Tile feeding mechanism of mahjong machine

Abstract

This invention relates to a mahjong machine tile stacking device, specifically disclosing a tile stacking mechanism for a mahjong machine. The mechanism includes a shuffling and lifting disc, with a lifting and lifting device on the inner side of the disc for raising the mahjong tiles. Four tile stacking slots are evenly distributed around the lifting and lifting device, and a tile pusher is located on the inner side of each slot to control the raising and lowering of one side. A tile pusher assembly is located at the tile inlet of each slot. This tile stacking mechanism eliminates the conveyor belt assembly in traditional tile stacking processes. It relies on the mechanical linkage between the shuffling and lifting disc and the tile pusher assembly (e.g., the shuffling and lifting disc directly drives the pusher head to reciprocate by a linkage plate track groove), and the integrated control of the tile stacking slot raising and lowering and the pusher head height by the tile pusher drive. This reduces the number of motors and complex transmission components (such as gear sets and conveyor belt pulleys). This lowers the production cost of the mahjong machine and reduces subsequent costs associated with maintaining multiple components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of mahjong machine tile counting devices, specifically a tile counting mechanism for a mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0002] Mahjong, a classic Chinese game that combines leisure and entertainment with cultural heritage, holds an important place in people's lives. To meet mahjong players' needs for a convenient and efficient gaming experience, automatic mahjong machines have emerged. Their core functions revolve around three main steps: shuffling, arranging, and playing the tiles, greatly simplifying the traditional manual operation process.

[0003] The tile arrangement process, involving multiple precise steps, is a key challenge in mahjong machine design. Traditionally, the tile arrangement involves a tile-catching mechanism to capture the tiles, followed by a tile-pushing mechanism to push them onto a conveyor belt. The belt then transports the tiles to the tile arrangement slot, where they are finally arranged in an up-and-down motion by upper and lower pushers. This process requires multiple motors and complex transmission structures (such as gear sets and conveyor belt assemblies), significantly increasing production costs. Furthermore, the large number of components and complex layout occupy considerable internal space, hindering miniaturization and internal space optimization.

[0004] Based on the aforementioned technical pain points, the applicant further developed and innovated upon the existing patent technology (publication number CN114669039B, titled "A Lifting and Lifting Mahjong Tiles Arranging Device"), and finally designed a new type of tile arranging mechanism that does not require a conveyor belt. The aim is to solve the core problems of "high cost and large space occupation" of traditional tile arranging mechanisms by simplifying the transmission path and optimizing the structural layout. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a tile-stacking mechanism for a mahjong machine to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a tile arranging mechanism for a mahjong machine, comprising a shuffling and lifting plate, wherein a lifting and lifting device for lifting mahjong tiles is provided on the inner side of the shuffling and lifting plate, and four tile arranging slots are evenly distributed around the lifting and lifting device, wherein a tile pushing drive for controlling the lifting and lowering of one side of the tile arranging slot is provided on the inner side of the tile arranging slot, and a tile pushing component is provided at the tile inlet of the tile arranging slot.

[0007] Preferably, the pusher assembly includes a pusher head located at the card inlet of the card slot, and a sliding base plate is rotatably connected to one end of the pusher head away from the card inlet. A limiting base plate is slidably connected to the outer side of the sliding base plate.

[0008] Preferably, the card pushing component is linked to the card lifting and shuffling plate, and the rotation of the card lifting and shuffling plate drives the card pushing component to push the cards; the top surface of the card lifting and shuffling plate is provided with a linkage plate track groove, and the bottom of the push head near the card inlet is rotatably connected to a linkage plate. The bottom of the linkage plate is coaxially connected to the push head and a roller is provided, and the roller is connected to the linkage plate track groove. One end of the linkage plate is rotatably connected to the limiting base.

[0009] Preferably, a push-pull plate is connected to one side of the sliding base plate, and the push-pull plate is connected to the push plate drive through a linkage component.

[0010] Preferably, the top of the outer wall of the push-card drive is provided with a push-head actuation track, and the push-head actuation track is provided with a protrusion; the linkage component includes a support base, the top of the support base is rotatably connected to one end of a lever, the middle of the lever is provided with a roller that cooperates with the push-head actuation track, the other end of the lever is rotatably connected to one end of a second transmission rod, the other end of the second transmission rod is rotatably connected to one end of a first transmission rod, the other end of the first transmission rod is fixedly connected to a transmission shaft, and the transmission shaft is cooperately connected to the push-pull plate.

[0011] Preferably, a single-sided base is provided at the bottom of one side of the code slot, and a support seat is provided on the side of the code slot opposite to the single-sided base. The inner wall of the support seat is provided with rollers, and the bottom of the outer wall of the push drive is provided with a code slot guide rail. A recessed groove is opened on the inner side of the code slot guide rail.

[0012] Preferably, the outer wall of the support base is provided with a protruding rod, and the bottom of the outer wall of the code slot is provided with a guide groove, which is slidably connected to the protruding rod.

[0013] Preferably, the card slot includes a lower card slot and an upper card slot, and an annular through hole is provided on the partition between the lower card slot and the upper card slot. A card pushing arm is provided on the top of the card pushing drive, and the card pushing arm moves in the annular through hole by the card pushing drive.

[0014] Preferably, a card guide assembly connected to the outer wall of the card shuffling tray is provided at the card inlet of the card slot.

[0015] Preferably, the guide plate assembly includes a guide plate groove, a tongue plate is slidably connected to the inner side of the guide plate groove, a traction slide rod is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the tongue plate, a limit base is slidably connected to the bottom of the traction slide rod, and the code plate groove is linked to the traction slide rod.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: The tile-stacking mechanism of this mahjong machine eliminates the conveyor belt assembly in the traditional tile-stacking process. It relies on the mechanical linkage between the shuffling disc and the tile-pushing assembly (e.g., the shuffling disc directly drives the pusher head to reciprocate by passing through a linkage plate track groove), and the integrated control of the tile-stacking groove's lifting and lowering and the pusher head's height by the tile-pushing drive. This reduces the number of motors and complex transmission components (such as gear sets and conveyor belt pulleys). On one hand, it lowers the production cost of the mahjong machine and reduces subsequent costs associated with maintaining multiple components; on the other hand, it significantly simplifies the internal structural layout, providing a spatial basis for the miniaturization of the mahjong machine and solving the problem of "many components and large space occupation" in traditional mechanisms.

[0017] By employing a mechanically linked design for the shuffling tray, the pusher assembly, and the stacking slot (e.g., synchronous control of the stacking slot tilt and pusher head height adjustment via the pusher drive), the timing deviations of actions in traditional independent drive modes are avoided. When the lifting and shuffling device transports mahjong tiles, the pusher head can push them synchronously and precisely, and the stacking slot can adaptively adjust its angle according to the stacking requirements of the upper and lower layers, effectively reducing malfunctions such as tile jamming, misalignment, and tile falling. Simultaneously, the guide plate's tongue plate is linked to the stacking slot, filling gaps in the guide plate in real time, further reducing the risk of jamming during tile transport and ensuring a smooth stacking process. This improves the coordination of stacking actions and reduces the occurrence of malfunctions.

[0018] The tile-pushing assembly is linked to the tile-pushing drive via a linkage component. The pusher head's guide rail groove allows it to adaptively adjust its height, accommodating mahjong tiles of varying thicknesses without manual intervention. This avoids the tilting and scratching issues caused by traditional fixed-height pushers due to differences in tile thickness. The tile-stacking slot, through the sliding engagement of a single-sided base and support seat, combined with the guiding effect of the slot's guide rail, ensures alignment of the upper and lower layers of tiles during stacking, reducing "missing tile placement" and "tile bounce" phenomena, extending the lifespan of mechanical components, and improving the overall stability of the mahjong machine. Enhanced tile-pushing and stacking compatibility improves operational stability. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the card-counting mechanism and the card-lifting shuffling plate in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the code plate mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the code plate mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the outer periphery of the code plate mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shuffling plate in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above. Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the linkage component in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the code slot structure in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the code slot structure in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram: 1. Shuffling plate; 2. Lifting and lifting device; 3. Linkage plate track groove; 4. Card slot, 41. Lower card slot, 42. Upper card slot, 43. Annular through hole; 5. Card pushing assembly, 51. Push head, 52. Linkage plate, 53. Sliding base plate, 54. Push-pull plate; 6. Card guide assembly, 61. Guide slot plate, 62. Tongue plate, 63. Traction slide bar; 7. Limiting base; 8. Card pushing drive, 81. Push head actuation track, 82. Card slot guide track, 83. Protrusion groove, 84. Sinking groove; 9. Linkage assembly, 91. Transmission shaft, 92. First transmission rod, 93. Second transmission rod, 94. Support seat, 95. Lever; 10. Single-sided base; 11. Card pushing arm. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] Please see Figure 1-9 The present invention provides a technical solution: A mahjong machine's tile stacking mechanism includes a shuffling and lifting tray 1, with lifting and lifting devices 2 arranged on the inner side of the tray 1 to lift the mahjong tiles. Four tile stacking slots 4 are evenly distributed around the shuffling and lifting tray 1 and located on the lifting and lifting devices 2, with the tile inlet of each slot 4 corresponding to the highest point of the lifting and lifting device 2. A tile pusher 8 is installed inside each tile stacking slot 4 to control the lifting and lowering of one side of the slot 4, and a tile pusher assembly 5 is installed at the tile inlet of each slot 4. The lifting and lifting devices 2 lift the mahjong tiles to the tile inlet of the slot 4, and then the tile pusher assembly 5 pushes the mahjong tiles into the inner side of the slot 4. When stacking the upper layer of mahjong tiles, the lifting and lowering pusher 8 causes the tile inlet side of the slot 4 to fall; when stacking the lower layer of mahjong tiles, the lifting and lowering pusher 8 causes the tile inlet side of the slot 4 to rise. This completes the stacking of two layers of tiles.

[0023] The pusher assembly 5 includes a pusher head 51 located at the tile inlet of the tile slot 4, wherein the pusher head 51 is connected to a drive device. The pusher head 51 is used to push the mahjong tiles continuously lifted by the lifting and supporting device 2 into the tile slot 4, and the drive continuously drives the pusher head 51 to perform the tile pushing action. A sliding base plate 53 is rotatably connected to one end of the pusher head 51 away from the tile inlet, and the sliding base plate 53 is mainly used to support the pusher head 51. A limiting base 7 is slidably connected to the outer side of the sliding base plate 53, and the limiting base 7 is fixed to the bottom shell of the mahjong machine. The sliding base plate 53 can slide up and down outside the limiting base 7 to drive the pusher head 51 to rise and fall. When there are enough tiles to be tiled, the pusher head 51 is driven to rise. At this time, the pusher head 51 cannot push the mahjong tiles lifted by the lifting and supporting device 2, and other pushers 51 that have not yet finished tiling the tiles continue the tile tiling operation.

[0024] See Figure 5 The card-pushing assembly 5 is linked to the shuffling plate 1. When the shuffling plate 1 rotates, it drives the card-pushing assembly 5, causing it to push the cards. Specifically, the top surface of the shuffling plate 1 has a linkage plate track groove 3. A linkage plate 52 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the pusher head 51 near the card inlet. Rollers are mounted on the bottom of the linkage plate 52, coaxially with the pusher head 51, and these rollers are connected to the linkage plate track groove 3. One end of the linkage plate 52 is rotatably connected to the limiting base 7. When the shuffling plate 1 rotates, the linkage plate track groove 3 rotates accordingly. The rollers at the bottom of the linkage plate 52 are within the linkage plate track groove 3. Because the linkage plate track groove 3 has a regular irregular shape, it causes the rollers at the bottom of the linkage plate 52 to move in a certain pattern, which in turn causes the pusher head 51 to reciprocate within a certain range.

[0025] A push-pull plate 54 is connected to one side of the sliding base plate 53. The push-pull plate 54 is connected to the push-card drive 8 via a linkage component 9. The push-card drive 8 drives the sliding base plate 53 to move up and down via the linkage component 9, thereby causing the push head 51 to rise or fall horizontally.

[0026] A push-head actuation track 81 is provided on the top of the outer wall of the push-card drive 8. The push-head actuation track 81 is a circular track with a groove 83 on it. The groove 83 is located on the circular track, and a protrusion is provided on the push-head actuation track 81 to raise the horizontal height. The linkage component 9 includes a support base 94, and one end of a lever 95 is connected to the top of the support base 94. A roller connected to the middle of the lever 95 is provided, which cooperates with the push-head actuation track 81. The roller on the inner wall of the lever 95 rolls on the push-head actuation track 81. When the roller on the inner wall of the lever 95 moves to the inside of the groove 83, the lever 95 drives the second transmission rod 93 to rise. The other end of the lever 95 is connected to one end of the second transmission rod 93, and the other end of the second transmission rod 93 is connected to one end of the first transmission rod 92. The rise of the second transmission rod 93 drives the first transmission rod 92 to rise. The other end of the first transmission rod 92 is fixedly connected to a transmission shaft 91. Both ends of the transmission shaft 91 are fixed, and a shaft connecting to both ends is provided in the middle. When the first transmission rod 92 rises, it causes the transmission shaft 91 to rotate. When the transmission shaft 91 rotates upwards, it causes the push-pull plate 54 to move upwards. The transmission shaft 91 is connected to the push-pull plate 54, which has a horizontal groove. One end of the transmission shaft 91 is inserted into the groove and can slide within it.

[0027] A single-sided base 10 is provided on the bottom of one side of the code card slot 4. The single-sided base 10 is mainly used to support one side of the code card slot 4, and the code card slot 4 can rotate around the single-sided base 10. A support seat 94 is provided on the side of the code card slot 4 opposite to the single-sided base 10, and the support seat 94 supports both sides of the code card slot 4. Rollers are provided on the inner wall of the support seat 94, and a code card slot guide rail 82 is provided on the bottom of the outer wall of the push card drive 8. The code card slot guide rail 82 is a circular rail, and a sinkhole 84 is connected to the code card slot guide rail 82. The rollers on the inner wall of the support seat 94 can roll within the code card slot guide rail 82. When the rollers on the inner wall of the support seat 94 enter the inner side of the sinkhole 84, one side of the code card slot 4 tilts downward.

[0028] The outer wall of the support base 94 is provided with a protruding rod, and the bottom of the outer wall of the code slot 4 is provided with a guide groove. The guide groove is slidably connected to the protruding rod to limit the flipping trajectory of the code slot 4.

[0029] The card slot 4 includes a lower card slot 41 and an upper card slot 42. An annular through hole 43 is provided on the partition between the lower card slot 41 and the upper card slot 42. A card pushing arm 11 is provided on the top of the card pushing drive 8. The card pushing arm 11 moves in the annular through hole 43 driven by the card pushing drive 8. When pushing a card into the upper card slot 42, one side of the card slot 4 needs to be tilted downward so that the card inlet of the upper card slot 42 corresponds to the push head 51.

[0030] A card guide assembly 6 is provided at the card inlet of the card slot 4, which is connected to the outer wall of the card lifting and shuffling plate 1.

[0031] The guide plate assembly 6 includes a guide plate groove 61. A tongue plate 62 is slidably connected to the inner side of the guide plate groove 61. A traction slide rod 63 is fixed to the outer wall of the tongue plate 62. A limit base 7 is slidably connected to the bottom of the traction slide rod 63. The tile slot 4 is linked to the traction slide rod 63. When one side of the tile slot 4 falls, it drives the traction slide rod 63 to move downward, and the traction slide rod 63 drives the tongue plate 62 to move downward. When the tile slot 4 tilts downward on one side and the tile inlet of the upper tile slot 42 aligns with the push head 51, the downward movement of the tile slot 4 is restricted, resulting in an angle between the partition and the guide plate groove 61, occasionally causing tile jamming. Therefore, the tongue plate 62 is used to raise the guide plate groove 61 so that the mahjong tiles go directly onto the partition, avoiding the mahjong tiles hitting the partition cross section.

[0032] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "coaxial," "bottom," "one end," "top," "middle," "other end," "upper," "one side," "outer," "inner," "front," "center," "both ends," 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.

[0033] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first," "second," "third," or "fourth" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features.

[0034] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "setting," "connection," "fixing," "screw connection," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; 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; they can refer to the internal connection of two components or the interaction between two components. Unless otherwise explicitly limited, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tile-stacking mechanism for a mahjong machine, comprising a shuffling and lifting plate (1), wherein a lifting and lifting device (2) for lifting mahjong tiles is provided on the inner side of the shuffling and lifting plate (1), and four tile-stacking slots (4) are evenly distributed around the lifting and lifting device (2), characterized in that: The inner side of the code slot (4) is provided with a push card drive (8) that can control the lifting and lowering of one side of the code slot (4), and a push card component (5) is provided at the card inlet of the code slot (4).

2. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pusher assembly (5) includes a pusher (51) located at the card inlet of the card slot (4). The end of the pusher (51) away from the card inlet is rotatably connected to a sliding base plate (53). The outer side of the sliding base plate (53) is slidably connected to a limiting base (7).

3. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The card pushing assembly (5) is linked to the card lifting and shuffling plate (1). The rotation of the card lifting and shuffling plate (1) drives the card pushing assembly (5) to push the cards. The top surface of the card lifting and shuffling plate (1) is provided with a linkage plate track groove (3). The bottom of the push head (51) near the card inlet is rotatably connected to a linkage plate (52). The bottom of the linkage plate (52) is coaxially connected to the push head (51) and a roller is provided. The roller is connected to the linkage plate track groove (3). One end of the linkage plate (52) is rotatably connected to the limiting base (7).

4. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: A push-pull plate (54) is connected to one side of the sliding base plate (53), and the push-pull plate (54) is connected to the push-card drive (8) through the linkage component (9).

5. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The top of the outer wall of the push-card drive (8) is provided with a push-head guide rail (81), and the push-head guide rail (81) is provided with a protrusion (83); the linkage component (9) includes a support base (94), the top of the support base (94) is connected to one end of a lever (95), the middle of the lever (95) is provided with a roller that is connected to the push-head guide rail (81), the other end of the lever (95) is connected to one end of a second transmission rod (93), the other end of the second transmission rod (93) is connected to one end of a first transmission rod (92), the other end of the first transmission rod (92) is fixed to a transmission shaft (91), and the transmission shaft (91) is connected to a push-pull plate (54).

6. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A single-sided base (10) is provided at the bottom of one side of the code slot (4). A support seat (94) is provided on the side of the code slot (4) opposite to the single-sided base (10). A roller is provided on the inner wall of the support seat (94). A code slot guide rail (82) is provided at the bottom of the outer wall of the push drive (8). A sinking groove (84) is provided on the inner side of the code slot guide rail (82).

7. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer wall of the support base (94) is provided with a protruding rod, and the bottom of the outer wall of the code slot (4) is provided with a guide groove, which is slidably connected to the protruding rod.

8. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card slot (4) includes a lower card slot (41) and an upper card slot (42). An annular through hole (43) is provided on the partition between the lower card slot (41) and the upper card slot (42). A card pushing arm (11) is provided on the top of the card pushing drive (8). The card pushing arm (11) moves in the annular through hole (43) driven by the card pushing drive (8).

9. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A card guide assembly (6) is provided at the card inlet of the card slot (4) and is connected to the outer wall of the card shuffling plate (1).

10. The tile-stacking mechanism of a mahjong machine according to claim 9, characterized in that: The guide plate assembly (6) includes a guide plate groove plate (61), a tongue plate (62) is slidably connected to the inner side of the guide plate groove plate (61), a traction slide rod (63) is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the tongue plate (62), a limit base (7) is slidably connected to the bottom of the traction slide rod (63), and the code plate groove (4) is linked with the traction slide rod (63).

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