U.S. patent application number 11/077149 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-15 for front axle unit for a toy vehicle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG. Invention is credited to Doan, Cong-Uan, Kroener, Ralf, Reuter, Uwe, Weidner, Thomas.
Application Number | 20050202747 11/077149 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34895227 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050202747 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reuter, Uwe ; et
al. |
September 15, 2005 |
Front axle unit for a toy vehicle
Abstract
This front axle unit is suitable for a toy vehicle for operation
on a racetrack, for example, comprising a chassis for accommodating
the rear axle unit as well as the front axle unit having the front
wheels. To optimize this front axle unit, an adjustment device for
the wheel base of the front wheels is provided between the front
wheels of the front axle unit of the chassis.
Inventors: |
Reuter, Uwe; (Althengstett,
DE) ; Weidner, Thomas; (Besigheim, DE) ;
Kroener, Ralf; (Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE) ; Doan,
Cong-Uan; (Muehlacker, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CROWELL & MORING LLP
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GROUP
P.O. BOX 14300
WASHINGTON
DC
20044-4300
US
|
Assignee: |
Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
Stuttgart
DE
|
Family ID: |
34895227 |
Appl. No.: |
11/077149 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/290 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 17/14 20130101;
A63H 17/262 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/290 |
International
Class: |
A63H 011/10; A63H
013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 11, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 011 934.1 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. The front axle unit for a toy vehicle operable on a racetrack,
comprising a chassis for accommodating a vehicle rear axle unit and
a front axle unit having front wheels, and an adjustment device for
a wheel base of the front wheels between the front wheels.
12. A front axle unit of claim 11, wherein the adjustment device is
operatively arranged on a transverse member having arm sections one
above the other, so as to be mobile in relation to one another and
lockable by a fixing device.
13. The front axle unit of claim 12, wherein the arm sections have
approximately rectangular plates provided with first gear teeth on
longitudinal sides thereof, said first gear teeth cooperating with
second gear teeth of an adjustment housing of the fixing
device.
14. The front axle unit of claim 13, wherein the adjustment housing
has a U-shaped cross section for accommodating the plates; and a
catch part is operatively arranged above the U-shaped cross
section.
15. The front axle unit of claim 13, wherein the adjustment housing
is operatively mounted on a front axle frame of the front axle
unit.
16. The front axle unit of claim 12, wherein the arm sections are
operatively connected to longitudinal control arms adjacent to the
front wheels and configured to guide the front wheels.
17. The front axle unit of claim 16, wherein the longitudinal
control arms and the arm sections constitute a composite steering
axle.
18. The front axle unit of claim 16, wherein the longitudinal
control arms (29 and 30) comprise fork-like receptacles for bearing
bushes surrounding an axle shaft carrying the front wheels on free
sides.
19. The front axle unit of claim 15, wherein the front axle frame
comprises a longitudinal member arranged proximate a central frame
of the chassis and integrated into threaded bores, and the
longitudinal beams are mounted with screws on a base frame of the
central frame, with the screws being screwed into the threaded
bores from an underside of the base frame.
20. The front axle unit of claim 19, wherein the longitudinal beams
are in contact with guide walls of the central frame.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application claims the priority of German Application
No. 102004011934.1, filed Mar. 11, 2004, the disclosure of which is
expressly incorporated by reference herein.
[0002] The present invention relates to a front axle unit for a toy
vehicle, e.g., for operation on a racetrack, having a chassis which
accommodates a rear axle unit as well as a front axle unit with
front wheels.
[0003] DE 76 16 672 U1 shows a model vehicle having a chassis with
a U-shaped cross section whose parallel legs run in the
longitudinal direction of the vehicle and support the rear front
axles. The front axle has transverse control arms mounted on the
legs and in turn connected to front wheels via wheel arms. The
wheel base of the front wheels is invariable due to the given
construction.
[0004] EP 1 275 424 A1 shows a comparable construction in the form
of a remote-control, track-guided toy vehicle on a racetrack. The
front axle has bearing sections for an axle shaft connected to the
front wheels. The wheels are not spring mounted and their wheel
base is fixed.
[0005] DE 37 22 618 C2 shows a toy vehicle having a vehicle body
mounted on a chassis. The chassis has drive wheels and supporting
wheels. Different selectable journals for these supporting wheels
are provided for the supporting wheels on the two longitudinal
sides of the chassis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a front
axle unit for a toy vehicle characterized by simple and functional
construction. However, the wheel mount for the front wheels of the
front axle unit should also operate with a high efficiency.
[0007] This and other objects have been achieved by providing a
wheel base adjustment device between the front wheels of the front
axle unit.
[0008] Some of the main advantages achieved with the present
invention include the fact that due to the adjustment device for
the wheel base of the front wheels, the driving properties of the
toy vehicle can be influenced in a controlled manner. The
adjustment device is not only simple to operate but also forms an
easily implemented construction with the fixation device and the
relatively mobile arm sections situated one above the other.
[0009] The novel construction is further supported by the gear
teeth on the arm sections and an adjustment housing. Finally, the
longitudinal control arms on the arm sections for the guidance of
the front wheels form an advantageous wheel mount, whereby the
longitudinal control arms with the arm sections constitute a
shock-mounted composite control arm axle which contributes to a
good driving performance of the toy vehicle in a controlled
manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention when considered in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a chassis of a
toy vehicle according to the present invention,
[0012] FIG. 2 is a similar perspective, enlarged view of a detail
of the front axle unit shown in FIG. 1 axle according to the
present invention,
[0013] FIG. 3 is a partial perspective, enlarged view of a detail
from FIG. 2,
[0014] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the front axle
unit shown in FIG. 2,
[0015] FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line V-V in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] A toy vehicle 1, of which only a chassis 2 is shown, is
provided with a guide groove 4 for operation on a racetrack 3 shown
schematically in FIG. 1. A nose-like guide element 5 of a guide
mechanism 6 engages in the guide groove 4 and is connected to the
chassis 2. The chassis 2 is connected to a front axle unit 9
comprising front wheels 7, 8 and to a rear axle unit 12 having rear
wheels 10, 11. The front axle unit 9 and the rear axle unit 12 are
optionally configured as modules or integral structures of the
chassis 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the front axle unit 9 is
a module connected to a central frame 13 of the chassis 2.
[0017] An adjustment device 14 as seen in FIG. 2 is operative
between the front wheels 7, 8 of the front axle unit 9, to permit
variations in the wheel base (medium wheel base Swm, larger wheel
base Swg and smaller wheel base Swk) to be able to connect bodies
of different sizes, for example, to the chassis 2, i.e., to achieve
desired dynamic driving effects. The adjustment device 14 is
provided on a transverse member 15 having two arm sections 16, 17
situated one above the other (see also FIG. 4). The arm sections
16, 17 are configured to be relatively mobile (in directions RI and
RII) in relation to one another, but they can also be locked in
position by fixing device 18. The arm sections 16, 17 of the
transverse member 15 run across or transversely to the longitudinal
direction A-A of the vehicle and have approximately rectangular
plates 19, 20 (FIG. 4) which are provided on longitudinal sides 21,
22 with first gear teeth Vze. The first gear teeth Vze cooperates
with the second gear teeth Vzz of an adjustment housing 23 of the
fixation device 18. The adjustment housing 23 has a U-shaped cross
section 24 with legs 25, 26 which serve to accommodate the plates
19, 20 of the respective arm sections 16, 17. The second gear teeth
Vzz are arranged on the inside of the legs 25, 26. A catch part 27,
which holds the arm sections 16, 17 in position in the adjustment
housing 23, sits on the adjustment housing 23 above the U-shaped
cross section 24. The adjustment housing 23 is mounted on a front
axle frame 28 of the front axle unit 9.
[0018] The arm sections 16, 17 are connected to respective
longitudinal control arms 29, 30 aligned in the longitudinal
direction A-A of the vehicle adjustment to the front wheels 7, 8.
These longitudinal control arms 29, 30 run approximately
horizontally in a basic design position and, together with the arm
sections 16, 17, form a composite control arm axle 31. The arm
sections 16, 17 are therefore configured to have spring elasticity,
with the front wheels 7, 8 adapting to the properties of the road
surface of the racetrack 3 via the longitudinal control arms 29, 30
in operation of the toy vehicle 1. On the free sides 32, 33, the
longitudinal control arms 29, 30 have fork-like receptacles 34, 35
for bearing bushings 36, 37 which surround an axle 38 carrying the
front wheels 7, 8. The longitudinal control arms 29, 30 run in
front of the axle 38 as seen in the travel direction B.
[0019] The front axle frame 28 of the front axle unit 9 is brought
up to the central frame 13 with longitudinal arms 39, 40 extending
in the vehicle longitudinal direction A-A with vertical threaded
bores 41 (FIG. 5) integrated where into. The longitudinal beams 39,
40 are mounted on a base frame 42 by screws 43 which are screwed
into the threaded bores 41 from the under side 44 of the base frame
42. Finally, the longitudinal beams 39, 40 are connected to guide
walls 45, 46 of the central frame 13.
[0020] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to
illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since
modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit
and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the
art, the invention should be construed to include everything within
the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *