Driving and controlling method for a biomimetic toy and a biomimetic toy

Abstract

A negatively buoyed aquatic toy with a watertight body portion that contains a battery electrically connected via a controller to at least one coil. The coil is positioned relative to a magnet and the coil may be caused to oscillate by virtue of a controller defined alternating current passing through the coil. The oscillation of the coil causes movement of a tail fin that is engaged to said watertight body to cause the toy to move upwards through a body of water.

1 . An aquatic toy apparatus being fully submersible in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body,   a propeller dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the propeller to cause said propeller to oscillate, the driver being driven by the interaction of an energizable coil and a magnet, the coil energizable by said battery,   wherein the toy is configured to be less buoyant than water and has a centre of buoyancy spaced a distance from the centre of mass of the toy, the thrust acts parallel to a line passing through and in a direction from the centre of mass to the centre of buoyancy and is capable of being sufficient to cause the toy to move upwards towards the surface of the water.   
     
     
         2 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energizable coil and the magnet are carried by said body. 
     
     
         3 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body comprises a sealed buoyant body and the sealed buoyant body comprises the battery. 
     
     
         4 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the propeller comprises a fin. 
     
     
         5 . The toy apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the propeller is engaged to the body in a manner to allow it to make a swishing like oscillatory motion relative to the body as a result of the movement of the driver. 
     
     
         6 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the driver is pivotally mounted relative to the body and is engaged, at one side of said pivot to said propeller, and at the opposite side of said pivot and inside said body, to one of (a) said energizable coil and (b) said magnet, wherein the other of (a) said energizable coil and (b) said magnet is mounted in a manner fixed to said body in a location to allow such to operatively interact to drive said driver in at least one direction for rotation about said pivot. 
     
     
         7 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said body defines an enclosure, and wherein said driver comprises a shaft and said propeller is fixed at or towards one end of the shaft, and one of said (a) coil or (b) magnet is engaged at or towards the other end of the shaft and inside said enclosure, wherein between said ends, said shaft passes through said buoyant body in a sealed manner so that a floating hermetic closure is formed. 
     
     
         8 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an activation circuit for activating the energization of the coil(s), wherein the activation circuit selected from one of (a) a vibration switch and (b) moisture sensor and (c) terminals of a circuit or switching circuit that complete an electrical circuit via water in which said aquatic toy may be placed. 
     
     
         9 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the propeller comprises the shape of a toy tail and the body comprises the shape of a toy body. 
     
     
         10 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the toy is configured to be less buoyant than water and has a centre of buoyancy spaced a distance from the centre of mass of the toy to create a righting moment for said toy, the propeller positioned to be below the centre of buoyancy to effect a net thrust in a upwards direction when the toy is submersed in water. 
     
     
         11 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the toy is configured to be less buoyant than water and has a centre of buoyancy spaced a distance from the centre of mass of the body to create a righting moment for said toy, the propeller positioned to be below the centre of buoyancy and acting on the body to effect a net thrust acting on a notional line extending between the centre of mass and the centre of buoyancy. 
     
     
         12 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the toy is configured to be less buoyant than water and has a centre of buoyancy spaced a distance from the centre of mass of the toy to create a righting moment for said toy, the propeller positioned to be below the centre of buoyancy and acting on the body to effect a net thrust acting on and parallel a notional line extending between the centre of mass and the centre of buoyancy. 
     
     
         13 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  where the body comprises an elongate shape and a figurative head located opposite the propeller from the centre of mass and centre of buoyancy. 
     
     
         14 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body comprises an elongate shape and said propeller is disposed at one end of the elongate body and a figurative head is located at the opposite end of the body. 
     
     
         15 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein when the toy is submerged in water, the propeller creates thrust in a vertical direction. 
     
     
         16 . The toy apparatus of  claim 1  wherein when the toy is submerged in water, the propeller creates a net thrust in a not in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
         17 . An aquatic toy apparatus being fully submersible in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body,   a tail fin dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a net thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the tail fin to cause said tail fin to oscillate, the driver being driven by the interaction of an energizable coil and a magnet, the coil energizable by said battery,   wherein the toy is configured to be less buoyant than water and has a centre of buoyancy spaced a distance from the centre of mass of the body, the net thrust effected acts parallel to a line passing through and in a direction from the centre of mass to the centre of buoyancy and is capable of being sufficient to cause the toy to move upwards towards the surface of the water.   
     
     
         18 . An aquatic toy apparatus being fully submersible in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body comprising a head,   a tail fin dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the tail fin to cause said tail fin to oscillate, the driver being driven by the interaction of an energizable coil and a magnet, the coil energizable by said battery,   wherein the toy is configured to be heavier than water and having a mass distribution to create a righting moment for said toy when submersed, and   wherein the thrust is sufficient to encourage the toy, when submersed, towards the surface of the body of water.   
     
     
         19 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the toy is configured to be heavier than water and having a mass distribution to create a righting moment for said toy when submersed, and wherein the thrust is sufficient to encourage the toy, when submersed, towards the surface of the body of water, head first. 
     
     
         20 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the toy is configured to be heavier than water and having a mass distribution to create a righting moment for said toy when submersed, and wherein the thrust is sufficient to encourage the toy, when submersed, towards the surface of the body of water, tail trailing. 
     
     
         21 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the fin is located to effect thrust in a direction towards the head. 
     
     
         22 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the centre of mass and centre of buoyancy are located intermediate the fin and the head. 
     
     
         23 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein when the fin creates net thrust on said body in direction that is coincident the line or plane passing through said centre of buoyancy and centre of mass. 
     
     
         24 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the driver is controlled to vary the duration, amplitude, or speed of tail fin oscillation. 
     
     
         25 . The toy apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the driver is controlled to intermittently cause tail fin oscillation in a manner to allow the toy, from time to time, to move towards the bottom of the body of water. 
     
     
         26 . An aquatic toy apparatus being fully submersible in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body,   a tail fin dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a net thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the tail fin to cause said tail fin to oscillate, the driver being electrically driven by electric energy derived from said battery,   wherein the toy is configured to have negative buoyancy with a mass distribution to create a righting moment for said toy when submersed, and   wherein the net thrust is directed and sufficient to overcome the negative buoyancy to encourage the toy, when submersed, towards the surface of the body of water.   
     
     
         27 . The toy apparatus of  claim 26  wherein the driver is controlled to vary the duration, amplitude, or speed of tail fin oscillation. 
     
     
         28 . The toy apparatus of  claim 26  wherein the driver is controlled to intermittently cause tail fin oscillation. 
     
     
         29 . An aquatic toy for use in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body,   a tail fin dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the tail fin to cause said tail fin to oscillate, the driver being electrically driven by electric energy derived from said battery,   wherein the toy apparatus comprises variable characteristics comprising:   (a) specific gravity for both overall positive and negative toy buoyancy   (b) centre of mass, and   (c) centre of buoyancy.   
     
     
         30 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  wherein at least two of the variable characteristics are varied. 
     
     
         31 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  wherein the variable characteristics varied comprise the specific gravity for both overall positive and negative toy buoyancy, and at least one of (a) centre of mass, and (b) centre of buoyancy varied. 
     
     
         32 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  wherein the toy apparatus is able to moveably carry, and/or removably receive an external weight of specific gravity greater than 1. 
     
     
         33 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  wherein the toy apparatus is able to have its specific gravity varied as a result of the body being changeable in volume. 
     
     
         34 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  further comprising an interchangeable element may for varying at least one of the variable characteristics 
     
     
         35 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  further comprising an element of specific gravity greater than 1, the element being capable of being received by said body at a receptacle region thereof, and for varying the specific gravity and centre of mass of the toy apparatus. 
     
     
         36 . The toy apparatus of  claim 29  further comprising an element of specific gravity less than 1, the element being capable of being received by said body at a receptacle region thereof, and for varying the specific gravity and centre of buoyancy of the toy apparatus. 
     
     
         37 . The toy apparatus of  claim 35  wherein the element may be received at multiple locations by the body. 
     
     
         38 . The aquatic toy apparatus of  claim 29  wherein the toy's specific gravity may be varied by varying at least one of:
 (a) overall mass by the addition or removal of mass heavier than water, and 
 (b) overall buoyancy by increasing or decreasing its volume. 
 
     
     
         39 . An aquatic toy apparatus for use in a body of water, the toy apparatus comprising:
 a body,   a tail fin dependent from the body in a manner to be capable of oscillatory motion relative to the body to effect a thrust on said body in a direction to propel the toy through the body of water, wherein the body comprises:   a) a battery,   b) a driver operatively connected to the tail fin to cause said tail fin to oscillate, the driver being electrically driven by electric energy derived from said battery,   an adjustable element associated with the body at least one location to vary at least one of:
 (a) specific gravity for both overall positive and negative toy buoyancy, 
 (b) centre of mass of the toy, and 
 (c) centre of buoyancy of the toy.