JPH08294206A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a remote controller by which the secondary battery of a moving unit can be charged automatically. CONSTITUTION: If a charging time detecting means 64 detects that it is a time for charging the secondary battery of a moving unit 10 and a signal which means that state is inputted to the microcomputer control unit 62 of a controller 60, the microcomputer control unit 62 guides the moving unit 10 into a specific region by the radio transmission and, after that, transmits a signal to a charging mechanism unit 140 and makes a permanent magnet which is a catching and holding means catch the moving unit 10. If the microcomputer control unit 62 decides that the moving unit 10 is held by the permanent magnet in a proper state in accordance with a signal from a moving unit existence detecting switch 180, the microcomputer control unit 62 transmits a signal to a charge control unit 120 which starts charging the secondary battery of the moving unit 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device for remotely controlling a moving body such as a robot in game machines and industrial machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a remote control device, there is a remote control device such as a radio controlled car for operating a moving body by radio transmission from a control means. Such a moving body has a secondary battery and operates by being supplied with power from the secondary battery. And when the secondary battery of the moving body is exhausted,
The operator needs to charge the secondary battery using a charging device.

[0003]

By the way, in the conventional remote control device, when charging the secondary battery of the moving body,
Since the operator himself had to connect the charging terminal of the mobile body and the power supply terminal of the charging device, there was a problem that it took time and effort. Therefore, it is desired to realize a mechanism capable of automatically charging a secondary battery of a mobile body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device capable of automatically charging a secondary battery of a moving body.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, a remote control device according to the invention of claim 1 has a secondary battery, and is operated by being supplied with power from the secondary battery. A body, a charging time detection means for detecting a time for charging the secondary battery, an operation command to the mobile body by wireless transmission, and a mobile body when receiving a signal output from the charging time detection means. An operation control unit that guides the moving body to a specific area of the movable area; a capturing and fixing unit that captures and fixes the moving body that is guided to the specific area; And a charging device having charging control means for charging the secondary battery of the moving body after fixing the battery.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect of the invention, the capturing and fixing means has a fixing force releasing means for releasing a fixing force for fixing the moving body. It is what

A remote control device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the remote control device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, further comprising position detecting means for detecting the presence of the moving body in the specific area, and the charging control means. When the signal output from the position detecting means is received, the capturing and fixing means captures the moving body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first to third aspects of the invention, there is provided fixed state detection means for detecting that the fixed state of the moving body by the capturing and fixing means is proper. It is characterized by being provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the fourth aspect, the charge control means charges the secondary battery when receiving the signal output from the fixed state detecting means. It is characterized by starting.

A remote control device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the remote control device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the charging control means controls the moving body by the capturing and fixing means when the fixed state of the moving body is not proper. After releasing the fixed state, the capturing and fixing means is caused to capture the moving body again.

A remote control device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the remote control device according to the sixth aspect, wherein the operation control means includes the moving body after the fixed state of the moving body is released by the capturing and fixing means. Is moved outside the specific area, and then the moving body is guided to the specific area again.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the fourth to seventh aspects, the fixed state detecting means uses a limit switch. The movable body is configured to operate the limit switch when the fixed state is appropriate.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the fourth to seventh aspects of the invention, the fixed state detecting means uses a photo interrupter.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the fourth aspect, the fixed state detecting means fixes the moving body by detecting a change in charging current by the charging control means. It is characterized by detecting that the state is proper.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect, the capturing and fixing means is a permanent magnet, and the permanent magnet is an iron member provided on the moving body. It is characterized in that the moving body is captured by adsorption.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect, the capturing and fixing means is an electromagnet composed of a magnetic body and a coil, and an electric current is passed through the coil. The electromagnet captures the moving body by adsorbing an iron member provided on the moving body.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect, the charging timing detecting means has a timer for measuring an operating time of the moving body. When the operating time reaches a predetermined time, it is detected that it is time to charge the secondary battery.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect, the charge timing detecting means monitors the accumulated charge amount of the secondary battery, and the accumulated charge amount is When it reaches a predetermined value, it is detected that it is time to charge the secondary battery.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote control device according to the first aspect, the charge timing detecting means calculates an integral value of the moving amount of the moving body, and the integral value is When it reaches a predetermined value, it is detected that it is time to charge the secondary battery.

[0020]

According to the present invention, with the above structure, when the charging timing detecting means detects that it is time to charge the secondary battery of the moving body and outputs a signal to that effect to the operation controlling means, the operation controlling means wirelessly operates. The mobile body is guided to a specific region by transmission, and the capturing and fixing means of the charging device captures and fixes the mobile body guided to the specific region, so that the charging terminal of the mobile body and the power supply terminal of the charging device. Since and can be brought into contact with each other without human intervention, the secondary battery of the moving body can be automatically charged.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a game machine to which the remote control device is applied, and FIG. 3 is a tablet board of the remote control device. Schematic diagram, Figure 4
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a position detection circuit of a controller in the remote control device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device of the present embodiment has a plurality of moving bodies 10 and a tablet board 40.
, Operation panel 50, controller 60, and moving body 1
A constant current power source 80, which is a power source for charging a secondary battery of 0, and a charging dock 100 are provided. In this remote control device, electromagnetic induction between the transmitting coil 44 provided on the tablet board 40 and the receiving coil 16 provided on the moving body 10, and movement with the loop coil array 46 provided on the tablet board 40 are performed. The operation of the moving body 10 is controlled by transmitting and receiving a signal between the moving body 10 and the controller 60 using electromagnetic induction between the transmitting coils 18a and 18b provided on the body 10. . Further, the moving body 10 has a secondary battery, and operates by being supplied with power from the secondary battery.

In this embodiment, the case where such a remote control device is applied to a game machine will be considered. In this game machine, as shown in FIG. 2, two moving bodies 10a and 10b placed on a tablet board 40 are freely moved by operating operation panels 50a and 50b, respectively, so that two players can play a ball game. It is a game. Further, when the secondary battery of each of the moving bodies 10a and 10b has dropped below a predetermined voltage value, it is necessary to charge the secondary battery.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tablet board 40 has a flat plate 42, a transmitting coil 44, and a loop coil array 46. As the flat plate 42, for example, a table size having a length of 80 cm and a width of 100 cm is used. The transmitting coil 44 is used for transmitting a signal from the controller 60 to the moving body 10, and is a large coil wound around the peripheral end of the flat plate 42 by a predetermined number. The loop coil array 46 is a flat plate 42.
It is used to detect the position of the upper moving body 10, and is composed of an x-direction loop coil array 46a and a y-direction loop coil array 46b. Each of the x-direction loop coil array 46a and the y-direction loop coil array 46b has a large number of loop coils arranged on the flat plate 42 along the x-direction (horizontal direction) and the y-direction (longitudinal direction).
Here, 160 loop coils are provided in the x direction and 128 loop coils are provided in the y direction, and each loop coil has two turns.
The loop coil arranged in the x direction and the loop coil arranged in the y direction have an interval of about 5 mm in each direction. In addition, each loop coil in the x direction is numbered from 1 to 160
The numbers are sequentially assigned to the loop coils in the y direction, and the numbers from 1 to 128 are sequentially assigned to the respective loop coils in the y direction, and the x and y coordinates on the tablet board are set by these numbers. As the loop coil array 46, a film sheet on which a loop coil pattern is printed may be used.

Two operation panels 50 are provided and are input devices for inputting operation commands to each moving body 10. As shown in Figure 2, this is a joystick (joystic
k) 52 and two command buttons 54a and 54b. By moving the joystick 52 back and forth and left and right, the moving body 10 moves in the moved direction. When the command button 54a is pressed, the moving body 10 rotates counterclockwise at the same position, and when the command button 54b is pressed, the moving body 10 rotates clockwise at the same position.

The controller 60, as shown in FIG.
The microcomputer control unit 62, the charging timing detection means 64, the modulation circuit 66, and the position detection circuit 68 as position detection means for detecting the positions of the plurality of moving bodies 10 on the tablet board 40 are provided.

The microcomputer control unit 62 includes an operation control means for issuing an operation command to the moving body 10, and is an 8-bit one-chip microcomputer, a parallel I / O port, a serial I / O port, and a RAM. , And ROM.
The ROM stores a game program, a moving body 10 charging program, and the like. The microcomputer control unit 62 is
An operation signal is output to the modulation circuit 66 in synchronization with a clock signal based on an operation command sent from the operation panel 50 to the moving body 10. Here, the operation signal transmitted by the microcomputer control unit 62 is a synchronization signal, I for identifying the moving body 10.
It includes a D signal.

The charging time detecting means 64 detects the time when the moving body 10 is charged. In fact, most of the electric power consumed by the moving body 10 is used for driving the motor. For this reason, in the present embodiment, as the charging timing detection means 64, one having a timer for measuring a substantial time (play time) during which the moving body 10 is operating is used. Then, when the operating time reaches a predetermined time, the charge timing detection means 64 detects that it is the charge timing of the moving body 10 and outputs a signal to that effect to the microcomputer control section 62. The microcomputer control unit 62 uses the charging time detection means 6
When the signal from 4 is received, the charging program is started.

The modulation circuit 66 bi-phase-encodes the operation signal from the microcomputer controller 62 and performs AM modulation. The AC signal modulated by the modulation circuit 66 is output to the transmitting coil 44 of the tablet board 40.

The position detection circuit 68 identifies the loop coil of the loop coil array 46 in which the induced current flows when the mobile unit 10 applies an alternating current to the transmission coil, and thus the transmission coil of the mobile unit 10 is identified. The position of is detected. This position detection circuit 68, as shown in FIG.
Analog switch array 72 and first detection circuit 74a
A second detection circuit 74b, a first latch circuit 76a,
It has a second latch circuit 76b and a counter 78.

The analog switch array 72 comprises an x-direction analog switch array 72a and a y-direction analog switch array 72b. The x-direction analog switch array 72a has a large number of analog switches, and each analog switch is connected to each x-direction loop coil, as shown in FIG. The x-direction analog switch array 72a sequentially switches the connection of each loop coil in the x-direction based on the control signal S from the microcomputer controller 62. As a result, the loop coil of the x-direction loop coil array 46a in which the induced current has flown is specified. Further, the y-direction analog switch array 72b is similarly configured.

First detection circuit 74a and second detection circuit 74
b is an x-direction analog switch array 72a,
The AC signal obtained from the y-direction analog switch array 72b is converted into a pulse signal. Counter 78
Counts the numbers 1 to 160 according to the control signal S based on the clock signal C from the microcomputer control unit 62 and outputs the count information to the first latch circuit 76a and the second latch circuit 76b. . In addition, the first latch circuit 76a uses the count information to detect the first detection circuit 74a.
The count value obtained by capturing the pulse signal sent from a is stored. Similarly, the second latch circuit 76b stores the count value obtained by capturing the pulse signal sent from the second detection circuit 74b based on the count information. The count value stored in the first latch circuit 76a becomes the x-coordinate for the transmitting coil of the moving body 10, and the second latch circuit 76
The count value stored in b is the y coordinate for the transmitting coil of the mobile unit 10.

Next, the moving body 10 and the charging device will be described. 5 is a schematic view of a moving body, FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a charging dock of a charging device, FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a moving body and a charging dock, and FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a charge amount control unit of the charging dock. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the charging mechanism portion of the charging dock, FIG.
0 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the moving body, the charging dock, and the tablet board when the moving body is being charged.

First, the moving body 10 will be described. The mobile unit 10 is a self-propelled robot that moves along the surface of the tablet board 40 by operating the operation panel 50, and two mobile units are arranged here. As the shape of the moving body 10, for example, a cylindrical shape is used, and the dimensions thereof are a bottom diameter of about 60 mm and a height of about 80 mm.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7, each moving body 10 includes a mechanism unit 12, a battery unit 14, a receiving coil 16, and
Two transmission coils 18a and 18b, a control unit 22, and
The charging terminals 24a and 24b and the iron plate 26 provided on the side surface of the moving body 10 are provided. Here, the side on which the iron plate 26 is provided is the front of the moving body 10.

The mechanical portion 12 has two small DC motors for driving and a total of two wheels provided on the left and right sides. Each wheel is independently driven by a separate motor. As a result, the moving body 10 can move forward and backward, rotate rightward or counterclockwise, and bend leftward and rightward. For example, both wheels are normally rotated when moving forward, and both wheels are reversed when moving backward. When rotating, one wheel is normally rotated and the other wheel is reversely rotated. Further, when turning right while moving forward, the left motor is set to full power and the right motor is set to half power. To switch between full power and half power, change the motor excitation voltage or turn on the excitation current periodically.
It can be realized by duty control that turns off. Then, here, the power of the motor is adjusted in three steps to make the moving body 1
You can move 0 at full speed, half speed, and quarter speed. For the battery unit 14, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery of 6V, 500 mA or more is used.

The receiving coil 16 is the tablet board 4
The electromagnetic wave generated by the transmission coil 44 of 0 is received. On the other hand, the transmission coils 18a and 18b generate alternating magnetic fields to generate magnetic fields. Transmission coil 1
8a is a bottom surface of the moving body 10 and is provided on the front side thereof, and the transmitting coil 18b is a bottom surface of the moving body 10 and is provided on the back side thereof. The distance between the transmitting coil 18a and the transmitting coil 18b is set to about 30 mm, and the center of the line segment connecting the transmitting coil 18a and the transmitting coil 18b is positioned on the substantially central axis of the moving body 10. I have to. The receiving coil 16 is also provided on the bottom surface of the moving body 10, but its position is set arbitrarily.

Thus, the two transmitting coils 18a,
By providing 18b, even if the moving body 10 is stationary, the controller 60 can detect the position of the moving body 10 from the position of each transmitting coil 18a, 18b, for example, as the center of those positions. In addition to the above, it is possible to detect in which direction the moving body 10 faces the front. Therefore, the controller 60
Can easily finely adjust the direction of the moving body 10 when the moving body 10 enters the charging dock 100 based on the information about the direction of the moving body 10.

The control unit 22 controls the mobile unit 10 as a whole. Specifically, after demodulating the induced current received by the receiving coil 16 into a biphase encoded signal,
Based on the clock signal extracted from the demodulated bi-phase coded signal, only the operation signal is extracted from the bi-phase coded signal. And the ID in the operation signal
It is determined based on the signal whether or not the signal is addressed to itself. When it is determined that it is addressed to itself, the alternating current is transmitted to the two transmitting coils 18a and 18b.
Flow in the order of a and 18b. Further, the motor is driven based on the extracted operation signal to perform a predetermined operation. Furthermore, when charging, the circuit of the secondary battery is switched.

The charging terminals 24a and 24b are connected to the + terminal and the-terminal of the secondary battery, respectively, and are provided at the upper left portion and the upper right portion of the iron plate 26, as shown in FIG. As the charging terminals 24a and 24b, leaf spring-like ones are used, and the width in the lateral direction is a line segment connecting the positions of both ends and the center of the moving body 10 as shown in FIG. The length is such that the angle is about 20 degrees.

Next, the charging device will be described. The charging device includes a charging dock 100 and a microcomputer control unit 62.
It is composed of and. The charging dock 100
A device for charging the moving body 10, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, a case 110 having a concave surface 112 into which at least a part of the moving body 10 can be inserted, and a charge amount control unit 120. , Charging mechanism section 140, power supply terminals 170a and 170b, and moving body presence / absence detection switch 180
And with. Here, the microcomputer control unit 62 and the charge amount control unit 120 serve as a charge control unit that charges the secondary battery of the moving body 10. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two charging docks 100a, 1
00b are arranged side by side at one end of the tablet board 40.

As shown in FIG. 8, the charge amount controller 120 has a voltage monitor 122 and a timer 124 as charge completion detecting means, a microcomputer 126, and a switch circuit 128.
And a transistor 132. Voltage monitor 122
Is for monitoring the voltage value of the secondary battery when the mobile body 10 is being charged, and the timer 124 is for measuring that a predetermined time has elapsed since the mobile body 10 was charged. The microcomputer 126 determines whether or not the charging of the secondary battery is completed based on the information about the voltage value from the voltage monitor 122. When it is determined that the charging of the secondary battery is completed, the microcomputer 126 controls the switch circuit 128. , Transistor 13
2 is turned off to stop the charging operation. Also, microcomputer 1
26 also similarly stops the charging operation when a signal indicating that a certain time has elapsed is received from the timer 124 before it is determined that the charging of the secondary battery is completed based on the information from the voltage monitor 122. To do. In this way, the timer 124 is provided because, for example, when the voltage monitor 122 fails, when the secondary battery is overcharged, the secondary battery generates heat,
This is because it may end up bursting, so it is for safety to prevent such a situation. In addition, when the charge amount control unit 120 determines that the charge is completed, the charge amount control unit 120 sends a signal S ₁ to that effect to the microcomputer control unit 6 of the controller 60.
Output to 2.

The charging mechanism section 140, as shown in FIG.
A permanent magnet 142 as a capturing and fixing unit that captures and fixes the moving body 10, a fixing force releasing unit 144 that releases the fixing force that the permanent magnet 142 fixes the moving body 10, and a drive that drives the fixing force releasing unit 144. And a circuit 146. The permanent magnet 142 is provided on the concave surface 112 of the case 110.
The movable body 10 guided in a specific area near the is captured and fixed by adsorbing the iron plate 26 provided on the front surface thereof. This specific region is set as a region R inside a circle having a diameter of about 100 mm, as shown in FIG. 10, for example. In addition, the fixing force releasing means 144 is similar to that shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 152, the shaft 154, the first gear 156, and the second gear 158 that converts the rotational force into a linear motion are included, and the permanent magnet 142 is attached to the tip of the shaft 154. . The drive circuit 146 drives and controls the motor 152 based on the signal S ₂ from the microcomputer controller 62. Then, the first gear 156 provided on the motor 152 meshes with the second gear 158 provided on the shaft 154, and the driving force of the motor 152 is transmitted to the shaft 154, whereby the permanent magnet 142 moves back and forth. . Thereby, the strength of the force with which the permanent magnet 142 attracts the iron plate 26 of the moving body 10 existing in the specific region R is changed. Here, when the moving body 10 is playing, the permanent magnet 142 is at the position B shown in FIG. 10, while when the moving body 10 is captured during charging, the permanent magnet 142 is set to the position B.
To position A in front of. Position B is the moving body 1
Even when 0 is located in the specific region R, the driving force of the motor of the moving body 10 itself is a position where the permanent magnet 142 overcomes the force of adsorbing the iron plate 26, and the position A moves on the contrary. When the body 10 is located within the specific region R,
The force at which the permanent magnet 142 attracts the iron plate 26 overcomes the driving force of the motor of the moving body 10. Then, when the fixing force releasing means 144 moves the permanent magnet 142 to the position B from the state where the permanent magnet 142 fixes the moving body 10 at the position A, the moving body 10 causes the power supply terminal 17 to move.
0a and 170b cannot move together, and only the permanent magnet 142 moves to the position B, so that the fixed state of the moving body 10 by the permanent magnet 142 is released.

The power supply terminals 170a and 170b are brought into contact with the charging terminals 24a and 24b of the mobile unit 10 to supply power to the secondary battery of the mobile unit 10, respectively.
Here, a contact pin (made by Mac Eight) with a built-in spring is used. Each power supply terminal 170a, 17
0b are attached to the upper right and upper left portions of the permanent magnet 142, respectively, with their tips protruding from the concave surface 112 of the case 110. In particular, here, the permanent magnet 142 is connected to the moving body 10.
When the power is captured and fixed, each power supply terminal 170
a and 170b are the charging terminals 24 of the moving body 10, respectively.
The magnetic force of the permanent magnet 132 and the lengths of the tips of the power supply terminals 170a and 170b to be projected are determined so as to surely contact the a and 24b with a necessary and sufficient contact pressure. In this embodiment, the necessary and sufficient contact pressure is 100 g weight / m.
Designed to be at least m ² .

The charging terminals 24a, 24 of the mobile unit 10 are
A leaf spring-shaped member having a predetermined width is used as b, while the power supply terminals 170a, 17 of the charging dock 100 are used.
The reason why the contact pin is used as 0b is as follows. That is, in the remote control device of the present embodiment, the position of the moving body 10 can be detected with an accuracy of about ± 5 mm, and the two transmitting coils 18a,
Since the distance between 18b is about 30 mm, the moving body 1
The 0 direction can be accurately detected within a range of about ± 10 degrees. Therefore, in consideration of such an error, when charging the moving body 10, even when the direction of the moving body 10 is slightly deviated, the charging terminal 24a of the moving body 10,
24b and a terminal 170a for supplying power to the charging dock 100,
This is to ensure that it contacts 170b. Further, it is also possible to easily obtain a predetermined contact pressure by reducing the contact area.

As the moving body presence / absence detection switch 180,
As shown in FIG. 6, a mechanical limit switch is used. This is because the moving body 10 is satisfactorily fixed by the permanent magnet 142, and the charging terminals 24a, 2 of the moving body 10 are provided.
4b and power supply terminals 170a, 1 of the charging dock 100
The moving body 10 is configured to operate the limit switch when the moving body 10 and 70b are pressed with a contact pressure of 100 g weight / mm ² or more. Therefore, the moving body presence / absence detection switch 148 serves as a fixed state detecting means for detecting that the fixed state of the moving body 10 by the permanent magnet 142 is proper, and the charging terminals 24a, 24 of the moving body 10.
b and terminals 170a, 17 for supplying power to the charging dock 100
It also serves as a terminal contact state detecting means for detecting that the contact state with 0b is appropriate. When the limit switch operates, the moving object presence / absence detection switch 180
The signal S ₃ is transmitted from the microcomputer to the microcomputer controller 62.

In the present embodiment, half-duplex communication utilizing electromagnetic induction is adopted as the communication system between the tablet board 40 and the mobile unit 10. That is, when the operation command is transferred from the controller 60 to the moving body 10, the bi-phase encoded and AM-modulated AC signal is transmitted to the transmitting coil 44 of the tablet board 40.
Then, an induced current is passed through the receiving coil 16 of the moving body 10 by mutual induction. The moving body 10 reads the operation command from the induced current. On the other hand, when the position information of the moving body 10 is transferred from the moving body 10 to the controller 60, an alternating current is sequentially applied to the two transmitting coils 18 a and 18 b of the moving body 10 to make the loop coil array of the tablet board 40. An induced current is passed through 46. Controller 6
At 0, the position and direction of the moving body 10 are detected by specifying the positions of the two loop coils in which these induced currents flow. Then, the communication operation is sequentially and separately performed on the two mobile units 10a and 10b at regular intervals.
The operation control of each moving body 10a, 10b is performed.

Here, the operation of the controller 60 for detecting the xy coordinate information of the two transmitting coils 18a, 18b of the moving body 10 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4 and 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a sequence for detecting the position information of the two transmitting coils of the moving body.
The transmission signal S ₁₁ output by the microcomputer controller 62 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in, an ID signal as a mobile body identification code,
And a COM signal as a moving body control command code for controlling the motor speed and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission signal S ₁₁ is modulated into an AC signal by the modulation circuit 66 and then sent out to the transmission coil 44 of the tablet board 40 to generate a magnetic field on the entire surface of the tablet board 40.
When a magnetic field is generated in the tablet board 40, two mobile 10a, an induced current in the receiving coil 16 of the 10b flow by mutual induction, the control unit 22 receives the received signal S ₁₂ corresponding to the AC signal. Then, the control unit 22 determines whether or not the signal is addressed to itself based on the ID signal in the received signal S ₁₂ . CO if not for self
Do not recognize the part of the M signal. On the other hand, when it is determined that the packet is addressed to itself (here, it is addressed to the mobile unit 10a), the mobile unit 10a performs a predetermined operation in accordance with the command of the COM signal, and the two transmission coils 18a, 18a, 1
AC signals S ₁₃ and S ₁₄ are supplied to 8b in the order of the transmission coils 18a and 18b for a certain period.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the microcomputer control section 62 first, while the AC signal S ₁₃ is flowing through the transmitting coil 18a of the moving body 10a, the x-direction analog switch array 72a and the y-direction are arranged. Analog switch array 72
The control signal S is sent to b, and each analog switch is sequentially turned on from the 1st to the 160th. And
When the analog switch corresponding to the loop coil located where the transmitting coil 18a of the moving body 10a is located is turned on, an induced current flows in the loop coil, so that the transmitting coil 18a of the moving body 10a signal of the analog switch array 72a, is taken out as an AC signal S _15, S _16, respectively from 72b. These AC signals S ₁₅ and S ₁₆ are transmitted to the first detection circuit 74a and the first detection circuit 74a, respectively.
Is converted into a pulse signal S _17, S ₁₈ in the second detection circuit 74b. First latch circuit 76a and second latch circuit 76b
Captures the value of the count information S ₁₉ from the counter 78 at the timing when the pulse signals S ₁₇ and S ₁₈ are input, respectively. These count values are sent to the microcomputer control unit 62 as the xy coordinate information S ₂₁ , S ₂₂ of the transmitting coil 18a of the moving body 10a. Next, the controller 60 operates each of the analog switch arrays 72a and 72b within the period in which the alternating current S ₁₄ is flowing in the transmitting coil 18b of the moving body 10a, thereby similarly transmitting the moving body 10a. The xy coordinate information of the coil 18b is detected.

Next, the operation of charging the moving body in the remote control device of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of charging the mobile body. Here, consider the case where one mobile body is charged.

When the player starts the game and the charged mobile body 10 starts to operate again, the charging time detection means 64 is activated (step 12). Then, the microcomputer control unit 62, based on the signal from the charging timing detection means 64,
It is determined whether the operation time of the mobile unit 10 has reached a predetermined time (step 14), and if it is determined that the operation time of the mobile unit 10 has reached the predetermined time, the charging program is started. When the charging program is executed, first, the microcomputer control unit 62 issues a predetermined operation command to the moving body 10 to move the moving body 10 to a specific area R near the charging dock 100.
And the front of the moving body 10 is guided to the charging dock 1
The orientation of the moving body 10 is controlled so as to face the permanent magnets No. 00 of 00 (step 16). Next, the microcomputer controller 62
Determines whether or not the moving body 10 is positioned within the specific region R with a predetermined orientation based on the position information of the moving body 10 detected by the position detection circuit 68 (step 18).
If the microcomputer control unit 10 determines that the moving body 10 is not located within the specific region R with a predetermined orientation, step 16
Then, the operation command is issued to the moving body 10 again, and the operation of guiding the moving body 10 into the region R is redone.

On the other hand, when the microcomputer control unit 62 determines that the moving body 10 is actually positioned within the specific region R with a predetermined orientation, it outputs a signal S ₂ to the drive circuit 146 of the charging mechanism unit 140. Then, the drive circuit 146 controls the drive of the motor based on the signal S ₂ , and the permanent magnet 14
2 is moved forward to point A in FIG. As a result, the permanent magnet 142 attracts the iron plate 26, and the moving body 10
Is fixed (step 22). Next, the microcomputer controller 62
Is a signal S sent from the moving body presence / absence detection switch 180.
Based on ₃ , it is determined whether or not the fixed state between the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet 142 and the contact state between the moving body 10 and the terminals of the charging dock 100 are appropriate (step 24). If the microcomputer control unit 62 uses the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet 14
When it is determined that the fixed state with the mobile terminal 2 and the contact state between the moving body 10 and the terminals of the charging dock 100 are not appropriate, the drive circuit 1
A signal S ₂ is sent to 46 to move the permanent magnet 142 to the rear point B in FIG. 10 (step 26). Then, the microcomputer control unit 62 once moves the moving body 10 to a predetermined position outside the specific region R (step 28), moves to step 16, and again performs the operation of guiding the moving body 10 into the region R. . After moving the permanent magnet 142 in step 26, the moving body 10 is moved to the outside of the specific region R without being moved to step 22.
You may make it shift to. By repeatedly fixing and releasing the moving body 10 by moving the permanent magnet 142, the fixed state of the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet 142 and the moving body 10 are fixed.
This is because the contact state between the terminals of the charging dock 100 and the charging dock 100 can be improved.

Then, in step 24, when the microcomputer controller 62 determines that the fixed state of the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet 142 and the contact state between the moving body 10 and the terminals of the charging dock 100 are proper, the charge amount control is performed. A signal S ₄ indicating that charging is started is sent to the microcomputer 126 of the section 120, and the microcomputer 126 charges the moving body 10 (step 32). afterwards,
The microcomputer 126 uses the voltage monitor 122 or the timer 124.
It is determined whether the charging is completed based on the information from (step 34). When the microcomputer 126 determines that the charging of the moving body 10 is completed, the microcomputer 126 stops the charging and sends a signal S ₁ indicating that the charging is completed to the microcomputer controller 62. Upon receiving the signal S ₁ , the microcomputer control unit 62 sends the signal S ₂ to the drive circuit 146 of the charging mechanism unit 140 to move the permanent magnet 142 to the rear point B (step 3
6) The moving body 10 is released (step 38). Thus
After the charging operation of the moving body 10 is completed, the moving body 10 can be operated by the operation panel 50.

By the way, while the mobile body is being charged as described above, the operation of the mobile body cannot be controlled by the operation panel. However, by disposing four moving bodies, the operation of the two moving bodies can be controlled by the operation panel 50 at all times. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a system capable of controlling the operation of such two mobile units at all times, and FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a charging operation timing for four mobile units in the system.

In this system, four mobile units 10a,
10b, 10c, 10d are arranged, and the moving bodies 10a, 10
c by operating the operation panel 50a, the moving body 10b, 10d
Is to be operated on the operation panel 50b. First,
As shown in FIG. 13, the moving bodies 10a and 10b are placed in charging docks 100a and 100b, respectively.
Charge a and 10b for a certain period of time. At this time, the other moving bodies 10c and 10d are respectively operated by the operation panels 50a and 50b.
Can be operated freely. Then, when charging of the moving bodies 10a and 10b is completed, the moving bodies 10c and 10d are charged to the charging docks 100a and 100b.
Replace one by one. As a specific order of replacement, the moving body 10a after charging is charged to the charging dock 100a.
Then, the moving body 10c is charged into the charging dock 100a, and the moving body 10c is charged. On the other hand, the moving body 10b that has been charged is released from the charging dock 100b, the moving body 10d is placed in the charging dock 100b, and the moving body 10d is charged. Therefore, after replacing the moving bodies, the moving bodies 10a and 10b can be freely operated by the operation panels 50a and 50b, respectively. By arranging four moving bodies in this way and charging them alternately as a set of two moving bodies, it is possible to always play a game using the other two unmoving moving bodies. You can

In the remote control device of this embodiment, when the charging time detection means detects that it is time to charge the moving body and outputs a signal to that effect to the microcomputer control part of the controller, the microcomputer control part transmits wirelessly. By guiding the moving body to a specific area by the, and the permanent magnet of the charging dock captures and fixes the moving body guided to the specific area, the charging terminal of the moving body and the power supply terminal of the charging dock are connected. Since it can be contacted without human intervention, the secondary battery of the moving body can be automatically charged.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the mechanical limit switch is used as the moving body presence / absence detection switch has been described, but a photointerrupter or the like may be used as the moving body presence / absence detection switch. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a transmissive photo interrupter is used as a moving object presence / absence detection switch. As shown in FIG. 15, this transmissive photo interrupter has a light emitting element 182 and a light receiving element 184 opposed to each other at a predetermined interval. At this time, a small protrusion 32 is provided on the side surface of the moving body 10. And the moving body 1
When 0 is captured by the permanent magnet of the charging dock 100,
The projection 32 blocks light from the light emitting element 182, and the light emitting element 1
Since the light from 82 does not enter the light receiving element 184, the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet are in a good fixed state, and the terminals of the moving body 10 and the charging dock 100 are in a good contact state. Can be detected.

On the other hand, FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a reflection type photo interrupter is used as a moving body presence / absence detection switch. In this reflection type photo interrupter, a light emitting element 186 and a light receiving element 188 are arranged side by side at a predetermined angle. At this time, the moving body 10 has a reflecting mirror 3
4 is provided. Then, the moving body 10 is the charging dock 10
When captured by the permanent magnet of No. 0, the light from the light emitting element 186 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 34 of the moving body 10, and the light receiving element 18
When the moving body 10 and the charging dock 100 are incident on the moving body 10, it can be detected that the moving body 10 is in a good fixed state with the permanent magnet and that the terminals of the moving body 10 and the charging dock 100 are in good contact with each other.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the moving body presence / absence detection switch 180 is made to serve as the fixed state detecting means and the terminal contact state detecting means has been described. Presence detection switch 1
The function 80 may serve only as a fixed state detecting means, while the voltage monitor 122 of the charge amount control unit 120 may be used to detect the contact state between the terminals. In this case, the voltage monitor 122 monitors that a predetermined voltage value is present, and if the predetermined voltage value is present, determines that the contact state between the terminals is good. By thus providing the fixed state detecting means and the terminal contact state detecting means separately, the contact state between the terminals can be detected more accurately.

Further, the fixed state detecting means may detect the fixed state of the moving body by detecting a change in charging current. In this case, as the charge amount control unit 120a, as shown in FIG. 17, the voltage monitor 122, the timer 124, the microcomputer 126, and the switch circuit 128.
A transistor having a transistor 132, a resistor 134, and a comparator 136 is used. Where the resistor 134
Is provided between the power supply terminal 170a and the transistor 132, and the negative input terminal of the comparator 136 is between the resistor 134 and the transistor 132.
The positive input terminal of the comparator 136 is connected between the resistor and the power supply terminal 170a. Further, the output signal S _c from the comparator 136 is output to the microcomputer controller 62. Then, when charging the moving body 10, when the microcomputer control unit 62 determines that the moving body 10 is positioned within the specific region with a predetermined orientation, the charge amount control unit 1
The signal S ₄ is sent to the microcomputer 126 of the 20
6 controls the switch circuit 128 to control the transistor 1
Turn on 32. At this time, since the moving body 10 has not been fixed yet, the charging current does not flow and the potential difference across the resistor 134 is zero, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the positive output signal S _c is obtained from the comparator 136. After that, when the permanent magnet of the charging mechanism attracts the iron plate of the moving body 10 and the fixed state between the moving body 10 and the permanent magnet becomes appropriate, as shown in FIG. 17B, the charging current I _C flows, Since a voltage drop occurs in the resistor 134,
The negative output signal S _c is obtained from the comparator 136.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the charging mechanism is
Although the case where it is configured as shown in FIG. 9 has been described, as the charging mechanism unit, as shown in FIG.
Those having 48 may be used. Swing mechanism 148
Is for movably moving the permanent magnet 142 to the left and right. In this case, the specific region R'in which the mobile body 10 is guided when the mobile body 10 is charged is set to be somewhat farther than the specific region R in the above-described embodiment. Then, when capturing the moving body 10 that is stationary within the specific region R ′,
The permanent magnet 142 is moved forward to the position P ₃ while the permanent magnet 142 is rotated right and left by the swing mechanism 148. In this way, by rotating the permanent magnet 142 to the left and right, even if the direction of the moving body 10 is slightly deviated, the permanent magnet 142 will attract the iron plate 26 from the front, so Can be securely fixed. Then, the permanent magnet 10 is moved to the rear position P ₂
The charging terminal 2 of the moving body 10 by moving to the
4a, 24b and the power supply terminal 1 of the charging dock 100
70a and 170b come into contact with each other. Then, charging of the moving body 10 is started in this state. When charging is completed, the permanent magnet 142 is further moved rearward to the position P ₁ to release the fixed state of the moving body 10 by the permanent magnet 142 and release the moving body 10.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the surface of the iron plate 26 of the moving body 10 and the surfaces of the leaf spring-shaped charging terminals 24a and 24b are formed in a flat shape,
You may comprise so that those planes may become substantially parallel. Thus, when capturing the moving body 10, even if the moving body 1
Even when the direction of 0 is slightly deviated, the permanent magnet and the moving body 10 are reliably fixed.

In the above embodiment, the case where the permanent magnet is used as the capturing and fixing means has been described. For example, the capturing and fixing means is composed of the iron core 162 and the coil 164 as shown in FIG. An electromagnet may be used. In this case, when capturing the moving body 10, the transistor 166 is turned on and the current I is passed through the coil 164, so that the electromagnet attracts the iron plate 26 of the moving body 10.
Further, when releasing the fixed state of the moving body 10, the transistor 166 is turned off so that no current flows through the coil 164.

In the above embodiment, as the charging timing detecting means, the timer measures the operating time of the moving body, and when the operating time reaches a predetermined time, it is detected that it is the charging timing of the moving body. As described above, as the charging timing detection means, the accumulated charge amount of the secondary battery is checked,
It is also possible to use one that detects that it is time to charge the moving body when the remaining accumulated charge amount reaches a predetermined value. In addition, a moving amount of the moving body, for example, an integrated value of the rotation amount of the motor is calculated, and when the calculated integrated value reaches a predetermined value, it is detected that the charging time of the moving body is reached. Good.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the leaf spring-like one is used as the charging terminal of the moving body and the contact pin is used as the power supplying terminal of the charging dock has been described. Use contact pins as charging terminals for
You may use a leaf spring-shaped thing as a terminal for electric power supply of a charging dock.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the charging timing detecting means detects that it is time to charge the secondary battery of the moving body and outputs a signal to that effect to the operation controlling means, The operation control means guides the moving body to a specific area by wireless transmission, and the capturing and fixing means of the charging device captures and fixes the moving body guided to the specific area, whereby the charging terminal of the moving body and the charging device. Since the power supply terminal can be brought into contact with the power supply terminal without human hands, it is possible to provide a remote control device capable of automatically charging the secondary battery of the moving body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a remote control device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a game machine to which the remote control device is applied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a tablet board of the remote control device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a position detection circuit of a controller in the remote control device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a moving body of the remote control device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a charging dock of the remote control device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a moving body and a charging dock in the remote control device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a charge amount control unit of the charging dock.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a charging mechanism portion of the charging dock.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the moving body, the charging dock, and the tablet board when the moving body is being charged.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a sequence for detecting position information of two transmitting coils of a moving body.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of charging the moving body in the remote control device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a system in which the operation of two moving bodies can be controlled at all times.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining charging operation timings for four moving bodies in the system.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a transmissive photo interrupter is used as a moving object presence / absence detection switch.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a reflective photointerrupter is used as a moving object presence / absence detection switch.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining another example of the fixed state detecting means.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a charging mechanism section is provided with a swing mechanism section.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining another example of the iron plate and the charging terminal of the moving body.

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining an example in which an electromagnet is used as a capturing and fixing unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Moving body 12 Mechanism part 14 Battery part 16 Reception coil 18a, 18b Transmission coil 22 Control part 24a, 24b Charging terminal 26 Iron plate 32 Protrusion 34 Reflector 40 Tablet board 42 Flat plate 44 Transmission coil 46 Loop coil array 46a x Directional loop coil array 46by Directional coil coil array 50 Operation panel 52 Joystick 54a, 54b Command button 60 Controller 62 Microcomputer control unit 64 Charge timing detection means 66 Modulation circuit 68 Position detection circuit 72 Analog switch array 72a x direction analog switch array 72by Directional analog switch array 74a First detection circuit 74b Second detection circuit 76a First latch circuit 76b Second latch circuit 78 Counter 80 Constant current power supply 100 Charging dock 1 0 case 112 concave surface 120 charge amount control section 122 voltage monitor 124 timer 126 microcomputer 128 switch circuit 132 transistor 134 resistance 136 comparator 140 charging mechanism section 142 permanent magnet 144 fixing force releasing means 146 drive circuit 148 swing mechanism section 152 motor 154 shaft 156 First gear 158 Second gear 162 Iron core 164 Coil 170a, 170b Power supply terminal 180 Moving object presence / absence detection switch 182,186 Light emitting element 184,188 Light receiving element

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Shitani 2-6-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Steel Corporation

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A mobile unit having a secondary battery, which is operated by being supplied with electric power from the secondary battery, a charging timing detection unit for detecting a timing for charging the secondary battery, and the mobile unit by wireless transmission. While issuing motion commands to the body,
When receiving the signal output from the charging timing detection means, operation control means for guiding the moving body to a specific area of the area where the moving body can move, and capturing the moving body guided to the specific area. And a charging device having a charging control means for charging the secondary battery of the moving body after the fixing means fixes the moving body. Control device. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the capturing and fixing means has a fixing force releasing means for releasing a fixing force for fixing the moving body. 3. A position detecting means for detecting that the moving body is present in the specific area is provided, and the charging control means receives the signal output from the position detecting means, and causes the capturing and fixing means to receive the signal. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device captures a moving body. 4. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising fixed state detection means for detecting that the fixed state of the moving body by the capturing and fixing means is proper. 5. The remote control device according to claim 4, wherein the charge control means starts charging the secondary battery when receiving the signal output from the fixed state detection means. 6. The charging control means, when the fixed state of the moving body is not proper, cancels the fixed state of the moving body by the capturing and fixing means, and then captures the moving body again by the capturing and fixing means. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein
The described remote control device. 7. The operation control means, after the fixed state of the moving body by the capturing and fixing means is released, moves the moving body outside the specific area, and then again identifies the moving body by the specific area. 7. Guide to a region.
The described remote control device. 8. The fixed state detecting means uses a limit switch, and the moving body operates the limit switch when the fixed state of the moving body by the capturing and fixing means is appropriate. The remote control device according to claim 4, wherein the remote control device is provided. 9. The fixed state detecting means uses a photo interrupter.
The described remote control device. 10. The fixed state detecting means detects that the fixed state of the moving body is proper by detecting a change in charging current by the charge control means. 4. The remote control device according to 4. 11. The moving body is trapped by a permanent magnet, wherein the permanent magnet attracts an iron member provided on the moving body to capture the moving body. Remote control device. 12. The capturing / fixing means is an electromagnet including a magnetic body and a coil, and a current is passed through the coil to attract the iron member provided on the moving body to capture the moving body. The remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the remote control device comprises: 13. The charging timing detecting means has a timer for measuring an operating time of the moving body, and is a charging timing of the secondary battery when the operating time reaches a predetermined time. 13. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is for detecting. 14. The charging timing detection means monitors the amount of accumulated charge of the secondary battery, and detects that it is the charging time of the secondary battery when the accumulated charge amount reaches a predetermined value. 13. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is a device. 15. The charging timing detecting means calculates an integral value of the moving amount of the moving body, and detects that the charging timing of the secondary battery is reached when the integral value reaches a predetermined value. 13. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is a device.