Crawler driving device and game device

• US 6,872,141 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SEGA Corporation (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SEGA Corporation (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II, John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERUBIN, YVESTE GILBERTE
• Application Number:
  US09/959,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 463/58, 463/61, 463 62- 69, 463/59, 463/60, 446/129, 446134-136, 446/433, 446/219, 446/444, 446/443, 446/446, 273/142.R, 273/442, 273/459, 273/246, 356/614, 104/295, 320/106
• US Class Current: 463/62
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/0414 in motion
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/143 electric
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/14 Drives arranged in the track, e.g. endless conveying means, magnets, driving-discs
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 23/02 Boats; Sailing boats

Abstract

A crawler driving apparatus and a game apparatus in which a storage battery mounted on a crawler is charged with electricity in a state that the crawler is adjacent to or not separated from a runway surface. In the crawler driving apparatus, the crawler 50 has a storage battery to self run by electric power of the storage battery, a charger 70 is disposed at a stand-by position of the crawler, and the storage battery is charged with electricity by the charger in a state that the crawler is not separated from a runway surface.

Claims

1. A crawler driving apparatus for a game apparatus, the crawler apparatus comprising:

a crawler having at least one electric storage battery for self running of the crawler on and along a supporting surface;

an electric charging apparatus along the supporting surface to which the crawler can run to cause the storage battery thereof to be connected to the charging apparatus and charged with electricity by the charging apparatus in a state in which the crawler is adjacent to or not separated from the supporting surface and wherein said supporting surface has a stand-by position, to which the crawler is caused to run after a game is over, and a charging position different from the stand-by position;

output means provided on said crawler for outputting a signal representing remaining electricity in the battery when the crawler has reached said stand-by position;

input means provided on said charging apparatus to receive said signal representing remaining electricity from said output means when the crawler is at said stand-by position; and

a charge control unit for determining that charging of the storage battery is necessary when the signal representing remaining electricity indicates that the remaining electricity in the storage battery is less than a predetermined amount and for causing the crawler to move from said stand-by position to said charging position, when the charge control unit determines that charging is necessary, in such a manner that charge terminals provided on said crawler are connected to connection terminals of said electric charging apparatus to carry out electric charging of the storage battery.

2. The crawler driver apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said charge control unit is operative to charge the storage battery when the crawler has run by at least one of a predetermined time and a predetermined distance.

3. The crawler driver apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said crawler has an electric switch which is cut off to stop the crawler when the crawler is caused to move to connect the charge terminals on the crawler with the connection terminals of the charging apparatus.

4. The crawler driver apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said charge terminals and said connection terminals form three sets of terminals, a first set of terminals being for charging, a second set of terminals being for transmitting the quantity of electricity remaining in the storage battery, and a third set of terminals being earth terminals for the terminals of the first and second sets.

5. A game apparatus comprising:

a plurality of running objects configured to run along a course, wherein each of said running objects is caused to run by a crawler driven by a crawler driving apparatus and which self-runs on and along a supporting surface by means of a storage battery on the crawler and wherein an electric charging apparatus is disposed at a position such that the crawler can run along the supporting surface and such that the storage battery is connected to the charging apparatus in a state in which the crawler is adjacent to or not separated from the supporting surface and wherein said supporting surface has a stand-by position to which the crawler is caused to run when a game is over; and

wherein said crawler driving apparatus comprises;

output means provided on the crawler for outputting a signal representing remaining electricity in the battery when the crawler has reached said stand-by position;

input means provided on the charging apparatus to receive said signal representing remaining electricity from the output means when the crawler is at said stand-by position; and

a charge control unit for determining that charging of said storage battery is necessary when the signal representing remaining electricity indicates that the remaining electricity in the storage battery is less than a predetermined amount and for causing the crawler to move from said stand-by position to said charging position when the charge control unit determines that charging is necessary, in such a manner that charge terminals provided on the crawler are connected to connection terminals of the charging apparatus to carry out electric charging of the storage battery.