EP2021090B1 - Method for switching points in a digital control system for track-guided toy vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for operating a digital control system for track-guided toy vehicles with at least two tracks, in particular for toy vehicles on a car racing track with at least two guide grooves as tracks, wherein at least one switch is provided, which optionally connects two tracks in the switched state, that a toy when driving over the switch from one lane to another lane, and which in an unswitched state, the toy vehicle in the lane without lane change continues, each for a given toy toy given switching command for switching a switch, which this toy as next passes to the switched state in the digital control system together with a digital address of the toy vehicle to which the switching command applies, according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a digital control ersystem for track-guided vehicles with at least two lanes, especially for toy cars on a car racing track with at least two grooves as tracks, at least one switch is provided, which selectively connects two tracks in the switched state such that a toy when driving over the switch from a track changes into another lane, and which continues in an unswitched condition the toy vehicle in the lane without lane change, wherein at least one switch has a digital decoder, which is connected to an actuator of the switch and the digital control system, according to the preamble of claim 11th

So far, it is known, for example, in digitally controlled model trains to control the points of the track system from a central point control to to take a train on a desired route. For this purpose, according to the large model, set a route Weichenstrasse and only then released the appropriate track for driving through a train. However, in certain applications, such as digitally-controlled track-guided vehicle racing tracks, this method is not applicable because a race is a highly dynamic process. Each driver or player who controls a toy vehicle on a car racing track, decides quickly and at short notice on the course of the driving toy controlled by him. If a switch is provided for changing a guide groove of the car race track, each player can individually decide whether the switch is to be switched for his toy vehicle to lane change or not. Here, the high speeds and the possibly dense sequence of toy vehicles must be observed for the point control.

From the DE 203 15 048 U1 For example, a system for controlling moving objects on a multi-lane guideway for a miniature author is known, wherein a transmitter on the moving object is activated for lane change. A command for switching a switch is hereby sent to the movable object, processed there and the movable object itself activates the switching of the switch means activation of the mobile object arranged on the transmitter.

pamphlet US 2003/0155470 A1 concerns a self-learning rail system for a model railroad. Here, a locomotive is driven over a track system and detected at various points overrun by detector elements. Hereby the system learns the structure of the rail system. By means of the detector elements, a particular locomotive can be identified at a particular location and selectively derived from auxiliary gear commands adjacent that portion of the track.

pamphlet DE 36 18 530 A1 relates to a circuit for the busy display of stretch sections of a model railway system at the location of a control center of a model railway system can be detected, which of the locomotives one occupied particular track section by each separate signal generators are arranged on the individual locomotives, which are controlled digitally, which are turned on in each case depending on the particular locomotive for the respective digital control signals and their signals are detected exclusively by that occupancy detector associated with the section is where the locomotive is located. At the location of the occupancy detector or at the location of the control center, a linkage of the detected output signal of the signal generator and a signal which corresponds to the particular for the locomotive in question and characteristic of them control signals.

The invention has for its object to provide a method, a digital control system, a switch and a toy of the o.g. Design such a way that each player is a reliable and reliable switch circuit available that provides a lane change for only the desired toy toys available.

This object is achieved by a method of o.g. Art having the features characterized in claim 1 and by a digital control system of the above-mentioned. Art solved with the features characterized in claim 11. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the further claims.

In a method of the aforementioned type, it is provided according to the invention that at least the toy vehicle for which a shift command is transmitted sends out an identifier representing the digital address or other coding of this toy in the digital control system, that each switch has one of the toy vehicles which approaches this switch, receives the transmitted identifier and compares it with the digital address of one or more transmitted switching commands, and switches the switch to the switched state if the digital address in the received identifier of the toy is identical to a digital address; for which a switching command is transmitted in the digital control system.

This has the advantage that in a simple and reliable manner, a circuit of turnouts for a particular toy vehicle is realized, each of which individually for his toy Fahrspielzeug a driving course can be determined by each player.

In order to put the switch after passing through that toy vehicle, which should change the track targeted back to the initial state, it is provided according to the invention that a switch, which is in the switched state, the identifier of driving toys seen in the direction of travel after the Switch again receives and evaluates and changes back from the switched state to the unswitched state when the identifier received from the toy vehicle contains the digital address for which the switch previously changed to the switched state. Thus, it is also ensured that the switch only returns to the unswitched state when the lane changing toy has completely overrun the switch. Alternatively, the point reset can also be actuated mechanically by the vehicle.

For a quick and reliable comparison of digital addresses, for example, for each transmitted in the digital control system switching command transmitted with this switching command digital address stored in each switch, expediently the stored digital address is deleted when the associated switching command is no longer transmitted and / or once a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

In a preferred embodiment, the identifier is optically transmitted from the toy vehicle to the switch. For example, the optical transmission via an infrared diode in the toy vehicle to at least one infrared detector, in particular a phototransistor, performed in the switch.

Conveniently, the identifier of each toy toy is constantly sent out. Alternatively, the identifier is transmitted from a toy vehicle only for a predetermined time when the toy vehicle is a predetermined one Marking happens. This marking is, for example, a section of the track in which an energy transfer to the toy vehicle is interrupted. In either case, the transmitted identifier may additionally be used for a toy vehicle individual lap count that captures each toy at a particular location, decodes its ID, and performs corresponding calculations on, for example, lap time, average speed, and ranking into a race.

In a further alternative embodiment, the identifier of a toy vehicle is transmitted only when and as long as a switching command is transmitted for this toy toy.

In a digital control system of the o.g. It is inventively provided that at least one turnout in addition to the digital decoder has a first receiving device which is connected to the digital decoder and arranged and configured such that this first receiving device receives a transmitted by a toy toy identifier containing a digital address of the toy vehicle receives and forwards to the digital decoder of the switch before the toy vehicle passes over the switch.

This has the advantage that a switch circuit depending on an individual identifier of a toy vehicle and depending on which turnout the toy vehicle passes over next, can be done separately for each toy on the car racing track.

In order to ensure a safe return of the switch after a lane change of a toy vehicle has at least one turnout in addition to the digital decoder and the first receiving device to a second receiving device which is connected to the digital decoder and arranged and configured such that this second receiving device emitted by a toy vehicle Identifier receives and forwards to the digital decoder of the switch after the toy has run over the turnout.

For example, the first and / or second receiving device is designed as a phototransistor. Alternatively, the point reset can also be actuated mechanically by the vehicle.

Conveniently, at least one toy vehicle on a transmitting device, which is designed such that it emits a vehicle-specific identifier.

For example, the transmitting device is designed as an infrared diode.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. This shows in the single figure an exemplary, schematic representation of a digital control system for track-guided vehicles of a car racing track.

The digital control system for track-guided toy vehicles 10 on a car race track 12, shown schematically in the single figure, comprises operating devices 14 and 16, also referred to below as hand-held controllers, which are connected to a control center 18. Each toy vehicle 10 has a guide keel 20, pantograph 22, and a digital decoder 44 electrically connected to the pantographs 22. The guide keel 20 is adapted to engage one of two guide grooves 24, 26 on the car racing track 12. On the car racing track 12, at least two bus bars 28 are arranged in a known manner for supplying power to the toy vehicles 10, with the toy vehicles 10 placed on the car track 12 making the current collectors 22 in electrical contact with the bus bars 28. About the busbars 28 and the current collector 22, the toy vehicle 10, the digital decoder 44, other electrical components and a drive motor (not shown) is supplied with electrical energy.

Each operating device 14, 16 has a first actuating element in the form of a plunger 30 and a second actuating element in the form of a switch 32. The pestle 30 is continuously displaceable between a first position in which it protrudes from the operating unit 14, 16, and a second position in which it is pushed into the operating unit 14, 16, manually. Here, the plunger 30 is acted upon by a spring force which pushes the plunger 30 in the first position and against the spring force manually continuously variable to the second position. The switch 32 is manually switchable between a first and a second position, wherein a spring force pushes the switch 32 in the first position. The switch 32 can be pressed by means of a manual operation against the spring force in the second position.

In known manner, the control of the toy vehicles 10 by means of the operating devices 14, 16 such that the speed of the toy vehicles 10 is controlled by the plunger 30. The further the plunger 30 is pressed into the respective operating device 14, 16, the higher the speed of the driving toy 10 assigned to this operating device 14, 16. In the second position of the plunger 30, the associated toy vehicle 10 has the maximum speed and in the first Position of the plunger 30, the associated toy vehicle 10 has the speed 0, ie the toy vehicle 10 is.

In the digital control system, each operating device 14, 16 is uniquely associated with a toy vehicle 10, so that each player holding an operating device 14, 16 in the hand controls a toy vehicle 10 via the car racing track. For this purpose, the operating devices 14, 16 are connected to the control unit 18. This converts the positions of the actuators 30, 32 of each operating device 14, 16 into digitally coded signals or data packets and adds a digital address to each digitally coded signal or data packet, which identifies a specific operating device 14, 16. The control center 18 transmits the data packets via the busbars 28 of the car racing track 10 so that they are picked up in each toy vehicle 10 via the current collectors 22 and forwarded to the respective digital decoder 44. In the digital decoder 44, the digitally coded signals or data packets are evaluated, wherein first the respective digital address is read. In the digital decoder 44 of each toy vehicle 10 is a digital Address stored and the digital decoder 44 of the toy vehicle 10 compares the digital address of each received data packet with the stored digital address. If both match, the digital decoder 44 of the toy 10 identifies the corresponding data packet as belonging to this toy 10 and evaluates the digitally encoded data contained in the data packet. According to these data, the digital decoder 44 of the toy vehicle 10 gives control commands to the toy 10, in particular with regard to the driving speed.

Furthermore, the car racing track 12 has a switch 34, which connects the track or guide groove 26 with the track or guide groove 24, wherein the switch 34 has two states, namely a switched state in which the switch 34 is a driving toy 10 of the guide groove 26 leads to the guide groove 24, ie the toy vehicle 10 makes a lane change, and an unswitched state in which the switch 34 leads a driving toy 10 above it on the guide groove 26, ie the toy vehicle 10 does not change the track or guide groove , Each switch 34 is in the unswitched state as a basic position, so that each vehicle toy 10 passing over the switch 32 basically remains in the track 26. A lane change of a toy 10, the player driving this toy can trigger with his control unit or hand controller 14, 16 in that the player presses the switch 32 and holds until his toy 10 has passed the next turnout. Pressing the switch 32 on, for example, the hand controller 14 which is associated with the toy 10, causes the control center 18 to send a switching command along with the digital address of the hand controller 14 as a digitally coded data packet on the bus bars 28. This data packet is repeatedly sent, for example, in a predetermined time frame, as the player keeps the switch 32 pressed. The data packets thus transmitted are received and evaluated by corresponding digital decoders 36 in each diverter 34, so that in each diverter 34 there is the information for which digital address or addresses a switching command or switching commands is present.

According to the invention, each toy 10 transmits via a transmitting device 38 an identifier which contains the digital address of the toy 10 and thus also the digital address of the associated manual controller 14, 16. Each diverter 34 has a corresponding first receiving device 40 which receives the identifier emitted by the toy 10 before the toy 10 passes over the diverter 34. The digital decoder 36 in the switch 34 evaluates the identifier and compares the digital address contained in the identifier with all digital addresses for which there is a switching command, i. with all the digital addresses of manual controls 14, 16, in which the switch 32 is pressed. If the digital toy address of the toy 10 approaching the switch 34 coincides with one of the digital addresses for which switching commands are transmitted in the digital control system, then the digital decoder 36 switches the switch 34 to the switched state and the switch At least one or all switches 34 additionally have a second receiving device 42 which, however, after the switch 34, is arranged in the region of the transition from the first track 26 to the second track 24 is. This second receiving device 42 receives the identifier transmitted by the toy 10 a second time after the toy 10 has passed the switch 34, determines the digital address contained therein and compares it with the digital address for which the switch 34 was previously switched to the switched state , If this digital address matches that for which switch 34 was previously switched to the switched state, then the digital decoder 36 switches the switch 34 back to the unswitched state. This makes it possible for two toy vehicles 10, which are driving closely one behind the other, to be controlled by the respective players, so that the toy vehicles 10 independently of one another optionally and in a functionally reliable manner each independently change lanes or not.

In the embodiment illustrated by way of example, the transmitting device 38 in each toy vehicle is an infrared diode and the first and second receiving devices 40, 42 are designed as a phototransistor. However, the invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment. The identifier can also be transmitted electronically via the busbars 28 or via a radio link from the toy vehicles 10 to the digital decoders 36 in the switches 34 instead of via an optical transmission path.

The transmission of the identifier by each toy 10 can be done in various ways. In a first embodiment, all of the toy vehicles 10 constantly transmit their respective identifier via the transmitter 38. In an alternative embodiment, there are provided on the car racing track 12 short electroless sections, i. Section of one of the bus bars 28, which are separated from the electrical power supply. This brief disconnection and reconnection of the digital decoder 44 in the toy 10 from the power supply then initiates transmission of the tag via the transmitter 38 for a predetermined period of time. Conveniently, in this case, before each receiving device 40, 42 such a currentless portion of a bus bar 28 is provided. In a further embodiment, the digital decoders 44 in the toy vehicles 10 also evaluate the digitally transmitted switching commands. Once the digital decoder 44 in a toy 10 receives a switching command with a digital address that is identical to its own digital address, i. the player controlling this toy 10 has pressed the switch 32 on his hand controller 14, the toy 10 transmits the identifier. As soon as the player releases the switch 32, the transmission of the switching command ends and the associated toy 10 ends the transmission of the identifier. The aforementioned various embodiments may also be combined with each other as desired.

The provision of the switch can also be done mechanically, actuated by the vehicle.

Claims (16)

1. Process for operating a digital control system for track-guided toy vehicles (10), with at least two tracks (24, 26), especially for toy vehicles (10) on a car race track (12) with at least two guide slots as tracks (24, 26), wherein at least one switch (34) is provided which, in the switched condition, optionally connects two tracks (24, 26) to each other in such a manner that a toy vehicle (10), when passing over the switch (34), changes from one track (26) to another track (24), and which, in the unswitched condition, continues to guide the toy vehicle (10) on the same track (26) without changing tracks, wherein in each case a switching command issued for a certain toy vehicle (10) to switch a switch (34) which this toy vehicle (10) will be the next to cross is, in the switched condition, transmitted in the digital control system together with a digital address of the toy vehicle (10) for which the switching command is valid;
   characterised in that
   at least one toy vehicle (10) for which a switching command is transmitted transmits an identification which represents the digital address or another encoding of this toy vehicle (10) in the digital control system,
   that each switch (34) receives an identification transmitted by the toy vehicle (10) which is approaching this switch (34) and compares it to the digital address of one or more transmitted switching commands and
   that the switch (34) changes into the switched condition if the digital address in the identification received from the toy vehicle (10) is identical to a digital address for which a switching command is transmitted in the digital control system.
2. Process according to claim 1, characterised in that a switch (34) which is in the switched condition again receives the identification of toy vehicles (10) after the switch (34), viewed in the direction of travel, and evaluates them and changes back from the switched condition into the unswitched condition if the identification received from the toy vehicle (10) contains the digital address for which the switch (34) previously changed into the switched condition.
3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that for each switching command transmitted in the digital control system, the digital address transmitted with this switching command is stored in each switch (34).
4. Process according to claim 3, characterised in that the stored digital address is deleted as soon as the associated switch command is no longer transmitted and/or as soon as a predetermined period of time has passed.
5. Process according to at least one of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the identification of the toy vehicle (10) is transmitted optically to the switch (34).
6. Process according to claim 5, characterised in that the optical transmission is accomplished through an infrared diode (38) in the toy vehicle (10), to at least one infrared detector (40, 42), especially a phototransistor in the switch.
7. Process according to at least one of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the identification of each toy vehicle (10) is transmitted continuously.
8. Process according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the identification of a toy vehicle (10) is only transmitted for a predetermined time when the toy vehicle (10) passes a predetermined marking.
9. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the marking is a segment of track (24, 26) in which the power transmission to the toy vehicle (10) is interrupted.
10. Process according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the identification of a toy vehicle (10) is transmitted only when and as long as a switching command is transmitted for this vehicle.
11. Digital control system for track-guided toy vehicles (10) with at least two tracks (24, 26), especially for toy vehicles (10) on a car race track (12) with at least two guide slots as tracks (24, 26), wherein at least one switch (34) is provided which, in the switched condition, optionally connects two tracks (24, 26) to each other in such a manner that a toy vehicle (10), when passing over the switch (34), changes from one track (26) to another track (24), and which, in an unswitched condition, continues to guide the toy vehicle (10) on the track (26) without changing tracks, wherein at least one track (34) has a digital decoder (36) which is connected to a setting device for the switch (34) and the digital control system,
    characterised in that
    at least one switch (34), in addition to the digital decoder (36), has a first receiving unit (40) which is connected to the digital decoder (36) and arranged and constructed in such a manner that this first receiving unit (40) receives an identification transmitted from a toy vehicle (10), which contains a digital address of the toy vehicle (10) in the digital control system, and forwards it to the digital decoder (36) of the switch (34) before the toy vehicle (10) passes over the switch (34), wherein the transmitted identification is compared with the digital address of one or more switching commands.
12. Digital control system according to claim 11, characterised in that the first receiving unit (40) is constructed as a phototransistor.
13. Digital control system according to claim 11 or 12, characterised in that the at least one switch (34), in addition to the digital decoder (36) and the first receiving unit (40), has a second receiving unit (42) which is connected to the digital decoder (36) and is arranged and constructed in such a manner that this second receiving unit (42) receives an identification transmitted by a toy vehicle (10) and forwards it to the digital decoder (36) of the switch (34), after the toy vehicle (10) has passed over the switch (34).
14. Digital control system according to claim 13, characterised in that the second receiving unit (42) is constructed as a phototransistor.
15. Digital control system according to at least one of claims 11 to 14, characterised in that at least one toy vehicle (10) includes a transmitting unit (38), which is constructed in such a manner that it transmits an individual toy vehicle identification.
16. Digital control system according to claim 15, characterised in that the transmitting unit (38) is constructed as an infrared diode.

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