Patent Publication Number: US-8974265-B2

Title: Self-righting mechanism for a radio-controlled car

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to toy vehicles, and in particular, remote-controlled toy vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Toy vehicles are well-known, and in particular, remote-controlled toy vehicles constitute a significant specialty toy market. In addition to merely being toys, radio-controlled vehicles are often used in organized races on short and long courses, raising the demand for high-quality vehicles with features that will allow the vehicle to be competitive in such races. 
     Because of the relatively high speeds at which radio-controlled vehicles can travel during races as well as because of the sharply-angled turns of some race courses, the vehicles are prone to over turning, thereby flipping from having their wheels on the ground to having their roof or topside of the vehicle on the ground. Clearly, in the upside down position with its wheels in the air, the vehicle cannot move and needs to be righted before it can continue along the race course. Typically when a vehicle turns over during a race, a person must go over to the car, pick it up, turn it over, and set it down on its wheels so that the vehicle can continue the race. Not only does this require either the person controlling the vehicle or another person to be inconvenienced, but it also takes time to approach and right the vehicle, which may impact the vehicle&#39;s position in the race. 
     SUMMARY 
     A self-righting mechanism for a toy vehicle is provided, the self-righting mechanism including in one embodiment a base configured to be coupled to the vehicle; an actuator rotatably coupled to the base and extending generally toward a top of the vehicle, the actuator comprising a housing and an actuating rod, wherein the actuator has an inactivated position in which the actuating rod extends a first distance from the housing and an activated position in which the actuating rod extends a second distance from the housing greater than the first distance; an arm rotatably coupled to the base and rotatably coupled to the actuator; and a cartridge containing a pressurized gas coupled to the actuator, wherein the actuator is configured to be moved from the unactivated position and the activated position by the pressurized gas and wherein when the actuator is in the activated state, the arm protrudes from the vehicle. 
     In one embodiment, when the actuator is in the unactivated position, the arm is within the vehicle and when the actuator is in the activated position, the arm extends outwardly at an angle from the vehicle. Additionally, the self-righting mechanism may further include an electronic valve electrically connected to the cartridge and configured to be activated from a location remote from the vehicle. 
     In one embodiment, the base comprises a first support leg extending in a first direction and a second support leg extending in a second direction substantially perpendicularly to the first leg. The first support leg and the second support leg may each have a pair of parallel members spaced from each other and the second support leg may have a plurality of openings, each of the openings configured to accommodate a fastener. The actuator and the arm may both be rotatably coupled to the first support leg. Further, a support truss may contact both the first support leg and the second support leg. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a self-righting mechanism of the present invention installed on a vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the self-righting mechanism of  FIG. 1  in the unactivated position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the self-righting mechanism of  FIG. 1  in the activated position. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an actuator of the self-righting mechanism of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Generally, a toy vehicle  10  is provided as shown in  FIG. 1 , the toy vehicle being configured with a self-righting mechanism that allows the vehicle to be overturned onto its wheels from a remote location when it is upside down with its roof on the ground. In one embodiment, the self-righting mechanism includes an actuator powered by an activating mechanism, such as a cartridge containing pressurized gas, the actuator being coupled to the body or chassis of the vehicle at one end and to a movable portion of the roof of the vehicle at the other end. As described in more detail below, when activated, the actuator applies a force to the movable portion of the roof such that the movable portion moves away from the vehicle body. Accordingly, if the movable portion is touching the ground, the force will cause the vehicle to turn over such that the wheels of the vehicle can contact the ground. 
     A typical vehicle to which the self-righting mechanism may be attached includes a chassis and a separate automobile or truck-style vehicle body positioned on the chassis. In one embodiment, the chassis is a conventional off-road, radio control toy vehicle chassis which includes a front portion pivotally coupled with a rear motor portion, as is well known. Centrally located in the vehicle and forming a rear part of the front chassis portion is a housing which contains the electrical circuitry of the vehicle which may be mounted on a PC board. In one embodiment, the electrical circuitry may include a radio receiver portion and a controller portion. The housing may also contain a power source for supplying the vehicle&#39;s power, wherein the power source may be removable. 
     The controller portion of the electrical circuitry is configured to respond to a control signal received from a radio source remote to the vehicle, such as from a radio transmission remote controller. The controller portion is coupled electrically with the self-righting mechanism to permit the controller portion of the circuitry to control operation of the self-righting mechanism. 
     A drive housing defines a rear portion of the chassis and may be pivotally coupled with the electrical housing. The drive housing contains at least one conventional remote control vehicle reversible motor coupled to at least one of the rear wheels by a suitable gear train. A pair of motors may be provided to drive each of the rear wheels independently or a single motor or a pair of motors geared together may be provided to simultaneously drive both rear wheels. A separate steering actuator is provided on the front chassis portion and through a conventional lineage pivots the front wheels to steer the vehicle in either lateral direction. Although one embodiment of a toy vehicle has been described herein, it will be understood that embodiments of the present invention could be used in any suitable toy vehicle. 
     The body  12  of the toy vehicle serves to cover most of the components of the vehicle, to generally provide an aerodynamic shape to the vehicle, and sometimes to give the appearance of a well-known car or truck model. As will be appreciated, the body  12  of the vehicle could have one of a variety of different shapes and sizes depending on the type of vehicle chassis and the purpose of the vehicle. In one embodiment, a portion of the roof that contacts the ground when the vehicle is overturned is configured as a movable roof flap  62 . The roof flap  62  is hinged to generally be movable with respect to the rest of the roof and, specifically, hinged so that it can be pushed outward away from the rest of the body. In one embodiment, the hinge can be a living hinge, particularly when the body is made from a relatively flexible material, such as molded resin. However, the present invention is not limited to a living hinge and the hinge may be any other type of suitable hinge, such as a barrel hinge. Alternatively, although the flap is described as being a roof flap, the self-righting mechanism does not have to be on the vehicle&#39;s roof, but rather may be on any part of the vehicle that contacts the ground when the vehicle is upside down. 
     With reference now also to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a self-righting mechanism  20  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted within the vehicle body and configured to overturn a vehicle that has been flipped onto its roof. The self-righting mechanism includes a base  22 , an actuator  24  coupled to the base, and an aim  26  rotatably coupled to the base and to the actuator, wherein when the actuator is activated, the arm rotates with respect to the base to flip the vehicle onto its wheels. 
     In one embodiment, the self-righting mechanism  20  includes a generally L-shaped base  22  having a roof support leg  28  extending in a first direction and a body support leg  30  extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The base  22  may be a single integral piece or it may manufactured as multiple pieces and then connected together, such as by welding or by another coupling method. Additionally, the base  22  may include at least one support truss  32  contacting and extending between the roof support leg  28  and the body support leg  30  to provide further support to the base. More specifically, the truss  32  may be generally triangular and located in a corner formed by the roof support leg  28  and the body support leg  30 . Further, the truss  32  may be a single continuous plate, a plate with a plurality of openings, or multiple plates welded or otherwise coupled together. In one embodiment, the base  22  may be made from a substantially rigid material, such as a high strength resin plastic, but it will be appreciated that the base is not limited to the materials listed herein, but rather that the base can be made from any suitable rigid material. Additionally, although the base  22  is described as being L-shaped, it will be appreciated that the specific shape of the base is not critical and that the base may have shapes other than those described herein. 
     In one embodiment, the roof support leg  28  and the body support leg  30  each include two generally elongate and planar parallel members  34  spaced from each other and connected by at least one bridge  36 , and in some cases, a plurality of bridges. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the roof support leg  28  has a single bridge  36  extending between the two members  34  at a distal end of the leg (i.e., a free end of the leg as shown in the figures). Additionally, the body support leg  30  has two arc-shaped bridges  36  extending between the members  34 , one at a distal end and one about in the middle of the leg. The space between the members is configured to accommodate the actuator  24  and the arm  26 , as described in more detail below. 
     The roof support leg  28 , in one embodiment, may have a plurality of openings  38  configured to accommodate fasteners  40  to thereby couple the base  22  to the roof of a vehicle. Specifically, as shown the roof support leg  28  has four openings  38 , but it will be appreciated that the number of openings is not limited thereto. The fasteners  40  used to attach the base  22  to the vehicle may be, for example, rivets, nuts and bolts, or screws. Further, the base  22  may be coupled to the vehicle by an adhesive, hot melting or welding, but is not limited thereto, and the base may be coupled to the vehicle on the body support leg  30  instead of or in addition to being coupled on the roof support leg  28 . 
     The body support leg  30  includes two channels  42 ,  44  each configured to receive a pin. More specifically, a coupling channel  42  is located at the distal end (or lower end, as shown in  FIG. 3 ) of the body support leg  30  and is configured to receive a coupling pin  57  to rotatably couple the actuator  24  to the base  22 . A pivot channel  44  is located adjacent the proximal end (or upper end, as show in  FIG. 3 ) and is configured to receive a pivot pin  56  to rotatably couple the arm  26  to the base  22 . Both the coupling channel  42  and the pivot channel  44  are substantially cylindrical, define an opening, and extend across a width of the leg members. 
     In one embodiment, the actuator  24  is rotatably coupled to the base  22  at the coupling channel  42 . With reference to  FIG. 4 , the actuator  24  includes a housing  46  and an actuating rod  48  slidably coupled to the housing. In one embodiment, the housing  46  is substantially cylindrical with a generally hollow interior for accommodating the actuating rod  48 , but it will appreciated that the shape of the housing is not limited thereto. An adapter  50  is coupled to one end of the housing, the adapter having a pair of prongs  52  each having an opening  54  configured to accommodate a coupling pin  57 . The adapter  50  may be integral with the housing or may be a separate component that is coupled to the housing by, for example, a nut and bolt arrangement or any other suitable coupling. When the actuator  24  is rotatably coupled to the base  22 , the actuating rod  48  can be extended from the housing  46  from an unactivated position in which the actuating rod extends from the housing by a first distance ( FIG. 2 ) to an activated position in which the actuating rod extends from the housing by a second distance greater than the first distance ( FIG. 3 ) which causes the actuator to rotate about the coupling pin  57  towards the body support leg  30 . 
     At least a portion of the actuating rod  48  is located within the housing  46  and is configured to slide within the housing. A distal end of the actuating rod  48  (i.e., an end that protrudes from the housing  46 ) is configured to be coupled to the arm  26  of the self-righting mechanism  20 , as described in more detail below. In one embodiment, the distal end includes a protrusion  58  or an opening that can engage an opening  60  or a protrusion, respectively, on the arm to rotatably couple the actuating rod  48  and the arm  26  together. Alternatively, both the arm  26  and the actuating rod  48  can have openings that can be aligned and then coupled together by, for example, a pin. By being coupled together, when the actuating rod  48  is actuated and pushed out of the housing, the rod can force the arm  26  against the ground and thereby flip an overturned vehicle over onto its wheels. More specifically, the actuating rod  48  is attached at an off-center location of the arm  26  so that in the activated position the arm extends outward from the vehicle at an angle to thereby rotate the car back onto its wheels rather than merely push it straight up into the air. 
     With reference again to  FIG. 2 , a cartridge  68  filled with a pressurized gas, such as carbon dioxide or air, but not limited thereto, is coupled to the actuator  26 , and more specifically to the housing  46 . The cartridge  68  may be coupled directly to the actuator or through pneumatic hoses or tubes  70 . The cartridge  68  is controlled by an electronic valve powered by the battery used to drive and steer the vehicle and which is connected to the vehicle&#39;s receiver for remote operation. An operator can toggle a switch on the controller to activate the valve and thereby release pressurized gas from the cartridge  68  into the housing  46  to actuate the actuator  24 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the arm  26  is made from a substantially rigid material and is configured to be rotated between an inactivated position and an activated position. In one embodiment, the arm  26  is substantially L-shaped and is located in the gap between the members  34  of the roof support leg  28  and the body support leg  30 . Further, the aim  26  may have a planar top surface that can rest on or be adjacent to the roof flap  62  on the vehicle, the roof flap being hinged on one side so that it can be moved with respect to the rest of the vehicle roof. In one embodiment, the roof flap  62  is hinged by a living hinge, but it will be appreciated that any hinged could be used to allow the roof flap to be rotatable. As described in more detail below, when the arm  26  is forced against the roof, the arm pushes the roof flap  62  so that the roof flap “opens” and allows an overturned car to be flipped onto its wheels. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the roof flap  62  is omitted and the arm  26  acts directly on the ground to flip the car over. In other words, the roof of the vehicle may have an opening generally sized to accommodate the aim  26 , while the roof support leg  28  may still be attached to the roof. 
     The arm  26  has connecting tabs  64  extending from a lower surface to provide an area to rotatably couple the arm to the actuating rod  48  of the actuator  24 . Specifically, in one embodiment the arm  26  has two connecting tabs  64  spaced from each other and each having an opening  60  configured to receive a portion of the actuator. In one embodiment, the connecting tabs  64  are located at a distance from the body support leg  30  so that the actuator  24  extends at an angle away from a side of the vehicle. Specifically, the angle of the actuator may be between about 10 degrees to about 35 degrees with respect to the vertical, but it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to this range of angles. 
     The arm  26  also has a pivot channel  66  to accommodate the pivot pin  56  to rotatably couple the arm to the base  22 . Although the arm  26  is shown in the figures as having an L-shape wherein the pivot channel  66  is located on the short portion of the “L,” it will be appreciated that the arm could also have other shapes, such as being linear, wherein the pivot channel could be located at or proximate to an end of the linear arm. 
     An operation of the self-righting mechanism  20  will now be described. When the vehicle is right-side up on its wheels, the actuator  24  will be in its unactivated position, i.e., the actuator rod  48  will be mostly within the housing  46  so that the roof flap  62  is substantially flush with the rest of the roof. If the vehicle is overturned so that it is upside-down on its roof, the operator can activate a switch on the radio controller to activate the self-righting mechanism  20 . Specifically, activating the switch will trigger an electronic valve, thereby causing the cartridge  68  to release pressurized gas into the housing  46  of the actuator  24 . Accordingly, the actuating rod  48  will extend further from the housing into the activated position, thus pushing the roof flap  62  against the ground and forcing the vehicle to turn over onto its wheels. As noted above, activating the actuator  24  to eject the actuating rod  48  from the housing  46  causes the arm  26  to rotate about the pivot pin  56  and also causes the actuator to rotate about the coupling pin  57 . Accordingly, neither the operator nor any other person has to go over to the vehicle and manually turn the vehicle over, saving time and effort. Once the vehicle has been righted, the actuating rod  48  is biased to return to the unactivated position, such as by a spring. Alternatively, the actuating rod can return to the unactivated position by gravity. 
     The self-righting mechanism according to exemplary embodiments of the present have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.