Stacking, pushing and tile feeding system of mahjong machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a mahjong machine stacking and pushing tile feeding system which comprises a tile storage base provided with a tile storage channel, a stacking and pushing assembly is arranged at the starting end of the tile storage channel, a movable bearing face is formed in the tile storage channel, and the stacking and pushing assembly is used for stacking mahjong tiles into tile piers and pushing the tile piers or the mahjong tiles to the movable bearing face. And the movable bearing surface is used for taking the mahjong piers or mahjong tiles from the stacking and pushing assembly away from the starting end of the mahjong tile storage channel one by one. The movable bearing surface is arranged in the mahjong tile storage channel and can move in the extending direction of the mahjong tile storage channel; when the stacking and pushing assembly pushes a tile stacking pier or a mahjong tile to the movable bearing face, the movable bearing face in the moving process carries the tile stacking pier or the mahjong tile away from the starting end of the tile storage channel and sends the tile stacking pier or the mahjong tile to the terminal end of the tile storage channel. Therefore, the pushing force of the stacking and pushing assembly only needs to meet the requirement that a stack of mahjong piers or a mahjong can be pushed, and the mahjong pushing resistance is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mahjong machine technology, specifically relating to a mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system. Background Technology

[0002] In a mahjong machine, the stacking and pushing assembly needs to push the mahjong tiles into the storage channel one by one after stacking them into piles (in special cases, unstacked mahjong tiles may also be pushed into the storage channel). Once a preset number of piles are stored in the storage channel, the tile-feeding pusher pushes the mahjong tile queue onto the tile-lifting plate. During the pushing process of the stacking and pushing assembly, due to the limited pushing distance, each pile or mahjong tile is only pushed into the beginning of the storage channel. Only after the next pile or mahjong tile is pushed in will the previous pile or mahjong tile move forward by the distance of one mahjong tile. As the mahjong tile queue in the storage channel lengthens, the friction between the mahjong tile queue and the storage channel gradually increases, and the pushing resistance of the stacking and pushing assembly also gradually increases, which places higher demands on the torque of the stacking and pushing motor.

[0003] To reduce the pushing resistance of the stacking and pushing components, numerous solutions have emerged in the prior art. For example, Chinese utility model patent CN217246672U assembles side and bottom patches inside the tile storage channel, and provides raised ribs on the side and bottom patches to reduce friction by decreasing the contact area between the mahjong tiles and the inner and bottom surfaces of the storage channel. While this method can reduce the pushing resistance of the stacking and pushing components to some extent, this resistance is unavoidable whenever the mahjong tiles need to move relative to the storage channel. Especially after long-term use, the stains on the surface of the mahjong tiles (from the mahjong machine table and the player) abnormally increase the friction experienced by the mahjong tiles in the storage channel, making the above measures largely ineffective. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mahjong machine stacking and pushing card system, in which the pushing and pushing components have low resistance to pushing the cards.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A mahjong machine stacking and pushing system includes a card storage base with a card storage channel. The starting end of the card storage channel is provided with a stacking and pushing component. A movable support surface is formed inside the card storage channel. The stacking and pushing component is used to stack mahjong tiles into a stack and push the stack or mahjong tiles onto the movable support surface. The movable support surface is used to remove the stack or mahjong tiles from the starting end of the card storage channel one by one.

[0007] The present invention provides a movable support surface within the card storage channel, which can move along the extension direction of the card storage channel. When the stacking and pushing component pushes a stack of cards or a single mahjong tile onto the movable support surface, the moving support surface carries the stack of cards or the single mahjong tile away from the beginning of the card storage channel and to the end of the card storage channel. This means that the pushing force of the stacking and pushing component only needs to be sufficient to push a stack of cards or a single mahjong tile, greatly reducing the pushing resistance.

[0008] In this invention, the movable support surface is provided by a base that is movably disposed within the storage base, and the storage channel is part or all of the movable path of the base.

[0009] Alternatively, the movable support surface may be provided by a number of continuously arranged rotating rollers that are rotatably connected to the storage base, with all rollers rotating in the same direction.

[0010] When a base is used to provide a movable support surface, the bottom surface of the card storage channel itself remains static. When a continuous rotating roller is used to provide the support surface, the bottom surface of the card storage channel itself is dynamic. Both methods can provide a movable support surface that achieves the purpose of this invention; however, from a cost perspective, it is preferable to use a base to provide the movable support surface.

[0011] In this invention, the base can be made of rigid or flexible material; there are no special requirements for this. The movement path of the base can be closed, either horizontally or vertically, in which case the base moves circumferentially along the movement path; the movement path of the base can also be open, in which case the base moves from the starting end of the card storage channel to the end and then returns along the same path (i.e., moves back and forth along the movement path).

[0012] Obviously, a closed movement path makes it easier for the base to return to its initial position. Therefore, preferably, the movement path is a closed loop, and the base is a loop or an arc.

[0013] The stacking and pushing assembly includes a tile-holding platform, a tile-stacking unit for driving the tile-holding platform to rise and fall to achieve tile stacking, and a tile-pushing unit for pushing the mahjong tiles or tile stacks on the tile-holding platform onto the moving base.

[0014] The card-holding platform is mounted above the activity path, and the card-stacking unit and the card-pushing unit are located inside the activity path.

[0015] As a further preferred embodiment, the stacking unit includes:

[0016] A cam, wherein a curved groove with a continuous flow from beginning to end is formed on the outer circumference of the cam;

[0017] A connector integrally formed or fixedly connected to the card holder, the connector being lifted and lowered on the card storage base and having a bearing extending into the curved groove;

[0018] The curved groove includes an ascending curved section, a descending curved section, and a horizontal section arranged in sequence. The card-receiving platform has a first card-receiving position at a high position and a second card-receiving position at a low position. The ascending curved section is used to raise the card-receiving platform from the second card-receiving position to the first card-receiving position to receive the first mahjong tile. The descending curved section is used to lower the card-receiving platform from the first card-receiving position to the second card-receiving position to receive the second mahjong tile. The horizontal section is used to keep the card-receiving platform in the second card-receiving position so that the card-pushing unit can push the tiles.

[0019] The two holding positions are designed for stacking two layers of tiles. When the mahjong machine stacks three layers of tiles, three holding positions are required, which is common knowledge to those skilled in the art. Of course, other tile-stacking units capable of stacking tiles are also applicable to this invention.

[0020] Preferably, the card pushing unit includes a card pushing bracket rotatably mounted on the card storage base, and the card pushing bracket is provided with at least one card pushing head;

[0021] All pusher heads are evenly distributed around the pusher support. The number of pusher heads is comparable to the number of repeating units of the curved groove. Each repeating unit consists of an ascending curve segment, a descending curve segment, and a horizontal segment.

[0022] That is, the pusher head pushes the plate once every time the bearing completes a repeating unit (ascending curve segment - descending curve segment - horizontal segment). Therefore, the number of pusher heads corresponds to the number of repeating units in the curved groove.

[0023] Preferably, the inner periphery of the base has an upwardly folded inner edge;

[0024] Alternatively, the outer periphery of the base has an upwardly folded-out edge;

[0025] The mahjong tiles stored on the base are located either on the outside of the inner folded edge or on the inside of the outer folded edge;

[0026] The purpose of the inner and / or outer folded edges is to prevent the mahjong tiles or tile stacks on the base from contacting the outer protective baffle (contact would create resistance). The inner and outer folded edges can be installed simultaneously, or only one of them can be installed; having both simultaneously is clearly preferable.

[0027] In this invention, the height of the inner folded edge is less than the height of a mahjong tile to avoid the tile-pushing head; the height of the outer folded edge is less than the height of a mahjong tile so that the mahjong tile queue leaves the tile storage channel; at least on opposite sides of the tile storage channel, the tile storage base is provided with protective components to prevent mahjong tiles from falling.

[0028] In this invention, the cam and the card pusher are arranged coaxially or non-coaxially, and the base, the cam, and the card pusher are driven by the same or different drive units.

[0029] Obviously, using the same drive unit to drive the base, cam, and pusher bracket is more energy-efficient. In this case, the drive unit includes a motor and a drive gear connected to the motor's output shaft, and the inner periphery of the base has a lower transmission gear ring that drives the drive gear.

[0030] The cam is provided with a first transmission gear that drives the lower transmission gear ring, and the pusher bracket is provided with a second transmission gear that drives the lower transmission gear ring.

[0031] Preferably, a guide is provided between the base and the card storage base to ensure that the base always moves along the path, and a limiting member is provided on the card storage base to prevent the base from leaving the path.

[0032] The guide includes an annular recessed groove recessed on the storage base, and the bottom surface of the base is provided with a protruding rib embedded in the annular recessed groove;

[0033] The limiting member includes at least one column rotatably connected to the card storage base, the column abutting against and rolling with the base support, and the column also having a protruding edge abutting against the top surface of the base support; or the top surface of the base support has a recessed area, the recessed area extending in the same direction and length as the base support, and the bottom surface of the card holder has a protrusion that slides with the recessed area.

[0034] Clearly, the shape of the rib matches any part of the annular groove, and similarly, the shape of the protrusion matches any part of the recessed area. The column restricts the base support from its inner periphery and top surface (i.e., the top surface of the inner folded edge), while the protrusion on the plate support restricts the base support from its top surface. Since the inner periphery of the base support is provided with a lower drive gear ring, the part of the column that abuts against it is provided with a lower stabilizing gear that meshes with the lower drive gear ring.

[0035] After all the mahjong tiles have been stored in the storage channel, the movable support surface may continue to move or remain stationary. Obviously, continuing to move will help reduce the resistance of the downstream tile-adding component. That is, the mahjong machine stacking and tile-adding system of this invention also includes a tile-adding pusher for pushing the mahjong tile queues in the storage channel onto the tile-raising plate. The movable support surface and the tile-adding pusher simultaneously apply force to the mahjong tile queue from the bottom and rear, respectively, to achieve tile adding.

[0036] As mentioned earlier, both the base and the roller can achieve the function of moving the support surface, but the base is less expensive. Therefore, in the following further explanation of the license plate mounting assembly, it is still assumed that the moving support surface is provided by the base, which is movably set in the license plate storage base.

[0037] In this invention, the license plate pusher has two different working modes:

[0038] The first type: the card-adding pusher has a card-adding waiting position at the front of the mahjong tile queue waiting for all mahjong tiles to enter the storage channel, and a card-adding position that goes around to the back of the mahjong tile queue to push the mahjong tile queue; the second type: the card-adding pusher has a card-adding waiting position at the beginning of the storage channel waiting for all mahjong tiles to enter the storage channel, and a card-adding position that goes from the back of the mahjong tile queue to push the mahjong tile queue.

[0039] In the first working mode, the movement path of the license plate pusher is closed, while the movement path of the base can be either closed or open. During one license plate application process, the license plate pusher moves two circles along its movement path. In the second working mode, the movement paths of the license plate pusher and the base can be either closed or open. During one license plate application process, the license plate pusher moves one circle along its movement path.

[0040] Regardless of the working mode, in the waiting position for playing tiles, the base is generally in a moving state and remains relatively stationary with respect to the mahjong tiles; in the playing position, the moving speed of the tile pusher and the base can be the same or different.

[0041] Regardless of the working mode, the license plate pusher and the base can be driven by the same drive unit or by different drive units. In a preferred case, the same drive unit is used to drive the license plate pusher and the base. In the optimal case, the same drive unit is used to drive the license plate pusher, the base, the cam, and the license plate pusher bracket.

[0042] In this optimal scenario, the movement path of the tile-feeding pusher and the base is preferably a closed loop (but the base itself can be a loop or an arc), that is: the movement path of the base is a closed loop, and the base is a loop or an arc; furthermore, a tile-feeding turntable located at the center of the movement path is rotatably connected to the tile storage base, and the tile-feeding pusher is fixed to the outer periphery of the tile-feeding turntable; the tile-feeding turntable and the base are at different vertical heights, with a gap between them to avoid the stacking push assembly. The tile-feeding turntable above the base can not only rotate the tile-feeding pusher circumferentially, but also act as a protective component inside the inner folded edge of the base, preventing the mahjong tiles from falling. At this time, the outer diameter of the tile-feeding turntable should not exceed the outer diameter of the inner folded edge of the base (referring to the outer arc surface side of the inner folded edge).

[0043] Accordingly, the drive unit at this time includes a motor and a drive gear connected to the output shaft of the motor. The inner periphery of the base has a lower drive gear ring that drives the drive gear, and the plate-mounting turntable has an upper drive gear ring that drives the drive gear. In this invention, the radii of the lower drive gear ring and the upper drive gear ring can be the same or different, that is, as mentioned above, the moving speeds of the plate-mounting pusher and the base can be the same or different.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are reflected in:

[0045] 1. The present invention provides a movable support surface in the card storage channel, which can move along the extension direction of the card storage channel; when the stacking and pushing component pushes a stack of cards or a mahjong tile onto the movable support surface, the moving support surface carries the stack of cards or the mahjong tile away from the beginning of the card storage channel and to the end of the card storage channel; this makes the pushing force of the stacking and pushing component only need to be sufficient to push a stack of cards or a mahjong tile, greatly reducing the pushing resistance.

[0046] 2. In this invention, the movable support surface is still in a moving state when the tile-adding pusher is working. In this way, the movable support surface and the tile-adding pusher can simultaneously apply force to the mahjong tile queue from the bottom and rear of the queue to achieve tile adding, which helps to reduce the tile-adding resistance of the tile-adding pusher.

[0047] 3. The stacking and pushing card-adding system of the present invention uses only one drive unit to drive the stacking and pushing components, the moving support surface and the card-adding push head. While maintaining the normal operation of each structure, it reduces the pushing resistance and card-adding resistance, improves the pushing and card-adding efficiency, and eliminates the influence of stains on the mahjong tiles on the pushing and card-adding process. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mahjong machine stacking and pushing card system according to the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of a mahjong machine stacking and pushing tile system according to the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The exploded structure diagram of the stacking assembly shown;

[0051] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The diagram shows the exploded structure of the stacking assembly from another perspective.

[0052] Figure 5 for Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure of the storage base.

[0053] Figure 6 for Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure of the base.

[0054] Figure 7 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the base shown;

[0055] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of section A;

[0056] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission relationship between the drive unit and the base.

[0057] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the transmission relationship between the base support and the stacking assembly;

[0058] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the transmission relationship between the drive unit and the license plate assembly;

[0059] Figure 12 This invention relates to a mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system, and its usage status diagram in a mahjong machine. Detailed Implementation

[0060] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0061] Example 1

[0062] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the figure, this embodiment of a mahjong machine stacking and pushing tile loading system includes a stacking and pushing component 1, a tile storage component 2, and a tile loading component 3. The stacking and pushing component 1 is used to stack mahjong tiles into piles and push these piles into the tile storage channel 203 of the tile storage component 2 for storage (in some mahjong machines, some mahjong tiles are not stacked and are directly stored in the tile storage channel 203). The tile storage component 2 includes a tile storage base 21, and the tile storage channel 203 formed therein is used to store a mahjong tile queue. This queue can be a combination of piles, a combination of mahjong tiles (i.e., single tiles, not stacked), or a combination of piles and tiles. The tile loading component 3 is used to push the mahjong tile queue in the tile storage channel 203 onto a tile lifting plate.

[0063] Specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, combined Figure 1 and Figure 2As can be seen, the stacking and pushing assembly 1 in this embodiment includes a tile-receiving platform 11, a tile-stacking unit for driving the tile-receiving platform 11 to rise and fall to achieve tile stacking, and a tile-pushing unit for pushing the mahjong tiles or tile stacks on the tile-receiving platform 11 into the tile storage channel 203. The tile-receiving platform 11 is located at the beginning of the tile storage channel 203, adjacent to the tile inlet 201 of the tile storage channel 203; while the tile-stacking unit and the tile-pushing unit are located inside the tile storage channel 203.

[0064] To enable the card holder 11 to rise and fall, a connector 12 is integrally formed or fixedly connected to the card holder 11. The connector 12 is provided with at least one guide post 13 (two guide posts 13 are provided in the figure), and a guide seat 14 is fixedly installed on the card storage base 21. The guide seat 14 has a guide channel 141 corresponding to the position of the guide post 13. When the guide post 13 slides along the guide channel 141, the card holder 11 rises and falls.

[0065] The card stacking unit includes a cam 15 rotatably mounted on the card storage base 21. The outer circumferential surface of the cam 15 has a curved groove that connects end to end. In this embodiment, the curved groove has two repeating units that connect end to end. Each repeating unit consists of a sequentially arranged ascending curved segment 151, a descending curved segment 152, and a horizontal segment 153. The connecting member 12 is provided with a bearing 16 embedded in the curved groove. When the cam 15 rotates, the bearing 16 rolls along the curved groove, causing the card holder 11 to rise and fall.

[0066] In this embodiment, the tile-holding platform 11 has a first tile-holding position at a high position and a second tile-holding position at a low position. The two tile-holding positions are set up according to the configuration of stacking two layers of tile stacks. When the mahjong machine stacks three layers of tile stacks, three tile-holding positions are required, which is common knowledge known to those skilled in the art. Of course, other tile-stacking units capable of stacking tile stacks are also applicable to this invention.

[0067] When the receiving platform 11 has two receiving positions at different heights, the ascending curve segment 151 is used to raise the receiving platform 11 from the second receiving position to the first receiving position to receive the first mahjong tile, the descending curve segment 152 is used to lower the receiving platform 11 from the first receiving position to the second receiving position to receive the second mahjong tile, and the horizontal segment 153 is used to keep the receiving platform 11 in the second receiving position so that the tile pushing unit can push the tile.

[0068] from Figure 3 and Figure 4It can be seen that multiple magnets 17 are also embedded on the outer circumference of the cam 15, located on the side of the curved groove. The positions of the magnets 17 correspond to the highest point of the ascending curve segment 151, the lowest point of the descending curve segment 152 (i.e., the starting point of the horizontal segment 153), and the end point of the horizontal segment 153 (i.e., the lowest point of the ascending curve segment 151), respectively. A magnetic control 18 for detecting these magnets 17 is fixedly installed on the card storage base 21. In this way, the rotation and pause of the cam 15 can be controlled according to the card delivery situation of the mahjong machine's card delivery component. For example, after the card receiving platform 11 receives the first mahjong tile, it descends to the second card receiving position. If the card delivery component does not deliver the second mahjong tile in time, the cam 15 needs to be paused to keep it in the second card receiving position and wait.

[0069] In this embodiment, the card pushing unit includes a card pushing bracket 19 rotatably mounted on the card storage base 21. The card pushing bracket 19 is provided with at least one card pushing head 191. The number of card pushing heads 191 is consistent with the number of repeating units in the curved groove. The figure shows two card pushing heads 191.

[0070] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, a closed circular moving path 200 is formed inside the card storage base 21. Card inlet 201 and card outlet 202 are formed at different circumferential positions of the moving path 200. The part of the moving path 200 between the card inlet 201 and the card outlet 202 is the card storage channel 203. It can be seen that the card storage channel 203 is a part of the moving path 200.

[0071] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a base 22 is movably set on the activity path 200 (the card holder 11 is located above the base 22). The function of the base 22 is to provide a movable support surface. The part of the movable support surface that is inside the card storage channel 203 or the part that moves into the card storage channel 203 is used to store mahjong tiles and assist in pushing and placing tiles. Therefore, the length of the base 22 is not less than the length of the mahjong tile queue, and usually not less than the length of the card storage channel 203.

[0072] In actual operation, the base 22 can be arc-shaped, meaning the length of the base 22 is less than the length of the moving path 200, and the base 22 moves along the moving path 200; or it can be... Figure 2 and Figure 6 The circular shape shown is from Figure 1 As can be seen, at this time, the length of the base 22 is the same as the length of the moving path 200. The base 22, which moves along the moving path 200, actually rotates around the center of the moving path 200.

[0073] When the pusher head 191 pushes a stack of tiles or a single mahjong tile onto the base 22, the moving base 22 carries the stack of tiles or the single mahjong tile away from the beginning of the storage channel 203 and to the end of the storage channel 203. This means that the pushing force of the pusher head 191 only needs to be sufficient to push a stack of tiles or a single mahjong tile, and its pushing resistance is greatly reduced.

[0074] However, in the curved storage channel 203, the mahjong tiles need to constantly change position according to the direction of the storage channel 203. To avoid the mahjong tiles on the base 22 coming into contact with the sides of the storage channel 203 and causing friction, such as... Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the inner and outer peripheries of the base 22 have an inner folded edge 221 and an outer folded edge 222 that are folded upwards, respectively, and the mahjong tiles stored on the base 22 are located between the inner folded edge 221 and the outer folded edge 222.

[0075] This embodiment does not have strict requirements on the height of the inner folded edge 221 and the outer folded edge 222. Considering the need to avoid the connecting piece 12 and the pusher head 191, this embodiment sets the height of the inner folded edge 221 and the outer folded edge 222 to be less than the thickness of a mahjong tile. However, because the height of the inner folded edge 221 and the outer folded edge 222 is relatively low, when the base 22 stores a stack of tiles, the mahjong tiles on top of the stack are at risk of falling to the sides.

[0076] Therefore, protective components are provided on the card storage base 21 at least on both sides of the card storage channel 203. The function of the protective components can be performed by the inherent structure in the card storage assembly 2, such as the protective baffle 211 on the outer periphery of the card storage base 21 and the disc-shaped structure (such as the card loading turntable 31) in the center of the card storage base 21, etc. In this embodiment, the protective baffle 211 (a patch 212 can be added to the inner side of the protective baffle 211 as needed to adjust the width of the card storage channel 203) and the card loading turntable 31 are provided on the entire movement path 200 of the base 22, and only the card inlet 201 and card outlet 202 of the card storage channel 203 need to be opened on the protective baffle 211.

[0077] In this embodiment, the movement or rotation of the base 22 is driven by a drive unit. As shown in Figure 9, the drive unit used in this embodiment includes a motor (not shown in the figure) and a drive gear 23 rotatably mounted on the card storage base 21. The drive gear 23 is connected to the output shaft of the motor. The inner periphery of the base 22 has a lower transmission gear ring 223, which can directly mesh with the drive gear 23 for transmission, or it can be transmitted to the drive gear 23 through other gears. Those skilled in the art can also use other drive units to drive the base 22, and this embodiment has no special requirements for this.

[0078] To save power and simplify the structure, this embodiment does not use a separate driver to drive the cam 15 and the pusher bracket 19; instead, it draws power directly from the lower transmission gear ring 223. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 10 As shown, a first transmission gear 154 is coaxially mounted on the cam 15, and a second transmission gear 192 is coaxially mounted on the pusher bracket 19. Both the first transmission gear 154 and the second transmission gear 192 mesh with the lower transmission gear ring 223 for transmission.

[0079] It can be seen that the base 22, which is in the shape of a ring or arc and can move relative to the card storage base 21, is very unstable. It is necessary to set a guide between the base 22 and the card storage base 21 to make the base 22 always move along the path, and a limiting member to prevent the base 22 from leaving the path.

[0080] Guide components and limiting components come in various forms, and those skilled in the art can configure them according to specific needs. For example... Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the guide component used in this embodiment includes an annular groove 213 recessed in the tile storage base 21, and an annular rib 224 embedded in the annular groove 213 on the bottom surface of the base 22 (when the base 22 is arc-shaped, the rib 224 is also arc-shaped). It can be seen that overcoming the friction between the base 22 and the tile storage base 21 is obviously more effortless than overcoming the friction between the mahjong tiles and the tile storage channel 203. Further, by applying lubricating oil or configuring components such as ball bearings in the annular groove 213, the movement of the base 22 will be smoother and less strenuous. However, since the mahjong tile queue will eventually leave the tile storage channel 203, relative movement will still occur between the mahjong tiles and the base 22. To reduce the friction between the mahjong tiles and the base 22, such as... Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, a recessed area 225 is formed on the top surface of the base 22. This recessed area 225 is annular and located at the center of the base 22. While ensuring the base 22 can stably support the mahjong tiles, it reduces the contact area between the mahjong tiles and the base 22, thus reducing resistance during the tile-playing process. Simultaneously, from... Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be seen that the bottom of the plate support 11 has a protrusion 111 embedded in the recessed area 225. The protrusion 111 reduces the gap between the bottom surface of the plate support 11 and the top surface of the base support 22 to a minimum, preventing the plate block from bumping when it is transferred between the plate support 11 and the base support 22. On the other hand, it can also play the role of positioning and guiding the base support 22.

[0081] like Figure 7As shown, the limiting components used in this embodiment include three columns 24 rotatably connected to the storage base 21. Each column 24 is provided with a lower stabilizing gear 241 that meshes with the lower transmission gear ring 223 of the base 22, and a protruding edge 242 that abuts against the top surface of the base 22. The three columns 24 securely limit the base 22 on the path through the lower stabilizing gear 241, ensuring that the center of the base 22 does not shift and that it does not slip during movement; the protruding edge 242 prevents the base 22 from coming off vertically. In this embodiment, the protruding edge 242 may be outwardly protruding relative to the column 24 itself, or it may be outwardly protruding relative to the tooth gap of the lower stabilizing gear 241, i.e. Figure 9 As shown, both methods can achieve the desired function.

[0082] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the card-feeding assembly 3 includes a card-feeding turntable 31 rotatably connected to the card storage base 21. A card-feeding pusher head 32, which extends into the card storage channel 203, is fixedly disposed on or integrally formed on the outer periphery of the card-feeding turntable 31. In this embodiment, the movement path of the card-feeding pusher head 32 is also a closed loop. Therefore, the drive unit in this embodiment can not only drive the base 22, cam 15, and card pusher bracket 19 to work, but also drive the card-feeding turntable 31 to work.

[0083] like Figure 11 As shown, the bottom surface of the license plate turntable 31 has an upper transmission gear ring 33 that meshes with the drive gear 23. The inner diameter of the upper transmission gear ring 33 and the lower transmission gear ring 223 can be the same or different; in this embodiment, they are the same, so that the base 22 and the license plate turntable 31 can rotate synchronously at the same speed. In addition, the column 24 is also provided with an upper stabilizing gear 243 that meshes with the upper transmission gear ring 33 of the license plate turntable 31, so that the base 22 and the license plate turntable 31 can be tightly joined together to form a whole that moves together.

[0084] from Figure 1 As can be seen, a relatively large gap 100 remains between the inner folded edge 221 of the tile-loading turntable 31 and the base 22, which is designed to avoid the stacking and pushing assembly 1. Thus, the connecting frame can extend from this gap 100 and connect to the tile-receiving platform 11, while the tile-pushing head 191 can also move in and out freely. It should be noted that even with this gap, the highest point of the gap 100 will not be higher than the highest point of the tile stack, ensuring that the tile-loading turntable 31 always protects the upper layer of mahjong tiles from falling.

[0085] The working principle of the mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system in this embodiment is as follows:

[0086] like Figure 12As shown, when the tile feeding assembly 300 in the mahjong machine starts feeding tiles to the tile receiving platform 11, the motor starts, the base 22 and the tile feeding turntable 31 start to rotate, and the tile feeding pusher 32 moves forward along the tile storage channel 203; the cam 15 and the tile pushing bracket 19, which mesh with the lower transmission gear, also start to rotate.

[0087] As the cam 15 rotates, the bearing 16 moves along the ascending curve segment 151, causing the tile-holding platform 11 to rise from the second tile-holding position to the first tile-holding position and receive the first mahjong tile; then the bearing 16 moves along the descending curve segment 152, causing the tile-holding platform 11 to descend from the first tile-holding position to the second tile-holding position and receive the second mahjong tile; then the bearing 16 moves along the horizontal segment 153, and the tile-holding platform 11 remains stationary in the second tile-holding position; at this time, the tile-pushing head 191 rotates to the rear of the tile stack, pushing the tile stacks one by one onto the base support 22;

[0088] On the base 22, the stacks of tiles or mahjong tiles remain relatively stationary, moving with the base 22 to the outlet 202 of the tile storage channel 203, while the tile-loading pusher 32 remains at the front of the mahjong tile queue. During this process, the stacks of tiles are not tightly arranged, but have gaps (this is because the stacking of tiles is not always continuous, and the tiles are not continuously fed onto the base 22). When the first stack of tiles or the first mahjong tile arrives at the outlet 202 of the tile storage channel 203, due to the obstruction of the tile-lifting plate auxiliary structure (not shown in the figure, but an inherent structure of the mahjong machine), the stack of tiles or mahjong tiles... Instead of continuing forward with the base 22 and the card-adding pusher 32, the tiles remain at the card-dispensing opening 202 of the storage channel 203 until all the tile stacks (or tile stacks and mahjong tiles) are closely arranged. During this process, the base 22 and the card-adding pusher 32 continue to move along the activity path 200 until the card-adding pusher 32 rotates 360° and returns to the end of the mahjong tile queue. At this point, the card-adding pusher 32 applies a force from the end of the mahjong tile queue, while the base 22 applies a force from the bottom of the mahjong tile queue. Under the combined force of these two forces, the mahjong tile queue is pushed out of the storage channel 203 and onto the tile-raising plate.

[0089] Example 2

[0090] This embodiment of a mahjong machine stacking and card-loading system has a structure that is basically the same as that of Embodiment 1. The difference is that the card-loading turntable 31 and the base 22 are driven by different drive units. The structures of the two drive units are still the same, except that two motors are installed on the card storage base 21, and each motor is equipped with a drive gear 23. One drive gear 23 meshes with the base 22 for transmission, and the other drive gear 23 meshes with the card-loading turntable 31 for transmission. Both motors are connected to the control unit. The sensor located in the card storage channel 203 for detecting whether all the mahjong tiles have entered the card storage channel 203 is also connected to the control unit.

[0091] Similarly, the lower stabilizing gear 241 and the upper stabilizing gear 243 are fixedly mounted on different columns 24, or they are still mounted on the same column 24, but at least one of them is rotatably connected to the column 24. If necessary, the upper stabilizing gear 243 can be omitted.

[0092] The working principle of the mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system in this embodiment is as follows:

[0093] The motor that drives the base 22 to move is started, and the base 22 moves along the active path 200. The cam 15 and the pusher bracket 19 that mesh with the lower transmission gear also begin to rotate.

[0094] As the cam 15 rotates, the bearing 16 moves along the ascending curve segment 151, causing the tile-holding platform 11 to rise from the second tile-holding position to the first tile-holding position and receive the first mahjong tile; then the bearing 16 moves along the descending curve segment 152, causing the tile-holding platform 11 to descend from the first tile-holding position to the second tile-holding position and receive the second mahjong tile; then the bearing 16 moves along the horizontal segment 153, and the tile-holding platform 11 remains stationary in the second tile-holding position; at this time, the tile-pushing head 191 rotates to the rear of the tile stack, pushing the tile stacks one by one onto the base support 22;

[0095] On the base 22, the tile stacks or mahjong tiles remain relatively stationary, moving with the base 22 to the outlet 202 of the tile storage channel 203. Meanwhile, the tile-loading pusher 32 remains at the beginning of the tile storage channel 203 (behind the tile receiving platform 11), maintaining its position. During this process, the tile stacks are not tightly arranged, but have gaps (this is because the stacking of tile stacks is not always continuous, and the tile stacks are not continuously fed onto the base 22). When the first tile stack or the first mahjong tile arrives at the outlet 202 of the tile storage channel 203, due to the auxiliary structure of the tile-lifting plate (not shown in the figure, but an inherent structure of the mahjong machine),... Due to the obstruction of the base 22 and the tile-raising pusher 32, the tile stacks or mahjong tiles do not continue to advance with the base 22 and the tile-raising pusher 32, but instead remain at the tile outlet 202 of the tile storage channel 203; until all the tile stacks (or tile stacks and mahjong tiles) are closely arranged (detected by the sensor); at this time, the control unit starts the motor used to drive the tile-raising turntable 31 to rotate, and the tile-raising pusher 32 begins to move along the tile storage channel 203 to the end of the mahjong tile queue. The tile-raising pusher 32 applies force from the end of the mahjong tile queue, while the base 22 applies force from the bottom of the mahjong tile queue. Under the two forces, the mahjong tile queue is pushed out of the tile storage channel 203 and onto the tile-raising plate.

[0096] In this embodiment, when the license plate is being placed, the moving speed of the license plate pusher 32 can be less than, equal to or greater than the moving speed of the base 22. This embodiment has no special requirements in this regard.

[0097] Example 3

[0098] This embodiment provides a mahjong machine stacking and pushing card system, whose structure is basically the same as that of Embodiment 1 or 2. The difference is that the movement path 200 of the base 22 on the card storage base 21 is not closed, but is arc-shaped and the central angle of the arc is greater than 180°. Correspondingly, the base 22 is also arc-shaped, but the length of the base 22 is shorter than the length of the movement path 200.

[0099] Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the base 22 and the license plate pusher 32 are also driven by different drive units, just like in embodiment 2.

[0100] In this embodiment, after a license plate is placed, the base 22 moves in the opposite direction along the activity path 200 and returns along the original path; while the license plate pusher 32 can continue to move forward, return to the starting point after rotating 360°, or return along the original path like the base 22.

[0101] Example 4

[0102] This embodiment of a mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system has a structure that is basically the same as that of Embodiment 1, except that:

[0103] The storage base 21 is rotatably connected to several rotating rollers that are continuously arranged within the storage channel 203. All the rotating rollers rotate in the direction of extension of the storage channel 203. When the rotating rollers rotate synchronously, the mahjong tiles can move forward autonomously. In this way, the top surfaces of all the rotating rollers form a moving support surface.

[0104] The setting and transmission method of the rotating rollers can be referred to CN116889721A, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0105] In this case, the cam 15, the card pusher 19, the rotating roller, and the card loading turntable 31 can be driven by different drive units.

[0106] In this embodiment, after one loading, the rotating roller does not need to perform the same return operation as the base 22; it only needs to stop rotating.

Claims

1. A mahjong machine stacking and pushing card loading system, comprising a card storage base (21) forming a card storage channel (203), wherein the starting end of the card storage channel (203) is provided with a stacking and pushing component (1), characterized in that, The storage channel (203) has a movable support surface. The stacking and pushing component (1) is used to stack mahjong tiles into a tile pile and push the tile pile or mahjong tiles onto the movable support surface. The movable support surface is used to take the tile pile or mahjong tiles from the stacking and pushing component (1) away from the starting end of the storage channel (203) one by one.

2. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The movable support surface is provided by a base (22) movably disposed within the storage base (21), and the storage channel (203) is part or all of the movable path (200) of the base (22); Alternatively, the movable support surface may be provided by a number of continuously arranged rotating rollers that are rotatably connected to the storage base (21), and all the rotating rollers rotate in the same direction.

3. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The base (22) is made of rigid or flexible material; The activity path (200) is closed, and the base (22) moves circumferentially along the activity path (200); Alternatively, the activity path (200) may be non-closed, and the base (22) may move from the starting end of the card storage channel (203) to the terminal and then return along the same path.

4. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The activity path (200) is in the shape of a closed loop, and the base (22) is in the shape of a loop or an arc. The stacking and pushing assembly (1) includes a card-holding platform (11), a card-stacking unit for driving the card-holding platform (11) to rise and fall to achieve card stacking, and a card-pushing unit for pushing the mahjong tiles or tile stacks on the card-holding platform (11) onto the moving base (22). The card-holding platform (11) is movably mounted above the activity path (200), and the card-stacking unit and the card-pushing unit are located inside the activity path (200).

5. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The stacking unit includes: Cam (15), the outer circumferential surface of which has a curved groove that is connected end to end; A connector (12) integrally formed or fixedly connected to the card holder (11), the connector (12) being raised and lowered on the card storage base (21) and having a bearing (16) extending into the curved groove. The curved groove includes an ascending curved section (151), a descending curved section (152), and a horizontal section (153) arranged in sequence. The card-holding platform (11) has a first card-holding position at a high position and a second card-holding position at a low position. The ascending curved section (151) is used to raise the card-holding platform (11) from the second card-holding position to the first card-holding position to receive the first mahjong tile. The descending curved section (152) is used to lower the card-holding platform (11) from the first card-holding position to the second card-holding position to receive the second mahjong tile. The horizontal section (153) is used to keep the card-holding platform (11) in the second card-holding position so that the card-pushing unit can push the tiles. The card pushing unit includes a card pushing bracket (19) rotatably mounted on the card storage base (21), and the card pushing bracket (19) is provided with at least one card pushing head (191). All push heads (191) are evenly distributed around the push support (19). The number of push heads (191) is comparable to the number of repeating units of the curve groove. Each repeating unit consists of an ascending curve segment (151), a descending curve segment (152), and a horizontal segment (153).

6. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The inner periphery of the base (22) has an upwardly folded inner edge (221). Alternatively, the outer periphery of the base (22) has an upwardly folded outer edge (222). The mahjong tiles stored on the base (22) are located on the outside of the inner folded edge (221) or on the inside of the outer folded edge (222); The height of the inner folded edge (221) is less than the height of a mahjong tile to avoid the tile-pushing head (32); the height of the outer folded edge (222) is less than the height of a mahjong tile so that the mahjong tile queue leaves the tile storage channel (203); at least on opposite sides of the tile storage channel (203), the tile storage base (21) is provided with protective parts to prevent mahjong tiles from falling.

7. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The cam (15) and the card pusher (19) are coaxial or non-coaxial, and the base (22), the cam (15) and the card pusher (19) are driven by the same or different drive units.

8. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The drive unit includes a motor and a drive gear (23) connected to the output shaft of the motor. The inner periphery of the base (22) has a lower drive gear ring (223) that drives the drive gear (23). The cam (15) is provided with a first transmission gear (154) that drives the lower transmission gear ring (223), and the pusher bracket (19) is provided with a second transmission gear (192) that drives the lower transmission gear ring (223).

9. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A guide is provided between the base (22) and the card storage base (21) to ensure that the base (22) always moves along the path, and a limiting member is provided on the card storage base (21) to prevent the base (22) from leaving the path; The guide includes an annular groove (213) recessed on the storage base (21), and the bottom surface of the base (22) is provided with a protruding rib (224) embedded in the annular groove (213). The limiting member includes at least one column (24) rotatably connected to the card storage base (21), the column (24) abutting against and rolling with the base (22), and the column (24) also having a protruding edge (242) abutting against the top surface of the base (22); or the top surface of the base (22) has a recessed area (225) formed, the extension direction and length of the recessed area (225) being the same as the extension direction and length of the base (22), and the bottom surface of the card holder (11) having a protrusion (111) slidingly engaging with the recessed area (225).

10. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, It also includes a card-adding pusher (32) for pushing the mahjong tile queue in the card storage channel (203) onto the card-raising plate. The movable support surface and the card-adding pusher (32) apply force to the mahjong tile queue from the bottom and rear of the queue, respectively, to add the tiles.

11. The mahjong machine stacking and card-adding system as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The movable support surface is provided by a base (22) that is movably disposed within the storage base (21); The card-adding pusher (32) has a card-adding waiting position in front of the mahjong tile queue waiting for all mahjong tiles to enter the storage channel (203), and a card-adding position that goes around to the back of the mahjong tile queue to push the mahjong tile queue; or, the card-adding pusher (32) has a card-adding waiting position at the beginning of the storage channel (203) waiting for all mahjong tiles to enter the storage channel (203), and a card-adding position that goes from the back of the mahjong tile queue to push the mahjong tile queue; in the card-adding waiting position, the base (22) is in a moving state and remains relatively stationary with respect to the mahjong tiles; The license plate pusher (32) and the base (22) are driven by the same or different drive units; The movement path (200) of the base (22) is a closed loop, and the base (22) is a ring or an arc. The card storage base (21) is rotatably connected to a card loading turntable (31) located at the center of the activity path (200), and the card loading push head (32) is fixed to the outer periphery of the card loading turntable (31); the card loading turntable (31) and the base (22) are at different vertical heights, and there is a gap between them to avoid the stacking push assembly (1); The drive unit includes a motor and a drive gear (23) connected to the output shaft of the motor. The inner periphery of the base (22) has a lower drive gear ring (223) that drives the drive gear (23). The plate turntable (31) has an upper drive gear ring (33) that drives the drive gear (23). The diameters of the lower drive gear ring (223) and the upper drive gear ring (33) are the same or different.

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