Connecting rod

Abstract

To provide a connecting rod which can be bent in any direction and which can be made of a wide range of materials. [Solution] The device includes fixing portions (22, 25, 28) at both ends that can be fixed to the surface of a three-dimensional block (10), and long portions (23, 26, 29) extending between the fixing portions (22, 25, 28,) where the long portions (23, 26, 29) have a twisted shape along at least a portion of the longitudinal direction. The long portions (23, 26, 29) may have the twisted shape of a long flat plate along their entire length along the longitudinal direction, and the long portions (23, 26, 29) have the twisted shape of an elastic flat plate and have a twisted shape of 0.1 to 10 periods along the longitudinal direction. The fixing portions (22, 25, 28) may have an outer shape that allows them to be inserted into holes (11a, 12a, 13a) formed in the surface of the block (10).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a long connecting rod for connecting three-dimensional blocks that constitute a construction toy or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a construction toy in which multiple blocks, each having a three-dimensional shape such as a polyhedron, are connected by connecting rods. The shape of the blocks can be, for example, a rhombic octahedron. In this case, the block has six square first faces facing three mutually perpendicular axial directions, twelve square second faces adjacent to two of the first faces at 45° angles to each other, and eight triangular third faces surrounded by the three second faces.

[0003] Each face of the block is configured so that the end of a connecting rod can be fixed thereto. For example, holes can be provided on the face of the block so that the end of the connecting rod can be inserted into the hole, thereby fixing the end of the connecting rod to the face of the block. By connecting the blocks with the connecting rods, various three-dimensional shapes can be created and played with. An example of an assembly toy having such blocks and connecting rods is given in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-019763 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When connecting blocks with connecting rods to create a three-dimensional shape, the connecting rods must be repeatedly inserted and removed from the holes in the blocks. If the connecting rods are round rods, as shown in Patent Document 1, they have no gripping points for fingers, making them slippery when inserted and removed. Furthermore, when connecting multiple blocks three-dimensionally, connecting rods must have a certain degree of flexibility to connect already connected blocks from a different angle. To make thick connecting rods, such as round rods, deformable, a material must be selected that is highly flexible and can be firmly fixed to the blocks, narrowing the range of material options. While it is possible to form connecting rods from long, thin plates, this would only bend in one direction, making it difficult to connect blocks. Even when connecting rods with polygonal cross sections have polygonal cross sections, the ease of bending varies depending on the direction, narrowing the range of cross-sectional shapes available.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a connecting rod that can be bent in any direction and that allows for a wide range of material and cross-sectional shape options. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the connecting rod of the present invention comprises fixing portions at both ends that can be fixed to the faces of a three-dimensional block, and a long portion extending between the fixing portions, and the long portion has a twisted shape along the long direction in at least a portion of the long direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The connecting rod of the present invention has a twisted shape in the long section that makes it difficult for fingers to slip when connecting blocks, and can be bent in any direction. The spiral shape also allows it to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, making it easy to connect blocks. Furthermore, the connecting rod can be made of inexpensive elastic materials such as general-purpose resins.

[0009] In the connecting rod according to the present invention, the long portion may have a twisted shape of a long flat plate along the longitudinal direction over its entire length. This makes the long portion of the connecting rod more easily deformable, making it easier to connect the blocks together. Furthermore, when manufacturing the connecting rod, the long portion can be molded from resin into a thin plate shape, which shortens the molding time and allows for inexpensive manufacturing.

[0010] In the connecting rod according to the present invention, the long portion may be elastic, which allows the connecting rod to be easily deformed without breaking the long portion.

[0011] In the connecting rod according to the present invention, the long portion may have a twisted shape of 0.1 to 10 cycles along the longitudinal direction, thereby enabling the connecting rod to have a shape that satisfies both the finger grip and flexibility of the long portion.

[0012] In the connecting rod according to the present invention, the fixing portion may have an outer shape that allows it to be inserted into a hole formed in the surface of the block, thereby making it possible to easily fix the connecting rod to the block by inserting the fixing portion into the hole, and to easily connect the blocks to each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a block used in the assembly toy of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of three types of connecting rods. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first connecting rod. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second connecting rod. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a third connecting rod. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of two blocks connected by a first connecting rod. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a front view of two blocks connected by a second connecting rod. [Figure 8] This is a front view of two blocks connected by a third connecting rod. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a lattice diagram that serves as a guide when forming a three-dimensional shape. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing points adjacent to a reference point of a lattice diagram in the three axial directions, the face-center direction, and the body-center direction, and the distances between each point. [Figure 11] This is a lattice diagram of the silver rhombic dodecahedron. [Figure 12] This is a lattice diagram of a regular hexahedron. [Figure 13] This is a lattice diagram of a regular octahedron. [Figure 14] This is a lattice diagram of a cuboctahedron. [Figure 15] This is a lattice diagram of a regular tetrahedron. [Figure 16] This is a lattice diagram of a regular hexahedron formed by truncating a silver rhombic dodecahedron at four obtuse points. [Figure 17] This is a lattice diagram of a regular tetrahedron formed by truncating a regular hexahedron at three diagonal vertices. [Figure 18] This is a lattice diagram of a regular octahedron formed by truncating a regular tetrahedron at its midpoint. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the polyhedrons described in FIGS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The construction toy of this embodiment is composed of a large number of blocks 10 and connecting rods 20. By connecting the multiple blocks 10 with the connecting rods 20, a three-dimensional shape can be formed with the blocks 10 as lattice points.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of block 10. Block 10 has the shape of an icosahedron, which is a rhombic cuboctahedron. Of the faces of block 10, those facing three mutually perpendicular axial directions are referred to as first faces 11. Since the first faces 11 face both the positive and negative sides of the three axial directions, one block 10 has six first faces 11. Of the faces of block 10, those adjacent to two first faces 11 at 45° angles to each other are referred to as second faces 12. One block 10 has 12 second faces 12. Of the faces of block 10, eight triangular faces surrounded by three second faces 12 are referred to as third faces 13. When a block 10 is placed at a lattice point of a cubic lattice, the first face 11 faces in the direction in which the lattice lines extend, the second face 12 faces in the direction of the face center of the cubic lattice, and the third face 13 faces in the direction of the body center of the cubic lattice.

[0016] The first surface 11 of the block 10 has a rectangular first hole 11a, the second surface 12 of the block 10 has an oval second hole 12a, and the third surface 13 of the block 10 has a triangular third hole 13a.

[0017] The blocks 10 can be made of any material such as resin, wood, metal, etc. As a toy, resin or wood is suitable because it is light and safe.

[0018] 2 shows a front view of the connecting rod 20. As the connecting rods 20, a first connecting rod 21, a second connecting rod 24, and a third connecting rod 27, each having a different length, are prepared.

[0019] The first connecting rod 21 has first fixing portions 22 at both ends and a first elongated portion 23 extending between the first fixing portions 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the first fixing portion 22 has a rectangular shape such that its end faces can be inserted into the first hole 11a provided in the first surface 11 of the block 10. The first fixing portion 22 has a shape that prevents it from being inserted into the second hole 12a and the third hole 13a of the block 10. The first elongated portion 23 has a twisted shape, which is a shape obtained by twisting a flat plate having an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction. When the first fixing portions 22 at both ends of the first connecting rod 21 are inserted into the first hole 11a of the block 10, respectively, a portion A in the center shown in FIG. 2 is exposed between the blocks 10. In other words, the range of portion A shown in FIG. 2 is the first elongated portion 23. The elongated portion 23 has a twisted shape with approximately 1.5 periods along its entire length.

[0020] The second connecting rod 24 has second fixing portions 25 at both ends and a second elongated portion 26 extending between the second fixing portions 25. As shown in FIG. 4, the second fixing portion 25 has an elliptical shape such that its end face can be inserted into the second hole 12a provided in the second surface 12 of the block 10. The second fixing portion 25 has a shape that prevents it from being inserted into the first hole 11a and the third hole 13a of the block 10. The second elongated portion 26 has a twisted shape that is formed by twisting a flat plate having an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction. The second elongated portion 26 has a twisted shape with approximately 2.5 periods over its entire length, spanning the range of portion B shown in FIG. 2.

[0021] The third connecting rod 27 has third fixing portions 28 at both ends and a third long portion 29 extending between the third fixing portions 28. As shown in FIG. 5, the third fixing portion 28 has a triangular shape such that its end face can be inserted into the third hole 13a provided in the third surface 13 of the block 10. The third fixing portion 28 has a shape that prevents it from being inserted into the first hole 11a or the second hole 12a of the block 10. The third long portion 29 has a twisted shape obtained by twisting a thin, elongated flat plate along its length. The third long portion 29 extends over the range of portion C shown in FIG. 2 and has a twisted shape with 4.5 periods over its entire length. Note that the twisted shape of each long portion of the connecting rod 20 is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 10 periods, taking into account finger grip and flexibility of the long portion. In the twisted shape of the flat plate, by setting one period of the twisted shape to be 1 cm to 2 cm, fingers can easily fit into the twisted shape, and slippage can be effectively suppressed.

[0022] The first connecting rod 21, the second connecting rod 24, and the third connecting rod 27 can be formed from an elastic material. Specifically, the first connecting rod 21, the second connecting rod 24, and the third connecting rod 27 can be formed from a resin material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or ABS resin. The first long portion 23, the second long portion 26, and the third long portion 29 each have a twisted shape, which makes it easy for the user's fingers to catch and prevents slipping when connecting the blocks 10. Furthermore, the first long portion 23, the second long portion 26, and the third long portion 29 are twisted flat plates that are long in the longitudinal direction, so they can bend in any direction, and their spiral shape allows them to expand and contract somewhat in the longitudinal direction. This allows for a high degree of freedom when connecting the blocks 10, making connection easy.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 6, a first connecting rod 21 can connect the first surfaces 11 of the blocks 10 together. In this case, the distance between the centers of the blocks 10 is L. As shown in FIG. 7, a second connecting rod 24 can connect the second surfaces 12 of the blocks 10 together. In this case, the distance between the centers of the blocks 10 is the square root of L times 2. As shown in FIG. 8, a third connecting rod 27 can connect the third surfaces 13 of the blocks 10 together. In this case, the distance between the centers of the blocks 10 is the square root of L times 3.

[0024] The first fixing portion 22, the second fixing portion 25, and the third fixing portion 28 have shapes that allow them to be inserted only into the corresponding holes of the block 10, so it is easy to determine which side of the block 10 each connecting rod 20 should be inserted into. Note that the shapes of the holes of the block 10 and the fixing portions of the connecting rods 20 are merely examples, and other shapes or combinations may be used. Furthermore, the shapes of the holes and fixing portions may all be the same.

[0025] Various polyhedrons can be formed by inserting the connecting rods 20 into the blocks 10 and connecting them together. The three-dimensional shapes of the assembly toy of this embodiment are conveniently represented using a lattice diagram, since the blocks 10 are located at lattice points and connected by the connecting rods 20. FIG. 9 shows a lattice diagram that serves as a guide for forming the three-dimensional shape. In the lattice diagram, the lattice points are drawn to resemble a cubic lattice viewed from one direction. First connecting points, represented by squares, are located in three mutually perpendicular axial directions relative to the reference point, represented by a circle, located in the center of the lattice. A second connecting point, represented by a black circle, is located in the face-center direction of the cube relative to the reference point, represented by a circle. A third connecting point, represented by a triangle, is located in the body-center direction of the cube relative to the reference point, represented by a circle. Furthermore, the vertices of a regular octahedron concentric with the cube are located at positions protruding in the face-center direction of each face of the cube, represented by squares. As shown in Figure 10, if the distance between the reference point (circle) and the first connecting point (black square) is L, the distance between the reference point (circle) and the second connecting point (black square) is the square root of L times 2, and the distance between the reference point (circle) and the third connecting point (black triangle) is the square root of L times 3. When connecting a block 10 located at the reference point (circle) to a block 10 located at the first connecting point (black square), the blocks can be connected using a first connecting rod 21 with a first fixing portion 22 having a rectangular outer shape. When connecting a block 10 located at the reference point (circle) to a block 10 located at the second connecting point (black square), the blocks can be connected using a second connecting rod 24 with a second fixing portion 25 having an elliptical outer shape. When connecting a block 10 located at the reference point (circle) to a block 10 located at the third connecting point (black triangle), the blocks can be connected using a third connecting rod 27 with a third fixing portion 28 having a triangular outer shape.

[0026] Figure 11 shows a lattice diagram of a silver rhombic dodecahedron. As shown in this diagram, a silver rhombic dodecahedron can be drawn by connecting the eight triangle points on the cube, which are the obtuse corners of the silver rhombic dodecahedron, with the six square points protruding toward the center of each face of the cube, which are the acute corners of the silver rhombic dodecahedron. In this diagram, the lines connecting the lattice points are represented by dashed-dotted lines. In the lattice diagram, the dashed-dotted lines indicate that the third faces 13 of the blocks 10 are connected to each other by third connecting rods 27. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with third connecting rods 27, a three-dimensional silver rhombic dodecahedron can be formed.

[0027] Figure 12 shows a regular hexahedron drawn on a lattice diagram. A regular hexahedron can be drawn by connecting the obtuse points ▲ on the lattice diagram. The lines connecting the ▲ points are represented by solid lines. In the lattice diagram, the solid lines indicate that the first faces 11 of the blocks 10 are connected to each other by first connecting rods 21. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with the first connecting rods 21, a three-dimensional shape of a regular hexahedron can be formed.

[0028] Figure 13 shows a regular octahedron drawn on a lattice diagram. A regular octahedron can be drawn by connecting the square points, which are the acute corners of the lattice diagram. The lines connecting the square points are represented by dashed lines. In the lattice diagram, the dashed lines indicate that the second faces 12 of the blocks 10 are connected to each other by second connecting rods 24. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with the second connecting rods 24, a three-dimensional shape of a regular octahedron can be formed.

[0029] Figure 14 shows a cuboctahedron drawn on a lattice diagram. The cuboctahedron can be drawn by connecting the face-center points (12 points) of the silver rhombic dodecahedron, which are the midpoints of the adjacent obtuse-angled points. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with the second connecting rods 24, the three-dimensional shape of the cuboctahedron can be formed.

[0030] Figure 15 shows a regular tetrahedron drawn on a grid diagram. A regular tetrahedron can be drawn by connecting the obtuse diagonal points (▲) on the grid diagram. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this grid diagram and connecting them with the second connecting rods 24, a three-dimensional shape of a regular tetrahedron can be formed.

[0031] By sequentially truncating the silver rhombic dodecahedron shown in Figure 11, other polyhedral shapes can be formed. Figure 16 shows a lattice diagram of a regular hexahedron formed by truncating the silver rhombic dodecahedron at four square points. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with the first connecting rods 21 and the third connecting rods 27, the relationship between the silver rhombic dodecahedron and the regular hexahedron formed by truncating it can be intuitively understood.

[0032] 17 shows a lattice diagram of a regular tetrahedron formed by truncating a regular hexahedron at three diagonal vertices. By arranging blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with first connecting rods 21 and second connecting rods 24, the relationship between the regular hexahedron and the regular tetrahedron formed by truncating it can be intuitively understood.

[0033] 18 shows a lattice diagram of a regular octahedron formed by truncating a regular tetrahedron at its midpoint. By arranging the blocks 10 according to this lattice diagram and connecting them with the second connecting rods 24, the relationship between the regular tetrahedron and the regular octahedron formed by truncating it can be intuitively understood.

[0034] The relationships between the polyhedra described in FIGS. 16 to 18 are shown in FIG. 19. In this figure, "dual" refers to the relationship between a solid formed of figures with an incenter and a solid formed by connecting the incenters. As shown in FIG. 19, by sequentially truncating the silver rhombic dodecahedron, a regular cube, a regular tetrahedron, a regular octahedron, and a cuboctahedron are formed, and by truncating the cuboctahedron at the incenter of each face, a silver rhombic dodecahedron is formed. Therefore, these polyhedra are circular in their relationships. By assembling the construction toy of this embodiment, these relationships can be intuitively understood.

[0035] To form these polyhedrons, it is necessary to accurately combine a large number of blocks 10 and connecting rods 20. As described above, the shapes of the holes in the blocks 10 and the corresponding fixing parts of the connecting rods 20 are different, making it easy to identify which connecting rods 20 to insert, so even children can assemble the polyhedrons. Therefore, this assembly toy can be used for children's education as an educational toy or teaching material.

[0036] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the application of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be variously applied within the scope of the technical concept thereof. For example, in this embodiment, the block 10 is an icosahedron having a first face 11, a second face 12, and a third face, but it may be another type of polyhedron. Furthermore, the block 10 is not limited to a polyhedron, but may be another solid, such as a sphere. Furthermore, the long portion of the connecting rod 20 is not limited to a twisted shape of a long flat plate along its length. It may be a twisted shape of a prism, such as a triangular prism or a rectangular prism, whose cross section perpendicular to the length is polygonal, or a twisted shape of an elliptical cylinder. In these twisted shapes, by making one period of the twisted shape shorter than in the case of a twisted flat plate, the spiral-shaped protrusions can more easily catch on fingers, thereby effectively preventing slippage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 blocks 11 First Side 11a First hole 12 Second Side 12a Second hole 13 The Third Side 13a Third hole 20 Connecting rod 21 First connecting rod 22 First fixing part 23 First long section 24 Second connecting rod 25 Second fixed part 26 Second long section 27 Third connecting rod 28 Third fixed part 29 Third long section 30 Grid Diagram

Claims

1. Fixing portions at both ends that can be fixed to the surface of a three-dimensional block; an elongated portion extending between the fixed portions; The long portion of the connecting rod has a twisted shape along the long direction in at least a portion of the long direction.

2. 2. The connecting rod according to claim 1, wherein the long portion has a twisted shape of a long flat plate along the longitudinal direction over the entire length thereof.

3. The connecting rod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the long portion has elasticity.

4. 2. The connecting rod according to claim 1, wherein the long portion has a twisted shape with 0.1 to 10 periods along the longitudinal direction.

5. The connecting rod according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing portion has an outer shape that allows it to be inserted into a hole formed in the surface of the block.

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