moving component and thus driving its movement. Specifically, the adsorption component in the moving component 8 in this embodiment can be magnetically attracted or is itself a magnetic component, thus being attracted to the mahjong tile by the first magnetic component.

[0059] Specifically, the lifting platform has at least two slots for placing mahjong tiles arranged side by side.

[0060] In this embodiment, the area of ​​the tiles on the lifting platform is larger than the size of a typical mahjong tile.

[0061] In some embodiments, a limiting structure for preventing the second rack or the pushing component from sliding left or right is also provided. Specifically, the limiting structure includes: a first fastening member 501 disposed on opposite sides of the second rack to prevent the second rack from moving along a first direction A, and a second fastening member 502 to prevent the second rack from moving along a second direction B, wherein the first direction A is opposite to the second direction B. The limiting plate 503 located at the bottom of the second rack has a first fastener 504 and a second fastener 505 respectively provided on the opposite sides of its top. These fasteners cooperate with the first fastener and the second fastener.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first fastening member is located at the end of the second rack and extends downward and then inward to form a first groove; the second fastening member is located at the middle of the second rack and extends downward and then inward, and finally upward to form a second groove; the first and second fastening members have an "L" shaped cross-section, the first fastening member is engaged in the first groove, and the second fastening member is engaged in the second groove, see [reference]. Figure 7 , Figure 8 .

[0063] Specifically, the first direction and the second direction mentioned in this embodiment refer to the left and right directions that are perpendicular to the direction of movement of the second rack. By restricting the left and right swaying of the second rack during its movement, a limiting structure is set for the first fastening member and the first latching member and the second fastening member and the latching member to ensure the stability of the second rack during its movement.

[0064] In other embodiments, due to limited installation space, a large distance between the second rack and the second gear, or adjustments to the pushing speed, the second transmission mechanism of the discarding mechanism further includes a third gear disposed between the second rack and the second gear, the third gear meshing with the second gear and the second rack respectively.

[0065] In some embodiments, when the card-playing mechanism is installed in the smart mahjong machine, the card-playing mechanism is located at the center of the smart mahjong machine, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 .

[0066] The intelligent mahjong machine provided by this invention does not provide a wall-style method of taking tiles. Instead, it designs the machine based on the traditional mahjong machine structure so that the tiles are raised from the center for the player to draw.

[0067] In some embodiments, the card-dispensing mechanism further includes: a discard bin for storing mahjong tiles discarded by the discarding mechanism, and / or for storing mahjong tiles belonging to online players. By centrally storing invalid mahjong tiles removed by the discarding module in the discard bin, the orderly storage and state isolation of physical tiles are achieved. By centrally storing online players' mahjong tiles in the discard bin, when an offline player subsequently melds or kongs tiles belonging to an online player, the corresponding mahjong tile can be quickly retrieved from the discard bin and pushed to the offline player using a dedicated card-dispensing mechanism (which may employ a lifting platform and its driving structure; this is not the focus of this document and will not be described in detail).

[0068] Example 2: The present invention also provides another card-lifting mechanism, which includes the components of the above embodiments, except that the card-lifting mechanism of this embodiment further includes: The controller is configured to receive the tile information of the current mahjong tile on any position from the mahjong tile recognition mechanism in the intelligent mahjong machine (this is prior art and will not be described in detail here), and determine whether it is an invalid mahjong tile (for example, whether consecutive mahjong tiles are of the same face and exceed a certain number). If it is an invalid mahjong tile, a first feedback signal is generated, and based on the first feedback signal, the controller controls the first drive device to drive the lifting platform to move the current mahjong tile to the discard position; and when the current mahjong tile moves to the discard position, the controller controls the second drive device to drive the pushing component to discard the current mahjong tile from the lifting platform; or, when it is identified that the current player is drawing a tile from any position, the controller controls the first drive device to drive the lifting platform to move the current mahjong tile corresponding to the online player to the discard position; and when the current mahjong tile moves to the discard position, the controller controls the second drive device to drive the pushing component to discard the current mahjong tile from the lifting platform. In practice, during the dealing process, the information of each mahjong tile can be obtained after it is placed, and then the controller can determine in real time whether the mahjong tile is invalid.

[0069] Furthermore, the controller is configured to switch the lifting platform between the card-adding station (corresponding to the output of the card-dealing mechanism) and the card-discarding station according to different stages, thereby continuously updating the mahjong tiles on the lifting platform. Specifically, when the controller identifies that there are no mahjong tiles on the lifting platform based on the feedback from the detection device, the controller moves to the card-adding station and controls the card-dealing mechanism to re-deal tiles to the lifting platform according to the pre-stored card-dealing sequence. Then, the controller controls the lifting platform to raise the valid mahjong tiles to the card-discarding station. This process is repeated until all mahjong games end or all mahjong tiles are discarded.

[0070] For example, during the drawing phase, the controller first moves the lifting platform to the card-laying station, so that the card-dealing mechanism (existing technology) stacks a specified number of mahjong tiles on at least two card positions on the lifting platform in a preset arrangement (e.g., each hand places two layers of mahjong tiles on the lifting platform, so that during the drawing phase, each hand can provide one mahjong tile to each of the four players; of course, if there are only three players, each hand can place only three mahjong tiles on the lifting platform). Then, the controller moves the lifting platform to the card-discarding station. After all players have drawn their tiles (of course, if there are online players, the corresponding tiles are discarded by the discarding mechanism), the controller moves the lifting platform back to the card-laying station to re-place the specified number of mahjong tiles. This process is repeated until the drawing phase ends. For example, during the card-skipping phase, when the current player is identified as the dealer, the controller first controls the lifting platform to move to the card-adding position, so that the card-dealing mechanism (in the prior art) places the corresponding number of mahjong tiles in at least two positions on the lifting platform according to a preset arrangement (for example, placing one mahjong tile in each of the two positions, or stacking two mahjong tiles in one position), and then controls the lifting platform to move to the card-discarding position; or, when the current player is identified as a non-dealer, the controller controls the lifting platform to move to the card-adding position, so that the card-dealing mechanism places only one mahjong tile in any position on the lifting platform, and then controls the lifting platform to move to the card-discarding position.

[0071] For example, during the card-playing phase, the controller first moves the lifting platform to the card-adding position to raise a card for the player to take. Then, it returns the lifting platform to the card-adding position, and the dealing mechanism deals another card. This cycle repeats. If the controller detects that the player currently drawing a card is online, it moves the lifting platform to the discard position and controls the discard mechanism to push the discarded card away from the lifting platform. Then, it guides the lifting platform back to the card-adding position to deal the card again.

[0072] If there are three offline players (i.e., type one players) and one online player (i.e., type two players), the controller controls the placement of three mahjong tiles on the card positions, that is, two mahjong tiles are stacked on one card position, and one mahjong tile is placed on the other card position.

[0073] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0074] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tile delivery mechanism of an intelligent mahjong machine, characterized in that, The utility model relates to a mahjong table, including: Lifting platform (1), first drive arrangement (3) drive the lifting platform (1) lifts and fall, and the first transmission mechanism that sets up between the output of first drive arrangement (3) and lifting platform (1), Further including: the discard mechanism that can push mahjong on lifting platform (1) away from lifting platform (1), the discard mechanism includes: at least one second rack (5), and the second drive arrangement (6) drive second rack (5) moves, the output shaft of second drive arrangement (6) is provided with second gear (7), and second gear (7) is engaged with second rack (5), When first drive arrangement (3) drives lifting platform (1) to ascend to the discarding position of table top center, lifting platform (1) lifts mahjong to table top center to facilitate user to draw card, When first drive arrangement (3) drives lifting platform (1) to move to the discarding position, and second drive arrangement (6) drives second rack (5) moves, second rack (5) pushes mahjong on lifting platform (1) away from lifting platform (1) and discards.

2. The tile dispensing mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further including: Detection device for detecting whether there is mahjong on lifting platform (1), the detection device includes: movable part (8) that can move along the height direction of lifting platform (1), the movable part (8) is provided with suction accessory, and signal transmitter and signal receiver that receives the detection signal that signal transmitter emits are arranged respectively at both sides of movable part (8), When there is no mahjong on lifting platform (1), movable part (8) is located in the signal passage between signal transmitter and signal receiver, thereby blocking signal passage, When lifting platform (1) is placed with mahjong, movable part (8) moves upwards under the action of suction accessory and first magnetic part in mahjong, so that signal passage recovers unobstructed.

3. The tile dispensing mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection signal includes radio frequency signal or infrared signal.

4. The tile delivery mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both sides of lifting platform (1) are provided with guide structure, the guide structure includes: supporting lug (9) that is symmetrically arranged at both sides of lifting platform, and guide column that passes through supporting lug (9) and extends along the lifting direction of lifting platform (1), Lifting platform (1) is driven under the drive of first drive arrangement (3), so that lifting platform (1) moves along guide column.

5. The tile dispensing mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Lifting platform (1) further includes: second magnetic part that is arranged on the plane of lifting platform (2) and can be adsorbed with first magnetic part of mahjong, 6. The discarding mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further including limiting structure, the limiting structure includes: first buckling piece (501) that is arranged respectively at opposite sides of second rack (5) and is used to prevent second rack (5) from moving along first direction (A), and second buckling piece (502) that is used to prevent second rack (5) from moving along second direction (B), and first direction (A) is opposite with second direction (B), A limiting plate (503) is arranged at the bottom of the second rack (5), and the top of the limiting plate (503) is provided with a first clamping member (504) and a second clamping member (505) respectively arranged at the two opposite sides of the limiting plate (503) and matched with the first fastening member (501) and the second fastening member (502).

7. The tile delivery mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first fastening member (501) is arranged at the end of the second rack (5) and extends downward and then extends inward to form a first recess; the second fastening member (502) is arranged at the middle of the second rack (5) and extends downward and then extends inward and finally extends upward to form a second recess; the first clamping member (504) and the second clamping member (505) are in the shape of "L" in cross section, the first clamping member (504) is clamped in the first recess, and the second clamping member (505) is clamped in the second recess.

8. The tile delivery mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discarding mechanism further comprises a third gear arranged between the second rack (5) and the second gear (7), and the third gear is engaged with the second gear (7) and the second rack (5) respectively.

9. The tile delivery mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least two mahjong tile positions are arranged side by side on the lifting platform (1).

10. The tile delivery mechanism of the intelligent mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: When the discarding mechanism is installed in the intelligent mahjong machine, the discarding mechanism is located at the center of the intelligent mahjong machine.

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