Electric Toy Vehicular Track System

Abstract

The present invention is an electric toy vehicular track system that can be used with electric toy trains or race cars. The tracks comprise flexible, electrically conductive toy vehicular rails, which can be conductive wires or strips. The rails are embedded in the upper surface of a flexible mat, which can be disposed in a rolled-out configuration, when the track system is in use, or in a rolled-up cylindrical configuration, for compact storage when not in use. In the rolled-out configuration, the flexible mat lies flat upon a horizontal supporting surface, such as a floor or a tabletop. Upon being rolled out, the track system can be connected to its electric power source, such as a household AC circuit, through one or more power control units.

Claims

1. An electric toy vehicular track system, comprising: a flexible mat which is alternately disposed in a rolled-out configuration or in a rolled-up configuration, wherein the flexible mat in the rolled-out configuration lies flat upon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, and wherein the flexible mat in the rolled-up configuration is rolled into a compact, substantially cylindrical shape; multiple flexible electrically conductive toy vehicular rails which are embedded in an upper surface of the flexible mat, wherein a rail set comprising one or more of the toy vehicular rails defines a toy vehicular track, and wherein the flexible mat contains one or more toy vehicular tracks, and wherein each toy vehicular track forms a closed circuit track path, comprising multiple straight track sections and multiple curved track sections; one or more electric toy vehicles, wherein each of the electric toy vehicles contains one or more electric locomotive motors, each having a speed that is variable, and wherein each electric toy vehicle is configured to electrically engage one or more of the toy vehicular rails in one of the toy vehicular tracks, so that the locomotive motors are electrically connected to the toy vehicular rails that are engaged by the electric toy vehicle; and an electric power supply connected to the toy vehicular rails through a speed control unit, comprising one or more variable resistors that are controllable to vary a supply voltage to each of the locomotive motors through the one or more of the toy vehicular rails engaged by the electric toy vehicle, so as to vary the speed of the locomotive motors and a corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicle.

2. The electric toy vehicle or track system according to claim 1, further comprising a speed selector switch having one or more selector poles and two or more selector positions, wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more primary deceleration resistors, and wherein the primary deceleration resistors reduce the supply voltage to each of the locomotive motors, so as to limit the speed of the locomotive motor and the corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicle on both the straight track sections and the curved track sections.

3. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections directly through the speed control unit and connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections through the speed control unit and through one or more secondary deceleration resistors, and wherein the secondary deceleration resistors reduce the supply voltage to each of locomotive motors while the electric toy vehicle electrically engages the toy vehicular rails in one of the curved track sections, so as to limit the speed of the locomotive motors and the corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicles on the curved track sections.

4. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in both the straight track sections and the curved track sections directly through the speed control unit.

5. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric point supply to the toy vehicular rails in both the straight track sections and the curved track sections directly through the speed control unit.

6. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors.

7. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors.

8. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors.

9. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors.

10. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 6, wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections.

11. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 7, wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections.

12. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 8, wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections.

13. The electric toy vehicular track system according to claim 9, wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention in a rolled-out configuration;

[0012] FIG. 1B is a detail perspective view of the electric toy vehicles and the toy vehicular tracks depicted in FIG. 1A;

[0013] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention in a rolled-up configuration;

[0014] FIGS. 2B and 2C are detail views of the end caps shown in FIG. 2A, as used to store speed control and power supply components;

[0015] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention in a partially rolled-up configuration;

[0016] FIG. 3B is a detail view of the control panel depicted in FIG. 3A;

[0017] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1A;

[0018] FIG. 4B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1A;

[0019] FIG. 4C is an exploded detail view of a curved track section according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit of the speed control unit and the speed selector switch according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 5B is a detail schematic of the speed selector switch depicted in FIG. 5A; and

[0022] FIG. 5C is a detail view of an exemplary control panel for the electrical circuit depicted in FIG. 5A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0023] FIGS. 1A and 1B depict an exemplary embodiment of the present invention 10 in the rolled-out configuration. In this example, three circuit toy vehicular tracks 11 are shown, consisting of a toy train track 12 and two competing toy slot car tracks 13. Cross-sectional views of these tracks are depicted, respectively, in FIGS. 4B and 4A. Each of the toy vehicular tracks comprises two toy vehicular rails 14, which in this example are made of flat-braided tinned copper wire conductor -inch-wide and 1/32 inch thick (for horizontal rails) or 1/16 inch thick (for vertical rails).

[0024] In the slot car tracks 13, the rails 14 are horizontally embedded in the flexible mat 15, as shown in FIG. 4A, with the slot car wheels having copper shoes which act as the electrical contacts 16. Between the slot car rails 14 is a guide slot 17 that conjugately receives a slot car guide pin 18. A conductive wiring harness 19 embedded in the flexible mat 15 supplies electrical power to the rails 14. In the train track 12, the rails 14 are vertically embedded in the flexible mat, as shown in FIG. 4B, with the train wheels and axle serving as electrical contacts 16.

[0025] The track mat 15 is made of a flexible material, such as rubber or neoprene, preferably -inch-thick, and capable of being rolled up into a tight tubular cylindrical rolled-up form, as shown in FIG. 2A. Optionally, a control panel 20 can be incorporated in a tubular inner core 21 of the mat 15. As shown in FIG. 3A, the tubular core can be 2-inch diameter PVC, and can be used for storage of the electric toy vehicles 22 and/or power supply components 23.

[0026] FIGS. 2A-2C depict the exemplary embodiment 10 in the rolled-up configuration. End caps 24A used to secure the rolled mat can also be used to store power supply components 23 and a speed control unit 24. The power supply 24 comprises rechargeable batteries 25, a USB charger or a 120-volt AC adapter (not shown).

[0027] Detail views of exemplary control panels 20 are shown in FIGS. 3B and 5C. For the two slot car tracks 13, separate sections of the control panel 20 are dedicated to Track 1 and Track 2, with each section having a speed control unit 24 and a speed selector switch 26. In this example, the train control section of the control panel has only a speed control unit 24 and a forward-reverse switch 26A.

[0028] An exemplary electric circuit for the slot car tracks 13 is depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The DC current from the power supply 23 is routed through a variable-resistor speed control unit 24 into a speed selector switch 26. In this example, the speed selector switch 26 consists of a rotary, 2-pole, 4-position switch. The #1 switch position corresponds to the Beginner Level, with 50% power for both the straight track sections 27 and the curved track sections 28. The #2 switch position corresponds to the Intermediate Level, with full power for the straight track sections 27 and 50% power for the curved track sections 28. The #3 switch position corresponds to the Advanced Level, with controlled full power to both straight 27 and curved 28 track sections. The #4 switch position corresponds to the Automatic Level, in which the power levels to straight 27 and curved 28 track sections are independently set by two separate 20-ohm variable resistors.

[0029] The selector switch 26 pole 1 directs its #1 position through a first primary 10-ohm resistor 31 to the straight track sections 27, while pole 2 directs its #1 position through a second primary 10-ohm resistor 32 to the curved track sections 28. Pole 1 of the selector switch 26 directs its #2 position directly to the straight track sections 27, while pole 2 directs its #2 position to the curved track sections 28 through a secondary 10-ohm resistor, which in this case is the same as the second primary 10-ohm resistor 32. Both pole 1 and pole 2 direct their #3 positions directly to both the straight 27 and curved 28 track sections. Pole 1 directs its #4 position to the straight track sections 27 through a first tertiary 20-ohm variable resistor 33, while pole 2 directs its #4 position to curved track sections through a second tertiary 20-ohm variable resistor 34.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 4C, in order to enable differential power to the curved track sections 28, track insulators 35 are inserted between them and the straight track sections 27.

[0031] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.