JP7754792B2 - Model parts and joint structures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to model parts and joint structures.

Toy dolls (model parts) contain a variety of joints and movable parts to allow for movements and poses similar to those of humans and animals. These mechanisms allow for a wide variety of poses. In addition to the main body that allows for the above movements, model parts are also fitted with weapons, armor, skirts, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as decorative parts). Because these decorative parts are attached in close contact with the main body, the range of movement is limited by the influence of the main body parts. In order to allow parts to move as freely as possible within this limited range of motion, connections between parts that use spherical connecting parts are known. Hereinafter, such connections will be referred to as ball joints.

Patent Document 1 proposes a model component in which the movement of armor is made more complex in response to the movement of the limbs, making the armor's movement more realistic. In this model component, armor is placed on the limbs connected to the main body via a joint mechanism, covering the side opposite the main body, and the armor is rotatably connected to the upper body via a ball joint, and is further connected to the limbs via a rotatable connecting part. This creates armor that moves in accordance with the movement of the limbs.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-73325

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, one part is rotatably connected to one connecting part (ball). Therefore, if it is desired to rotatably connect another part near that connecting part, it is necessary to provide another connecting part separately, which requires space for the connecting part. On the other hand, if multiple parts could be rotatably connected to one connecting part, the space required for the connection could be reduced and more flexible movement would be possible. However, the above-mentioned conventional technology does not consider rotatably connecting multiple parts to one connecting part.

The present invention provides a mechanism for rotatably connecting multiple parts or regions with a single connecting portion, for example, in model components.

The present invention is characterized in that, for example, a model component is provided with a connecting portion connectable to a portion of the model component, the connecting portion including the first connecting member and a second connecting member that is combined with the first connecting member so that they can rotate individually and mutually, and when the first connecting member and the second connecting member are combined, a single spherical connecting portion is formed, and the connecting portion is connected to other parts so that it can rotate in multiple directions.
The present invention also provides, for example, a model component comprising a connecting portion connectable to a portion of the model component, the connecting portion including a first connecting member and a second connecting member, the first connecting member having an insertion groove, the second connecting member having a convex portion to be inserted into the insertion groove, the convex portion of the second connecting member being inserted into the insertion groove of the first connecting member to form a spherical connecting portion, the connecting portion being rotatably connected to another part, and the first connecting member and the second connecting member being independently rotatable with the convex portion as a rotation axis.
The present invention also provides, for example, a model component comprising a connecting portion connectable to a portion of the model component, the connecting portion including a first connecting member and a second connecting member, the first connecting member having an insertion groove, the second connecting member having a convex portion to be inserted into the insertion groove, the convex portion of the second connecting member being inserted into the insertion groove of the first connecting member to form a single spherical connecting portion, the connecting portion being connected to another part so as to be rotatable around the single spherical connecting portion, and the first connecting member and the second connecting member being rotatable individually with the convex portion as a rotation axis.

The present invention also provides a joint structure for use, for example, in a part of a model component, comprising a first connecting member and a second connecting member that is combined with the first connecting member so that they can rotate independently of each other, and when the first connecting member and the second connecting member are combined, a single spherical connecting portion is formed, and this connecting portion is connected to other parts so that it can rotate in multiple directions.
The present invention also provides an articulated structure for use, for example, in a part of a model component, comprising a first connecting member and a second connecting member, wherein the first connecting member has an insertion groove, the second connecting member has a convex portion that is inserted into the insertion groove, and by inserting the convex portion of the second connecting member into the insertion groove of the first connecting member, a single spherical connecting portion is formed, and this connecting portion is rotatably connected to another part, and the first connecting member and the second connecting member are capable of rotating individually with the convex portion as a rotation axis.
The present invention also provides an articulated structure for use, for example, in a part of a model component, comprising a first connecting member and a second connecting member, wherein the first connecting member has an insertion groove, the second connecting member has a convex portion that is inserted into the insertion groove, the convex portion of the second connecting member is inserted into the insertion groove of the first connecting member to form a single spherical connecting portion, the first connecting member and the second connecting member are connected to other parts so as to be rotatable around the single spherical connecting portion, and the first connecting member and the second connecting member are individually rotatable around the convex portion as a rotation axis.

According to the present invention, multiple parts or regions of a model component can be rotatably connected using a single connecting portion.

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a front and side appearance of a model part according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a front view showing the armor of the model component in the open state according to an embodiment. 1 is a detailed perspective view and exploded view of armor according to one embodiment. Detailed perspective and exploded views of an armor joint (joint structure) according to one embodiment. 10A and 10B are detailed perspective and exploded views of a spherical connector according to one embodiment; 10A-10C illustrate a pivoting movement of an armor member according to one embodiment. 10A-10C illustrate a pivoting movement of an armor member according to one embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of spherical connecting portions according to an embodiment.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, identical or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

<Appearance of model parts>
First, an example of the external configuration of a model component 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1(a) shows the external front view of the model component 100, and Fig. 1(b) shows the external side view of the model component 100. Note that up/down, left/right, and front/back arrows indicate the orientation of the model component in the figure, and this also applies to the other figures.

The model component 100 comprises a head 101, a torso 102, arms 103, and legs 105, which constitute the main body, and armor 104, which is a decorative component. In this embodiment, a doll body is used as an example of a model component, but this is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be applied to various models, including humans, animals, robots, insects, dinosaurs, weapons, and decorative items. The head 101 is connected to the torso 102. In this embodiment, the model component 100 is described as being divided into a main body and decorative components. However, this is for ease of explanation and is not intended to limit the present invention. Please note that at least some of these components may be provided as a single unit, and they do not necessarily need to be separated. Arms 103, including a right arm 103b and a left arm 103a, are further connected to the torso 102, and legs 105, including a right foot 105b and a left foot 105a, are connected to the lower part. In the following description, the upper body, including the head 101, torso 102, and arms 103, will be referred to as the "upper body." According to this embodiment, armor 104 is provided on each side, as indicated by 104a and 104b, and is fixed to the main body at a portion of the upper body (e.g., a portion of the back) and attached to cover the left and right upper body portions. More specifically, armor 104a and 104b are attached to cover the front and rear of the torso 102 of the model component 100 and the arms 103a and 103b. While this embodiment will be described using an example in which the joint structure described below is used as part of the decorative portion, this is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any structure that can be used as part of a model component may be used. For example, the joint structure described below may be used at the connection between the decorative portion and the main body, or may be used inside the main body or decorative portion, allowing multiple parts or regions to move flexibly.

<Armor configuration>
Next, an example of the configuration of the armor 104 of the model component 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a state in which parts of the left and right armors 104a and 104b have been moved to the open state.

As shown in Figure 1, armors 104a and 104b are attached so as to cover the front and rear of torso 102 and the sides of arms 103a and 103b when in a closed state. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, armors 104a and 104b can be opened by rotating some of their parts, exposing the covered upper body. The left and right armors 104a and 104b can be rotated separately. For example, it is possible to open only one of armors 104a and 104b.

<Armor detailed configuration>
Next, the detailed configuration of the armor 104 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows (a) a perspective view and (b) an exploded perspective view of the armor 104a attached to the left side of the upper body of the model component 100. Note that the armor 104b has a bilaterally symmetrical configuration to the armor 104a, and therefore its description will be omitted.

The armor 104a is composed of an armor connecting portion 201, armor members 202, 203, and 204, and a main body connecting portion 205. As shown by the dotted lines in Figure 3(b), the armor members 202, 203, and 204 are rotatably connected to the armor connecting portion 201, and the main body connecting portion 205 is also connected to the armor connecting portion 201. Each armor member 202, 203, and 204 is provided with a cylindrical shaft member, which is rotatably grasped (connected) by each grasping portion (connecting portion) provided on the armor connecting portion 201. Therefore, each armor member 202, 203, and 204 can rotate in the vertical direction around each shaft member. Furthermore, the armor connecting portion 201 has an articulated structure for the armor members 202, 203, and 204, as described below. In this embodiment, multiple parts, armor members 202, 203, and 204, are described as being connected to the armor connecting part 201 using an articulated structure, but the armor members 202, 203, and 204 may also be provided integrally with the armor connecting part 201.

<Armor joint structure>
Next, a detailed joint structure (rotation mechanism) of the armor connecting part 201 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows (a) a perspective view of the armor connecting part 201, and (b) and (c) exploded perspective views thereof.

The armor connecting portion 201 is composed of connecting members 301-304. The connecting member 301 has a cylindrical connecting portion, which is rotatably connected to the main body connecting portion 205 as shown in FIG. 3(b). By rotating this connecting portion, the armor 104a can be displaced to the open state as shown in FIG. 2. The connecting member 304 has a gripping portion, to which the armor member 204 covering the arm portion 103a is rotatably connected. The armor members 202 and 203 are rotatably connected to the gripping portions of the connecting members 302 and 303, respectively. Here, the gripping portions are described as an example of the connection portion between the armor member and the connecting member, but this is not intended to limit the present invention, and other connection methods may also be used. For example, a fitting connection or a ball joint (a spherical connecting portion) may be used.

As shown in Figures 4(b) and 4(c), connecting members 302 and 303 form a spherical (ball-shaped) connecting portion 306. The spherical connecting portion formed by connecting members 302 and 303 is sandwiched between connecting members 301 and 304 and connected to be rotatable in multiple directions, including the directions of the arrows in Figure 4(a). Here, "multi-directional" includes any direction, including vertical and horizontal. In other words, parts connected to armor connecting portion 201 are attached so that they can rotate in all directions within the spatial limitations of other parts. This configuration is called a ball joint. In this way, connecting members 302 and 303 can rotate in multiple directions in conjunction with one spherical connecting portion. Furthermore, as will be described in more detail below, because the spherical connecting portion is formed by two members and each member is connected to be rotatable independently, more flexible movement can be achieved. Furthermore, as described above, the connecting members 302, 303 may be provided integrally with the armor members 203, 202, respectively.

<Configuration of spherical connecting portion>
The detailed configuration of the spherical connecting portion (ball joint) 306 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows (a) a side view, (b) a perspective view, and (c) a plan view of connecting members 302 and 303 that form the spherical connecting portion.

The connecting members 302, 303 each include a connecting portion 401, 402 and a gripping portion 403, 404. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the connecting portions 401, 402 according to this embodiment form a spherical connecting portion by inserting one connecting portion 401 into the generally spherical connecting portion 402 having an insertion groove. The connecting portion 401 has recesses 411, 412. The connecting portion 402 has protrusions 421, 422. The spherical connecting portion 306 is formed by rotatably fitting the protrusion 421 into the recess 411, and the protrusion 422 into the recess 412 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5(b).

Figure 5(c) shows a plan view of the state in which connecting members 302 and 303 are connected. In Figure 5(c), the manner in which connecting member 303 rotates relative to connecting member 302 is shown by dotted lines. In this way, connecting member 303 is rotatably connected to connecting member 302. Note that, for ease of explanation, the manner in which connecting member 303 rotates is shown here, but connecting member 302 is also rotatably connected to connecting member 303 in a similar manner.

In this way, in the ball joint of this embodiment, two members are rotatably connected to each other to form a spherical connecting portion. Therefore, the armor members 202, 203 connected to the gripping portions 403, 404 of the connecting members 302, 303 are linked by the ball joint and can rotate in multiple directions, and because the connecting members 302 themselves are rotatably connected to each other, they can rotate individually, allowing for more flexible movement.

<Pivoting movement of armor member by connecting member>
The rotational movement of the armor members via the connecting members 302 and 303 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows plan views (a) to (c) of the armor members 202 and 203 connected to the connecting members 302 and 303, respectively.

Figure 6 shows how armor members 202 and 203 are connected to the gripping portions 403 and 404 of connecting members 302 and 303, respectively, and how connecting members 302 and 303 are rotated. Each connecting member 302 and 303 can rotate independently around the spherical connecting portion, as shown by the dotted arrows in Figure 6(a).

For example, as shown in Figure 6(b), only armor member 202 can be rotated. Here, armor member 202 is shown rotated counterclockwise. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(c), armor member 203 can be rotated counterclockwise, which is a different direction from armor member 202. In this way, armor members 202 and 203 can be rotated individually via connecting members 302 and 303.

<Rotation of Armor Member by Grip>
7, the rotational movement of the armor members via the gripping portions 403, 404 will be described. FIG. 7 shows a side view of the armor members 202, 203 connected to the connecting members 302, 303, respectively.

As shown in Figure 7, the armor members 202, 203 each have a cylindrical shaft member 701, 702 that is rotatably fitted into the gripping portions 403, 404 of the connecting members 302, 303. Therefore, the armor members 202, 203 can rotate in the vertical direction of the model component 100 around the shaft members 701, 702 fitted into the gripping portions 403, 404.

As explained using Figures 4(a), 6, and 7, the armor members 202, 203 according to this embodiment can rotate via a ball joint, via a connecting member, and via a gripping portion. This allows for more flexible movements and enables a wide variety of poses. In particular, by forming the spherical connecting portion (ball joint) from multiple members, the parts connected to each member can be rotated individually, enabling a wider variety of movements.

As described above, the model component according to this embodiment includes a connecting portion that can be connected to a portion of the model component. The connecting portion also includes a first connecting member and a second connecting member that can be combined with the first connecting member so that they can rotate independently of each other. When the first connecting member and the second connecting member are combined, a single spherical connecting portion is formed, and this connecting portion is connected to other parts so that they can rotate in multiple directions. As a result, according to this embodiment, multiple parts can be rotatably connected with a single connecting portion, and more flexible and diverse movements can be achieved.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention. In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which a spherical connecting portion is formed by two members has been described. In particular, the above-described embodiment has described an example in which one part is formed in a substantially spherical shape and the other part is rotatably inserted to form the spherical connecting portion. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 8( a), connecting portions 801 and 802 may be formed in a hemispherical shape and rotatably combined to form a spherical connecting portion. In this case, a convex portion 821 provided on connecting portion 802 is fitted into a concave portion 811 provided on connecting portion 801, thereby forming the spherical connecting portion.

In addition, while the above embodiment describes an example in which a spherical connecting portion is formed from two components, a spherical connecting portion may also be formed from three or more components. For example, Figure 8(b) shows a configuration made up of three connecting members 821, 822, and 823. Connecting member 821 has the same configuration as connecting member 302. On the other hand, connecting members 822 and 823 may be divided into two parts with upper and lower hemispherical connecting portions 825 and 826, which may be combined with connecting portion 824 to form a spherical connecting portion. Each part may be provided with a gripping portion, which can be used to grip and connect the parts. Furthermore, the gripping portion of each part may be a connecting portion, such as a spherical portion, to which other parts can be connected.

Furthermore, the shape of the model parts is not particularly limited and may include a variety of shapes such as people, animals, robots, insects, dinosaurs, etc.

100: Model parts, 101: Head, 102: Torso, 103a, 103b: Arms, 104a, 104b: Armor, 105a, 105b: Legs, 201: Armor connector, 202, 203, 204: Armor components, 205: Main body connector, 301-304: Connectors

Claims (6)

A model part,
a connecting portion connectable to a part of the model component;
the connecting portion includes a first connecting member and a second connecting member,
the first connecting member has an insertion groove;
the second connecting member has a protrusion inserted into the insertion groove,
When the protrusion of the second connecting member is inserted into the insertion groove of the first connecting member, a spherical connecting portion is formed, and the connecting portion is connected to another part so as to be rotatable around the spherical connecting portion ,
The model component is characterized in that the first connecting member and the second connecting member are individually rotatable around the convex portion as a rotation axis. the first connecting member and the second connecting member each have a connecting portion;
2. The model component according to claim 1, wherein a first part can be rotatably attached to the connection portion of the first connecting member , and a second part can be rotatably attached to the connection portion of the second connecting member . the second connecting member has a first connecting portion having a substantially spherical shape and including the insertion groove;
the first connecting member has a second connecting portion inserted into the insertion groove,
3. The model part according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are fitted together to form the single spherical connecting portion . the first connecting member has a first connecting portion having a hemispherical shape;
the second connecting member has a second connecting portion having a hemispherical shape;
3. The model part according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are fitted together to form the single spherical connecting portion . Further comprising a third connecting member;
3. The model component according to claim 1, wherein when the first connecting member, the second connecting member, and the third connecting member are combined, a single spherical connecting portion is formed. A joint structure used in a part of a model part,
A first connecting member;
a second connecting member;
the first connecting member has an insertion groove;
the second connecting member has a protrusion inserted into the insertion groove,
When the protrusion of the second connecting member is inserted into the insertion groove of the first connecting member, a spherical connecting portion is formed, and the first connecting member and the second connecting member are connected to other parts so as to be rotatable around the spherical connecting portion ,
A joint structure, characterized in that the first connecting member and the second connecting member are individually rotatable around the convex portion as a rotation axis.