US-20260124513-A1 - CATCHING MACHINE

US20260124513A1US 20260124513 A1US20260124513 A1US 20260124513A1US-20260124513-A1

Abstract

This disclosure provides a catching machine for automatically catching a baseball pitched by a user. According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a catching machine that can be safely used and accurately catch only baseballs entering the strike zone, enabling pitching practice for both amateurs and professional pitchers.

Inventors

Young Kwon LEE

Assignees

Young Kwon LEE

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251230
Priority Date: 20230709

Claims (8)

1 . A catching machine, comprising: a glove; a frame module fitted into the glove and configured to catch or release a baseball with the glove; a driving module connected to the frame module and including a cylinder having a piston that moves horizontally; a sensor module for sensing a baseball pitched toward the glove; and a control module for controlling the sensor module and the driving module such that the driving module is driven when the baseball is sensed by the sensor module, wherein the frame module comprises: a plate to which the driving module is fixed; a frame support part to which the piston of the cylinder is fixed and in which a rail-shaped groove for vertical movement is formed; a first roller and a second roller that move vertically along the rail-shaped groove in response to the horizontal movement of the piston; a T-shaped first frame and second frame connected to the first roller and the second roller, respectively; and a glove frame extending from the first frame and the second frame and fitted into the glove, wherein the frame support part moves forward and backward by the horizontal movement of the piston so that the glove performs catching and releasing operations, respectively.
2 . The catching machine of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder comprises an electric cylinder, wherein the driving module further comprises: a servo motor configured to provide power to the electric cylinder; a screw embedded in the electric cylinder and having one end connected to the piston; and a timing belt configured to interconnect the other end of the screw and a driving shaft of the servo motor, wherein when the screw is rotated in a forward direction by rotation of the servo motor, the piston is exposed and moves forward and when the screw is rotated in a reverse direction, the piston is retracted and moves backward.
3 . The catching machine of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder comprises an air pressure cylinder, wherein the driving module comprises: a compressor configured to provide compressed air to the air pressure cylinder; and a solenoid valve configured to control the horizontal movement of the air pressure cylinder by controlling the compressed air provided from the compressor.
4 . The catching machine of claim 3 , wherein the compressor comprises: an air tank containing compressed air at a maximum pressure of 5 bar to 15 bar; a pressure sensor configured to sense the pressure of the compressed air in the air tank; a pump configured to compress and supply air to the air tank; and a motor configured to provide power to the pump, wherein the control module controls the motor to start driving when the pressure of the compressed air sensed by the pressure sensor decreases to 65% to 85% of the maximum pressure, thereby allowing the glove to perform continuous catching operations even at time intervals of 30 seconds or less by replenishing air in the air tank.
5 . The catching machine of claim 1 , wherein the sensor module comprises: a first sensor unit located in front of the glove; and a second sensor unit located in front of the first sensor unit, wherein the control module causes the driving module to operate only when a baseball pitched toward the glove is detected by both the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.
6 . The catching machine of claim 5 , wherein the first sensor unit comprises a first left and right sensor and a second left and right sensor each having a length of 10 cm to 51 cm, positioned on the front left and right sides of the glove; wherein the second sensor unit comprises a first vertical sensor and a second vertical sensor each having a length of 20 cm to 61 cm, positioned on the front upper and lower sides of the glove, and wherein the control module causes the driving module to operate only when the baseball passes through a region corresponding to a height of 10 cm to 51 cm and a width of 20 cm to 61 cm.
7 . The catching machine of claim 5 , wherein the first sensor unit is spaced apart from the glove by a distance of 3 cm to 20 cm, wherein the control module controls the driving module to be driven immediately when the baseball is sensed by the first sensor unit, wherein the glove is configured to catch the baseball at various speeds ranging from 50 km/h to 160 km/h.
8 . The catching machine of claim 5 , wherein the second sensor unit is spaced apart from the first sensor unit by a distance of 30 cm to 70 cm, wherein the control module calculates the speed of the baseball by dividing the distance between the second sensor unit and the first sensor unit by the time interval during which the baseball is sensed by the second sensor unit and the first sensor unit, and controls the driving module so that it does not operate when the speed of the baseball is less than 50 km/h.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a U.S. Bypass Continuation Application of International Application No. PCT/KR2024/009759, filed on Jul. 9, 2024, which claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0088741, filed on Jul. 9, 2023, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0088742, filed on Jul. 9, 2023, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0088743, filed on Jul. 9, 2023, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0138109, filed on Oct. 16, 2023, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Technical Field This disclosure relates to a catching machine for automatically catching a flying baseball. Background Art Generally, in relation to baseball, the games mainly played by ordinary people include betting games and pitching games. The pitching games are classified into a speed measurement game for measuring the speed of a baseball and an accuracy measurement game for pitching to an accurate position within the strike zone. In the speed measuring game or the accuracy measuring game, the baseballs thrown by users hit a mat or cloth and fall to the floor. That is, in the pitching game, there is no means to catch the baseballs thrown by the users. If there is a catching means that catches the baseballs thrown by users in the pitching game, interest in the pitching game can be increased. In particular, if a catching means that can catch a baseball only when the baseball thrown by the user exactly enters the strike zone is implemented, the interest in the pitching game can be further increased. In addition, if the risk of injury to young children and others are very low due to a low possibility of malfunction, users can safely enjoy pitching games. SUMMARY Technical Problem An object of this disclosure is to provide a catching machine that can be safely used and accurately catch only baseballs entering the strike zone, enabling pitching practice for both amateurs and professional-level pitchers. Technical Solution According to this disclosure for achieving the above-described objectives, a catching machine includes: a glove; a frame module fitted into the glove and configured such that the glove catches or releases a baseball; a driving module connected to the frame module and including a cylinder with a piston that moves horizontally; a sensor module for sensing a baseball pitched toward the glove; and a control module for controlling the sensor module and the driving module so that the driving module is driven when the baseball is detected by the sensor module. The frame module includes: a plate to which the driving module is fixed; a frame support part fixed to the piston of the cylinder and formed with a rail-shaped groove inside for vertical movement; a first roller and a second roller that move vertically along the rail-shaped groove in response to the horizontal movement of the piston; T-shaped first and second frames respectively connected to the first and second rollers; and glove frames extending respectively from the first and second frames and fitted into the glove. When the frame support part moves forward and backward by the horizontal movement of the piston, the glove may be configured to perform catching and releasing operations, respectively. Here, the cylinder comprises an electric cylinder; the driving module further comprises a servo motor configured to provide power to the electric cylinder; a screw embedded in the electric cylinder and having one end connected to the piston; and a timing belt configured to interconnect the other end of the screw and a driving shaft of the servo motor; when the screw rotates forward by rotation of the servo motor, the piston moves forward while being exposed, and when the screw rotates backward, the piston moves backward while being retracted. Here, the cylinder may include an air pressure cylinder; and the driving module may include: a compressor configured to provide compressed air to the air pressure cylinder; and a solenoid valve configured to control the compressed air provided from the compressor to control the horizontal movement of the air pressure cylinder. Here, the compressor includes: an air tank containing compressed air at a maximum pressure of 5 bar to 15 bar; a pressure sensor sensing the pressure of the compressed air in the air tank; a pump compressing and supplying air to the air tank; and a motor providing power to the pump, wherein the control module controls the motor to start driving when the pressure of the compressed air sensed by the pressure sensor decreases to 65% to 85% of the maximum pressure, thereby allowing the glove to perform continuous catching operations even at time intervals of 30 seconds or less by replenishing air to the air tank. Here, the sensor module includes a first sensor unit located in front of the glove; and a second sensor unit located in front of the first sensor unit, and the control module may cause the driving