GB502869A - Travelling toy with electric drive or electric steering - Google Patents

Abstract

502,869. Toys. HORN, E. Sept. 23, 1937, No. 25864. [Class 132 (iii)] A toy vehicle travels on a base plate without tracks and is electrically driven or steered through power obtained from the base plate which is formed as a two-pole current conductor. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7, the base plate G comprises a flat imperforate metal plate 2 and a perforated or wire grid metal surface 4 having between them an insulating layer 3 of textile fabric. The members 2 and 4 are connected by conductors 7 and 6 to a polochanging switch connected to a pocket lamp battery or transformer 8. The pole-changing switch comprises a double-armed key lever 17 having springs 18 for contacting with a diagonal bridge-piece 16 extending across the polepieces 10 and 11 of the current source 8. The toy vehicle 19 is driven by clockwork 20 and for steering is provided with separate magnet coils 21 co-operating with a doublearmed armature 22 provided with insulated supporting feet 23 for raising the toy on one side or the other to effect turning according to the direction of the current in the coils 21 which is collected from the base plate G through an adjustable sliding contact 26 resting on the wire grid surface 4 and a pin or rowel wheel 24 spring-pressed through the layer of textile fabric 3 into contact with the metal plate 2. If only one direction of steering is required only one magnet coil 21 &c. is necessary and the pole-changing switch connected to the current source 8 is replaced by a simple make-and-break switch. In the construction shown in Fig. 12, the front wheels are preadjusted for steering and the vehicle 19<1> is driven through an electric motor 20<1> through the pin or rowel contact wheel 24 and the sliding contact 26, forward or reverse running being effected through the pole-changing switch shown in Fig. 1.