JPS6213657Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a rod-shaped elastic body that quickly and reliably spreads mahjong tiles placed on a tile stirring turntable of an automatic mahjong table in the outer circumferential direction.

An automatic mahjong table using the rod-shaped elastic body according to the present invention is well known. In this automatic mahjong table,
Using two pairs of tiles with iron pieces embedded near the back,
During a game with one set of tiles, the other tiles are washed by appropriately stirring them on a turntable arranged at an angle inside a fixed cylinder hopper, and a predetermined number of two-tiered castle wall tiles are made into four tiles. Form a group and wait,
After the tiles in the game are stored in a predetermined position, for example, in a hopper upon completion of the game, the waiting castle wall tiles are raised to a game ready state. Such operations require configurations corresponding to each operation. In other words, wash the tiles.

Hopper and tilt turntable Take out the tiles and arrange them face down.

Rotate above the tilt turntable Hopper ring with built-in magnet Move the tiles in a predetermined direction and line up a predetermined number of tiles.

A rubber belt conveyor rotates around the table,
A transfer mechanism that transfers tiles onto a conveyor, a stopper that selectively stops tiles on the conveyor, and a detection device that detects when a predetermined number of tiles are lined up.

A predetermined number of tiles are stacked in two stacks.

A lifter for raising and lowering tiles arranged along the conveyor, a pusher that pushes out a predetermined number of tiles on the conveyor onto the lifter, and then pushes out the upper tiles after the lifter has descended by the thickness of one tile. Note that the lifter will eventually lift the two-tier stack of tiles onto the tabletop.

Store the game end tiles in a predetermined position and repeat the steps.

It includes an opening/closing lid on the top of the hopper, and various other members for performing each operation are provided.
The operation of each of the above-mentioned constituent members is mainly driven by appropriately disposed electric motors, and sequence control is performed partly by utilizing gravity.

Such an automatic mahjong table allows rapid game progress because one set of tiles automatically forms a castle wall with the other tiles during the game, and because it is stirred in a closed state, there is less noise. It is widely used because it has the advantage of preventing fraudulent activities such as teasing during games.

In such an automatic mahjong table, it is important to perform the tile washing, ie, the tile stirring, which corresponds to the above operation, reliably and quickly. Therefore, a tilted turntable on which a set of tiles is placed is rotated in a hopper, which is a fixed tile stirring container, to stir the tiles and control their posture. A centrifugal force acts on the tiles on the turntable, causing them to move toward the periphery while passing mainly through the lower part of the tilted turntable than the center axis, until they come into contact with the inner wall of the hopper, which is a fixed cylindrical container. Posture is controlled. The tiles whose posture has been controlled in this manner are then attracted and taken out by a magnet on the lower surface of the hopper ring disposed above near the highest position of the tilted turntable.

In this process of stirring the tiles, the mahjong tiles may stay on the turntable, particularly near the center, and may be prevented from spreading toward the outer circumference. This phenomenon becomes more noticeable when the humidity inside the machine increases and the frictional force between the tiles and the turntable surface increases. Such a phenomenon increases the cycle time required for game preparation, and in extreme cases, game preparation may not be completed due to several stuck tiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration for avoiding the undesirable phenomenon of mahjong tiles remaining on a turntable and for promoting quick and reliable spread of the tiles in the outer circumferential direction.

The object of the present invention is achieved by arranging one end of the rod-shaped elastic body as described in the claims of the utility model registration so as to be fixed near the central axis of the turntable and the other end to be a free end.

The present invention prevents undesirable accumulation of tiles on the turntable, promotes quick and reliable spreading movement of the tiles in the outer circumferential direction at the automatic mahjong table, and makes it possible to shorten the cycle time required for game preparation.

The present invention will now be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing how a rod-shaped elastic body 4, one end of which is fixed on a center cap 3 of a turntable 2 rotating at a predetermined angle in a hopper 1, is attached. The turntable 2 is tiltable and rotatable so that it is highest at a point 2h and lowest at a point 2l on the opposite side.

A center ring 6 having an outer circumferential protrusion is fixed to the outside of the center cap 3 to prevent the mahjong tiles from bridging in a row between the hopper 1, which is a peripheral fixed cylinder, and the center cap 3.

In this embodiment, the rod-shaped elastic body 4 according to the present invention is formed by closely-adhered rod-shaped coil springs as shown in FIG. One end 4a of the elastic body 4 is fastened onto the fixed center cap 3 using an appropriate attachment means such as a screw, at an appropriate position on the center cap 3, for example, slightly in front of the lowest point 2l of the turntable. Installed. The other end 4b is an open free end, and a tile 1 is placed between it and the inner wall of the hopper 1.
It is formed to a length that allows it to pass through. If a staying tile or the like collides with this elastic body 4, it will bend by an appropriate amount.
These groups of tiles are spread in the outer circumferential direction.

According to this configuration, the amount of deflection of the elastic body 4 differs depending on the number of staying tiles, and in any case, the tiles are moved toward the periphery of the turntable, facilitating agitation of the tiles and diffusion for posture control. be done. By arranging the elastic body 4 of the present invention, the residence time of tiles on the turntable can be significantly reduced, making it possible to prepare for a game in a shortened cycle time.

The elastic body 4 may be made of elastic bodies other than coil springs, such as rubber, plastic, metal, etc., singly or in a suitable combination.

Although the invention has been disclosed with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be obvious that many modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a turntable and a hopper using a rod-shaped elastic body according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a rod-shaped elastic body according to the present invention. The correspondence of main reference symbols in the figure is as follows. 1...hopper, 2...turntable, 3...
...Center cap, 4... Rod-shaped elastic body, 5...
Axis, 6...center ring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) One end is fixed near the center axis of a turntable on which mahjong tiles are placed and stirred, and the other end is a free end and is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the turntable. A rod-shaped elastic body for dispersing tiles on a turntable for an automatic mahjong table. (2) Utility Model Registration The rod-shaped elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped elastic body is a coil spring. (3) The rod-shaped elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped elastic body is a rod-shaped body made of rubber or plastic.