Portable tile shuffler

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a portable tile shuffler. The center of a table surface of the tile shuffler is provided with a fixed tile storage and retrieval slot recessed into the table surface of the tile shuffler. On the one hand, the tile storage and retrieval slot has a simple structure and light weight, which reduces the weight of the tile shuffler and is convenient for a user to move and transport the tile shuffler. On the other hand, there is no need to repeatedly lift and lower tiles, and once the tiles are fed into the tile storage and retrieval slot, the tiles can be picked up directly for gameplay, thereby further reducing the tile feeding time and improving the working efficiency of the tile shuffler.

Description

Portable card sorting machine Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of card sorting machine manufacturing technology, and in particular relates to a portable card sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] A machine that arranges the square tiles used in games is called a tile arranging machine. Tiling machines generally refer to mahjong machines, domino machines, or poker machines. Typically, a tile arranging machine has a large tray inside and a table for the user to use. The tray arranges the square tiles and then places them on the table for the user to play. Taking a mahjong machine as an example, the mahjong tiles are arranged in the large tray inside the machine before being placed on the table for the user to play.

[0003] However, users generally prefer outdoor recreational activities, which necessitates transporting the mahjong machine outdoors. Indoor mahjong machines, due to their various mechanical structures, are typically very heavy and inconvenient to move. Patent document CN107376336A discloses a lightweight, portable mahjong machine suitable for outdoor recreation, which simplifies many mechanical structures. However, this machine still features a tile-lifting mechanism in the middle, which requires a motor drive, resulting in a relatively heavy weight. Furthermore, the back-and-forth lifting and lowering of the tile-lifting mechanism lengthens the time required to transport a single set of mahjong tiles, leading to low efficiency. Additionally, the conveyor unit within this machine is a relatively long, curved conveyor unit, including a front conveyor belt and a rear conveyor belt, which not only occupies internal space but also prolongs the tile transport time, further reducing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the technical problems of existing card sorting machines being too heavy, making them inconvenient to carry and transport, and having long card delivery times, resulting in low work efficiency, the purpose of this invention is to provide a portable card sorting machine.

[0005] The portable card sorting machine of the present invention has a fixed card retrieval slot recessed into the center of the tabletop.

[0006] Preferably, the depth of the bottom of the card slot is equal to the thickness of at least one diamond entertainment card.

[0007] Preferably, the sides of the slots on both sides of the card storage slot are card retrieval openings.

[0008] Preferably, the orientation of the card-retrieving openings on both sides corresponds to the diagonal direction of the card sorting machine's tabletop.

[0009] Preferably, the orientation of the card-taking openings on both sides corresponds to the orientation of two users facing each other on the card sorting machine's tabletop.

[0010] Preferably, the card retrieval opening of the card storage slot is a sloping card retrieval opening extending from the bottom edge of the slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table.

[0011] Preferably, the width of the access card slot is the same as the length of the diamond entertainment card, and the length of the access card slot is four times the width of the diamond entertainment card.

[0012] Preferably, the card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying diamond entertainment cards, and the card storage slot has a slot port that communicates with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, both ends of the card slot have slot ports that communicate with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism.

[0014] Preferably, the upper surface of the card slot bottom is provided with a longitudinal partition that is perpendicular to the slot bottom and is parallel to the slot port.

[0015] Preferably, a number of sensors are provided on the bottom of the access card slot, or a number of sensors are provided on the side of the access card slot.

[0016] Preferably, four sensors are provided on the bottom of the access card slot, with each sensor positioned in pairs on both sides of the longitudinal partition.

[0017] Preferably, the conveying mechanism is a corner-type conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment boards.

[0018] Preferably, the conveying mechanism is a linear conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards.

[0019] Preferably, the linear conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, a card-absorbing wheel for absorbing the square entertainment cards in the large tray of the card sorting machine, and a guide wheel. The two ends of the conveyor belt are respectively sleeved on the card-absorbing wheel and the guide wheel. The guide wheel is located near the card outlet. The conveying direction of the conveyor belt is consistent with the length direction of the card storage slot.

[0020] Preferably, the card sorting machine is a mahjong machine or a domino machine.

[0021] Preferably, the upper surface of the conveyor belt is flush with the bottom of the access card slot.

[0022] Preferably, the depth of the upper surface of the conveyor belt from the table of the card sorting machine is at least the thickness of one diamond entertainment card.

[0023] Preferably, the width of the linear conveyor channel is the same as the length of a square entertainment card.

[0024] Preferably, it also includes: the tabletop of the card sorting machine is provided with a card storage and retrieval slot recessed into the tabletop of the card sorting machine, the card storage and retrieval slot is provided with 2 card storage positions, and the card entry end of the card storage position faces the width direction of the card storage and retrieval slot.

[0025] Preferably, the depth of the access card slot is at least the thickness of a diamond entertainment card.

[0026] Preferably, the long sides of the slots on both sides of the card storage slot are card retrieval openings.

[0027] Preferably, the two card storage slots in the card storage slot are located away from the card receiving end and serve as card retrieval ports.

[0028] Preferably, the card retrieval opening of the card storage slot is a sloping card retrieval opening extending from the bottom edge of the slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table.

[0029] Preferably, the orientation of the card-retrieving opening corresponds to the diagonal direction of the card sorting machine's tabletop or to two opposite users.

[0030] Preferably, the top of the card storage position is provided with a limiting member to prevent the movement of the square entertainment cards.

[0031] Preferably, there is a gap between the two card slots.

[0032] Preferably, the connecting surface between the long side and the wide side of the access card slot is an arc surface.

[0033] Preferably, the card-handling machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying diamond entertainment cards, and the card storage slot has a slot port communicating with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism.

[0034] Preferably, both ends of the card slot have slot ports that communicate with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism.

[0035] Preferably, the upper surface of the card slot bottom is provided with a longitudinal partition perpendicular to the slot bottom, and the longitudinal partition is perpendicular to the slot port.

[0036] Preferably, the height of the longitudinal partition is no greater than half the thickness of a single square entertainment card.

[0037] Preferably, the conveying mechanism is a corner conveying mechanism or a straight conveying mechanism for conveying vertical square entertainment boards.

[0038] Preferably, the card storage slot is provided with a card feeding mechanism, and the card feeding end of the card feeding mechanism is connected to at least some of the card storage positions.

[0039] Preferably, the card-dispensing end of the conveying mechanism is connected to at least a portion of the card-storing positions.

[0040] Preferably, the card sorting machine is a mahjong machine, a dominoes machine, or a card sorting machine.

[0041] Preferably, it also includes: a tile conveying mechanism, a tile triggering device, and a control module;

[0042] The signal output terminal of the card triggering device is connected to the signal input terminal of the control module; the signal output terminal of the control module is connected to the signal input terminal of the card conveying mechanism.

[0043] Preferably, the card-triggering device is used to send a card-triggering signal to the control module. The control module is used to control the start and stop of the card-carrying conveyor mechanism. The card-carrying conveyor mechanism is used to transport the cards inside the card sorting machine to the table of the card sorting machine.

[0044] It should be understood that the card conveying mechanism described in this invention is used to convey the cards inside the card sorting machine to the table of the card sorting machine. This invention does not limit its structure; any card conveying mechanism that can convey the cards inside the card sorting machine to the table of the card sorting machine is acceptable.

[0045] Preferably, the card conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, a conveyor rope, or a conveyor chain.

[0046] It should be understood that the card conveying mechanism described in this invention is used to convey the cards inside the card sorting machine to the table of the card sorting machine. The conveyor belt, conveyor rope and conveyor chain are only illustrative examples. Any card conveying mechanism that can convey the cards inside the card sorting machine to the table of the card sorting machine is acceptable. This invention does not make any specific limitation.

[0047] Preferably, the card triggering device includes a mechanical trigger button, a touch device, a voice control device, and a gesture recognition device.

[0048] Specifically, the mechanical trigger button device triggers a signal through physical contact. When a player needs to perform a Kong (a set of four identical tiles), pressing the mechanical trigger button device closes the circuit, generating an electrical signal that is transmitted to the control module. Upon receiving the signal, the control module controls the Kong card conveying mechanism to start, which then transports the tiles from inside the tile sorting machine to the table.

[0049] It should be understood that the signal transmission described in this invention is merely an illustrative example. The mechanical trigger button device can also be directly connected to the input pin of the control module. When the circuit is closed, current will flow from the power supply through the mechanical trigger button device and then into the control module. The control module controls the lever conveying mechanism according to the voltage change of the detection pin. Therefore, this invention does not limit the method of signal transmission.

[0050] The touch device triggers a signal by sensing the touch position. The touch device may be a capacitive touchscreen, a resistive touchscreen, or an ultrasonic touchscreen. The working principle of transmitting the trigger signal from the touch device to the control module is a well-known technique to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0051] The working principle of the voice-activated device triggering a signal by sound and transmitting the trigger signal to the control module is a well-known technical means to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail in this invention.

[0052] Preferably, the tile triggering device is a tile sensing device.

[0053] Preferably, the card sorting machine has a fixed, recessed card storage slot at the center of its tabletop, and the card triggering device is located within the card storage slot.

[0054] Preferably, the control module is a PLC, a microprocessor, a processor, a single-chip microcomputer, an industrial computer, or a distributed control module.

[0055] Specifically, the control module described in this invention can realize the functions of data reception, storage, and control, and does not specifically refer to a single device. It can be a PLC, microprocessor, processor, single-chip microcomputer, industrial computer, or distributed control module.

[0056] Preferably, the card-drawing trigger device is placed on the table of the card sorting machine.

[0057] Specifically, the desktop of the card sorting machine described in this invention can be the desktop, the desktop border, or the desktop side.

[0058] Preferably, the card-drawing trigger device is located on the control panel of the card sorting machine.

[0059] This invention provides a linear conveying mechanism for a card sorting machine, the linear conveying mechanism comprising:

[0060] The card suction wheel is fixedly installed on the edge of the large tray of the card sorting machine;

[0061] The conveying structure is oriented towards the center of the card sorting machine, and the mahjong tiles adsorbed by the card suction wheel enter the inlet end of the conveying structure.

[0062] Preferably, the conveying structure includes:

[0063] The guide wheel is fixedly installed in the middle of the card suction wheel, which is parallel to the axial direction of the card sorting machine.

[0064] The conveyor belt has two ends respectively fitted onto the card-collecting wheel and the guide wheel to form a straight conveying channel.

[0065] Preferably, the card-attracting wheel is provided with a magnetic body that magnetically attracts the card blocks along the axial length direction of the card-attracting wheel.

[0066] Preferably, the card-collecting wheel has a long strip of magnetic material along its length.

[0067] Preferably, the card-collecting wheel is provided with at least two magnetic blocks spaced apart in the length direction.

[0068] Preferably, the card-suction wheel is fixedly disposed on the edge of the large disc at the corner of the card sorting machine.

[0069] Preferably, the two ends of the conveyor belt are respectively fitted onto the outer surface of the card-collecting wheel and the outer surface of the guide wheel.

[0070] Preferably, the bottom center of the large tray of the card sorting machine is provided with a rotatable tray body, the outer edge of the tray body is provided with a card feeding channel that rotates together with the tray body, and the card suction wheel is fixedly provided above the card feeding channel on the edge of the large tray of the card sorting machine.

[0071] Preferably, the card sorting machine has a card storage and retrieval position in the middle of the large tray that is connected to the linear conveyor channel.

[0072] Preferably, the card storage position is a card pusher lift.

[0073] Preferably, the card storage slot is a card storage groove recessed into the tabletop of the card sorting machine.

[0074] Preferably, the card sorting machine has two symmetrically arranged linear conveyor mechanisms on its large tray, and both ends of the card storage and retrieval positions have slot ports. The card outlet of the linear conveyor channel is connected to the two slot ports of the card storage and retrieval positions respectively.

[0075] Preferably, the card-collecting wheels of the two linear conveyor mechanisms are symmetrically positioned close to the two opposite corners of the card sorting machine.

[0076] Preferably, the linear conveying mechanism also has a drive motor, the motor shaft of which is fixedly connected to the card-collecting wheel to drive the card-collecting wheel to rotate actively, and drive the guide wheel to rotate passively through the conveyor belt.

[0077] Another object of the present invention is to provide a card sorting machine, including the linear conveying mechanism of the card sorting machine described in the present invention.

[0078] Preferably, the card sorting machine is a mahjong machine or a dominoes machine.

[0079] The positive and progressive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0080] 1) The portable card sorting machine of the present invention delivers the diamond entertainment cards to the fixed storage slot in the center of the table via a conveying mechanism. The user can directly grab the diamond entertainment cards from the storage slot. On the one hand, the structure of the storage slot is simple, and there is no need to set up a separate card lifting mechanism. The card entertainment cards are only transported by the conveying mechanism, which reduces the weight of the card sorting machine and makes it easier for users to move and transport the card sorting machine. On the other hand, after the card sorting machine delivers the diamond entertainment cards to the storage slot via the conveying mechanism, they can be grabbed and used directly without waiting for the diamond entertainment cards to rise to the table, which further reduces the card delivery time and improves the working efficiency of the card sorting machine.

[0081] 2) The card retrieval openings of the card storage slots of the portable card sorting machine of the present invention are oriented to the diagonal directions of the tabletop. In this way, the convenience of four users taking out the square entertainment cards from the card storage slots is taken into account, which is in line with ergonomics.

[0082] 3) The card retrieval opening of the present invention is a sloping card retrieval opening that extends from the bottom edge of the card storage slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table, which further facilitates the user to slide the square entertainment card out of the card storage slot from the sloping card retrieval opening;

[0083] 4) The linear conveying mechanism of the present invention has a simple structure and a short conveying path, which can further reduce the card delivery time and improve the working efficiency of the card sorting machine.

[0084] 5) By setting up a kong triggering device and a kong delivery mechanism, the player triggers the kong triggering device, and the control module controls the kong delivery mechanism to deliver the kong to the player, so that it is controlled separately from the drawing of cards. The present invention does not need to scramble the order of the drawn cards, and solves the technical problem that outdoor mahjong machines in the prior art cannot achieve kong without changing the order of cards, and realizes a kong method similar to traditional mahjong.

[0085] 6) After the present invention delivers the diamond entertainment cards to the fixed storage slot in the center of the table, the user can directly grab two diamond entertainment cards from the storage slot, or the user can grab two stacks of diamond entertainment cards at once. On the one hand, the structure of the storage slot is simple, and there is no need to set up a separate card lifting mechanism. The diamond entertainment cards are transported by the conveying mechanism, which reduces the weight of the card sorting machine and makes it easier for users to move and transport the card sorting machine. On the other hand, after the diamond entertainment cards are delivered to the storage slot, they can be grabbed and used directly without waiting for the diamond entertainment cards to rise to the table, which further reduces the card delivery time and improves the working efficiency of the card sorting machine.

[0086] 7) The card storage end of this invention faces the width of the card storage slot, so that the two square entertainment cards are placed vertically, which conforms to the card retrieval method of traditional card sorting machines.

[0087] 8) The card retrieval openings of the card storage slots of this invention are oriented diagonally opposite to the tabletop. This approach simultaneously considers the convenience of four users retrieving square entertainment cards from the card storage slots, which is in line with ergonomics.

[0088] 9) The card retrieval opening of the present invention is a sloping card retrieval opening that extends from the bottom edge of the card storage slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table, which further facilitates the user to take out the square entertainment cards from the card storage slot from the sloping card retrieval opening.

[0089] 10) The two square entertainment cards of the present invention are placed vertically side by side on the card storage position. When the user takes a card, he or she takes the long side of the square entertainment card, which can make the card taking more stable. At the same time, the user is not affected by the card entering the slot when taking a card. Attached Figure Description

[0090] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the portable card sorting machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0091] Figures 2-4 are schematic diagrams of the process of storing and retrieving the square entertainment cards in the card slot according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0092] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the card sorting machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0093] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the card slot structure in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0094] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the desktop structure of the card sorting machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the square entertainment cards in the card storage position according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0096] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship of the card-handling machine and card-handling device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0097] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the card-handling machine in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0098] Figure 11 is a top view of the card-handling device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0099] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the card-handling machine control method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0100] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0101] Example 1

[0102] As shown in Figure 1, the portable card sorting machine of the present invention has a card sorting tray 10 inside. Within the tray 10, there is a conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards, and a card storage / retrieval position connected to the conveying mechanism and located at the center of the card sorting machine's tabletop. In this invention, the center of the card sorting machine's tabletop refers to the central area of ​​the tabletop, not specifically the geometric center. The central area can be a common area where players place their played entertainment cards, or a circular area centered on the geometric center of the tabletop and occupying half the area of ​​the tabletop, or a square area centered on the geometric center of the tabletop and occupying half the area of ​​the tabletop. Furthermore, the card sorting machine can be a mahjong machine or a domino machine; here, a mahjong machine will be used as an example.

[0103] In this example, continuing as shown in Figure 1, the conveying mechanism of the present invention is a linear conveying mechanism 20, which is connected to the card storage slot and can convey the square entertainment cards in the card sorting machine tray 10 to the card storage slot. In one example, the card storage slot is a card pushing lifting platform (refer to the card pushing mechanism disclosed in patent document CN107376336A); in another example, the card storage slot is a card storage groove 30 recessed into the table of the card sorting machine.

[0104] The linear conveying mechanism 20 includes a conveying structure and a card-collecting wheel 22 (the card-collecting wheel structure here is, for example, the polarity positioning card-collecting device disclosed in patent document CN220918104U) that picks up the diamond entertainment cards in the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine. The conveying structure includes a conveyor belt 21 and a guide wheel 23. The card-collecting wheel 22 is fixedly mounted on the edge of the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine, and further, it is fixedly mounted on the edge of the large tray 10 at a corner of the card sorting machine. In this example, a rotatable tray body 11 is provided at the bottom center of the large tray 10, and a card-feeding channel 12 that rotates with the tray body 11 is provided on the outer edge of the tray body 11. The card-collecting wheel 22 is fixedly mounted above the card-feeding channel 12 on the edge of the large tray 10, facilitating the card-collecting wheel 22 to pick up the neatly arranged diamond entertainment cards in the card-feeding channel. The guide wheel 23 is fixedly mounted parallel to the axial direction of the card-collecting wheel 22 near the center of the large tray 10. The two ends of the conveyor belt 21 are respectively fitted onto the card-collecting wheel 22 and the guide wheel 23 to form a straight conveying channel. Furthermore, the two ends of the conveyor belt 21 are respectively fitted onto the outer surface of the card-collecting wheel 22 and the outer surface of the guide wheel 23. The straight conveying mechanism 20 also has a drive motor 24, the motor shaft of which is fixedly connected to the card-collecting wheel 22 to drive the card-collecting wheel 22 to rotate actively, and drive the guide wheel 23 to rotate passively through the conveyor belt 21. In this way, when the diamond entertainment cards on the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine are attracted to the card suction wheel 22, there is a conveyor belt 21 between the diamond entertainment cards and the card suction wheel 22. During the rotation of the card suction wheel 22 driven by the drive motor 24, the diamond entertainment cards and the conveyor belt 21 rotate together. Since the other end of the conveyor belt 21 is sleeved on the outer surface of the guide wheel 23, that is, the rotation trajectory of the card suction wheel 22 is different from the rotation trajectory of the conveyor belt 21, the diamond entertainment cards will be separated from the card suction wheel 22 under the action of the conveyor belt 21 and transported to the card storage position by the conveyor belt 21.

[0105] The upper surface of the conveyor belt 21 is at a depth equal to the thickness of at least one diamond game card from the table of the card sorting machine, and the width of the straight conveyor channel is the same as the length of one diamond game card. A magnetic body is provided on the card suction wheel 22 along its axial length to magnetically attract the diamond game cards. In one example, the card suction wheel 22 has a long strip of magnetic strip along its length; in another example, the card suction wheel 22 has at least two magnetic blocks spaced apart along its length. The front of the diamond game card has a magnet (not shown) along its length, which attracts the magnetic body on the card suction wheel 22. Thus, the card suction wheel 22 can laterally attract all the diamond game cards on the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine, with the front of the diamond game cards facing the card suction wheel 22. The card suction wheel 22 then laterally attracts the diamond game cards one by one, feeding them laterally with their front faces down within the straight conveyor channel.

[0106] Furthermore, two linear conveyor mechanisms 20 are symmetrically arranged on the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine. The card-collecting wheels 22 of the two linear conveyor mechanisms 20 are symmetrically located near two opposite corners of the card sorting machine. Both ends of the card storage and retrieval positions have slot ports, and the card outlets of the linear conveyor channels are connected to the two slot ports of the card storage and retrieval positions. Thus, the linear conveyor mechanisms 20 can simultaneously transport diamond game cards from both ends of the card storage and retrieval positions, further shortening the card delivery time and improving the working efficiency of the card sorting machine.

[0107] Continuing with Figure 1, the card storage slot of the present invention is a fixed, recessed card storage groove 30 located at the center of the card sorting machine's tabletop. The card storage groove 30 has a slot port 31 that communicates with the card dispensing port of the conveying mechanism. In this example, the slot port 31 of the card storage groove 30 is connected to the card dispensing port of the linear conveying mechanism 20, and the upper surface of the conveyor belt 21 of the linear conveying mechanism 20 is flush with the bottom 33 of the card storage groove 31. The conveying direction of the conveyor belt 21 is consistent with the length direction of the card storage groove 30, thereby enabling the linear conveying mechanism 20 to directly deliver the diamond game cards into the card storage groove 30 for the user to retrieve directly. It should be noted that the conveying mechanism communicating with the card storage groove 30 can also be a corner conveying mechanism (refer to the conveying unit disclosed in patent document CN107376336A).

[0108] In this example, the sides of the card storage slot 30 are the card retrieval openings 32. As shown in Figure 2, the orientation of the card retrieval openings 32 on both sides corresponds to the diagonal direction of the card arranging machine's tabletop. This allows four users to easily retrieve their diamond entertainment cards from the card storage slot 30 simultaneously, taking into account the convenience of all four users. Of course, the orientation of the card retrieval openings 32 is not limited. For example, the orientation of the card retrieval openings 32 on both sides could correspond to the orientation of two users facing each other on the card arranging machine's tabletop, as long as the users can retrieve their diamond entertainment cards from the card storage slot 30.

[0109] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the card retrieval opening 32 of the card storage slot 30 is a sloping card retrieval opening that extends from the edge of the bottom 33 of the slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table, making it convenient for users to slide the square entertainment cards from the sloping card retrieval opening of the card storage slot 30 onto the card sorting machine table for use.

[0110] In this example, the depth of the bottom 33 of the card slot 30 is equal to the thickness of at least one diamond game card. The width of the card slot 30 is the same as the length of one diamond game card, and the length of the card slot 30 can be four times the width of one diamond game card. Therefore, continuing as shown in Figure 2, the card slot 30 can store four diamond game cards simultaneously. It should be noted that the depth, length, and width of the card slot 30 are not fixed, as long as they can accommodate the diamond game cards.

[0111] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a longitudinal partition 34 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the bottom 33 of the card slot 30, perpendicular to the bottom 33, and parallel to the slot port 31. When the diamond game cards enter the card slot 30 from the outlet of the conveying mechanism 20 through the slot ports 31 at both ends, the longitudinal partition 34 can block the diamond game cards entering the card slot 30 from opposite sides through the slot ports 31, preventing the relatively moving diamond game cards from squeezing each other.

[0112] In this invention, sensors 35 can be installed inside the card slot. The sensors 35 can be installed on the side of the card slot 30 or on the bottom 33 of the card slot 30. The side of the card slot 30 can be vertical or inclined. In this example, several sensors 35 are installed on the bottom 33 of the card slot 30. More specifically, four sensors 35 are installed on the bottom 33 of the card slot 30, arranged in pairs on both sides of the longitudinal partition 34. When the conveyor belt 21 feeds the diamond game cards from the two slot ports 31 into the card slot 30, the four sensors 35 are positioned directly below the four diamond game cards in the card slot 30. Upon sensing the diamond game cards, the conveyor belt 21 stops rotating until the diamond game cards in the card slot 30 are removed. Then, the conveyor belt 21 continues to rotate and transport the diamond game cards into the card slot 30. In this invention,

[0113] In this invention, after a round of entertainment activities, the user pushes the diamond entertainment cards from the card sorting machine tabletop into the card sorting machine tray 10. The tray body 11 inside the card sorting machine tray 10 straightens the diamond entertainment cards into the card delivery channel 12, and the suction wheel 22 picks up the diamond entertainment cards one by one from the card sorting machine tray 10 onto the conveyor belt 21. The conveyor belt 21 delivers the straightened diamond entertainment cards horizontally with their faces down, and conveys them from the card outlet to the slot port 31 of the card storage slot 30. At this time, the first diamond entertainment card that is stopped at the slot port 31 is pushed from the slot port 31 into the card storage slot 30 by the pushing force of the subsequent diamond entertainment cards, so that the user can directly take the card. The fixed card slot 30 of the present invention has a simple structure and is lighter in weight than the card-lifting mechanism disclosed in patent document CN107376336A, reducing the weight of the card sorting machine and making it easier for users to move and transport the card sorting machine. On the other hand, the card slot 30 does not require the card blocks to be raised and lowered back and forth. After being transported into the card slot 30 by the conveying mechanism, the cards can be directly taken out for entertainment activities, reducing the card delivery time and improving the working efficiency of the card sorting machine. The linear conveying mechanism 20 has a simple structure and a shorter conveying path than the conveying unit disclosed in patent document CN107376336A, which can further reduce the card delivery time and improve the working efficiency of the card sorting machine.

[0114] Example 2

[0115] Please refer to Figures 5-8, which show a schematic diagram of a card sorting machine with a card storage slot according to an embodiment of the present invention, including:

[0116] The tabletop 1 of the card sorting machine is provided with a card storage and retrieval slot 30 recessed into the tabletop 1. The card storage and retrieval slot 30 is provided with two card storage positions 301, and the card entry end of the card storage position 301 faces the width direction of the card storage and retrieval slot 30.

[0117] The conveying mechanism 3 transports the square entertainment cards 5 inside the card sorting machine to the card storage slot 301 in the card storage slot 30. The card input end of the card storage slot 301 faces the width direction of the card storage slot 30, and the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 3 faces the width direction of the card storage slot 30. The square entertainment cards transported by the conveying mechanism 3 move along the length direction of the square entertainment cards. Two square entertainment cards 5 are placed vertically so that two vertical square entertainment cards 5 can be picked up at the same time. When the user picks up the two square entertainment cards 5, the conveying mechanism 3 continues to send cards to the card storage slot 30. At this time, the user takes away the two vertical square entertainment cards 5 and places them in the card sorting area of ​​the card sorting machine table 1. Furthermore, because the conveying mechanism 3 sends cards to the card storage slot 30 very quickly, the user can immediately pick up two more square entertainment cards 5 after picking up two vertical square entertainment cards 5, that is, pick up two stacks of square entertainment cards 5 at the same time. The user takes away the two stacks of vertical square entertainment cards 5 and places them in the card sorting area of ​​the card sorting machine table 1. In this way, once the diamond entertainment card 5 is delivered into the card storage slot 30, it can be directly grabbed and used without waiting for the diamond entertainment card 5 to rise to the table 1, further reducing the card delivery time and improving the working efficiency of the card sorting machine; at the same time, using it to retrieve two stacks of diamond entertainment cards 5 is more in line with the user's card-picking habits, further reducing the time the user spends picking up cards two at a time.

[0118] Furthermore, the depth of the card storage slot 30 is equal to the thickness of a single diamond entertainment card 5. In this embodiment, the card storage slot 30 can retrieve and deliver cards without lifting or lowering. The card dispensing end of the conveying mechanism 3 is connected to the card receiving end of the card storage slot 30, and the cards on the conveying mechanism 3 are directly delivered to the card storage slot 30 for the user to take directly. Therefore, setting the depth of the card storage slot 30 to the thickness of a single diamond entertainment card 5 can improve the user's comfort when taking cards.

[0119] Furthermore, to facilitate user card retrieval, a card retrieval opening is provided on the card storage slot 30. This opening can be a card retrieval opening 302 located on the long side of the slot on both sides of the card storage slot 30, or a card retrieval opening 303 located on one of the two card storage positions 301 of the card storage slot 30, away from the card input end. Providing users with two card retrieval methods improves the applicability of the card sorting machine.

[0120] Furthermore, in order to improve the smoothness of card retrieval for users, the card retrieval opening is set as a sloping card retrieval opening where the bottom edge of the card storage slot 30 extends to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table 1, providing hand space for users and improving the smoothness of card retrieval for users.

[0121] Furthermore, the card retrieval openings face diagonally opposite each other on the card retrieval machine's tabletop 1. This allows four users to simultaneously retrieve the square entertainment cards 5 from the card storage slots 30, comprehensively considering the convenience of retrieval for all four users. Of course, the orientation of the card retrieval openings is not limited. For example, the card retrieval openings on both sides could face opposite users on the card retrieval machine's tabletop 1, as long as the users can retrieve the square entertainment cards from the card storage slots 30.

[0122] Furthermore, to prevent the diamond entertainment card 5 from continuing to move due to the pushing force of the subsequent diamond entertainment card 5 after reaching the card storage position 301, causing card jamming or flipping, a limiting member 304 is provided at the top of the card storage position 301 to block the movement of the diamond entertainment card 5. The limiting member 304 keeps the diamond entertainment card 5 at the card storage position 301 and prevents it from moving forward. In this way, on the one hand, more card retrieval space is provided for the card retrieval port 302, improving the user's comfort in retrieving cards; on the other hand, the fixed position of the limiting members 304 of the two card storage positions 301 makes the tops of the two diamond entertainment cards 5 flush, making it more convenient for the user to retrieve cards. Specifically, the limiting member 304 is a baffle, baffle plate, or baffle strip. It should be understood that this embodiment does not limit the structure of the limiting member 304, as long as it can prevent the diamond entertainment card 5 from moving forward.

[0123] Furthermore, in order to prevent the two card storage positions 301 from colliding with each other, a gap is provided between the largest card storage areas 25 of the two card storage positions 301, so that the two card storage positions 5 do not come into contact with each other, thereby reducing the card or flipping situation caused by collision.

[0124] Furthermore, to facilitate user card retrieval and ensure the integrity of the card storage slot 30, the connecting surface between the long side and the wide side of the card storage slot 30 is an arc surface.

[0125] Furthermore, the card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism 3 for conveying the square entertainment cards 5, and the card storage slot 30 has a slot port that communicates with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism 3.

[0126] Furthermore, in order to improve the card feeding speed, slot ports are respectively provided at both ends of the card storage slot 30 so that they are connected to the card output port of the conveying mechanism 3.

[0127] Furthermore, the card outlets of the two conveying mechanisms are rotationally symmetrically arranged. When both outlets simultaneously output diamond entertainment cards to the card storage position 301, collisions are likely to occur. To prevent collisions between the diamond entertainment cards 5 in the two card storage positions 301, a longitudinal partition 34 is provided in the middle of the upper surface of the bottom of the card storage slot 30, perpendicular to the bottom of the slot. The longitudinal partition is perpendicular to the slot port, preventing contact between the two diamond entertainment cards 5, thereby reducing card jamming or flipping caused by collisions. The diamond entertainment card 5 enters the card storage slot 30 from the slot port, which is an interface. The slot port is perpendicular to the bottom of the card storage slot 30 and perpendicular to the card output direction of the conveying mechanism. The longitudinal partition 34 is perpendicular to the slot port, that is, the longitudinal partition 34 is parallel to the card output direction of the conveying mechanism.

[0128] Furthermore, to facilitate users in taking two diamond entertainment cards more smoothly without being affected by the vertical partition, the height of the vertical partition is set to no more than half the thickness of one diamond entertainment card.

[0129] Furthermore, the card-infeed end of the card storage position 301 faces the width direction of the card storage slot 30. This arrangement makes the square entertainment cards 5 stored in the two card storage positions 301 on the card storage slot 30 vertical. Therefore, the conveying mechanism 3 is set as a corner conveying mechanism 3 or a straight conveying mechanism 3 for conveying vertical square entertainment cards 5.

[0130] Furthermore, in order to improve the integrity of the card distribution position of the square entertainment card 5, a card distribution mechanism is provided in the card storage slot 30, and the card dispensing end of the card distribution mechanism is connected to at least part of the card storage position 301.

[0131] Furthermore, by connecting the card-dispensing end of the conveying mechanism 3 to at least part of the card storage positions 301, and allowing it to enter the card storage slot 30, the complete arrival of the diamond entertainment card 5 at the card-dispensing position can be improved. This avoids the situation where the last diamond entertainment card 5 to enter the card storage slot 30 cannot reach the card-dispensing position completely without the pushing force of the subsequent diamond entertainment cards 5.

[0132] In one example, the card-feeding mechanism is connected to a conveying mechanism.

[0133] In another example, the part connecting the card outlet of the linear conveyor mechanism to the card storage slot 301 is used as the card delivery mechanism. The card delivery mechanism can be a roller linked to the linear conveyor mechanism. The linear conveyor mechanism delivers the diamond entertainment card to the roller. When the roller rotates, it will cause the diamond entertainment card to continue to be delivered forward along the conveying direction of the linear conveyor mechanism, so that the diamond entertainment card 5 arrives at the card delivery slot completely; or, the card delivery mechanism can be a conveyor belt mechanism linked to the linear conveyor mechanism; or the card delivery mechanism can be the part of the linear conveyor mechanism that extends into the card storage slot 30.

[0134] In another example, the part connecting the card outlet of the corner conveyor mechanism to the card storage slot 301 is used as the card delivery mechanism. The card delivery mechanism can be a roller linked to the corner conveyor mechanism. The corner conveyor mechanism delivers the diamond entertainment card to the roller. When the roller rotates, it will cause the diamond entertainment card to continue to be delivered forward along the conveying direction of the corner conveyor mechanism, so that the diamond entertainment card 5 arrives at the card delivery slot completely; or, the card delivery mechanism can be a conveyor belt mechanism linked to the corner conveyor mechanism; or the card delivery mechanism can be the part of the corner conveyor mechanism that extends into the card storage slot 30.

[0135] In this embodiment, if a linear conveying mechanism is used, please refer to Embodiment 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0136] Please refer to Figure 5. In this embodiment, the conveying mechanism adopts a corner-type conveying mechanism, including: a first conveying mechanism 6, a second conveying mechanism 7, a guiding mechanism 8, and a card-taking device;

[0137] The card-dispensing end of the first conveying mechanism 6 is connected to the card-infeeding end of the second conveying mechanism 7, forming a corner, and the guiding mechanism 8 is located on the outside of the corner;

[0138] The card-taking device is located at the card-inlet end of the first conveying mechanism 6;

[0139] The card-taking device, the first conveying mechanism 6, and the second conveying mechanism 7 are linked together.

[0140] The first conveyor mechanism 6 and the second conveyor mechanism 7 are used to convey the square entertainment board 5;

[0141] The card-collecting device is used to pick up the square entertainment cards 5 from the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine.

[0142] The guiding mechanism 8 is used to change the posture of the square entertainment board 5 on the first conveying mechanism 6.

[0143] The card-dispensing end of the first conveying mechanism 6 is set at a certain angle to the second conveying mechanism 7, which can be a right angle, an acute angle, or an obtuse angle; the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7 form a turning angle, including an inner turning angle and an outer turning angle. The inner turning angle is the inner side of the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7, and the outer turning angle is the outer side of the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0144] The inner side of the first conveying structure and the second conveying structure refers to the side closer to the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine, and the outer side of the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7 refers to the side farther away from the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine.

[0145] The first conveying mechanism 6 has a card-retrieving device at its card-inlet end. The card-retrieving device picks up the square entertainment card 5 from the card sorting machine tray 10 and sends it to the first conveying mechanism 6. The first conveying mechanism 6 moves forward, causing the square entertainment card 5 to move forward. When the square entertainment card 5 moves to the card-outlet end of the first conveying mechanism 6, the side wall of the square entertainment card 5 contacts the guide surface of the guide mechanism 8. The square entertainment card 5 is pushed forward by the first conveying mechanism 6 and guided by the guide mechanism 8, causing the square entertainment card 5 to rotate along the direction of the guide mechanism 8. During the rotation, the square entertainment card 5 enters the second conveying mechanism 7. The second conveying mechanism 7 moves forward, causing the square entertainment card 5 to move forward, thereby realizing the turning of the square entertainment card 5 from the first conveying mechanism 6 to the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0146] Furthermore, the distance between the card-dispensing end of the first conveying mechanism 6 and the card-receiving end of the second conveying mechanism 7 is no greater than the length of a single diamond entertainment card 5. The diamond entertainment card 5 can turn horizontally or vertically between the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0147] Furthermore, the card-collecting device is a card-suction wheel 9, and the first conveying mechanism 6 is a conveyor belt or conveyor rope.

[0148] Furthermore, the second conveying mechanism 7 is a conveyor rope or conveyor belt. Both ends of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope are respectively fitted onto guide wheels; driven by the driving component, the guide wheels begin to rotate around their own axes. Due to the friction and constraint relationship between the conveyor belt or conveyor rope and the guide wheels, the rotation of the guide wheels generates a forward traction force on the conveyor belt or conveyor rope. This traction force causes the conveyor belt or conveyor rope to move forward along the rim of the guide wheels, thereby achieving the conveying function.

[0149] One end of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope on the first conveying mechanism 6 is fitted onto the card suction wheel 9, and the other end is fitted onto the guide wheel. The motor shaft of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the card suction wheel 9 to drive the card suction wheel 9 to rotate actively, and drive the guide wheel to rotate passively through the conveyor belt or conveyor rope. In this way, when the direction entertainment cards on the card sorting machine tray 10 are attracted onto the card suction wheel 9, there is still a conveyor belt or conveyor rope between the direction entertainment cards and the card suction wheel 9. During the rotation of the card suction wheel 9 driven by the drive motor, the direction entertainment cards and the conveyor belt or conveyor rope rotate together. Since the other end of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope is fitted onto the outer surface of the guide wheel, that is, the rotation trajectory of the card suction wheel 9 is different from the rotation trajectory of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope, the direction entertainment cards will be separated from the card suction wheel 9 under the action of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope, and will be conveyed to the second conveying mechanism 7 by the conveyor belt or conveyor rope via the guide mechanism 8.

[0150] In some embodiments, one end of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope on the first conveying mechanism 6 is sleeved on the card suction wheel 9, and the other end is sleeved on the guide wheel; the motor shaft of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the guide wheel to drive the card suction wheel 9 to rotate actively, and drive the card picking device (card suction wheel 9) to rotate passively through the conveyor belt or conveyor rope. In this way, when the direction entertainment card on the card sorting machine tray 10 is attracted to the card suction wheel 9, there is still a conveyor belt or conveyor rope between the direction entertainment card and the card suction wheel 9. During the rotation of the card suction wheel 9, the direction entertainment card and the conveyor belt or conveyor rope rotate together. Since the other end of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope is sleeved on the outer surface of the guide wheel, that is, the rotation trajectory of the card suction wheel 9 is different from the rotation trajectory of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope, the direction entertainment card will be separated from the card suction wheel 9 under the action of the conveyor belt or conveyor rope, and will be conveyed to the second conveying mechanism 7 by the conveyor belt or conveyor rope via the guide mechanism 8.

[0151] The card-retrieving device, the first conveying mechanism 6, and the second conveying mechanism 7 are driven by the same drive component to achieve coordinated operation. This drive component, acting as a power source, outputs rotational power to the card-retrieving device upon startup, driving it to rotate around its axis. As the card-retrieving device rotates under the action of the drive component, torque is transmitted to the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6 via a conveyor belt or rope, causing it to rotate synchronously with the card-retrieving device. Furthermore, one end of the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6 is engaged with the first guide wheel of the second conveying mechanism 7. This engagement accurately transmits motion and power to the first guide wheel of the second conveying mechanism 7 as the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6 rotates. The first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7 form a linked relationship. In actual operation, a single drive from the drive component is sufficient to keep the guide wheels of the first conveying mechanism 6 and the second conveying mechanism 7 rotating synchronously.

[0152] In the first conveying path, one end of the conveyor rope is fitted onto the card-taking device, and the other end is fitted onto the guide wheel. In the second conveying path, both ends of the conveyor belt are fitted onto the first guide wheel and the second guide wheel, respectively. The guide wheel and the first guide wheel are connected by gear meshing. The driving end of the drive component is connected to the gear of the first guide wheel. When the first guide wheel rotates, it drives the guide wheel and the second guide wheel to rotate. The rotation of the guide wheel drives the card-taking device to rotate, thereby realizing the three-way linkage and coordinated action of the card-taking device, the first conveying mechanism 6, and the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0153] A sensor is installed on the first conveyor mechanism 6 to detect whether the game tiles 5 are moving forward. The first conveyor mechanism 6 also has a sensor to detect whether the game tiles 5 are moving forward. If they remain stationary on the first conveyor mechanism 6, it indicates that the conveyor mechanism 3 is fully loaded with game tiles 5, or that a tile is stuck ahead. In this case, the drive unit stops operating, and the tile-picking device stops picking up tiles. Installing a sensor on the tile-feeding end of the first conveyor mechanism 6 prevents the motor from running idle and thus overloading.

[0154] The sensor can monitor the movement of the cube-shaped entertainment tiles 5 on the first conveyor mechanism 6 in real time. Once it detects that a tile has stopped moving, it immediately sends a signal back to the control system. This real-time monitoring and rapid feedback mechanism ensures an immediate response and avoids prolonged idling of the motor.

[0155] When the sensor detects the square entertainment board 5 for a preset time, it determines that the square entertainment board 5 is stationary on the first conveying mechanism 6.

[0156] The driving component is: a motor, a servo motor, a stepper motor, a pneumatic drive, or a hydraulic drive;

[0157] The sensors mentioned include: position sensors, photoelectric sensors, etc.

[0158] It should be understood that the driving component, as a driving source, can be connected to the card-taking device, the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6, or the first guide wheel of the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0159] The card-taking device, the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6, and the first guide wheel of the second conveying mechanism 7 are connected by a transmission connection. The drive component can be connected to any one of the three to achieve three-way linkage (linkage of the card-taking device, the guide wheel of the first conveying mechanism 6, and the first guide wheel of the second conveying mechanism 7).

[0160] In some embodiments, the card-collecting device is a vacuum card-collecting wheel 9, and the first conveying mechanism 6 is a conveying rope.

[0161] The vacuum card-collecting wheel 9 includes a rotatable rotating wheel, vacuum suction cups, a vacuum pump and vacuum pump interface, and a driving component. One end of the conveying rope on the first conveying mechanism 6 is sleeved on the rotating wheel, and the other end is sleeved on the guide wheel. The driving component, i.e., the drive motor, is connected to the rotating wheel to drive its rotation. The vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum pump interface, which is installed at the card-in end of the first conveying mechanism 6 and communicates with the rotating wheel. Several vacuum suction cups are spaced apart and vertically mounted on the circumferential surface of the rotating wheel, and are connected to the vacuum pump through the rotating wheel. That is, the rotating wheel has an internal cavity, and the vacuum suction cups also have an axially arranged vacuum cavity. One end of the internal cavity of the rotating wheel is connected to the vacuum pump interface, and the other end is connected to the vacuum suction cup. Therefore, on the one hand, air can be extracted from the vacuum suction cup through the vacuum pump interface, giving the vacuum suction cup a certain suction force. It can firmly pick up the back of square entertainment cards 5 with smooth surfaces, such as mahjong tiles. However, for mahjong tiles with characters, which have indentations, they cannot be picked up by the vacuum suction cup, and this can be used to distinguish the front and back of mahjong tiles. On the other hand, the vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum suction cup through a rotating wheel, allowing the vacuum suction cup to rotatably pick up the square entertainment cards 5 that pass by. When the directional entertainment cards on the large tray 10 of the card sorting machine are picked up by the vacuum suction cup, there is a conveying rope between the directional entertainment cards and the suction wheel 9. During the rotation of the vacuum suction wheel 9 driven by the drive motor, the directional entertainment cards and the conveying rope rotate together. Since the other end of the conveying rope is sleeved on the outer surface of the guide wheel, that is, the rotation trajectory of the vacuum suction wheel 9 is different from the rotation trajectory of the conveying rope, the directional entertainment cards will be detached from the vacuum suction cup under the action of the conveying rope and transported by the conveying rope through the guide mechanism 8 to the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0162] Furthermore, the guiding mechanism 8 is mounted across the second conveying mechanism 7. The second conveying mechanism 7 includes a conveyor belt or conveyor rope, a first guide wheel, and a second guide wheel; the conveyor belt or conveyor rope is respectively sleeved on the first guide wheel and the second guide wheel, and the guiding mechanism 8 is mounted across the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0163] Specifically, the guide mechanism 8 is mounted across the plate-in end of the second conveying mechanism 7.

[0164] Furthermore, the guiding mechanism 8 is an arc-shaped guide. The guiding surface of the arc-shaped guide contacts the side wall of the square entertainment board 5, so that the square entertainment board 5 is constrained by the guiding surface of the arc-shaped guide.

[0165] Furthermore, the arc-shaped guide is an arc-shaped guide plate.

[0166] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped guide is an arc-shaped guide wheel.

[0167] Specifically, the arc-shaped guide wheel is driven to rotate by a motor;

[0168] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped guide wheel rotates due to the friction between the square entertainment board 5 and the arc-shaped guide wheel.

[0169] Furthermore, the card sorting machine is a mahjong machine, a dominoes machine, or a card sorting machine.

[0170] Taking a mahjong machine as an example, this embodiment is illustrated as follows: As shown in Figure 5, the mahjong tiles are picked up by the suction wheel 9 in the large tray 4 and placed on the first conveying mechanism 6. The mahjong tiles on the first conveying mechanism 6 are guided by the guide mechanism 8 and enter the second conveying mechanism 7. The mahjong tiles are then placed from the tile-dispensing end of the second conveying mechanism 7 into the tile storage slot 30. After entering the tile storage position 301, the mahjong tiles are available for the user to take.

[0171] Example 3

[0172] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an outdoor card sorting machine card-lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outdoor card sorting machine card-lifting device includes: a card-lifting conveying mechanism 201, a card-lifting triggering device 202, and a control module.

[0173] Referring to Figure 9, the signal output terminal of the card triggering device 202 is connected to the signal input terminal of the control module; the signal output terminal of the control module is connected to the signal input terminal of the card conveying mechanism 201.

[0174] Specifically, the card-triggering device 202 is used to send a card-triggering signal to the control module. The control module is used to control the start and stop of the card-carrying mechanism 201. The card-carrying mechanism 201 is used to transport the cards in the card sorting machine to the card sorting machine tabletop 1.

[0175] The card-infeed end of the card-sorting machine is located inside the card sorting machine, and the card-outfeed end is located on the card storage and retrieval slot 30, which is used to send the cards inside the card sorting machine to the card storage and retrieval slot 30.

[0176] In some embodiments, the card-infeeding end of the card-dispensing mechanism 201 is disposed inside the card-sorting machine, and the card-dispensing end is disposed on the tabletop 1 of the card-sorting machine, for delivering the cards inside the card-sorting machine to the tabletop.

[0177] The lever conveying mechanism 201 is a conveyor belt, conveyor rope, or conveyor chain.

[0178] The card delivery mechanism 201 is equipped with a card blocking component 36 at the card dispensing end to prevent the card from moving outward.

[0179] The card-feeding end of the card-feeding mechanism 201 is equipped with a counter to count the number of cards on the card-feeding mechanism. When the number of cards on the card-feeding mechanism reaches the preset number of cards, the control module controls the card-feeding mechanism to stop feeding cards.

[0180] The method and structure by which the control module controls the card-carrying mechanism to stop feeding cards are existing technologies and will not be described in detail in this invention.

[0181] The control module controls the motor to drive the raising and lowering of the barrier 36.

[0182] The card triggering device 202 includes a mechanical trigger button device, a touch device, a voice control device, or a gesture recognition device.

[0183] The triggering device for the meld is a meld sensing device.

[0184] In some implementations, the card sorting machine has a card-receiving platform at its center. This platform has a lifting function. When the platform descends, its surface is at the same level as the card-dispensing end of the card-carrying mechanism. A card-sensing device is placed on the platform. When a card is present at that position, the device sends a signal to the control module indicating the presence of a card. The control module then stops the card-carrying mechanism, thus ceasing to convey cards forward. When no card is present at that position, the device sends a signal to the control module indicating the absence of a card. The control module then starts the card-carrying mechanism 201, which conveys the cards forward until they reach the platform and are detected by the card-sensing device. Repeating this process enables card identification and conveying.

[0185] The card-sensing device can be any sensing device capable of recognizing the card, such as an infrared proximity sensor, pressure sensor, or ultrasonic sensor.

[0186] The control module is a PLC, microprocessor, processor, single-chip microcomputer, industrial computer, or distributed control module.

[0187] The card-triggering device 202 is installed on the table of the card sorting machine.

[0188] Specifically, the desktop of the card sorting machine described in this invention can be the desktop, the desktop border, or the desktop side.

[0189] In some embodiments, the card-triggering device 202 is disposed on the control panel of the card sorting machine desktop 1.

[0190] Specifically, the card conveying mechanism 201 needs to use a card suction wheel and a guide wheel to transport the cards from inside the card sorting machine to the table. The two ends of the card conveying mechanism 201 (conveyor belt, conveyor rope, conveyor chain) are respectively fitted onto the card suction wheel and the guide wheel. The guide wheel is located near the card outlet, and the card suction wheel is located near the cards in the shuffling tray. The card suction wheel guides the cards from the shuffling tray onto the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt transports the cards to the table.

[0191] When the card conveying mechanism 201 is a card receiving platform, the card sorting machine should have a mechanism inside to convey the cards to the card receiving platform. This mechanism is existing technology and will not be described in detail in this invention.

[0192] The card sorting machine has a fixed card storage slot recessed in the center of the table, and the card conveying mechanism is located at one end of the card storage slot.

[0193] In some embodiments, the card sorting machine has a card receiving platform at the center of its tabletop. The card receiving platform has a lifting function, and when the card receiving platform is lowered, the surface of the card receiving platform is on the same horizontal plane as the card dispensing end of the card conveying mechanism.

[0194] The card-receiving platform described in this embodiment is used to receive the cards conveyed by the card-carrying mechanism and deliver them to the table of the card-sorting machine. The platform picks up cards when it descends and delivers cards when it rises. The specific implementation process is existing technology and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0195] Referring to Figures 10-11, taking a card sorting machine with a fixed card retrieval slot 30 recessed in the center of the card sorting machine table 1 as an example, this embodiment describes an outdoor card sorting machine card-holding device.

[0196] The card sorting machine has a fixed card storage slot recessed in the center of the table, and the card conveying mechanism is located at one end of the card storage slot.

[0197] The depth of the bottom of the card slot 30 is equal to the thickness of at least one card.

[0198] The sides of the card storage slot 30 are card retrieval openings, which are sloping openings extending from the bottom edge of the slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table 1. The width of the card storage slot 30 is the same as the length of the card body.

[0199] The card storage slot 30 has two card outlets. One outlet is for the cards needed for the draw and discard phases, and the other outlet is for the cards needed for the kong phase. This outlet is called kong card outlet 203.

[0200] The card slot 30 has card dispensing openings on both sides, and the card dispensing openings on both sides face each other.

[0201] The orientation of the card dispensing ports on both sides corresponds to the diagonal direction of the card sorting machine tabletop 1.

[0202] The orientation of the card dispensing ports on both sides corresponds to the two users facing each other on the card sorting machine tabletop 1.

[0203] The length of the card slot 30 is N times the width of the card body, and the number of cards dispensed from the two card outlets is equal, unequal, or random.

[0204] Preferably, the length of the card slot 30 is four times the width of the card body, and the number of cards dispensed from the two card outlets is equal.

[0205] One end of the card storage slot 30 has a slot port that communicates with the card dispensing port of the card conveying mechanism 201, and the other end has a slot port that connects to the card dispensing port of the conveying mechanism. One end of the card storage slot 30 is the card-grabbing end, and the other end is the card-konging end. The card-grabbing end is the port for grabbing cards needed during the card-grabbing and card-dispensing stages.

[0206] In some implementations, a longitudinal partition 34, perpendicular to the bottom of the card slot 30, is provided at the center of the upper surface of the slot bottom. The longitudinal partition 34 is parallel to the slot port. The diamond game card 5 enters the card slot 30 from the slot port, which is an interface perpendicular to the bottom of the card slot 30 and perpendicular to the card dispensing direction of the conveying mechanism. The longitudinal partition 34 is parallel to the slot port, meaning it is perpendicular to the card dispensing direction of the conveying mechanism.

[0207] In some implementations, a plurality of sensors 35 are provided on the bottom of the access card slot 30.

[0208] Referring to Figures 10-11, specifically, the upper surface of the card slot 30 has a longitudinal partition 34 that is perpendicular to the bottom of the slot. The longitudinal partition 34 is parallel to the slot port. The bottom of the card slot 30 has four sensors 35, which are arranged in pairs on both sides of the longitudinal partition 34.

[0209] The longitudinal partition 34 is a lifting mechanism, which is driven by a motor to raise and lower the longitudinal partition 34. When the longitudinal partition 34 is raised, it can block the sign from moving forward. When the longitudinal partition 34 is lowered, it is on the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the sign blocking mechanism and does not affect the forward movement of the sign.

[0210] In some implementations, several sensors 35 are provided on the sidewall of the card storage slot 30. Referring to Figures 10-11, the sensor 35 is positioned at the first card storage position away from the card dispensing outlet. When a card is stored at this position, the sensor 35 sends a signal to the control module indicating the presence of a card. The control module then stops the card conveying mechanism 201, thus stopping the forward transport of cards. When no card is stored at this position, the sensor 35 sends a signal to the control module indicating the absence of a card. The control module then starts the card conveying mechanism 201, which transports the card forward until it reaches the first card storage position away from the card dispensing outlet, where it is recognized by the sensor 35. By repeating this process, card recognition and transport can be achieved.

[0211] The sensor 35 described in this invention is a photoelectric sensor, an optical fiber sensor, or an inductive sensor.

[0212] The photoelectric sensor's recognition principle is based on converting changes in light intensity into changes in electrical signals. The photoelectric sensor consists of a light source and a light receiver, which are positioned opposite each other on both sides of the card slot 30. When there is no card in the card slot 30, the light emitted by the light source can be normally received by the light receiver, and a signal indicating the presence of a card is fed back to the control module. When there is a card in the card slot 30, the light emitted by the light source is blocked by the card, and the light receiver cannot receive the light, and a signal indicating the absence of a card is fed back to the control module. Thus, it is determined whether there is a card in the card slot.

[0213] The recognition principles of fiber optic sensors and inductive sensors are similar to those of photoelectric sensors, and will not be elaborated upon here. The recognition technologies of photoelectric sensors, fiber optic sensors, or inductive sensors are mature technologies. It should be understood that the sensor 35 described in this invention is used to identify whether there are cards in the card storage slot 30. The photoelectric sensor, fiber optic sensor, or inductive sensor described in this invention is merely illustrative; any sensor 35 capable of identifying whether there are cards in the card storage slot 30 is acceptable, and this invention does not impose any limitations.

[0214] Specifically, when players use the aforementioned card sorting machine to play mahjong, during the hand-drawing phase, one of the card slots 30 is used to dispense cards for the hand-drawing phase. The card slot can dispense up to 4 cards at a time, or the number can be set according to actual needs. When each player has drawn all the cards needed for the hand phase, they then draw cards for the play phase. During the play phase, the card slot can dispense 1 card at a time, or the number can be set according to actual needs. When a player needs to perform a kong (a set of four identical tiles) during play, the player presses the mechanical trigger button on the control panel on the table, which dispenses the cards needed for the kong phase from the other card slot 30. During the kong phase, the card slot can dispense 1 card at a time, or the number can be set according to actual needs.

[0215] Example 4

[0216] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a method for controlling the konging of cards in an outdoor card sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes: a player triggering a konging signal; a control module receiving the konging signal and controlling the movement of a konging card conveying mechanism; and the konging card conveying mechanism transporting the cards on the mechanism to the table of the card sorting machine for the player to pick up.

[0217] Referring to Figures 10-11, taking a card sorting machine with a fixed card retrieval slot 30 recessed into the center of the card sorting machine table as an example, this embodiment describes a card sorting machine control method for outdoor card sorting machines.

[0218] The drawing phase in mahjong includes the drawing phase and the drawing phase for konging.

[0219] At the start of the game, players enter the card-drawing phase. The control module controls the conveyor mechanism to send cards to one end of the card storage slot. During the game, when a player needs to perform a "kong" (a set of four identical tiles), they enter the kong phase. The player transmits a kong signal to the control module through the kong trigger device. After receiving the kong signal, the control module controls the kong conveyor mechanism to start. The kong conveyor mechanism moves, thereby sending the tiles on the kong conveyor mechanism from the card outlet of the card storage slot to the table. After the player draws the tiles, they return to the card-drawing phase. The control module continues to control the conveyor mechanism to send tiles to one end of the card storage slot until the player triggers the kong trigger device again, entering the kong phase once more.

[0220] In some embodiments, the drawing phase in playing mahjong includes the drawing of hand tiles, the drawing of discarded tiles, and the drawing of kong tiles.

[0221] At the start of the game, players enter the card-drawing phase. The control module controls the conveyor to deliver cards to one end of the card storage slot according to the preset number of cards to be delivered, until all players have drawn the required number of cards. Then, the game enters the card-playing phase, where the control module controls the conveyor to deliver cards to one end of the card storage slot according to the preset number of cards to be delivered. When a player needs to perform a Kong (a set of four identical tiles), the game enters the Kong phase. The player transmits a Kong signal to the control module through the Kong trigger device. Upon receiving the Kong signal, the control module activates the Kong conveyor, causing it to move and dispensing the cards from the other end of the card storage slot. The cards are then delivered to the table, and the player draws them, returning to the card-drawing phase. The control module continues to control the conveyor to deliver cards to one end of the card storage slot until the next player triggers the Kong trigger device, entering the Kong phase again.

[0222] The present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the present invention based on the above description. Therefore, certain details in the embodiments should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention shall be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A portable card sorting machine, characterized in that, The card sorting machine has a fixed, recessed card storage slot at the center of its tabletop.

2. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The card storage slot has two card storage positions, with the card entry end of each card storage position facing the width direction of the card storage slot.

3. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The depth of the bottom of the card slot is equal to the thickness of at least one diamond entertainment card.

4. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sides of the slots on both sides of the card storage slot are card retrieval openings.

5. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The card retrieval slot is a sloping card retrieval opening that extends from the bottom edge of the slot to the upper surface of the card sorting machine table.

6. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards, and the card storage slot has a slot port that communicates with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism.

7. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Both ends of the card storage slot have slot ports that communicate with the card dispensing port of the conveying mechanism.

8. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards. Both ends of the card storage slot have slot ports that communicate with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism. The upper surface of the card storage slot bottom is provided with a longitudinal partition that is perpendicular to the slot bottom and is parallel to the slot port.

9. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards. Both ends of the card storage slot have slot ports that communicate with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism. The upper surface of the card storage slot is provided with a longitudinal partition that is perpendicular to the bottom of the slot and is perpendicular to the card outlet direction of the conveying mechanism.

10. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The card slot has several sensors installed on its bottom or on its side.

11. The portable card sorting machine as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The card slot has a longitudinal partition in the middle of the upper surface of the slot bottom, which is perpendicular to the slot bottom. The longitudinal partition is parallel to the slot port. Four sensors are provided on the bottom of the card slot, which are arranged in pairs on both sides of the longitudinal partition.

12. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The top of the storage slot is equipped with a limiting component to prevent the movement of the square entertainment tiles.

13. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, There is a gap between the two storage positions.

14. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The connection surface between the long side and the wide side of the access card slot is an arc surface.

15. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The card storage slot is equipped with a card delivery mechanism, and the card delivery port of the card delivery mechanism is connected to at least some of the card storage positions.

16. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The card sorting machine also has a conveying mechanism for conveying square entertainment cards. Both ends of the card storage slot have slot ports that communicate with the card outlet of the conveying mechanism. The card outlet of the conveying mechanism is connected to at least some of the card storage positions.

17. A portable card sorting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The system includes a tile conveying mechanism, a tile triggering device, and a control module; the signal output terminal of the tile triggering device is connected to the signal input terminal of the control module; the signal output terminal of the control module is connected to the signal input terminal of the tile conveying mechanism.

18. A portable card sorting machine according to claim 17, characterized in that, The card conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, a conveyor rope, or a conveyor chain.

19. A portable card sorting machine according to claim 17, characterized in that, The triggering device for the winning tile includes a mechanical trigger button, a touch device, a voice control device, or a gesture recognition device.

20. A portable card sorting machine according to claim 17, characterized in that, The triggering device for the meld is a meld sensing device.

21. The portable card sorting machine according to claim 17 or 19, characterized in that, The card-scrambling trigger device is installed on the table of the card sorting machine.

22. The portable card sorting machine according to claim 17 or 19, characterized in that, The card-breaking triggering device is installed on the control panel of the card sorting machine.

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