Remote controller

• US 8,330,639 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverlit Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverlit Limited
• Inventors: Wong, Kwok Leung, Ng, Ka Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US12/647,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 341/176, 345/173
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A remote controller for toys includes a user interface which applies the low-cost capacitive sensing method with the remote controller. Users can touch and/or drag on a remote controller surface by fingers to remotely control the movement of R/C cars, planes, helicopters or a boat. The remote controller is essentially a flat faced unit and there is no need for protruding control sticks or pushbuttons. This controller is applicable to different types of remote control toys with digital proportional control on speed and steering control. The remote controller is a symmetric product design whereby the controller is easily operable with left and right hand conventions.

Claims

1. A remote controller for controlling a remote controlled movable toy, the movement being in the air, on the ground or in water, the controller comprising a touch surface including at least two capacitive touch sensors, each touch sensor corresponding to drag whereby the movement of the toy is alterable in correspondence to the drag operation of at least one of the touch sensors, a control circuit connected to each of the touch sensors, the control circuit being operational digitally with the touch sensors and being such that dragging on the sensor causes a change in capacitance of a touch sensor and thereby acts to generate a control signal;

and a transmitter connected to the control circuit wherein on receipt of a control signal by the transmitter, the transmitter transmits a direction or speed signal from the controller to a toy;

wherein the change in the capacitance of the touch sensor caused by dragging is translated as the control signal corresponding to a change in a direction or speed of the toy, and including a left and right hand switch related to the control circuit, and a left hand designated touch sensor and a right hand designated touch sensor, and wherein operation of the left and right hand switch functions to switch to be either for a left hand person or for a right hand person operating convention, and renders the touch sensors responsive to the left hand person or the right hand person respectively thereby providing relatively similar operational effect and experience respectively for the left hand person and for the right hand person.

2. The remote controller of claim 1 wherein the touch sensors are mounted in a controller housing, the housing including a body and an operational face, an overlay material on the operational face, and the sensors being located below the operational face.

3. The remote controller of claim 1 wherein the sensors include a first array of sensors the sensors in the array being connected in a physical location relative to the operational face such that change of transverse pressure over different sensors in the array in a lateral sense across the operational face translates into a dragging action to cause a requisite control signal from the controller to the toy, thereby to effect a change in direction or speed of the toy.

4. The remote controller of claim 3 wherein sensors in the array are serially arranged such that changes in different sensors are serially communicated to the control circuit, and wherein the speed of changes from one sensor to another effects changes in the direction or speed signal being transmitted by the transmitter.

5. The remote controller of claim 1 including sensors in a first array and wherein the control circuit and array are arranged such that when the toy is moving, the action of a release of pressure from fingers from sensors in the array effects a stop effect on the toy whereby the toy would be either stationary or slow down to a stationary position, and a braking effect when the toy is moving is activated by a swipe of a sensor.

6. The remote controller of claim 1 including at least one further touch sensor, the further touch sensors being for operational characteristics unrelated to direction or speed change of the toy.

7. The remote control device of claim 1 including a left and right hand switch related to the control circuit, and a left hand designated touch sensor and a right hand designated touch sensor, and wherein operation of the left and right hand switch functions to be either for a left hand person or for a right hand person, and renders the touch sensors responsive to the left hand person or the right hand person respectively thereby providing relatively similar operational effect and experience respectively for the left hand person and for the right hand person.

8. The remote control device of claim 1 including having the touch sensors in the array relate to the control circuit, such that operation of the touch sensor in the array of sensors permit the generation of transmission signal which is selected from the group of stop, accelerate, decelerate, maintain constant speed, proceed forwardly, proceed in reverse, turn left, turn right, toy identification, and light status of the vehicle.

9. The remote control device of claim 1 including having the touch sensors in the array relate to the control circuit, such that operation of the touch sensor in the array of sensors permit the generation of at least three transmission signals which are selected from the group of stop, accelerate, decelerate, maintain constant speed, proceed forwardly, proceed in reverse, turn left, and turn right.

10. The remote control device of claim 1 including having the touch sensors in the array relate to the control circuit, such that operation of the touch sensor in the array of sensors permit the generation of at least six transmission signals which are selected from the group of stop, accelerate, decelerate, maintain constant speed, proceed forwardly, proceed in reverse, turn left, and turn right.

11. The remote control device of claim 1 including having the touch sensors in the array relate to the control circuit, such that operation of the touch sensor in the array of sensors permit the generation of transmission signals which are stop, accelerate, decelerate, maintain constant speed, proceed forwardly, proceed in reverse, turn left, and turn right.

12. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the sensors are responsive additionally to touching on sensors thereby to causes a change in capacitance of touch sensors and thereby act to generate a control signal.

13. A remote controller for controlling a remote controlled movable toy, the movement being in the air, on the ground or in water, the controller comprising a touch surface including at least two touch sensors, each touch sensor corresponding to drag whereby the movement of the toy is alterable in correspondence to the drag operation of at least one of the touch sensors, a control circuit connected to each of the touch sensors, the control circuit being operational digitally with the touch sensors and being such that dragging on the sensor causes a change in capacitance of a touch sensor and thereby acts to generate a control signal;

a transmitter connected to the control circuit wherein on receipt of a control signal by the transmitter, the transmitter transmits a direction or speed signal from the controller to a toy;

wherein the change in the capacitance of the touch sensor caused by dragging is translated as the control signal corresponding to a change in a direction or speed of the toy and including a pair of transmitter IR devices, one IR device being located relative to a housing for the controller and being for left hand operation of the controller and the other IR device being oppositely located relative to the housing and being for right hand operation of the controller whereby the one IR device is activated for a left hand user when operating a throttle control, and the other IR device is activated for a right hand user when operating the throttle control, and including a left and right hand switch related to the control circuit, and a left hand designated touch sensor and a right hand designated touch sensor, and wherein operation of the left and right hand switch functions to switch to be either for a left hand person or for a right hand person operating convention, and renders the touch sensors responsive to the left hand person or the right hand person respectively thereby providing relatively similar operational effect and experience respectively for the left hand person and for the right hand person.

14. The remote controller of claim 13 wherein the touch sensors are mounted in a controller housing, the housing including a body and an operational face, an overlay material on the operational face, and the sensors being located below the overlay material.

15. The remote controller of claim 13 wherein the sensors include a first array of sensors, the sensors in the array being connected in a physical location relative to the operational face such that change of transverse pressure over different sensors in the array in a lateral sense across the operational face translates into a dragging action to cause a requisite control signal from the controller to the toy, thereby to effect a change in direction or speed of the toy.

16. The remote controller of claim 13 wherein sensors are serially arranged such that changes in different sensors are serially communicated to the control circuit, and wherein the speed of changes from one sensor to another effects changes in the direction or speed signal being transmitted by the transmitter.

17. The remote controller of claim 13 including sensors in a first array and wherein the control circuit and array are arranged such that when the toy is moving, the action of a release of pressure from fingers from sensors in the array effects a braking effect on the toy whereby the toy would be either stationary or slow down to a stationary position, and including at least one further touch sensor, the further touch sensors being for operational characteristics unrelated to direction or speed change of the toy.

18. The remote control device of claim 13 wherein the sensors are responsive additionally to touching on sensors thereby to causes a change in the touch sensors and thereby act to generate a control signal.

19. A method of controlling a toy comprising the steps of energizing touch sensors;

detecting a change in at least one touch sensor;

determining the direction and speed represented by the touch sensor in which a change is detected; and

transmitting a control signal corresponding to the direction and speed represented by the touch sensor in which a change is detected, the control circuit being operational digitally with the touch sensors and being such that dragging on the sensor causes a change in the touch sensor, wherein when the toy is moving, the action of a release of pressure from fingers from sensor effects a braking effect on the toy whereby the toy would be either stationary or slow down to a stationary position, and including operating the toy unrelated to direction or speed change of the toy;

operating the toy to act either for a left hand person or for a right hand person, and rendering the touch sensors responsive to the left hand person or the right hand person respectively thereby providing relatively similar operational effect and experience respectively for the left hand person and for the right hand person, and operating a pair of transmitter IR devices, such that one IR device is for left hand operation of the controller and the other IR device is for right hand operation of the controller, and including a left and right hand switch related to the control circuit, and a left hand designated touch sensor and a right hand designated touch sensor, and wherein operation of the left and right hand switch functions to switch to be either for a left hand person or for a right hand person operating convention, and renders the touch sensors responsive to the left hand person or the right hand person respectively thereby providing relatively similar operational effect and experience respectively for the left hand person and for the right hand person.