KR20200080375A - Smart toy - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart toy (10) configured by combining at least two detachable modules with each other, and performing an operation by inputting a remote control command from a network-connected user terminal (20) According to an embodiment of the present invention, the smart toy (10) comprises: a base module (100) for receiving a remote control command and transmitting a control signal to one or more function modules (200) combined; and the one or more function modules (200) which are combined with the base module (100) to perform a preset operation based on the corresponding signal by the transmitted control signal. Accordingly, it is possible to recognize mutual coupling state of each module in a user terminal (20).

Description

Smart toy {Smart toy}

The present invention relates to a smart toy, specifically, two or more modules are mutually coupled and an operation is performed to perform a preset function by a user's remote control command input. It relates to a smart toy that can be easily input a control command to perform a preset function of.

Blocks (blocks) configured to be detachable from each other are widely used as toys of various ages, from children to adults, in that two or more blocks can be combined to make a desired type of toy.

However, there is a problem in that toys manufactured by the user according to the combination of these blocks can be operated only when the user directly moves the block or uses a separate movable mechanism. To improve this, a block toy of various functions has been developed that combines motors, lights, and the like with blocks, and allows the combined toys to operate using these blocks.

An example of such a technology is a smart toy. A smart toy means a toy incorporating information and communication technologies such as artificial intelligence (IOT) or the Internet of Things (IOT), and these toys are operated through interaction with a person.

As an example of a prior art related to a smart toy, there is a "block toy motion control system using a motion card and its control method" in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0098482 (filed on October 10, 2010). The prior art is divided into at least one of a block toy formed of at least one block and equipped with a drive motor for operation of the block, and an operation signal in which an operation signal of a preset block toy is displayed by being divided into at least one of a shape, color, pattern and symbol At least one operation card is formed, the operation card is recognized by the operation card is in contact with the operation card recognition unit and a plurality of operation programs are installed, the operation program corresponding to the operation signal received from the operation card recognition unit It is configured to control the operation of the block toy, including a control box that executes and transmits a drive command signal for the operation of the block toy to the control motor.

The prior art goes beyond simple control to turn on/off a switch, such as a motor or a light, or to operate remotely using a remote control, and the user blocks blocks each command card in which a command is set in advance using a program. Through the process of recognizing to, the motion control of the block toy is easily performed, and there are advantages in that it is possible to control or execute the operation of many block toys by combining multiple motion cards.

However, the prior art has a problem in that when a block is combined, it is necessary to know in advance what the combined block is to operate the block. Incidentally, when two or more motors and/or lighting blocks are used, it is necessary to find and check the command card according to each block, and thus, the operation must be performed. Therefore, there are limitations in allowing children to easily operate block toys.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, two or more modules are mutually coupled and an operation is performed to perform a preset function by a user's remote control command input, the combined state of the module is recognized by the user, the user An object of the present invention is to provide a smart toy that can easily input a control command that performs a preset function of the module.

A smart toy according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving this object is composed of at least two detachable modules that are mutually coupled, and is a smart toy in which an operation is performed by a remote control command input of a network-connected user terminal. A base module receiving a remote control command and transmitting a control signal to the combined one or more function modules; And one or more functional modules in combination with the base module and performing a preset operation based on the corresponding signal by the transmitted control signal, and configured to recognize the mutual coupling state of each module in the user terminal. It is characterized by being.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal is provided with a display unit for displaying the combined module shape of the combined module, and the remote control command input of the user terminal is a function module selected and input among the combined modules. It is characterized by being made on the basis of.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the base module includes a communication unit receiving a remote control command of the user terminal and a programmable processor generating a control signal of the function module, wherein the function module includes a motor, a servo motor , At least one of a sensing sensor, a lighting device, and a sound generating device.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, each module is formed in a block shape, and in each module in which the coupling is made, at least one groove formed in a coupling position of one module is provided with a module groove, and the other module is coupled. It is characterized in that a mechanical projection by insertion of the protrusion and the groove is provided with a module protrusion having at least one protrusion formed at a position.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the module recesses or the module protrusions is provided with a coupling detection sensor, and the coupling detection sensor detects the coupling between the modules by the insertion of the grooves and protrusions, thereby It is characterized by transmitting a detection signal to the user terminal through a base module.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, each module in which the coupling is made is electrically coupled by a cable, wherein the cable is formed by being coupled to a block-shaped cable body in which at least one of a groove or a protrusion is formed, the The cable body is characterized in that mechanical coupling is further achieved by insertion of at least one of the respective modules and the groove-protrusion.

The present invention according to another embodiment is characterized in that the central portion of the cable is installed inside the cable body, and the outer protruding length of the cable is adjusted.

The present invention according to another embodiment is characterized in that the remote control command of the user terminal is a control command based on a GUI-based application program made by a preset programming language.

In the present invention, since the combined state of each module is intuitively recognized by the user through the user terminal, the user can easily input a control command to perform a preset function of the corresponding module, so that even small children can easily operate the smart toy. It has the advantage of being able to.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to grasp the coupling state of each module in the user terminal by mechanical and/or electrical coupling of each module.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage that the cable for the electrical coupling of each module can be stably coupled to the smart toy, and the external exposure length of the cable can be minimized even when combined between various modules.

1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a smart toy according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a combined state diagram of a smart toy according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram of a user terminal displaying a combined state of a smart toy according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of a cable module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of a smart toy using a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the present invention, when the technical idea of the present invention is obscured or obscured by specifically explaining the known configuration, the description of the above known configuration will be omitted.

1 is a schematic view of a configuration of a smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a combined state diagram of a smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured by combining at least two detachable modules with each other, and an operation is performed by inputting a remote control command of the network-connected user terminal 20.

1, the smart toy 10 receives the remote control command from the user terminal 20, and the base module 100 for transmitting a control signal to the combined one or more function modules 200 , In combination with the base module 100, includes one or more function modules 200 that perform a predetermined operation based on the corresponding signal by the transmitted control signal.

The base module 100 is a module that controls the smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and converts a remote control command received from the user terminal 20 into a control signal to the function module 200 The control signal is transmitted, and the combined state signal of each module 100 and 200 is transmitted to the user terminal 20.

The base module 100 includes a communication unit that receives a remote control command of the user terminal 20 and a programmable processor that generates a control signal of the function module 200.

The communication unit may be Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, 3G, 4G, LTE and RF communication, and is connected to the user terminal 20 in a network to control information and control status information between modules. Will be delivered.

The processor stores a program and performs various control functions such as motor control and detection signal reception according to the program, and may be, for example, an Arduino processor, which is an open source based single board microcontroller. have.

The Arduino has the advantage of receiving signals from multiple switches or sensors and controlling external devices such as LEDs or motors to perform various controls in one processor at the same time, and anyone can easily develop them. It is also used as a programming learning tool for children by providing an integrated development environment.

The base module 100 may include various coupling parts (eg, cable coupling grooves) to be combined with various types of functional modules 200, and further includes a power terminal 170 and a power switch 150 It can contain.

The function module 200 is controlled by the base module 100 and includes at least one of a motor, a servo motor, a sensing sensor, a lighting device, and a sound generating device.

The function module 200 performs an operation based on at least one of motion, sound, light, and sensing due to each operation device such as the motor and the lighting device.

The detection sensor may be any one of a touch detection sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an optical sensor, and detects an environment and/or a user's movement around the smart toy 10 and detects the motion of the smart toy 10. It can be controlled to reflect the sensed value.

For example, when the function module 200 is made of a servo motor, the rotation of the servo motor capable of detecting and controlling the rotation angle by the encoder is made by the base module 100 by a certain angle. , The smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be controlled to move by a certain distance.

As shown in FIG. 2, the functional module 200 may be a joint coupling groove 280 extending in the servomotor and a member 300 for a functional module such as a wheel, and the joint. The joint 400 connecting the coupling groove 280 may be coupled to the functional module member 300 by using the connecting member as a connecting member.

The smart toy 10 according to the present invention utilizes the control of such a function module to easily learn the so-called'coding' for creating commands and information using a program language, which is a language that a computer can understand. It may be described in detail later.

The base module 100 and/or the function module 200 may be formed in various shapes (eg, tetrahedron, hexahedron, etc.) to enable mutual coupling. Even if the modules are formed in different shapes, mechanical coupling and/or electrical Coupling between modules can be achieved by combining.

The base module 100 may be combined with a power module (not shown) that supplies power to the base module 100 and the function module 200. The power module (not shown) has a built-in exchangeable or rechargeable battery to supply power through the base module 100, and operates the smart toy 10 according to the present invention.

For example, each of the modules 100 and 200 may be formed in a block (hexahedron) shape.

For example, the base module 100 is provided with a control board (not shown) such as an Arduino inside the block-shaped base module body 110, and the base module 100 is provided on the side of the base module body 110. Various terminals installed on the control board (not shown), such as a power switch 150 to turn on/off and a power terminal 170, may be provided.

In the smart toy 10 according to the present embodiment, in each of the modules 100 and 200 where the coupling is made, at least one groove formed in the coupling position of one module is provided with a module groove 130 and the other module Module projections 120 and 220 are provided at least one protrusion formed in the coupling position, thereby mechanically engaging by inserting the protrusion and the groove. Through the mechanical coupling between the modules, the structural robustness of the smart toy 10 is achieved. In FIG. 2, the module recesses 130 formed in the base module 100 are represented, but the module recesses may be formed in the functional module 200 as well as the base module 100.

3 is a schematic diagram of a user terminal 20 in which a combined state of a smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is displayed.

The user terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a terminal in which a smart toy 10 control program set in advance by a programming language is installed, and a communication unit that transmits a remote control command to the base module 100, the base It comprises a module 100 and the display unit 21, the function module 200 is displayed.

The smart toy 10 control program includes image information on the form of each module, and receives a combined signal according to the combination of each module, which will be described later, and displays it on the display unit 21 of the user terminal 20 It is configured to.

The display unit 21 may be, for example, a touch screen, and the remote control command input may be made by touching a control command displayed on the touch screen.

Smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal 20 is configured to recognize the mutual coupling state of each module.

Recognition of the combined state of the combined module is not only simple coupling between the base module 100 and one functional module 200, but also when two or more functional modules 200 are coupled to the base module 100. It is possible to easily understand which modules are combined, and when a user operates each module, a desired function module 200 can be easily operated according to the combined module information.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the base module 100 and one or more functional modules 200 are coupled, the combined module shape 10i of the combined module is expressed on the display unit 21 Can be.

The base module 100 and the function module 200, as described above, may be configured to each have a unique shape, and each of the smart toy 10 provided in the user terminal 20 control program The shape information of the module may be included.

In this case, when the base module 100 and one or more function modules 200 are combined, the function module 200 to which the base module 100 is coupled detects which device includes the function module 200. Coupling status information is transmitted to the base module 100 and the user terminal 20 connected to the network.

At this time, the combination of the base module 100 and the function module 200 may be understood as electrical coupling.

Next, the user terminal 20 displays the combined module shape 10i on the display unit 21 in which the smart toy 10 control program is running based on the combined state information, so that the user can combine each module. To be recognized.

At this time, the remote control command input of the user terminal 20 is made based on the function module 200 selected and input among the modules 100 and 200 in which the combination is made.

For example, when the user controls the smart toy 10 according to the present invention through the user terminal 20, when selecting any one functional module 200 of the combined module, the user terminal 20 ) Is controlled so that control command input related to the corresponding function module 200, which enables the operation of the selected function module 200, can be made, and a control command element selectable on the display unit 21 of the user terminal 20 (22) is displayed.

The display of the control command element 22 may be understood as a display of an icon or the like through a visual programming language.

If the user selects another functional module 200 among the modules in which the combination is made, the control unit 21 may be input to the display unit 21 of the user terminal 20 so that a control command input related to a possible operation of the other functional module 200 can be made. Of course it is displayed.

The display of the combined state of each module and the input of the related control command enables the user to control the module intuitively, so that even a small child can easily control the smart toy 10. That is, when two or more functional modules 200 are coupled to the base module 100, it is difficult to easily understand which function module 200 the user wants to operate by entering what control command, so that each module is coupled. By displaying and allowing the user to input control commands related to the operation of the corresponding function module 200 when the user selects the function module 200 to be operated, the user can easily control the module.

In addition, when the display unit 21 of the user terminal 20 is configured as a touch screen, the remote control command input is touched by the shape of any one function module 200 displayed on the touch screen, and then the function module ( It can be achieved simply by touching the control command element 22 related to the operation of 200).

The user terminal 20 may be connected to an external server (not shown) through a network, and the external server (not shown) may provide information on various base modules 100 and function modules 200 to the user terminal 20. It may provide, and receive and store the shape of the smart toy 10 produced by the user and control commands configured in the user terminal 20, or distribute it to other users.

As another example of the recognition of the combined state, the user terminal 20 is provided with a notification unit, and the module-specific signal (color, sound, etc.) in which the combination is achieved may be configured to be expressed through the notification unit, through which the user By easily grasping the coupling status between modules, it is possible to easily determine (select) the control commands necessary for module control.

Smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the mechanical coupling of the base module 100 and the functional module 200 is achieved, the user terminal 20 recognizes that there is a combination of each module It may be configured as possible.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one of the module recesses 130 or the module protrusions 120 and 220 is provided with coupling detection sensors s1 and s2.

The combination detection sensors (s1, s2) detects the coupling between the modules by the insertion of the groove and the projection, and the detection signal to the user terminal 20 networked with the base module 100 through the base module 100 Can pass.

The combined sensing sensors s1 and s2 may be provided to cover the entire area of the module recess or module protrusion, or may be partially provided at a corner portion.

The combined sensing sensors s1 and s2 may be formed of any one of a contact sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor, and an optical sensor.

For example, when the combined sensing sensors s1 and s2 are contact sensors, the sensor is pressed by contacting the protrusion by being inserted into the recess, so that the base module 100 and the functional module 200 are coupled. It can be recognized and displayed on the user terminal 20.

4 is a perspective view of a cable module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the smart toy 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, each module in which the coupling is made is electrically coupled by the cable 560.

In the cable 560, cable terminals 550 are coupled to both ends, and the cable terminals 550 are coupled to cable coupling grooves 140 and 240 formed in respective modules, so that each module is electrically coupled. .

At this time, the first and second module markers 160 and 260 may be provided in the vicinity of the cable coupling grooves 140 and 240 of the base module 100 and the functional module, and the first and second module markers 160, 260) can be intuitively connected to the cable 560 by displaying the same shape at the position where the cable 560 is coupled, so that the cable 560 is coupled to another position to prevent malfunction.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the cable 560 is formed to be coupled to a cable-shaped cable body 510 in which at least one of a recess (not shown) or a protrusion 520 is formed, and the cable body ( 510) mechanical coupling by at least one of the respective modules and the insertion of the groove-protrusion is further achieved. The cable 560 is coupled to the cable body 510 to form the cable module 500.

In the cable module 500, the cable 560 can be stably coupled to each module 100 and 200 by mechanical coupling with the base module 100 and/or the function module 200, , The fallout of the cable 560 is prevented.

In one example, the central portion of the cable 560 is installed inside the cable body 510, and the external protrusion length of the cable 560 is adjusted.

The cable body 510 accommodates the cable 560 in the form of a reel, and a central axis (not shown) serving as a rotation center formed in the central portion of the cable body 510 and a mainspring spring installed around the central axis (not shown) Si) is configured to elastically support the cable 560, and pull the cable 560 outward so as to protrude to the outside by a desired length, and pull the cable 560 to release the cable 560. It can be configured to be rolled inward by the spring to reduce the outer protrusion length.

Since the external protruding length of the cable 560 can be easily adjusted, the exposure length of the cable 560 forming the electrical coupling between the modules is minimized, and the cable 560 is dropped (uncoupled) due to the user's contact pressure. It can reduce the phenomenon.

5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the smart toy 10 using the user terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, the remote control command of the user terminal 20 may be a control command based on a GUI-based application program made by a preset programming language.

The control command may be understood as'coding', which is an act of issuing a machine language command.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the remote control command is controlled in the form of an icon preset by a drag & drop method on the screen of the display unit 21 on which the GUI-based application is expressed. It may consist of placing the command element 22 to form the control command logic 24 and executing the formed control command logic 24.

The operation of the smart toys 10 may be sequentially performed according to the arrangement order of the control command elements 22, and the simple control of the smart toys 10 of the present invention can be easily performed by simply arranging the control command elements 22. Since it can be done, it has the advantage of being simple to learn coding.

In one example, the input of the remote control command is made by touching the control command logic 24 constituted by the arranged control command element. When the control command logic 24 is touch input, the remote control command is transmitted to the base module 100, a control signal from the base module 100 is transmitted to the function module 200, and the function module 200 ), the operation of the smart toy is achieved.

In FIG. 5, the electrical coupling between the base module 100 and the function module 200 is expressed using a simple cable 560 for ease of understanding, but the coupling using the cable module 500 is performed to length the cable 560. It is of course possible to stably combine with the smart toy 10 while minimizing.

The GUI-based application program may be a coding program such as a scratch or an entry, and may be controlled to input the remote control command using such a coding program. The application program is a known open source based commercial program, and further detailed description is omitted.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific examples, but the above examples are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and thus are substituted, added, and modified within the scope not departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be said that the embodiments also belong to the protection scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

10: smart toy 10i: combined module shape
20: user terminal 21: display unit
22: control command element 24: control command logic
100: base module 110: base module body
120: module protrusion 130: module recess
140: cable coupling groove 150: switch
160: first module mark 170: power terminal
200: function module 220: protrusion
240: cable coupling groove 260: second module mark
280: joint coupling groove 300: functional module member
400: joint s1, s2: coupling detection sensor
500: cable module 510: cable body
520: module protrusion 550: cable terminal
560: cable

Claims (8)

At least two detachable modules are configured in combination with each other, and the smart toy 10 is an operation performed by inputting a remote control command of the network-connected user terminal 20,
A base module 100 receiving the remote control command and transmitting a control signal to the combined one or more function modules 200; And
Includes; in combination with the base module 100, one or more function modules 200 to perform a predetermined operation based on the signal by the transmitted control signal;
Smart toy, characterized in that the user terminal 20 is configured to recognize the mutual coupling state of each module (100, 200).
According to claim 1,
The user terminal 20 is provided with a display unit 21 on which the combined module shape 10i of the combined module is displayed, and the remote control command input of the user terminal 20 is a selection input among the combined modules Smart toy, characterized in that is made on the basis of the functional module 200.
According to claim 1,
The base module 100 includes a communication unit that receives a remote control command of the user terminal 20 and a programmable processor that generates a control signal of the function module 200,
The function module 200 is a smart toy, characterized in that it comprises at least one of a motor, a servo motor, a sensor, a lighting device, and a sound generating device.
According to claim 1,
Each of the modules (100, 200) is made of a block shape,
In each module in which the coupling is made, the module recesses 130 having at least one recess formed at the bonding position of one module are provided, and the module protrusions 120 and 220 having at least one protrusion formed at the bonding position of the other module It is provided with a smart toy, characterized in that the mechanical coupling by the insertion of the projection and the groove.
According to claim 4,
At least one of the module recesses 130 or the module protrusions 120 and 220 is provided with a combination detection sensor s1, s2,
The combination detection sensor (s1, s2) is a smart toy, characterized in that for detecting the coupling between the module by the insertion of the groove and the projection and transmits a detection signal to the user terminal 20 through the base module 100 .
According to claim 4,
Each of the modules (100, 200) where the coupling is made is electrically coupled by the cable 560,
The cable 560 is formed to be coupled to a cable-shaped cable body 510 in which at least one of a groove or a protrusion is formed, and the cable body 510 is formed by insertion of a groove-projection with at least one of each module. A smart toy characterized by more mechanical coupling.
The method of claim 6,
The central part of the cable 560 is installed inside the cable body 510, the smart toy, characterized in that the outer protruding length of the cable 560 is adjusted.
According to claim 1,
A smart toy, characterized in that the remote control command of the user terminal 20 is a control command based on a GUI-based application program made by a preset programming language.

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