US3303403A

US3303403A - Power controlling device for a remote toy equipped with a reversible electric motor

Info

Publication number: US3303403A
Application number: US415051A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph L Bonanno
Original assignee: De Luxe Reading Corp
Current assignee: De Luxe Reading Corp
Priority date: 1964-12-01
Filing date: 1964-12-01
Publication date: 1967-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 1984-02-07

Description

Feb. 7, 1967 J. L. BONANNO 3,303,403

POWER CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR A REMOTE TOY EQUIPPED WITH A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR Filed 060. 1, 1964 :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

SLIDE SPEED CONTROL 5 END POLHRlrY REVERsflL PROPULSION MOTOR /ZO STEERING- ZS MOTOR POLHRH'Y. 2 X

REVERSRL I 2% 7 2| INVENTOR:

3 45 a JOSEPH 1.. aommmo I a 34 i M v H SOURCE OF r CURRENT 4H?- Feb. 7, 1967 J. L. BONANNO 3,303,403

POWER CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR A REMOTE TOY EQUIPPED WITH A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR Filed Dec. 1, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet z S "69 62 5| ll 45 68 32 72 7 5 a8 ,1 s K 52 f I 5 2 (Emu 66 a2 :4 5+ w w r 49 6% 6 0 69 20 INVENTOR 2 JOSEPH L. BONHNNO ATTORNEYS Feb. 7, 1967 J L. BONANNO 3,303,403

POWER CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR A REMOTE TOY EQUIPPED WITH A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR Filed D90. 1, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR:

JOSEPH L. BONHNNO ATTOR NEYS nited states Patent O 3,303,403 POWER CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR A REMOTE TOY EQUIPPED WITH A REVERSIBLE ELEC- TRIC MOTOR Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, N.J., assignor to De Luxe Reading Corp., Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 415,051 7 Claims. (Cl. 318-257) This invention relates generally to electrical controllers for devices such as motor-actuated toys, and has particular reference to an improved remote-control apparatus for regulating the flow of electric current to a toy or the like.

Merely by way of example, the improved controlling device will be described and illustrated herein in a form suitable for use in controlling a relatively remote toy or other article equipped with two separate reversible electric motors. The embodiment of the invention herein chosen for illustration and description is primarily intended for the control of a toy vehicle having a propulsion motor and a steering motor.

One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a control apparatus in which the manipulation of a single control arm is capable of regulating the operation of two motors of the character described. One of the features of the invention is to provide a control arm which is mounted in a special manner whereby it is movable backand-forth in a translational manner, and also movable back-and-forth in a twisting direction. T he translational movements control one of the motor circuits, the twisting movements control the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described in which the control arm has a graspable part projecting from an enclosed housing, the

electric control contacts, resistors, connection terminals, etc., being safely enclosed to assure continued functioning in the contemplated manner over long periods of time. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the housing is provided with a slot, and the control arm has a part projecting out of the slot, the inner part being mounted for swinging movement of the control arm along the slot and also for twisting movement of the control arm about its own axis.

A further objective of the invention is to provide a device in which a source of direct current is readily and safely available within the housing described, and it is a particular feature of the invention to provide and arrange the several mechanical and electrical components of the device in a manner which permits the direct current to be made available in the form of replaceable dry cells.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide for the control of at least one reversible motor by a reversingswitch means activated by the twisting movements of the control arm.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement whereby one of the motor circuits is provided with resistance-varying means under the control of the translational movements of the control arm.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the translational movements of the control arm regulate not only the amount, but also the direction, of the current supplied to one of the motors. Thus, in employing the device for the control of a toy vehicle, the propulsion motor can be remotely regulated to drive the vehicle in either one or the other direction, and it can also be regulated to vary its speed and thus increase or decrease the .speed of movement of the vehicle.

Among the more detailed features of the invention are the special means provided for allowing the translational and twisting movements of the control arm to achieve the 3,303,403 Patented Feb. 7, 1967 regulations of current referred to, and in the design and arrangement of component parts whereby an apparatus of compact, rugged, and reliable character, lending itself readily to low-cost manufacture in commercial quantities, can be produced.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the power controlling device as it appears to the user;'

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, from one side, of the supporting structure and related parts housed within the enclosure shown in FIG. 1, the enclosure being indicated by dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a view of the supporting structure of FIG. 3, from the other side;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view of the parts shown in FIG. 5, as seen from underneath; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the direction 77 of FIG. 3.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the apparatus presents itself to the user in the form of a housing 10 provided with a convexly curved top wall 11 having a slot 12 therein; a control arm 13 projecting out of the slot 12 and provided at its outer end with a graspable control handle 14 or the like; and flexible connection wires 15 extending from the base of the housing 10. The wires 15 may be as long as may be desired and they are arranged in a bundle of four, two of them defining part of the circuit of one of the electric motors to be controlled, the other two defining part of the circuit of the other motor. The housing 10 may be composed of any appropriate material, and inexpensive non-conductive plastic lends itself readily to the purpose. Any exterior configuration or ornamentation may be provided, subject only to the safe accommodation of the component parts within the housing and the ability of the control arm to project from the housing, so as to be movable both in a translational and a twisting manner.

Before describing the structural details of the interior parts of the device, reference will be made to FIG. 2 in which circuitry is shown for enabling the controller of FIG. 1 to regulate a relatively remote toy vehicle equipped in FIG. 1 consist of two connecting

wires

18 and 19 leading to the motor 16, and two connecting

wires

20 and 21 leading to the motor 17. The control arm 13 of FIG. 1 is represented in FIG. 2 by a dotted line bearing the same reference numeral. It carries two conductive sliders 22 and 23. The slider 22 is in permanent electric contact with a conductive rail 24, and the slider 23 is in permanent electric contact with a conductive rail 25 arranged in spaced parallel relation to the rail 24. The atrow 26 indicates the movability of the control arm 13, in a translational manner, to shift the sliders 22 and 23 along the

conductive rails

24 and 25, respectively.

The rail 24 is electrically connected to the conducting wire 18, and the rail 2-5 is similarly connected to the conducting wire 19.

Arranged in parallel adjacence to opposite end regions of the rail 25 are conductive bus-

bars

27 and 28. They are in alignment with each other, but spaced apart. As a result, when the control arm 13 is moved in one direction (e.g., toward the left in FIG. 2) the slider 23 establishes an electrical connection between the rail 25 and the bus-bar 27; when the control arm 13 is in the opposite range of its translational movement (i.e., toward the right as seen in FIG. 2) the slider 23 establishes a connection between the rail 25 and the bus-bar 28; and when the control arm 13 is in the medial region of its translational travel, the slider 23 is in contact with neither of the

busbars

27, 2 8.

A source of direct electric cur-rent is indicated in FIG. 2 at 29, in the form of four dry cells 30. The bus-bar 27 is connected by a lead wire or element 31 to the positive terminal 32 of the current source, and the bus-bar 28 is similarly connected as at 33 to the negative terminal 34 of the current source. It follows that when the control arm 13 establishes contact between the rail 25 and the bus-bar 27 it imparts a positive polarity to the rail 25, and when it establish-es connection between the rail 25 and the bus-bar 28 it imparts a negative polarity to it. When it is in the medial region of its movement, the rail 25 is completely disconnected from the source of current.

Also arranged in similar parallel adjacence to the opposite end regions of the rail 24 are

resistors

35 and 36 respectively. They are also in substantial alignment but spaced from each other. They are so arranged that when the control arm 13 is moved in one direction the slider 22 establishes electric contact between the rail 24 and the resistor 35, and when the arm 13 is moved in the opposite direction the slider 22 establishes contact between the rail 24 and the resistor 36. In the medial region of its travel, the slider 22 is out of contact with both

resistors

35, 36.

The resistor 35 is electrically connected at one end 37, by a connection 38, to the lead 33 extending to the negative pole of the source of current. The resistor 36 has its end 39 connected in a similar way, via lead 40, to the connection 31 extending to the positive terminal 32 of the current source. -It is to be noted that the connections from the

resistors

35 and 36 to the current source are in opposed relation to the connections of the bus-

bars

27 and 28.

The rail 24 is electrically connected to the wire 18. It follows that the circuit of the propulsion motor 16 is completed either through the bus-bar 27 and the resistor 35 or through the bus-bar 28 and the resistor 36. Moreover, as the sliders 22 and 23 move toward the end regions of their travel, either in one direction or the other, the amount of resistance in the circuit is correspondingly varied. For example, if the control arm 13 is moved to the extreme right-hand end of its travel, as viewed in FIG. 2, none or very little of the resistance 36 will remain in the circuit. This means that the motor 16 will be driven at maximum speed in that particular direction. As the arm 13 is drawn toward the central part of its movement, the amount of resistance 36 is gradually increased so that the motor 16 slows down until the current is cut off completely. Then, if the arm 13 is moved in the opposite direction, i.e., toward the left of FIG. 2, the direction of current flow to the motor 16 is reversed, and the resistance 35 is gradually reduced until, again, the motor is driven at its maximum speed in the opposite direction.

The regulation of current flow to the steering motor 17 is controlled by twisting movements of the control arm 13. For this purpose the control arm carries a pair of

conductive sliders

41 and 42 arranged in opposed but concentric relation. The slider 41 moves along an arcuate path in which a set of three

electric contacts

43, 44 and 45 are arranged. The slider 42 similarly moves along a path on which a second set of the

contacts

46, 47 and 48 are arranged.

The center contact 44 is electrically connected to the wire 20, and the center contact 47 is connected to the wire 21. The

end contacts

43 and 46 are both connected to the lead 31 and are thus both connected to the positive terminal 32 of the current source. Similarly, the opposite set 45, 48, of end contacts is electrically connected together by means of the lead 33, and are thus in connection with the negative terminal 34 of the current source.

The twisting movement of the arm 13 is controlled so that the slider 41 is always in contact with the center contact 44 and can optionally connect this contact either to the end contact 43 (positive polarity) or to the contact 45 (negative polarity). As the slider 41 moves in one direction, the slider 42 automatically moves in the opposite direction. It is similarly arranged in permanent wiping contact with the center contact 47, and connects the latter either to the end contact 48 or to the end contact 46.

The result of this is that twisting of the control arm in one direction will conduct the current to the motor 17 in one direction, and twisting the arm in the opposite direction will cause the current to be fed to the motor 17 in the opposite direction. When the arm 13 is in the central part of its twisting movement there is no connection between the current source and the motor 17.

The component parts diagrammatically represented in FIG. 2 are embodied in a mechanical arrangement of components as shown in FIGS. 3-7. Where appropriate, the reference numerals employed in FIG. 2 will be applied to their counterparts in FIGS. 3-7.

The supporting .structure within the housing 10 consists of a base plate 49 and an upstanding panel 50. These parts may be conveniently formed of plastic material. They are non-conductive in character. The base plate 49 has been shown provided with a marginal upstanding flange 51, and with oppositely extending wings 52 by means of which it is removably secured to the housing 10. The panel 50 may be advantageously provided with opposite rigidified leg formations by means of which it is secured to the base plate 49 in rigid fashion.

The control arm 13 is mounted within a plastic element 53 having a lateral projection 54 (see FIG. 7) extending through an arcuate slot 55 in the panel 50. The pin or element 54 may carry a washer 56 or the like at its outer end, and a compression spring 57 may be interposed between the element 56 and the panel 50 so that the part 53 is frictionally held in any setting to which it may be adjusted, during manipulations of the control arm 13.

At its lower end, the part 53 is provided with a pivot pin 72 journaled in a boss 73 formed on the panel 50. This pivot pin constitutes the axis of translational swinging movement of the control arm 13.

The control arm 13 is pivoted at its lower end to the base plate 49, by any appropriate mounting permitting twisting movements about a vertical axis. Preferably the lower end of the control arm 13 is formed as a journal 58 rotatably mounted within a bearing 59 formed in the plate 49. A washer or flange 60 may be mounted on the lower end of the journal part 53, to prevent upward withdrawal of the control arm. Mounted upon the outer surface of the bearing 59 is a wire element 61 defining a pair of spaced arms (see FIG. 6) serving as stops to limit the swinging movements of the carrier element 62 secured to the journal 58 on the upper side of the base plate 49. The carrier 62 swings back and forth through a minute arcuate distance, limited by the pin 63 which projects downwardly from the carrier 62 through a slot 64 in the plate 49, the pin 63 encountering one of the wires 61 when the element 62 is swung in one direction, and encountering the other wire 61 when the swing of the carrier 62 is in the opposite direction.

The carrier 62 is provided at its opposite ends with the

sliders

41 and 42.

To permit the control arm to be pivoted at its lower end, yet movable in a translational manner as indicated by the arrows 65 in FIG. 3, the lower region of the control arm is formed as a coil spring 66. The upper end is anchored in any suitable manner to the lower end of a rod extending downwardly from the support element 53 -(see FIGS. 3 and 7) and the lower end of the spring 66 is anchored as at 67 to the carrier element 62 (see FIG. 5).

The

rails

24 and 25 are rigidly mounted on the panel 50 by any suitable means. They are generally arcuate and substantially concentric with the lower end of the control arm-13. They are so mounted that they are exposed on one surface of the panel 50 (the surface visible in FIG. 3) where they can be contacted by the sliders 22 and 23 carried on the central part 53 of the control arm 13 The rail 25 has a part projecting through to the opposite side of the panel 50 (see FIG. 4) from which the wire 19 extends; Similarly, the rail 24 has a part projecting through the panel 50 to which the connecting wire 18 is attached.

Mounted on the panel 50 adjacent to the rail 25 are the bus-

bars

27 and 28, these bars being parts of strips of metal which extend downward as shown in FIG. 4; At its lower end, the strip 27 is connected to or merges with the elongated strip 31 secured flat on the upper face of the base plate 49. The opposite end of this strip is connected, by a rivet extending downwardly through the plate 49, to a metal element 32 establishing contact with one terminal of the current source. The lower end of the strip 28, is similarly connected to or merged with a horizontal conductive strip 33 whose opposite end is connected by a rivet 69 to a conductive element 34 establishing contact with the opposite terminal of the current source.

In similar fashion,

conductive strips

38 and 40 extend upwardly along the panel 50 (see FIG. 4) and at their upper ends they are connected (through the panel 50) with the

ends

37 and 39 of the

resistors

35 and 36 respectively. These resistors are arranged in a general disposition concentric with the lower pivot, 50 that the slider 22 on the control arm 13 can encounter the resistors as it moves along the rail 24 during manipulations, back and forth, of the control arm 13. The lower end of the strip 38 is connected to the strip 33 (see FIG. 5) and the lower end of the strip 40 is similarly connected to the strip 31.

Also mounted on the upper face of the base plate 49, between the

strips

31 and 33, and directly beneath the

sliders

41 and 42 on the carrier 62, are the

contact buttons

44 and 47. They have parts extending downwardly through the. plate 49, and beneath the latter these parts are connected to the

wires

20 and 21 respectively, as indicated in FIG. 6.

It Will'thus be seen that a simple manipulation of the single control arm 13 by the user enables him to control both motor circuits. Swinging movements of the handle in the direction of the arrows 65 of FIG. 3 regulate the amount and the direction of current to the propulsion motor through the conducting

wires

18 and 19 which, as hereinbefore mentioned, may be of any desired length. At the same time, twisting movements of the control arms serve to actuate a reversal of the direction of current to the steering motor 17 through the conducting

wires

20 and 21. When the control arm is twisted into the direction shownin FIG. 5, the wiper 41 establishes contact between the center contact 44 and the contact strip 33; while at the same time the wiper 42 establishes a connection between the center contact 47 and the conductive strip 31. The swinging movement of the carrier 62 is limited by the encounter of the pin 63 with the wire 61 shown uppermost in FIG. 6. A twist of the control arm in the opposite direction will shift the carrier 62 just sufliciently to allow the wiper 41 to leave the strip 33 and establish contact with the strip 31, while at the same time the wiper or slider 42 will break contact with the strip 31 and establish it with the strip 33. The swinging movement of the element 62 in that direction is limited by the pin 63 as it encounters the lower wire 61 shown in FIG. 6.

The housing may be conveniently formed of two parts to permit ready separation for insertion or replacement of dry cells 30. Also, the handle 14 shown in FIG. 1 may be advantageously formed as a separate element of plastic to be applied to the upper end of the arm 13 after the assembly of the parts Within the housing 10.

In numerous respects, the structural arrangement of component parts, and other details, may obviously be modified by those skilled in the art without necessarily constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a power controlling device for a remote toy equipped with two reversible electric motors: a housing having a slot; a control arm projecting from the interior of the housing through said slot and having a graspable outer end, the inner end of said arm being mounted within said housing for back-and-forth twisting movements and also for back-and-forth translational movements along saidslot; a source of direct current located within said housing; flexible lead wires extending therefrom to said motors, there being a separate circuit for each motor; a first reversing switch means interposed in one circuit and governed by said translational movements of the control arm for regulating the direction of current flow to the first of said motors; a second reversing switch means interposed in the other circuit and governed by said twisting movements'of the control arm for regulation the direction of current flow to the second of said motors, and a resistance-varying means in one of said circuits governed by the corresponding movements of said control arm for controlling the magnitude of current flow to its respective motor.

2. A power controlling device as defined in claim 1, in which said first reversing switch means comprises a conductive rail mounted in said housing and connected to said first motor, a pair of bus bars mounted in spaced relation alongside opposite end regions of said rail, said bus bars being connected to the positive and negative terminals, respectively, of said source of current, and a conductive slider carried by said control arm and adapted to slide along said rail and connect it electrically to one or the other of said bus bars as the control arm is moved translationally.

3. A power controlling device as defined in claim 1, in which said second reversing switch means comprises two sets of electrical contacts mounted in said housing along opposed arcs concentric with the twisting axis of the control arm, each set comprising three contacts of which the center contacts are connected to said second motor, the outer contacts of each set being connected to the corresponding outer contacts of the other set and to the positive and negative terminals, respectively, of said source of current, and conductive sliders carried by said control arm and adapted to slide arcuately along said contact sets, respectively, and connect each center contact to one or the other adjacent contact of that set as the control arm is twisted.

4. A' power controlling device as defined in claim 1, in which the inner end of the control arm is journaled for twisting movements and is connected to the body of the arm by a flexible helical spring.

5. A power controlling device as defined in claim 1, in which said resistance-varying means comprises a conductive rail mounted in said housing and connected to said first motor, a pair of resistors mounted in spaced relation alongside opposite end regions of said rail, said resistors being connected to the positive and negative terminals, respectively, of said source of current, and a conductive slider carried by said control arm and adapted to slide along said rail and connect it electrically to one or the other of said resistors as the control arm is moved translationally, said control arm movements shifting the slider so that varying lengths of the operative resistor are interposed in the motor circuit.

6. A power controlling device as defined in claim 2, including a support plate within said housing, and an element pivotally mounted on said plate for movement about an axis perpendicular to the plane in which the translational movement of said arm takes place, said arm being accommodated for twisting movement within said element, whereby said arm pivots about the pivot axis of said element during its translational movement but is permitted to twist with respect to said element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 76 3,6 15 6/1904 Laur 338-78 X 1,282,743 10/1918 Brenkert 338--78 8 Klopsteg 338201 Porsche 200 -4 X Franzblau 338-78 X Shroyer 200-4 Pettit 338215 ORIS L. RADER, Primary Examiner.

B. DOBECK, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A POWER CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR A REMOTE TOY EQUIPPED WITH TWO REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTORS: A HOUSING HAVING A SLOT; A CONTROL ARM PROJECTING FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSING THROUGH SAID SLOT AND HAVING A GRASPABLE OUTER END, THE INNER END OF SAID ARM BEING MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR BACK-AND-FORTH TWISTING MOVEMENTS AND ALSO FOR BACK-AND-FORTH TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENTS ALONG SAID SLOT; A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT LOCATED WITHIN SAID HOUSING; FLEXIBLE LEAD WIRES EXTENDING THEREFROM TO SAID MOTORS, THERE BEING A SEPARATE CIRCUIT FOR EACH MOTOR; A FIRST REVERSING SWITCH MEANS INTERPOSED IN ONE CIRCUIT AND GOVERNED BY SAID TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENTS OF THE CONTROL ARM FOR REGULATING THE DIRECTION OF CURRENT FLOW TO THE FIRST OF SAID MOTORS; A SECOND REVERSING SWITCH MEANS INTERPOSED IN THE OTHER CIRCUIT AND GOVERNED BY SAID TWISTING MOVEMENTS OF THE CONTROL ARM FOR REGULATION THE DIRECTION OF CURRENT FLOW TO THE SECOND OF SAID MOTORS, AND A RESISTANCE-VARYING MEANS IN ONE OF SAID CIRCUITS GOVERNED BY THE CORRESPONDING MOVEMENTS OF SAID CONTROL ARM FOR CONTROLLING THE MAGNITUDE OF CURRENT FLOW TO ITS RESPECTIVE MOTOR.