WO2012012883A1 - Jouet télécommandé amélioré - Google Patents

Jouet télécommandé amélioré Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012012883A1
WO2012012883A1 PCT/CA2011/000867 CA2011000867W WO2012012883A1 WO 2012012883 A1 WO2012012883 A1 WO 2012012883A1 CA 2011000867 W CA2011000867 W CA 2011000867W WO 2012012883 A1 WO2012012883 A1 WO 2012012883A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
moving object
board
control unit
controllable
slave
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2011/000867
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Albert Wai Tai Chan
Ka Hung Ko, (William)
Tung-Tsai Liao
Original Assignee
Thinking Technology
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thinking Technology filed Critical Thinking Technology
Publication of WO2012012883A1 publication Critical patent/WO2012012883A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H30/00—Remote-control arrangements specially adapted for toys, e.g. for toy vehicles
    • A63H30/02—Electrical arrangements
    • A63H30/04—Electrical arrangements using wireless transmission

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to motorized and remote controlled toys that have an extended range of self-executing movements and that interact intelligently with each other.
  • Remotely controlled battery powered toy vehicles are generally well known. Also well known are many means of remote control for such motorized toys, both radio wave and infrared based.
  • the most common remote controls emit instructions of acceleration or direction in the direction of the motorized toy. These instructions are interpreted by the vehicle, according to its own instantaneous position. The user must take this position into account, however, to be able to control the toy. As a result, these typical controls are not very acceptable for a young child. Turning right is intuitive when the vehicle moves away from the child, but when the vehicle moves towards the child, the controls are reversed.
  • US Patent # 7, 147,535 describes a partial solution to this problem, enabling a young child to remotely control a motorized toy in a simple and intuitive manner.
  • the remote control emits a collimated optical IR beam which projects a spot on the floor.
  • the spot generated by this control indicates the area that the motorized toy must move towards.
  • the vehicle detects, moves towards and reaches the spot projected on the ground from the remote control; if the child simply moves the spot of light to a succession of new positions to define the desired trajectory, the toy will follow such trajectory.
  • a wireless remote controlled electronic toy with a digital control signal offers superior range, higher quality of reception, reduced power consumption, less sensitivity to interference, the ability to implement unique ID codes and discrete control channels, the ability to further process the signal on board the controlled unit and effect further downstream control, etc.
  • the invention includes a wireless remote controller and at least one controlled object.
  • the wireless remote controller includes a micro control unit (MCU) that generates a digital ID coded signal which is then sent to an infrared (IR) transmitter.
  • IR infrared
  • a beam of visible light is also projected from the wireless remote controller, in the same general direction of the emitted IR beam.
  • the controlled objects can each include three or more receivers (optoelectrical sensors) capable of receiving digital ID coded infrared signals emitted from the wireless remote controller or from IR emitters placed on other compatible toys.
  • the sensors transmit the received digital signal to one or more micro control units (MCUs) located on-board the controlled object.
  • the on-board MCUs can optionally control one or more battery operated electrical motors or other propulsion means.
  • the on-board MCUs can also generate digital ID coded signals which are sent to one or more on-board infrared (IR) transmitters which can emit control signals for reception by other compatible toys.
  • IR infrared
  • the combination of on-board receivers, MCUs and transmitters on the controlled toys means that multiple such toys can control each other or otherwise interact, handshake and communicate among themselves via digital ID coded signals, without the need for each of them to receive a control signal from the wireless remote controller.
  • the invention includes a wireless remote controller, a non-motorized controlled object and at least one motorized controlled object.
  • the non-motorized object may act as a base, parking spot, or as a general return location where the motorized object will return and come to a stop. In other words,
  • the non-motorized object may not have its own on-board MCU, sensors or transmitters, and may simply act as or be fitted with a multidirectional reflecting surface to reflect any signal shone on it from the wireless remote controller. A user only needs to point the control beam from the wireless remote controller at the non-motorized object to cause any motorized object within the reflection range to receive such control signal as if it were emitted from the non-motorized toy.
  • the non- motorized object can have its own on-board MCUs, sensors or transmitters, and thus it can fully interact, handshake and communicate with the remote controller and with other controlled objects via digital ID coded signals.
  • the invention includes a wireless remote controller and two or more motorized controlled objects, each of which may have its own on-board MCU, sensors or transmitters.
  • various control hierarchies can be set up among these multiple objects. For example, one controlled object may be set up to act as the master object and be controlled by the wireless remote controller, while the remaining, lower ranking objects are controlled by the signals emitted from the master object or from an object that precedes them in the control hierarchy, and only if positioned within the emitting range thereof.
  • FIG. 1 shows a simplified drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising the Wireless Remote Controller (1 ) and two controlled motorized toys (Moving Objects), one of which is the Master Moving Object (2), while the second is the Slave Moving Object (3).
  • each Moving Object has:
  • Figure 2 shows a partially exploded view of the handheld Wireless Remote Controller in a preferred embodiment, consisting of:
  • MCU micro control unit
  • Figure 3 shows a schematic of the IR communication system of a preferred embodiment of the invention, displaying the transmission, reception, modulation and digitization scheme.
  • Figure 4 shows the schematic of an alternative embodiment with three IR Receiver Modules judiciously placed on a Moving Object so as to allow the MCU to compute the relative angular position of an IR transmitter (IR-Tx) (17) from the relative intensities of the signals received by the three IR Receiver Modules which are at different distances from IR-Tx.
  • IR-Tx IR transmitter
  • Figure 5 shows the schematic of another preferred embodiment, with four IR Receiver Modules placed in the four corners of a Moving Object so as to allow the MCU to compute the relative angular position of an IR transmitter (IR-Tx) (17) from the relative intensities of the signals received by the four IR Receiver Modules which are at different distances from IR-Tx.
  • IR-Tx IR transmitter
  • a wireless optical remote controller is generally illustrated in Figure 2.
  • the optical remote controller comprises at least a battery for autonomous operation, a micro control unit (MCU) (15), an IR emitter (12), a light emitter (13), a collimation lens (14) and an on/off switch (trigger) (1 1 ).
  • the MCU generates a digital ID coded signal which is then transmitted by the IR emitter.
  • a beam of visible light is also projected from the light emitter.
  • the IR emitter and the light emitter are located approximately at the focal point of the collimation lens, so that their beams are concentrated into one parallel beam projecting a spot at a distance of up to several meters or more.
  • FIG. 1 Generally illustrated in Figure 1 is the schematic of an exemplary embodiment with two motorized toys controlled by the remote controller described above.
  • One is the Slave Moving Object (3) and one is the Master Moving Object (2).
  • Each motorized toy comprises a chassis (4), two front wheels (5) and two rear wheels (6), one on-board micro control unit (MCU) (9), four IR receiving sensors (7) each located in one of the four corners of the chassis, two infrared transmitters (8) placed at the rear end of the chassis (TX 1 and TX 2) that emit downstream control IR signals, an autonomous source of energy like a battery (not shown in FIG. 1 ), and two independent electric motors (10), each one driving either a left or right rear wheel via a gearbox. Steering is preferentially achieved by driving the left and right rear wheels at different speeds.
  • MCU micro control unit
  • a child may hold in hand the wireless remote control and press the trigger to emit a collimated optical beam which projects a spot on the floor.
  • the spot generated by this control indicates the area that the motorized vehicle must reach.
  • the visible light spot contains within it the beam of the digital IR signal, codified with a particular ID code.
  • the intensity of the reflected IR signal will decrease with the distance from the spot where the beam projects on the floor.
  • the MCU of the Master Moving Object will then individually actuate the two motors so as to align the Master Moving Object in a general direction towards the target spot.
  • the MCU will then control the speed and forward movement of the Master Moving Object by continuously monitoring the strength of the IR signal received by IR Receiver 1 and 2 (placed on the front end of the Master Moving Object). Closing in to the target spot will result in a fast increase in the strength of the IR signal received by IR Receiver 1 and 2, which will cause the MCU to command a lower speed from the motors.
  • a decrease in the strength of the IR signal received means that the Master Moving Object is falling behind in its pursuit of the moving target spot, causing the MCU to increase the speed of the motors.
  • a constant strength of the IR signal received means that the Master Moving Object is right on the target spot, or that the spot is out of the range of IR Receivers, or that the user is not pressing the control trigger any longer; all these situations will cause the MCU to discontinue the pursuit of the IR target spot and to optionally perform other pre-programmed steps.
  • the MCU of the Master Moving Object can optionally cause its two downstream IR transmitters at the rear (Master TX 1 and Master TX 2) to emit IR control signals codified with an ID code corresponding to the Slave Moving Object.
  • TX 1 has a longer range of IR emission and is responsible for transmitting the "follow-me at full speed” signal
  • TX 2 has a shorter range and is responsible only for transmitting the "slow down, you are too close" signal.
  • the Slave Moving Object may be, at least initially, out of the transmitting range for both emitters Master TX 1 and Master TX 2 of the Master Moving Object. In that case, only the Master Moving Object will initially move in response to the command from the remote controller, while the Slave Moving Object will remain still.
  • the IR communication signal is generated by a transmitter unit which controls an IR LED emitter.
  • a typical IR LED emits an IR beam with a wavelength range of 700 nanometers to 300 micrometers, although a wavelength range of 700-950 nanometers is preferred for this invention.
  • the carry frequency of the IR signal is modulated, preferably using modulation frequencies of 38KHz or 50KHz.
  • the transmitter unit can digitally encode the data within the modulated signal by employing any digital encoding scheme known in the art.
  • Figure 3 depicts one such encoding scheme that combines (within the modulated signal) MARK regions (regions where IR emissions with carry frequency are present) with SPACE regions (regions where no current is sent to the IR LED).
  • the MCU of the Moving Object will analyze the signal forwarded from all IR receivers and will perform the logical operation OR.
  • the logical operation OR will return two possible results: either MARK (when at least one IR receiver module reports the receipt of a MARK signal), or SPACE (when all IR receiver module report the receipt of SPACE).
  • Figures 4 and 5 further show two possible schemes of deploying an optimum number of IR receiver modules to enable the MCU of a Moving Object to determine the relative angular position of the target spot by computing the relative intensities of the IR signals received.
  • a minimum of three IR Receivers placed along the perimeter of a Moving Object are required to ensure that the angular position of the target spot can be computed from the relative intensities of the IR signals received.
  • the configuration shown in Figure 5 with four IR Receivers (each placed as close as possible to the four corners of the chassis), is preferably used by
  • the MCU of the Moving Object will count the MARK period reported by each IR receiver module; the count will represent the intensity of the IR signal received by each IR sensor module.
  • the MCU of the Moving Object will then calculate the angular position of the target spot by comparing the individual MARK count results.
  • the MCU will execute various preprogrammed activities, such as tracking the target spot, "follow me", etc.
  • Indicator which is emitted at different (lower) signal strength.
  • This protocol enables a long range of reception for the control signals (through the combined use of high sensitivity IR receivers and encoded digital data transmitted at full signal strength) while still allowing the MCU to determine the angular position of the target spot based on different MARK count values generated by the receivers in response to the weaker signal from the RSSI area of the IR signal.
  • the commercially available IR receiver modules are normally "tuned” to a certain carry frequency (achieved via internal band-pass filters that allow only the passage of a certain frequency band centered around a nominal frequency); by intentionally “drifting" the carry frequency of the modulated beam emitted from the remote controller, it is possible to avoid saturating all IR sensors.
  • the present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways.
  • Another possibility is for means to switch among digital ID codes on the remote controller, selecting different Moving Objects as Masters or Slaves.
  • Another embodiment gives the Slave Moving Object the option to follow either the IR target spot projected on the floor from the remote controller, or the IR control signals emitted from the Master Moving Object.
  • a Non-Moving, non-motorized controlled Object e.g. a base, garage, parking spot, or a general return post or pad
  • any toy or object or Moving Object mentioned herein can alternatively be a car, truck, hovercraft, robot, vehicle, boat, plane, helicopter, doll, animal or anthropomorphic character, etc.
  • the Master Moving Object and the Slave Moving Object can each be from a different category mentioned above (e.g. a helicopter could be the Master Moving Object while a car could be the Slave Moving Object, etc.).

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un véhicule jouet motorisé commandé à l'aide d'une télécommande via un signal de commande numérique intégré dans un faisceau infrarouge collimaté avec un faisceau de lumière visible. L'utilisateur dirige la télécommande, générant un point cible visible sur le sol et amenant le véhicule jouet à se mettre en mouvement et à suivre le point cible à l'aide de l'unité de microcontrôleur embarqué et de capteurs infrarouges. Par l'intermédiaire d'un protocole de poursuite et de communication infrarouge numérique, de multiples véhicules jouets et/ou objets stationnaires peuvent être commandés sans fil et peuvent intelligemment interagir les uns avec les autres.
PCT/CA2011/000867 2010-07-30 2011-07-28 Jouet télécommandé amélioré WO2012012883A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US36933010P 2010-07-30 2010-07-30
US61/369,330 2010-07-30

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2012012883A1 true WO2012012883A1 (fr) 2012-02-02

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PCT/CA2011/000867 WO2012012883A1 (fr) 2010-07-30 2011-07-28 Jouet télécommandé amélioré

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WO (1) WO2012012883A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN102861441A (zh) * 2012-09-21 2013-01-09 徐志强 一种采用光束遥控的电动玩具车
CN107376327A (zh) * 2017-08-07 2017-11-24 石剑峰 一种模拟实战的游戏***
CN112799428A (zh) * 2020-12-31 2021-05-14 广州极飞科技股份有限公司 控制方法、装置、被控设备及可读存储介质

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6491566B2 (en) * 2001-03-26 2002-12-10 Intel Corporation Sets of toy robots adapted to act in concert, software and methods of playing with the same
US6780077B2 (en) * 2001-11-01 2004-08-24 Mattel, Inc. Master and slave toy vehicle pair
US7147535B2 (en) * 2002-06-11 2006-12-12 Janick Simeray Optical remote controller pointing the place to reach
US20070173171A1 (en) * 2006-01-26 2007-07-26 Gyora Mihaly Pal Benedek Reflected light controlled vehicle
US7402106B2 (en) * 2004-03-24 2008-07-22 Bay Tek Games, Inc. Computer controlled car racing game
WO2009038797A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2009-03-26 Evolution Robotics Systèmes et procédés de jeux robotisés

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6491566B2 (en) * 2001-03-26 2002-12-10 Intel Corporation Sets of toy robots adapted to act in concert, software and methods of playing with the same
US6780077B2 (en) * 2001-11-01 2004-08-24 Mattel, Inc. Master and slave toy vehicle pair
US7147535B2 (en) * 2002-06-11 2006-12-12 Janick Simeray Optical remote controller pointing the place to reach
US7402106B2 (en) * 2004-03-24 2008-07-22 Bay Tek Games, Inc. Computer controlled car racing game
US20070173171A1 (en) * 2006-01-26 2007-07-26 Gyora Mihaly Pal Benedek Reflected light controlled vehicle
WO2009038797A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2009-03-26 Evolution Robotics Systèmes et procédés de jeux robotisés

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN102861441A (zh) * 2012-09-21 2013-01-09 徐志强 一种采用光束遥控的电动玩具车
CN102861441B (zh) * 2012-09-21 2014-10-22 徐志强 一种采用光束遥控的电动玩具车
CN107376327A (zh) * 2017-08-07 2017-11-24 石剑峰 一种模拟实战的游戏***
CN107376327B (zh) * 2017-08-07 2020-07-24 石剑峰 一种模拟实战的游戏***
CN112799428A (zh) * 2020-12-31 2021-05-14 广州极飞科技股份有限公司 控制方法、装置、被控设备及可读存储介质

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