Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
(0001] Toy Vehicle Wireless Control System
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to toy vehicles and, in particular, to remotely
controlled,
motorized toy vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention is in a toy vehicle remote control transmitter unit
including a housing,
a plurality of manual input elements mounted on the housing for manual
movement, a
microprocessor in the housing operably coupled with each manual input element
on the
housing, and a signal transmitter operably coupled with the microprocessor to
transmit wireless
control signals generated by the microprocessor. The invention is
characterized in the
microprocessor being configured for at least two different modes of operation.
One of the at
least two different modes of operation emulates manual transmission operation
of the toy
vehicle by being in any of a plurality of different gear states and
transmitting through the
transmitter forward propulsion control signals representing different toy
vehicle speed ratios for
each of the plurality of different gear states. The microprocessor is further
configured to be at
least advanced through the plurality of different consecutive gear states by
successive manual
operations of at least one of the manual input devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the
invention, will
be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For
the purpose of
illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which
are presently
preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited
to the precise
an angements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
[0005] Fig. 1 A is a top plan view of an examplary remote control/transmitter
used in
accordance with the present invention;
[0006] Fig. 1 B is an exemplary toy vehicle remotely controlled by the remote
control/transmitter of Fig. 1 A;
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[0007] Fig. 2 is a timing diagram showing an analog output of the vehicle
control circuit
used to drive different motor speeds of a toy vehicle in accordance with a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a trapezoidal velocity profile used to
control a steering
function of a toy vehicle;
[0009] Figs. 4 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit in a toy remotely
controlled
vehicle, which is directly responsive to steering commands received in
accordance with the
present invention;
[0010] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a speed shifter transmitter circuit
which sends
steering commands to the vehicle control circuit of Fig. 4;
[0011] Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D taken together, are a flow chart illustrating
the operation of
the vehicle control circuit of Fig. 4; and
[0012] Figs. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F, 7G, 7H, 7I and 7J, taken together, are a
flow chart
illustrating the operation of the remote control/transmitter circuit of Fig.
5;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention is a toy vehicle wireless control system which
includes a
remote control/transmitter 100 (Fig. lA) with a speed shifter, remote
control/transmitter circuit
500 (see Fig. 5), and a remotely controlled toy vehicle 20 (Fig. 1B) with a
receiver/microprocessor based toy vehicle control circuit 400, also
hereinafter referred to as a
speed shifter receiver circuit (see Fig. 4). The remote control/transmitter
100 depicted in Fig.
lA includes a housing 105 and a plurality of manual input elements 110, 115
mounted on
housing 105 and used for controlling the manual movement of a toy vehicle 20.
The input
elements 110, 115 are conventionally used to supply propulsion or movement
commands and
steering commands, respectively. They also enable selection among three
different modes of
operation or usage (hereinafter referred to as "Mode 1," "Mode 2," and "Mode
3"), each having
a different play pattern. Power is selectively provided to circuitry in the
remote
control/transmitter 100 via ON/OFF switch 135 (in phantom in Fig. lA). Car 20
is shown in
Fig. 1 B and includes a chassis 22, body 24, rear drive wheels 26 operably
coupled to
drive/propulsion motor 420 (phantom)and front free rotating wheels 28 operably
coupled with
steering motor 410 (phantom). An antenna 30 receives command signals from
remote control
transmitter 10 and carries those signals to the vehicle control circuit 400
(phantom). An on-off
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switch 450 turns the circuit 400 on and off and a battery power supply 435
provides power to
the circuit 400 and motors 41'0, 420.
[0014] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle control circuit 400 in
the toy vehicle
20. The speed shifter receiver circuit includes a steering motor control
circuit 405 which
controls steering motor 410 and a propulsion motor control circuit 415 which
controls drive
motor 420. Microprocessor 4U1 is in communication with steering motor and
drive motor
control circuits 405, 415 and controls all other functions executed within the
toy vehicle 20. A
vehicle receiver circuit 430 receives control signals sent by remote
control/transmitter 100 and
amplifies and sends the control signals to microprocessor 4U1 for processing.
A power supply
circuit 440 powers the vehicle control circuit 400 in toy vehicle 20 and the
steering and
propulsion motors 410, 420, respectively.
[0015] Fig. 5 shows a circuit in the remote control/transmitter 100 that is
powered by a
battery 505 in communication with a two-position switch 135 that is used to
turn the device 100
on and off and for selecting one of the modes. The remote/control transmitter
500 also includes
1 S a microprocessor SU1 within the housing 105. The microprocessor SU1 is
operably coupled
with each of the manual input elements 110, 115. The remote
control/transmitter 100 must first
be turned off via switch 135 to change the mode used. Manual input element 110
is a
preferably a center biased rocker button operating momentary contact switches
1 l0a and 1 lOb
in Fig. 5 When pressed, the rocker button 110 causes one or the other of the
switches 1 l0a or
1 l Ob to change states. This is sensed by the microprocessor SUl of the
circuitry 500 of the
remote control/transmitter 100 to transmit a signal via antenna 120 to cause
remotely controlled
toy vehicle 20, which includes receiver/microprocessor 4U1, to move forward or
backward.
Manual input element 115 is a also a center biased rocker button operating
momentary contact
switches 11 Sa and 11 Sb in Fig. 5 which, when pressed, causes the remote
control/transmitter
100 to transmit via antenna 120 a command to receiver/microprocessor 4U 1
causing the toy
vehicle 20 to steer to the left or to the right. When manual input element 115
is not pressed (i.e.
iri center position), the toy vehicle 20 travels in a straight path. When the
manual input element
110 is not pressed, the vehicle 20 stops.
[0016] Mode 1, a first mode of operation or usage, is the default mode
achieved when the
remote control/transmitter 100 is activated from a deactivated state by moving
on-off switch
135 in Fig. 5 from an "off' position to an "on" position. This mode has a
multiple-speed (3-
speed in the present embodiment) manual gear-shifting play pattern in which
the
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microprocessor SU1 emulates a manual transmission operation of the toy vehicle
20 and in
which corresponding sounds are generated by the microprocessor SU1 and played
on a speaker
125 in the remote control/transmitter 100. Mode 1 has the following features
and
characteristics:
[0017] (1) The motionless toy vehicle 20 is put into motion by pressing manual
input
element 110 to a "forward" button position closing or otherwise changing the
nominal state of
switch 110a on the remote control/transmitter 100. The microprocessor SUl is
configured (i.e.
programmed) to respond to the depressions of manual input element 110 by
entering a first gear
state of operation and generating a first forward movement command transmitted
to the toy
vehicle 20. Initially, the toy vehicle 20 responds to the first signal and
moves forward at a first
top speed which is less than a maximum speed the vehicle 10 is capable of
running. The
microprocessor SU1 generates a first sound, which is outputted by speaker 125,
to simulate first
gear operation of the toy vehicle 20.
[0018] (2) Once the toy vehicle 20 is moving forward for a while in a first
gear state (as
timed by microprocessor SU1), a visual indication (e.g., red flashing LED 130)
and/or an
audible sound (e.g., single horn beep) can be outputted by the microprocessor
SU1 from the
remote control/transmitter 100 to signal to a user that it is OK to shift to
the second gear.
Shifting into a higher gear is performed by momentarily releasing and re-
engaging the forward
button position of manual input element I 10 closing switch 1 l0a within a
predetermined time
window. If the time window elapses, the toy vehicle 20 will return to first
gear state when the
forward button position 110 is activated (i.e. switch 1 l0a closed). Once in
the second gear
state, the microprocessor 4U1 commands the vehicle 20 to move forward at a
second top speed
that is faster than the first top speed but less than maximum speed, and
preferably the
microprocessor SU1 generates a second sound which is outputted by speaker 125
to simulate
second gear operation of the vehicle 20. Once the toy vehicle 20 is moving
forward for a while
in a second gear state, a visual indication (e.g., red flashing LED 130)
and/or an audible sound
(e.g., single horn beep) can be outputted by microprocessor SU1 from speaker
125 of the
remote control/transmitter 100 to signal to a user that it is OK to shift to
the third gear. The
forward button position of input element 110 closing switch 1 l0a is again
momentarily released
and re-engaged within a predetermined time window. If the time window elapses,
the toy
vehicle 20 will return to first gear when the forward button position 110 is
activated. Once in
the third gear state, the toy vehicle 20 moves forward at a third top speed
that is faster than the
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second top speed, and preferably the microprocessor SUI generates a third
sound that is
outputted by speaker 125 to simulate third gear operation of the toy vehicle
20. The movement
of the toy vehicle 20 is terminated by releasing the forward button position
of element 110
closing switch 1 l0a or by pressing and then releasing reverse button position
of element 1 I 0
closing switch 1 l Ob.
[0019) (3) In the three-speed embodiment, preferably the top speed of the toy
vehicle 20
might be 62.5% of maximum speed when in the first gear state, 75% of maximum
speed when
in the second gear state, and 100% of maximum speed when in the third gear
state. Other ratios
and/or additional ratios to provide four, five, six or more speeds can be used
to simulate other
car and truck shifting.
[0020] (4) If the gear state of the toy vehicle 20 is changed before the toy
vehicle 20
reaches its top speed for the previous gear by momentarily releasing and re-
engaging the
forward button position of element I 10, before the microprocessor SUl opens
the
predetermined time window to shift, the microprocessor SU1 generates a
different audible
sound (e.g., grinding noise), which is preferably outputted by the speaker 125
of the remote
control/transmitter 100, to signal that the user shifted too early. Top speed
is not increased.
[0021] (5) Various audible sounds (e.g., peel out, squealing tire, hard
braking, accelerating
motor, etc.) are preferably outputted by the remote control/transmitter 100 in
response to
activating the manual input elements 110, 115 on the transmitter 100. For
example,
transmitting a steering command by pressing steering button input element 115
to close
switches 115a while the toy vehicle 20 is moving (e.g., forward position of
button 110 being
pressed changing the state of switch 110a) causes the microprocessor SUl to
output an audible
sound (e.g., the squealing of tires) through speaker 125. There is a small
delay in producing the
audible sound so that small steering corrections do not cause the audible
sound to be outputted
by speaker 125. Releasing either the forward and reverse position of manual
input element 110
preferably causes the microprocessor SUl output an audible sound (e.g., hard
breaking, tire
screeching) through speaker 125. An "idling" sound is then preferably
outputted
microprocessor SUl through speaker 125 until a next propulsion/drive command
is transmitted.
[0022] (6) Speed of the toy vehicle 20 is controlled by the remote
control/transmitter 100
outputting propulsion control signals having PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
characteristics
with duty cycles approximate for the speed ratios selected, e.g., 56%, 75%,
and 100% (see Fig.
2). Preferably, the remote control/transmitter 100 outputs a binary signal
with two or more
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values allocated to propulsion commands. Two binary bits can be used to
identify stop and
three forward speed values (e.g. first, second and third speeds). The vehicle
microprocessor
4U1 is preferably programmed to power each motor 410, 420 according to a duty
cycle
identified by the binary bits. Referring to Fig. 2, a fixed time period (e.g.
sixteen milliseconds)
can be broken up into fractions (e.g. sixteen, one millisecond parts) and
power (V hi) supplied
to the motor for the fraction of the time period (e.g. 0/16, 10/16, 12/16,
16/16) commanded by
the two binary bits. An 8/16 duty cycle is depicted, with V hi provided for
eight parts and V
low (i.e. 0 Volts) provided for the remaining eight parts of the period
constituting the cycle. If
three bits are allocated to propulsion commands, a stop command and seven
different forward
and reverse speed commands can be encoded. Preferably reverse speed is at a
ratio of less than
100% for ease of vehicle control and realism.
[0023] Mode 2 is achieved by turning on the remote control/transmitter 100 at
135 while
holding button 110 in a "forward" movement position (changing state of switch
1 l0a) on the
remote control/transmitter 100 until the microprocessor SU1 acknowledges the
command by
causing the speaker 125 to output an audible sound (e.g., horn beeps) and/or
the red LED 130 to
flash. This mode allows the user to maneuver the toy vehicle 20 in the usual
manner with
sounds being generated but no gear shifting operation. The microprocessor SUl
is preferably
preprogrammed for a desired default speed, e.g., 100% forward and 50% or 100%
reverse.
[0024] Mode 3 is achieved by turning on the remote control/transmitter 100 at
135 while
holding button 110 in a "reverse" movement position (i.e. changing state of
switch 1 lOb ) on
the remote control/transmitter 100 until the microprocessor U1 causes speaker
125 to output an
audible sound (e.g., horn beeps) and/or the red LED 130 to flash. This mode
allows the user to
maneuver the toy vehicle 20 in the usual manner with no sound generation by
controller SUl or
gear shifting operation. The microprocessor SUl is preprogrammed for a desired
default speed,
e.g., 100% forward and SO% or 100% reverse.
[0025] Figs 7A-7J depict the various steps of an operating program 700
contained by the
remote control/transmitter circuitry 500, such as by firmware or software in
the microprocessor
SU1, to operate the remote control/transmitter 100 in the multiple modes of
operation and in the
different shift states in the first mode of operation. Again, the
microprocessor SU1 is
preferably configured to transmit commands in binary form with propulsion
and/or steering
commands encoded as binary bits or sets of such bits.
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[0026] Figs. 6A-6C depict the various steps of an operating program 600
contained by the
vehicle control circuitry 400, such as by firmware or software in the
microprocessor 4U 1, to
operate the toy vehicle 20 in the multiple modes and in the different shift
states in the first
mode of operation. Fig. 6D depicts the steps of a subroutine 604' which is
entered four
different times at steps 604 in the main program 600 (Figs. 6A-6C) to
increment and test the
state of a pulse width modulator (PWM) timer (i.e. counter) to power or turn
off power to either
motor 410, 420. The operating program 600 must be cycled through four times to
increment
the PWM counter a total of sixteen times to complete one PWM power cycle
(sixteen parts) for
either motor 410, 420. Steering may also be controlled by a PWM duty cycle to
prevent
overshoot of the steering system. For example, the steering motor 410 may be
driven by
microprocessor 4U1 at a higher duty cycle when going from a left or right turn
to a turn in the
other direction and at a lesser duty cycle when going from a center position
to right or left and
vice versa.
[0027] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could
be made to the
embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept
thereof. It is
understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular
embodiments disclosed,
but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the
present invention.
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