WO2003068354A1

WO2003068354A1 - Toy train

Info

Publication number: WO2003068354A1
Application number: PCT/DE2003/000402
Authority: WO
Inventors: Werner Pieper
Original assignee: Werner Pieper
Priority date: 2002-02-12
Filing date: 2003-02-12
Publication date: 2003-08-21
Also published as: DE10390458D2

Abstract

The invention relates to a toy train characterized in that the track body (1) has parallel lateral flanks. The underside of the toy train (2) comprises a U-shaped guiding groove (10) whose groove flanks (11) rest against the lateral flanks of the track body (1) in a manner that enables them to slide. The guiding groove can be placed inside a guiding body (15) with the groove opening being oriented downward. The guiding body (15) can have a rotation axis (17) that is perpendicular and centered with regard to the width of the vehicle. The vehicle or the guide body can have a recess with rotatably mounted rotating bodies, on which the vehicle is supported and which can be operated by an electric motor (35), preferably by a battery-operated electric motor (36).

Description

Toy train

The invention relates to a toy train with a rail body and a

Vehicle.

The invention has for its object to provide a toy that can be made of wood, that can be constructed with child-friendly simplicity and that can be used for playing and that, on the other hand, has a sufficiently clear reference to reality for the child's imagination, in particular is technically designed in this way that there is a reference to a magnetic levitation train.

The solution to this problem results from claim 1.

A toy is created, which the Transrapid, d. H. a magnet-based

Web is similar.

In this embodiment, the side flanks of the rail body serve to guide the vehicle. Therefore, the side of the vehicle facing the vehicle must

Rail body not be structured, in particular do not need surveys,

Strips or the like for mimicking rails or grooves for guiding wheels may be present. However, such grooves can be present, so that other vehicles with wheels can also be guided and driven on the rail body.

It is sufficient for the structure of the rail body that it has vertical or only slightly inclined, but parallel side flanks. In a very simple and suitable embodiment for playing according to claim 19, the rail body consists of simple flat boards with a substantially rectangular cross section. These boards can be straight or curved.

However, the rail bodies can also be worked out from a support board as a survey, in particular milled out. This results in a very stable structure of the rail body (claim 20) which is particularly suitable for the formation of crossings, switches or branches of the rail path (claim 27). The guide groove on the underside of the vehicle is preferably not as deep as the rail body is high, so that the side flanks (guide flanks) of the groove do not touch the floor or the support board on which the rail body is placed. On the other hand, the height of the rail body and the depth of the groove are chosen so that there is reliable guidance.

In the embodiment according to claim 2, in addition to the safe guidance, there is also an image of the vehicle that comes close to reality.

The embodiment according to claim 3 is useful if a rail body with curvatures, in particular larger curvatures, is provided and the vehicle has a certain length. In this embodiment, a rail body with a strong curvature can be traversed even if the width of the guide groove is only limited.

In this embodiment, the vehicle is guided securely over its entire length in the embodiment according to claim 4.

When designing the wooden toy train, it must be avoided that the vehicle and / or the rails become rough through use or even form splinters. This is avoided in the embodiment according to claim 5, since a guide body is provided to form the guide groove, which can be made of a well sliding, wear-resistant, non-splintering material, in particular plastic.

However, it must be emphasized that the toy train according to this invention can be made of wood and is particularly suitable for this, but can also be produced from other materials, in particular plastic, and is also suitable for this.

When guiding the vehicle in a guide groove on the parallel side flanks of a rail body, there is the problem that the guide groove must have a greater width than the rail body so that curved rails can also be driven on. This is already pointed out. With the execution after Claims 6 and in particular 7 succeed in reducing the guide width essentially to the rail width.

A particular goal is to achieve a vehicle appearance that is as realistic as possible. Therefore, the guide body preferably extend only over a small part of the length of the vehicle. The remaining partial length, which is preferably in the middle area of the vehicle, should then be designed in such a way that the impression is given that the vehicle also glides over the rail surface with this area. This is achieved by the embodiment according to claim 8.

The underside of the vehicle in this central area rises only slightly above the surface of the rail body. The realistic impression of the vehicle is also preserved in that the width of the vehicle, in particular in this central region, is greater than the width of the rail body. In this case, the side walls can extend to the top of the rail body or even further. Likewise, the side walls can also be pulled forward and back so far that the guide bodies are completely or partially covered by the side walls. This gives the impression that the vehicle is also guided in this area by the area covered by the side walls on the side flanks of the rail body.

However, there is a problem with unevenness of the rail body and especially if the rail body is not laid flat, but also forms mountains. Claim 9 avoids contact between the top of the rail body and the underside of the vehicle being produced by the curvature of the rail body, in particular by the formation of a summit.

In order to avoid that the vehicle is movable transversely to the rail body, the guide groove is dimensioned according to claim 10.

Claim 11, on the one hand, enables a further narrowing of the guide groove and, on the other hand, prevents the vehicle from getting caught on projecting corners if the rail body is not laid accurately. In order to ensure that the vehicle slides well on the rail body, a suitable material can be selected for the groove base and in particular for the guide body.

Nevertheless, with this configuration it is unavoidable that the vehicle quickly loses its speed when it is hit by the child playing. This is avoided in the embodiment of the invention according to claim 12. The rotating body is mounted such that it only slightly projects beyond the underside of the vehicle or the bottom of the guide groove. Therefore, the impression remains that the vehicle is floating and is guided in the guide groove. In this embodiment, a significant improvement in the sliding properties is already achieved in that such a rotating body is preferably present in the front area or in the middle area near the center of gravity of the vehicle.

The rotating body or bodies can be cylindrical rollers, one wheel, several coaxial wheels. It goes without saying that the rotating bodies are rotatably mounted.

In the embodiment according to claim 15, it is ensured that the rotating body always rests on the rail surface even in curves and that the vehicle cannot tip over from the rail body in the curve.

It is sufficient that such a rotating body is mounted at the front or rear or in the central area. The guide function is thus maintained at least for part of the groove base of the guide groove, and the groove base in any case partially lies on the rail surface (claim 14).

The problem of the vehicle tipping over in the curved passages of the rail body has already been pointed out. This problem does not exist as long as at least part of the groove base of the guide groove still has its guide function.

If, however, two rotating bodies are mounted in recesses, particularly in the front and rear area, a dimensioning rule results from claim 15 for the width of the rotating body or the lateral distance between two coaxial wheels and the center distance of the two rotating bodies. This dimensioning rule ensures that the center of gravity of the vehicle is still supported in the curvature.

The recess according to claim 9 is particularly suitable for accommodating the two rotating bodies (the recess according to claim 9 thus assumes a double function).

The toy train according to this invention is intended to give a massive impression. This applies in particular to the vehicle body. In order to avoid that the vehicle body has to contain special structural elements for mounting the rotating body, the rotating body is mounted according to claim 17. As a result, rotating bodies can also be retrofitted or replaced if worn or destroyed. This is particularly advantageous if - as provided in claim 16 - the or at least one of the rotating bodies is driven. An electric motor, which is powered by a battery, is particularly suitable for the drive. The inserts according to claim 17 can also accommodate the electric motor and the battery.

It has already been pointed out several times that it is inevitable that the width of the guide groove is greater than the width of the rail body and that the vehicle therefore has some lateral play, especially on the straight rail sections.

This is avoided in the embodiment according to claim 18. It has already been pointed out that the impression of the magnet-assisted path is not impaired if there are grooves in the rail surface. It is sufficient for this configuration z. B. that in the middle of the rail body a relatively flat in cross section, z. B. semicircular, trough-shaped groove is present, in which a wheel mounted on the vehicle is guided. In order to prevent the vehicle from tipping over, the wheel can lie approximately in the center of a coaxial rotating body or two smaller wheels can be attached coaxially on both sides of the wheel. The small diameter and the difference of the wheels or the wheel and the roller has practically no disturbing effect. Advantageous refinements of the rail body result from claims 19 to 32. The rails can be rectangular boards in cross-section which can be installed at ground level or on supports. Crossings, switches and branches can also be formed so that complex rail routes can be formed.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawing. Show it

Figure 1a, 1b: The executable rail routes

Figure 2 The cross section of the rail boards

Figure 3: An embodiment of rail boards

Figure 4a, 4b: Looks up further versions of rail boards and view of rail boards which are mounted on supports. Ξine crossover with rigid connecting bars .ängsschnitt A branch with moveable switch blade front views and side views of a vehicle and cross-section of a vehicle chassis and with ^r CAR with drive

Cross-section of a vehicle with a wheel set for rails with a driving groove 3-section of a vehicle with a ball as the running gear

The rails shown in Figures 2-12 can be circular, oval, eight-shaped as closed rail paths. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the rails are produced as boards with a rectangular cross section (FIG. 2). In the exemplary embodiments of the switch according to FIG. 6 and the branch according to FIG. 7, the rail pieces 16 and the switch tip 17 are worked out, preferably milled out, from a support board 13. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5, part of the rails is designed as boards with a rectangular cross section, as described above. Other rail pieces are milled out of the head of supports 7, as described below. The milled-out raised areas, which represent the rail body, also have a rectangular cross section according to FIG. 2. However, it should be expressly mentioned that other cross sections are also possible in which the side flanks 18 of the rails preferably in the same direction as the central plane 21 of the rail, which is perpendicular to the center of the rail surface 20 (see FIG. 2), inclined inwards or outwards in the same direction, so that the rail has a trapezoidal cross section.

Depending on the type of connection, two types of rails are used. In the rails according to FIGS. 3a-3c, each rail board 1 has a connecting pin 3 with a thickening 4 at one end. At the other end, each rail board has a recess 5 of the same shape. Each pin with a thickening of one rail can be inserted into the recess of the other rail and the two rails can thereby be connected to one another. The thickening extends in particular parallel to the rail surface, which can be seen in FIGS. 3a-3c. This thickening can have any shape in this context. It can e.g. B. act as a circular disk-shaped thickening or a triangular-shaped thickening. However, the thickening can also be spherical, as long as it is ensured that the thickening does not protrude beyond the rail surface 20 in the dimension perpendicular to the rail surface. In Figure 2, the thickening 4 is indicated by dashed lines.

There are straight and curved rail boards. Since the rail boards and in particular the curved rail boards preferably have a rectangular cross section and are of identical design on the two surfaces, the rails can be placed on one or the other surface 20 and consequently can be used either as a left-hand curve or as a right-hand curve.

This complies with the fact that it is not necessary to indicate sleepers and rails on the simulated magnet-supported railway.

The further exemplary embodiment of rail boards according to FIG. 4 is distinguished with regard to its connecting elements in that a type 1.1 of the rail boards has a connecting pin 3 with a thickening 4 on each end face, as described above, while the other type 1.2 has a uniformly shaped recess 5 on each end face having. These rails can also be used Turning around its longitudinal axis can be used left-curved or right-curved, as can be seen from FIG. 4.

This version of the rails can be used with advantage if the rail path should be supported on supports 7. This support-guided version is shown in plan view and view in FIG. Each support 7 has a head 22, which is preferably rectangular. The surface 23 of the head has a milling of rectangular cross-section on the end faces 24. This results in a raised rail piece of the type 1.2 according to FIG. 4 on the head. The rectangular milling creates a support surface 25 for the adjoining rail in front of the end faces of this rail piece 1.2. Each end face also has the recess 5, into which the pin 3 with the thickening 4 of the subsequent rail is inserted.

Another type of support for the rail track is shown in FIGS. 8, 9. The design of vehicles 2 will be discussed later. Each support in turn has a head 22, the upper side 23 of which here serves exclusively to support two abutting rails 1. Two mutually abutting rails are therefore each on a support 7, so that the joint 6 formed between the abutting rail boards is on the support 7. One of the adjacent rails 1 is defined by a pairing of pin 8 and hole 9 which engage in one another. It can be seen that the pins 8 can be located either on the upper sides 23 of the supports or on the lower sides 20 of the rail boards.

In this version, however, left-curved and right-curved rails differ. In the chosen definition, a rail board is curved right if the face on which the hole is located points clockwise; a rail board is curved to the left if this end face points counterclockwise. This means that the same rail board cannot be used left-curved or right-curved by turning around its longitudinal axis. This expanded use is made possible by the fact that the pin and hole - as seen in the width of the rails - are arranged in the center and at a sufficient distance from the recess 5 and that the hole penetrates the rail, ie is open from both sides of the surface 20. The hole is preferably only in the Introduced area of the end face on which the pin 3 with thickening 4 is located.

It has already been shown on the basis of the rail design according to FIG. 5 that the rails can be produced from a support board - there head 22 of the support 7.

As FIGS. 6 and 7 show, this embodiment is particularly recommended if crossings, switches, branches are to be formed with the rails. In Figure 1 b it is shown that an intersection can also be represented with the rail body. Therefore, in this area the rail body is supported by a support board 13 on which the rail boards 16 belonging to the intersection are fastened. The support board is placed in the area of its permanently attached or milled rail boards (crossing boards) 16 on two or more supports 7 and thereon with pins / holes - as previously described for the execution of the rail boards according to FIGS. 8, 9 - fixed. The rail boards of the rest of the rail body are connected to these crossing boards 16 in the usual manner. It should be expressly mentioned that both the connection according to FIG. 3A-B and the connection according to FIG. 4 can be selected. If the connection according to FIG. 3 is chosen, pins in the support board are not necessary, since the subsequent rail boards are fixed in that the crossing boards are fixed on the support board.

Further details of the design of the intersection according to FIG. 1 b result from the following description of a switch or branch according to FIGS. 6 and 7. Here, too, the crossing rail boards 16 are firmly attached to the support board 13. The switch according to FIG. 6 is designed in such a way that the playing child can guide the vehicle onto the desired branch 16 by simply pushing left or right. In the opposite direction of travel, it must be ensured that the vehicle does not slip out of the guide through the rails 16.

In the alignment of the mutually deviating or intersecting rail boards 16, these are accompanied by lateral grooves 14. These grooves 14 are so wide that the side flanks 11 of the guide body 15 of the vehicle (this is later on Place still received) fit through these grooves. If the guide bodies 15 are pivotably mounted on the vehicle body (more on this later), the guidance of the vehicles in the areas of switches, crossings, branches is significantly expanded and improved. However, this applies above all if the following dimensioning of the grooves 14 is observed. The width of the grooves 14, which accompany the crossing or branching or branching rail pieces 16, namely - measured in the desired direction of travel - must be greater than the distance of the front edge (19) of the guide body (10) from the axis of rotation (17th ) of the guide body, ie .: the width must have at least half the length of the guide body or guide flanks 11, measured in the direction of travel when the axis of rotation 18 is in the longitudinal center of the guide body. FIG. 6 shows that this condition can only be established for the inlet area of the respective groove. The groove 14 between the rail board 16 and the rail board 17 generally does not satisfy this condition. However, the groove 14 is funnel-shaped in the running area, so that in any case the inlet area 14.1 meets this condition.

However, the design of the grooves is even more important when a vehicle enters the unbranched branch 16.1 from one of the branched branches 16.2 or 16.3. There is a risk here that the guide body of the vehicle coming from the rail branch 16.2 gets into the groove 14.3 accompanying the other rail branch 16.3, since this groove train 14.3 interrupts the rail train 16.2 to 16.1. The corresponding danger with respect to groove train 14.2 exists if a vehicle is to travel from rail branch 16.3 to rail section 16.1, since here groove 14.2 accompanying the other rail branch 16.2 interrupts the continuous rail train from 16.3 to 16.1. It is important that the groove flanks 11 of the guide body 15 guide the side flank of the opening rail - z. B. 16.2 - until the front edge 19 of the guide body lying in the direction of travel 26 has reached the tip 29 of the switch tongue 16.1. For definition: The tip of the switch tongue is formed by the intersecting grooves 14.2 - 14.3, which accompany the branching rail branches 16.2 and 16.3; the blunt corner is formed on the rail branch 16.2 by virtue of the fact that the groove 14.3 accompanying the other rail branch 16.3 intersects the rail branch 16.2. The distance between this blunt corner 28.2 and the tip 29 must be greater than the distance between the front edge 19 of the guide body 15 and the axis of rotation 17 of the guide body 15 Guide body be longer than the clear width between the blunt corner 28.2, 28.3, ie: the intersection of groove 14 / rail branch 16, and the tip (29) of the tip board 19.1.

These dimensioning regulations apply accordingly to branches in which an incoming rail section branches symmetrically to the left and right into two rail branches and to crossings which represent a doubled branch.

FIG. 7 shows a branch with a movable switch tongue 16.1. The rail branches 16.2 and 16.3 and the inlet piece 16.1 of the branch are firmly attached to the support board. In front of the end face of the inlet piece, which faces the branch, the switch tongue 29 is pivotally mounted on the support board 13 in the pivot point 30. For this purpose, the end face of the inlet piece has a bulge into which the pivotably mounted end of the point of the switch nestles. The pivot point is such that the free end of the switch tongue 29 bears either on one or the other of the rail branches 16.2, 16.3. The switch tongue has the width of the rails. At its free end, it has an end face which is curved concavely with the center of curvature in the pivot point 30 of the switch tongue. In its end positions, the switch tongue aligns with the rail branch 16.2 or 16.3, the end faces of which are also convexly curved with the center of curvature in the pivot point 30 of the switch tongue.

To actuate the turnout tip, the turnout tip is provided below the support board with a handle 31 which is straight and is articulated to the turnout tongue below the support board 13. The tip of the switch can be adjusted in one direction or the other by pushing the pin 31 in or out. The vehicle 2 consists of an attractively designed body which has a supporting body 15 on its underside. This support body 15 has a groove open at the bottom. Therefore, the support body 15 forms vertically downward-pointing guide flanks 11, which comprise the rail body 1 or the rail boards on their rail flanks 18. The groove depth 10 does not quite correspond to the thickness of the rail boards. For example, two such guide bodies can be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The guide bodies 15 are preferably arranged at the front and rear ends of the vehicle. The guide body can be firmly attached to the vehicle. If the vehicle has two guide bodies, e.g. B. one in front and one in the back, one can be rigidly attached and the other rotatable. In any case, it is necessary for a guide body which is rigidly arranged on the vehicle to have a groove width which is somewhat larger than the width of the rail boards. This ensures that the rail boards fit into the groove 10 even in the area of their greatest curvature. The shorter the guide body, the closer the guide flanks can be created and the less lateral play the vehicle has on the straight rails.

As said, the guide bodies can also be mounted on the vehicle body in an axis of rotation 17. The axis of rotation is located in the center of the width of the vehicle and the guide body. The guide body can therefore be pivoted in a horizontal plane, the vehicle resting with a correspondingly smooth rotating surface 32 on the correspondingly designed rotating surface of the guide body 15. The axis of rotation 17 of the guide body 15 is preferably located in the front half of the longitudinal center of the guide body. The distance between the front edge 19 of the guide body and the fulcrum 17 determines - as already stated above - the guiding property of the guide body in the area of crossings, branches and switches. The larger this distance, the better these leadership properties. On the other hand, if the distance is too great, the guide body tends to tilt on the side flanks 18 of the rails and in particular in the region of the joints between two rails. It is therefore advantageous to round off the flanks 11 of the groove or the guide body so that good sliding properties are obtained even when the guide body is in an inclined position, as seen in the direction of travel. The designs of the vehicle according to FIGS. 8 and 9 differ in the following:

In the embodiment according to FIG. 8, the rotating surface 32 for the guide body 15 lies on the same plane as the rest of the underside of the vehicle. This creates the

Impression that the vehicle is slightly lifted off the rail surface 20.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 9, this is avoided by the fact that the rotational plane 32 of the guide body 15 is offset somewhat upwards with respect to the remaining underside. Therefore, the remaining underside with a narrow gap is on the top 20 of the rails. The side walls of the vehicle can also be pulled further down provided that they keep a corresponding distance from the side flanks 18 of the rail. In any case, as can be seen from the front views according to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the width of the vehicle is greater than the width of the rails 1. The side walls can extend downward, as shown in FIGS. 11, 12, so that the Rail is covered over part of its width. Likewise, the side walls can extend in the longitudinal direction over the entire length of the vehicle if the clear width between the side walls is large enough to accommodate the guide bodies 15 between them and also to permit the required rotation of the guide bodies about their pivot axis 17.

A problem arises in the embodiment according to FIG. 9 if the rails 1 are not laid flat but form mountain peaks. In order to prevent the top of a mountain or the tip of two rails that have not been laid flat from touching the underside of the vehicle, the underside of the vehicle is provided with a recess 33. The width of this recess is larger than the width of the rails 1. The length of the recess is as large as possible. The height of the recess is such that in any case there is no contact between the apex of the rail track and the vehicle.

It should be mentioned that the recess can also directly adjoin the rotating surface 32, as shown in FIG. 9. It is shown on the basis of FIGS. 10 and 11 that this recess 33 is also suitable for accommodating a chassis. A rotating body 34 (FIG. 10a) or two rotating bodies 34.1 and 34.2 (FIGS. 10B, 10C) can be rotatably supported in the recess as the chassis.

These rotating bodies can be freely rotatable. Such a freely rotatably mounted rotating body is shown in FIG. 10b. The other rotating body is driven by an electric motor 35 and rubber belt 37. The electric motor is powered by a battery 36, which is also provided in the recess 33. Details of the electrical system and the circuit are not shown.

The rotating bodies are mounted in such a way that they only protrude slightly beyond the bottom of the guide groove 10 in the guide body 15. If a rotating body is provided approximately in the center, both groove bases lift off from the rail surface 20 with an unstable equilibrium without the impression in the side view being disturbed that the vehicle is sliding on the rail surface. The same can be achieved with a stable equilibrium if, as shown in FIG. 10B, two rotating bodies are stored in the recess at a distance from the longitudinal center. It is also possible to attach only one rotating body at a distance from the longitudinal center. In this embodiment, the guide body 15 facing away from the longitudinal center continues to slide on the rail surface, as shown in FIG. 10.

It should be mentioned that not only the previously described recess 33 can be used to accommodate the rotating body, the electric motor and the battery. Rather, regardless of the function of the recess 33, recesses can be provided in the vehicle body, in which the rotating body, electric motor and battery can be accommodated. In particular, such a recess can also be located in one of the guide bodies 15, as shown in FIG. 11, 12.

In any case, it is advantageous to provide inserts 38 which fit as precisely as possible into the respective recess and z. B. can be clipped into the recess by projections 39. Such inserts 38 can be made from Plastic or metal are made and are suitable for the rotatable mounting of the axes 43 of the rotating body and also for accommodating the electric motor and battery. In this way, a simple replacement in the event of wear (also retrofitting existing vehicles is possible.

Above all, rollers can be used as the rotating body, which have a certain extent in the rail width. It can thereby be achieved that the center of gravity 44 of the vehicle, even in the curved areas of the railroad track, always lies on the area of the vehicle supported by the rotating bodies and rail surfaces 20. There is therefore no risk of the vehicle falling off the rail on the inside of the curve.

Wheels are also suitable as rotating bodies, taking into account the fact that guidance by the guide bodies is still given. This applies in particular to the embodiment according to FIG. 10a, if only one wheel is provided in the front area of the vehicle, while the rear guide body 15 continues to rest on the rail surface 20 of the rail 1 with its groove base.

FIG. 11 also shows that a guide wheel 40 can be used as a rotating body, which is guided in a guide groove 42 of the rail surface 20. At an axial distance, but coaxially with the guide wheel 40, two smaller support wheels 41 are provided, which normally do not touch the rail surface 20 but only when the vehicle tips over. Since this guide wheel 40 is mounted in the guide body 15 and pivots with it when the rail track is curved, it also assumes a guide function. Therefore, the lateral play of the vehicle transverse to the rail direction is reduced in this embodiment.

As FIG. 12 shows, on the underside of the vehicle, in particular in the groove base of the guide body 15 as a recess, a spherical cap 44 can be made, in which the rotating body is rotatably mounted in the form of a circular cylinder or a ball. A ball supported in this way can also be guided in a guide groove 42 of the rail. Not only belt drives, rubber belts, but also friction-locked drives or gears come into consideration for transmission. An electric motor would also be conceivable and advantageous, the axis of which is fastened in the vehicle or the insert 38 and the housing of which is rotatable and serves as a rotating body.

Reference numerals:

1.Rail body 1

2.Vehicle 2

3.Connection pin 3

4.thickening 4

5. uniformly shaped recess 5

6.Fugue 6

7.Support 7

8.Pin 8

9. Hole 9

10.Slot 10

11th edge n

12. Junction, switch, junction 12

13.Support board 13

14. Groove 14

15.guide body 15

16. Rail boards, rail branch 16.2, 16.3, rail piece, inlet rail 16.1

17th axis of rotation, pin, fulcrum 17

18. Side flank of the rail Rail flank 18

19.Front edge of the guide body 19

20. Top of the rail 20

21.Middle plane of the rail 21

22. Head of prop 7

23. Surface, top of the head 22

24. end faces of the rail section 24

25.Support area 25

26. Direction of travel from the junction 26

27. Direction of travel to the junction 27

28th corner; 28.2 blunt corner; 28.3 blunt corner

29. Point, switch tip, switch tongue 29

30. pivot point 30

31. Handle 31 32. rotating surface 32

33. Recess 33

34. rotating body, rotating body 34.1, 34.2

35. Electric motor 35

36.Battery 36

37. Rubber ring 37

38. Insert 38

39th lead 39

40. Guide wheel 40

41. Jockey wheel 41

42. Guide roller 42

43rd wave 43

44.Dome 44

45. Focus 45

Claims

Expectations

1. A toy train with a rail body and a vehicle (2), characterized in that the rail body (1) has parallel side flanks and that the rail vehicle (2) is a body similar to a vehicle, which has a U-shaped guide groove (10) on its underside. has, whose groove flanks (guide flanks 11) slide against the side flanks of the rail body (1).

2. Toy train according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide groove (10) extends over the entire length of the rail vehicle (2).

3. Toy train according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide groove (10) extends over a partial length of the rail vehicle (2), with its groove base (guide base), however, slightly projects beyond the underside of the vehicle in the remaining area downwards.

4. Toy train according to claim 3, characterized in that the guide groove (10) extends over a front and a rear partial length of the rail vehicle.

5. Toy train according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide groove is created in a guide body (15) which is arranged on the underside of the vehicle with the groove opening facing downward.

6. Toy train according to claim 5 characterized in that under the vehicle a guide body (15) is attached to the front and a guide body at the rear end of the vehicle.

7. Toy train according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the guide body (15) has an axis of rotation (17) perpendicular and centered on the width of the vehicle and the guide body.

8. Toy train according to one of claims 5-7, characterized in that the vehicle has at its front and rear end eien horizontal rotating surfaces (32) on which the guide body (15) are mounted, and that it

- either the guide base of the guide groove (10) projects beyond the central area of the underside of the vehicle, preferably only slightly projects above it,

- Or the width of the vehicle is greater than the width (distance between the side flanks) of the straight rail body (1) and the side walls of the vehicle, at least in its central region, protrude downward from the rail top side (20) of the rails (1) or only slightly Have a distance from the top.

9. Toy train according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the width of the vehicle is greater than the width (distance between the side flanks 18) of the straight rail body and that the vehicle on its underside in the central area, in particular between the areas in which the guide bodies are fastened or supported, has a recess (33), the width of which is at least equal or slightly larger than the distance between the side flanks of the rail body.

10. Toy train according to one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the width of the guide groove (10) slightly, e.g. B. not more than 3 mm, is greater than the distance of the apex from the base chord of the most curved rail body, the apex of the point of contact of the concave curved rail flank (18) with a guide flank of the guide groove and as the base chord the straight line through the intersection points the other guide flank is designated by the convexly curved rail flank (18).

11. Toy train according to one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the guide flanks of the guide groove are curved slightly convex, in particular at their ends, relative to the central plane of the guide groove.

12. Toy train according to one of claims 1-11, characterized in that there is a recess in the underside of the vehicle, in which a rotating body is rotatably mounted such that the rotating body slightly projects beyond the bottom of the guide groove of the guide groove.

13. Toy train according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that the guide body has on its groove base a recess in which a rotating body is mounted such that the rotating body slightly extends beyond the bottom of the guide body, preferably the guide body with the Rotatable body is pivotable about an axis of rotation perpendicularly and centrally to the width of the vehicle or guide body.

14. Toy train according to claim 12, 13, characterized in that at least one of the guide bodies (15), preferably the front one, at least partially rests on the rail body in a sliding manner.

15. Toy train according to one of claims 1-14 2Z characterized in that the vehicle or the guide body in the end regions of the vehicle each has a recess with rotatably mounted rotating bodies, the width and / or distance of the rotating bodies being dimensioned such that on a rail body with the greatest occurring curvature the vehicle on the The side of the center of curvature facing the vertical longitudinal center plane of the vehicle or the center of gravity (45) is supported on the top side of the rail (20) of the rail body.

16. Toy train according to one of claims 12-15, characterized in that at least one of the rotating bodies (34) is driven, preferably by an electric motor (35), preferably by a battery-operated (36) electric motor.

17. Toy train according to one of claims 12-16, characterized in that the rotating body is mounted in an insert made of sheet metal or plastic, and that the insert can be inserted into the recess on the underside of the vehicle, in particular by clipping, gluing or other fastening ,

18. Toy train according to one of claims 12-17, characterized in that a guide groove (42) is introduced approximately in the middle of the rail top (20), in which the rotating body, preferably wheel or ball is guided.

19. Toy train according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side flanks (18) of the rail body are substantially vertical.

20. Toy train according to one of claims 1-19, characterized in that the rail body from a board (support board 13; head 22 of the support 7) is raised, in particular milled out.

21. Toy train according to one of claims 1-20, characterized in that the rail body is composed of individual flat straight and curved rail boards with a preferably rectangular cross section, which on one end face a discharge connecting pin (3) with a thickening (4) and on the other end have a uniformly shaped recess (5).

22. Toy train according to one of claims 1-20, characterized in that the rail bodies are composed of flat rail boards with a preferably rectangular cross section, of which the one rail board has a discharge connecting pin (3) with a thickening on both end faces

(4) and the other rail boards have a recess of the same shape on both end faces - in comparison to connecting pins (3) with a thickening (4)

(5) have.

23. Toy train according to one of claims 1-22, characterized in that two abutting and interconnected rail boards with the joint (6) formed between them are each supported on a support (7).

24. Toy train according to claim 22, characterized in that a rail board is fixed on the supporting support (7) by the pairing of a cantilever pin (8) and a matching hole (9) of two abutting rail boards.

25. Toy train according to claim 24, characterized in that the pin sits in the middle on the top of the support and that the hole in the area of one of the end faces of each rail board penetrates it.

26. Toy train according to claim 22, characterized in that the rail provided on its end faces with recesses (5) is the top of a support and that the support projects beyond the two end faces to form a support surface.

27. Toy train according to one of claims 1-26, characterized in that to form an intersection, switch or branch (12) a tapered tip board (16.1) and the branching branches (16.2, 16.2) branching from it on a common support board (13 ) are supported, and that each of these rail boards (1) is interrupted by a groove (14) in the alignment of the branching or crossing rail boards.

28. Toy train according to claim 27, characterized in that the width of the groove (14) of the branching rail path is greater than the distance of the front edge (19) of the guide body (10) from the axis of rotation (17) of the guide body, the width of the groove (14 ) is measured in the direction of travel.

29. A toy train according to claim 27, characterized in that the width of the groove (14) of the branching rail path - measured in the direction of travel - is generally smaller than the distance of the front edge (19) of the guide body (10) from the axis of rotation (17) of the guide body, that, however, the groove is widened in a funnel shape at the beginning (14.1) to more than the distance between the front edge and the fulcrum of the guide body.

30. Toy train according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that the side flank (18) of the entry rail is rounded into the junction.

31. Toy train according to one of claims 27-30, characterized in that in the exit from the junction, switch, crossing, the distance between the front edge and the pivot point of the guide body longer than the clear width between the intersection (groove / rail) (blunt corner 28.2, 28.3 and the tip (29) of the tip board (19.1).

32. Toy train according to one of claims 27-30, characterized in that the tip board (29) on the support board (13) following the stationary inlet board (16.1 is pivotable such that the tip board optionally in the continuation of one or the other rail branch (16.2, 16.2).

33. Toy train according to one of claims 1-33, characterized in that the vehicle body made of wood and the guide body (15) are made of plastic.