GB2092969A - Electric vehicle for a child - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric vehicle for a child has a brake, an electric switch with a central neutral position for controlling forward and reverse movement, rack-and- pinion steering gear 26, a d.c. motor 5 and battery, and a differential reduction gear 6 for rear-wheel drive. The motor, reduction gear, and back wheels are mounted by a shaft 7 pivoted to the chassis and flexible rings 8,9 to provide a spring suspension. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electric vehicle for a child The present invention refers to an electric vehicle for a child.

These vehicles used as toys try to combine a double function: on the one hand, a strong constitution and structure capable of withstanding the treatment to which they will be subjected and, on the other hand, a simple construction which, with simple mechanisms readily understandable and interpretable, permit a vehicle to be obtained which has an ease of movement and which, to a large extent, imitate the characteristics of a real vehicle.

Vehicles of this type have already been designed, but the constructive, and above all the functional, characteristics thereof are achieved at the cost of elevated maintenance expenses and complex mechanisms which, although in principle when purchasing same, can result practical, can become unsuitable due to the expenditures and breakdowns produced in the subsequent use thereof.

The present invention refers to a novel electrically operated vehicle for a child, the upkeep of which is practically nil, which achieves an ease of movement and whose characteristics resemble real vehicles.

To such effect, the vehicle of the present invention incorporates the following: - Rack steering gear to the worm and the corona.

- Ball joint for fixing the steering wheel to the zone of the body or the chassis of the vehicle.

- Kingpin with the support thereof to an autolubricating bronze bushing.

- Electric motor, without coils, functioning with direct current fed by a conventional battery.

- Driving of the drive shaft to the differential reduction gear, with satellite and planetary gear.

- Driving by means of two semi-rigid universal joints, one at each of the driving wheels thereof.

- Oscillating spring suspension.

- Pulley brake - Bicone, to the secondary reduction gear.

- Two different gears (with an intermediate neutral position) by an electric switch.

- Battery charger with an automatic disconnector.

All these elements proportion an ease of movement, reaching relatively high displacement speeds and a practically zero upkeep of the vehicle, since the charger should only be plugged into the network periodically, same being disconnected automatically when the battery is charged.

For a better understanding of the object of the invention, the accompanying drawings represent a preferred industrial embodiment, which can be modified without altering the essential features thereof. In said drawings: Figure 1 represents a general view of the electric vehicle for a child made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 represents a bottom plan view of the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a sectioned plan view of the driving device of the motor to the differential reduction gear by means of a satellite and planetary gear.

Referring to this figure, there can also be seen the brake based on a biconic pulley in which the shoe 35, when actuated by the pedal of the brake, prevents the pulley 34 from turning and, consequently also the drive shaft 31 from turning which is moved by the action of the electric motor.

Figure 4 represents an elevational view of the biconic-pulley brake incorporated to the electric vehicle.

Figure 5 represents a detailed section of the solution for fixing between the steering wheel and the body of the vehicle.

The electric vehicle for a child of the present invention is of the type comprised of a body 1 mounted on a chassis 2 having a strong constitution and incorporating all the elements forming the vehicle.

Said chassis 2, preferably formed by quadrangular-sectioned tubular profiles, includes a transversal portion 21 to which the body 1 of the vehicle is fixed by means of side members 22. On said transversal side member 21 there is mounted the directional axis 23 by means of which the wheels 24, also hinged to the profile 21 of the chassis by means of portions 23, are oriented.

Said directional axis 23 incorporates at the centre a device 26 having a worm and a corona, from which device 26 there departs the directional axis 27 securely fixed to the steering wheel 28, so that the turning movement of the steering wheel 28 is transmitted to the worm and corona device 26 through the directional axis 27, whereby, with this device 26 in the turn of the corona, the longitudinal displacement of the directional axis 23 by the worm is achieved, consequently orienting the wheels 24 during the turning displacement of the portion 25, whereby said wheels 24 are hinged to the piece 21 of the tubular structure 2 of the vehicle.

Close to and mounted on this profile 21, there is a shank 29 connected to a mechanical transmission 30 which acts on the biconic-pulley brake, pressing the shoe 35 against the pulley 34 and stopping the turning movement, electrically obtained, of the shaft 36 and the driving wheels 37 of the vehicle, as will subsequently be seen.

The directional axis 27 is positioned in the body 1 of the vehicle by means of a fixing ball joint 11, diametrically holed, said directional axis 27 passing through the central hole thereof.

Assembly of the described group takes place by inserting the ball 11 in a hole 12 with which the body 1 is provided, positioning it by covers 13 which, housed at both sides of the body 1 in this zone, are provided with by-pass semi-recesses, whose inner diameter coincides with the exterior of the ball 11, being fixed between same and the body 1 of the vehicle by conventional means - not represented which press both the covers 13 and the body 1 when inserted in the holes 14.

Thus, a secure positioning of the directional axis is obtained, without any detriment to the turning conditions thereof since this takes place by frictioning the edge against the walls of the central hole of the ball 11 with a very low friction coefficient.

Complementing the constitution of this described front end, there are autolubricating bronze bushings 15 for supporting the kingpins 23, so that in spite of the vehicle functioning for a long period of time, no greasing nor maintenance whatsoever is needed.

The chassis 2 also incorporates various transversal profiles 16 at its posterior end. Said transversal profiles 16 support, respectively, the battery 4, which feeds the electric motor 5 functioning with direct current and is incorporated to or mounted on a casing 6 in the interior of which there is housed the differential reduction gear with the satellite and planetary gears, as well as the driving shaft 36 wherein the driving wheels 37 are housed.

Assembly of this rear end thus constituted takes place by providing the casing 6, at its upper central zone, with a freely turning shaft 7 mounted on the transversal profiles 16 of the structure 2.

The ends of said casing 6 are positioned in closed U-shaped pieces 8, housed in the structure 2 itself and at both sides thereof, at a zone close to the driving wheels 37, this assembly being completed by elastic joints 9 which, mounted in zones close to these pieces 8, tend to maintain the driving shaft 36, the casing 6 and the wheels 37 in a turning position.

With this assembly, in case one of the wheels 37 is casually faced with an obstacle, the complete posterior end effects a vertical coplanar oscillating movement about the shaft 7 due to the guides of the pieces 8, picking up one of the tensors 9 (that corresponding to the side at which the wheel 37 encounters the obstacle, raising the wheel to avoid it) and stretching the other tensor 9 and lowering the corresponding wheel 37 of this side at a distance equal to that which the other wheel has been raised due to the action of the obstacle. In any case, there is à boundary line limited by the lowest part of the corresponding piece 8.

The casing 6 incorporates, in its interior, a differential reduction gear which, by means of the satellite 61 and planetary 62 pins, transmits the movement from the drive shaft 31 of the electric motor 5 to the driving shaft 36 which turn the driving wheels 37, compensating differentially the movements thereof when taking curves.

As represented in Figure 3, the shaft 31 is mounted on the casing 6 by means of a bearing 63, the end zone of which has an indentation 64. Said indentation 64 meshes with a toothed wheel 65 mounted on the satellite pin 61 which, in turn, can rotate freely by means of bearings 66, whereby it is mounted on another zone, other than the casing 6.

Said pin 61 has, at its mid zone, a sprocket wheel 67 in which a satellite 68 meshes, which hidden by the planetary pins 62, previously mentioned and secured to the driving shaft 36, are likewise mounted on the casing by means of bearings 69, wherefore in the turn of the shaft 31 due to the action of the electric motor 5, the movement is transmitted to the drive shaft 36 and the driving wheels 37 secured thereto, compensating differentially the angular speed of said wheels 37 when taking curves, but rotating at the same angular speed when the vehicle moves in a straight lines.

The pin 61, as can be seen in Figure 3, is prolonged projecting outside the casing 6 and a pulley 34 provided with a perimetric groove is mounted on this free end. One of the collaterals of this pulley 34 is provided with a shoe 35 having a V-shaped contour corresponding to that of the groove of the pulley 34. Said shoe 35 can be axially displaced when moved by the mechanical transmission 30 exerted by said displacement when the brake of the vehicle is actuated.

Said shoe 35 is also mounted on the casing 6 itself by a mounting flange 60 which, in turn, incorporates the pieces necessary for mounting the tensor 30 which will displace the shoe 35 when the brake is actuated.

The electric vehicle for a child of the present invention is completed with an electric switch which proportions same with two different speeds - directions of movement- with an intermediate neutral position depending on whether the mentioned electric switch is in an off position or in the opposite position, whereby the polarity of the current and, consequently, the turning movement of the motor are inverted. It is also completed with a battery charger 4 provided with an automatic disconnector, wherefore, there are achieved the forward or backward movement or the neutral position of the vehicle and the charging of the battery by merely plugging an extensible cable (also incorporated to the vehicle) into an electric network.

Claims (7)

1. Electric vehicle for a child provided with an accelerator brake and two speeds in opposite directions with a neutral point by means of an electric switch, characterised in that on a structure-frame supporting the body of the vehicle there is installed at the front end a rack gear having a worm and corona and at the rear end a direct current electric motor, without coils, which fed by a battery transmits its movement to a differential reduction gear and the back wheels, all of which is mounted on the structure-frame by means of a centered shaft and flexible rings at the height of the wheels, whereby an oscillating spring suspension of the driving wheels is insured between two end points delimited by butts of the structure frame.

2. Electric vehicle for a child according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive motor is provided at its end with coaxial pinion securely fixed by means of a freely rotating shaft to bearings incorporated in the casing; said coaxial pinion transmits its movement to the differential reduction gear itself, laterally to which there friction plates securely fixed, respectively, to driven shafts on which there are mounted the driving wheels, so that when the vehicle moves in a straight line, both turn at the same angular speed while, when the direction is changed, they turn at different angular speeds, compensating differentially the distances to be travelled.

3. Electric vehicle for a child according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the shaft to which the toothed wheel and pinion are secured, protrudes outwards of the casing, being secured to a pulley, in the groove of which there can be housed a brakeshoe, so that when actuating the front pedal, an approximation movement of the shoe is mecha nicallytransmitted, preventing the turn of the pulley, the shaft and finally the motor, in order to brake the vehicle.

4. Electric vehicle for a child according to the preceding claims, characterised in that the motor functions by permanent magents.

5. Electric vehicle for a child according to the preceding claims, characterised in that the kingpins of the front end are supported on autolubricating bronze bushings.

6. Electric vehicle for a child according to the preceding claims, characterised in that the steering wheel is fixed to the body of the vehicle by means of covers, housed at both sides of the body which is provided at this zone with a by-pass hole, each one of which has a spheric cap in which there is housed a ball, likewise holed centrally for the passage of the shaft-steering wheel, so that with this ball joint there is proportional a slightly multi-directional displacement of the steering wheel in case of eventual non-angular forces.

7. Electric vehicle for a chile according to the preceding claims, characterised in that it also incorporates a battery charger which can be automatically disconnected, wherefore when it is eventually discharged, the charger can merely be connected to an auxiliary feed network, the automatic disconnector accumulating new energy for a limited period of time.