Computer controlled car racing game

• US 20050215327A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Pet Toys, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bay Tek Incorporated
• Inventors: Myus, David A., Lasee, Randolph A., Weisel, Charles W. Jr., Pagel, James H. Sr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,402,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/58
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/02 Construction or arrangement of the trackway
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/16 Control of vehicle drives by interaction between vehicle and track; Control of track elements by vehicles

Abstract

A computer controlled toy car racing game that can be played by a plurality of players. If less than a maximum number of players is present at the beginning of a race, a computer controller operates the remaining race cars such that each race includes all of the race cars. The racing game includes numerous sensors positioned above the racing course that relay control commands to each of the race cars. If a race car is computer controlled or computer assisted, the control commands are created by the computer controller. If the race car is controlled by a player, the control commands include information from a throttle and steering wheel used by the player. Upon completion of a race, the computer controller controls each of the race cars to bring the race cars back to a point on the race course near the start/finish line.

Claims

1. A car racing game for use by a number of players to simulate a race, the game comprising:

a plurality of self-propelled race cars;

a plurality of control stations each associated with one of the race cars, each station including a steering wheel and a throttle for allowing one of the players to actively control the movement of one of the plurality of race cars;

a continuous race track;

a computer controller coupled to each of the control stations and operable to relay control commands to each of the race cars based on the position of the steering wheel and the throttle as controlled by one of the players at one of the control stations;

wherein the computer controller is operable to automatically generate control commands to control the movement of the race cars not being actively controlled by one of the players to direct the race cars along the race track such that each of the plurality of race cars is active during each race.

2. The car racing game of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of control signal sending units positioned above and spaced along the race track, each sending unit being operable to generate the control command to the race cars; and

a plurality of signal receiving units positioned above and spaced along the race track, each signal receiving unit being operable to transmit a response signal from the race cars.

3. The car racing game of claim 2 wherein each of the race cars includes a control signal receiving device and a response signal generating device, wherein the control signal receiving device is operable to receive the control command from the computer controller and the control signal generating device is operable to transmit the response signal from the race car.

4. The car racing game of claim 2 wherein the plurality of control signal sending units are each operable to generate a signal pattern onto the race track, wherein the plurality of control signal sending units are spaced such that the signal pattern of one sending unit overlaps the signal pattern of the sending units positioned on each side of the one sending unit.

5. The car racing game of claim 2 further comprising

a directional beam emitter contained within each race car and positioned to generate a car directional beam extending along the direction of movement of the race car;

and

a plurality of lane sensors positioned along an outer boundary of the race track and coupled to the computer controller, where each of the lane sensors is operable to receive the directional beam from the race cars such that the computer controller can determine the position of the race car.

6. The car racing game of claim 1 wherein each control station includes a difficulty selector operable between at least a first position and a second position, wherein when the difficulty selector is in the first position, the computer controller assists in the operation of the race car associated with the control station and when the difficulty switch is in the second position, the computer controller does not assist in operation of the race car associated with the control station

7. The car racing game of claim 2 further comprising:

a plurality of inner directional LEDs spaced along an inner boundary of the race track, each inner directional LED being operable by the computer controller to generate a reference beam; and

a front directional sensor, a back directional sensor, a left directional sensor and a right directional sensor positioned on each race car, each directional sensor being operable to selectively receive the reference beams from the inner directional LEDs depending on the orientation of the race car relative to the reference beams, wherein the response signal from each of the race cars reports which of the directional sensors of the race car detect the reference beams such that the computer controller can determine the orientation of the race car.

8. The car racing game of claim 2 wherein each of the control signal sending units simultaneously generates the same control command, the control command having an address included in an address field such that only the race car assigned the address responds to the control command.

9. The car racing game of claim 8 wherein the computer controller is operable to sequentially generate the control commands to each of the race cars.

10. The car racing game of claim 1 wherein the control command from the computer controller includes a directional command based upon the position of the steering wheel and a speed command based upon the position of the throttle.

11. The car racing game of claim 2 further comprising:

a first band sensor positioned above the race track, the first band sensor being operable to receive the response signal from the race cars when the race cars are in a first detection range extending from the inner boundary of the race track; and

a second band sensor positioned above the race track, the second band sensor being operable to receive the response signal from the race cars, the second band sensor having a second detection range extending from the inner boundary of the race track, wherein the second detection range is greater than the first detection range,

wherein both the first band sensor and the second band sensor are coupled to the computer controller such that the computer controller can determine the position of the race car from the inner boundary based upon which of the first and second band sensors detect the response signals.

12. The car racing game of claim 11 further comprising a band template positioned between the first and second band sensors and a race track, wherein the band template includes a first opening aligned with the first band sensor and a second opening aligned with a second band sensor, wherein the size of the first and second openings define the detection range for each of the first and second band sensors.

13. A method of operating a car racing game including a plurality of race cars each selectively controllable by a player through a control station, the race cars being movable along a continuous race track, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a computer controller operable to generate a control command to each of the race cars to control the operation of the race car;

determining the number of active players for a race, wherein each active player controls the operation of one of the cars through one of the control stations;

determining the number of computer controlled race cars for the race, wherein the computer controlled race cars include all of the race cars that are not player controlled;

upon the beginning of the race, relaying control commands to each of the active race cars based upon player input from the control station associated with the race; and

relaying computer generated control commands to the computer controlled race cars to cause the computer controlled race cars to move along the race track such that all of the race cars move along the race track during a race.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

positioning a plurality of signal receiving units above the race track, each signal receiving unit being coupled to the computer controller and operable to detect a response signal generated by each race car;

determining the position of the race car along the race track based upon which of the signal receiving units receives the response signal from the race car; and

creating the computer generated control command for each of the computer controlled race cars based upon the position of the computer controlled race car along the race track such that the computer generated control commands guide the race car around the race track.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

allowing each player at each control station to select a driving level from at least a first level and a second level; and

assisting the operation of the race car associated with the control station when the player selects the first driving level.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of assisting the operation of the race car includes the step of relaying computer generated control commands to the computer controlled race car to control the steering of the computer controlled race car while allowing the player to control the speed of the race car.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

generating a car directional beam along the direction of race car travel as each race car travels along the race track;

positioning a plurality of lane sensors along an outer boundary of the race track, each lane sensor being coupled to the computer controller;

detecting the car directional beam from each race car at at least one of the lane sensors;

determining the position of the race care based upon which lane sensor detects the car directional beam;

creating the computer generated control command for each of the computer controlled race cars based upon the detected position of the race car from the plurality of lane sensors such that the computer controlled race car moves along the race path.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of reference beams along an inner boundary of the race track;

positioning a plurality of directional sensors on each race car, wherein each directional sensor is operable to detect the reference beams generated along the inner boundary of the race path; and

including the number of directional sensors that detect the reference beams in the response signal from the race car such that the computer controller can determine the direction of operation of the race car on the race track.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

positioning a first band sensor above the race track, the first band sensor being operable to receive the response signal from the race cars when the race cars are in a first detection range extending from an inner boundary of the race track;

positioning a second band sensor above the race track, the second band sensor being operable to receive the response signal from the race cars when each race car is within a second detection range extending from the inner boundary of the race track, wherein the second detection range is greater than the first detection range;

selectively receiving the response signal from the first and second band sensors at the computer controller; and

determining the position of the race car from the inner boundary of the race track based upon which of the first and second band sensors detects the response signal.