JP2018051286A - Smoke generation toy - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent in advance, mist generation failure or mist generation inability due to aged deterioration and damage of a diaphragm in an atomizing apparatus.SOLUTION: An atomizing apparatus that includes a diaphragm that performs high frequency vibration and a liquid supply mechanism for supplying the diaphragm with conductive liquid such as water, and generates mist by causing the liquid supplied through the liquid supply mechanism to contact the diaphragm and be atomized includes: liquid contact detection means for detecting whether or not the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm; and protective operation execution means for executing a protective operation to prevent idle vibration of the diaphragm when the liquid contact detection means detects that the liquid is not in contact with the diaphragm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

  The present invention relates to a mist generating apparatus that generates a mist by bringing a liquid such as water into contact with a vibration plate that vibrates at high frequency to form fine particles.

  A mist generating device that generates mist by bringing a liquid (for example, water) supplied through a liquid supply mechanism into contact with a vibration plate that vibrates at high frequency to form fine particles is a variety of toys that produce smoke (for example, It is widely used in steam locomotive toys that emit smoke from a chimney, automobile toys that blow smoke from an exhaust pipe, fountain toys that blow water smoke, and the like (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

  Various types of diaphragms are known. For example, a vibrator in which a piezoelectric material is sandwiched between a pair of drive electrodes is used as a diaphragm (see Patent Document 2), or the above-described diaphragm. There are some which use a metal tongue piece cantilevered by a vibrator as a diaphragm (see Patent Documents 1 and 3).

  Various structures are also known as the liquid supply mechanism. For example, the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank is dropped onto the diaphragm in a horizontal position through a tube with a flow control valve to generate mist. (Patent Documents 1 and 2), or by supplying liquid to the lower surface of the diaphragm via a liquid retaining material such as a sponge applied to the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores in a substantially horizontal posture, from the upper surface side There exists a thing (patent document 3) etc. which produce fog.

JP 04-150968 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 05-070592 Japanese Patent No. 3744931

  One of the failures of this type of mist generation device is a mist generation failure or a mist generation failure due to aged deterioration or breakage of the diaphragm. As a result of diligent research, the inventors have found that the cause is fatigue accumulation (metal fatigue accumulation) of the diaphragm based on high-frequency vibration (hereinafter referred to as “air vibration”) in a state where the liquid is not in contact. I got the knowledge.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-mentioned knowledge, and its object is to prevent inadequate mist generation or mist generation due to aging or breakage of the diaphragm in this type of mist generation device. There is.

It is considered that the above technical problem can be solved by the fog generating device according to the present invention having the following configuration.
That is, the fog generating apparatus according to the present invention includes a diaphragm that vibrates at high frequency, and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and is supplied via the liquid supply mechanism. A mist generating device that generates mist by bringing the liquid into contact with the diaphragm to form fine particles, the liquid contact detecting means for detecting whether the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm, and the contact And a protection operation execution unit that executes a protection operation for preventing the vibration of the diaphragm from being lost when the liquid detection unit detects that the liquid does not contact the diaphragm.

  According to such a configuration, the liquid storage tank is emptied, the liquid supply path from the liquid storage tank to the diaphragm is clogged, and the sponge that is the liquid retaining material dries, When a state in which the liquid serving as the mist material does not come into contact with the diaphragm for various reasons due to the structure of the liquid supply mechanism, a protection operation is performed immediately to prevent vibration of the diaphragm, resulting in vibration. It is possible to prevent mist generation failure or mist generation failure due to aging and damage due to fatigue accumulation of the plate.

  In addition, according to the above-described configuration, the presence or absence of liquid contact of the diaphragm itself located at the end of the liquid supply path is detected, and the liquid level and liquid retaining material of the liquid storage tank located in the middle of the liquid supply path ( For example, we do not look at the electrical conductivity of the sponge), so remove the liquid storage tank and liquid retaining material and transfer the amount of liquid required for one fog generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds) to the diaphragm. A novel design that is supplied every time can prevent the occurrence of mold, off-flavor, and calcium carbonate precipitation caused by leaving the used liquid in the liquid storage layer and liquid retaining material for a long period of time. it can. In addition, according to such a small amount of supply of the mist raw material liquid, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required for the generation of mist by keeping the damping load of the diaphragm caused by contact with water to the minimum necessary. Can do.

  In the above-described mist generating device, the diaphragm is not limited to a specific structure described later (for example, a donut shape having a metal thin film on one side), and for example, a piezoelectric material is sandwiched between a pair of drive electrodes. Conventionally, such as those using the vibrator itself as a diaphragm (see Patent Document 2), or using a metal tongue piece cantilevered by the vibrator described above (see Patent Documents 1 and 3), etc. Various existing structures can be employed.

  Further, the liquid supply mechanism is not limited to the inclined ridge described below, and for example, the liquid accumulated in the liquid storage tank is dropped onto the diaphragm in a horizontal posture through a tube with a flow rate adjusting valve to generate mist. The liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the diaphragm through a liquid retaining material such as a sponge (Patent Documents 1 and 2) or a sponge or other liquid retaining material applied to the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores in a substantially horizontal posture. It is possible to adopt a variety of existing structures, such as those that generate (Patent Document 3).

  As a preferred embodiment, the protection operation may be an operation for prohibiting (blocking) the vibration of the diaphragm itself. That is, as the above-described protection operation, for example, a warning sound (for example, a buzzer or a sound) for informing the user that there is no liquid contact or a user is requested to replenish the liquid, a warning display (for example, lamp lighting, Various methods such as blinking and character display are conceivable, but if they are used together or alone, the vibration of the diaphragm itself is prohibited (blocked), and the accumulation of fatigue due to the vibration of the diaphragm is more reliably prevented. be able to.

  As a preferred embodiment, the liquid contact detection means includes first and second detection electrodes filled with the liquid only when the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm, And determination means for determining whether or not the liquid contacts the diaphragm based on a change in impedance between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode.

  According to such a configuration, the impedance (more specifically, the electric resistance value or the capacitance) between the first electrode and the second electrode in the state with and without liquid contact. Since the sexual reactance) fluctuates greatly, the presence or absence of liquid contact can be reliably detected based on the change.

  As a preferred embodiment, when the impedance is not detected, the same potential is applied to both ends of the series circuit of the impedance between both electrodes and the pull resistor, while at the time of detection, a known potential difference is applied to both ends of the series circuit. And then detected via a voltage drop generated in the pull resistor.

  According to such a configuration, the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode are formed of different metals, so that even when the battery is configured by touching water, the electromotive force of the battery is increased. It is possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of water contact with the diaphragm without being affected.

  At this time, if both the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are made of a bare conductor and the impedance is an electric resistance value, the liquid contact state and the liquid contactless state Then, since the electrical resistance value between the first electrode and the second electrode fluctuates greatly, for example, one of the two detection electrodes is fixed to the ground potential or the power supply potential, while the other is By fixing the power supply potential or ground potential via a pull resistor, the presence or absence of liquid contact with the diaphragm can be determined simply by determining the potential change of the pull point via hardware or software via an appropriate comparator. Can be easily detected.

  On the other hand, if at least one of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is made of a conductor having a thin dielectric coating on the surface and the impedance is capacitive reactance, the liquid contact state is present. Since the capacitive reactance between the first electrode and the second electrode fluctuates greatly between the first electrode and the second electrode, for example, one of the two detection electrodes is connected to the ground potential or the power supply potential. Charging time until the potential at the pull point reaches the reference potential after resetting the capacitive reactance between the electrodes while fixing the other to the power supply potential or ground potential via a pull resistor. Can be easily detected whether or not there is liquid contact with the diaphragm, by simply determining hardware or software via an appropriate comparator and timer.

  In addition, in the case of detecting the presence or absence of liquid contact using this change in capacitive reactance, the conductive metal that constitutes the electrode is exposed to the mist raw material liquid and is subject to electrolytic corrosion, which is likely to cause poor conduction. Even underneath, there is an advantage that the presence or absence of water contact with the diaphragm can be reliably detected.

  In a preferred embodiment, the liquid supply mechanism includes a liquid injection guide section that guides the liquid trace injected or dropped from the injection port to the diaphragm, and a liquid trace guided by the liquid injection guide section. And a trace liquid holding part that holds the diaphragm in contact with the diaphragm until it is consumed by the mist generating action.

  According to such a configuration, for example, by adopting a novel design in which a minute amount of liquid necessary for one fog generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds) is supplied to the diaphragm each time, an extra design is adopted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as generation of mold, off-flavor, and precipitation of calcium.

  At this time, if the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in contact with the diaphragm using the surface tension of the liquid, the trace liquid can be efficiently held on the diaphragm. can do.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the diaphragm is a diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and the mist discharge surface faces upward. The injecting guide portion is an inclined rod disposed so that the upstream end thereof is located at the injecting port and the downstream end is located below the diaphragm with pores, The trace liquid holding part may be a narrow gap formed between the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores and the upper surface of the inclined ridge.

  According to such a configuration, by using the surface tension and / or the suction force (negative pressure) accompanying the atomization of the liquid, it is possible to realize the retention of the trace liquid with a simpler structure. .

  At this time, the diaphragm with pores integrates the metal thin plate having pores, the annular first driving electrode, the annular piezoelectric material layer, and the annular second driving electrode in this order, and the metal A piezoelectric diaphragm formed by insulating and coating the periphery of the thin plate with the front and back sides thereof, the first detection electrode being the metal thin plate, and the second detection electrode being provided on the floor surface In the case of a cylindrical electrode, the surface tension of the liquid and / or the suction force (negative pressure) that accompanies atomization of the liquid is used to accurately adhere the trace liquid necessary for one fog generation cycle to the diaphragm. The process from appearance to disappearance can be reliably detected through the two electrodes.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect can also be understood as a mist generation device having a liquid supply completion notification function. That is, the mist generation device includes a vibration plate that vibrates at a high frequency and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the vibration plate, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism. A mist generating device that generates mist by bringing the liquid into contact with the diaphragm to form fine particles, the liquid contact detecting means for detecting whether the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm, and the liquid contact detecting means However, it has a notification operation execution means for executing a notification operation for notifying completion of liquid supply when a change from the absence of contact of the liquid to the diaphragm to the presence of contact is detected.

  According to such a configuration, during the liquid supply, the user can confirm the completion of the liquid supply based on the notification operation.

  At this time, if the notification operation is an operation in which the diaphragm is vibrated in a predetermined manner to notify the completion of the liquid supply operation by the generation of fog, the completion of the station operation is completed based on the generation of fog. You can know more reliably.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the fog generating device having the various embodiments described above is a variety of toys that produce smoke and water smoke (for example, a steam locomotive toy that exhales smoke from a chimney, and smoke from an exhaust pipe). It can be widely used in automobile toys that blow out, fountain toys that blow out water smoke, and the like.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect can be more specifically grasped as a steam locomotive toy that exhales smoke from a chimney. This steam locomotive toy has a diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency, and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied through the liquid supply mechanism A mist generating device that generates mist by making fine particles in contact with the diaphragm is incorporated in an outer shell that simulates the appearance of a steam locomotive, and the mist generated by the mist generating device is A liquid contact detection means for producing smoke by discharging to the outside through a chimney provided in the outer shell body, and detecting the liquid contact with the diaphragm, and the liquid contact detection And a protection operation executing means for executing a protection operation for preventing idling of the diaphragm when the means detects that the liquid does not contact the diaphragm.

  According to such a configuration, the smoke discharge from the chimney is prevented by preventing the mist generation failure or the mist generation impossible due to the deterioration or breakage of the diaphragm through the excellent action and effect inherent in the mist generation device described above. A highly reliable steam locomotive toy that can stably maintain its function for a long time can be realized.

  At this time, if the protection operation is an operation that inhibits (blocks) the vibration of the diaphragm itself even if a spray command is given, the excellent effect of the corresponding embodiment of the above-described fog generating device is obtained. Through this, a more reliable steam locomotive toy can be realized.

  In a preferred embodiment, the liquid contact detection means includes first and second detection electrodes that are filled with the liquid therebetween only when the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm. Determination means for determining whether or not the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm based on a change in electrical characteristics between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. Good.

  According to such a configuration, a highly reliable steam locomotive that can stably maintain the function of discharging the smoke from the chimney over a long period of time through the excellent operational effects inherent in the corresponding embodiment of the fog generating device described above. A toy can be realized.

  As a preferred embodiment, when the impedance is not detected, the same potential is applied to both ends of the series circuit of the impedance between both electrodes and the pull resistor, while at the time of detection, a known potential difference is applied to both ends of the series circuit. And then detected via a voltage drop generated in the pull resistor.

  According to such a configuration, the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode are formed of different metals, so that even when the battery is configured by touching water, the electromotive force of the battery is increased. It is possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of water contact with the diaphragm without being affected.

  In a preferred embodiment, the liquid supply mechanism guides a liquid trace injected or dropped from an injection port provided in the outer shell body to the diaphragm, and the liquid injection guide section. And a trace liquid holding part that holds the trace liquid in contact with the diaphragm until the trace liquid is consumed by the mist generation action.

  According to such a configuration, reliability that can stably maintain the function of discharging the smoke from the chimney over a long period of time through the excellent effects (countermeasures against electric corrosion) inherent in the corresponding embodiment of the fog generating device described above. High steam locomotive toy can be realized.

  At this time, if the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in contact with the diaphragm using the surface tension of the liquid, the trace liquid can be efficiently held on the diaphragm. can do.

  In a preferred embodiment, the diaphragm is a diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and the mist discharge surface faces upward. Disposed in a posture, and the liquid injection guide portion is an inclined rod disposed such that an upstream end thereof is positioned at the liquid injection port and a downstream end thereof is positioned below the diaphragm with pores, The liquid holding portion may be a narrow gap formed between the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores and the upper surface of the inclined ridge.

  According to such a configuration, a highly reliable steam locomotive that can stably maintain the function of discharging the smoke from the chimney over a long period of time through the excellent operational effects inherent in the corresponding embodiment of the fog generating device described above. A toy can be realized.

  At this time, the diaphragm is formed by integrating the metal thin plate having pores for atomization, the annular first driving electrode, the annular piezoelectric material layer, and the annular second driving electrode in this order. A piezoelectric diaphragm formed by insulating and coating the periphery of the thin metal plate, and fixed so that the thin metal plate side faces upward, and the liquid supply mechanism opens above the outer shell. And an inclined ridge that guides the liquid injected from the liquid injection port to the lower surface side of the piezoelectric diaphragm without accumulating in the middle, and a lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm A narrow gap for facilitating the intrusion and capture of the liquid due to surface tension is provided between the upper surface of the inclined ridge located below, and the first detection electrode is made of the thin metal plate, and the second The sensing electrode faces from the upper surface of the inclined rod to the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm. Consisting protruding electrodes that protrude Te may be one.

  According to such a configuration, one mist generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds corresponding to one smoke blowing travel cycle of a steam locomotive toy) from a liquid injection port arranged at the upper part of the outer shell body. If a small amount of mist raw material liquid (for example, water which is a conductive liquid) necessary for injection is dripped or dripped, the traced liquid thus injected or dripped will be in a slanted bowl whose upstream portion is located directly below the liquid injection port. Guided and carried to the vicinity of the downstream end.

  A narrow gap is provided between the upper surface of the bed near the downstream end and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm covering the upper surface to promote liquid intrusion due to surface tension. Therefore, the trace amount liquid that has reached the vicinity of the downstream end fills the gap due to surface tension and is adsorbed and trapped on the upper and lower wall surfaces in this state.

  At this time, the traced liquid adsorbed and trapped is passed through the central hole of the annular laminate formed by sequentially superposing the three members of the annular first drive electrode, the annular piezoelectric material layer, and the annular second drive electrode. In contact with the lower surface of the central region of the thin metal plate having a large number of pores (micron size) overlapped with each other, the liquid fine particle action by the high frequency vibration of the thin metal plate causes the upper surface of the central portion of the thin metal plate to pass through the pores. A mist of fine liquid particles that permeate the metal sheet from the bottom up.

  The thin metal plate also functions as a first detection electrode. Thereby, a raw material liquid and a 1st detection electrode contact. On the other hand, when a small amount of liquid is adsorbed and captured in the gap, the small amount of liquid also comes into contact with the protruding electrode (second detection electrode) protruding from the upper surface of the bed.

  Thus, in the initial state of the fog generating action in which a small amount of raw material liquid is filled between the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm and the upper surface of the bed, the first detection electrode (thin metal plate) and the second detection electrode (projection electrode) ) Are in contact with the raw material liquid (water). At the same time, the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically connected through the raw material liquid (water).

  When the amount of the raw material liquid decreases and the amount of the raw material liquid does not fill the gap, the raw material liquid lump (water droplets) leaves the upper surface of the cocoon bed and applies a negative pressure to the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm. Adsorbed and held. In this state, the first detection electrode (thin metal plate) and the second detection electrode (projection electrode) are both in contact with the raw material liquid (water). At the same time, the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are electrically connected through the raw material liquid (water).

  When the mist generation action further progresses and the size of the raw material liquid mass (water droplets) decreases, the raw material liquid mass (water droplets) eventually disappears. The contact between the thin plate) and the second detection electrode (projection-like electrode) and the raw material liquid is cut off, and at the same time, the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode become non-conductive.

  Therefore, if the change in the electrical characteristics (for example, electrical resistance value or capacitance value) between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode is monitored, the presence or absence of contact of the mist raw material liquid with the piezoelectric diaphragm Can be accurately determined.

  As a simple circuit for monitoring the electrical characteristics between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, the first detection electrode is fixed to the ground potential (GND) or the power supply potential (Vcc). On the other hand, the second sensing electrode is pulled up or pulled down to the power supply potential or the ground potential through the resistance element, and the potential fluctuation at the pull-up point or the pull-down point is compared by hardware or software comparison processing. The thing to judge can be mentioned.

  Also in the above-described piezoelectric diaphragm, by configuring the first drive electrode so as to be at the ground potential or the power supply potential, the potential of the metal thin plate (first detection electrode) connected to the first drive electrode can be reduced to the ground potential or the power supply. The potential can be fixed.

  Therefore, according to the fog generating apparatus including the above-described piezoelectric diaphragm, the first detection electrode itself is already fixed to the ground potential or the power supply potential, so that the protruding electrode that is the second detection electrode is connected to the power supply potential. Alternatively, a liquid contact detection circuit can be simply realized simply by pulling up or down through a resistor to the ground potential.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect can be grasped as a steam locomotive toy having a liquid supply completion notification function. That is, the locomotive toy has a diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency, and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and is supplied via the liquid supply mechanism. A mist generating device for generating a mist by bringing a liquid into contact with the vibration plate to form fine particles, the liquid contact detecting means for detecting whether the liquid is in contact with the vibration plate, and the liquid contact detection When the means detects a change from no contact of the liquid to the diaphragm to the presence of contact, the means has a notification operation executing means for executing a notification operation for notifying completion of liquid supply.

  According to such a configuration, during the liquid supply, the user can confirm the completion of the liquid supply based on the notification operation.

  At this time, if the notification operation is an operation in which the diaphragm is vibrated in a predetermined manner to notify the completion of the liquid supply operation by the generation of fog, the completion of the station operation is completed based on the generation of fog. You can know more reliably.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect is grasped as a steam locomotive toy that operates by applying a small amount of mist raw material liquid corresponding to one smoke blowing traveling cycle (for example, several tens of seconds) each time. You can also In this case, the fatigue accumulation due to the vibration of the diaphragm may be solved by another method such as stopping the vibration of the diaphragm when the vibration time integrated value reaches the specified maximum value.

  That is, this electric locomotive toy has a diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency, and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and is supplied via the liquid supply mechanism. A mist generating device that generates a mist by bringing a liquid into contact with the diaphragm to generate fine particles is incorporated in an outer shell that simulates the appearance of a steam locomotive, and is generated by the mist generating device. Is a steam locomotive toy that produces smoke by discharging to the outside through a chimney provided in the outer shell body, and the liquid supply mechanism is injected or dripped from an inlet provided in the outer shell body. A liquid injection guide for guiding the traced liquid to the diaphragm, and the liquid trace guided by the liquid injection guide is held in contact with the diaphragm until it is consumed by the mist generation action. And a trace liquid holding part.

  According to such a configuration, for example, a small amount of the mist raw material liquid required for one smoke emission traveling cycle is injected, and whenever it is used up, it is left unused by performing the next injection. Problems such as generation of mold, odor, and precipitation of calcium inside can be prevented in advance.

  At this time, if the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in contact with the diaphragm using the surface tension of the liquid, the trace liquid can be efficiently held on the diaphragm. can do.

  Further, the diaphragm is a diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and is arranged in a posture with the mist discharge surface facing upward. The liquid injection guide part is an inclined tub arranged such that its upstream end is located at the liquid injection port and its downstream end is located below the diaphragm with pores, and the trace liquid holding part is If it is a narrow gap formed between the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores and the upper surface of the inclined wall, the excellent effect of the corresponding embodiment of the above-described fog generating device (measures against electrolytic corrosion) ), A highly reliable steam locomotive toy that can stably maintain the smoke discharge function from the chimney over a long period of time can be realized.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect can also be understood as a steam locomotive toy system having a specific configuration. That is, this steam locomotive toy system includes a track and any one of the series of steam locomotive toys described above, and the steam engine stopped at the stop by a predetermined liquid injection operation at the stop. A liquid injection facility having a liquid injection nozzle for injecting a small amount of the liquid into a liquid injection port of a car toy is provided.

  According to such a configuration, only a small amount of the fog raw material liquid corresponding to a predetermined one-smoke driving cycle is held in the vehicle body, and replenished at the stop whenever it is consumed. Unlike the case where a liquid storage tank is provided in the middle of the liquid supply path and liquid is supplied from there to the diaphragm, or a liquid retaining material such as sponge is brought into contact with the diaphragm, the excess mist raw material liquid inside the vehicle body Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mold, off-flavor generation, and precipitation of calcium carbonate due to leaving the used liquid in the liquid storage layer or the liquid retaining material for a long period of time.

  In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell of the steam locomotive toy is provided with a discharge port for discharging the liquid overflowing from the diaphragm to the outside, and the stop on the track includes: A recessed portion for storing the liquid flowing out from the outlet of the steam locomotive toy that is stopped may be provided.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent excess mist raw material liquid overflowing from the gap from staying inside the vehicle body, and to prevent the mist raw material liquid discharged from the vehicle body from spreading on one surface of the playground floor. Can do. If the said recessed part is formed so that the external appearance imitating a pond may be formed at this time, it will become favorable on an external appearance.

  In the mist generation device, the steam locomotive toy, and the steam locomotive toy system described above, by providing liquid contact detection means for detecting the presence or absence of contact of the liquid serving as the mist raw material with the vibration plate, Although the vibration is controlled, the use of the liquid contact detection means is not limited to this, and it can be easily understood by those skilled in the art that it can be widely applied to the operation management in this kind of fog generating device. It will be.

  According to the present invention, the liquid storage tank is emptied, the liquid supply path from the liquid storage tank to the diaphragm is clogged, or the sponge that is the liquid retaining material dries out. When a state in which the liquid serving as the mist material does not come into contact with the diaphragm for various reasons due to the structure of the mechanism appears, the protection operation for preventing the diaphragm from oscillating immediately is executed. It is possible to prevent mist generation failure or mist generation failure due to aged deterioration or breakage due to metal fatigue accumulation.

  In addition, the presence or absence of liquid contact of the diaphragm itself located at the end of the liquid supply path is detected, and the liquid level of the liquid storage tank located in the middle of the liquid supply path and the electrical continuity of the liquid retaining material (for example, sponge) Because it does not look at the rate, the storage tank and the liquid retaining material are removed, and a novel amount of liquid that is necessary for one mist generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds) is supplied to the diaphragm each time. With this simple design, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mold, off-flavor, and calcium carbonate precipitation caused by leaving the used liquid in the liquid storage layer or the liquid retaining material for a long period of time.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a steam locomotive toy system. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing main components inside the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the main components inside the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of the injection unit. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram (part 2) of the injection unit. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the vibrator. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram (part 1) schematically showing the entire electrical hardware configuration. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the detection circuit. FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram showing signal states of various parts accompanying fluctuations in the water droplet size. FIG. 11 is a time chart for explaining the relationship between the determination result of the detection voltage (Vx) and the drive signal (S1). FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the detection circuit. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a change in voltage generated at the input port PI2 when the output port PO4 is switched to Vcc. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a voltage generated at the input port PI2 when the detection electrode is insulated. FIG. 15 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of a control program for a steam locomotive toy. FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detected voltage determination process. FIG. 17 is a flowchart schematically showing another example of the detected voltage determination process.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, one Embodiment of the fog production | generation apparatus which concerns on this invention, a steam locomotive toy, and a steam locomotive toy system is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing.

<About steam locomotive toy system>
A block diagram showing an example of a steam locomotive toy system is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, this steam locomotive toy system includes a steam locomotive toy 1 configured as a leading car, a freight car toy 2 configured as a No. 2 car connected thereto, and for running them. It is mainly composed of a track 3 and a stop (details will be described later) provided on the track 3. Reference numerals 3a and 3b are guide protrusions on the left and right of the track 3, and 4 is a bridge portion.

  In this example, the steam locomotive toy 1 is configured as a non-powered vehicle that does not include any driving power system such as a driving motor or a reduction gear train. On the other hand, in this example, the freight car toy 2 is configured as a power vehicle including a driving power system such as a driving motor and a reduction gear train, and the operation lever 201 is set at either the front position or the rear position. By setting, one of high speed driving and low speed driving can be selectively executed. Therefore, the steam locomotive toy 1 can be advanced at a high speed or a low speed by being pushed by the freight car toy 2.

  Thus, according to the structure which uses the freight car toy 2 as a motor vehicle, while being able to dedicate the space in the steam locomotive toy 1 to the apparatus for fog generation, the apparatus for sound generation, etc., the freight car toy 2 is removed. Thus, even when the steam locomotive toy 1 is used only for manual travel, the smoke generation function, sound generation function, and light emission function necessary for the steam locomotive can be effectively activated. However, the fog generating function according to the present invention can also be applied to a steam locomotive toy that can travel by itself.

  In the figure, the position where the steam locomotive toy 1 is depicted is a stop. The stop is provided with a water supply facility 5 and a recess 6 simulating a pond so as to be located on opposite sides of the track 3. The water supply facility 5 omits its internal mechanism, but when the operation button 5a is pressed, the water stored inside is injected from the tip of the water supply nozzle 5b to the steam locomotive toy 1 side (reference numeral 103 in FIG. 2). A small amount of water or dripping is possible.

  As the steam locomotive toy 1 is stopped at the stop, the recess 6 imitating a pond accepts and stores excess water discharged from the drain 106 provided on the side surface thereof so as to melt into the surrounding landscape. Is for. As will be described in detail later, the steam locomotive toy 1 is provided with a narrow gap or space for capturing a small amount of water injected or dripped from the water injection port 103 by using the surface tension and the negative pressure suction action. The water that cannot be captured here is discharged from the drain port 106 as surplus water. In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a lever for controlling the stop and go of the freight car toy 2 by raising and lowering the center part of the track surface (not shown).

<Appearance and internal structure of steam locomotive toy>
An external perspective view of the steam locomotive toy is shown in FIG. 2, and a perspective view and a side view showing the main components inside the steam locomotive toy are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam locomotive toy 1 has an outer shell body 101 simulating the appearance of a steam locomotive. On the upper surface of the outer shell 101, a chimney 102, a water inlet 103, a power switch 104, and a sound emitting hole 105 for emitting sound from a built-in speaker (reference numeral 126 in FIG. 3) are provided. Yes. Further, the drainage port 106 for discharging excess water described above is provided on the side surface of the outer shell body 101.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer shell body 101 includes 1) parts necessary for traveling on the track (hereinafter referred to as “traveling parts”), and 2) interlocking with the rotation of the wheels. Parts for generating vehicle speed pulses (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle speed pulse generating parts”), 3) parts for generating sound effects (Russell sound and human voice) and effect light (smoke lighting) ( 4) Parts for fog generation (hereinafter referred to as “parts for fog generation”), and 5) parts for liquid contact detection, which are essential parts of the present invention. It is. Hereinafter, these components will be described sequentially.

1) Traveling parts The traveling parts include left and right front wheels 107a and 107b, left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b, front and rear axles 109a and 109b, and left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b that connect the left and right front and rear wheels. Can be mentioned. The left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b are supported so that the rear end holes 110a and 110b can rotate to the eccentric positions of the rear wheels 108a and 108b, and the front end long holes 112a and 112b slide to the center positions of the front wheels 107a and 107b. It is supported freely. For this reason, the left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b also expand and contract, and the left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b are configured to exhibit a movement that mimics the piston motion unique to the steam locomotive.

2) Vehicle Speed Pulse Generation Parts Vehicle speed pulse generation parts include a lever 116 that is pivotally supported by the base end portion 117 on the machine frame and can be swung up and down with this as a fulcrum, and a rear wheel axle. 109b and a cam surface (refer to reference numeral 120 in FIG. 4) having a cam surface that contacts the lower surface of the lever 116 on its peripheral surface, and attached to the tip of the lever 116. An operation element 118 that moves up and down as it swings, and a vehicle speed pulse that is a series of pulse trains having a pulse interval synchronized with the rotation of the wheels by intermittently turning on and off as the operation element 118 moves up and down (see FIG. 11). And a switch 119 that outputs (d)). In the illustrated example, the switch 119 generates two pulses for each rotation of the left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b.

3) Effect generation component As will be described later, the mist generated by the mist generation unit is discharged to the outside from the chimney 102 as white smoke, for example, at the release timing determined based on the vehicle speed pulse. The At this time, the fog passing through the chimney 102 is illuminated with an appropriate color (for example, red), and the appearance of the light leaking from the combustion furnace is produced. Incidentally, the light emitting diode 115 is used as the illumination means. In addition, a sound effect corresponding to the Russell sound of the steam locomotive is generated at the sound generation timing generated based on the vehicle speed pulse, and a speech sound corresponding to a human voice is also generated. These sounds are generated through the speaker 126, and the Russell sound and the speech sound generated in this way are emitted to the outside from the sound output hole 105.

4) Fog generation component The fog generation component includes a piezoelectric diaphragm 114 that functions as a vibrator, and an inclined rod 113 that guides a small amount of water injected or dropped from the injection port 103 to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. Can be mentioned.

  A cross-sectional view showing the structure of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 includes a disk-shaped (disk-shaped) thin metal plate 114a made of a metal such as stainless steel, and an annular shape (donut-shaped) made of a metal such as Ag. ) First drive electrode 114b, an annular (doughnut-shaped) piezoelectric material layer 114c using a piezoelectric material such as ceramic, and a second annular (doughnut-shaped) piezoelectric material layer 114c using a metal such as Ag. The four members with the drive electrode 114d are laminated and integrated, and the periphery of the thin metal plate 114a (the upper surface and the lower surface exposed to the center hole 114f) and its surroundings (the inner periphery of the center hole 114f, the outer periphery of the four member stack, 2 driving electrode lower surface) is covered with an insulating film 114e. This insulating coating also contributes to the corrosion resistance of the electrode 114d on the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. A small circular area 123 at the center of the disk-shaped thin metal plate 114a is slightly bulged to the upper surface side, and the small circular area 123 is provided with a number of micron-sized pores. A lead wire (not shown) is drawn from the first and second drive electrodes 114b and 114d.

  Therefore, as will be described later, when a small amount of water or water droplets 124, which are mist raw materials, are captured between the upper surface of the inclined ridge 113 and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, the water 124 is converted into the piezoelectric diaphragm. Through the center hole 114f of 114, it contacts the lower surface of the small circular area 123 of the metal thin plate 114a and is in conduction therewith.

  In this state, when a high frequency voltage (for example, 110 kHz) is applied between the first and second drive electrodes 114b and 114d, the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric material layer 114c is repeated at a high speed, and the vibration plate 114 is lost. High-frequency vibration (resonance) with a small high Q. Then, the water 124 in contact with the lower surface of the small circular region 123 of the thin metal plate 114a is permeated to the upper surface side through a large number of pores provided in the small circular region 123, so that the mist 125 is generated. Will be.

  In this way, when the fog generating action occurs, a negative pressure is generated on the lower surface side of the small circular region 123, and the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 that are trapped is more strongly adsorbed on the lower surface of the small circular region 123. As a result, until the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 that have been trapped is consumed by the mist generation action, the surface tension, together with the surface tension, firmly adheres to the lower surface of the small circular region 123 and continues to contact it. It becomes.

  On the other hand, according to the configuration in which the water supplied to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is limited to the lower surface of the small circular area 123, not the entire surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, the fine particles for generating mist It is also possible to greatly reduce the electric power required for the activation. That is, since the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is excited in a mechanical resonance state, a large amplitude is obtained, but since it resonates at a high Q with little loss, it is caused by slight damping due to contact with water. However, the amplitude is likely to be affected. Therefore, according to the configuration in which only the lower surface of the small circular region 123 is brought into contact with water, spraying with low power consumption is possible by keeping the water-saving area to the minimum necessary.

  3 and 4, the inclined rod 113 is a rod having a V-shaped cross-section (reference numeral 113 a in FIG. 5), and the upstream portion (reference numeral 113 b in FIG. 5) is the water inlet 103. The downstream portion is supported in an inclined posture so as to be located on the lower surface side of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. The surface of the floor surface (reference numeral 113a in FIG. 5) having a V-shaped cross section imparts water repellency so that a small amount of water or water droplets injected or dropped from the injection port 103 can smoothly flow downward. You may comprise as follows. A downstream end wall (reference numeral 113c in FIG. 5) is provided at the downstream end of the inclined ridge 113, which has a function of retaining the flowing water to the downstream end to some extent.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is tilted in accordance with the tilt angle of the tilt bar 113 in this example with the metal thin plate 114 a facing upward. The heel 113 is supported in an inclined posture substantially parallel to the heel floor surface 113a. Note that it is not essential for the present invention that the inclined rod 113 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 are parallel to each other. Here, as an important point, there is a narrow gap between the floor surface 113a of the inclined rod 113 and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 to promote the entry of a trace amount of water or water droplets 124 between them. 121 is provided. When such a narrow gap exists, a small amount of water or water droplet 124 that has reached the downstream of the inclined rod 113 enters the gap 121 by being sucked by the surface tension, and the upper and lower wall surfaces (piezoelectric diaphragm) 114 and the downstream end wall 113c, and are captured on the spot.

5) Liquid contact detection component In order to detect whether or not the vibration plate is in contact with water or water droplets 124 that are fog materials, only when water or water droplets 124 are in contact with the vibration plate, A first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode that are filled with water are necessary. In this example, the metal thin plate (in this example, a stainless steel thin plate having a nickel plating layer on the surface) 114a itself constituting the piezoelectric vibration plate 114 functions as the first detection electrode. The thin metal plate 114a is electrically connected to the first drive electrode 114b, and in this example, the metal plate 114a is substantially fixed at the ground potential (GND) (see FIG. 9). On the other hand, in this example, the protruding electrode 122 protruding from the bed surface 113a in the downstream portion of the inclined rod 113 functions as the second detection electrode. A slight gap may exist between the tip of the protruding electrode 122 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. In this example, as the protruding electrode 122 functioning as the second detection electrode, the tip of a stainless steel screw 122a screwed from the bottom to the top is used (see FIG. 17). In this example, the tip portion is separated from the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 through a slight gap.

<About the action of the fog generator>
Next, the operation of the mist generation unit composed of the inclined rod 113 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 will be described with reference to FIGS. Operation explanatory diagrams (part 1) and (part 2) of the fog generation unit are shown in FIGS.

  At the stop, the trace amount of water or water drops 124 poured or dripped from the water injection nozzle 5b to the water injection port 103 first falls on the floor surface 113a of the upstream portion 113b of the inclined rod 113 (see FIG. 5A). Subsequently, the trace amount of water or water droplet 124 flows down to the vicinity of the edge of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 while being guided by the bed surface 113a having a V-shaped cross section (see FIG. 5B). Between the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and the floor surface 113a, there is a narrow gap 121 that promotes water intrusion due to surface tension. Therefore, the trace amount of water or the water droplet 124 that has reached the entrance of the gap 121 enters the gap 121 so as to be sucked by the surface tension, and is adsorbed to the upper and lower wall surfaces and the downstream end wall 113c. (See FIG. 5C). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a minute amount of water or water droplet 124 is substantially contained in the center hole 114 f of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and is in contact with the lower surface of the small circular region 123 located at the center of the thin metal plate 114 a. Become. In this state, when the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is driven, a mist 125 is generated from the upper surface of the small circular region 123 of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 by the action of water atomization due to the high-frequency vibration of the thin metal plate 114a having pores. Is done. The mist 125 thus generated is emitted from the chimney 102 to the outside, and white smoke is produced. At the same time, the light emitting diode 115 is lit or blinked, so that the inside of the chimney 102 is illuminated in red and burns. Light leakage from the room is produced (see FIG. 6A). Subsequently, as the generation of mist progresses, the amount or size of the trace water or water droplet 124 decreases, and the generation of the mist ends when this disappears (see FIG. 6B).

  In the series of steps described above, the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 initially filled in the central hole portion 114f of the gap 121 gradually decrease in amount or size as mist generation proceeds. Coupled with the negative pressure suction force associated with the atomization of water, it leaves the floor surface 113a and is attracted to the lower surface of the diaphragm 114, and finally disappears while further reducing its amount or size. On the other hand, between the first detection electrode (metal thin plate 114a) and the second detection electrode (projection electrode 122), conduction starts when the gap 121 is filled with the water droplet 124, and the water droplet 124 disappears. It becomes non-conductive immediately before. Therefore, by observing the electrical characteristics between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, the water droplet 124 on the vibration plate 114 (more precisely, the lower surface of the small circular region 123 of the thin metal plate 114a) The presence or absence of contact can be easily detected.

<About electrical hardware configuration>
Next, the electrical hardware configuration of the steam locomotive toy will be described. A circuit diagram schematically showing the overall electrical hardware configuration is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the entire electric circuit of the steam locomotive toy is composed of a drive circuit (details will be described later) for resonating a piezoelectric diaphragm 114 as a vibrator at its natural frequency, and a vibrator. A detection circuit (details will be described later) for detecting that water is in contact with a certain piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and a CPU 127 for overall control of the entire steam locomotive toy are configured. In addition, the code | symbol E is a power supply, for example, is comprised by connecting two AAA batteries in series. Reference numeral 104 denotes a power switch for supplying power to the circuit.

1) Drive Circuit First, a drive circuit for resonating the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 as a vibrator at its natural frequency will be described. This drive circuit mainly includes an amplifier A, a step-up transformer T, and a driving transistor Q, and a current flowing back to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, which is a piezoelectric vibrator, via the step-up transformer T is passed through a minute resistor R2. It is configured to function as a self-excited oscillation circuit by converting it into a voltage and applying feedback to the amplifier A. This self-excited oscillation circuit oscillates at the resonance frequency (eg, 110 kHz) of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 that is a piezoelectric vibrator. The piezoelectric diaphragm 114, which is a piezoelectric vibrator, is driven by the flyback voltage of the step-up transformer T to vibrate at high frequency during the circuit oscillation operation, and mist is generated by the atomization of water in contact therewith. Is done. This generation of fog is appropriately interrupted by turning on / off the switch SW1 in response to the drive control signal S1, which is a pulse train sent from the CPU 201, and turning on / off the transistor Q in response thereto.

2) Detection Circuit Next, a detection circuit for detecting that water is in contact with the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this detection circuit is one of a pair of detection electrodes (first detection electrode), which is a metal thin plate 114a fixed to the GND potential and the other of the pair of detection electrodes ( The second detection electrode), and the projection electrode 122 connected to the output port PO4 of the CPU 201 via the pull resistor R1 and the switching control through the program, and either the Vcc potential or the GND potential is set. The internal switch SW2 for leading to the output port PO4 and the input port PI2 for taking in the CPU 127 the detection voltage Vx appearing at the connection point between the pull resistor R1 and the interelectrode resistor Rx.

  When the water detection operation is not performed, the internal switch SW2 is connected to the GND side, and the GND potential appears at the output port PO4. Therefore, since the protruding electrode 122 is forcibly pulled down to the GND potential, both the pair of electrodes 114a and 122 have the GND potential, and no potential difference is generated between the electrodes. At this time, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is maintained at the GND potential regardless of whether water is present between the two electrodes.

  On the other hand, when the water detection operation is performed, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, and the Vcc potential appears at the output port PO4. Therefore, the protruding electrode 122 is forced to the Vcc potential. Pulled up. Then, when there is no water between both electrodes (when water does not contact the diaphragm 114), as shown in FIG. 13A, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is The threshold voltage Vth is exceeded at a point in time when it rises rapidly while drawing a predetermined time constant curve. On the other hand, when there is water between both electrodes (when water is in contact with the diaphragm 114), as shown in FIG. 13B, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is Although it rises gently while drawing a predetermined time constant curve, it does not exceed the threshold voltage Vth. For this reason, after the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, water is brought into contact with the diaphragm 114 by comparing the value of the detection voltage Vx with the threshold voltage Vth with a certain waiting time Tw. It can be determined whether or not.

  In the water detection operation, a waveform diagram showing the signal state of each part accompanying the fluctuation of the water droplet size is shown in FIG. If a small amount of water is injected or dripped from the water inlet 103 at time t1, the gap 121 between the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and the bed 113 is filled with an appropriate amount of water (FIG. 10A). The detection voltage Vx rises from the GND potential to the Vcc potential (see FIG. 10B), and when the detection voltage Vx exceeds a preset threshold value Vth, the detection voltage determination result The logical value changes from “0” to “1” (see FIG. 10C). Thereafter, as the fog generation operation continues, the water droplet size gradually decreases, and when the water droplet almost disappears at time t2 (see FIG. 10A), the value of the detection voltage Vx changes from the Vcc potential to the GND potential. When the detection voltage Vx falls below the threshold value Vth, the logical value of the detection voltage determination result changes from “1” to “0” (FIG. 10C). )reference). Thereafter, the logical value of the detection voltage determination result is maintained at “0” until time t3 at which new water injection is performed (see FIG. 10C). As will be described later, the vibration of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is forcibly blocked (prohibited) by the logical value “0” of the detection voltage determination result. Occurrence of fog generation failure or fog generation failure due to damage due to accumulation of fatigue, etc. is prevented in advance.

Note that immediately after the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, as shown in FIG. 10, the reason that the value of the detection voltage Vx rises while drawing a predetermined time constant curve is that the input port PI2 of the CPU 127 It is presumed that this is because there is a capacitive reactance due to the wiring capacitance from the electrode 122 to the electrode 122 and the presence of water between the electrodes. The larger the value of the pull resistor R1, the better the detection sensitivity of water. However, in consideration of erroneous detection due to leakage current, it is preferably about 10 kΩ to 100 kΩ. The value of the waiting time Tw described above varies depending on the value of the pull resistor R1 and the wiring state, but can be set to about 100 μsec, for example.
Also, only when water detection is performed, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side to pull up the protruding electrode 122 to the Vcc potential. The protruding electrode 122 is always pulled to the Vcc potential. This is because if the two electrodes 114a and 122 are made of different metals, a potential difference is generated between the two electrodes due to an ionization tendency, which adversely affects water detection. According to the experiments of the present inventors, one of the pair of electrodes (first detection electrode) is a metal thin plate 114a made of stainless steel plated with nickel, and the other (second detection electrode) is a solid stainless steel screw tip. In the case of the protruding electrode 122, when water intervenes between the two electrodes, the metal thin plate 114 d serves as a negative electrode and the protruding electrode 122 serves as a positive electrode to form a battery, and in addition, the pull resistor R 1 is interposed. Since charging is also performed, the potential of the protruding electrode 122 gradually rises, eventually exceeds the threshold voltage Vth, and is erroneously determined as drought even though water remains between the electrodes. Because it is possible.

3) About CPU Next, CPU127 for carrying out integrated control of the whole steam locomotive toy is demonstrated. The CPU 127 includes a microprocessor, an ASIC having various dedicated functions, and a memory (ROM, RAM). In addition to the power supply terminals (Vcc, GND), the CPU 201 has an input port PI1 for taking in the vehicle speed pulse, an input port PI2 for taking in the detection voltage Vx, and a drive signal S1 (details will be described later). An output port PO1 for outputting, an output port PO2 for outputting an audio signal S2 for driving the speaker 126, and an output port PO3 for outputting a diode drive signal S3 for driving the light emitting diode 115; At least an output port PO4 for alternatively outputting the GND potential and the Vcc potential according to the switching of the internal switch SW2 is provided.

  Here, the detection voltage Vx differs depending on an appropriate waiting time Tw (the value of the resistor R1 and the wiring state to the electrode 122, for example, after the potential of the output port PO4 is switched from the GND potential to the Vcc potential as described above. The voltage of the input port PI2 at the time when about 100 μsec) has elapsed, and the electric current between the first detection electrode (the thin metal plate 114a in FIG. 7) and the second detection electrode (the protruding electrode 122 in FIG. 7). The voltage varies between the GND potential and the Vcc potential according to the value of the resistor Rx (see FIG. 9) (see FIG. 10B). In FIG. 10B, it should be noted that the value appears every time the water detection operation is performed, and is represented by an alternate long and short dash line in consideration of not being a person who always appears.

  The drive signal S1 is a binary signal for controlling the state of the above-described drive circuit. When the output of the drive signal S1 is in the ON state, the drive signal S1 is in the oscillation state, and in the OFF state, the oscillation stop state is respectively (See FIG. 11C).

<About electrical software configuration>
1) Overall Processing FIG. 15 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of a control program for a steam locomotive toy. In the figure, when the process is started by turning on the power switch 104, first, various flags and registers are initialized by the initialization process (step 101), and then the vehicle speed pulse is input from the input port PI1. Is read and the generation mode of the vehicle speed pulse (for example, pulse generation timing, pulse generation cycle, a certain number of continuity, etc.) is analyzed (step 102). Subsequently, the generation timing of various generation requests (smoke, sound, light) is determined based on the above analysis result (step 103). Thereafter, while performing the vehicle speed pulse reading process (step 102) and the generation timing determination process (step 103), the spray generation request (see FIG. 11B) at the determined timing, the sound generation request, and the light emission request are generated internally. (Step 104 NO, Step 107 NO, and Step 109 NO). Here, the spray request is generated internally, and as shown in FIG. 11B, “1” indicates that there is a request and “0” indicates that there is no request.

  In this state, when a spray request is generated (step 104 YES), subsequently, a detection voltage determination process (details will be described later) is executed (step 105), and the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is referred to, and the content is “1”. It is determined whether “0” or “0” (step 106). If the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “1” (with water droplets) (step 106 “1”), the ON state of the sprayer drive signal S1 and the light emission signal S3 are output from the output port PO1 (step 107, 108). On the other hand, if the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “0” (no water droplets) (step 106 “0”), as the protective operation, the ON state (step 107) of the above-described sprayer drive signal S1 and the light emission signal The output of S3 (step 108) is skipped, and instead, the OFF state of the nebulizer drive signal S1 is output (step 109). As described above, when the content of the sprayer drive signal S1 is in the ON state, the drive circuit is in an oscillation state and the mist generation operation is performed, whereas when the content of the sprayer drive signal S1 is in the OFF state. The drive circuit is in an oscillation stop state and no fog generation operation is performed. Thereby, accumulation of metal fatigue due to the air vibration of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator is avoided. Further, as described above, when the light emission signal S3 is output (YES in step 109), the light emitting diode 115 is turned on or blinked to illuminate the fog passing through the chimney 102 in red, for example. The effect is as if the light is leaking from. In FIG. 11, it is noted that the waveform of the vehicle speed pulse ((d) in the figure) is only for reference, and the cycle and the timing relationship with other waveforms are not necessarily accurate.

  If the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “0” (no water droplet) (NO in step 106), the protection operation is not prohibited from performing the fog generation operation, but instead, or the fog generation operation is not performed. Along with the prohibition, a warning lamp provided separately is turned on, a warning character is displayed on a display provided separately, or a warning sound is played through the speaker 126, so that a drought condition is notified, You may be encouraged to supply water.

  If a sound generation request is generated during the above processing (YES in step 110), a sound output signal S2 output process (step 111) is executed. Here, as described above, the sound generation signal S2 is an audio signal for driving the speaker 126, and the content thereof is a Russell sound emitted from a steam locomotive or a voice (for example, talking to a child) "I am ..." or "Currently passing ...").

2) Detection Voltage Determination Process (Step 105) FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detection voltage determination process. In the figure, when the processing is started, the internal switch SW2 incorporated in the CPU 127 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side (step 201), and at the same time, a timer for specifying the maximum waiting time Tw (for example, 100 μsec) is started. After that (step 202), until the timer expires (NO in step 205), the detection voltage Vx is read from the input port PI2 (step 203) and is compared with the threshold voltage Vth (step 204). Repeatedly. In the meantime, when the detection voltage Vx exceeds the threshold voltage Vth (step 204 YES), the detection voltage determination result is stored as “0” (no water) (step 206). On the other hand, when the timer expires without the detection voltage Vx exceeding the threshold voltage Vth (step 205 YES), the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is stored as “1” (with water). (Step 206). When one of the two determination result storage processes (steps 206 and 207) is completed, the internal switch SW2 is immediately switched from the Vcc side to the GND side (step 208), and the process ends. Therefore, based on whether the result of the detection voltage determination process is “1” or “0”, it can be confirmed whether water is in contact with the metal thin plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator.

<About another embodiment for liquid contact detection>
1) Detection Circuit Next, another example of the detection circuit will be described. In this example, the presence or absence of liquid contact with the diaphragm is detected based on the capacitance value, not the electrical resistance value between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. There is an advantage that it is particularly effective as a measure against electrolytic corrosion of the detection electrode.

  An explanatory diagram (part 2) of the detection circuit is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in this circuit, at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode (in this example, the second detection electrode) A protruding electrode 128 covered with a thin dielectric film 128a is employed. The protruding electrode 128 itself does not come into contact with water, so there is no need to consider corrosion resistance. Therefore, the protruding electrode 128 may be made of a conductive metal of any material. Since the structure other than the structure of the second detection electrode is the same as the detection circuit described above with reference to FIG. 9, the description thereof will be omitted.

  The thinner the dielectric coating 128a, and the higher the relative dielectric constant of the material, the better the detection performance. However, when a plastic resin is used as the material, the relative dielectric constant is large. Therefore, it is necessary to select a thin material that can maintain a certain level of mechanical strength. If a coating is employed as the film forming method, examples of the material include Teflon (registered trademark), epoxy, and polyester. When a cap is applied as a film forming method, examples of the material for the cap include PVC and silicon. Further, the second sensing electrode with an extremely thin high dielectric constant film can be realized by using aluminum as the core conductive electrode and anodizing the surface thereof.

  Next, the principle of water detection using the above detection circuit will be described. FIG. 14 shows a graph showing a change in voltage generated at the input port PI2 when any one of the detection electrodes is insulated with a dielectric film. This graph shows the voltage change after the time point when the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side. In FIG. 14, the upper curve shows a state (first state) in which no water exists between the first sensing electrode (metal thin plate 114a) and the second sensing electrode (projection electrode 128 with a dielectric coating). The charging curve of the capacitance Cx between the two electrodes at the time, the lower curve is the static between the two electrodes when water is present between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode (second state). It is a charge curve of electric capacity Cx. As is apparent from the figure, the slope of the rising portion of the charging curve is clearly gentler in the second state where water exists than in the first state where water does not exist between the electrodes. Therefore, the charging time Tx from the start of charging to the reference voltage Vref in the charging curve at an arbitrary capacitance is compared with the charging time Tref from the start of charging to the reference voltage Vref in the first state where there is no water. Thus, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of water contact with the diaphragm. The value of Tref is caused by the influence of the stray capacitance of the wiring up to the second detection electrode 128, and may be measured as an initial value in the absence of water droplets and held as a known value. When the surface area of the second detection electrode 128 is small, the value of Tx−Tref is extremely small. In such a case, a more reliable determination result can be obtained by comparing and determining the integrated amounts of the values repeatedly measured several times to several tens of times. It should be noted that the larger the value of the pull resistor R3, the longer the values of Tref and Tx, and the higher the resolution at the time of numerical calculation by the CPU, which contributes to the increase in detection sensitivity by improving the measurement accuracy. Considering the influence of noise, etc., about several tens of k to several hundreds kΩ is preferable.

2) Detection voltage determination process FIG. 17 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detection voltage determination process when the above-described detection circuit (see FIG. 12) is used. In the figure, when the processing is started, first, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, thereby raising the potential of the output port PO4 from the GND potential to the Vcc potential (step 302). Subsequently, after starting the timer for timekeeping (step 302), the detection voltage Vx reading processing (step 303) and the comparison processing (step 304) between the detection voltage Vx and the reference voltage Vref are performed until the timer times out. (Step 305 NO), repeatedly executed. In the meantime, if it is determined that the detected voltage Vx exceeds the reference voltage Vref (step 304 YES), the timer time Tx is read (step 306), and then the timer time Tx is compared with the reference time Tref (step 306). Step 307). Here, if it is determined that the value of the measured time Tx is greater than the value of the reference time Tref (step 307 YES), the determination result of the detected voltage Vx is stored as “1” (with water). On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the measured time Tx is less than the value of the reference time Tref, or when the timer expires before the value of the detection voltage Vx reaches the reference voltage Vref (step 305 YES) The determination result of the detection voltage Vx is stored as “0” (no water). Subsequently, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the Vcc side to the GND side, the potential of the output port PO4 is lowered from the Vcc potential to the GND potential, and the process ends (step 310). Therefore, based on whether the result of the detection voltage determination process is “1” or “0”, it can be confirmed whether water is in contact with the metal thin plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator.

<Notification of completion of water supply>
In the above-described embodiment, water contacts the thin metal plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator by the detection circuit shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 12 and the detection voltage determination process shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. It can be confirmed whether or not. Therefore, this function can also be used for notifying the completion of water supply. In that case, for example, in the initialization process (step 101) of the flowchart shown in FIG. 15, while waiting for the transition to the routine process (steps 102 to 111) while repeatedly executing the detection voltage determination process (step 105), Waiting for the detection voltage determination result to change from “0” (without water) to “1” (with water), the ON state of the sprayer drive signal S1 is output, and the spraying operation is executed in a predetermined manner. Thus, the smoke may be blown out of the chimney 102. Of course, the light emission signal S3 and / or the sound generation signal S2 may be output together with the sprayer drive signal S1 to notify the completion of water supply with light and sound.

<Others>
In the above-described embodiment, the diaphragm is not limited to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 having the above-described specific structure. For example, a vibrator itself that includes a piezoelectric material sandwiched between a pair of drive electrodes is used as the diaphragm. Various types of conventional structures such as those (see Patent Document 2) or those using a metal tongue piece cantilevered by the vibrator described above (see Patent Documents 1 and 3). Can be adopted.

  In addition, the liquid supply mechanism is not limited to the above-described inclined rod 113, and for example, the liquid accumulated in the liquid storage tank is dropped onto a diaphragm in a horizontal posture through a tube with a flow rate adjusting valve to generate mist. (Patent Documents 1 and 2), or by supplying liquid to the lower surface of the diaphragm via a liquid retaining material such as a sponge applied to the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores in a substantially horizontal posture, from the upper surface side The thing of various structures which exist conventionally, such as what produces a fog (patent documents 3) etc., is employable.

  Furthermore, the mist generation device according to the present invention is widely used not only for steam locomotive toys but also for various toys that produce smoke (for example, automobile toys that blow smoke from an exhaust pipe, fountain toys that blow water smoke, etc.) can do.

  According to the present invention, the liquid storage tank is emptied, the liquid supply path from the liquid storage tank to the diaphragm is clogged, or the sponge that is the liquid retaining material dries out. For various reasons due to the structure of the mechanism, when a state in which the liquid serving as the fog material does not contact the diaphragm appears immediately, a protective operation is performed to prevent fatigue accumulation due to the vibration of the diaphragm, It is possible to prevent mist generation failure or mist generation failure due to aged deterioration or breakage of the diaphragm.

  In addition, the presence or absence of liquid contact of the diaphragm itself located at the end of the liquid supply path is detected, and the liquid level of the liquid storage tank located in the middle of the liquid supply path and the electrical continuity of the liquid retaining material (for example, sponge) Because it does not look at the rate, the storage tank and the liquid retaining material are removed, and a novel amount of liquid that is necessary for one mist generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds) is supplied to the diaphragm each time. With this simple design, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mold, off-flavor, and calcium carbonate precipitation caused by leaving the used liquid in the liquid storage layer or the liquid retaining material for a long period of time.

1 steam locomotive toy 2 freight car toy 3 track 3a guide ridge 3b guide ridge 4 iron bridge 5 water storage tank 5a operation button 5b water supply nozzle 6 recess (pond)
7 Control lever 101 Outer shell 102 Chimney 103 Water injection port 104 Slide control (power switch)
105 Sound emission hole 106 Drainage port 107a Left front wheel 107b Right front wheel 108a Left rear wheel 108b Right rear wheel 109a Front wheel axle 109b Rear wheel axle 110a Left rod rear end attachment hole 110b Right rod rear end attachment hole 111a Left and right front and rear Wheel connecting rod 111b Right front wheel connecting rod 112a Left rod front end mounting slot 112b Right rod front end mounting slot 113 Inclined rod 113a Inclined rod floor 113b Inclined rod upstream 113c Inclined rod downstream end wall 114 Piezoelectric Type diaphragm 114a Disc-shaped metal thin plate (first detection electrode)
114b Annular first drive electrode 114c Annular piezoelectric material layer 114d Annular second drive electrode 114e Insulating coating 115 Light emitting diode (LED)
116 Swing lever 117 Base end portion 118 Operating element 119 Detection switch 120 Cam 121 Gap 122 Projection electrode (second detection electrode)
123 Small circular area 124 Water drop 125 Fog 126 Speaker 127 CPU
128 Projection electrode with dielectric coating 128a Dielectric coating 201 Switch R1 Pull resistor R2 Current feedback resistor R3 Pull resistor Rx Interelectrode resistance Cx Interelectrode capacitance Vx Detection voltage E Power supply

The present invention relates to a smoke toy incorporating a mist generating device that generates a mist by bringing a liquid such as water into contact with a vibrating plate that vibrates at a high frequency to form fine particles.

As a smoke toy incorporating a mist generation device that generates mist by bringing a liquid (for example, water) supplied via a liquid supply mechanism into contact with a vibration plate that vibrates at high frequency to form fine particles, Various toys to perform (for example, a steam locomotive toy that emits smoke from a chimney, an automobile toy that blows smoke from an exhaust pipe, a fountain toy that blows water smoke, and the like) are known (for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3). Etc.).

  Various types of diaphragms are known. For example, a vibrator in which a piezoelectric material is sandwiched between a pair of drive electrodes is used as a diaphragm (see Patent Document 2), or the above-described diaphragm. There are some which use a metal tongue piece cantilevered by a vibrator as a diaphragm (see Patent Documents 1 and 3).

  Various structures are also known as the liquid supply mechanism. For example, the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank is dropped onto the diaphragm in a horizontal position through a tube with a flow control valve to generate mist. (Patent Documents 1 and 2), or by supplying liquid to the lower surface of the diaphragm via a liquid retaining material such as a sponge applied to the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores in a substantially horizontal posture, from the upper surface side There exists a thing (patent document 3) etc. which produce fog.

JP 04-150968 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 05-070592 Japanese Patent No. 3744931

One of the problems with this type of mist generating device is that mold is generated by the mist generating liquid left in the toy, odors are caused, and calcium is deposited inside.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned problems , and the object of the present invention is that in this type of smoke-generating toy, mold is generated by the mist generating liquid left in the toy, or odor is generated. Or to prevent problems such as precipitation of calcium inside .

It is considered that the above technical problem can be solved by a smoke toy according to the present invention having the following configuration.
That is, the smoke generating toy according to the present invention includes a diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency , and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies liquid as a mist raw material to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied through the liquid supply mechanism This is a smoke toy that produces a mist by bringing the mist generated by bringing the mist into contact with the diaphragm and generating a mist by discharging it to the outside. And
The diaphragm is
A diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a wetted surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and is supported in a posture with the mist discharge surface facing up,
The liquid supply mechanism is
The liquid contact surface of the diaphragm with pores is guided to the lower surface side of the diaphragm with pores without storing a minute amount of liquid injected or dripped from the outside into a predetermined inlet. Is designed to contact
As a result, the trace liquid located on the lower surface side of the diaphragm with pores is consumed as mist by the negative pressure suction force accompanying the mist generation action, and on the liquid contact surface of the diaphragm with pores. Adsorbed and held.

According to such a configuration, for example, a small amount of mist raw material liquid required for one smoke discharge cycle is injected, and whenever it is used up, it is left unused by performing the next injection. Problems such as generation of mold by the liquid, odor, and precipitation of calcium inside can be prevented. In addition, according to such a small amount of supply of the mist raw material liquid, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required for the generation of mist by keeping the damping load of the diaphragm caused by contact with water to the minimum necessary. Can do.

As a preferred embodiment, the diaphragm having the pores is an annular laminate in which the three members of the annular first drive electrode, the annular piezoelectric material layer, and the annular second drive electrode are integrated by aligning the center holes. Further, a thin metal plate with pores integrated so as to close the central hole on the body, and the annular laminated body is supported in a posture with the side of the thin metal plate facing upward. May be.

According to such a configuration, accurate adhesion of a minute amount of liquid required for one mist generation cycle to the diaphragm with pores can be achieved by the surface tension of the liquid and / or the suction force (negative pressure accompanying the atomization of the liquid). Pressure).

As a preferred embodiment, the liquid supply mechanism is arranged such that its upstream end is located close to the liquid injection port and its downstream end is located below the pored diaphragm via a narrow gap. An inclined ridge may be used.

According to such a configuration, one mist generation cycle (for example, several tens of seconds corresponding to one smoke blowing travel cycle of a steam locomotive toy) from a liquid injection port arranged at the upper part of the outer shell body. If a small amount of mist raw material liquid (for example, water which is a conductive liquid) necessary for injection is dripped or dripped, the traced liquid thus injected or dripped will be in a slanted bowl whose upstream portion is located directly below the liquid injection port. Guided and carried to the vicinity of the downstream end. A narrow gap is provided between the upper surface of the bed near the downstream end and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm covering the upper surface to promote liquid intrusion due to surface tension. Therefore, the trace amount liquid that has reached the vicinity of the downstream end fills the gap due to surface tension and is adsorbed and trapped on the upper and lower wall surfaces in this state.

As a preferred embodiment, the inclined rod has a saddle bed having a V-shaped cross section, and has a terminal wall for holding the trace amount liquid at a predetermined position of the diaphragm at its terminal portion. It may be.

According to such a configuration, a small amount of the mist raw material liquid injected or dropped into the liquid inlet is accurately guided to a predetermined position of the diaphragm.

As a preferred embodiment, water repellency may be imparted to the surface of the bed of the inclined ridge.

According to such a configuration, a small amount of the mist raw material liquid dropped on the upstream end of the inclined ridge is guided to the downstream end of the inclined ridge while maintaining the droplet shape by the surface tension. The surface has the advantage that wetting that causes mold and odor is less likely to occur.

As a preferred embodiment, a waste liquid port may be provided on the lower surface side of the diaphragm with pores so that excess liquid overflows to the outside.

According to such a configuration, surplus liquid of the mist raw material that has failed to be adsorbed on the liquid contact surface of the diaphragm with pores accumulates inside the toy, causing mold, odor, or calcium inside. Problems such as precipitation can be prevented in advance.

As a preferred embodiment, the fuming toy of the present invention may be configured as a steam locomotive toy.

According to such a configuration, for example, by injecting a small amount of mist raw material liquid required for one smoke emission traveling cycle (for example, several tens of seconds), and performing the next injection every time it is used up. It is possible to provide a steam locomotive toy that can prevent problems such as generation of mold, bad odor, and precipitation of calcium inside the liquid left unused.

The present invention viewed from another aspect can also be understood as a steam locomotive toy system. That is, this steam locomotive toy system includes a track, a stop provided in the middle of the track, and a smoke toy configured as the above-described steam locomotive toy, and the stop has a predetermined liquid injection operation. Accordingly, a liquid injection facility having a nozzle for injecting a small amount of the liquid into the injection port of the smoke generating toy configured as the steam locomotive toy stopped at the stop is provided.

According to such a configuration, only a small amount of the fog raw material liquid corresponding to a predetermined one-smoke driving cycle is held in the vehicle body, and replenished at the stop whenever it is consumed. Unlike the case where a liquid storage tank is provided in the middle of the liquid supply path and liquid is supplied from there to the diaphragm, or a liquid retaining material such as sponge is brought into contact with the diaphragm, the excess mist raw material liquid inside the vehicle body Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mold, off-flavor generation, and precipitation of calcium carbonate due to leaving the used liquid in the liquid storage layer or the liquid retaining material for a long period of time.

According to a preferred embodiment, the smoke generating toy configured as the steam locomotive toy is provided with a drain outlet for discharging the liquid overflowing from the diaphragm to the outside, and on the track. The stop may be provided with a recess that is shaped like a pond that stores the liquid flowing out from the drain port of the smoke toy configured as the steam locomotive toy being stopped.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent excess mist raw material liquid overflowing from the gap from staying inside the vehicle body, and to prevent the mist raw material liquid discharged from the vehicle body from spreading on one surface of the playground floor. Can do. If the said recessed part is formed so that the external appearance imitating a pond may be formed at this time, it will become favorable on an external appearance.

According to the present invention, for example, a small amount of mist raw material liquid required for one smoke discharge cycle is injected, and each time it is used up, by performing the next injection, the liquid left unused. Problems such as generation of mold, odor, and precipitation of calcium inside can be prevented. In addition, according to such a small amount of supply of the mist raw material liquid, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required for the generation of mist by keeping the damping load of the diaphragm caused by contact with water to the minimum necessary. Can do.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a steam locomotive toy system. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing main components inside the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the main components inside the steam locomotive toy. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of the injection unit. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram (part 2) of the injection unit. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the vibrator. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram (part 1) schematically showing the entire electrical hardware configuration. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the detection circuit. FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram showing signal states of various parts accompanying fluctuations in the water droplet size. FIG. 11 is a time chart for explaining the relationship between the determination result of the detection voltage (Vx) and the drive signal (S1). FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the detection circuit. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a change in voltage generated at the input port PI2 when the output port PO4 is switched to Vcc. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a voltage generated at the input port PI2 when the detection electrode is insulated. FIG. 15 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of a control program for a steam locomotive toy. FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detected voltage determination process. FIG. 17 is a flowchart schematically showing another example of the detected voltage determination process.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, one Embodiment of the fog production | generation apparatus which concerns on this invention, a steam locomotive toy, and a steam locomotive toy system is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing.

<About steam locomotive toy system>
A block diagram showing an example of a steam locomotive toy system is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, this steam locomotive toy system includes a steam locomotive toy 1 configured as a leading car, a freight car toy 2 configured as a No. 2 car connected thereto, and for running them. It is mainly composed of a track 3 and a stop (details will be described later) provided on the track 3. Reference numerals 3a and 3b are guide protrusions on the left and right of the track 3, and 4 is a bridge portion.

  In this example, the steam locomotive toy 1 is configured as a non-powered vehicle that does not include any driving power system such as a driving motor or a reduction gear train. On the other hand, in this example, the freight car toy 2 is configured as a power vehicle including a driving power system such as a driving motor and a reduction gear train, and the operation lever 201 is set at either the front position or the rear position. By setting, one of high speed driving and low speed driving can be selectively executed. Therefore, the steam locomotive toy 1 can be advanced at a high speed or a low speed by being pushed by the freight car toy 2.

  Thus, according to the structure which uses the freight car toy 2 as a motor vehicle, while being able to dedicate the space in the steam locomotive toy 1 to the apparatus for fog generation, the apparatus for sound generation, etc., the freight car toy 2 is removed. Thus, even when the steam locomotive toy 1 is used only for manual travel, the smoke generation function, sound generation function, and light emission function necessary for the steam locomotive can be effectively activated. However, the fog generating function according to the present invention can also be applied to a steam locomotive toy that can travel by itself.

  In the figure, the position where the steam locomotive toy 1 is depicted is a stop. The stop is provided with a water supply facility 5 and a recess 6 simulating a pond so as to be located on opposite sides of the track 3. The water supply facility 5 omits its internal mechanism, but when the operation button 5a is pressed, the water stored inside is injected from the tip of the water supply nozzle 5b to the steam locomotive toy 1 side (reference numeral 103 in FIG. 2). A small amount of water or dripping is possible.

  As the steam locomotive toy 1 is stopped at the stop, the recess 6 imitating a pond accepts and stores excess water discharged from the drain 106 provided on the side surface thereof so as to melt into the surrounding landscape. Is for. As will be described in detail later, the steam locomotive toy 1 is provided with a narrow gap or space for capturing a small amount of water injected or dripped from the water injection port 103 by using the surface tension and the negative pressure suction action. The water that cannot be captured here is discharged from the drain port 106 as surplus water. In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a lever for controlling the stop and go of the freight car toy 2 by raising and lowering the center part of the track surface (not shown).

<Appearance and internal structure of steam locomotive toy>
An external perspective view of the steam locomotive toy is shown in FIG. 2, and a perspective view and a side view showing the main components inside the steam locomotive toy are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam locomotive toy 1 has an outer shell body 101 simulating the appearance of a steam locomotive. On the upper surface of the outer shell 101, a chimney 102, a water inlet 103, a power switch 104, and a sound emitting hole 105 for emitting sound from a built-in speaker (reference numeral 126 in FIG. 3) are provided. Yes. Further, the drainage port 106 for discharging excess water described above is provided on the side surface of the outer shell body 101.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer shell body 101 includes 1) parts necessary for traveling on the track (hereinafter referred to as “traveling parts”), and 2) interlocking with the rotation of the wheels. Parts for generating vehicle speed pulses (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle speed pulse generating parts”), 3) parts for generating sound effects (Russell sound and human voice) and effect light (smoke lighting) ( 4) Parts for fog generation (hereinafter referred to as “parts for fog generation”), and 5) parts for liquid contact detection, which are essential parts of the present invention. It is. Hereinafter, these components will be described sequentially.

1) Traveling parts The traveling parts include left and right front wheels 107a and 107b, left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b, front and rear axles 109a and 109b, and left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b that connect the left and right front and rear wheels. Can be mentioned. The left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b are supported so that the rear end holes 110a and 110b can rotate to the eccentric positions of the rear wheels 108a and 108b, and the front end long holes 112a and 112b slide to the center positions of the front wheels 107a and 107b. It is supported freely. For this reason, the left and right connecting rods 111a and 111b also expand and contract, and the left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b are configured to exhibit a movement that mimics the piston motion unique to the steam locomotive.

2) Vehicle Speed Pulse Generation Parts Vehicle speed pulse generation parts include a lever 116 that is pivotally supported by the base end portion 117 on the machine frame and can be swung up and down with this as a fulcrum, and a rear wheel axle. 109b and a cam surface (refer to reference numeral 120 in FIG. 4) having a cam surface that contacts the lower surface of the lever 116 on its peripheral surface, and attached to the tip of the lever 116. An operation element 118 that moves up and down as it swings, and a vehicle speed pulse that is a series of pulse trains having a pulse interval synchronized with the rotation of the wheels by intermittently turning on and off as the operation element 118 moves up and down (see FIG. 11). And a switch 119 that outputs (d)). In the illustrated example, the switch 119 generates two pulses for each rotation of the left and right rear wheels 108a and 108b.

3) Effect generation component As will be described later, the mist generated by the mist generation unit is discharged to the outside from the chimney 102 as white smoke, for example, at the release timing determined based on the vehicle speed pulse. The At this time, the fog passing through the chimney 102 is illuminated with an appropriate color (for example, red), and the appearance of the light leaking from the combustion furnace is produced. Incidentally, the light emitting diode 115 is used as the illumination means. In addition, a sound effect corresponding to the Russell sound of the steam locomotive is generated at the sound generation timing generated based on the vehicle speed pulse, and a speech sound corresponding to a human voice is also generated. These sounds are generated through the speaker 126, and the Russell sound and the speech sound generated in this way are emitted to the outside from the sound output hole 105.

4) Fog generation component The fog generation component includes a piezoelectric diaphragm 114 that functions as a vibrator, and an inclined rod 113 that guides a small amount of water injected or dropped from the injection port 103 to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. Can be mentioned.

  A cross-sectional view showing the structure of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 includes a disk-shaped (disk-shaped) thin metal plate 114a made of a metal such as stainless steel, and an annular shape (donut-shaped) made of a metal such as Ag. ) First drive electrode 114b, an annular (doughnut-shaped) piezoelectric material layer 114c using a piezoelectric material such as ceramic, and a second annular (doughnut-shaped) piezoelectric material layer 114c using a metal such as Ag. The four members with the drive electrode 114d are laminated and integrated, and the periphery of the thin metal plate 114a (the upper surface and the lower surface exposed to the center hole 114f) and its surroundings (the inner periphery of the center hole 114f, the outer periphery of the four member stack, 2 driving electrode lower surface) is covered with an insulating film 114e. This insulating coating also contributes to the corrosion resistance of the electrode 114d on the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. A small circular area 123 at the center of the disk-shaped thin metal plate 114a is slightly bulged to the upper surface side, and the small circular area 123 is provided with a number of micron-sized pores. A lead wire (not shown) is drawn from the first and second drive electrodes 114b and 114d.

  Therefore, as will be described later, when a small amount of water or water droplets 124, which are mist raw materials, are captured between the upper surface of the inclined ridge 113 and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, the water 124 is converted into the piezoelectric diaphragm. Through the center hole 114f of 114, it contacts the lower surface of the small circular area 123 of the metal thin plate 114a and is in conduction therewith.

  In this state, when a high frequency voltage (for example, 110 kHz) is applied between the first and second drive electrodes 114b and 114d, the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric material layer 114c is repeated at a high speed, and the vibration plate 114 is lost. High-frequency vibration (resonance) with a small high Q. Then, the water 124 in contact with the lower surface of the small circular region 123 of the thin metal plate 114a is permeated to the upper surface side through a large number of pores provided in the small circular region 123, so that the mist 125 is generated. Will be.

  In this way, when the fog generating action occurs, a negative pressure is generated on the lower surface side of the small circular region 123, and the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 that are trapped is more strongly adsorbed on the lower surface of the small circular region 123. As a result, until the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 that have been trapped is consumed by the mist generation action, the surface tension, together with the surface tension, firmly adheres to the lower surface of the small circular region 123 and continues to contact it. It becomes.

On the other hand, according to the configuration in which the water supplied to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is limited to the lower surface of the small circular area 123, not the entire surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, the fine particles for generating mist It is also possible to greatly reduce the electric power required for the activation. That is, since the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is excited in a mechanical resonance state, a large amplitude is obtained, but since it resonates at a high Q with little loss, it is caused by slight damping due to contact with water. However, the amplitude is likely to be affected. Therefore, according to the configuration in which only the lower surface of the small circular region 123 is brought into contact with water, spraying with low power consumption becomes possible by keeping the water-saving area to the minimum necessary.

  3 and 4, the inclined rod 113 is a rod having a V-shaped cross-section (reference numeral 113 a in FIG. 5), and the upstream portion (reference numeral 113 b in FIG. 5) is the water inlet 103. The downstream portion is supported in an inclined posture so as to be located on the lower surface side of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. The surface of the floor surface (reference numeral 113a in FIG. 5) having a V-shaped cross section imparts water repellency so that a small amount of water or water droplets injected or dropped from the injection port 103 can smoothly flow downward. You may comprise as follows. A downstream end wall (reference numeral 113c in FIG. 5) is provided at the downstream end of the inclined ridge 113, which has a function of retaining the flowing water to the downstream end to some extent.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is tilted in accordance with the tilt angle of the tilt bar 113 in this example with the metal thin plate 114 a facing upward. The heel 113 is supported in an inclined posture substantially parallel to the heel floor surface 113a. Note that it is not essential for the present invention that the inclined rod 113 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 are parallel to each other. Here, as an important point, there is a narrow gap between the floor surface 113a of the inclined rod 113 and the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 to promote the entry of a trace amount of water or water droplets 124 between them. 121 is provided. When such a narrow gap exists, a small amount of water or water droplet 124 that has reached the downstream of the inclined rod 113 enters the gap 121 by being sucked by the surface tension, and the upper and lower wall surfaces (piezoelectric diaphragm) 114 and the downstream end wall 113c, and are captured on the spot.

5) Liquid contact detection component In order to detect whether or not the vibration plate is in contact with water or water droplets 124 that are fog materials, only when water or water droplets 124 are in contact with the vibration plate, A first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode that are filled with water are necessary. In this example, the metal thin plate (in this example, a stainless steel thin plate having a nickel plating layer on the surface) 114a itself constituting the piezoelectric vibration plate 114 functions as the first detection electrode. The thin metal plate 114a is electrically connected to the first drive electrode 114b, and in this example, the metal plate 114a is substantially fixed at the ground potential (GND) (see FIG. 9). On the other hand, in this example, the protruding electrode 122 protruding from the bed surface 113a in the downstream portion of the inclined rod 113 functions as the second detection electrode. A slight gap may exist between the tip of the protruding electrode 122 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114. In this example, as the protruding electrode 122 functioning as the second detection electrode, the tip of a stainless steel screw 122a screwed from the bottom to the top is used (see FIG. 16 ). In this example, the tip portion is separated from the lower surface of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 through a slight gap.

<About the action of the fog generator>
Next, the operation of the mist generation unit composed of the inclined rod 113 and the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 will be described with reference to FIGS. Operation explanatory diagrams (part 1) and (part 2) of the fog generation unit are shown in FIGS.

  At the stop, the trace amount of water or water drops 124 poured or dripped from the water injection nozzle 5b to the water injection port 103 first falls on the floor surface 113a of the upstream portion 113b of the inclined rod 113 (see FIG. 5A). Subsequently, the trace amount of water or water droplet 124 flows down to the vicinity of the edge of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 while being guided by the bed surface 113a having a V-shaped cross section (see FIG. 5B). Between the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and the floor surface 113a, there is a narrow gap 121 that promotes water intrusion due to surface tension. Therefore, the trace amount of water or the water droplet 124 that has reached the entrance of the gap 121 enters the gap 121 so as to be sucked by the surface tension, and is adsorbed to the upper and lower wall surfaces and the downstream end wall 113c. (See FIG. 5C). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a minute amount of water or water droplet 124 is substantially contained in the center hole 114 f of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and is in contact with the lower surface of the small circular region 123 located at the center of the thin metal plate 114 a. Become. In this state, when the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is driven, a mist 125 is generated from the upper surface of the small circular region 123 of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 by the action of water atomization due to the high-frequency vibration of the thin metal plate 114a having pores. Is done. The mist 125 thus generated is emitted from the chimney 102 to the outside, and white smoke is produced. At the same time, the light emitting diode 115 is lit or blinked, so that the inside of the chimney 102 is illuminated in red and burns. Light leakage from the room is produced (see FIG. 6A). Subsequently, as the generation of mist progresses, the amount or size of the trace water or water droplet 124 decreases, and the generation of the mist ends when this disappears (see FIG. 6B).

  In the series of steps described above, the trace amount of water or water droplets 124 initially filled in the central hole portion 114f of the gap 121 gradually decrease in amount or size as mist generation proceeds. Coupled with the negative pressure suction force associated with the atomization of water, it leaves the floor surface 113a and is attracted to the lower surface of the diaphragm 114, and finally disappears while further reducing its amount or size. On the other hand, between the first detection electrode (metal thin plate 114a) and the second detection electrode (projection electrode 122), conduction starts when the gap 121 is filled with the water droplet 124, and the water droplet 124 disappears. It becomes non-conductive immediately before. Therefore, by observing the electrical characteristics between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, the water droplet 124 on the vibration plate 114 (more precisely, the lower surface of the small circular region 123 of the thin metal plate 114a) The presence or absence of contact can be easily detected.

<About electrical hardware configuration>
Next, the electrical hardware configuration of the steam locomotive toy will be described. A circuit diagram schematically showing the overall electrical hardware configuration is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the entire electric circuit of the steam locomotive toy is composed of a drive circuit (details will be described later) for resonating a piezoelectric diaphragm 114 as a vibrator at its natural frequency, and a vibrator. A detection circuit (details will be described later) for detecting that water is in contact with a certain piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and a CPU 127 for overall control of the entire steam locomotive toy are configured. In addition, the code | symbol E is a power supply, for example, is comprised by connecting two AAA batteries in series. Reference numeral 104 denotes a power switch for supplying power to the circuit.

1) Drive Circuit First, a drive circuit for resonating the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 as a vibrator at its natural frequency will be described. This drive circuit mainly includes an amplifier A, a step-up transformer T, and a driving transistor Q, and a current flowing back to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114, which is a piezoelectric vibrator, via the step-up transformer T is passed through a minute resistor R2. It is configured to function as a self-excited oscillation circuit by converting it into a voltage and applying feedback to the amplifier A. This self-excited oscillation circuit oscillates at the resonance frequency (eg, 110 kHz) of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 that is a piezoelectric vibrator. The piezoelectric diaphragm 114, which is a piezoelectric vibrator, is driven by the flyback voltage of the step-up transformer T to vibrate at high frequency during the circuit oscillation operation, and mist is generated by the atomization of water in contact therewith. Is done. The generation of the fog is appropriately interrupted by turning on / off the switch SW1 in response to the drive control signal S1, which is a pulse train sent from the CPU 127 , and turning on / off the transistor Q in response thereto.

2) Detection Circuit Next, a detection circuit for detecting that water is in contact with the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this detection circuit is one of a pair of detection electrodes (first detection electrode), which is a metal thin plate 114a fixed to the GND potential and the other of the pair of detection electrodes ( A second sensing electrode), which is a projecting electrode 122 connected to the output port PO4 of the CPU 127 via the pull resistor R1, and is switched and controlled via a program, and either one of the Vcc potential and the GND potential Is output to the output port PO4, and an input port PI2 for taking in the CPU 127 the detection voltage Vx appearing at the connection point between the pull resistor R1 and the interelectrode resistor Rx.

  When the water detection operation is not performed, the internal switch SW2 is connected to the GND side, and the GND potential appears at the output port PO4. Therefore, since the protruding electrode 122 is forcibly pulled down to the GND potential, both the pair of electrodes 114a and 122 have the GND potential, and no potential difference is generated between the electrodes. At this time, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is maintained at the GND potential regardless of whether water is present between the two electrodes.

  On the other hand, when the water detection operation is performed, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, and the Vcc potential appears at the output port PO4. Therefore, the protruding electrode 122 is forced to the Vcc potential. Pulled up. Then, when there is no water between both electrodes (when water does not contact the diaphragm 114), as shown in FIG. 13A, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is The threshold voltage Vth is exceeded at a point in time when it rises rapidly while drawing a predetermined time constant curve. On the other hand, when there is water between both electrodes (when water is in contact with the diaphragm 114), as shown in FIG. 13B, the potential (detection voltage Vx) appearing at the input port PI2 is Although it rises gently while drawing a predetermined time constant curve, it does not exceed the threshold voltage Vth. For this reason, after the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, water is brought into contact with the diaphragm 114 by comparing the value of the detection voltage Vx with the threshold voltage Vth with a certain waiting time Tw. It can be determined whether or not.

In the water detection operation, a waveform diagram showing the signal state of each part accompanying the fluctuation of the water droplet size is shown in FIG. If a small amount of water is injected or dripped from the water inlet 103 at time t1, the gap 121 between the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 and the bed 113 is filled with an appropriate amount of water (FIG. 10A). The value of the detection voltage Vx falls from the Vcc potential to the GND potential (see FIG. 10B), and the logical value of the detection voltage determination result changes from “0” to “1” (FIG. 10 ( c)). Thereafter, the water droplet size is gradually decreased due to the mist generation action continuing, and when the water droplet almost disappears at time t2 (see FIG. 10A), the value of the detection voltage Vx is changed from the GND potential to the Vcc potential. and rising (see FIG. 10 (b)), the logic value of the detection voltage determination result changes from "0" to "1" (see FIG. 10 (c)). Thereafter, the logical value of the detection voltage determination result is maintained at “0” until time t3 at which new water injection is performed (see FIG. 10C). As will be described later, the vibration of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 is forcibly blocked (prohibited) by the logical value “0” of the detection voltage determination result. Occurrence of fog generation failure or fog generation failure due to damage due to accumulation of fatigue, etc. is prevented in advance.

Note that immediately after the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, as shown in FIG. 13 , the reason why the value of the detection voltage Vx rises while drawing a predetermined time constant curve is that the input port PI2 of the CPU 127 It is presumed that this is because there is a capacitive reactance due to the wiring capacitance from the electrode 122 to the electrode 122 and the presence of water between the electrodes. The larger the value of the pull resistor R1, the better the detection sensitivity of water. However, in consideration of erroneous detection due to leakage current, it is preferably about 10 kΩ to 100 kΩ. The value of the waiting time Tw described above varies depending on the value of the pull resistor R1 and the wiring state, but can be set to about 100 μsec, for example. Also, only when water detection is performed, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side to pull up the protruding electrode 122 to the Vcc potential. The protruding electrode 122 is always pulled to the Vcc potential. This is because if the two electrodes 114a and 122 are made of different metals, a potential difference is generated between the two electrodes due to an ionization tendency, which adversely affects water detection. According to the experiments of the present inventors, one of the pair of electrodes (first detection electrode) is a metal thin plate 114a made of stainless steel plated with nickel, and the other (second detection electrode) is a solid stainless steel screw tip. In the case of the protruding electrode 122, when water intervenes between the two electrodes, the metal thin plate 114 d serves as a negative electrode and the protruding electrode 122 serves as a positive electrode to form a battery, and in addition, the pull resistor R 1 is interposed. Since charging is also performed, the potential of the protruding electrode 122 gradually rises, eventually exceeds the threshold voltage Vth, and is erroneously determined as drought even though water remains between the electrodes. Because it is possible.

3) About CPU Next, CPU127 for carrying out integrated control of the whole steam locomotive toy is demonstrated. The CPU 127 includes a microprocessor, an ASIC having various dedicated functions, and a memory (ROM, RAM). In addition to the power supply terminals (Vcc, GND), the CPU 201 has an input port PI1 for taking in the vehicle speed pulse, an input port PI2 for taking in the detection voltage Vx, and a drive signal S1 (details will be described later). An output port PO1 for outputting, an output port PO2 for outputting an audio signal S2 for driving the speaker 126, and an output port PO3 for outputting a diode drive signal S3 for driving the light emitting diode 115; At least an output port PO4 for alternatively outputting the GND potential and the Vcc potential according to the switching of the internal switch SW2 is provided.

Here, the detection voltage Vx differs depending on an appropriate waiting time Tw (the value of the resistor R1 and the wiring state to the electrode 122, for example, after the potential of the output port PO4 is switched from the GND potential to the Vcc potential as described above. The voltage of the input port PI2 at the time when about 100 μsec) has elapsed, and the electric current between the first detection electrode (the thin metal plate 114a in FIG. 7) and the second detection electrode (the protruding electrode 122 in FIG. 7). The voltage varies between the GND potential and the Vcc potential according to the value of the resistor Rx (see FIG. 9) (see FIG. 10B). In the FIG. 10 (b), the a value which appears each time to perform water detection operation, considering that not appear at all times, it is noted that they are represented by one-dot chain line.

  The drive signal S1 is a binary signal for controlling the state of the above-described drive circuit. When the output of the drive signal S1 is in the ON state, the drive signal S1 is in the oscillation state, and in the OFF state, the oscillation stop state is respectively (See FIG. 11C).

<About electrical software configuration>
1) Overall Processing FIG. 15 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of a control program for a steam locomotive toy. In the figure, when the process is started by turning on the power switch 104, first, various flags and registers are initialized by the initialization process (step 101), and then the vehicle speed pulse is input from the input port PI1. Is read and the generation mode of the vehicle speed pulse (for example, pulse generation timing, pulse generation cycle, a certain number of continuity, etc.) is analyzed (step 102). Subsequently, the generation timing of various generation requests (smoke, sound, light) is determined based on the above analysis result (step 103). Thereafter, while performing the vehicle speed pulse reading process (step 102) and the generation timing determination process (step 103), the spray generation request (see FIG. 11B) at the determined timing, the sound generation request, and the light emission request are generated internally. (Step 104 NO, Step 107 NO, and Step 109 NO). Here, the spray request is generated internally, and as shown in FIG. 11B, “1” indicates that there is a request and “0” indicates that there is no request.

In this state, when a spray request is generated (step 104 YES), subsequently, a detection voltage determination process (details will be described later) is executed (step 105), and the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is referred to, and the content is “1”. It is determined whether “0” or “0” (step 106). Here, if the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “1” (with water droplets) (step 106 “1”), the ON state of the sprayer driving signal S1 and the light emission signal S3 are output from the output ports PO1 and PO3 (step S1). 107, 108). On the other hand, if the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “0” (no water droplets) (step 106 “0”), as the protective operation, the ON state (step 107) of the above-described sprayer drive signal S1 and the light emission signal The output of S3 (step 108) is skipped, and instead, the OFF state of the nebulizer drive signal S1 is output (step 109). As described above, when the content of the sprayer drive signal S1 is in the ON state, the drive circuit is in an oscillation state and the mist generation operation is performed, whereas when the content of the sprayer drive signal S1 is in the OFF state. The drive circuit is in an oscillation stop state and no fog generation operation is performed. Thereby, accumulation of metal fatigue due to the air vibration of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator is avoided. Further, as described above, when the light emission signal S3 is output (YES in step 109), the light emitting diode 115 is turned on or blinked to illuminate the fog passing through the chimney 102 in red, for example. The effect is as if the light is leaking from. In FIG. 11, it is noted that the waveform of the vehicle speed pulse ((d) in the figure) is only for reference, and the cycle and the timing relationship with other waveforms are not necessarily accurate.

  If the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is “0” (no water droplet) (NO in step 106), the protection operation is not prohibited from performing the fog generation operation, but instead, or the fog generation operation is not performed. Along with the prohibition, a warning lamp provided separately is turned on, a warning character is displayed on a display provided separately, or a warning sound is played through the speaker 126, so that a drought condition is notified, You may be encouraged to supply water.

If a sound generation request is generated during the above processing (YES at step 110), the sound output signal S2 is output from the output port PO2 (step 111). Here, as described above, the sound generation signal S2 is an audio signal for driving the speaker 126, and the content thereof is a Russell sound emitted from a steam locomotive or a voice (for example, talking to a child) "I am ..." or "Currently passing ...").

2) Detection Voltage Determination Process (Step 105) FIG. 16 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detection voltage determination process. In the figure, when the processing is started, the internal switch SW2 incorporated in the CPU 127 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side (step 201), and at the same time, a timer for specifying the maximum waiting time Tw (for example, 100 μsec) is started. After that (step 202), until the timer expires (NO in step 205), the detection voltage Vx is read from the input port PI2 (step 203) and is compared with the threshold voltage Vth (step 204). Repeatedly. In the meantime, when the detection voltage Vx exceeds the threshold voltage Vth (step 204 YES), the detection voltage determination result is stored as “0” (no water) (step 206). On the other hand, when the timer expires without the detection voltage Vx exceeding the threshold voltage Vth (step 205 YES), the determination result of the detection voltage Vx is stored as “1” (with water). (Step 206). When one of the two determination result storage processes (steps 206 and 207) is completed, the internal switch SW2 is immediately switched from the Vcc side to the GND side (step 208), and the process ends. Therefore, based on whether the result of the detection voltage determination process is “1” or “0”, it can be confirmed whether water is in contact with the metal thin plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator.

<About another embodiment for liquid contact detection>
1) Detection Circuit Next, another example of the detection circuit will be described. In this example, the presence or absence of liquid contact with the diaphragm is detected based on the capacitance value, not the electrical resistance value between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. There is an advantage that it is particularly effective as a measure against electrolytic corrosion of the detection electrode.

  An explanatory diagram (part 2) of the detection circuit is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in this circuit, at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode (in this example, the second detection electrode) A protruding electrode 128 covered with a thin dielectric film 128a is employed. The protruding electrode 128 itself does not come into contact with water, so there is no need to consider corrosion resistance. Therefore, the protruding electrode 128 may be made of a conductive metal of any material. Since the structure other than the structure of the second detection electrode is the same as the detection circuit described above with reference to FIG. 9, the description thereof will be omitted.

  The thinner the dielectric coating 128a, and the higher the relative dielectric constant of the material, the better the detection performance. However, when a plastic resin is used as the material, the relative dielectric constant is large. Therefore, it is necessary to select a thin material that can maintain a certain level of mechanical strength. If a coating is employed as the film forming method, examples of the material include Teflon (registered trademark), epoxy, and polyester. When a cap is applied as a film forming method, examples of the material for the cap include PVC and silicon. Further, the second sensing electrode with an extremely thin high dielectric constant film can be realized by using aluminum as the core conductive electrode and anodizing the surface thereof.

  Next, the principle of water detection using the above detection circuit will be described. FIG. 14 shows a graph showing a change in voltage generated at the input port PI2 when any one of the detection electrodes is insulated with a dielectric film. This graph shows the voltage change after the time point when the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side. In FIG. 14, the upper curve shows a state (first state) in which no water exists between the first sensing electrode (metal thin plate 114a) and the second sensing electrode (projection electrode 128 with a dielectric coating). The charging curve of the capacitance Cx between the two electrodes at the time, the lower curve is the static between the two electrodes when water is present between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode (second state). It is a charge curve of electric capacity Cx. As is apparent from the figure, the slope of the rising portion of the charging curve is clearly gentler in the second state where water exists than in the first state where water does not exist between the electrodes. Therefore, the charging time Tx from the start of charging to the reference voltage Vref in the charging curve at an arbitrary capacitance is compared with the charging time Tref from the start of charging to the reference voltage Vref in the first state where there is no water. Thus, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of water contact with the diaphragm. The value of Tref is caused by the influence of the stray capacitance of the wiring up to the second detection electrode 128, and may be measured as an initial value in the absence of water droplets and held as a known value. When the surface area of the second detection electrode 128 is small, the value of Tx−Tref is extremely small. In such a case, a more reliable determination result can be obtained by comparing and determining the integrated amounts of the values repeatedly measured several times to several tens of times. It should be noted that the larger the value of the pull resistor R3, the longer the values of Tref and Tx, and the higher the resolution at the time of numerical calculation by the CPU, which contributes to the increase in detection sensitivity by improving the measurement accuracy. Considering the influence of noise, etc., about several tens of k to several hundreds kΩ is preferable.

2) Detection voltage determination process FIG. 17 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the detection voltage determination process when the above-described detection circuit (see FIG. 12) is used. In the figure, when the processing is started, first, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the GND side to the Vcc side, thereby raising the potential of the output port PO4 from the GND potential to the Vcc potential (step 302). Subsequently, after starting the timer for timekeeping (step 302), the detection voltage Vx reading processing (step 303) and the comparison processing (step 304) between the detection voltage Vx and the reference voltage Vref are performed until the timer times out. (Step 305 NO), repeatedly executed. In the meantime, if it is determined that the detected voltage Vx exceeds the reference voltage Vref (step 304 YES), the timer time Tx is read (step 306), and then the timer time Tx is compared with the reference time Tref (step 306). Step 307). Here, if it is determined that the value of the measured time Tx is greater than the value of the reference time Tref (step 307 YES), the determination result of the detected voltage Vx is stored as “1” (with water). On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the measured time Tx is less than the value of the reference time Tref, or when the timer expires before the value of the detection voltage Vx reaches the reference voltage Vref (step 305 YES) The determination result of the detection voltage Vx is stored as “0” (no water). Subsequently, the internal switch SW2 is switched from the Vcc side to the GND side, the potential of the output port PO4 is lowered from the Vcc potential to the GND potential, and the process ends (step 310). Therefore, based on whether the result of the detection voltage determination process is “1” or “0”, it can be confirmed whether water is in contact with the metal thin plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator.

<Notification of completion of water supply>
In the above-described embodiment, water contacts the thin metal plate of the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 constituting the vibrator by the detection circuit shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 12 and the detection voltage determination process shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. It can be confirmed whether or not. Therefore, this function can also be used for notifying the completion of water supply. In that case, for example, in the initialization process (step 101) of the flowchart shown in FIG. 15, while waiting for the transition to the routine process (steps 102 to 111) while repeatedly executing the detection voltage determination process (step 105), Waiting for the detection voltage determination result to change from “0” (without water) to “1” (with water), the ON state of the sprayer drive signal S1 is output, and the spraying operation is executed in a predetermined manner. Thus, the smoke may be blown out of the chimney 102. Of course, the light emission signal S3 and / or the sound generation signal S2 may be output together with the sprayer drive signal S1 to notify the completion of water supply with light and sound.

<Others>
In the above-described embodiment, the diaphragm is not limited to the piezoelectric diaphragm 114 having the above-described specific structure. For example, a vibrator itself that includes a piezoelectric material sandwiched between a pair of drive electrodes is used as the diaphragm. Various types of conventional structures such as those (see Patent Document 2) or those using a metal tongue piece cantilevered by the vibrator described above (see Patent Documents 1 and 3). Can be adopted.

  In addition, the liquid supply mechanism is not limited to the above-described inclined rod 113, and for example, the liquid accumulated in the liquid storage tank is dropped onto a diaphragm in a horizontal posture through a tube with a flow rate adjusting valve to generate mist. (Patent Documents 1 and 2), or by supplying liquid to the lower surface of the diaphragm via a liquid retaining material such as a sponge applied to the lower surface of the diaphragm with pores in a substantially horizontal posture, from the upper surface side The thing of various structures which exist conventionally, such as what produces a fog (patent documents 3) etc., is employable.

  Furthermore, the mist generation device according to the present invention is widely used not only for steam locomotive toys but also for various toys that produce smoke (for example, automobile toys that blow smoke from an exhaust pipe, fountain toys that blow water smoke, etc.) can do.

According to the present invention, for example, a small amount of mist raw material liquid required for one smoke discharge cycle is injected, and each time it is used up, by performing the next injection, the liquid left unused. Problems such as generation of mold, odor, and precipitation of calcium inside can be prevented. In addition, according to such a small amount of supply of the mist raw material liquid, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required for the generation of mist by keeping the damping load of the diaphragm caused by contact with water to the minimum necessary. Can do.

1 steam locomotive toy 2 freight car toy 3 track 3a guide ridge 3b guide ridge 4 iron bridge 5 water storage tank 5a operation button 5b water supply nozzle 6 recess (pond)
7 Control lever 101 Outer shell 102 Chimney 103 Water injection port 104 Slide control (power switch)
105 Sound emission hole 106 Drainage port 107a Left front wheel 107b Right front wheel 108a Left rear wheel 108b Right rear wheel 109a Front wheel axle 109b Rear wheel axle 110a Left rod rear end attachment hole 110b Right rod rear end attachment hole 111a Left and right front and rear Wheel connecting rod 111b Right front wheel connecting rod 112a Left rod front end mounting slot 112b Right rod front end mounting slot 113 Inclined rod 113a Inclined rod floor 113b Inclined rod upstream 113c Inclined rod downstream end wall 114 Piezoelectric Type diaphragm 114a Disc-shaped metal thin plate (first detection electrode)
114b Annular first drive electrode 114c Annular piezoelectric material layer 114d Annular second drive electrode 114e Insulating coating 115 Light emitting diode (LED)
116 Swing lever 117 Base end portion 118 Operating element 119 Detection switch 120 Cam 121 Gap 122 Projection electrode (second detection electrode)
123 Small circular area 124 Water drop 125 Fog 126 Speaker 127 CPU
128 Projection electrode with dielectric coating 128a Dielectric coating 201 Switch R1 Pull resistor R2 Current feedback resistor R3 Pull resistor Rx Interelectrode resistance Cx Interelectrode capacitance Vx Detection voltage E Power supply

Claims (29)

A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by atomizing,
Liquid contact detection means for detecting the presence or absence of contact of the liquid with the diaphragm;
And a protection operation executing means for executing a protection operation for preventing idling of the diaphragm when the liquid contact detection means detects that the liquid does not contact the diaphragm.   The fog generating device according to claim 1, wherein the protection operation is an operation of prohibiting vibration of the diaphragm. The liquid contact detection means includes
Only when the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm, the first and second detection electrodes filled with the liquid therebetween,
2. The fog generating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm based on an impedance between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. .   When the impedance is not detected, the same potential is applied to both ends of the series circuit of the impedance between both electrodes and the pull resistor, while at the time of detection, a known potential difference is applied to both ends of the series circuit. The fog generating device according to claim 3, wherein the fog generating device is detected through a voltage drop generated in the pull resistor.   4. The fog generating device according to claim 3, wherein each of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode is made of a bare conductor and the impedance is made of an electric resistance.   4. The fog generating device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode is made of a conductor having a thin dielectric film on a surface thereof, and the impedance is made of capacitive reactance. .   The liquid supply mechanism consumes the liquid trace guided by the liquid injection guide section by the liquid injection guide section for guiding the liquid trace injected or dripped from the injection port to the diaphragm, and the mist generation action. The fog generating device according to claim 1, further comprising a trace liquid holding unit that holds the diaphragm in contact with the diaphragm until it is used up.   The mist generation device according to claim 7, wherein the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in a state of being in contact with the diaphragm using the surface tension of the liquid. The diaphragm is a diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and is arranged in a posture with the mist discharge surface facing up,
The liquid injection guide part is an inclined rod disposed such that an upstream end thereof is located at the liquid injection port and a downstream end thereof is located below the diaphragm with pores,
The mist generation device according to claim 7, wherein the trace liquid holding unit is a narrow gap formed between a lower surface of the pored diaphragm and an upper surface of the inclined ridge. The diaphragm with pores integrally integrates a thin metal plate having pores, an annular first drive electrode, an annular piezoelectric material layer, and an annular second drive electrode in order, and the front and back of the metal thin plate It is a piezoelectric diaphragm made by insulating the surroundings, leaving
The fog generating device according to claim 9, wherein the first detection electrode is the thin metal plate, and the second detection electrode is a protruding electrode provided on the floor surface. A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by atomizing,
Liquid contact detection means for detecting the presence or absence of contact of the liquid with the diaphragm;
When the liquid contact detection means detects a change from no contact of the liquid to the diaphragm to the presence of contact, the fog generating device has a notification operation execution means for executing a notification operation for notifying completion of liquid supply .   The mist generation device according to claim 11, wherein the notification operation is an operation of notifying completion of the liquid supply operation by generating the mist by vibrating the diaphragm in a predetermined manner.   The fog generating device according to claim 1, which is incorporated in a toy that produces smoke and water smoke. A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by making fine particles is incorporated into an outer shell that simulates the appearance of a steam locomotive, and the mist generated by the mist generating device is provided in the outer shell. A steam locomotive toy that produces smoke by discharging to the outside through a chimney,
Liquid contact detection means for detecting the presence or absence of contact of the liquid with the diaphragm;
A steam locomotive toy comprising: a protection operation executing means for executing a protection operation for preventing idling of the diaphragm when the liquid contact detection means detects no contact of the liquid with the diaphragm. .   The steam locomotive toy according to claim 14, wherein the protection operation is an operation of prohibiting vibration of the diaphragm even when a spray command is given. The liquid contact detection means includes
Only when the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm, the first and second detection electrodes filled with the liquid therebetween,
The steam locomotive according to claim 14, further comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm based on an impedance between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode. toy.   When the impedance is not detected, the same potential is given to both ends of the series circuit of the impedance between both electrodes and the pull resistor, while at the time of detection, a known potential difference is given to both ends of the series circuit. The steam locomotive toy according to claim 14, which is detected via a voltage drop occurring in the pull resistor.   The liquid supply mechanism includes a liquid injection guide for guiding a liquid trace injected or dropped from an injection port provided in the outer shell body to the diaphragm, and a liquid trace guided by the liquid injection guide. The steam locomotive toy according to claim 14, further comprising a trace liquid holding portion that holds the diaphragm in contact with the diaphragm until it is consumed by the mist generation action.   19. The steam locomotive toy according to claim 18, wherein the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in a state of contact with the diaphragm by using a surface tension of the liquid. The diaphragm is a pored diaphragm in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and is arranged in a posture with the mist discharge surface facing up,
The liquid injection guide part is an inclined rod disposed such that an upstream end thereof is located at the liquid injection port and a downstream end thereof is located below the diaphragm with pores,
19. The steam locomotive toy according to claim 18, wherein the trace liquid holding part is a narrow gap formed between a lower surface of the diaphragm with a fine pore and an upper surface of the inclined wall. The diaphragm with pores integrally integrates a thin metal plate having pores for atomization, an annular first drive electrode, an annular piezoelectric material layer, and an annular second drive electrode in order, It is a piezoelectric diaphragm formed by insulating and coating the periphery of the metal thin plate, and fixed in a posture in which the metal thin plate side faces upward,
The first detection electrode is made of the metal thin plate, and the second detection electrode is made of a protruding electrode protruding from the surface of the inclined wall toward the lower surface of the piezoelectric vibration plate. The steam locomotive toy described. A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by making fine particles is incorporated into an outer shell that simulates the appearance of a steam locomotive, and the mist generated by the mist generating device is provided in the outer shell. A steam locomotive toy that produces smoke by discharging to the outside through a chimney,
Liquid contact detection means for detecting the presence or absence of contact of the liquid with the diaphragm;
A steam locomotive having a notification operation executing unit for performing a notification operation for notifying completion of liquid supply when the liquid contact detection unit detects a change from no contact to contact with the diaphragm. toy.   The steam locomotive toy according to claim 22, wherein the notification operation is an operation of notifying completion of a liquid supply operation by generating a mist by vibrating the diaphragm in a predetermined manner. A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by making fine particles is incorporated into an outer shell that simulates the appearance of a steam locomotive, and the mist generated by the mist generating device is provided in the outer shell. A steam locomotive toy that produces smoke by discharging to the outside through a chimney,
The liquid supply mechanism is
A liquid injection guide for guiding a trace amount of liquid injected or dropped from an injection port provided in the outer shell to the diaphragm;
A steam locomotive toy comprising: a trace liquid holding part that holds the trace liquid guided by the liquid injection guide part in contact with the diaphragm until the trace liquid is completely consumed by a mist generating action.   25. The steam locomotive toy according to claim 24, wherein the trace liquid holding unit holds the liquid in contact with the vibration plate by utilizing a surface tension of the liquid. The diaphragm is a diaphragm with pores in which either one of the front and back surfaces is a liquid contact surface and the other surface is a mist discharge surface, and is arranged in a posture with the mist discharge surface facing up,
The liquid injection guide part is an inclined rod disposed such that an upstream end thereof is located at the liquid injection port and a downstream end thereof is located below the diaphragm with pores,
The steam locomotive toy according to claim 24, wherein the trace liquid holding part is a narrow gap formed between a lower surface of the diaphragm with pores and an upper surface of the inclined ridge. Orbit,
A stop provided in the middle of the track,
The steam locomotive toy according to any one of claims 14 to 26,
The stop is provided with a liquid injection facility having a liquid injection nozzle for injecting a small amount of the liquid into the liquid injection port of the steam locomotive toy stopped at the stop by a predetermined liquid injection operation. Steam locomotive toy system. The outer shell of the steam locomotive toy is provided with a drain port for discharging the liquid overflowing from the diaphragm to the outside, and the steam engine that is stopped at the stop on the track The steam locomotive toy system according to claim 27, wherein a recess for storing the liquid flowing out from the outlet of the car toy is provided. A diaphragm that vibrates at a high frequency; and a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a conductive liquid such as water to the diaphragm, and the liquid supplied via the liquid supply mechanism is brought into contact with the diaphragm. A mist generating device that generates mist by atomizing,
A mist generating apparatus comprising liquid contact detecting means for detecting whether or not the liquid is in contact with the diaphragm.

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