JPH0538793Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a drive unit using a mainspring (spiral spring) as a power source. More specifically, the present invention relates to a two-speed spring type drive unit that is capable of outputting two types of rotation at different rotational speeds.

(Prior Art) As a conventional two-speed spring type drive unit, there is a cam switching type drive unit as shown in FIG. In this drive unit, switching gears 103 and 104 connecting a reduction gear mechanism 101 and a constant speed mechanism 102 are connected to a cam 1 that rotates in conjunction with a drive shaft (not shown) on which a spring (not shown) is attached.
05 to move in the thrust direction, and by separating the constant speed mechanism 102 from the reduction gear mechanism 101, two types of rotation are output. The cam 105 has a slope 1 inclined in the axial direction.
06, and the shaft 107 supporting the switching gear 103 with the slope 106 is displaced in the axial direction.
This cam 105 is connected to a drive gear 1 on a drive shaft 111 via an idle gear 109 and a driven gear 110.
08, and is provided to rotate as the mainspring is released. Also, shaft 107
One switching gear (pinion) 103 on the top meshes with the gear 112 of the reduction gear mechanism 101, and the other switching gear 104 on the same axis constitutes the constant speed mechanism 102 via the pinion 113 and the gear 114 on the same axis. It is connected to star gear 115. Therefore,
When the shaft 107 is moved in the axial direction by the cam 105, the engagement between the pinion 103 and the gear 112 is released, and the reduction gear mechanism 101 and the constant speed mechanism 10
2 is separated, and the output shaft becomes free rotation (high speed rotation). When used in a traveling toy, this drive unit provides a two-speed action that automatically increases speed from a very slow running state. In the figure, reference numeral 116 is an ankle member constituting a constant speed mechanism, 117 is a return coil spring for returning the shaft 107 to its original position, and 118 is a pinion.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in this conventional drive unit, the shafts of the switching gears 103 and 104 are moved in the axial direction by cam drive to disconnect the gears, so there is no need to return the shafts. A return coil spring 118 is required. Further, as shown in the figure, gears 108, 109, 110 connecting the cam 105 and the drive shaft 111, a switching gear 103,
Gear 11 connecting 104 and constant speed mechanism 102
3,114 parts is required, and there is a problem that the number of parts is large, and when used for a toy with a relatively small body, it is bulky and expensive. In addition, this drive unit is automatically shifted from constant speed rotation to free rotation (high speed rotation) when the cam 105 rotates once, so it always switches to high speed driving after traveling a certain distance from the start of travel. There is a lack of freedom in changing the traveling speed at different or arbitrary times each time, or in running the vehicle at the same speed without switching.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a two-speed spring type drive unit suitable for the drive source of small toys, which allows the speed switching point or time to be freely selected, has a small number of parts, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive. It is said that

(Means for solving the problem) In order to achieve the above object, the two-speed spring type drive unit of the present invention uses a spring as a drive source and transmits the elastic force to the output shaft via a reduction gear mechanism. In the unit, a constant speed mechanism is provided to brake the rotation of the reduction gear mechanism to rotate it at a constant speed, and the constant speed mechanism is engaged with the reduction gear mechanism via a switching gear, while the switching gear is connected to the reduction gear. The gearbox is supported by the gearbox so as to be movable in the direction away from the constant speed mechanism while being engaged, and supports the switching gear, and when the switching gear is connected to the constant speed mechanism, the tip protrudes outside the gearbox and engages with the gearbox. A switching lever is provided which releases the engagement and separates the switching gear from the constant speed mechanism when the tip collides with a protrusion on the running surface.

(Function) Therefore, when the switching gear, which rotates together with the reduction gear when winding up the mainspring, is urged toward the constant speed mechanism by the reduction gear and the rising gear, the constant speed is substantially fixed. Sliding occurs on the tooth surface of the gear of the mechanism, deforms the spring member of the switching lever, causes the tip of the switching lever to climb over the gearbox and protrude outside the gearbox, and connects the switching gear to the constant speed mechanism. When the mainspring is released, its rotation is transmitted to the output shaft via the speed reduction mechanism. At this time, since the reduction gear mechanism is connected to the constant speed mechanism via the switching gear, the reduction gear mechanism rotates at a constant speed controlled by the constant speed mechanism and at a lower speed than free rotation. If the switching lever collides with a protrusion on the running surface while driving,
The engagement between the switching lever and the gear box is released against the elastic force of the spring member, and the switching gear is pulled up in the direction away from the constant speed mechanism by the rotation of the reduction gear mechanism, and the reduction gear mechanism and the constant speed The reduction gear mechanism is separated from the mechanism to allow free rotation, that is, high speed rotation.

(Example) Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the gear train of the two-speed spring type drive unit of the present invention. This drive unit uses a mainspring 1 as a drive source and transmits its rotational motion to the output shaft 5 side via a reduction gear mechanism 2, and the rotation of the gear mechanism 2 is braked by the reduction gear mechanism 2 to maintain a constant rotation. a switching gear 6 that engages the constant speed mechanism 3 that rotates at a speed that allows the constant speed mechanism 3 to freely approach and separate;
A switching lever 22 is provided to disconnect the switching gear 6 from the constant speed mechanism by an external trigger.
Two types of rotation can be arbitrarily switched and output: a relatively low constant speed rotation in which the reduction gear mechanism 2 is connected and a relatively high speed free rotation in which the reduction gear mechanism 2 is freely rotated.

The reduction gear mechanism 2 includes a winding pinion 7 formed on a drive shaft 4 to which a mainspring 1 is mounted, a driving gear 8 coaxially disposed on the same axis, and a driven pinion 14 formed on an output shaft 5. , the pinion 1
4, an intermediate gear 11 and a coaxial intermediate gear 12, a rising gear 9 that meshes with one of the intermediate gears 11 only when winding the mainspring and transmits rotation to the winding pinion 7, and the driving gear 8. It consists of rising gears 13 and 10 that mesh only when the mainspring is released and transmits rotation to the intermediate gear 12, and when winding the mainspring, the output shaft 5→driven pinion 14→intermediate gear 11→starting gear 9→winding pinion 7 → Rotation is transmitted to mainspring 1, and when releasing mainspring 1, rotation is transmitted to mainspring 1 → drive gear 8 → rising gears 10, 13 → intermediate gear 12 → intermediate gear 11 → driven gear 14 → output shaft 5. tell. The intermediate gears 11, 12, the up gears 10, 13, the driving gear 8, and the hoisting pinion 7 are each integrally molded with the shaft from plastic such as polyacetal. The rising gears 9, 13, and 10 are gears that engage or disengage depending on the rotational direction of the input side gear, and are engaged with the male block 27A, bulkhead block 27B, and female block 27C of the gear box 27. They are movably accommodated in arc-shaped long holes 29 and 30 provided in the partition wall block 27B, respectively. In this embodiment, the reduction gear mechanism 2 substantially includes a driving gear 8 and upstream gears 10 and 1.
3, intermediate gears 12, 11 and a driven pinion 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the reduction ratio can be freely changed as necessary.

The constant speed mechanism 3 includes speed increasing gear trains 15, 16, 17,
18, 19, 20 and an eccentric weight so-called rotating pendulum 21
The rotation speed input through the switching gear 6 is increased, and the rotation of the rotary pendulum 21 is adjusted to a constant rotation speed. Note that the constant speed mechanism 3 is not limited to one that utilizes the speed increasing gears 15, . . . , 20 and the rotating pendulum 21 described above.
For example, although not shown, a star-shaped gear (corresponding to a so-called escape wheel and commonly known as a star gear) and the claws at both ends alternately contact the teeth of this star gear. It may be a combination of an ankle member that swings and swings, or a centrifugal brake consisting of a rubber brake that expands due to centrifugal force during rotation, and a cylindrical frame that houses the brake.

The switching lever 22 is configured to maintain the engaged state between a stopper 23 and an engaging member 31, which will be described later, when a shaft 24 supporting the switching gear 6 and the switching gear 6 are engaged with the gear 15 of the constant speed mechanism 3. The gearbox 27 is provided with a spring member 25 that biases the gearbox 27, and is movable within the long hole 28 by inserting the shaft 24 portion into the long hole 28 bored in the bulkhead block 27B and female block 27C of the gearbox 27. It is provided. A right triangular stopper 23 is provided at the tip of the switching lever 22. When the lever 22 is pushed down until the stopper 23 passes over the engagement member 31 at the bottom of the gearbox 27 and protrudes outside the gearbox 27, the stopper 23 23 and the engaging member 31 engage, and the tip of the switching lever 22 receives an external force (in the direction of arrow A) in the opposite direction to the traveling direction, causing the switching lever 22 to bend and engage the stopper 23 and the engaging member 31. It is designed so that it will not return to its original state until the condition is resolved.

In the case of this embodiment, the spring member 25 is made of a flexible plate-shaped member integrally molded with the switching lever 22 using plastic so as to form a U-shape between the spring member 25 and the switching lever 22, for example. Lever 22
A spherical stepped portion 26 is provided that engages with a stopper member 32 provided on the male block 27A to suppress movement of the spring member 25 when the spring member 25 moves.
Therefore, the spring member 25 is inserted between the stopper member 32 and the engagement member 31 together with the switching lever 22, thereby being bent in the lateral direction, and the vertical movement of the switching lever 22 causes the spring member 25 to be bent in the horizontal direction. A slight vertical elastic deformation is caused in the base portion, and when the stopper 23 at the tip of the switching lever 22 gets over the engaging member 31, the switching lever 22 is pressed toward the engaging member 31 side, and at the same time, the switching lever 22 is moved toward the gear box 27. A biasing force that pulls inward, that is, a switching gear 6
This results in a slight force trying to separate the constant speed mechanism 3 from the constant speed mechanism 3. When configured in this way, the spring member 25
In this case, the stopper 23 of the switching lever 22 is connected to the engaging member 31.
The spring force is applied by bending only when going over the ground, and it does not deform at other times, so there is little sag. Note that this switching lever 22 is connected to the partition wall block 2.
7B and the male block 27A, and the shaft 24 portion is bored into the partition block 27B and the female block 27C.
gearbox 237 by being penetrated into the
It is supported so that it can swing freely.

The gearbox 27 is configured to be separable into a male block 27A having an engaging pin, a female block 27C having a hole for press-fitting the pin, and a partition block 27B sandwiched between them. A mainspring 1 is housed between the male block 27A and the partition block 27B. The outer end 1a of the mainspring 1 is folded back to form a groove 3 in the wall of the mainspring storage space 33 provided in the male block 27A.
4 and is fixed. On the other hand, the inner end 1b of the mainspring 1 is fitted and fixed between two protrusions 35 integrally formed on the drive shaft 4. Therefore, when the mainspring is wound too much, the outer end 1a of the mainspring jumps out of the groove 35 and moves along the inner wall surface, preventing it from being wound any further.

According to the two-speed spring type drive unit constructed in this manner, two stages of rotational output can be obtained as follows.

When the output shaft 5 is rotated while pressing a toy such as a toy car or the like equipped with the drive unit of the present invention onto the floor in the direction shown by the arrow (ⓓ) in FIG. The rotation is transmitted to the winding pinion 7, causing the rising gear 9 to bite into the winding pinion 7, transmitting the rotation to the drive shaft 4, and winding the mainspring 1. At this time, the rising gear 1
0 and 13 are lifted upward and separated from the intermediate gear 12, as shown in FIG. Simultaneously with the winding of the mainspring 1, the rising gear 9 meshing with the winding pinion 7 comes into sliding contact with the switching gear 6 and pushes it down toward the gear 15 side of the constant speed mechanism 3. At the same time, the switching gear 6 also meshes with the intermediate gear 11 and rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing, so that a force to move toward the gear 15, that is, a force to move downward is applied. However, since these two forces are weak, they alone cannot deform the spring member 25 of the switching lever 22 and cause the switching lever 22 to protrude outside the box 27. However, when meshing with the gear 15 of the constant speed mechanism 3, the constant speed Since the mechanism 3 side has the function of braking so that it rotates at a constant speed, it is the same as being in a fixed state momentarily, so the switching gear 6 is set to gear 1.
5 to obtain a force that bites onto the tooth surface toward the sliding gear 15 side. That is, the switching lever 22 is made to protrude outside the box 27 against the spring force of the spring member 25. When the tip of the switching lever 22 passes over the engaging member 31 of the gearbox 27, the stopper 23 portion engages with the engaging member 31 due to the spring force. Then, the switching lever 22 is fixed and the switching gear 6 is locked in the state connected to the constant speed mechanism 3 (see FIG. 4). still,
When the mainspring 1 is wound up a predetermined amount, the unrestrained end 1a of the mainspring slips out of the groove 35 to prevent overwinding.

So, when you let go of the car toy, mainspring 1
As a result of this release, the drive shaft 4 rotates in the clockwise direction. Therefore, the starting gear 9 that had been meshed with the winding pinion 7 is disengaged from the pinion 7 and idles, and the starting gear 10 is meshed with the drive gear 8,
The rotation of the drive shaft 4 is transferred from the drive gear 8 to the up gear 13.
→10 → intermediate gear 12 → 11 → driven pinion 14
→The signal is transmitted to the output shaft 5 and the toy car is driven. At this time, since the intermediate gear 11 constituting the reduction gear mechanism 2 is connected to the constant speed mechanism 3 via the switching gear 6, the car toy runs at a constant speed controlled by the constant speed mechanism 3. .

If the protrusion 37 is formed in advance on the running surface 36, or if the vehicle is run on an uneven running surface, the tip of the switching lever 22 collides with the protrusion 37, and at the same time the stopper 22 of the switching lever 22 The engagement of the gear box 27 with the engagement member 31 is released against the elastic force of the spring member 25, and the intermediate gear 11 of the reduction gear mechanism 2 raises the switching gear 6, and the constant speed mechanism 3 away from gear 15. Therefore, the reduction gear mechanism 2 rotates freely and rotates at a higher speed (runs at a higher speed) than when rotating at a constant speed.

(Effects of the invention) As is clear from the above explanation, the two-speed spring type drive unit of the invention has a switching gear that connects the reduction gear mechanism and the constant speed mechanism that brakes its rotation at the tip outside the gearbox. The gear box is engaged with the gear box in a protruding state, and when the tip collides with a protrusion on the running surface, the engagement is released and the switching gear is released. By forming a protrusion at an arbitrary position, or by running on a surface with a protrusion, the switching lever can run at different speeds before and after colliding with the protrusion, i.e. It is possible to switch between relatively low constant speed running and free rotation high speed running at any point or time. Also, if the vehicle does not collide with a bump, the vehicle will continue to travel at the same low speed. Therefore, each time the toy runs, the running speed can be changed at a different arbitrary point or time and the user can enjoy the changes, which greatly improves the fun of the toy.

Moreover, compared to the conventional 2-speed unit,
Since a sturdy return coil spring and a large number of gears can be omitted, the structure can be extremely simple and compact with a small number of parts, making it suitable for constructing a small and inexpensive drive unit.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing one embodiment of the gear train of the two-speed spring type drive unit of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 1, and shows the state when the mainspring is wound up. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. 1, showing the state during high-speed running. FIG. 4 is also a cross-sectional view taken along the - line, and shows the state when winding of the mainspring is completed. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional two-speed spring type drive unit. 1... Mainspring, 2... Reduction gear mechanism, 3...
Constant speed mechanism, 4... Drive shaft, 5... Output shaft, 6...
Switching gear, 22... Switching lever, 23... Stopper, 24... Shaft, 25... Spring member, 31
...Engaging member on the gearbox side, 36... Running surface, 37... Protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A drive unit that uses a mainspring as a drive source and transmits its elastic force to an output shaft via a reduction gear mechanism is provided with a constant speed mechanism that brakes the rotation of the reduction gear mechanism and rotates it at a constant speed, and the constant speed mechanism is The switching gear is engaged with the reduction gear mechanism via a switching gear, and the switching gear is supported by a gearbox so as to be movable in a direction away from the constant speed mechanism while being engaged with the reduction gear, and the switching gear is supported and switched. When the gear is connected to the constant speed mechanism, the tip protrudes outside the gear box and engages with the gear box, and when the tip collides with a convexity on the running surface, the engagement is released and the switching gear is connected to the constant speed mechanism. A 2-speed spring type drive unit characterized by a switching lever that disconnects the drive unit.