3D Tangram

Abstract

To provide a three-dimensional puzzle in which a specially shaped structure is formed by integrating two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms obtained by dividing a cube in half along its diagonal at a twisted position by gluing or the like as puzzle pieces, thereby forming a specified three-dimensional object. [Solution] The three-dimensional triangle has two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms a, a obtained by bisecting a cube A along the diagonal of one of its faces as its basic building blocks, and comprises puzzle pieces b1-b4, c1-c4 which are formed by connecting the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different faces or different directions, and graphical information Pd regarding the shape of a specified three-dimensional object formed by combining the puzzle pieces b1-b4, c1-c4, and the specified three-dimensional object is formed by combining the puzzle pieces b1-b4, c1-c4.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a puzzle that uses pieces with three-dimensional structures and can form a solid of a predetermined shape (a three-dimensional structure, hereafter referred to as a predetermined solid) whose top surface has a silhouette of a specific shape, for example.

[0002] A so-called tangram puzzle has been known in the past, in which a single square sheet is cut into a number of right-angled triangle, square, and parallelogram-shaped puzzle pieces to form a specified flat silhouette. [Background technology]

[0003] Conventional tangram puzzles use flat pieces, but there are no puzzles that use three-dimensional puzzle pieces, so to speak, three-dimensional tangrams. A toy play using wooden pieces of three-dimensional shapes such as rectangular parallelepipeds and cylinders is known as a "building block" game. Building blocks are a game in which players stack pieces of various three-dimensional shapes to form a shape of a desired shape, or collapse the shape and arrange it in a flat shape.

[0004] The puzzle pieces used in the 3D tangram of the present invention (hereinafter, anything related to the present invention will be referred to as "3D tangram") have a special shape called an isosceles right triangular prism, which is obtained by bisecting a cube diagonally, and building blocks that use such isosceles right triangular prism pieces have been known for some time (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a puzzle building block in which the basic unit is an isosceles right triangular prism obtained by cutting a cube diagonally, and two of these basic units are connected in an appropriate orientation to form structures as building block pieces. An appropriate number of pieces can be selected from these structures and combined to form three-dimensional objects of various shapes.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes an entertainment tool in which multiple, for example two or four, isosceles right-angled triangular prisms serving as standard units are connected to form pieces of various shapes, and these pieces are appropriately combined to form three-dimensional objects of various shapes.

[0007] However, both of the toys in References 1 and 2 are used only as building block toys, and the enjoyment is in the unexpectedness of the three-dimensional shapes that are formed by appropriately combining various pieces. Therefore, with these building blocks, the enjoyment is in the unexpectedness of the shapes that are formed by chance, but the task is to form a three-dimensional object with a specified structure (a specified three-dimensional object) using specified pieces, and the enjoyment of the intellectual task of repeating trial and error to form the specified three-dimensional object (the task three-dimensional object) based on given hints to solve this task is not possible. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-27676 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 6-49106 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The objective of this invention is to create a puzzle that uses specially shaped structures made by bonding together at a twisted position two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms obtained by dividing a cube in half diagonally as puzzle pieces, and forms a specified, specific three-dimensional structure (a specified three-dimensional object). [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. The invention of claim 1 is a three-dimensional puzzle that uses a right-angled isosceles triangular prism obtained by bisecting a cube along the diagonal of one of its faces as a basic building block, and comprises puzzle pieces each formed by connecting two of the right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different faces or different directions, a specified three-dimensional object formed by combining the puzzle pieces, and graphical information regarding the shape or form of the specified three-dimensional object, and that forms the three-dimensional object by combining the puzzle pieces.

[0011] In the invention of claim 2, the puzzle pieces include four types of puzzle pieces in which the square faces of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected from different directions or on different faces.

[0012] The invention of claim 3 includes four types of puzzle pieces different from the puzzle pieces of paragraph 0011 above, in which the square faces of one of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected to the right-angled isosceles triangular faces of the other of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different directions or in different orientations.

[0013] In the invention of claim 4, the puzzle pieces further include two of the right-angled isosceles triangular prisms, which are basic building blocks.

[0014] In the device of claim 5, the puzzle pieces are each colored differently.

[0015] In the invention of claim 6, the graphic information regarding the specified solid is a silhouette of the top surface of the specified solid.

[0016] In the invention of claim 7, the graphic information regarding the specified solid can be the shape of the specified solid as viewed from the front, the shape as viewed from the back, the shape as viewed from the right, and the shape as viewed from the left.

[0017] In the invention of claim 8, the graphic information may be an isometric image of the predetermined solid body.

[0018] In the invention of claim 9, the graphical information regarding the shape of the specified three-dimensional object may be a silhouette of the top surface, or a shape viewed from the front, back, right, and left, reflecting the color of the puzzle pieces.

[0019] In the invention of claim 10, the graphic information of the silhouette of the top surface may be drawn either at the same size as the top surface of the specified three-dimensional object or at a reduced size. Effect of the Invention

[0020] The three-dimensional tangram puzzle of the present invention has something in common with the conventionally known tangram puzzles that use two-dimensional pieces, in that puzzle pieces are arranged to match a given silhouette. However, the three-dimensional tangram of this invention differs from conventional two-dimensional tangrams in that it uses three-dimensional pieces with a special structure in which right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected in a twisted direction to form a three-dimensional structure with a specified silhouette. For this reason, users who solve the 3D Tangram puzzle of the present invention need to use trial and error based on 3D thinking. In other words, the three-dimensional tangram of the present invention allows for a different way of playing than conventional two-dimensional tangrams, in that the shape of the puzzle pieces used does not necessarily match the shape of the top silhouette. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is an oblique view of a right-angled isosceles triangular prism a, which is the basic building block of the puzzle piece of this invention, formed by dividing a cube in half along the diagonal of the square side. [Diagram 2] This is a perspective view of four types of puzzle pieces b1 to b4, which are made by connecting the square faces of two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms a from different directions. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of four types of puzzle pieces c1 to c4, in which one square face and the other triangular face of two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms a are connected from different directions. [Figure 4]A plan view showing geometric information regarding a specified solid (task solid, =prescribed solid, the same applies below) formed by combining one of the puzzle pieces b4 in Figure 2 and one of the puzzle pieces c1 in Figure 3. [Diagram 5] 3. A plan view showing geometric information regarding a predetermined solid (a target solid) formed by combining two of the puzzle pieces b2 and b4 in FIG. 2 and one of the puzzle pieces c1 in FIG. [Figure 6] A plan view showing geometric information regarding a specified solid (the target solid) formed by combining two puzzle pieces a in Figure 1, three puzzle pieces b1, b3, and b4 in Figure 2, and two puzzle pieces c1 and c3 in Figure 3, laid out side by side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] (The basic building block of a puzzle piece) In this invention, two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms a obtained by dividing one cube A along its diagonal are used as basic building blocks, as shown in Fig. 1. The dimensions of the cube A are not particularly limited, but considering ease of handling as a puzzle piece, a size of about 3.0 to 3.5 cm is preferable. In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that a set of puzzle pieces includes two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms a, which are basic structural units, in order to form predetermined solid bodies of various structures (shapes).

[0024] (Puzzle pieces with square faces connected together) In this invention, four types of puzzle pieces b1 to b4 are used, each of which is made by connecting the square faces of two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different directions (or in different orientations). Figure 2 shows the specific form of each puzzle piece, as well as the direction in which the square faces of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected to each other.

[0025] (A puzzle piece in the form of a square face on one side and a triangular face on the other side) In this invention, four types of puzzle pieces c1 to c4 are used, each of which is made up of two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms, each of which has a square surface connected to the other triangular surface. Figure 3 shows the specific form of each puzzle piece, as well as the connection direction of the two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms in each puzzle piece.

[0026] The puzzle pieces described in paragraphs 0023 to 0025 above include deformed solids having a structure in which two isosceles right-angled triangular prisms a, which are basic structural units, are connected in a twisted positional relationship, so to speak. For this reason, it is not easy to predict how these puzzle pieces should be combined to form a given solid (a problem solid). It is also preferable that each puzzle piece is colored in a different color. By making the color of each puzzle piece correspond to a diagram (three-dimensional graphic information Pd) showing the shape of the target three-dimensional object (predetermined three-dimensional object) when viewed from the front, back, left and right, it can be a hint for the puzzle solver to easily understand the target three-dimensional object and form it. The puzzle pieces in this invention may not be colored.

[0027] (Silhouette of the specified solid, which is the graphic information Pd of the specified solid - top view of the specified solid) In conventional flat tangrams, the silhouette is specified as the shape to be formed by arranging the flat pieces in a creative way, but in the 3D tangram of the present invention, the top surface shape (top surface silhouette) of the specified 3D object is presented as the graphic information Pd of the specified 3D object. Since this graphic information Pd is merely a silhouette showing the top surface of the specified 3D object, it is displayed in solid black in this embodiment. A feature of the 3D puzzle of this invention is that the shape of the puzzle pieces used does not necessarily match the top shape (top silhouette) of the specified 3D object (task 3D object) that is to be assembled using them, and this is what makes the 3D puzzle of this invention interesting as a puzzle.

[0028] (The size of the graphic information Pd based on the top surface silhouette includes actual size silhouette and reduced size silhouette.) The top surface silhouette may be a full-scale silhouette that is the same as the dimensions of the top surface of the predetermined solid object. In this case, the puzzle can be solved by actually placing the puzzle pieces on the silhouette. On the other hand, the silhouette of the top surface may be a silhouette of a somewhat reduced size rather than the actual size of the top surface shape. In this case, the person solving the three-dimensional puzzle of this invention will devise a combination of puzzle pieces to be used while referring to the shape (similar shape to the actual size shape).

[0029] (Graphical information of a given solid object based on three-dimensional drawings) In this invention, as graphical information for presenting a specified three-dimensional object as a problem, in addition to the silhouette showing the shape of the top surface of the specified three-dimensional object mentioned above, three-sided views of the specified three-dimensional object, i.e., the shape as seen from the front (front shape = front view), the shape as seen from the back (back shape = back view), the shape as seen from the right (right side shape = right side view), and the shape as seen from the left (left side shape = left side view), are provided as views (presentation views) for specifying the specified three-dimensional object, and therefore the three-sided views of the specified three-dimensional object can be used as presentation views of the specified three-dimensional object. The three-view drawings of this invention use drawings seen from five directions, namely the top, front (front), back, right side, and left side of a specified three-dimensional object. In this invention, the silhouette of the top view of a specified solid is colored black, but the diagrams of the solid viewed from the front, back, left, and right (graphical information Pd) reflect the colors of each puzzle piece, making it easier for the person solving the puzzle to understand.

[0030] Below, specific examples of embodiments using puzzle pieces according to the present invention will be described. (Embodiment 1) In the first embodiment, puzzle pieces b4 and c1 shown in Fig. 4 are used. The graphic information Pd of the target solid (predetermined solid) is the actual size silhouette of the top surface of this solid, so the correct answer can be obtained by actually placing puzzle pieces b4 and c1 on the silhouette and rotating the silhouette around on a flat surface. In the first embodiment, the target solid (predetermined solid) can be reached by referring to the colors of pieces b4 and c1 as seen from the front, back, left side, and right side of the target solid.

[0031] (Embodiment 2) In the second embodiment, one each of puzzle pieces b4, c1, and b2 shown in Fig. 5 is used. The shape of the top surface of the specified solid (object solid) is a full-size silhouette, as in the first embodiment, so the puzzle can be solved by actually placing the puzzle pieces on the silhouette and rotating it around. The colors of the puzzles b4, c1, and b2 used in the second embodiment are presented as the color when the specified solid is viewed from the front, back, left and right sides together with the silhouette of the top surface as the graphic information Pd of the specified solid, so this information is also used to arrive at the object solid (specified solid).

[0032] (Embodiment 3) In the third embodiment, seven puzzle pieces shown in Fig. 6 are used. The pieces used are two a's and one each of b1, c1, c3, b4, and b3, making a total of seven pieces (see Fig. 6). In this third embodiment, the shape of the top surface, which is a silhouette, is shown as one piece of graphic information in a reduced size drawing, but a drawing of the combination state of each piece when the specified solid (problem solid) is viewed from the front, back, left and right sides is also presented as graphic information Pd, so that the puzzle solver will devise a combination of puzzle pieces to be used while referring to these shape and color combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] a: Two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms formed by dividing a cube into two basic building blocks. b1~b4: Four types of puzzle pieces in which the square faces of two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected from different directions. c1~c4: Four types of puzzle pieces in which one square face of two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms is connected to the other triangular face from different directions.

Claims

1. The three-dimensional puzzle has a basic constituent unit of a right-angled isosceles triangular prism obtained by bisecting a cube along the diagonal of one of its faces, and a puzzle piece is formed by connecting two of the right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different faces or different directions. The puzzle piece and graphic information relating to the shape of a predetermined three-dimensional object formed by combining the puzzle pieces are provided, and the predetermined three-dimensional object is formed by combining the puzzle pieces.

2. The three-dimensional puzzle of claim 1, wherein the puzzle pieces include four types of puzzle pieces in which the square faces of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected from different directions or on different faces.

3. The three-dimensional puzzle of claim 1, wherein the puzzle pieces include four types of puzzle pieces in which the square faces of one of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms are connected to the right-angled isosceles triangular faces of the other of the two right-angled isosceles triangular prisms from different directions or in different orientations.

4. The three-dimensional puzzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the puzzle pieces further include two of the right-angled isosceles triangular prisms which are basic structural units.

5. The three-dimensional puzzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the puzzle pieces are each colored in a different color.

6. 2. The solid diagram according to claim 1, wherein the graphic information relating to the predetermined solid is a silhouette of a top surface of the predetermined solid.

7. 2. The three-dimensional object according to claim 1, wherein said graphic information includes drawings of the shape of said predetermined three-dimensional object as viewed from the front, rear, right and left.

8. 2. The solid object of claim 1, wherein said graphical information is an isometric image of said solid.

9. The three-dimensional puzzle of claim 6 or 7, wherein the graphical information regarding the shape of the specified three-dimensional object is a silhouette of the top surface of the specified three-dimensional object, or a diagram of the shape as viewed from the front, back, right, and left, reflecting the color of the puzzle pieces.

10. 7. The three-dimensional object according to claim 6, wherein the silhouette of the top surface is graphic information drawn at the same size as the top surface of the predetermined three-dimensional object or at a reduced size.

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