Drive device for a vehicle toy and vehicle toy

Abstract

To provide a drive device for a vehicle toy that enables further miniaturization of the vehicle toy, and a vehicle toy including the drive device. 【Solution means】The drive device for a vehicle toy according to the present disclosure is a drive device for a vehicle toy, and is configured to be rotatable along a first rotation axis by a motor, and includes a first rotating body having a wall portion formed with a surface whose distance from the first rotation axis gradually decreases along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis; a second rotating body configured to be rotatable along a second rotation axis by being pressed against the surface of the rotating wall portion; and a third rotating body configured to be rotatable along a third rotation axis by the second rotating body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving device for a vehicle toy and a vehicle toy.

Background Art

[0002] An extremely small vehicle toy called a T gauge is known. As an example of an invention applicable to such a vehicle toy, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle toy that travels while being adsorbed by a magnet on a pair of metal rails. In this document, in order to transmit the rotational driving force of the drive motor 116 to the wheels 20 of the wheel device 1, a crown gear 122, a pinion gear 123, a large gear 125, a pinion gear 126, a large gear 127, a pinion gear 128, a large gear 129, and a pinion gear meshing with the large gear 129 and a final gear 130 integrally formed therewith and meshing with the gear 8 are disclosed. A configuration including a gear group composed of a number of gears and a gear box 131 that rotatably supports each gear is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventor of the present application focused on changing the configuration of the drive device described in the same document, which is composed of a number of gears, in order to further miniaturize the vehicle toy.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drive device for a vehicle toy that enables further miniaturization of the vehicle toy, and a vehicle toy equipped with this drive device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] This application discloses a drive device for a vehicle toy. The drive device includes a first rotating body configured to be rotatable along a first rotating shaft by a motor, the first rotating body including a wall portion having a surface formed such that a distance from the first rotating shaft gradually decreases along a circumferential direction centered on the first rotating shaft; a second rotating body configured to be rotatable along a second rotating shaft by being pressed against the surface of the rotating wall portion; and a third rotating body configured to be rotatable along a third rotating shaft by the second rotating body.

[0007] Furthermore, this application discloses a vehicle toy including such a drive device for a vehicle toy. The vehicle toy includes a vehicle toy body incorporating the motor and the drive device, and wheels rotated by rotation of the third rotating body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention only to those embodiments.

[0010] [Configuration of Drive Device] First, the configuration of a drive device mounted on a vehicle toy will be described. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a side view, a perspective view seen obliquely from the front, and a front view seen from the front of the drive device 100 of the vehicle toy according to the present embodiment, respectively.

[0011] As shown in the figure, the drive device 100 includes a first rotating body 1001 that rotates according to a first rotation axis AX1 by a drive motor 116 (FIG. 4A) to be described later, and a rib 1001R (an example of a "wall portion") of the first rotating body 1001 that rotates by the drive motor 116. A gear 1002 (an example of a "second rotating body") that rotates according to a second rotation axis AX2 by being pressed against the surface, and a gear 1003 (an example of a "third rotating body") that rotates according to a third rotation axis AX3 by the gear 1002 by meshing with the gear 1002. In such a configuration, the rib 1001R is formed to have a surface whose distance from the first rotation axis AX1 gradually decreases along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1. Each of the following configurations will be described in detail.

[0012] The first rotating body 1001 in the present embodiment includes a disc portion 1001D and a rib 1001R formed to stand upright from the disc portion 1001D.

[0013] The disc portion 1001D is a member for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor 116 to the rib 1001R. However, the disc portion 1001D may be formed in a shape other than a disc (for example, a rectangular shape) as long as it is a member capable of supporting the rib 1001R.

[0014] A hole extending in the thickness direction (FIG. 1B) is formed at the center of the disc portion 1001D of the present embodiment, and the output shaft of the drive motor 116 (FIG. 3) is inserted into this hole. With such a configuration, the first rotating body 1001 is directly connected to the drive motor 116 and is configured to be rotatable in both directions by the drive motor 116. However, the first rotating body 1001 does not necessarily have to be directly connected to the drive motor 116, and it may be configured to be rotatable by being indirectly connected to the drive motor 116 via other gears or the like.

[0015] The rib 1001R is a member for pressing and rotating the gear 1002 by having a surface that approaches the first rotation axis AX1 as it rotates (it may be a surface that separates from the first rotation axis AX1 as it rotates as described later). In the present embodiment, the rib 1001R and the disc portion 1001D are integrally formed, but it is not limited to this, and they may be composed of separable separate parts or may include other parts.

[0016] As shown in the front view of FIG. 1C and the like, the rib 1001R of the present embodiment is formed to stand upright from the disc portion 1001D in the direction of the first rotation axis AX1, corresponds to one end portion in the circumferential direction, and has a first end portion 1001R1 having an inner wall surface with the maximum distance R1 from the first rotation axis AX1, corresponds to the other end portion in the circumferential direction, and has a second end portion 1001R2 having an inner wall surface with the minimum distance R2 from the first rotation axis AX1, and connects these both end portions and is formed along the circumferential direction (that is, the rotation direction) centered on the first rotation axis AX1 (extends in the circumferential direction), and proceeds in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1C, and has a connecting portion 1001RC having an inner wall surface whose distance from the first rotation axis AX1 decreases (gradually decreases) as it separates from the first end portion 1001R1 and approaches the second end portion 1001R2.

[0017] According to such a configuration, as the first rotating body 1001 rotates, the distance between the surface of the rib 1001R and the first rotation axis AX1 periodically varies each time it rotates. Therefore, by arranging the teeth T of the gear 1002 at a position facing the surface of the rib 1001R that moves in the radial direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1 (or, when the first rotating body 1001 rotates in the opposite direction, the radial direction away from the first rotation axis AX1), it becomes possible to rotate the gear 1002 according to the second rotation axis AX2.

[0018] Here, the connection portion 1001RC of the rib 1001R in the present embodiment is formed so as to generally go around the first rotation axis AX1, that is, so as to have a central angle of 360 degrees or approximately 360 degrees (for example, 360 degrees ± 15 degrees) as a whole rib 1001R. Therefore, when viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis AX1, the straight line connecting a point on the first end portion 1001R1 and the first rotation axis AX1 and the straight line connecting a point on the second end portion 1001R2 and the first rotation axis AX1 are generally in the same direction, and the angle formed by both straight lines is, for example, within ± 15 degrees.

[0019] According to such a configuration of the connection portion 1001RC, while the first rotating body 1001 is rotating, the rib 1001R always presses or presses the teeth T of the gear 1002 for almost all the time, so that it becomes possible to stabilize the rotation speed of the gear 1002.

[0020] Also, the difference (R1 - R2) in the radial distance between the inner wall surface of the first end portion 1001R1 and the inner wall surface of the second end portion 1001R2 in the present embodiment is the same as or greater than the circumferential interval between two adjacent teeth of the gear 1002.

[0021] According to such a configuration, when the second end portion 1001R2 presses and pushes out the tooth T, it is possible to suppress the first end portion 1001R1 from colliding with an unintended portion such as the end surface facing the second rotation axis AX2 of the next adjacent tooth T, and it becomes possible to preferably start pressing the next tooth T.

[0022] The amount of variation in the distance between the inner wall surface of the connection part 1001RC and the first rotation axis AX1, and the configurations of various modified examples of the wall parts included in the first rotating body of the present invention, which have surfaces whose distances from the rotation axis vary, will be described later.

[0023] The gear 1002 is a member for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor 116 to the gear 1003, which is the third rotating body, by being pressed against the rib 1001R of the first rotating body 1001 and rotating according to the second rotation axis AX2.

[0024] The gear 1002 of the present embodiment is a spur gear having 10 teeth and is configured to be rotatable according to the second rotation axis AX2 having a direction orthogonal to the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1A, adjacent teeth T of the gear 1002 are referred to as tooth T1, tooth T2, tooth T3, etc., and may be simply referred to as tooth T when these are referred to without distinction.

[0025] The gear 1002 is arranged such that a part of the rib 1001R is inserted between adjacent teeth T. By being arranged in this way, a part of the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R abuts or faces closely to the tooth T of the gear 1002.

[0026] According to such a configuration, a radial force from the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R toward the first rotation axis AX1 acts on the tooth T as the rib 1001R rotates, so that a rotational moment around the second rotation axis AX2 can be applied from the rib 1001R to the tooth T. Therefore, the gear 1002 can rotate according to the second rotation axis AX2 by the rotational force of the drive motor 116.

[0027] As described above, the pitch of adjacent teeth T on the pitch circle where the teeth of gear 1002 and rib 1001R are in contact is smaller than the difference (R1 - R2) in the radial distance between the inner wall surface of the first end portion 1001R1 and the inner wall surface of the second end portion 1001R2 with respect to the first rotation axis AX1 when viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 (in other words, when viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis AX1, the difference in distance (R1 - R2) is larger than the pitch of the teeth T of gear 1002). Therefore, when the second end portion 1001R2 presses the tooth T to push out the tooth T, the first end portion 1001R1 can enter the space between the next two adjacent teeth T and start pressing the next tooth T.

[0028] In this embodiment, in order to efficiently transmit the rotational force of the drive motor 116, a configuration is adopted in which the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 and the direction of the second rotation axis AX2 are orthogonal, but it is not limited to this. For example, the gear 1002 may be arranged such that the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 and the direction of the second rotation axis AX2 intersect at an acute angle.

[0029] Gear 1003 is a driven gear that meshes with gear 1002, which is a driving gear, and rotates according to the third rotation axis AX3 by gear 1002 (for this reason, "gear 1002" may be referred to as "driving gear 1002" and "gear 1003" may be referred to as "driven gear 1003").

[0030] The gear 1003 of this embodiment is a spur gear with 45 teeth, and is configured to be rotatable according to the third rotation axis AX3 that is orthogonal to the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 and parallel to the direction of the second rotation axis AX2 in this embodiment. Therefore, the speed ratio of gear 1002 and gear 1003 is (10 / 45), and the transmission ratio is (45 / 10).

[0031] [Operation of the drive device] The operation of the drive device 100 having the above configuration will be described below. First, the drive motor 116 starts rotating. Along with this, the first rotating body 1001 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 116 starts rotating according to the first rotation axis AX1, for example, counterclockwise (arrow AR1) in the plane of FIG. 1C.

[0032] The rib 1001R of the first rotating body 1001 is arranged such that a part of it is inserted into the space between two adjacent teeth T of the gear 1002, for example, between tooth T1 and tooth T2. Further, on the rib 1001R, an inner wall surface is formed such that the distance from the first rotation axis AX1 decreases (gradually decreases) as it moves away from the first end portion 1001R1 and approaches the second end portion 1001R2.

[0033] Under such a configuration, when the rib 1001R starts rotating according to the first rotation axis AX1, the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R passing through the space between the teeth T1 and T2 is displaced in the direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the connection portion 1001RC comes into contact with the tooth T1 of the gear 1002, abuts against the tooth T1, and continues to rotate while applying a force in the direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1 (above the plane of FIG. 1A).

[0034] The displacement direction of the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R is substantially perpendicular to the second rotation axis AX2 (or has a perpendicular component). Therefore, the gear 1002 rotates in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow AR2 according to the second rotation axis AX2 by the force (rotation moment) received by the tooth T1 from the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R, and the driven gear 1003 meshing with the gear 1002 also rotates in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow AR3 according to the third rotation axis AX3.

[0035] When the second end portion 1001R2 corresponding to the end of the rib 1001R passes through the space between the teeth T1 and T2, the tooth T1 and the rib 1001R are separated, so the pressing force from the rib 1001R to the tooth T1 ends. However, at this time, the first end portion 1001R1 corresponding to the start of the rib 1001R enters between the next two teeth T, that is, between tooth T2 and tooth T3. Therefore, the gear 1002 continues to rotate by the force (rotation moment) received by the tooth T2 from the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R.

[0036] As described above, each time the first rotating body 1001 makes one rotation, the rib 1001R presses one tooth T to rotate the gear 1002, passes between two adjacent teeth T, and then presses another adjacent tooth T to rotate the gear 1002, and repeats passing between two adjacent teeth T to continue the rotation of the gear 1002.

[0037] Next, the case where the drive motor 116 rotates in the opposite direction will be described. When the drive motor 116 starts rotating in the opposite direction, accordingly, the first rotating body 1001 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 116 starts rotating, for example, clockwise along the first rotation axis AX1 in FIG. 1C.

[0038] As described above, the first rotating body 1001 is arranged such that a part of the rib 1001R is inserted between adjacent teeth T. For example, when a part of the rib 1001R is inserted into the space between the tooth T2 and the tooth T3, when the rib 1001R starts rotating along the first rotation axis AX1, the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R passing through the space between the tooth T2 and the tooth T3 is displaced in a direction away from the first rotation axis AX1. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the connecting portion 1001RC contacts the tooth T3 of the gear 1002, abuts against the tooth T3, and continues to rotate while applying a force in the direction away from the first rotation axis AX1 (downward in the drawing in FIG. 1A). Therefore, the gear 1002 rotates in the rotation direction opposite to the arrow AR2 along the second rotation axis AX2 by the force (rotation moment) received by the tooth T3 from the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R, and the driven gear 1003 meshing with the gear 1002 also rotates in the rotation direction opposite to the arrow AR3 along the third rotation axis AX3.

[0039] When the first end portion 1001R1 corresponding to the end of the rib 1001R passes through the space between the teeth T2 and T3 when rotating in the opposite direction, the tooth T3 and the rib 1001R are separated, so the pressing force from the rib 1001R to the tooth T3 ends. However, at this time, the second end portion 1001R2 corresponding to the start end of the rib 1001R enters between the tooth T1 and the tooth T2, which are the next two teeth T. Now, the gear 1002 continues to rotate due to the force (rotational moment) that the tooth T2 receives from the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R. Therefore, when the first rotating body 1001 rotates in the opposite direction, it becomes possible to rotate the gears 1002 and 1003 in the opposite rotational direction.

[0040] According to the drive device 100 according to the present embodiment, the number of components can be reduced compared to the drive device described in Patent Document 1, so it becomes possible to further miniaturize the vehicle toy. For example, since the number of components such as gears provided in the drive device of the conventional vehicle toy can be reduced, it becomes possible to shorten the dimension in the front-rear direction (the direction of the first rotation axis AX1).

[0041] [Detailed Structure of Rib] In the configuration as described above, the inventors of the present application conceived that the gear 1002 can be rotated more smoothly by changing the cross-sectional structure of the rib 1001R.

[0042] Specifically, in a configuration where a rib 1001R (an example of a "wall portion") is connected to a disc portion 1001D (or a member connected to another drive motor 116) and has two parts: a base portion (for example, the base portion B1 in FIG. 2B) that is connected to the disc portion 1001D and does not contact the teeth T of the gear 1002, and a pressing portion provided by connecting to the base portion and having an inner wall surface formed to press the teeth T of the gear 1002, the pressing portion of the first end portion 1001R1 (for example, the pressing portion PU1 in FIG. 2B) is inclined in a direction away from the first rotation axis AX1 as compared with the pressing portion of the connection portion 1001RC near the center of both ends (for example, the pressing portion PU4 in FIG. 2B). On the other hand, the pressing portion of the second end portion 1001R2 (for example, the pressing portion PU7 in FIG. 2B) is inclined in a direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1 as compared with the pressing portion at the connection portion 1001RC near the center of both ends (for example, the pressing portion PU4 in FIG. 2B). The rib 1001R may be formed in this way.

[0043] According to such a configuration, since the pressing portion of the first end portion 1001R1 corresponding to the vicinity of the starting end where the pressing of the teeth T of the gear 1002 starts is inclined in a direction away from the first rotation axis AX1, it is possible to suppress a situation where the rib 1001R collides with an unintended part such as the end face of the teeth T of the gear 1002 and a force that hinders rotation acts, and it becomes possible to smoothly start the pressing of the teeth T of the gear 1002 by the rib 1001R. Further, since the pressing portion of the second end portion 1001R2 is inclined in a direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1, in the process of pushing out the teeth T of the gear 1002 by the pressing portion from the pressing portion of the first end portion 1001R1 through the pressing portion of the connection portion 1001RC (for example, the pressing portions PU2 to PU6 in FIG. 2B) to the second end portion 1001R2, it is possible to increase the distance by which the inner wall surface of the pressing portion moves in the radial direction of the first rotation axis AX1 as compared with the case where a wall portion standing upright on the base portion is provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to preferably push out the teeth T of the gear 1002.

[0044] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the position of the base B as viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis AX1 as an example of the above-described configuration. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the rib 1001R cut along a virtual plane passing through each of the positions P1 to P7 and the first rotation axis AX1 in the configuration of FIG. 2A. However, in any of the cross-sectional views, the first rotation axis AX1 exists to the right of the paper surface of the rib 1001R.

[0045] In FIG. 2A, the position P1 indicates the radially central portion of the base B1 at the first end portion 1001R1 of the rib 1001R (hereinafter, the base and the pressing portion at the position P1 may be referred to as the base B1 and the pressing portion PU1, the base and the pressing portion at the position P2 may be referred to as the base B2 and the pressing portion PU2, etc.). The position P7 indicates the radially central portion of the base B7 at the second end portion 1001R2 of the rib 1001R with respect to the first rotation axis AX1. Similarly, the positions P2 to P6 indicate the radially central portions of the bases B2 to B6 at the connecting portion 1001RC every 60 degrees. The circle C1 is a circle centered on the first rotation axis AX1 and passing through the position P1, and the circle C2 is a circle centered on the first rotation axis AX1 and passing through the position P7.

[0046] The radii of the circles C1 and C2 are defined such that when the inner wall surface S7 of the pressing portion PU7 at the second end portion 1001R2 of the rib 1001R is separated from the tooth T of the gear 1002 as described above, the inner wall surface S1 of the pressing portion PU1 at the first end portion 1001R1 of the rib 1001R contacts the next tooth T of the gear 1002. For example, the radius of the circle C1 may be 11.3 mm and the radius of the circle C2 may be 8.5 mm. The distances of the positions P2 to P6 from the first rotation axis AX1 may be determined so as to equally divide the difference between the radii of the circles C1 and C2. For example, the distance between the position P2 and the first rotation axis AX1 may be about 10.8 (= 8.5 + 2.8 × 5 ÷ 6) mm, and the same may be determined for the other positions P3 to P6 hereafter. And by setting a spline curve passing through these positions P1 to P7, it is possible to set a curve passing through the center of the base B of the rib 1001R.

[0047] On the one hand, for the pressing portion PU1, as shown in FIG. 2B, it is inclined in a direction away from the first rotation axis AX1 compared to the pressing portion PU4 which is the pressing portion of the connection portion 1001RC near the center of both ends. On the other hand, for the pressing portion PU7, it is inclined in a direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1 compared to the pressing portion PU4. Also, the inner wall surface S including the inner wall surfaces S2 to S6 that come into contact with the teeth of the gear 1002 of the pressing portion PU including the pressing portions PU2 to PU6 provided along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1 may be formed such that the relative position with respect to the base B is displaced to a position closer to the first rotation axis AX1 as it is separated from the first end portion 1001R1 and approaches the second end portion 1001R2.

[0048] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first end portion 1001R1 and the cross-sectional shape of the second end portion 1001R2 are formed symmetrically. The rib 1001R is formed to have a spline surface that smoothly connects the first end portion 1001R1 and the second end portion 1001R2 having these two cross-sectional shapes. Also, in the mold design for mass production, the pressing portion PU that requires precision is defined by the mold, and for the base B where the teeth T of the gear 1002 do not engage, the mold is omitted, thereby making it possible to realize the thinning of the pressing portion PU.

[0049] In this embodiment, the base is provided such that the distance from the first rotation axis AX1 gradually decreases along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes other configurations in which the surface that presses the gear 1002 is formed to have a surface where the distance from the first rotation axis AX1 gradually decreases. For example, the wall portion of the present invention may be constituted by a base provided on a concentric circle centered on the first rotation axis AX1 and a pressing portion formed with an inner wall surface having a surface where the distance from the first rotation axis AX1 gradually decreases.

[0050] [Toy vehicle] Next, an embodiment in which the drive device 100 of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle toy will be described. FIGS. 3A and 3B are exploded perspective views of a vehicle toy 101 described in Patent Document 1 which is a comparative example. As shown in the figure, this vehicle toy 101 includes, as a vehicle toy body 102, a chassis 103, a vehicle body 105 attached to the chassis 103, two bogie frames 71 attached to the front and rear of the chassis 103, wheel devices 1 and 31 provided on the bogie frames 71, a drive motor 116 attached to the chassis 103, a final gear 130 for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor 116 to the gear 8 of the wheel device 1 to rotate the wheel body 21, a drive gear 121 for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor 116 to the final gear 130, a crown gear 122, a pinion 123 integrated with the crown gear 122, a large gear 125, a pinion 126 integrated with the large gear 125, a large gear 127, a pinion 128 integrated with the large gear 127, and a large gear 129 meshing with the pinion 128, and a gear box 131 for rotatably supporting these gears. Since the other configurations are known configurations, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0051] In such a configuration, by replacing the drive gear 121 with the first rotating body 1001 of the drive device 100, replacing the configuration from the crown gear 122 to the large gear 129 with the gear 1002, and adopting a configuration in which the gear 1002 and the final gear 130 (an example of the "third rotating body") are meshed, it becomes possible to rotate the wheel body 21 on a rail (not shown). FIG. 4 is a perspective view comparing the drive device of the vehicle toy 101 which is a comparative example with the drive device 100 of the present embodiment. Here, in the back of the paper, two vehicle toys 101 in a state where the vehicle body 105 is attached to the chassis 103 and a state where the vehicle body 105 is removed and the final gear 130 etc. are exposed are shown, and the drive device 100 of the present embodiment is shown in the front of the paper.

[0052] As is also clear from the figure, according to the drive device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and shorten the dimensions in the front-rear direction (the direction of the first rotation axis AX1). In such a configuration, when the first rotating body 1001 rotates in one rotational direction, the vehicle toy 101 can be advanced along the rail, and when the first rotating body 1001 rotates in the opposite rotational direction, the vehicle toy 101 can be retracted along the rail.

[0053] At this time, the first rotation axis AX1 of the drive gear 121 is parallel to the front-rear direction, which is the traveling direction of the vehicle toy 101, and the second rotation axis AX2 and the third rotation axis AX3 are perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle toy 101.

[0054] FIGS. 5A and 5B show perspective views of the state in which the gear 1003 of the drive device 100 is attached to the bogie frame 71 which is a bogie. The rib 1001R of the drive device 100 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B has a position of the first end portion 1001R1 having an inner wall surface where the distance R1 from the rib 1001R of the drive device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C and the first rotation axis AX1 is maximum and a position of the second end portion 1001R2 having an inner wall surface where the distance R2 from the first rotation axis AX1 is minimum, which are opposite to each other. However, since the present invention can also be implemented in the configuration of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the operation thereof will be described using the same reference numerals as those of the drive device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C.

[0055] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the drive device 100 in a state where the first end portion 1001R1 of the rib 1001R is inserted into a space between two teeth T, for example, teeth T2 and T3, and the inner wall surface of the first end portion 1001R1 or the connection portion 1001RC adjacent thereto starts to contact the tooth T2 of the gear 1002. At this time, the second end portion 1001R2 of the rib 1001R presses and extrudes the tooth T1. After that, when the rotation continues, the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R is displaced in a direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1. For this reason, the inner wall surface of the connection portion 1001RC can continue to rotate the gear 1002 while contacting the tooth T2 of the gear 1002 and applying a force in a direction approaching the first rotation axis AX1. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the drive device 100 in a state where the first end portion 1001R1 of the rib 1001R is rotated by about 180 degrees from the state of FIG. 5A. At this time, the central portion of the connection portion 1001RC comes into contact with the tooth T2 of the gear 1002. A state in which the gear 1002 is rotating is shown as compared with FIG. 5A. By rotating the first rotating body 1001 including the rib 1001R as described above, it becomes possible to rotate the second rotating body 1002 having a different rotation axis.

[0056] As described above, according to the drive device shown in the present embodiment, it is possible to omit a large number of gears required for the vehicle toy described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the size of the vehicle toy, simplify the configuration, and reduce the manufacturing cost due to the reduction in the number of parts. For example, since it is possible to reduce the number of parts such as gears provided in the drive device of the conventional vehicle toy, it is possible to shorten the dimension in the front-rear direction (the direction of the first rotation axis AX1). The inventors of the present application prototyped the drive device 100 according to the present embodiment. When the drive motor 116 was turned on and rotated, the first rotating body 1001 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 116 rotated along the first rotation axis AX1, the gear 1002 rotated along the second rotation axis AX2, and the gear 1003 rotated along the third rotation axis AX3. It was confirmed. Further, when the rotation speed of the drive motor 116 was increased or decreased, it was confirmed that when the rotation speed of the drive motor 116 was increased, the rotation speeds of the first rotating body 1001, the gear 1002, and the gear 1003 also increased, and when the rotation speed of the drive motor 116 was decreased, the first rotating body 1001, the gear 1002, and the rotation speeds of the gear 1003 also decreased. Subsequently, when the drive motor 116 was rotated in the opposite direction, it was confirmed that the first rotating body 1001, the gear 1002, and the gear 1003 rotated in the opposite directions, respectively. Therefore, the practicality of the drive device 100 according to the present embodiment was confirmed.

[0057] [Modification Example] A modification example of the drive device 100 will be described below. The "surface where the distance from the first rotation axis gradually decreases" of the present invention does not necessarily have to be provided on the inner wall surface. For example, a "surface where the distance from the first rotation axis gradually decreases" may be formed on the outer wall surface of the rib 1001R, and a configuration may be adopted in which the second rotating body such as the gear 1002 is rotated using the outer wall surface.

[0058] Also, the "wall portions" of the present invention may be provided along the circumferential direction and may be composed of a plurality of wall portions separated from each other. For example, the rib 1001R may be composed of four wall portions each having a central angle of 80 to 90 degrees.

[0059] Even with such a configuration, by forming each wall portion so that the distance between the wall surface and the first rotation axis AX1 fluctuates periodically, the rib 1001R can rotate the gear 1002 as the first rotating body 1001 rotates.

[0060] Also, in the present embodiment, each time the rib 1001R, which is the "first rotating body", makes one rotation, the rib 1001R is configured to pass once between two adjacent teeth, but it is not limited to this. For example, the rib 1001R may be separated into two wall portions having a central angle of less than approximately 180 degrees, and each time it makes a half rotation, one wall portion may be deformed so as to pass once between two adjacent teeth of the gear 1002 that constitutes the second rotating body. Here, when the end of one wall portion pushes out, for example, the tooth T1 of the gear 1002 and passes through the space between the tooth T1 and the tooth T2, the end of the other wall portion enters the space between the tooth T2 and the tooth T3 and is configured to start pressing the tooth T2, whereby the gear 1002, which is the second rotating body, can be stably rotated. Similarly, the rib 1001R may be separated into three or more wall portions.

[0061] Further, the first end portion 1001R1 and the second end portion 1001R2 are not limited to only the circumferential edge portion of the wall portion. For example, in a configuration where the rib 1001R is formed longer along the circumferential direction in order to have a margin and contact the teeth T of the gear 1002, and the teeth T of the gear 1002 and the rib 1001R first come into contact at a position slightly shifted toward the center from the circumferential edge portion of the rib 1001R, the position where the teeth T of the gear 1002 and the rib 1001R first come into contact is construed to be included in the first end portion 1001R1 (or the second end portion 1001R2). Similarly, the position where the rib 1001R pushes out and separates the teeth T of the gear 1002 is construed to be included in the second end portion 1001R2 (or the first end portion 1001R1).

[0062] Further, the increase rate or decrease rate of the distance between the region of the inner wall surface of the rib 1001R that contacts the teeth T and the first rotation axis AX1 with respect to the circumferential change of the first rotation axis AX1 may be constant. By making it constant, it becomes possible to rotate the gear 1002, which is the second rotating body, at a stable speed.

[0063] Further, the height (for example, the height from the disk portion 1001D) of the position on the surface of the wall portion such as the rib 1001R that contacts the second rotating body such as the gear 1002 may be formed to vary in the circumferential direction.

[0064] Further, when the inner wall surface of the wall portion such as the rib 1001R contacts the second rotating body such as the gear 1002, the shape of the outer wall surface of these wall portions is not limited to the configuration shown in this embodiment. For example, the thickness of the rib 1001R may vary in the circumferential direction. Further, the first rotating body such as the rib 1001R may be configured to be rotatable in only one direction, not both directions.

[0065] [Second Embodiment] The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that descriptions of configurations that are the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified, and the description will focus on the differences. In the drive device 100 of the first embodiment, the drive motor 116, the first rotating body 1001, the gear 1002 which is the second rotating body, and the gear 1003 which is the third rotating body were arranged in this order in front of the front in the axial direction of the first rotating shaft AX1. That is, with reference to the axial direction of the first rotating shaft AX1, the first rotating body 1001 is arranged in front of the drive motor 116 (more specifically, the rotor of the drive motor 116), and the gear 1002 (more specifically, the rotation center of the gear 1002) is arranged in front of the first rotating body 1001, and the gear 1003 (more specifically, the rotation center of the gear 1003) is arranged in front of the gear 1002. More specifically, the rib 1001R which is a wall portion of the first rotating body 1001 is disposed in front of the disk portion 1001D, and is formed to stand upright forward (in the direction away from the drive motor 116) from the disk portion 1001D.

[0066] In order to further shorten the dimension of the drive device 100 in the front-rear direction (the direction of the first rotating shaft AX1), the inventors of the present application conceived a configuration in which the rib 1001R which is a wall portion of the first rotating body 1001 is formed to stand upright in the direction approaching the drive motor 116 (for example, the rear in the axial direction of the first rotating shaft AX1), and the gear 1002 which is the second rotating body is disposed between the drive motor 116 and the rib 1001R of the first rotating body 1001. That is, it can be said that the gear 1002 which is the second rotating body is arranged reversely as compared with the first embodiment. The gear 1003 which is the third rotating body may be disposed at a position where it engages (meshes) with the gear 1002, and typically, it is disposed between the drive motor 116 and the gear 1002.

[0067] According to such a configuration, since it is possible to transmit power below the drive motor 116 or below the region between the drive motor 116 and the first rotating body 1001, it is possible to further shorten the dimension of the drive device 100 in the front-rear direction (the direction of the first rotating shaft AX1). Note that the gear 1003 which is the third rotating body is preferably disposed so as not to interfere with the output shaft of the drive motor 116, and a known configuration may be adopted for that purpose.

[0068] For example, the gear 1003 may be formed with a small diameter so as not to interfere with the output shaft of the drive motor 116. Further, the gear 1002 and the gear 1003, or at least the gear 1003, may be displaced in the direction of the third rotation axis AX3 so as not to interfere with the output shaft of the drive motor 116. Here, when the gears 1002 and 1003 are spur gears, even if their relative positions are different in the direction of the third rotation axis AX3, they can transmit the rotational force from the drive motor 116.

[0069] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the drive device of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle toy 121 will be described. Regarding the configurations that are the same as or similar to those shown in the first embodiment, the same or similar names will be appropriately given, and the description will be omitted or simplified. Also, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the configurations excluding the main components (for example, bearings and shafts for holding gears, etc.) will be appropriately omitted.

[0070] FIG. 6A is a side view showing the main components of the vehicle toy 121. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a part of the vehicle toy 121 as seen from below to show the positional relationship between the wheel 51A of the vehicle toy 121, the gear 1022A which is the second rotating body, and the gear 1023A which is the third rotating body. As shown in FIG. 6A, the drive device 120 of the vehicle toy 121 includes a first drive motor 136A, a first rotating body 1021A configured to be rotatable according to the first rotation axis AX1 by the first drive motor 136A, and a gear 1022A configured to be rotatable according to the rotation axis AX2A (an example of the "second rotation axis") by being pressed against the surface of the rib 1021RA which is the rotating wall portion of the first rotating body 1021A, a gear 1023A configured to be rotatable according to the rotation axis AX3A (an example of the "third rotation axis") by the gear 1022A, and a wheel 51A configured to be rotatable by the gear 1023A.

[0071] The first rotating body 1021A is common to the first rotating body 1001 in that it includes a rib 1021R which is a wall portion formed with a surface whose distance from the first rotation axis AX1 gradually decreases along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1. However, the rib 1021RA is different from the first rotating body 1001 in that it is erected in a direction approaching the first drive motor 136A, rather than in a direction away from the first drive motor 136A.

[0072] Also, the gear 1022A is different from the drive device 100 in which the rib 1001R is disposed between the gear 1002 and the drive motor 116 in that the gear 1022A is disposed between the first drive motor 136A and the rib 1021RA. Further, the wheel 51A is configured to be rotatable coaxially with the wheel 51A by being provided on the axle of the wheel 51A, and includes a gear 51GA that meshes with the gear 1023A. According to such a configuration, since it is possible to transmit power to the region below the first drive motor 136A, it is further possible to shorten the front-rear dimension of the drive device 120A and the vehicle toy 121.

[0073] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B, the vehicle toy 121 with a shortened front-rear dimension does not necessarily require a bogie truck. For this reason, it is possible to reproduce, with the same configuration as the vehicle toy 121, an early streetcar or a locomotive with a short vehicle length typified by the "Yoshitsune" that does not have a bogie truck.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6A, the vehicle toy 121 may include a plurality of drive motors. For example, the vehicle toy 121 includes a first drive motor 136A having an output shaft 136OA extending forward (which may be referred to as the "first direction"), a first rotating body 1021A configured to be rotatable according to a first rotation axis AX1 by the first drive motor 136A, formed with a surface having a distance gradually decreasing from the first rotation axis AX1 along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1, and including a rib 1021RA standing rearward (which may be referred to as the "second direction" and corresponds to the direction approaching the first drive motor 136A), a gear 1022A disposed between the first rotating body 1021A and the first drive motor 136A and configured to be rotatable according to a rotation axis AX2A, which is an example of a second rotation axis, by being pressed against the surface of the rotating rib 1021RA, a gear 1023A configured to be rotatable according to a rotation axis AX3A, which is an example of a third rotation axis, by the gear 1022A, and a wheel 51A configured to be rotatable according to the gear 1023A.

[0075] In addition, the vehicle toy 121 includes a second drive motor 136B having an output shaft 136OB extending rearward (which may be referred to as the "second direction"), a first rotating body 1021B configured to be rotatable according to a first rotation axis AX1 by the second drive motor 136B, formed with a surface having a distance gradually decreasing from the first rotation axis AX1 along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotation axis AX1, and including a rib 1021RB standing forward (which may be referred to as the "first direction" and corresponds to the direction approaching the second drive motor 136B), a gear 1022B disposed between the first rotating body 1021B and the second drive motor 136B and configured to be rotatable according to a rotation axis AX2B, which is an example of a second rotation axis, by being pressed against the surface of the rotating rib 1021RB, a gear 1023B configured to be rotatable according to a rotation axis AX3B, which is an example of a third rotation axis, by the gear 1022B, and a wheel 51B configured to be rotatable according to the gear 1023B. The wheel 51B is provided on the axle of the wheel 51B and configured to be rotatable coaxially with the wheel 51B, and includes a gear 51GB meshing with the gear 1023B. According to such a configuration, it becomes possible to provide a vehicle toy that improves the output by including two drive motors and shortens the dimension in the front-rear direction.

[0076] In addition, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, within the scope of the ordinary creative ability of those skilled in the art, some components in one embodiment can be replaced with other known components.

Explanation of Signs

[0077] 1 Wheel device 8 Gear 20 Wheel 21 Wheel body 31 Wheel device 71 Carriage frame 100 Drive device 101 Vehicle toy 102 Vehicle toy body 103 Chassis 105 Vehicle body 116 Drive motor 130 Final gear 131 Gear box 1001 First rotating body 1001D Disk portion 1001R Rib 1001R1 First end portion 1001R2 Second end portion 1001RC Connection portion 1002 Gear (drive gear) 1003 Gear (driven gear) B, B1~B7 Base PU, PU1~PU7 Pressing portion

Claims

1. A drive device for a vehicle toy, comprising: One or more and four or less wall portions formed with an inner wall surface whose distance from the first rotating shaft gradually decreases along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotating shaft, and configured to be rotatable along the first rotating shaft by a motor; a first rotating body; A second rotating body configured to be rotatable along a second rotating shaft by being pressed against an inner wall surface of the wall portion whose distance from the first rotating shaft varies by rotation; A third rotating body configured to be rotatable along a third rotating shaft by the second rotating body; A drive device for a vehicle toy comprising the above components.

2. The wall portion includes: A first end where the distance between the first rotating shaft and the inner wall surface is maximum; A second end where the distance between the first rotating shaft and the inner wall surface is minimum; A connecting portion formed with the inner wall surface that is separated from the first end along the circumferential direction centered on the first rotating shaft so as to connect the first end and the second end, and whose distance from the first rotating shaft decreases as it approaches the second end; The drive device for a vehicle toy according to Claim 1, comprising the above components.

3. The second rotating body is composed of a gear having a plurality of teeth, The wall portion is configured to pass between two adjacent teeth while pressing the teeth to rotate the second rotating body each time the first rotating body makes one rotation. The drive device for a vehicle toy according to Claim 2.

4. The second rotating body is composed of a gear having a plurality of teeth, The difference between the distance between the first rotating shaft and the first end and the distance between the first rotating shaft and the second end is greater than the pitch of the teeth of the gear. The drive device for a vehicle toy according to Claim 2.

5. A vehicle toy body equipped with the motor and the drive device according to Claim 2, And wheels rotated by the rotation of the third rotating body. A vehicle toy comprising the above components.

6. The first rotating shaft is parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle toy, The second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft are perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle toy. The vehicle toy according to Claim 5.

7. The first rotating body is configured to be rotatable in a first rotating direction and a second rotating direction opposite thereto, It moves forward when the first rotating body rotates in the first rotating direction, It is configured to move backward when the first rotating body rotates in the second rotating direction. The vehicle toy according to Claim 6.

8. The wall portion of the first rotating body is formed to stand upright in a direction approaching the motor. The second rotating body is disposed between the motor and the wall portion of the first rotating body. The drive device for a vehicle toy according to claim 1.

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