JP2002159759A - Steering device for toy, and automobile toy - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device for toy and an automobile toy of a simple structure capable of stably performing curve traveling. SOLUTION: This steering device for toy is provided with left and right turning bodies for turning left and right steering wheels to the left and right around a prescribed axis and a connecting body connecting the left and right turning bodies to each other and forming a turning pair with the left and right turning bodies and changes the direction of the steering wheels by turning the left and right turning bodies around the prescribed axis by swinging the connecting body to the left and right. One of a coil and a magnetic body is provided on the connecting body, the other of the coil and the magnetic body is provided on a fixed part and the coil and the magnetic body are separated and brought close from/to each other by swinging the connecting body. Energizing to the coil is controlled by a coil energizing control means and the connecting body is made to take at least two steering positions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for a toy, and more particularly to a steering apparatus for a toy that performs steering by using an electromagnetic force and an automobile toy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an automobile toy employing a mechanism for swinging a front wheel axle by electromagnetic force (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-57235). The steering system of this car toy
The oscillating motor is steered by a oscillating motor. The oscillating motor is composed of an oscillating front wheel axle, an oscillating rotor integrally provided with the oscillating rotor, and a coil for oscillating the rotor. Have been. The toy steering device turns off the power to the coil,
It is configured such that the direction of the front wheel axle is changed by swinging the swing motor in a desired direction by controlling in a pattern.

[0003] Specifically, a columnar rotor is attached to the front wheel axle, and this rotor is supported at its upper end by an upper chassis.
The rotor is loosely fitted around a vertically provided rotor core along the inner peripheral portion of the lower chassis. And the rotor is
One position perpendicular to the front wheel axle of the circumferential portion is defined as an N pole, and a position facing the N pole is defined as an S pole. On the other hand, a coil constituting a swing motor is wound around an outer peripheral portion of a cylindrical portion formed by the lower chassis and the upper chassis. Then, by controlling the energization of the coil, the direction of the front wheel axle is changed. Further, a yoke is provided in a range extending over the upper surface and both side surfaces of the central portion of the coil. Then, when the coil is not energized, the front wheel axle is held at a neutral position (a position for directing the front wheels in a direction in which the front wheels move straight) by an attractive force acting on the rotor and the yoke.

[0004]

However, in the steering apparatus, the front wheels are provided on both sides of one front wheel axle, and the one front wheel axle is swung. On a winding road or the like that shifts to a left (right) curve, the entire front wheel axle and thus the front wheels swing greatly, making the curve running unstable. In order to solve this problem, independent left and right front wheel axles may be provided, and the front wheel axle may be swung left and right about an axis near the left and right front wheels, but the steering device is applied to this. In this case, two sets of a rotor, a coil, and a yoke must be provided on the left and right, and a coil must be wound around the rotor. To be able to do so, the coil must be wound over a range slightly larger than the projected width of the rotor, and there is a problem that the structure is complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a toy steering apparatus and an automobile toy which have a simple structure and can perform a curved running stably.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toy steering apparatus comprising: a left and right rotating body for rotating left and right steering wheels left and right about a predetermined axis; A connecting body connected to the left and right rotating bodies and forming a pair with the left and right rotating bodies, wherein the left and right rotating bodies are rotated about the predetermined axis by swinging the connecting body to the left and right, and the direction of the steered wheels is changed. In a toy steering device that changes the shape, one of a coil and a magnetic body is provided on a connecting body, and the other of the coil and the magnetic body is provided on a fixed portion. The power supply to the coil is controlled by the coil power supply control means so as to cause the coupling body to take at least two steering positions. Here, "magnetic material"
The term includes not only a permanent magnet but also an object magnetized (has magnetism) when placed in a magnetic field. Further, regarding the arrangement of the "coil" and the "magnetic material" in this case, the "permanent magnet" is provided on the connecting body side and the "coil" is provided on a fixed portion outside the connecting body as in the invention of claim 2. Alternatively, on the contrary, the “coil” may be provided on the connected body side, and the “permanent magnet” may be provided on a fixed portion outside the connected body. The “energization control” includes control such as turning off the energization or changing the direction of the current. According to this steering apparatus for a toy, the left and right steered wheels are directed in at least two directions by controlling the energization of the coil by the coil energization control means to cause the coupled body to take at least two steering positions. become.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toy steering apparatus according to the second aspect, the permanent magnet is provided such that the poles of the permanent magnet are directed to the left and right, and the end of the coil is connected to the end of the toy. It is provided so as to face the pole. In this case, to “direct the poles of the permanent magnet left and right”, the poles (N pole and S pole) of one permanent magnet are arranged so as to be located on the left and right, respectively. In the case of using two permanent magnets, one pole (N pole or S pole) of one permanent magnet is used.
Pole) to the left, the other pole of the other permanent magnet (S pole or N pole)
On the right or the same pole (N-pole or S-pole) of two permanent magnets on the left and right. In this case, the energization control for the coils may be such that the left and right coils are simultaneously operated, and the connected body is operated by both the attractive force and the repulsive force acting between the left and right coils and the permanent magnet. May be operated alternatively, and the coupling body may be operated by an attractive force or a repulsive force acting between one of the left and right coils and the permanent magnet. According to this toy steering apparatus, by controlling the energization of the coil, the connected body moves to one of the magnetic bodies, thereby performing steering.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the toy steering apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the power to the coil is turned off, the connected body is moved to the right or left. A spring is provided for holding the steering wheel at a neutral position which is not biased so that the connecting member can take three steering positions. According to this toy steering device, when the energization of the coil is turned off, the connected body takes a neutral position by the spring, and when the coil is energized,
The coupling body operates in a direction corresponding to the direction of the current.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automobile toy.
4. A toy steering apparatus according to any one of the above 4). According to this automobile toy, for example, the automobile toy can be driven in a straight line or turned left or right by remote control.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a racing car toy to which a toy steering apparatus according to an embodiment is applied. The outline of the automobile toy 1 is shown in FIG.
The chassis (base) 2 and the body 3 shown in FIG. The chassis 2 and the body 3 are made of plastic, and the front part and the side part of the body 3 have some elasticity, and are not particularly limited. An engagement portion) is provided, and the body 3 is attached to the chassis 2 by elastically engaging the recess or the hole with the projection 2 a of the chassis 2. In addition, this car toy 1
Has an antenna (not shown) for receiving a control signal from a controller (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the chassis 2.
The center of the chassis 2 is not particularly limited,
A rechargeable battery (NiCad battery) 4 is installed vertically. The battery 4 is mounted on a battery storage section (not indicated) by a mounting member 5. This mounting member 5
Is made of plastic and is formed in an inverted U-shape so that the body of the battery 4 can be pressed from above. The free ends of the mounting member 5 have at least elasticity, and the free ends can be deformed in directions approaching and moving away from each other. A locking claw (engaging portion) 5a is provided outside each of the free ends, and the locking claw 5a is hooked on an edge (engaging portion) of a hole (not shown) of the chassis 2 so that the battery 4 Can be fixed. Note that conductor pieces 6a and 6b that can be electrically connected to the negative electrode and the positive electrode of the battery 4 are provided before and after the battery housing portion. Although not shown, the conductor pieces 6a and 6b are partially exposed on the lower side of the chassis 2, and the battery 4 can be charged using the exposed conductor pieces 6a and 6b.

A motor housing 7 is provided at the rear of the chassis 2 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a motor 8 is installed in the motor housing 7 in a horizontal state. This motor 8 is a DC motor, and as shown in FIG.
a is exposed. The conductor piece 8a constitutes a negative terminal and is electrically connected to the negative electrode side of the battery 4. On the other hand, the body 8 b of the motor 8 forms a positive terminal, and is electrically connected to the positive electrode side of the battery 4.

Here, the motor housing 7 will be described. The right side wall of the motor housing 7 has one end of a conductor piece 6a electrically connected to the negative electrode of the battery 4 as shown in FIG. Extends. On the other hand, one end of a conductor piece 6 b electrically connected to the positive electrode of the battery 4 extends on the floor of the motor housing 7. Then, as shown in FIG.
When the motor is installed in the motor housing 7, the negative terminal at the tail of the motor 8 is automatically electrically connected to the conductor piece 6a, and the positive terminal at the trunk is automatically electrically connected to the conductor piece 6b. A gear 8c is fixedly provided on the motor shaft of the motor 8.

Gears 7a and 7b are provided near the left side wall of the motor housing 7, as shown in FIGS. The gears 7a and 7b are integrally formed of plastic, and are configured to idle around a horizontal axis (rotating axis) 9. Here, the gear 7b meshes with a gear 7c fixedly provided on the rear wheel axle 2b of the rear wheels 2a, 2a. As a result, the motor power is changed from the gear 7a to the gear 7b,
7c so that the rear wheels 2a and 2a are rotationally driven.

Further, a motor holding plate 10 is provided at a rear portion of the chassis 2 as shown in FIGS.
The motor pressing plate 10 is made of copper, though not particularly limited, and is provided with slits and holes as appropriate to satisfy both the improvement of the heat radiation of the motor 8 and the pressing effect. The motor holding plate 10 is configured to be rotatable around a horizontal axis 9 extending in the horizontal direction on the front side of the motor housing 7. The motor holding plate 10 is rotated about the horizontal axis 9 to open and close the motor housing 7 (FIG. 6A) and close the motor housing 7 (B in FIG. 6). It is configured to be able to take. When the motor holding plate 10 is in the closed position, the motor holding plate 10 can hold the body of the motor 8 installed in the motor housing 7.

The motor holding plate 10 has a curved central portion in the width direction.
a. The curved portion has elasticity, and when the motor holding plate 10 rotates about the horizontal axis 9 to shift from the open position (A in FIG. 6) to the closed position (B in FIG. 6), the chassis The second motor housing 7 is inserted into a hole 11 provided behind the motor housing 7, and is locked by an edge (engaging portion) 11a of the hole 11 by its own elasticity.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal circuit of the automobile toy 1. The automobile toy 1 receives a control signal from a remote-controlled controller (not shown) through an antenna (not shown). And a control device 13 for controlling the energization of the motor 8 and the coil 14 of the automobile toy 1 according to the control signal received by the receiver 12. The control device 13 is configured on a printed wiring board (not shown), and the printed wiring board is disposed on the battery 4.

Next, details of the steering device of the automobile toy 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the steering device 20 of the automobile toy 1 includes a tie rod (connecting body) that connects the left and right knuckle arms 21 with the left and right tie rods (rotating bodies) 21 to which the left and right front wheel axles 2 c are respectively attached. ) 22.

Here, a front wheel axle 2d is attached to each knuckle arm 21, and a front wheel 2c is attached to the front wheel axle 2d so as to be idle. The left and right knuckle arms 21 are supported by the chassis 2 so as to be rotatable about left and right shafts 21b as shown in FIG. The left and right shafts 21
The upper end and the lower end of “a” are respectively inserted into holes (not shown) of the lower chassis 2e and the lower chassis 2f as shown in FIG. The hole into which the upper end of the shaft 21a enters penetrates the upper chassis 2f vertically, and the left and right knuckle arms 2
Numeral 1 can move slightly up and down between the lower chassis 2e and the lower chassis 2f. On the other hand, the tie rod 22 forms a pair with the free end of the knuckle arm 21 at the shaft 22a at both ends. As a result, when the tie rod 22 swings right and left, the left and right knuckle arms 21 rotate about the shaft 21b, and the left and right front wheels 2
Will be changed.

The tie rod 22 is provided with a torsion spring 23. This torsion spring 23
The head is wound around a projection 22a provided on the tie rod 22, and a middle part of the rod-shaped portions on both sides of the torsion spring 23 is hung so as to straddle the projection 22b provided on the tie rod 22, Torsion spring 2
3 is hooked on a trim (fixed portion) 25 provided behind the tie rod 22. Specifically, the tip of the torsion spring 23 is provided with the eccentric cam 25a of the trim 25.
The eccentric cam 25a is rotated about the axis 25c by rotating the lever 25b exposed on the lower side of the chassis 2 left and right about the axis 25c. By this rotation, the neutral position of the tie rod 22 can be finely adjusted. The torsion spring 23 functions to hold the tie rod 22 at a position (neutral position) that is not biased to the left or right.

A permanent magnet 24 is provided in front of the tie rod 22. The permanent magnet 24 is formed in a disk shape, and is installed so that both end faces face left and right. One end face of the permanent magnet 24 is configured as an S pole, and the other end face is configured as an N pole. On the other hand, coils 14 are provided on the left and right in front of the tie rod 22. The coil 14 is a round air-core coil having no core. One end of each coil 14 faces an end surface of a permanent magnet 24 provided on a tie rod 22. here,
In particular, the reason why the disk-shaped permanent magnet and the round air-core coil are used is to reduce the size and weight of the toy as a whole by not inserting a core into the coil. In the case of a round air-core coil, the generation of magnetic force of the coil is weak, but there is no problem if the torsion spring 3 having a very weak urging force is used.

FIG. 10 shows a part of the coil energizing circuit. The energization of the coil energization circuit is controlled by a coil energization control unit. The coil energization circuit is configured so that the left and right coils 14 are energized at the same time. Have the same polarity on the side facing the end face of the permanent magnet 24 (N
(Pole or S pole). Therefore, when the left and right coils 14 are energized, an attractive force acts between one coil 14 and the permanent magnet 24, and a repulsive force acts between the other coil 14 and the permanent magnet 24. As a result, the tie rod 22 swings against the urging force of the torsion spring 23. In this case, in order to change the swing direction of the tie rod 22, the direction of the current flowing through the coil 14 may be changed by the coil energization control unit. Note that the left and right coils 14 may be configured to be alternatively energized, and the tie rod 22 may be swung by an attractive or repulsive force acting between the energized coil 14 and the permanent magnet 24.

FIG. 11 shows a suspension of an automobile toy. The suspension 40 includes the leaf spring 30. This leaf spring 30 is installed on the upper chassis 2f. The leaf spring 30 has a structure in which the center is curved in a U-shape, and the curved portion is formed by a shaft 41 provided on the upper chassis 2f.
It has a structure to hold lightly. On the other hand, the left and right ends of the leaf spring 30 are located on the holes into which the upper ends of the shafts 21b enter, and are in contact with the upper ends of the shafts 21b. Thereby, the leaf spring 30 functions to absorb the impact from the road surface received by the front wheel 2c of the automobile toy 1 according to the ups and downs of the running surface.

FIG. 12 shows the operating state of the suspension of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12A, when one of the front wheels 2c is lifted, one portion of the leaf spring 30 (a portion closer to the wheel 2c than the shaft 41) is bent. When the front wheels 2c on both sides are lifted as shown in FIG. 12B, both sides of the shaft 41 of the leaf spring 30 bend. Thereby, the leaf spring 30
Means that the front wheel 2c of the automobile toy 1 absorbs the impact from the road surface received according to the ups and downs of the running surface, and properly grounds the wheels.

It is needless to say that the structure of this suspension is effective even when not combined with the steering device.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without changing the gist of the invention. Absent.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the permanent magnet is provided on the tie rod and the coil is provided on both sides. Alternatively, the coil may be provided on the tie rod and the permanent magnet may be provided on both sides. The point is that the tie rod is moved left and right by the electromagnetic force acting between the coil and the permanent magnet.

In the above embodiment, a permanent magnet is provided as a magnetic material. However, a magnetic material that is not magnetized may be provided instead of the permanent magnet.

[0029]

According to the toy steering apparatus according to the first and second aspects, the coil energization control means controls the energization of the coil so that the tie rod can take at least two steering positions. Is simple, and a curved running can be stably performed.

According to the toy steering apparatus of the third aspect,
Since the steering is performed only by controlling the energization of the coil (turning off the current, changing the direction of the current, etc.), the structure is simplified.

According to the steering apparatus for a toy according to the fourth aspect,
Since the toy can take the neutral position and the other two positions, the variation of the running mode of the toy increases.

According to the automobile toy described in claim 5, it is possible to perform quick steering, and to enjoy racing on a track having a curve like a circuit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile toy according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a chassis of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a motor housing of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a motor housing of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a motor used in the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an open / close state of a motor holding plate of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the steering apparatus of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the steering apparatus of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a coil energizing circuit of the automobile toy of FIG. 1;

11 is a cross-sectional view showing the suspension of the automobile toy in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation state of the suspension of FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile toy 2 Chassis 2a Rear wheel 2c Front wheel (steering wheel) 14 Coil 21 Knuckle arm (rotating body) 21a Axle 21b Shaft 22 Tie rod (connecting body) 24 Electromagnet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C150 AA14 CA08 DA06 DJ08 DK02 EA02 EB01 EB43 EB44 EC03 EC18 ED08 EH08 FA01 FA03 FB43

Claims (5)

[Claims] A left and right rotating body for rotating left and right steering wheels left and right about a predetermined axis, and a connecting body that connects the left and right rotating bodies to each other and forms a pair with the left and right rotating bodies. A toy steering device for rotating the left and right rotating bodies about the predetermined axis by swinging the connecting body to the left and right, and changing the direction of the steered wheels, wherein one of the coil and the magnetic body Is provided on a coupling body, the other of the coil and the magnetic body is provided on a fixed portion, and the coil and the magnetic body are separated from each other by swinging of the coupling body. A steering device for a toy, characterized in that it is configured to control energization of the toy so as to cause the connector to take at least two steering positions. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet is provided on the connecting body, and the coil is provided on the fixing portion.
A toy steering device as described in the above. 3. The toy for a toy according to claim 2, wherein said permanent magnet is provided such that a pole of said permanent magnet is directed left and right, and said coil is provided such that an end thereof faces said pole. Steering gear. 4. The connecting body is provided with a spring for holding the connecting body at a neutral position that is not biased to the left or right when the power to the coil is turned off.
The toy steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the steering device is set to one of two steering positions. 5. An automobile toy comprising the toy steering device according to claim 1.