The present invention relates to a toy vehicle and more particularly to a toy vehicle used in lane guided car racing, wherein the toy vehicle comprises a motor fitted with a drive shaft, a driven axle equipped with wheels, and a gear unit mounted between the drive shaft and the driven axle.
Illustratively and as regards autoracing in lanes, the object of a race is to move a toy vehicle manually as fast as possible over the tracks by controlling the vehicle's speed, without the vehicle thereby leaving the track in unwanted manner. Conventionally the toy vehicle is fitted with an electric motor longitudinally integrated in it, as well as a drive shaft projecting from one motor end and terminating in a gear unit. A pinion is mounted at the end of the drive shaft near the gear unit. The common axle of the powered wheels runs through the gear unit and is fitted with a crown gear. Inside the gear unit, the pinion meshes with the crown gear, different numbers of pinion teeth and crown gear teeth entailing different transmission ratios.
Moreover a steered toy vehicle is known form the German patent document A1 27 22 734 where, by engaging a clutch and by means of the direction of rotation of an electric motor, the vehicle's front steering is moved into the right or left end positions in order to move the toy vehicle from one side of the lane to the other. In order to drive the toy vehicle always in the same direction even though the direction of the electric motor is alternating, a cage is pivotably mounted on a drive shaft of the electric motor and encloses both a first pinion rigidly joined to the drive shaft and a second pinion engaging the first one. Depending on the direction of rotation of the electric motor, the cage each time pivots into a particular end position, the second pinion engaging a first crown gear and a second crown gear in a first end position, the two crown gears being mounted on one axle of driven wheels. In this configuration the driven-wheels axle is always powered in the same direction independently of the direction of rotation of the electric motor.
An object of the present invention is to improve to such an extent a toy vehicle of the above kind that even more realistic behavior of driving and steering shall be attained from the speed control means.
In accordance with the invention, a toy vehicle comprises a drive motor fitted with a drive shaft, a driven axle equipped with wheels, and a transmission unit between the drive shaft and the driven axle. The transmission unit includes two gears of different transmission ratios, a first gear being associated with a first direction of rotation of the drive motor and a second gear being associated with a second direction of rotation of the drive motor that is opposite the first direction of rotation.
Because the transmission unit is driven by the rotation direction of the motor, a gear shift device having different transmission ratios can be connected between the drive shaft and driven axle to provide a simple drive without additional switching elements. In this manner the toy vehicle acquires the additional function of gear shifting without entailing additional control elements. Gear shifting is illustratively provided by electrical commutation, frequency control of or phase shifting the vehicle potential, thus entailing reversal of the motor's direction of rotation.
Preferably the transmission unit includes first and second different gears, respectively associated with first and second opposite directions of motor rotation.
Appropriately the gear unit is designed in such a way that independently of the motor direction of rotation, the drive of the drive axle is always in the same direction.
In a preferred development of the present invention, the transmission unit comprises a mechanical barrier capable of assuming two positions and designed and configured in such manner that shifting the transmission unit is precluded when the drive motor direction of rotation is reversed in a first barrier end position, while in a second barrier end position shifting is unhampered. As a result reversing the drive motor direction of rotation selectively allows operating in forward and reverse motions or at different speeds/gears.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission unit comprises a first pinion non-rotatably affixed to the drive shaft, a cage which is rotatably joined to the drive shaft and which keeps a second pinion engaged with the first pinion and which, together with the second pinion, is pivotable about the drive shaft, acting as a pivot axis between the two end positions, further a first gear non-rotatably linked to the driven axle and a second gear non-rotatably linked to the driven axle, said first and second gears being fitted each with a different number of teeth and being configured in such a way that, in a first end position of said cage, the second pinion shall mesh with the first gear and in a second cage end position the second pinion shall mesh with the second gear. If a mechanical barrier is included, it will be designed in a way, when locked, to preclude the cage from pivoting.
The first and/or the second gears are illustratively crown gear(s).
The invention is described below in relation to the drawing.
The preferred embodiment of a toy vehicle of the present invention shown merely in cutaway form in
The transmission unit comprises a first pinion 18 rigidly affixed to the drive shaft 12, a cage 20 which is rotatably linked to the drive shaft 12, a first crown gear 22 non-rotatably mounted on the driven axle 14 and a second crown gear 24 non-rotatably mounted on the driven axle 21. The cage 20 encloses the first pinion 18 and additionally supports a second pinion 26 in such a way that said second pinion meshes with the first pinion 18.
The cage 20 is designed and mounted in such a way that it can be pivoted jointly with the second pinion 26 about the drive shaft acting as the pivot axis between two end positions without the first and second pinions 18 and 26 disengaging from each other. In the end positions, the cage 20 rests against corresponding stops 28 (
The crown gear 22 has fewer teeth than the second crown gear 24 and as a result different transmission ratios are operative in the two end positions of the cage 20 from the drive shaft 12 on the driven axle 14.
The rotational coupling between the drive shaft 12 and the cage 20 is arranged in such manner that when the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 12 is reversed, first the cage 20 rotates along with the drive shaft 12 until the cage 20 comes to rest against one of the stops 28. Because cage 20 remains in the particular end position while the drive shaft 12 continues rotating and presses the cage 20 against the particular stop 28, engagement assuring force transmission between the second pinion 26 and the particular crown gear 22 or 24 is established.
After the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 12 has been reversed in the direction of the arrow 32 in
Remarkably, transmission unit 16 does not require additional remote-controlled shifting elements. Instead of using an additional shifting element, shifting between gears is accomplished by reversing the direction of rotation of the drive motor 10.
Direct comparison of
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201 00 473 U | Jan 2001 | DE | national |
201 09 329 U | Jun 2001 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE01/04958 | 12/27/2001 | WO | 00 | 12/23/2003 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO02/055166 | 7/18/2002 | WO | A |
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2016645 | Sep 1979 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040082267 A1 | Apr 2004 | US |