GB2194338A

GB2194338A - Impact speed indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2194338A
Application number: GB08620626A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tak-Ko Wong
Original assignee: TK Wong and Associates Ltd
Current assignee: TK Wong and Associates Ltd
Priority date: 1986-08-26
Filing date: 1986-08-26
Publication date: 1988-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 2006-08-26
Also published as: GB8620626D0; GB2194338B

Abstract

An impact speed indicator for a toy vehicle, comprising a body 13, a housing for supporting the body 13 for movement when in use the vehicle undergoes sudden deceleration caused by an impact, and means comprising indicia provided on the body 13 and a datum provided on the housing for measuring the displacement of the body 13 caused by the impact to provide an indication of the speed of the toy vehicle immediately prior to the impact. Body 13 is urged by a spring 19 to remain in its final position so that impact speed may be read from the indicia. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION impact speed indicator This invention relates to an impact speed indicator for a toy vehicle.

The present invention seeks to provide means for giving an indication of the speed of a toy vehicle immediately prior to an impact.

According to the invention there is provided an impact speed indicator for a toy vehicle, comprising a body, means for supporting the body for movement when the vehicle undergoes sudden deceleration caused by an impact, and means for measuring the displacement of the body caused by the impact to provide an indication of speed of the toy vehicle immediately prior to the impact.

Preferably the body is supported for pivotable movement about a pivot axis offset from the centre of mass of the body.

Preferably said body comprises a generally cylindrical member pivotably mounted about its axis and provided with an eccentric weight thereon.

Advantageously resilient means is provided to create friction between the body and the supporting means of the impact speed indicator. In particular, the resilient means may comprise a coil spring located along the pivot axis and urging the body against the supporting means. The friction acts to control movement the body caused by an impact. An initial position of the body relative to the supporting means may be defined by a pair of abuting protrusions formed on the body and the supporting means.

Preferably the means for measuring the displacement of the body comprises indicia provided on one of the body or the supporting means, the indicia being readable against a datum on the other of the body and supporting means.

Preferably the supporting means comprises a housing in which the body is mounted. The housing may be formed of two separable parts and may be provided with means for snap-fittably connecting it to the body of the toy vehicle.

Alternatively the supporting means may be an integral part of the toy vehicle.

As an alternative to supporting the body for pivotable movement, it could be supported for slidable movement.

The invention will now be more particulariy described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an impact speed indicator according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the indicator shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the indicator shown in Figure 1, snap-fitted to a body of a toy vehicle, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an impact speed indicator according to the present invention, Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the housing of the indicator shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the body of the indicator of Figure 4, Figure 7 is a side view of the indicator of Figure 4 showing the initial position of the body relative to the indicator housing, and Figure 8 is a front end view of the indicator of Figure 4 snap-fitted to a body of a toy vehicle.

Referring firstly to Figures 1-3, the impact speed indicator shown therein comprises a housing 10 having a lower part 11 and a press-fitted separable cover part 12. The lower part 11 of the housing 10 has a pair of opposed lugs 14 and 15 which together with the rim of the cover part 12 enable the indicator to be snap-fittably engaged with a part 17 of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 3 A body in the form of a wheel 13 is supported for pivotable movement within the housing 10 on a shaft 18 journalled in aligned sitting and hole in the base of the lower part 11 and the cover part 12 respectively. Resilient means in the form of a coil spring 19 is provided about the lower end of the shaft 18 between the wheel 13 and the lower part 11 of the housing 10. This coil spring 19 urges the wheel 13 against the cover part 12 to create friction between the wheel 13 and the housing 10.The reason for introducing friction will become apparent hereinafter.

An eccentric weight 20 is provided in the wheel 13 to offset its centre of mass from its pivot axis.

When a toy vehicle carrying such an indicator undergoes a sudden deceleration caused by an impact, the wheel will move angularly about its pivot axis. The angular displacement of the wheel will depend upon the speed of the vehicle prior to impact and will be controlled by the frictional force between the wheel 13 and the housing 10.

Protrusions 21 and 22 are provided on the wheel 13 and the cover part 12 of the housing 10, respectively, which when in contact define an initial angular position of the wheel 13 relative to the housing 10. This initial position serves as a basis for measuring the angular displacement of the wheel 13.

An end of the shaft 18 projecting from the cover part 12 is knurled to facilitate angular displacement of the wheel 13 to its initial position by hand.

An arcuate window 23 is provided in the cover part 12 to expose part of the wheel mounted therein. The window 23 extends over an angle of more than 180 , and at one end defines a radial edge 24 which serves as a datum.

Indicia in the form of a graduated numerical scale 25 is provided on the exposed surface of the wheel.

When the body 13 is angularly displaced from its initial position and comes to rest after the toy vehicle carrying such an indicator undergoes a sudden deceleration caused by an impact as aforementioned the indicia, on the body 13 can be read against the datum provided by the edge 24 to give an indication of the speed of the vehicle prior to impact.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 8, an alternative embodiment of the impact speed indicator shown therein comprises a housing 30 formed in two separable parts 31 and 33 which are press-fitted together. The side walls 32 and 34 of body parts 31 and 33 are each provided with a pair of lugs 35 which together with flanges 36 of body parts 31 and 33 enable the indicator to be snap-fittably engaged with a part 37 of a toy vehicle as shown in Figure 8.

Side walls 32 and 34 are provided with a pair of mutually engageable journal parts 38 and 39 which support a wheel 40-for angular movement.

As shown in Figure 7, an eccentric weight 41 is provided on the wheel 40 to offset its centre of mass from the pivot axis.

A coil spring 42 is also provided to create friction between the wheel 40 and the housing 30 and control the pivotable movement of the wheel 40 relative to the housing 30.

Protrusions 43-and 44 are provided on the wheel 40 and the body part 31 respectively, to define an initial angular position of the wheel 40 relative to the housing 30.

Scale 45 is provided on the cylindrical surface of the wheel 40. A window 46 is provided in the housing 30 to expose the wheel 40 and a pointer 47 extends into the window 46 for reading the angular displacement of the wheel 40 against the scale 45.

The wheel 40 may be returned to its initial position by manual contact through the window 46.

Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example the housing 10 or 30 may form part of the body of the toy vehicle. Moreover, the body need not be mounted for angular movement; it could instead be mounted for slidable movement in appropriate support means.

Claims

1. An impact speed indicator for a toy vehicle, comprising a body, means supporting the body for movement when in use the vehicle undergoes sudden deceleration caused by an impact, and means for measuring the displacement of the body caused by the impact to provide an indication of the speed of the toy vehicle immediately prior to the impact.

2. The indicator of claim 1, wherein the body is supported for pivotable movement about a pivot axis offset from the centre of mass of the body.

3. The indicator of claim 2, wherein the body comprises a generally cylindrical member pivotably mounted about its axis and provided with an eccentric weight thereon.

4. The indicator of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein a means is provided to create friction between the body and the supporting means.

5. The indicator of claim 4, wherein the friction providing means comprises a resilient element urging the body into contact with part of the supporting means.

6. The indicator of claim 5, wherein the friction providing means comprises a coil spring located along the pivot axis and urging the body against the supporting means.

7. The indicator of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided to define an initial position of the body relative to the supporting means.

8. The indicator of claim 7, wherein the initial position defining means comprises a pair of abutting protrusions formed on the body and the supporting means respectively.

9. The indicator of claim 7 or claim 8, wherein manually operable means are provided for moving the body to its initial position.

10. The indicator of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the means for measuring the displacement of the body comprises indicia provided on one of the body or the supporting means, the indicia being readable against a datum on the other of the body or supporting means.

11. The indicator of anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting means comprises a housing in which the body is mounted.

12. The indicator of claim 11, wherein the housing is formed of two separable parts.

13. The indicator of claim 11 or 12, wherein the housing is provided with means for snap-fittably connecting it to a body of a toy vehicle.

14. The indicator in claim 1, wherein the body is supported for slidable movement relative to the supporting means.

15. An impact speed indicator for a toy vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A toy vehicle provided with an impact speed indicator according to anyone of the preceding claims.

17. The toy vehicle of claim 16 when dependent on claim 2 or any of claims 3 to 13 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the pivot axis of the body extends perpendicularly to a plane of intended motion of the toy vehicle.

18. The toy vehicle of claim 16 when dependent on claim 2 or any of claims 3 to 13 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the pivot axis of the body is parallel to a plane of intended motion of the toy vehicle.

19. The toy vehicle of anyone of claims 16 to 18, wherein the supporting means is an integral part of the toy vehicle.