Patent GB-949789-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for steering movable bodies, such as toy vehicles
IPC: A63F9/14
Filed: 1960-08-31
Abstract: 949,789. Games of skill. H. FAURE, G. DE CHATELPERRON, and G. ETIENNEY. Aug. 31, 1960 [Sept. 3, 1959], No. 30077/60. Heading A6H. [Also in Division H4] An apparatus for steering a toy vehicle over a path depicted on one side of an endless belt has zones of varying degrees of blackness, a lamp and a photo-electric cell energized by the lamp and actuating a relay for indicating driving errors or faults, the lamp and the cell being arranged below the belt in such manner that the light beam from the lamp reaches the cell after being reflected by the reverse side of the belt and the lamp and cell forming an assembly connected to the vehicle in such manner as to move with it across the belt, the reverse side of the belt incorporating reflecting zones under the parts of the upper side on which traffic circulation is permitted and light-absorbing zones under the parts of the upper side in which traffic circulation is prohibited. The belt B representing and winding road on its upper surface unwinds from one driven roller and rewinds on another driven roller. The belt has central lines l, l<SP>1</SP>, sidings c, c<SP>1</SP> and obstructing cars o, o<SP>1</SP>. The prohibited areas on the reverse side of the belt have alternate light-absorbing and reflecting stripes and the obstructions have light-absorbing areas. The frame of the apparatus has a steering wheel 2 connected by an endless rope, to a vertical spindle. An endless rope 5 passes beneath the belt in a rectangular path and frictionally engages a pulley on the spindle. A rope 10 is secured to the side runs of the rope 5 and is guided by two pairs of pulleys 11, 12 over the belt and is connected to the front of a vehicle. A transverse guide 7 parallel with the transverse run 5a of the rope 5 slidably mounts a runner supporting the photo-cell and lamp, and so connected with the rope 5a that the impact of the light beam from the lamp lies beneath the vehicle. The motor M drives one belt roller through a clutch comprising an electromagnetically operated coupling roller between the motor and belt rollers. The edge of the belt has a notch near the ends of the run and at certain obstacles depicted on the road, which would lead to a collision if the operator did not stop the vehicle, to cause the motor to be cut-out by closing a contact in the motor circuit controlled by a roller dropping into the notch in the belt. The light from the lamp to the photo-electric cell is completely cut-off by dark areas under obstructions and causes time lag relay R 3  to energize and energizes cut-off relay R 2  to stop the motor M and belt B. When the vehicle is steered over a prohibited line into a striped area a series of pulses are produced which operate a relay and actuate a selector illuminating lamp to indicate faults. At cross roads a crossing car may be depicted by illuminating a series of images of a car in succession and coloured traffic lights may also be illuminated. In operation, the operator presses button 27 and energizes relay R 6  and electromagnet D for the clutch and also energizes contact wiper 41 for a gear-change lever Lv selectively operating through one of the contacts p1 to p3 and contacts e1 to e3 connected to three different leads 36 1  to 36 3  of a transformer winding T to energize the variable speed motor M. A coil 30 is inserted in the slot and relay R 1  energizes and actuates re-winding motor Z to re-wind the belt until a roller engages a notch and closes contact 38 to energize relay R 5  to change-over switch I and energize the motor M which is driven at the speed selected by the speed-change lever Lv. The motor C is energized through lead 36 3  and drives the chronometer pointer A and illuminates traffic lamps 250, 25r, 25v and crossing car lights 20 1 , 20 2  and 20 3 . At the end of the run the cut-off relay R 2  operates through contact 42 de-energizing relay R 1  and stopping motor M. If the chronometer pointer regains its first position before the end of the run, contact 43 closes, relay R 4  energizes, switch I changes over and stops the motor M.