FR2614210A1 - Structure consisting of articulated polyhedral modules with means for holding in shape, which can be used particularly as a game - Google Patents

Abstract

Structure consisting of polyhedral modules assembled as an articulated ring with means making it possible to ensure its shape retention, which can be used particularly as a game. The invention relates to a device making it possible to ensure the stability of the various shapes obtained by manipulating solitaire games of the "articulated rotary ring" type. All the facets of the modules 1 linked to one another via articulations 4 can, in pairs, remain in contact via themselves. To this end, and preferably, they are equipped with a small magnet 2. A thin outer coating covers the "active" part of the magnet. The four facets of a tetrahedral module may be in one colour or have a different decoration. The device according to the invention may have applications as an individual game, a decorative element, or a polymorphous geometrical sculpture.

Description

 The present invention relates to a rotary polyhedral ring provided with means making it possible to ensure the stability of the different shapes obtained during its handling, and integrating it into the family of solitary games made up of a certain number of "modules", generally polyhedral, connected by intermediate articulations, each module being provided with two articulations connecting it on either side to the adjacent modules.

 Currently, in this category of games, the constituent parts can be brought into contact, facet against facet, but their holding in this position requires manual pressure and, when the final shape is obtained, the object has no internal stability. and, therefore, except in exceptional cases, cannot be placed on a table without collapsing all or part of the whole. It is for this reason that the number of modules brought into play on a ring is currently very limited (6 or 8, and 12 at most).

 The device according to the invention makes it possible to avoid this drawback by ensuring self-contact between the facets of the different modules by means of two elements provided with complementary parts, preferably by magnets, but also by any other means involving a binary analogous to North-South polarities. By way of example, mention may be made of: the interlocking system, for example of the "push button" type with a "male" part and a "female" part; or the "VELCRO" with two types of well characterized surfaces. Next, only the preferential system of magnets will be discussed. The device according to the invention therefore makes it possible to produce rotary rings with a relatively large number of modules (12 or 18 or 24 or 48, or any intermediate even number whatsoever). Indeed, each facet of the polyhedral module is provided with 'a small magnet, and the polarities of all the magnets implanted in the facets of the modules of the ring are distributed so that, whatever the configuration of the modules in a determined form of the ring, a "North" pole is always in front of a "South" pole, without annoying interference from a module on its neighbors.

 It is thus possible to produce, by way of example, a rotating palyhedral ring consisting of 24 identical tetrahedral modules, with 96 identical triangular facets and, consequently, 96 magnets which make it possible to ensure the stability of several hundreds of different indexable shapes. , obtained by the play of the 24 articulations of the ring.

 In a variant, it is possible to assemble only 12 modules, and the ring thus obtained, simpler, makes it possible to obtain shapes capable of combining with those of the ring with 24 modules.

 The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, in the example chosen.

 Figure 1 shows the plane of a facet which is a particular isosceles triangle, with sod magnet (2) prismatic or cylindrical, and its base AB intended to be integral with a joint (4).

Figure 2 shows in perspective a tetrahedral module (1)
ABCD, consisting of 4 facets identical to that of Figure 1, with the "joint-edges" (4) AB and CD, and the polarity that each of the 4 facets must receive (N for North and S for South).

 FIG. 3 represents another view of the tetrahedral module (1) showing its 2 planes of symmetry, and in particular its 2 articulations (4) equal and perpendicular.

 FIG. 4 represents a plan development of the tetrahedral module with the location and the polarity of the magnets (2).

 5 shows a section of Figure 3, in the case of a "full" module, and a similar section of the adjacent module, which allows to represent the "outer coating" (3), the magnets (2) with their polarities, and the cavities (5) where the magnets are inserted.

 FIG. 6 represents the rotary polyhedral ring with 24 tetrahedral modules (1) with its 24 articulations (4).

 Figure 7 shows one of the particular forms that the ring can take.

 FIG. 8 represents another particular form that the ring can take.

 The polarities of the "active" (external) faces of the magnets on the facets are such that: on the facets of the same module, on either side of an "articulation edge" the polarities are the same; and on both sides of the other "edge-joint" they are also the same but opposite of the first - Figure 4 - Passing from one module to the adjacent module there is inversion of the polarities between facing facets -screw, on both sides of a common joint - Figure 5 - The same arrangement is valid for the "male" and "female" parts of a socket system, or the two different surfaces of a "VELCRO ".

 The magnets (2) are placed on the facets of the polyhedral module (1) can be carried out in at least two different ways a) In the case of a "full" polyhedral module - for example plastic molding - molding is provided , on each facet of the module, a prismatic or cylindrical cavity (5), into which the magnet (2) of the same shape will be inserted, with the "active" polarity on the surface - and therefore, the "useless" polarity "mass neutralized. b) In the case of a "hollow" polyhedral module, a magnet is fixed on the internal face of each facet, by gluing or other process. In both cases, a thin "outer covering" (3) of paper or flexible plastic, for example, is glued to the facet to cover the visible part of the magnet. This covering can be colored or decorated in any other way , for example drawings, photographs, numbers, letters; for example with 4 colors, each facet of a tetrahedral module can be singled out and the rotation of the ring as shown in FIG. 6 allows the 4 chosen colors to be viewed successively. As an indication, the shape shown in Figure 7 would be one color (any one of the 4 colors chosen) while the shape shown in Figure 8 would be tetracolour. Optionally, the exterior covering (3) judiciously placed, can act as an articulation (4) between the modules.

The joints (4) can also be produced in various other ways, for example: canvas, "NYLON", various plastics, mechanical hinges.

 The device according to the invention can find applications as an individual game and as an educational game (its educational interest lies in the development of the visualization faculty in space) - and, produced in larger dimensions with appropriate materials: as an element decoration, polymorphic sculpture, display of various objects (in watchmaking, jewelry, etc.) or exhibition stand.

 I1 is understood that the statement is not limited to the embodiments described above, it extends in particular to structures comprising polyOdric modules whose facets in a ztE module are non-isosceles triangles and possibly not identical between them; each triangle having a side secured to a joint.

Claims (5)

 1) Articulated structure, usable for example as a solitary game or for decoration (geometric sculpture, display of various objects), of the type comprising an even number of polyhedral modules each provided with two articulations connecting them to two adjacent modules so as to define a articulated ring allowing the obtaining of various geometric shapes during its manipulation, characterized in that it is provided with means making it possible to ensure its stability in the different shapes obtained, comprising at the level of the constituent facets of the modules and adjacent to the joints l one of the two elements of a binary type connection system provided with complementary parts, for example North-South polarities of a magnet or "male-female" parts of a socket system, the complementary elements being arranged in such a way so that: the elements of the two facets adjacent to a joint in the same module are of the same type but of the opposite type to those of the facets a adjacent to the other articulation of the module, and also of the type opposite to the elements of the two facets which, in the neighboring module, are adjacent to the articulation common to the two modules considered.  2) Structure according to claim 1 characterized in that the modules (1) are tetrahedrons whose facets are triangles, one side of which is integral with a joint (4).  3) Structure according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that, in the case where the modules are "full" and the stabilization means consisting of magnet magnets s (2) these are sledged in prismatic cavities (5) or cylindrical and opening onto the facets of the modules.  4) Structure according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that, in the case where the modules are "hollow" and the stabilization means made up of magnets (2) these are attached and fixed to the internal face of the facets, for example by gluing.  5) Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the facets are covered with a thin coating (3) which covers by hiding the "active" part of the magnet (2), which can optionally serve as a 'joint (4) and which optionally can be colored or decorated in various ways.