GB2214099A

GB2214099A - A toy vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2214099A
Application number: GB8800820A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Don Greenwood
Original assignee: SYNERGISTICS RESEARCH Ltd
Current assignee: SYNERGISTICS RESEARCH Ltd
Priority date: 1988-01-14
Filing date: 1988-01-14
Publication date: 1989-08-31
Also published as: GB8800820D0

Abstract

The toy vehicle has at least one and preferably two driven wheels (11) able to drive the vehicle either side up, a motor (17) for driving the driven wheels, and means (19, 27) for automatically reversing the direction of rotation of the driven wheels as the vehicle flips over from side (10a) up to the other side (10b) up. The means may comprise a switch (19) for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor and an operating member (27) coupled to the switch. The operating member extends through a body part (10) of the toy vehicle from one side to the other side thereof and is slidable between first and second positions as a respective end (27a, 27b) of the operating member engages the ground as the vehicle flips over. The member operates a rotary carrier bearing two contacts that change between parallel elongate tracks. <IMAGE>

Description

A toy vehicle This invention relates to a flip-over toy vehicle.

According to the invention there is provided a flip-over toy vehicle having at least one driven wheel able to drive the vehicle either side up, a motor for driving said driven wheel, and means for automatically reversing the direction of rotation of said driven wheel as the vehicle flips over from one side up to the other side up.

Preferred and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 8, inclusive.

In a most preferred embodiment, the two sides of the toy vehicle (upper and lower sides) are each shaped to represent an upper body part of a toy vehicle and may be of different colour and/or different shape so that the two sides are distinguishable from one another. In this most preferred embodiment the vehicle flips nose over tail as it encounters a wall or other object when driven in a forwards direction.

Because of the automatic reversing means the vehicle will continue to travel in a forwards direction.

Thus, if placed between two walls the vehicle will continue to travel to and fro between the walls flipping over from one side up to the other side up each time it encounters one of the walls.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section taken through one embodiment of a toy vehicle according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with the vehicle the other side up, Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating the drive circuit of the toy vehicle, and Figures 4 to 7 illustrate the manner in which the toy vehicle of Figures 1 to 3 flips over.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the toy vehicle shown therein comprises a body 10, two driven wheels 11 mounted fast on a rear axle 12 of the vehicle, and two non-driven wheels 13 mounted fast on a front axle 14 of the vehicle. The wheels 11 are of larger diameter than the wheels 13 and are able to drive the vehicle either side up and the leading edges of the wheels 13 project forwards of the body 10.

The body 10 houses batteries 15 in a battery compartment 16, a p.m.d.c. electric motor 17, a reduction gear train 18 which connects the motor 17 to the rear axle 12, and a reversing switch 19. An on/off switch 20 (shown only in Figure 3) is mounted on the body 10.

The reversing switch 19 comprises a fixed switch part 21 carrying two elongate fixed switch contacts 22 and 23 connected to respective terminals of the motor 17 and a movable switch part 24 carrying two movable switch contacts 25 and 26 connected to respective terminals of the batteries 15 via the on/off switch 20. The movable switch part 24 is mounted for pivotable movement between first and second positions. In the first position, shown in Figure 3, the movable switch contacts 25 and 26 are electrically in contact with fixed switch contacts 22 and 23, respectively. However, when the movable switch part 24 is pivoted from its first to its second position the movable contacts 25 and 26 come electrically into contact with fixed switch contacts 23 and 22, respectively, to reverse the direction of rotation of the motor 17 and hence the direction of rotation of the wheels 11.

The movable switch part 24 is displaced between its first and second positions by an operating member 27 which extends through the body 10 from one side to the other side thereof and which is slidable in a guide 28 between first and second positions as a respective end 27a, 27b of the operating member 27 engages the ground, a radially projecting arm 24a of the movable switch part 24 being disposed between a pair of projections 29 on the operating member 27.

The body 10 has upper and lower sides 10a and lOb which are conveniently of different colour and/or of slightly different shape, but both of which are shaped to represent an upper body part of a toy vehicle. Moreover, the operating member 27 is, preferably, shaped at each of its two opposite ends 27a, 27b to simulate a vehicle driver's head.

The manner of operation of the toy vehicle will now be described. Assuming that the toy vehicle is moving forwards with side 10a uppermost as shown in Figure 1, when the vehicle encounters a wall the front wheels 13 will climb up the wall as shown in Figure 4 with the rear wheels 11 still driving the vehicle forwards until the position shown in Figure 5 is reached. The body 10 will then fall backwards as shown in Figure 6. As the vehicle reaches the position shown in Figure 7, the lowermost end (now 27a) of the operating member 27 will strike the ground and the member 27 will be displaced upwardly with respect to the guide 28 to pivot the movable switch part 24 to the position shown in Figure 2.

The vehicle will then move away from the wall in a forwards direction with side lOb uppermost until it encounters another wall when it will again flip over nose over tail.

The above embodiment is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the- art without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. For example, there could be only one driven wheel, which may be centrally disposed at the rear end of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A flip-over toy vehicle having at least one driven wheel able to drive the vehicle either side up, a motor for driving said driven wheel, and means for automatically reversing the direction of rotation of said driven wheel as the vehicle flips over from one side up to the other side up.

2. A toy vehicle as claimed- in claim 1, wherein said reversing means comprises an operating member which extends through a body part of the toy vehicle from one side to the other side thereof and which is slidable between first and second positions as a respective end of the operating member engages the ground as the vehicle flips over.

3. A toy vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operating member is shaped at each of its two opposite ends to simulate a vehicle driver's head.

4. A toy vehicle as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the reversing means includes a switch for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor as the vehicle flips over.

5. A toy vehicle as claimed in claim 4 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the operating member is operatively connected to the switch.

6. A toy vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims arranged so as to flip nose over tail when the vehicle is driven in a forwards direction into an obstacle.

7. A toy vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a pair of driven wheels at the rear of the vehicle and a further pair of wheels at the front of the vehicle, the rear wheels being of larger diameter than the front wheels.

8. A toy vehicle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a reduction gear train between the motor and the driven wheel(s).

9. A flip-over toy vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.