WO2024024649A1

WO2024024649A1 - Sound generating toy

Info

Publication number: WO2024024649A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/026699
Authority: WO
Inventors: 征資 ▲高▼橋
Original assignee: 株式会社バンダイ
Priority date: 2022-07-26
Filing date: 2023-07-20
Publication date: 2024-02-01

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a sound generating toy with which anyone can easily generate a sound or the like easily, using a simple configuration. [Solution] This sound generating toy comprises a housing portion 1 and an audio module portion 2, wherein: the housing portion 1 includes a hollow housing portion main body 11 that is flexible and that has shape restoring properties, and an accommodating portion 12 in which the audio module portion 2 is accommodated; and the audio module portion 2 includes an air pressure sensor 21 for detecting a change in an internal pressure of the housing portion main body 11 accompanying deformation of the housing portion main body 11, a processing means 22 for performing processing to transform a detected value from the air pressure sensor 21 into audio information, and an output portion 23 for outputting the audio information.

Description

pronunciation toys

The present invention relates to a pronunciation toy.

BACKGROUND ART Various pronunciation toys have been proposed and sold for educational purposes, musical performances, and the like.

These types of sound-producing toys include those that produce sounds by hitting a predetermined point, such as keyboard instruments and percussion instruments, those that produce sounds by shaking, such as rattles, and those based on built-in electronic boards. There are various types of sounds, such as ones that are generated by pressing a predetermined button.

As such a sound-producing toy, for example, Patent Document 1 describes an invention relating to a sound-producing toy that utilizes air pressure.

This sound toy has a hollow main body that is flexible and has shape recovery properties, and is attached to an opening provided in the main body so that it communicates with the main body. , and a sound generator that generates sounds of different pitches or tones.
In addition, this sound-producing toy has a valve mechanism that allows the sound generator to emit and mute the sound while opening and closing the opening, and a valve mechanism that is connected to the valve mechanism and is provided on the part exposed outside of the main body. The apparatus further includes an operation section that controls whether the sound generator produces or mutes the sound.

Patent No. 3472924

Here, the sound-producing toy described in Patent Document 1 generates a sound by operating any one of a plurality of operation sections provided corresponding to each of the plurality of sound generators provided on the main body.
Further, a single pitch is assigned to the above-mentioned sound generator.

As described above, since the sound-producing toy described in Patent Document 1 has a complicated structure, there is a problem in that the user has difficulty handling the toy when producing sounds.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pronunciation toy that has a simple configuration and allows anyone to easily pronounce sounds.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a housing section, an audio module section,
The casing section has a hollow casing section main body having flexibility and shape restorability, and a storage section in which the audio module section is stored,
The audio module section includes an air pressure sensor that detects a change in internal pressure of the casing main body due to deformation of the casing main body, a processing means that converts a detected value of the air pressure sensor into audio information, and a processing means that converts the detected value of the air pressure sensor into audio information. and an output section that outputs.

According to the present invention, the user can output audio information from the output section using the air pressure sensor and the processing means simply by pressing and deforming the casing main body.
In other words, the user can output voice information at any timing by simply pressing and deforming the main body of the casing, so anyone can easily pronounce it with a simple configuration. It becomes possible to perform.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing means is configured to be able to convert the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing main body into a pitch in the audio information.

With this configuration, the user can control the pitch of the audio information by the strength with which the main body of the housing is pressed (i.e., the degree of deformation). It becomes possible to play melodies.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the audio module section includes a storage means in which melody information consisting of a combination of a plurality of audio information to which one pitch is assigned is stored,
The processing means outputs the melody information from the output section based on the detection of internal pressure change by the air pressure sensor.

With this configuration, the melody information is output regardless of the strength with which the main body of the housing is pressed, allowing the user to easily play a predetermined melody using the sound-producing toy. becomes.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing means sequentially outputs the audio information in the melody information from the output unit in time series of the melody information every time a change in internal pressure is detected by the air pressure sensor. let

With such a configuration, the user can sequentially output audio information at any timing (rhythm), thereby expanding the range of expression in the performance of a predetermined melody.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing means is configured to be capable of converting the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing body into the volume of the audio information.

With this configuration, the user can control the volume of the audio information by the strength with which the main body of the housing is pressed (i.e., the degree of deformation), which increases the number of ways of expression using this pronunciation toy. The functionality as a toy that makes sounds is improved.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing means is configured to be capable of converting the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing body into a timbre in the audio information.

With this configuration, the user can control the timbre of audio information by the strength with which the main body of the housing is pressed (i.e., the degree of deformation), which increases the number of ways of expression using this pronunciation toy. The functionality as a toy that makes sounds is improved.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the audio module section is configured to be detachable from the storage section.

With such a configuration, it becomes easy to repair the audio module section when it breaks down, replace parts, etc., and improve the convenience of the sound-producing toy.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage section is included inside the casing main body.

With this configuration, the entire sound-sounding toy can have a neat appearance, and even when storing multiple toys, it is possible to fit them well.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the casing main body is provided with a pair of eyeballs on its surface,
The storage section has one end open to the outside,
The opening of the storage part is arranged at a position where a line connecting the center of the opening and the center of each eyeball part forms an inverted triangle when viewed from the front,
A lip portion exposed from the opening of the housing portion is provided at an end portion of the audio module portion.

With this configuration, it is possible to give the original pronunciation toy a unique facial expression and make it appear as if the pronunciation is being pronounced through the mouth, thereby giving the original pronunciation toy a character and increasing the consumer's desire to purchase it. It becomes possible to strongly evoke the

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pronunciation toy that has a simple configuration and allows anyone to easily pronounce sounds.

1 is a perspective view of a sound-producing toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a sound-producing toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, showing (a) a bottom view and (b) a sectional view taken along the line PP'. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of attachment/detachment means in the sound-producing toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the sound-producing toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the sound-producing toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, (a) a sectional view taken along the line PP′ of an exploded perspective view, and (b) a rear view of only the audio module section. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the pronunciation toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the pronunciation toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the pronunciation toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the pronunciation toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the pronunciation toy according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the sound toy based on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the sound toy based on Embodiment 2 of this invention, Comprising: (a) It is a bottom view, (b) It is a QQ' cross-sectional view.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a sound toy according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 1 to 12. In addition, the embodiment shown below is an example of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the following embodiment.
Moreover, in these figures, the code|symbol X shows the sound toy based on this embodiment.

<Configuration>
The configuration of the sound-producing toy X will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
Note that for convenience of explanation below, the direction pointed by the arrow x in FIG. 1 (or FIG. 11) will be referred to as the front, and the direction pointed by the arrow y will be referred to as the left.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pronunciation toy X includes a housing section 1 and an audio module section 2. As shown in FIGS.

<<Housing part 1>>
The housing section 1 includes a hollow housing section main body 11 having flexibility and shape restorability, and a storage section 12 in which the audio module section 2 is stored.

The housing body 11 is entirely made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, for example, and has a rounded, substantially spherical shape except for the bottom.
In addition, the bottom of the housing body 11 is configured as a flat surface so that the sound-producing toy X can be stably placed on a predetermined placement surface such as a desk top, as shown in FIG. 2 in particular.

The storage section 12 is a substantially cylindrical body that is included inside the housing body 11 and is provided so that one end thereof is opened to the outside.
That is, a substantially circular through hole is provided in the housing body 11, and the outer periphery of the open end of the storage portion 12 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, so that the housing portion 1 is It is configured.
Note that, hereinafter, the side of the housing section 1 where the open end of the storage section 12 is formed will be referred to as the front side.

In addition, a through hole k is provided at the other end (bottom) of the storage section 12 to allow communication between the insides of the housing main body 11 and the storage section 12 and to detect changes in internal pressure by an air pressure sensor 21, which will be described later. ing.
Further, the storage section 12 is provided inside the housing section main body 11 so as to be gradually inclined upward as it goes from the rear to the front.
In addition, in order to form the attachment/detachment means D mentioned later, it is preferable that the storage part 12 is made of a hard material such as plastic as a whole.

<<Audio module part 2>>
The audio module section 2 has a substantially cylindrical module box H, and also includes an air pressure sensor 21, a processing means 22, an output section 23, and a power supply section 24, which are stored in the module box H. It has an operation section 25. The air pressure sensor 21 includes a known small electronic component or a sensor that detects the internal pressure of a casing inside a product using a pressure sensor.
Regarding each of the above components inside the module box H shown in FIG. 2(b) etc., the dry battery 24b, which will be described later, is not shown in a cross-sectional view, and the other components are shown in simplified cross-sections that do not show the internal structure etc. It is shown in the figure.

The module box H has a pair of grip grooves h1 on its front side surface through which the fingers of the user Z (see FIG. 6, etc.) are inserted when removing it from the storage section 12, and a pair of grip grooves h1 through which the sound emitted from the output section 23 passes. A sound hole h2 for exposing the operation part 25 to the outside and an operation hole h3 for exposing the operation part 25 to the outside are provided.
Further, the module box H is provided with a detection hole h4 on its rear side surface, into which an end portion (cylindrical portion into which air flows) of the air pressure sensor 21 is inserted.
Note that the gripping groove h1 shown in FIG. 1 and the like shows only the left gripping groove h1, and is hidden by the right gripping groove h1 and a lip portion R to be described later.

The air pressure sensor 21 is a known small electronic component connected to the processing means 22 and detects changes in the internal pressure of the casing main body 11 as the casing main body 11 deforms.
In addition, the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of the air pressure sensor 21 and the inner circumferential surface of the detection hole h4 are in contact with each other as a whole, so that the air inside the casing body 11 reliably flows into the air pressure sensor 21. It is configured to do this.

The processing means 22 is a known electronic board provided at the front and rear of the module box H, and converts the detected value of the air pressure sensor 21 into predetermined audio information, and outputs it from the output section 23.

The output section 23 is a small speaker unit provided on the front side of the module box H.

The power supply section 24 includes a battery box 24a and a plurality of dry batteries 24b that are integrally formed with the module box H.
Further, the battery box 24a is provided with a lid t that is detachable from the module box H so that the dry battery 24b can be replaced.
Note that the power supply unit 24 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be configured as a rechargeable battery, for example, with a charging terminal provided on the outer peripheral surface of the module box H.

The operation unit 25 includes a power switch 25a, which is a slide switch, that controls the power supply from the power supply unit 24 to the processing means 22, that is, controls ON/OFF of the power supply, and a push switch that switches between each mode, which will be described later. A certain mode changeover switch 25b.

The storage means 26 is, for example, a memory that is installed in one of the processing means 22 and stores information such as a range of sounds that can be output in a pitch operation mode that will be described later, and a melody that can be played in a melody performance mode that will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the module box H and the inner circumferential surface of the storage section 12 are provided with attachment/detachment means D for detachably connecting them to each other.

Here, FIG. 3A is a right side view of the audio module section 2 and a sectional view taken along the line PP' of the storage section 12. Moreover, FIG. 3(b) is a sectional view taken along the line aa' of the audio module section 2 and a sectional view taken along the line bb' of the storage section 1 2. Further, FIG. 3(c) is a right side view of the module box H stored in the storage section 12. Further, FIG. 3(d) is a cc' cross-sectional view showing the procedure for attaching the module box H to the storage section 12.

Note that the cross-sectional view of the storage section 12 in FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the entire storage section 12 (that is, the right half is also drawn), and the storage section 12 in FIG. 3(c) is a cross-sectional view of the entire storage section 12. A cross-sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 3(a) is shown for convenience.
Further, in the cross-sectional views of the audio module section 2 in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(d), drawings of internal components, battery box 24a, etc. are omitted for convenience of explanation.

More specifically, the attachment/detachment means D includes a pair of fitting claws D1 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the module box H, and a pair of fitting grooves D2 provided in the inner peripheral surface of the storage section 12. It is formed by.

As shown in FIG. 3(b), each fitting claw portion D1 is provided at intervals of 180 degrees along the circumferential direction.
Moreover, each fitting claw part D1 is comprised by the support part D1a which extends along the front-back direction, and the extending part D1b extended upwardly or downwardly from the support part D1a.
Each of the extending portions D1b is flexible enough to bend around its base end as a fulcrum, and is provided with a claw-like protrusion n at its tip.

As shown in FIG. 3(b), the fitting grooves D2 are provided at intervals of 180 degrees along the circumferential direction.
Further, the inner circumferential surface of the storage portion 12 is formed with a groove g recessed slightly outward by a predetermined circumferential length counterclockwise from each fitting groove D2.
Note that the groove g is formed across the open end of the storage section 12.

When attaching the audio module section 2 to the storage section 12, the attaching/detaching means D configured as described above is used to attach it as follows.

That is, the user inserts the audio module section 2 into the storage section 12 so that each fitting claw section D1 passes through the groove section g, thereby creating the state shown in FIG. 3(c).
Then, the user inserts his or her finger into each gripping groove h1 and rotates the audio module part 2 clockwise as shown in FIG. 3(d), so that each extension part D1b is slightly curved. At the same time, each claw-like projection n moves on the groove g, and each claw-like projection n fits into each fitting groove D2.

Further, a rubber ring r that comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the housing section 12 is adhered to the outer circumferential surface of the rear end of the module box H.
Thereby, in addition to the fitting by the attachment/detachment means D, the abutment of the rubber ring r improves the stability of the attachment state of the audio module part 2 to the storage part 12.

When removing the audio module section 2 from the storage section 12, the operation in reverse to the above may be performed.

That is, the user inserts his or her finger into each gripping groove h1 and rotates the audio module section 2 counterclockwise to release the fitting state of each claw-like projection n into each fitting groove section D2. Then, pull out the audio module section 2 toward the front.
As a result, the sound-producing toy X enters the state shown in FIG. 4 (or FIG. 5(a)).

Here, as shown in FIG. 4 (or FIG. 1), the housing main body 11 is provided with a pair of eyeball parts E on its surface, and the opening of the storage part 12 is as shown by the dashed line in FIG. When viewed from the front, the eyeball portion E is arranged at a position where a line connecting the center thereof and the center of each eyeball portion E forms an inverted triangle. The front end of the audio module section 2 is provided with a lip R that is exposed from the opening of the storage section 12.

As a result, especially when the voice module part 2 is attached to the storage part 12 as shown in FIG. 1, each eyeball part E and lip part R can give the sound-producing toy X as a whole a character. .

<How to use>
The method of using the pronunciation toy X will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10.

Here, the pronunciation toy Each will be explained.

In addition, the user can change the power switch 25a to three positions by sliding the power switch 25a.The leftmost position turns the power off, the center position turns the power on and outputs audio at a low volume, and the rightmost position turns the power on. Moreover, the processing means 22 can be controlled so that the audio is output at a high volume.
Further, the user can switch between the above-mentioned modes by long-pressing the mode changeover switch 25b.

<<Pitch operation mode>>
The user puts the sound toy X into pitch operation mode by moving the power switch 25a to the center position or the right end position.
That is, in this embodiment, when the power is turned on, the pitch operation mode is automatically set.

The pitch operation mode is a mode in which the processing means 22 converts the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21 according to the degree of deformation of the housing body 11 into a pitch in audio information.
In addition, in the graph shown in FIG. 6, the x-axis indicates the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 (that is, the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21), and the y-axis indicates the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11, and the y-axis indicates the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 (i.e., the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21), and the y-axis indicates the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 (i.e., the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21). It shows the pitch of the pitch.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6(a), when the user presses the housing body 11 to such an extent that the detection value x1 is detected, audio information is output from the output unit 23 at the pitch y1.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the user presses the casing main body 11 to such an extent that a detection value x2, which is a larger value than the detection value x1, is detected, that is, in FIG. When the main body 11 of the housing is pressed more strongly than shown in a), the output unit 23 outputs audio information with a pitch y2 that is higher than the pitch y1.
The above behavior is reversible, and when the user weakens the pressing force from the state shown in FIG. 6(b) to the state shown in FIG. 6(a), the pitch of the output audio information is the pitch y2. The pitch changes from to pitch y1.

Note that when the air pressure sensor 21 detects a change in internal pressure, it continuously transmits the detected value to the processing means. Audio information will be output according to the pitch.
In this mode, the detected value of the air pressure sensor 21 when the power is turned on is used as a reference value, and when a value exceeding this reference value is detected, audio information is output. That is, by turning on the power, the air pressure sensor 21 is calibrated.

Here, the pitch in the pitch operation mode depends on the resolution (width of the detected value) of the air pressure sensor 21. For example, the range of the detected value is 0 to 121, and the range stored in the storage means 26 is C3 to C4. If it is assumed that the frequency is one octave, the frequencies from C3 to C4 are equally divided by the width of the detected value described above.

That is, for example, when the user lightly presses the main body 11 of the housing and the detected value becomes 1, the lowest tone C3 is output, and as the user increases the pressing force from there, the detected value increases. At the same time, the frequency also increases smoothly, and when the detected value is 11, C#3 is output.
Further, when the detected value goes from 11 to 21, the frequency similarly increases smoothly and D3 is output. As mentioned above, the same behavior occurs for pitches higher than D3, and this behavior is reversible.
Therefore, depending on the degree of deformation of the housing main body 11, it is possible to output microtonal tones.

Further, for example, when the user strongly presses the housing body 11 and the detected value becomes 121, C4 is outputted via C3 to B3 instantaneously.
Note that when the user completely releases the pressing force and the casing body 11 returns to the state shown in FIG. 1 due to its shape restorability, the detected value becomes 0 and the output of audio information is stopped.

In this way, in the pitch operation mode, the user can arbitrarily change the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 to output audio information of continuously different pitches, and play an arbitrary melody with the pronunciation toy X. can do.

To explain the behavior of the pitch operation mode in more detail, in this mode, when the user strongly presses the housing body 11 to output audio information at the highest pitch, vibrato is applied to this audio information. .
Furthermore, the user can turn on the vibrato mode by tapping the mode changeover switch 25b in the pitch operation mode.
When the vibrato mode is turned on, vibrato can be applied to all output audio information, regardless of the pitch.
With such specifications, it is possible to improve the expressiveness of the performance by the sound-producing toy X.

Note that the range that can be output is preferably about two to three octaves, but is not particularly limited to this.
In addition, in the pitch operation mode, the audio information is output with a fade-in regardless of the pitch, and the volume changes immediately after that to reach the volume corresponding to the position of the power switch 25a.

<<Melody performance mode>>
The user can set the sound-producing toy X to the melody performance mode by moving the power switch 25a to the center position or the rightmost position and then holding down the mode changeover switch 25b.

The melody performance mode is a mode in which audio information in the melody information is sequentially output from the output unit 23 along the time series of the melody information every time a change in internal pressure is detected by the air pressure sensor 21.
The musical score shown in FIG. 7 is a musical score representing an example of the melody information stored in the storage means 26, and is composed of a plurality of pieces of audio information m1 to mx arranged in chronological order. .
Note that FIG. 7 shows the beginning of "Twinkle Twinkle Star" as part of the melody information.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the user deforms the casing main body 11 with a predetermined pressing force and a change in internal pressure is detected, audio information m1 is output.
Furthermore, after the user completely unloads the pressing force and sets the detected value to 0, the user presses and deforms the casing body 11 again, and when a change in internal pressure is detected, audio information m2 is output.

Here, in FIG. 7, for convenience of explanation, the melody information is shown as a general musical score that includes the rhythm of the entire song by using quarter notes and half notes, but the actual rhythm can be determined by the user. depends on the timing at which the housing body 11 is pressed and deformed.
Further, as described above, since the air pressure sensor 21 continuously transmits its detected value to the processing means 22, the sound value of each of the audio information m1 to mx is determined by the user pressing and deforming the housing body 11. Depends on length.

In this way, in the melody performance mode, the user can play a predetermined melody by repeatedly pressing and deforming the housing body 11 and restoring its shape, regardless of the degree of deformation of the housing body 11. .

To explain the behavior of the melody performance mode in more detail, in this mode, when the user strongly presses the casing main body 11 at any timing and the highest detection value is detected by the air pressure sensor 21, the Vibrato is applied to the audio information output at the time.
Further, in the melody performance mode, the user can change the melody information to be output, that is, select a song, by tapping the mode changeover switch 25b.

In the melody performance mode, the housing body 11 is pressed and deformed after the audio information mx (the last audio information in one piece of melody information) is output by repeatedly pressing and deforming the housing body 11 and restoring its shape. When this is done, the program returns to the beginning and audio information m1 is output. That is, the user can repeat and output a piece of melody information.
In addition, in the melody performance mode, similar to the pitch operation mode, the audio information is output with a fade-in, and the volume changes immediately after that to reach the volume corresponding to the position of the power switch 25a.

<<Other modes>>
In addition to the above-mentioned modes, the pronunciation toy , and may be configured to be switchable by operating the mode changeover switch 25b.

The volume change mode is a mode in which the processing means 22 converts the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21 according to the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 into the volume of audio information.
Further, in the graph shown in FIG. 8, the x-axis indicates the degree of deformation of the housing main body 11 (that is, the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21), and the y-axis indicates the magnitude of the volume.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8(a), when the user presses the housing main body 11 to such an extent that the detection value x1 is detected, audio information is output from the output unit 23 at a volume y1.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the user presses the housing body 11 to such an extent that a detection value x2, which is a value larger than the detection value x1, is detected, that is, in FIG. When the housing main body 11 is pressed more strongly than shown in a), the output unit 23 outputs audio information at a volume y2 that is higher than the volume y1.
The above behavior is reversible, and if the user weakens the pressing force from the state shown in FIG. 6(b) to the state shown in FIG. 6(a), the volume of the output audio information will be the volume y2 The volume changes from to y1.

Note that the audio information output in the volume change mode may be any sustained sound or melody information, and a sustained sound is output while the air pressure sensor 21 detects a change in the internal pressure of the casing body 11. The melody information may continue to be played or the melody information may be repeated.
The volume of the sustained sound or melody information can be changed depending on the degree of deformation of the housing main body 11.

The tone change mode is a mode in which the processing means 22 converts the magnitude of the value detected by the air pressure sensor 21 according to the degree of deformation of the housing main body 11 into a tone in audio information.
In addition, the graphs shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 indicate the degree of deformation of the casing main body 11 on the x-axis (that is, the magnitude of the detected value by the air pressure sensor 21), and the output tone changes depending on the degree of deformation. The virtual boundary is shown by a vertical dotted line.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 10(a), when the user presses the casing main body 11 with the degree of deformation within the range indicated by the arrow p1, the output section 23 will release a signal within this range. Audio information is output with the set tone.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9(b) and FIG. 10(b), when the casing main body 11 is pressed with the degree of deformation within the range indicated by the arrow p2, the output unit 23 outputs the tone set within this range. Accordingly, audio information is output.
Similarly, as the degree of deformation of the housing body 11 increases thereafter, the output tone changes.

In this embodiment, the tone change mode shown in FIG. It is assigned to each range, such as arrow p1, divided according to the degree.
As a result, as the user increases the pressing force on the main body 11 of the housing, audio information is outputted as if the pronunciation toy X were speaking smoothly "Ai ew o".

The above behavior is reversible, and when the user weakens the pressing force from this state, voice information will be output as if the sound-producing toy X is saying "Oi-ui-a".
Note that if the user maintains the degree of deformation within any range, audio information will continue to be output using the characters assigned within that range.

The tone change mode shown in FIG. 10 is a mode in which modulation is applied to audio information in this embodiment, and audio information with different degrees of modulation is divided into sections such as arrow p1 according to the degree of deformation. Assigned to a range.
As a result, as the user increases the pressing force on the housing main body 11, the tone of the audio information changes so that the degree of modulation gradually increases.

The above behavior is reversible, and as the user weakens the pressing force, the tone of the audio information changes so that the degree of modulation gradually weakens.
Note that if the user maintains the degree of deformation within any range, the audio information will continue to be output with the degree of modulation assigned within that range.

In this way, the change in timbre in the tone change mode broadly means a change in the waveform (frequency and amplitude) of the sound.
In addition, in the tone change mode shown in FIG. 9, a longer sentence may be set as a character string, and the behavior is not reversible until the shape of the casing main body 11 is restored after the pressing force is unloaded. , a configuration may be adopted in which no audio information is output.
Furthermore, the audio information in the tone change mode shown in FIG. 10 may be any sustained tone or melody information, similar to the volume change mode.

<Effect>
From the above, the sounding toy X of the above-described embodiment has the following effects.

That is, according to the present embodiment, audio information can be output at any timing with only the extremely simple operation of pressing and deforming the housing main body 11, so anyone can easily produce sounds with a simple configuration. It becomes possible to perform.

In addition, the pitch operation mode allows the user to control the pitch of the audio information by the strength with which the housing body 11 is pressed (i.e., the degree of deformation). It becomes possible to play melodies.

In addition, in the melody performance mode, melody information is output regardless of the strength with which the housing body 11 is pressed, so the user Z can easily play a predetermined melody using the sound-producing toy X. becomes.

In addition, in the melody performance mode, since audio information is output every time a change in internal pressure is detected by the air pressure sensor 21, the user Z can sequentially output audio information with an arbitrary rhythm. It becomes possible to expand the range of expression in the performance of the melody.

The volume change mode and tone change mode increase the number of ways the sound production toy X can be expressed, improving its functionality as a sound production toy.

In addition, since the audio module section 2 is configured to be detachable from the storage section 12, it becomes easy to repair the audio module section, replace parts, etc. when the audio module section breaks down, and the usability of the pronunciation toy X is improved.

In addition, since the storage section 12 is included inside the casing main body 11, the entire sound-producing toy It becomes possible.

Furthermore, by arranging the openings of each eyeball part E and the storage part 12, the pronunciation toy This makes it possible to strongly stimulate the purchasing desire of consumers.

<Embodiment 2>
Hereinafter, a sound toy according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 11 and 12.
In addition, the embodiment shown below is an example of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the following embodiment.
Moreover, in these figures, the code|symbol X' shows the sound toy based on this embodiment.
Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals to simplify the explanation thereof.

The pronunciation toy X' shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 includes a housing section 1 and an audio module section 2.

Similar to the sound production toy X, the housing section 1 includes a hollow housing section main body 11 having flexibility and shape restorability, and a storage section 12 in which the audio module section 2 is stored. .

Here, as a difference from the sounding toy X, the sounding toy X' is provided with a storage section 12 extending upward from the bottom, as shown in FIG.
Further, the lip portion R is constructed separately from the audio module portion 2, and is provided between each eyeball portion E as a decoration to give character to the pronunciation toy X'.

Furthermore, the bottom of the casing main body 11 is configured as a flat surface similarly to the sound-producing toy It protrudes downward from the bottom.
The legs f are provided at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the bottom surface, and can be made of an elastic material such as rubber having a substantially hemispherical shape, for example.

In addition, the internal configuration of the audio module section 2 and the configuration of the attachment/detachment means D are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore their explanations will be omitted.

The sounding toy X' in this embodiment can also have substantially the same effects as the sounding toy X.
In addition, in this embodiment, since the lips R are configured separately from the audio module 2, the degree of freedom in designing facial expressions is higher than that of the pronunciation toy X. By drawing a mouth or the like on the surface of 11, facial expressions can also be formed. That is, the lip portion R may not be formed as a structure.

Note that the shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in each of the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like.

For example, in the pitch operation mode, as the degree of deformation of the housing body 11 increases, a configuration may be adopted in which audio information of a lower pitch is output.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration is shown in which the predetermined audio information is output only by deforming the casing main body 11. However, when the power is turned on or when any mode is selected, In this case, the audio information may be output without deforming the housing body 11.
By deforming the main body 11 of the casing, the audio information conversion process corresponding to each mode can be performed.

Furthermore, although FIGS. 6 to 10 show examples in which audio information is output by pressing and deforming the casing main body 11 from above with two fingers, the user can press the casing main body 11 with one or both hands. While holding the main body 11, the entire casing main body 11 may be pressed and deformed with each finger.

Furthermore, for example, a plurality of sound-producing toys X and sound-producing toys X' may be arranged side by side, and each housing body 11 may be pressed and deformed by one or more users.
As a result, harmonies can be played in the pitch control mode, and a so-called chorus-like performance can be performed in the melody performance mode, further expanding the range of expression using the sounding toy X and the sounding toy X'. be able to.

x,

Claims

Comprising a housing part and an audio module part,
The casing section has a hollow casing section main body having flexibility and shape restorability, and a storage section in which the audio module section is stored,
The audio module section includes an air pressure sensor that detects a change in internal pressure of the casing main body due to deformation of the casing main body, a processing means that converts a detected value of the air pressure sensor into audio information, and a processing means that converts the detected value of the air pressure sensor into audio information. A pronunciation toy, comprising an output section that outputs.
2. The pronunciation toy according to claim 1, wherein the processing means is configured to convert the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing main body into a pitch in the audio information.
The audio module section has a storage means in which melody information is stored,
The melody information consists of a combination of a plurality of pieces of the audio information to which one pitch is assigned,
The sound-producing toy according to claim 1, wherein the processing means outputs the melody information from the output section based on detection of internal pressure change by the air pressure sensor.
4. The processing means sequentially outputs the audio information in the melody information from the output unit in time series of the melody information every time a change in internal pressure is detected by the air pressure sensor. pronunciation toy.
2. The sound-producing toy according to claim 1, wherein the processing means is configured to convert the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing body into the volume of the audio information.
2. The pronunciation toy according to claim 1, wherein the processing means is configured to be able to convert the magnitude of the detected value according to the degree of deformation of the casing body into a tone in the audio information.
The pronunciation toy according to claim 1, wherein the audio module section is configured to be detachable from the storage section.
The sound-producing toy according to claim 1, wherein the storage section is included inside the casing main body.
A pair of eyeball portions are provided on the surface of the housing body, and one end of the storage portion is open to the outside,
The opening of the storage part is arranged at a position where a line connecting the center of the opening and the center of each eyeball part forms an inverted triangle when viewed from the front,
9. The pronunciation toy according to claim 8, wherein an end portion of the audio module portion is provided with a lip portion exposed from an opening of the storage portion.