INDUCTIVE TOY VEHICLE

• US 20100130096A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips IP Ventures B.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baarman, David W., Nguyen, Hai D., Stoner, William T. JR., Taylor, Joshua B., Bylsma, Richard B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,545,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/444
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/26 Details; Accessories drive mechanisms A63H29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/02 Construction or arrangement of the trackway
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/12 Electric current supply to toy vehicles through the track
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 19/24 Electric toy railways; Systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

An inductively powered toy vehicle and an associated track with inductive charging segment. The vehicle may include a secondary coil, a drive motor, an electrical power storage device connected between said secondary coil and said drive motor, and a wireless communications unit. The charging segment may include a primary coil, a sense circuit operable to detect the presence of the vehicle based on a change in the detected impedance of the primary coil, and a power control unit operable to provide a time-varying current to the primary coil when the vehicle traverses the charging segment. The primary coil is positioned within the race track adjacent the track upper surface. The vehicle drive motor may be operable at first and second speed settings, and a remote control device can provide operating instructions to the vehicle wireless communications unit.

Claims

1. A toy vehicle system comprising:

a track including a charging portion having a primary coil operable to generate an inductive field; and

a vehicle adapted to move along said track, said vehicle including a secondary coil and a load electrically connected to said secondary coil, wherein said load receives electrical power from said secondary coil when said vehicle traverses said charging portion of said track.

2. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said charging portion includes a power control unit to provide a time-varying current to said primary coil when said vehicle is proximate said charging portion.

3. The toy vehicle system of claim 2 further including a sensor operatively connected to said charging portion and adapted to detect said vehicle when proximate said charging portion.

4. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein:

said track includes a plurality of interconnected track segments to form a closed circuit; and

said charging portion is substantially included within one of said plurality of track segments.

5. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said track includes an upper surface to support said vehicle, said primary coil being positioned within said track adjacent said upper surface.

6. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said charging portion includes a sense circuit operable to detect the presence of said vehicle as proximate said charging portion of said track based on a change in detected impedance of said primary coil when said vehicle is proximate said charging portion of said race track.

7. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said load includes an energy storage device, the vehicle system further including a charge condition indicator disposed on one of said vehicle and said track and operable to provide an indication based on the available charge remaining in said energy storage device.

8. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said track includes a status display unit to display a characteristic of said vehicle performance to a user, wherein said characteristic includes at least one of lap time and lap speed.

9. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said load includes a drive motor, said vehicle further including an electrical power storage device electrically connected between said secondary coil and said drive motor.

10. The toy vehicle system of claim 9 wherein said drive motor is operable at first and second speed settings based on a detected signal associated with said track.

11. The toy vehicle system of claim 10 wherein said vehicle includes a sensor to detect said signal associated with said track, said sensor being one of an electromagnetic sensor, a mechanical sensor, and an optical sensor.

12. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein:

said vehicle further includes a microcontroller to regulate the operating parameters of said vehicle; and

said operating parameters include at least one of said vehicle speed and said vehicle steering.

13. The toy vehicle system of claim 1 further including:

a control unit operated by a user to provide operating instructions to said vehicle; and

a wireless communications unit associated with said vehicle to receive operating instructions from said control unit.

14. A race track system comprising:

first and second vehicles each including a secondary coil, an electrical power storage device, and a drive motor, wherein said electrical power storage device is connected between said secondary coil and said drive motor in each of said respective first and second vehicles;

a track including a first charging segment along a first portion thereof, said first charging segment including a primary coil and a power control unit to provide a time-varying current to said primary coil to generate a first inductive field, wherein said first and second vehicles receive power from said first inductive field when said first and second vehicles traverse said first portion of said track, respectively.

15. The race track system of claim 14 wherein said track is a closed circuit including an upper surface to support a vehicle, said primary coil being positioned adjacent said upper surface to provide inductive power to either of said first and second vehicles when proximate said first charging segment.

16. The race track system of claim 14 wherein said track further includes a second charging segment along a second portion thereof, said second charging segment including a primary coil and a power control unit to provide a time-varying current to said primary coil to generate a second inductive field, wherein said first and second vehicles receive power from said second inductive field when said first and second vehicles traverse said second portion of said track, respectively.

17. The race track system of claim 14 wherein said track includes a plurality of interconnected track segments, wherein one of said plurality of interconnected track segments includes said first charging segment.

18. The race track system of claim 17, wherein said plurality of interconnected track segments are adapted to be repositioned by a user to form one of a plurality of shaped tracks.

19. The race track system of claim 14 wherein said power control unit includes a sense circuit to detect the presence of at least one of said first and second vehicles as proximate said first portion of said track.

20. The race track system of claim 19 wherein said sense circuit is operable to distinguish said first vehicle from said second vehicle.

21. The race track system of claim 19 wherein said sense circuit includes a Hall Effect sensor to detect the presence of said first vehicle as proximate said first portion of said track.

22. The race track system of claim 19 wherein said sense circuit includes one of an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver to detect the presence of said first vehicle as proximate said first portion of said track.

23. The race track system of claim 19 wherein said sense circuit is operable to detect the presence of said first vehicle as proximate said first portion of said race track based on a change in detected impedance of said primary coil when said first vehicle is proximate said first portion of said track.

24. The race track system of claim 14 wherein said power control unit is operable to deactivate said drive motor of said first vehicle when said first vehicle is detected as proximate said charging portion of said track.

25. The race track system of claim 14 further including:

a first controller to provide operating instructions to said first vehicle, said first vehicle including a wireless communications unit to receive operating instructions from said first controller; and

a second controller to provide operating instructions to said second vehicle, said second vehicle including a wireless communications unit to receive operating instructions from said second controller.

26. The race track system of claim 25 wherein said operating instructions include at least one of vehicle speed and vehicle steering.

27. The race track system of claim 14, wherein said first charging segment is operable to provide wireless power to said first and second vehicles in increments corresponding to successive traversals of said first charging segment by said first and second vehicles.

28. An inductively powered toy vehicle system comprising:

a vehicle including a secondary coil, an electrical power storage device, a motor, and a wireless communications unit, wherein said electrical power storage device is connected between said secondary coil and said drive motor;

an inductive power station including a primary coil, a sense circuit operable to detect the presence of said vehicle based on a change in the detected impedance of said primary coil, and a power control unit operable to provide a time-varying current to said primary coil when said vehicle is proximate said inductive charging station; and

a remote control device to provide operating instructions to said vehicle wireless communications unit.

29. The inductively powered toy vehicle system of claim 28 wherein said vehicle is at least one of a toy car, a toy train, a toy boat, a toy helicopter, and a toy airplane.

30. The inductively powered toy vehicle system of claim 28 further including a display unit to provide an indication of the charge level remaining in said electrical energy storage device.

31. The inductively powered toy vehicle system of claim 28 wherein said power control circuit is operable to deactivate said motor of said vehicle when said vehicle is detected as proximate said inductive power station.

32. The inductively powered toy vehicle system of claim 28 wherein said remote control device includes a secondary coil and an energy storage device, said energy storage device operable to receive power from said secondary coil when said remote control device is proximate said inductive power station.