GB2217220A - Remote-controlled toy vehicle game - Google Patents

Abstract

Remote controlled toy vehicles include at least one impact sensor and an associated indicator means which indicates each impact sustained by the vehicle. Two or more such toy vehicles may comprise an apparatus for playing a game in which each vehicle is capable of indicating an impact sustained as a result of a collision with another of the vehicles. The indicators may be in the form of impact counters. The sensors may be electronic or (as shown) in the form of spring-loaded parts 10, 22, pivoting under impact to act through members 16, 26 and non-directional couplings to actuate gearing 18, 28 of counter shafts. <IMAGE>

Description

Remote controlled toy vehicles The invention relates to a remote controlled toy vehicle and to an apparatus for playing a game comprising at least two such toy vehicles.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for playing a game comprising at least two toy vehicles capable of being independently and remotely controlled, each vehicle having at least one impact sensor associated with indicator means to register each impact sustained by the vehicle as a result of a collision with another of the vehicles and which is detected by the sensor.

In an advantageous embodiment of the above aspect of the present invention each vehicle includes front, rear and side portions, at least one impact sensor being provided at the rear and/or side portions whilst the front portion comprises means for imparting impacts on other vehicles.

If each vehicle is provided with two or more impact sensors, the impact sensors may be of two differing configurations, at least one impact sensor of a first configuration being provided at the rear portion of the vehicle and at least one impact sensor of a second configuration being provided at the side portions of the vheicle. In such an arrangement impacts sustained at different portions of the vehicle can be differentiated.

Means may also be provided to weight in importance a signal received from an impact sensor of one of the configurations with respect to a signal received from an impact sensor of the other of the configurations so that a different value may be counted in respect of impacts sustained at different portions of the vehicle.

Each toy vehicle may, in addition, be provided with an indicator means which includes a display for indicating the total value of impacts detected by the sensor or sensors.

Furthermore provision may be made for each toy vehicle to include a cut-out switch capable of temporarily preventing the vehicle from being remotely controlled, the cut-out switch being triggered when a predetermined number of impacts has been detected.

The or each impact sensor may be chosen to be of piezoelectric, magnetic or other electronic signal generating type, and connected to an electronic signal processing -circuit of the indicator means. Alternatively, the or each impact sensor may be mechanical comprising movable fitments, elastic means, and mechanical one-way coupling accumulators.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a remote controlled toy vehicle having at least one impact sensor and indicator means to register each impact detected by the sensor.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an underneath view of one embodiment of a remote controlled toy vehicle in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing another embodiment of a remote controlled toy vehicle in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a side view of the toy vehicle of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a front view of the toy vehicle of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a block diagram of an electronic circuit of the toy vehicle of Figure 2.

The remote controlled toy vehicle shown in Figure 1 is in the form of a car 1 having front, rear and side portions, and including a remote controlled actuating device 3 which may be operated by means of an electrically conducting wire or, more preferably, by radio. The front portion 5 of the vehicle is substantially rigid in character being in turn rigidly connected to a chassis or body of the vehicle, and is designed to impact other remote controlled toy vehicles of similar design, collisions being caused by directing the vehicle 1 toward another vehicle substantially in the direction of the arrow fV by suitably steering a pair of front wheels 9.

The side portions pf the vehicle are configured so as to incorporate impact sensors 10 sensitive to impacts sustained by the vehicle in the direction of the arrows fL. In the toy vehicle of Figure 1 the impact sensors 10 are remotely articulated at 14 to the vehicle body or chassis so that, under suitable collision conditions, each may undergo a restricted inward displacement against the action of return springs 12. To each of the impact sensors 10 is connected a fitment 16 having means to engage a gearing 18 via a one- way coupling (free wheel) so that each impact sustained by the vehicle in the direction of the arrows fL causing a temporary displacement of one of the impact sensors 10 results in successive angular displacements of a shaft- of the gearing 18.The angular displacement of the shaft thus provides a means of counting the number of impacts suffered by the vehicle in the direction of the arrows fL and enables the storage and accumulation of impact signals until a desired object is achieved. This desired object may, for example, be the triggering of a visible or audible signal once a predetermined number of impacts has been sustained by the vehicle or the triggering of a cut-out switch temporarily preventing the vehicle from being remotely controlled. In addition, the number of impacts may be indicated on an appropriate display 20, such as shown in Figures 3 and 4, so as to provide a visible indication of the progressive accumulation of impact signals.

Returning to Figure 1, the vehicle may also be provided with an impact sensor 22 at the rear portion which may operate independently of the impact sensors 10 at the side portions. In this way the impact signals received by the sensors may be used to provide information as to which portion of the vehicle sustained a particular impact. Furthermore, the impact signals received from the sensors may be registered in such a way as to weight in importance an impact signal received from one impact sensor with respect to an impact signal -received from another sensor.The impact sensor 22 at the rear portion of the vehicle may, for example, transmit impact signals whose analytical evaluation may be reduced relative to the signals received from the impact sensors 10 at the side portions on account of the greater ease of colliding with the rear portion of a vehicle as compared with its side portions.

The impact sensor 22 provided at the rear portion of the vehicle shown in Figure 1 is of similar mechanical design to those provided at the side portions which have been described above. Upon impact the sensor 22 is displaced inwardly against the action of springs 24, and this movement causes fitments 26 connected to the impact sensor 22 and having rack-and-pinion means engaging a gearing 28 to rotate a shaft of the gearing 28 via a unidirectional coupling system. Again, the angular displacement of the shaft provides a means of counting the number of impacts experienced by the sensor which, as before, may be made to trigger a variety of features once a predetermined number of impacts has been recorded.

If desired, the gearings 28 and 18 may be arranged to be co-axial so as to require only one counting mechanism for the vehicle. In such an arrangement it is still possible to weight in importance the impact signals received from certain sensors by ensuring that the coupling systems for each gearing differ so that the angular displacement of the shaft is greater as a result of impacts sustained by certain of the sensors.

In a different embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, the mechanical system of Figure 1 has been replaced by an electronic system using impact sensors that provide impact signals of an electrical nature (e.g.

voltage, capacitance, etc.) and may conveniently be of magnetic, piezo-electric or equivalent design.

The embodiment shown includes a forward portion 55 equivalent to the portion 5 provided in the previous embodiment with which the vehicle is designed to impact other toy vehicles, electronic impact sensors 60 at the side portions equivalent to the impact sensors 10, and an electronic impact sensor 72 at the rear portion equivalent to impact sensor 22. Figure 5 shows a block diagram of the electronic circuit of the vehicle of Figure 2 and in particular shows the impact signals received from the impact sensors 60 fed to a multiplier 80 so that the resulting signals may be altered in magnitude, duration or pulse format with respect to those obtained from impact sensor 72. The output of the multiplier 80 and the output of sensor 72 are directed to a memory unit 84 which in turn is connected to a display 86 corresponding to the display 20 of the previous embodiment.An output from the memory unit 84 is also supplied to a cut-out switch 90 capable of inhibiting the operation of an actuator unit 88 provided on the vehicle, thus preventing the vehicle from receiving remote commands once the number of impacts detected has reached a predetermined level. An associated reset means 92 enables the reestablishment of remote control over the vehicle by resetting the memory unit 84 and thereby cancelling the inhibition caused by an accumulation of impact signals in excess of the predetermined level.

The electronic system briefly outlined above may be achieved using conventional light-weight modern electronic components. The invention, however, is not limited to either of the above embodiments and may for example comprise a remote controlled toy vehicle having a combination of mechanical and electronic impact sensors.

The toy vehicles described above may form the subject of many enjoyable games an example being one played on a substantially flat surface such as a floor or table top by two or more players. In this example each player is provided with a remote controlled toy vehicle which he operates so as to try to avoid being hit by the vehicles of other players on its side and rear portions while endeavouring to hit the other vehicles using its front portion. Every time a vehicle hits that of another player on the side or rear a signal generated by the corresponding impact sensor on the latter vehicle is added to the number generated as a result of previous impacts sustained by that vehicle. The player who's vehicle is the first to register a predetermined number of impacts may have their control of the vehicle inhibited for a short period thus preventing them from continuing with the game. The player who's vehicle is the last to reach the predetermined number of impacts is the winner.

Claims (11)

1. An apparatus for playing a game comprising at least two toy vehicles capable of being independently and remotely controlled, each vehicle having at least one impact sensor associated with indicator means to register each impact sustained by the vehicle as a result of a collision with another of the vehicles and which is detected by the sensor.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein each vehicle includes front, rear and side portions, the at least one impact sensor being provided at the rear and/or side portions whilst the front portion comprises means for imparting impacts on other vehicles.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each vehicle is provided with at least two impact sensors, the impact sensors being of two differing configurations, at least one impact sensor of a first configuration being provided at the rear portion of the vehicle and at least one impact sensor of a second configuration being provided at the side portions of the vehicle whereby impacts sustained at different portions of the vehicle can be differentiated.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the indicator means of each vehicle includes means to weight in importance a signal received from an impact sensor of one of said configurations with respect to a signal received from an impact sensor of the other of said configurations so that a different value may be counted in respect of impacts sustained at different portions of the vehicle.

5. Apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the indicator means of each vehicle includes a display for indicating the total value of impacts detected by the sensor or sensors.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein each vehicle includes a cut-out switch capable of temporarily preventing the vehicle from being remotely controlled, the cut-out switch being triggered when a predetermined value of impacts has been detected.

7. Apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims wherein the impact sensor or sensors of each vehicle are of piezo-electric, magnetic or other electronic signal generating type, and are connected to an electronic signal processing circuit of the indicator means.

8. Apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the impact sensor or sensors of each vehicle are mechanical, comprising movable fitments, elastic means, and mechanical one-way coupling accumulators.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein each vehicle is substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1,3 and 4 or to Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A remote controlled toy vehicle having at least one impact sensor and indicator means to register each impact detected by the sensor.

11. A toy vehicle in accordance with claim 10 substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1,3 and 4, or to Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.