US3101569A - Remote electrically controlled wheeled toy - Google Patents

Description

1963 A. N. GIARDINA 3,101,569

REMOTE ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED WHEELED TOY Filed May 17, 1960 l4 M 22 I 360 k; I? INVENTOR.

1 23 5962 Andrew N.G|0rdino le ma/4%,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,101,569 REMOTE ELECTRICALLY CQNTROLLED WHEELED TOY Andrew N. Giardina, Leetsdale, Pa. Filed May 17, 1960, Qer. No.,29,'725 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-244) This invention relates to a toy airplane and, more particularly, to remotely controlled electrically powered airplane simulating an intercontinental ballistic missile interceptor.

While various types of toy airplanes are known, an outstanding disadvantage of most of them is that the control is not such as to aiford realism, particularly because of the absence of a realistic steering control, and because of the absence of other highly desirable features which are necessary for giving a complete range of realism to the toy and considerable amusement to the child operating the toy.

An object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a novel remotely controlled toy airplane which is devoid of the above named disadvantages of conventional toy airplanes.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a novel, remote control element for controlling forward and reverse movements of an electric motor driven toy airplane as well as to control right and left steering of the plane in a manner so as to simulate movements of a real airplane steering control element.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top or planview of a remotely controlled airplane including a remote control element embodying the principles of my invention;

FIGURE'Z is a side elevation view of the toy airplane shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4 is anenlarged, cross-sectional view of the rolling contact element included in the steering control element of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 except showing the position of the contact element when the steering control element is moved in a counter clockwise direction;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in cross-section, of the forward and reverse switch mounted ,in the right side ofthe steering control element in FIG.

1 for controlling theforward and rearward movement of the airplane;

FIGURE 7 is a front elevational view of the driving wheels and the left and right steering control magnets embodied in FIG. '1;

FIGURE 8 is a transverse, cross-sectional view of a portion of the construction shown in FIG.7 and more clearly showing the manner of operation of the steering device; and,

FIGURE 9 is a schematic electrical circuit diagram showing the various parts of the electrical control system embodied in FIG. *1.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a toy airplane shaped somewhat as an intercontinental ballistic missile interceptor and having a recoil, simulated Bofors gun 2 on each side thereof. The airplane as well as its remote control element 13 may be made of plastic or other suitable material. The simulated Bofors guns 2 include piston-like elements 3, also of plastic material, which slide within the tubes 2 integrally formed on the plane body as the result of a crank drive comprising link elements 4 connected to elements 3 and to crank elements 5, the latter being rotatably mounted 3,lill,5h9 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 on a drive shaft 6 for alternately reciprocating piston-like elements 3, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. More specifically, as the axle 6 is rotated, the crank elements 5 at the ends thereof will reciprocate in alternate directions the links 5 and elements 3. Shaft 6 is driven in one direction or an opposite direction by an electric motor 7' which is mounted underneath the airplane and which is effective to rotate, through suitable reduction gearing of any well known type (not shown) a pair of driving wheels 26.

Depending on the direction of energization of electric motor 7, the toy airplane may be driven either forwardly or rearwardly; also it may be moved or steered either to the right or to the left by means which will be described hereinafter.

On the top central portion of the plane there is integrally formed a hollow cylindrical portion into which is slidably mounted a plunger which is adapted to push against the tail end of a toy miniature plane 9, also slidable in said hollow cylindrical portion so that plane 91' may be propelled forwardly under the action of a strong coil spring 12. The spring is initially compressed by means of a latch 11 which is integrally formed on the plunger In. Latch Ill, when retracted, fits against the rear cut-out or grooved portion 10, which portion acts as a stop. When latch 1 1 is laterally moved free of such cut-out portion, the full force expansion of spring 12 will push the plunger against the tail end of plane 9 and propel it forwardly.

I A novel feature of the present invention resides in the specific shape and construction of the remote control element 13 which is in the form of a more than half circular element which serves as a steering wheel element. It has mounted transversely across thereof an integral, hollow tubular portion 14 which hassupported therein a steering switch box referred to by numeral 20 and a steering switch element 21 illustrated in detail'in FIGS. 4 and 5. Push buttons 17 and 18 are mounted on the right end of element 13 as viewed in FIG. 1 and are effective to operate a reversing switch 16, 35a, 36a for reversing the direction of energizing current through the armature of the driving motor M to obtain selective forward and rearward movement of the plane.

A. substantially cylindrical contact element 21 will roll either to the position shown in FIG. 5 bridging contacts 22 and 23 or to the opposite position so as to bridge contacts 22 and 24 as a consequence of. slight rotational movements of the steering wheel 13 in opposite directions. Contacts 23 and 24 are connected by lead-in wires 23a and 24a respectively, to solenoid coils 29 and 28, respectively, which are the right and left steering coils, respectively (see FIG. 9).

That energization of the respective solenoid coils will effect right or left steering movements is more apparent from a study of FIGS. 7 and 8 showing the solenoid coils 28 and 29 mounted on a support 27 and showing discs 30 and 3.1 of magnetic material, such as steel, which are splined to a correspondingly splined portion of the hub of the wheels 26 so that discs may freely move laterally but will not rotate with respect to the wheels. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, when solenoid coil 2-8 is energized it will attract its armature so as to push against disc 31 so as to frictionally rub thereagainst and thus cause braking of the associated wheel as, whereas because of lack of energization of the other solenoid coil 21, the other wheel 26 is free to rotate, therefore causing the plane to steer to the left. When coil 29 is energized, the opposite front wheel will be braked causing steering to the right.

The forward and rearward control is shown more clearof any well known construction so that one or more dry ing the button 117 may obtain forward movement of the plane, and by pressing button :18 may obtain rearward movement of the plane. 'In addition thereto, the child 'by tilting the steering wheel '13 in one direction will obtain right steering, and in an opopsite direction, may obtain left steering of plane 1 because of selective energizat-ion of either solenoid coil 28 or 29 to eifect selective brlalsing or steering of the front driving wheels.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an efiicient, remotely controlled toy airplane that provides a high degree of realism and amusement to the child and which, by means of a remotely controlled element, shaped like a steering wheel, will effect left and'right steering, by slight rotational movements in opposite directions, and which will also control forward and rearward movements by a reversing switch mounted on the steering wheel-like element; also which has dual Bofors and a parasite or small plane that'may be shot out therefrom.

While (I have illustrated and described a single embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is byway of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications maybe made within the contemplation of my invention and Within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A remotely controlled toy airplane comprising, in combination, a toy airplane, mounted on wheels, a reversible electric motor mounted on said airplane for selectively driving said airplane forwardly or rearwardly, a remote control element electrically connected. to said motor by a [flexible cable and being in the form of a substantially semi-circular steering wheel having a substantially cylindrical casing extending diametrically thereof, stationary dry cell means snugly enclosed in said casing, said airplane including a pair of solenoids and front wheel braking elements operated thereby to obtain steeri-ng movements of said airplane, a cylindrical contact element mounted for rolling movement in a confined portion of said casing, electrical contact strips mounted in a wall portion of said casing and cooper-able with said rolling contact element in response to rotational movements of said steering wheel in its own plane for selectively energizing said solenoids to effect right and left steering movements of said airplane. V v 2. A toy airplane as recited in claim 1 together with a pair of reversing switches mounted on said semi-circular steering wheel adjacent the end of said casing for selectively driving said toy airplane forwardly or rearwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,780,487 Iurgen'sen Nov. 4, 1930 1,951,505 Dambrine .2... Mar. 2 0 19-34 2,638,712 Jackson -2 May 19, 1953 2,718,729 7 Giardina Sept. 27, 1955 2,943,418 Smith July 5, 1960" 2,993,299 Dingee, et a1 July 25, 1961 2,999,226 Wuster'b'art'h' Sept. '5, 1961

Claims (1)

1. A REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY AIRPLANE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TOY AIRPLANE, MOUNTED ON WHEELS, A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR MOUNTED ON SAID AIRPLANE FOR SELECTIVELY DRIVING SAID AIRPLANE FORWARDLY OR REARWARDLY, A REMOTE CONTROL ELEMENT ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR BY A FLEXIBLE CABLE AND BEING IN THE FORM OF A SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR STEERING WHEEL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CASING EXTENDING DIAMETRICALLY THEREOF, STATIONARY DRY CELL MEANS SNUGLY ENCLOSED IN SAID CASING, SAID AIRPLANE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SOLENOIDS AND FRONT WHEEL BRAKING ELEMENTS OPERATED THEREBY TO OBTAIN STEERING MOVEMENTS OF SAID AIRPLANE, A CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT MOUNTED FOR ROLLING MOVEMENT IN A CONFINED PORTION OF SAID CASING, ELECTRICAL CONTACT STRIPS MOUNTED IN A WALL PORTION OF SAID CASING AND COOPERABLE WITH SAID ROLLING CONTACT ELEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ROTATIONAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID STEERING WHEEL IN ITS OWN PLANE FOR SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SAID SOLENOIDS TO EFFECT RIGHT AND LEFT STEERING MOVEMENTS OF SAID AIRPLANE.

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