Mahjong machines and their components

Abstract

The purpose of this invention is to provide a mahjong machine with a card-loading mechanism and its components that can accurately and flexibly perform various actions in card loading. The card loading mechanism includes a card-feeding device, a card-stacking device, a card-storing device, a card-pushing device, and a card-lifting device. The card-stacking device includes a card-counting sensor that counts the mahjong tiles stacked to form a tile pile. The card-counting sensor is used by the control device to determine the number of stacked tiles. A card-storing sensor that senses mahjong tiles is installed at the tile slot's outlet. The card-storing sensor is used by the control device to determine whether there are mahjong tiles at the outlet. The card-lifting device has a support plate that supports the tile pile. The receiving end of the support plate is equipped with a support sensor that senses mahjong tiles. The support sensor is used by the control device to determine whether there are mahjong tiles on the support plate.

Description

Mahjong machines and their components Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mahjong entertainment equipment, and in particular relates to a card-adding mechanism for adding mahjong tiles, a mahjong machine containing such a mechanism, and a card-adding method thereof. Prior Technology

[0002] Mahjong machines typically include a shuffling mechanism for shuffling the mahjong tiles, a stacking mechanism for stacking the shuffled tiles and placing them on the table for use, a control panel mechanism for users to input operating instructions, and a table frame mechanism for overall support.

[0003] The card-dealing mechanism needs to be set up separately for each user. For example, a typical mahjong machine is used by four users, so four sets of card-dealing mechanisms need to be set up. In this case, each set of card-dealing mechanisms also needs to perform actions such as stacking, storing, pushing, and raising cards. Some existing mahjong machines can automatically deal cards through these actions after automatic shuffling, but the stacking and pushing actions are usually performed according to preset methods, which are difficult to set precisely. This results in a very fixed card-dealing mode, which often can only deal cards according to a predetermined mode. For example, the initial hand and the cards to be taken are dealt together at once, and the user needs to manually take the initial hand. Alternatively, the initial hand and the cards to be taken can be dealt separately in two parts. The user takes the initial hand and then inputs the card-dealing command to deal the cards to be taken. However, in this two-part card-dealing mode, the number of cards dealt in the two parts is completely fixed and cannot be changed.

[0004] Because of this fixed card-dealing pattern, it is difficult for users to change the card-dealing pattern or the number of cards dealt in a certain card-dealing pattern as needed. In particular, users cannot change the number of cards dealt in each of the two card-dealing sessions, resulting in poor flexibility in the use of the mahjong machine and affecting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a more flexible card-dealing mechanism, a mahjong machine, and a card-dealing control method that can accurately perform each action during the card-dealing process.

[0006] Specifically, this invention provides a card-feeding mechanism, installed in a mahjong machine, for stacking and feeding mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism of the mahjong machine under the control of a control device. It includes: a card-feeding device for absorbing and feeding mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism; a card-stacking device for stacking the tiles fed by the card-feeding device to form a tile stack; a card-storage device containing a card slot for storing the tile stacks; a card-pushing device for pushing and conveying the tile stacks within the card slot; and a card-lifting device for raising the pushed and conveyed tile stacks to the tabletop. The key feature is that the card-stacking device has a function for stacking mahjong tiles to form a tile stack. The device includes a stacking card counting sensor to count the number of stacked cards, allowing the control device to determine the number of stacked cards based on the sensor's signal. The card slot's outlet is equipped with a storage card sensor to detect the presence of mahjong tiles, allowing the control device to determine if a mahjong tile is present at the outlet based on its signal. This allows the device to determine if the foremost mahjong tile has reached the outlet. The card lifting device has a support plate that supports the card stack. The receiving end of the support plate is equipped with a support sensor to detect the presence of mahjong tiles, allowing the control device to determine if there are still mahjong tiles on the support plate based on its signal.

[0007] This invention provides a card-raising mechanism, wherein the card-raising device is also equipped with a swing sensing element that senses the swing position of the support plate, so that the control device can determine whether the support plate is in an upward swing position or a downward swing position based on the sensing signal, thereby controlling the movement of the support device.

[0008] This invention provides a card-adding mechanism, wherein the card-pushing device has a card-pushing arm for pushing the card stack and a card-pushing sensing component. The card-pushing arm is provided with a card-pushing head for pushing cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensing part provided on the card-pushing rotating seat, a first card-pushing sensor and a second card-pushing sensor correspondingly provided below the card-pushing rotating seat. The first card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position in front of the card inlet, and the second card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-lifting entrance waiting position in front of the card outlet. This allows the control device to determine whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-stacking entrance waiting position or the card-lifting entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal, thereby controlling the action of the card-pushing device based on the determination result.

[0009] This invention provides a mahjong machine comprising: an operation panel mechanism having an operation panel for allowing a user to input commands; a shuffling mechanism for shuffling mahjong tiles, disposed below the operation panel mechanism; and a plurality of tile-depositing mechanisms for stacking and depositing the shuffled mahjong tiles, wherein the tile-depositing mechanisms are any of the tile-depositing mechanisms described above.

[0010] This invention provides a method for controlling the card-dealing process. Using the mahjong machine described above, the method controls the card-dealing process in a two-stage mode where the mahjong tiles are divided into n and m tiles for deduction. The steps include: a first stacking step, where the control device determines the number of stacked tiles based on the signal from the stacking counter sensor. Once the number of stacked tiles reaches n, the control device stops the tile-feeding device, stops the stacking device, and simultaneously controls the tile-pushing device to push tiles. A second stacking step, where the control device determines whether the frontmost mahjong tile among the n tiles has reached the play position based on the signal from the storage sensor. If it has, the control device stops pushing tiles, while the tile-feeding device continues feeding tiles and the stacking device continues stacking tiles.

[0011] This invention provides a card-stacking control method, wherein, in the second card-stacking step, the control device determines the number of stacked cards based on the sensing signal of the card-stacking counting sensor. Once the number of stacked cards reaches m, the control device controls the corresponding card-stacking device to pause card stacking and simultaneously controls the card-supplying device to return cards. Furthermore, when the number of stacked cards in all card-stacking mechanisms reaches m, the control device stops the card-shuffling action.

[0012] This invention provides a method for controlling the placement of mahjong tiles, further comprising: a first tile-raising step, wherein the control device controls the tile-raising device to swing the support plate downwards; after the support plate reaches the downward swing position, the control device pushes the tiles n by pushing them; further, when the pushing device reaches the tile-raising entrance waiting position corresponding to the tile-discarding opening, the control device controls the tile-raising device to swing the support plate upwards, thereby placing the tiles onto the stack of n mahjong tiles; wherein, the control device determines whether the operating panel mechanism has received an instruction to start the next round; if the instruction to start the next round is received, the control device controls the operating panel mechanism to rise so that the user can push the mahjong tiles on the table into the shuffling mechanism and determines whether an instruction to allow the operating panel to descend is received; if the instruction to allow the operating panel to descend is received, the control device controls the first tile-raising step to proceed.

[0013] This invention provides a method for controlling the placement of mahjong tiles, further comprising: a second tile-raising step, wherein the control device controls the tile-raising device to swing the support plate downwards, and further controls the tile-pushing device to push the m mahjong tiles after the support plate reaches the downward swing position, and controls the tile-raising device to swing the support plate upwards when the tile-pushing device reaches the tile-raising entrance waiting position corresponding to the tile-dispensing opening, thereby placing the tiles onto the tile stack consisting of m mahjong tiles. In this method, after the first tile-raising step, the control device determines whether all the mahjong tiles on the support plate have been removed based on the sensing signal of the support sensor, and controls the second tile-raising step to proceed when it is determined that all the tiles have been removed.

[0014] This invention provides a method for controlling the card-raising process, wherein the control device controls the first card-stacking step after the second card-raising step.

[0015] This invention provides another method for controlling the card-adding process. It also uses the same mahjong machine as described above, controlling the card-adding process in a one-time card-adding mode where x mahjong tiles are added at once. The method is characterized by the following steps: a stacking step, where the control device determines the number of stacked tiles based on the signal from the stacking tile counter sensor. Once the number of stacked tiles reaches x, the control device controls the tile-feeding device to remove tiles and stops the stacking device. A card-adding step, where the control device controls the lifting device to swing the support plate downwards. Further, after the support plate reaches the downward swing position, the control device pushes x mahjong tiles. When the pushing device reaches the lifting entrance waiting position corresponding to the tile-adding opening, the control device swings the support plate upwards, thereby adding tiles to the stack consisting of x mahjong tiles.

[0016] Creative Function and Effect

[0017] According to the card-feeding mechanism, mahjong machine, and card-feeding control method provided in this invention, since the stacking card counting sensor can sense the mahjong tiles stacked to form a tile pile, the control device can determine the number of stacked tiles. Simultaneously, the card storage sensor at the tile slot's outlet can sense the mahjong tiles, allowing the control device to determine whether the frontmost mahjong tile has been pushed to the outlet during the card-pushing process. Therefore, the control device can control the card-feeding and card-stacking devices based on the actual number of stacked tiles, stopping card feeding and stacking once the required number of stacked tiles is reached. The number of cards fed and stacked is precisely controllable. Furthermore, the control device can also determine whether the frontmost mahjong tile has been pushed to the outlet. The tile-pushing device is controlled by sensing the foremost mahjong tile. Once the foremost tile is pushed to the tile-dispensing opening, the pushing stops, allowing the mahjong tile to wait at the tile-dispensing opening. This prevents the tile-pushing action from causing a delay when a tile needs to be raised. Furthermore, since the pushing device is controlled by sensing the foremost mahjong tile, even if the number of mahjong tiles to be raised changes (e.g., the user changes the quantity setting), causing a change in the number of mahjong tiles between the foremost tile and the position where the pushing device pushes the tiles (e.g., the position of the pushing head), it does not affect the accurate implementation of the pushing action, ensuring that these mahjong tiles can still be raised accurately.

[0018] Furthermore, since the load sensor at the receiving end of the load plate can sense the mahjong tiles, the control device can determine whether there are still mahjong tiles on the load plate based on the signal from the load sensor. If there are still mahjong tiles on the load plate, the lifting action can be stopped, thus avoiding the impact of the swinging motion of the load plate before all the mahjong tiles have been removed.

[0019] Furthermore, through the card-dealing mechanism, mahjong machine, and card-dealing control method of this invention, since the number of cards supplied and stacked is precisely controllable, users can choose different card-dealing modes and the number of cards dealt in two separate transactions as needed, making it more flexible and able to meet different usage requirements. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0020] Figure 1: It is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 2: It is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine from one angle, according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 3: This is a structural diagram of a mahjong machine according to one embodiment of this invention, with a portion of the structure omitted. Figure 4: It is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from one angle in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 5: This is a structural diagram of the license plate mechanism from another angle in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 6: It is a structural diagram of the card-dispensing device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 7: It is a structural diagram of the stacking device of one embodiment of this invention; Figure 8: It is a structural diagram of the stacking device of one embodiment of this invention; Figure 9: This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to one embodiment of this invention, omitting the card stacking housing and the card stacking motor; Figure 10: This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 11: It is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block of one embodiment of this invention; Figure 12: It is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 13: It is a structural diagram of the mating parts of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 14: This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 15: It is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 16: It is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device of one embodiment of this invention from one angle; Figure 17: This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle, representing one embodiment of this invention; Figure 18: It is a top view of a portion of the structure of the card storage device and card pushing device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 19: This is a partially enlarged view of Figure 18; Figure 20: It is a structural diagram of the card-raising device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 21: It is a structural diagram of the card-raising device according to one embodiment of this invention; Figure 22: This is a structural diagram of the plate-lifting device according to one embodiment of this invention, with the support frame omitted; Figure 23: It is a structural diagram of one side surface of the driven wheel in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 24: It is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in one embodiment of this invention; Figure 25: This is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in one embodiment of this invention; Figures 26 and 27: These are flowcharts illustrating the card-dealing process of a mahjong machine in a two-card-dealing mode, according to one embodiment of this invention; and Figure 28: It is a flowchart of the card-dealing action of a mahjong machine in one-time card-dealing mode, which is one embodiment of this invention. Implementation

[0021] The specific implementation of this invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] <Example>

[0023] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the invention from one angle; and Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine according to an embodiment of the invention after omitting a portion of its structure.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, this embodiment provides a mahjong machine 100 for automatically shuffling and loading mahjong tiles 200, including a tile loading mechanism 101, an operation panel mechanism 102, a table frame mechanism 103, a shuffling mechanism 107, and a control device 108.

[0025] The table frame mechanism 103 includes an outer frame 104, a table board 105 mounted on the outer frame 104, and a lower frame 106 that supports the table board 105 and other mechanisms. The bottom of the lower frame 106 is provided with table legs for supporting the ground (the table legs are omitted in Figures 2 and 3, and Figure 2 further omits the outer frame 104, the lower frame 106, the table board 105, and the shuffling mechanism 107).

[0026] The control panel mechanism 102 is located in the middle of the tabletop 105, and the top of it is equipped with a control panel 1021. The control panel 1021 is equipped with multiple different operation buttons (not shown in the figure) for users to input operation commands. In this embodiment, the control panel mechanism 102 is also equipped with a lifting element, which can raise the control panel 1021 under the control of the control device 108, exposing the gap between the control panel 1021 and the tabletop 105. At this time, the user can push the used mahjong tiles 200 through the gap to shuffle the tiles.

[0027] The shuffling mechanism 107 is located below the operation panel 1021 and is used to receive the used mahjong tiles 200 and shuffle them. It includes a shuffling plate for carrying and rotating the mahjong tiles and a drive motor for driving the shuffling plate to rotate. Its specific structure and function are the same as those of the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0028] The mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment can be used by four users at the same time, and is provided with four card-adding mechanisms 101, which are located at the four corners of the lower frame 106 respectively.

[0029] The control device 108 is used to control the operation of various components of the mahjong machine 100 according to the operation instructions input by the user. The control device 108 may be a chip or industrial control computer or microcomputer with a predetermined control program, and is connected to the operation panel mechanism 102 and various controlled components and sensors of the mahjong machine 100. In addition, in this embodiment, each of the control units described below may include a control program integrated into the control device 108, or may include a control program set in a separate chip, which is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device 108. At the same time, each control unit may also be provided with an appropriate signal transmission or control circuit structure to realize the reception of sensor signals and the control of controlled components.

[0030] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the license plate registration mechanism from one angle in this embodiment of the invention, and Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the license plate registration mechanism from another angle in this embodiment of the invention.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the card-feeding mechanism 101 includes a card-supplying device 10, a card-stacking device 20, a card-storing device 30, a card-pushing device 40, and a card-raising device 50.

[0032] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of the card-supplying device according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0033] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the tile feeding device 10 is used to pick up mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism and feed them to the mahjong tiles. It includes a tile-picking wheel 11, a tile-feeding frame 12, a belt assembly 13, and a tile-feeding motor 14.

[0034] The card feeding rack 12 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106 and located near the card feeding mechanism 101. It has an opening facing the shuffling plate of the card feeding mechanism 101. The card suction wheel 11 is rotatably installed at the opening. The output end of the card feeding motor 14 is connected to the card suction wheel 11 and can drive the card suction wheel 11 to rotate under the control of the control device 108.

[0035] The belt assembly 13 includes a feeding belt 15 wound around the card-feeding wheel 11, a guide wheel 16 for guiding the feeding belt 15, and a tensioning wheel 17 for tensioning the feeding belt 15. The guide wheel 16 is mounted near the card-stacking device 20 so that the feeding belt 15 can transport the mahjong tiles on it to the card-stacking device 20.

[0036] In this embodiment, a plurality of magnets are installed on the card-collecting wheel 11, and each mahjong tile 200 is inlaid with a magnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the shuffling magnets. When the card-collecting wheel 11 rotates under the drive of the card-feeding motor 14, the magnets that rotate to the downward position can attract the mahjong tiles 200 below. As the card-collecting wheel 11 continues to rotate, the mahjong tiles 200 are carried to the top of the card-collecting wheel 11 and then conveyed to the stacking device 20 by the card-feeding belt 15.

[0037] Figure 7 is a structural block diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 9 is a structural diagram of the card stacking device according to an embodiment of the invention after omitting the card stacking housing and the card stacking motor.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 to 5 and Figures 7 to 9, the stacking device 20 is used to stack the single mahjong tiles supplied by the tile supply device 10 to form stacks of two tiles together. It includes a stacking unit, a tile dispensing unit, a stacking control unit 291, and a stacking sensing element, wherein the stacking sensing element includes a stacking counting sensor 29.

[0039] The stacking unit includes a stacking block 21, a stacking block drive rod 22, a stacking drive wheel 23, and a stacking motor 24; the card-pulling unit includes a card-pulling block 25, a card-pulling connecting rod 26, and a card-pulling drive block 27; in addition, the stacking device 20 also has a stacking housing 28 that accommodates and supports the various components in the stacking unit and the card-pulling unit.

[0040] The top of the stacking block 21 is flat. In the initial state, this flat surface is located near the guide wheel 16 of the supply belt 15 and can receive the mahjong tiles fed from the supply belt 15. The stacking block 21 is also provided with a stacking block groove 211. One end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a movable end, which is slidably fitted into the stacking block groove 211 by a slider.

[0041] As shown in Figure 9, the stacking drive wheel 23 is mounted on the output shaft of the stacking motor 24 and rotates under the drive of the stacking motor 24. A stacking drive groove 231 is provided on one side of the wheel. The stacking motor 24 receives the stacking control signal sent by the stacking control unit 291 and operates and drives the rotation of the stacking drive wheel 23 according to the stacking control signal.

[0042] The other end of the card stacking block drive rod 22 is a fixed end, which has a card stacking drive shaft 221 hinged to the card stacking housing 28; the middle part of the card stacking block drive rod 22 is also provided with a slider that is slidably fitted in the card stacking drive groove 231. When the card stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, the card stacking block drive rod 22 swings up and down, and drives the card stacking block 21 to move up and down through its movable end.

[0043] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block in this embodiment of the invention.

[0044] As shown in Figure 10, the stacking drive groove 231 is approximately annular, with a concave section 231A with a decreasing radius and a convex section 231B with an increasing radius. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 is in the concave section 231A, the top plane of the stacking block 21 is lower than the upper plane of the end of the feeding belt 15, and the height difference is slightly greater than the thickness of the two mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles fed by the feeding belt 15 can be stacked on the top plane of the stacking block 21. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 moves to the convex section 231B, it can drive the stacking block 21 to move slightly upward, which facilitates the card-picking block 25 to perform the card-picking action.

[0045] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the card-pulling block 25 is fixed to the top of the card-pulling linkage 26. The card-pulling linkage 26 is approximately L-shaped and bent, with its lower end fixed to one side of the card-pulling drive block 27.

[0046] Figure 11 is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block in an embodiment of this invention.

[0047] As shown in Figures 8 to 9 and Figure 11, the other side of the card-dispensing drive block 27 is provided with an arc-shaped card-dispensing groove 271, and the other side of the stacking drive wheel 23 (i.e. the opposite side of the surface where the stacking block groove 211 is located) is provided with a slider that slides into the card-dispensing groove 271. As the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, under the action of the slider and the card-dispensing groove 271, the card-dispensing drive block 27 moves back and forth intermittently and drives the card-dispensing block 25 to move back and forth through the card-dispensing connecting rod 26. Thus, when the two mahjong tiles 200 at the top of the stacking block 21 overlap to form a tile stack, the tile stack is pushed toward the tile storage device 30.

[0048] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the stack counting sensor 29 is located near the stacking block 21. Specifically, it can be installed on the relevant components of the card slot in the card storage device 30, or it can be installed on a separate mounting bracket. This stack counting sensor 29 is a magnetic induction sensor that generates a sensing signal when a mahjong tile 200 with an embedded magnet passes through, thereby counting the mahjong tiles 200 that are stacked and enter the card storage device 30. Since the mahjong tiles 200 are stacked in pairs to form a pile, the total number of mahjong tiles 200 counted based on the sensing signal from the stack counting sensor 29 can be divided by 2 to simultaneously determine the number of piles of mahjong tiles 200.

[0049] Figure 12 is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0050] As shown in Figure 12, the card storage device 30 is used to store the card stacks and includes a card storage tray 31, an upper slot plate 32, a lower slot plate 33, an inner slot plate 34, and a card storage sensing component.

[0051] The card storage tray 31 is roughly square in shape, with a notch at one corner and rounded corners at the other three corners. The edge is provided with a vertically extending baffle 311, and the center protrudes upward, forming a groove, i.e., a card slot 312, between the baffle 311 and the central protrusion. In addition, the bottom of the card storage tray 31 is provided with a support column 313, which is mounted on the lower frame 106.

[0052] The upper groove plate 32 is a plate-shaped component adapted to the shape of the baffle 311 and is embedded in the upper part of the inner surface of the baffle 311 (equivalent to the outer side of the card slot 312); the lower groove plate 33 is a plate-shaped component adapted to the card slot 312 and is embedded in the bottom surface of the card slot 312; the inner groove plate 34 is approximately annular and adapted to the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31, and is installed on the outer edge of the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31 (equivalent to the inner side of the card slot 312).

[0053] Figure 13 is a structural diagram of the mating parts of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device in this embodiment of the invention; in order to show the mating relationship between the components, some components of the card storage device, card stacking device, and card supply device are omitted in Figure 13.

[0054] As shown in Figures 4 to 5 and Figure 13, the card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20 are located at the notch corner of the card storage tray 31 and are set near one end of the card slot 312. The card stacking block 21 is located at the end opening of the card slot 312. When the card block 25 is pushed towards the card storage device 30, the card block will enter the card slot from the end opening of the card slot 312. When the next card block is stacked and pushed towards the card slot 312 by the card block 25, the card block will also push the card block that has already entered the card slot 312. This process is repeated so that a certain number of card blocks can be stored in the card slot 312. The end opening of the card slot 312 will be referred to as the card inlet 312C.

[0055] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in this embodiment.

[0056] As shown in Figure 14, the upper slot plate 32, lower slot plate 33, and inner slot plate 34 are all adapted to the tile slot 312, together forming a tile storage slot structure that can store and allow the tile stacks to pass through. The lower end of the upper slot plate 32 has a flange 321 protruding towards the center of the tile slot 312, while the upper half of the inner slot plate 34 protrudes outwards, creating two sections within the tile slot 312 with different radii of movement (i.e., distances relative to the center of the tile storage tray 31): the upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B (as shown in the dashed box). The upper tile slot 312A and the lower tile slot 312B correspond to the upper and lower mahjong tiles in the tile stack, respectively. Because the upper tile slot 312A has a larger radius of movement, during movement within the tile slot 312, the upper mahjong tile will lag slightly behind the lower mahjong tile.

[0057] The end of the card slot 312 is connected to the card lifting device 50. The mahjong tiles 200 can leave the card slot 312 from this end and enter the card lifting device 50; the opening at this end is referred to as the card outlet 312D.

[0058] The card storage sensing component includes a card storage sensor 35 disposed at the card dispensing port 312D; the card storage sensor 35 is a magnetic induction sensor, which senses the magnets in the mahjong tiles 200 and generates a corresponding sensing signal when there are tiles at the card dispensing port 312D.

[0059] Figure 15 is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing device according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 16 is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from one angle according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 17 is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle.

[0060] As shown in Figures 4 to 5 and Figures 15 to 17, the card pushing device 40 is used to push and transport the card stacks stored in the card storage device 30. It includes a card pushing seat 41, a card pushing rotating seat 42, a card pushing arm 43, a card pushing motor 44, a card pushing drive gear 45, a card pushing sensing component 46, and a card pushing control unit 47. The card pushing sensing component includes a first card pushing sensor 461, a second card pushing sensor 462, and a card pushing sensing trigger.

[0061] The card pusher 41 is fixedly installed in the middle of the card storage tray 31. The middle part has a circular notch 41A and a rotating groove 411 around its perimeter. The shape and outline of the rotating groove 411 are basically matched with the card slot 312A, but the size is smaller. At the same time, there is a recessed section 412 near the notch of the card storage tray 31.

[0062] The card pusher rotating seat 42 is rotatably mounted on the card storage tray 31 via a rotating shaft 310. Its entire body is located within the notch 41A, and its upper surface is exposed from the notch 41A. A pusher mounting protrusion 421 is provided on the upper surface of the card pusher rotating seat 42, and a pusher mounting hole 422 extending through along the horizontal direction is provided in the pusher mounting protrusion 421.

[0063] One end of the pusher arm 43 is movably fitted into the pusher arm mounting hole 422, and the other end is provided with a pusher head 431 for pushing the tile blocks in the tile slot 312; the lower end of the pusher head 431 is provided with a pusher protrusion 433 extending along the pusher direction, which can push the lower layer of mahjong tiles forward more. Combined with the larger movement radius of the tile slot 312A, it can always keep the upper layer of mahjong tiles slightly behind the lower layer of mahjong tiles.

[0064] When the tile stack reaches the tile lifting device 50, the upper layer of mahjong tiles has less friction because it only contacts the lower layer of mahjong tiles. After the pushing force of the tile pusher 431 is removed, it usually slides forward a short distance. However, in this embodiment, through the combination of the structural design of the tile pusher protrusion 433 and the larger movement radius of the tile loading groove 312A, the upper layer of mahjong tiles always stays slightly behind during the movement. After the pushing force is removed, the upper layer of mahjong tiles slides a short distance and then overlaps exactly on top of the lower layer of mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles can be stacked neatly when the tiles are loaded.

[0065] The pusher arm 43 is also provided with a pusher slider 432 located near the pusher head 431. The pusher slider 432 is slidably embedded in the rotating groove 411.

[0066] The pusher motor 44 is located below the pusher seat 41, and a pusher drive gear 45 is mounted on its output shaft. The lower surface of the pusher rotating seat 42 is provided with a rotating seat tooth 423 that meshes with the pusher drive gear 45, so that the pusher motor 44 can drive the pusher rotating seat 42 to rotate. When the pusher rotating seat 42 rotates, the pusher slider 432 also moves accordingly in the rotating groove 411, driving the pusher head 431 to push the card blocks in the card slot 312. Since the rotating groove 411 has a recessed section 412, when the pusher slider 432 reaches the position of the recessed section 412, the distance between the pusher slider 432 and the rotation center 42A of the pusher rotating seat 42 (i.e., the center of the rotating shaft 310) will be shortened, so that the pusher head 431 retracts inward towards the rotation center and does not contact the components of the card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20, thereby avoiding mutual interference.

[0067] Figure 18 is a top view of the partial structure of the card storage device and the card pushing device in this embodiment. The card pushing rotating seat is not shown in the figure. Figure 19 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 18 (within box A). The card pushing rotating seat is not shown in Figures 18 and 19, and the edge structure of the card pushing gear is shown in dashed lines in Figure 19.

[0068] As shown in Figures 18 and 19, the card push sensing assembly 46 includes a first card push sensor 461, a second card push sensor 462, a card push sensing part (not shown in the figure), and a card push sensing circuit board 464.

[0069] The push card rotating seat 42 has a sensor mounting hole 425 on one side edge. The sensor mounting hole 425 extends through the axial direction of the push card rotating seat 42, and its axial cross section is circular. The diameter of the hole inside is larger than the diameter of the holes at both ends.

[0070] The card-pushing sensing part is a roughly cylindrical magnet, which is installed in the sensing part mounting hole 425. Therefore, it can move along an arc as the card-pushing rotating seat 42 rotates. In addition, the sensing part mounting hole 425 and the push arm mounting hole 422 are respectively located on both sides of a diameter direction of the card-pushing rotating seat 42. The line connecting the sensing part mounting hole 425 and the rotation center 42A forms an angle with the length direction of the card-pushing arm 43. The angle is an acute angle with an angle of 40° to 50°. In this embodiment, the angle is specifically 45°.

[0071] The card-pushing sensing circuit board 464 is roughly T-shaped, with the upper part of the T being arc-shaped. The first card-pushing sensor 461 and the second card-pushing sensor 462 are both magnetic induction sensors, respectively located at both ends of the upper part of the card-pushing sensing circuit board 464. These two sensors and the card-pushing sensing part are all located on the same circumference of the card-pushing rotating base 42, that is, the distances of the three to the central axis of the card-pushing rotating base 42 are basically equal. Therefore, these two sensors are located directly below the moving path of the card-pushing sensing part. When the card-pushing sensing part moves directly above one of these two sensors, the sensor can sense the card-pushing sensing part and generate a corresponding sensing signal.

[0072] The first push card sensor 461 is relatively closer to the card inlet 312C and is set in accordance with the predetermined card stacking entrance waiting position P1 in front of the card inlet 312C. When the push card rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the first push card sensor 461 senses the push card sensing part (that is, when the push card sensing part is roughly directly above the first push card sensor 461), and under the guidance of the recessed section 412, the push card head 431 is located at the predetermined card stacking entrance waiting position P1.

[0073] In this embodiment, the card stacking entrance waiting position P1 is located behind the card inlet 312C along the card pushing direction, between the card inlet 312C and the card lifting device 50. This position has relatively large open space, so its specific position can be set according to needs. In addition, the recessed section 412 is also located next to the card stacking entrance waiting position P1.

[0074] The second card pusher sensor 462 is relatively closer to the card outlet 312D and is set in accordance with the predetermined card raising entrance waiting position P2 in front of the card outlet 312D. When the card pusher rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the second card pusher sensor 462 senses the card pusher sensing part, the card pusher head 431 is located at the card raising entrance waiting position P2, that is, exactly at the card outlet 312D position of the card slot 312.

[0075] As shown in Figure 19, the line connecting the first card pusher sensor 461 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 is the first connecting line L1, and the line connecting the second card pusher sensor 462 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 is the second connecting line L2. The included angle between the first connecting line L1 and the second connecting line L2 is 40°~50°, and in this embodiment it is 45°. Furthermore, the included angle is set to correspond to the included angle between the direction of the line connecting the above-mentioned sensor mounting hole 425 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 and the length direction of the card pusher arm 43.

[0076] In the initial state, the pusher head 431 is located at the waiting position P1 at the stacking entrance, thus avoiding interference with the stacking device 20. After the stacking device 20 completes the stacking and dispensing of a predetermined number of mahjong tiles to form several stacks of mahjong tiles, the pusher motor 44 drives the pusher arm 43 to rotate. The pusher arm 43 pushes these stacks of mahjong tiles along the tile slot 312 until the pusher arm 43 rotates to the point where the first pusher sensor 461 senses the pusher sensing part. Based on the sensing signal, the pusher motor 44 is controlled to stop, so that the pusher head 431 stops at the waiting position P2 at the lifting entrance. At this time, the several stacks of mahjong tiles pushed by it are located at the bottom of the support plate 52. The pusher head 431 can prevent these stacks of mahjong tiles from falling off the support plate 52 and will not interfere with the end of the support plate 52.

[0077] Then, when the support plate 52 rotates to lift the cards, the pusher motor 44 drives the pusher arm 43 to rotate again until the pusher arm 43 rotates to the point where the second pusher sensor 462 senses the pusher sensing part. Based on the sensing signal, the pusher motor 44 is controlled to stop, so that the pusher head 431 stops at the card stacking entrance waiting position P1. At this time, the pusher head 431 is located near the card inlet 312C and will not interfere with the card stacking device 20.

[0078] The push card control unit 47 controls the operation of the push card motor 44 based on the sensing signals of the first push card sensor 461 and the second push card sensor 462, so that the push card head 431 can push the predetermined card block from the card slot 312 to the card lifting device 50 when push card is needed.

[0079] Figure 20 is a structural block diagram of the card-lifting device according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 21 is a structural diagram of the card-lifting device according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 22 is a structural diagram of the card-lifting device according to an embodiment of the invention after omitting the support frame.

[0080] As shown in Figures 3 to 5 and Figures 20 to 22, the card-lifting device 50 is used to push the card-pushing device 40 to lift the card stacks delivered to the tabletop. It includes a support unit, a swing unit, and a card-lifting control unit 501. The support unit includes a support frame 51, a support plate 52, and a support sensor 502. The swing unit includes a swing motor 53, a swing arm 54, a swing connecting rod 55, a swing gear set composed of a swing drive wheel 56 and a swing driven wheel 57, and a swing sensing component 60. The card-lifting control unit 501 is used to control the operation of each component in the card-lifting device 50 during the card-lifting process.

[0081] The support frame 51 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106, located near the card supply frame 12 and fixedly connected to the card supply frame 12 to form a frame; an opening is formed at the lower end of one side of the support frame 51 to facilitate the exposure of the card suction wheel 11, and a support groove 511 is formed at the upper end. The support groove 511 has an open end 511A, which faces the tail end of the card slot 312, and the depth of the support groove 511 gradually increases from the other end to the open end 511A.

[0082] The support plate 52 is used to support the card stack to be placed; the support plate 52 is a long strip plate-shaped piece, one end of which is the receiving end that can receive the card stack pushed by the card pusher arm 43 from the card slot 312, located at the opening end 511A; the other end is the mounting end, which is rotatably mounted on the other end of the support slot 511 relative to the opening end 511A via a rotating shaft, so that the support plate 52 can swing up and down in the support slot 511, and correspondingly its receiving end can rise or fall at the opening end 511A.

[0083] In this embodiment, a bearing sensor 502 is provided at the edge of the receiving end of the bearing plate 52. The bearing sensor 502 is a magnetic induction sensor. When the pusher arm 43 pushes the tile block in the tile slot 312 onto the bearing plate 52, the bearing sensor 502 can sense the magnet in the mahjong tile and generate a corresponding induction signal. When the tile at the edge of the receiving end is removed, the bearing sensor 502 can no longer sense the magnet in the mahjong tile and no longer generates a corresponding induction signal.

[0084] Since the tile stacks pushed by the tile pusher arm 43 are usually distributed from the edge of the receiving end towards the installation end, and the tiles at the edge of the receiving end are usually the last to be removed, if the load sensor 502 does not detect the mahjong tiles, it means that all the mahjong tiles on the load plate 52 have been removed, and it is time to prepare for the next tile raising action.

[0085] The tabletop 105 is provided with a card slot 105A that corresponds to the position and shape of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings upward until the receiving end rises to the highest position, the entire support plate 52 protrudes from the card slot 105A onto the tabletop, and the user can remove the card stacks on the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the upward swing position of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings downward until the receiving end descends to the lowest position, the receiving end is basically flush with the bottom of the card slot 312. The card pushing arm 43 can push the card stacks in the card slot 312 from the receiving end onto the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the downward swing position of the support plate 52.

[0086] The swing motor 53 is installed below the card storage tray 31, and its output axis extends upward to the card storage tray 31.

[0087] The swing drive wheel 56 is mounted on the output shaft of the swing motor 53 and can rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0088] A driven wheel groove 314 is provided on the storage plate 31 near the swing drive wheel 56. The swing driven wheel 57 is rotatably mounted in the driven wheel groove 314 through a driven wheel shaft 316 and meshes with the swing drive wheel 56. Therefore, it can be driven by the swing drive wheel 56 to rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0089] Figure 23 is a structural diagram of one side surface of the driven wheel in this embodiment.

[0090] As shown in Figures 21 to 23, a track groove 572 is provided on one side surface of the oscillating driven wheel 57. The track groove 572 is shaped to protrude on one side. The farthest part of the track groove 572 from the center of the oscillating driven wheel 57 (rotation center, i.e., the center of the driven wheel shaft 316) is the far end 572A, and the closest part to the center of the oscillating driven wheel 57 is the proximal end 572B.

[0091] Figure 24 is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in this design.

[0092] As shown in Figures 21 to 22 and 24, each end of the swing link 55 has a straight rod-shaped end. One end is the driven wheel engagement end 551 that engages with the swing driven wheel 57, and the other end is the swing engagement end 552 that engages with the swing arm 54. In this embodiment, the driven wheel engagement end 551 and the swing engagement end 552 are parallel to each other in length direction.

[0093] The driven wheel groove 314 is provided with a straight connecting rod mating groove 315 whose size matches the driven wheel mating end 551. The driven wheel mating end 551 is located in the connecting rod mating groove 315, so that the driven wheel mating end 551 is approximately below the oscillating driven wheel 57.

[0094] The side surface of the track groove 572 of the oscillating driven wheel 57 faces downward. A roller 553 is also provided on the upper surface of the driven wheel mating end 551. The roller 553 is slidably embedded in the track groove 572, so that when the oscillating driven wheel 57 rotates, it can drive the oscillating connecting rod 55 to reciprocate along the length direction of the connecting rod mating groove 315 through the roller 553.

[0095] As shown in Figure 22, the lower end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing shaft 541, which is provided through the support frame 51, so that the swing arm 54 can rotate around the swing shaft 541 and swing up and down.

[0096] The swing shaft 541 has circumferentially distributed swing shaft teeth 542 on the end exposed outside the support frame 51, and swing mating teeth 554 are distributed along the length direction on the swing mating end 552. The swing shaft teeth 542 and the swing mating teeth 554 mesh with each other. When the swing connecting rod 55 moves back and forth, it can drive the swing arm 54 to swing up and down.

[0097] The lower surface of the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 is provided with a bearing mating groove 521, and the upper end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing slider 543 that is slidably engaged in the bearing mating groove 521. When the swing arm 54 swings up and down under the drive of the swing connecting rod 55, it can drive the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 to swing up and down, that is, swing back and forth between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0098] Since the far end 572A and the near end 572B of the track groove 572 correspond to the two ends of the reciprocating translation stroke of the swing link 55, when the roller 553 moves to the far end 572A, the swing arm 54 will rotate away from the swing link 55, and vice versa.

[0099] In this invention, the relative positions of the swing link 55 and the swing arm 54 can change depending on the meshing state of the swing shaft tooth 542 and the swing mating tooth 554. Therefore, the movement of the swing link 55 can correspond to different lifting and lowering movements of the swing arm 54, as follows:

[0100] When the swing link 55 is in the retracted state (i.e., the roller 553 is located at the proximal end 572B and the swing link 55 is located closer to the swing driven wheel 57), the swing arm 54 is facing upwards, and the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move downwards; when the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is facing the swing link 55 (at this time the swing arm 54 is in an approximately horizontal state), the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move upwards.

[0101] Therefore, the far end 572A of the track groove 572 corresponds to one of the upper swing position and the lower swing position of the bearing plate 52, while the near end 572B corresponds to the other of the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0102] In this embodiment, the first case (i.e., the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is in the vertical state) will be used as an example for specific explanation.

[0103] Figure 25 is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in this embodiment.

[0104] As shown in Figures 21 to 22 and Figure 25, the other side surface (i.e. the upward-facing surface) of the oscillating driven wheel 57 is provided with a first oscillating sensing part 58 and a second oscillating sensing part 59.

[0105] Figure 25 shows the different circumferences of the oscillating driven wheel 57 in the form of a dashed circular frame; as shown in Figure 19, with the center of the driven wheel shaft 316 as the center, the first oscillating sensing part 58 and the second oscillating sensing part 59 are distributed on both sides of the driven wheel shaft 316, and the two are located on the same diameter of the oscillating driven wheel 57, but on different circumferences of the oscillating driven wheel 57 (that is, the distance between the two and the rotation center of the oscillating driven wheel 57 is different).

[0106] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distal end 572A and the proximal end 572B are also on the same diameter line of the oscillating driven wheel 57.

[0107] The swing sensing assembly 60 includes a first swing sensor 61 that cooperates with the first swing sensing unit 58 and a second swing sensor 62 that cooperates with the second sensing unit 58.

[0108] In this embodiment, the first swing sensing part 58 and the second swing sensing part 59 are both magnets, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are both magnetic induction sensors.

[0109] In this embodiment, the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are both set at specific positions, such that when the roller 553 reaches the near end 572B, the first swing sensor 58 just reaches below the first swing sensor 61, and at the same time, when the roller 553 reaches the far end 572A, the second swing sensor 59 just reaches below the second swing sensor 62.

[0110] Thus, when the roller 553 reaches the proximal end 572B, causing the swing arm 54 to be in a vertical state and the support plate 52 to be in an upward swing position, the first swing sensor 61 just senses the first swing sensing part 58 and outputs a sensing signal; when the roller 553 reaches the distal end 572A, causing the swing arm 54 to swing from a vertical state to a horizontal state and the support plate 52 to be in a downward swing position, the second swing sensor 62 just senses the second swing sensing part 59 and outputs a sensing signal.

[0111] Furthermore, when the roller 553 is neither at the near end 572B nor at the far end 572A, neither the first swing sensor 61 nor the second swing sensor 62 outputs a sensing signal, indicating that the bearing plate 52 is at a position between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0112] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first swing sensing unit 58 corresponds to the upward swing position of the support plate 52, and the second swing sensing unit 59 corresponds to the downward swing position of the support plate 52. By observing the sensing signals output in real time by the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62, the lifting control unit 501 can accurately determine whether the support plate 52 is currently in the downward swing position, the upward swing position, or a position between the two.

[0113] The mahjong machine 100 in this embodiment can use either a two-stage card-dealing control method or a one-stage card-dealing control method to deal cards according to the user's selection. The user can select the usage mode (two-stage card-dealing or one-stage card-dealing) through the operation panel 1021, and then the control device 108 will shuffle, stack, and deal cards according to the user's selection.

[0114] Furthermore, the mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment can be adapted to two decks of cards, so that when one deck of cards is used by the user on the table 105, the other deck of cards is shuffled and stacked under the table 105, and the cards are immediately placed after the first deck of cards is used up, so that the user does not have to wait for shuffling and stacking.

[0115] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates the card-dealing control method of the mahjong machine 100 in this embodiment, using a two-deck, two-card-dealing usage mode as an example. In the two-card-dealing usage mode, the number of cards dealt in the first and second rounds can be set by the user according to their needs. Hereinafter, the number of cards dealt in the first round is denoted as n cards, and the number of cards dealt in the second round is denoted as m cards. Since a mahjong set 200 can be played by four users, (m+n)×4 is the total number of mahjong sets 200.

[0116] Where n and m can be even or odd. When n and m are even, it is equivalent to playing all cards in multiple hands. When m are odd, it is equivalent to playing cards in multiple hands plus one card. The specific values ​​of n and m can be set by the user through the control panel 1021 according to different gameplay, or the control device 108 can pre-store the values ​​of n and m corresponding to different gameplay, and after the user selects the gameplay name through the control panel 1021, the control device 108 sets the values ​​of n and m based on the selected gameplay name.

[0117] After using a deck of cards, the user can input a shuffle command through the control panel 1021. At this time, the control device 108 controls the control panel mechanism 102 to rise, exposing the gap between the control panel 1021 and the table 105. The user can push the scattered mahjong tiles 200 on the table 105 into the gap. After all the mahjong tiles 200 are pushed in, the user can input a command through the control panel 1021 to allow the control panel to descend (i.e., the command that the control panel 102 can descend after all the mahjong tiles 200 have been pushed in). Then, the control device 108 controls the control panel mechanism 102 to descend, and the mahjong machine 100 performs shuffling, stacking, and loading of tiles.

[0118] Figures 26 and 27 are flowcharts of the card-dealing action of the mahjong machine in the two-card-dealing mode according to this embodiment of the invention.

[0119] As shown in Figures 26 and 27, the operation flow of the mahjong machine 100 in the two-card-dealing mode of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0120] In step S1-1, the control device 108 controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to keep the shuffling disk rotating, and then proceeds to step S1-2.

[0121] In step S1-2, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to work, so that the card pushing head 431 moves in the card slot 312, and determines whether the card pushing head 431 has reached the card stacking entrance waiting position P1 according to the sensing signal of the second card pushing sensor 462. If it is determined that it has reached the position, proceed to step S1-3.

[0122] In step S1-3, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to pause its operation (i.e., the card pushing motor 44 stops rotating), and at the same time controls the card feeding device 10 of each card feeding mechanism 101 to feed cards and controls the card stacking device 20 of each card feeding mechanism 101 to stack cards. The control device 108 determines the number of cards that have been stacked based on the sensing signal of the card stacking counting sensor 29. Once the number reaches n, the process proceeds to step S1-4.

[0123] In step S1-4, the control device 108 controls the corresponding card stacking device 20 to stop stacking cards (i.e., the card stacking motor 24 stops rotating), and at the same time controls the corresponding card feeding device 10 to stop feeding cards (i.e., the card feeding motor 14 stops rotating), and then proceeds to step S1-5.

[0124] In step S1-5, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to push the cards, and determines whether the frontmost card stack has reached the card outlet 312D based on whether the card storage sensor 35 generates a sensing signal of the mahjong card 200. When it is determined that it has reached the outlet, proceed to step S1-6.

[0125] In steps S1-6, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to stop pushing cards (i.e., the card pushing motor 44 stops rotating), while controlling the card supply device 10 to continue supplying cards and controlling the card stacking device 20 to continue stacking cards. The control device 108 determines the number of cards already stacked in the card feeding mechanism 101 based on the sensing signal of the card stacking counting sensor 29. Once the number reaches m, the process proceeds to step S1-7.

[0126] In steps S1-7, the control device 108 controls the corresponding stacking device 20 to pause stacking, and simultaneously controls the corresponding feeding device 10 to perform a card-removing action (i.e., controls the feeding motor 14 to rotate in the reverse direction, so that the remaining mahjong tiles 200 on the feeding belt 15 are returned to the shuffling plate, so that the feeding devices 10 in the other card-feeding mechanisms 101 can pick up and feed tiles); after the number of stacked tiles in the four card-feeding mechanisms 101 reaches m, the control device 108 controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to stop the shuffling action (i.e., the shuffling plate stops rotating), and the feeding device 10 stops pushing tiles.

[0127] After steps S1-7 are completed, in the four card-adding mechanisms 101, the number of mahjong tiles 200 in the card slot 312 in front of the card pusher 431 is n, and the number of mahjong tiles 200 in the card slot 312 behind the card pusher 431 is m. At this time, all the mahjong tiles 200 in a deck have been divided into four equal parts and are located in the card slots 312 of each card-adding mechanism 101. Furthermore, the mahjong tiles 200 in each card slot 312 are divided into two parts by the card pusher 431: n tiles and m tiles.

[0128] Normally, the total time consumed by all the actions in steps S1-1 to S1-7 is shorter than the time of a game of mahjong. Therefore, at this time, the user is usually still playing on the table 105 with another set of mahjong tiles 200. When the user finishes a game and is ready to start the next game, he / she can input the command to start the next game through the operation panel 1021. Then the control device 108 determines whether the operation panel mechanism 102 has received the command to start the next game. If it determines that it has received the command, it proceeds to the next step, namely the action of step S1-8.

[0129] In steps S1-8, the control device 108 controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to rise, exposing the gap between the operation panel 1021 and the table 105, allowing the user to push the scattered mahjong tiles on the table 105 into the gap, and then proceeds to steps S1-9.

[0130] In steps S1-9, the control device 108 determines whether the operation panel mechanism 102 has received a command from the user via the operation panel 1021 to allow the operation panel to descend. If the command is received, the process proceeds to step S1-10.

[0131] In step S1-10, the control device 108 controls the operation plate mechanism 102 to descend, controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to start shuffling, and further controls the lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 downward after the operation plate mechanism 102 descends. The control device 108 then determines whether the support plate 52 has reached the downward swing position based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor 62. If it is determined that it has reached the downward swing position, the process proceeds to step S1-11.

[0132] In step S1-11, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to push the cards so that the card pushing head 431 pushes n mahjong tiles 200 to the support plate 52, and determines whether the card pushing head 431 has reached the card raising entrance waiting position P2 according to the sensing signal of the first card pushing sensor 461. If it is determined that it has reached the position, the control device 40 stops pushing the cards, and then proceeds to step S1-12.

[0133] In steps S1-12, the control device 108 controls the tile-lifting device 50 to swing the carrier plate 52 upward so that n mahjong tiles 200 rise to the tabletop, and determines whether the carrier plate 52 has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor 61. If it is determined that it has reached the upper swing position, proceed to step S1-13.

[0134] In step S1-13, the control device 108 controls the pusher device 40 to continue pushing the tiles. The pusher head 431, driven by the drive, passes the waiting position P2 at the tile-raising entrance and pushes the tile stack composed of m mahjong tiles 200 in the tile slot 312. The control device 108 determines whether the frontmost tile stack has reached the tile outlet 312D based on whether the tile storage sensor 35 generates a sensing signal of the mahjong tiles 200. When it is determined that the tile stack has reached the outlet 312D, the process proceeds to step S1-14.

[0135] In step S1-14, the control device 108 controls the tile pushing device 40 to stop pushing tiles, and then determines whether all the mahjong tiles 200 on the carrier plate 52 have been removed based on the sensing signal of the carrier sensor 502. When the carrier sensor 502 does not generate a sensing signal, it is determined that all tiles have been removed, and the process proceeds to step S1-15.

[0136] In step S1-15, the control device 108 controls the lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 downward. Based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor 62, it is determined whether the support plate 52 has reached the downward swing position. If it is determined that it has reached the position, proceed to step S1-16.

[0137] In step S1-16, the control device 108 controls the pusher 40 to push the mahjong tiles 200 onto the support plate 52 by the pusher head 431. The control device 108 then determines whether the pusher head 431 has reached the tile-raising entrance waiting position P2 based on the sensing signal of the first pusher sensor 461. If it is determined that the pusher head 431 has reached the waiting position P2, the process proceeds to step S1-17.

[0138] In step S1-17, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to stop pushing the cards, and then proceeds to step S1-18.

[0139] In steps S1-18, the control device 108 controls the tile-lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 upward so that m mahjong tiles 200 rise to the tabletop, and determines whether the support plate 52 has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor 61. When it is determined that it has reached the upper swing position, the control device 50 stops operating.

[0140] After step S1-18 is completed, the state of mahjong tile 200 is equivalent to the state at the end of step S1-1. At this point, the next steps can continue from step S1-2.

[0141] In this embodiment, if the instruction received after steps S1-7 is not for the next round but for an end instruction (i.e., an instruction not to proceed to the next round), the control device 108 can directly terminate the operation of all components. Furthermore, the control device 108 can also control the operation panel mechanism 102 to rise, allowing the user to push all the mahjong tiles on the table into the shuffle tray. After the user inputs an instruction to allow the operation panel to descend, the control device 102 is lowered, ending the operation of all components with one set of mahjong tiles remaining in the shuffle tray and the other set remaining in the tile slot 312. Thus, the user can proceed to the next... When used again, the tile-lifting device 50 and the tile-pushing device 40 can be directly controlled to cooperate in placing tiles without waiting. In addition, in steps S1-4, since the tile-feeding device 10 pauses tile feeding, the tile-pushing block 25 is usually located at the end of the tile-pushing position (i.e., above the tile-stacking block 21), which can block the mahjong tiles 200 on the tile-feeding belt 15, in this step, the control device 108 can also only control the tile-stacking device 20 to pause tile stacking without controlling the tile-feeding motor 14 of the tile-feeding device 10 to stop rotating, which can also achieve the effect of pausing tile feeding.

[0142] In addition to the two-card-dealing mode mentioned above, the mahjong machine 100 in this embodiment can also operate according to the user's selection (for example, by selecting the one-time card-dealing mode through the control panel 102) without changing the mahjong tiles 200. That is, the one-time card-dealing mode is also applicable to two decks of tiles.

[0143] In the one-time card-dealing mode, after using a deck of cards, the user can input a shuffling command via the control panel 1021. At this time, the control device 108 controls the control panel mechanism 102 to rise, revealing the gap between the control panel 1021 and the table 105. The user can push the scattered mahjong tiles 200 on the table 105 into the gap, and after all the mahjong tiles 200 are pushed in, input a command via the control panel 1021 to allow the control panel to descend. Subsequently, the control device 108 controls the control panel mechanism 102 to descend, and the mahjong machine 100 performs shuffling, stacking, and card-dealing. At this time, the number of tiles stacked and card-dealing performed by each card-dealing mechanism 101 is n+m, hereinafter referred to as x.

[0144] Figure 28 is a flowchart of the card-dealing action of the mahjong machine in the one-time card-dealing mode according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0145] As shown in Figure 28, the operation flow of the mahjong machine 100 in the one-time card-dealing mode of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0146] In step S2-1, the control device 108 controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to shuffle the cards, and while the shuffling plate is rotating, proceed to step S2-2.

[0147] In step S2-2, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to work, so that the card pushing head 431 moves in the card slot 312, and determines whether the card pushing head 431 has reached the card stacking entrance waiting position P1 according to the sensing signal of the second card pushing sensor 462. If it is determined that it has reached the waiting position P1, the process proceeds to step S2-3.

[0148] In step S2-3, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to pause the card pushing action (i.e., the card pushing motor 44 stops rotating), and at the same time controls the card feeding device 10 of each card feeding mechanism 101 to feed cards respectively, controls the card stacking device 20 of each card feeding mechanism 101 to stack cards, and determines the number of cards that have been stacked based on the sensing signal of the card stacking counting sensor 29. After the number reaches x, the process proceeds to step S2-4.

[0149] In steps S2-4, the control device 108 controls the corresponding card stacking device 20 to stop stacking cards and simultaneously controls the corresponding card supply device 10 to return cards; after the number of stacked cards in all four card supply mechanisms 101 reaches x, the control device 108 controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to stop the shuffling action.

[0150] After steps S2-4 are completed, the number of mahjong tiles 200 in the slots 312 of the four tile-laying mechanisms 101 is x. At this time, all the mahjong tiles 200 in a deck are in the slots 312.

[0151] Normally, the total time consumed by all the actions in steps S2-1 to S2-4 is shorter than the time of a game of mahjong. Therefore, the user is usually still playing on the table 105 with another set of mahjong tiles 200. When the user finishes a game and is ready to start the next game, they can input the command to start the next game through the control panel 1021. Then, the control device 108 will proceed to the next step, namely step S2-5, according to the command.

[0152] In step S2-5, the control device 108 determines whether the operation panel mechanism 102 has received the instruction to start the next game. If it is determined that it has received the instruction, the control device 108 controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to rise and expose the gap between the operation panel 1021 and the table 105, so that the user can push the scattered mahjong tiles 200 on the table 105 into the gap, and then proceeds to step S2-6.

[0153] In step S2-6, the control device 108 determines whether the operation panel mechanism 102 has received an instruction to allow the operation panel to descend. If it determines that it has received such an instruction, it proceeds to step S2-7.

[0154] In step S2-7, the control device 108 controls the operation plate mechanism 102 to rise, controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to start shuffling, and further controls the lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 downward after the operation plate mechanism 102 descends. The control device 108 then controls the lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 downward, and determines whether the support plate 52 has reached the downward swing position based on the sensing signal of the second swing sensor 62. If it is determined that it has reached the downward swing position, the process proceeds to step S2-8.

[0155] In step S2-8, the control device 108 controls the card pushing device 40 to push cards, and determines whether the card pushing head 431 has reached the card raising entrance waiting position P2 based on the sensing signal of the second card pushing sensor 462. When it is determined that it has reached the position, the control device 108 stops pushing cards, and then proceeds to step S2-9.

[0156] In steps S2-9, the control device 108 controls the card lifting device 50 to swing the support plate 52 upward, and determines whether the support plate 52 has reached the upper swing position based on the sensing signal of the first swing sensor 61. If it is determined that it has reached the upper swing position, the control device 108 stops the card lifting device 50.

[0157] After step S2-9 is completed, the state of mahjong tile 200 is equivalent to the state before step S2-1. At this point, you can continue with the next steps starting from step S2-1.

[0158] In the aforementioned one-time card-adding mode, if the instruction received after steps S2-4 is not for the next round but for an end instruction (i.e., no further rounds), the control device 108 can still control the operation panel mechanism 102 to rise, allowing the user to push all the mahjong tiles on the table into the shuffle tray. After the user inputs an instruction to allow the operation panel to descend, the control device 108 controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to descend, ending the operation of all components with one set of mahjong tiles remaining in the shuffle tray and another set remaining in the tile slot 312. Therefore, the next time the user uses the device, they can directly control the tile-raising device 50 and the tile-pushing device 40 to work together to add tiles without waiting.

[0159] In addition, in the one-time license plate registration mode, the sensing signals of the license plate storage sensor 35 and the carrying sensor 502 are not effective. Therefore, in the case of the one-time license plate registration mode, the control device 108 may not receive the signals of the two sensors or turn off the two sensors.

[0160] Functions and effects of the embodiments

[0161] According to the card-adding mechanism, mahjong machine, and card-adding control method provided in this embodiment, since the stacked card counting sensor 29 can sense the mahjong tiles 200 stacked to form a card pile, the control device 108 can determine the number of stacked tiles. Simultaneously, the card storage sensor 35 at the card outlet 312D of the card slot 312 can sense the mahjong tiles 200, allowing the control device 108 to determine whether the foremost mahjong tile 200 has been pushed to the card outlet 312D during the card-removal process. Therefore, the control device 108 can determine the actual number of stacked tiles based on the total number of stacked tiles. The control device 108 controls the card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20 so that the card feeding and stacking stop when the required number of stacked cards is reached, and the number of cards fed and stacked is precisely controllable. At the same time, the control device 108 can also control the card pushing device 40 based on whether the frontmost mahjong tile 200 has been pushed to the card outlet 312D. Once the frontmost mahjong tile 200 is pushed to the card outlet 312D, the control stops pushing the tiles, so that the mahjong tile 200 can reach the card outlet 312D and wait. When it is necessary to raise the tiles, the pushing action will not cause waiting.

[0162] Furthermore, since the control of the pusher device 40 is based on whether the foremost mahjong tile 200 has reached the play opening, even if the user changes the number of tiles to be upgraded (for example, changing the set quantity n or m in two play modes), causing a change in the number of mahjong tiles between the foremost mahjong tile and the position of the pusher head 431, this embodiment can still accurately push these mahjong tiles to the play opening 312D to wait. Thus, regardless of how the set quantity changes, these mahjong tiles can be upgraded accurately without causing a wait.

[0163] Furthermore, since the carrier sensor 502 at the receiving end of the carrier plate 52 can sense the mahjong tiles 200, the control device 108 can determine whether there are still mahjong tiles on the carrier plate 52 based on the signal from the carrier sensor 502. When there are still mahjong tiles 200 on the carrier plate 52, the control device 108 can refrain from lifting the tiles, thus avoiding the impact of the carrier plate 52's swinging motion on the mahjong tiles 200 before they have been completely removed.

[0164] Furthermore, in the two-stage card-adding mode of this embodiment, because during the stacking of n cards (i.e., in the first stacking step), the control device 108 controls the card-supplying device 10 to pause card supply and the card-stacking device 20 to pause card stacking after determining that the number of stacked cards has reached n, and simultaneously controls the card-pushing device 40 to push cards, and then proceeds with the stacking of m cards (i.e., the second stacking step), this card-adding control method of this embodiment can use the card-pushing device 40 to separate the stacks formed by n and m mahjong tiles 200, realizing stacking and card-adding in two stages. In this process, because after the first stacking step is completed, the control device 108 stops pushing cards only after determining that the card-pushing device 40 has pushed the mahjong tiles 200 to the card-dispensing opening 312D, the mahjong tiles 200 stacked in the first stage are in a state where they can be immediately added to the table, and the user can add cards without waiting.

[0165] Furthermore, in the embodiment, during the second stacking step, when the number of stacked tiles reaches m, the control device 108 controls the stacking device 20 to pause stacking and controls the supply device 10 to return tiles. Therefore, it can avoid the situation where the supply device 10 of a certain tile-handling mechanism 101 accumulates mahjong tiles 200, resulting in insufficient mahjong tiles 200 in other tile-handling mechanisms 101.

[0166] In this embodiment, after receiving the instruction to start the next round, the control device 108 first controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to rise so that the user can push the mahjong tiles 200 on the table into the shuffling mechanism 107. Only after the user has pushed all the mahjong tiles 200 in and issued an instruction to allow the operation panel 102 to descend, and the operation panel mechanism 102 descends, will the stack of mahjong tiles 200 be raised (i.e., the first raising step be performed). Therefore, during the first raising step, there will be no mahjong tiles 200 remaining on the table 105, avoiding confusion between the two sets of mahjong tiles 200.

[0167] Furthermore, since the control device 108 only controls the raising of m mahjong tiles 200 (i.e., the second raising step) after the first raising step is completed and the control device 108 determines that all the mahjong tiles on the support plate 52 have been removed based on the sensing signal of the support sensor 502, the second raising step can be performed automatically without the user issuing a command after the initial hand of n mahjong tiles 200 has been removed. On the one hand, this reduces the user's input of commands, making the user experience smoother. On the other hand, it also avoids problems such as the mahjong tiles 200 slipping off the support plate 52 when the second raising step is performed before the initial hand has been completely removed.

[0168] Furthermore, this embodiment can also perform license plate issuance in either a two-stage or one-stage mode according to the user's selection. In the two-stage mode, the quantities of n and m can be set according to the user's needs. Even if the set quantities of n and m are changed, two-stage license plate issuance can still be performed according to the user's needs. Therefore, the usage is very flexible and can meet the various usage needs of different users.

[0169] Those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention. Various changes and improvements can be made to the technical solutions without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, and all such changes and improvements fall within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0170] 100: Mahjong Machine 101: Vehicle registration agency 10: Tag supply device 11: Card Suction Wheel 12: Talisman stand 13: Belt assembly 14: Branded motor 15: Supply belt 16: Guide wheel 17: Tensioner 20: Stacking Card Device 21: Stacking Cards 211: Stacking Card Slot 22: Stacking Block Drive Rod 221: Stacking drive shaft 23: Stacked Card Drive Wheel 231: Stacking Card Drive Slot 231A: Concave segment 231B: Outer convex segment 24: Stacked brand motor 25: Draw the cards 26: Card-pulling linkage 27: Card Draw Driver Block 271: Card-drawing slide 28: Stacked Card Shell 291: Stacking Control Unit 29: Stacking Card Counting Sensor 30: Tag storage device 31: Card Storage Plate 310: Rotating shaft 311: Barrier 312: Card slot 312A: License Plate Slot 312B: Lower Card Slot 312C: Card Entry Port 312D: Card Playing Portion 313: Pillar 314: Driven wheel groove 315: Connecting rod mating groove 316: Driven wheel shaft 32: Upper groove plate 321: Flange 33:Lower groove plate 34: Inner groove plate 35: License Plate Sensor 40: Card Pushing Device 41: Pushing the card holder 41A: Gap 411: Rotary slot 412: Depressed section 42: Card Push Rotating Seat 42A: Center of rotation 421: Push arm mounting protrusion 422: Push arm mounting hole 423: Rotate the seat gear 425: Sensor mounting hole 43: Card Pusher Arm 431: Push the card head 432: Push Card Slider 44: Push Card Motor 45: Card Pushing Drive Gear 46: Card Pushing Sensor Component 461: First card push sensor 462: Second card pusher sensor 464: Card Push Sensor Circuit Board 47: Card Pushing Control Unit 50: Plate-raising device 501: Upgrade Control Unit 51: Support frame 511: Bearing groove 511A: Open end 52: Support plate 502: Load sensor 521: Bearing mating groove 53: Oscillating Motor 54: Swing Arm 541: Swing shaft 542: Oscillating shaft teeth 543: Oscillating slider 55: Swing Link 551: Driven wheel mating end 552: Oscillating mating end 553: Roller 554: Oscillating meshing teeth 56: Oscillating drive wheel 57: Oscillating driven wheel 572: Track Slot 572A: Remote 572B: Proximal 58: First swing sensing unit 59: Second swing sensor 60: Oscillation sensor component 61: First swing sensor 62: Second swing sensor 102: Operating Panel Mechanism 103: Table frame mechanism 104: Outer border 105: Tabletop 105A: Card Play Slot 106: Lower Frame 107: Shuffling Mechanism 108: Control device 200: Mahjong tiles

Claims

1. A tile-adding mechanism, disposed in a mahjong machine, the tile-adding mechanism being used, under the control of a control device, to stack and add a plurality of mahjong tiles from a shuffling mechanism of the mahjong machine, the tile-adding mechanism comprising: a tile-feeding device for absorbing and feeding the mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism; a tile-stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles fed by the tile-feeding device to form a tile stack; a tile-storing device comprising a tile slot for storing the tile stack; a tile-pushing device for pushing and conveying the tile stack in the tile slot; and a tile-lifting device for raising the tile stack pushed and conveyed by the tile-pushing device; wherein... The stacking device includes a stack counting sensor that senses the mahjong tiles stacked to form the stack. The stack counting sensor is used to enable the control device to determine the number of stacked tiles based on the sensing signal of the stack counting sensor. One of the tile slots has a tile storage sensor that senses the mahjong tiles. The tile storage sensor is used to enable the control device to determine whether the tile storage sensor has the mahjong tiles at the tile storage sensor, thereby determining whether the mahjong tiles at the front have reached the tile storage sensor. The lifting device includes a support plate that supports the stack. One receiving end of the support plate has a support sensor that senses the mahjong tiles. The support sensor is used to enable the control device to determine whether there are still mahjong tiles on the support plate based on the sensing signal of the support sensor.

2. As requested in item 1, the registration agency, wherein, The lifting device includes a swing sensing component that senses the swing position of the support plate. The swing sensing component is used to enable the control device to determine whether the support plate is in an upward swing position or a downward swing position based on the sensing signal, thereby controlling the operation of the support device.

3. As requested in item 1, the registration agency, wherein, The card-pushing device includes a card-pushing arm for pushing the card stack and a card-pushing sensing component. The card-pushing arm includes a card-pushing head for pushing cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensing part disposed on a card-pushing rotating seat, a first card-pushing sensor and a second card-pushing sensor disposed below the card-pushing rotating seat. The first card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card stacking entrance waiting position in front of a card inlet, and the second card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card lifting entrance waiting position in front of a card outlet. The first card-pushing sensor and the second card-pushing sensor are used to enable the control device to determine whether the card-pushing head has reached the card stacking entrance waiting position or the card lifting entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal, thereby enabling the control device to control the operation of the card-pushing device based on the determination result.

4. A mahjong machine, comprising: a control panel mechanism including a control panel for allowing a user to input commands; a shuffling mechanism disposed below the control panel mechanism for shuffling a plurality of mahjong tiles; and a plurality of tile-depositing mechanisms for stacking and depositing the shuffled mahjong tiles; wherein, These registration agencies are the registration agencies mentioned in any of items 1 to 3 of the request.

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