Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Master And Slave Toy Vehicle Pair
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to motorized toy vehicles and, more
particularly, to
remotely and automatically controlled toy vehicles.
[0003] Remote controlled (R/C) toys are generally well known in the art. Such
R/C toys
generally include a remote control having one or more manual actuators for
controlling the
movement and sometimes the mode of operation of the R/C toy vehicle.
Generally, the R/C toy
vehicle is turned on by a user and then the user utilizes the remote control
to control movement
of the R/C toy vehicle forward, reverse, left, right and combinations thereof.
[0004] In U.S. Patent No. 4,938,483, at least one more complicated R/C toy
vehicle play set
' includes not only multiple remote controls for controlling multiple R/C toy
vehicles at the same
time, but also a secondary transmitter and secondary receiver in each R/C toy
vehicle such that
different R/C toy vehicles can cause actions between one another. For example,
in the one
prior art R/C toy vehicle play set, a user controls a particular R/C toy
vehicle to steer and drive
and additionally causes the R/C toy vehicle to "fire" or emit a secondary
transmit signal.
Another user similarly, simultaneously and independently controls another R/C
toy vehicle. If
the other user's R/C toy vehicle is generally in the path of the secondary
transmit signal and
receives the secondary transmit signal, the other user's toy vehicle is either
temporarily
disabled electronically or loses a point or the like.
[0005] In U.S. Patent No. 5,083,968, other self powered toy vehicles have
secondary
sensors for tracking nearby heat sources (i.e., broadband infrared receivers),
such as a human
body. The sensors of the toy are mounted in a rotating head that is mounted,
in turn, upon a
wheel, track or light body that can move. The toy also includes sensors to
detect unheated
objects in its path and Will act to avoid hitting them. The toy can either
chase or move away
from the heat source according to a particular mode of operation.
[0006] In U.S. Patent No. 3,130,803, another similar self powered toy vehicle
is adapted to
follow a path defined by light and dark areas. This toy vehicle has no remote
control but rather
traverses a path of light and dark areas that may be defined on any surface.
The toy vehicle
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contains two photosensitive devices that change the resistance in accordance
with the amount of
light received. The photoconductors disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle
guide the vehicle
along the light areas of the pattern on the floor. A modified version of the
toy vehicle includes
a sensor to detect objects in its path. The mobile toy vehicle has an on-board
forwardly facing
transmitter for forwardly transmitting a transmission signal, e.g., an
infrared light beam, ahead
of the toy. The toy vehicle also has an on-board forwardly facing receiver,
e.g., an infrared
light detector, mounted on the toy for detecting and collecting a portion of
the transmitted
infrared light beam reflected off an obstacle located within a predetermined
range. The toy
vehicle has two modes of play. The first mode causes the toy to veer away from
obstacles
when detected, and the second mode causes the toy to attack an obstacle once
detected. The
second mode simply causes the toy to advance towards the obstacle rather than
to veer away
from it and if the obstacle moves away from the toy, the toy will pursue the
obstacle in this
mode.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Briefly stated, the present invention comprises a toy vehicle
combination. The
combination includes a master toy vehicle and a slave toy vehicle. Each toy
vehicle includes a
chassis with a plurality of supporting road wheels, a motive system drivingly
coupled to at least
one of the plurality of road wheels so as to propel the chassis and a steering
system operably
coupled to at least one of the plurality of road wheels so as to steer the
chassis. The master toy
vehicle includes a transmitter configured to broadcast a tracking signal, a
radio frequency (RF)
receiver configured to receive signals from an RF remote control, a master toy
vehicle control
circuit having a first output connected to the motive system of the master toy
vehicle and a
second output connected to the steering mechanism of the master toy vehicle.
The master toy
vehicle control circuit is configured to control the first and second outputs
of the first control
circuit based upon signals received by the RF receiver. The slave toy vehicle
includes at least
first and second directional receivers configured to receive the tracking
signal from the
transmitter from different directions around the slave toy vehicle, a slave
toy vehicle control
circuit coupled to the first and second directional receivers, a first output
connected to the
motive system of the slave toy vehicle, and a second output connected to the
steering system of
the slave toy vehicle. The slave toy vehicle control circuit is configured to
control at least one
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of the first and second outputs of the slave toy vehicle control circuit based
upon signals
received by the first and second directional receivers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of
preferred
S embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in
conjunction with the
appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are
shown in the
drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood,
however, that
the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities
shown.
[0009] In the drawings:
I O [0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one master toy vehicle and slave
toy vehicle
combination in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[00,11] Fig. 2 shows areas of signal transmission by the master toy vehicle of
Fig. 1 and of
sensor reception by the slave toy vehicle of Fig. 1;
[0012] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the control for the slave toy vehicle of
Fig. 1;
15 [0013] Fig. 4 depicts a set of sampling signals generated by the sensors of
the slave toy
vehicle of Figs. 1-2;
[0014] Fig. 5 depicts a state table for the slave toy vehicle of Fig. 1;
[0015] Fig. 6 is a side elevation view of a second master toy vehicle in
accordance with a
second preferred embodiment of the present invention;
20 [0016] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a second slave toy vehicle having a
robotic upper
body in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] Fig. 8 is an electrical schematic diagram of the major components of
the electrical
circuitry of the second master toy vehicle of Fig. 6;
[0018] Fig. 9 is an electrical schematic diagram of the major components of
the electrical
25 circuitry of the second slave toy vehicle of Fig. 7;
[0019] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the vehicle of Fig. 6 with the body
removed;
[0020] Fig. 11 is an exploded view of the Fig. 10 vehicle;
[0021] Fig. 12 is an exploded view of the second slave toy vehicle of Fig. 7;
and
[0022] Fig. 13 is an exploded view of the torso component of Fig. 12.
30 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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[0023] Certain terminology is used in the following description for
convenience only and is
not limiting. The words "right," "left," "lower" and "upper" designate
directions in the
drawings to which reference is made. The words "inwardly" and "outwardly"
refer to
directions toward and away from respectively, the geometric center of the
device discussed arid
designated parts thereof. The terminology includes the words above
specifically mentioned,
derivatives thereof and words of similar import. Additionally, the word "a" as
used in the
claims and in the corresponding portions of the Specification means "one or
more than one."
[0024] As used herein, "directional" generally indicates a particular or
generally singular
direction, and when used to 'describe a type of receiver or transmitter
generally means a receiver
or transmitter that is capable of receiving or sending signals in generally
one direction only.
[0025] Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate
like elements
throughout the several figures, there is shown in Fig. 1 a first exemplary
master toy vehicle 10
and a first exemplary slave toy vehicle 20 of a master and slave toy vehicle
pair in accordance
with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The master toy
vehicle 10 can be an
otherwise ordinary remotely-controlled (R/C) vehicle which has been modified
by the addition
of a tracking signals source or transmitter indicated generally at 15 on the
roof of the master toy
vehicle 10. The master toy vehicle 10 is preferably remotely controlled, for
example, radio
controlled with a receiver and an antenna 16 by a conventional remote control
transmitter
("remote control") 12 which includes manual actuators 13a, 13b for manual
input of motive
(i.e. "propulsion") and "steering" commands, an on-off switch and an antenna
14 connected to
internal circuitry including a transmitter and controller (none depicted)
which converts inputs
through actuators 13a, 13b into command signals for radio transmission. The
second toy
vehicle 20 is a slave which runs under autonomous control and interacts with
the master toy
vehicle 10 by physically pursuing (or evading) the master toy vehicle 10. To
achieve that
capability, the slave toy vehicle 20 is provided with a plurality of signal
sensors 21-24 (Fig. 2)
which are responsive to the signal source 15 on the master toy vehicle 10. For
example, the
tracking signal source or transmitter 15 may be one infrared ("IR") light
source but, more
preferably, it is a plurality of directed IR light sources, such as four IR
LED's 11-14 mounted in
an array on the roof of the master toy vehicle 10 to transmit a predetermined
(e.g., fixed
frequency) IR signal essentially entirely around the master toy vehicle 10.
Fewer or greater
numbers of transmitters 11-14 can be used if less than 360° coverage or
full and overlapping
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360° coverage is desired or required around vehicle 10. The sensors 21-
24 on the slave toy
vehicle 20 might be directional IR receivers tuned to the frequency of the IR
LED's of signal
sources 11-14. An on-board microprocessor or microcontroller 30 (Fig. 3) in
the slave toy
vehicle 20 monitors the states of the various sensors 21-24 and controls the
slave toy vehicle 20
to pursue the master toy vehicle 10. The four IR LED signal sources 11-14 and
their preferred
fields of view 11'-14' are indicated schematically in Fig. 2. Conventional IR
sensors typically
have a 90° field of view. At least four IR sensors 21-24 disposed at
90° orientations are
required for "full" coverage around the slave toy vehicle 20 without overlap.
Preferably, the IR
sensors 21-24 are overlapped towards the front of the slave toy vehicle 20 as
shown to provide
greater resolution of the relative location of the tracking signal source 15
and the master toy
vehicle 10 with respect to the slave toy vehicle 20. Preferably, overlapping
coverage is at least
provided directly in front of the slave toy vehicle 20 so that the slave toy
vehicle 20 can
position itself directly behind the master toy vehicle 10, which is designed
to be impacted from
behind by the slave toy vehicle 20 as would occur if the master toy vehicle 10
were trying to
escape pursuit of the slave toy vehicle 20.
[0026] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the major electrical components of the
slave toy vehicle
20. The IR sensors 21-24 are coupled with a controller in the form of a
programmed
microcontroller 30 by suitable means. In Fig. 3, the IR sensors 21-24 coupled
to the
microcontroller 30 by a high impedance multiplexer 32 which feeds a single
signal to an IR
receiver integrated circuit 34. The output of the IR receiver integrated
circuit 34 is sent to the
microcontroller 30 in the slave toy vehicle 20. Based on the state of the
sensors 21-24, the
microcontroller 30 controls through signal outputs to appropriate driver
circuits 36, 38, motors
40, 42 thereby controlling propulsion and steering respectively of the slave
toy vehicle 20 to
pursue the master toy vehicle 10 as will be explained below.
[0027] Fig. 4 depicts interaction between the output of the multiplexer 32 and
the IR
receiver integrated circuit 34 with the microcontroller 30. The particular IR
sensors 21-24
being used in the exemplary slave toy vehicle 20 are normally high. That is,
the IR sensors 21-
24 output a high level signal unless they sense an appropriate IR light
source. Then their output
signal level goes low. The four sensor signals in Fig. 4 are all high when
sampled, indicating
that the master toy vehicle 10 is not being sensed by the slave toy vehicle
20.
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[0028] Fig. 5 represents a state table for the four multiplexed sensors 21-24
of the slave toy
vehicle 20 of Figs 1 and 2. The states represent the opposite values to the
signal level from the
sensors 21-24. For example, the signal level of the four diode/sensors 21-24
in Fig. 4 are all
high indicating none of the four sensors 21-24 sense the IR signal source 15
of the master toy
vehicle 10. This state is represented by the first line (0000) in the state
table of Fig. 5. The
second line (0001) represents a positive response by the fourth detector 24.
The fourth line
(0011) represents an overlapping response from the third and fourth detectors
23, 24, etc. In
this way, the location of the master toy vehicle 10 with respect to the slave
toy vehicle 20 is
determined. The microcontroller 30 is preprogrammed to autonomously steer the
slave toy
vehicle 20 to pursue the master toy vehicle 10. For example, this may be done
by means of a
look-up table, the microprocessor 30 providing parallel line outputs 35, 37
containing a forward
propulsion command and steering adjustment command, respectively, to the two
motors 40, 42,
respectively, to attempt to center the slave toy vehicle 20 directly behind
the master toy vehicle
10 to keep the master toy vehicle 10 in the overlapped sectors 22', 23'
between the second and
third detectors 22, 23 directly in front of the slave toy vehicle 20. The
slave toy vehicle 20 can
thus follow the master toy vehicle 10 in near real time as the detection of
the master toy vehicle
10 by the slave toy vehicle 20 and the adjustment of the slave toy vehicle 20
steering and
propulsion is performed many times per second (i.e. at the cycling speed of
the multiplexer 32
and integrator 34).
[0029] The master and slave toy vehicles 10, 20 can have any variety of
different forms and
modes of operation and can be made to interact in more ways than simply the
pursued/pursuer
relation without departing from the broad inventive scope of the present
invention.
[0030] Figs. 6 and 7 depict a second master toy vehicle 110 and a second slave
toy vehicle
120, respectively, of a second combination in accordance with a second
preferred embodiment
of the present invention. The master toy vehicle 110 is conventional four-
wheeled remotely-
controlled toy vehicle having a steering motor 142 configured to pivot the two
front road
wheels 116 about vertical axes and a propulsion motor 138 for driving the two
rear road wheels
118 on a solid axle in the same forward or rearward direction. The master toy
vehicle 110 has a
tracking signal source 115 on the roof of the vehicle directly of a cockpit
117 roughly in the
center of the master toy vehicle 110.
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[0031] The slave or chasing toy vehicle 120 shown is six-wheeled having two
smaller front
road wheels 317, which are unpowered, and four larger center and rear road
wheels 324, which
are powered. The slave toy vehicle 120 preferably has what is called "tank
steering". This
means there are two drive motors 182, 186 in the slave toy vehicle 120 each
independently
driving one or more road wheels 317, 334 on separate sides of the vehicle 120.
More
particularly, slave toy vehicle 120 can be driven in forward and rearward
directions by rotating
all powered wheels 334 to move in the same direction. The slave toy vehicle
120 can be
steered by driving the powered road wheels 334 on one side of the slave toy
vehicle 120 in a
forward or rearward direction and leaving the powered road wheels 334 on the
opposite side of
I O the slave toy vehicle 120 undriven or driven differently, i.e, at a
different speed or in a different
direction or both. The slave toy vehicle I20 can be rotated in place by
driving the powered
road wheels 334 on opposite sides of the slave toy vehicle 120 in opposite
(forward/rearward)
directions.
[0032] Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of electrical circuitry 130 of the
master toy
vehicle 110 and includes an RF receiver indicated at 132, the output of which
is conditioned
and sent to the control circuit 130 of the master toy vehicle 110, preferably
a commercially
available, R/C vehicle microprocessor or microcontroller 134. The
microcontroller 134
interprets the radio signals received by the RF receiver 132 from a hand radio
transmission
remote control unit (not depicted) sending control signals to the master toy
vehicle 110. The
microcontroller I34 provides an output in the form of an appropriate control
signal on parallel
lines 135 to a driver circuit 136 for a propulsion motor 138 and a separate
output in the form of
separate appropriate control signals on parallel lines 139 to a driver circuit
140 for the steering
motor 142. Preferably, each motor 138, 142 is reversible and can reversibly be
supplied power
by the driver circuits 136, 140, respectively. The tracking signal source is
indicated generally
at 115 and, preferably comprises a plurality of individual IR LED's, wherein
four being
indicated at 144-I47, which are oriented at 90° angles to one another
on the top of the master
toy vehicle 110. A switching device 151 may be provided to switch or strobe
the IR LEDs 144-
147 at a particular frequency such as at a frequency between about 15-75 KHz
so that the slave
toy vehicle 20 can be "tuned" to detect that particular frequency and filter
out ambient noise
and the like. A simple on-off switch 150 couples the remainder of the
circuitry 130 to a battery
power supply 152.
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[0033] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of the electrical circuitry 160 of
the slave toy
vehicle 120. Power to the circuitry 160 is supplied from a battery power
supply 162 through a
power switch 164. A control circuit in the form of a microprocessor or
microcontroller 166
preferably receives input signals from three momentary closure switches: a
mode switch 168, a
front bumper switch 170, and a rear bumper switch 172. The microcontroller 166
also
preferably receives signals continuously from a plurality of directional
receivers in the form of
four IR sensors depicted at 174-177. The microcontroller 166 can receive fresh
inputs during
each of its operating program cycles. The IR sensors 174-177 may be mounted on
a separate
board 178 (phantom) for installation at a location in the slave toy vehicle
120 remote from the
remainder of electrical components. The microcontroller 166 controls a left
motor drive circuit
180 through parallel line output 179 powering the left side drive motor 182
and a right side
drive motor circuit 184 through parallel line output 183 independently
powering the right side
drive motor 186. Each motor 182, 186 can be configured to drive one or more of
the three road
wheels 317 and 334 located on the each side of the slave toy vehicle 120,
which is generally
referred to in the art as "tank" steering. The slave microcontroller 166 is,
further configured to
control the first and second outputs 179, 183 based upon internal control
programming in
conjunction with the signals received by the plurality of directional
receivers 174-177.
[0034] To enhance play value, the microcontroller 166 also can be programmed
to generate
sounds and sound effects through a speaker 188 and may generate certain
lighting effects by
illuminating one or more visible light LEDs, three being shown at 191-193. The
microcontroller 166 can be made to respond to inputs from the mode switch 168
by selecting
the manner and/or time duration of play or otherwise varying the degree of
difficulty of play.
For example, the slave toy vehicle 120 can be set for automatic operation for
predetermined
lengths of time. If the driver of the master toy vehicle 110 can elude the
slave toy vehicle 120
for the predetermined period of time, it will have won the contest. The slave
120 can stop
driving itself and can provide sound and/or light effects to signal that the
game is over. The
microprocessor/microcontroller 166 can also be programmed for different styles
of operation
from a simple tracking scheme to more complicated prediction and interception
schemes.
[0035] Figs. 10-11 depict the operative mechanical components of the master
toy vehicle
110 including an optional mechanical subassembly in the master toy vehicle 110
which causes
the vehicle 110 to be flipped over after it has been bumped in a rear bumper
234 a
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predetermined number of times by the slave toy vehicle 120. In Figs. 10 andlor
11, the major
components of master toy vehicle 110, apart from the signal source 115 and
electronic control
board (not depicted) are a chassis 201, a front chassis cover 202, rear
chassis cover 203 and
front and rear battery doors 204 and 205 on the bottom of chassis 201. A
compound reduction
gear 210 is driven by propulsion motor 138, and drives a main drive gear 241
secured to a solid
rear axle 242 between the rear wheels 118. A cover 211 protects an on/off
switch 243.
Steering is provided by a steering arm 218, which is coupled with a steering
box assembly 228.
A mechanism for centering the front steering includes an adjustment board 219,
an adjustment
bus 220 and left and right adjustment arms 221 and 222. Right front wheel
assembly 225 and
left front wheel assembly 226 are conventional and coupled with the steering
ann in a
conventional manner on the steering box assembly 228. Steering box assembly
228 houses a
clutched electric motor which moves steering arm 218 side to side to rotate
the front wheels
225, 226, which are pivotally coupled with the chassis 201 between 201 and
cover 202 and the
outer ends of the arm 218. Each front wheel 226 is mounted on a hub 216
(obscured by 228 in
Fig. 11) having a king pin 216a pivotally captured between 201, 202 and a
control arm 216b
pivotally received in a bore 218a at one end of steering arm 218. Front bumper
233 is shown
mounted to the chassis 201. The rear bumper 234 is received in a rear bumper
plate 206
movably mounted on cover 203.
[0036] Pivotally attached to the bottom of the chassis 201 is a flip arm 231
mounted to
rotate on axle 236 held by retainer 217. Flip arm 231 receives in its outer
end (left in Fig. 11) a
flip wheel 232 supported on a flip axle 239. The release mechanism for that
arm 231 is coupled
with the rear bumper 234 through rear bumper plate 206. It includes a latch
plate retainer 207,
a latch plate 209 and a pawl 213. First and second levers 214 and 215 are used
to reset the arm
231. Also depicted are a pawl axle 235, flip axle 236, a flip torsional spring
237 and a pawl
torsional spring 23 8. Hook 231 a on arm 231 engages ledge 209a of plate 209.
Plate 209 is
preferably biased forward (or backward) on the chassis 201 by suitable means
such as a spring
(not depicted) and is permitted to incrementally advance by pawl 213. Pawl 213
engages in
sequence a plurality of wells along the plate 209, one of which is identified
at 209b. Pawl 213
is rocked on its support shaft 235 each time the rear bumper 234 is struck.
Movement of the
bumper 234 is transferred to plate 206, which is mounted on rear cover 203 to
rotate and then
release pawl 213 allowing plate 209 to advance one well 209b. After the bumper
234 has been
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struck a predetermined number of times, the plate 209 advances far enough to
release or cause
the release of hook 231 a from ledge 209a. The mechanism is reset with arms
214 and 215.
When the arm 231 is rotated back into the chassis 201 after being released,
cam surface 231b
contacts leg 214a or arm 214 causing the arm 214 to rotate. Arm 214 retracts
plate 209 through
second arm 215, which is biased to hook plate 209 and drag it back to its
initial position.
Alternatively to being spring advanced, the mechanism can be configured to
advance the plate
209 with the pawl 213. Alternatively, release of the arm 231 can be controlled
by the
microcontroller 166 operating a solenoid or magnetic latch or the like to
release the arm 231 in
response to a signal generated when the rear bumper switch 172 is struck a
sufficient number of
times.
[0037] Figs. 12-13 are exploded views of the mechanical components of the
slave toy
vehicle 120 of Fig. 7 including components of an optional mechanism in the
slave toy vehicle
120 for causing the upper torso portion 124 of the slave toy vehicle 120,
generally forming a
robot upper torso portion 124 atop the slave toy vehicle chassis cover 311 and
chassis 121, to
pitch forward on its pedestal 123 after the rear bumper 370 of the slave toy
vehicle 120 has
been contacted sufficiently hard to disable the slave toy vehicle 120. Major
components of the
slave toy vehicle 120 shown in Fig. 7 are separately indicated in Figs. 12 and
13. They include
two reversible electric motors, the left one of which 182 is seen in Fig. 12,
the other one (186 in
Fig. 9) being coaxial with the left motor 182 and extending from the other
side of motor cover
310. Each of the motors 182, 186 includes a pinion 329 for mounting. The
motors 182, 186
and motor cover 310 are received in a main chassis 305 between which a
plurality of gear train
members 323, 324 and 325 are captured by right and left gear box covers 302,
303,
respectively. Pinion 329 engages main compound drive gear 323 which through
compound
reduction gears 324 drive wheel drive gears 325. Two rear wheel assemblies 334
and a front
wheel 317 are mounted on each side. Each of the rear wheel assemblies 334 keys
with the
drive shaft 325a on each of the wheel drive gears 325. The front wheels 317,
which are
unpowered, are mounted to a front axle 337 by nuts 330. A front bumper 331 is
mounted to the
chassis 305 by retainer 304. Battery covers 312 and 313 are provided on the
bottom of the
chassis 305 to retain battery powered supply 335. Mounted at the top of the
chassis 305 is
cover 31 l and mounted to it pedestal 123 supporting the robot upper torso
portion 124. The
pedestal 123 receives a daughter board 178 with four IR sensors (e.g. 174-177
of Fig. 9).
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Preferably, the sensors 174-177 are oriented to provide at least some
overlapping coverage
directly in front of vehicle 120. Appropriate ports can be provided through
the cover 311,
through the pedestal 123 of between the cover 311 and pedestal 123 to provide
appropriate
viewing lanes to the sensors. A housing 350 of the upper torso portion 124 is
pivotally
mounted to pedestal 123 by means of a pivot pin 336 held in position by
retainers 314. Also
mounted in the cover 311 are a speaker 322 and a speaker cover 318. Further
mounted to the
housing 350 of upper torso portion 124 by ratchet retainer pins 328 are right
and left robot arms
125, 126, formed by outer arm members 306 and 307 and inner arm covers 315 and
316,
respectively. A head 333 is mounted atop the robot torso 332. Finally, a rear
bumper assembly
370 is received in the rear end of the member 311.
(0038] Referring to Fig. 13, the rear bumper assembly 370 is provided by a
rear bumper
mount 361 supporting a rear bumper member 372. The forward end of the rear
bumper mount
361 has a slot which engages a push rod 362, which extends downward from a
baffle plate 365
forming part of the pedestal 123. Also included in the pedestal 123 are a
pivot plate 369, and a
latch 374, cooperating with a catch 376 on cover 311 (Fig. 12), all trapped
between right and
left journal members 363, 364. These pivotally support front and back torso
shells 366 and
367, respectively. When struck in the rear bumper element 372, the rear bumper
mount 361
slides forward and cam surface 361 a on mount 361 forces pin 362a and push rod
362 upward.
Tip 362b of rod 362 rises through plate 365 rotating latch 374 releasing it
from catch 376. The
upper torso portion 124 can be weighted (or spring biased) to pitch forward on
the pedestal 123
indicating completion of the game. Springs or other biasing means can be
provided, if desired
or needed, to return the movable components to their original positions. The
torso portion 123
would have to be manually reset, however.
[0039] Broadly speaking, the second preferred toy vehicle combination includes
the master
toy vehicle 110 and the slave toy vehicle 120. Each toy vehicle 110, 120
includes a chassis 201
or 305 with a plurality of supporting road wheels 116, 118, 317 or 334, a
first motive system
136-138, 180-182 or 184-186 drivingly coupled to at least one of the plurality
of road wheels
116, 118, 317 or 334 so as to propel the chassis 201 or 305 and a steering
system 140-142, 180-
182 or 184-186 operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of road wheel
116, 118, 317 or
334 so as to steer the chassis 201 or 305. The master toy vehicle 110 includes
the tracking
signal source (transmitter) 115 configured to broadcast a tracking signal, the
RF receiver 132
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configured to receive signals from the RF remote control, the first control
circuit 130 having a
first output connected to the motive system 136-138 of the master toy vehicle
110 and a second
output connected to the steering mechanism 140-142 of the master toy vehicle
110. The first
control circuit 130 is configured to control the first and second outputs of
the first control
circuit 130 based upon signals received by the RF receiver 132. The slave toy
vehicle 120
includes at least first and second directional receivers 174-177 configured to
receive the
tracking signal from the tracking signal source 115 from different directions
around the slave
toy vehicle 120, the second control circuit 160 coupled to the first and
second directional
receivers 174-177, a first output connected to the motive system 180-182 and
184-186 of the
slave toy vehicle 120, a second output connected to the steering system 180-
182 and 184-186 of
the slave toy vehicle 120. The second control circuit 160 is configured to
control at least one of
the first and second outputs of the second control circuit 160 based upon
signals received by the
first and second directional receivers 174-177.
[0040] It is contemplated that both the master and slave toy vehicles 110, 120
utilize
conventional axle steering or that both utilize tank steering. But, the
steering of the master and
slave toy vehicles 110, 120 can be any suitably known steering-type with
departing from the
present invention.
[0041] One suggested play pattern of the master and slave toy vehicles 110,
120 is as
follows and can be implemented in other combinations such as master and slave
toy vehicles 10
and 20. The player drives the master toy vehicle 110 using a supplied,
conventional, hand-
remote control unit having at least two switches or toggles for propulsion and
steering direction
control, respectively. The slave toy vehicle 120 can be set for different time
lengths that it will
pursue the master toy vehicle 110. This is accomplished after the slave toy
vehicle 120 is
turned on by depressing the mode control switch 168. For example, one, two or
three switch
depressions may signal for three, five and ten minute play lengths,
respectively. This enables
the combination of the master and slave toy vehicles 110, 120 to be made more
challenging as
the user skill increases. Preferably, there is a delay period between the time
when the slave toy
vehicle 120 is turned on and the operating mode entered and when the slave toy
vehicle 120
begins seeking the master toy vehicle 110 to enable the user to set up the
slave toy vehicle 120
and then take control of the master toy vehicle 110. For example, sound and/or
lighting effects
may be generated by the microcontroller 166 as a prelude to movement of the
slave toy vehicle
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120. The master toy vehicle 110 is preferably configured to respond to impact
in the rear of the
master toy vehicle 110 by the slave toy vehicle 120. This can be done
electronically by the
provision of momentary contact switch (not depicted) operably coupled between
the rear
bumper and the microcontroller 166. Otherwise the optional arm mechanism of
Fig. 11 will
flip vehicle 110 over after it has been struck three times by the robotlslave
120. The front
bumper switch 170 is preferably provided on the slave toy vehicle 120 to cause
the slave toy
vehicle 120 to back away from any object it hits with the front bumper. For
example, when
pursuing the master toy vehicle 110, the robot vehicle 120 will back away from
the master toy
vehicle 110 after contacting its rear bumper to give the master toy vehicle
110 an opportunity to
escape. Also, if the slave toy vehicle 120 encounters an obstacle like a wall,
it will back away
from the obstacle and turn towards the master toy vehicle 110 if detected, or
begin a series of
backing and turning maneuvers to try to seek out the master toy vehicle 110.
Slave toy vehicle
120 is further provided with rear bumper switch 172 as part of another play
feature. If the
master toy vehicle 110 can strike the rear bumper of the slave toy vehicle
120, the slave toy
vehicle 120 responds by shutting itself down, indicating termination of the
game.
[0042] Thus, the toy vehicle combination of the master and slave toy vehicles
110, 120 is
used as a chase game. The chase game comprises the steps of controlling the
master toy
vehicle 110 using the remote control, automatically following the master toy
vehicle 110 with
the slave toy vehicle 120 using the tracking signals being emitted from the
master toy vehicle
110, and counting a number of times the slave toy vehicle 120 collides with
the master toy
vehicle 110 in order to track a collision count. The chase game further
comprises the step of at
least temporarily disabling the master toy vehicle 110 electronically when the
collision count
reaches a predetermined limit thereby indicating that a contest is over. The
chase game further
comprises the step of flipping the master toy vehicle 110 using an at least
partially internally
mounted toy vehicle flipping mechanism or flip arm 231 when the collision
count reaches a
predetermined limit thereby indicating that a contest is over.
[0043] It is also contemplated that the toy vehicle combination of the master
and slave toy
vehicles 110, 120 is used as another type of chase game. The alternate chase
game comprising
the steps of operating the slave toy vehicle 120 into an evasive mode wherein
the slave toy
vehicle 120 automatically avoids the master toy vehicle 110 using the tracking
signals being
emitted from the master toy vehicle 110, controlling the master toy vehicle
110 using the
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remote contro~ to chase the slave toy vehicle 120 and colliding into the slave
toy vehicle 120
with the master toy vehicle 110 in order to score. The depicted slave toy
vehicle 120 is further
preferably provided with the mechanical latch release mechanism shown in Fig.
13, which
releases the rear end of the robot upper torso portion 124 from the catch
causing the torso
portion 124 to pitch forward on the chassis 121 and pedestal 123 indicating
that the game has
been terminated because the robot vehicle 120 was successfully struck. Again,
appropriate
sound andlor lighting effects can be preprogrammed into the microcontroller
166.
[0044] Optionally, the slave toy vehicle 120 can be provided with certain
other features to
enhance the play versatility of the combination of the master and slave toy
vehicles 110, 120.
For example, the slave toy vehicle 120 can be preprogrammed to stop chasing
the master toy
vehicle 110 for a brief period of time, during which time the slave toy
vehicle 120 can more
easily be approached by the master toy vehicle 110 to disable the slave toy
vehicle 120. The
length of time that the slave toy vehicle 120 is inactivated can be
randomized, preferably within
a range (e.g., two to ten seconds). The powering down and subsequent powering
up of the
slave toy vehicle 120 during this period can be denoted by sound and/or light
effects, if desired.
Instead of providing predetermined play period lengths for varying the degree
of difficulty, the
number of times andl or duration of the periods that the slave toy vehicle 120
goes inactive can
be varied. For example, the slave toy vehicle 120 can be disabled regularly
but randomly
within a range of time periods for an inactive period that can also randomly
vary within a range.
The play can be made more difficult by increasing the time periods between
deactivation of the
slave toy vehicle 120 and/or reducing the range of the length of periods the
slave toy vehicle
120 is inactive. The visible light LED's 191-193 can further be used to
indicate the mode or the
number of times the slave toy vehicle 120 has struck the master toy vehicle
110.
[0045] In an alternate embodiment, the microcontroller 30 can be programmed or
configured to follow motion of the master toy vehicle 10. For example, the
microcontroller 30
can be programmed to determine that the master toy vehicle 10 has moved from
sector 21' to
the overlapped region of sectors 21' and 22', and therefore, the master toy
vehicle 10 is
traveling from left to right with respect to the slave toy vehicle 20. Thus,
the slave toy vehicle
20 could be programmed to move predictively in order to anticipate where the
master toy
vehicle 10 will be so as to increase the skill level required by the user
necessary to avoid the
slave toy vehicle 20 in play.
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[0046] Of course, the present invention is not limited to IR LEDs 11-14, but
may include
other signal sources 15 which emit electromagnetic waves of other spectrums
such as visible
light or which emit sound, RF, microwave and the like without departing from
the broad
inventive scope of the present invention. Likewise, the signal sensors 21-24
may include
sensors other than lR sensors such as other forms of electromagnetic wave
detectors,
microphones, piezo or silicone devices, vibration sensors and the like:
Preferably, the signal
sensors 21-24 are directional in order to determine a particular source
direction being detected
for tracking purposes, but need not be. It is contemplated that the signal
sensors 21-24 could be
made directional by mechanical means such as installing the signal sensors 21-
24 in directional
cones (not shown) or the like, thereby mechanically limiting the field of view
of the signal
sensors 21-24. In sum, any other directional antenna or transmitting source
can be utilized as
the signal source 15 used in conjunction with signal sensors 21-24 capable of
receiving or
detecting that particular type of signal source 1 S without departing from the
present invention.
[0047) From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention comprises
a
combination of master and slave toy vehicles that communicate wirelessly for
interaction. 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 as defined
by the appended claims.
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