JPH03111069A - Golf ball teeing-up device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely place a ball on a tee by descending the lower end of the guide cylinder of a ball guide arm to a position extremely neighboring to the tee, supplying the ball to the tee, and ascending the ball guide arm to a position where the guide cylinder is separated from the ball on the tee keeping posture as it is. CONSTITUTION:The ball guide arm 15 formed integrally with a raising lever 20 is erected, and an up/down movable body 12 is set at a high position. A motor 21 is rotated, and the raising lever 20 and the ball guide arm 15 are turned in a counterclockwise direction, and are descended, and the ball guide arm 15 is turned to a ball supply position, then, collapses. Furthermore, when a crank 22 is descended, the up/down movable body 12 is turned by a perpendicular guide part 11, and the ball guide arm 15 descends by dimension of stroke H keeping the posture as it is, and the guide cylinder 16 at the tip of the ball guide arm 15 neighbors to the just upside of the tee T, and the motor 21 is stopped transiently. When the ball B is supplied from the foot 16 of the ball guide arm 15, it runs to the guide cylinder 18, and is placed on the tee T. The motor 21 is rotated again, and the crank 22 is ascended, and the ball guide arm 15 is ascended with the up/down movable body 12 keeping the posture as it is, and when the crank 22 is further ascended, the raising lever 20 and the ball guide arm 15 are erected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A1.Object of the invention (industrial application field) This invention relates to a device for teeing up a ball used in golf practice.

(Prior Art) A conventional tee-up device grasps or receives a golf ball with the tip of a mechanical supply arm that swings horizontally, transports the ball to just above the tee, drops the ball onto the tee, and supplies the ball. A device for returning the arm, or a device with a flat C-shaped ball holder having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball at the tip of the mechanical supply arm that swings in, is used to swing the supply arm. After the ball holder moves the part directly above the tee, the supply arm is lowered. In other words, in the case of a C-shaped ball holder, the part is lowered to the position of the tee, and the ball is placed on the tee. There are some ball receivers on the market that use the missing part of the ball receiver to swing the supply arm so that the ball receiver does not hit the tee, and return the supply arm to its original position.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the former case, in order to drop the ball by at least the diameter, if the centers of the tee and the ball gripping part do not match exactly, the elastic repulsion of the tee and the ball will occur. Due to force, it often spills over.

In addition, in the latter case, since there are various thicknesses of tees, it is necessary to make the size of the cutout part of the C-shaped ball holder large, and when the supply arm is swinging or placed on the tee. In addition, the ball tends to fall in the direction of the hole, and there is a need for reliable ball supply.

Therefore, this invention enables the ball to be reliably placed on the tee even if the center alignment between the tee and the supply arm is not very accurate, without the risk of the ball falling out before or after placement, and by simplifying the structure and preventing malfunctions and failures. The purpose is to provide the market with products that do not cause

1. A feature of the invention (means for solving the problem) In order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a ball guide arm having a guide tube at the tip through which a ball can pass, the base of which is attached to the machine frame. The ball guide arm is directly or indirectly pivotally connected to the ball guide arm so as to be able to swing back and forth from a standby position to a ball supply position where the guide cylinder is located on a tee, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, In the golf ball tee-up device, the axis of the guide tube is arranged in a vertical position, and the ball is supplied to the tee through the guide tube while the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position. The arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism and is equipped to be able to move up and down, and by the operation of this vertical movement mechanism, the ball guide arm is in the supply position, and just before the ball is supplied, the lower end of the guide cylinder of the ball guide arm is moved. After the ball is lowered to a position where it comes very close to the tee and the ball is supplied to the tee through the guide tube, the ball guide arm is raised to a position where the guide tube and the ball on the tee are separated from each other while maintaining the same posture. A golf ball tee-up device characterized by:

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the swing of the ball guide arm of the golf ball tee-up device of the present invention may be characterized in that it rotates around a horizontal axis.

In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, the ball guide arm, which has a guide cylinder at its tip through which the ball can pass, has its base portion pivoted directly or indirectly to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm has a ball guide arm that is pivoted directly or indirectly to the machine frame. The cylinder is equipped to be able to swing back and forth to a ball supply position located on a tee, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the axis of the guide cylinder is in a vertical position, and the ball In a golf ball teeing device in which a ball is fed to a tee through the guide tube while the guide arm is in the ball feeding position.

The arm portion of the ball guide arm is a trough-like arm.

The base of this ball guide arm is pivoted by a horizontal axis to a vertically movable body that is installed in the machine frame so that it can move up and down, and is equipped to swing up and down from an upright standby position to a prone ball supply position. In the ball supply position, the tip of the ball guide arm is lower than the base, and the ball guide arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism, and the operation of the vertical movement mechanism causes the ball guide arm to feed the ball. While in this position, the ball is vertically lowered together with the vertically movable body to at least the ball setting position, and the ball is supplied from the base of the ball guide arm, rolls through the gutter-shaped arm, and is thrown into the guide cylinder. The golf ball tee-up device is characterized in that the golf ball tee-up device is characterized in that the device lifts up to the original position after the golf ball is finished.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vertically movable body of the golf ball tee-up device of the present invention is installed to be vertically movable by at least a corresponding distance between a golf ball setting position and a golf ball extraction position with respect to the machine frame, and The guide arm is biased by a spring against the vertically movable body so as to always lie down in the ball supply position, and the ball guide arm is in the prone supply position, and the vertically movable body is moved from a lower position together with the ball guide arm, The ball guide arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism such that the ball guide arm can be pulled up to the limit of its stroke and further reciprocated to a standing position against the restoring force of the spring, and the vertical movement mechanism is connected to a vertical movement mechanism. is placed in an upright position and stopped, and in response to an operation input signal of the vertical movement mechanism, the ball guide arm is laid down to a ball supply position, and the ball guide arm is further lowered together with the second lower movement body while in that position, In some cases, the ball guide arm and the vertically movable body are reciprocated once to a standby position after being temporarily stopped.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the golf ball tee-up device of the present invention may be characterized in that the swing of the ball guide arm rotates around a vertical axis.

In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned problem R, the ball guide arm is equipped with a guide cylinder at its tip through which the ball can pass, and its base portion is directly or indirectly pivoted to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm is pivoted directly or indirectly from the standby position to the guide cylinder. is equipped to be able to swing back and forth to a ball supply position located on a tee, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the axis of the guide tube is in a vertical position, and the guide In a golf ball tee-up device in which a ball is supplied to a tee through the guide tube while the arm is at the ball supply position, the machine frame is equipped to be able to reciprocate horizontally from a standby position to a ball supply position. The distal end of the ball guiding arm is lower than the base, and the vertically movable body is connected to a vertically movable mechanism so as to be movable vertically, and by the operation of this vertically movable mechanism.

The vertically movable body, together with the ball guide arm, allows the ball to pass through the guide cylinder portion and reach the tee while the ball guide arm is in the upper position in the standby position and the swing section, and while the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position. The golf ball tee-up device is characterized in that the guide tube descends before being thrown in, and after the ball is supplied, the guide tube rises to a position higher than the ball on the tee.

The vertical movement mechanism used in the present invention includes a crank mechanism connected to a motor that rotates in one direction, and a crank mechanism door.
Mechanical vertical drive mechanisms such as cams and levers, reversible motors and winches or binions and racks, fluid pressure mechanisms such as air cylinder devices or hydraulic cylinder devices, electrical vertical movement mechanisms such as solenoids and linear motors, or two of these. One type of combination mechanism of more than one type is appropriately selected and used.

(Function) In claim 1, first, when the ball guide arm is set at the ball supply position, the axis of the ball guide cylinder and the axis of the tee are made to substantially coincide with each other, and when the ball guide arm is at the ball supply position, This device is installed with the lower end of the guide tube very close to the tee when the ball guide arm is in a low position.

The above-mentioned "very close" preferably means that the vertical dimensions of the lower end of the guide tube and the tee are equal to or less than the radius of the ball to be used.

Next, the ball guide arm is placed in the upper position and in the standby position, and this state is taken as the starting position.

When this device is started, the ball guide arm first swings from the standby position and rotates to the ball supply position, and the axis of the ball guide tube at the tip of the ball guide arm coincides with the axis of the tee.

Next, the ball guide arm descends as it is, and the ball guide cylinder approaches or slightly wraps around the tee.

In this state, for example, if a ball is fed from the base of the ball guide arm, the ball will roll down the arm part of the ball guide arm in its length direction, enter the ball guide tube at the tip, and hit the tee located directly below it. placed on top.

Next, while keeping the ball guiding arm in the same position, move it in two directions.
The position of the lower end of the guide cylinder is separated from the upper end position of the tee by at least the radius of the ball.

Next, the ball guide arm swings from the ball supply position to the standby position and returns.

This operation is repeated every time a ball is fed.

In the invention as set forth in claim 2, the direction of the swing as set forth in claim 1 is a direction of ups and downs around the horizontal axis.

In the invention set forth in claim 3, the apparatus is installed in the same manner as in the invention set forth in claim 1. At the start,
The aforementioned ball guide arm is raised to the upright position by the vertical movement mechanism, and the vertical movement body is also raised to an upper position by the vertical movement mechanism.

When the vertical movement mechanism is driven, the ball guide arm first rotates around its horizontal axis and rotates from the upright position to the ball supply position. During this time, the vertically moving body maintains its upper position.

Further, due to the operation of the vertical movement mechanism, the vertical movement body vertically descends together with the ball guide arm, the vertical movement mechanism temporarily stops at the lower limit position of the stroke of the vertical movement body, and the ball guide arm and the vertical movement body temporarily stop at the lower position. do.

When a ball is fed from the base of the ball guide arm in this state, the ball rolls through the gutter-like part of the ball guide arm, enters the ball guide tube at the tip, and is placed on the tee located directly below this. Ru.

The vertical movement mechanism is activated again and the ball guide arm is pulled up together with the vertical movement body in that position. When the vertical movement body reaches the upper end of its operating stroke, the vertical movement body stops and only the ball guide arm moves along the horizontal axis. Rotate around, gradually stand up, and return to the starting position.

The invention as set forth in claim 4 is such that in the case where the ball guide arm is always biased against the vertically movable body by a spring so as to lie down in the supply position, the ball guide arm is moved from the standing position, which is the standby position. When lying down in the ball supply position,
Due to the restoring force of the spring, the vertically movable body remains at the upper position of its stroke, and after the ball guide arm is completely laid down.

The ball guide arm descends together with the vertically movable body, and the ball guide arm and the vertically movable body temporarily stop at the lower limit position of the stroke of the vertically movable body.

During this stop period, balls are supplied in the same way as in claim 1, and as the vertical drive mechanism resumes operation, the ball guide arm and the vertically moving body rise vertically while being connected by a spring, and the vertically moving body The moving body stops at the end of its stroke and, against the restoring force of the spring, the ball guide arm pivots to a vertical position and returns to a standby position.

In the invention as set forth in claim 5, the ball guide arm starts from the standby position and moves along the vertical axis from the standby position to the ball supply position in response to, for example, a signal for detecting the absence of a ball on the tee being used. At this ball supply position, the ball guiding arm descends in that position, and after the ball is supplied in the same way as in claim 1, the ball guiding arm swings around the ball in that position. It rises to a position where it won't be hit, then swings horizontally and returns to the standby position.

In the invention described in item 6 above, when the ball guide arm moves up and down as in item 5 above, the base moves up and down together with the vertically moving body supported.

(Example) These inventions will now be described with reference to representative embodiments.

Embodiments of Claims 1, 3 and 4 Example 1 This is shown in Figs. is provided, and a vertically moving body 12 is installed thereon so as to be able to move vertically. This vertical stroke H is at least the difference between the tallest tee and the shortest tee, and is set at 55 square meters in this embodiment. Vertical moving body 1 mentioned above
2, the base 16 of the ball guide arm 15 is connected to the horizontal axis 13.
The arm rod portion of this ball guide arm 15 becomes a gutter-like portion 17, and a cylindrical guide tube 18 through which the ball B can pass is integrally formed at the tip thereof. The arm 15 is rotatably mounted around a horizontal axis 13 from a standing position to a ball feeding position, and is always supported by a spring 19.
It is elastically equipped so that it is in the ball supply position.

In the aforementioned ball supply position, the guide tube 18 at the tip of the ball guide arm 15 is slightly lower than the base 16.

The aforementioned ball guide arm 15 is arranged so that the axis of the guide tube 18 is exactly perpendicular to the ball supply position.
The gutter-like portion 17 is in an upward position.

In the embodiment, the horizontal shaft 13 is fixed to the ball guide arm 15, and the tip of the pulling rod 20 extending from the horizontal #13 in the radial direction on the same side as the ball guide arm 15 is attached to the machine frame higher than the vertically moving body. Vertical movement mechanism A installed in 10
Crank 2 rotated by barrel unidirectional rotating motor 21
It is connected to the crank rod 23 of No. 2. That is, in this embodiment, the vertical movement mechanism A is constituted by the motor 21, a crank 22 rotated by the motor 21, and a crank rod 23 reciprocated by the crank 22.

When the crank 22 is in the upper position, the crank rod 23
The tip of the pulling rod 20 is pulled up and rotated around the horizontal shaft 13, thereby raising the ball guide arm 15 that is integrated with the lifting rod 20, and the vertical moving body 12 is pulled up to the upper position of its stroke via the spring 19. , when the crank 22 is in the lower position, the ball guide arm 15 lies down to the ball supply position, and the vertically movable body 12 is lowered to the lower position of its stroke.

In addition, this device includes a sensor 30 that detects the absence of ball B on the tee, and a sensor 30 that detects the vertical stop position of a part of the crank 22 of the vertical movement mechanism A or the cam 24 integrated therewith. 1. Second limit switches LS and L
S2 is provided, and a control section C that controls signals from these is further provided.If the relationship between the control section C and the mechanical parts is made into a block diagram, it will be as shown in Fig. 4.
The drawings will be explained together with the operation of the first embodiment.

(Operation of Embodiment 1) First, the crank 22, which is the vertical movement mechanism A, is in the upper position when the cam 2
4, the limit switch LS is closed and stopped, the lifting rod 2o is pulled up by the crank rod 23, and the ball guide arm 15, which is integrated with this lifting rod 20, stands up (see the position shown in FIG. 2, 15'). , the vertically movable body 12 is in an upper position.

Next, according to the input signal from the sensor 3o to the motor 21 (the output signal from the sensor 30 when the ball B is not on the tee T),
The timer T□ (or one-shot circuit) in FIG. 4 operates and simultaneously issues an output signal, and the AND signal between this and the first limit switch LS1 turns on the flip-flop (switch of the motor 21) FF, and the motor 21 starts. It begins to rotate, and as the crank 22 rotates, the pulling rod 20
Due to the restoring force of the spring 19, the ball guide arm 15 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.
(See the solid line in the figure), and finally the ball guide arm 15 rotates around the horizontal axis to the ball supply position and lies down (see FIGS. 2 and 3, 15").

When the crank 22 further descends, the vertically movable body 12 is guided by the vertical guide portion 11, and the ball guide arm 15 is moved downward by a stroke H while maintaining the same posture, so that the guide cylinder 18 at the tip of the ball guide arm 15 is aligned with the true position of the tee T. The second limit switch LS2 issues an output signal, the flip-flop FF is turned off, and the remoter 21 is temporarily stopped (see the solid line in FIG. 3).

Of course, by the time the second limit switch LS issues an output signal, the timer Ti has timed up and its output signal is off.

At this time, it is preferable to design the distance between the lower end of the guide cylinder 18 and the upper end of the tee T in advance by 1 flit so that they are very close to each other, for example, less than the radius of the ball B (in the example of FIG. , the guide tube 18 and T are slightly overlapped.) When the second limit switch LS is turned on, the on signal is the ball B supply command signal or the ball guide arm 15 is in the lowered position (solid line position in Figure 3). When the ball B is fed from the base 16 of the ball guide arm 15 based on the target movement, the ball B rolls through the gutter-like part 17 of the ball guide arm 15 and falls into the guide tube 18 at the tip, and the ball B rolls down into the guide tube 18 at the tip. It is placed on top of T.

At this time, even if the ball B bounces a little against the tee T, it is surrounded by the guide tube 18, so it will ultimately be placed on the tee.

The second timer T2 is activated at the same time by the signal from the second limit switch LS, and after a while, that is, after a time sufficient to supply the ball B, the time-up signal turns on the flip-flop FF again. The remoter 21 starts rotating again, and the crank 22 moves from the lowest position.
As it starts to rise, the second limit switch LS is turned off by the cam 24, which rotates together with the crank, and the ball guide arm 15 rises together with the vertically movable body 12 in the same position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. (See the position in FIG. 15), the vertically movable body 12 finally reaches the end of its stroke H.

Then, when the crank 22 further rises, the lifting rod 20
The ball guide arm 15 resists the restoring force of the spring 19 and stands up with the horizontal axis 13 as the rotation axis, and these reach the standby position, the limit switch LS1 is turned off by the cam 24, and the flip-flop FF is turned off again. , the motor 21 stops and the operation completes one cycle (see Fig. 2, 15'').
.

Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated for each input signal of the sensor 30.

This operation is shown in a flowchart as shown in FIG.

Embodiment (Embodiment 2) of Claims 1 to 3 This is shown in FIG. 5, where the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1 are the same constituent members, and the different parts are the vertical movement mechanism. It is A.

That is, the vertically movable body 12 is connected to a part of an endless chino 25 having a vertically movable part, and this endless chino 25
A reversible rotary motor 21b is attached to the shaft 27 of the riveted shaft 26 that meshes with the
are connected to form a vertical movement mechanism A. Further, a ball guide arm 1 is pivotally connected to the vertically movable body 12 by a horizontal shaft 13.
5 is biased by its own weight to a stopper 28 provided on the vertically movable body 12 to be at the ball supply position, and at the upper end of the stroke of the vertically movable body 12, it hits a stopper 29 provided on the machine frame 10. , ball guide arm 1
5 is provided so that it can swing to the standby position and stand up.

First and second limit stitches SL and LS.

The configuration of the control section C is almost the same as that of the first embodiment except that it is operated by the vertical moving body 12 and that the motor 21a is rotated in forward and reverse directions.

(Operation of Embodiment 2) As in Embodiment 1, the vertically movable body 12 is at the upper end of its stroke, the ball guide arm 15 is upright, and the standby position is set, and the reversible rotary motor 21a is stopped. .

As in the first embodiment, when the reversible rotary motor 21b is rotated in the direction in which the vertical movable body 12 descends based on the input signal from the sensor 30, the vertical movable body 12 gradually descends and the ball guide arm 15 is fixed to the machine frame 10. When separated from a certain stopper 29, the ball guide arm 15 rotates around the horizontal axis 13 from the upright position to the ball supply position and lies down due to its own weight.

Further, due to the rotation of the reversible rotary motor 21b, the vertically moving body 12
When the ball guide arm 15 descends, the ball guiding arm 15 remains in that position and guides the ball vertically together with the vertically movable body 12.

It descends guided by the rail 11, and the guide cylinder 18 at the tip of the ball guide arm 15 is located directly above the tee T.

Then, as in the first embodiment, these are stopped for a while, during which time the ball B is supplied, and then the reversible rotary motor 21b starts to rotate in reverse, and contrary to the previous case, the ball guide arm 15 moves up and down the vertically moving body 1.
When the vertical movable body 15 further rises, a part of the ball guide arm 15 hits the stopper 29 of the one-machine frame 1o, and the ball guide arm 15 stands up and returns to the standby position.

The vertical movement mechanism A of each of the above-mentioned embodiments is an example,
A method using a cam, a purely mechanical method such as winding and unwinding the winch using the reversible rotary motor 21b, a feed screw method, a method using fluid pressure such as an air cylinder device or a hydraulic cylinder device, or an electric method such as a solenoid or linear motor. Even if the mechanism is similar to the above, it is included in the embodiment of the vertical movement mechanism A of the present invention. In addition, the control section C may be a relay circuit, an electronic circuit, a pneumatic sequencer using air pressure, or another purely mechanical device using a cam, which is the same in this invention. Further, there is no difference in the present invention even if a printed circuit board, a mounted board, a chip, or a board computer is used for transmitting and receiving signals of each sensor and operating commands.

Example of Claims 5 and 6 (Example 3) This is shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, and the same reference numerals as in Example 1 represent the same constituent members and have the same functions. .

The difference is that the ball guide arm 15c is equipped to swing horizontally around a vertical axis 35 together with the vertically movable body 12e.

To be more specific, the base 16e of the ball guide arm 15c
is approximately 9 horizontally around the vertical axis 35 with respect to the vertically moving body 12c.
In the third embodiment, the vertically moving body 12c is composed of a vertical shaft 35 and a crown cam 36 integrated with the vertical shaft 35,
A reversible rotary motor 21e is provided at the upper end of the vertical shaft 35.
Further, a crown cam 36 is fixed to the vertical shaft 35, and this cam surface is brought into pressure contact with a roller 37 which is a contact member fixed to the machine frame 10,
Vertical #35 and crown cam 36 reversible rotary motor 21
The rotation by c causes the vertical shaft 35 and the crown cam 36 to
The vertically moving body 12e made of the following moves vertically.

The reversible rotary motor 21e itself moves up and down with the vertical l1II 35, and the vertical guide rod 3 is fixed to the machine frame 10 parallel to the vertical axis 35 so as not to rotate with respect to the vertical axis 35.
8 is slidably attached to a motor support member 39.

That is, the crown cam 36 fixed to the vertical shaft 35,
and the roller 37 in contact with this, the reversible rotary motor 21c and its support member 39, and the vertical guide rod 38,
A vertical movement mechanism A is configured.

The crown cam 36 has a 90° convex portion 36a around the vertical @35, and the crown cam 36 has a 90° convex portion 36a around the vertical direction
There is an inclined part 36b in the range of 0°, which is connected to the lowest concave part 36e, and the height difference between the convex part 36a and the concave part 36c is usually the difference between the highest and lowest tee T on the market. In the example, it is slightly larger than 5.
It is set as 5m.

The above-mentioned ball guide arm 15c is connected to the vertically moving body 12c,
The ball guide arm 15e is pivoted about a vertical shaft 35, and the ball guide arm 15e is normally biased to the ball supply position by a spring 40, in the illustrated example a torsion spring that is wound around the vertical shaft 35. Ball guide arm 15c by 40
is pressed against a stopper 41 provided on a part of the machine frame 10,
This is biased so that it is positioned at the ball supply position.

When the vertical shaft 35 rotates and the roller 37 reaches the convex portion 36a from the inclined portion 36b of the crown cam 36, the protrusion 42, which engages with a part of the ball guide arm, radially moves toward the vertical shaft 35. While the roller 37 contacts the convex portion 36a of the crown cam 36 and rotates by 90 degrees, the ball guide arm 15c rotates by 90 degrees by this protrusion 42.

First and second limit switches LSi and LS for regulating the rotation angle of the vertical shaft 35 are attached to the motor support member 39 and are operated by a switch actuating cam 43 fixed to the vertical shaft 35.

Description of the control section C of the reversible motor 21c will be omitted.

(Operation of Embodiment 3) In Embodiment 3 configured as described above, first, in the standby position, the convex portion 36a of the crown cam 36 touches the roller 37.
The entire vertically movable body 12c and the ball guide arm 15c are in the upper position, and the protrusion 42 protruding in the radial direction from the vertical shaft 35 moves the ball guide arm 15c against the restoring force of the torsion spring 40. , the switch actuating cam 43 stops at the position where it contacts the first limit switch LS.

A signal indicating that the ball B on the tee T is not present is emitted from the sensor 30 in the same way as in the first embodiment, and this causes the reversible rotary motor 21c to rotate the vertical 1.35 in the direction in which the ball guide arm 15c swings toward the ball supply position. The rotation begins by first rotating the vertical axis 35 through a range of 90°. During this time, the convex portion 36a of the crown cam 36 remains in contact with the roller 37, the vertical moving body 12c rotates while remaining in the upper position, the convex portion 42 integrated therewith also rotates, and the ball guide arm 15C Due to the restoring force of the torsion spring 40, the ball follows the protrusion 42, remains in the upper position, rotates 90 degrees, comes into contact with the stopper 41 provided on the machine frame 10, and becomes the ball supply position. The swing of the ball guide arm 15c stops.

Furthermore, the vertical shaft 35 continues to rotate by the reversible rotary motor 21c, and the crown cam 36 integrated therewith gradually moves toward the inclined portion 3.
6b and the recessed portion 36c come into contact with the roller 37, the vertically movable body 12c descends due to its own weight, and the ball guide arm 15c mounted thereon also descends vertically.

The switch operating cam 43, which is integral with the vertical shaft 35, contacts the second limit switch LS, and temporarily stops the reversible motor 21c.

During this stop period, the ball passes through the guide tube 18 to the tee T.
supplied to

The ball guide arm 15c is as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 in Embodiment 1.
If the ball guide arm 15c is in the above-mentioned ball supply position and descends to a lower position, the ball B is supplied from the base 16 of the ball guide arm 15c, and the gutter-shaped part 17 is rolled and fed onto the tee T through the vertical guide tube 18.

On the other hand, this ball guide arm 15c is connected to the guide tube 18 as in the conventional case.
In the case where the ball receiver that appears and retracts from the inner peripheral surface is provided with a protrusion 44 (see No. 9 @), the ball B is inserted into the protrusion 44 while the ball guide arm 15c is in the standby position.
protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the guide tube 18 and receives the ball B thereon, and after the ball guide arm 15Q swings to reach the ball supply position and further moves to a lower position together with the vertically movable body 12c, The ball receiver has a protrusion 44 sunk into the inner peripheral surface of the guide tube 18, and supplies the ball B onto the tee T through the guide tube 18.

Then, the reversible rotary motor 21c starts to rotate in reverse according to a predetermined program, and the crown cam 3 rotates in reverse order.
Passing through the inclined part 36b from the concave part 36c of No. 6, the convex part 36a
The roller 37 comes into contact with the vertical movable body 12c, and the ball guide arm 15c mounted thereon rises in the same position, and the lower end of the guide tube 18 is at a position higher than the ball B on the tee T. becomes.

Further, the vertical shaft 35 is rotated in reverse by the reversible rotary motor 21c, and the protrusion 42 integrated therewith hits a part of the ball guide arm 15c, resisting the restoring force of the torsion spring 40.
The ball is swung in the opposite direction to the standby position, the switch actuating cam 43 hits the first limit switch LS1, the reversible rotary motor 21C is stopped, the ball guide arm 15c is also stopped in place, and the operation completes one cycle.

Thereafter, the same operation is performed once every time the ball absence detection sensor 30 on the tee T issues an output signal.

In the device according to claims 1 to 6 of the present invention, which is constructed and operates as described above, the ball guide arm is swung from the standby position to the ball supply position. Since the ball is supplied onto the tee with the guide tube of the ball guide arm approaching the tee and encircling the tee with the entire circumference of the guide tube, the ball may collide with the tee or be misaligned, causing the ball to be slightly Even if B rebounds against the tee, after a while it will definitely be placed on the tee, and the ball guide arm will rise with its guide tube vertical, and will be in a position where the ball and guide tube will not touch each other. The ball swings and returns to the waiting position, ensuring that the ball is set on the tee.

In addition to the above-mentioned effects, in the inventions described in Items 3 and 4, the ball guide arm rotates around a horizontal axis in a vertical plane, and its base is pivoted to the vertically moving member about the horizontal axis. Because of this, the swing and vertical movement of the ball guiding arm are movements within the same vertical plane, and the operations are smoothly continuous and smooth.

Further, since the ball guide arm is laid down to the ball supply position and the ball is supplied to the ball guide arm after being lowered, there is no risk of the ball falling from the ball guide arm.

Furthermore, in the apparatus according to claim 4, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, by operating the ball guide arm by the vertical movement mechanism, both the raising and lowering of the ball guiding arm and the vertical movement at the ball supplying position can be achieved, and the structure is simple. There is no risk of failure.

In the device according to claims 5 and 6, since the ball guide arm swings horizontally around the vertical axis, the ball guide arm remains stable in the same posture throughout the entire stroke. , there is no particular restriction on the timing of supply of balls.

Although the vertical movement range of the ball guide arm is larger than that of the devices described in other claims, the vertical movement mechanism can also be a purely mechanical structure such as a cam and a simple one.

(Effects Unique to Embodiment) In Embodiment 1, in addition to producing the same effects as those described in claim 4, since the vertical movement mechanism is the crank 22, the motor 21 may rotate in one direction. This one rotation allows the ball guide arm 15 to swing and move up and down continuously, resulting in smooth operation.

The second embodiment has the same effects as the first to third claims, and there is no need to constantly bias the ball guide arm 15 in one direction with the spring 19 as in the first embodiment. Also, the vertical movement mechanism does not require a crank, and only requires the endless chino 25 engaged with the silver ring 26 and the reversible rotating motor 21b.
However, due to the vertical movement of the vertically moving body 12b, the ball guide arm 1
5b can be swinged and moved up and down continuously,
The structure becomes simple.

In the third embodiment, in addition to producing the same effects as in claim 6, the vertical movement mechanism for vertically moving the vertically moving body 12e is simply a round cam 36, and the tilted posture of the ball guide arm 15c does not change. In addition, since the ball guiding arm 15c is moved up and down and swung, the ball guide arm 15c remains in a constant posture during the entire stroke, so it is stable. Generally, there is a wide selection range of ball supply timing, and a high degree of freedom in design.

In addition, since the shaft on which the ball guide arm 15c is pivotally connected to the machine frame 10 and the shaft on which the crown cam 36 is fixed are the common vertical shaft 35, the number of components is reduced and the structure is simpler. , so you don't have to worry about malfunctions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show typical embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a mechanical perspective view of Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a partially omitted side view of Embodiment 1 with the ball guide arm in an upright state. Figure, 3rd
The figure is a partially omitted side view when feeding the balls of the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the control unit and mechanical parts of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the second embodiment. 6 is a partially longitudinal front view of Embodiment 3, FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a tip guide of the ball guide arm. A perspective view showing another embodiment of the cylindrical portion, and FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart of FIG. 4. Upper code in the figure 10... Machine frame 12... Vertical moving body 15.
... Ball guide arm 18 ... Guide cylinder A ... Vertical movement mechanism B ... Ball T ...
・Tea lf9 Yafu procedural amendment (voluntary) December 20, 1990

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) The ball guide arm, which has a guide cylinder at its tip through which the ball can pass, has its base portion pivoted directly or indirectly to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm has a guide cylinder that allows the ball to pass through from the standby position. It is equipped to be able to swing back and forth to a ball supply position located on a tee, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the axis of the guide tube is in a vertical position, and the ball guide In the golf ball tee-up device in which a ball is supplied to a tee through the guide tube while the arm is at the ball supply position, the ball guide arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism and is equipped to be movable up and down. Due to the operation of this vertical movement mechanism, the ball guide arm is in the supply position, and just before the ball is supplied, the lower end of the guide tube of the ball guide arm is lowered to a position where it comes very close to the tee, and the ball passes through the guide tube and passes to the tee. A golf ball tee-up device characterized in that after the ball is supplied to the golf ball, the ball guide arm moves up to a position where the guide tube and the ball on the tee separate from each other while maintaining the same posture. 2) The golf ball tee-up device according to claim 1, wherein the swing of the ball guide arm rotates around a horizontal axis. 3) The ball guide arm, which is equipped with a guide cylinder at the tip through which the ball can pass, has its base portion pivoted directly or indirectly to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm is equipped with a guide cylinder that allows the ball to pass through from the standby position. It is equipped to be able to swing back and forth to the supply position, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the axis of the guide cylinder is in a vertical position,
In a golf ball tee-up device in which a ball is supplied to a tee through the guide tube while the ball guide arm is at the ball supply position, the arm portion of the ball guide arm is a gutter-like arm, and the ball guide The base of the arm is pivoted by a horizontal axis to a vertically movable body mounted on the machine frame so as to be movable up and down, and is equipped to swing up and down from an upright standby position to a prone ball supply position. In the ball supply position, the tip of the ball guide arm is lower than the base, and the ball guide arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism, and the movement of the vertical movement mechanism causes the ball guide arm to be in the ball supply position. In the meantime, the ball is vertically lowered together with the vertically movable body to at least the ball setting position, and the ball is supplied from the base of the ball guide arm, rolls through the gutter-like arm, and is thrown into the guide tube, and then returns to the original position. 1. A golf ball tee-up device characterized in that the golf ball tees up to a position. 4) The vertically movable body is installed to be able to move up and down by at least an equivalent distance between a golf ball setting position and a golf ball removal position with respect to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm is attached to the vertically movable body so as to always lie down in the ball supply position. The ball guide arm is biased by a spring, and the ball guide arm is in a prone supply position, and the vertically movable body is pulled up from the lower position together with the ball guide arm to the limit of its stroke, and the ball guide arm is pushed up by the spring. The ball guide arm is connected to a vertical movement mechanism so as to be able to reciprocate to a standing position against a restoring force, and the vertical movement mechanism is stopped when the ball guide arm is placed in the standing position, and the vertical movement mechanism is not activated. A mechanism in which, in response to an input signal, the ball guide arm is lowered to a ball supply position, the ball guide arm is further lowered in that position together with the vertically moving body, and after a temporary stop, the ball guide arm and the vertically movable body are reciprocated once to a standby position. A golf ball tee-up device according to claim 3, characterized in that: 5) The golf ball tee-up device according to claim 1, wherein the swing of the ball guide arm rotates around a vertical axis. 6) The ball guide arm, which is equipped with a guide tube at the tip through which the ball can pass, has its base portion pivoted directly or indirectly to the machine frame, and the ball guide arm is equipped with a guide tube that allows the ball to pass through from the standby position. It is equipped to be able to swing back and forth to a supply position, and when the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the axis of the guide tube is in a vertical position, and the guide arm is in the ball supply position. In a golf ball tee-up device in which a ball is supplied to a tee through the guide cylinder, the ball guide arm is mounted on the machine frame so as to be able to swing back and forth in the horizontal direction from a standby position to a ball supply position. The tip is lower than the base, and the vertically movable body is connected to a vertically movable mechanism so as to be movable vertically, and when the vertically movable mechanism operates, the vertically movable body, together with the ball guide arm,
While the ball guide arm is in the upper position in the standby position and the swing section, and while the ball guide arm is in the ball supply position, the ball is lowered before the ball is thrown into the tee through the guide cylinder part, and A golf ball tee-up device characterized in that, after a ball is supplied, the guide tube rises to a position higher than the ball on the tee.