RF identification system for use in toys

• US 6,361,396 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bill Goodman Consulting, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bill Goodman Consulting, LLC
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kent, Snyder, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Ricci, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/504,520
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 434/169, 434/201, 446/175, 446/297, 446/298, 446/303, 446/352, 446/353, 446/397, 446/484
• US Class Current: 446/397
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds

Abstract

A method and apparatus which allows one toy to identify a plurality of objects is provided. The system relies on the inductive coupling of the toy with a tank circuit contained within the object to be identified and therefore does not require physical contact between the toy and the object. The sensing circuit includes a variable frequency RF oscillator and an air wound coil to radiate a magnetic flux which couples to the air surrounding the coil. The resonant frequency of a tank circuit inductively coupled to the sensing circuit serves as the signature for the object. In one approach, the frequency of the RF oscillator is varied over a range of frequencies while the current drawn by the oscillator is monitored. The current draw provides a means of identifying an object since the current will be at a minimum when the oscillator frequency substantially corresponds to the resonant frequency of the inductively coupled tank circuit. In another approach, the object identifying function of the toy is broken up into an oscillation generating step and an oscillation sensing step. During the sensing step, the toy monitors for ringing emitted by the tank circuit of an object, the ringing due to the oscillation of the tank circuit after the oscillation stimulus has been removed.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a variable frequency RF oscillator, said variable frequency RF oscillator generating a plurality of frequencies;

a RF receiver, said RF receiver outputting a signal in response to a received RF signal;

at least one remotely identifiable object, said at least one remotely identifiable object comprising at least one tank circuit, said at least one tank circuit comprising an inductor, said inductor capable of inductively coupling to said RF receiver, wherein each of said at least one tuned tank circuits has a resonant frequency; and

a microprocessor coupled to said variable frequency RF oscillator and to said RF receiver, said microprocessor controlling selection of at least one ringing frequency from said plurality of frequencies and monitoring said RF receiver output signal, wherein said microprocessor identifies an individual object from said at least one remotely identifiable object based on said RF receiver output signal.

2. The toy of claim 1, further comprising:

a first air wound coil coupled to said RF oscillator; and

a second air wound coil coupled to said RF receiver.

3. The toy of claim 1, further comprising an air wound coil coupled to said RF oscillator and to said RF receiver.

4. The toy of claim 1, further comprising an air core transformer, wherein a primary coil of said air core transformer is coupled to said RF oscillator, and wherein a secondary coil of said air core transformer is coupled to said RF receiver.

5. The toy of claim 1, wherein said RF oscillator does not generate said at least one ringing frequency from said plurality of frequencies simultaneously with said RF receiver receiving said RF signal.

6. The toy of claim 1, said variable RF oscillator further comprising an amplifier circuit for amplifying said generated plurality of frequencies.

7. The toy of claim 1, said RF receiver further comprising an amplifier circuit for amplifying said received RF signal.

8. The toy of claim 1, further comprising means for limiting said received RF signal.

9. The toy of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor controls a response of said toy to an individual object of said at least one remotely identifiable object.

10. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a speech synthesizer coupled to said microprocessor.

11. The toy of claim 1, wherein said at least one remotely identifiable object is comprised of a plurality of remotely identifiable objects, each of said plurality of remotely identifiable objects having a distinguishable frequency signature.

12. The toy of claim 1, said at least one tank circuit further comprising a capacitor.

13. The toy of claim 1, said at least one tank circuit further comprising a crystal.

14. The toy of claim 1, said at least one tank circuit further comprising a resonator.

15. A method of identifying an object, wherein said method is performed by a toy, the method comprising the steps of:

sequentially generating a plurality of frequencies with a RF oscillator contained within said toy;

energizing a RF receiver;

monitoring for a RF signal produced by said object with said energized RF receiver, said RF signal resulting from said object inductively coupling to said RF receiver at a resonant frequency of a tank circuit within said object;

determining a single frequency from said plurality of frequencies, said single frequency corresponding to said resonant frequency of said tank circuit within said object; and

identifying said object on the basis of said determined single frequency.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said frequency generating step and said RF receiver energizing step are performed sequentially.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein for each frequency of said plurality of frequencies, said frequency generating step is completed prior to said energizing and monitoring steps.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said identifying step is further comprised of the step of comparing said determined single frequency to a look-up table containing the identity of each of a plurality of objects and each of a corresponding plurality of resonant frequencies.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of determining a toy response on the basis of said identity of said object and performing said determined toy response.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of validating said RF signal, wherein said steps of determining and identifying are only performed if said RF signal is validated.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein each frequency of said plurality of frequencies is generated for a plurality of time periods.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

determining a single time period from said plurality of time periods, said single time period corresponding to said monitored RF signal; and

determining an approximate object distance on the basis of said single time period.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said single time period corresponds to a minimum time period required for detecting said RF signal.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein each frequency of said plurality of frequencies is generated at a plurality of amplitudes.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

determining a single amplitude from said plurality of amplitudes, said single amplitude corresponding to said monitored RF signal; and

determining an approximate object distance on the basis of said single amplitude.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said single amplitude corresponds to a minimum amplitude required for detecting said RF signal.

27. A method of identifying an object, wherein said method is performed by a toy, the method comprising the steps of:

sequentially generating a plurality of frequencies with a RF oscillator contained within said toy;

energizing a RF receiver;

monitoring for a RF signal produced by said object with said energized RF receiver, said RF signal resulting from said object inductively coupling to said RF receiver at least one resonant frequency of at least one tank circuit within said object;

determining at least one resonance matching frequency from said plurality of frequencies, said at least one resonance matching frequency corresponding to said at least one resonant frequency of said at least one tank circuit within said object; and

identifying said object on the basis of said determined at least one resonance matching frequency.