WO2009024131A1

WO2009024131A1 - Construction kit

Info

Publication number: WO2009024131A1
Application number: PCT/DE2008/001347
Authority: WO
Inventors: Reinhard Martin
Original assignee: Eichsfelder Technik Eitech Gmbh
Priority date: 2007-08-17
Filing date: 2008-08-14
Publication date: 2009-02-26
Also published as: DE202007018749U1; DE102007038883B3

Abstract

A construction kit comprising a plurality of gear wheels (1) and a plurality of shafts having a polygonal cross-section (2), which can each be operatively connected to the gear wheels, is characterized by at least one first plug hub (5) that can be non-rotatably connected to a gear wheel and at least one second plug hub (7) that can be non-rotatably connected to a gear wheel, wherein the first plug hub can be non-rotatably connected to each shaft and the second plug hub cannot be non-rotatably connected to each shaft.

Description

construction kit

The invention relates to a construction kit with a plurality of Zahnrä- and a plurality of polygonal in cross-section shafts, which are each engageable with the gears, and at least a first and at least one second rotatably connected to a gear hub, wherein the first hub rotatably connected to each shaft is connected and the second hub is not rotatably connected to each shaft.

Such construction kits have long been known in the toy market. With the help of gears and shafts, simple gears can be built to reduce engine speeds, for example. Models are also known in which simple multi-speed transmissions are built from gears and shafts.

Conventionally, the gears have a central bore of polygonal cross section, which corresponds to the cross section of the polygonal shaft. Thereby, a gear and a shaft can be positively connected to each other by simply attaching the gear to the shaft. In this embodiment, gear and shaft are therefore always connected to each other in a rotationally fixed manner. Turning the gear relative to the shaft is not possible. This severely restricts the possible constructions, since, for example, transmissions in which a toothed wheel as a revolving intermediate wheel mounted on a fixed axis of rotation is not possible.

Another known variant provides to form both the waves and the central holes in the gears circular. In this case, by simply attaching the gear to the shaft a rotationally fixed connection is not possible. In order to obtain such a connection, it is necessary to use a separate tensioning element. This element, like the gear, has a circular central bore, but if a shaft can pass through this bore, is plugged, are connected by a clamping mechanism with this rotation. At the same time, it engages in the gearwheel which is mounted on the shaft, thus ensuring a rotationally fixed connection between shaft and gearwheel. The disadvantage here is that through the additional component rotatably connected to the shaft gear requires more space than a freewheeling. Therefore, gears with multiple gears and shafts require significantly more space, which limits the number of possible models.

From US 3,613,291 a construction kit is known in the hubs rotatably or non-rotatably connected with polygonal waves in cross-section. In this case, the hubs have holes with different cross sections, with which they can be either rotatably or non-rotatably mounted on the waves. As a result, although both the gears and the waves are used flexibly, gear arrangements remain space-consuming.

Starting from this problem, the invention has the object to improve a generic construction kit to the effect that even gear arrangements with variable and non-limited translations are space-saving possible.

To achieve the object of the invention is a generic

Construction kit characterized in that the axial length of the first and / or second hub corresponds to a multiple of the axial thickness of the gears.

This makes it possible to non-rotatably connect two gears, which can still rotate freely on their shaft. The fact that both gears are mounted on one and the same hub, also a fixed distance along the shaft between the two gears can be defined. Thus, a movement of the gears relative to each other along the shaft can be prevented. This is advantageous in particular when toothed wheels seated on different shafts are intended to engage one another and therefore a shift-proof positioning of the toothed wheels along the shaft is necessary. Vorteilhaflerweise both the first hub and the second hub are positively connected to the gears connected. This can be ensured, for example, that the gears have a central bore with a polygonal cross-section and the outer contour of the hubs is adapted to this polygonal cross-section. In this case, the hubs can be easily inserted into the central bore of the gear and thus ensure a rotationally fixed connection.

Alternatively, a frictional connection is conceivable. In this case, however, the connection between the hub and gear is not as easy to solve, as in a positive connection. Especially in the field of toy building kits flexibility is strongly desired. Children who play with a kit want to take a finished model apart again to make another. For this it is necessary to be able to solve the connection between gear and hub easily and quickly and without additional tools.

Advantageously, the first hub has a central bore with a polygonal cross section which corresponds to the cross section of the polygonal waves. For rotatably connecting a gear with a polygonal shaft, a first hub is now rotatably connected to the gear. Through the central polygonal hole of the hub can be performed a polygonal shaft. Since the cross section of the central bore and the cross section of the polygonal shaft correspond to one another, a positive connection also engages here. In this case, a non-rotatable connection between polygonal shaft and gear is made. Due to the exclusive use of form-fitting connections, these are also easy to remove without additional tools.

The at least one second plug-in hub advantageously has a central circular bore whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of a circumference around the transverse support contour of the polygonal corrugations. In this case, no rotationally fixed connection is made by inserting a polygonal shaft in the central circular bore. A rotatably connected to the second hub gear can consequently rotate freely on the shaft. In this way it is possible to create a waveform and to use a form of central holes in the gears and yet produce both non-rotatable and non-rotatable connections between shaft and gear. The occupied by the gear piece shaft is not greater than the axial thickness of the gear. In addition, the connections between the hubs and the gears can be easily released again and, if necessary, other combinations can be selected.

Particularly advantageously, the cross section of the polygonal waves is formed by a plurality of circular arcs of a circle with radius r and the arcs connecting the circular arcs, which are parts of an isosceles triangle. The radius r of the central circular bore of the at least one second plug-in hub corresponds to the radius r of the circular arcs. By using a plurality of circular arcs of a circle, the central circular bore of the at least one second plug-in hub relatively large surface of the shaft. As a result, the free rotation of the gear on the shaft is not affected, but minimizes the game between them, so that the gear is held in its plane of rotation.

Advantageously, the gears have different diameters and a different number of teeth. This makes it possible to construct gears of different ratios.

The polygonal shafts and / or gears and / or the first and / or the second plug-in hub can be made of plastic or metal, for example. For a plastic version, the light weight and simple production of the individual parts speak for themselves, while components made of metal, for example, have greater stability. With the aid of a drawing, an embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail below. Show it:

Figure 1 - a plan view of a gear;

Figure 2 - a polygonal shaft;

Figure 3 - a cross section through a polygonal shaft along the section line

IM-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 - an axial plan view of a first hub;

Figure 5 - a section through a first hub along the section line V-V

Figure IV;

Figure 6 - an axial plan view of a second hub;

Figure 7 - a section through a second hub along the section line VII-VII of Figure VI.

In Figure 1, a plan view along the shaft is shown on a gear 1, which may be part of a construction kit according to the invention. It has a hexagonal, central bore 9. The distance from one corner to the opposite corner of this bore is denoted by di, the distance between each two parallel side edges is designated by U ₂ .

FIG. 2 shows a polygonal shaft 2. A section through this polygonal shaft 2 along the cutting edge HI-III shown in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. The cross-sectional profile of the polygonal shaft 2 is formed by three circular arcs 3, which have the same radius r and are part of a circle, as well as by three straight lines 4 connecting these circular arcs, which are part of an isosceles triangle. With dz, the distance defined in FIG. 3 between a straight line 4 and the circular arc 3 opposite it is designated. Figure 4 shows an axial plan view of a first hub 5. It has a hexagonal outer contour 11 over most of its axial length. The distance between each two parallel side edges of this outer contour is denoted by d ₂ and corresponds to the distance designated by d2 from Figure 1. The in FIG

4 shown first plug-in hub 5 is therefore form-fitting and thus rotatably inserted into the recess 9 of the gear 1 shown in Figure 1. At one axial end of the first hub 5, a stop 10 is provided. This protrudes radially beyond the outer contour 11 and prevents so that the first hub 5 can be inserted through a gear 1 through. The first plug-in hub has a central bore 6. The inner contour of the central bore 6 is formed by three arcs 3, which have the same radius r and are part of a circle and formed by three, these arcs connecting straight line 4, which are part of an isosceles triangle. The distance between such a straight line 4 and the circular arc 3 lying opposite it is denoted by d _β and corresponds to the distance d ₃ defined in FIG. This particular embodiment, it is possible to introduce the polygonal shaft 2 in the central bore 6 of the first hub 5 and so produce a positive, rotationally fixed connection between the first hub 5 and the polygonal shaft 2.

FIG. 5 shows a section through a first plug-in hub 5 along the section line V-V shown in FIG. The distance designated di in FIG. 5 corresponds to the distance from a corner of the outer contour of the first plug-in hub 5 to the corner opposite it and is identical to the distance di from FIG. It can be clearly seen that the stop 10 protrudes beyond the outer contour of the first plug-in hub 5 and therefore can prevent insertion of the first plug-in hub 5 through the central recess 9 of a gear 1. The axial length on which the first hub

5 has an outer contour 11, which corresponds to the inner contour of the central bore 9 in the gear 1, which is denoted by D in FIG. 5, corresponds to the axial thickness of a toothed wheel.

FIG. 6 shows an axial plan view of a second plug-in hub 7. These second hub 7 also has a stop 10 on all sides over the outer contour the second pin 7 protrudes. In addition, also has the second hub 7 over most of its axial length via a hexagonal in this case outer contour 11, wherein the distance between two opposite side edges is denoted by d ₂ and corresponds to the distance d ₂ of Figure 1. The second plug-in hub is thus form-fitting and thus rotatably connected to the gear 1 connectable. A provided at one axial end of the second hub 7 stop 10, which projects radially beyond the hexagonal outer contour 11, prevents the second hub 7 can be inserted through a gear 1 through. The second hub 7 has a central circular bore 8, whose radius r corresponds to the radius r of the circular arcs 3, which together with the straight line 4 form the cross-sectional profile of the polygonal shaft 2. By this configuration, it is possible to introduce a polygonal shaft 2 in the central circular bore 8 of the second hub 7, without causing a rotationally fixed connection between the second hub 7 and the polygonal shaft 2 is formed.

FIG. 7 shows a section through a second plug-in hub 7 along the section line VII - VII shown in FIG.

Here, too, the stop protrudes beyond the outer contour of the second plug-in hub 7, thus preventing the second plug-in hub 7 from being pushed through by the toothed wheel 1. The distance denoted di in FIG. 7 corresponds, as in FIG. 5, to the distance between a corner of FIG Outer contour of the second hub and its opposite corner. The axial length of the second hub 7, which is designated in Figure 7 with 2D, on which it has a hexagonal outer contour 11 corresponds to two axial thicknesses of a gear. By this configuration, it is possible to insert the second hub 7 through the central holes 9 of two gears 1, and so to enable a rotationally fixed connection between them without a rotationally fixed connection between the gears and the polygonal shaft is made. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 gear

2 polygonal wave

3 circular arc

4 Straight

5 first plug-in

6 central hole in the first hub

7 second plug-in hub

8 circular bore

9 central hole in gear

10 stop

11 hexagonal outer contour r Radius

Claims

claims

1. Construction kit with a plurality of gears (1), a plurality of polygonal in cross-section shafts (2), each in operative connection with the gears (1) can be brought, and at least a first and at least one second rotatably with a gear (1) connectable hub (5, 7), wherein the first hub (5) rotatably connected to each shaft (2) and the second hub (7) is not rotatably connected to each shaft (2), characterized in that the axial length of the first and / or second

Plug hub (5, 7) corresponds to a multiple of the axial thickness of the gears (1).

2. Construction kit according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug-in hubs (5, 7) are positively connected to the gears (1) are connectable.

3. construction kit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first hub (5) has a central bore (6) having a polygonal cross-section which corresponds to the cross section of the polygonal shafts (2).

4. Construction kit according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the second hub (7) has a central circular bore (8) whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of a circumference around the cross-sectional contour of the polygonal waves (2).

5. construction kit according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross section of the polygonal waves (2) of several circular arcs (3) of a circle with radius r and the circular arcs (3) connecting straight line (4), the parts of an isosceles

Triangles are, is formed and the radius r of the central circular bore (8) of the second hub (7) corresponds to the radius r of the circular arcs (3).

6. construction kit according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gears (1) have different diameters and a different number of teeth.

7. construction kit according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the polygonal shafts (2) and / or gears (1) and / or the first hub (5) and / or the second hub (7) are made of plastic ,

8. Construction kit according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the polygonal shafts (2) and / or gears (1) and / or the at least one first hub (5) and / or the at least one second hub (7) are made of metal.