Children's ride-on vehicles having battery charge indicator assemblies

• US 7,513,324 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Huntsberger, Kurt J., Bergum, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Christopher P
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWENSON, BRIAN L
• Application Number:
  US11/213,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20070045013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/908, 446/465
• US Class Current: 180/65.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/20 Vehicles specially adapted for children, e.g. toy vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 9/00 Children's cycles toy vehicles A63H17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/908 Motor vehicles with short wheelbase

Abstract

Children'"'"'s ride-on vehicles having charge indicator assemblies that are adapted to provide at least a visual indication of the state of charge of the ride-on'"'"'s battery assembly. The vehicles are reduced-scale vehicles, often formed substantially from molded plastic, that are sized for use by children and which include battery-powered motor assemblies. The vehicles include a charge indicator assembly that is adapted to selectively assess an input voltage from the battery assembly and provide an output representative of the relative state of charge of the battery assembly. In some embodiments, the charge indicator assembly includes a charge indicator module that is mounted on the vehicle'"'"'s body, optionally in a position to be accessed by a child operating the ride-on, and which includes a button or other actuator adapted to cause the charge indicator assembly to assess the state of charge of the battery assembly.

Claims

1. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one steerable wheel and at least one driven wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel;

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

at least one user input device positioned to receive inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat and adapted to actuate the motor assembly, and

a battery assembly adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly and including at least one battery; and

a charge indicator assembly in communication with the drive assembly and adapted to selectively receive an input voltage from the battery assembly, the charge indicator assembly comprising;

an electronic circuit adapted to assess an input voltage to the circuit, and

an indicator adapted to provide an output representative of the input voltage, the indicator including a visual display disposed on the body in a location visible to the child sifting in the at least one seat.

2. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one batteries is a rechargeable battery.

3. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the visual display is adapted to display discrete ranges of outputs representative of the input voltage.

4. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the visual display comprises at least one LED.

5. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 4, wherein the charge indicator assembly electronic circuit is adapted to illuminate a plurality of LEDs, each at a specific threshold input voltage.

6. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 5, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes at least three LEDs.

7. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 5, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes LEDs of at least two different colors.

8. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 4, wherein the charge indicator assembly electronic circuit is adapted to illuminate a plurality of LEDs, each within a predetermined range of input voltages.

9. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle body further includes a battery compartment adapted to receive the battery assembly.

10. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charge indicator assembly further includes an actuator that is adapted to switch the charge indicator assembly between a first state where the indicator output is not representative of the input voltage and a second state where the indicator output is representative of the input voltage.

11. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 10, wherein the actuator is disposed adjacent the visual display.

12. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 10, wherein the charge indicator assembly is adapted to operate in the second state only when the actuator is pressed.

13. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 10, wherein the charge indicator assembly is adapted to operate in the second state for a period of time after the actuator is pressed.

14. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charge indicator assembly is adapted to switch at fixed time intervals between a first state where the indicator output is not representative of the input voltage and a second state where the indicator output is representative of the input voltage.

15. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charge indicator assembly is adapted, when the at least one input device receives inputs from the child sitting in the at least one seat, to switch between a first state where the indicator output is not representative of the input voltage and a second state where the indicator output is representative of the input voltage.

16. A children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle, comprising:

a body having at least one seat sized for a child;

a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least one steerable wheel and at least one driven wheel;

a steering assembly comprising a steering mechanism adapted to receive steering inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat, and a steering linkage adapted to convey the steering inputs to the at least one steerable wheel;

a drive assembly adapted to selectively drive the rotation of the at least one driven wheel, wherein the drive assembly comprises;

a motor assembly comprising at least one electric motor,

at least one user input device positioned to receive inputs from a child sitting on the at least one seat and adapted to actuate the motor assembly, and

a battery assembly adapted to selectively energize the motor assembly and including at least one rechargeable battery; and

a charge indicator assembly in communication with the drive assembly, the charge indicator assembly comprising;

an electronic circuit adapted to assess an input voltage to the circuit from the battery assembly,

a visual indicator disposed on the body in a location visible to the child sitting in the at least one seat, and adapted to display an output representative of the input voltage, and

an actuator disposed on the body adjacent the indicator and accessible to a child sitting in the at least one seat, the actuator being adapted to actuate the electronic circuit and the visual indicator.

17. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 16, wherein the visual indicator includes a plurality of LEDs.

18. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 17, wherein the plurality of LEDs includes LEDs of more than one color.

19. The children'"'"'s ride-on vehicle of claim 17, wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to illuminate each of the LEDs upon detection of a specific and different threshold input voltage.