toy set

Abstract

To improve the interest of a toy set. [Solution] A toy set including a first component 1 and a second component 2 used for playing with a plurality of items including a first item and a second item, wherein the first component 1 has a transmitter 17 that emits a signal in response to the first item being moved to a first position on the first component 1, and the second component 2 has a receiver that receives the signal and an operating unit that operates in response to the signal received by the receiver, and the operating unit starts moving a second item placed at a second position on the second component 2 in response to the receiver receiving the signal emitted by the transmitter 17.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toy set, and more particularly to a toy set that moves a second item from a second position on a second structure in response to a first item being moved to a first position on a first structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, toy sets having paths for moving objects have been available on the market. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a toy that can construct various paths by using a plurality of assembly elements each having a track portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-124298 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 only discloses assembly elements for constructing a path for moving an item, and there is a need to further improve the interest in playing by constructing a path for moving a toy set.

[0005] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to improve the entertainment value of a toy set.

[0006] Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A brief summary of a representative embodiment of the present invention will be given below.

[0008] The toy set in one embodiment is a toy set including a first component and a second component used in a play using a plurality of objects including a first object and a second object. Here, the first component includes a transmitter that emits a signal in response to the first object moving to a first position on the first component, and the second component includes a receiver that receives the signal and an operating unit that operates in response to the reception of the signal by the receiver, and the operating unit starts movement of a second object placed at a second position on the second component in response to the reception of the signal from the transmitter by the receiver. Also, the toy in one embodiment is a toy used in a play using a movable object, and includes a receiver that receives the signal from another object and a container that stores the movable object, and the container movably displaces the movable object out of the container in response to the reception of the signal by the receiver, thereby starting the movement of the movable object. In addition, in one embodiment, the toy is a toy used for playing with a movable object, and comprises a main body, a receiving unit provided in the main body and receiving signals from other objects, a storage unit provided within the main body and storing the movable object, and a displacement unit provided outside the main body and displaceable relative to the main body, wherein the displacement unit displaces from a first position to a second position different from the first position in response to the receiving unit receiving the signal, and the storage unit displaces from a third position where it can store the movable object to a fourth position where it can move the movable object outside the storage unit in response to the displacement of the displacement unit, causing the movable object to start moving, and after displacement to the fourth position, the displacement unit is returned from the second position to the first position, thereby returning from the third position to the fourth position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one embodiment, the interest of the toy set can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a toy set according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a toy set according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a toy set according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a first component part in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of a second component portion in the embodiment in a cutaway view. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of a second component portion in the embodiment in a cutaway view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all drawings for explaining the embodiments, components having the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted. In the following embodiments, explanations of the same or similar parts will not be repeated unless particularly necessary.

[0012] <Toy set composition> A toy set according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the toy set according to this embodiment has a first component part 1 and a second component part 2 that can be used while spaced apart from each other. Here, the directions perpendicular to each other along the surface on which the first component part 1 and the second component part 2 are placed are defined as the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, and the height direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction. Figures 1 to 3 show the state in which the second component part 2 has not yet received a signal transmitted from the first component part 1.

[0013] The first component 1 includes a main body 10, a track 15 fixed to the main body 10, and a movable part 11 whose orientation relative to the main body 10 can be changed. The movable part 11 includes a movable part 12 whose orientation within the placement surface when the main body 10 is placed on the placement surface can be changed, and a movable part 13 whose angle relative to the placement surface can be changed. Specifically, the movable part 12 is connected to the main body 10 and is a platform that can rotate relative to the main body 10 about an axis along the Z direction, and the upper surface of the movable part 12 is parallel to the placement surface. The movable part 13 is installed on the upper surface of the movable part 12 and is a base whose angle can be changed in the elevation angle direction and depression angle direction relative to the upper surface of the movable part 12, and a figure part 3 having, for example, a human shape is fixed to the movable part 13 on the base.

[0014] The movable part (base) 13 is equipped with a transmitter 17 that emits a signal. This signal is, for example, an optical signal emitted from a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) inside the movable part 13. In other words, the transmitter 17 is a light-emitting part. Here, infrared light (infrared rays) is used as the optical signal. The figure part 3 is equipped with a cylindrical direction indicator (a part that indicates the emission direction) 3a that extends in a direction along the direction in which the signal is emitted (for example, the direction in which the optical signal is emitted). This allows a user of the toy set to determine the approximate direction in which the signal is emitted by looking at the orientation of the direction indicator 3a. The user can change the orientation of the transmitter 17 using the movable parts 12, 13, thereby changing the direction in which the optical signal is emitted.

[0015] The track 15 has a groove-shaped track surface whose cross-sectional surface forms an arc, and the track surface extends in the Y direction. The track 15 constitutes part of the moving path along which a spherical article 40 (see FIG. 3) rolls. The track surface is, for example, a semi-cylindrical groove, and has a width sufficient for the article 40 to move. Note that the track 25 and assembly element 30, which will be described later, have semi-cylindrical track surfaces similar to the track 15. The article 40 is, for example, a sphere that can move by rolling on the track.

[0016] Track 15 has receiving section 5 at the end of track 15 that is the end on the movable section 12 side. Hereinafter, the position corresponding to receiving section 5 may be referred to as the first position. At this end of track 15, pushing section 16 having a wall-like surface perpendicular to the extension direction of track 15 is provided, and article 40 moving on track 15 comes into contact with pushing section 16 and stops. Track 15 may extend in a direction along the placement surface, but may also have a slope that descends toward movable section 12 so that article 40 rolls toward movable section 12.

[0017] The second component 2 includes a main body 20, a track 25 fixed to the rear side of the main body 20, a receiving unit 21 provided on the front side of the main body 20 opposite the rear side, and a notification unit 22 located near the receiving unit 21. The second component 2 is used by being positioned apart from the first component 1 so that the receiving unit 21 faces the transmitting unit 17. The second component 2 has a displacement unit 4 and a hole 7 on the top surface of the main body 20 that are displaceable relative to the main body 20. The displacement unit 4 is located closer to the front of the main body 20 than the hole 7. The displacement unit 4 tilts toward the rear of the main body 20 in response to the receiving unit 21 receiving a signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 17. The notification unit 22 is, for example, a light-emitting unit such as an LED located closer to the front of the displacement unit 4 on the top surface of the main body 20, and emits light in response to the receiving unit 21 receiving a signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 17, thereby notifying the user of the reception of the signal. For this reason, it is preferable that notification unit 22 is disposed on main body 20 near receiving unit 21 in a position visible to the user, and in this embodiment, it is provided so as to emit light in an upward direction (Z direction). Displacement unit 4 has, for example, a disk-shaped target-like portion on the top.

[0018] Hole 7 is provided for placing an item 41 (see FIG. 3 ) in storage section 6 within main body 20, and hole 8 is provided on the back (side) of main body 20 for releasing item 41 from storage section 6 onto track 25. Hereinafter, the position corresponding to inside storage section 6 may be referred to as the second position. When item 41 is stored in storage section 6, hole 8 is blocked by shielding section 6b, which is part of storage section 6, and the inside of main body 20 cannot be seen through hole 8. In other words, item 41 is not visible when stored in storage section 6. When stored in storage section 6, item 41 is placed at the second position, and storage section 6 is displaced in response to receiving a signal at receiving section 21 so as to be able to move item 41 out of storage section 6, whereby item 41 is released through hole 8 to the outside of main body 20 and passes along track 25. The track 25 may extend in a direction along the placement surface, but may also have a slope that slopes downward toward the outside of the main body 20 so that the article 41 rolls in a direction away from the main body 20.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3 , the toy set includes not only first component part 1 and second component part 2, but also, for example, assembly elements 30, 31, and 32. Assembly element 30 has a track surface along which items 40 and 41 can move. Assembly element 31 functions as a connecting member that connects first component part 1 or second component part 2 to assembly element 30. Assembly element 32 functions as a support member that supports the height of first component part 1 and second component part 2. First component part 1 and second component part 2 each have a connectable portion (e.g., a recess) on the surface (bottom surface) facing the placement surface, and assembly elements 31 and 32 each have a connecting portion (e.g., a protrusion) on their upper portions that can be connected to the connectable portion.

[0020] The height of the first component part 1 and the height of the second component part 2 can be adjusted by using the assembly element 32. In other words, when the toy set is in use, the height of at least one of the first position and the second position can be changed by connecting the connecting part to the connectable part of at least one of the first component part 1 and the second component part 2.

[0021] Furthermore, by placing the assembly element 30 at a position adjacent to the first position, the assembly element 30 forms a moving path along which the article 40 can be moved to the first position. Specifically, by connecting the assembly element 30 to the track 15, the article 40 can be transported to the first position over the assembly element 30. Furthermore, by placing the assembly element 30 at a position adjacent to the second position, a moving path along which the article 41 can be moved from the second position to the outside of the second component 2 can be formed. Specifically, by connecting the assembly element 30 to the track 25, the article 41 can be transported from the second position to the outside of the second component 2 over the assembly element 30.

[0022] Furthermore, the toy set may include not only one type of building element 30 and one type of building element 32, but also multiple types of each. For example, the building element 30 may be a linear track extending parallel to the placement surface, may form an inclined surface, or may have a curved track in a plan view. In this way, by forming the track surfaces of the multiple building elements 30 in various different shapes, it is possible to construct a variety of movement paths for the items 40, 41.

[0023] <Toy set operation> Next, the operation of the toy set will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. As shown in Fig. 3, the first component part 1 and the second component part 2 are used while being spaced apart from each other. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the first component part 1, showing part of the structure inside the main body part 20 in a see-through manner. Figs. 5 and 6 are side views of the second component part 2 as seen from the X direction, showing a part of the container that constitutes the main body part 20 in a cutaway view. Fig. 5 shows the second component part 2 in a state before the receiving part 21 receives a signal, and Fig. 6 shows the second component part 2 in a state after the receiving part 21 has received a signal.

[0024] When the article 40, which has been moving along the track of the assembly element 30 connected to the first component 1, passes through the track 15 and reaches the first position, the article 40 comes into contact with the pushing portion 16 and stops, as shown in FIG. 4 . At this time, the article 40 pushes the pushing portion 16 toward the movable portion 12. As a result, a part of the pushing portion 16 comes into contact with the movable portion 34a of the switch 34, pressing the movable portion 34a and turning on the switch 34. In other words, the switch 34 detects that the article 40 has moved to the first position. Because the pushing portion 16 is biased by the biasing portion 33 (e.g., a spring) toward the track 15 from the switch 34 side, when the article 40 is not at the first position, the pushing portion 16 comes into contact with the end of the track 15 and stops. Therefore, when the article 40 is not at the first position, the switch 34 is in the off state.

[0025] In response to the switch 34 being turned on, the first component 1 emits a signal from the transmitter 17. Here, a case where the signal is an optical signal using infrared light will be described, but this signal may be other light such as visible light. Furthermore, this signal is not limited to an optical signal, and may be an electrical signal transmitted via a cable connecting the second component 2 and the first component 1, or may be an electromagnetic wave or an electrically output sound wave. In this way, the first component 1 emits a signal in response to the item 40 being moved to the first position on the first component 1.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, the displacement portion 4 is biased relative to the main body portion 20 of the second component 2 in a direction that causes it to fall about the fulcrum 4b as an axis in a direction that closes the hole 7 outside the main body portion 20 (toward the back surface of the main body portion 20) as shown in Fig. 6. However, before the receiving portion 21 receives a signal, as shown in Fig. 5, the locked portion 4a, which is a part of the displacement portion 4, is locked by the locking portion 23, so the displacement portion 4 does not fall and is located closer to the receiving portion 21 than the fulcrum 4b.

[0027] The locking portion 23 is disposed rotatably around a fulcrum 24a inside the main body 20. The fulcrums 4b and 24a are fixed to the main body 20. A rotating portion 24 is provided inside the main body 20 and is rotatable around the fulcrum 24a. A motor 26 is also provided inside the main body 20 and is fixed to the main body 20. The rotating portion 24 has a plurality of projections and recesses that fit with gears of the motor 26, and rotates in response to the rotation of the motor 26. The locking portion 23 is biased by a biasing portion 36 (e.g., a spring) inside the main body 20, and therefore locks the locked portion 4a before the receiving unit 21 receives a signal.

[0028] The main body 20 also includes a storage unit 6 that can rotate like a seesaw around a fulcrum 6c. The storage unit 6, which has a groove such as a semi-cylindrical one, can store an item 41 at a second position inside. The storage unit 6 can store multiple items 41 at one time. Of the two ends of the storage unit 6 that swing around the fulcrum 6c, the end closest to the receiving unit 21 is biased toward the displacement unit 4 (the upper surface of the main body 20) by a biasing member 35 (e.g., a spring) that contacts the bottom surface of the end. However, before the receiving unit 21 receives a signal, the end (upper end) of the storage unit 6 that is closest to the displacement unit 4 abuts the bottom surface of the locked portion 4a. Therefore, the end of the storage unit 6 that is closest to the receiving unit 21 is located lower than the end opposite the end closest to the track 25, i.e., the end closest to the track 25. Therefore, the item 41 in the storage unit 6 does not escape from the hole 8 located lower than the end of the storage unit 6 that is closest to the track 25, and remains in the second position.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 3, in an arrangement in which the direction indicating section 3a, which is a section indicating the transmission direction, faces the direction of the displacement section 4, the receiving section 21 can receive a signal transmitted from the movable section (base section) 13. When the receiving section 21 receives a signal, the notification section 22 shown in Fig. 6 emits light in response. Sound may also be output from the second component section 2.

[0030] When the receiver 21 receives the signal, the rotating shaft and gears of the motor 26 rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 6 . As a result, when the rotating unit 24 rotates counterclockwise around the fulcrum 24a in FIG. 6 , the rotating unit 24 is pushed by the rotating unit 24 and rotates the locking unit 23 in the same direction. As a result, the locked state of the locked unit 4a by the locking unit 23 is released, and the force of the biasing unit 35 at the fulcrum 4b displaces the displacement unit 4 so that it falls outside the main body 20. This releases the contact of the end of the storage unit 6 on the receiver 21 side with the locked unit 4a, and the force of the biasing unit 35 causes the storage unit 6 to rotate around the fulcrum 6c. As a result, the end of the storage unit 6 on the track 25 side descends to the position of the hole 8, lowering it from the end of the storage unit 6 on the receiver 21 side. Therefore, the item 41 stored in the storage unit 6 moves from the second position to the outside of the second component 2.

[0031] In other words, the second component 2 has a storage unit 6 which is an operating unit that operates in response to receiving a signal at the receiving unit 21, and the storage unit 6 starts moving the item 41 placed at the second position in response to receiving the signal emitted by the transmitting unit 17 at the receiving unit 21.

[0032] After the above operation, the force of the biasing portion 36 causes the locking portion 23 and the rotating portion 24 to return to the state shown in FIG. 5. If the user displaces the displacement portion 4 in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the displacement portion 4, the end of the receiving portion 21 side of the housing portion 6 is pushed by the locked portion 4a and moves down to a position lower than the end of the track 25 side of the housing portion 6. At this time, the locked portion 4a temporarily pushes aside the upper end of the locking portion 23, but the force of the biasing portion 36 causes the locking portion 23 to rotate to a position where it locks the locked portion 4a. This returns the second component portion 2 to the state shown in FIG. 5.

[0033] Thus, according to this embodiment, in a toy set including a first component and a second component used for play, not only can an item be moved on a continuous track, but in response to the movement of an item to the first position, another item prepared at the second position can be started to move. In other words, even if the tracks are located far apart, continuous movement of items between the tracks can be achieved by transmitting and receiving electrically generated signals. This can improve the entertainment value of the toy set.

[0034] The present invention has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 First component 2 Second component 3 Figurative part 4 Displacement section 5 Reception Department 6 Storage section 10, 20 Main body 11, 12, 13 Movable parts 17. Communications Department 21 Receiving unit 22 Notification Department 40, 41 Goods

Claims

1. A toy used for playing with a movable object, a main body; a receiving unit provided in the main body unit for receiving a signal from another object; a storage section provided in the main body section and configured to store the movable object; a displacement portion provided outside the main body portion and displaceable relative to the main body portion; Equipped with the displacement unit displaces from a first position to a second position different from the first position in response to the receiving unit receiving the signal; The storage section is In response to the displacement of the displacement portion, the movable object is displaced from a third position where the movable object can be accommodated to a fourth position where the movable object can be moved out of the accommodation portion, and the movable object is started to move; The toy is configured to return from the third position to the fourth position by returning the displacement portion from the second position to the first position after displacement to the fourth position.

2. The toy according to claim 1, the signal is an optical signal; The toy, wherein the receiving unit is a light receiving unit.

3. The toy according to claim 1, A toy, wherein the movable object is invisible when contained in the container.

4. The toy according to claim 1, The toy includes a notification unit that notifies reception of the signal by the receiving unit.

5. 5. The toy according to claim 4, A toy, wherein the notification unit is arranged on the main body near the receiving unit in a visible position.

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