Improvements in toy electric cars which can travel on tracks with guide grooves

Abstract: Retaining the same electric propulsion micromotor (6), and retaining the conventional rear-wheel drive, that is to say the axle (2) as live axle, they consist in displacing the said electric micromotor (6) towards the forward end of the chassis (1), locating it immediately behind the guide mechanism (8), specifically between the front wheels (7) of the car, for which purpose the output shaft (15) of the micromotor (6) is coupled to an extender rod (14) which via its back and free end terminates in the corresponding driving pinion (5) for the crown wheel (4) of the live axle. This entails a substantial forward shift of the centre of gravity of the car, which improves the stability of the guide mechanism (8) on the corresponding groove of the track.

Description: SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in toy electric cars, specifically in those which pick up the current from the actual running track, the latter having guide grooves for these cars, encased in metal tracks, which constitute the electrical supply terminals for the corresponding cars, whose speed may vary as a function of the voltage applied to the said electrically conducting tracks, from a voltage regulator or changer with which each controller is furnished. An example is given in document Ep-A-0 553 555. The improvements of the invention are aimed at achieving, for a specified layout in the grooved track, a substantial increase in the mean speed which the car can attain, while keeping the motor thereof unchanged. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is known, toy electric cars of this type incorporate, at the forward end of their chassis and centrally, a guide mechanism consisting of a small disc mounted with freedom of rotation on the chassis, from which disc there emerges underneath a flat pin intended to engage in the corresponding groove of the grooved track on which the car is to travel. Both sides of this pin are furnished with brushes which make permanent contact with the electrically conducting tracks which encase the aforementioned groove and which are duly connected to an electric micromotor installed in the aforementioned chassis, the speed of the vehicle depending, as stated earlier, on the electric voltage applied at each moment to the corresponding pair of electrically conducting tracks. Toy electric cars of this type, on account of their low weight, of the order of 80 grams, are theoretically capable of attaining very considerable speeds, which in practice are not achieved due to the winding layout of the grooved tracks. On the curves, due to centrifugal force, the car parts company with the track when it exceeds a specified speed. This is due to the guide pin being unable to be retained in the corresponding guide, precisely on account of the lightness of the car in its forward region, owing to which these toy cars operate better with rear-wheel drive. For this reason, and since the guide mechanism is located in the forward part of the chassis, the propulsion micromotor is also set up close to its rear axle. This pronounced rearward displacement of the centre of gravity of the car is what limits the speed on the curves, whilst the acceleration out of these curves is also reduced due to the very lightness of the car, which means that its driving wheels slip, resulting in slower getaways. Attempting to obviate this problem of grip on the track, cars of this type are known which are provided, close to their back and live axle, with a permanent magnet which tends to press the chassis against the electrically conducting metal tracks and, consequently, to press the wheels against the running track, which undoubtedly improves the grip and, consequently, also improves the getaway acceleration. Nevertheless, the mean speed remains limited due to the problem mentioned earlier relating to instability on curves. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The improvements proposed by the invention solve the difficulties mentioned earlier by considerably improving the stability of the car on curves and, consequently, allowing a considerable increase in the mean speed thereof, on a specified circuit, which increase may amount to more than 50%. To do this, retaining the construction of a conventional toy electric car of this type, as regards its chassis, the arrangement of the guide mechanism, rear-wheel drive, the characteristics of the motor and the incorporation of a permanent magnet to improve the grip of the driving wheels against the track, these improvements consist in substantially displacing the centre of gravity of the car towards the forward end thereof, whereby, the weight tending to hold the guide pin within the corresponding groove being greater, this results also in a much greater speed being required for the occurrence of uncoupling and, as a consequence, loss of control of the car. To do this, more specifically, there is provision for the electric propulsion micromotor of the car, which constitutes one of the heaviest elements thereof, to be located in the forward end of the chassis, immediately behind the guide mechanism. This entails two major modifications in the general context of the chassis, on the one hand the dividing of the front axle, that is to say of the dead axle, with the objective of being able to locate the electric motor between the two front wheels of the vehicle, and on the other hand, with the objective of allowing the use of a commercially available electric micromotor, the incorporation of an extender rod, couplable to the shaft of the motor and terminating in the corresponding driving pinion for the crown wheel of the live back axle, as well as a stabilizing bearing for the said rod, close to the aforesaid pinion. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To supplement the description herein and with the objective of aiding better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, the present descriptive account is accompanied, as an integral part thereof, by a set of drawings in which, for non-limiting illustrative purposes, the following is represented: Figure 1.- shows a plan view from above of the chassis corresponding to a toy electric car made in accordance with the improvements which are the subject of the present invention. Figure 2.- shows a plan view from below of the same chassis. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION On looking at these figures it may be seen how a toy electric car, made in accordance with the improvements which are the subject of the invention, is constructed from a chassis (1) on which the corresponding bodywork, not represented, is to be mounted. This chassis (1), as in any conventional car, is provided with a rear axle (2), on which the driving wheels (3) are set, for which purpose the said axle (2) possesses a crown wheel (4) with which there enmeshes the driving pinion (5) of an electric micromotor (6), supplied via the electrically conducting tracks defined on the actual running track. Its front wheels (7) rotate freely and have at their forward end a guide mechanism consisting of a disc (8) mounted with freedom of rotation on a pivot or vertical axle (9), provided in its lower face with a longitudinal pin (10), consequently swinging in the lateral direction, intended to travel within the corresponding groove, of the running track. Secured to the aforementioned disc (8), also underneath and on both sides of the pin (10), are brushes (11) which under normal conditions make permanent contact with the electrically conducting tracks which encase the corresponding guide groove and which, through respective cables (12), supply the electric micromotor (6) with a variable voltage, adjustable for each guide groove corresponding to a specified car, from the corresponding control regulator. So, starting from this basic and conventional construction, the improvements of the invention consist in displacing the electric micromotor (6), which conventionally occupies the representation shown with a dashed line in Figure 1, where it appears referenced (6'), to close to the forward end of the chassis (1), locating it immediately behind the guide mechanism (8), so that the centre of gravity of the car substantially approaches the guide pin (10), in order considerably to increase the speed required to produce derailment. This special siting of the electric micromotor (6) necessitates, as seen especially in Figure 1, the front axle of the car, the one corresponding to the non-driving wheels (7), being divided into two portions (13 -13') which are physically independent of one another and between which the said motor (6) is sited. Complementarily and in respect of the drive transmission to the rear axle (2), it is required to incorporate an extender rod (14), which is coupled to the output shaft (15) of the motor (6) by any appropriate means, such as for example with the collaboration of a helical spring (16) which through its inherent elasticity tends to become strangulated on the shaft (15) and on the rod (14), which terminates via its opposite end in the conventional driving pinion (5) for the crown wheel (4) of the live axle (2). Complementarily and in order suitably to stabilize the stretcher rod (14), provision has been made for a guide bearing (17) therefor, mounted on a transverse bulkhead (18) of the chassis, to be set up near its back end. In accordance with this construction and as stated earlier, the car, without modifying either its electric micromotor (6) or its weight, brings the latter to bear with greater intensity on the forward end thereof, thereby entailing greater difficulty in the guide pin (10) uncoupling from the corresponding groove on curves, thereby allowing the latter to be taken at a considerably greater speed. Nevertheless, this forwards displacement of the centre of gravity entails a lesser weight of the car in its back region, which would have a negative repercussion on the grip of the driving wheels (3) and, consequently, on the conditions of acceleration. For this reason provision has been made for the conventional magnet (19), which tends to bring the back end of the chassis close up against the track and consequently the driving wheels (3) up against the running surface, to be substituted with another of greater power.

Claims: Toy electric car which can travel on tracks with guide grooves, in which cars an electric micromotor (6) transmits the motion to the back axle (2) of the vehicle, which acts as live axle thereof, whilst the guide mechanism, provided with a pin (10) which can travel on the corresponding groove of the track, is set up at the forward end of the chassis (1), characterized in that said electric micromotor (6) is located between the front and non-driving wheels (7) of the car, for which purpose the front axle thereof is divided into two portions (13-13') which are mutually independent and between which the said micromotor (6) is located. Toy electric car which can travel on tracks with guide grooves, according to Claim 1, characterized in that , with the objective of allowing the use of a commercially available electric micromotor (6), an extender rod (14) is incorporated on the chassis (1), which extender rod (14) is coaxially couplable via one of its ends to the output shaft (15) of the electric micromotor (6), through any appropriate means, such as for example a helical spring (16) which tends to become strangulated on the corresponding ends of the said elements, which rod terminates via its other end in the driving pinion (5) for the crown wheel (4) of the live and back axle (2), there being provision for the said rod to be suitably stabilized with the collaboration of a bearing (17) mounted on a transverse bulkhead (18) and close to the said driving pinion (5).

Inventors: BARRIOS MARTINEZ DE GALINSOGA, GARZON DE LA CALLE EDUARDO, BARRIOS MARTINEZ DE GALINSOGA, RAFAEL, GARZON DE LA CALLE, EDUARDO
Applicants: FLY CAR MODEL S L, FLY CAR MODEL, S.L.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A63H1
IPC codes: A63H18, A63H17