Rotating toy with directional vector control

• US 6,688,936 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven Davis
• Original Assignee: Steven Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M
• Application Number:
  US09/819,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20020142699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 446/37, 446/175, 446/454, 446/456
• US Class Current: 446/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/04 Captive toy aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops

Abstract

The rotating toy in accordance with the present invention includes a hub having an outer portion rotatably connected to an inner portion. At least three rods extending outwardly from the hub to connect to an outer ring. A motor operably connected to a propeller is further disposed on each rob between the hub and the outer ring. In addition the rods are positioned such that each is offset by the same predetermined angle. When operating, the propellers spin in a first direction exerting a reaction torque in the opposite direction causing the outer portion to rotate in the opposite direction. The inner portion includes a plurality of legs with vanes that protruded outwardly such that the downward moving air is deflected causing the inner portion not to rotate. A tether attached to a control box and the rotating toy communicates a drive voltage to each motor. The control box further includes a means for determining the orientation of the motors at a specified point of reference thereby permitting a user to change the direction of the rotating toy in reference to person operating the toy.

Claims

1. A rotating toy comprising:

a hub having an outer portion rotatably connected to an inner portion;

at least three rods extending outwardly from the outer portion and connecting to at least one outer ring, the rods further being positioned at a predetermined offset angle from each other;

a rotary device disposed on each rod between the hub and the outer ring, each rotary device includes a motor and a propeller, the propellers being designed to generate lift when rotating by displacing air downwardly, and when the propellers are rotating the motors may generate a reaction torque causing the outer portion of the hub to rotate defining a rotating portion which includes the outer portion of the hub, the rods, the rotary devices and the outer ring;

a plurality of legs extending downwardly from the inner portion of the hub to support the rotating toy in an upright configuration when the rotating toy is positioned on a surface, each leg includes a vane protruding outwardly into downwardly displaced air to deflect said displaced air such that the vanes tend to drive the inner portion of the hub in a direction opposite of the outer portion such that when the outer portion is rotating the inner portion is substantially non-rotating defining a non-rotating portion;

a means for determining a directional point of reference for the motors when said toy is rotating; and

a means for individually controlling the speed of the motors such that the rotating toy may travel in a specified direction.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the directional point of reference determining means comprises:

a pair of IR emitters oppositely positioned on the top portion and the bottom portion of the rotating portion of the toy, the pair of IR emitters being further positioned such that the IR emitters cast IR beams outwardly along the same radial axis; and

an IR receiver being placed remotely from the rotating toy and in communication with the controlling means such that upon sensing the IR beam the controlling means may determine the directional point of reference of the three motors.

3. The toy of claim 2, wherein the controlling means includes a control box in communication with the rotary devices through a tether that is attached from said control box to the inner portion of the hub.

4. The toy of claim 3 further comprising a means to remotely supply a drive voltage through the tether to each motor.

5. The toy of claim 4, wherein the control box further includes:

a microprocessor in communication with each motor;

a throttle controller in communication with the microprocessor such that the throttle controller may indicate to the microprocessor to increase and decrease the drive voltage to each motor; and

a directional controller in communication with the microprocessor such that the directional controller may indicate to the microprocessor to generate and add a predetermined sinusoidal wave to each drive voltage corresponding to a specified direction, wherein the predetermined sinusoidal waves may cause the toy to have a resultant thrust vector in said specified direction.

6. The toy of claim 5, wherein each predetermined sinusoidal wave is out of phase with one another by the predetermined offset angle.

7. The toy of claim 5, wherein each predetermined sinusoidal wave has a beginning phase shift angle determined upon the specified direction.

8. The toy of claim 5 further includes a means for sensing when an angle of declination between the tether and the hub is at least a predetermined angle, the sensing means further providing a signal to the microprocessor such that the microprocessor upon receiving said signal may adjust the sinusoidal waves of the motors to move the rotating toy in a direction such that said declination angle becomes less that said predetermined angle.

9. The toy of claim 8, wherein the sensing means includes:

an upper assembly attached to the rotating portion of the hub, the upper assembly having an arm extending outwardly and a spring attached to said arm;

a lower assembly in communication with the tether and attached to the upper assembly by a swivel such that upper assembly may rotate with the rotating portion and the lower assembly may pivot about the swivel; and

a conductive ring positioned about the lower assembly such that when the tether pivots the lower assembly by at least a predetermined angle defined between the lower assembly and the spring, the conductive ring contacts the spring sending a signal through the tether to the microprocessor,

wherein the microprocessor receiving said signal can determine the orientation of the three motors when said conductive ring contacted the spring and adjust the sinusoidal waves of the motors to move the rotating toy in a direction such that the lower assembly pivots said declination angle becomes less said predetermined angle.

10. The toy of claim 5, further including a feed back system such that when the toy moves from a center position to an off center position, the microprocessor may adjust the motors proportionally to the amount the toy has moved from the center position such that the toy has a tendency to return to the center position.

11. The toy of claim 10, wherein the feed back system includes:

an upper assembly all ached to the rotating portion of the hub;

a lower assembly in communication with the tether and attached to the upper assembly by a swivel such that upper assembly may rotate with the rotating portion and the lower assembly may pivot about the swivel;

a plurality of magnets positioned about the lower assembly and attached to the rotating portion of the hub creating a magnetic null in the center substantially about the lower assembly; and

a hall effect sensor attached to the lower assembly and in communication with the microprocessor such that when the tether pivots the lower assembly the hall effect sensor will generate a sinusoidal wave having an amplitude defined as an amount of deflection the hall effect sensor has moved away from the magnetic null and the phase is defined as a direction of the deflection, wherein the microprocessor receiving the signal can adjust the motors to move the rotating toy in a direction opposite of said deflection such that the hall effect sensor is moved towards the magnetic null.

12. The toy of claim 8 further comprising:

a base unit having an aperture for receiving a portion of the tether and being positioned on the ground such that the rotating toy is restricted to a flying radius defined by the length of the tether between the base unit and the rotating toy.

13. The toy of claim 1, wherein the means for determining directional point of reference comprises:

an IR emitter being placed remotely from the rotating toy for transmitting an IR beam; and

a pair of IR receivers positioned on the top portion and the bottom portion of the rotating portion of the toy, the pair of IR receivers are positioned along the same radial axis, and the IR receivers in communication with the controlling means such that upon sensing the IR beam the controlling means may determine the specific orientation of the three motors.

14. The toy of claim 13 further comprising:

a means to supply power separately to each motor secured on the rotating toy;

a microprocessor in communication with each power supply means and each motor.

15. The toy of claim 14 further comprising:

throttle controls means in wireless communication wit the microprocessor, the throttle controls means for sending a signal to the microprocessor indicating an increase and decrease an amount of power separately supplied to each motor equally; and

directional controls means in wireless communication with the microprocessor, the directional control means for sending a signal to the microprocessor indicating a direction and a rate in which the toy is to move, wherein the microprocessor receiving said signal may generate and add a sinusoidal wave to each separately supplied power, wherein each sinusoidal wave is offset from each other by the predetermined offset angle and each sinusoidal wave further has a predetermined beginning phase angle such that the motors have a resultant thrust vector in said direction and each sinusoidal wave has an amplitude corresponding to said rate.

16. The toy of claim 15, further including a feed back system such that when the toy moves from a center position to an off center position, the microprocessor may adjust the separately supplied power to the motors proportionally to the amount the toy has moved from the center position such that the toy has a tendency to return to the center position.

17. The toy of claim 1, wherein each propellers similarly inclined approximately 40°

, such that when the rotary devices are operating, the rotating propellers cause the rotating portion to rotate in the opposite direction of the rotating propellers.

18. The toy of claim 3, wherein the communication between the tether and rotary devices includes:

a circuit board secured to the rotating portion of the hub;

four rings mounted on the circuit board; and

four spring loaded brushes mounted on the non-rotating portion of the hub and in communication with control box and the circuit board, each brush corresponding to one of the rings, wherein three of the rings and corresponding brushes are individually in communication with one of the motors and the other ring and corresponding brush is common to the other rings and corresponding brushes.

19. The rotating toy of claim 1, wherein the outer portion is rotatably connected to the inner portion by a substantially frictionless bearing.

20. A rotating toy comprising:

a hub supporting a plurality of motors positioned at a predetermined offset angle from each other, the motors secured to a means for rotating the toy and wherein the motors include a propeller operably connected thereto and orientated such that when the propellers are rotating the rotating toy may lift off the ground;

a means to provide a drive voltage to each motor;

a means to determine the orientation of the motors from a point of reference in a remote non-rotating control box;

a means to generate and add a sinusoidal wave to each drive voltage, wherein each sinusoidal wave is out of phase with each other by the predetermined offset angle;

a means to control the amplitude and to shift a beginning phase angle of each sinusoidal wave in response to speed and directional inputs from the remote non-rotating control box, such that the rotating toy may move in a direction referenced from the non-rotating body in response to said speed and directional inputs;

the hub being further defined as having an outer portion rotatably connected to an inner portion;

the outer portion supports a plurality of rods extending outwardly therefrom substantially along the seine plane, the rods further support an outer ring, and each rod supports one of the motors between the outer ring and the outer portion;

the inner portion supports a plurality of legs extending downwardly therefrom to support the rotating toy in an upright configuration when is positioned on a surface, each leg includes a vane protruding outwardly such that the air downwardly displaced by the propellers lifting the rotating toy off the ground is deflected, driving the inner portion of the hub in a direction opposite of the outer portion such that when the outer portion is rotating the inner portion is substantially a non-rotating portion; and

the inner portion further supports a tether attached to the inner portion of the hub and to the remote control box, the tether is in communication with the motors and the control means.

21. The rotating toy of claim 20, further including a feed back system such that when the rotating toy moves from a center position to an off center position, the control means may adjust the motors proportionally to the amount the rotating toy has moved from the center position such that the rotating toy has a tendency to return to the center position.

22. The rotating toy of claim 21, wherein the remote control box includes the means to provide the drive voltage to each motor and the means to control the amplitude and the beginning phase angle of each sinusoidal wave.

23. The rotating toy of claim 22, wherein the means to determine the orientation of the motors from a point of reference in the remote control box includes mounting a pair of IR emitters on the rotating toy in a predetermined position relating to a specific orientation of the motors, the IR emitters are mounted such that the IR transmitters rotate along with the motors and transmit an IR beam along the same radial axis, and further mounting an IR sensor on the remote control box such that when the IR beam is received by the IR sensor, said specific orientation of the motors is determined.