GB2312631A

GB2312631A - Electric toy car racing track controller system

Info

Publication number: GB2312631A
Application number: GB9608894A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kam-Fai Ngai
Original assignee: Artin Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Artin Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 1996-04-30
Filing date: 1996-04-30
Publication date: 1997-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2016-04-30
Also published as: GB2312631B; EP0806230B1; DE69621774T2; GB9608894D0; DE69621774D1; EP0806230A1; ATE218910T1

Abstract

A remote controller system (10) for use with an electric toy car racing track (40) formed by a series of track sections (41 & 42) connected together to provide lanes (40A & 40B) having co-extending pairs of power supply rails (44) for supplying power to electric toy cars running along respective lanes (40A & 40B). The controller system (10) comprises a transmitter (20) for use by a respective player relative to each lane (40A/40B) and a receiver (30) for electrical connection to the power supply rails (44). The transmitter (20) includes a signal generator (26) for generating a control signal for transmission in a wireless manner. The receiver (30) includes a signal processor (38) for processing the control signal received from the transmitter (20) to determine the characteristic, such as level, duty cycle, frequency or polarity, of the voltage supplied to the respective pair of power supply rails (44) for controlling the movement of the associated toy car. <IMAGE>

Description

2312631 BLE = IC TOY CAR RACING TRACK CONTROLLER SYS The present invention

relates to a controller system f or an electric toy car racing track.

Electric toy car racing tracks are generally known, which are typically f ormed by an endless series of connected track sections to provide at least two side-by-side routes, each having a pair of power supply rails, f or respective electric toy cars to run along. The toy cars are to be controlled by players by means of respective hand-held controllers which are electrically connected by wires to the corresponding pairs of power supply rails via a power pick-up track section.

The invention seeks to provide a modified controller system for an electric toy car racing track, which is more convenient to use than the existing controller systems.

According to the invention, there is provided a controller system for use with an electric toy car racing track comprising a series of track sections connected together to provide routes having co-extending power supply rails for electric toy cars to run along, which controller system conprises a transmitter f or a player, a receiver adapted to be electrically connected to the power supply rail of a said track route, and a wireless remote control link established between the transmitter and the receiver to enable the transmitter to adjust, via the remote control link and by means of the receiver, the level of voltage of a said power supply rail for controlling the speed of a said toy car.

In a preferred embodiment, the remote control link is provided by means of radio frequency signal.

Preferably, the receiver incorporates a voltage regulator to adjust the level of voltage of a said power supply rail.

It is preferred that the receiver is adapted to be electrically connected between a said power supply rail and a power supply unit for a said racing track.

In a specific configuration, the transmitter incorporates an encoder having a plurality of input pins and the receiver incorporates a decoder having a plurality of output pins corresponding to the input pins of the encoder.

It is preferred that the transmitter incorporates an encoder for generating a digital control code and the receiver incorporates a decoder for decoding the digital control code.

Preferably, the transmitter has a series of switches or switching positions for determining the level of voltage of a said power supply rail.

It is preferred that the controller system is for use with a conventional racing track.

The invention also provides an electric toy racing car track in combination with the aforesaid controller system.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a controller system formed by a transmitter and a receiver, in accordance with the invention, for use with an electric toy car racing track comprising an endless track and a power supply unit; and Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of respective operating circuitries of the transmitter and the receiver is of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a controller system 10 embodying the invention, which system 10 is formed by a transmitter 20 and a receiver 30 for use with an electric toy car racing track comprising an endless racing track 40 and a power supply unit 50. The racing track 40 is formed by a loop of connected track sections 41 including a power intake track section 42, to provide two routes 40A and 40B extending around in a side- by-side manner. Each route 40A/40B has a central groove 43 for guiding a bottom peg of an electric toy car (not shown) running therealong and two power supply rails 44 provided on opposite sides for supplying power to a said toy car.

The power intake track section 42 has an integral outer side tab 45 on which two pairs of contact terminals 4ST are provided in electrical connection with the corresponding pairs of power supply rails 44.

The power supply unit 50 is provided by a battery box 51 holding, for example, eight battery cells to provide a 6V DC voltage. The battery box 51 has an integral front side tab 52 on which two pairs of supply terminals 52T are provided in electrical connection with the battery cells.

The front side tab 52 is designed to physically engage with is the outer side tab 45 of the power intake track section 42 for electrical connection of the supply terminals 52T to the corresponding contact terminals 4ST of the power supply rails 44. The battery box 51 has an integral rear side tab 53 on which two pairs of contact terTainals 53T are provided for the electrical connection of respective conventional hand-held controllers by means of wires.

Although this is not shown in the drawings, each of such conventional controllers has a body and a spring-loaded thumb-press operating member operating an internal variable resistor which is electrically connected by the wires to the battery circuit of the respective pair of power supply rails 44 in order to adjust the level of the track voltage supplied to the toy car running along the respective route 40A/40B, thereby changing the speed of the toy car.

The construction and operation of the racing track 40 5 proper is generally known in the art.

The receiver 30 of the controller system 10 has a casing 31 which is provided with integral front and rear side tabs 32 and 33, each having a partially-closed channel crosssection, for sliding-fit engagement in a slot-in nm=er with the outer side tab 45 and the f ront side tab 52, respectively, between the power intake track section 42 and the power supply unit 50. Each front/rear side tab 32/33 of the receiver casing 31 has two pairs of contact terminals 32T/33T for, at the same time, electrical is connection with the contact terminals 4ST and the supply terminals 52T, respectively.

The transmitter 20 of the controller system 10 has a handheld body 21, on which a set of four control switches 22A to 22D and a master ONIOFF switch 23 are provided and from which an antenna 24 extends upwards.

The transmitter 20 and the receiver 30 have respective internal electronic operating circuitries 25 and 35 which are radio-linked together for the transmitter 20 to control the operation of the receiver 30.

The transmitter circuitry 25 is formed by an encoder 26, which is in effect a signal generator to be controlled by means of the control switches 22A to 22D, and a combined oscillator/modulator 27 leading to the antenna 24. The receiver circuitry 35 is formed, sequentially, by an RF (radio frequency) amplifier/demodulator 36, to which an antenna 34 is connected, an audio amplifier 37, a decoder 38 and an output driver 39.

In the transmitter circuitry 25, the oscillator/modulator 27 serves to provide an FM (frequency modulated) control signal based on a control code generated by the encoder 26, having a carrier frequency of say 27MHz, for emission by means of the antenna 24. In the receiver circuitry 35, the RF amplifier/demodulator 36 serves to receive, by means of the antenna 34, the FM control signal, which is in turn to be amplified by the audio amplifier 37 and decoded by the decoder 38 to recover the control code of the encoder 26 f or output by the driver 39. The decoder 38 has four output pins A to D which are connected to a trigger gate G having a single output pin E connected to the driver 39.

The power supply unit 50 is connected to the power supply rails 44 via the driver 39, which driver 39 acts as a voltage regulator to adjust the level of the track voltage supplied to the power supply rails 44 and hence to the respective toy cars for speed control.

in the transmitter 20, the encoder 26 has four input pins A to D which, in this particular embodiment, represent track voltages of 5V, 4V, 2V and 1V, respectively, and are to be selected or enabled (put to logic high) by a player using the corresponding control switches 22A to 22D. In response to a particular one of its input pins A to D being enabled, the encoder 26 generates a corresponding digital control code in the repeated sequence of 0001, 0011, 0111 or 0101, respectively, which is subsequently to be converted by the oscillator/modulator 27 into an PM control signal for radio tran ssion to the receiver 30. Upon reception and demodulation by the RF amplifier/demodulator 36 and sub sequent amplification by the audio amplifier 37, the recovered digital control code is fed to the decoder 38 is for decoding.

According to the recovered digital control code, the decoder 38 enables one of its output pins A to D corresponding to the particular one of the input pins A to D of the encoder 26 enabled. The output pins A to D of the decoder 38 are thus associated with the respective input pins A to D of the encoder 26 by means of a wireless remote control link. For example, if the input pin A of the encoder 26 is selected by means of the control switch 22A, calling for a track voltage of 5V, the corresponding output pin A of the decoder 38 is enabled for controlling the driver 39, by means of the trigger gate G, to regulate the output voltage of the power supply unit 50 in order to provide a 5V voltage across the corresponding pair of power supply rails 44 for controlling the speed of the respective toy car.

it is to be appreciated that the use of the transmitter 20 and receiver 30 of the described controller system 10 with the racing track 40 is optional, in that the racing track itself may instead be controlled by means of the conventional wired controllers. The use of the controller system 10 to enable wireless remote control, without the need to modify the construction of the racing track 40 and the toy cars as generally known in the art, is simple and greatly enhances the fun of playing.

It is envisaged that the transmitter 20 may incorporate a spring-loaded thumb-press operating member and an internal electrical slide switch for operation by means of the operating member, to replace the control switches 22A to 221). Such a slide switch has a row of f our switching positions to determine which one of the input pins A to D of the encoder 26 is to be enabled in a linear manner.

Alternatively, the transmitter 20 may take the form of a joy-stick controller.

In a different embodiment, the wireless remote control link between the transmitter 20 and the receiver 30 may be established by means of infrared signal or any other suitable wireless control signal. Also, the racing track may be powered by domestic mains power supply instead of battery cells.

The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.

Claims

- 10 CLAIMS

1. A controller system for use with an electric toy car racing track comprising a series of track sections connected together to provide routes having co-extending power supply rails for electric toy cars to run along, which controller system comprises a transmitter for a player, a receiver adapted to be electrically connected to the power supply rail of a said track route, and a wireless remote control link established between the transmitter and the receiver to enable the transmitter to adjust, via the remote control link and by means of the receiver, the level of voltage of a said power supply rail for controlling the speed of a said toy car.

2. A controller system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the is remote control link is provided by means of radio frequency signal.

3. A controller system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the receiver incorporates a voltage regulator to adjust the level of voltage of a said power supply rail.

4. A controller system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiver is adapted to be electrically connected between a said power supply rail and a power supply unit for a said racing track.

5. A controller system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmitter incorporates an encoder having a plurality of input pins and the receiver incorporates a decoder having a plurality of output pins 5 corresponding to the input pins of the encoder.

6. A controller system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmitter incorporates an encoder for generating a digital control code and the receiver incorporates a decoder for decoding the digital control 10 code.

7. A controller system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmitter has a series of switches or switching positions for determining the level of voltage of a said power supply rail.

is

8. A controller system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, being for use with a conventional racing track.

9. A controller system for use with an electric toy car racing track, substantially as hereinbefore described with 20 reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. An electric toy racing car track in combination with a controller system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.