JPH10279A - Toy - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to shift auto control and manual control without requiring a lever of the like by applying a handle to turn its shaft on by hand outo the top and of a screw feeder and connecting a roll drive motor with its bottom end. SOLUTION: Onto the top end of a screw feeder 3 to convey balls 6 from the lower part to the upper part a crank handle 4 is applies and an electric drive device 5 is connected to its bottom end through a joint 9. The handle 4 can be rolled on only one direction but not to the reverse by skidding as it is held by a slant groove and a tapered projection processed on the top cap of the feeder 3. When on auto control, drive force of a motor 16 is transmitted to the feeder 3 to roll it on connecting a V-shaped projection of the shaft composing the joint 9 and a shallow groove of a small socket, whereas it skids as the catch is taken off when in manual control. Thus, auto as well as manual controls are enabled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toy that sequentially conveys a ball with a screw feeder above a path having an inclined surface on which the ball can slide, and enjoys watching the rolling of the ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, toys for children have various ways of playing according to the age of the child, and there are various uses and usages. For example, infants from 3 months to 6 months of age cannot play with their own still moving, so they often play with dolls and stuffed animals that are driven by batteries. Beyond the age of one, I like to play things by moving myself. Therefore, if the operation of the toy can be operated by both manual and automatic operations, it is possible to play over a wide range of ages. Conventionally, as such a toy, there has been known a toy that switches between automatic operation and manual operation using a changeover switch or the like.

[0003]

However, in the above conventional example, the same operation can be switched between manual operation and automatic operation, but automatic operation and manual operation can be switched by a changeover switch. And
I always had to choose one or the other. For this reason, when the changeover switch is set to the manual side, it does not operate even if the drive switch is turned on, and when the changeover switch is set to the automatic side, it cannot be manually operated.
It is very difficult for infants and children to use, and there is a danger that they will pinch their hands if they carelessly reach during automatic operation. The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to be able to switch between an automatic operation and a manual operation without requiring a switching means such as a lever, and An object of the present invention is to provide a toy that can safely operate for an infant.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a screw feeder which is vertically erected in the vicinity of a central portion, and which is located on the left and right sides of an upper end portion of the screw feeder. A passage formed by connecting the inclined surface on which the ball can roll in a zigzag manner is formed, and this passage communicates with the lower end of the screw feeder, and rotates the rotating shaft of the screw feeder manually or automatically. By doing so, a plurality of balls are conveyed from the lower end of the screw feeder to the upper end, and a configuration is made in which the balls are continuously rolled.The upper end of the screw feeder has a rotating shaft of the screw feeder manually. A crank-type handle that can rotate only in one direction is provided, and a rotation driving motor is connected to the lower end via a clutch and a reduction gear. Bet is a feature.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the clutch is constructed by urging a meshing clutch having a V-shaped groove into contact with a spring. The mold handle and the screw feeder are characterized in that a first plate having an inclined groove formed on the peripheral edge and a second plate having a tapered projection formed on the peripheral edge are brought into contact with each other by being urged by a spring. And

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, when the user enjoys watching the rolling of the ball by automatic operation, the screw feeder is automatically rotated by turning on the motor, and the ball is screwed. The ball is transported upward by the feeder, and the ball operates continuously. Further, when performing a manual operation, when the crank type handle is rotated in a predetermined direction in a state where the motor is turned off, the screw feeder rotates in conjunction with the rotation. On this occasion,
The connection between the screw feeder and the rotary drive shaft is cut off by disconnecting the clutch. Further, when an infant or a child touches the crank-type handle during the automatic operation, the crank-type handle is configured to rotate idly with respect to the screw feeder, so that no excessive force is applied to the crank-type handle, thereby ensuring safety. Performance can be improved.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a toy according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, this toy has a "wood" shape as a whole and is made of transparent plastic. It is configured to be molded in the casing 24. A cylindrical shaft 1 is erected at the center, and a helical blade 2 is disposed around the shaft 1. The shaft 1 and the blade 2 constitute a screw feeder 3. I have.

A crank-shaped handle 4 is attached to the upper end of the screw feeder 3. By operating the handle 4, the screw feeder 3 can be manually rotated. The screw feeder 3 is provided at the lower end of the screw feeder 3.
A drive mechanism 5 for automatically rotating the
Therefore, the screw feeder 3 can be rotated both manually and automatically by the handle 4 and the drive mechanism 5, whereby the plurality of balls 6 can be transported from the lower end to the upper end.

The upper end of the screw feeder 3 has two
The ball 6 guided to the inclined surfaces 7 and 8 connected to the zigzag in each direction, and conveyed to the upper end by the screw feeder 3, is diverged in the respective directions by gravity. Is moved downward while rolling, and reaches the lower end of the screw feeder 3. A moving body 25 that moves by touching the ball when the ball passes is attached to a proper position of each of the inclined surfaces 7 and 8, and a switching lever 26 for changing the course of the ball is installed. Have been.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a connecting portion 9 serving as a clutch between the shaft 1 of the screw feeder 3 and the driving mechanism 5, and as shown in FIG. The shaft 11, the large-diameter socket 12, the small-diameter socket 13, and the long screw 14 are coaxially connected. The rotating shaft 11 includes three gears 1 shown in FIG.
The rotational driving force of the motor 16 is reduced and transmitted by 7, 18, 19, and the motor 16 is rotated. The motor 16 is supported by the base 10 of the drive mechanism 5. A screw hole 11a is screwed into the tip of the rotating shaft 11, and the screw hole 11a
Are screwed and fixed to the long screw 14.
A large-diameter, concentric flange 11b is formed in the middle portion, and a V-shaped protrusion 11c is engraved on the upper surface of the flange 11b along the circumference. .

The small-diameter socket 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 11. Therefore, the small-diameter socket 13 is configured such that the upper side of the rotating shaft 11 is inserted into the hollow portion and fits therein.
The bottom surface of the small-diameter socket 13 and the V-shaped projection 11c of the rotating shaft 11 come into contact with each other. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the small-diameter socket 13 when viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of shallow grooves 13a are formed at substantially equal intervals. As shown in FIG. 2, a flange surface 13b is formed at the upper end of the small-diameter socket 13, and the flange surface 13b
A cutout portion 13c is formed by partially cutting a part of the notch 13c.

The large-diameter socket 12 also has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a concentric flange 12a is attached to the lower end. And screw feeder 3 on the side
1 for engaging with the shaft 1 of the motor and transmitting the rotational force
2b is formed. Also, the inner diameter of the large-diameter socket 12 is smaller than the diameter of the flange 11b of the rotary shaft 11, so that when the large-diameter socket 12 is fitted to the rotary shaft 11, the lower end is connected to the flange 11b. Will be locked. The inner diameter of the large-diameter socket 12 is larger than the outer diameter of the small-diameter socket 13, and the outer diameter of the flange surface 13 b and the outer diameter of the large-diameter socket 12 are substantially the same. Therefore, when the small-diameter socket 13 is inserted into the large-diameter socket 12, the flange surface 13 b abuts on the upper end of the large-diameter socket 12, and the upper end of the large-diameter socket 12 has a half-moon-shaped projection. Since the projection 12c is formed, the projection 12c and the notch 13c on the small-diameter socket 13 are fitted.

The long screw 14 has a flange 14 a, which is larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter socket 13. Therefore, the large-diameter socket 12,
When the long screw 14 is screwed into the screw hole 11 a with the small-diameter socket 13 fitted, the upper part of the rotary shaft 11 is inserted inside the spring 15, and this spring presses the small-diameter socket 13 downward. Therefore, the entirety is fixed by the urging force.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the upper end of the screw feeder 3. As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical cap (first plate) 20 is provided on the upper end of the screw feeder 3. A rotating disk (second plate) 21 abuts and is fixed to the upper surface of the cap 20. In order to rotate the rotating disk 21 by manual operation, a crank-shaped handle 4 is attached to the upper side, and the rotating shaft 4 b of the handle 4 passes through the rotating disk 21 and the center of the cap 20. To the inside of the screw feeder 3. At this time, the rotating shaft 4
b and the rotating disk 21 are fixed, and the rotating shaft 4b and the cap 20 are not fixed. A stopper 23 is attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 4b.
A spring 22 is provided between the stopper 23 and the cap.

At two places on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the cap 20,
An inclined groove 20a cut out in a tapered shape is formed, and tapered protrusions 21a are formed at two places on the lower peripheral edge of the rotating disk 21. Usually, the rotating disk 21 and the cap 20 are in contact with each other. The projection 21a and the inclined groove 20a in the state
Are fixed by being pressed by the urging force of the spring 22. Therefore, when the knob 4a of the handle 4 is gripped and rotated in the direction of the arrow "A" in the figure, the rotating disk 21 also rotates, and furthermore, the projection 21a and the inclined groove 20a
The cap 20 and, consequently, the shaft 1 of the screw feeder 3 rotate in the direction of the arrow "A".

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the automatic operation will be described. When a switch (not shown) is turned on, the motor 16 shown in FIG. 1 is driven to rotate, and is decelerated through three gears 17, 18, and 19,
The rotation shaft 11 shown in FIG. 2 rotates. The shallow groove 13a (FIG. 3) on the lower surface of the small-diameter socket 13 and the V-shaped protrusion 11c
Are engaged, the small-diameter socket 13 also rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 11, and further the small-diameter socket 13
Notch 13c and semilunar projection 12c of large-diameter socket 12
Are engaged, the large-diameter socket 12 rotates. Therefore, the shaft 1 of the screw feeder 3 rotates by engagement with the projection 12b of the large-diameter socket 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the balls 6 placed at various places in the toy are connected to the blades 2 of the screw feeder 3.
Is transported from the lower end to the upper end, and the inclined surfaces 7, 8
, And moves downward, finally reaches the lower end of the screw feeder 3, is conveyed upward again by the screw feeder 3, and repeats the same operation. Toddlers and children can enjoy watching this.

Also, the screw feeder 3 is manually operated.
When the handle 4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow “A” shown in FIG.
The shaft 1 of the screw feeder 3 is rotated by the engagement between the screw feeder 3 and the inclined groove 20a of the cap 20, so that the ball 6 can be conveyed from the lower side to the upper side of the screw feeder 3 as in the case of the automatic operation described above. It is possible to enjoy watching the rolling of the ball 6. Then, the state of the connecting portion 9 shown in FIG. 2 at this time will be described. Since the screw feeder 3 is forcibly driven to rotate by manual operation, the large-diameter socket 12 is rotated by the projection 12b. Accordingly, the small-diameter socket 13 also rotates. On the other hand, the rotating shaft 11 has three gears 1.
7, 18 and 19 (see FIG. 1), the rotation is prevented, and the small-diameter socket 13 and the rotating shaft 11 cannot rotate in conjunction with each other.
5 is slightly shrunk and the shallow groove 13a and the V-shaped protrusion 1 shown in FIG.
By disengaging from 1c, transmission of rotational power is prevented. Accordingly, idle rotation occurs at this portion, and manual rotation operation can be performed smoothly.

Next, while the screw feeder 3 is being driven to rotate by an automatic operation, the infant or child is
When the rotation of the handle 4 is stopped while the screw feeder 3 is automatically rotating in the direction of the arrow "A" as shown in FIG.
1a slides on the inclined surface of the inclined groove 20a so that the rotating disk 21 and the cap 2 resist the urging force of the spring 22.
It acts so that contact with 0 is released. Therefore, even when the screw feeder 3 rotates, the handle 4 does not rotate, so that safety can be ensured even when an infant or child touches the handle 4. Further, when the handle 4 is rotated in the opposite direction (the direction opposite to the arrow “A”) by the same operation, the contact between the rotating disk 21 and the cap 20 is released.
Does not rotate in the reverse direction, and can prevent a malfunction of transporting the ball 6 from the upper side to the lower side.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the screw is fed from the lower side to the upper side by rotating the screw feeder 3 in both the automatic operation by the motor 16 and the manual operation by the handle 4. Can be used, so it is not limited to the age of infants and children used,
We can enjoy in wide age group. In addition, since there is no need to switch between automatic operation and manual operation by a switching means such as a lever, operability is good. Further, even when the steering wheel 4 is touched while being driven by the automatic operation,
Since only the handle 4 rotates idly, safety can be secured without applying excessive force.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In both the manual operation and the automatic operation, the screw feeder can be driven to rotate, whereby the ball can be transported from the lower end to the upper end. For example, automatic operation is performed for an infant less than one year old. By operating the device, the player can enjoy watching the movement of the ball, and for a child aged 1 year or older, it is possible to enjoy the operation by rotating the screw feeder by manual operation so that the player can enjoy the movement by himself. You can enjoy it for all ages. In addition, operability is good because there is no need to switch between automatic operation and manual operation. Furthermore,
If the child touches the handle while the screw feeder is being driven to rotate by the automatic operation, the handle is configured to idle and the safety can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a toy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a connecting portion between a screw feeder and a driving mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the small-diameter socket as viewed from below.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a connection between a crank-shaped handle and a screw feeder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shaft 2 Blade 3 Screw feeder 4 Crank-shaped handle 5 Drive mechanism 6 Ball 7,8 Inclined surface 9 Connecting part 10 Base 11 Rotating shaft 11a Screw hole 11b Flange 11c V-shaped projection 12 Large diameter socket 12a Flange 12b Projection 12c Half moon Projection 13 Small-diameter socket 13a Shallow groove 13b Flange surface 13c Notch 14 Long screw 14a Flange 15 Spring 16 Motor 17, 18, 19 Gear 20 Cap (first plate) 20a Inclined groove 21 Rotating disk (second plate) 21a Taper Projection 22 Spring 23 Stopper 24 Casing 25 Floating body 26 Switching lever

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vertically extending screw feeder is disposed near a central portion, and a passage formed by connecting inclined surfaces on which balls can roll in a zigzag manner on both left and right sides of an upper end portion of the screw feeder. Formed, the passage communicates with the lower end of the screw feeder, and by rotating the rotation axis of the screw feeder manually or automatically, a plurality of balls are conveyed from the lower end of the screw feeder to the upper end, A configuration in which the ball is continuously rolled, a crank-type handle that can manually rotate the rotation axis of the screw feeder in only one direction is provided at the upper end of the screw feeder, and is provided at the lower end. Is a toy to which a rotation drive motor is connected via a clutch and a reduction gear. 2. The toy according to claim 1, wherein the clutch is formed by urging a meshing clutch having a V-shaped groove into contact with a spring. 3. A spring-loaded contact between the crank-type handle and the screw feeder contacts a first plate having an inclined groove formed in a peripheral edge thereof and a second plate having a tapered projection formed in a peripheral edge thereof. The toy according to claim 1, wherein the toy is brought into contact with the toy.