JPH0433474B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention sequentially detects the posture and orientation of the tiles transferred after being mixed, and converts the tiles other than the face-down tiles to castle wall tiles (face-down tiles). The present invention relates to a method for detecting the posture of tiles in an automatic mahjong table used to correct the required number of tiles to the face down state necessary to form a two-tiered state.

An automatic mahjong table that automates a series of operations in which tiles are mixed on a turntable, all of the mixed tiles are turned face-down, and castle wall tiles are formed using the face-down tiles is already well known. be.

On the other hand, patent application No. 57-215503 filed by the present applicant
The invention of No. 108582 (JP-A No. 59-108582) involves changing all the tiles mixed on a turntable to a posture other than standing tiles, and at the same time correcting the orientation, and transporting these tiles from the turntable to a conveyor. A posture correction device has been proposed that can correct tiles that are sent upward and are transferred in a sideways posture or a face-up horizontal posture to an upside down state necessary for forming castle wall tiles. Therefore, this posture correction device detects the posture of the transferred tiles in advance, and based on this detection, tiles other than the face-down tiles are corrected to the face-down posture, and the tiles are moved to the next action section (standby table).
It is configured so that tiles can be sent out sequentially to the side.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for detecting the posture of tiles in an automatic mahjong table, which is used to accurately detect the posture of the tiles transferred to the posture correcting device and to control the operation of the posture correcting device based on this detection. The purpose of this device is to transfer the tiles in a sideways or horizontal position to the side of the tile posture correction device in a vertical line, and to move the tiles in a movable position in front of the posture correction device. The permanent magnet is moved by the relative reaction between the permanent magnet and the magnetic material embedded in the tiles that have been transferred in a horizontal position or in a horizontal position. While opening or blocking the optical path of the first transmission type sensor, a second transmission type sensor provided separately from the first transmission type sensor is opened or blocked by the tile placed in a sideways position among the transferred tiles. A posture detection method configured to block the optical path of the mold sensor and detect the posture of the tile and the orientation of the front and back surfaces by a combination of electrical signals generated by opening and closing the optical paths of the first and second transmissive sensors. This is achieved by

Embodiments of the method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conveyor 4 for transporting the tiles 1 is provided between a turntable 2, which is a member for mixing the tiles 1, and a basket 3, which is a component of the posture correction device. A guide frame 5 is attached to the turntable 4 so that the tiles 1 sent out from the turntable 2 can be reliably transferred to the basket 3 side. The rotation shaft 6 of the basket 3 is connected to a motor (not shown), and its rotation angle in forward and reverse directions is controlled by the motor. Also, the second
As shown in the figure, the basket 3 has two open surfaces, one for receiving the tiles 1 and the other for sending out the tiles 1, and the surface for receiving the tiles 1 is normally in a position opposite to the delivery end 4a of the transfer conveyor 4. It is controlled so that it can be stopped, and a detection section 7a is provided for detecting its position. Furthermore, basket 3
is provided with a sensor 7b for detecting when the basket 3 contains tiles 1. Reference numeral 8 in the figure denotes a door rotatably provided on each of the two surfaces of the basket 3 through which the tiles 1 are sent out to prevent the tiles from falling off, and this door 8 is held by a holding spring 9.

Next, a method of detecting the attitude of the tiles 1 sent out onto the above-mentioned transfer conveyor 4 (the attitude of the tiles lying sideways or horizontally and the orientation of their front and back surfaces) will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, first and second transmission type sensors 11 and 12 are located in front of the basket 3 described above in the passage of the tiles 1 traveling on the transfer conveyor 4. is provided.

The first transmission type sensor 11 is located directly below the transfer conveyor 4, and its constituent members, a light emitting diode 11a and a phototransistor 11b, are attached to a holding frame 13 constructed below the transfer conveyor 4. A permanent magnet 14 that is vertically movable is housed in the holding frame 13.
is provided at a position where the optical path of the transmission type sensor 11 can be blocked at all times, and the holding frame 13 is formed of a non-magnetic material that can shield magnetic fields from the fixed base 15 side, so that the direction of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 14 is It is intended to be directed onto the transfer conveyor 4. In addition,
As shown in FIG. 4, a magnetic material 10 such as a piece of iron is embedded in the tile 1, deviating toward the back surface 1a. will be further regulated. That is, permanent magnet 1
4 is the magnetic body 10 of tile 1, which has been transferred in a horizontal position facing left in the figure as shown in FIG. 4D.
It is necessary that the permanent magnet 14 is set at a position where it can pass through the area above the center of the permanent magnet 14, and the permanent magnet 14 is movable depending on the relative positional relationship with the magnetic body 10. It is designed to open the optical path of the sensor 11. On the other hand, the second transmission type sensor 12 is composed of a light emitting diode 12a and a phototransistor 12b mounted opposite to the side wall of the guide frame 5. It is set at a height that is blocked by the incoming tile 1, but not blocked by the tile 1 lying horizontally.

The optical paths of the first transmissive sensor 11 and the second transmissive sensor 12 arranged as described above are opened and closed depending on the attitude of the transferred tile 1 and the orientation of the front and back sides. The electrical signal is input to the computer, and according to the specifications from this computer, the above-mentioned basket 3 is given the required rotation, and the posture of the tiles 1 housed in the basket 3 can be corrected to the normal face-down state. .

That is, an electric signal indicating that the tile 1 has advanced to the detected position and the first and second transmission type sensors 1 are detected.
A logical condition is created by combining the on/off electrical signals caused by the opening and closing of optical paths 1 and 12, and depending on this logical condition, it is possible to determine whether the tile is lying on its side or horizontally, and whether the tile is on its side or on its back. The computer stores this determined information and instructs the basket 3 to rotate by a required angle so that the tiles stored in the basket 3 are in the correct face-down position according to each determination information. All you have to do is give.

Regarding the detection and correction of the posture of the tiles described above, an example of detection of each tile will be specifically explained.

If the transferred tile 1 is a normal face-down tile as shown in FIG. ) has been
Furthermore, since the optical path of the second transmission type sensor 12 is open, the outputs of both sensors 11 and 12 are off and on. In the case of this off-on electric signal condition, the computer remembers that the tile 1 is in a normal face down position, and does not issue any rotation command to the basket 3. If tile 1 is lying on its side, facing right on the diagram, as shown in Figure B, then
The optical path of the second transmission type sensor 11 is blocked by the permanent magnet 14 (because the distance between the magnetic body 10 and the permanent magnet 14 is large), and the optical path of the second transmission type sensor 12 is also blocked by the tile 1. Because
The output of both sensors is off/off. Therefore, based on this off-off electrical signal, the computer issues a command to rotate the basket 3, for example, 90 degrees clockwise. When the tile 1 is lying face up horizontally as shown in Figure C, the optical path of the first transmissive sensor 11 is open (because the distance between the magnetic body 10 and the permanent magnet is small), and the Since the optical path of the second transmission type sensor 12 is also open, the outputs of both sensors 11 and 12 are on/off.

Therefore, based on this on-on electrical signal, the computer issues a command to rotate the basket 3 by 180 degrees. In addition, when the tile 1 is laid down horizontally to the left in the figure as shown in Figure D, the optical path of the first transmission type sensor 11 is opened, and the optical path of the second transmission type sensor 12 is blocked by the tile 1. Because there are
The outputs of both sensors 11 and 12 are on and off. Therefore, based on this on/off electrical signal, the computer issues a command to rotate the basket, for example, 90 degrees counterclockwise.

In the embodiment described above, the optical path of the first transmission type sensor 11 is always blocked by the permanent magnet 14, but this can also be implemented so that the optical path is always open. . Although not shown, a transmission type sensor for detecting the presence of the tile 1 is provided at the detection position of the tile 1.

The present invention is as described above, and this detection method is advantageous in quickly correcting individual tiles transferred after being mixed into a normal face-down tile posture, and the sensor used is Automatic mahjong table It is extremely effective in significantly improving the original function.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of an apparatus implementing the method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same basket portion, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same basket portion.
The figure is a front sectional view of the tile attitude detection part, and FIGS. 4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams of the detection state. In the figure, 1 is a tile, 3 is a basket which is a component of the posture correction device, 4 is a transport conveyor, 10 is a magnetic material, 11 is a first transmission type sensor, 12 is a second transmission type sensor, and 14 is a transmission type sensor. It is a permanent magnet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Transfer the tiles in a sideways or horizontal position to the side of the tile posture correction device in a vertical line, and place a movably provided permanent magnet in front of the posture correction device with the permanent magnet. The tiles are moved by a relative reaction with the magnetic material embedded in the tiles that have been transferred in a horizontal position or in a horizontal position, and the movement of this permanent magnet opens or opens the optical path of the first transmission sensor. At the same time, the optical path of the second transmissive sensor, which is provided separately from the first transmissive sensor, is blocked by a tile placed in a sideways position among the transferred tiles. A method for detecting the posture of a tile in an automatic mahjong table, characterized in that the posture of the tile and the state of the front and back sides of the tile are detected by a combination of electrical signals generated by opening and closing the optical paths of first and second transmissive sensors.