Abstract
The present invention relates in one aspect to a toy construction system for constructing and operating a remote controlled toy vehicle model. The system comprises: a plurality of modular toy elements; a modular toy vehicle base detachably connectable with the modular toy elements by means of coupling members so as to construct a toy vehicle model; and a remote control device adapted to control motorized functions in the modular toy vehicle base. The modular toy vehicle base further comprises an interaction sensor adapted to generate an interaction signal in response to a mechanical interaction with the toy vehicle model; wherein the toy construction system further comprises a processor with a signal analysis process. The signal analysis process is configured to perform an analysis of the interaction signal for indications of a building interaction according to predetermined criteria, and based on the analysis to generate an output indicative of a building interaction status.
Claims
1. A toy construction system for constructing and operating a remote controlled toy vehicle model, the system comprising: a plurality of modular toy elements; a modular toy vehicle base detachably connectable with the modular toy elements by coupling members so as to construct a toy vehicle model; a remote control device configured to control motorized functions in the modular toy vehicle base; an interaction sensor configured to generate an interaction signal in response to a mechanical interaction with the toy vehicle model; and a processor with a signal analysis process, the signal analysis process being configured to perform an analysis of the interaction signal for indications of a building interaction according to predetermined criteria, and based on the analysis to generate an output indicative of a building interaction status.
2. (canceled)
3. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the interaction sensor is an accelerometer attached in a fixed orientation with respect to the vehicle base.
4-5. (canceled)
6. The toy construction system according to claim 3, wherein: the accelerometer is adapted to measure acceleration for linear motion in three orthogonal directions; the modular toy elements are adapted for interconnection according to a three-dimensional rectilinear grid, and the directions of measurement of the accelerometer are aligned with the directions of the three-dimensional rectilinear grid.
7. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein: the interaction signal is sensitive to the directional properties of the mechanical interaction, and the analysis of the interaction signal is performed with regard to pre-determined characteristics in a directional pattern in the interaction signal.
8. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the interaction sensor is configured to generate an interaction signal comprising one or more components, each component being associated with a different spatial direction, and wherein the interaction sensor is configured to generate an interaction signal comprising a time-sequence of values.
9. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of the interaction signal includes identifying a building interaction among a plurality of predetermined interactions.
10. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of the interaction signal includes identifying a specific type of building interaction.
11. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of the interaction signal includes identifying a first type of building interaction, identifying a second type of building interaction, and discriminating between the first and second type of building interaction.
12. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis of the interaction signal for indications of a building interaction according to predetermined criteria is implemented in a neural network algorithm.
13. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein: the interaction sensor is configured to generate a signal comprising temporal information about the mechanical interaction, and the analysis of the interaction signal is performed with regard to pre-determined characteristics in a temporal pattern in the interaction signal.
14. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the output indicative of a building interaction status of the toy vehicle model comprises one or more status parameters indicating one or more of: the occurrence of a building interaction; an addition of a modular toy element; a removal of a modular toy element; an addition of a composite group of modular toy elements; a removal of a composite group of modular toy elements; an addition of a wheel; a removal of a wheel; and a coupling type involved in a detected building interaction.
15. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the output indicative of a building interaction status is transmitted to the remote control device.
16. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein: the processor further comprises a computer game process defining a virtual game environment associated with the toy vehicle model, the output indicative of a building interaction status is fed as an input to the computer game process, and the computer game process is configured to modify a definition of said virtual game environment in response to a change in the building interaction status.
17. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein: the signal analysis process is at least partly implemented in a first processor arranged in the modular vehicle base, and the signal analysis process is at least partly implemented in a second processor arranged in the remote control device.
18. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device comprises one of a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a game controller, and a remote control device with one or more manual controls.
19. The toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein: the toy construction system further comprises one or more contactless tags carrying tag data associated with a toy vehicle model or a virtual game environment associated with the toy vehicle model, and the modular toy vehicle base comprises a tag reader configured to contactless read the tag data.
20-24. (canceled)
25. A method for operating a remote controlled toy vehicle model, the method comprising the steps of: generating an interaction signal, with an interaction sensor, in response to a mechanical interaction with the remote controlled toy vehicle model; analyzing the interaction signal, with a processor, for indications of a building interaction according to predetermined criteria; generating an output indicative of a building interaction status, with the processor, based on the analysis; and transmitting the output indicative of a building interaction status from the processor to a remote control to operate the remote controlled toy vehicle model.
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the output indicative of a building interaction status is provided as an input to a computer game process associated with the operation of the remote controlled toy vehicle model.
27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising the steps of: issuing, by a computer game process associated with the operation of the remote controlled toy vehicle model, a prompt requesting a building interaction to be performed on the vehicle model prior to generating the interaction signal; and determining whether or not a change in a building interaction status has occurred since issuance of the prompt after generating the output indicative of a building interaction status.
28. A toy construction system for operating a remote controlled toy vehicle model, the system comprising: a plurality of modular toy elements; a modular toy vehicle base detachably connectable with the modular toy elements so as to construct a toy vehicle model, wherein the modular toy vehicle base includes an interaction sensor configured to generate an interaction signal in response to a mechanical interaction with the toy vehicle model; and a remote control device having a processor and configured to control motorized functions in the modular toy vehicle base, wherein the processor is operative to: analyze the interaction signal according to predetermined criteria; and modify performance of the toy vehicle model based on analysis of the interaction signal.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0073] Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail in connection with the appended drawings, which show in
[0074] FIGS. 1-3 embodiments of prior art modular toy elements;
[0075] FIG. 4 a toy construction system according to one embodiment, in a first play scenario;
[0076] FIG. 5 a remote control device of the toy construction system according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, in a second play scenario;
[0077] FIG. 6 a toy vehicle model constructed from the toy construction system according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, in a third play scenario associated with the second play scenario;
[0078] FIG. 7 the toy construction system according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, in a fourth play scenario;
[0079] FIGS. 8, 9 toy construction systems according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, in further play scenarios;
[0080] FIG. 10 a schematic overview over the toy construction system according to the embodiment of FIG. 4;
[0081] FIG. 11 a diagram with method steps of operating a toy vehicle model according to some embodiments; and in
[0082] FIG. 12 a diagram with further method steps of operating a toy vehicle model according to some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0083] Various aspects and embodiments of a toy construction system for the construction and operation will now be described with reference to modular toy elements in the form of bricks. However, the invention may be applied to other forms of modular toy elements for use in toy construction sets. Also, while toy vehicle models with wheels are shown throughout the drawings, the invention is not limited thereto and may be implemented in models of other types of vehicles, such as those previously mentioned herein.
[0084] FIG. 1 shows a modular toy element with coupling studs on its top surface and a cavity extending into the brick from the bottom. The cavity has a central tube, and coupling studs on another brick can be received in the cavity in a frictional engagement as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282. FIGS. 2 and 3 show further prior art modular toy elements. The modular toy elements shown in the remaining figures have this known type of coupling members in the form of cooperating studs and cavities. However, other types of coupling members may also be used in addition to or instead of the studs and cavities. The coupling studs are arranged in a square planar grid, i.e. defining orthogonal directions along which sequences of coupling studs are arranged. The distance between neighbouring coupling studs is uniform and equal in both directions. This or similar arrangements of coupling members at coupling locations defining a regular planar grid allow the modular toy elements to be interconnected in a discrete number of positions and orientations relative to each other, in particular at right angles with respect to each other. The modular toy elements shown here, in FIGS. 1-3, are of the passive type, without additional functionality beyond mechanical model building, such as electromagnetic, electronic, optical, or the like. However, functional modular toy elements may also be combined with embodiments of the present invention. Such functional modular toy elements may in addition to coupling elements for implementing a mechanical model building functionality further include sensors and/or actuators for implementing additional functionality, such as for electromagnetic, electronic and/or optical functions.
[0085] Referring to FIGS. 4-10 in the following, an embodiment of a toy construction system for constructing and operating one or more toy car models 10, 10a, 10b is discussed. The toy construction system supports free building of different toy car models and then operating the toy car models accordingly, as desired by the user of the toy construction system.
[0086] FIG. 4 shows a toy construction system according to one embodiment, in a first play scenario. The toy construction system comprises a handheld remote control device 1 communicatively coupled to a toy vehicle model 10 through a wireless link. Using controls provided on a user interface of the remote control device 1 a user 99 can operate the toy vehicle model by remotely controlling functions thereof. The toy vehicle model comprises a modular toy vehicle base 2 and modular toy elements 3, 4, 5, 6 detachably connected to the modular toy vehicle base 2. In the embodiment shown here, the toy vehicle model 10 is a car with a body formed of passive modular toy elements 3, detachable wheels 4, a rooftop light-bar made of functional modular toy elements 5 adapted to provide user-perceivable output, such as flashing lights and/or siren sounds, and a tag modular toy element 6 comprising tag data for configuring the toy vehicle model for a specific play context (here for configuring functions of the toy vehicle model as a police car).
[0087] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the handheld remote control device 1 may be a smart device, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a handheld gaming device with a video display adapted to provide a graphical representation to the user 99 of a virtual game environment 8. The virtual game environment 8 is defined by a computer game process, which may be implemented in the handheld remote control device 1. In the course of the game, the user 99 may be requested in a prompt 9 to perform a building interaction on the toy vehicle model 10. The request may e.g. be a result of a virtual simulation of degradation in performance, in response to continued use of the toy vehicle model 10. Here, the prompt 9 tells the user that the tires of his car are worn and new tires are required. The user 99 is thus requested to perform a wheel change building interaction, e.g. in order to pass a virtual inspection in the virtual game environment 8, and/or in order to regain full performance in speed or steering precision in the operation of the toy vehicle model 10 in the physical world.
[0088] The user 99 may then proceed to physically change the wheels 4 of the toy vehicle model 10, as shown in FIG. 6. The wheel change is sensed by an interaction sensor 21 in the modular toy vehicle base 2, a corresponding interaction signal from the interaction sensor is then analyzed in a signal analysis process 11 to be identified as a specific building interaction, and a building interaction status indicative of the occurrence of a wheel change building interaction is generated. The building interaction status may be fed back as an input to the computer game process 13, which may then trigger a game event in the virtual game environment 8. For example, following the above-mentioned prompt 9 requesting a wheel change, the computer game process 13 may upon receipt of a building interaction status indicative of a wheel change allow the user to continue, award an “inspection passed”, reset a simulated degradation in performance of the car, and cause a restitution of the speed and/or steering performance of the remote controlled toy vehicle model 10 in response to a user's control input through a control instructions process 12.
[0089] In another play scenario as shown in FIG. 7, the remote control device 1 may on display 7 showing a virtual game environment 8 present a prompt 9 to user 99 requesting a mechanical fix of the body of the toy vehicle model 10 in response to a crash of the toy vehicle model 10 into an obstacle 98 in the physical environment. The crash may also be detected by the interaction sensor 21 and e.g. analyzed in the signal analysis process 11 to be classified more generally as a “violent non-building interaction”, or more specifically as a “crash”, or even as a “front impact crash”, and a corresponding interaction status may be sent to the computer game process 13. Computer game process 13 may disable the toy vehicle model, e.g. by disabling the generation of control instructions in response to a user's control input in a control instructions process 12. The computer game process 13 may then prompt the user 99 for body works to be performed on the toy vehicle model before the game can continue and the toy vehicle model 10 can again be operated. The body works may be detected by monitoring the interaction signal from the interaction sensor 21, and by analyzing the interaction signal in the signal analysis process as building interactions of removal and/or addition of modular toy elements 3 as identified in characteristic directional and/or temporal traits in the interaction signal for disengaging and or engaging coupling members 23. Upon detection of such a building interaction involving coupling members 23 the corresponding building interaction status may be updated, and the operability of the toy vehicle model 10 may be restituted.
[0090] Further play scenarios of using an embodiment of the toy construction system are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 shows two users 99a, 99b using handheld remote control devices 1 a, 1b to operate toy racing car models 10a and 10b, which they have built from the toy construction system. Advantageously, the toy vehicle models 10a, 10b may be tagged as racing cars by including tag modular toy elements 6 carrying tag data associated with a car racing environment. Tag readers arranged in the modular toy vehicle bases of the cars 10a, 10b may read the tag data and configure the modular toy vehicle bases and/or the remote control devices 1a, 1b accordingly. Further tags 66, 67, 68 may be placed freely on a play surface and may also be read by tag readers in the toy vehicles 10a, 10b. Preferably, the respective tag readers are configured and arranged to be useful both for reading tag modular toy elements 6 included in a toy vehicle model 10a, 10b and for reading surface tags 66, 67, 68 when these are passed over by, or detected in the immediate vicinity of, a toy vehicle model 10a, 10b. The surface tags may carry surface tag data for defining a general play context, such as a racing environment, for defining a specific play context, such as defining specific events or missions in a game, or for defining a toy vehicle control response, such as for providing a turbo performance with enhanced speed or for mimicking aquaplaning through a loss of steering control. Reading tag data when passing by or over such surface tags may also be used to trigger a request for mechanical interaction with the toy vehicle models 10a, 10b in a computer game process which may then be dealt with in manner analogue to what has been discussed above. For example, a fire truck 10c, which has been built from a modular toy vehicle base 2 using modular toy elements 3, 4, 5, and which may even have been tagged as such by a corresponding tag modular toy element 6c, is controlled by a user 99 from a handheld remote control device 1 to pass by a model of a building 97 including a surface tag 69 identifying the building as a fire site. A tag reader 26 in the modular toy vehicle base 2, which has been set to a fire truck configuration by means of the tag modular toy element 6, may read the fire site surface tag 69 upon arrival and, in response to reading said surface tag saying “address of fire site” and request the user to stop the vehicle and perform a physical interaction with the fire truck model while in the vicinity of the surface tag 69. The mechanical interactions may be detected from interaction signal patterns characteristic for playful interactions, such as operating a ladder, opening hatches, and in particular from interaction signal patterns characteristic for building interactions, such as detaching and/or attaching modular toy elements (that may represent firefighting equipment or firefighters).
[0091] As seen in FIG. 10, the toy construction system comprises a remote control device 1, a modular toy vehicle base 2, and modular toy elements 3, 4, 5, 6. The modular toy vehicle base 2 has a housing 20 with coupling elements 23 for detachably connecting the modular toy elements 3, 5, 6 thereto. Arranged within the vehicle base housing, the modular toy vehicle base 2 comprises a propulsion motor 22 and a steering servo 24. The wheels 4 have hub coupling members 41 for detachably mounting the wheels 4 to axles 42 on the motors 22, 24. The motors 22, 24 are controlled by a vehicle base controller 25 in response to control instructions received through a communication device 27. For example, the communication device 27 may be compliant with any known digital communication standard suitable for the remote control of toy vehicle models, such as Bluetooth compliant or similar. If applicable, the control instructions may be modified and/or interpreted according to a context defined by tag data that are obtained by means of a wireless near field tag reader 26, such as according to any suitable near field communication (“NFC”) standard or radio frequency identification (RFID) standard. The modular toy vehicle base 2 as shown here may further comprise one or more actuators 28 for generating user-perceivable output, such as light and/or sound, in response to commands received from the vehicle base controller 25. All or at least some of the components 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 of the modular toy vehicle base 2 may be powered by an autonomous power supply 29, typically comprising an energy storage device, e.g. batteries, and in particular rechargeable batteries.
[0092] The modular toy vehicle base 2 further comprises an interaction sensor 21 for detecting mechanical interactions with a toy vehicle model 10 including the modular toy vehicle base 2. Preferably, the interactions sensor 21 comprises an accelerometer. Most preferably the accelerometer is sensitive to mechanical interaction in all spatial directions. The interaction sensor 21 is thus capable of sensing mechanical interactions in three Cartesian coordinate directions X, Y, Z, which are aligned with spatial directions that are characteristic for building interactions with the toy vehicle model as determined by the coupling elements 23 and 41/42 of the toy construction system. When the interaction sensor 21 senses a mechanical interaction, it generates a corresponding interaction signal representative of the sensed mechanical interaction.
[0093] The interaction signal is passed to a signal analysis process 11. The signal analysis process 11 performs an analysis of the interaction signal for indications of a building interaction according to pre-determined criteria, and generates an output indicative of a building interaction status based on the analysis. The output indicative of a building interaction status may be passed on for use in a control instruction process 12 adapted to use said indications of a building interaction when generating control instructions for controlling the toy vehicle model 10. The output indicative of a building interaction status may further be passed on for use in a computer game process 13 adapted to use said indications of a building interaction to dynamically define a virtual game environment 8 in response to the detection of building interactions, e.g. as discussed above.
[0094] The toy construction system further comprises modular toy elements 3, 4, 5, 6 that may be detachably connected with the modular toy vehicle base 2 through respective coupling elements 23, 41/42, so as to build a desired toy vehicle model 10. The modular toy elements 3, 4, 5, 6 may include passive modular toy elements 23, wheels 4, functional toy elements 5 for producing user-perceivable output, and tag modular toy elements 6 for carrying tag data. The tag data may, for example, carry instructions for defining a general play context, for defining a specific play context, or for defining a toy vehicle control response.
[0095] The remote control device 1 is adapted to control motorized functions in the modular toy vehicle base 2. The remote control device 1 comprises a user control interface for receiving user input. The user control interface may have virtual controls, e.g. implemented on a touch screen as those seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, or may have manual controls 19 as shown here in FIG. 10, or may even have a combination of both. The remote control device 1 further comprises a processor 15. The processor 15 comprises a signal analysis process 11, a control instructions process 12 and a computer game process 13. The signal analysis process 11 is for analyzing the interaction signal from the interaction sensor 21 as discussed elsewhere herein. Alternatively or in addition thereto the same or a complementary signal analysis process may also be implemented in the processor 25 arranged in the modular toy vehicle base 2. The control instructions process 12 is for generating control instructions for the operation of the toy vehicle model based on the definition of the virtual game environment and on user input received from the user control interface, and optionally on the basis of tag data obtained from a tag modular toy element 6 and/or a surface tag 66, 67, 68, 69. The computer game process 13 defines a virtual game environment associated with the toy vehicle model (and optionally on the basis of tag data obtained from a tag modular toy element 6 and/or a surface tag 66, 67, 68, 69). The remote control device 1 further comprises a communication interface 17 coupled to the processor 15. The communication interface 17 is adapted to communicate with the communication device 27 of the modular toy vehicle base 2 through a wireless link 77. The remote control device 1 shown in FIG. 10 optionally further comprises a display 18 for presenting a status in the remote control device 1, in the modular toy vehicle base 2 or an associated toy vehicle model, and/or in a virtual game associated with the operation of said associated toy vehicle model.
[0096] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 in the following, examples of method steps of operating a toy vehicle model constructed from embodiments of a toy construction system as disclosed herein are described. FIG. 11 shows a diagram with method steps 110, 120, 130, 140 for generating an output indicative of a building interaction status on the basis of an analysis of an observed interaction signal generated by an interaction sensor in a modular toy vehicle base, when operating a toy vehicle model including said modular toy vehicle base. In step 110, a signal analysis process is initialized according to pre-determined criteria for a building interaction of the type to be detected. In step 120, a measurement is performed with an interaction sensor, thereby generating an interaction signal, which is passed to the signal analysis process. In step 130, an analysis of the interaction signal for indications of the building interaction to be detected is performed. In step 140, an output indicative of a building interaction status with respect to the building interaction to be detected is generated. The output may be used as already discussed elsewhere herein. By way of example, the output indicative of a building interaction to be detected may be useful, in a computer game process associated with the operation of a toy vehicle model as exemplified by the further method steps described in the following with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 shows a diagram with further method steps 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260 of operating a toy vehicle model according to some embodiments in combination with a computer game process associated with the operation of the toy vehicle model, and as implemented e.g. on a corresponding remote control device. In step 210, a computer game process may issue a prompt requesting a mechanical interaction, in particular a building interaction to be performed on the toy vehicle model. In step 220 a measurement of an interaction signal is obtained from an interaction sensor in a modular toy vehicle base of the toy vehicle model. In step 230, the obtained interaction signal is analysed and an output indicative of a building interaction is generated. In step 240, a query is performed determining whether or not a change in building interaction status has occurred since the prompt of step 210. In case no change has occurred, steps 220, 230, and 240 are repeated until a time-out “T” is exceeded, in which case the prompt is terminated with a negative result. In case a change is determined, the output of step 230 is passed back to the computer game process. In step 250, a query is performed determining if the detected interaction according to the output of step 230 matches the requested interaction according to the prompt of step 210. In case no match is determined, steps 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 are repeated until a time-out “T” is exceeded, in which case the prompt is terminated with a negative result. If a match is determined, the prompt is terminated with a positive result in step 260.
