CHILDREN'S RIDE-ON VEHICLES HAVING GROUND DETECTION SYSTEMS
First Claim
1. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:
- a body having a seat sized for a child;
a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body and adapted to contact a ground surface, wherein at least one of the plurality of wheels is a sensed wheel;
a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to at least one of the plurality of wheels; and
a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels in a plurality of drive configurations, wherein the drive assembly comprises;
a motor assembly comprising an electric motor;
a user input device positioned to receive inputs from a child sitting on the seat and adapted to selectively actuate the motor assembly;
a battery assembly including a battery adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly; and
a ground detection system in communication with the sensed wheel and adapted to detect when the sensed wheel loses contact with the ground surface, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving to a subset of the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system detects loss of contact of the sensed wheel 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.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:
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a body having a seat sized for a child; a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body and adapted to contact a ground surface, wherein at least one of the plurality of wheels is a sensed wheel; a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to at least one of the plurality of wheels; and a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels in a plurality of drive configurations, wherein the drive assembly comprises; a motor assembly comprising an electric motor; a user input device positioned to receive inputs from a child sitting on the seat and adapted to selectively actuate the motor assembly; a battery assembly including a battery adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly; and a ground detection system in communication with the sensed wheel and adapted to detect when the sensed wheel loses contact with the ground surface, wherein the drive assembly is adapted to restrict driving to a subset of the plurality of drive configurations when the ground detection system detects loss of contact of the sensed wheel 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification