Ball launching device and sports equipment

Abstract

The application provides a ball launching device and sports equipment. The ball launching device comprises a support, a first driving module and a second driving module. The first driving module comprises two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the first driving module are arranged on the support and opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the first driving module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors. The second driving module comprises two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the second driving module are arranged on the support and opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the second driving module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors. The friction wheel comprises a circular truncated cone body. The circular truncated cone body comprises a side surface. The side surface of the circular truncated cone body is provided with a friction surface. The friction surface is used for generating friction transmission on the ball and making the ball rotate and launch when the ball passes between the first driving module and the second driving module. The ball launching device and the sports equipment have the advantages of compact structure, stability and reliability, high efficiency and flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of sports equipment technology, and in particular to a ball-serving device and sports equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid improvement of people's living standards and health awareness, sports such as tennis and squash have gradually become popular. However, the ball-serving devices of traditional tennis machines, squash machines, and table tennis machines have limited technology. Their structures are bulky and heavy, and the difficulty in adjusting the angle of attack results in a high center of gravity, leading to unstable serves and low efficiency. Therefore, improving the design of the ball-serving device to make tennis machines, squash machines, cricket machines, peak ball machines, and table tennis machines more stable and controllable, and to improve the quality of serves, has become an urgent problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, this application proposes a serving device and sports equipment, which has the advantages of stable and controllable serving.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application proposes a serving device, which includes:

[0005] support;

[0006] The first drive module includes two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the first drive module are mounted on the bracket and arranged opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the first drive module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors.

[0007] The second drive module includes two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the second drive module are mounted on the bracket and arranged opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the second drive module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors.

[0008] The friction wheel includes at least a frustum, which has a side surface and a friction surface. The friction surface is used to generate frictional transmission on the ball and cause the ball to spin and launch when the ball passes between the first drive module and the second drive module.

[0009] In some embodiments, the support is formed with at least one pivot, through which the serving device can rotate to adjust the serving angle.

[0010] In some implementations, the pivot is positioned above the first drive module, the first drive module is positioned below the second drive module, and the second drive module is positioned closer to the pivot than the first drive module.

[0011] In some embodiments, the serving device further includes a posture control module, which includes a posture control motor, a drive pulley, a driven pulley, and a timing belt. The drive pulley is rotatably connected to the posture control motor, and the driven pulley is fixedly connected to the bracket. The posture control motor drives the driven pulley through the timing belt using the drive pulley, thereby causing the bracket to rotate around the pivot.

[0012] In some implementations, the number of teeth on the driven pulley is 1.5 to 15 times the number of teeth on the driving pulley.

[0013] In some implementations, the attitude control module is capable of rotating the support frame by at least 0°-60° around the pivot.

[0014] In some implementations, the attitude control motor includes a reducer, and the attitude control motor also includes a servo motor or a stepper motor; or, the attitude control module also includes a tension pulley, which works in conjunction with the timing belt to adjust the loop configuration of the timing belt.

[0015] In some implementations, the attitude control module also includes a limit switch, which is used to reset the attitude control module according to the position of the driven pulley.

[0016] In some embodiments, the bracket has a first side and a second side, two disc motors of the first drive module are arranged opposite to each other and respectively on the first side and the second side, and two disc motors of the second drive module are arranged opposite to each other and respectively on the first side and the second side; or, the upper base area of ​​the frustum is smaller than the lower base area, and the upper bases of the frustums of the two friction wheels in the first drive module or the second drive module are arranged correspondingly.

[0017] In some embodiments, the angle of inclination of the side surface of the frustum relative to its lower base is 45°-85°; or, the friction surface of the frustum forms an arc surface concave towards the axis of the frustum, with a curvature of 0.05 cm. -1 -0.315cm -1 Alternatively, the friction wheel may be detachably mounted on the disc motor; or the friction wheel may be equipped with a replaceable arc-shaped bushing.

[0018] In some embodiments, the support also includes a ball guide disposed between the first side and the second side, the ball guide being used to guide the ball between the first drive module and the second drive module.

[0019] In some embodiments, the bracket has a serving surface with a serving opening, at least a portion of which corresponds between the first drive module and the second drive module.

[0020] In some implementations, the disc motor is also equipped with an encoder, which is used to achieve speed control of the disc motor.

[0021] Secondly, this application proposes a sports device, which includes the ball-serving device in any embodiment of this application.

[0022] In some embodiments, the sports device includes a ball receiving guide and a ball storage device. The ball receiving guide has a ball storage port and a ball receiving port. The ball storage port is positioned higher than the ball receiving port. The ball receiving port is connected to the ball storage device through the ball storage port. A first drive module is provided above the ball receiving port for contacting the ball through a friction wheel and accelerating the ball through friction transmission, thereby allowing the ball to pass through the ball receiving guide and reach the ball storage device.

[0023] This sports equipment, through the design of the support shaft and friction wheel assembly, on the one hand, arranges the friction wheels side by side and uses a disc motor, reducing the width of the serving device; on the other hand, the support shaft makes it possible to adjust the serving angle over a wide range without excessive adjustment of the center of gravity of the sports equipment, improving the stability and reliability of the serve, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of the serve; furthermore, the shape and layout design of the friction wheels make the spin serve more reliable and stable, improving the quality of the serve. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a partial component structure of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a partial component structure of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a second-view structural schematic diagram of a motion device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a third-view structural diagram of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a fourth-view structural diagram of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a fifth-view structural diagram of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a sixth-view structural diagram of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sports device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of a spherical container device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 11 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of a serving device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 12 This is a second-view structural schematic diagram of a serving device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a partial component structure of a serving device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0039] 100. Sports equipment; 200. Ball; 10. Movable body; 20. Ball storage device; 30. Ball receiving device; 40. Ball serving device;

[0040] 11. Support; 111. First side of the support; 112. Second side of the support; 113. Service guide; 114. Service surface; 115. Service opening; 12. Rotation shaft;

[0041] 21. Chamber body; 211. Bottom wall; 212. Side wall; 213. Ball drop port; 214. Ball storage space; 22. Ball guide pipe; 221. Ball feeding inlet; 222. Ball feeding channel; 223. Ball feeding outlet; 23. Ball feeding assembly;

[0042] 31. Ball receiving guide; 311. Ball storage port; 312. Ball receiving port;

[0043] 41. First drive module; 42. Second drive module; 43. Disc motor; 44. Friction wheel; 441. Frustum; 442. Side surface; 443. Friction surface; 445. Upper base; 446. Lower base; 45. Attitude control module; 451. Attitude control motor; 452. Drive pulley; 453. Driven pulley; 454. Synchronous belt; 455. Tensioner. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0045] The flowchart shown in the attached diagram is for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor does it necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, combined, or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change depending on the actual situation.

[0046] It should be understood that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of this application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0047] It should also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or may be connected to an intermediary element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element through an intermediary element.

[0048] The terminology used in this application specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. Descriptions using terms such as "first," "second," etc., are 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 at least one of that feature.

[0049] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0050] Traditional tennis machines, table tennis machines, and other sports equipment often use ball-serving devices designed based on principles such as air pumps and striking, resulting in large weight and bulky size. This makes it difficult to meet current users' needs for ball-serving devices that are compact, efficient, maintainable, and easy to transport and store.

[0051] In a ball-serving device, to achieve the function of adjusting the elevation angle, due to the characteristics of the ball-serving device such as strong impact, high efficiency and stability, adjustments need to be made to the structural design, electrical control and overall machine weight layout. Therefore, due to the limitations of technology, tennis machines, squash machines and other equipment in the industry often avoid designing the function of adjusting the elevation angle by raising the ball-serving point to a higher position.

[0052] Furthermore, because the ball-serving mechanism is often positioned at a lower level of the machine, while the heavier ball chamber is located at a higher level to ensure smooth ball delivery using gravity, the serving motion of the mechanism easily exerts a reaction force on the machine, generating a reverse impulse and altering its momentum. When most of the balls in the ball chamber are served, or when a large number of balls are served rapidly, the machine's stability decreases, making it particularly prone to tipping over, thus reducing its reliability and safety. Therefore, improving the design of the ball-serving mechanism to make tennis machines, squash machines, cricket machines, and peak ball machines more stable and controllable, and to improve the quality of the serves, has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0053] To address the aforementioned problems, this application proposes a sports device, which may include ball sports equipment such as tennis machines, table tennis machines, or squash machines, and is particularly applicable to the task of receiving and sending balls such as tennis balls, squash balls, pickles, and cricket balls. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sports equipment 100 may include a movable body 10, a ball storage device 20, a ball receiving device 30, and a ball serving device 40. The movable body 10 may be provided with a bracket 11, which has at least one rotating shaft 12. The bracket 11 can be rotatably connected to the movable body 10 through the rotating shaft 12.

[0054] It should be understood that the rotating shaft 12 can be an active rotating shaft 12 directly driven by a motor or other power source, or a driven rotating shaft 12 driven by a conveyor belt, chain or other transmission device rather than directly driven by a motor, or a virtual rotating shaft 12 generated by the system as a whole. The overall support 11 can rotate relative to the movable body 10 with the rotating shaft 12 as the axis.

[0055] Please see Figures 2 to 4 The ball storage device 20 can be disposed on the movable body 10. The ball storage device 20 forms a ball storage space 214 and has at least one ball feeding outlet 223. The ball storage space 214 can be connected to the ball serving device 40 through the ball feeding outlet 223. It should be understood that the ball feeding outlet 223 can be directly or indirectly connected to the ball storage space 214, or directly or indirectly connected to the ball serving device 40, without specific limitation.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the ball receiving device 30 may include a ball receiving guide 31, which has a ball storage port 311 and a ball receiving port 312, and may be mounted on the movable body 10. The ball storage port 311 may be directly or indirectly connected to the aforementioned ball storage space 214, the ball receiving port 312 may be used to collect balls from the ground, and the ball storage port 311 may be used to transport the balls to the ball storage device 20.

[0057] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The serving device 40 may include at least a first drive module 41, which may be mounted on the support 11. The pivot 12 of the support 11 may be positioned higher than the first drive module 41, allowing adjustment of the position or orientation of the support 11 and the first drive module 41 via the pivot 12, thereby improving control over the serving angle and ball return efficiency. For example, the support 11 can rotate relative to the pivot 12 to adjust the ball return position. It should be understood that because the serving angle is adjustable, the direction of the reaction impulse generated during the serving process can be further adjusted, reducing the impulse distance, preventing the device from tipping over, and ensuring the stability and reliability of the serve.

[0058] Specifically, the first drive module 41 may include a disc motor 43 and a friction wheel 44, which may be sleeved on the outer periphery of the disc motor 43. It should be understood that the bracket 11 can rotate relative to the rotating shaft 12 and be adjusted to the ball-collecting position. The friction wheel 44 can contact the ball, and the ball is accelerated through friction transmission via the first drive module 41, thereby allowing the ball to pass through the ball-collecting guide 31 and reach the ball storage port 311. The bracket 11 can also be rotated relative to the rotating shaft 12 to adjust the serving position, in which case the first drive module 41 can be used for serving. By utilizing a disc motor 43 with higher energy conversion efficiency, the power and performance of the serving device 40 can be improved, resulting in greater stability and reliability in training scenarios involving long durations, high frequencies, and high force. Furthermore, by mounting the friction wheel 44 around the outer periphery of the disc motor 43, not only is the instantaneous speed adjustment response improved through direct drive, but belt aging and slippage are also avoided. This eliminates the need for transmission structures such as V-belts and gear sets, improving energy transfer efficiency, control sensitivity, and serving effectiveness. It also saves internal space, enhancing the compactness, controllability, and ease of transportation, storage, and maintenance of the entire sports equipment 100. It should be further understood that since users' preferred serving angles and specific receiving training plans vary from person to person, the specific angle ranges of the serving and receiving positions can be completely different or overlap at least partially; therefore, no specific limitations are made here.

[0059] It should be understood that during the ball-collecting task, the ball 200 may impact the first drive module 41, causing the support 11 to bounce and shift, resulting in ball-collecting failure. In some embodiments, a locking device or brake can be provided on the support 11 or the ball-collecting device 30 to fix the posture of the support 11 and ensure ball-collecting efficiency. Specifically, the locking device may include an electromagnetic lock, a pin lock, an electrically or pneumatically controlled wedge, a pawl, etc., and the brake may include a holding brake, a magnetic powder brake, etc. It should be further understood that the locking device and brake can be provided not only on the support 11 and the rotating shaft 12, but also on components such as the transmission belt and gear set that provide power to the rotating shaft 12, without specific limitations.

[0060] It is worth noting that, please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 Since both the support 11 and the first drive module 41 can play a role in the ball receiving and serving tasks, for ease of description, the support 11 and the first drive module 41 can be part of the serving device 40, part of the ball receiving device 30, or part of the movable body 10, and are not specifically limited here.

[0061] See Figures 2 to 4 as well as Figure 10 This application also proposes a ball storage device 20, which includes a storage body 21, a ball guide tube 22, and a ball feeding assembly 23. The storage body 21 may include at least a bottom wall 211, which has at least one ball drop port 213, and a ball storage space 214 may be formed above the bottom wall 211.

[0062] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 The ball guide tube 22 may have a ball inlet 221, a ball channel 222, and a ball outlet 223. The ball inlet 221 is connected to the ball drop port 213, and the ball outlet 223 is connected to the ball inlet 221 through the ball channel 222. The position of the ball outlet 223 is higher than that of the ball inlet 221. The ball feeding assembly 23 includes a disc motor 43 and a friction wheel 44. The friction wheel 44 is rotatably connected to the disc motor 43. At least a portion of the friction wheel 44 is disposed in the ball channel 222. When the ball 200 passes through the ball drop port 213 and travels through the ball channel 222, the friction wheel 44 can generate frictional transmission with the ball 200, causing the ball to accelerate and reach the ball outlet 223.

[0063] It should be understood that the power and guidance design of the ball feeding assembly 23 makes it possible to position the ball feeding outlet 223 higher than the ball feeding inlet 221, thereby expanding the allowable height range of the ball serving device 40 and ensuring that the ball storage device 20 is not too high above the ball serving device 40, lowering the center of gravity of the equipment, thereby preventing the equipment from tipping over due to the reaction impact generated during the ball serving process, and improving the stability and safety of the equipment.

[0064] See Figure 3 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 In some embodiments, to reduce equipment weight and facilitate transportation and production, the hopper 21 may not completely enclose the ball storage space 214. For example, the hopper 21 may include a top cover and side walls 212, with a ball storage port 311 on the side walls 212. The motion device 100 may also include a ball receiving device 30 for transferring the ball 200 to the ball storage port 311. Alternatively, the motion device 100 may include a housing 13, with at least a portion of the inner wall of the housing 13 serving as at least a portion of the side walls 212 of the hopper 21, allowing the ball storage space 214 to be formed above the bottom wall 211. It should be understood that the side walls 212 of the hopper 21 may include a portion of the ball storage device 20, a portion of other devices in the motion device 100, or may consist solely of the ball storage device 20 or the housing 13; no specific limitation is made here. For example, the side walls 212 of the hopper 21 may also include a portion of the movable body 10.

[0065] Please see Figures 11 to 13 This application also proposes a ball-serving device 40, which can be used in the aforementioned tennis machine, squash machine, and other sports equipment 100. The ball-serving device 40 may include a support 11, a first drive module 41, and a second drive module 42. The first drive module 41 may include two disc motors 43 and two friction wheels 44. The two disc motors 43 of the first drive module 41 are mounted on the support 11 and arranged opposite to each other, and the two friction wheels 44 are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors 43. The second drive module 42 may also include two disc motors 43 and two friction wheels 44. The two disc motors 43 of the second drive module 42 are mounted on the support 11 and arranged opposite to each other, and the two friction wheels 44 are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors 43. The four friction wheels 44 can generate frictional transmission on the ball 200 when it passes between the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42, causing the ball 200 to spin and launch.

[0066] Specifically, the bracket 11 has a first side 111 and a second side 112. Two disc motors 43 of the first drive module 41 are arranged opposite each other on the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the bracket 11, respectively. Similarly, two disc motors 43 of the second drive module 42 are arranged opposite each other on the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the bracket 11. By arranging the two disc motors 43 of each drive module opposite each other on both sides of the bracket 11, the bracket 11 can better withstand the huge reaction impulse generated by the serving device 40 during the serving process, improving the reliability and stability of the device and equipment. In some embodiments, a fixing rod, spring, or other connecting member can be provided between the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the bracket 11 to further enhance the bracket 11's ability to withstand the reaction impulse generated by the serving. Furthermore, the design of the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the bracket 11 facilitates the routing of cables for the ball-serving device 40, the ball-receiving device 30, and the movable body 10, improving the structural and functional independence of the ball-serving and receiving tasks and preventing problems such as tangling and jamming. Furthermore, the area of ​​the upper base 445 of the frustum 441 can be smaller than the area of ​​the lower base 446, with the upper bases 445 of the frustums 441 of the two friction wheels 44 in the first drive module 41 or the second drive module 42 correspondingly positioned. This arrangement fully utilizes the first side 111 and the second side 112 of the bracket 11, facilitating equipment assembly and production, and providing a more intuitive and standardized form, thus facilitating quality inspection and maintenance.

[0067] In some embodiments, the support 11 may further include a ball guide 113, which may be disposed between the first side and the second side. The ball guide 113 is used to guide the ball between the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42. It should be understood that the ball guide 113 may be a ball guide tube, a ball guide plate, a ball guide groove, or any combination thereof, as long as it can guide the ball 200 between the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42. It should be further understood that when the ball 200 is transferred from the ball storage device 20 to the ball serving device 40, the ball itself may have a certain speed. Therefore, the ball guide 113 may include at least a portion of the distance from the ball outlet 223 to the ball serving device 40, or it may include the entire distance, without specific limitation.

[0068] In some embodiments, the support 11 may have a serving surface 114, on which a serving opening 115 may be formed, at least a portion of which corresponds between the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42. On one hand, the serving surface 114 protects the internal system components of the device, reducing the risk of internal structural and circuit failures caused by dust or rain during outdoor training or storage and transportation. On the other hand, since tennis balls, squash balls, etc., are relatively heavy, users may hit the sports equipment 100 during returns when training is intense. The serving surface 114 effectively protects the internal mechanical structure and electronic components of the sports equipment 100, especially vulnerable parts such as the posture control module 45, preventing malfunctions when subjected to external impacts. Therefore, the design of the serving surface 114 helps improve the stability and reliability of the serving device 40 and the sports equipment 100.

[0069] In some embodiments, the support 11 may have at least one rotating shaft 12, through which the serving device 40 can rotate to adjust the serving angle. It should be understood that the rotating shaft 12 can be an active rotating shaft 12 directly driven by a motor or other power source, or a driven rotating shaft 12 driven by a conveyor belt, chain, or other transmission device rather than directly driven by a motor, or a virtual rotating shaft 12 generated by the entire system. The overall support 11 can rotate relative to the motion device 100 with the rotating shaft 12 as its axis. It should be further understood that the design of the rotating shaft 12, friction wheel 44, and disc motor 43 not only improves the serving power but also, through elevation angle control, enables the serving device 40 to serve higher and farther balls from a lower position on the machine. This allows for better balance of the large reaction impulse generated by the serving device 40 during the serving process through the design of its position within the machine, improving the stability, reliability, and safety of the entire machine and preventing overturning.

[0070] In some embodiments, the serving device 40 may further include a posture control module 45, which may include a posture control motor 451, a drive pulley 452, a driven pulley 453, and a timing belt 454. The drive pulley 452 is rotatably connected to the posture control motor 451, and the driven pulley 453 is fixedly connected to the bracket 11. The posture control motor 451 drives the driven pulley 453 through the timing belt 454 using the drive pulley 452, thereby causing the bracket 11 to rotate around the rotating shaft 12.

[0071] Specifically, the number of teeth on the driven pulley 453 is 1.5 to 15 times the number of teeth on the driving pulley 452. The attitude control module 45 is capable of rotating the support 11 around the axis 12 by at least 0° to 60°. Typically, but not limitingly, the number of teeth on the driven pulley 453 is 1.5 times, 3 times, 4.5 times, 6 times, 7.5 times, 9 times, 10.5 times, 12 times, 13.5 times, 15 times, or any combination of two of the number of teeth on the driving pulley 452. The attitude control module 45 is capable of rotating the support 11 around the axis 12 by at least 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, or any combination of two of the number of teeth on the driving pulley 452. For example, the driven pulley 453 may have 40 teeth, and the driving pulley 452 may have 200 teeth.

[0072] In some embodiments, the attitude control module 45 can also improve stability, reliability, and other performance by adding specific devices. For example, the attitude control motor 451 can also include a reducer to enhance its power output and ensure its stability and reliability. Alternatively, the attitude control motor 451 can also include a servo motor or a stepper motor to achieve elevation position control. Furthermore, the attitude control module 45 can also include a tension pulley 455, which cooperates with the synchronous belt 454 to adjust the loop configuration of the synchronous belt 454. The loop configuration of the synchronous belt 454 can be adjusted by the tensioning pulley 455 to facilitate structural design, prevent the synchronous belt 454 from occupying excessive internal space of the equipment, affecting wiring or other device designs, and also adjust the tension of the synchronous belt 454 by applying appropriate tension. This ensures that the synchronous belt 454 maintains proper tension during operation, preventing slippage due to insufficient tension or excessive wear due to excessive tension, extending the life of the synchronous belt 454, maintaining the synchronization accuracy of the synchronous belt 454, reducing offset, vibration and noise of the synchronous belt 454 during operation, and compensating for the tensile elongation of the synchronous belt 454 during long-term use, thereby improving the operational stability and reliability of the system. Furthermore, the attitude control module 45 may also include a limit switch, which is used to reset the attitude control module 45 according to the position of the driven pulley 453. This reset design based on the limit switch ensures that the attitude control module 45 can be promptly and accurately corrected after use, preventing inaccurate pitch angle control accuracy after long-term use and improving the repeatability and reliability of the attitude control module.

[0073] In some embodiments, the pivot 12 can be positioned above the first drive module 41 to facilitate adjustment of the serve angle and the return position. Specifically, the first drive module 41 can also be positioned below the second drive module 42, with the second drive module 42 being closer to the pivot 12 than the first drive module 41. It should be understood that the pivot 12 can be positioned above or below the second drive module 42. When the pivot 12 is below the second drive module 42, it can be configured as a virtual pivot 12, a pivot 12 positioned outside the bracket 11, or a pivot 12 that does not affect the serve, thereby reducing the lever arm length of the reaction impact relative to the pivot 12 during the serve, reducing impact damage, and improving the stability of the pivot 12. When the pivot 12 is positioned above the second drive module 42, the first drive module 41 can be moved at a greater angle, thus adapting to a wider range of ball shapes and improving the versatility of the return function.

[0074] In some embodiments, the friction wheel 44 may include at least a frustum 441, the frustum 441 having a side surface 442, the side surface 442 of the frustum 441 having a friction surface 443, the friction surface 443 being used to generate frictional transmission on the ball and cause the ball to spin and launch when the ball passes between the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42.

[0075] It should be understood that since the two disc motors 43 of the first drive module 41 and the two disc motors 43 of the second drive module 42 are all mounted on the bracket 11 and arranged opposite each other, the power layout and space configuration are more reasonable. This not only saves space in the plate and equipment, but also makes the overall structure of the ball-serving device 40 and the motion device 100 more compact, enhances the friction effect, and facilitates electronic control. Furthermore, it is more stable and reliable in terms of mechanical structural strength, and can adapt to high-intensity, high-load, and long-term ball-serving training with thinner and lighter bracket 11 components.

[0076] It should be further understood that since the friction wheel 44 includes a frustum 441, and the frustum 441 can generate frictional transmission to the ball through the friction surface 443 of its side 442, causing the ball to spin and launch, the relative arrangement of the disc motor 43 described above enables frictional rotation control in multiple different directions, making it possible to generate complex spinning balls through multiple linearly independent frictional forces. Specifically, the area of ​​the upper base 445 of the frustum 441 of the friction wheel 44 can be smaller than the area of ​​the lower base 446, and the upper bases 445 of the frustums 441 of the two friction wheels 44 in the first drive module 41 or the second drive module 42 are correspondingly arranged. Furthermore, the disc motor 43 can also be equipped with an encoder, which can be used to realize speed control of the disc motor 43.

[0077] It should be understood that the friction wheel 44 may include only one frustum 441, or it may include one frustum 441 and a cylinder, or it may include two frustums 441; no specific limitation is made here. The term frustum 441 is used for convenience only. The upper base 445 and lower base 446 of the frustum 441 do not necessarily have to be a regular, standard circle; they can also be ellipses or other patterns. In addition, the side surface 442 of the frustum 441 does not have to be completely uniform. For example, the friction surface 443 of the frustum 441 can form an arc surface that is concave towards the axis of the frustum 441 to further optimize the friction effect according to the curvature of the ball.

[0078] It should be further understood that the design of the tilt angle and the curved surface can make the friction wheel more in line with the deformation of balls such as tennis balls and squash balls when they are squeezed, and generate forces in four unrelated directions, which is conducive to achieving complex rotation control. For example, the curvature of the curved surface can be greater than that of a standard tennis ball, but it is not a completely flat surface, which conforms to the shape of a tennis ball when squeezed and rubbed, thereby expanding the friction surface, improving the friction effect, enhancing the efficiency of the device, reducing energy loss, and improving the energy conversion efficiency from electrical energy to kinetic energy.

[0079] Typically, but not restrictively, the curvature of the curved surface can be 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.315, 0.35, or any range of two values. For example, the curvature of the curved surface can be 0.05 cm. -1 -0.315cm -1 The curved surface design allows for better friction and spin on balls such as squash, tennis, and table tennis, improving serve quality and training effectiveness.

[0080] In some embodiments, the friction wheel 44 can be detachably mounted on the disc motor 43, or the friction wheel 44 can be equipped with a replaceable arc-shaped bushing. This configuration not only allows for adjustable and replaceable curvature of the friction wheel to adapt to various spherical shapes, but also enables convenient replacement of the friction wheel. For example, a worn friction wheel that has been used for a long time can be easily replaced, reducing the maintenance costs of the equipment.

[0081] This application also proposes a serving method, which may include controlling the rotational speed of one or more friction wheels 44 to generate a spin ball. It should be understood that by independently controlling the rotational speed of multiple friction wheels 44, it is possible to generate topspin, backspin, left spin, right spin, or any combination of at least two types of spin, thereby improving the quality of the serve, increasing the diversity of serves, and enhancing the enjoyment of the sport and training effectiveness.

[0082] In some embodiments, topspin or backspin balls can be generated by controlling the rotational speeds of the upper and lower friction wheels 44. Left-handed balls, right-handed balls, and compound balls of any two types of spin can be generated by controlling the rotational speeds of the upper and lower left friction wheels 44, and the upper and lower right friction wheels 44.

[0083] In some embodiments, different spinning balls can be generated by changing the rotational speed of the four friction wheels 44 in the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42, and the degree of rotation can be controlled by the rotational speed of the friction wheels 44. For example, the speed of the friction wheel 44 in the second drive module 42 can be faster than that in the first drive module 41 to achieve an upward spin; the speed of the friction wheel 44 in the first drive module 41 can be faster than that in the second drive module 42 to achieve a downward spin; the speed of the left friction wheel 44 in both the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42 can be faster than that of its right friction wheel 44 to achieve a leftward spin; and the speed of the right friction wheel 44 in both the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42 can be faster than that of its left friction wheel 44 to achieve a rightward spin.

[0084] In some embodiments, an encoder can also be provided for the disc motor 43 of the first drive module 41 and the second drive module 42. The encoder can be used to detect the motor speed, realize closed-loop control and precise speed adjustment, which not only improves the control accuracy and ball quality, but also can quickly control and restore the speed to the preset speed when the friction wheel 44 decelerates after each ball launch, thereby ensuring the consistency of the friction wheel 44 speed and ball quality for each ball launch.

[0085] In some embodiments, the serve's elevation angle can be controlled by rotating the support 11 around the pivot 12. It should be understood that controlling the elevation angle of the spin ball can further improve the quality and variety of the serve, thereby improving training effectiveness. It should also be understood that the arrangement and design of the serve device 40 and the receiver 30 in the embodiments of this application, especially the design of the friction wheel 44, the pivot 12, and the attitude control module 45, simplify the structural design, reduce the overall weight and volume, lower the difficulty of serve control, and improve the convenience of transportation, maintenance, and modification.

[0086] In some embodiments, a serving method can also be used to serve the ball. This serving method can be applied to sports devices as described in any embodiment of this application. The serving method may include steps S101 to S102.

[0087] S101, Obtain the target serve parameters.

[0088] For example, serve parameters can be obtained through terminal devices such as mobile phones and tablets or servers. These serve parameters may include specific target linear velocity and target angular velocity, or specific training mode information. This setting facilitates the use of the sports device 100 by users, allows for better adjustment and development of its training performance in serve tasks, improves training efficiency, and makes the sports device 100 more flexible and intelligent.

[0089] S102: Acquire encoder signals and control disc motor 43 to work.

[0090] For example, the rotational linear velocity of the friction wheel 44 can be made to reach the target linear velocity, and the speed difference between the left and right wheels can reach the target angular velocity, so that the ball served meets the serving parameters.

[0091] In some embodiments, the ball trajectory can also be predicted using models such as flight simulation LUTs. In particular, when the pitch angle and horizontal rotation angle of the support change, the motion device 100 can improve the reliability and accuracy of the ball 200 launch by correcting and adjusting the wheel speed and wheel speed difference of the friction wheel based on motion data.

[0092] This application also proposes a sports device 100, which may include a ball-serving device 40 according to any embodiment of this application. The sports device 100 may be a tennis machine, squash machine, cricket machine, picket machine, or table tennis machine.

[0093] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 10 The sports equipment may include a ball guide 31 and a ball storage device 20. The ball guide 31 has a ball storage port 311 and a ball collection port 312. The ball storage port 311 is positioned higher than the ball collection port 312. The ball collection port 312 is connected to the ball storage device 20 through the ball storage port 311. A first drive module 41 is provided above the ball collection port 312 for contacting the ball through the friction wheel 44 and accelerating the ball through friction transmission, thereby allowing the ball to pass through the ball guide 31 to reach the ball storage device 20.

[0094] This configuration allows the first drive module 41 to perform both serving and receiving functions, resulting in a more compact overall design, reduced design and production costs, improved reusability of internal systems, and reduced assembly, maintenance, and manufacturing complexity. Furthermore, it facilitates transportation, storage, and maintenance, enhancing the modularity of the equipment. By using a single set of friction wheels for both ball retrieval and serving, and eliminating the need for an additional hoist through the ball storage device design, the overall weight of the equipment is reduced, making it more compact. It also shortens the time required to retrieve and re-throw a single ball, improving serving efficiency.

[0095] Without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of the different embodiments or examples.

[0096] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A serving device, characterized in that, include: support; The first drive module includes two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the first drive module are mounted on the bracket and arranged opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the first drive module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors. The second drive module includes two disc motors and two friction wheels. The two disc motors of the second drive module are mounted on the bracket and arranged opposite to each other. The two friction wheels of the second drive module are respectively sleeved on the outer periphery of the two disc motors. The friction wheel includes at least a frustum, which has a side surface and a friction surface. The friction surface is used to generate frictional transmission on the ball and cause the ball to spin and launch when the ball passes between the first drive module and the second drive module.

2. The serving device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The support has at least one pivot, and the serving device can rotate through the pivot to adjust the serving angle.

3. The serving device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The position of the rotating shaft is higher than that of the first drive module, the position of the first drive module is lower than that of the second drive module, and the position of the second drive module is closer to that of the rotating shaft than that of the first drive module.

4. The serving device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ball-serving device also includes: The attitude control module includes an attitude control motor, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a synchronous belt. The driving pulley is rotatably connected to the attitude control motor, and the driven pulley is fixedly connected to the bracket. The attitude control motor drives the driven pulley through the synchronous belt using the driving pulley, thereby causing the bracket to rotate around the rotating shaft.

5. The serving device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The number of teeth on the driven pulley is 1.5 to 15 times the number of teeth on the driving pulley.

6. The serving device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The posture control module is capable of driving the support to rotate at least 0°-60° around the pivot.

7. The serving device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The attitude control motor includes a reducer, and the attitude control motor further includes a servo motor or a stepper motor; or... The attitude control module also includes a tensioning pulley, which is coupled to the synchronous belt to adjust the loop configuration of the synchronous belt.

8. The serving device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The attitude control module also includes a limit switch, which is used to reset the attitude control module according to the position of the driven pulley.

9. The serving device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bracket has a first side and a second side. The two disc motors of the first drive module are arranged opposite to each other and respectively located on the first side and the second side. Similarly, the two disc motors of the second drive module are arranged opposite to each other and respectively located on the first side and the second side. Alternatively, The upper base area of ​​the frustum is smaller than the lower base area, and the upper bases of the frustums of the two friction wheels in the first drive module or the second drive module are correspondingly arranged.

10. The serving device as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The bracket also includes a ball guide, which is disposed between the first side and the second side, and is used to guide the ball between the first drive module and the second drive module.

11. The serving device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle of inclination of the side surface of the frustum relative to the bottom base of the frustum is 45°-85°; or, The friction surface of the frustum forms an arc surface that is concave towards the axis of the frustum, and the curvature of the arc surface is 0.05 cm. -1 -0.315cm -1 ; or, The friction wheel is detachably mounted on the disc motor; or, The friction wheel is equipped with a replaceable arc-shaped bushing.

12. The serving device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The bracket has a serving surface, and a serving opening is provided on the serving surface. At least a portion of the serving opening corresponds between the first drive module and the second drive module.

13. The serving device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The disc motor is also equipped with an encoder, which is used to realize the speed control of the disc motor.

14. A sports device, characterized in that, The sports equipment includes a ball-serving device as described in any one of claims 1-13, wherein the sports equipment is a tennis machine, squash machine, cricket machine, peak ball machine, or table tennis machine.

15. The sports device as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The sports equipment includes a ball-receiving guide and a ball-collecting device. The ball-receiving guide has a ball-storage port and a ball-collecting port. The ball-storage port is positioned higher than the ball-collecting port. The ball-collecting port is connected to the ball-collecting device through the ball-storage port. A first drive module is disposed above the ball-collecting port, which is used to contact the ball through the friction wheel and accelerate the ball through friction transmission, thereby allowing the ball to pass through the ball-receiving guide and reach the ball-collecting device.

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