Amusement devices: toys – Rolling or tumbling – Including intrinsic motive power means for propulsion
Patent
1993-03-19
1994-06-14
Yu, Mickey
Amusement devices: toys
Rolling or tumbling
Including intrinsic motive power means for propulsion
446443, A63H 1736
Patent
active
053205740
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a toy vehicle.
A toy vehicle is known, in particular from Document US-A-4 156 987, that comprises a chassis, a pair of non-steerable wheels, and a pair of steerable wheels mounted on the chassis, a reversible motor mounted on the chassis and fitted with a first outlet shaft associated with a transmission for driving the non-steerable wheels in a forwards direction regardless of the direction of rotation of the motor, and with a second outlet shaft carrying a steering control member for the steerable wheels, the steerable wheels being mounted on supports which are pivoted to the chassis about respective substantially vertical axes, and which are interconnected by a tie-bar.
In the above-mentioned document, the control member comprises a friction sleeve mounted on the second outlet shaft of the motor and co-operating with a plate pivoted on the vehicle chassis about an axis that is substantially vertical and that is also pivoted to the tie-bar. The plate extends beneath the friction sleeve to be driven thereby to the right or to the left depending on the direction of rotation of the motor. The capacity of a device of that type to steer the steerable wheels is linked to the amount of friction that the friction sleeve exerts on the steering control plate. This degree of friction is very difficult to adjust and it has a direct effect on the general behavior of the vehicle. If the degree of friction is high, then the steering control plate is driven appropriately each time the direction of rotation of the motor reverses, however the motor is then braked each time it changes direction, thereby causing the vehicle to loose speed. In contrast, if the degree of friction is insufficient, then the vehicle is not braked, but the steerable wheels are not caused to steer adequately.
In existing devices, the friction sleeve has been replaced by a control gear wheel that includes a series of teeth and the steering control plate for the steerable wheels includes a stud that co-operates with the control gear wheel. However, because of the oscillating movements of the control plate, the control stud does not remain parallel to the second outlet shaft and it sometimes happens that the control stud escapes from the teeth of the controlling gear wheel when the motor reverses its direction of rotation, and as a result the steerable wheels do not always change direction appropriately.
An object of the invention is to propose a vehicle that includes a control member that systematically ensures that the steerable wheels change direction when the direction of rotation of the motor is reversed, while minimizing the extent to which the motor is slowed down at the moment it changes direction.
To achieve this object, the present invention provides a toy vehicle comprising a chassis, a pair of non-steerable wheels and a pair of steerable wheels mounted on the chassis, a reversible motor mounted on the chassis and fitted with a first outlet shaft associated with a transmission for driving at least one of the non-steerable wheels in a forwards direction regardless of the direction of rotation of the motor, and with a second outlet shaft carrying a steering control member for the steerable wheels, the steerable wheels being mounted on supports which are pivoted to the chassis about respective substantially vertical axes and which are interconnected by a tie-bar, wherein the control member includes at least one control tooth carried by the second outlet shaft of the motor, and wherein a steering control stud is carried by the tie-bar facing the second outlet shaft and extending parallel thereto.
Thus, when the direction of rotation of the motor is reversed, the control tooth carried by the second outlet shaft of the motor comes into contact over its entire length with the control stud carried by the tie-bar, and positive engagement is ensured for changing the direction of the steerable wheels.
In an advantageous version of the invention, the control stud is triangular in section having an edge directed towards
REFERENCES:
patent: 3027682 (1962-04-01), Schlau
patent: 3590526 (1971-07-01), Deyerl
patent: 3635304 (1972-01-01), Hills
patent: 4156987 (1979-06-01), Lahr
patent: 4755161 (1988-07-01), Yang
Lahr Robert
Lynch Barry
Ideal Loisirs
Yu Mickey
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