JPH02243186A - Wheel toy - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize with simple constitution a rotary motion of a wheel which seems to fall down but actually does not fall down, by providing a drive means in an outer wheel, the rotary center aligned approximately with the center of an outer wheel and a toy body provided with a propeller for giving reaction moment to restrain the falling-down to locate the center of gravity beneath the center. CONSTITUTION:A frame 2 rotatably supporting four rollers 3... is provided in an outer wheel 1, while a propeller 4 is rotatably supported in the central part of the frame 2 to control the drive of rollers 3 and propeller 4 by a control unit 51 mounted on the lower portion of the frame 2. A control box 5 housing a roller driving motor 53 is fixedly disposed between the lower side arms 2a, 2a of the frame 2. When the motor 53 is driven, one roller 3 is rotated by a belt-pulley mechanism for example, to rotate the outer wheel 1 with a frictional force. The control box 5 is located as low as possible to set the center G of gravity of the whole body lower than the configurational center of the outer wheel 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a self-supporting wheeled toy that gives the mysterious impression that it is about to fall but does not.

One conventional example of this type of wheeled toy (hereinafter referred to as the first conventional example)
As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). This wheel toy has a configuration in which a disc-shaped top 8 provided inside a wheel body 10 is rotated at high speed around a vertical axis 7, and the wheel body 1 becomes self-supporting due to the gyroscopic effect generated at this time.

Further, as another conventional example (hereinafter referred to as the second conventional example), there is one shown in FIG. This wheel toy utilizes the principle of the Okari-Agari Koboshi. That is, in the cross-sectional shape, the center of gravity G of the entire wheel body 10, which has an outer ring whose ground contact surface is an arc 9.9 having a predetermined radius of curvature, is expressed as a virtual circle C.
is positioned below the center 0 of Take a configuration that allows

Note that the virtual circle C is a circle that includes a ground contact section having the above-mentioned radius of curvature in the cross-sectional shape of the outer ring.

However, in the case of the first conventional example, the following measures are required to increase independence.

■ Rotate top 8 even faster to enhance the gyro effect.

■Increase the diameter of top 8 to enhance the gyro effect as well.

■Increase the weight of top 8 and increase the gyro effect as well.

■Reducing the weight of the entire wheel toy except for top 8, reducing the load on the gyro effect.

However, the method (■) is mechanically difficult. Moreover, according to the measure (■), the width dimension of the wheel body 10 increases,
- Since the wheel body 10 appears stable in appearance, the demand for such a wheel toy, which is interesting as a toy, lies in the fact that it gives a mysterious impression that it is likely to fall over but will not.

Furthermore, if measure (1) is not taken, it is necessary to take measures (2) and (3) at the same time, which is difficult to implement due to structural and manufacturing constraints. In particular, to increase demand,
It would be difficult to add a running function to the wheel body 10, and since the system relies on the uprightness of the gyroscopic effect, the wheel body 10 cannot be tilted arbitrarily, and therefore cannot freely turn left and right. It is even more difficult to do so. Therefore, as long as the form of the first conventional example is maintained, it is currently impossible to provide an excellent wheeled toy.

Furthermore, in the second conventional example, in order to increase the independence of the wheel body 1O, the distance between the center of gravity G and the center O may be increased, and the rising moment may be increased. However,
In order to do so, it is necessary to increase the radius of the virtual circle C, that is, the radius of curvature of the circular arc 9, and as a result, it is necessary to increase the width of the wheel body 10. Therefore, for the same reason as mentioned above, even in the case of this second conventional example, it is currently impossible to provide an excellent wheeled toy.

The present invention has been made in view of the current situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a wheeled toy that can realize a mysterious rotating motion that is likely to fall but does not fall, with a simple configuration.

The present invention is a self-supporting type wheel toy that gives a mysterious impression that it is about to fall but does not fall, and is provided inside the outer ring.
and a propeller that is rotatably provided with its center of rotation approximately aligned with the center of the shape of the outer ring and that applies a reaction moment to the wheel toy main body in a direction that prevents it from tilting. , the center of gravity is located below the center of the shape.

In addition to the above configuration, the present invention also includes a tilt detector that detects the tilt angle of the outer wheel and a motor that rotationally drives the propeller, and rotates the propeller according to the detection result of the tilt detector to control the attitude of the outer wheel. It is characterized by the fact that

In such a case, regardless of whether the outer ring is rotating or stopped, that is, whether the wheel toy main body (wheel main body) is running or stopped, if it does not tilt, the wheel toy main body will be stabilized by the wind force generated by the propeller. It will be returned to its original position. Furthermore, since the center of gravity is located below the center of the shape of the outer ring, it is possible to obtain a propulsive force that rotates the outer ring for reasons described later.

Furthermore, since the center of rotation of the propeller is approximately aligned with the center of the shape of the outer ring, the wheel body does not spin undesirably for reasons described later.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the mechanism of the wheel toy according to the present invention.

This wheel toy has a frame 2 that rotatably supports four rollers 3 inside an outer ring 1, a propeller 4 rotatably supported in the center of the frame 2, and a lower part of the frame 2. Control unit 51 attached to (see Figure 5)
By controlling the drive of roller 3 and propeller 4,
The wheel body 10 is configured to exhibit a running function and a self-sustaining function, and the wheel body 10 is formed by assembling these main members.

The details of each part will be explained in order below.

There are four rollers 3 on the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped outer ring 1.
is inscribed. These rollers 3 are rotatably supported at the tips of the arms 2a of the cross-shaped frame 2. Specifically, the frame 2 is made up of two frame bodies 20, 20 facing each other with a predetermined interval, and the tips of arms 2a are radially connected from the center of the frame body 20. The structure is such that the rollers 3 are supported by support shafts 3a provided at the abutting portions. Each roller 3... is brought into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring l with a predetermined pressing force.

The rollers 3 hold the outer ring l and rotate it in the circumferential direction. That is, the lower arms 2a, 2a of the frame 2
A control box 5 containing a motor 53 (see Fig. 5) for driving the roller is fixedly arranged between the two. The structure is such that two rollers 3 rotate and the outer ring 1 is rotated by frictional force. The lower surface of the control box 5 is in a non-contact state with the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring l.

Here, the mounting position of the control box 5 is limited to the lower part of the frame 2. That is, in order to rotate the outer ring 1 and run the wheel body 10, it is necessary to prohibit the rotation of built-in members such as the frame 2 and rotate only the outer ring 1. control box 5 with
This is because it is essential that the entire center of gravity G be set below the center of the shape of the outer ring 1.

Although a plurality of rollers 3 may be driven, in order to simplify the mechanism, it is preferable to drive one roller 3 that is close to the motor 53 (that is, on the lower side). In addition, in order to efficiently transmit the driving force of the driving roller to the outer ring l, as shown in FIG. , d is slightly longer than the separation path M it z (it may be set).

That is, by doing this, the pressing force of the rollers a against the outer ring l can be made larger than that of the driven rollers b and d, so that the frictional force that rotates the outer ring 1 can be increased, while the driven roller b, which causes rotational resistance, can be made larger. , d and the outer ring 1 can be reduced.

Furthermore, when the lower roller is used as a driving roller, the driving force generation position is changed as shown in the figure (the center of gravity is at a predetermined position below the outer ring 1) by providing the comparatively heavy control box 5 on the lower side. Since the height position is close to G, it is preferable in terms of increasing the self-supporting function of the wheel wooden body 10 accordingly.

Regarding the number of rollers 3, three or more are required to securely hold the outer ring l. Further, instead of the structure in which the outer ring 1 is rotated by the rollers 3 . . . , a structure may be adopted in which the outer ring 1 is rotated by a pinion and an internal gear that meshes with the pinion. That is, a structure may be adopted in which a pinion is rotatably supported at the tips of the arms 2a, and an internal gear is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 1.

As for the material of the outer ring 1, for example, foamed rubber or the like may be used because it is preferable to have relatively high friction because it rotates on a floor, and it is also preferable to reduce the weight.

A propeller 4 is rotatably supported at the center of the frame 2, that is, between frame bodies 20 and 20 that substantially coincide with the center of the shape of the outer ring 1. The blade shape of the propeller 4 is selected so that it blows out the wind force F during forward rotation and sucks the wind force F during reverse rotation. The propeller 4 has a function of preventing the wheel body IO from tilting during rotation and making it self-supporting.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, suppose that the wheel body 10 is now tilted to the left by θ from the vertical axis Y, and if the propeller 4 is rotated in this state, the propeller 4 will generate the wind force F as shown in the figure. is generated, and the reaction force F acts on the wheel body 10. Therefore, a reaction force (reaction) moment F-β corresponding to the product of this reaction force F and the distance 13 from the center of the propeller 4 to the contact point P (contact point with the floor) is applied to the position of the center of gravity G. If the tilting moment is made larger than the tilting moment F'·14 corresponding to the product of the tilting force F' and the distance 24 from the center of gravity G to the contact point P, the inclination θ of the wheel body 10 will be eliminated. In other words, the inclination of the wheel body 10 can be corrected by appropriately setting the wind force F generated by the propeller 4 and the rotation direction according to the inclination of the wheel body 10.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, covers 6.6 provided with ventilation holes 6a are removably attached to both sides of the outer ring 1. The cover 6 not only improves aesthetics but also ensures the safety of the user.

Further, since the rotation center of the propeller 4 is made to substantially coincide with the center of the shape of the outer ring 1, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of spin when the wheel body 10 accelerates or decelerates for the reasons described below. That is, as shown in Fig. 4, assume that the rotation center OF of the propeller 4 is set above the shape center OF of the outer ring 1, and the propeller 4 is driven to generate wind force F in the direction indicated by ■ in the figure. Then, in this case, the wheel body 1
0 generates a reaction force moment of F・S, which causes the wheel body 1
This causes the 0 to spin and the independent function of this to be selected.

However, FIG. 4(a) shows a state in which the wheel body 10 is stopped or moves at a constant velocity and the propeller 4 is stopped, and FIG. 4(b) shows a state in which the wheel body 10 is accelerated or decelerated and the propeller 4 is stopped. 4
Fig. 4(C) shows the rotated state of Fig. 4(b).
FIG. Also, S is the shape center 0. and center of rotation O
1 shows the separation distance in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, when the shape center OF and the rotation center OF are made to substantially coincide as in the present invention, the above S becomes approximately O, and the reaction force moment F-3 can be set to approximately O, so that the spin The occurrence of this can be suppressed, and the self-sustaining function of the wheel body 10 will not be impaired.

Regarding the rotation method of the propeller 4, a configuration is adopted in which the rotation speed and rotation direction of the propeller 4 are controlled by the control unit 51 according to the inclination angle of the wheel body lO detected by the inclination detector 50 shown in FIG. Bye.

When the propeller 4 as described above is provided, it functions to prevent the wheel body 10 from tilting, so unlike the conventional example described above, the width dimension of the wheel body 10 can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to give the user a mysterious impression that the device is about to fall but does not. Moreover, since it is possible to turn left and right depending on the inclination angle of the wheel body 10, the vehicle can eventually travel in all directions.

Therefore, it is convenient for stimulating demand.

Next, according to FIG. 5, an embodiment in which the rotation of the propeller 4 is controlled will be described. Note that the equipment shown in FIG. 5 is installed in the control box 5.

When the inclination detector 50 detects the inclination of the wheel body 10, the detection result is output to the inclination and tilt control unit 51a of the control unit 51,
In response to this, the tilt control unit 51a calculates the wind force F of the propeller 4 that can correct the tilt at this time, and drives the propeller drive motor 52 to generate the wind force F according to the calculation result. In this way, the inclination of the wheel body 10 is eliminated and it stands upright in the vertical direction.

Note that the propeller 4 has a structure in which the driving force of the motor 52 is transmitted via a belt/boot mechanism (not shown).

In the figure, 54 is a battery that drives the motor 52 and the motor 53, and as the tilt detector 50, a rate gyro is preferable. Further, the control section 51 also performs drive control of the motor 53, that is, travel control of the wheel body 10.

With such a configuration, the wind force F of the propeller 4 can be freely adjusted, so the wheel body 10 can not only be made independent (but can also be tilted arbitrarily while driving). Since the main body 10 can be made to perform various operations such as a turning operation and can also be made to run in any direction, there is an advantage in that it further arouses the user's desire to purchase.

Furthermore, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 5, the control section 51 is provided with a travel control section 51b, and by combining it with a remote control or radio control operation, or by adopting a program control method, even more interesting operations can be enjoyed. become.

However, in this case, the 1st setting/travel setting control signal section 5
A predetermined command signal from 5 is given to the tilt control section 51a and the traveling control section 51b, respectively, to control the drive of the propeller drive motor 52 and the roller drive motor 53.

Figure 6 shows a modified example of the propeller, and in this 4° modified example, two propellers 4.4 with different wind generation directions are used.
The two propellers 4.4 are arranged facing each other, and both propellers 4.4 are individually driven by two independent motors. However, when driving one propeller 4, the other propeller 4 shall be stopped.

According to this modification, there is an advantage that the attitude of the wheel body worker 0 can be controlled even more precisely.

According to the present invention, which has four main plates, it is possible to realize a wheeled toy with a simple structure that performs a mysterious rotating motion that is likely to fall over but does not fall over.

In addition, especially in the case of the wheeled toy according to claim 2, since it has a built-in posture control device, it is possible to set the motion program and to operate the radio control or remote control from the outside, which fully satisfies the playfulness of the user. This means that high-class toys can be created.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the mechanism of the wheel toy according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic side view showing the support structure of the roller, Fig. 3 is a schematic front view showing the independent operation of the wheel body, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the principle of spin generation, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment for controlling the rotation of a propeller, and FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing a modified example of the propeller. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are drawings showing a conventional example. 1... Outer ring, 2... Frame, 3... Roller, 4...
...Propeller, 50...Tilt detector, 51...Control unit, 52...Motor for propeller drive, 53...Motor for roller drive. Patent applicant: Keyence Co., Ltd. Figure 7 Figure 8

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A self-supporting wheeled toy that gives the mysterious impression that it is likely to fall over but does not, and that is provided inside an outer ring, has means for driving it, and rotates with its center of rotation substantially aligned with the center of the shape of the outer ring. A wheel toy, characterized in that the wheel toy is provided with a propeller which is freely disposed and which imparts a reaction moment to the wheel toy main body in a direction to prevent it from tilting, and the center of gravity is located below the center of the shape. (2) A tilt detector for detecting the tilt angle of the outer wheel and a motor for rotationally driving the propeller are provided, and the propeller is rotated according to the detection result of the tilt detector to control the attitude of the outer wheel. The wheel toy according to claim 1, characterized in that: