JP4874862B2 - Ellipsoid block - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a block optimal for a medical-intellectual training purpose. <P>SOLUTION: In the ellipsoid block, first to fourth units of an identical shape are provided with two orthogonal semicircle surfaces with an elliptic long axis as a common diameter and a full circle of the same diameter in parallel to one of the semicircle surfaces as a cross section on an elliptic column where an inclined face tilting a long axis of a horizontal ellipsis surface at 45 degrees against the axis becomes a circle, have a joint point on the cross section and a ridge line along end points of the long axis and a short axis of the horizontal elliptic surface of the elliptic column, at the joint point of the cross section, a line connecting a circle center and the joint point is at 45 degrees against the long axis of the ellipsis and is at an equal distance from the center, whereas the joint point on the ridge line is at a dividing point position for evenly plurally dividing a line segment of the ridge line. A magnet is buried in all the joint points of the first and second units so that the same polarity faces outward, magnetic poles in the two units are opposite, in a third unit, a magnet is buried at the joint point on the cross section so that the same magnetic pole faces outward, and a magnetic body which is not magnetized is buried in all the joint points of a fourth unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a block in which a plurality of units having the same shape are combined to be assembled into various shapes, in particular, for use in preventing dementia, for rehabilitation of patients with dementia and persons with disabilities, for developing spatial recognition ability for persons with visual impairments, or It relates to blocks that are ideal for educational purposes such as infants.

  The block of the medical use such as the dementia prevention use, the rehabilitation use, and the spatial recognition ability development use of the visually handicapped person or the educational use block has a simple shape, and the number of units included in the block is not so large. It is required that the number of combinations that can be combined is enormous and a complex shaped object can be created, assuming that there are not many. In addition, it is required that the units can be easily attached and detached.

  In addition to the purpose of fostering creativity in the above-mentioned applications, the completed form that has already been assembled is presented, and the ability to think is given by assembling the unit so that it becomes the same form as the completed form. There is also the purpose of training. For this reason, it is also necessary to provide a case where the completed form can be made and a case where the completed form cannot be made depending on the relative positional relationship between the units. In other words, it is necessary to devise a method for limiting the joining direction and the joining angle between the units and considering the order in which the units are assembled.

  In the known block of the method of assembling a model by forming irregularities on the unit surface and assembling the irregularities, there are directions that can not be combined, such as concave and convex, and if the number of units is small, The number that can be combined is extremely small, and creativity cannot be trained. Moreover, force is required also for attachment / detachment of a unit.

  By the way, the present inventor has designed and announced a number of shaped objects on the theme of “ellipse” for a long time. Based on his experience, he decided to create a block that would complete a model by combining units with a shape mainly composed of ellipses. For example, the horizontal cross section of the elliptic cylinder is an ellipse and has a direction of a major axis and a minor axis. However, when the horizontal section is tilted around the major axis of the ellipse, an oblique section that becomes a non-directional perfect circle appears. Therefore, if the block unit is an elliptic cylinder having a circular oblique cross section, the surfaces of the unit will not have an end on the circumference even if both surfaces are rotated if the surfaces of the circles are made to face each other. When facing each other, both surfaces are joined with the same circumference regardless of the relative rotation angle. However, since the circular oblique section is inclined with respect to the axis of the elliptical cylinder, a modeled object assembled by a plurality of units has a complicated shape. Unlike blocks that are mainly rectangles, you can experience complex tactile sensations because they are assembled while touching different shapes such as flat surfaces, elliptical curved surfaces, boundary surfaces between planes, and boundary surfaces between planes and curved surfaces. Therefore, the user can be given many stimuli necessary for the medical treatment and education.

  Also, unlike simple cylinders, elliptical columns differ in the thickness of the column depending on the position of the hand, so the orientation of the unit, the relative position of the units, and the finished shape can be determined simply by touching the hand with the unit. It becomes easy to grasp. In other words, it is a shape that is easy for visually impaired people to handle.

  Of course, simply configuring the unit mainly with an ellipse is not optimal for the above application. While making the unit shape based on an ellipse, it is also necessary to incorporate ingenuity for fostering creativity and thinking as described in the background above. The present invention was created in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a block composed of a unit mainly composed of an ellipse that is optimal for medical use and intellectual use.

The first invention for achieving the above object is specified by the following items (1) to (10).
(1) The ellipsoidal block is composed of the first to fourth units of the same shape with three oblique sections provided on the elliptical cylinder. (2) The elliptical cylinder is inclined 45 degrees about the major axis of the ellipse of the horizontal section. (3) The three oblique sections in each unit have two semicircular surfaces orthogonal to each other with the major axis of the ellipse as a common diameter, and one semi-circular surface having the same diameter as the semicircular surface. (4) Have junction points by magnetic force on the oblique cross section of each unit and on the ridges along the elliptical major axis and minor axis end points of the elliptical cylinder side surface ( 5) The junction point on the semicircular surface and the regular circle surface is on a concentric circle at the same distance from the center of the circle, and the line connecting the center and the junction point is at a position that forms 45 degrees with respect to the major axis of the ellipse. (6) The joint point on the ridge line should be at the dividing point position that equally divides the line segment of the ridge line into a plurality of parts ( ) The first to third units have magnets embedded at all junction points, and the fourth unit has a magnetic material not magnetized at all junction points. (8) The magnets in the first unit are (9) The magnets in the second unit are embedded so that the S poles face outward at all joints (10). The magnet in the third unit is embedded so that the same magnetic pole faces outward at at least the junction in the oblique section.

In the present invention, an ellipsoid block obtained by adding the following item (21) to the items (1) to (10) above is defined as a second invention.
(21) The magnet of the third unit is embedded so that the same magnetic pole faces outward at all joint points. The third invention includes the following items in (1) to (10) above. It is an ellipsoid block to which (31) is added, or an ellipsoid block to which the items (1) to (10) above, the above item (21), and the following item (31) are added.
(31) The magnet embedded in the oblique section has a disk shape, and the magnet embedded on the ridge line has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is smaller than that of the disk.

Moreover, 4th invention made it the ellipsoid block which added the following matter (41) to the ellipsoid block in any one of the said 1st-3rd invention.
(41) There are 5 joint points on the ridge line that divide the line segment into 6 parts.

The fifth to seventh inventions are ellipsoidal units obtained by adding the following items (51), (61), and (71) to any of the first to fourth inventions.
(51) The surface of each unit is colored in a predetermined color, and there are at least two kinds of colors in the four units. (61) Three oblique sections of each unit and the side surfaces of the elliptic cylinder Each of the four surfaces is colored in a predetermined color, and there are at least two types of colors on the four surfaces. (71) The junction point of each unit is color-coded according to the type of the magnetic pole. Being

Furthermore, in the present invention, the following item (81) can be added to the ellipsoidal unit described in any of the above inventions.
(81) Each unit must be wooden

  In the ellipsoidal block of the present invention, an elliptic cylinder having three oblique sections is used as a unit, and junction points for connecting the units are provided on the oblique section and ridge line of the elliptic cylinder. Therefore, it can be assembled into a shaped object having a complicated shape. Further, since the joining points are coupled by magnetic force, a large force is not required for disassembly and assembly. Since magnetic force is used, when a completed model is displayed, for example, the model can be fixed in an inclined state by using a magnetic body or a magnet for a pedestal or the like.

  Since four types of units differing in the magnetic pole direction and the presence or absence of magnetic force at the junction point are used, not only simply stacking the units, but if the units are not assembled while considering the assembly order of the units, The case where it can complete even if it is a modeling object of the same shape occurs. Thereby, the thinking ability can be trained through the assembly work of the blocks. In addition, the ellipse becomes a circle depending on the viewing angle.

  Since the unit shape based on the elliptical column and the units are combined, the visually impaired person can easily understand the walking of the unit and the positional relationship between the units depending on the thickness of the column depending on the position where the unit is held. Therefore, the ellipsoidal block of the present invention can be an optimal block for medical use and educational use.

=== Unit shape ===
The ellipsoid block of the present invention is composed of four units having the same shape. FIG. 1 shows an external view of a unit constituting an ellipsoid block in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a nine-side view of the unit. The unit 1 is an elliptic cylinder having three oblique sections (11 to 13). Then, the elliptical cylinder has a horizontal section that is tilted around the major axis of the ellipse, and an oblique section (45-degree oblique section) becomes a circle when it becomes 45 degrees. That is, the horizontal cross section of the elliptic cylinder is an ellipse having a ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of 2 to √2 (square root of 2).

  The three oblique sections (11 to 13) are parallel to the two semicircular surfaces (12, 13) orthogonal to the elliptical cylinder with the elliptical long axis of the horizontal cross section as a common diameter, and one semicircular surface 12. Consisting of a perfect circular surface 11. That is, the two semicircular surfaces (12, 13) are formed with the 45-degree oblique section as a target with respect to the elliptical long axis of the horizontal section. And the perfect circle surface 11 is in contact with and perpendicular to the other semicircular surface 13 which is not parallel at the end point of the ellipse minor axis in the horizontal section of the elliptic cylinder. In addition, the length of the ellipse major axis in the unit of this embodiment, that is, the diameters of the semicircles (12, 13) and the perfect circle 11 is 86 mm.

=== Arrangement of junction points ===
The units 1 can be detachably combined by magnetic force. Therefore, a junction point in which a magnetic material is embedded is disposed at an appropriate position on the surface of the unit 1. FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of the junction points in this example. The junction point (22, 23) on the semicircular surface (12, 13) is a concentric circle equidistant from the center, and the major axis of the line and ellipse drawn from the center of the circle to the junction point (22, 23) The common diameter of 2 is at a position at an angle of 45 degrees. That is, there are two positions at an angle of 45 degrees from the center to the left and right with a common perpendicular bisector of diameter 2 as a boundary. The junction point 21 on the regular circular surface 11 is on a concentric circle equidistant from the center, and a line drawn from the center of the circle to the junction point 21 and the ellipse major axis in the horizontal cross section of the elliptic cylinder have an angle of 45 degrees. There are 4 locations. That is, it is at a position that is at an angle of 45 degrees from the center to the left and right with the vertical bisector of the major axis 2 of the ellipse being the horizontal section of the elliptic cylinder. The distance from the center of the semicircle (12, 13) and the perfect circle 11 to the junction (21-23) is the same. In this embodiment, the distance from the center of the circle is a position that is √2 times the radius. is there.

  In addition, when the circular cross sections are coupled to face each other, for example, if a relatively large area disk-shaped magnet or magnetic body is arranged at the center of the oblique cross section, the relative rotation angle between the surfaces may be 360 degrees. The direction can be combined, and the number of combinations of two units is theoretically infinite. However, in the ellipsoidal block of the present invention, for the purpose of medical or educational purposes, the oblique cross sections can be joined to each other only at four relative rotation angles by 90 degrees. That is, assembly is facilitated by limiting the directions in which the units can be coupled to each other. On the other hand, since the four units are assembled by any combination of the three blocking surfaces, or any combination of the three blocking surfaces and the three ridges, the number of completed patterns finally assembled is: It becomes an extremely large number. Thus, according to the ellipsoid block of the present invention, it is possible to achieve both ease of assembly and training of creativity and thinking ability.

  Further, on the side surface of the elliptic cylinder in the unit 1, five points that divide the ridge line into 6 equal parts on the ridge line 14 along the elliptical short axis of the horizontal section and the ridge line (15L, 15R) along the long axis. Are provided with junction points (24, 25). Here, the perfect circle surface 11 is defined as a surface, the semicircular surface 12 parallel to the a surface 11 is defined as b surface, and the other semicircular surface 13 is defined as c surface. Further, the ridge line 14 along the minor axis is the rear ridge line, and the two ridge lines (15L, 15R) along the major axis are the left ridge line when the c-plane 13 is viewed from the front with the a-plane 11 facing down. 15L is referred to as a left ridge line, and the right ridge line 15R is referred to as a right ridge line.

=== Type of unit ===
The four units can be classified into four types according to the direction of the magnetic pole of the magnetic body at the junction (21 to 25) and the presence or absence of magnetic force. Assuming that the four units are first to fourth units, the first unit (hereinafter referred to as reference numeral 1a) and the second unit (reference numeral 1b) have the same magnetic poles facing outward at all the junction points (21 to 25). Thus, a magnetic body is embedded, and both units (1a, 1b) are different in that the polarities of the magnetic poles facing outward are different. Here, the first unit 1a has the south pole facing outward at all junction points (21-25), and the second unit has the north pole facing outward at all junction points (21-25). Suppose that

  In the third unit (reference numeral 1c), it is assumed that magnets having the same magnetic pole facing outward are embedded at the junctions in at least three oblique sections (11 to 13). In other words, when the oblique section is faced with another unit, it can be surely coupled with either the first unit or the second unit. As a result, users are not confused in medical and educational settings. In this embodiment, priority is given to the ease of assembly for the above purpose, and the third unit is assumed to be substantially the same as the first or second unit, and here, the N pole is outside at the same joint points as the first unit. Facing the direction.

  According to the above first to fourth units, the first and second units and the second and third units can be coupled at any joint point. If the unit is an opponent, it can be joined at any junction. Therefore, if the first to third units are combined in an alternately coupled state, the fourth unit can be coupled to any joint point of any unit to complete a modeled object composed of four units.

  In this embodiment, a disc-shaped magnet having a diameter of 6 mm and a thickness of 2 mm is embedded at the junction point on the oblique section, and the junction point on the ridge line is embedded in the curved surface, so that the diameter is 3 mm and the length is 5 mm. A cylindrical magnet with a small diameter is embedded.

=== Combination of units ===
4 to 9 exemplify the completed body obtained by combining four units and the direction of the magnetic pole at the junction. The arrangement of the units in the completed body illustrated here is not limited to the arrangement shown in the figure, and can be assembled if the magnetic poles at the junctions facing each other are different or one of them is not magnetized.

  4 to 6 are examples in which four units are coupled only on the surface. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the units can be assembled even if the positions of the first unit 1 a and the third unit 1 c are switched. However, if the positions of the first unit 1a and the second unit 1b are exchanged, repulsive forces between the same poles are generated at the junction of the regular circular surface 11 of the first unit 1a and the third unit 1c, and the assembly cannot be performed.

  7 to 9 show a combination including a combination of a surface and a ridgeline. In this case, since the first unit and the third unit 1c are N poles at all junctions, the third unit can be coupled to any second or fourth unit, but not coupled to the first unit 1a. It becomes possible.

  The completed body shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 also has a shape that is assumed to assemble a block by using a three-dimensional printed material as a model for a visually handicapped person to grasp the shape by touching with a fingertip. Specifically, the axes of the elliptic cylinders in the units (1a to 1d) are all on the same plane in a state where they are assembled into a finished product. For example, in the completed body shown as a perspective view in FIG. 9, the axis 3 of the elliptic cylinder of each unit has the c surface 13 of the first unit 1a and the second unit 1b as the bottom, and the first unit to the fourth unit. When any a-plane 11 is viewed from the front, the axis 3 of the elliptic cylinder is on the same straight line. That is, all the axes 3 are on the same plane. Therefore, when the outer shape of the finished product is three-dimensionally printed using the plane parallel to the same plane as the score sheet, each unit is printed with the same thickness. The visually handicapped person can recognize the shape of the completed body by recognizing the direction of the axis of the elliptic cylinder on the plane by manually tracing the highest ridgeline of each unit printed in three dimensions. And if the units are actually combined based on the score, it can be expected to contribute to the training of spatial recognition ability.

=== About the material and paint of the unit ===
Since the ellipsoidal block of the present invention couples the units by magnetic force, the unit is made of a material that is not affected by the magnetic force. On the other hand, the present invention is mainly intended for medical use and educational use for infants. From such a viewpoint, it is desirable that the unit is made of a natural material. Of course, it is necessary to consider the ease of manufacture and rigidity. And in the said use, it is also desirable that it is lightweight so that a unit can be handled freely. Of course, if a magnet with a strong magnetic force is used, it takes a large amount of force to assemble and disassemble the units. Therefore, weight reduction of the unit is necessary to maintain the assembled state even though it has a weak magnetic force. It is.

  Therefore, the unit is more preferably wooden. And in the unit shown in the said Example, the paulownia which is a particularly lightweight material is used. In addition, the unit surface is colored by lacquering in consideration of the possibility of infants to mouth and allergies caused by chemical substances.

=== About unit color ===
In the above embodiment, all four units were colored in the same color. Not limited to this example, the four units may have two or more colors. For example, the first and second units have the same color, and the third and fourth units have the same color in different colors from the first and second units, or all four units have different colors. Three units can be the same color and one unit can be a different color.

  Further, one unit has four surfaces including three oblique sections and three elliptic cylinder side surfaces, and these four surfaces can be appropriately color-coded. For example, different colors may be used for the oblique section and the side surface, the four surfaces may be all different colors, or the semicircular surface, the perfect circle surface, and the side surface may be color-coded.

In this way, by color-coding each surface of each unit or one unit as appropriate, even when assembled into the same complete form, the color arrangement in the complete form differs depending on the arrangement of the unit, and the color sense is trained Can be expected. In addition, if the unit and each surface are color-coded according to the direction of the magnetic poles at the junction point in the unit, it is possible to easily recognize a combination of units that can be combined according to a combination of colors, a set of facing surfaces, and the like. .

=== About the difficulty of assembly ===
The ellipsoid block of the present invention is primarily intended for medical and educational applications. Naturally, the degree of disability and development of the person targeted by the block is not uniform. In the above embodiment, the orientation of the magnetic poles at the junction of the third unit is such that all the N poles face outward. Of course, the arrangement of the magnetic poles at each junction of the third unit may be the same as long as the magnetic poles in the oblique section are the same. As for the arrangement of the magnetic poles at the junction of the third unit, different magnetic poles are used at the junction between the blocking surface and the ridge line, different magnetic poles are used at the junction between the rear ridge line and the left and right ridge lines, or either the rear ridge line or the left or right ridge line. If the joint points are set to the same magnetic pole, the position where they can be combined is different from the unit to be combined, and advanced thinking is required for assembly. As described above, the orientation of the magnetic poles at the junction of the third unit can be set as appropriate in order to emphasize diversity of combinations, the degree of disability and development, and the stage of treatment and education.

  In addition, the unit, each surface of the unit, or the junction point may be appropriately color-coded according to the magnetic poles so that the user can visually recognize whether the units can be coupled or how to assemble the finished product to be presented as a model. . As described above, the present invention can flexibly set the difficulty of assembly in accordance with the obstacle and the degree of development of the person handling the block, and the stage of treatment and education.

It is an external view of the unit which comprises the ellipsoidal block which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 9 is a nine-side view of the unit. It is a 5th page figure for showing the position of the junction in the above-mentioned unit. It is an external view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block. It is an external view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block. It is an external view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block. It is an external view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block. It is an external view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block. It is a perspective view which shows the example of an assembly of the said ellipsoid block.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d Unit 2 Elliptical long axis 3 Elliptical cylinder axis 11 Oblique section (circular surface)
12, 13 Oblique section (semicircle)
14 Rear ridge line 15L Left ridge line 15R Right ridge line 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Claims (8)

An ellipsoidal block consisting of first to fourth units of the same shape with three oblique sections provided on an elliptic cylinder,
The elliptical cylinder has a circular cross section inclined 45 degrees around the major axis of the ellipse of the horizontal section,
Three oblique sections in each unit are two semicircular surfaces orthogonal to each other with the major axis of the ellipse as a common diameter, and a regular circular surface having the same diameter as the semicircular surface and parallel to one semicircular surface,
On the surface of the oblique section of each unit, and on the ridge line along the elliptical major axis and minor axis end points of the elliptical cylinder side surface, there are joint points by magnetic force,
The junction point in the semicircular and the perfect circle planes is on a concentric circle at the same distance from the center of the circle, and the line connecting the center and the junction point is at a position of 45 degrees with respect to the major axis of the ellipse,
The joint point on the ridge line is at the dividing point position that equally divides the line segment of the ridge line into a plurality of parts,
As for the 1st-3rd unit, the magnet is embed | buried at all the junction points, and the 4th unit is embed | buried the magnetic body which is not magnetized by all the junction points,
The magnet in the first unit is embedded so that the north pole faces outward at all joint points,
The magnet in the second unit is embedded so that the south pole faces outward at all joint points,
The magnet in the third unit is buried so that at least the same magnetic pole faces outward at the junction in the oblique section,
Ellipsoidal block characterized by that.   2. The ellipsoid block according to claim 1, wherein the magnet of the third unit is embedded so that the same magnetic pole faces outward at all joint points.   3. The ellipsoid block according to claim 1, wherein the magnet embedded in the oblique section has a disk shape, and the magnet embedded on the ridge line has a cylindrical shape whose diameter is smaller than that of the disk.   The ellipsoid block according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there are five junction points on the ridge line that divide the line segment into six.   5. The ellipsoid block according to claim 1, wherein the surface of each unit is colored in a predetermined color, and the four units have at least two kinds of colors.   In any one of Claims 1-4, four surfaces of the three slant cross sections and elliptical cylinder side surfaces of each unit are each colored by the predetermined | prescribed color, and at least 2 or more types of colors are on the said 4 surfaces. Ellipsoidal block characterized by being.   5. The ellipsoid block according to claim 1, wherein the joint points of the units are color-coded according to the type of the magnetic poles.   7. The ellipsoid block according to claim 1, wherein each unit is made of wood.

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