This non-provisional application claims priority from Taiwan Patent Application No. 105104531, 105104532, 105202240, 105202239 and 105202241 filed on Feb. 17, 2016, the content thereof is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to electric toy guns and, more particularly, to an assembled electric toy gun which allows a spring therein to be changed quickly, allows a motor-end terminal connected with a battery-end terminal in place and disconnected quickly, enables a cylinder piston unit and a barrel to be aligned with different axial directions, so as to prevent energy loss which might otherwise compromise the propulsion speed of a projectile, and saves power effectively.
Electric toy guns are a common type of toy gun. Unlike a gas gun which uses a compressed gas as a source of projectile propelling power, an electric toy gun generates projectile propelling power by compressing air with a piston tube. A conventional electric toy gun comprises a receiver, a barrel, a cylinder, a piston tube and a spring. The piston tube slidably fitted inside the cylinder, and the spring disposed in the piston tube. A nozzle is disposed at the front end of the barrel and aimed at a projectile to be fired. A gear set is disposed at the rear end of the receiver and driven by an electric motor. When the projectile approaches the barrel, the gear set drives the nozzle to deliver the projectile into the barrel. When a gear rack disposed on the outer wall of the piston tube is driven by the gear set to move toward the rear end of the receiver, the space between the piston tube and the cylinder increases and thus admits ambient air. When the gear rack of the piston tube gets free of the meshing and driving engagement with the gear set, the piston tube is driven to move toward the front end of the receiver under an elasticity restoring force exerted by the spring and thus compress the admitted air between the piston tube and the cylinder such that the air is forcibly discharged from the barrel. Eventually, the projectile in the vicinity of the nozzle is ejected.
Laws on projectile velocity of electric toy guns vary from country to country. For example, the United States differs from Japan in safety regulations for projectile velocity of electric toy guns, and thus those electric toy guns which comply with the American regulations do not necessarily comply with the Japanese regulations. However, conventional electric toy guns do not come with any mechanism for adjusting projectile velocity. The only way that conventional electric toy guns can alter projectile velocity is to alter spring elasticity modulus. Specifically speaking, conventional electric toy guns are equipped with springs which differ in modulus of elasticity so that the piston tube can operate at different compression ratios, thereby effectuating projectile velocity which differ in magnitude. Therefore, manufacturers have to manufacture different types of electric toy guns in order to comply with safety regulations of countries which the electric toy guns are intended to be sold to. As a result, the prior art still has room for improvements, regarding its disadvantages as follows: a plethora of parts and components and types thereof, cost-ineffective design changes, and inconvenience caused to manufacturers and distributors because of the need to stockpile products of various safety specifications.
Last but not least, a bolt and a barrel of a conventional real gun are aligned with the same axial direction, so are a cylinder piston unit and a barrel of an electric toy gun in order for the electric toy gun to look like the real gun. Hence, a change in an exterior design of the electric toy gun always necessitates aligning the cylinder piston unit and the barrel with different axial directions, thereby rendering it necessary to redesign a feeding linkage structure.
In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, including the difficulty in mounting and dismounting a motor-end terminal and a battery-end terminal, the inventor of the present invention carried out related research with a view to overcoming the aforesaid drawbacks and, after conducting experiments and making efforts repeatedly, came up with the present invention.
To overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, the objective of the present invention is to provide an electric toy gun that allows a spring therein to be changed quickly, allows a motor-end terminal connected with a battery-end terminal in placed and disconnected quickly, enables a cylinder piston unit and a barrel to be aligned with different axial directions, and effectuates power saving.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an assembled electric toy gun, comprising an upper receiver, a lower receiver, a power module, a feeding linkage structure, and a firing mode system. The upper receiver has a battery and at least one posting unit. The battery is disposed in the upper receiver and supplies a power. The posting unit is a hollow-cored post. The at least one posting unit is disposed in the upper receiver. The at least one posting unit each comprises a height. The lower receiver has a motor, a barrel, a cylinder piston unit, and a quick-release-change spring structure. The lower receiver is connected to the upper receiver. The motor is disposed in the lower receiver. The barrel is disposed in the lower receiver. An angle is defined between the cylinder piston unit and the barrel. The quick-release-change spring structure is connected to the bottom of the lower receiver through a connecting element.
The power module further comprises a first PCB and a second PCB. The first PCB is electrically connected to the battery and comprises at least one mounting hole. The at least one mounting hole is of an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the at least one posting unit. The first PCB is of a thickness smaller than the height of the at least one posting unit. The at least one mounting hole of the first PCB fits around the at least one posting unit, respectively. A screw is penetratingly disposed through the inner wall of the at least one posting unit, thereby allowing the first PCB to be mounted inside the upper receiver. At least two terminal clips are disposed on the first PCB. The second PCB is electrically connected to the motor and has at least two terminals. The terminals are disposed on the lower receiver. When the lower receiver is connected to the upper receiver, the terminals are clamped by the terminal clips on the first PCB, thereby allowing the second PCB to be electrically connected to the first PCB.
The feeding linkage structure has a nozzle. The nozzle is adapted to abut against the projectile. The nozzle is connected to a transmission kit. The transmission kit and the cylinder piston unit are interlocked by a gear train. The firing mode system is disposed in the lower receiver. The firing mode system is connected to the battery through a trigger switch. The trigger switch is in one of a contact operation state and a break suspension state.
To enable persons skilled in the art to understand the objective of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated with drawings and described below.
Referring to
The first PCB 102 is electrically connected to the battery 117 and includes at least one mounting hole 1020 of an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the at least one posting unit 101. The first PCB 102 is of a thickness smaller than the height of the at least one posting unit 101. The at least one mounting hole 1020 fits around the at least one posting unit 101, respectively. A screw 1021 is penetratingly disposed through the inner wall of the at least one posting unit 101, thereby allowing the first PCB 102 to be mounted inside the upper receiver 10. At least two terminal clips 1022 are disposed on the first PCB 102. The at least one mounting hole 1020 looks circular or semicircular.
With the at least one mounting hole 1020 being of an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the at least one posting unit 101 and the first PCB 102 being of a thickness smaller than the height of the at least one posting unit 101, the first PCB 102 maintains resilience space on both a horizontal position and a vertical position even after the screw 1021 has been penetratingly disposed through the inner wall of the at least one posting unit 101 and the first PCB 102 has been mounted inside the upper receiver 10. Due to the resilience space on both a horizontal position and a vertical position, a motor-end terminal and a battery-end terminal, when aligned with and connected to each other, are not only mounted in place more easily but also exhibit a reduction in wear and tear of electrically conductive materials on the terminals, thereby allowing the terminals to exhibit high electrical conductivity even after multiple instances of assembly and disassembly.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one posting unit 101 is a hollow-cored post, and an internal thread is disposed on the inner wall of the post. The internal thread of the at least one posting unit 101 corresponds in position to an external thread of the screw 1021.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminal clips 1022 are each inverted Ω-shaped and thus are effective in positioning the terminals 1110, thereby rendering it easy for a motor-end terminal and a battery-end terminal to be mounted in place and convenient for users to disconnect the motor-end terminal and the battery-end terminal.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one posting unit 101 is disposed on a base 101a, and the base 101a is connected to the upper receiver 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper receiver 10 and the at least one posting unit 101 are integrally formed.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the battery 117 is a lithium battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery or an alkaline battery.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one posting unit 101, the at least one mounting hole 1020 and the screws 1021 are in the number of three each, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the other embodiments of the present invention, the at least one posting unit 101, the at least one mounting hole 1020 and the screws 1021 come in any other number each. Given the power module of the assembled electric toy gun of the present invention, a positioning structure enables the motor-end terminal and the battery-end terminal to be mounted in place quickly and efficiently and disconnected by users conveniently. Furthermore, since the first PCB 102 maintains resilience space on both a horizontal position and a vertical position, the motor-end terminal and the battery-end terminal, when aligned with and connected to each other, are not only mounted in place more easily but also exhibit a reduction in wear and tear of electrically conductive materials on the terminals, thereby allowing the terminals to exhibit high electrical conductivity even after multiple instances of assembly and disassembly.
Referring to
According to the present invention, the cylinder piston unit 11 and the barrel 12 are connected by a nozzle (not shown), and an angle θ is defined between the cylinder piston unit 11 and the barrel 12, thereby allowing the spring plate 111 to connect with the bottom of the assembled electric toy gun 1 through a connecting element 114. The bottom of the lower receiver 100 is substantially parallel to the barrel 12.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the connecting element 114 is a pin structure, wherein an elastic element 115 is disposed at the tail of the pin structure and engaged with the lower receiver 100 of the assembled electric toy gun 1. With reference to the aforesaid structures, elements, and designs, the present invention provides applications and operations as described below. Referring to
As mentioned before, a conventional electric toy gun alters projectile propulsion strength by altering the modulus of elasticity of its spring structure. However, it is difficult to dismount the spring structure of the conventional electric toy gun. Compared with its conventional counterpart, the toy gun quick-release-change spring structure of the present invention has advantages as follows: 1. the quick-release-change spring structure of the present invention allows a spring in the toy gun to be changed quickly; 2. the quick-release-change spring structure of the present invention effectively precludes excessive stockpiles; and 3. the quick-release-change spring structure of the present invention allows an elastic element to be disposed at the tail of the pin structure and engaged firmly with the receiver of the toy gun.
Referring to
The piston 117 is disposed in the cylinder 116, connected to the gear rack 118, and adapted to abut against the spring 113. The barrel 12 comprises a nozzle 119 and a feeding component 121. The nozzle 119 is adapted to abut against a projectile 16. The feeding component 121 is connected to a magazine (not shown) of the assembled electric toy gun 1 to move the projectile 16 from the magazine to the barrel 12.
An angle θ is defined between the cylinder piston unit 11 and the barrel 12. The nozzle 119 is connected to the transmission kit 13. The transmission kit 13 and the cylinder piston unit 11 are interlocked by the gear train 14. The transmission kit 13 transmits an operating force to the nozzle 119 while the gear train 14 is operating such that not only is the projectile 16 pushed into the barrel 12, but the cylinder piston unit 11 also compresses air therein to propel the projectile 16. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission kit 13 comprises a drawbar 131 and an interlocking portion 132. The gear train 14 drives the drawbar 131 to operate. The interlocking portion 132 has one end connected to the drawbar 131 through a link 133 and the other end connected to the nozzle 119 so that not only is the projectile 16 which the nozzle 119 abuts against pushed to the end of the barrel 12, but the cylinder piston unit 11 also compresses air therein, allowing the projectile 16 to be moved along the barrel 12 and eventually ejected.
With reference to the aforesaid structures, elements, and designs, the present invention provides applications and operations as described below. When the electric motor 15 drives the gear train 14 to rotate, the sector gear 141 gets connected to the gear rack 118 and thus drives the piston 117 to move in the axial direction toward the rear end of the cylinder piston unit 11 so that the space between the piston 117 and the cylinder 116 increases to thereby admit ambient air. The gear train 14 also drives, through the protruding portion 142, the drawbar 131 to move in the axial direction toward the rear end of the cylinder piston unit 11. Since the transmission kit 13 is connected to the nozzle 119, the nozzle 119 is driven by the protruding portion 142 to move backward within the barrel 12 and thus form a space for receiving the projectile 16. At this point in time, under the guidance provided by the feeding component 121, the projectile 16 elevates and thus moves from the magazine into the barrel 12.
Preferably, the lower receiver 100 further comprises a restoring spring 101. The restoring spring 101 is connected to the lower receiver 100 and the drawbar 131; hence, upon separation of the protruding portion 142 and the drawbar 131, the restoring spring 101 drives the drawbar 131 by elasticity so that the nozzle 119 moves the projectile 16 into the barrel 12. Then, the sector gear 141 is located at a gearless position and connected to the gear rack 118. The sector gear 141 is disengaged from the transmission involving the gear rack 118 so that the piston 117 gets free of the meshing and driving engagement with the sector gear 141. Under the elasticity of the spring 113, the piston 117 is driven to move toward the front end of the cylinder piston unit 11 and thus compress the air between the piston 117 and the cylinder 116. As a result, the compressed air moves along the nozzle (not shown) in the cylinder 116 before reaching the nozzle 119. The mouth (not shown) of the nozzle 119 is in communication with the nozzle so that the projectile 16 in the vicinity of the nozzle 119 is moved along the barrel 12 and eventually ejected. Compared with its conventional counterpart, the feeding linkage structure of the present invention is not only applicable to an electric toy gun with a cylinder piston unit and a barrel, which are aligned with different axial directions, but also prevents the cylinder piston unit in operation from undergoing energy loss which might otherwise compromise the propulsion speed of the projectile.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the trigger switch 118 is in the contact operation state, i.e., a firing state, both the battery 117 and the power converter 119 are in an electric signal-on state, thereby allowing the power converter 119 to receive the power from the battery 117. Furthermore, the battery 117 supplies the power with an operating voltage of 12V, and then the 12V operating voltage of the power is transformed by the power converter 119 to an operating voltage of the micro control unit 115. The micro control unit 115 has an operating voltage of 5V. The micro control unit 115 sends the signal to the power switch module 113; hence, the power switch module 113 is in the switch-on state so that the battery 117 supplies the power for driving the motor gear piston unit 114 to operate. Given the 12V operating voltage of the power and the 10-30 A operating current of the motor gear piston unit 114, the motor gear piston unit 114 uses directly the operating current of the power supplied by the battery 117. The power switch module 113 operates in conjunction with a rectification unit (not shown) to adjustably attain the operating current of the motor gear piston unit 114.
When the trigger switch 118 is in the break suspension state, i.e., a nonfiring state, the power converter 119 cannot receive the power supplied by the battery 117, neither can the micro control unit 115 send the signal to the power switch module 113, thereby causing the power switch module 113 to stay in the switch-off state and preventing the battery 117 from supplying the power to the motor gear piston unit 114. Hence, when the trigger switch 118 of the toy gun firing mode system 1 of the present invention is in the break suspension state, i.e., a nonfiring state, the micro control unit 115 is not operating, thereby saving the power of the toy gun effectively.
Referring to
Referring to
When the cam disk 1124 is located at the second contact position 92, and the trigger switch 118 in the contact operation state, i.e., a firing state, the micro control unit 115 starts and receives a signal from the first switch 1121 and the second switch 1122 simultaneously, whereas the cam disk 1124 separates from the first switch 1121 and presses against the second switch 1122, with the micro control unit 115 set to a double shot mode, thereby allowing the micro control unit 115 to send the signal to the power switch module 113. At this point in time, the power switch module 113 is in the switch-on state and thus drives the motor gear piston unit 114 to operate. After the motor gear piston unit 114 has finished two instances of operation, the cut-off switch 1123 sends a signal to the micro control unit 115 twice; meanwhile, the micro control unit 115 intercepts the signal sent to the power switch module 113 so that the power switch module 113 is in the switch-off state, thereby allowing a double shot mode to require the motor gear piston unit 114 to finish only two instances of operation.
When the cam disk 1124 is located at the third contact position 93, and the trigger switch 118 in the contact operation state, i.e., a firing state, the micro control unit 115 starts and receives a signal from the first switch 1121 and the second switch 1122 simultaneously, whereas the cam disk 1124 presses against the first switch 1121 and the second switch 1122, with the micro control unit 115 set to a multi-shot mode, thereby allowing the micro control unit 115 to send the signal to the power switch module 113. At this point in time, the micro control unit 115 ignores the signal sent from the detecting switch 1123 but continuously sends the signal to the power switch module 113, and thus the motor gear piston unit 114 operates continuously until the trigger switch 118 enters the break suspension state, i.e., a nonfiring state, to suspend the operation of the micro control unit 115 and cause the power switch module 113 to enter the switch-off state, thereby allowing a multi-shot mode to require the motor gear piston unit 114 to operate continuously.
According to the present invention, the trigger switch 118 becomes in electric signal connection with the power converter 119 and then in electric signal connection with the micro control unit 115; hence, when the trigger switch 118 is in the break suspension state, i.e., a nonfiring state, the micro control unit 115 is not operating, thereby saving the power of the toy gun. In addition, the aforesaid structures and features of the present invention cannot be easily conceived and accomplished by persons skilled in the art and thus has novelty and non-obviousness.
The above description sufficiently shows that the objective and advantages of the present invention are novel and non-obvious and have high industrial applicability and thus meet legal requirements of invention patentability. Although the present invention is disclosed above by preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments are not restrictive of the scope of the implementation of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made to the preferred embodiments according to the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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105104531 A | Feb 2016 | TW | national |
105104532 A | Feb 2016 | TW | national |
105202239 U | Feb 2016 | TW | national |
105202240 U | Feb 2016 | TW | national |
105202241 U | Feb 2016 | TW | national |
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