Software-driven motor and solenoid controller

• US 6,445,150 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christopher Mark Tanner, Todd M. Halvorson
• Original Assignee: Christopher Mark Tanner, Todd M. Halvorson
• Inventors: Tanner, Christopher Mark, Halvorson, Todd M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Application Number:
  US09/667,633
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 318/138, 318/280, 318/281-293, 318/256, 307/116, 104/DIG.1, 104/276, 104/301, 246/4, 246/246, 246/191, 246/187.A, 246/219, 246/220, 246/415.A, 340/825.21, 340/310.R
• US Class Current: 318/280
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 19/24 Electric toy railways; Systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 104/01 Toy railroad

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling electrical devices such as electric trains using a computer is disclosed. The invention utilizes standard ports that appear on most computers, and works with standard well-known widely commercially available train sets. The invention has customized software and circuitry for managing the speed and direction of one or more motors, and also for controlling the configuration of track turnouts. The invention can also be configured and updated by the user to fit the characteristics of a user'"'"'s specific layout.

Claims

1. A model train motor and solenoid control apparatus, comprising:

a motor that moves the model train on a plurality of track sections, said track sections having track turnouts;

a solenoid that controls the track turnouts;

a motor driver circuit that connects the train motor to a controller;

a solenoid driver circuit that connects the track turnout solenoid to said controller; and

a power circuit for delivering power to said motor through said track sections and said solenoids wherein said controller can be configured to allow a user to enter any one of motor speed, motor direction, and track configuration through a visual user interface;

wherein said visual user interface maintains a visual representation of the operating status of said motors and track sections, said track turnouts, and said motor directions, and is configurable to visually correspond to the physical organization of said track sections within a track layout and how said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned with respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions;

and further wherein a user can view said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user can also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.

2. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is a computer.

3. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

a said computer is a programmable computer, further comprising a menued software program that controls one of said motor driver, said solenoid driver, and said power circuit.

4. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program being user-configurable during installation and operation.

5. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said user configurability further comprises a user-adjustable solenoid pulse duration.

6. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program further comprises a parallel to serial conversion algorithm that drives an 8-bit databyte through a single dataline.

7. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program allows the storage and retrieval of pre-set data configuration files.

8. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 7, wherein

said data configuration files enable the setting up and running of simulations of actual railroads.

9. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

each of said motor driver circuit connection and said solenoid driver circuit connection are through a parallel port of said computer.

10. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 9, wherein

said menued software program stores data existing at registers of said port at the time said menued software program is initialized, and can restore said port register data at the time said menued software program is exited, thereby enabling said port to be re-used by other processes.

11. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

each of said motor driver circuit connection and said solenoid driver circuit connection are through one of a joystick port, a game port, a MIDI port, and a music port of said computer.

12. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 11, wherein

said menued software program stores data existing at registers of said port at the time said menued software program is initialized, and can restore said port register data at the time said menued software program is exited, thereby enabling said port to be used by other processes.

13. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said power circuit further comprises a stabilizer circuit.

14. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 13, wherein said power circuit further comprises a transformer circuit.

15. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said motor driver circuit has pulse capability.

16. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said power circuit protects said motor drivers, said solenoid drivers, and said controller from transients and overvoltages.

17. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program permits the user to enable and disable selected portions of said motor and solenoid layout through a user-designated selection portion in coordination with a menued graphical user interface.

18. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program permits the user to zoom-view selected portions of said motor and solenoid layout through a user-designated selection portion in coordination with a menued user interface.

19. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

said menued software program permits the user to edit either an entire motor and track turnout profile, a motor profile only, or a track turnout profile only.

20. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said visual user interface is further configurable so that a visual layout arrangement represented therein can include color coding and graphical representation of accessories and other user-specific layout details.

27. The model train motor and solenoid control apparatus of claim 20, wherein

said visual layout arrangement represented therein includes slider bars to represent'"'"' speed of said train, radio buttons to represent direction of said train, and radio buttons to represent direction of said turnouts.

21. A method for controlling a plurality of model train motors and track turnouts using a controller, comprising:

loading a menued software program on the controller;

connecting said motors and track turnouts to a port of said controller through a motor interface circuit, a track turnout interface circuit, and a power interface circuit;

using said menued software program to configure said port and interface circuits;

operating said motor interface circuit, said track turnout interface circuit, and said power interface circuit connected to said port;

configuring said controller to allow a user to enter any one of motor speed, motor direction, and track configuration through a visual user interface;

wherein said visual user interface maintains a visual representation of the operating status of said motors, said track turnouts, and said motor directions, and is configurable to visually correspond to the physical organization of a plurality of track sections within a track layout and how said track scions, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned With respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions;

and further wherein a user could View said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user could also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.

22. A model train motor and solenoid control apparatus, comprising:

a controller means having a menued software program loaded therein;

motor driver means for connecting a plurality of said motors to said controller means;

solenoid driver means for connecting a plurality of said solenoids to said controller means;

power supplying means for delivering power to said motor driving means and said solenoid driver means;

wherein said motor driver means, solenoid driver means, and power supplying means are responsive to said menued software program for which is operated by a user through a visual user interface;

wherein said visual user interface maintains a visual representation of the operating status of said motors, said track turnouts, and said motor directions, and is configurable to visually correspond to the physical organization of a plurality of track sections within a track layout and how said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned with respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions;

and further wherein a user could view said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user could also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.

23. A menued software program for controlling a model train motor and solenoid, comprising:

a controllable motor that moves the model train;

a controllable solenoid that controls track turnouts;

a motor driver circuit that connects the train motor to a controller;

a solenoid driver circuit that connects the track turnout solenoid to a controller,

a power circuit for delivering power to said motors and solenoids;

wherein

said menued software program is stored in a memory in a controller, and said controller can be configured to allow a user to enter any one of motor speed, motor direction, and track configuration through a visual user interface which corresponds to the physical organization of a plurality of track sections within a track layout and how said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned with respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts and motor directions;

and further wherein a user could view said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user could also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.

24. The menued software program of claim 23, wherein said controller is a computer.

25. A model train motor and solenoid control apparatus, comprising:

a motor that moves the model train on a track, said track having track turnouts;

a solenoid that controls the track turnouts;

a motor driver circuit that connects the train motor to a controller;

a solenoid driver circuit that connects the track turnout solenoid to the controller; and

a power circuit for delivering power to said motor and said solenoids,

said controller being configurable to allow a user to enter any one of motor speed, motor direction, track configuration, and user adjustable solenoid pulse duration through a visual user interface which corresponds to the physical organization of a plurality of track sections within a track layout and how said track cdtions, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned with respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions;

and further wherein a user could view said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user could also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.

26. A model train motor and solenoid control apparatus, comprising:

a motor that moves the model train on a track, said track having track turnouts;

a solenoid that controls the track turnouts;

a motor driver circuit that connects the train motor to a controller;

a solenoid driver circuit that connects the track turnout solenoid to the controller; and

a power circuit for delivering power to said motor and said solenoids,

wherein said controller is a programmable computer further comprising a menued software program that controls one of said motor driver, said solenoid driver, and said power circuit,

said controller being configurable to allow a user to enter any one of motor speed, motor direction, and track configuration through a graphical user interface; and

said menued software program maintains a visual representation of the operating status of said motors, said track turnouts, and said motor directions which corresponds to the physical organization of a plurality of track sections within a track layout and how said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions are physically positioned with respect to each other,

wherein said visual user interface simultaneously represents the entire overall track layout and exactly corresponds to the physical layout of said track sections, turnouts, and motor directions;

and further wherein a user could view said physical track layout and immediately correlate specific track sections within said physical track layout to portions of said visual user interface, and wherein a user could also view said visual user interface and immediately correlate said interface to specific track sections within said overall track layout.