WO2006017945A1

WO2006017945A1 - Interactive toy comprising configurable playfield and software driven moveable figures

Info

Publication number: WO2006017945A1
Application number: PCT/CH2004/000514
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrei Ionita
Original assignee: Andrei Ionita
Priority date: 2004-08-17
Filing date: 2004-08-17
Publication date: 2006-02-23

Abstract

A playfield is provided that forms several tracks to be navigated by figures (3) controlled by a central controller (20). The playfield is assembled from a plurality of modules (1) and forms a digital network connecting the modules to the controller (20). The network is formed by network sections integrated into the modules. The controller (20) is adapted to determine the topography of the tracks by querying the network and to move the figures (3) in dependence of the thus determined topography. This allows the controller to move the figures in a meaningful way without requiring the player to enter the network's topography into the controller (20) manually.

Description

Interactive toy comprising configurable playfield and software driven moveable figures

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an interac¬ tive toy having a controller device, a playfield and at least one figure movable on said playfield under control of said controller device. The playfield comprises a plu¬ rality of modules, each of them defining at least one path section for forming a path for said figure., The mod¬ ules are adapted to be assembled in various configura- tions for forming a plurality of paths having different configuration.

Background Art

A conventional system of this type is a model railroad where the modules of the playfield are formed by individual tracks and switches and the moveable figures are the trains. It has been known to control such model railroads ^"from a controller device, such as a computer. However, controlling complex model railroads from a com¬ puter requires a fairly complex software adapted to the given configuration of the tracks.

Disclosure of the Invention

Hence, the problem to be solved is to provide a toy of this type that allows an easy to implement and flexible control of a configurable playfield.

This problem is solved by the toy according to claim 1.

According to this solution, the playfield forms a digital network connecting the modules to the controller. The network is formed by network sections in¬ tegrated into the modules. The controller is adapted to determine the topography of the paths by querying the network and to move the figure in dependence of the thus determined topography. This allows the controller to move the figures in a meaningful way without requiring the player to enter the network' s topography into the con¬ troller manually.

Other advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims and the description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become ap¬ parent when consideration is given to the following de¬ tailed description thereof. Such description makes refer¬ ence to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a possible layout of a piay- field,

Fig. 2 shows one module with four intersect¬ ing path sections,

Fig. 3 is a view of a figure to be used on the playfield, Fig. 4 is a side view of the figure of Fig.

3,

-Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram for a module hav¬ ing a single straight path section (showing only one of two identical pairs of power connectors) , Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram for a module hav¬ ing a corner path section (showing only one of two iden¬ tical pairs of power connectors) ,

Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram for a module hav¬ ing four intersecting path sections, and Fig. 8 is a network diagram of the layout of

Fig. 1. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

Fig. 1 shows a playfield consisting of a plu- rality of modules 1. Each of the shown modules has the shape of a square tile. On its surface, it carries at least one track 2 defining one or more path sections for guiding one or more automatically movable play figures 3. An example of a module 1 is shown in Fig. 2. It comprises four intersecting path sections 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. Each path section consists of a track formed by a groove 4 having a two parallel side walls and a bottom. Two elongate electrodes 5a, 5b extend along each side wall and one electrode 5c extends along the bottom of each path section. The bottom electrodes 5c of the four path sections 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d end at a distance from each other for preventing short-circuits by passing figures.

In addition to the tracks or grooves 4, mod¬ ule 1 can comprise further means for mounting stationary objects thereon, such as slots or openings 6. Stationary objects to be mounted are e.g. miniature trees, furni¬ ture, non-moving figures, traffic lights, etc.

The edge faces of the modules comprise lat¬ eral connectors 7 for electrically connecting the module to neighboring modules. In addition, the edge faces are equipped with suitable latches, snap-in connectors or permanent magnets (not shown) or other means for provid¬ ing a releasable mechanical connection to the neighboring modules. While Fig. 2 shows a module 2 having four in¬ tersecting path sections, it can easily be seen that a similar, yet simpler, design can be used for modules hav¬ ing a smaller number of path sections.

Fig. 3 and 4 shows a simplified drawing of one embodiment of a movable figure 3 to be used on the playfield. It comprises a housing 10 having a substan¬ tially flat bottom side 11. Two wheels 12 driven be sepa- rate motors 13 extend slightly below bottom face 11. A pin 14 extending from bottom side 11 is intended to be received by groove or track 4 of the modules 1. Pin 14 carries two circumferential electrodes 15a, 15b and an end side electrode 15c for contacting the electrodes 5a, 5b and 5c of groove or track 4.

In operation, the side electrodes 5a, 5b of groove or track 4 form power connectors carrying a supply voltage for feeding moveable figure 3 via the electrodes 15a, 15b. The upper lateral electrodes 15a may e.g. form a ground electrode while the lower electrodes 15b may carry a positive or negative supply voltage.

Bottom electrode 5c of groove or track 4 forms a network connector for establishing communication between the playfield and moveable figure 3.

The toy is operated by means of a computer or other type of programmable CPU acting as a controller 20 and equipped with an interface 21 to communicate with a system of digital networks in playfield 1, as it will be discussed below. All moveable figures are connected to the network system by means of the electrodes 15c and 5c and can be controlled by controller 20. In particular, controller 20 can individually actuate the motors 13 of the wheels 12, thereby moving a figure along the tracks 2. When a figure is to change direction, one motor 13 can be stopped or reversed by commands from controller 20. In general, the user is free to change the configuration of the modules 1. He also may^'place or re¬ move moveable figures 3 along track 2 and place or remove stationary objects at the openings 6.

Upon start-up, controller 20 will determine the configuration of the playfield and the location of the figure (s) using the methods and hardware described below. Then it will issue commands to the figures for moving them along track 2 using any suitable rules, such as they are e.g. known from virtual reality simulators, generally by using a combination of predictive and sto- chastic algorithms. For example, it may make the figures 3 interact with each other or with stationary objects on the playfield or with changes the user makes to the play- field. It may also query and/or operate the stationary objects depending on their type, e.g. by changing the lights of a traffic light or by detecting when the user has added or removed such an object. Instead of using a pre-programmed set of rules, controller 20 can also be programmed by the user. In order to allow controller 20 to determine the configuration of the playfield and to communicate with the figures placed thereon, the playfield forms a digital network. The network described in the following is based on the 1-Wire technology (trademark by Dallas Semiconductor, USA) , but the person skilled in the art is aware of other suited for the purpose, such as I2C, which is a trademark of Philips Semiconductor (NL) . Advanta¬ geously, the used network technology should at least sup¬ port bi-directional data exchange between a master and several devices along a common network segment.

The network formed by the playfield consists of a plurality of network segments separated by switches. One segment is called the main segment M. It extends through all modules 1 and is connected to all switches. The other segments are called sub-segments N. Each sub- segment N extends over one or several modules 1 and is connected to the main segment M by means of at least one switch.

Possible embodiments for modules 1 implement- ing this type of architecture are shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

Fig. 5 represents a simple "straight" module having a single, straight, non-branching path section 2. The module comprises a main-network section 40 connected with the main-network sections 40 of the neighboring modules by means of the connectors 7. To- gether, all main-network sections 40 form the main seg¬ ment M of the network.

In addition, a sub-network section 41 is at¬ tributed to the path section of the module, connected to the bottom electrode 5c of the track and connected, by means of the connectors 7, to the sub-network sections of the neighboring modules connecting to the path section of this module. Within this module, there is no connection between the main-network section 40 and the sub-network section 41.

The module 1 of Fig. 5 further comprises an identifier tag 42 connected the sub-network section 41. Identifier tag 42 stores a unique identifier for the mod¬ ule. The identifier is e.g. a unique 48 bit number. This number can be used for addressing the module. It can also be used for encoding the type of the module ("straight track"), e.g. by attributing different ranges of 48 bit numbers to different types of modules. Identifier tag 42 may e.g. be the "silicon serial number" device DS 2401 of Dallas Maxim's 1-wire family.

Fig. 6 shows a corner track module the path section of which forms a corner of 90° without branching.

The module again comprises a main-network section 40 connected, by means of the connectors 7, to the main-network sections 40 of the neighboring modules.

The module further comprises two sub-network sections 41-1, 41-2 attributed to the two straight halves of the path section of the module and connected to the respective bottom electrodes 5c. Each sub-network section 41-1, 41-2 is connected, by means of the connectors I₁ to the sub-network section of the neighboring module con¬ tinuing the respective half of the path section, thereby forming sub-segments Nl and N2, respectively.

One unique identifier tag IDl, ID2 is con- nected to each sub-network section 41-1 and 41-2, respec¬ tively. The module also comprises two switches Sl, S2. Switch Sl connects main-network section 40 to sub¬ network section 41-1, switch S2 connects main-network section 40 to sub-network section 41-2. The switches can e.g. be built from a DS2409 MicroLAN Coupler of Dallas Maxim's 1-Wire family. It is controlled through main seg¬ ment M and can be operated to selectively connect the sub-segments Nl or N2 to the main segment M. Each switch has a unique identifier attributed to it. Fig. 7 finally shows a branching module of the type shown in Fig. 2 that defines a first path sec¬ tion 2-1 branching into second, third and fourth path sections 2-2, 2-3 and 2-4.

The module further comprises four sub-network sections 41-1 through, 41-4 attributed to the path sec¬ tions 2-1 through 2-4 and connected to the respective bottom electrode 5c. Each sub-network section is con¬ nected, by means of the connectors 7, to the sub-network section of the neighboring module continuing the respec¬ tive path section, thereby forming sub-segments Nl through N4, respectively. The module also comprises four switches Sl through S4, each one connecting main-network section 40 to one sub-network section 41-1 through 41-4. The switches can e.g. again be built from DS2409 MicroLAN Couplers of Dallas Maxim's 1-Wire family and are con- trolled through main segment M.

A similar design as in Fig. 7 can be used for modules where a first path section branches into only two or into more than three other path sections.

In addition to the network sections described above, each module carries a ground line Gnd and a supply line Vcc, which connects to all its neighboring modules by means of the connectors 7, thereby forming a power supply grid for powering the playfield. The power line Vcc and a network section line can be combined if the used networking technology supports energy supply over a data line, such as it is possible with Dallas Maxim's 1- Wire technology.

The purpose of the above design of the mod¬ ules is best illustrated by reference to a specific lay¬ out of the playfield, such as the one shown in Fig. 1. The network architecture corresponding to this layout with modules A through K is shown in Fig. 8.

As shown in Fig. 8, interface 21 comprises a bus master 45 and an auxiliary switch 46. In the example of Fig. 8, bus master 45 is connected to main network section 40 of the module labeled W and is thereby di- rectly communicating with the main segment M of the play- field. Auxiliary switch 46 is connected to sub-network section 41 of module A.

Interface 21 further comprises a power supply feeding a supply voltage to the Gnd and Vcc lines of mod- ule A and thereby to the whole playfield.

As can be seen, the resulting network system ensures that each of the six resulting sub-segments N is connected by one or two switches to the main segment M. Each sub-network section of a given module is connected to a switch of the given module and/or to the sub-network section of a neighboring module. The sub-segments N are formed by said sub-network sections.

This design guarantees that any device is connected to a single network segment at each time. Dif- ferent network segments are not short-circuited, a re¬ striction also applying to moving figures.

Upon start-up of the playfield, controller 20 first scans the devices attached to main-segment M while all switches are in the off position. This scan reveals the unique IDs of all of the switches. Then, controller 20 selectively activates a first switch and scans the de¬ vices in thus gains access to. For example, when control- ler 20 actives switch B-S3 (switch S3 of module B), it gains access to the identifier tags B-ID3 (ID3 of module B), K-ID (ID of module K) and J-ID2 (ID2 of module J) . By repeating this scan for all switches, it can obtain a map of the network's topography and in particular of the to¬ pography of each sub-segment N. Since each sub-segment N corresponds to a specific part of the path or track, e.g. between two crossing or corner points, this allows to de^¬ termine the topography of the tracks on the playfield. When a moveable figure 3 is arranged on the playfield, it can be accessed through the sub-segment that it is currently connected to. Since each figure con¬ tains a unique identifier tag 48, the sub-segment it is located on can be identified. In the example of Fig. 8, a moveable figure 3 is attached to the sub-segment extend¬ ing between the switches E-Sl and B-S2.

To establish knowledge of the exact position of a figure within a sub-segment, controller 20 attempts to move the detected figure along its track until it reaches an intersection or corner, thereby leaving its current sub-segment N and moving to a next one, at which time the position is known precisely. Alternatively, sen¬ sors can be arranged along the track for detecting the passage of the figure, which also allows to determine the position of a passing figure. Such a sensor 49 can e.g. be connected to a sub-network section 41 of a module 1 as shown in Fig. 5.

Once the position of a figure is known ex¬ actly, its future position can be calculated by integrat- ing its velocity over time. A particularly accurate posi¬ tion determination is possible if stepper motors are used to drive the figure.

Alternatively, optical sensors on the figure can track reflective stripes on the tracks and send their data to the controller 20. The position is adjusted each time a segment boundary is crossed or a stationary sensor is triggered. The network formed by the playfield can also be used to access other information thereof and to con¬ trol other objects thereon. For example, the openings 6 may be provided with contact electrodes for connecting an object inserted therein to the network, either directly or through a switch or interface.

In the following we describe some of the many possible variations of the presented scheme.

In the example above, the unique identifiers tags ID, IDl, ID2, ID3, ID4 contained a unique 48 bit identifier identifying not only the module, but also its type. The type., i.e. a description of the path section or path sections available on the module and the capabili¬ ties of the module, can, however, also be stored in an- other memory arranged in the module and needs not neces¬ sarily be encoded into the 48 bit identifier.

In the example above, the modules are square tiles. For building a regular playfield from identical modules, any tessellated shape can be used, such as regu- lar triangles or hexagons. Non-tessellatable shapes can be used as well. For example, ^ΛΛmega"-tiles extending over the area of several regular modules can be provided for simulating larger objects, such as building interiors, which allows to reduce the number of chips to be used. Also, it is possible to use various other types of non-tessellatable shapes. For examples, the mod¬ ules can e.g. be straight or curved railway tracks or railway switches, similar to those used in railwail mod¬ els. While there are shown and described presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be dis¬ tinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and prac¬ ticed within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An interactive toy comprising a controller device (20) , a playfield, and at least one figure (3) movable on said play- field under control of said controller device (20), wherein said playfield comprises a plurality of modules (1), wherein each of said modules (1) defines at least one path section for said figure, and wherein said modules (1) are adapted to be assembled to said playfield in various configurations for forming a plural¬ ity of paths from said path sections, characterized each module (1) comprises at least one network section (40, 41), wherein said playfield forms a digital net¬ work from said network sections (40, 41) connecting said modules (1) to said controller, and wherein said controller is adapted to de'cer- mine a topography of said paths by querying said network and to move said figure (3) in dependence of said topog¬ raphy.

2. The interactive toy of any of claim wherein each module (1) comprises connectors (7) for con- necting its network sections to network sections of neighboring modules (1) .

3. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein each of said modules (1) comprises a memory (ID) accessible by said controller through said network, said memory storing data indicative of the path section or path sections on said module (1) .

4. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein said network comprises a plurality of segments (M, N) separated by switches (S) , wherein the controller (20) is adapted to operate said switches (S) for selectively accessing said segments (M, N) for deter¬ mining said topography.

5. The interactive toy of claim 4 wherein said network comprises a main segment (M) extending through all said modules (1) and being formed by main network sections (40) of said modules (1) .

6. The interactive toy of claim 5 wherein said network comprises sub-segments (N) , each sub-segment (N) being connected to said main segment (M) via at least one switch (S) .

7. The interactive toy of claim 6 wherein each sub-segment is attributed to a part of the path.

8. The interactive toy of one of the claims 6 or 7 wherein each module (1) comprises one main-network section (40) -and at least one sub-network (41) section, wherein each sub-network section (41) of a given module (1) is connected to a switch (S) of the given module (1) and/or to the sub-network section (41) of a neighboring module (1), and wherein said sub-segments (N) are formed by said sub-network sections (41) .

9. The interactive toy of claim 8 comprising at least one branching module (1) defining a first path section (2-1) branching into at least a second (2-2) and a third (2-3) path section and comprising a first, a second and a third sub-network section (41-1, 41-2, 41-3) attributed to said first, sec- ond and third path section (2-1, 2-2, 2-3) , respectively, and at least one switch (Sl, S2, S3) for selec¬ tively coupling said first, second and/or third sub¬ network section (41-1, 41-2, 41-3) to said main network section (40) of said module (1) .

10. The interactive toy of claim 9 wherein said branching module (1) comprises a first identifier tag (ID-I) connected to first sub-network section (41-1), a second identifier tag (ID-2) connected to said second sub-network section (41-2) and a third identifier tag (ID-3) connected to said third sub-network section (41- 3) .

11. The interactive toy of any of the claims 8 to 10 comprising at least one straight module (1) de¬ fining a single, non-branching path section, said straight module (1) having one sub-network section (41) attributed to said non-branching path section and not connected to the main network section (40) of said module

(D •

12. The interactive toy of claim 10 wherein said straight module (1) comprises an identifier tag (ID) connected to the sub-network section (41) .

13. The interactive toy of any of the claims 7 to 12 wherein at least one of said modules (1) com¬ prises connectors (7) for connecting its sub-network sec¬ tion to the sub-network section of a neighboring module (1) .

14. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein each module (1) comprises at least one track (2) for each of its path-sections.

15. The interactive toy of claim 14 wherein said track (2) comprises a power connector (5a, 5b) for feeding power to the figure (3) when said figure is lo¬ cated in said track (2) .

16. The interactive toy of claim 15 wherein said track (2) is a groove (4) having lateral sides and a bottom, wherein at least one power connector (5a, 5b) ex¬ tends along each side of said groove (4) and at least one network connector (5cj for connecting said figure (3) to at least one network section of said module (1) extends along the bottom of said groove (4) , and wherein said figure comprises a pin (14) with electrodes (15a, 15b,

15c) for extending into said groove (4) and connecting to said power and network connectors (5a, 5b, 5c) .

17. The interactive toy of claim 16 wherein two power connectors (5a, 5b) of opposite polarity extend along each side of said groove (4) .

18. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein said figure (3) comprises an identi- fier tag (48) and wherein each module (1) is designed for connecting the identifier tag (48) of said figure (3) to at least one of the network sections of said module (1) .

19. The interactive toy of claim 18 and of any of the claims 6 to 13 wherein each module (1) is de¬ signed for connecting the identifier tag (48) of said figure (3) to at least one of the sub-network sections (N) of said module (1) attributed to the path-section the figure (3) located on.

20. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein at least part of said modules (1) are of tessellatable shape.

21. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein at least part of said modules (1) are of square shape.

22. The interactive toy of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein each module (1) comprises power con¬ nectors (7) for receiving power from and feeding power to its neighboring modules (1) .

23. The interactive toy .of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein at least one of said modules (1) com¬ prises means (6) for mounting a stationary object thereon and connecting said object to one of said network sec¬ tions (40, 41) .

24. The interactive to of any of the preced¬ ing claims wherein at least one of said modules (1) com¬ prises a sensor (49) for detecting the figure (3) .