System and Method for a Motion Sensing Device which Provides a Visual or Audible Indication

• US 20170087420A1
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: May Patents Ltd.
• Original Assignee: May Patents Ltd.
• Inventors: BINDER, Yehuda
• Granted Patent: US 9,878,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/025 Toys specially adapted for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0602 Non-electronic means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0055 the produced electric power used as a source for other equipment, e.g. for TVs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0053 Apparatus generating random stimulus signals for reaction-time training involving a substantial physical effort
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/22 : Electric drives power supply through track A63H18/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/24 : Details or accessories for drive mechanisms, e.g. means for winding-up or starting toy engines
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/18 : Throwing or slinging toys, e.g. flying disc toys discs used in athletics A63B65/10as part of a game A63F9/02; sling weapons F41B3/00; spring toy guns F41B7/08
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/26 : Magnetic or electric toys electric drives A63H29/22 ; indoor games played with small balls using magnetic power A63F7/0088, A63F7/068
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 : Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/07 : Indicating devices, e.g. for remote indication indicating working conditions of vehicles G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 : Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 : in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 : using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 : for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 : Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing. conductor baton movement sensing G10H2220/206, angle sensing without reference to gravity G10H2220/391; player body joint angle sensing G10H2220/321
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/055 : Spint toy, i.e. specifically designed for children, e.g. adapted for smaller fingers or simplified in some way; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces with simplified control features
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 : using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 : using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 : Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 : for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed

Abstract

A device includes a signaling means and a motion sensor, and logic for activating or controlling the signaling means in response to a sensed motion according to an embedded logic. The device may be used as a toy, and may be shaped like a play ball or as a handheld unit. It may be powered from a battery, either chargeable from an AC power source directly or contactless by using induction or by converting electrical energy from harvested kinetic energy. The embedded logic may activate or control the signaling means, predictably or randomly, in response to sensed acceleration magnitude or direction, such as sensing the crossing of a preset threshold or sensing the peak value. The visual means may be a numeric display for displaying a value associated with the count of the number of times the threshold has been exceeded or the peak magnitude of the acceleration sensed.

Claims

1. A toy device for using a received wireless Radio Frequency (RF) signal for amusement of a person or a pet, the device comprising:

an electric motor for affecting physical movement of the device;

a visible light emitter for emitting a visible light indicating a first status to the person or the pet;

a wireless receiver for receiving the wireless RF signal;

a rechargeable battery for powering the device;

a battery charger connected for induction-based contactless charging of the rechargeable battery; and

a ball-shaped enclosure housing the battery, the electric motor, and the visible light emitter,

wherein the battery charger comprises, or consists of, an induction coil for inductively receiving AC power carried in an electromagnetic field of the wireless Radio Frequency (RF) signal, and for charging the rechargeable battery from the received AC power, and

wherein the electric motor and the visible light emitter are controlled or activated in response to the received wireless RF signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a software and a processor for executing the software, the processor coupled to the electric motor, the visible light emitter, and the wireless receiver for activating or controlling the electric motor and the visible light emitter in response to the received wireless RF signal.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer attached to the enclosure for producing an output signal responsive to an acceleration of the device, and wherein the accelerometer is coupled for activating or controlling the electric motor or the visible light emitter in response to the output signal.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the accelerometer comprises, consists of, uses, or is based on, a piezoelectric, piezoresistive, capacitive, Micro-mechanical Electrical Systems (MEMS), or electromechanical accelerometer.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the output signal is responsive to the magnitude or the direction of the device acceleration, and the accelerometer is a single-axis, two-axis, or a three-axis accelerometer.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the visible light emitter comprises a semiconductor component, an incandescent lamp, or a fluorescent lamp.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the visible light emitter comprises a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the LED is a multi-color LED operative to illuminate in multiple colors, and wherein the first status is indicated by changing between colors.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the visible light emitter is operative to indicate a second status, wherein the visible light emitter is operative to illuminate in multiple colors, and wherein the first status is indicated by a first color and the second status is indicated by a second color different from the first color.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first status is indicated by steadiness, blinking, intensity level, duty-cycle, or flashing, of the illumination of the visible light emitter.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an audible signaling component for emitting an audible sound indicating a first status to the person or the pet in response to the received wireless RF signal.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the audible signaling component comprises, or uses, an electro-mechanical transducer, an electro-acoustical transducer, or a piezoelectric sounder.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the audible signaling component comprises, or uses, a loudspeaker, and the device further comprises a memory storing the audible sound in a digital form, and a digital to analog converter coupled between the memory and the loudspeaker for reproducing, by the loudspeaker, the stored audible sound.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein the audible signaling component consists of, comprises, or uses, a buzzer, a chime, a whistler, or a ringer, and wherein the emitted audible sound comprises a single tone, multiple tones, a melody, or music.

15. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a random number generator coupled to the processor and operative to output a random number, wherein the signaling or the physical movement is activated or controlled in response to the random number, and wherein the random number generator is a hardware based generator that is based on a physical process, or a software-based generator, and wherein the processor executes random number generator software that includes an algorithm for generating pseudo-random numbers.

16. The device according to claim 1, further for use with a portable electronic device, the device further comprising a modem coupled to the processor for communicating with, and for being controlled by, the portable electronic device using the wireless RF signal.

17. The device according to claim 16, in combination with the portable electronic device.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a media player, a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a digital camera, a video recorder, or any combination thereof.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure is configured, dimensioned, formed, or structured as a game ball that is a cricket ball, baseball, basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, rugby ball, golf ball, or volleyball ball.

20. The device according to claim 1, for use with a wireless network, wherein the device is further operative for communicating over the wireless network.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the wireless RF signal is carried over the wireless network.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the wireless network is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), that uses Bluetooth protocol according to IEEE 802.15.1 standard.

23. The device according to claim 20, wherein the wireless network is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), that uses Bluetooth protocol according to IEEE 802.11 standard.

24. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an electric sensor coupled to the processor and having an output responsive to a physical phenomenon.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein the sensor is a light sensor, force sensor, or pressure sensor.

26. The device according to claim 24, wherein the sensor is a light sensor that comprises one or more photocells.