Toy vehicle launching apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed is a toy vehicle accelerating apparatus of a traveling toy, the toy vehicle accelerating apparatus including: a vehicle body including a tunnel-like passage piercing the vehicle body in a front-back direction to allow a toy vehicle to pass through the passage; a drive roller, at least a part of which projects to the passage to press the toy vehicle passing through the passage; a roller driving section to give a rotative force for accelerating the toy vehicle to the drive roller; and a power source for the roller driving section, wherein the toy vehicle accelerating apparatus accelerates the toy vehicle entering the passage from one side thereof with the drive roller to discharge the toy vehicle from the other side of the passage.

1 . A toy vehicle accelerating apparatus of a traveling toy, the toy vehicle accelerating apparatus comprising:
 a vehicle body including a tunnel-like passage piercing the vehicle body in a front-back direction to allow a toy vehicle to pass through the passage;   a drive roller, at least a part of which projects to the passage to press the toy vehicle passing through the passage;   a roller driving section to give a rotative force for accelerating the toy vehicle to the drive roller; and   a power source for the roller driving section, wherein   the toy vehicle accelerating apparatus accelerates the toy vehicle entering the passage from one side thereof with the drive roller to discharge the toy vehicle from the other side of the passage.   
   
   
       2 . The toy vehicle accelerating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the drive roller is provided on each of both sides of the passage and each of the drive rollers is rotatable around a vertical shaft in the vehicle body, and   each of the drive rollers is pressed to each corresponding side face of the toy vehicle to accelerate the toy vehicle.   
   
   
       3 . The toy vehicle accelerating apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 each of the drive rollers is movable between a close position, at which the drive rollers are close to each other, and a distant position, at which the drive rollers are distant from each other, within the passage, and   each of the drive rollers is biased toward the close position by a biasing section to a degree of not preventing the toy vehicle from entering between the drive rollers.   
   
   
       4 . The toy vehicle accelerating apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 each of the drive rollers is severally attached to a swinging arm swinging in a predetermined range on a horizontal plane around a respective predetermined shaft, and   the roller driving section includes a sun gear attached to the predetermined shaft and a planetary gear provided on a roller shaft and rotating integrally with the drive roller.   
   
   
       5 . The toy vehicle accelerating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the traveling toy travels on a track board, on which a circulating course is formed, the circulating course including a pair of rails projecting upwardly from a face of the track board to form a traveling lane for allowing the toy vehicle to travel between the pair of rails, and   an under surface of the vehicle body is provided with a guide roller capable of abutting against an outer surfaces of the pair of rails to guide the traveling toy.   
   
   
       6 . The toy vehicle accelerating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive roller is made of an elastic synthetic resin and includes a boss fixed to a roller shaft, an orbicular zone-like rim constituting an outer periphery, and a spoke coupling the boss and the rim.