Ball sorting device

Abstract

To provide a ball sorting device that can sort balls without putting unnecessary stress on them. [Solution] The ball sorting device 1 includes a rail 3 that moves the balls by the action of gravity, an opening 5 provided on the extension of the rail 3, a movable rail 6 that opens and closes the opening 5, a rotating drum 4 located opposite the opening 5, at a position where the distance between the rotating drum 4 and the movable rail 6 when the opening 5 is closed is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball, and an air cylinder 9 that supports the movable rail 6, and the air cylinder 9 opens and closes the opening 5 by expanding and contracting when the movable rail 6 is displaced by a specific amount from the closed state of the opening 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ball sorting device for sorting hard balls and soft balls.

Background Art

[0002] In a batting center, both hard balls and soft balls may be used in the same space. In this case, both hard balls and soft balls are collected by the same collection mechanism, but the collected balls need to be sorted into hard balls and soft balls and supplied to a pitching machine. Therefore, conventionally, a ball sorting device for sorting hard balls and soft balls has been developed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a ball sorting device including a belt conveyor for transporting balls, a pressing roller provided above one of the support rollers of the belt conveyor with a slightly narrower interval than the diameter of the balls and supported to be vertically movable by applying a downward biasing force by a spring, a sensor for detecting the vertical movement of the pressing roller, and a damper device provided with a guide plate that rises to the transfer end side of the belt conveyor in response to a detection signal from the sensor.

[0004] In this ball sorting device, the balls transported by the belt conveyor are sandwiched between the pressing roller and the support roller. If the sandwiched ball is a soft ball, it passes through while deforming between the rollers and rolls onto the guide plate as it is from the transfer end side of the belt conveyor. On the other hand, if the ball sandwiched between the rollers is a hard ball, it passes through by pushing up the pressing roller without deformation, the rise of the pressing roller is detected by the sensor, and in response to the signal from the sensor, the damper device raises the guide plate to drop the hard ball from the transfer end of the belt conveyor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] In the ball sorting device described above, a push roller, which is biased downward by a spring, is installed above the support roller. The distance between these rollers is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball, and the ball is squeezed between the push roller and the support roller and passed through under pressure. In particular, in the case of softballs, the ball is subjected to considerable stress as it deforms as it passes between the rollers.

[0007] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a ball sorting device that can sort balls without putting unnecessary stress on them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The ball sorting device of the present invention includes a rail for moving balls by the action of gravity, an opening provided on the extension of the rail, a movable rail for opening and closing the opening, a rotating drum provided at a position opposite the opening where the distance between the movable rail and the opening when the opening is closed is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball, and an air cylinder for supporting the movable rail, which opens and closes the opening by expanding or contracting when the movable rail is displaced by a specific amount from the closed position of the opening.

[0009] According to the ball sorting device of the present invention, balls moving along rails due to gravity enter the gap between the movable rail of the opening and the rotating drum. When a ball is hard, the movable rail supported by the air cylinder is pushed down, causing the movable rail to displace a specific amount from the closed position of the opening. The air cylinder expands and contracts, opening and closing the opening, and the ball falls out of the opening. On the other hand, when a ball is soft, the elasticity of the ball prevents the movable rail from displacing a specific amount from the closed position of the opening. As a result, the air cylinder does not expand or contract, the opening does not open or close, and the ball passes along the movable rail. Thus, the balls are sorted into hard balls that fall out of the opening and soft balls that pass along the movable rail without falling out of the opening.

[0010] Here, it is desirable that the rotating drum has a cylindrical body with pins erected on its surface to guide the ball to the opening. This allows the ball, moving along the rail due to gravity, to enter the gap between the movable rail of the opening and the rotating drum, and is guided to the opening by the pins erected on the surface of the cylindrical body of the rotating drum, thereby enabling the air cylinder to operate accurately. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] (1) The configuration includes a rail that moves the ball by the action of gravity, an opening provided on the extension of the rail, a movable rail that opens and closes the opening, a rotating drum located opposite the opening, at a position where the distance between the movable rail and the opening when the opening is closed is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball, and an air cylinder that supports the movable rail, and which opens and closes the opening by expanding and contracting when the movable rail is displaced by a specific amount from the closed position of the opening. This configuration allows for the separation of hard balls that fall from the opening from soft balls that pass along the movable rail without falling from the opening, without pressurizing the ball with a spring or the like. This prevents unnecessary stress on the balls and prevents defects such as wear, uneven wear, scratches, and bursting of the balls.

[0012] (2) The rotating drum has a cylindrical body with pins erected on its surface to guide the balls to the opening. This allows the balls to be guided to the opening and the air cylinder to operate accurately, thereby further improving the sorting accuracy of the balls. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a ball sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a view of the ball sorting device as seen through arrow A in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a right side view showing a schematic configuration of the ball sorting device. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the ball sorting device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Figure 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a ball sorting device in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view of the ball sorting device in Figure 1 taken along arrow A, and Figure 3 is a right side view showing a schematic configuration of the ball sorting device in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the ball sorting device 1 in an embodiment of the present invention is a device for sorting hard baseballs (hardballs H) and soft baseballs (softballs S).

[0015] The ball sorting device 1 comprises a ball input box 2 into which balls to be sorted (hard balls H and soft balls S) are introduced, a rail 3 for moving the balls inside the ball input box 2, and a rotating drum 4 provided above the rail 3. The upper surfaces of the ball input box 2 and the rail 3 are inclined at approximately 10°, and the balls inside the ball input box 2 move along the rail 3 in the X direction (the direction in which the rail 3 extends) due to the action of gravity. An opening 5 is provided on the extension of the rail 3.

[0016] In this embodiment, the rail 3 is provided with two sets of guides 30 so that the balls move in two aligned rows. Each guide 30 is formed by a pair of round rod-shaped members 31A and 31B extending in the X direction. The pair of round rod-shaped members 31A and 31B are spaced slightly narrower than the diameter of the balls. An opening 5 is provided at the end of each guide 30. The balls move aligned along each guide 30 toward each opening 5.

[0017] Furthermore, each opening 5 is provided with a movable rail 6. The movable rail 6 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 60 located below the rail 3. The support shaft 60 is an axis perpendicular to the X direction and horizontal. When the opening 5 is closed, the movable rail 6 is on the extension of the rail 3. The movable rail 6 opens and closes the opening 5 by rotating around the support shaft 60. In addition, a discharge passage 7 for softballs is provided on the extension of the rail 3 and the opening 5.

[0018] The rotating drum 4 is located opposite the opening 5. The rotating drum 4 has a cylindrical body 10. Pins 11 are erected on the surface of the cylindrical body 10 to guide the ball to the position of the opening 5. The body 10 rotates on a rotating shaft 12 which is driven by a motor 8. The rotating shaft 12 is an axis that is perpendicular to the Z direction and horizontal. The pins 11 are provided at predetermined intervals (45° intervals in the illustrated example) in the circumferential direction of the body 10. In addition, the pins 11 are provided at intervals slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball (the same interval as the guides 30 in this embodiment) in the width direction of the body 10.

[0019] The tip of the pin 11 is approximately hemispherical to prevent damage to the ball. The height of the pin 11 (height from the surface of the main body 10) is 10mm to 20mm, more preferably 15mm to 17mm. If the height of the pin 11 is too high, the ball will get stuck. On the other hand, if the height of the pin 11 is too low, the ball is more likely to be misguided.

[0020] Each movable rail 6 is supported by an air cylinder 9. The air cylinder 9 opens and closes the opening 5 by expanding and contracting when the movable rail 6 is displaced by a specific amount from the state where the opening 5 is closed. The above-described rotary drum 4 is provided at a position where the gap between the movable rail 6 when the opening 5 is closed by the movable rail 6 (the gap between the main body 10 and the surface of the movable rail 6) is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball.

[0021] Further, the ball sorting device 1 includes a first sensor 91 that detects a first position when the air cylinder 9 retracts by a specific amount from the maximum extended state, and a second sensor 92 that detects a second position when the air cylinder 9 further retracts by a specific amount from the first position. The first sensor 91 is on the rod side of the cylinder body 9A, and the second sensor 92 is on the head side. In this embodiment, the first sensor 91 is on when the air cylinder 9 is in the maximum extended state, and turns off when it retracts by a specific amount from the maximum extended state, that is, at the first position. The second sensor 92 is off at the first position and turns on at the second position when it further retracts by a specific amount from the first position. The first sensor 91 and the second sensor 92 are provided on each air cylinder 9 respectively.

[0022] Further, compressed air as a compressible fluid is supplied to each air cylinder 9 through a first electromagnetic valve (not shown) that is opened and closed by a control circuit (not shown). The first electromagnetic valve includes a port A through which compressed air is output when energized (on) and a port B through which compressed air is output when de-energized (off). The air cylinder 9 is composed of a cylinder body 9A and a piston rod 9B. The port B of the first electromagnetic valve is connected to the head side port (not shown) of the cylinder body 9A. The port A of the first electromagnetic valve is connected to the rod side port (not shown) of the cylinder body 9A. The control circuit turns on / off the first electromagnetic valve according to the detection results of the first sensor 91 and the second sensor 92.

[0023] When the first solenoid valve is de-energized (off), compressed air is output from port B of the air cylinder 9 to the head-side port of the cylinder body 9A. Simultaneously, the rod-side port of the cylinder body 9A is opened to the atmosphere, pushing out the piston rod 9B and extending the air cylinder 9 to its maximum extension state. When the air cylinder 9 is in its maximum extension state, the movable rail 6 has its opening 5 closed. At this time, the gap between the body 10 of the rotating drum 4 and the surface of the movable rail 6 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball.

[0024] Therefore, when a ball enters this gap, the movable rail 6 is pushed downward by the ball, and the compressed air inside the air cylinder 9 is compressed, causing the air cylinder 9 to contract slightly. The amount of contraction of the air cylinder 9 differs depending on the hardness of the ball, whether it is a hard ball H or a soft ball S. In the case of a soft ball S, the air cylinder 9 hardly contracts at all, while in the case of a hard ball H, the pressure of the compressed air supplied into the air cylinder 9 is adjusted so that it contracts by a specific amount to a first position detected by the first sensor 91.

[0025] When the control circuit detects the first position by the first sensor 91, it energizes (turns on) the first solenoid valve. This causes compressed air to be output from port A of the first solenoid valve to the rod-side port of the cylinder body 9A. At the same time, the head-side port of the cylinder body 9A is opened to the atmosphere, the piston rod 9B is retracted, and the air cylinder 9 retracts. As a result, the movable rail 6 rotates downward and the opening 5 opens. In other words, if the ball is a hard ball H, the opening 5 is opened by the operation of the air cylinder 9 and the hard ball H is discharged downward.

[0026] Then, when the air cylinder 9 retracts a specific amount further from the first position and the second sensor 92 detects the second position, the control circuit de-energizes (turns off) the first solenoid valve. As a result, compressed air is again output from port B of the first solenoid valve to the head-side port of the cylinder body 9A, pushing out the piston rod 9B and extending the air cylinder 9 to its maximum extension state. As a result, the first sensor 91 turns on and the second sensor 92 turns off.

[0027] Furthermore, when the ball is a softball S, the compressed air pressure is adjusted so that the first position is not detected by the first sensor 91, i.e., the first sensor 91 does not turn off. As a result, the control circuit does not activate the first solenoid valve (it is de-energized), and the air cylinder 9 remains in its maximum extended state. Therefore, the opening 5 does not open, and the softball S passes directly between the rotating drum 4 and the movable rail 6 and is discharged into the discharge passage 7.

[0028] Furthermore, the ball input box 2 is equipped with a swinging mechanism 20 to resolve congestion if the balls do not move smoothly from the ball input box 2 to the rail 3. The swinging mechanism 20 is mounted at the bottom of the ball input box 2 so as to be able to swing vertically around a rotation axis 21. The ball input box 2 is also equipped with an air cylinder 22 to power the swinging mechanism 20. Compressed air as a compressible fluid is supplied to the air cylinder 22 through a second solenoid valve (not shown) which is switched on / off by a control circuit. The second solenoid valve has an A port which outputs compressed air when energized (on) and a B port which outputs compressed air when not energized (off). The A port of the second solenoid valve is connected to the head-side port (not shown) of the air cylinder 22. The B port of the second solenoid valve is connected to the rod-side port (not shown) of the air cylinder 22. The rail 3 is equipped with a ball flow sensor 23 for detecting the flow of balls.

[0029] If the ball flow sensor 23 detects that the balls are not flowing onto the rail 3, that is, if the balls are jammed in the ball input box 2, the control circuit turns the second solenoid valve on or off. This causes the air cylinder 22 to extend and retract, and the oscillating part 20 to oscillate. This oscillating of the oscillating part 20 agitates the balls in the ball input box 2, allowing the balls to be supplied to the rail 3.

[0030] Next, the operation of the ball sorting device 1 with the above configuration will be described in detail. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the ball sorting device 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0031] First, confirm that the power supply light (OL) is lit, and then turn on the power switch (S100). This supplies power to the ball sorting device 1 and turns on the control circuit (S101). Pressing the start button (PB) (S102) starts the ball sorting device 1 and the operation light (SL) lights up. At this time, the first solenoid valve is off (S110), the motor (rotor motor) 8 is on (S120), and the ball flow sensor 23 is on (S130). As a result, the air cylinder 9 extends to its maximum extension, the movable rail 6 closes the opening 5, and the rotating drum 4 rotates.

[0032] The ball flow sensor 23 consists of, for example, a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit located opposite the light-emitting unit. The ball flow sensor 23 turns on when light from the light-emitting unit reaches the light-receiving unit, indicating that no balls are flowing. On the other hand, when balls are flowing on the rail 3, the light from the light-emitting unit is blocked by the balls and does not reach the light-receiving unit. In this case, the ball flow sensor 23 turns off (S131). Even when balls are flowing continuously on the rail 3, light from the light-emitting unit reaches the light-receiving unit through the gaps between the continuously flowing balls. Therefore, if the light-receiving state continues for a certain period of time (for example, 1 second) or longer (turned on), it is determined that there is a blockage in ball flow (congestion).

[0033] If no balls are flowing on rail 3, the second solenoid valve (ball congestion relief solenoid valve) is repeatedly turned on (S133) and off (S134) to clear congestion. For example, the congestion relief timer repeatedly turns the second solenoid valve (ball congestion relief solenoid valve) on for 1 second and off for 10 seconds, causing the air cylinder 22 to extend and retract and the oscillating part 20 to oscillate. After 10 seconds of congestion relief, the control device turns off the motor 8, stops the rotation of the rotating drum 4, and the ball sorting device 1 enters a standby state. At this time, the operation light (SL) is blinked to indicate the standby state. In the normal installation situation where the ball sorting device 1 is installed in a batting center, it enters a standby state in this situation, and balls flow in when the game starts.

[0034] When the ball flow sensor 23 detects that the ball has started to flow onto the rail 3, the control circuit turns on the motor 8 again, rotates the rotating drum 4, and starts sorting hard balls and soft balls. If the ball is a soft ball S, the second sensor 92 is off (S111) and the first sensor 91 is on (S112). At this time, the air cylinder 9 is extended to its maximum extension state, the opening 5 does not open, and the soft ball S passes straight through between the rotating drum 4 and the movable rail 6 and is discharged into the discharge passage 7.

[0035] On the other hand, if the ball is a hard ball H, the rotating drum 4 pushes down the movable rail 6 along with the hard ball H, causing the first sensor 91 to turn off (S113). As a result, the control circuit turns on the first solenoid valve (S114), and compressed air is output from the A port of the first solenoid valve to the rod-side port of the cylinder body 9A. Consequently, the air cylinder 9 retracts, pulling the movable rail 6 downwards. This opens the opening 5, and the hard ball H is discharged downwards.

[0036] Subsequently, when the second sensor 92 is turned on (S115), the first solenoid valve is turned off (S110), the air cylinder 9 extends to its maximum extension state, and the opening 5 is closed by the movable rail 6. This series of operations is repeated to sort the soft balls S and hard balls H.

[0037] If the flow of balls is interrupted, the ball flow sensor 23 turns on (S132) as described above, and after performing a ball congestion clearing operation for 10 seconds, the ball sorting device 1 enters a standby state. When the balls start flowing again and the ball flow sensor 23 turns off, the standby state is resolved, and the rotating drum 4 rotates again and the sorting operation is performed.

[0038] As described above, in the ball sorting device 1 of this embodiment, hard balls H that fall from the opening 5 and soft balls S that pass along the movable rail 6 without falling from the opening 5 can be sorted without pressurizing the balls with springs or the like. This prevents unnecessary stress on the balls and prevents problems such as wear, uneven wear, scratches, and bursting of the balls.

[0039] Furthermore, in the ball sorting device 1 of this embodiment, the rotating drum 4 has pins 11 erected on the surface of its cylindrical body 10 to guide the balls to the position of the opening 5. As the balls move along the rails 3 due to gravity, they are guided to the position of the opening 5 by these pins 11 when they enter the gap between the movable rail 6 of the opening 5 and the rotating drum 4. This makes it possible to operate the air cylinder 9 accurately, further improving the ball sorting accuracy.

[0040] In this embodiment, baseballs, specifically hardballs H and softballs S, were used as examples. However, by adjusting the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 9, the amount of clearance between the rotating drum 4 and the movable rail 6, and other factors, the system can also be applied to sorting hardballs and softballs, for example. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] The present invention is useful as a ball sorting device for separating hard balls (hardballs) from soft balls (softballs), and is particularly suitable as a ball sorting device that can sort balls without putting unnecessary stress on them. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1. Ball sorting device 2 Ball drop boxes 3 rails 4-rotation drum 5 Openings 6 Movable rails 7 Exhaust channel 8 motors 9 Air Cylinder 9A Cylinder body 9B Piston Rod 10 Main Unit 11 pins 12 Rotation axes 20 Oscillating part 21 Rotation axis 22 Air Cylinders 23 Ball flow sensor 30 Guides 60 Spindle 91 First Sensor 92 Second Sensor

Claims

1. A rail that moves the ball using the force of gravity, An opening provided on the extension of the aforementioned rail, A movable rail for opening and closing the aforementioned opening, A rotating drum is provided at a position opposite the opening, such that the gap between it and the movable rail when the opening is closed is slightly narrower than the diameter of the ball, An air cylinder that supports the movable rail, which opens and closes the opening by expanding and contracting when the movable rail is displaced by a specific amount from a closed state of the opening. A ball sorting device that includes [a specific component].

2. A first sensor detects the first position when the air cylinder has retracted by a specific amount from its maximum extension state, The system includes a second sensor that detects a second position when the air cylinder has contracted by a specific amount further from the first position, The air cylinder is configured to retract when the first sensor detects a first position and extend when the second sensor detects a second position. The ball sorting device according to claim 1.

3. The ball sorting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating drum has a cylindrical body on which pins are erected for guiding the balls to the position of the opening.

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