Distributed System of Autonomously Controlled Toy Vehicles

• US 20100304640A1
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Dream Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: ANKI Incorporated
• Inventors: Sofman, Boris, Tappeiner, Hanns W., Palatucci, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/456
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/26 Details; Accessories drive mechanisms A63H29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/32 Acoustical or optical signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/40 Toy vehicles automatically steering or reversing by collision with an obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/44 Toy garages for receiving toy vehicles; Filling stations
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/02 Construction or arrangement of the trackway
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/12 Electric current supply to toy vehicles through the track
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/16 Control of vehicle drives by interaction between vehicle and track; Control of track elements by vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

A toy system includes a drivable surface that includes location encoding markings. A toy vehicle or mobile agent is provided that includes a drive motor, an imaging system for taking images of the markings, a vehicle wireless transceiver, and a microcontroller operatively coupled to the motor, the imaging system, and the vehicle wireless transceiver. A basestation is provided that includes a controller operatively coupled to a basestation wireless transceiver. Via wireless communication between the wireless transceivers of the toy vehicle and the basestation, an action to be implemented by the toy vehicle can be determined by the basestation and communicated to the toy vehicle, whereupon the microcontroller of the toy vehicle controls detailed movement of the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on images taken of the markings of the drivable surface by the imaging system to cause the toy vehicle to implement the action on the drivable surface.

Claims

1. A toy system comprising:

a drivable surface comprised of a plurality of segments, wherein each segment includes markings which encode locations on the segment and which encode a location of the segment in the drivable surface;

at least one toy vehicle or mobile agent, each toy vehicle including at least one motor for imparting motive force to the toy vehicle, an imaging system operative for taking images of the markings, a vehicle wireless transceiver, and a microcontroller operatively coupled to the motor, the imaging system, and the vehicle wireless transceiver, the microcontroller operative for controlling, via the motor of the toy vehicle, detailed movement of the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on images taken of the markings of the drivable surface by the imaging system; and

a basestation comprising a controller and a basestation wireless transceiver operatively coupled to the controller, the controller operative;

for determining via wireless communication from each vehicle wireless transceiver to the basestation wireless transceiver a current location of the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on images taken of the markings of the drivable surface by the imaging system of the toy vehicle;

for storing a virtual representation of the drivable surface and for determining based on said virtual representation and the current location of each toy vehicle on the drivable surface an action to be taken the toy vehicle on the drivable surface; and

for communicating to the microcontroller of each toy vehicle the action to be taken by the toy vehicle on the drivable surface via wireless communication from the basestation wireless transceiver to the vehicle wireless transceiver.

2. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller of each toy vehicle is responsive to the action communicated by the controller for controlling the detailed movement of the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on images taken of the markings on the drivable surface by the imaging system.

3. The toy system of claim 1, wherein:

the toy system includes a plurality of toy vehicles; and

the controller is operative for controlling the interaction of the plurality of toy vehicles on the drivable surface in a coordinated manner with each other via wireless communication from the basestation wireless transceiver to the vehicle wireless transceivers of the plurality of toy vehicles.

4. The toy system of claim 3, wherein the controller is operative for controlling at least one of the following of at least one of the plurality of toy vehicles:

a velocity or acceleration of the toy vehicle;

a set of markings the toy vehicle follows on the drivable surface;

a changing of the toy vehicle from one set of markings on the drivable surface to another set of markings on the drivable surface;

a direction the toy vehicle takes at an intersection of the drivable surface;

the toy vehicle leading, following, or passing another toy vehicle on the drivable surface;

or

activation or deactivation of a light, an audio speaker, or both of the toy vehicle.

5. The toy system of claim 1, further including a remote control in communication with the basestation, wherein the basestation is responsive to commands issued by the remote control for controlling at least one of the following via the basestation:

which one of a plurality of toy vehicles is responsive to the commands issued by the remote control;

a velocity or acceleration of a toy vehicle responsive to commands issued by the remote control;

a changing of a toy vehicle responsive to commands issued by the remote control from one set of markings on the drivable surface to another set of markings on the drivable surface;

a direction a toy vehicle responsive to commands issued by the remote control takes at an intersection of the drivable surface;

a toy vehicle responsive to commands issued by the remote control leading, following, or passing another toy vehicle on the drivable surface;

or

activation or deactivation of a light, an audio speaker, or both of a toy vehicle responsive to commands issued by the remote control.

6. The toy system of claim 5, wherein the controller is operative for controlling, either in response to or in the absence of a response to movement of a remote controlled vehicle, at least one of the following of each toy vehicle not under the control of the remote control:

a velocity or acceleration of the toy vehicle;

a set of markings (driving lane) the toy vehicle follows on the drivable surface;

a changing of the toy vehicle from one set of markings (driving lane) on the drivable surface to another set of markings (driving lane) on the drivable surface;

a direction the toy vehicle takes at an intersection of the drivable surface;

the toy vehicle leading, following, or passing another toy vehicle on the drivable surface;

or

activation or deactivation of a light, an audio speaker, or both of the toy vehicle.

7. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the drivable surface includes at least one multi-state device responsive to the controller for changing from a one state to another state.

8. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system includes:

a light source outputting light toward the markings; and

an imaging sensor for detecting light reflected from the markings.

9. The toy system of claim 8, further including a layer covering the markings of at least one segment, wherein said layer is transparent to light output by the vehicle'"'"'s imaging system but is opaque at human visible light wavelengths, wherein the markings are either visible or invisible at human visible light wavelengths.

10. The toy system of claim 1, further including the controller responsive to the current location of the toy vehicle on the drivable surface and the virtual representation of the drivable surface for causing a display to display the following:

a virtual image of the drivable surface; and

a virtual image of at least one toy vehicle and its a position, velocity, or both on the virtual image of the drivable surface.

11. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the drivable surface is comprised of a plurality of discrete segments operatively coupled together.

12. A method of controlling movement of one or more self-propelled toy vehicles or mobile agents on a drivable surface that includes markings which define one or more paths of toy vehicle travel on the drivable surface and which encode locations on the drivable surface, wherein each toy vehicle includes an imaging system for acquiring images of the markings, the method comprising:

(a) while traveling on the drivable surface, a toy vehicle acquiring an image of a portion of the markings of the drivable surface via the toy vehicle'"'"'s imaging system;

(b) responsive to the image acquired in step (a), the toy vehicle controlling its movement on the drivable surface;

(c) the toy vehicle wirelessly communicating to a basestation data regarding a location where the portion of the markings in step (a) were acquired;

(d) the basestation responsive to the data communicated in step (c) for updating a position of the toy vehicle in a virtual representation of the drivable surface;

(e) the basestation determining an action to be taken by the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on the data regarding the location on the drivable surface of the portion of the markings acquired in step (a); and

(f) the basestation wirelessly communicating to the toy vehicle said action to be taken by the toy vehicle on the drivable surface.

13. The method of claim 12, further including repeating step (a)-(f) at least one time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) includes the toy vehicle further responsive to the action communicated in step (f) for controlling its movement on the drivable surface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (b) includes the action communicated in step (f) causing the toy vehicle to change from traveling on a first path defined by a first set of markings to a second travel path defined by a second set of markings, whereupon the action communicated in step (f) includes said second travel path.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) further includes the toy vehicle controlling its velocity, its acceleration, its steering direction, a state of one or more of its lights, whether an audio replication device of the vehicle outputs sound, or some combination thereof in response to the action communicated in step (f).

17. The method of claim 12, further including the basestation determining the virtual representation of the drivable surface from one of the following:

a definition file accessible to the basestation;

exploration of the physical layout of the drivable surface by one or more toy vehicles acting under the control of the basestation and communicating information regarding the physical layout of the drivable surface to the basestation;

or

a bus system of the drivable surface which is comprised of a plurality of segments, wherein each segment includes a bus segment and a microcontroller that communicates with the basestation and with the microcontroller of each adjacent connected segment via the bus segment.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein step (a) includes acquiring the image of the markings via an overlayer that is transparent to the toy vehicle'"'"'s imaging system but which is opaque at human visible light wavelengths.

19. The method of claim 12, further including repeating steps (a)-(f) for each of a plurality of toy vehicles, wherein:

step (e) further includes the basestation determining for each toy vehicle a unique action to be taken by the toy vehicle; and

step (f) further includes the basestation wirelessly communicating to each toy vehicle the unique action to be taken by the toy vehicle on the drivable surface in a manner whereupon the plurality of toy vehicles to move in a coordinated manner on the road.

20. The method of claim 12, further including the basestation receiving a command for the toy vehicle from a remote control, wherein step (e) further includes the basestation determining the action to be taken by the toy vehicle on the drivable surface based on the command received from the remote control.