JPH0515357Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sound source searching toy that detects a sound source that generates an audible sound or an ultrasonic wave, and moves toward or away from the sound source.

[Prior Art] Conventional running toys that start, stop, etc. in response to specific sounds use relatively simple sound wave receivers, but this is independent of the position and direction of the sound source. It simply started and stopped the toy using sound waves.

Therefore, a sound source search device has been proposed that not only responds to sound waves, but also detects from which direction the sound waves are coming from, that is, which direction the sound source is, and can, for example, move a traveling toy in the direction of the sound source. (Patent Application No. 10956/1983 filed by the present applicant). This device is equipped with sound wave receiving means such as microphones placed at a predetermined interval on the left and right, and the sound wave receiving means closer to the sound source receives the sound waves faster than the sound wave receiving means farther away, so that the output When such a sound source search device is used for a traveling toy, if the sound source is at exactly the same distance from each sound wave receiving means, the traveling toy will be directed toward the sound source and will move straight. In other cases, the traveling toy is configured to be directed in a direction approaching the sound source or in a direction opposite to the sound source depending on the distance between the sound source and each sound wave receiving means. can.

However, in reality, the sound source is located at exactly the same distance from each sound wave receiving means only instantaneously. Furthermore, even if the distance is the same, the traveling toy will deviate from the equidistant position due to vibrations, etc., so it will almost never go straight. As a result, the traveling toy runs while swinging from side to side. Although this may be interesting as a toy, it does not allow the toy to quickly approach or move away from the sound source.

Therefore, in the sound source search device according to the above patent application, when the sound source is relatively far away and the difference in arrival time of the sound waves to the pair of sound wave receiving means is more than a predetermined time, the direction of the toy is changed. While running without changing, the sound source is relatively close,
When the difference in arrival time of the sound waves to the pair of sound wave receiving means is shorter than the above-described certain time, the direction of the toy is changed, thereby realizing a traveling toy that can quickly approach or move away from the sound source. It became possible.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, when such a sound source search device is incorporated into a traveling toy, simply moving in the direction of the sound source or in the opposite direction does not allow the toy to eventually reach the position of the sound source. , or the movement ends when the player moves away from the sound source, making the movement relatively simple and uninteresting.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to not only quickly perform either the action of approaching or moving away from the sound source, but also to selectively perform both actions, thereby increasing the speed and fun of the action. The objective is to provide a sound source search toy that has the following functions.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a pair of left and right sound wave receiving means for converting sound waves sent from an external sound source into electrical signals, and a time difference between the sound wave signals output from each of the sound wave receiving means. A sound source search toy comprising a control means for outputting a corresponding signal, a drive mechanism including a motor controlled by an output signal from the control means, and a pair of left and right drive wheels rotationally driven by the drive mechanism, The control means, when the time difference between the sound wave signals is shorter than a certain value,
a follow-up mode in which the pair of drive wheels are both driven in the direction of the sound source, and when the time difference is equal to or greater than a certain value, the drive wheels are driven so as to change direction to the side of the temporally earlier sound wave signal; When the time difference between the sound wave signals is shorter than a certain value,
First, the driver turns at a certain angle in either the left or right direction, and then drives the drive wheels to avoid in the same direction as before, and when the time difference is greater than a certain value, The present invention is characterized in that it is configured to selectively output a signal that causes the drive mechanism to perform either an escape mode in which the drive wheels are driven so as to change direction to the side.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control means is configured to alternately repeat the follow-up mode and the escape mode for a fixed period of time when the drive wheels are rotationally driven via the drive mechanism by the output signal thereof. Ru.

Further, the sound source consists of an ultrasonic transmitter that generates ultrasonic pulses at predetermined time intervals, and the sound wave receiving means consists of an ultrasonic receiver.

[Function] The sound source search toy of the present invention not only determines which of the pair of sound wave receivers a sound wave emitted from an external sound source reaches first, but also determines whether the sound waves emitted from an external sound source reach which of the pair of sound wave receivers first, but also based on the magnitude of the arrival time difference between the received sound waves. , the movement of approaching the sound source and the movement of escaping from the sound source are controlled.

That is, in the tracking mode, the control means drives the pair of drive wheels together in the direction of the sound source when the time difference between the sound wave signals output from the pair of sound wave receiving means is shorter than a certain value, and when the time difference is greater than or equal to the certain value, the control means drives the pair of driving wheels together in the direction of the sound source. At this time, the toy is brought quickly closer to the sound source by driving the drive wheels so as to change direction to the side of the temporally earlier sound wave signal. On the other hand, in escape mode,
When the time difference between the above sound wave signals is shorter than a certain value, first turn at a certain angle to either the left or right direction, then drive the drive wheels to avoid in the same direction as last time, and when the above time difference is more than a certain value , the toy is quickly moved away from the sound source by driving the drive wheel so as to change direction to the side opposite to the temporally earlier sound wave signal (that is, to the temporally slower sound wave signal).

The above two operation modes are selectively performed by a control means.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the drive wheel is rotationally driven via the drive mechanism by the output signal of the control means (for example, when the toy is moving forward), the following mode and the escape mode are alternately operated for a certain period of time. It is done repeatedly. This allows the toy to perform interesting movements such as approaching the sound source and running away.

Furthermore, by using an ultrasonic transmitter as a sound source and providing a toy with a sound wave receiving means, it is possible to give various commands to the toy using the sound waves from the sound source and control its operation.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(1) Overall structure FIGS. 1 and 2 show the overall and bottom structures of a robot toy operated by ultrasonic waves as an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. This robot toy 1 includes a substantially rectangular box-shaped bottom 2, a body 3 attached thereto, two arms 4L and 4R attached to the left and right sides of the body 3, and an upper part of the body 3. A bumper 6 is attached to the front of the bottom part 2 so as to be movable back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bumper 6 has a rectangular frame 7 on the back surface of the central portion, into which a guide wall 8 erected at the bottom 2 is slidably fitted. A spring 9 attached between the bumper 6 and the guide wall 8 pushes the bumper 6 forward. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a switch is attached that is turned on when the bumper 6 is pushed backward against the force of the spring 9.

One front wheel 10 that can rotate in any direction is attached to the rear of the center of the bumper 6 on the bottom 2, and behind it a pair of left and right drive wheels 11L and 11.
R are each rotatably attached. The drive wheels 11L, 11R are driven by motors 13L, 13 housed in corresponding gearboxes 12L, 12R, respectively.
Rotationally driven separately by R.

As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic oscillator 14 for avoidance operation, which will be described later, is arranged in a circular opening provided at the lower front of the body section 3. Also, the third
As shown in the figure, the body part 3 consists of two semi-cylindrical members, and the left and right arms 4L and 4R are respectively attached to the body part 3.
It is rotatably mounted by a support shaft 21 passing through a circular hole formed on the left and right sides of the upper part. Inside the body part 3, a protruding piece 22 is provided at the end of the support shaft 21 of each arm, and the protruding piece 22 is in contact with one of a pair of switch pieces 23a and 23b attached to the body part 3. Each switch piece is made of an elastic metal plate and constitutes a normally closed switch that does not normally contact each other. However, when the corresponding arm 4L or 4R is pushed down, the protruding piece 22 of the support shaft 21 closes the lower switch. Push up the piece 23b and remove the upper switch piece 23a.
This switch is turned on in order to make contact with the

As shown again in FIG. 1, two eyes 31L and 31R made of a light-transmitting material are provided on the front of the head 5, and light emitters 68L and 68R are provided inside each eye.
(Fig. 7) are arranged. Further, a circular hole 32 is provided at the top of the head, and a mode switching switch button 33, which will be described later, protrudes through this hole. Furthermore, ultrasonic receivers 34L and 34R for detecting the direction of the sound source are arranged in openings provided on the front side of the portions extending on both the left and right sides of the head 5.

(2) Outline of operation The robot toy 1 has the following two operation modes that can be alternately switched by pressing the mode switching switch button 33 on the head 5. Note that when the mode is switched, a predetermined sound is generated.

Stay mode Power switch of robot toy 1 (not shown)
When turned on, it automatically enters this mode.
The robot toy 1 is at rest unless an operation command is sent from the ultrasonic transmitter 40 shown in FIG.
If there is no command for a predetermined period of time (for example, one minute), the robot toy 1 emits a predetermined sound and swings left and right twice. This operation is repeated at predetermined time intervals.

The operation command sent from the ultrasonic transmitter 40 is
They are "forward", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "reverse" and "follow".

Of these, the first four are for specifying the direction of movement, similar to conventional radio control, but follow is a command to move the robot toy 1 toward the ultrasonic transmitter 40. This follow-up command is sent to the transmitter 4.
This is transmitted by turning on the 0 follow-up switch 43 (described later), but even if this is on, the forward movement,
When a clockwise, counterclockwise, or reverse command is sent, that command takes priority.

Walk Mode When in the stay mode described above, pressing the mode switching switch button 33 on the head 5 switches to the walk mode. The robot toy 1 moves forward unless an operation command is sent from the ultrasonic transmitter 40. "Forward", "clockwise" from the ultrasonic transmitter 40,
When a "counterclockwise" or "reverse" command is sent,
It operates according to the instructions.

This walk mode is further divided into two modes when the follow-up switch 43 (FIG. 4) of the transmitter 40 is turned on. One is a follow-up mode in which the object moves toward the transmitter 40 that is the sound source, and the other is an escape mode in which the object moves away from the transmitter 40. The robot toy 1 alternates between the two modes at regular intervals (for example, 10 seconds) as long as the follow-up switch of the transmitter 40 is on.

In addition to the above operation modes, the robot toy 1 can perform the following operations.

First, when automatically moving forward in the follow-up operation in the stay mode or walk mode,
If there is an obstacle in front of you, it will detect it and automatically rotate to avoid the obstacle. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as avoidance action.

Further, when the left and right arms 4L, 4R are pressed down, predetermined sounds are generated respectively.

Further, when the bumper 6 is pressed, a predetermined sound is generated, and the vehicle moves backward, rotates, and moves forward, each for a predetermined time (for example, one second).

Furthermore, both the left and right eyes light up when moving forward,
When turning counterclockwise and clockwise, left eye 31L and right eye 3 respectively.
Only 1R lights up.

(3) Structure and operation of transmitter As shown in FIG. 4, the transmitter 40 has a power switch 42 connected to a battery 41 (FIG. 5) on the front of the casing, and a power switch 42 connected to the battery 41 (FIG. a follow-up switch 43 for transmitting an ultrasonic command to cause the robot toy to move, and push button switches 44, 45, 46 and 47 for instructing the robot toy 1 to move forward, clockwise, counterclockwise and backward.
are placed. Further, an ultrasonic generator 52 (a fifth
(Figure).

Next, inside the casing of the transmitter 40, a circuit shown in FIG. 5 is housed. This includes a follower switch 43 and four pushbutton switches 44, 4.
5, 46, and 47 were connected to the input terminals respectively.
Consists of a CPU 50, an ultrasonic signal generation circuit 51 and an ultrasonic generator 52 connected to its output side,
The voltage of the battery 41 is supplied via the power switch 42 .

The ultrasonic signal transmitted from the transmitter 40 having the above configuration is as shown in FIG. That is, when moving the robot toy 1 forward,
When a signal of a constant level is outputted and followed, as shown in FIG. 2B, a pulse signal is output after a predetermined time T ₁ (for example, 115 ms) after the first pulse is outputted, as shown in FIG. In addition, in the case of clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, and marching, as shown in c, d, and e of the figure, the predetermined times T ₂ (e.g., 125 ms), T 3 (e.g., 135 ms), T ₃ (e.g., 135 ms), and T ₄ (for example
outputs a pulse signal after 145ms).

(4) Internal structure and function of the toy The robot toy 1 has a built-in circuit as shown in the block diagram of FIG. This includes a pair of ultrasonic microphones 34L and 34R arranged on the left and right sides of the head 5 as ultrasonic receivers that receive ultrasonic signals transmitted from the transmitter 40. The output end of each microphone 34L, 34R is connected to an input port of a microprocessor (CPU) 62 via an amplifier and A/D converter 61L, 61R, respectively. Other input ports of the CPU 62 include a mode changeover switch 63 that is turned on when the button 33 on the top of the robot toy 1 is pressed, the aforementioned bumper switch 64, and arm switches 65L and 65R that are turned on when the left and right arms are pressed down.
(A pair of switch pieces 23a shown in FIG. 3,
23b) are connected to each other.

When the time difference between the sound wave signals output from the ultrasonic microphones 34L and 34R is greater than a certain value, the CPU 62 outputs only the signal corresponding to the earlier sound wave signal, and when the time difference is smaller than the certain value, the CPU 62 outputs only the signal corresponding to the earlier sound wave signal. It is provided as a control means for outputting signals corresponding to both sound wave signals, and motor drive circuits 66L and 66R for driving a pair of left and right motors 13L and 13R are connected to its output ports. Furthermore, light emitters 67R and 67L for lighting the left and right eyes 31L and 31R are also connected to the output terminals of the respective drive circuits 66L and 66R.

A voice synthesizer 68 is connected to another output port of the CPU 62 for generating sounds when the robot toy 1 performs each of the above-mentioned operations, and its output terminal is connected to a speaker 70 via an amplifier 69. .

Furthermore, a transistor circuit 71 for driving the above-mentioned avoidance operation ultrasonic oscillator 14 is connected to another output port of the CPU 62. In the case of the above-mentioned follow-up operation or walk mode, this circuit is turned on and off by a constant period pulse signal that is intermittently output from the output port of the CPU 62 to vibrate the ultrasonic oscillator 14 and generate ultrasonic waves. It is something.

Next, the operation of the robot toy 1 constructed as described above will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E.

First, when the power switch of the robot toy 1 is turned on, the robot toy 1 is stopped in the stay mode. In this state, the CPU 62 determines whether there is a bumper input, that is, whether the bumper switch 64 is on, as shown in FIG. 8
Proceed to step B. On the other hand, if No, next check the presence or absence of mode input, that is, mode change switch 6.
Determine whether or not 3 is pressed, and if yes, switch the mode (in this case, switch to walk mode). If there is no mode input, then the type of mode (in this case, stay mode or not) is determined, and if it is stay mode, it is determined whether there has been no signal input from the ultrasonic transmitter 40 for one minute. If there is an input, the process moves to the next step shown in FIG. By repeatedly driving the robot toy 1 several times, the robot toy 1 is swung left and right. On the other hand, in the walk mode, the tracking and escape modes are alternately switched every 10 seconds.

Next, when there is a bumper input, as shown in FIG. 8B, the vehicle stops for a certain period of time (0.3 seconds) and then moves backward (1 second). Then, it is determined whether or not this is the first time the avoidance has been performed, and if it is the first time, the avoidance operation is performed by rotating a certain angle to the left or right. At this time, whether to rotate to the left or right may be determined in advance, or the CPU 62 may alternately generate left and right directions at appropriate time intervals to determine when to actually start the avoidance movement. The left or right may be determined based on the timing. The direction of this avoidance is
It is stored in the storage section of the CPU 62. If the avoidance is not the first time (second time or later), the CPU 62 rotates in the same direction as the previous avoidance direction stored in the memory. After rotating to the left or right in this way, it moves forward for a certain period of time (1 second).

By the above operation, it is possible to avoid obstacles located in front of the bumper 6, and also to deal with obstacles that cannot be avoided in one rotation by performing two or more avoidance operations.

Next, in the step shown in FIG. 8C, signal input from the transmitter 40 is determined. That is, it is determined whether or not there is input to the CPU 62 from the ultrasonic microphones 34L and 34R placed on the left and right sides of the head 5 of the robot toy 1, and if there is no input, it is determined whether or not it is in the stay mode and the answer is Yes. If no, the left and right motors 13L and 1
3R is simultaneously driven in the forward direction (walk mode), and the process moves to the avoidance operation step shown in FIG. 8E.

On the other hand, if there is input from the left and right ultrasonic microphones, it is first determined whether there is an input of a predetermined time width (8ms) or more within a certain time (110ms), and if Yes, the left and right motors are Drive in the forward direction at the same time, and if No, the next fixed time (10ms)
Determine whether there is input within. the result
If Yes (in the case of FIG. 6B), the process moves to the follow-up input step shown in FIG. 8D, and if No, it is further determined whether there is an input within the next fixed time (10ms). If Yes (in the case of Fig. 6 c), the robot toy 1 is rotated to the right by driving the left motor 13L in the forward direction, and if No, the robot toy 1 is rotated to the right within the next fixed time (10ms). Determine whether there is input. If Yes (case d in Figure 6), rotate the robot toy 1 to the left by driving the right motor 13R in the forward direction, and if No, input within the next fixed time (10ms). Determine whether there is. As a result, Yes
If so (case e in Figure 6), the left and right motors are simultaneously driven in the marching direction to move the robot toy 1 backward, and if No, it returns to the start.

The steps shown in FIG. 8D at the time of follow-up input are executed when the follow-up switch 43 of the transmitter 40 is on.
Since the mode is switched alternately between follow and escape every second (seconds), in this step, first check whether it is in escape mode, and if no, then when the first command is input, a voice will be sounded to follow the command. (e.g. “OK”), and if Yes, a voice that defies the command (e.g. “Catch me!”)
occurs.

Next, if the robot toy 1 is not in the escape mode (following mode), it is first determined whether the input received by the robot toy 1 is from either the left or right side or at the same time.
As a result, in the case of simultaneous left and right input, the left and right motors 13L and 13R are simultaneously driven in the forward direction. In addition, in the case of input on the left side, determine whether there is an input on the left side within the next certain period of time (50ms),
If Yes, the robot toy 1 is assumed to move forward at the same time on the left and right sides and moves forward, and if it is No, the left motor 13L is driven to rotate the robot toy 1 to the right. By such a following operation, the robot toy 1 moves in a direction approaching the transmitter 40 which is the sound source.

On the other hand, in the escape mode as well, it is first determined whether the input received by the robot toy 1 is from either the left or right side or at the same time. As a result, in the case of simultaneous left and right input, the robot evades to the left or right. In this case, whether to rotate to the left or right is similar to the avoidance operation by bumper input described above (Fig. 8B).If it is the first time, it will rotate to the left or right, and after that, it will rotate in the previous avoidance direction. Memorize it and set it to rotate in the same direction as last time.

For left input, the next constant time (50ms)
It is determined whether or not there is an input on the right side, and if Yes, the robot toy 1 is rotated to the right by assuming that the left and right sides are input simultaneously and performs the above avoidance operation, and when it is No, the robot toy 1 is rotated to the right by driving the left motor 13L. and run away in the opposite direction of the sound. Similarly, in the case of input on the right side, it is determined whether there is an input on the left side within the next certain period of time (50ms), and if Yes, it is assumed that the left and right sides are input at the same time and the above avoidance operation is performed, and if No, the above avoidance operation is performed. By driving the right motor 13R, the robot toy 1 is rotated to the left and escapes in the direction opposite to the direction from which the sound is coming. Due to such an escape operation, the robot toy 1 moves in a direction away from the transmitter 40 which is the sound source.

Finally, in the avoidance operation step shown in FIG. 8E, first, in order to drive the ultrasonic transmitter 14 for avoidance operation, a pulse signal of approximately 40 kHz (24 ms cycle) is repeatedly output from the CPU 62 for a certain period of time (400 ms). (for example, at time intervals of 200 to 300 ms), and also determines whether there is input from the left or right ultrasonic microphones 34L or 34R within a predetermined time (1.5 ms). If No, the process returns to the start, but if Yes, it is then determined whether the input is to either the left or right side or to the left and right at the same time. As a result, in the case of simultaneous left and right input, it is determined whether or not the avoidance is the first time, similar to the avoidance operation shown in FIG. 8B.
If it is the first time, it rotates by a certain angle to the left or right, and if it is not the first time to avoid it, it rotates in the same direction as the previous avoidance direction. In the case of input from the left or right side, it is determined whether there is an input from the right or left side within the next certain period of time (50ms), and if Yes, it is assumed that the left and right sides are input at the same time and the above avoidance operation is performed. When this happens, the robot toy 1 is rotated to the right or left by driving the left motor 13L or the right motor 13R, and escapes in the direction opposite to the direction from which the sound comes. That is, when the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter 14 for avoidance operation is received, the obstacle is avoided by the same operation as in the above-mentioned escape mode.

Although the configuration and operation of the illustrated embodiment have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. movement) and avoidance movement using an ultrasonic oscillator attached to the toy, etc. can be omitted.

Further, the sound source is not limited to a portable transmitter as in the embodiment, but may be one whose position is fixed. For example, by installing an appropriate sound source at a specific location, the toy of the present invention can be made to move toward or away from the sound source, and can be used as a display toy.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the movement of approaching the sound source and the movement of escaping from the sound source are controlled according to the arrival time difference of the sound waves received by a pair of sound wave receiving means provided on the toy. At the same time, these two actions are performed selectively, so that a sound source searching toy with both rapid action and fun can be realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a robot toy that is an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a view showing the traveling drive section of the robot toy, Fig. 3 is a view showing the structure of the arm attachment part, and Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of the transmitter, Figure 5 is a block diagram of the transmitter circuit, Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the signals sent from the transmitter, and Figure 7 is a block diagram of the circuit housed in the toy in Figure 1. 8A to 8E are flowcharts showing the operation of the robot toy. 1... Robot toy, 2... Bottom, 3... Body, 4L, 4R... Arms, 5... Head, 6... Bumper, 11L, 11R... Drive wheel, 12L, 1
2R...Gearbox, 13L, 13R...Motor, 14...Ultrasonic oscillator, 21...Spindle, 22
...Protruding piece, 23a, 23b...Switch piece, 31
L, 31R...Eye, 33...Mode change switch button, 34L, 34R...Ultrasonic receiver, 4
0...Ultrasonic transmitter, 43...Following switch, 4
4 to 47... Direction command switch, 50... For transmission
CPU, 62... CPU, 63... Mode changeover switch, 64... Bumper switch, 65L, 6
5R...Arm switch, 66L, 66R...Motor drive circuit, 68...Speech synthesizer, 70...
Speaker, 71...circuit for avoidance operation.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A pair of left and right sound wave receiving means for converting sound waves sent from an external sound source into electrical signals, and outputting a signal according to the time difference between the sound wave signals output from each of the sound wave receiving means. A sound source search toy comprising: a control means for controlling a sound source; a drive mechanism including a motor controlled by an output signal from the control means; and a pair of left and right drive wheels rotationally driven by the drive mechanism, the control means comprising: When the time difference between the sound wave signals is shorter than a certain value, the pair of drive wheels are both driven in the direction of the sound source, and when the time difference is more than a certain value, the direction is changed to the side of the sound wave signal that is earlier in time. When the time difference between the sound wave signals is shorter than a certain value, the drive wheel is first turned at a certain angle in either the left or right direction, and then the drive wheel is driven in the same direction as the previous time. The drive mechanism is configured to perform either an escape mode in which the drive wheel is driven so as to change direction to the side opposite to the temporally earlier sound wave signal when the time difference is greater than or equal to a certain value. A sound source search toy characterized in that the toy is configured to selectively output a signal that is transmitted to the sound source. 2. A utility model, wherein the control means is configured to alternately repeat the follow-up mode and the escape mode for a certain period of time when the drive wheel is rotationally driven via the drive mechanism based on the output signal thereof. A sound source searching toy as claimed in claim 1. 3. The sound source comprises an ultrasonic transmitter that generates ultrasonic pulses at predetermined time intervals, and the sonic wave receiving means comprises an ultrasonic receiver. Sound source search toy.