JPS6339264B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to a sounding ball.

<Prior art> Conventionally, as a ball with a sound-sounding function, a ball having a structure in which a bell is placed inside a hollow ball and the bell rings as the ball moves is known (for example, Utility Model Application Publication No. 49-65349). . There is also a known ball that has a belly button on the inner wall of the ball and at the same time has a balance protrusion on the inner wall at a position symmetrical to the belly button to prevent the center of gravity of the ball from moving from the center of the ball (for example, Utility Model No. 51
No. 73162).

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The ball according to the former prior art makes noise in response to various movements of the ball, such as during kicking or rotation, and the sensitivity cannot be adjusted.
The disadvantage is that there is no regularity in the sounding motion, and on the contrary, it kills the interest in exercise. Furthermore, since the bell is inserted into the hollow ball and rolls around, there is a problem that the feel during use is not necessarily good. In addition, a method has already been proposed in which an electric sounding means and a battery are built into the ball to generate sound (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3081/1973), but the weight is so large that it adversely affects the movement of the ball. , various problems remain unresolved. Also, since the power consumption of the circuit is large,
It was impractical and unfeasible to run on batteries.

Furthermore, in the latter prior art, a balance protrusion is provided simply to balance the weight, and no circuit means for generating sound is disclosed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes an external impact detection means, an external impact detection means, and a ball having an air-tight tube in which compressed air is sealed through an air injection valve and has rebound resilience as a ball. The circuits necessary for sound generation, such as the sound generation signal generation circuit means, the sound generation means, and the battery power supply means, are integrated into a unit, and the weight is such that it does not substantially affect the movement of the ball.
This realizes a sounding ball that can be detachably mounted inside the ball.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The sounding ball according to the present invention is a ball having an air-sealed tube in which compressed air is sealed through an air injection valve and imparted with rebound resilience as a ball. A storage section formed on the inner surface at a position opposite to the valve to maintain an air-tight state of the tube, a lid member covering the opening of the storage section, and an external impact for detecting an impact applied to the ball. a detecting means, an integrated circuit sounding signal generating circuit means for receiving a detection signal from the external impact detecting means and generating a sounding signal, a sounding means for generating a sounding signal in response to a sounding signal from the sounding signal generating circuit means; The external impact detection means, the sound generation signal generation circuit means, and the battery power supply means for driving the sound generation means are provided, and the external impact detection means, the sound generation signal generation circuit means, the sound generation means, and the battery power supply means are arranged in the storage section. The weight of the storage section that stores the above-mentioned means and that does not substantially affect the rebound resilience of the ball and is set to be substantially equal to the weight of the valve. be.

<Function> When an external impact of a predetermined intensity or higher is applied to the ball due to a kicking action or the like, this impact is detected by the external impact detection means, and upon receiving this detection signal, the sound generation signal generating circuit means is activated. The sound generation means is driven by the sound generation signal outputted from the sound generation signal generating circuit means to generate sound. The circuit unit is disposed on the inner surface of the tube at a position opposite to the air injection valve and has a weight substantially equal to that of the valve portion, so that the ball center and the center of gravity are aligned,
The ball is allowed to move normally, such as when bouncing.

<Example> In FIG. 1, numeral 1 indicates a sounding ball according to the present invention, which is a ball having a structure in which compressed air is sealed through an air injection valve, such as a soccer ball, a handball, a dodge ball, etc., and can be of any size and surface. It can be any shape. 2 is an air injection valve,
3 is a circuit unit provided on the surface facing the valve 2; 4 is a storage part that absorbs the circuit unit 3; and 5 is a lid member that presses and supports the circuit unit 3 after it is stored in the storage part 4. be. The total weight of the circuit unit 3 (including the battery), the storage section 4, and the lid member 5 is set to be approximately equal to the weight of the valve 2 portion, so that the center of the ball and the center of gravity coincide. Specifically, the circuit unit 3 includes an integrated circuit,
The use of small elements such as piezoelectric speakers reduces the size and weight, and the total weight including the storage section 4 is approximately 20.
It can be kept to about 30g or about 30g. On the other hand, since the weight of the valve 2 is usually about 8 g,
A balancer (not shown) weighing about 12g to 22g is added. Usually children's play balls, e.g.
Dotsuji balls for children weigh between 200g and 380g.
The increase in weight is approximately 32g to 52g.
Children's play is virtually unaffected. Further, since a normal soccer ball weighs approximately 500 to 700 g, the increased weight is less than one-tenth of the ball's weight and has little effect on its motion.

2 shows the structure before the circuit unit 3 is installed, and FIG. 3 shows the structure after the circuit unit 3 is installed. Reference numeral 6 represents the ball body, 4 represents the storage portion, and 5 represents an elastic lid member made of a rubber material. The circuit unit 3 includes a circuit board 7, a circuit section 8 which includes an integrated waveform shaping circuit and an oscillation circuit and functions as a sound generation signal generating circuit means, a piezoelectric speaker 9 which operates as a sound generation means,
and an impact sensor 10 serving as external impact means.
These parts are integrally molded with resin 11. Furthermore, this circuit unit 3 has a battery case 13 in which a battery 12 is housed, and this case 13 is closed with a screw member 17 made of resin. Here, the circuit section 8 is fixed to the inner surface (lower surface in the figure) of the substrate 7, while the piezoelectric speaker 9 and impact sensor 10 are fixed to the outer surface (upper surface in the figure). However, the impact sensor 10 can also be attached to the inner surface of the substrate 7. 36 is a piezoelectric speaker 9
This is the pronunciation part. However, instead of the piezoelectric speaker 9, it is also possible to use an electromagnetic sounding body, a micro speaker, or the like. In particular, piezoelectric speakers and electromagnetic sounding bodies have small current consumption of approximately 1 mA and several mA, respectively, and are suitable for battery operation. Further, in the battery 12, one electrode is brought into direct contact with the inner surface of the substrate 7, and the other electrode is connected to the substrate 7 from its side surface. The impact sensor 10 fixed to the substrate 7 includes a cylindrical electrode 15 made of a conductive metal such as aluminum or copper, and a coil spring 16 mounted inside the cylindrical electrode 15, as shown in FIG. 4A, for example. The cylindrical electrode 15 is composed of a spherical electrode 17 made of a conductive metal such as iron, and a spring fixing part 18 that fixes a coil spring 16 and insulates the cylindrical electrode 15 from the coil spring 16. The coil spring 16 is made of conductive metal and also serves as an electrical lead wire to the outside. Spring fixing part 18
is made of an insulating resin such as Teflon, and has a threaded groove carved around its periphery, and is fixed by screwing this threaded portion into a similar threaded groove provided on the cylindrical electrode 15. Terminals 19, 19 are connected to the tips of the cylindrical electrode 15 and the coil spring 16, and are electrically connected to the circuit section 8 via the substrate 7. The impact sensor 10 utilizes the fact that when an impact is applied to the ball, the spherical electrode 17 swings, contacts the cylindrical electrode 15, and becomes conductive.The sensitivity is determined by the spring constant of the coil spring 16 or the spherical electrode 1.
Since it changes depending on the weight and size of 7, the sensitivity can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting these values. In this embodiment, the sensitivity is adjusted so that it operates only when a fairly large external impact is applied to the ball, such as during a kicking motion or when the ball bounces significantly. Note that the structure of the impact sensor 10 is as follows:
The one shown in Figure 4B can also be adopted. In this example,
Instead of the coil spring 16, a linear or plate-shaped spring 20 is used. Its operation is as follows: Shock sensor 1
When an external force is applied to the cylindrical electrode 15 in the lateral direction in the figure, the spherical electrode 17 comes into contact with the cylindrical electrode 15 as shown by the broken line. For practical purposes, such a structure is sufficient. Note that these impact sensors 10,
It is also possible to use a pressure sensor or a load sensor in place of 10'. The lid member 5 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is fitted into an opening 21 provided in the ball body 6. A layer made of the same material as the ball skin layer is provided on the surface of the lid member 5 to improve the appearance and catalyst performance. 22 is a reinforcing member provided in the opening 21 portion, which is made of rubber or the like;
A ring-shaped groove 23 is provided on its inner wall. A ring-shaped protrusion 24 is formed on the side wall of the lid member 5, and by engaging with the ring-shaped groove 23, the lid member 5 is firmly fixed to the ball body 6. Reference numeral 25 denotes a sound emitting hole bored at a position corresponding to the sound emitting part 36 of the piezoelectric speaker 9, and the sound emitting hole 25 has a shape and size larger than at least the sound emitting part 36. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the relationship between the diameter d of the sound emitting portion 36 and the diameter D of the sound emitting hole 25 is D.
It is necessary that ≧d. Thereby, the sound emitted from the sound emitting section 36 is emitted onto the ball surface without being absorbed by the sound emitting hole 25. It is even more effective to widen the sound emitting hole 20 toward the outside.

The storage section 4 is made of a bag made of an elastic material such as rubber and is attached to the inner surface of the inner tube 26, and is used to tighten and support the circuit unit 3. The ball body 6 is
Butyl rubber inner tube 2 which is the innermost layer
6. Consists of a thread-wound layer 27 that regulates the dimensions of the ball, reinforces it, and imparts elasticity, a middle layer 28 made of a highly elastic rubber material such as natural rubber, and a skin layer 29 made of natural leather, synthetic leather, or rubber pieces. Ru.

FIG. 5 shows the surface structure of the lid member 5, and 25 is a sound emitting hole through which the sound emitted from the piezoelectric speaker 9 is emitted to the outside. The diameter of this cover member 5 is set to a value slightly smaller than that of the circuit unit 3, and its range can be approximately 1.5 cm.

FIG. 6 shows an example circuit diagram, in which the circuit section 8 is
It includes a waveform shaping circuit 30 and an oscillation circuit 31. Power is supplied to these circuits from the battery 12.
Since the power consumption in the circuit section 8 when the speaker is not in operation is very small, a power switch is not necessary. battery 12
As the battery, lithium batteries, general silver oxide batteries, mercury batteries, alkaline manganese batteries, etc., which can obtain high voltage, are used. These materials are suitable for the present invention because they are lightweight, weighing approximately 1 to 3 g, and have a large electrical capacity. The impact detection signal from the impact sensor 10 is applied to the waveform shaping circuit 30 and is waveform-shaped to obtain a waveform signal P1 shown in FIG. This detection signal P1 is input to the next-stage oscillation circuit 31, which outputs predetermined pulses, for example, a plurality of pulses P2 having different pulse widths and pulse intervals, in a short period of time for each input signal P1. This pulse train may be set arbitrarily, and the pulse width and interval may be constant. This pulse train P
2 is applied to the piezoelectric speaker 9 to generate an intermittent sound. In this way, with the ball according to the embodiment, the predetermined intermittent sound is emitted only when a strong external force is applied, such as when the ball is kicked or when the ball falls to the ground from a considerable height. Note that the waveform shaping circuit 30 and oscillation circuit 31 are one-chip LSI.
It can be composed of Also, as a means of pronunciation,
Instead of an oscillation circuit that generates continuous or intermittent sounds, it is also possible to use a melody signal generation circuit that generates melody sounds for a certain period of time, for example, from several seconds to more than 10 seconds. Furthermore, if you use a speech synthesis LSI that has recently been put into practical use, you can use it in combination with a counter to make audible notifications such as "once", "twice", etc. each time an external force is detected, and these pronunciation means Various sounds can be selected. As the melody signal generation circuit or audio signal generation circuit, commercially available melody ICs or voice synthesis LSIs can be used, and these have low power consumption and can withstand battery operation. be. An example of the circuit is shown in FIG.
In the same figure, 35 is a melody IC or a voice synthesis LSI, and in the case of a melody IC, a different song is played each time an external force is detected, and in the case of a voice synthesis LSI, using a built-in counter, By writing information related to predetermined words into the ROM in advance, it can be used "once" or "twice" as described above.
It can be pronounced as... The other circuit components are the same as those shown in FIG. In the case of the above-mentioned melody IC or voice synthesis LSI, the impact sensor 10 is used for a predetermined period of time, for example, 30 seconds (this period can be arbitrarily set depending on the competition) when it is assumed that the exercise or competition for the ball has ended.
It is designed to be automatically reset when no signal is input.

FIG. 9 shows a modified example of the circuit unit 3,
It has a waterproof structure. Reference numeral 32 denotes an envelope made of metal or water-resistant resin, the interior of which is filled with silicone resin 33, in which the substrate 7, circuit section 8, impact sensor 10, etc. are buried. The screw member 14 is also made of water-resistant resin, and a waterproof gasket 34 is provided to prevent moisture from entering the battery storage case 13. The piezoelectric speaker 9 also has a waterproof structure.

<Effects of the Invention> The present invention integrates the circuits necessary for sound production, such as an external impact detection means, a sound generation signal generation circuit, a sound generation means, and a power source, and reduces power consumption to the extent that it can be driven by a small battery, and is small and lightweight. Therefore, by making this into a unit circuit and placing it on the inner surface of the tube opposite to the above-mentioned air-sealed valve having an air-filled valve for balance, it is possible to substantially influence the movement of the ball. It is possible to have a structure that does not affect Furthermore, since the integrated circuit unit has a structure that allows it to be detachably installed in the ball, repair, maintenance work, and battery replacement of the circuit unit are facilitated. Furthermore, the circuit unit can be removed and used as a normal ball. Further, according to the present invention, the sensitivity of the external impact sensor can be adjusted so that the sensor detects only when a fairly strong external impact is applied, such as a kicking motion, and the sensitivity of the external impact sensor can be adjusted to allow the sensor to detect this only when a fairly strong external impact is applied, such as the action of kicking a ball. A predetermined sound can be generated. Therefore, it is possible to create regularity between the movement of the ball and the sounding action, thereby further increasing interest in the movement. That is, since a predetermined sound such as a buzzer sound, a melody sound, or a predetermined word can be emitted in response to a kicking ball motion, it is suitable for children to play with balls. Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is no need for a rolling element to be inserted into the hollow body of the ball such as a bell.
The tactile sensation when operating the ball can be improved.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the sound emitting hole is provided at a position corresponding to the sound emitting part of the sound generating means in the circuit unit of the lid member, and the sound emitting hole has a shape and size that is at least larger than the sound emitting part. Since the cover member is formed so as to have a cover member, it is possible to minimize the absorption of the generated sound by the cover member.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ball, FIG. 2 is an exploded sectional view of a main part, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a ball.
4A is a sectional view showing the impact sensor; FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing a modification thereof; FIG.
6 and 8 are circuit diagrams, FIG. 7 is a signal waveform diagram, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a modified example of the circuit unit. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Ball, 2...Valve, 3...Circuit unit, 4...Storage part, 5...Lid member, 8...Circuit part, 9...Piezoelectric speaker, 10, 10'...Shock sensor, 11 ... Resin, 30 ... Waveform shaping circuit,
31...Oscillation circuit, 35...Melody IC or voice synthesis LSI.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A ball having an air-sealed tube that is filled with compressed air via an air injection valve and has rebound resilience as a ball; A storage section formed to maintain an air-tight state of the tube, a lid member covering the opening of the storage section, an external impact detection means for detecting an impact applied to the ball, and a detection signal from the external impact detection means. a sound generation signal generation circuit means which is an integrated circuit and generates a sound signal based on the sound generation signal, a sound generation means which generates sound upon reception of the sound generation signal from the sound generation signal generation circuit means, the external impact detection means, the sound generation signal generation circuit means and the sound generation circuit. A battery power supply means for driving the means, wherein the external impact detection means, the sound generation signal generation circuit means, the sound generation means and the battery power supply means are
The weight of the storage part that is stored in the storage part and stores each of the means is set to be a weight that does not substantially affect the rebound resilience of the ball and is set to be substantially equal to the weight of the valve. A pronunciation ball that is characterized by the ability to 2. The sounding ball according to claim 1, wherein the sensitivity of the external impact detection means is adjustable so as to detect only when a strong external impact such as a kicking ball action is applied. 3. The external impact detection means, the sound generation signal generation circuit means, the sound generation means, and the battery power supply means are integrated to form a circuit unit, and are detachably inserted into the storage section via the lid member. A sounding ball according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 4. The lid member has a sound emitting hole communicating with the outside at a position corresponding to the sound emitting part of the sound generating means in the circuit unit, and the sound emitting hole has a shape and size larger than at least the sound emitting part. The sounding ball according to claim 3, characterized in that: