Card dealing machine and card dealing mechanism thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a card dealing machine and a card dealing mechanism thereof. The card dealing machine comprises a card storage seat, a card dealing support, a card dealing wheel and a conveying support, and the conveying support is detachably installed on the card dealing support; a plurality of upper conveying wheels, a driving wheel and a conveying belt are installed on the conveying support, and the driving wheel is in transmission connection with the conveying motor to drive the conveying belt to operate; the lower conveying wheels are mounted on the dealing support and form a playing card conveying channel with the lower side of the conveying belt, and the upper conveying wheels and the lower conveying wheels are correspondingly arranged up and down; and the plurality of card dealing pieces are arranged in the poker card conveying direction and correspond to the card storage spaces below the card dealing pieces, and the card dealing pieces are driven by the driving piece to move so as to open the corresponding card storage spaces to enable the poker cards to enter the card storage spaces to be stored or close the corresponding card storage spaces to enable the poker cards to pass through the upper parts of the card dealing pieces. According to the scheme, the detachable conveying support is adopted, the upper conveying wheels above the conveying channel and the conveying belt are installed on the conveying support to form an independent detachable conveying assembly, and disassembly, assembly and maintenance are convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of poker machine technology, and more particularly to a card dealing machine and its card dealing mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Poker dealing machines, as automated card game auxiliary equipment, are widely used in card rooms, entertainment venues, and home entertainment. They aim to replace manual labor in repetitive tasks such as shuffling and dealing cards, improving game efficiency and fairness. While existing automatic card dealing machines have achieved a degree of automation, they still have many shortcomings in terms of structural design, usage and maintenance, and operational reliability.

[0003] Patent document CN102580307A discloses a fully automatic poker machine, which includes a mounting base and a plurality of support legs disposed at the bottom of the mounting base. The mounting base has a card inlet parallel to the tabletop for inserting playing cards; a shuffling and initial card-splitting device at one end of the inlet for initially separating haphazard playing cards; a straightening and secondary card-splitting device at the other end for aligning the playing cards and separating them into single cards; a flipping and dealing device at the other end for aligning single cards with different front and back sides and dealing them according to regulations; a card-pushing device at the other end for moving the dealt playing cards; and a card-lifting device on one side of the card-pushing device for raising the playing cards onto the tabletop. This structure has the following shortcomings and needs improvement:

[0004] 1. It adopts a card feeding method where cards are fed horizontally from the inlet and conveyed by multiple belts. Its card compartment is essentially a fixed card compartment with a bottom-dispensing structure. The bottom-dispensing method results in an excessively long dispensing path, requiring extremely high flatness of the playing cards. Slightly deformed playing cards are prone to causing dispensing jams, leading to low dispensing efficiency, poor adaptability to playing cards, and unstable operation that is prone to malfunctions. Furthermore, the mechanism occupies a large space, making it difficult to reduce the overall size of the machine, which is not conducive to the miniaturization and integration of the equipment.

[0005] 2. The card dealing equipment uses a card dealing belt and a card dealing rod to randomly deal cards (i.e., shuffling and dealing). The dealt cards fall directly onto the card pushing panel and are then pushed onto the card raising panel by the card pushing rod, where the card raising device lifts the cards onto the table. Its card dealing function relies on a complex, fixed, integrated conveyor system consisting of multiple belts, multiple rotating shafts, gear sets, and multiple card dealing rods. All components are mounted on a single bracket. If card jamming or any transmission component damages, disassembly and repair are extremely inconvenient, often requiring extensive disassembly, resulting in high maintenance costs, long maintenance times, and poor equipment availability.

[0006] 3. Regarding the card pushing and lifting mechanisms, the card pushing and lifting devices are driven by two separate motors. This results in: the need for two motors and corresponding control units, leading to high hardware costs; the complete reliance on timely detection and timing synchronization by external sensors and controllers for coordinated operation, resulting in complex debugging procedures and low fault tolerance; and the possibility that even minor transmission errors in any component can cause the card pushing and lifting actions to malfunction. Therefore, the system suffers from problems such as inconsistent operation, cumbersome debugging, poor reliability, and high manufacturing costs.

[0007] Patent document CN118121919A discloses a playing card distribution system and control method. The playing card distribution system includes a playing card collecting mechanism, a playing card recognition device, and a playing card buffering mechanism. The playing card collecting mechanism includes a playing card collecting bin and a first driving device. The playing card collecting bin is used to collect playing cards and output playing cards one by one. The first driving device is used to drive the playing card collecting bin to reciprocate in the horizontal direction. The playing card recognition device is used to identify the suit and / or point information of the playing cards output by the playing card collecting bin. The playing card buffering mechanism includes at least M playing card units arranged side by side and a second driving device. Each playing card unit includes at least N playing card slots distributed in the vertical direction. Each playing card slot is used to accommodate playing cards with corresponding suit and / or point information. The second driving device is used to drive the M playing card units to reciprocate in the vertical direction to select a playing card slot to receive a playing card. Regarding the card storage mechanism, while a flip-up design is mentioned, the focus is on the convenience of card collection and recognition. The collection compartment still requires cards to be placed horizontally for delivery to the recognition and exit positions, without improving the traditional card-dispensing method. The stability of the card-dispensing action and its adaptability to card deformation are not improved compared to the traditional method. As for the card-dealing mechanism, the solution relies primarily on the horizontal movement of the card collection compartment and the vertical movement of the buffer mechanism for card distribution. It offers no insights into how the card-dealing mechanism can ensure stable and reliable card delivery while also facilitating installation and maintenance. Regarding the card-pushing and lifting mechanism, it still uses two drive devices, with the pushing and lifting (output) actions driven independently. This still suffers from problems such as inconsistent action, cumbersome coordination and debugging, poor reliability, and high manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In order to solve the technical problem that the card dealing mechanism of the above-mentioned card dealing machine is inconvenient to disassemble and maintain, the purpose of this invention is to provide a card dealing machine and its card dealing mechanism, which adopts a detachable conveyor support, and installs the upper conveyor wheel and conveyor belt above the conveyor channel on the conveyor support to form an independent detachable conveyor assembly, so as to facilitate disassembly and maintenance.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0010] A card dealing mechanism for a card dealing machine includes: a card storage base with multiple card storage spaces arranged along the card conveying direction for storing and distributing playing cards; a card dealing bracket mounted above the card storage base, with a card dealing wheel installed on the card dealing bracket near the card dispensing port of the card compartment, the card dealing wheel being driven to rotate by a card dealing motor; a conveyor bracket detachably mounted on the card dealing bracket; the conveyor bracket having multiple upper conveyor wheels, a drive wheel, and a conveyor belt wrapped around the multiple upper conveyor wheels and the drive wheel, the drive wheel being driven by a conveyor motor to drive the conveyor belt; multiple lower conveyor wheels mounted on the card dealing bracket and forming a card conveying channel with the lower side of the conveyor belt, the upper and lower conveyor wheels being arranged vertically correspondingly; and multiple card dealing components arranged along the card conveying direction and corresponding to the card storage spaces below them, the card dealing components being driven by a drive component to open the corresponding card storage space to allow playing cards to enter and be stored therein or to close the corresponding card storage space to allow playing cards to pass over it.

[0011] Preferably, the card-dealing component is movably disposed between two adjacent card storage spaces, and the lower conveyor wheel and the card-dealing component are spaced apart from each other.

[0012] Preferably, the card-dealing device is positioned directly above the corresponding card storage space, the lower conveyor wheel is positioned between two adjacent card storage spaces, and no card-dealing device is positioned above the last card storage space.

[0013] Preferably, a first mounting component is installed at one end of the conveying bracket, a first slot is provided on the card dealing bracket to engage with the first mounting component, a second slot is provided at the other end of the conveying bracket, and a second mounting component is installed on the card dealing bracket to engage with the second slot. The first slot opens upward, and the second slot opens forward or backward.

[0014] Preferably, the two lower conveyor wheels are mounted as a set on a mounting base, which is mounted on the card dealing bracket in a swingable manner via a mounting shaft. The axis of the mounting shaft is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and the two lower conveyor wheels are located on opposite sides of the mounting shaft.

[0015] Preferably, the card dealing component is mounted on the card dealing bracket in a way that allows it to swing up and down via a card dealing component shaft. A drive arm is fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the card dealing component shaft, and the drive component is connected to the drive arm to drive the card dealing component to swing.

[0016] Preferably, the driving component is an electromagnet, with its two ends connected to the driving arm and the card dealing bracket, respectively.

[0017] Preferably, the card-dealing component includes two flip plates that are coaxially fixed and rotate together, and the lower conveyor wheel and its mounting seat are disposed between the two flip plates.

[0018] Preferably, the system also includes a tensioning wheel and a tensioning connecting rod. One end of the tensioning connecting rod is hinged to the conveying bracket, the tensioning wheel is mounted on the tensioning connecting rod, and the other end of the tensioning connecting rod is connected to the conveying bracket or the card dealing bracket via a tension spring. A conveying motor is mounted on the conveying bracket.

[0019] A card dealing machine, comprising a card dealing mechanism as described above.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solutions and through a unique modular and integrated design, this invention achieves significant results in improving maintenance convenience, operational stability, and reducing manufacturing costs, as detailed below:

[0021] 1. The modularization and rapid assembly / disassembly of the core conveying components have been achieved, greatly improving the ease of maintenance.

[0022] Existing card-dealing mechanisms typically integrate the conveyor belt, pulleys, and other components directly onto the card-dealing bracket, resulting in a high degree of structural integration. However, this makes maintenance extremely difficult should the conveyor belt slip, wear, or card jamming occur. This invention creatively integrates the conveyor belt, motor, drive pulley, tension pulley, and bracket into a single, detachable conveyor assembly. Through the interlocking of the first and second mounting components, this assembly can be quickly removed from or installed as an independent module from the card-dealing bracket. When cleaning, replacing the conveyor belt, or repairing the internal mechanisms is required, the entire machine can be removed directly, significantly simplifying the maintenance and debugging process, reducing downtime, and lowering long-term maintenance costs.

[0023] 2. A stable and reliable playing card delivery channel was constructed, effectively ensuring the accuracy and smoothness of card dealing.

[0024] This invention utilizes multiple lower conveyor wheels fixed to the card-dealing bracket, which, in conjunction with multiple lower conveyor wheels in a detachable conveyor assembly and the underside of the conveyor belt, form a continuous playing card conveying channel. Specifically, the lower conveyor wheels are oscillatingly mounted (via mounting bases and shafts), allowing them to adaptively maintain good contact pressure with the conveyor belt, ensuring uniform and stable clamping force on the playing cards. This design avoids the slippage or deviation problems that can occur with traditional pure belt conveyors, making the position and speed of each playing card in the channel more controllable. This lays a solid foundation for the precise operation of the subsequent card-dealing components, significantly reducing the risk of card jamming and misdealing during the conveying process.

[0025] 3. The layout of the card dealing component and the conveyor wheel has been optimized, resulting in a compact structure and precise card dispensing action.

[0026] This invention positions the card-dealing component between adjacent lower conveyor wheels or directly above the card storage space, resulting in a more rational and compact spatial layout. The driving component (electromagnet) directly controls the swing of the card-dealing component via a drive arm, ensuring rapid response. When a card storage space needs to collect cards, the corresponding card-dealing component swings open, and the playing cards accurately fall into the storage space under the conveying power; when playing cards need to cross the storage space, the card-dealing component closes, guiding the cards forward. This layout ensures that the trigger point and execution point of the card-distribution action are extremely close, resulting in precise control and avoiding positioning errors caused by inertia after long-distance transport. Simultaneously, the conveying function (conveyor wheel set) and the card-distribution function (card-dealing component) are structurally integrated adjacently, reducing unnecessary space waste and contributing to the miniaturization and lightweight design of the card-dealing mechanism and even the entire machine. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute a limitation thereof.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the card dealing machine of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a side sectional view of the card dealing machine of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the card dealing machine of the present invention (with the compartment door open).

[0031] Figure 4 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the card dealing machine of the present invention (with the compartment door open).

[0032] Figure 5 This is a top view of the card dealing machine of the present invention (with the compartment door open).

[0033] Figure 6 This is a side view of the card dealing machine of the present invention (with the compartment door open).

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the card dealing action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (the door is open).

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the card dealing action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (putting in a stack of playing cards).

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the card dealing action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (the door is closed, ready to deal cards).

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the card dealing action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (the door is closed and the card dealing is completed).

[0038] Figure 11 This is a side view of the card dealing machine of the present invention (with the compartment door closed).

[0039] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the card pushing and lifting structure in the card dealing machine of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the card pushing and lifting structure in the card dealing machine of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 14 This is a partial structural diagram of the card dealing mechanism in the card dealing machine of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the card pushing and raising action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (initial state).

[0043] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the card-pushing and card-lifting action of the card-dealing machine of the present invention (the card-lifting plate descends to the bottom).

[0044] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the card pushing and lifting action of the card dealing machine of the present invention (the card pushing plate pushes the cards onto the card lifting plate).

[0045] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the card-pushing and card-raising action of the card-dealing machine of the present invention (the card-raising plate raises the cards to the table).

[0046] The accompanying diagrams are labeled as follows:

[0047] Base plate 1,

[0048] 201 Door support bracket, 202 Door, 203 Card compartment, 204 Door motor, 205 Upper card pressing plate, 206 Lower card pressing plate, 207 Card pressing link, 208 Door link, 209 Motor link, 210 Card compartment link

[0049] Card storage holder 301, card storage space 3011, card pusher slot 3012, card dealing bracket 302, mounting base 3021, mounting shaft 3022, drive component 303 (electromagnet), drive arm 304, conveyor belt 305, conveyor bracket 306, conveyor motor 307, tension wheel 308, tension connecting rod 309, card dealing motor 310, card dealing wheel 311, first mounting component 312 (clamping shaft), card dealing component 313 (flip plate / lever), card dealing component shaft 3131, conveyor wheel set 314, upper conveyor wheel 3141, lower conveyor wheel 3142, second mounting component 315 (clamping shaft), drive wheel 316.

[0050] The components include: a card lifting base 401, a card lifting guide rail 4011, a card lifting plate 402, a card lifting cam 4021, a card pushing motor 403, a card pushing guide rail 404, a card pushing slider 405, a card pushing connecting rod 406, a card pushing swing arm 407, a card pushing hinge shaft 4071, a first roller 4072, a curved wheel 408, a card pushing curved groove 4081, a card lifting curved groove 4082, a card pushing plate 409, a card lifting bracket 410, a card lifting swing arm 411, a card lifting hinge shaft 4111, a card lifting roller 4112, a second roller 4113, a connecting rod 412, and a curved wheel base 413. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0052] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of this application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0053] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0054] In the description of this invention, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0055] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and 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 this invention.

[0056] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

[0057] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0058] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0059] For ease of description, when stating directions below, the direction in which the playing cards move in the conveyor channel is considered "front," the opposite direction is considered "back," and the left and right sides of the direction of movement are considered "left and right."

[0060] like Figures 1 to 5 The illustrated card dealing machine includes a card storage mechanism for holding playing cards, a card distributing mechanism for distributing the cards from the card storage to various card storage spaces, a card pushing mechanism for pushing the cards from each card storage space to a card lifting plate, and a card lifting mechanism for lifting the cards from the card lifting plate onto the table. The card storage mechanism, card distributing mechanism, card pushing mechanism, and card lifting mechanism are all mounted on a base plate 1. The card storage contains a stack of playing cards that has been arranged with both sides facing up. The card dealing machine randomly distributes this stack of cards into several piles according to the player's needs and lifts them onto the table for the player to directly access and play the game.

[0061] The card storage mechanism includes a door 202, a card storage compartment 203, a door motor 204, an upper card pressing plate 205, a lower card pressing plate 206, and a card pressing linkage 207. The upper part of one side of the card storage compartment 203 is hinged to the card-feeding side of the card-distributing bracket 302 in the card-distributing mechanism. The upper card pressing plate 205 and the lower card pressing plate 206 are installed inside the card storage compartment 203. The lower card pressing plate 206 is movably mounted on one end of the card pressing linkage 207, and the other end of the card pressing linkage 207 is hinged to the card storage compartment 203. The card storage compartment 203 is driven to rotate by the door motor 204, thus having at least two stopping positions: such as... Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, when the card compartment 203 is in the first stop position, the compartment door 202 is closed, the upper pressure plate 205 is located above the inside of the card compartment 203, and the lower pressure plate 206 is located below the inside of the card compartment 203. The pressure lever 207, through an elastic element, is given an upward rotational tendency relative to the card compartment 203, thereby driving the lower pressure plate 206 to move upward and clamp the playing cards between the upper pressure plate 205 and the lower pressure plate 206. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, when the card compartment 203 is in the second stop position, the compartment door 202 opens, and the upper pressure plate 205 and the lower pressure plate 206 are located on the front and rear sides inside the card compartment 203. The top of the card compartment 203 is open to allow upright playing cards to be placed in, and the side wall 2031 of the card outlet of the card compartment 203 is flipped to form the bottom of the card compartment 203. In this way, the card dispensing method from the top is closer to manual dealing than the traditional card compartment dispensing method from the bottom. The card dispensing resistance is relatively stable, the adaptability to playing cards is better, the deformation of playing cards has little impact on the card movement, the dispensing and separation of playing cards are more stable and reliable, and the overall size of the machine is smaller.

[0062] In this preferred embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the card storage 203 includes a card outlet sidewall 2031 and a first sidewall 2032 and a second sidewall 2033 located on both sides of the card outlet sidewall. The first sidewall 2032, the second sidewall 2033, and the card outlet sidewall 2031 are fixedly connected or integrally formed. The upper pressure plate 205 is hinged between the first sidewall 2032 and the second sidewall 2033. The first sidewall 2032 and the second sidewall 2033 are hinged to the card dealing bracket 302. When the card storage 203 is in the first stop position, a card outlet is formed between the upper part of the card outlet sidewall 2031 and the upper pressure plate 205, allowing playing cards to pass through. In this way, the card storage structure is simple, reasonable, and small in size, making it convenient to put in and play cards.

[0063] In this preferred embodiment, the hinge point between the card holder 203 and the card dispensing bracket 302 is located between the hinge point between the card holder and the upper pressure plate 205 and the card dispensing opening of the card holder. This allows for flexible card storage with minimal space requirements, facilitating card placement and dispensing.

[0064] In this preferred embodiment, when the card holder 203 is in the first stop position (dealing position), the upper pressure plate 205 is given a downward pressing tendency through an elastic element, which is disposed between the upper pressure plate 205 and the card holder 203 or the dealing bracket. This ensures that the upper pressure plate always applies a stable pressing friction force to the playing cards, ensuring stable and reliable card dealing. More preferably, the elastic element is a torsion spring sleeved on the hinge shaft between the upper pressure plate and the card holder. One end of the torsion spring abuts against the upper pressure plate, and the other end abuts against the card holder or the dealing bracket. This not only ensures the pressing effect but also forms a front sidewall of the card holder when it is open, resulting in a simple and reasonable structure with significant effectiveness.

[0065] In this preferred embodiment, a card-pressing link 207 is hinged to each side of the card compartment 203, and the two card-pressing links 207 are respectively disposed in the gaps between the card outlet side wall 2031 and the first side wall 2032 and the second side wall 2033. In this way, the card-pressing link structure is simple and has low manufacturing cost, and the lower card plate can move flexibly inside the card compartment.

[0066] The storage door 202 can be mounted on the tabletop or on a fixed bracket on the base plate 1. In this embodiment, preferably, one side of the storage door 202 is hinged to the storage door bracket 201, which is fixed to the base plate 1. The bottom of the storage door 202 is movably connected (preferably hinged) to one end of the storage door connecting rod 208, and the other end of the storage door connecting rod 208 is movably connected (preferably hinged) to the bottom of the card storage 203. In this way, when the card storage 203 flips upward, it can drive the storage door 202 to flip upward and open. When the card storage 203 flips downward, the storage door connecting rod 208 drives the storage door 202 to close, and the storage door connecting rod 208 is located on one side of the card storage 203 (the side away from the card outlet) to block the playing cards. The structure is simple, the operation is reliable and stable, the space occupied is small, and the manufacturing cost is low.

[0067] In this preferred embodiment, the pressing plate 206 is hinged to the pressing rod 207 and given an upward flipping pressing tendency by a spring. The pressing plate 206 and the door connecting rod 208 are offset. In this way, the door connecting rod and the pressing plate have simple structures, and their offset movements are flexible and do not interfere with each other. More preferably, the spring is a torsion spring.

[0068] In this preferred embodiment, the door motor 204 is connected to the first side wall 2032 of the card compartment 203 via a motor connecting rod 209 and a card compartment connecting rod 210. The motor connecting rod 209 is driven to rotate by the door motor 204. One end of the motor connecting rod 209 is hinged to one end of the card compartment connecting rod 210, and the other end of the card compartment connecting rod 210 is hinged to the first side wall 2032 of the card compartment 203. This design allows for a large range of card compartment rotation, a simple and reasonable drive structure, reliable operation, and a compact size.

[0069] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the card dealing mechanism includes a card storage base 301 and a card dealing bracket 302. The card storage base 301 has multiple card storage spaces 3011 for storing and distributing playing cards. The card dealing bracket 302 is mounted above the card storage base 301 and has a card dealing wheel 311 installed near the card dispensing opening. The card dealing wheel 311 is driven to rotate by a card dealing motor 310. The card dealing bracket 302 is equipped with a conveyor belt 305, multiple card dealing components 313, and multiple conveyor wheel sets 314. The conveyor belt 305 is mounted on a conveyor bracket 306 and is driven by a conveyor motor 307. The conveyor bracket 306 is detachably mounted on the card dealing bracket 302. The multiple card dealing components 313 are arranged along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 305 and are connected to the multiple card storage spaces 301 below. Correspondingly, the card-dealing component 313 is driven by the drive component 303 to open the corresponding card storage space 3011 for the playing cards to be stored therein, or to close the corresponding card storage space 3011 for the playing cards to pass over it. The conveyor wheel assembly 314 includes upper conveyor wheels 3141 and lower conveyor wheels 3142 arranged vertically. The multiple upper conveyor wheels 3141 are mounted on the conveyor support 306 and are driven to rotate by the conveyor belt 305. The multiple lower conveyor wheels 3142 are mounted on the card-dealing support 302 and are spaced apart from the multiple card-dealing components 313. In this way, a card conveying channel is formed between the conveyor belt and the lower conveyor wheels. The conveyor wheel assembly composed of the upper and lower conveyor wheels ensures stable and reliable card conveying. The card-dealing component is set between the lower conveyor wheels and controls whether the playing cards are stored locally or continue to move forward, thereby realizing the distribution of playing cards. The structure and principle are simple and reliable. Furthermore, the conveyor support, upper conveyor wheels, and conveyor belt form a detachable component, which is convenient for assembly, maintenance, and fault repair.

[0070] The card-issuing component 313 can be positioned between two adjacent card storage spaces 3011, or directly above a card storage space 3011. In this preferred embodiment, as shown... Figure 14 As shown, the card issuing component 313 is positioned directly above the card storage space 3011, and the conveyor wheel set 314 is positioned between two adjacent card storage spaces 3011. The last card storage space 3011 is not equipped with a card issuing component 313. In this way, the number of card issuing components and the number of conveyor wheel sets are one less than the number of card storage spaces. This not only enables reliable opening and closing of the card storage spaces but also reduces manufacturing costs.

[0071] In this preferred embodiment, such as Figure 14As shown, two lower conveyor wheels 3142 are mounted as a group on a mounting base 3021. The mounting base 3021 is mounted on the card dealing bracket 302 in a swingable manner via a mounting shaft 3022. The axis of the mounting shaft 3022 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 305. The two lower conveyor wheels 3142 are located on opposite sides of the mounting shaft 3022. In this way, the lower conveyor wheels are more flexible and adaptable, can reliably clamp and move cards in cooperation with the upper conveyor wheels and the conveyor belt, and facilitate the installation, disassembly, and maintenance of the conveyor wheels.

[0072] The card-dealing component 313 can be a card-dealing rod formed by bending steel wire, as used in patent document CN102580307A, or it can be a plate-like structure. In this embodiment, it is preferred that... Figure 14 As shown, the card dealing component 313 adopts a structure in which two flip plates are coaxially fixed and rotate together, and the lower conveyor wheel 3142 and its mounting base 3021 are arranged between the two flip plates. This enables seamless connection between the card dealing component and the lower conveyor wheel to avoid card jamming.

[0073] In this preferred embodiment, the card dealing component 313 is mounted on the card dealing bracket 302 in a manner that allows it to swing up and down via a card dealing component shaft 3131. The card dealing component 313 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the card dealing component shaft 3131. A drive arm 304 is also fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the card dealing component shaft 3131. The drive component 303 is connected to the drive arm 304 to drive the card dealing component 313 to swing up and down. More preferably, the drive component 303 is an electromagnet, and its two ends are respectively connected to the drive arm 304 and the card dealing bracket 302.

[0074] In this preferred embodiment, a drive wheel 316 and a tensioning rod 309 are mounted on the conveyor support 306. The conveyor belt 305 wraps around the drive wheel 316. The conveyor motor 307 is connected to the drive wheel 316 and mounted on the conveyor support 306. A tensioning wheel 308 is mounted on the tensioning rod 309 to press the conveyor belt 305. One end of the tensioning rod 309 is hinged to the conveyor support 306, and the other end is connected to the conveyor support 306 or the card dealing support 302 via a tension spring, thereby giving the tensioning wheel 308 the force to tension the conveyor belt. In this way, the components above the playing card conveying channel form a single assembly, which is convenient for disassembly and maintenance. More preferably, the tension spring is a tension spring.

[0075] In this preferred embodiment, a first mounting member 312 is installed at one end of the conveying bracket 306, and a first slot is provided on the card dealing bracket 302 to engage with the first mounting member 312. A second slot is provided at the other end of the conveying bracket 306, and a second mounting member 315 is installed on the card dealing bracket 302 to engage with the second slot. The first slot opens upward, and the second slot opens forward or backward. Thus, the conveying bracket is installed and fixed by the engagement of two mounting members and two slots, facilitating disassembly and maintenance. More preferably, both the first mounting member 312 and the second mounting member 315 are snap-fit ​​shafts, and a nylon sleeve, rubber sleeve, or wear-resistant plastic sleeve for snap-fit ​​engagement is fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the snap-fit ​​shaft.

[0076] In this embodiment, multiple photoelectric sensors for detecting playing cards are installed in the card storage compartment and the playing card conveying channel. The controller of the card dealing machine detects the position of the playing cards through the photoelectric sensors and controls the corresponding driving components to drive the card dealing components to distribute multiple playing cards to each card storage space.

[0077] In existing technologies, the card pushing mechanism and the card lifting mechanism are driven by two separate motors, which suffers from problems such as inconsistent movements, cumbersome coordination and debugging, poor reliability, and high manufacturing costs. In this preferred embodiment, the card pushing mechanism and the card lifting mechanism are driven by the same motor, employing a curved wheel mechanical transmission to ensure consistent and reliable coordination between the card pushing and lifting actions. This combines the card pushing mechanism and the card lifting mechanism into a single card pushing and lifting mechanism, as shown in the following structure:

[0078] like Figure 12 , Figures 15 to 18As shown, the card pushing and lifting mechanism includes a card pushing plate 409, a card lifting plate 402, a curved wheel 408, and a card lifting motor 403. The card pushing plate 409 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with a card pushing slider 405. The card pushing slider 405 is slidably disposed below the card storage seat 301 via a card pushing guide rail 404. A card pushing groove 3012 is provided at the bottom of the card storage space 3011 of the card storage seat 301. The upper part of the card pushing plate 409 passes through the card pushing groove 3012 and enters the card storage space 3011, moving left and right to push cards. The card lifting plate 402 is slidably disposed on the card lifting seat 401 via the card lifting guide rail 4011. A card lifting cam 4021 is provided at the bottom of the card lifting plate 402. The card lifting swing arm 411 is driven by the card lifting cam 4021, thereby driving the card lifting plate 402 to rise and fall by swinging up and down through the card lifting swing arm 411. The curved wheel 408 is mounted on a curved wheel seat 413 and is driven by the card lifting motor 403. The curved wheel 408 is equipped with a push-plate curved groove 4081 and a lift-plate curved groove 4082. The push-plate curved groove 4081 is located on the end face of the curved wheel 408. A push-plate swing arm 407 is hinged to the curved wheel seat 413. A first roller 4072 is installed on the push-plate swing arm 407. The first roller 4072 moves along the push-plate curved groove 4081, thereby driving the push-plate swing arm 407 to swing back and forth. The two ends of a push-plate connecting rod 406 are movably connected to the push-plate swing arm 407 and the push-plate slider 405, respectively, thereby converting the reciprocating swing of the push-plate swing arm 407 into the linear movement of the push-plate slider 405. The lift-plate curved groove 4082 is located on the outer circumference of the curved wheel 408. A second roller 4113 is installed on the lift-plate swing arm 411. The second roller 4113 moves along the lift-plate curved groove 4082, thereby driving the lift-plate swing arm 411 to swing back and forth and realize the lifting of the lift plate 402. In this way, by integrally molding the push and lift curve grooves on the same curved wheel, the matching accuracy of the push and lift is ensured through the precision of machining and manufacturing, thereby ensuring the continuity and reliability of the push and lift actions. The push and lift actions are realized by a single motor, resulting in continuous action, simple structure, and good reliability.

[0079] like Figure 15 As shown, when the card-raising board 402 is on the table, the card-pushing board 409 does not push the cards; as Figure 16 As shown, when the card-raising plate 402 descends to the bottom, it is adjacent to the card storage space 3011 on both sides. The card-pushing plate 409 moves in the left and right direction to push the playing cards in the card storage space 3011 onto the card-raising plate 402. Figure 17 As shown; then, the card-raising plate 402 raises the playing cards onto the table, as... Figure 18 As shown.

[0080] In this preferred embodiment, such as Figure 13As shown, one end of the pusher arm 407 is hinged to the curved wheel seat 413 via the pusher hinge shaft 4071, the other end of the pusher arm 407 is hinged to one end of the pusher link 406, and the other end of the pusher link 406 is hinged to the pusher slider 405.

[0081] In this preferred embodiment, such as Figure 13 As shown, one end of the lifting arm 411 is hinged to the lifting bracket 410 or the lifting seat 401 via the lifting hinge shaft 4111, and the other end of the lifting arm 411 is movably engaged with the lifting cam 4021 via the lifting roller 4112. The two ends of a connecting rod 412 are respectively hinged to the two lifting arms 411, so that the two lifting arms 411 swing synchronously.

[0082] In this preferred embodiment, the pusher motor 403 is mounted on the cam seat 413, and the output shaft of the pusher motor 403 is directly connected to the cam 408 for transmission.

[0083] In this embodiment, the card-pushing guide rail 404 is fixedly installed or integrally formed with the base plate 1, the card storage seat 301, the card lifting seat 401, or the card lifting bracket 410. The card lifting guide rail 4011 is fixedly installed or integrally formed with the base plate 1, the card lifting seat 401, or the card lifting bracket 410. Any two or more of the card-dispensing bracket 302, the card storage seat 301, the card lifting seat 401, the card lifting bracket 410, or the curved wheel seat 413 can be fixedly connected or integrally formed to facilitate manufacturing and assembly, such as... Figure 14 As shown in the preferred embodiment, the card storage holder 301 and the card lifting holder 401 are manufactured as a single piece.

[0084] The working process of the card dealing machine in this embodiment is as follows:

[0085] like Figure 7 As shown, pressing the start button starts the door motor, opening the door as follows. Figure 8 As shown, place the playing cards into the card holder, press the start button again, the holder door closes, and the card holder rotates to the designated first stop position (the dealing position), as shown. Figure 9 As shown, the card dealing motor drives the card dealing wheel to rotate and deal cards, while the conveyor motor rotates to drive the conveyor belt to transport the playing cards forward. By controlling the start and stop of the electromagnet, the flip plate is driven to rotate and transport and distribute the playing cards to the designated card storage space.

[0086] When the number of playing cards in each card storage space reaches the set number, the card dealing motor and conveyor motor stop working, and the card dealing machine enters standby mode. Figure 10 As shown.

[0087] When the player presses the start button, the card-lifting motor starts working, driving the swivel wheel to rotate. The swivel wheel, via the card-lifting swing arm, lowers the card-lifting plate to the set position, such as... Figure 15 and Figure 16As shown, the curved wheel continues to rotate, the card-pushing arm swings, driving the card-pushing plate to move linearly along the card-pushing guide rail, pushing the playing cards in the card storage compartment to the card-lifting plate, as shown. Figure 17 and Figure 18 As shown, the playing cards are placed on the table.

[0088] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "one implementation," "specific implementation," "other implementation," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment, implementation, or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described above can also be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, implementations, or examples. The technical solutions described in this invention also include technical solutions formed by any one or more specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described above, either individually or in combination.

[0089] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, alterations, deletions of some features, additions of features, or recombinations of features to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the innovative principles of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A card dealing mechanism for a card dealing machine, characterized in that, include: The card storage stand (301) has multiple card storage spaces (3011) arranged along the card conveying direction for storing and distributing playing cards. A card-dealing bracket (302) is mounted above the card storage base (301). A card-dealing wheel (311) is installed on the card-dealing bracket (302) near the card outlet of the card compartment. The card-dealing wheel (311) is driven to rotate by a card-dealing motor (310). A conveyor bracket (306) is detachably mounted on the card dealing bracket (302); a plurality of upper conveyor wheels (3141), a drive wheel (316), and a conveyor belt (305) wrapped around the plurality of upper conveyor wheels (3141) and the drive wheel (316) are mounted on the conveyor bracket (306); the drive wheel (316) is connected to a conveyor motor (307) to drive the conveyor belt (305) to run. Multiple lower conveyor rollers (3142) are mounted on the card dealing bracket (302) and form a card conveying channel with the lower side of the conveyor belt (305). Upper conveyor rollers (3141) and lower conveyor rollers (3142) are arranged vertically in correspondence. Multiple card-dealing components (313) are arranged along the card-carrying direction and correspond to the card-storage space (3011) below them. The card-dealing components (313) are driven by the driving component (303) to open the corresponding card-storage space (3011) for the cards to enter and be stored therein or to close the corresponding card-storage space (3011) for the cards to pass over it.

2. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card-dispensing component (313) is movably disposed between two adjacent card storage spaces (3011), and the lower conveyor wheel (3142) is spaced apart from the card-dispensing component (313).

3. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card issuing component (313) is positioned directly above the corresponding card storage space (3011), the lower conveyor wheel (3142) is positioned between two adjacent card storage spaces (3011), and no card issuing component (313) is positioned above the last card storage space (3011).

4. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the conveying bracket (306) is equipped with a first mounting member (312), and the card dealing bracket (302) is provided with a first slot that engages with the first mounting member (312). The other end of the conveying bracket (306) is provided with a second slot, and the card dealing bracket (302) is equipped with a second mounting member (315) that engages with the second slot. The first slot opens upward, and the second slot opens forward or backward.

5. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two lower conveyor wheels (3142) are mounted as a set on a mounting base (3021). The mounting base (3021) is mounted on the card dealing bracket (302) in a swingable manner via a mounting shaft (3022). The axial direction of the mounting shaft (3022) is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt (305). The two lower conveyor wheels (3142) are located on both sides of the mounting shaft (3022).

6. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card dealing component (313) is mounted on the card dealing bracket (302) in a way that allows it to swing up and down via the card dealing component shaft (3131). A drive arm (304) is fixedly connected to or integrally formed on the card dealing component shaft (3131). The drive component (303) is connected to the drive arm (304) to drive the card dealing component (313) to swing.

7. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driving component (303) is an electromagnet, and the two ends of the electromagnet are connected to the driving arm (304) and the card dealing bracket (302) respectively.

8. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card-dealing component (313) includes two flip plates that are coaxially fixed and rotate together, and the lower conveyor wheel (3142) and its mounting base (3021) are disposed between the two flip plates.

9. The card dealing mechanism of a card dealing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a tensioning wheel (308) and a tensioning connecting rod (309), one end of which is hinged to the conveying bracket (306), the tensioning wheel (308) is mounted on the tensioning connecting rod (309), and the other end of which is connected to the conveying bracket (306) or the card dealing bracket (302) via a tensioning spring; a conveying motor (307) is mounted on the conveying bracket (306).

10. A card dealing machine, characterized in that, The card dealing mechanism includes a card dealing machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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