GB917067A - Improvements in or relating to model robots - Google Patents

Abstract

917,067. Advertising automata. BOEHME, G., [trading as MARKES & CO. KOMM.-GES.]. Jan. 26, 1960 [Feb. 2, 1959], No. 2798/60. Class 3 (1). [Also in Group XV] A toy or advertising walking robot has a trunk portion capable of a bending movement and arms and legs movable with respect to the trunk portion in such manner that the robot may be made to grasp or release an object between its arms and raise or lower it, the various movements being separately and independently controllable. The trunk portion may be movable about a vertical axis and the arms may have elbow joints. As shown, the robot is driven and remotely controlled by a handoperated mechanism through a shaft and flexible outer covering. Alternatively it may be driven by electric motors within it and may be radio controlled. As shown, a robot comprises a pedestal 4 having a trunk 1 and leg supports 5a, 5b pivoted to it at 3a, 3b, arms 28a, 28b being pivoted to the trunk. The legs comprise parallel links 5a, 6a, 5b, 6b and are driven through a pinion 11, Fig. 5, gear 12, worm 13, worm-wheel 14, Fig. 4, and crank mechanisms 15a, 16a, 15b, 16b. The feet are mounted on rollers. The rear rollers have ratchet means 20a, 21a for preventing rearward movement and the front rollers may be steerable by a Bowden cable. The trunk bending movement is effected by drive through a worm 22, and a worm-wheel 23 which is in rolling engagement with a toothed segment 24. The arms, which are attached to an axle 25, are raised and lowered by drive through a worm 31 and gear 30. The arms are pivoted at 29a, 29b so that they can be opened sideways by means of slide members 26a, 26b axially slidable on the axle 25 and connected to the arms at 33a, 33b. Drive is applied to the slide members from a worm 34, gears 35, 36, helixes 38a, 38b and fork members 39a, 39b which are screwed on to the helixes. The pinion shaft 11 and each of the worm shafts 22, 31, 34 has a square hole, Fig. 5, at its end in the robot's back for engagement by a square-ended axle from a drive mechanism. As shown in Fig. 6, drive to the robot is from a handle 40 through a flexible shaft 41 and a coupling unit 42, the coupling unit comprises square-ended axles 58a, 58b, 58c, 58d, Fig. 7, only one of which at any one time can be pressed by a member 55, 56, Fig. 6, against spring loading 59 into its corresponding hole in the robot's back to operate one of the robot's functions. By turning a handle 46, drive is transmitted through gears 45, 44, shaft 43, gears 49, 50, core 52 and gears 60, 57a to the axle 58a and thence to one of the shafts in the robot's back. To operate a different robot function, the shaft 43 is pressed axially against a spring 48 to bring the gear 49 into mesh with a gear 51. Turning the handle 46 then rotates a covering 53 which in turn rotates the coupling member 55, 56, to press a different axle 58 into its corresponding hole in the robot's back.