Toy Tilt Bulldozer With Winch

Abstract

A remotely controlled toy tilt bulldozer is provided which is equipped with a power operated winch. The toy is intended to resemble in appearance and performance a large, crawler tread, tiltable blade, road building and logging machine. The simulated machine is widely used for clearing and grading logging roads. A power operated winch and line on the machine can be used for pulling in and for dragging objects such as logs, for helping to pull the bulldozer, itself, up steep and/or dangerous grades backward, toward a fixed anchorage, as a safety anchorage, and for other purposes. The remotely controlled toy can do on a small scale whatever the simulated machine can do.

Description

This invention relates to an electrically operated, remotely controlled toy which, on a very small scale, simulates in appearance and operation a type of bulldozer that is widely used in logging and road building operations.

The simulated machine, rider controlled, is a versatile machine and the toy is equally versatile. The toy is caterpillar driven. It is equipped with a blade which may be raised and lowered evenly or one side at a time. The blade can be tilted laterally to scrape out a laterally level roadway in virgin, mountainous territory, even when the terrain in which it is operating slopes laterally to a marked extent. The blade can be operated clear of the ground for pushing away boulders, or for uprooting stumps and small trees.

The simulated machine is equipped with a winch and drawline whose uses include among others (1) service in mountainous country as a safety anchor for vehicle and rider; (2) service as an auxiliary or supplemental drive for helping the vehicle to back up a steep slope; and (3) service in dragging logs out of places inaccessible to the vehicle and in dragging them behind the vehicle to a logging truck loading station. The toy can perform all these operations of the simulated machine on a reduced scale.

Since the toy is designed to move soil in forming a roadway, it is important that the caterpillar drive mechanism be protected against free exposure to loose earth, and suitable guard means are provided for this purpose.

A body encloses the operating mechanism, protecting it against access of dirt.

Because the toy is small and has only to deal with small loads, it can advantageously differ from the simulated machine in structural details. It is accordingly designed to meet its own practical requirements while being made to look and to perform like the simulated machine.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification,

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a practical and advantageous illustrative toy which embodies features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the toy of FIGS. 1 and 2, together with a suitable remote control electrical power and switch unit through which the toy is managed by the user;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the illustrative toy, showing the blade in a raised, but even, condition;

FIG. 5 is an inverted plan view of the toy;

FIG. 6 is a view of the toy in front elevation with the blade raised and tilted; and

FIG. 7 is an electrical diagram showing the remote control and power unit electrically connected to the motors on the vehicle.

The illustrative toy tilt bulldozer 10 is desired to be remotely controlled and operated from a combined electrical power and switch unit 12 as will be fully described and explained.

The bulldozer 10 comprises a rigid body 14 which houses motors and other mechanism to be described, protecting the mechanism against access of dirt, and which resembles in appearance the large and powerful tilt blade bulldozer which it is designed to simulate.

In the lower portion of its rear end the body rotatively carries aligned drive shafts 16R and 16L, each of which extends well beyond a side of the body and serves both as an axle on which a drive sprocket 18 is made fast and as a means for supporting the rear end of the body from caterpillar treads 20,20.

The caterpillar treads are composed of articulated links 22 which may be of conventional design. As shown, each link is pivotally connected to its neighbors and jointly forms with each of its neighbors a driving slot, adapted for cooperation with the teeth of the associated drive sprockets 18.

At each side of the bulldozer, inner and outer plates 24, pivotally mounted on a protruding end of one of the shafts 16 and rigidly connected to one another, form a thread unit framework 26 which embraces the associated drive sprocket. At each side of the bulldozer these paired plates, which are free to tilt in unison, extend forward for substantially the full length of the body and revolubly carry at their forward ends guide wheels 28 upon which the tread links 22 travel. Each tread link 22 includes an inwardly directed guide tongue 30 which travels between the associated wheels 28. Between the sprocket 18 and the guide wheels 28, the plates 24 are jogged inward to lie in the planes of the respective guide wheels 28. The inwardly jogged portions include coplanar tongues at their front and rear ends. The plates are thus caused to serve as guards for obstructing the admission of rocks and dirt, and as guides for cooperating with the tongues 30 of the links 22.

For resiliently and independently connecting the forward portions of the tread units with the body, rigid divergent arms 32 (FIG. 5), flexibly anchored midway between the sides at the rear end of the body in the vertical axial plane of the shafts 16R and 16L, and desirably in coaxial relation to said shafts, extend divergently in forward directions, and each is connected rigidly to an inner plate 24 of one of the tread units. The coaxial relation of the rear ends of the arms to the shafts enables the arms to rock up and down in unison with their respective tread units, while maintaining the tread units parallel to the longitudinal central plane of the body and to one another. The shafts 16R and 16L, and their bearings and drive gearing, are thus relieved of strain and wear. The underside of the body 14 is recessed to accommodate the rear ends of the arms 32 externally of the body but in coaxial relation to the shafts 16R and 16L. Each arm is resiliently pressed downward by a compression coil spring 34, each such spring being interposed between the arm 32 and the body 14 at a point remote from the rear end of the arm.

The shafts 16L and 16R, as will be described and explained, can, at the will of the operator, be driven individually forward or backward, or simultaneously in opposite directions, or in unison with one another in either forward direction or backward direction.

A bulldozer blade 36 is carried at the front of the machine by rigid arms 38, 38, which arms at their forward ends are universally connected through interlooped rings to opposite ends of the blade, and are pivotally connected at their rear ends through bearing members 39 to rear portions of the outer plates 24 of the respective right and left tread units 26. An upwardly inclined reinforcing rod 40R connects the right arm 38 flexibly to an upper marginal portion of the blade. The rod 40R is a rigid rod designed to prevent forward and backward tilting of the blade. It is, however, flexibly connected to associated arm 38 and to the blade for allowing the lateral tilt movement of the blade.

A similarly situated rod 40L connects the left tread unit to an upper portion of the left end of the blade. The rod 40L consists of two parts, a hollow sleeve 40La flexibly connected at its rear portion to the left arm 38, and a rigid rod 40Lb fitted into sleeve 40La and flexibly connected to the upper left corner of the blade. The rod 40Lb is free to slide in the sleeve 40La. This sliding movement is limited, however, by a stud 40Lc fast on rod 40Lb which extends through a slot in sleeve 40La. The ends of the slot, which are bounded by flanges 40Ld, limit the movement of the stud 40Lc and thereby limit the overall in and out movement of rod 40Lb, relative to sleeve 40La. It should be noted that since the blade 36 is prevented from tilting forward or backward by the rod 40R, the out and in movement of rod 40Lb serves only to accommodate a limited lateral tilting of the blade. Inwardly and forwardly inclined reinforcing rods 41 flexibly connect the arms 38 to lower marginal portions of the blade. These rods 41 prevent the blade from shifting sidewise. It should be understood that all linkage and reinforcing rods connected to the blade and to arms 38 are connected by flexible joints which allow for the desired lateral tilting of the blade.

Widely spaced ears 42R and 42L, which form integral parts of the blade 36, are connected, respectively, through links 44R and 44L with cranks 46R and 46L, which cranks are fast, respectively, upon aligned transverse shafts 48R and 48L. The shafts 48R and 48L, together with their cranks 46R and 46L, as will be described and explained in detail, may be operated individually in either of two opposite directions, in unison in either direction, or simultaneously in opposite directions.

A transversely extending winch shaft 50 is rotatably mounted on the rear end of the frame and has affixed to it one end of a cord or cable 52. A hook 54 is affixed to the outer end of the cable. Rotation of the shaft 50 in one direction pays out the cable while rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction reels it in. A U-shaped cable guide 56 affixed to the body has a slot formed in its base through which the cable passes. The guide 56 blocks inward movement of the hook 54, thereby limiting the reeling in of the cable and preventing jamming of the hook against the wound-in cable.

A reversible motor, through suitable reduction gearing, diagrammatically indicated by a rectangle 57, drives the shaft 50 in one direction or the other at the will of the operator.

The motors and the associated mechanisms for raising and lowering the blade, and for driving the treads, will first be described and explained, and the motor circuitry and switching means will then be described.

The left hand tread and the right hand tread are driven, respectively, by reversible electric motors 78L and 78R through suitable reduction gearing. An appropriate train is shown in detail for the left tread drive, but the right tread drive train 60R, which may be a duplicate or a mirror image of the train 60L, is indicated diagrammatically.

A pinion 62, fast on the output shaft or motor 78L drives a crown gear 64 which is revolubly mounted on a fixed transverse shaft 66. The crown gear 64 has fast with it a pinion 68 which drives a relatively large gear 70, the gear 70 being revolubly mounted on a fixed shaft 72. A pinion 74, fast with the gear 70, drives a relatively large gear 76 which is fast on the left tread driving shaft 16L. The gear combinations 64-68 and 70-74 are confined on their respective mounting shafts 66 and 72 between collars (not shown) affixed to the shafts. The fixed mounting shafts 66 and 72 may be common to the left-hand and right-hand drive trains, but the shafts 16L and 16R are, of course, independent of one another.

The opposite ends of the blade 36 are independently raised and lowered through identical motors and drive trains. Only the drive train of motor 58R is shown completely. A worm 80R, fast on the output shaft of motor 58R, drives a large and small gear combination 82R-84R which is revolubly mounted on a fixed shaft 86R. The gear combination 82R-84R consists of a worm gear 82R and a small gear 84R fast with the worm gear. The small gear 84R drives the larger gear 88R of a large and small gear combination 88R-90R which is revolubly mounted on a fixed shaft 92R. Again the smaller gear 90R drives the larger gear 94R of a gear combination 94R-96R which is revolubly mounted on a fixed shaft 98R. The smaller gear 96R drives a large gear 100R which is free to turn on shaft 48R and to move lengthwise along the shaft. The gear 100R is, however, held pressed in engagement with a friction clutch member 102R which is fast on the shaft 48R, by a coil spring 104R, so that a slip clutch is provided. A collar or disc 106R, fast on the shaft 48R, maintains the spring 104R under compression.

Again the gear combinations which are revolubly mounted on the shafts 86R, 92R and 98R are restrained against movement longitudinally of the respective supporting shafts by collars (not shown) which are affixed to the shafts. As will be apparent, a common bearing member 108 is provided for the adjacent ends of aligned shafts 48R and 48L.

The motors 57, 58L, 58R, 78L and 78R are all reversible direct current electric motors which may be driven from any suitable direct current source, such as a battery 110 or a rechargeable power unit. Each motor includes a permanent magnet for energizing the field of the motor so that reversal of direction of rotation of any motor requires merely a reversal of direction of current flow through the armature of the motor.

Normally, of course, all motors are in the "off" condition. With the unit 12 oriented as shown in FIG. 3 relative to the vehicle, actuation of the right hand key or button 112 operates the motor 57 in the direction to pay out the drawline 52, while actuation of the left hand key or button 114 operates the motor 57 in the opposite direction to reel in the drawline. As soon as pressure on either button 112 or 114 is withdrawn, the motor 57 comes to rest.

The normally idle motor 58R effects the raising and lowering of the right end of the blade 36, while the motor 58L effects the raising and lowering of the left end of the blade. Depression of the right end of a bar 116 causes motor 58R to raise the right end of the blade. Depression of the left end of bar 116 causes motor 58L to raise the left end of the blade.

Pressure applied to the center of bar 116 causes the motors 58R and 58L to raise both ends of the blade simultaneously.

Depression of the right end of a bar 118 causes motor 58R to lower the right end of the blade; depression of the left end of the bar 118 causes motor 58L to lower the left end of the blade; and depression of the middle of the bar 118 causes both ends of the blade to be lowered simultaneously.

While bars 116 and 118 are automatically returned to their "off" positions upon relief of pressure, levers 120 and 122, associated with motors 78R and 78L, respectively, are three position levers which may be set for forward drive, reverse drive, or "off." The effectiveness of these switch controlling levers depends upon the open or closed condition of a manually operable switch lever 124. The lever 124 may be moved to closed position either before or after actuation of one or both of the levers 120 and 122 to desired operating positions.

With the switch 124 open the levers 120 and 122 can be set in any one of the following combinations and closing of the switch 124 will then result in the operation indicated below:

Lever 120 Lever 122 Operation on closing switch 124 neutral neutral none clockwise do. right tread forward counter-clockwise do. right-tread reverse neutral clockwise left tread forward do. counterclockwise left tread reverse clockwise clockwise both treads forward counterclockwise counterclockwise both treads reverse clockwise counterclockwise right forward left reverse counterclockwise clockwise right reverse left forward

The wiring diagram of FIG. 7 shows clearly a presently preferred arrangement for causing current to flow in one direction or the other through the motor armatures at the will of the operator.

When the switch 57s, which is conductive at its ends but has its ends insulated from one another. is rocked clockwise, current flows from battery lead 126 through conductors 57a, switch 57s, conductor 57b, the armature of motor 57, conductor 57c, switch 57s, and conductor 57d to batter lead 128.

When switch 57s is rocked counterclockwise current flows from battery lead 126 through conductor 57e, switch 57s, conductor 57c, the armature of motor 57, conductor 57b, switch 57s and conductor 57f to battery lead 128.

The circuitry of the other motors is similar to that of the motor 57. Appropriate battery designations with corresponding literal postscripts have been applied to corresponding parts and no detailed repetitive description is necessary.

All of the structure indicated in FIG. 7 is embodied in the device 12 with the exception of the motors (on the vehicle) and the conductors to which the literal postscripts b and c are applied. All of these conductors, in insulated relation to one another, are combined into a single flat cable.

The device 12 includes a two-piece housing 130 which consists of complementary upper and lower members whose ends are resiliently deformable. The upper member is formed with slots and the lower member is formed with tongues 132 which normally protrude through the slots. The upper and lower members can be conveniently separated for inspection and possible replacement of batteries.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. What is desired to cover by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A toy tilt bulldozer comprising, in combination,

a. a body,

b. a pair of caterpillar treads,

c. distinct reversible electric motors for driving the respective treads forward or backward, as desired,

d. a bulldozer blade at the front of the vehicle,

e. means mounting opposite ends of the blade with freedom for independent up and down movement,

f. independently operable reversible electric motors together with connecting means therefor constructed and arranged independently to raise or lower either end of the blade relative to the other, and

g. a remote control unit for selectively operating the several motors.

2. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the blade mounting means comprises long parallel forwardly extending right and left arms pivotally mounted near the rear end of the body and pivotally connected at their forward ends to lower portions of opposite ends of the blades, together with upwardly and forwardly extending right and left links pivotally connected to the respective arms and to upper portions of the right and left ends of the blade, respectively, one of said links being of constant length, and the other of telescoping sections, and inwardly inclined rigid bracing links of fixed lengths pivotally connected at their rear ends to the respective arms and pivotally connected at their forward ends to lower portions of the blade.

3. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the right and left blade operating motors are mounted within the forward part of the body, and the output trains of the respective motors include right and left cranks and right and left links through which the cranks are connected to right and left portions of the blade.

4. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the tread driving motors are mounted side by side within the rear part of the body and have individual output driving trains which include coaxially located, transversely extending tread driving shafts, and tread driving sprockets on the respective shafts.

5. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 4 in which guiding means are provided for the respective treads, and dirt and gravel guards are provided for the respective tread driving sprockets and tread guiding means.

6. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 which includes a winch and a reversible winch driving motor within the rear portion of the body, and a drawline connected to be reeled onto the winch when the motor is driven in one direction and to be paid out when the motor is driven in the opposite direction, and means for selectively operating and controlling said motor from the remote control unit.

7. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the remote control unit includes switch means operable selectively to raise or lower the right end of the blade, switch means operable selectively to raise or lower the left end of the blade, a mechanical actuator operatively associated with the blade lowering switch means for lowering both ends of the blade simultaneously, and a mechanical actuator operatively associated with the blade raising switch means for raising both ends of the blade simultaneously.

8. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the remote control unit includes switch means selectively settable to drive the left tread forward or backward, switch means selectively settable to drive the right tread forward or backward, and dominant switch means selectively settable to render both of the other switch means effective or ineffective, the construction and arrangement being such that either treads may be driven individually forward or backward, both treads may be driven in unison forward or backward, both treads may be driven simultaneously in opposite directions to turn the vehicle in place to the right, or both treads may be driven simultaneously in opposite directions to turn the vehicle in place to the left.

9. A toy tilt bulldozer as set forth in claim 6 in which drive trains provided between the blade raising and lowering means and their drive motors, and between the winch and its drive motor, include slip clutches.