Patent Application
20200030708
The present disclosure pertains to functional replica models and, more particularly, to an autonomous or remote control water toy designed to look and behave as a life-like aquatic animal, such as a shark.
Model replicas of living animals, particularly functional replicas, have been utilized for amusement as well as to provide a low-cost alternative to maintaining live animals for show and entertainment. Efforts have been made to provide a high level of realism for not only the static appearance of these devices but also for the way they move and respond to their environment.
Bionics and biomimetics are fields of study that focus on methods and structures, and in some cases the use of mechanics, to emulate living organisms, such as fish, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The foregoing animals are classified as vertebrates because they all have a spine. Mechanically replicating the movement of a vertebrate requires the use of complex mechanical structures and control systems. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,868 for a toy fish. This design is far too complicated for use as a commercial product because it employs complex mechanics to convert the rotary motion of a motor into oscillating motion of the tail fin of the fish. This design will be subject to mechanical breakdowns in view of the large number of parts required to affect the motion of the tail fin. This design also does not describe how the toy may change direction without direct input from a person or external object.
There is a need for a design that provides a high level of realism, particularly for a water-borne toy that utilizes as few mechanical parts as possible and has the ability to swim at or near the surface of the water and change directions using the movement of its tail alone or in combination with other control features.
The present disclosure is directed to a motorized aquatic toy having an articulated tail that moves through the water with a high level of realism. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided that has the appearance of an aquatic animal with an articulated tail that moves through the water autonomously or under remote control in which movement of the water through the tail causes the tail to reciprocate laterally.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a motorized aquatic toy is provided having a body with an attached articulated tail formed of pivotally connected hollow tail segments with shaped leading and trailing edges that maintain directional stability when water is flowing through and around them, and that further have forward offset pivot points with mechanical stops to force contiguous tail segments to pivot in sequence from fore to aft in response to yawing of the body, which simulates a life-like pattern of movement with a high level of realism
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an aquatic apparatus is provided that includes a buoyant body having a front and a rear, at least one thrust generator on the body to drive the body through water, and an articulated tail depending from the boy. The articulated tail has a longitudinal axis with a plurality of tail segments coupled together with vertical pivot pin hinges to enable lateral articulated movement of the tail in a transverse plane relative to the longitudinal axis of the tail. Each tail segment has a hollow interior, and the forward hinges are off-set forward of the leading edge of each segment to permit the lateral articulated movement of the tail segments relative to one another and to the body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of tail segments include the plurality of tail segments include a fore tail segment, an aft tail segment and a plurality of intermediate tail segments that are all hingedly attached in series, with the plurality of tail segments each having respective interiors that diminish in size from the fore tail segment to the aft tail segment, and wherein movement of the articulated tail begins with the fore tail segment in response to yawing of the body followed by the plurality of intermediate tail segments and the aft tail segment in sequence from fore to aft.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, each tail segment has a mechanical stop to start an adjacent tail segment pivoting about the vertical hinge in a first lateral direction in response to yawing of the body in the first lateral direction and to stop the adjacent tail segment from pivoting about the vertical hinge in its lateral travel in the first lateral direction and to start pivoting about the vertical hinge in a second lateral direction in response to yawing of the body in the second lateral direction.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that implementations may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or components or both associated with molded and extruded plastics, motors, conventional control circuits, propellers, and fasteners or other materials and the like have not been shown or described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the various implementations of the present disclosure.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” The foregoing applies equally to the words “including” and “having.”
Reference throughout this description to “one implementation” or “an implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one implementation” or “in an implementation” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations.
The Figures are provided (a) to describe further the present disclosure, (b) to show certain implementations or permutations of the present disclosure, and (c) to show enablement, function, and use thereof. In the detailed description of the figures that follows, like elements may be referred to with the same reference number throughout the different implementations of the present disclosure.
Referring initially to
Each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 has a hollow interior and a dorsal hinge connector 40 and a pelvic hinge connector 41 that includes a dorsal and pelvic hinge pin 42, 44 receivable within a dorsal and pelvic hinge receiver 46, 48 in an adjacent segment. The hinge pins 42, 44 and receivers 46, 48 are structured to provide a gap between each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 to permit the lateral articulated movement of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 relative to one another and to the body 22. Also, as shown individually in the exploded view of
Each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 has a leading edge 50 and a trailing edge 52, each of the leading edges 50 having an angled face 54. In a representative implementation, the dorsal and pelvic hinge connectors 40, 42 are structured to have the dorsal and pelvic hinge connectors offset forward of a top and bottom section of the leading edge 50 of each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37. This creates gaps 53 between each of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 as well as the body 22 and tail fin 38 that allow water to flow through the hollow interiors of the segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 and past the exterior to stabilize the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 and resist turning or pivoting of each of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37.
The plurality of tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and the caudal fin 38 are structured to cooperate with each other when assembled together and to the body to respond to water flowing through the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and past the caudal fin 38, and past the leading and trailing edges 50, 52 of each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 to maintain stability and resist pivoting or turning about the hinge connectors when moving through the water. When the body 22 yaws in a first or second lateral direction, the plurality of tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 will each turn or pivot in the same direction about the dorsal and pelvic hinge connectors 40, 41 in sequence from fore to aft to display coordinated lateral oscillation of the articulated tail 30 in a life-like pattern of movement.
The apparatus 20 includes various features that add to the life-like appearance of the toy, which in this case resembles a shark. These features include a first dorsal fin 56 on the trunk 26, a second dorsal fin 58 on the fourth tail segment 35, pectoral fins 60 on both sides of the third tail segment 34, pelvic fins 62 on both sides of the trunk 26, and an anal fin 64 on the fourth tail segment 35. In addition, gills 66 are formed on both sides of the trunk 26, preferably three, which are sized and shaped to appear realistic. In addition to the cosmetic appearance of the gills 66, in one implementation one or more of the gills 66 include an opening 68 to permit the passage of water into and out of the trunk 26. Water entering the gills 66 fills the body 22, permitting it to partially submerge into the water for balance and stability. Ideally the apparatus 20 will submerge until the dorsal fin 56 and part of the top of the body are visible. In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus can have a draft that is about at a midline 21 of the body 20, or it can vary as the apparatus is moving in the water between the midline 21 and the top of the body 22. An optional opening in the top of the body can be formed to permit air to escape the body and water to enter more quickly, as is described more fully below and in connection with
It is to be understood that while a shark has been illustrated and described in a representative embodiment of the present disclosure, other aquatic vertebrates may be utilized for implementation of the present disclosure and that the shark depicted in these drawings is for illustrative purposes only. For example, Koi fish are a favorite decorative fish for use in artificial ponds and streams, and the principles of design, construction, and operation disclosed herein may be utilized by one of ordinary skill in this technology to construct and use a Koi fish.
In order to provide longitudinal stability and balance to the apparatus 20 along its longitudinal axis, a flotation device 70 is provided in the tail 30. In one implementation, the flotation device 70 consists of an air cavity or pocket that is provided in one or more of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37. The cavity or pocket may be integrally formed in one or more of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37. In this implementation as shown in the cross-section view of
The exploded view of
An electronics casing 72 is sized and shaped to fit within the body cavity 76. This casing 72 contains a control board, antennae, and wiring. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the electronics components casing is made of two pieces that are fitted together and sealed with adhesive and silicone to maintain an airtight and watertight compartment inside for housing the circuit board, antennae, and wiring. A battery compartment 78 houses one or more batteries 79 that provide power to the electronic components. It is attached inside a forward compartment 80 of the body housing 74 from the inside during assembly. A battery cover 82 with a circumscribing seal 84 is attached to the exposed underside of the battery compartment to prevent water from getting into the battery compartment. A battery cover outer shell 86 is also provided that attaches to the body housing 74 to cover the access opening to the battery cover 82. Water is permitted to enter the body housing 74 between the battery cover outer shell 86 and the battery cover, but not past the battery cover 82 and to the battery 79. An optional opening may be formed in the battery cover outer shell 86 to enable water to enter the body 22 as described above with respect to the gills 66.
This construction provides buoyancy to the apparatus because the forward compartment 80 holds air because it is sealed with the seal 84. The main body cover 71 also holds some air that gets trapped in the dorsal fin 56 because it has a cavity therein, as well as air that is inside a top area of the body cover 71 and in the body cavity 76. The battery compartment 78 is water tight and will hold air when the battery cover 82 is in place.
The body housing 74 also has an aft compartment 88 in which is mounted an on/off switch 90 having a watertight housing and which is electrically coupled to the battery 79 and the above-listed electronic components inside the electronics components casing 72. Also mounted inside the aft compartment 88 are two electric motors 92 that are coupled to the propellers 28 to rotate the propellers. The electric motors 92 are also electrically coupled to the on/off switch 90 and via the switch to the electronic components inside the electronics components casing 72. One pair of left and right motor-and-propeller covers 94 attach to the exterior of the aft compartment 88 on the body housing 74 to act as cowls for the propellers 28 in a manner that is known to those skilled in the art.
The pectoral fins 60 may be cupped or have a camber to their construction so as to provide lift to the body 22 and the entire apparatus 20 when it moves through the water. For the best stability, the longitudinal center of gravity should be located through the pectoral fins.
Ideally, each of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 are shaped with a leading edge 50 side cut 61 on each side that initially goes forward and downward to the midline 21, and then starts to turn aftward from the midline to the bottom. A trailing edge 52 side cut 63 is formed to likewise match the adjacent leading edge side cut 61, i.e., that initially goes forward and downward to the midline 21, and then starts to turn aftward from the midline to the bottom. Each tail segment 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 has a mechanical stop to start an adjacent tail segment pivoting about the vertical hinge in a first lateral direction in response to yawing of the body in the first lateral direction and to stop the adjacent tail segment from pivoting about the vertical hinge in its lateral travel in the first lateral direction and to start pivoting about the vertical hinge in a second lateral direction in response to yawing of the body in the second lateral direction. In the illustrated implementation, the side cuts 61, 63 and resulting shape of the leading edge 50 and trailing edge 52 of each of the tail segments 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 function as the stops to determine the amount of pivoting or rotation of each tail segment. These adjacent elements will contact each other at the side cuts 61, 63 to limit travel and to initiate travel, depending on the orientation of the segments vis-à-vis the body 22. The shape of the cuts is a matter of design choice and will be selected to enhance the cosmetic appearance of the toy 20.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the aquatic apparatus can be configured for remote control, particularly wireless remote control such as is done with remote control toy cars, airplanes, etc. One method of control is to use differential thrust of the two motors 92 and propellers 28, which controls the yaw of the apparatus 20 in the water 98. To enhance reception of wireless control signals, the receiving antenna on the apparatus 20 can be placed inside the dorsal fin 56. The apparatus 20 can also be autonomous, meaning it can be configured to swim in a random pattern or a preset pattern using electronic controls of the motors 92. Alternatively, proximity sensors can also be provided that detect the proximity of an object and control signals can be generated in response to the sensing to cause the apparatus 20 to yaw and turn away from the object. These various control methods can be implemented using conventional electronic components that are readily commercially available.
The various implementations described above can be combined to provide further implementations. These and other changes can be made to the implementations in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific implementations disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible implementations along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62711991 | Jul 2018 | US |
