GB2099317A

GB2099317A - A track section for toy, electrically driven racing cars

Info

Publication number: GB2099317A
Application number: GB8116775A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-06-02
Filing date: 1981-06-02
Publication date: 1982-12-08

Abstract

A track section for a toy racing car track has a surface bounded by walls. Conductor rails extend along the length of the section and project a small distance from the end of each section. At each end of the section there is a lug 6 and a socket 7 which engage with a corresponding socket and lug respectively of an adjacent track section to prevent mutual rotation of two connected track sections. Arms 11 arranged beneath the plane of the track surface 1 connect with a male member 12 to hold two track sections together. Angled guides 9 ensure that two track sections being connected approach one another in an at least partially lateral direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A track section for toy, electrically driven racing cars This invention relates to a track section for connection to other track sections to form a track for toy electrically-driven racing cars. The track section may be a straight, a curve, or any other known configuration, and may be connected to another track section of any known configuration.

In such track sections, it is of paramount importance that the conductor rails on each section are brought into electrically conducting contact with the conductor rails on an adjacent track section. The sections often need to be dismantled and reassembled, and so it is also important that no damage should result to the ends of the conductor rails, or indeed to the ends of the track sections themselves which would prevent them being reconnected correctly.

According to the present invention, there is provided a track section for connection to other track sections to form a track for toy, electrically-driven racing cars, the track section comprising an elongate upper surface, parallel conductor rails exposed on said upper surface, side walls extending upwardly at each side of the upper surface, and end portions for connection to complementary end portions of adjacent track sections, each end portion having a projection adjacent to one side of the end portion and a socket adjacent to the other side of the end portion, said projection and socket being adapted to interengage with the socket and the projection respectively on an adjacent track section to restrain relative movement between two connected track sections about an axis extending along the joint between the sections, and the end portions having angled guide surfaces extending beyond the ends of the conductor rails and adapted to mate with complementary surfaces on adjacent sections so that as two adjacent sections are brought together, they move towards each other at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the track sections and the ends of the conductor rails approach each other laterally, the end portions also having snap-fit engagement members for connecting adjacent track sections.

Because the track sections have a lateral component of movement towards each other as they approach for final connection, there is no danger of one conductor rail exerting a longitudinal force on a rail in the adjoining section. The rails only exert a small sideways force against each otherwhich, while being sufficient to produce electrical contact, is unlikelyto permanently distort either rail.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a track section according to the invention; Figure 2 is an underneath view of the track section of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of two adjoining track sections, immediately before final connection; Figure 4 is an underneath view of the two track sections from Figure 3; and Figure 5 is an end view of one track section.

The track section shown in Figure 1 has an upper surface 1 on which the toy cars run. The surface 1 is bounded on either side by walls 2. Running the length of the track section are two sets (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and 5a, 5b, Sc, 5d) of four conductor rails. Two cars will normally be running on the track together.

In each set of four rails, one car picks up current from one pair of rails and the other car picks up current from the other pair of rails. This gives better control and greater flexibility than having only three rails with one common to both cars.

The side walls 2 perform a function in guiding the cars, in that each car is normally steered against the wall on the side of the track where it is running. The cars may be steered from one side of the track to the other, so that they are guided by the wall opposite to that where they were originally running.

Looking now at Figure 5, there is a projecting lug 6 just inside the plane of the left hand side wall 2 and a socket 7 having a through aperture 8 just inside the plane of the right hand side wall. Both the lug 6 and the socket7 are belowthe upper surface 1 and it can be seen from Figures 4 and 5 that the lug of one track section will engage with the socket 7 of an adjacent track section and that the lug 6 of the adjacent track section will engage with the socket 7 of said one track section. The engagement between the lugs 6 and the sockets 7 assists in preventing relative rotation between the two track sections about an axis running across the joint between the two sections.

At the centre of each track section end, there is an angled guide surface 9. As can be seen in Figure 4, when two sections are to be joined, facing sides of respective guides 9 are brought into contact, and slid along each other. It will be clear that when the facing surfaces 10 initially come into contact, the two track sections will be laterally offset from one another. As the tracks are moved together with the surfaces 10 being kept in contact, the sections laterally approach one another.

Figure 4 also shows clearly the snap fit engagement members which connect the two sections once they have been brought fully together. The members consist of two resilient arms 11 on one track section and a male member 12 on the other track section.

The male member 12 has two diverging ramp surfaces 13, each followed by a retaining surface portion 14 behind a nose 15. As the two track sections are pushed together, the leading ends 16 of the arms 11 ride on the ramp surfaces 13, over the noses 15 and into the retaining recesses 14, to hold the two track sections together. Between each track section, there are two such sets of engagement members, one on either side of the central guides 9. In one set, the arms 11 are on one of the track sections and in the other set the arms are on the other track section.

Referring nowto Figure 3, it will be seen that the ends of the rails 4,5 are exposed on one of their lateral sides and face an adjacent portion of the surface 1 on their other lateral side. The exposed lateral side of rails on one track section are to be brought into contact with the exposed lateral sides of rails on an adjacent track section. To assist in the accurate guiding of the rails towards one another, the upper surface 1 of the track sections is provided with guide surfaces 17. A study of Figure 4 will reveal that the rail ends of adjacent track sections overlap one another before they come into contact. There is thus no possibility of one rail exerting a longitudinal force on the corresponding rail in an adjacent track section, which might result in damage of one or other of the rails.

Diagonal slits 18, 19 are provided right through the thickness of the track section on either side of each arm 11, in orderto increase the resilience of the arms. Instead of the sets of three conductor rails shown in the drawings, sets of four conductor rails may be used instead. This can enable the cars to be operated in either direction. The ends of each track section will be formed in a way similar to that shown, merely with the addition of the extra conductor rail on each side and corresponding surfaces 17.

Claims

1. A track section for connection to othertrack sections to form a track for toy, electrically-driven racing cars, the track section comprising an elongate upper surface, parallel conductor rails exposed on said upper surface, side walls extending upwardly at each side of the upper surface, and end portions for connection to complementary end portions of adja centtracksections, each end portion having a projection adjacent to one side of the end portion and a socket adjacent to the other side of the end portion, said projection and socket being adapted to interengage with the socket and the projection respectively on an adjacent track section to restrain relative movement between two connected track sections about an axis extending along the joint between the sections, and the end portions having angled guide surfaces extending beyond the ends of the conductor rails and adapted to mate with complementary surfaces on adjacent sections so that as two adjacent sections are brought together, they move towards each other at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the track sections and the ends of the conductor rails approach each other laterally, the end portions also having snap-fit engagement members for connecting adjacent track sections.

2. Atracksection as claimed in claim 1,wherein the angled guide surfaces and the snap-fit engagement members are arranged below said upper surface.

3. A track section as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lug is inside the plane of one of the said wall and the socket is inside the plane of the other side wall, and the lug and the socket are below the upper surface of the track section.

4. A track section as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the socket has a through aperture.

5. Atracksection as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the snap-fit engagement members comprise male and female members, and each track section end portion has a male member and a female member on opposite sides of the centre line of the track.

6. Atracksection as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the conductor rails at the end portions of the section are straight.

7. Atracksection substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.