3D panel model usable as ornament or toy

Abstract

A 3D panel model according to the present invention is formed from a plurality of polygon panels. At least two or more of the polygon panels are each formed from a maze panel. The maze panel has one surface and the other surface, and has formed therein a maze having branch passages through which a traveling body can move between the one surface and the other surface, and openings which form an entrance / exit of the maze to / from the outside of said maze panel. The adjacent maze panels are coupled by a connector to be proximate to each other. The connector allows the openings of the adjacent maze panels to be connected to each other, and provides a communication passage through which the traveling body can move between the mazes of the maze panels.

Description

3D panel model that can be used as a display or a toy

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a 3D panel model that uses animals and plants as motifs and can be used as a display or a toy.

[0002] Conventionally, there are various displays and toys that use animals and plants as motifs. Recently, three-dimensional models expressed in 3D polygons have become popular as such displays.

[0003] Such 3D polygon displays and toys have different lighting reflection conditions depending on the viewing angle and appear to have different patterns. They can be enjoyed not only by simply looking at them but also by changing the angle.

[0004] The inventor of the present invention has tried various designs to enhance the entertainment value of such 3D polygon model displays and toys and has thus obtained the present invention.

[0005] According to the main aspect of the present invention, the following inventions are provided.

[0006] (1) A 3D panel model composed of a plurality of polygon panels, wherein at least two or more polygon panels are composed of maze panels. The maze panel has one surface and the other surface, and has a maze with branch passages through which a traveling body can move between the one surface and the other surface, and an opening that constitutes an entrance / exit to the maze with respect to the outside of the maze panel. The adjacent maze panels are connected to each other by a connector so as to be close to each other. The connector communicates the openings of the adjacent maze panels and provides a communication passage through which the traveling body can move between the mazes of the maze panels. A 3D panel model characterized by this.

[0007] (2) In the 3D panel model described in (1) above, the maze panel has a main body that constitutes the maze and the opening, and a translucent cover that is attached to one surface, the other surface, or both surfaces of the main body of the maze panel so that a traveling body traveling through the maze from the outside can be visually recognized. A 3D panel model characterized by this.

[0008] (3) The 3D panel model described in (1) above, wherein the connector has a fastening piece that fixes two or more adjacent maze panels to be connected at a predetermined angle of inclination relative to each other, and a main body that is fixed to the fastening piece and inserted between the maze panels to form a connecting passage.

[0009] (4) The 3D panel model described in (3) above, wherein the main body of the connector has a surface facing one maze panel and a surface facing the other maze panel, and these two surfaces are formed to be inclined in accordance with the inclination angle of the adjacent maze panels, and each of the two surfaces has an opening for the connecting passage at a position corresponding to the opening of the maze panel.

[0010] (5) The 3D panel model described in (3) above, wherein the connecting passage is a through-passage that penetrates the main body.

[0011] (6) The 3D panel model described in (5) above, characterized in that the connecting passage is bent within the main body in accordance with the inclination angle of the maze panel to which it is connected.

[0012] (7) The 3D panel model described in (3) above, wherein the connecting passage is a groove formed in the main body.

[0013] (8) A 3D panel model as described in (3) above, further comprising a fastener for fastening the fastening piece and the maze panel.

[0014] Furthermore, features of the present invention other than those described above are disclosed in the description of embodiments of the present invention and their drawings described below.

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front side showing the first embodiment of this invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view from the back side. Figure 3 is a front view from the front side. Figure 4 is a side view. Figure 5 is an exploded view showing the maze panel. Figures 6A to 6D are perspective views, plan views, side views, and front views showing the connectors. Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the connection state of the maze panels by the connectors. Figures 8A and 8B are side views of the maze panel showing the connectors attached to the openings of the maze. Figure 9 is a perspective view from the front side showing the second embodiment of this invention. Figure 10 is a perspective view from the back side. Figure 11 is a perspective view showing some of the parts disassembled. Figures 12A to 12D are perspective views, plan views, side views, and front views showing the connectors. Figure 13 is a perspective view from the front side showing the third embodiment of this invention. Figure 14 is a projection view.

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0017] (First Embodiment) In Figures 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 indicates a 3D panel model according to the first embodiment.

[0018] This 3D panel model 1 is based on the motif of a "flower" and is a polygon model composed of five maze panels 2a to 2e that mimic petals and one central maze panel 2f that mimics the flower's center. As shown in Figure 2, the maze panels 2a to 2f are connected to each other by connectors 3 attached to the back surfaces of the maze panels 2a to 2f and are fixed in a state where they are tilted at a predetermined angle relative to each other. Specifically, the five maze panels 2a to 2e that make up the petals are connected to each other in the circumferential direction by five connectors 3, and these five maze panels 2a to 2e that make up the petals are connected to the one maze panel 2f that makes up the flower's center by five connectors 3.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the maze panels 2a to 2f are appropriately provided with entrances (10a to 10f) for a spherical moving body (shown as 4 in Figure 2) that travels within each maze panel 2a to 2f at the locations connected by the connector 3. By holding and tilting the 3D panel model 1, the user can freely move the moving body 4 between the maze panels 2a to 2f.

[0020] (Maze Panel) The maze panels 2a to 2f described above, taking one maze panel 2a as an example, are constructed by laminating a main body 7a on which a maze 6a formed by branching passages 5a is formed, and a transparent surface cover 8a and an opaque back cover 9a that cover the main body 7a, as shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5, for the sake of explanation, these three parts 7a to 9a are shown separated into upper and lower sections.

[0021] The maze 6a formed in the main body 7a is composed of grooves that penetrate in the thickness direction, and the branching passage 5a is partitioned by covering and fixing the pair of surface covers 8a and back cover 9a to the main body 7a. This allows the spherical running body 4 (shown in Figure 2) to run without falling out of the maze 6a (branching passage 5a). In addition, the running position of the running body 4 can be observed from the outside through the transparent surface cover 8a.

[0022] Furthermore, an opening 10a is formed on the side of the main body 7a, which constitutes an entrance and exit to the maze 6a (branching passage 5a), and the vehicle 4 is configured to enter and exit the maze 6a through this opening 10a.

[0023] The above describes the structure of one maze panel 2a that makes up a petal. The other maze panels 2b to 2f have basically the same structure, except for the patterns of maze 6a and opening 10a. That is, the other mazes 2b to 2f are also composed of three layers of parts. In the following description and drawings, reference numerals a to f are added to reference numerals 5 to 10 as needed to refer to each part, and detailed descriptions and illustrations of these parts are omitted.

[0024] (Connecting device) As described above, the adjacent maze panels 2a to 2f are connected by a connecting device 3 so that they are close to each other (Figure 2), and this connecting device 3 connects the openings 10a to 10f of the adjacent maze panels 2a to 2f, providing a passage through which the vehicle 4 can move between the mazes 6a to 6f of the maze panels 2a to 2f (Figure 3).

[0025] As shown in Figures 6A to 6D, the connector 3 has a fastening piece 3a for fixing two or more adjacent maze panels 2a to 2f to be connected at a predetermined angle to each other, and a main body 3b which is integrally formed in the center of the fastening piece 3a and inserted between the maze panels 2a to 2f to provide a connecting passage 3e.

[0026] The connecting piece 3a is bent at an angle θ (see Figure 6C) corresponding to the relative angle between the adjacent maze panels being connected. In this embodiment, the angle θ is approximately 200 degrees, but it can be adjusted according to the form and design of this 3D panel model 1.

[0027] The main body 3b of the connector 3 has a surface 3c facing one of the two maze panels 2a to 2f to be connected, and a surface 3d facing the other maze panel. These two surfaces 3c and 3d are inclined relative to each other at an angle corresponding to the inclination angle θ between the adjacent maze panels (in this embodiment, θ - 180 degrees = approximately 20 degrees). A connecting passage 3e is formed in the main body 2b to connect the two surfaces 3c and 3d. In this example, as shown in Figure 6d, the connecting passage 3e is a channel groove that opens upward (towards the center of the inclination angle of surfaces 3c and 3d) of the main body 3b.

[0028] (Connecting panels) Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the case where maze panels 2a and 2b are connected using the connector 3 described above.

[0029] As shown in Figure 7, the sides of adjacent maze panels 2a and 2b at the positions where the openings 10a and 10b are formed are brought into contact with the one surface 3c and the other surface 3d of the main body 3b, and in this state the connecting piece 3a is fixed to the back surfaces (back covers 9a and 9b) of the maze panels 2a to 2f. This allows the mobile body 4 to move between the mazes 6a and 6b of the maze panels 2a and 2b without falling off.

[0030] Figures 8A and 8B show the positional relationship between the opening 10a and the connector 3 as viewed from the side of the maze panel 2a. Specifically, the connector 3 is fixed to the maze panel 2a shown in Figure 8A with the connecting passage 3e and the opening 10a aligned, as shown in Figure 8B.

[0031] The connection between the connecting piece 3a and the maze panels 2a and 2b may be fixed with connecting pins or the like, or bonded with adhesive. The main body 7a and the back cover 9a may be integrally formed. The main body 7a and the front cover 8a may be integrally formed as long as at least the portion of the front cover 8a is transparent.

[0032] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 9 and subsequent figures.

[0033] While the 3D panel model 1 of the first embodiment described above was based on the motif of a "flower," the 3D panel model 15 of this second embodiment is based on the motif of a "chameleon," as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0034] In this second embodiment, for the sake of explanation, only the maze panel on the left side will be denoted by reference numerals 16a to 16h. Furthermore, the maze panels 16a to 16h of this second embodiment have basically the same configuration as the maze panels 2a to 2f of the first embodiment. That is, the maze panels 16a to 16h of this second embodiment are also composed of three layers of parts, and in the following description and drawings, reference numerals 16 and 17 will be denoted by a to h as needed to refer to each part, and detailed descriptions and illustrations of them will be omitted.

[0035] In this second embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the 3D panel model 15 has maze panels 16a to 16d that constitute the body, maze panels 16f and 16g that constitute the legs, maze panel 16e that constitutes the tail, and maze panel 16h that constitutes the head, all connected via connectors 17 and 18.

[0036] The connector 17 of this second embodiment has the same function as the connector 3 of the first embodiment, and as shown in Figure 12, it has a connecting piece 17a, a main body 17b integrally formed with the connecting piece, and a connecting passage 17e formed in the main body 17b. The connecting piece 17b corresponds to the relative angle between adjacent maze panels 16a to 16h and is bent at an angle of θ = approximately 100 degrees in the middle. In addition, one surface 17c and the other surface 17d of the main body are also formed at an angle corresponding to the angle θ and are inclined toward each other so as to abut against the side surfaces of adjacent maze panels.

[0037] In this embodiment, the connecting passage 17e that opens to one surface 17c and the other surface 17d of the main body 17b is a through passage that bends at the angle θ midway. This configuration prevents the traveling body 4 moving between the adjacent maze panels 16a to 16h from falling off the 3D panel model.

[0038] (Third Embodiment) Next, the connector 20 and the 3D panel model configured therewith, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14.

[0039] The connector 20 of this third embodiment has the same function as the connectors 3 and 17 of the first and second embodiments, but as shown in Figure 13, the connecting pieces 20a and 20b are arranged to connect to the outer surface of the maze panel. A connecting passage 20d is formed in the main body 20c which is integrally formed with the connecting pieces 20a and 20b. The connecting pieces 20a and 20b are bent at an angle of approximately θ = 100 degrees in the middle, corresponding to the relative angle of adjacent maze panels, but unlike the first and second embodiments, they are configured to be fixed to the outer surface of the maze panel.

[0040] When using such a connector 20, for example, even when it is not possible to dispose the connector on the inner surface of the maze panel, such as when the maze panel is directly attached and disposed on the outer surface of the core material of the 3D model, it is possible to cope with this situation. Thereby, the 3D panel model of the third embodiment can be configured.

[0041] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the invention.

[0042] Not all of the panels constituting the 3D panel model need to be maze panels. At least two panels may be maze panels. In addition, although there were two entrances and exits of the maze panel in the above-described embodiment, there may be one, or three or more. Further, the entrance is not limited to being provided on the side surface, and may be provided at the center of the maze panel. Also, the maze panels may not be connected by a connector.

[0043] Further, although only the surface cover of the maze panel is transparent, the back cover may also be transparent or translucent. Further, although the maze panel is composed of three-layer parts, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the main body itself may be composed of a transparent part, a maze is formed in this part, and one or both of the two covers may be absent. Also, a configuration in which there is simply no surface cover and the passage constituting the maze of the main body is open may be used.

[0044] Furthermore, as described in the third embodiment above, it may be such that the maze panel is attached to the outer surface of the core material and used, and the plurality of maze panel groups connected in such a manner do not necessarily constitute a specific motif such as an animal or a flower.

[0045] 1...3D panel model 2a-2f...Maze panel 3...Connector 3a...Connecting piece 3b...Main body 3e...Connecting passage 4...Running body 5a...Branching passage 6a...Maze 7a...Main body 8a...Front cover 9a...Back cover 10a...Opening 15...3D panel model 16a-16f...Maze panel 17...Connector 17a...Connecting piece 17b...Main body 17c...One side 17d...Other side 17e...Connecting passage 18...Connector 20...Connector

Claims

1. A 3D panel model comprising a plurality of polygon panels, wherein at least two or more polygon panels are composed of maze panels, each maze panel having one face and another face, and comprising a maze with branching passages between the one face and the other face to which a vehicle can move, and an opening that constitutes an entrance and exit to the maze to the outside of the maze panel, wherein adjacent maze panels are connected by connectors so as to be close to each other, and these connectors connect the openings of adjacent maze panels, providing a passage that allows the vehicle to move between the mazes of the maze panels.

2. The 3D panel model according to claim 1, characterized in that the maze panel comprises a main body constituting the maze and openings, and a translucent cover attached to one, the other, or both sides of the maze panel, allowing a vehicle traveling through the maze to be visible from the outside.

3. The 3D panel model according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a fastening piece that fixes two or more adjacent maze panels to be connected at a predetermined angle relative to each other, and a main body that is fixed to the fastening piece and inserted between the maze panels to form a connecting passage.

4. The 3D panel model according to claim 3, wherein the body of the connector has a surface facing one maze panel and a surface facing the other maze panel, and these two surfaces are formed to be inclined in accordance with the inclination angle of the adjacent maze panels, and each of the two surfaces is provided with an opening for the connecting passage at a position corresponding to the opening of the maze panel.

5. The 3D panel model according to claim 3, characterized in that the connecting passage is a through-passage that penetrates the body.

6. The 3D panel model according to claim 5, characterized in that the connecting passage is bent within the main body in accordance with the inclination angle of the maze panel to be connected.

7. The 3D panel model according to claim 3, wherein the connecting passage is a groove formed in the main body.

8. A 3D panel model according to claim 3, further comprising a fastener for fastening the fastening piece and the maze panel.

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