GB2036571A - Toy powered vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy vehicle 10 has a chassis 1 which supports an electric motor 9 having an armature mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and driving a gear train 33, 34, 36 of cog wheels mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, the last cog wheel 36 driving a power axle 5 by means of a crown wheel 41. The vehicle is provided with electric pick-up devices 8 which each comprise a shoe 13, means to retain the shoe on the vehicle and spring means to bias the shoe into contact with an electrified portion of a track. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to a toy THIS INVENTION relates to a toy and more particularly to an electrically driven toy vehicle in which electrical power is picked up from an electrified track.

Previously proposed toy vehicles, such as toy racing cars, provided with an electrically driven motor have had their motors mounted so that the armature rotates about a horizontal axis. A horizontal drive shaft extending from the armature has been provided with a gear to engage with a crown gear mounted on an axle of the vehicle. This has made it very difficult adequately to gear the output of the motortothe axle, since a gear train cannot readily be accommodated.

Furthermore, in prior proposed toy vehicles it has been proposed to utilise a trailing plaited copper wire contact to pick-up electricity from an electrified track. Such contacts tend to wear very quickly and also tend to provide an inadequate electrical connection.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy vehicle in which the above disadvantages are reduced or obviated.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a toy vehicle comprising a chassis, wheel means mounted on the chassis for supporting and driving the vehicle and an electric motor adapted to drive said wheels, said electric motor having an armature mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and driving a gear train of at least two cog wheels which are each mounted for rotation about a vertical axis.

Preferably the motor comprises an AC motor having a three-armed armature with windingsthereon.

Advantageously said gear train comprises at least two and preferably three cog wheels each mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, and conveniently the drive is transferred to the wheel by a crown wheel mounted on an axle supporting one pair of the wheels, the crown wheel engaging with a toothed protrusion provided on the under surface of the last cog wheel of said train of cog wheels.

Preferably the chassis is provided with means adapted to engage electrified portions of a track on which the vehicle is intended to run and to conduct electricity to brushes engaging a commutator on said armature. Preferably the vehicle is provided with spring biassed electrical pick up means.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a toy vehicle comprising a chassis, wheels to support and drive the vehicle, an electric motor to drive the wheels, and electrical pick-up means to pick-up electricity from a track on which the vehicle is intended to run, said pick-up means each comprising a shoe, means to retain the shoe on the vehicle, and spring means to bias the shoe into contact with an electrified portion of the track.

Conveniently each shoe may comprise a contact portion and two lugs disposed on opposite sides of the contact portion, the lugs each having a stem and an enlarged head the lugs being accommodated in apertures in a metal member to enable free movement of the shoe whilst the shoe is retained on the vehicle. Conveniently the spring means comprise a helical spring engaging in the contact portion of the shoe and accommodated in a recess formed in said metal member.

Conveniently the metal member comprises a conductive track extending from the pick up to brushes forming part of said motor. Preferably the pick-up means are located at the front of the vehicle.

In orderthatthe invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a toy vehicle in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 2 is an underneath plan view of the vehicle shown in Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical pick-up forming part of the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1, and FIGURE 4 is a cross section view of the pick-up illustrated in Figure 3.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings a vehicle in accordance with the present invention comprises a moulded plastics material chassis 1 which supports a front axle 2 having wheels 3,4 and which support a rear axle 5 having wheels 6, 7. Sliding electrical pick-up means 8 are provided at the front of the chassis, these means being described in detail hereinafter. A motor 9 is provided which is centrally located on the chassis, the motor being connected by a gear train to the rear axle 5. A body shell 10 is provided which can be releasably engaged with detents 11 formed on the chassis to complete the toy vehicle.

The toy vehicle in accordance with the invention is intended to run on a track which has two parallel conductive paths formed on the upper surface thereof, and the vehicle is provided with two sliding electrical pick-up means 8 at the front of the chassis, these means being illustrated in detail in Figures 3 and 4.

Each pick-up means 8 comprises a sliding shoe 12 which has a rectangular base contact portion 13 and two upstanding lugs 14 each having a stem and an enlarged head, e.g. a "T" configuration, provided on opposite side edges of the rectangular base portion 13. Thus the shoe 12, in side elevation, has a "U" shaped appearance. The lugs 14 are inserted through "T" shaped apertures 15 formed in a metallic member 16 forming a conductive track, the lugs being deflected so that the stems of the lugs 14 are located in the stem portions of the "T" shaped apertures 15, enabling the shoe 13 to slide freely up and down over a limited extent, but retaining the shoe 12 in position on the vehicle.A recess 17 is formed in the metallic member 16 between the two apertures 15, and a helical compression spring 18 is seated within the recess 17, the spring 18 engaging the base contact portion 13 of the shoe 12 and biassing the base contact portion of the shoe 12 downwardly away from the metallic member 16.

The metallic members 16 each terminate in a curled portion 19 which enibraces a spigot 20 formed on the chassis 1 to locate the metallic member 16 firmly in position. The metallic members 16 extend to the centre ofthe chassis, as can be seen most clearly from Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, the metallic members terminating underneath apertures 21 that are formed in the plastics material chassis 1. Helical compression springs 22 are located within the recesses defined by the aperture 21 and the metallic members 16, the helical compression springs 22 supporting carbon brushes 23 and serving to bias the carbon brushes 23 into contact with metalised areas, on the base of a planar armature support member 24 which form a commutator.The metalised areas of the commutator are connected to copper windings 25 formed on the arms of a three-armed armature 26.

The armature is supported for rotation on a vertical shaft 27, the lower end of the shaft being located in a bearing 28 formed in the chassis 1 and the upper end of the shaft 27 passing through an aperture 29 in the cover plate 30 which is engaged with two upstanding flanges forming part of the chassis 1 to locate the armature 26 in position. Two "C" shaped magnets 31 are located in position in recesses defined by the upstanding flanges on the chassis 1, the magnets surrounding the armature to provide the necessary magnetic field.

Mounted on the upper end of the vertical drive shaft 27 is a small cog 33, this cog meshing with a larger cog 34 which is mounted on a vertical spigot 35 which protrudes from the cover plate 30. The cog 34 meshes with a further cog 36 which is again mounted on a vertical spigot 37 which protrudes from the cover plate 30, the spigot 37 protruding from a recess 38 which is provided to accommodate a toothed protrusion 39 on the lower surface of the cog 36. The cogs 34 and 36 are retained in position by locking washers 40. The toothed protrusion 39 engages a crown wheel 41 which is mounted on the rear axle 5 to drive the rear wheels 6 and 7 and which protrudes through an aperture 42 provided in the cover plate 30 adjacent the recess 38.

The cogs 33,34 and 36 all have vertical axes of rotation.

The chassis is provided, on the underside thereof, with a vertically disposed protrusion 43 which engages the central groove or recess in a track on which the toy vehicle is to run. Electrically conduc tivetracks are provided on either side of the recess, and these tracks are engaged by the spring biassed sliding pick-ups 12. When the vehicle is in position on a track electrical current will flow through the pick-ups 12 along the metallic members 16 to the brushes 23 and thence, via the commutator to the windings 25 of the motor to cause the motor to operate. As the armature of the motor rotates, so the drive shaft 27 rotates the cog 33, causing rotation of the remaining cogs 34,36, in the gear train, all these cogs rotating about vertical axes of rotation. As the cog 36 rotates so the toothed protrusion 39 will rotate, thus driving the crown wheel 41 and causing the toy vehicle to advance.

By utilising a motor having a vertical drive shaft and a plurality of gear wheels adapted to rotate about vertical axes of rotation it is possible to gear the output of the motor as desired. By utilising the spring biassed pick-up it is possible to obviate the necessity to utilise a trailing plated pick-up.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the chassis is provided with two sets of slots 43 to enable the front axle 2 to be located in two different positions. Thus a single chassis 1 may be utilised with different styles of body 10.

Claims (14)

1. A toy vehicle comprising a chassis, wheel means mounted on the chassis for supporting and driving the vehicle and an electric motor adapted to drive said wheels, said electric motor having an armature mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and driving a gear train of at leasttwo cog wheels which are each mounted for rotation about a vertical axis.

2. A toy according to claim 1 wherein the motor comprises an AC motor having a three-armed armature with windingsthereon.

3. A toy according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said gear train comprises at least two cog wheels each mounted for rotation about a vertical axis.

4. A toy according to claim 3 wherein said gear train comprises three cog wheels.

5. A toy according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the drive is transferred to the wheels by a crown wheel mounted on an axle supporting one pair of the wheels, the crown wheel engaging with a toothed protrusion provided on the under surface of the last cog wheel of said train of cog wheels.

6. Atoy according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the chassis is provided with means adapted to engage electrified portions of a track on which the vehicle is intended to run and to conduct electricity to brushes engaging a commutator on said armature.

7. A toy according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the vehicle is provided with spring biassed electrical pick up means.

8. Atoyvehicle comprising a chassis, wheels to support and drive the vehicle, an electric motor to drive the wheels, and electrical pick-up means to pick-up electricity from a track on which the vehicle is intended to run, said pick-up means each comprising a shoe, means to retain the shoe on the vehicle, and spring means to bias the shoe into contact with an electrified portion of the track.

9. Atoy according to claim 8 wherein each shoe comprises a contact portion and two lugs disposed on opposite sides of the contact portion, the lugs each having a stem and an enlarged head the lugs being accommodated in apertures in a metal member to enable free movement of the shoe whilst the shoe is retained on the vehicle.

10. Atoy according to claim 9 wherein the spring means comprise a helical spring engaging the contact portion of the shoe and accommodated in a recess formed in said metal member.

11. Atoy according to claim 9 and 10 wherein the metal member comprises a conductive track extend ing from the pick up to brushes forming part of said motor.

12. A toy according to any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the pick-up means are located at the front of the vehicle.

13. Atoy vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.