US2620596A - Remotely controlled toy vehicle - Google Patents

Description

D 9, 1952 c. H. A. ABRAHAMSON 2,620,596

REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY vsmcus Filed July 23, 1948 IY &

Patented Dec. 9, 1952 OFFICE REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE Carl Hugo Alfred Abrahamson, Stockholm, Sweden Application'July 23, 1948, Serial No. 40,269 In Sweden November 20, 1946 4 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanical toys in which it is desired to steer the same in addition to its propulsion from a distance by means of a flexible driving shaft consisting of a flexible tube. In a known device of this kind the steering is accomplished by means of a cord or fine wire running through the hollow tube. The toy, for instance a wagon or car, is connected through the flexible shaft with a suitable handle provided with a wheel by means of which the tube can be rotated. In'the car the rotation of the tube is transferred to the driving wheels. The handle is also provided with a thumb piece connected to one end of the cord. The other end of the cord is connected to one side of the front axle of the car, the said axle being vertically pivoted on a central pivot. The axle is also providedwith a tension spring fixed in the chassis of the car and influencing the axle in such a way that the cord is strained by the spring. By this means it is possible to turn the front axle of the car about the pivot by sliding the thumb piece forth and back thus steering the car.

This known arrangement has, however, the disadvantage that the cord is kept under constant tension and is therefore pressed against the innersurface of the tube through the action of the spring as the tube is curved, thus brakingor preventing the rotation of the tube. further disadvantage lies in the fact that the cord is carried with the tube in its motion at the curved portions of the tube, so that the cord is bent and its seeming or active length is decreased and the steering mechanism is actuated.

One important object of-the invention is to avoid these drawbacks. According to the invention, instead of a cord, a metal wire, having such stiffness that the steering means of the toy can be actuated in both directions by sliding the wire, is inserted in the tube. The tension spring can therefore be dispensed with.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this nature in which the flexible shaft can be readily attached to the toy, through which the assemblage of the device is highly facilitated.

Stillfurther objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one mode of carrying out the invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates a car according to the invention with an operating handle connected thereto.

Fig. 2 shows the car seen from beneath.

2 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of a detail on the line IIIIII in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows separately another detail in Fig. 2. Fig. 5' shows a sectional view of the handle on the line V-V in Fig. l. v I

In the figures, l indicates the chassis of the car, 2 is the rear axle and 3 the front axle which is pivoted on a vertical pivot 4. The wheelslof the car are indicated by 5. On the rear axle which is journalled in the chassis a cord pulley 6 is fixed, and at a distance from the rear axle a further pulley 'l is journalled in a double hook member 8, as is clear from the lateral view in' Fig. 4. The pulley 1 is fixed on the flexible tube 9, the end of which extends a little on one side of the pulley, thus forming a journal for the pulley. At the other side of the pulley the-tube also forms a journal. Each journal rests in one shank of the forked double hook member, which forms" the bearings of the pulley. An elastic cord [0 made of rubber, for example, runs over both pulleys and transmits the rotating motion from the tube to the rear axle, also holdingthe tube in its position in the double hook member. The flexible cable member or tube 9 consists of a metal Wire coil. A metal wire H runs through the tube and extends a little beyond the end of the tube. At the end of the wire a circular shaped carrier member 12 is fixed and rests in a bore l3a at the free end of a lever arm '13, the other end of which is fixed-on the front axle 3.- In order to allow the carrier member to be put into the bore without being loosened two slots are cut in the free end of the lever arm. One of these slots l4 extends transversely through the bore at right angles to the centre axis of the same, and the other slot 15' extends from the end of the lever arm to the bbre and at a right angle to the former s1ot. When the carrier member is to be inserted in the bore, it is inserted into the bore from above, the wire being lengthwise of the lever arm and passing through the upper portion of slot I5. The wire is then turned degrees, so that it enters into the slot M, the member lz'pivoting in the bore 13a. The wire and the lever arm are thus connected through a kind of bayonet joint. Itwill be noted that the end of wire ll may rotate relatively to. lever I3 when twisting may occur as the toy moves in a circular pathwhile the handle end of the wire may be prevented from rotation by its connection with thumb member 20.

The diameter of the wire II ought not to be less than .5 millimetre (about .080 inch) so that the lever arm can be turned in both directions by displacing thewire longitudinally in the tube.

On the end of the tube 9 remote from the end located in the car a friction roller 16 is secured, which is journalled in the handle [1. The roller cooperates with a friction wheel I8, journalled on a pivot 19 fixed on the handle and at a right angle to the axis of the roller 16. A thumb member 20 is displaceably mounted in a slot 21 ofthe, handle and is connected with the wire ii. The handle I! is held in the left hand and the friction wheel is rotated with the right hand by means of a handle pin 22. By pulling the thumb member forth and back, the front axle can be turned about the pivot 4 and the steering operation effected thereby, while the car is driven through the friction wheel is and the flexible tube 9.

Several wires Il may be used in the same rotating tube in order to operate or control a whistle, horn or other device in addition to the propelling and steering of the toy.

What I claim is:

1. A toy comprising va body having wheelsfor movably supporting the body. on a surface, one oi said wheels having a belt receiving groove for drivingly receiving a belt, a bearing support in alignment with said groove and includingv a pair of spaced apart hooks, said hooks being open on the side away from said grooved wheel, a flexible cable having one end thereof rotatably supported in saidhooks, a grooved pulley fixed. to said fiexible cable and of a sizeto be received between said hooks, and an elastic belt drivingly connecting said wheel and said pulley and positioned in said grooves of said wheel and said pulley and maintainingsaid one end of said flexible tube in said hooks, and means at the other end of said flexible tube for rotating the same for causing said toy to move over a surface.

2. A toy comprising a body having wheels for movably supporting the body on a surface, one of said wheels having a belt receiving groove fordrivingly receiving a belt, a bearing support in alignment with said groove and including a pair of spaced apart hooks, said hooks being open on theside away from said grooved wheel, a tubular flexible cable having. one end thereof rotatably supported insaid hooks, a grooved pulley fixed to said flexible tube. and of a sizeto be received between said hooks, and an elastic belt driving-1y connecting said wheel and said pulley and positioned in said grooves of said. wheel and said pulley and maintaining said oneendofrsaid flexible tube in said hooks, and means at the other end of said flexible tube for rotatingthe same for causing said toy to move over. asurface, at least one of said wheels of said toy being mounted for steering movement relative to the other wheels, a lever arm-operativel'y connected to said at least one of said wheels for causing said at. least one of. said wheels to be moved in steering relation to the toy, saidlever arm having, an openingcxtending therethrough and having a, first slot extending into said openin and generally parallel thereto and a second slot extending into saidfirst, slot wire and slots and smaller than said opening fixed to said wire adjacent the end thereof and adapted to be inserted into said opening by movementof the wire into said first slot and opening and then by pivotal movement of the wire into the other slot for swivelly connecting said wire to said lever arm whereby said toy may be steered I by longitudinal movement of said. wire.

-3. A toy comprising a chassis, a. grooved rotatable element mounted for rotation on said chassis for receiving a driving belt, a pair of hooks having their bight portions extending toward said grooved element and being open on the side away from said grooved element mounted on said chassis, an elongated flexible torque transmission and means to rotate the other end of said flexiblemember for rotating said pulley and said element, said pulley bein of suflicient size to prevent endwise movement of said one end of said flexible member relative to said hooks.

4. A toy comprising a chassis, a grooved rotat.-- able element mounted for rotationon saidchassis. for receiving a driving belt, a pair of hooks hav-- ing their bight portions extending toward saidgrooved element and being open on the side away fromsaid grooved element mounted on said chassis, an elongatedflexible transmission tube having one end rotatably mounted in said hooks, a grooved pulley fixed adjacent one end of said flexible member positioned. between said hooks and adapted to receive an elastic belt fordrivinglyconnecting said pulley and'said grooved element, and for retaining said fiexible tube in assembled relation with saidgrooved element, and means to rotate the other end of said flexible member for rotating said pulley and said element, said pulley being of sufficient size to prevent endwise movement of said oneend of-said-flexible member relative, to said hooks. a relatively, stiff wire ex+- tending through said tube and. projecting from.

both endsthereof, amember fixed on the end or said wire'adjacent'said grooved .pulley'for attachment to a movable member onsaid chassis for:

producing movement of a said movablememberupon endwise movement of said wire-,manually controlled means. atthe other; endof. said wire;

The. following references are file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATEN'IIS of A record in the;

Date.

Number Name;

1,808,015 Buchanan-WollastomJune 2, 1931. 1,866,477 Moore July 5,1932

. FOREIGNIPATENTS V Number Country Date

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