AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A RUNNING TRACK OF A RACING TOY

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a running track of a toy car racer in a racing toy is disclosed, in which a motor-driven running body (16) runs on a base (10) having a plurality of guide tracks (12) in parallel spaced apart from each other and is provided with a guide element engageable with the guide track, an electromagnetic coil (34) for engaging and disengaging the guide element with the guide track, and a rotary magnet (32) for controlling wheel-steerage by means of its polarity determined by energizing the electromagnetic coil.

Description: This invention relates to a motor-driven toy running body for a racing toy as defined in the preamble of claim 1. Such a toy running body is known from DE-A-3003707. In this prior art there are two different electromagnetic coils provided, the first one for actuating the front wheel steering and the second one for actuating the guide pin. While the first electromagnetic coil is arranged horizontally, the second one is arranged vertically. The rotary magnet acting upon the steering device is normally arranged in the longitudinal direction of the toy running body and the york portions of the first electromagnetic coil are thus arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body, that is parallel to the front axle. The arrangement of the components of the transferring mechanism known from DE-A-3003707 suffers from the disadvantage that it is of a very complicated structure. Notably the requirement for two different electromagnetic coils results in problems in particular in very small toy running bodies providing only a little space for the mechanism. Furthermore there has conventionally been known a racing toy which includes a single running base provided thereon with a plurality of endless guide tracks in parallel spaced apart at a predetermined distance from each other, on which one or more running bodies (for example, toy bodies) may run simultaneously. The running body for use in such type of the racing toy is generally known to have a driving motor and a circuit for controlling the motor-drive. As a power-supplying system therefor, there has been known an electric path extended along the guide track on the base or a radio-controllable system containing a secondary battery. In the conventional racing toy of such type, however, the power-supplying system of the electric path along the guide track does not allow the change of a running direction or the steering control independently for the running body to transfer one track to another adjacent track. It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor-driven toy running body for a racing toy which is improved with respect to the prior art according to DE-A-3003707 regarding reliability in operation, production costs and the need for build-in space for the track transferring mechanism. This object is achieved by providing the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1 in a toy running body according to its preamble. Thus the invention provides a toy running body provided with a single electromagnetic coil for engaging and disengaging the guide pin with the guide track and for actuating the wheel steerage by acting upon the rotary magnet for controlling wheel-steerage by means of its polarity. The guide pin protrudes from a movable iron core arranged within the electromagnetic coil. Further, the rotary magnet is fixed and swingably supported to a middle position of the front axle so as to have a different polarity in the axial direction, and york portions of the electromagnetic coil are arranged perpendicular to the front axle at either side thereof, thereby oppositely arranging electrodes having different polarity. In the apparatus according to the invention, the electromagnetic coil is preferably energized to provide the opposite selected polarity by means of a radio-controllable system. In accordance with the invention, the engagement and disengagement of the guide pin with the track on the base may be achieved by use of the controlling circuit utilizing the radio-controllable system for energizing the electromagnetic coil, while the magnetic polarity generated by the electromagnetic coil may control the wheel-steerage, thereby readily selecting a desired track and optionally changing the track for running. The invention will now be described in more detail for its preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic bottom view of one embodiment of the racing car useful in the apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the base for running the toy car of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the base along the line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional side view of main portions of a transferring mechanism in the toy car of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the transferring mechanism of Fig. 4. Figure 1 is a schematic bottom view of one embodiment of the racing car useful in the apparatus according to the invention, while Figure 2 is a plan view of the base for running the toy car of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the reference 10 represents a racing base which is provided thereon, as described hereinafter in detail, with a plurality of endless slots 12 in parallel spaced apart at a predetermined distance from each other. Further, the base at its either edge is provided with a side wall 14 for preventing a running body (a toy car) 16 from going out of the track (see Fig. 3). The running body 16 having the apparatus for transferring the track according to the invention to be utilized for the racing base 10 includes a car body 22 having front and rear wheels 18 and 20, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1. Further, the car body 22 contains a motor 24 for driving the rear wheels 20, a track-transferring mechanism 26 and a circuit 28 for controlling these parts. The controlling circuit 28 is provided with a power battery and a radio-receiver (not shown) which generates operative instructions for conducting the drive-control of the motor 24 and the steering-control of the track-transferring mechanism 26. Circuit connections of the motor 24 to the rear wheels 20 and of the controlling circuit 28 thereto may be conventional in the art of the radio-controlling system. According to this embodiment, the track-transferring mechanism 26 comprises a rotary magnet 32 connected to a middle portion of an axle 30 of the front wheels 18, an electromagnetic coil 34 adjacent to the rotary magnet, and a movable guide pin 36 which is perpendicular to the axle 30 and vertically movable through energization of the electromagnetic coil 34. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the rotary magnet 32 is swingably supported to the axle 30 and positioned so as to provide different polarities at its either end in the same orientation of the axle 30. Further, the rotary magnet 32 at its either end is oppositively provided with electrodes 38, 40 forming york portions which are connected to the different polarities of the electromagnetic coil 34 in the direction perpendicular to the axle 30. Into a hollow space of the electromagnetic coil 34 is inserted a movable iron core 44 which at its one end is provided with a spring 42, as best shown in Fig. 4. The iron core 44 at its front end is provided with the protruded guide pin 36. In the track-transferring mechanism 26 thus constructed, the electromagnetic coil 34 is electrically connected to the controlling circuit 28 and energized by the latter to attract the movable guide pin 36. At the same time the rotary magnet 32 may swing, depending on the polarity of the electromagnetic coil 34, to steer the front wheels 18 thereby achieving the track transfer on the racing base 10. The operation of the apparatus according to the invention will be described below. Referring to Fig. 2, the running body 16 is now running along the B slot 12. At any time of this running phase, the radio-transmitter is operated to generate an instruction for reducing a rotation rate of the motor 24 and hence of the rear wheels 20. When the running body comes to a straight course of the B slot 12, the radio-transmitter is again operated to generate another instruction for energizing the electromagnetic coil 34. In this case, the electromagnetic coil 34 may be energized so as to change its polarity to the electrodes 38 and 40, respectively. Now upon energization of the coil 34 in the one polarity relation, the movable iron core 44 is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 44 against a force of the spring 42 and held in the hollow space thereby removing the guide pin 36 from the B slot 12, while at the same time the rotary magnet 32 swings in the direction corresponding to the polarities of the electrodes 38, 40 (which polarities depend on the polarity of the electromagnetic coil 34) thereby transferring the slowly running car body 16 from the B slot toward the adjacent A or C slot. When the running body 16 has arrived at the intended position, the operational instruction of the radio-transmitter is then released to allow the guide pin 36 to restore its insertion into the A or B slot with the action of the spring 42, thereby achieving the stable running operation on the A or B slot of the track (see Fig. 2). It will be appreciated from the above embodiment that the guide pin of the running body may be engaged and disengaged with the track or the slot by the electromagnetic coil, while the rotary magnet may swing by the electrodes formed through the energization of the electromagnetic coil, thereby steering the front wheels. Thus, the conventional radio-controlling system for the toy racer may be employed to achieve the convenient and reliable track-transfer. In particular, the apparatus according to the invention may be readily manufactured at a low cost by essentially using the electromagnetic coil and the permanent magnet, and enables the running toy car to change its track optionally to the left or the right, thereby providing a very interesting racing toy at a low cost.

Claims: A motor driven toy running body for a racing toy in which said running body runs on a base having a plurality of guide tracks in parallel and is adapted for transferring the running track, said toy running body having a spring biased guide pin for engagement with each one of said guide tracks, an electromagnetic coil for engaging and disengaging said guide pin with the guide track, a rotary magnet for controlling front wheel steerage by means of its polarity determined by energizing an electromagnetic coil having oppositely arranged yoke portions, characterized by the following features: a single electromagnetic coil (34) is provided for actuating both, the wheel steerage and the guide pin (36); a movable iron core (44) is arranged within said electromagnetic coil (34); the guide pin (36) protrudes from said movable iron core (44); the rotary magnet (32) is fixed and swingably supported to a middle position of the front axle (30) so as to have a different polarity in the axial direction; the yoke portions (38, 40) of the electromagnetic coil (34) are arranged perpendicular to the front axle (30) at either side thereof. A toy running body according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic coil (34) is energized to provide selected polarity by means of a radio-controllable system.

Inventors: ISHIMOTO, ZENICHI
Applicants: NIKKO CO., LTD.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A63H18
IPC codes: A63H18