Children's ride-on vehicles having ground detection systems

• US 20080011527A1
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Sitarski, Gerald P., Rhein, John, Howell, William R., Zirnheld, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,591,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/12 Wound spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/122 the arm having L-shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/20 Toys
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/26 Carts
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/82 Ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/20 Switches, e.g. mercury or ball type switches
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/07 Inhibiting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/18 Automatic control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/01 the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide camber maintaining means B60G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/20 Vehicles specially adapted for children, e.g. toy vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2204/00 Adaptations for driving cycles by electric motor for driving electrically assisted bicycles B62M6/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 9/00 Children's cycles toy vehicles A63H17/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Children'"'"'s ride-on vehicles having a drive assembly that is selectively configured between a plurality of drive configurations, such as responsive to user inputs via user input devices, and a ground detection system that is adapted to detect when at least one of a plurality of wheels loses contact with the ground surface. The ground detection system may be adapted to restrict the plurality of drive configurations responsive thereto. This restriction may be automatic responsive to loss of contact of the at least one of the plurality of wheels with the ground surface, and it may be made regardless, or independent, of user inputs that otherwise would select and/or enable one of the restricted drive configurations.

Claims

1. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body and adapted to contact a ground surface, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one steerable wheel and at least one driven wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel; and

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel in a plurality of drive configurations, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

at least one user input device positioned to receive inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat and adapted to selectively actuate the motor assembly,

a battery assembly including at least one battery adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly, and

a ground detection system adapted to detect when at least one of the plurality of wheels loses contact with the ground surface, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel to a subset of the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system detects loss of contact of the at least one of the plurality of wheels with the ground surface, and wherein the plurality of drive configurations includes at least one drive configuration that is not in the subset of the plurality of drive configurations.

2. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one user input device includes at least one configuration input device adapted to receive user inputs selecting amongst the plurality of drive configurations.

3. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 2, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system detects loss of contact of the at least one of the plurality of wheels with the ground surface regardless of a user input selecting a drive configuration that is in the plurality of drive configurations but not in the subset of the plurality of drive configurations.

4. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to be selectively configured within any of the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system does not detect loss of contact of the at least one of the plurality of wheels with the ground surface.

5. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of drive configurations and the subset of the plurality of drive configurations include a de-energized configuration in which the motor assembly is restricted from being actuated by the at least one user input device.

6. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 5, wherein the plurality of drive configurations further includes at least one energized configuration in which the motor assembly is configured to be actuated by the at least one user input device, and wherein the subset of the plurality of drive configurations does not include an energized configuration.

7. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least a first wheel and a second wheel, and wherein the ground detection system is adapted to detect when at least one of the first wheel and the second wheel contacts the ground surface.

8. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are steerable wheels.

9. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 7, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel to the subset of the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system detects loss of contact of both the first wheel and the second wheel with the ground surface.

10. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 7, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to be selectively configurable within the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system does not detect loss of contact of the first wheel and the second wheel with the ground surface.

11. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ground detection system includes at least one switch adapted to be selectively configured between a first position and a second position, and further wherein the ground detection system is adapted to selectively configure the switch between the first position and the second position responsive to whether the at least one of the plurality of wheels is in contact with the ground surface, or loses contact with the ground surface, respectively.

12. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 11, wherein when the at least one switch is in the first position, the drive assembly is adapted to selectively be configured to rotationally drive the at least one driven wheel in any of the plurality of drive configurations, and wherein when the at least one switch is in the second position, the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel to the subset of the plurality of drive configurations.

13. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 12, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to automatically configure the at least one switch to the second position responsive to loss of contact of the at least one of the plurality of wheels with the ground surface.

14. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 13, wherein the at least one switch is biased to automatically return to the first position when the at least one of the plurality of wheels contacts the ground surface.

15. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 11, wherein the at least one switch is adapted to complete a circuit when in the second position.

16. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 11, wherein the at least one switch is adapted to open a circuit when in the second position.

17. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 11, wherein the steering assembly includes at least one spindle that rotatably couples the at least one of the plurality of wheels to the body.

18. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 17, wherein the at least one spindle includes an end portion that rotatingly supports the at least one of the plurality of wheels, and wherein the at least one spindle is configured to move between a retracted position, in which the end portion is adjacent to the body, and an extended position, in which the end portion is spaced from the body relative to the retracted position.

19. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 18, wherein the steering assembly includes at least one bias assembly adapted to urge the at least one spindle toward the extended position.

20. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 19, wherein the at least one spindle is operatively connected to the at least one switch such that the at least one switch is in the first position when the spindle is in the retracted position, and the at least one switch is in the second position when the spindle is in the extended position.

21. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body and adapted to contact a ground surface, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one steerable wheel and at least one driven wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel; and

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel in a plurality of drive configurations, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

at least one user input device adapted to receive user inputs selecting from the plurality of drive configurations,

a battery assembly including at least one battery adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly, and

a ground detection system including at least a pair of ground detection assemblies that are each operatively coupled to a different respective wheel of the plurality of wheels to detect when the respective wheel loses contact with the ground surface, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel in an energized configuration when at least one of the pair of ground detection assemblies detects loss of contact of the respective wheel with the ground surface.

22. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 21, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel in an energized configuration when both of the pair of ground detection assemblies detects loss of contact of the respective wheel with the ground surface.

23. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 21, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to be selectively configurable within the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system does not detect loss of contact of the respective wheel with the ground surface.

24. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body and adapted to contact a ground surface, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one steerable wheel and at least one driven wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel; and

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel in a plurality of drive configurations, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

at least one user input device adapted to receive user inputs selecting from the plurality of drive configurations,

a battery assembly including at least one battery adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly, and

a ground detection system having a pair of ground detection assemblies, each being operatively connected to a different respective wheel of the plurality of wheels and including at least one switch adapted to be configured between a first position, which corresponds to the respective wheel contacting the ground surface, and a second position, which corresponds to loss of contact of the respective wheel with the ground surface, wherein when the at least one switch is in the first position, the drive assembly is adapted to selectively be configured to rotationally drive the at least one driven wheel in any of the plurality of drive configurations, and wherein when the at least one switch is in the second position, the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving of the at least one driven wheel in an energized configuration.

25. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 24, wherein the at least one switch is adapted to be automatically configured to the second position responsive to loss of contact of the respective wheel with the ground surface, and wherein the at least one switch is adapted to automatically return to the first position when the respective wheel contacts the ground surface.

26. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 24, wherein the at least one switch is adapted to complete a circuit when moved to the second position.

27. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 24, wherein the steering assembly includes at least one spindle that rotatably couples the respective wheel to the body.

28. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 27, wherein the at least one spindle includes an end portion that rotatingly supports the respective wheel, and wherein the at least one spindle is configured to move between a retracted position, in which the end portion is adjacent to the body, and an extended position in which the end portion is spaced from the body relative to the retracted position.

29. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 28, wherein the steering assembly includes at least one bias assembly adapted to urge the at least one spindle toward the extended position.

30. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 29, wherein the at least one spindle is operatively connected to the at least one switch such that the at least one switch is in the first position when the spindle is in the retracted position, and the at least one switch is in the second position when the spindle is in the extended position.