CN108379856B

CN108379856B - Movable connecting piece and toy with same

Info

Publication number: CN108379856B
Application number: CN201810051786.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈东子
Original assignee: Zhangzhou City Ann Li Polymer Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Zhangzhou City Ann Li Polymer Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2018-01-19
Filing date: 2018-01-19
Publication date: 2020-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-19
Also published as: CN108379856A

Abstract

The invention relates to a movable connecting piece and a toy with the same. The movable connecting piece is provided with a first shell, a gear body, a magnet and a second shell. Through the special matching relation, the first shell, the gear body, the magnet and the second shell form a whole. When the movable connecting piece is arranged in the toy, different parts of the toy can be randomly disassembled and assembled, and the different parts can rotate mutually, so that the entertainment of the toy is improved, and the intelligence development of children can be developed to a greater extent.

Description

Movable connecting piece and toy with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of connecting pieces, in particular to a movable connecting piece for a toy and a toy with the same.

Background

In modern society, the attention of more and more people is paid to the early intelligence development of children, and the attention of more and more people is paid to the early intelligence development of children. Toys having relatively moving parts are widely used in order to develop the intelligence of children. Existing toys with relatively moving parts are classified into building blocks, transformable toys and the like. However, in the prior art building block toy, the building blocks are generally provided with a tongue and a groove, which are connected in a tongue-and-groove fit manner. This connection has the following disadvantages: after the tenon and the groove are used for a period of time, the tenon and the groove are deformed, so that the tenon and the groove cannot be inserted or cannot be fixed after being inserted; in addition, for the toy, the tenon and the groove are tightly matched and cannot realize relative rotation connection, so that the toy is not strictly movable and deformable. Therefore, it is an urgent need in the field of toys to provide a means for ensuring relative movement between the components of the toy.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to overcome the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a movable coupling and a toy having the same.

The purpose of the invention can be realized by the following technical scheme: an articulating coupling for a toy, comprising:

a first housing including a first cylindrical shell and a second cylindrical shell, the first cylindrical shell and the second cylindrical shell being cylindrical shells having cylindrical inner cavities, the central axis of the second cylindrical shell and the central axis of the second cylindrical shell being coincident, at least one pair of first openings extending axially from the top end of the first cylindrical shell and respectively located at opposite ends of a first radial direction of the first cylindrical shell being provided on a first cylindrical outer wall of the first cylindrical shell, a first end cap having a circular ring shape being provided at the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell, an outer diameter of the first end cap corresponding to an outer diameter of the first cylindrical shell, an inner diameter of the first end cap corresponding to an inner diameter of the second cylindrical shell, at least two first engaging protrusions extending radially inward being provided on an inner side of the first cylindrical outer wall, the first engaging protrusions being substantially triangular in axial cross section, a first clamping surface is arranged at one end of the first cylindrical shell close to the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell; at least one pair of second openings are formed in the second cylindrical outer wall of the second cylindrical shell, extend along the axial direction from the top end of the second cylindrical shell and are respectively positioned at opposite ends of a second radial direction of the second cylindrical shell, and the second radial direction is perpendicular to the first radial direction;

the gear body is a cylindrical shell with an inner cavity, the gear body and the first cylindrical shell are coaxially arranged and accommodated in the cylindrical inner cavity of the second cylindrical shell, the bottom end surface of the gear body is annular, teeth are arranged on the bottom end surface along the axial direction, at least one pair of first limiting bulges extending along the second radial direction are arranged on the third cylindrical outer wall of the gear body, the first limiting bulges are matched with the second opening, and the teeth can be exposed out of the first end cover;

a magnet received in the internal cavity of the gear body;

a second housing comprising a third cylindrical shell and at least two snap-fit posts, and having a first end corresponding to a bottom end of the first cylindrical shell and a second end corresponding to a top end of the first cylindrical shell, the third cylindrical shell being a cylindrical housing having a cylindrical inner cavity, and the second end is provided with a second end cover, the inner wall of the third cylindrical shell is provided with at least two end covers which are distributed along the axial direction, and a second limit protrusion extending from the second end cap, the second limit protrusion being engaged with the first opening, the engaging post being axially disposed, one end of the second end cover is positioned on the second end cover, the other end of the clamping column is provided with a second clamping bulge, the section of the second clamping bulge along the axial direction is approximately triangular, one end of the first cylindrical shell, which is far away from the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell, is provided with a second clamping surface which can be matched with the first clamping surface.

Preferably, the second end cover is provided with a cylindrical groove along the axial direction, the groove is provided with a limiting flat plate along the first radial direction, and the end surface of the limiting flat plate facing the second end is flush with the end surface of the second end cover facing the second end; two pairs of notches which are symmetrical by taking the diameter where the first radial direction is located as the center are arranged at the top end of the gear body, one pair of notches are located on one end side of the diameter, and the other pair of notches are located on the other end side of the diameter.

Preferably, a plurality of first fan-shaped through holes are formed in the first end cover along the axial direction and at positions opposite to the clamping columns.

Preferably, the second end cap is provided with a plurality of second fan-shaped through holes along the axial direction, and the clamping column can be observed through the second fan-shaped through holes.

Preferably, the second end of the second end cover is provided with a third limiting protrusion along the axial direction.

Preferably, the end face of the first end of the second housing is provided with an extension portion extending outward along the radial direction.

Preferably, the first housing, the second housing and the gear body are plastic parts.

Furthermore, the invention also provides a toy with the movable connecting piece, wherein the movable connecting piece is embedded in the end face of the toy.

Preferably, the toy further has a cover made of a flexible material bonded to the outer surface of the first housing.

Preferably, the flexible material is foamed plastic.

On the basis of the common knowledge in the field, the above preferred conditions can be combined randomly to obtain the preferred embodiments of the invention.

The movable connecting piece of the invention is provided with a first shell, a gear body, a magnet and a second shell. Through the special matching relation, the first shell, the gear body, the magnet and the second shell form a whole. When the movable connecting piece is arranged in the toy, different parts of the toy can be randomly disassembled and assembled, and the different parts can rotate mutually, so that the entertainment of the toy is improved, and the intelligence development of children can be developed to a greater extent.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first housing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another angle of the first housing according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a gear body according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second housing according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another angle of the second housing according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The reference numbers in the figures are schematically as follows:

1: first shell

2: gear body

3: magnet body

4: second shell

5: first cylindrical shell

6: second cylindrical shell

7: first opening

8: first end cap

9: first engaging protrusion

10: second opening

11: tooth

12: first limit bulge

13: clamping column

14: second end cap

15: second limit bulge

16: second engaging protrusion

17: groove

18: limiting flat plate

19: first notch

20: second recess

21: first fan-shaped through hole

22: second fan-shaped through hole

23: extension part

24: third cylindrical shell

91: a first engaging surface

92: second engaging surface

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included within the scope of the present invention.

In the following detailed description, directional terms, such as "left", "right", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", and the like, are used with reference to the orientation as illustrated in the drawings. Components of embodiments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations and the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, a movable joint for a toy includes a first housing 1, a gear body 2, a magnet 3, and a second housing 4. The first housing 1 includes a first cylindrical shell 5 and a second cylindrical shell 6. The first cylindrical shell 5 and the second cylindrical shell 6 are both cylindrical shells having cylindrical inner cavities, and the central axis of the second cylindrical shell 6 coincide. The first cylindrical outer wall of the first cylindrical shell 5 is provided with at least one pair of first openings 7 extending from the top end of the first cylindrical shell 5 in the axial direction thereof and located at first radially opposite ends of the first cylindrical shell 5, respectively. The bottom of first cylindric shell 5 is equipped with and is annular first end cover 8, and the external diameter of first end cover 8 corresponds with the external diameter of first cylindric shell 5, and the internal diameter of first end cover 8 corresponds with the internal diameter of second cylindric shell 6. At least two first clamping protrusions 9 extending inwards in the radial direction are arranged on the inner side of the first cylindrical outer wall, the cross section of each first clamping protrusion 9 in the axial direction is approximately triangular, and a first clamping surface 91 is arranged at one end, close to the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell 5, of each first clamping protrusion 9. The second cylindrical outer wall of the second cylindrical shell 6 is provided with at least one pair of second openings 10 extending axially from the top end of the second cylindrical shell 6 and located at second radial opposite ends of the second cylindrical shell 6, respectively, the second radial being perpendicular to the first radial. The gear body 2 is a cylindrical housing having an inner cavity, and the gear body 2 is coaxially arranged with the first cylindrical housing 5, which is accommodated in the cylindrical inner cavity of the second cylindrical housing 6. The bottom end surface of the gear body 2 is in a ring shape, and teeth 11 are axially arranged on the bottom end surface. The third cylindrical outer wall of the gear body 2 is provided with at least one pair of first limiting bulges 12 extending outwards in the second radial direction, the first limiting bulges 12 are matched with the second opening 10, and the teeth 11 can be exposed out of the first end cover 8. The magnet 3 is accommodated in the inner cavity of the gear body 2. The second housing 4 includes a third cylindrical shell 24 and at least two snap posts 13. The second housing 4 has a first end corresponding to the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell 5 and a second end corresponding to the top end of the first cylindrical shell 5. The third cylindrical shell 24 is a cylindrical shell having a cylindrical interior cavity and the second end is provided with the second end cap 14. The inner wall of the third cylindrical shell 24 is provided with at least two second limiting protrusions 15 which are distributed along the axial direction and extend from the second end cover 14. The second limit projection 15 is fitted with the first opening 7. The engaging column 13 is disposed along the axial direction, one end of the engaging column is located at the second end cap 14, the other end of the engaging column 13 is provided with a second engaging protrusion 16, the cross section of the second engaging protrusion 16 along the axial direction is substantially triangular, and one end of the second engaging protrusion 16 away from the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell 5 is provided with a second engaging surface 92 capable of being matched with the first engaging surface 91. When in use, the first limit bulge 12 of the gear body 2 is aligned with the second opening 10 of the second cylindrical shell 6 and slides along the second opening 10 in the axial direction until the teeth 11 are exposed out of the first end cover 8; the magnet 3 is placed in the inner cavity of the gear body 2; the second housing 4 is slid in the axial direction with the first engaging projection 9 of the second housing 4 aligned with the first opening 7 of the first cylindrical shell 5 and the engaging column 13 aligned with the first engaging projection 9 until the first engaging projection 9 and the second engaging projection 16 are brought into engaging relation with each other and the first engaging surface 91 and the second engaging surface 92 are fitted together. In this configuration, the first limiting protrusion 12 and the second opening 10 are engaged with each other, so as to ensure that the gear body 2 and the first housing 1 do not rotate relative to each other; the first opening 7 is matched with the second limiting bulge 15, so that the second shell 4 and the first shell 1 cannot rotate mutually; the first clamping protrusion 9 and the second clamping protrusion 16 are mutually matched, so that the second shell 4 is ensured to axially move relative to the first shell 1; the second end cap 14 is fitted to the top end surface of the gear body 2 while the first stopper projection 12 is fitted to the second opening 10, thereby restricting the axial movement of the gear body 2. The coupling member constructed in this manner is a close fit between the first housing 1, the gear body 2, the magnet 3, and the second housing 4. When the two connecting pieces approach, the magnets 3 of the two connecting pieces attract each other to force the teeth 11 on the respective bottom end surfaces to be meshed with each other, and at the moment, the connecting pieces can rotate relatively and still be in a relatively connected state. When the movable piece is embedded in the end face of the toy, all the parts of the toy can rotate relatively. In addition, when the toy is applied with a force larger than the attractive force of the magnet 3, the toy can be disassembled and then assembled into various toys according to the requirements. The connector of the invention is preferably provided in a building block. In the present invention, the phrase "substantially triangular in cross section" means a shape in which one or more sides of the triangle are curved, a shape in which one or more corners of the triangle are curved, or the like.

Preferably, the second end cover 14 is provided with a cylindrical groove 17 along the axial direction, the groove 17 is provided with a limiting flat plate 18 along the first radial direction, and the end surface of the limiting flat plate 18 facing the second end is flush with the end surface of the second end cover 14 facing the second end; two pairs of notches are provided on the tip end of the gear body 2 so as to be symmetrical about the diameter in the first radial direction, wherein one pair of notches (first notches 19) is located on one end side of the diameter, and the other pair of notches (second notches 20) is located on the other end side of the diameter.

Preferably, the first end cover 8 is provided with a plurality of first fan-shaped through holes 21 at positions axially opposite to the engaging posts 13. The first fan-shaped through hole 21 is beneficial to checking whether the clamping column 13 is aligned with the first clamping bulge 9 from the bottom end of the first shell 1 when the movable connecting piece is combined so as to ensure the smooth assembly; at the same time, it can be ensured that when the movable connecting piece is disassembled, a tool is inserted from the first fan-shaped through hole 21, so that the second clamping bulge 16 is separated from the first clamping bulge 9.

Preferably, the second end cap 14 is provided with a plurality of second fan-shaped through holes 22 along the axial direction, and the engaging column 13 can be observed through the second fan-shaped through holes 22. The second fan-shaped through hole 22 helps to see whether the snap post 13 is aligned with the first snap projection 9 from the second end of the second housing 4 when the movable connector is assembled.

Since plastic has the characteristics of light weight and certain elasticity, the first housing 1, the second housing 4 and the gear body 2 are preferably made of plastic.

Because toys such as building blocks are mostly made of hard materials, in order to ensure that the movable connecting piece can be firmly embedded in the end face of the toy, the invention is further provided with a fixed sleeve which is bonded with the outer surface of the first shell 1 and is made of flexible materials. Because the fixing sleeve is made of flexible materials, the movable connecting piece can be extruded to be embedded into the toy when the fixing sleeve is fixed, and the movable connection can be firmly fixed in the toy.

Although not shown in the drawings, the second end of the second end cap 14 may be further provided with a third limit protrusion along the axial direction. By means of the third limiting bulge, the movable connecting piece and the fixed sleeve can be more firmly fixed into a whole

Preferably, the end surface of the first end of the second housing 4 is provided with an extension 23 extending radially outward therefrom. In this way, the extension 23 can be clamped on the end face of the toy, and it can be ensured that the movable connecting piece is not completely extruded into the toy and the teeth 11 cannot be exposed in the process of mounting the movable connecting piece or using the toy.

Preferably, the flexible material is a foamed plastic.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these are by way of example only, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. Various changes and modifications to these embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and these changes and modifications are within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A flexible connector for a toy, comprising:

a first housing including a first cylindrical shell and a second cylindrical shell, the first cylindrical shell and the second cylindrical shell being cylindrical shells having cylindrical inner cavities, the central axis of the first cylindrical shell and the central axis of the second cylindrical shell being coincident, at least one pair of first openings extending axially from the top end of the first cylindrical shell and respectively located at the first radial opposite ends of the first cylindrical shell being provided on the first cylindrical outer wall of the first cylindrical shell, a first end cap having a circular ring shape being provided at the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell, an outer diameter of the first end cap corresponding to an outer diameter of the first cylindrical shell, an inner diameter of the first end cap corresponding to an inner diameter of the second cylindrical shell, at least two first engaging protrusions extending radially inward being provided on the inner side of the first cylindrical outer wall, the first engaging protrusions being substantially triangular in axial cross section, a first clamping surface is arranged at one end of the first cylindrical shell close to the bottom end of the first cylindrical shell; at least one pair of second openings are formed in the second cylindrical outer wall of the second cylindrical shell, extend along the axial direction from the top end of the second cylindrical shell and are respectively positioned at opposite ends of a second radial direction of the second cylindrical shell, and the second radial direction is perpendicular to the first radial direction;

the gear body is a cylindrical shell with an inner cavity, the gear body and the first cylindrical shell are coaxially arranged and are accommodated in the cylindrical inner cavity of the second cylindrical shell, the bottom end surface of the gear body is annular, teeth are arranged on the bottom end surface along the axial direction, at least one pair of first limiting bulges extending outwards along the second radial direction are arranged on the third cylindrical outer wall of the gear body, the first limiting bulges are matched with the second opening, and the teeth can be exposed from the center of the first end cover;

a magnet received in the internal cavity of the gear body;

2. The movable connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the second end cap is provided with a cylindrical groove along the axial direction, the groove is provided with a limiting flat plate along the first radial direction, and the end surface of the limiting flat plate facing the second end is flush with the end surface of the second end cap facing the second end; two pairs of notches which are symmetrical by taking the diameter where the first radial direction is located as the center are arranged at the top end of the gear body, one pair of notches are located on one end side of the diameter, and the other pair of notches are located on the other end side of the diameter.

3. The articulating coupling of claim 1 or 2 wherein the first end cap has a plurality of first fan-shaped apertures formed therethrough at locations axially opposite the posts.

4. The articulating coupling of claim 2 wherein said second end cap has a plurality of second fan-shaped through holes disposed therein along said axial direction through which said engagement posts can be viewed.

5. The articulating coupling of claim 2 wherein said second end of said second end cap has a third stop protrusion disposed along said axial direction.

6. The articulating coupling of claim 1 wherein the end face of the first end of the second housing has an extension extending radially outwardly therefrom.

7. The articulating link of claim 1 wherein said first housing, second housing, gear body are plastic.

8. A toy having a movable connection element according to any one of claims 1-7 embedded in an end face of the toy.

9. The toy of claim 8, further comprising a cover bonded to an outer surface of the first housing and made of a flexible material.

10. The toy of claim 9, wherein the flexible material is a foamed plastic.