THROWING STAR TARGET
A throwing star target is provided, in which a throwing star easily sticks and which has excellent durability. A throwing star target 1 which holds a thrown throwing star 2 includes a board 10, and a plurality of pins 20 arranged on a target surface 10A of the board 10. Each of the plurality of pins 20 has a polygonal XY cross section, is formed to be tapered, and has flat surfaces 20U, 20V, and 20W which come into contact with a front side 2A or a back side 2B of the throwing star 2 that is in a state in which of being held.
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The present invention relates to a throwing star target.
BACKGROUND ARTA throwing star throwing experience is popular among inbound tourists to Japan. As a way to promote the nation as a tourism-based country, it is desirable to offer a broader throwing experience of throwing stars. However, some problems are evident in the throwing experience of throwing stars. For example, in many cases, a throwing star target produced by attaching a paper target sheet, on which a concentric circle target is printed, to a support member such as a tatami mat, plywood, or formed plastic is used. A throwing star thrown by a beginner does not easily stick in such a target even when the throwing star hits the target. In addition, a throwing star made of metal may hurt a finger. When a thrower is afraid of being injured, it is difficult for the thrower to throw the throwing star with all his/her strength. On the other hand, a safe throwing star made of rubber is light, and hence the throwing star is less likely to stick in the target than the throwing star made of metal.
In addition, the throwing star target in the prior art has a problem with durability in addition to the problem of the throwing star not easily sticking in the target. When the throwing star sticks in the target, a large hole is made in the paper target sheet or the support member. When the throwing star sticks in the target several times, the paper target sheet or the support member begins to have many fine splits and the pleasant appearance of the throwing star target is spoiled. For the throwing star throwing experience, the throwing star target is replaced with a new throwing star target frequently to maintain the pleasant appearance of the throwing star target or, the throwing star target is kept used in a state, where the pleasant appearance of the throwing star target is spoiled, to avoid an economic burden.
There is proposed, not for the throwing star but for a blow dart, a target which can be used repeatedly while the pleasant appearance of the target is maintained (see, e.g., Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the target stand of a blow dart is covered with oil-based clay, and a paper target sheet is attached to the oil-based clay. Even when the oil-based clay serving as a support member becomes full of holes, it is possible to mend the oil-based clay by flattening the oil-based clay with fingers.
CITATION LIST Patent DocumentPatent Document 1: Patent Publication JP-A-2017-207268
SUMMARY Technical ProblemHowever, in the case where the support member is the oil-based clay, even when the throwing star hits the target, the throwing star does not easily stick in the target. In particular, the safe throwing star made of rubber does not stick deeply in hard clay. In addition, unlike the blow dart of which tip is a needle, when the throwing star of which tip is a sword is thrown, a larger hole is made in the paper target sheet. According to the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to mend the support member, but the invention cannot solve the problem of the paper target sheet having many fine splits spoiling the pleasant appearance of the target.
To cope with this, an object of the present invention is to provide a throwing star target in which a throwing star easily sticks and which has excellent durability.
Solution to ProblemAn aspect of the present invention is a throwing star target which holds a thrown throwing star. The throwing star target includes a board, and a plurality of pins arranged on a target surface of the board. Each of the plurality of pins has a polygonal cross section, is formed to be tapered, and has a flat surface which comes into contact with a front side or a back side of the throwing star that is in a state of being held.
According to this aspect, the front side and the back side of the throwing star are supported by the flat surfaces, and hence the throwing star having hit the target does not easily fall and is easily held in a state in which the throwing star sticks in the target as compared with the case where the front side and the back side of the throwing star are supported by points or lines.
In the above aspect, the plurality of pins may be arranged at regular intervals on the target surface along a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction each obtained by rotation by 120° about an axis perpendicular to the target surface, each of the plurality of pins may have a first surface which is formed along a fourth direction obtained by rotating the first direction about the axis by 90°, a second surface which is formed along a fifth direction obtained by rotating the second direction about the axis by 90°, and a third surface which is formed along a sixth direction obtained by rotating the third direction about the axis by 90°, in a pair of the pins which are adjacent to each other, the first surface of one of the pins and the first surface of the other of the pins may face each other, with a gap being formed therebetween, and the gap at tip portions of the pins may be greater than a plate thickness of the throwing star and the gap at holding portions of the pins, which are closer to the board than the tip portions are, may be smaller than the plate thickness of the throwing star.
According to this aspect, it becomes easy to hold the throwing star in the state in which the throwing star sticks in the target not only when the throwing star which rotates longitudinally in the first direction hits the target but also when the throwing star which is shifted in the second direction or the third direction and rotates obliquely hits the target.
In the above aspect, each of the plurality of pins may include a shape of a hexagonal frustum or a hexagonal prism constituted of a pair of the first surfaces, a pair of the second surfaces, and a pair of the third surfaces.
According to this aspect, the cross section is hexagonal, and hence it is easy to arrange the pins. As compared with the case where the cross section is triangular, a corner is not easily damaged and the pin is not easily broken.
In the above aspect, each of the plurality of pins may further include a fillet portion which is smoothly contiguous with the target surface, and the fillet portions each may have an outer edge formed into a hexagonal shape and may be arranged without any space therebetween on the target surface.
According to this aspect, stress concentration on the root of the pin is reduced by the fillet portion, and hence the pin becomes less likely to be broken and the durability of the throwing star target is improved. Although the fillet portion which spreads outward is provided, the outer edge of the fillet portion is hexagonal, and hence it is possible to arrange the pins closely in accordance with the plate thickness of the throwing star.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAccording to the present invention, it is possible to provide the throwing star target in which the throwing star easily sticks and which has excellent durability.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, in the individual drawings, elements provided with the same reference numerals have configurations which are identical or similar to each other. One of characteristics of a throwing star target 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a “target 1” in some cases) of an embodiment of the present invention is that flat surfaces 20U, 20V, and 20W which come into surface contact with a front side 2A and a back side 2B of a plate-like throwing star 2 from both sides are formed on individual pins 20 (see
In the present embodiment, the throwing star 2 is held in one of pockets 31, 32, and 33 between pins 20L and 20R which bend reversibly instead of a paper target sheet or a support member which is destroyed irreversibly (see
In the throwing star 2, the center of gravity is located not in a sword 41 at its tip but in a coupling portion 42 positioned at the center. When compared with a dart or the like having the center of gravity in a portion close to its tip, the throwing star 2 is unstable in a state in which the throwing star 2 sticks in the target 1 correspondingly to a longer distance from a target surface 10A to the center of gravity. In the present embodiment, an XY cross section of the pin 20 is not circular but polygonal, and a contact area C with each pf the front side 2A and the back side 2B of the throwing star 2 is large (see
Each sword 41 has a pointed tip. An edge 41E at the tip is formed to form an acute angle like a blade. When the target 1 is hit, in the case of a blow dart or a dart, the tip thereof is a needle, and hence force is concentrated at one point. However, in the case of the plate-like throwing star 2, force is dispersed over the ridge of the edge 41E, and hence the throwing star 2 does not easily stick. The throwing star target 1 of the present embodiment is configured so as to hold the above-described throwing star 2 in a state in which the throwing star 2 sticks in the throwing star target 1 without falling when the throwing star 2 hits the throwing star target 1.
The throwing star target 1 includes a board (base) 10 and a plurality of pins (protrusions) 20. The board 10 and the pins 20 constitute an integral structure formed of resin material such as polyamide resin. The throwing star target 1 may be a translucent target or a lightproof target. In the case where the throwing star target 1 is constituted of resin material having translucency, it is possible to apply light to a back surface 10B and draw a moving target on the target surface 10A.
The board 10 is formed into a plate-like shape having a certain thickness, and has the flat target surface (board surface) 10A. The target surface 10A is formed in parallel to a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y intersecting the longitudinal direction X. A thickness direction Z of the board 10 intersects the longitudinal direction X and the lateral direction Y. In the example shown in
Each pin 20 has a polygonal XY cross section, is formed to be tapered, and has flat surfaces 20U, 20V, and 20W which come into surface contact with the front side 2A or the back side 2B of the throwing star 2 which is held by the target 1. In the example shown in
The throwing star 2 flying toward the target 1 is rotating, e.g., longitudinally. When the target surface 10A is compared to the face of a clock, an example of the fourth direction U is a twelve o'clock direction which connects twelve o'clock and six o'clock, an example of the fifth direction V is a four o'clock direction which connects four o'clock and ten o'clock, and an example of the sixth direction W is an eight o'clock direction which connects eight o'clock and two o'clock. An example of the above-described longitudinal direction X is the twelve o'clock direction, and coincides with the fourth direction U. Note that, there are cases where the throwing star target 1 is tilted and installed, and hence the longitudinal direction X of the target surface 10A does not necessarily coincide with a vertical direction.
The fourth to sixth directions U, V, and W are directions obtained by rotating the first to third directions R, S, and T about the Z axis by 90°. That is, an example of the first direction R is a nine o'clock direction which connects nine o'clock and three o'clock, an example of the second direction S is a one o'clock direction which connects one o'clock and seven o'clock, and an example of the third direction T is a five o'clock direction which connects five o'clock and eleven o'clock. An example of the above-described lateral direction Y is the nine o'clock direction, and coincides with the first direction R.
As shown in
The description will be made with reference to
Similarly, each pin 20 has a pair of second A surfaces 20Va which intersect the thickness direction Z and are parallel to the fifth direction V, a pair of second B surfaces 20Vb which are parallel to the thickness direction Z and the fifth direction V, a pair of third A surfaces 20Wa which intersect the thickness direction Z and are parallel to the sixth direction W, and a pair of third B surfaces 20Wb which are parallel to the thickness direction Z and the sixth direction W. Each of the second A surfaces 20Va and the second B surfaces 20Vb is an example of the first surface 20V, and each of the third A surfaces 20Wa and the third B surfaces 20Wb is an example of the third surface 20W.
Each pin 20 includes a first body portion 22 which is formed into the shape of a hexagonal frustum and a second body portion 23 which is formed into the shape of a hexagonal prism. The first body portion 22 is constituted of a pair of the first A surfaces 20Ua, a pair of the second A surfaces 20Va, and a pair of the third A surfaces 20Wa. The second body portion 23 is positioned further to a base end side Zb of the pin 20 than the first body portion 22 is, and is constituted of a pair of the first B surfaces 20Ub, a pair of the second B surfaces 20Vb, and a pair of the third B surfaces 20Wb.
Each pin 20 further includes a drawing portion 21 which is positioned further to a tip side Za of the pin 20 than the first body portion 22 is, and a fillet portion 24 which is positioned further to the base end side Zb of the pin 20 than the second body portion 23 is. The drawing portion 21 is formed to be tapered, and the tip of the drawing portion 21 is smoothly rounded. The fillet portion 24 is smoothly extended from the second body portion 23 to the target surface 10A. The outer edge of the fillet portion 24 is formed into a hexagonal shape, and the fillet portions 24 are arranged on the target surface 10A without any space.
Similarly, each of the second surface 20V which defines a gap G of the pocket 32 and the third surface 20W which defines a gap G of the pocket 33 has substantially the same shape and function as those of the first surface 20U which defines a gap G of the pocket 31. Accordingly, the first surface 20U will be described in detail as a representative thereof, and the duplicate description of the second and third surfaces 20V and 20W will be omitted.
As shown in
Each pin 20 is formed such that the gap G between the first surfaces 20U facing each other is substantially equal to the plate thickness F of the throwing star 2 at a predetermined depth D in the thickness direction Z. The tip side Za of the depth D in the pin 20 is assumed to be a tip portion, and the base end side Zb of the depth D in the pin 20 is assumed to be a holding portion. In the tip portion, the gap G between the first surfaces 20U is larger than the plate thickness F of the throwing star 2. In the holding portion, the gap G between the first surfaces 20U is smaller than the plate thickness F of the throwing star 2.
In the example shown in
When the throwing star 2 hits the target 1, the edge 41E of the throwing star 2 formed obliquely relative to the target surface 10A slides on the surface of the drawing portion 21 or the first body portion 22 which is also formed obliquely relative to the target surface 10A, and the tip of the sword 41 is guided to the pocket 31 (32, 33) between adjacent pins 20.
The thickness of the throwing star 2 gradually increases from the edge 41E toward the inside, and then becomes constant when it reaches the plate thickness F of the rubber plate. The gap G between the first surfaces 20U of the pins 20L and 20R gradually decreases from the tip side Za of the pin 20 toward the base end side Zb. As the tip of the sword of the throwing star 2 advances in the thickness direction Z, a difference between the thickness of the throwing star 2 and the gap G between the pins 20L and 20R decreases. When part of the throwing star 2 (e.g., a ridge 41D of the sword 41) reaches the depth D, the thickness of the throwing star 2 coincides with the gap G between the pins 20L and 20R.
The target 1 made of resin can deform reversibly. The tip of the sword of the throwing star 2 widens the gap G between the pins 20, and sticks to reach a position slightly deeper than the depth D. At this point, the first A surface 20Ua of one pin 20L deforms along the front side 2A of the throwing star 2, and comes into surface contact with the front side 2A. Similarly, the first A surface 20Ua of the other pin 20R deforms along the back side 2B of the throwing star 2, and comes into surface contact with the back side 2B.
According to the throwing star target 1 of the present embodiment configured in the above manner, the flat front side 2A and the flat back side 2B of the throwing star 2 are supported by the flat first surfaces 20U of the pins 20, and hence a contact area C is large as compared with the case where the throwing star 2 is supported by cylindrical surfaces. The throwing star 2 having hit the target 1 does not fall easily and is easily held in a state in which the throwing star 2 sticks in the target 1.
The present embodiment is particularly suitable for a safe throwing star made of rubber. While the throwing star made of rubber is safe as compared with the throwing star made of metal, the throwing star made of rubber is light, and hence the throwing star made of rubber does not easily stick deeply in a hard support member such as clay. According to the present embodiment, even the light throwing star 2 reliably sticks deeply to reach the predetermined depth D if the throwing star 2 hits the target 1. Consequently, the throwing star 2 having hit the target 1 does not fall easily and is easily held in the state in which the throwing star 2 sticks in the target 1.
In the present embodiment, the throwing star 2 is easily held in the state in which the throwing star 2 sticks in the target 1 with the pockets 31, 32, and 33 which extend in the fourth to sixth directions U, V, and W not only when the throwing star 2 which rotates longitudinally in the fourth direction U hits the target 1 but also when the throwing star 2 which is shifted in the fifth direction V or the sixth direction W and rotates obliquely hits the target 1.
The throwing star 2 flying toward the target 1 is often rotating longitudinally in the twelve o'clock direction. When the throwing star 2 rotating in the twelve o'clock direction hits the target 1, the tip of the sword of the throwing star 2 is guided to the pocket 31, the first surfaces 20U defining the gap G of the pocket 31 come into surface contact with the front side 2A and the back side 2B of the throwing star 2 from both sides to hold the throwing star 2.
Even when the throwing star 2 is tilted in a ten o'clock direction during flight, the tip of the sword of the throwing star 2 is guided to the pocket 32 extending in the fifth direction V (ten o'clock direction), and the second surfaces 20V of the pocket 32 come into surface contact with the front side 2A and the back side 2B of the throwing star 2 from both sides. Similarly, even when the throwing star 2 is tilted in a two o'clock direction, the third surfaces 20W of the pocket 33 extending in the sixth direction (two o'clock direction) come into surface contact with the front side 2A and the back side 2B of the throwing star 2 from both sides.
In the present embodiment, the throwing star 2 is held by the pin 20 which deforms reversibly, and hence a paper target sheet or a support member of the paper target sheet does not become full of holes. The throwing star target 1 can be repeatedly used while the pleasant appearance of the throwing star target 1 is maintained. Each pin 20 includes the first and second body portions 22 and 23 each having the XY cross section formed into the hexagonal shape. Consequently, it is easy to arrange the pins 20 such that the flat surfaces 20U, 20V, and 20W of the adjacent pins 20 are parallel to each other. As compared with the case where the XY cross section is triangular, a corner is not easily damaged and the pin 20 is not easily broken.
In addition, stress concentration on the root of the pin 20 is reduced by the fillet portion 24, and hence the pin 20 is not easily broken. The outer edge of the fillet portion 24 is hexagonal, and hence, even when the fillet portion 24 which spreads widely is formed, it is possible to arrange the pins 20 closely.
The embodiment described thus far is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to interpret the present invention as being limited thereto. The individual elements of the embodiment, and the arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, and sizes of the individual elements are not limited to those shown by way of example, and can be appropriately changed. In addition, part of the configuration described in one embodiment can be replaced or combined with part of the configuration described in another embodiment.
For example, the XY cross section of the pin 20 may be triangular. As shown in a modification shown in
Further, the XY cross section of the pin 20 may be quadrangular, pentagonal, or octagonal. However, when the XY cross section is quadrangular, the pin 20 can come into surface contact with the throwing star 2 only from two directions including longitudinal and lateral directions. When the YX cross section is pentagonal, it is difficult to arrange the pins without any space. When the XY cross section is octagonal or has a shape having nine or more sides, each surface becomes small and the contact area is reduced. Accordingly, the XY cross section of the pin 20 preferably has the hexagonal shape shown in
For example, one of the first and second body portions 22 and 23 shown in
For example, the throwing star 2 may be configured so as to be held by the target 1 at a portion of a blade between the edge 41E and the ridge 41D instead of the ridge 41D of the sword 41. In this case, the gap G between the pins 20L and 20R at the predetermined depth D may be appropriately set to be equal to the thickness of the blade of the throwing star 2 which is smaller than the plate thickness F of the throwing star 2. For example, the board 10 may be three-dimensional. When the roughness of the target surface 10A relative to the size of the pin 20 is negligibly small, a surface of a life-sized ninja doll or the like may be configured as the target surface 10A.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
- 1 Throwing star target
- 2 Throwing star
- 2A Front side
- 2B Back side
- 10 Board
- 10A Target surface
- 10B Back surface
- 20 Pin
- 20L One pin
- 20R Other pin
- 20U First surface (example of flat surface)
- 20Ua First A surface (example of first surface)
- 20Ub First B surface (example of first surface)
- 20V Second surface (example of flat surface)
- 20Va Second A surface (example of second surface)
- 20Vb Second B surface (example of second surface)
- 20W Third surface (example of flat surface)
- 20Wa Third A surface (example of third surface)
- 20Wb Third B surface (example of third surface)
- 21 Drawing portion (example of tip portion)
- 22 First body portion (example of portion of hexagonal frustum)
- 22a First A body portion (example of tip portion)
- 22b First B body portion (example of holding portion)
- 23 Second body portion (example of portion of hexagonal prism, example of holding portion)
- 24 Fillet portion
- 31, 32, 33 Pocket
- 41 Sword
- 41D Ridge
- 41E Edge
- 42 Coupling portion
- C Contact area
- D Depth from pin tip
- F Plate thickness
- G Gap
- R First direction
- S Second direction
- T Third direction
- U Fourth direction
- V Fifth direction
- W Sixth direction
- X Longitudinal direction
- Y Lateral direction
- Z Thickness direction
- Za Pin tip side
- Zb Pin base end side
Claims
1. A throwing star target which holds a thrown throwing star, the throwing star target comprising:
- a board; and
- a plurality of pins arranged on a target surface of the board, wherein
- each of the plurality of pins has a polygonal cross section, is formed to be tapered, and has a flat surface which comes into contact with a front side or a back side of the throwing star that is in a state of being held.
2. The throwing star target according to claim 1, wherein
- the plurality of pins are arranged at regular intervals on the target surface along a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction each obtained by rotation by 120° about an axis perpendicular to the target surface,
- each of the plurality of pins has a first surface which is formed along a fourth direction obtained by rotating the first direction about the axis by 90°, a second surface which is formed along a fifth direction obtained by rotating the second direction about the axis by 90°, and a third surface which is formed along a sixth direction obtained by rotating the third direction about the axis by 90°,
- in a pair of the pins which are adjacent to each other, the first surface of one of the pins and the first surface of the other of the pins face each other, with a gap being formed therebetween, and the gap at tip portions of the pins is greater than a plate thickness of the throwing star and the gap at holding portions of the pins, which are closer to the board than the tip portions are, is smaller than the plate thickness of the throwing star.
3. The throwing star target according to claim 2, wherein
- each of the plurality of pins includes a shape of a hexagonal frustum or a hexagonal prism constituted of a pair of the first surfaces, a pair of the second surfaces, and a pair of the third surfaces.
4. The throwing star target according to claim 3, wherein
- each of the plurality of pins further includes a fillet portion which is smoothly contiguous with the target surface, and
- the fillet portions each have an outer edge formed into a hexagonal shape and are arranged without any space therebetween on the target surface
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 19, 2019
Publication Date: Aug 5, 2021
Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Dartslive d/b/a Dartslive Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), Sega Corporation (Tokyo)
Inventors: Shinichiro Yamamoto (Tokyo), Hideki Saito (Tokyo), Yuuki Kaneto (Tokyo)
Application Number: 17/054,289