US20100015884A1

US20100015884A1 - Eyes for electronic pet

Info

Publication number: US20100015884A1
Application number: US12/339,019
Authority: US
Inventors: Song-Ling Yang
Original assignee: Hongfujin Precision Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hongfujin Precision Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-07-18
Filing date: 2008-12-18
Publication date: 2010-01-21
Also published as: CN101628180A; CN101628180B

Abstract

An eye for electronic pet includes an eyelid, an eyeball, a driving box and a driving source. The eyelid is rotatably attached to the outside surface of the eyeball. The driving box is received in the eyelid to drive the eyelid to rotate along an outside surface of the eyeball. The driving source is received in the eyeball and mounted on the driving box for supplying rotary power for driving box to rotate the eyelid.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to mechanical eyes, and particularly, to a mechanical eye for an electronic pet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, electronic pets are becoming popular. Electronic pets are being designed with evermore functions that can provide intelligent interaction with their owners. Life-like interaction with the pets is one of the most important characteristic that attracts the attention and holds the interest of consumers. Because the eyes, of the electronic pet, play an important rule in making the electronic pet seems more life-like, it is essential that the eyes have life-like movement. However, the eyes of most existing electronic pets cannot blink like those of their real-life counterparts.
Therefore, the need exist for an eye for an electronic pet that can automatically blink like those of a real-life counterpart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric view of an eye for an electronic pet according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of the eye of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a reversed and isometric exploded view of the eye of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the eye of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an eye 100 for an electronic pet according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The eye 100 includes an eyelid 110, an eyeball 120, a driving box 130, and a driving source 140. The eyelid 110 is rotatably attached to an outside surface of the eyeball 120. The eyeball 120 defines a receiving room 120 a in which the driving box 130 and the driving source 140 are jointly received therein. The driving box 130 connects to the eyelid 110 and is capable of driving the eyelid 110 to rotate along the outside surface of the eyeball 120, to imbue the eye 100 with the ability to blink. The driving source 140 is mounted on the driving box 130 and configured to supply rotary power to the driving box 130 to rotate the eyelid 110. The driving box 130 and the driving source 140 collectively construct a driving device to rotate the eyelid 110.
Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the eyelid 110 includes a substantially hemispherical shell 112. The shell 112 includes a substantially annular end 112 a and two substantially semicircular protuberances 114 symmetrically protruded from the annular end 112 a along the extending direction of the spherical surface of the shell 112. Two trunnions 116 are separately formed on an inside surface of protuberances 114, and each trunnion 116 is substantially perpendicular to the corresponding protuberance 114. At least one trunnion 116 defines a terminal shaft hole 118 therein for receiving a driving element.
The eyeball 120 includes an upper carapace 122, and a lower carapace 124. A number of locating sets 123 and corresponding number of the locating columns 125 are respectively formed on the inside walls of the lower and upper carapaces 122, 124. The locating sets 123 and the locating columns 125 can engage with each other for connecting the upper carapace 122 to the lower carapace 124.
The upper carapace 122 includes a front shell 122 a and a separate back shell 122 b. Because the front shell 122 a and the back shell 122 b are separate structures, they can be assembled to the lower carapace 124 easily and accurately. The front shell 122 a includes a substantially annular edge 122 c, and two concave cutouts 126 formed on the annular edge 122 c corresponding to and receiving the trunnions 116 of the eyelid 110. The back shell 122 b is shaped substantially one-third of a sphere, and includes two separate and parallel upper handles 127 protruded outward from an outside surface of the back shell 122 b.
The lower carapace 124 includes lower annular end 124 a, and two concave semicircle openings 129 formed on the lower annular end 124 a and corresponding to the cutouts 126 formed on the upper carapace 122. The openings 129 of the lower carapace 124 and the cutouts 126 of the upper carapace 122 corporately form two through holes which are used for the trunnions 116 extending therethrough to connect to the eyelid 110. Two supporting poles 128 are separately formed on the inner side of the lower carapace 124 and are configured for supporting and fixing the driving box 130. Corresponding to the upper handles 127 of the upper carapace 122, two parallel lower handles 121 are separately formed on the outer side of the lower carapace 124 to assembly with the upper handles 127 together for constructing a connecting end which is configured for connecting the eye to an electronic pet.
The driving box 130 includes a housing 132, a number of middle shafts 133, a number of gears 137 and a terminal shaft 134. The housing 132 defines a receiving room for receiving the middle shafts 133, the gears 137 and the terminal shaft 134. The middle shafts 133 and the terminal shaft 134 are respectively matched with the hub portions of the gears 137 and are rotatably mounted in the housing 132, so that the middle shafts 133, the terminal shaft 134 and the gears 137 can rotate synchronously. One end of the terminal shaft 134 protrudes from the housing 132 and engages with the terminal shaft hole 118 of the eyelid 110 for connecting to the eyelid 110. The housing 132 includes a number of interconnected side walls 132 a, two locating bumps 135 separately formed on an outer sides of the side walls 132 a corresponding to the supporting poles 128 of the lower carapace 124. Each locating bump 135 defines a through hole 136 thereon for a blot 139 passing there through to fix the driving box 130 in the eyeball 120. A stepped hole 138, communicating with the through hole 136 and having a larger diameter than the through hole 136, is defined on a side surface of the locating bump 135 corresponding to the supporting poles 128 of the lower carapace 124. The stepped hole 138 is configured for receiving supporting poles 128 therein, as a result, when the driving box 130 is fixed on the supporting poles 128, the inner-side wall of the stepped hole 138 can hold the supporting pole 128 stably to prevent the whole driving box 130 from shifting.
The driving source 140 is generally selected from one of a stepping motor or a piezoelectric motor mounted on the outer surface of side wall 132 a of the housing 132 and configured for rotating the terminal shaft 134 of the driving box 130 to rotate the eyelid 110, from its original position, through a predetermined angle or reversely rotate the eyelid 110 to return the eyelid 110 to its original position. The driving source 140 can be controlled by a central controller (not shown) to control the rotation time and angle of the eyelid 110.
When the driving source 140 operates, the middle shafts 133 are rotated by the operating driving source 140, and the gears 137 mounted on the middle shafts 133 follow the rotation of the middle shafts. Accordingly, the terminal shaft 134 rotates following the rotation of the gears 137, as a result, the eyelid 110 connected to the terminal shaft 134 of the driving box 130 rotates, following the rotation of terminal shaft 134, first in one direction, then in the opposite direction when the driving source reverses itself. In this way, the eyelid 110 can rotate along the eye ball 120 to shade or expose the eye ball and to perform a life-like blinking action.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. An eye for an electronic pet comprising:

an eyeball;

an eyelid rotatably attached to the outside surface of the eyeball;

a driving box received in the eyeball and connected to the eyelid, the driving box being configured for driving the eyelid to rotate along the outside surface of the eyeball; and

a driving source received in the eyeball and mounted on the driving box, the driving source being configured for supplying rotary power for the driving box to rotate the eyelid.

2. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eyelid comprises a hemispherical shell rotatably attached to the outside surface of the eyeball, the driving box comprises a terminal shaft which is connected with the hemispherical shell of the eyelid.

3. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hemispherical shell comprises an annular end, and two semicircular protuberances symmetrically protruding from the annular end along the extension surface of the hemispherical shell.

4. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shell further comprises two trunnions separately formed on an inside surface of the protuberances, the terminal shaft of the driving box is connected to one trunnion of the shell.

5. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the trunnion is substantially perpendicular to the corresponding protuberance.

6. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the two trunnions defines a terminal shaft hole thereon for receiving and fixing the terminal shaft of the driving box.

7. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 4, wherein the eyeball comprises an upper carapace, and a lower carapace, a number of locating sets and corresponding number of the locating columns are separately and correspondingly formed on the inside walls of the upper and lower carapace for interlocking with each other to connect the upper carapace and the lower carapace together.

8. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 7, wherein the upper carapace comprises a front shell and a separated back shell.

9. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the front shell comprises a substantially annular edge, and two concave cutouts formed on the annular edge corresponding to the trunnions of the eyelid.

10. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the back shell is shaped substantially one-third of a sphere.

11. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the back shell comprises two separate and parallel upper handles protruding outwardly from the outside surface of the back shell.

12. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lower carapace comprises a substantially annular end, and two openings are defined on the annular end corresponding to the cutouts of the upper carapace to corporately form two through holes for the trunnions extending there through.

13. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 11, wherein two parallel lower handles are separately formed on the outer side of the lower carapace, corresponding to the upper handles of the upper carapace.

14. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower carapace comprising two supporting poles separately formed on the inner side of the lower carapace and configured for supporting and fixing the driving box.

15. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 14, wherein the driving box further comprises a housing, a plurality of middle shafts, and a plurality of gears, the housing defines a receiving room for receiving the middle shafts, the gears and the terminal shaft, the middle shafts and the terminal shaft are respectively matched with the hub portions of the gears and are rotatably mounted in the housing.

16. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 15, wherein the housing comprises a number of interconnected side walls, two locating bumps are separately form on the outer sides of the side walls corresponding to the supporting poles of the lower carapace, each locating bump defines a through hole thereon for a blot passing therethrough to fix the driving box in the eyeball.

17. The eye of an electronic pet as claimed in claim 16, wherein a stepped hole is defined on a side surface of the locating bump corresponding to the supporting poles of the lower carapace for holding the supporting poles of the lower carapace.

18. An eye for an electronic pet comprising:

a hollow eyeball;

an eyelid rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the eyeball;

a driving equipment receiving in the hollow eyeball and connected to the eyelid to rotate the eyelid.