1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a toy vehicle, more particularly to a toy vehicle capable of collecting solar power.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such a configuration, since the non-rechargeable batteries 14 are merely used to supply the electrical energy, replacement of the batteries 14 is required when exhausted, thereby resulting in inconvenience during use. Moreover, the exhausted batteries are harmful to the environment.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a toy vehicle capable of collecting solar power that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, a toy vehicle comprises:
a vehicle body;
a base unit including a base plate mounted with the vehicle body thereon, a plurality of parallel axles spaced apart from each other and disposed rotatably on the base plate, and a plurality of wheels mounted respectively on ends of the axles;
a drive unit disposed in the vehicle body, mounted on the base plate of the base unit, and including a motor that has a motor shaft, a first gear sleeved fixedly on the motor shaft of the motor, and a second gear sleeved fixedly on one of the axles of the base unit and meshing with the first gear;
a solar power collecting plate mounted on the vehicle body and adapted to convert solar power into electrical energy;
a rechargeable battery set mounted on the base plate of the base unit, and connected electrically to the solar power collecting plate such that the electrical energy from the solar power collecting plate is used to charge the rechargeable battery set; and
a power switch mounted on the base plate of the base unit, connected electrically between the rechargeable battery set and the motor of the drive unit, and operable so as to switch from an OFF state, where the rechargeable battery set is disconnected electrically from the motor of the drive unit, to an ON state, where the rechargeable battery set is connected electrically to the motor of the drive unit such that electrical power from the rechargeable battery set is supplied to the motor of the drive unit.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
a is a schematic circuit block diagram showing the preferred embodiment;
Referring to
The vehicle body 3 is hollow, and has a top side 30.
The base unit 4 includes a base plate 40 mounted with the vehicle body 3 thereon, two parallel axles 41, 42 spaced apart from each other and disposed rotatably on the base plate 40, and a plurality of wheels 43 mounted respectively on ends of the axles 41, 42.
The drive unit 5 is disposed in the vehicle body 3, is mounted on the base plate 40 of the base unit 4, and includes a motor 51 that has a motor shaft 510, a first gear 52 sleeved fixedly on the motor shaft 510 of the motor 51, and a second gear 53 sleeved fixedly on the axle 41 of the base unit 4 and meshing with the first gear 52.
The solar power collecting plate 6 is mounted on the top side 30 of the vehicle body 3, and is adapted to convert solar power into electrical energy.
The rechargeable battery set 7 is mounted on the base plate 40 of the base unit 4, and is connected electrically to the solar power collecting plate 6 such that the electrical energy from the solar power collecting plate 6 is used to charge the rechargeable battery set 7. In this embodiment, the rechargeable battery set 7 includes a battery-mounting seat 71, and two rechargeable batteries 72 mounted in the battery-mounting seat 71. Each rechargeable battery 71 is selected from the group consisting of a lithium battery, a nickel-zinc battery, a nickel-cadmium battery and a hydrocarbon battery.
The power switch 8 is mounted on the base plate 40 of the base unit 4, and is connected electrically between the rechargeable battery set 7 and the motor 51 of the drive unit 5. The power switch 8 is operable so as to switch from an OFF state, where the rechargeable battery set 7 is disconnected electrically from the motor 51 of the drive unit 5, to an ON state, where the rechargeable battery set 7 is connected electrically to the motor 51 of the drive unit 5 such that electrical power from the rechargeable battery set 7 is supplied to the motor 51 of the drive unit 5. As a result, the axle 41 of the base unit 4 is driven by the motor shaft 510 of the motor 51 to rotate, thereby moving the toy vehicle 2.
The toy vehicle 2 may be designed to have a truck appearance shown in
In such a configuration, due to the presence of the solar power collecting plate 6 and the rechargeable battery set 7, the toy vehicle of this invention can obtain sufficient supply of electrical energy therefrom without replacement of exhausted batteries as encountered in the abovementioned prior art, thereby resulting in convenience during use.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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096206129 | Apr 2007 | TW | national |