GB2044114A - Sensing missile launching tank - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy provided with driving means for driving the toy, missiles and missile-launching means for launching the missiles and target detecting means arranged to actuate the missile launching means when a target is detected. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sensing missile launching tank The present invention relates to a toy missilelaunching tank, more specifically to such a tank which may be charged with missiles and is capable of automatically launching the missiles when a target is sought by rays of light shot from a ray gun set in a horizontally rockable turret mounted on the tank body and a ray receiver thereof receives rays reflected from the target.

Heretofore, there have been many missile launching tank toys, but never before a toy missilelaunching tank which can automatically launch its missiles upon sensing a target.

Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a toy target-seeking missilelaunching tank which is capable of attracting children's interest.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a toy provided with driving means for driving the toy, missiles and missile-launching means for launching the missiles and target detecting means arranged to actuate the missile launching means when a target is detected.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a toy target-seeking missile-launching tank which comprises a tank body and a turret mounted on said tank body. The toy tank may move by a pair of hidden front wheels driven by a motor and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels, and be provided with a pair of nominal, non-rotary, ornamental caterpillar tracks. The tank body has a gearing mechanism including two transmission gearings installed in a housing and is arranged to house electric cells. The turret is provided with a missile-launching means, a ray gun, a ray receiver and a switch means. The motor, the ray gun, the ray receiver and a switch means are arranged to be connected to the electric cells.The gearing mechanism is actuated by the motor which may be made to rotate in either a normal rotation or a reverse rotation by appropriate actuation of the switch means. Therefore, the gearing mechanism may rotate in either a normal rotation mode or a reverse rotation mode corresponding to the rotation of the motor and may drive either of the two transmission gearings. One of the transmission gearings drives the front wheels, reciprocably traverses the turret on the tank body and intermittently transmits electricity in the normal rotation of the motor. During the normal rotation, the other transmission gearing does not work. The missile launching means comprises a plurality of missile launching members which have the same plurality of horizontal supporting rods fixed to a casing by the rear portions of said supporting rods, respectively.Each of said supporting rods has a coiled spring wound around it. Said coiled spring has a guard ring fixed to the front end of it. A missile has an axial hole in a rear half portion thereof and a collar around the rear half portion of it.

When a said missile is charged in the missile launching member, the supporting rod is located within the axial hole and the coiled spring is compressed by the guard ring toward the casing, by the rear end of the missile. Then the collar of the missile is hooked by a crook-tipped stopper which comprises a narrow plate and is fixed to the outside of the casing by the rear end of it. Said stopper is reinforced by a plate spring so as to hold the missile in the launching member. When said stopper is disconnected from the collar, the missile is launched by a spring force. Since the missile launching means comprises a plurality of the missile launching members, it may successively launch the missiles by disconnecting the stoppers from the collars in turn.

During the normal rotation of the motor, rays of light are periodically emitted from the ray gun. When a ray is reflected from a target and is sensed by the ray receiver, said ray receiver actuates a switch means so as to rotate the motor in a reverse rotation mode.

Therefore, the gearing mechanism may be rotated in the reverse direction. Then the other transmission gearing rotates and the first transmission gearing stops its rotation so that the toy tank stops its running, the turret stops its traverse and the ray gun stops emitting the ray. Said second transmission gearing actuates a means disconnecting the crooktipped stoppers from the collars of the missiles. Said disconnection means comprises a shaft, a plurality of discs fixed co-axially to said shaft and the same plurality of pins planted on the circumferences of the side faces of said discs. The shaft is arranged to rotate only during the reverse rotation of the motor.

The pins are planted on the side faces of the discs at a definite angular intervals so that the pins of the discs may push up successively the crook-tipped stoppers one by one as the shaft rotates. Then the stoppers are disconnected from the collars in turn and the missiles are successively launched from the missile launching members one by one. When all the missiles have been launched and after a definite period of time, the switch means may be switched over so as to return the motor to its normal rotation mode. Therefore, the second transmission gearing stops its rotation and the first transmission gearing works again so that the toy tank may move while traversing its turret and emitting rays of light from the ray gun.Then if the electric cells of the toy tank are switched off and the missiles are charged in the toy tank, the toy tank may move as described above by switching in of the cells.

As mentioned above, the present invention provides a new and amusing toy which may attract children's interest.

The present invention will be better understood and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon perusla of the following description, by way of example only, of a preferred embodiment, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing a sensing action of a toy sensing missile launching tank according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a partially cut sectional elevational view of the tank of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partially cut sectional plan view of a missile launching means of the tank of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an outside view of a missile for use in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3; Figure 5 is a plan view of a gearing mechanism of the tank of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a plan view of a traversing means of a turret of the tank of Figure 1; and Figure 7is a block connection diagram of a switch means of the tank of Figure 1.

In Figures 1 and 2, a tank body is adapted to be moved by means of a pair of driven front wheels 3 and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels and is fitted with a pair of non-rotary, nominal, ornamental caterpillar tracks 2 at both sides thereof. Said tank body 1 has a horizontally and reciprocably traversing turret 4 mounted thereupon. Inside the tank body 1, a gearing mechanism is located in a housing 23. As shown in Figures 2 and 5 said gearing mechanism is arranged to transmit rotation in one sense of a motor 24 by means of a driving gear 25 to an intermediate gear 26 and next from a pinion 27 to another intermediate gear 28. A shaft of said intermediate gear 28 is journaled in a slot bearing 30 and a pinion 29 fixed co-axially to the shaft of the gear 28 is in a mesh with a gear 31 of a first transmission gearing during rotation in a normal mode of the motor 24.A shaft 33 of the gear 31 is arranged to drive the front wheels 3 as shown in Figure 2. A pinion 32 fixed to the shaft 33 is engaged with a gear 34, and is provided with a crank 36 at its upper end. In Figure 6 the crank 36 is provided with a pin 37 which is inserted in a guide slot 38 of the turret 4. The shaft 33 has a trilobed or generally trefoil-shaped cam contact 39 fixed co-axially to itwhich is in contactwith a spring contact 40. Said spring plate 40 is electrically connected to a ray gun 20 so as to transmit electricity intermittently to said ray gun 20. Therefore, the first transmission gearing can move the tank by driving the front wheels 3, can cause a reciprocal traversing motion of the turret 4 by means of the pin 37 of the crank 36 and can cause intermittent emission of a ray from the ray gun 20.When said intermediate gear 28 is driven by a reverse rotation of the motor 24, the pinion 29 disengages from the first transmission gearing by displacement of the shaft of the gear 28 in the slot bearing 30 and is engaged with a second transmission gearing. Then the first transmission gearing stops and accordingly the toy tank stops its movement, the turret 4 stops its traversing motion and the ray gun 20 stops emitting rays 50. Namely, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, the pinion 29 is engaged with a gear 41 and a pinion 42 is engaged with a gear 43. A shaft 44 of said gear 43 has a crank 45 fixed to an end thereof and said crank 45 is provided with a pin 46. Said pin 46 is connected with another crank 47 located in the turret 4. A shaft 48 of the crank 47 is proved is provided with a pinion 49 engaged with a crown gear 18 inside the turret 4.

Therefore, rotation of the second transmission gearing will drive the crown gear 18 and rotate the shaft 16 to actuate a missile-launching means 5 in the turret 4. Said turret 4 is provided with the ray gun 20, a switch means 21, and a ray receiver besides said missile-launching means 5. Said missile-launching means comprises a plurality of missile-launching members having the same plurality of horizontal supporting rods 6 which are fixedly mounted in a casing 7. Each of said supporting rods 6 has a coil spring 8 located around it. Said coil spring 8 has a guard ring 9 fixed to the front end thereof. In Figures 3 and 4, a missile 13 has an axial hole 14 in the rear half portion therof and a collar 15 around the rear half portion thereof.When the missiles are charged into the missile-launching means 5, each supporting rod 6 is inserted into an axial hole 14 of a said missile 13 and the coil spring 8 is compressed by the guard ring 9 toward the rear of the supporting rod 6 by the rear end of the missile 13. The collars 15 of the missiles 13 are hooked by the crook-tipped stoppers 10 which are reinforced by plate springs 12 to hold the missiles 13 in the missile launching means 5. The stoppers 10 and the plate springs 12 are fixed on the casing 7 by their roots (Figure 2). When said stopper 10 is disconnected from the collar 15, the missile 13 is launched by the force of the coil spring 8. Since the missile launching means 5 comprises a plurality of the missile-launching members, it may successively launch the missiles 13.In order to disconnectthe stoppers 10 from the collars 15, a disconnection member acts to push up the stoppers 10. Said member is constituted by a shaft 16, a plurality of discs 17 fixed co-axially to said shaft 16 and the same plurality of pins 19 provided on the circumferences of the side faces of said discs 17. The shaft 16 is journaled in both sides of the turret 4 and driven by the crown gear 18 together with the pinion 49 through the second transmission gearing. Each pin 19 is planted on the side faces of the discs 17 at a definite angular interval. Therefore, if the shaft 16 is rotated, said stoppers 10 are pushed up in turn by the pins 19 and disconnected from the collars 15 of the missiles 13. Thus the missiles 13 will be successively launched by the force of the springs 8.

Recesses 11 in the front portions of the stoppers 10 are receptacles for the pins 19 after the missiles 13 have been launched. During operation of the second transmission gearing, since the first transmission gearing is out of mesh from the pinion 29, the tank stops it running and the turret 4 stops traversing and the ray gun stops emitting rays of light The normal and the reverse motions of the motor 24 may be initiated and controlled by the switch means 21. As shown in Figures 1 and 7, if the ray 50 which is emitted the ray gun 20 of the moving toy tank is reflected from a target 51 and-sensed by the ray receiver 22, the switch means 21 actuates to rotate the motor in a reverse sense. Said switch means 21 which is constituted by a ray-sensing element 52, a switching element 53, a time constant-setting element 54, an amplifier element 55 and a relay switch 56 and may be illustrated by a block connection diagram (Figure 7). When the ray receiver 22 receives the ray 50, the ray-sensing element 52 becomes a conductor and the switch means 21 is closed to complete a circuit. Therefore, said switch element 53 generates a pulse signal which passes through the time constant-setting element 54 and is amplified by the amplifier element 55 and finally operates to throw the relay switch 56. Then the motor 24 rotates in a reverse sense for a predetermined period of time.After the time constant setting element 54 has passed the predetermined time, it transmits a different pulse signal which is amplified by the amplifier element 55 and said pulse signal actuates to change over the relay switch 56 to return the motor 24 to its normal rotation mode. The time constant is changeable at will be changing the capacitance of the time constant-setting element 54.

It is most preferably about 10 seconds for the toy tank.

As described above, a toy sensing missilelaunching tank according to the present invention can move while traversing its turret and emitting rays from its ray gun during the normal rotation of the motorto search for a target. When a ray which is reflected from the target is sensed by the ray receiver, the motor will rotate in a reverse mode and stop motion of the toy tank, traversal of the turret and emission of rays of light. Simultaneously, the missile launching means may operate to launch successively missiles one by one and hit the target with said missiles. After the reverse rotation has recurred for a predetermined length of time, the tank will once again move while traversing its turret and emitting rays of light, during normal rotation of the motor.Then if the toy tank is made to switch off its source of electric power, it may be charged with missiles in the missile launching means. Then if its source of electric power is switched on, the toy tank may operate the same motions again.

Further, the present invention of the sensing missile launching tank may widely be applied to a toy aeroplane and other moving toy cars.

Moreover, while the beam emitted by the tank in the above embodiment has been visible light, it will be appreciated that other means may be employed such as sound, microwaves, infra-red rays, etc.

Therefore, the present invention provides a new and amusing toy having a sensor which may attract childrens interest.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it is obvious that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practised otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims (7)

1. A toy provided with driving means for driving the toy, missiles and missile-launching means for launching the missiles and target detecting means arranged to actuate the missile launching means when a target is detected.

2. A toy according to claim 1, which represents a tank.

3. A toy according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target detecting means comprises a device for emitting a reflectable beam and a device for detecting said beam when reflected thereonto.

4. A toy according to claim 3, wherein the device for emitting a reflectable beam is arranged to emit a beam of light in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

5. A toy sensing, missile-launching tank capable of sensing a target by means of an emitted ray and of launching missiles which is constituted by a tank body and a turret mounted on said tank body, said tank body being provided with a pair of driven wheels and a pair of free rotary wheels and housing a gearing mechanism including first and second transmission gearings, and an electric motor, said turret comprising a ray gun, a ray receiver, a missile-launching means and a switch means, said motor being controlled to rotate in either of a normal or a reverse rotation by the switch means, said gearing mechanism being adapted to actuate only the first of said transmission gearings in the normal rotation of the motor and only the second of said two transmission gearings in the reverse rotation of the motor by displacement of a shaft of the gearing mechanism in a slot bearing therefor, said first transmission gearing being adapted to drive the front wheels, to rock laterally the turret on the tank body and to cause electricity to flow intermittently to the ray gun by a cam connection, said second transmission gearing being adapted to actuate a disconnection member of the missile-launching means so as to launch missiles successively, said ray gun being adapted to shoot rays of light intermittently so as to search a target, said ray receiver being adapted to sense a ray reflected from a said target whereupon the switch means operates to generate a pulse signal which shifts the normal rotation to the reverse rotation in the motor, and said switch means being adapted to generate another pulse signal after a definite time so as to return the reverse rotation to the normal rotation in the motor.

6. A toy sensing missile launching tank substantially as herein before described with references to the accompanying drawings.

7. The features hereinbefore disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.