Golf ball rental machine

Abstract

To instantly and quickly supply and discharge a predetermined amount of golf balls to be lent, and perform a stable discharge operation without causing clogging on a discharge path even when a large amount of stored golf balls are stored. [Solution] A ball stock section 10 with a downward inclination configuration is arranged inside a machine frame 1, and a ball discharge section 20 with an inclination configuration in the opposite direction are arranged in succession, and golf balls B are flattened in parallel and allowed to fall naturally from a delivery port 12 at the end of the ball stock section 10 to the ball discharge section 20 via a ball breaking mechanism 15. The ball discharge section 20 is provided with a plurality of discharge paths 22 arranged in parallel, and a discharge mechanism 31 at the bottom of the discharge paths 22 that holds golf balls B in sections in predetermined amounts and then discharges the golf balls in predetermined amounts. The discharge mechanism 31 has comb-like front and rear restriction pieces 35A and 35B that appear and disappear within the discharge paths 22, respectively, at the front and rear edges of a flat rectangular discharge frame 34 that is swung by a swing fulcrum shaft 32, and is prepared for the next operation by temporary holding, discharge, and supply holding.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf ball dispensing machine that dispenses a predetermined amount of golf balls, for example at a golf driving range, and to a golf ball dispensing machine that can quickly discharge and supply the predetermined amount of golf balls without clogging. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, at golf driving ranges, players have been provided with a set number of loaned golf balls to practice various techniques such as shots and approaches. For this purpose, golf ball loaning and supplying devices have been installed at golf driving ranges, and since a system that supplies a set number of golf balls to each practice seat partitioned for each player would require huge equipment costs, most driving ranges are equipped with golf ball loaning machines that supply a set number of golf balls by inserting, for example, coins or medals.

[0003] As this golf ball dispensing machine, for example, a ball delivery device in Patent Document 1, a ball delivery machine in Patent Document 2, and a golf ball discharge device in Patent Document 3 have been proposed. The ball delivery device in Patent Document 1 supplies balls through a chute formed in a ball passage connected to a ball drum, and opens and closes a shutter for each predetermined amount of balls measured by a sensor that detects the balls. The ball delivery machine in Patent Document 2 loosens the balls from a ball storage section by sending them through two spiral rollers, and then opens and closes a shutter for each set predetermined amount of balls that pass through a counting section. The golf ball discharge device in Patent Document 3 provides a control cam with an adjustable gap and a fixed guide plate in a ball passage between an inlet and an outlet through which the golf balls pass, to adjust the amount of balls discharged, and contacts the control cam via a roller to move the movable guide plate up and down. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-108077 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-266699 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-28853 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional ball supply device described above, the ball supply path is set to the width of one ball, and the balls supplied are counted and closed with a shutter or the like every time a predetermined amount is supplied. Therefore, it is necessary to wait until the predetermined amount is reached. In addition, when the balls are supplied to the supply path, they may become entangled with each other, forming a so-called lump, causing clogging, making it difficult to supply and discharge stably. In addition, the conventional mechanism for preventing clogging has a complicated configuration, and maintenance of the mechanism is not easy.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the various problems that have existed in the past as described above, and aims to provide a golf ball lending machine which, for example, can instantly and quickly supply and discharge a specified amount of golf balls by inserting a specified coin or medal, operates smoothly and stably without causing clogging in the discharge path even when a large amount of golf balls are inserted and stored, is easy to maintain, and can be easily installed at a golf driving range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a machine frame 1, a ball stock section 10 arranged in an upper part of the inside of the machine frame 1 and having a downwardly inclined configuration, and a ball discharge section 20 arranged in a lower part of the inside of the machine frame 1, connected to the ball stock section 10 and having a downwardly inclined configuration in the opposite direction to the downwardly inclined configuration of the ball stock section 10. The ball stock section 10 comprises a downwardly inclined plate-like ball support board 11 having an end portion formed with a delivery opening 12 for delivering and dropping a golf ball B to the ball discharge section 20, and the ball discharge section 20 comprises a plurality of downwardly inclined discharge paths 22 arranged in parallel, and a lower portion of the discharge path 22. is provided with a discharge mechanism 31 which holds a predetermined amount of golf balls B in a compartment and then discharges the predetermined amount at a time. The discharge mechanism 31 is characterized by comprising a swinging fulcrum shaft 32 which is horizontally fixed at the bottom of the discharge passage 22 perpendicular to the discharge passage 22, a discharge frame 34 which is flat and rectangular with a length corresponding to the outer width of the discharge passage 22 and the predetermined amount of golf balls B in a parallel state and which is supported and swingable by the swinging fulcrum shaft 32, front and rear regulating pieces 35A and 35B which are provided at the front and rear edges of the discharge frame 34 and which protrude into and retract into the discharge passage 22, respectively, and a swinging means 36 which swings the discharge frame 34 in the front-to-rear direction. Inside the machine frame 1, the ball stock section 10 is provided in a downwardly inclined form so that the golf balls B are sequentially sent out by natural fall from the ball stock section 10 to the ball discharge section 20, and the starting end portion, which is the highest position of the ball discharge section 20, which is provided in a downwardly inclined state in the opposite direction to the inclination direction of the ball stock section 10, is disposed below the terminal end portion, which is the lowest position of the downwardly inclined ball stock section 10. The ball discharge section 20 has a plurality of parallel discharge passages 22 that are inclined downward. The discharge passages 22 are made of a plurality of ball guide members 22A made of pipe material that are arranged in parallel to each other with intervals that are slightly narrower than the diameter of the golf ball B, and the ball discharge section 20 can be configured to form a single discharge passage 22 by a gap formed between each pair of adjacent ball guide members 22A. A ball breaking mechanism 15 is provided below the discharge port 12 of the ball stock section 10 and between it and the starting end of the ball discharge section 20, and this ball breaking mechanism 15 can be configured to include a control bar 16 arranged on the starting end of the ball discharge section 20 with a height interval set to allow one golf ball B to pass through, a breaking roller 17 that rotates on this control bar 16 in contact with the golf ball B, and a breaking motor 18 that rotates this breaking roller 17. At the start end of the ball discharge section 20, a single ball guide plate 23 can be positioned below the ball crushing mechanism 15 and connected to each of the parallel discharge paths 22. In the discharge mechanism 31, the front regulating piece 35A and the rear regulating piece 35B are arranged in a comb-tooth shape on the discharge frame 34, and the front regulating piece 35A can be set lower than the rear regulating piece 35B in accordance with the difference in height occurring at the front and rear of the discharge frame 34 due to the inclination set in the discharge path 22. The swinging means 36 of the discharge mechanism 31 can be composed of a traction rope 38 connected to the front part of the discharge frame 34 and a solenoid 37 that is turned ON-OFF so as to forcibly pull the front part of the discharge frame 34 downward, and an elastic rope 39 that resiliently pulls the rear part of the discharge frame 34 downward.

[0008] In the golf ball lending machine of the present invention configured as described above, when, for example, a coin or medal is inserted, the discharge mechanism 31 in the ball discharge section 20 discharges a predetermined amount of golf balls B that have been held in a compartment by its oscillation, and the golf balls B are made available for the person wishing to borrow them to practice their golf shots. The ball stock section 10 stores and holds a sufficient number of golf balls B to be lent out, and the ball discharge section 20 discharges and lends out a predetermined amount at a time. In the ball discharge section 20, a predetermined amount of golf balls B aligned and held in a plurality of discharge paths 22 configured in a parallel state is instantly discharged in a short time by a discharge mechanism 31. The ball breaking mechanism 15 provided at the delivery port 12 of the ball stock section 10 arranges the golf balls B, which have been piled up and formed into a lump, flatly in parallel on the ball guide plate 23, and supplies them in an aligned state to each of the parallel discharge paths 22, and after temporarily retaining a predetermined amount of golf balls B in a discharge frame 34, they are instantly discharged without excess or deficiency by the swinging of the discharge mechanism 31. The discharge mechanism 31 provided at the bottom of the ball discharge section 20 has front regulating pieces 35A and rear regulating pieces 35B provided at the front and rear of the swinging discharge frame 34 that alternately appear and disappear in front of and behind the discharge path 22 as the frame swings, thereby dividing the aligned and supplied golf balls B into predetermined amounts, and smoothly operating and processing the temporary retention, discharge after retention, and retention after discharge, in conjunction with the continuous supply of the golf balls B to the discharge path 22. The swinging means 36 in the discharge mechanism 31 discharges only the held golf balls B by causing the front regulating piece 35A to sink below the discharge path 22 and the rear regulating piece 35B to protrude above the discharge path 22 when the solenoid 37, which pulls the front part of the swinging discharge frame 34, is turned ON. When the solenoid 37 is turned OFF, the elastic cord 39 is pulled to return the discharge frame 34 to its original position, and a predetermined amount of golf balls B are supplied to each of the parallel discharge paths 22 in an aligned state by causing the front regulating piece 35A to protrude into the discharge path 22 and the rear regulating piece 35B to sink below the discharge path 22, preparing for the next operation. Effect of the Invention

[0009] Since the present invention is configured as described above, for example, by inserting a specified medal or coin, a specified amount of golf balls B can be instantly and quickly supplied and discharged from the ball discharge section 20, and even golf balls B that have been inserted and stored in large quantities in the ball stock section 10 can be discharged smoothly and stably without clogging the discharge path 22 in the ball discharge section 20, and further, maintenance is easy and the device can be easily installed in a golf driving range.

[0010] That is, in the present invention, the ball stock section 10 arranged inside the machine frame 1 and the ball discharge section 20 arranged in an inclined downward configuration are provided in succession, and the golf balls B are flattened in parallel and allowed to fall naturally from the delivery port 12 at the end of the ball stock section 10 to the ball discharge section 20 via the ball breaking mechanism 15, and the ball discharge section 20 is provided with a plurality of discharge paths 22 arranged in parallel, and a discharge mechanism 31 at the bottom of the discharge paths 22 for partitioning and holding the golf balls B in predetermined amounts and then discharging the predetermined amounts at a time, and the discharge mechanism 31 is provided with comb-like front and rear regulating pieces 35A and 35B that appear and disappear within the discharge paths 22, respectively, at the front and rear edges of the flat rectangular discharge frame 34 that is swung about the swing fulcrum shaft 32, and the swing of this discharge frame 34 repeats the operations of temporarily holding, discharging, and supplying and holding a predetermined amount of golf balls B, in preparation for the next operation.

[0011] Furthermore, although the ball stock section 10 and the ball discharge section 20 are both configured to incline downward, the directions of inclination are completely opposite, and the beginning portion of the ball discharge section 20 is positioned below the end portion of the ball stock section 10. This makes it possible to compactly arrange the ball stock section 10 and the ball discharge section 20 within the machine frame 1, which greatly contributes to making the machine frame 1 more compact.

[0012] The ball stock section 10 is provided on the upper part of the machine frame 1 in a downwardly inclined configuration, so that a large number of golf balls B can be stored, and even if a large number of golf balls B are piled up and formed into a lump, the lump of golf balls B can be broken down by the ball breaking mechanism 15 provided at the delivery port 12 that delivers the golf balls B to the ball discharge section 20. That is, this ball breaking mechanism 15 rotates breaking rollers 17 that come into contact with and rotate on a control bar 16 arranged on the ball discharge section 20 at a height just enough for one golf ball B to pass through, so that even if the golf balls B are piled up in a lump, they are broken down randomly, and by breaking them down, they can be supplied to the ball discharge section 20 in a flat, parallel state.

[0013] Furthermore, by providing a ball guide plate 23 connected to multiple parallel discharge paths 22 directly below the ball breaking mechanism 15 at the starting end of the ball discharge section 20, it is possible to more reliably align and guide the balls from the ball stock section 10 to each of the discharge paths 22.

[0014] The discharge passage 22 is composed of a plurality of ball guide members 22A made of pipe material arranged in parallel with each other at intervals slightly narrower than the diameter of the golf ball B, so that the golf ball B supplied to the discharge passage 22 rolls quickly along this downwardly inclined discharge passage 22 and is guided to be smoothly supplied to the discharge mechanism 31 below.

[0015] In the discharge mechanism 31, the discharge frame 34 is a flat rectangular shape with a length corresponding to the outer width of the discharge passage 22 and the predetermined amount of golf balls B in a lined up state, and a front regulating piece 35A and a rear regulating piece 35B that appear and disappear into the discharge passage 22 are provided at the front and rear edges, so that a predetermined amount of golf balls B can be partitioned and held on the discharge passage 22. Then, the front regulating piece 35A and the rear regulating piece 35B alternately appear and disappear before and after ... into the discharge passage 22 by the swinging means 36, in combination with the difference in height between the front regulating piece 35A and the rear regulating piece 35B, ensures the discharge of the predetermined amount of golf balls B that has been partitioned and the partitioning of the predetermined amount again after the discharge, and prepares for the next operation, and this repetition makes it possible to smoothly lend and discharge the golf balls B.

[0016] The rocking means 36 of the discharge mechanism 31 repeatedly rocks the discharge frame 34 by vertical movement via a traction rope 38 at the front of the discharge frame 34 caused by a solenoid 37 that is turned on and off, and by resilient traction by an elastic rope 39 at the rear, which has the advantage that a series of operations caused by the insertion of, for example, coins, medals, etc. can be easily controlled.

[0017] The reference numerals in the sections of the Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention are given for ease of reference to the components shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the structures, shapes, etc. shown by the descriptions and reference numerals in the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the discharge mechanism, in which (A) shows a state in which a predetermined amount of golf balls are held in the compartment, (B) shows a state in which the golf balls are being discharged, and (C) shows a state in which the golf balls are being supplied in preparation for the next operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Below, one form of carrying out the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. The symbol 1 shown in the drawings is a machine frame that forms the outer frame of the rental machine of the present invention, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular box of a size that does not obstruct passage, even when installed in an aisle at a golf driving range, for example.

[0020] Within this machine frame 1, there are provided a ball stock section 10 which stores and holds golf balls B to be loaned out, a ball discharge section 20 which discharges and supplies a predetermined amount of golf balls B, and a control section 6 which controls the discharge operation of the golf balls B by this ball discharge section 20.

[0021] The upper wall of the machine frame 1 is provided with a ball insertion port 2 that can be opened and closed freely for inserting golf balls B into the ball stock section 10, and the front wall is provided with an inspection window 3 at its upper part for checking the golf balls B inside the machine frame 1, and a discharge port 4 at its lower part for supplying and discharging the loaned golf balls B. Also, at the front of the machine frame 1, a loan insertion port 5 is arranged for inserting coins, medals, etc., so as to control the operation of a ball discharge section 20 that discharges a predetermined amount of golf balls B, and this loan insertion port 5 is incorporated into the control section 6.

[0022] Inside the machine casing 1, the ball stock section 10 is provided in a downwardly inclined form so that the golf balls B are sequentially sent out from the ball stock section 10 to the ball discharge section 20 by natural falling, and below the terminal section which is the lowest position of this downwardly inclined ball stock section 10 is disposed the starting section which is the highest position of the ball discharge section 20 which is provided in a downwardly inclined state in the opposite direction to the inclination direction of the ball stock section 10. In other words, the sending direction of the inserted golf balls B from the ball stock section 10 to the ball discharge section 20 is opposite to the discharge direction in which the machine casing 1 discharges the golf balls B, and both directions are continuous and the golf balls B roll due to the natural falling action of the golf balls B.

[0023] In the illustrated example, when viewed from the front of the machine frame 1, the starting end portion, which is the highest position of the ball stock section 10, is located at the upper right position, the end portion of the ball stock section 10 and the starting end portion of the ball discharge section 20 are located on the left side, and the end portion of the ball discharge section 20 is located on the right side, but the arrangement is not limited to this illustrated example.

[0024] In the ball stock section 10, a plate-like ball support plate 11 that slopes downward as it approaches the end portion is disposed at the upper part inside the machine frame 1, with its side periphery fixed to the wall of the machine frame 1. Golf balls B are fed through the ball input port 2 provided in an openable and closable manner on the upper wall of the machine frame 1, and the fed golf balls B are discharged and lent through a ball discharge section 20 provided below the ball stock section 10. At the lowest position of the end portion of the ball support plate 11, a delivery port 12 is formed to deliver and drop the golf balls B to the ball discharge section 20, and the width of this delivery port 12 corresponds to the width of the ball discharge section 20, and the golf balls B are delivered and dropped to the ball discharge section 20 in the number of parallel discharges to each of the discharge paths 22 described later in the ball discharge section 20.

[0025] The ball discharge section 20 is supported by a support frame 21 erected on the front, rear, left and right sides at the bottom inside the machine frame 1 below the ball stock section 10, and is provided with a plurality of parallel discharge paths 22 that incline downward as they reach the side of the machine frame 1 where the discharge port 4 is provided. The discharge paths 22 are formed of a plurality of ball guide members 22A made of pipe material that are fixed to the support frame 21 and arranged in parallel with each other at intervals slightly narrower than the diameter of the golf ball B. That is, one discharge path 22 is formed by a gap formed between a pair of adjacent ball guide members 22A, and in the illustrated example, eleven ball guide members 22A are arranged to form ten discharge paths 22. Each of these discharge paths 22 is connected to the lower surface of one ball guide plate 23 arranged immediately below the delivery port 12 in the ball stock section 10, and the golf ball B dropped from the delivery port 12 rolls on the upper surface of the ball guide plate 23 to be guided to each discharge path 22. In addition, side plates are provided on both side edges of the discharge path 22 to prevent the golf ball B from falling out to the side of the discharge path 22.

[0026] Also, on the ball guide plate 23, in order to arrange the golf balls B in parallel without stacking them up and down, a ball collapsing mechanism 15 is provided below the outlet 12 to prevent the golf balls B dropped from the outlet 12 from becoming lumps and staying there, and to allow the golf balls B to roll without overlapping. This ball collapsing mechanism 15 comprises control bars 16 arranged above the ball guide plate 23 and set at intervals of a height sufficient for one golf ball B to pass through on the ball guide plate 23, collapsing rollers 17 which rotate in contact with the golf balls B on the control bars 16, and a collapsing motor 18 arranged on the rear support frame 21 to rotate the collapsing rollers 17.

[0027] The breaking roller 17 rotates in a direction to move the golf balls B on the ball guide plate 23 in the opposite direction to the ball stock section 10, and breaks up the accumulated clumps by moving the golf balls B that may be stuck on the ball guide plate 23 in the opposite direction to the ball stock section 10, and allows the accumulated clumps to be aligned flatly and passed under the control bar 16. In this way, even if the golf balls B that are dropped and sent out from the delivery port 12 are piled up and in clumps, they are aligned in parallel on the ball guide plate 23 by the control bar 16 and passed under one by one, rolled in parallel flat on the ball guide plate 23, and are aligned and guided one by one to each of the discharge paths 22 formed in parallel.

[0028] A discharge mechanism 31 is provided at the bottom of the discharge path 22 in the ball discharge section 20, which holds a predetermined amount of balls in sections and then discharges the predetermined amount of balls at a time. The discharge mechanism 31 includes a swing fulcrum shaft 32 that is horizontally fixed at the bottom surface of the discharge path 22 and perpendicular to the discharge path 22, a discharge frame 34 that is flat and rectangular with a length corresponding to the outer width of the discharge path 22 and the predetermined amount of golf balls B in a parallel state, is supported by the swing fulcrum shaft 32, and swings around the swing fulcrum shaft 32, front and rear restriction pieces 35A and 35B that are provided at the front and rear edges of the discharge frame 34 and that appear and disappear within the discharge path 22, respectively, and a swinging means 36 that swings the discharge frame 34 in the front-rear direction. When discharging the golf ball B, the swinging means 36 causes the front regulating piece 35A at the front end of the discharge path 22 to sink below the discharge path 22, and simultaneously causes the rear regulating piece 35B at the rear end of the discharge path 22 to protrude above the discharge path 22. When retaining the golf ball B, the front regulating piece 35A at the front end of the discharge path 22 protrudes above the discharge path 22, and simultaneously causes the rear regulating piece 35B at the rear end of the discharge path 22 to sink below the discharge path 22.

[0029] The swing fulcrum shaft 32 is fixed by welding or the like to the bottom surface of the ball guide material 22A forming the discharge passage 22, perpendicular to the ball guide material 22A, and swing link plates 33 are supported so as to be able to swing freely on both ends of this swing fulcrum shaft 32, and a discharge frame 34 is connected to the lower part of this swing link plate 33. In this way, the discharge frame 34 is supported swingably via the swing link plate 32 with the swing fulcrum shaft 32 as a fulcrum, and is adapted to be swung by a swinging means 36.

[0030] The discharge frame 34 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, for example, from a strip material, an angle material, a cylindrical material, etc., and its width corresponds approximately to the outer width of the discharge passage 22, and its length in the front-to-rear direction is set corresponding to the number of loaned golf balls B to be discharged. In the illustrated example, the discharge passage 22 is configured with 10 rows, and the number of golf balls B in each row is 5, so that a total of 50 golf balls B can be discharged in one operation, and the length of the discharge frame 34 corresponds to the overall length when 5 golf balls B are lined up in the discharge direction.

[0031] Of course, the number of discharge channels 22 and the length of the discharge frame 34 are appropriately selected according to the number of golf balls B dispensed in one operation. Also, if necessary, although not shown in the drawings, it is possible to adjust and set the number of balls dispensed per row to be reduced from the preset number of balls dispensed by disposing a dam plate that can be adjusted to appear and disappear at the rear position of the rear edge of the discharge frame 34.

[0032] The front and rear regulating pieces 35A and 35B are arranged so as to be positioned within the discharge passage 22 at the front and rear edges of the discharge frame 34, forming a so-called comb-like shape, and the height of the front and rear regulating pieces 35A and 35B is sufficient to prevent the golf ball B from rolling toward the discharge side when protruding into the discharge passage 22. However, in accordance with the difference in height between the front and rear of the discharge frame 34 due to the inclination set in the discharge passage 22, the front regulating piece 35A is set lower than the rear regulating piece 35B.

[0033] The swinging means 36 comprises a traction rope 38 connected to the front part of the discharge frame 34 and an actuator of a solenoid 37 which is turned ON-OFF so as to forcibly pull the front part of the discharge frame 34 downward, and an elastic rope 39 such as a coil spring which resiliently pulls the rear part of the discharge frame 34 downward.

[0034] As a result, during discharge control of the golf balls B, when the solenoid 37 is turned ON and pulls the traction rope 38 to pull the front of the discharge frame 34 downward, the front restriction piece 35A is made to sink below the discharge path 22, thereby discharging the golf balls B that were held within the discharge frame 34 (see FIG. 5(B)). At this time, the rear restriction piece 35B of the discharge frame 34 protrudes into the discharge path 22, so that the golf balls B stored behind the rear restriction piece 35B are maintained as they are.

[0035] After the golf ball B is discharged, the solenoid 37 is turned off to release the traction action on the traction rope 38, and the elastic rope 39, which has been pulled and extended by the protrusion of the rear restriction piece 35B at the time of discharge, pulls the rear part of the discharge frame 34 downward by its elastic force, and retracts the rear restriction piece 35B from within the discharge path 22. Then, the rear golf ball B, which has been prevented from rolling, rolls downward on the discharge path 22 (see FIG. 5(C)), and the front restriction piece 35A of the discharge frame 34 protrudes into the discharge path 22, preventing the golf ball B from rolling toward the discharge side of the discharge path 22, and a predetermined amount of golf balls B are partitioned and held within the discharge frame 34, in preparation for the next operation (see FIG. 5(A)).

[0036] A predetermined amount of golf balls B discharged by the discharge mechanism 31 passes through a discharge guide path 40 provided in front of the ball discharge section 20, and is discharged from a discharge outlet 4 formed in an opening at the bottom of the front surface of the machine casing 1 into, for example, a lending basket prepared outside the machine casing 1. The discharge guide path 40 is formed in a groove shape inclined downward toward the discharge outlet 4 side on the inside of the side part of the machine casing 1 as shown in the figure.

[0037] In addition, when a coin, medal, or the like is inserted into the loan insertion slot 5, the control unit 6 controls the swinging means 36 of the discharge mechanism 31 to operate for, for example, 3 seconds to discharge a predetermined amount of golf balls B from the discharge frame 34, and when the discharge frame 34 returns to its original position after the drive is stopped, a predetermined amount of golf balls B is again supplied to the discharge frame 34 and held in a partition.Then, the ball breaking mechanism 15 operates for, for example, 2 to 3 seconds to break up the mass of golf balls B piled up in the delivery port 12 and send the golf balls B onto the ball guide plate 23, and arranges the golf balls B flat in parallel at the rear portion of the discharge path 22 corresponding to each discharge path 22, preparing for the next operation.

[0038] Next, the operation of the rental machine of the present invention will be explained. For example, it is installed at a golf driving range, and a large number of golf balls B are placed in the ball stock section 10. The golf balls B are then discharged to the ball discharge section 20 via the discharge outlet 12 of the ball stock section 10, and a predetermined amount of golf balls B are partitioned and held by multiple operations of the discharge mechanism 31.

[0039] In the loaning machine thus prepared, when a person wishing to loan inserts, for example, a coin or medal into the loan insertion slot 5, the control unit 6 controls the rocking means 36 in the discharge mechanism 31 to rock the discharge frame 34, and a predetermined amount of golf balls B that have been partitioned and held within the discharge frame 34 are discharged into the discharge guide path 40.

[0040] After the swinging means 36 stops, a predetermined amount of golf balls B are again partitioned and held within the discharge frame 34 which swings back to its original position. Meanwhile, the golf balls B which have been piled up in a lump at the delivery port 12 are broken down by the ball breaking mechanism 15, and the large number of golf balls B arranged side by side in a flat shape are rolled out onto the ball guide plate 23 and arranged in a parallel state corresponding to each of the discharge paths 22, in preparation for the next operation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] B…Golf ball 1…Machine frame 2...Ball insertion slot 3…Inspection window 4…Discharge port 5…Loan slot 6...Control section 10...Ball stock section 11...Ball support plate 12…Outlet port 15...Ball breaking mechanism 16…Control bar 17...Breaking Roller 18...Breakdown motor 20...Ball discharge section 21…Support frame 22...Discharge path 22A…Ball guide material 23...Ball guide plate 31...Ejection mechanism 32...Oscillating fulcrum shaft 33...Swinging guide plate 34…Emissions allowance 35A…Front regulation piece 35B…Rear regulation piece 36...Swinging means 37...Solenoid 38...Tow rope 39…Elastic rope 40…Exhaust guideway

Claims

1. The machine comprises a machine frame, a ball stock section arranged in an upper part of the inside of the machine frame and having a downward inclination configuration, and a ball discharge section arranged in a lower part of the inside of the machine frame, connected to the ball stock section and having a downward inclination configuration in a direction opposite to the downward inclination configuration of the ball stock section, The ball stock section is formed by forming an opening at the end portion of a downwardly inclined plate-like ball support board, through which the golf balls are delivered and dropped to the ball discharge section, The ball discharge section is provided with a number of discharge paths inclined downward and arranged in parallel, and a discharge mechanism at the bottom of the discharge paths which holds golf balls in predetermined amounts and then discharges the predetermined amounts at the same time, and the discharge mechanism includes a swing fulcrum shaft which is horizontally fixed at the bottom surface of the discharge paths and perpendicular to the discharge paths, a discharge frame which is flat and rectangular with a length corresponding to the outer width of the discharge paths and the predetermined amount of golf balls in parallel and which is supported by the swing fulcrum shaft and swings, front and rear regulating pieces which are provided at the front and rear edges of the discharge frame and which appear and disappear into the discharge paths, respectively, and a swinging means for swinging the discharge frame in the front-rear direction, The rocking means of this ejection mechanism is composed of a traction rope connected to the front part of the ejection frame and a solenoid that is turned on and off to forcibly pull the front part of the ejection frame downward, and an elastic rope that resiliently pulls the rear part of the ejection frame downward. The golf ball lending machine is characterized by the above.

2. 2. The golf ball dispenser of claim 1, wherein the ball stock section is provided in a downwardly inclined form inside the machine frame so that golf balls are sequentially delivered by natural fall from the ball stock section to the ball discharge section, and the starting end section, which is the highest position of the ball discharge section, which is provided in a downwardly inclined state in the opposite direction to the inclination direction of the ball stock section, is located below the terminal end section, which is the lowest position of the downwardly inclined ball stock section.

3. 2. The golf ball dispenser of claim 1, wherein the ball discharge section has a plurality of parallel discharge passages that are inclined downward, the discharge passages being made of a plurality of ball guide members made of pipe material arranged in parallel to each other with intervals slightly narrower than the diameter of the golf ball, and a single discharge passage is formed by a gap formed between an adjacent pair of ball guide members.

4. A ball breaking mechanism is provided below the discharge outlet of the ball stock section and between the ball stock section and the starting end of the ball discharge section, and this ball breaking mechanism includes a control bar arranged on the starting end of the ball discharge section with a height interval set to a level sufficient to allow one golf ball to pass through, a breaking roller that rotates on this control bar in contact with the golf ball, and a breaking motor that rotates this breaking roller.

5. 5. The golf ball dispenser according to claim 4, wherein a ball guide plate is connected to the beginning of the ball discharge section below the ball crushing mechanism and continuous with each of the parallel discharge paths.

6. A golf ball rental machine as described in claim 1, wherein in the discharge mechanism, the front and rear regulating pieces are arranged in a comb-tooth shape on the discharge frame, and the front regulating piece is set lower than the rear regulating piece in accordance with the difference in height occurring in front and behind the discharge frame due to the inclination set in the discharge path.

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