Light matrix building block for modular toy or educational construction set

Abstract

A light matrix building block for a modular toy or educational construction set, comprising a plurality of individual light emitting elements, the light matrix building block being configured to independently control the color and intensity of each of the light emitting elements, and to receive and decode digital information to adjust the color and intensity of each of the light emitting elements, wherein the digital information to adjust the color and intensity of a light emitting element of the plurality of light emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte. Furthermore, a modular toy or educational construction set comprising a light matrix building block and a building block device; and a method of communication between a light matrix building block and a building block device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to building blocks for modular toys or educational construction kits, particularly light matrix building blocks having multiple individual light-emitting elements, modular toys or educational construction kits including light matrix building blocks and building block devices electrically connected to each other, and methods of communication between light matrix building blocks and building block devices. Background Technology

[0002] Modular toys or educational building kits offer a way for toddlers, teenagers, and adults to play and experiment by exploring and utilizing modules that are combined together.

[0003] Increasingly, these modular build kits feature building blocks that include electronic components that can be electrically connected to each other and also comprise these building blocks, which may also include sensors, batteries, actuators, optical modules, etc. One challenge with modular build kits that include electronic components is size and durability. Electronic components typically need to have a small form factor, and the modules need to withstand multiple assembly and disassembly cycles.

[0004] To facilitate gaming and learning, different modules should be able to assemble together in various ways and quickly exchange digital information when needed, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted gaming or learning experience. For some electronic modules, digital communication between them or with applications can be achieved using wireless communication protocols, which have the advantage of being slower than wired connections. Constructions capable of communicating with users, for example, through applications or through sensory outputs (such as vibration, sound, or light) from one or more building blocks, require the transmission of large amounts of digital information.

[0005] Therefore, modules used in modular toys or educational building kits need to be able to communicate with each other quickly and need to be able to connect to each other in a variety of ways. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Some embodiments are intended to address, mitigate, or eliminate at least some of the above-mentioned or other challenges.

[0007] In a first aspect, a light matrix building block for a modular toy or educational construction kit is provided; in a second aspect, a modular toy or educational construction kit is provided, comprising the light matrix building block and building block device according to the first aspect; and in a third aspect, a method for communication between the light matrix building block and the building block device is provided. Features with the same name in different aspects have similar functions, therefore the description and interpretation of features in any aspect are applicable to those features in any other aspect.

[0008] According to a first aspect, a light matrix building block for modular toys or educational construction kits is provided. The light matrix building block includes multiple individual light-emitting elements and is configured as follows: - Individual control over the color and intensity of each light-emitting element, and - Receive and decode digital information to adjust the color and intensity of each light-emitting element. The digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements among the multiple light-emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte.

[0009] Building blocks for modular construction kits have one or more attachments designed to allow a building block to interlock with one or more other building blocks. The attachments of different building blocks may be similar or different, but are designed to allow the building blocks to adhere to or clamp each other. An optical matrix building block may, for example, interlock with one or more simple non-electronic building blocks, one or more other optical matrix building blocks, and / or other building blocks that include electronic components.

[0010] Multiple light-emitting elements can be arranged on a 2D grid, such as a grid defined as rectangular, square, circular, etc. If the grid is rectangular or square, the light matrix can be a square matrix, i.e., having the same number of lights in its rows and columns, such as 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, etc. Individual light-emitting elements can be LEDs, and they can be of the same type and / or model, or different.

[0011] Because the color and intensity of each light-emitting element are controlled individually, some or all of the light-emitting elements can be turned on or off at a given time.

[0012] The light matrix building block can receive digital information and has the processing capability to decode digital information to adjust the color and intensity of each light-emitting element, for example, by direct user request or by software program request. Adjustment refers to the appropriate setting of color and intensity; that is, color can be changed, intensity can be increased or decreased, or light can be turned off (intensity = zero).

[0013] The digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of each individual light-emitting element is encoded in a single information byte. This allows the light matrix building blocks to quickly, and at least to the human eye, adjust the color and intensity of all multiple light-emitting elements simultaneously in response to the information encoded in the single information byte (i.e., 8 bits). To increase the number of available colors and reduce the number of bytes required to provide encoded information to adjust intensity and color, the intensity and color encoding information can be provided as indexed intensity and indexed color, respectively. For example, the intensity encoding information and the color encoding information can each be encoded as 4 bits.

[0014] An optical matrix building block can be configured to receive digital information wirelessly or via a wired connection. The wired connection can be formed as part of one or more attachments, allowing the optical matrix building block to interlock with other building blocks, or it can be, for example, a cable with connectors at the ends for electrical connection to another entity. The optical matrix building block can be connected to a building block device, i.e., a building block that includes electronic components and has technical functions, such as batteries, sensors, etc. When the optical matrix building block is connected to a building block device, it can operate and respond appropriately. For this purpose, the optical matrix building block can be further configured to determine whether an electronically connected building block device can provide power to the connected building block, and whether the connected building block device is configured for digital communication. For example, the optical matrix building block can adjust the color and intensity of each light-emitting element according to the state of the connected building block device, such as: battery power level, polarity of the supplied power, sensor values, whether the device is on / off, transmitting, recording, updating, etc.

[0015] According to a second aspect, a modular toy or educational construction kit is provided, comprising a light matrix building block and a building block device according to a first aspect. The light matrix building block and the building block device are each configured to be electrically connected to each other.

[0016] In one embodiment, the building block device is a building block hub device configured to encode digital information intended for use in the optical matrix building block. The hub device can connect wirelessly or wired to multiple other devices and transmit data between the connected devices. If the optical matrix building block cannot communicate wirelessly, it can be connected via cable to a hub device configured for wireless communication, and the hub device can then transmit data it has wirelessly received to the optical matrix building block. Thus, in one embodiment, the building block device is a hub device configured to wirelessly receive digital information intended for use in the optical matrix building block. Advantageously, the wireless communication (with the hub device configured for wireless communication) can be Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), as this significantly reduces power consumption, partly due to the smaller data packets transmitted compared to classic Bluetooth, while maintaining a similar communication range. In the Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy packet structure, the maximum payload in a single message is 20 bytes. In Bluetooth 4.2 and 5.0 Low Energy packet structures, when using the so-called Data Length Extension (DLE), the maximum payload in a single message, i.e., the maximum number of bytes used for the message content, is 246 bytes. However, using DLE results in longer propagation times, which increases the chance of transmission failures and the need for packet retransmission. The longer the Bluetooth message, the longer the transmission time; therefore, reducing the size of the BLE message is advantageous for fast and reliable transmission. Thus, in one embodiment, the building block hub device is also configured to receive digital information for the optical matrix building blocks as a single Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) message. This works well with the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements encoded in a single information byte.

[0017] In another embodiment, the building block device is a building block battery device, i.e., a building block, and therefore has an attachment portion that allows it to interlock with other building blocks that have suitable attachment portions, and these other building blocks are battery devices. The battery devices store energy and are capable of powering the building block devices connected to them. Some building block battery devices will be further configured for digital communication and will then be referred to as smart battery devices. The optical matrix building block may be further configured to detect its connection to a battery device. In some embodiments, the optical matrix building block is also configured to detect whether the device to which it is connected is configured for digital communication. In some embodiments, the optical matrix building block is also configured to detect the polarity of the connected battery device.

[0018] According to a third aspect, a method for communication between a light matrix building block and a building block device is provided. The light matrix building block includes multiple individual light-emitting elements and is configured to independently control the color and intensity of each light-emitting element. The method includes: - Digital information is provided to the optical matrix building blocks by the building block device. - The optical matrix building block receives and decodes digital information provided by the building block device. - The light matrix building blocks adjust the color and intensity of each light-emitting element based on the received digital information. The digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements among the multiple light-emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte.

[0019] In one embodiment, the intensity and color coding information are provided as index intensity and index color, respectively.

[0020] In another embodiment, the intensity encoding information and the color encoding information are each encoded with 4 bits.

[0021] Additional features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A diagram of a light matrix building block according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 2-5 A schematic diagram of an optical matrix building block and a building block device according to some embodiments is shown, and Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method between a light matrix building block and a building block device according to some embodiments is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described and illustrated more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the description disclosed herein may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are illustrative and simplified for clarity, and therefore only details essential to understanding the invention are shown, while other details are omitted. Throughout the text, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. Therefore, similar elements need not be described in detail for each drawing.

[0024] Figure 1 A diagram of a light matrix building block 1 according to one embodiment is shown. The light matrix building block 1 has a 3×3 matrix 5 of individual LEDs with a total of nine light-emitting elements 3. The light matrix building block has various attachment portions 11, allowing it to interlock with other building blocks having suitable attachment portions. A connecting cable 7 with connectors 9 at its ends enables the light matrix building block 1 to be electrically connected to another device, and allows power to be supplied to the light matrix building block 1 and digital communication (if supported) between the connected devices.

[0025] The color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 can be individually controlled by a controller within the light matrix building block 1. Each light-emitting element 3 can produce multiple colors at various intensities, with both color and intensity individually controlled for each element. Digital information containing instructions for the color and intensity settings of each light-emitting element 3 is provided to the light matrix building block 1 via the connecting cable 7 or via a wireless connection. To enable rapid updates to the light matrix 5, even when the digital information encoding the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 is transmitted directly to the light matrix building block 1 or to a device connected to the light matrix building block via the connecting cable 7 using Bluetooth Low Energy protocol, the digital information for adjusting the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements is encoded in a single byte. Upon receiving the digital information, the light matrix building block 1 decodes the nine data bytes required to update the color and intensity settings of the nine LEDs in the light matrix 5.

[0026] Figure 2-5 Schematic diagrams of a light matrix building block 1 and a building block device 13 according to some embodiments are shown. In conjunction with each figure, a manner in which the light matrix building block 1, through its light-emitting elements, can be used to provide a desired visual output. The visual output can be perceived by a person or received by a device, such as a camera or sensor.

[0027] Figure 2-5 A schematic diagram is shown of the optical matrix building block 1 and the building block device 13 connected by wired connection 7. (See diagram below.) Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the light matrix building block 1 has a 3×3 matrix 5 of individual LEDs 3 with a total of nine light-emitting elements 3. The building block device 13 is also an electronic device of the building block, i.e., it has an attachment portion (not shown), which allows it to interlock with other building blocks having suitable attachment portions.

[0028] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The building block device 13 is a building block hub device 15, which can communicate with and facilitate communication between the optical matrix building block 1 and other devices (such as other building block devices, tablet computers, computers, mobile phones, etc.). The building block hub device 15 can typically be configured for wired or wireless communication, or both. Therefore, it is capable of receiving digital information for the optical matrix building block 1.

[0029] exist Figure 2In this embodiment, the building block hub device 15 is connected to the tablet computer 17 via a wireless connection 19 using the BLE protocol. Through this wireless connection 19, the building block hub device 15 receives instructions for the optical matrix building block 1. The hub device 15 transmits the digital information it receives from the tablet computer 17 to the optical matrix building block 1 via a connecting cable 7. The optical matrix building block 1 decodes the information and adjusts the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 accordingly.

[0030] Information from tablet computer 17 is transmitted using the BLE protocol, and tablet computer 17 can alternatively be, for example, a computer or other building block device capable of wireless communication using the BLE protocol. By encoding the information of each light-emitting element 3 in a single byte, all nine light-emitting elements 3 of the light matrix 5 can be updated using a single BLE message, which allows for rapid updates.

[0031] exist Figure 2 Below is a hardware schematic showing a light matrix 5 with LEDs 3, all of which have different colors and intensities. This is possible because all light-emitting elements 3 are independently controlled. Colors can be, for example, light blue, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, cyan, pink, white, etc., and are illustrated in different shades of gray. Figure 2 The setup shown allows for fast and reliable advanced control of the light matrix 5.

[0032] For example, the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 can be provided in the encoding as an index of intensity and an index of color, respectively, where four bits provide the index of color and four bits provide the index of intensity: Intensity Color 7th bit, 6th bit, 5th bit, 4th bit, 3rd bit, 2nd bit, 1st bit, 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 Each value in the color index corresponds to a specific, unique color. However, the intensity index can be provided as a gamma level table, with four bits providing the level index, for example (for an index with 10 standard intensity levels): Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Close Factor 2: 6, 14, 27, 45, 69, 101, 140, 189, 255, 0 To calculate the final RGB values, the intensity factor is divided by its maximum value and then multiplied by each RGB value. That is, in the example above, the intensity is calculated as factor / 255 and then multiplied by each RGB value. For example, if the selected color has RGB = (0, 160, 30) and the intensity index is 6, the final RGB value is (0, 69 / 255). 160, 69 / 255 30) = (0, 43, 8).

[0033] exist Figure 3 In the embodiments shown, six examples are illustrated at the bottom, where all light-emitting elements are the same color and have the same intensity. Possible colors could be, for example, light blue, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, cyan, pink, white, etc. Figure 3 The light is displayed as different shades of gray. When the hub device 15 receives a signal from a connected building block device (e.g., building block sensor 21), all light-emitting elements 3 with the same color and intensity are useful, and the building block sensor 21 outputs discrete values ​​that will be visualized by the light matrix 5. The discrete individual values ​​are then visualized using the color index as described above, with all light-emitting elements 3 having the same color.

[0034] The connected device, such as sensor 21, can send a signal formatted to conform to an encoding, wherein information for adjusting the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 is encoded in a single information byte. Alternatively, the connected device sends its discrete values ​​to hub device 15 via a connection, and hub device 15 then encodes the information of the light matrix building block 1. As a further alternative, or additionally, the light matrix building block 1 can be further configured to receive and decode discrete value signals directly from the building block sensor 21 via hub device 15 to produce the aforementioned visualization of discrete values.

[0035] exist Figure 4 In this embodiment, the building block device 13 is a simple building block battery device 23 without digital communication capabilities. The light matrix building block 1 is configured to detect its connection to a battery device capable of powering it via cable 7, and further detect that the battery device is not configured for digital communication. When connected to this type of simple building block battery device 23, the light matrix building block 1 will detect and visualize the battery polarity, for example by making all light-emitting elements 3 green for positive polarity and red for negative polarity. Figure 4 The bottom shows three instances of the light matrix 5, all with the same color and intensity of the light-emitting elements 3. On the far left, the light matrix 5 is turned off before being connected to the simple battery device 23, while the other two light matrices 5 represent the light matrix building blocks 1, which detect and visualize positive or negative polarity by using two different colors (shown in different shades of gray).

[0036] Figure 5 An embodiment is shown in which the light matrix building block 1 is connected to the building block device 13, which outputs a relative value that can be visualized as a value in the range of negative 10 to positive 10.

[0037] For example, the building block device 13 could be a smart battery device 25, i.e., a battery device capable of digital communication, or it could be a hub device 15. (As mentioned above...) Figure 4 The light matrix building block 1 can detect whether it is connected to the battery device 25 and detect the polarity of the battery device. The smart battery device 25 provides the light matrix building block 1 with the digital information required to visualize the battery's power level. For positive polarity, the color can be green, and to visualize the power level, the intensity of the green can increase with the power level, for example, as shown by the increasing intensity in each vertical line until a maximum value is reached. Similarly, negative polarity can be displayed using red and increasing intensity to indicate the increasing battery level. This produces a red or green bar chart of the power level. Figure 5 In the image, different colors and intensities are represented by different shades of gray.

[0038] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method between a light matrix building block 1 and a building block device 13 according to some embodiments is shown. The light matrix building block 1 has a plurality of individual light-emitting elements 3 and is configured to independently control the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3.

[0039] In step S10, the building block device 13 provides digital information to the light matrix building block 1, wherein digital information for adjusting the color and intensity of the light-emitting element 3 among the multiple light-emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte. The building block device 13 may be, for example, a combination of... Figure 2 , 3 The building block hub device 15 or building block smart battery device 25 described in section 5. In step S20, the light matrix building block 1 receives and decodes digital information, and in step S30, the light matrix building block 1 adjusts the color and intensity of each light-emitting element 3 according to the received digital information.

[0040] Figure 1-5 The description provides an example of how to use the light matrix building block 1 to visualize the output from the building block device 13.

[0041] List of reference numerals

[0042] 1. Light Matrix Building Block

[0043] 3. Light-emitting element

[0044] 5. Light-emitting element matrix

[0045] 7 Connecting cables

[0046] 9 Connectors

[0047] 11. Attached section

[0048] 13 Building Block Device

[0049] 15. Constructing a block hub device

[0050] 17 Tablet PC

[0051] 19. Wireless connectivity

[0052] 21 Building block sensor with discrete output values

[0053] 23 Constructing a block battery device

[0054] 25 Building Block Smart Battery Device

Claims

1. A light matrix building block for modular toys or educational construction kits, the light matrix building block comprising a plurality of individual light-emitting elements, the light matrix building block being configured to: The system independently controls the color and intensity of each of the light-emitting elements, and receives and decodes digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of each of the light-emitting elements. in, The digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements among multiple light-emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte.

2. The optical matrix building block according to claim 1, wherein, The light matrix building block is also configured to decode digital information, wherein intensity and color encoding information are provided as index intensity and index color, respectively.

3. The optical matrix building block according to claim 1, wherein, The light matrix building block is also configured to decode digital information, wherein intensity encoding information and color encoding information are each encoded as 4 bits.

4. The optical matrix building block according to claim 2, wherein, The light matrix building block is also configured to decode digital information, wherein intensity encoding information and color encoding information are each encoded as 4 bits.

5. The optical matrix building block according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, Multiple light-emitting elements are arranged on a 2D grid.

6. The optical matrix building block according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The optical matrix building block is also configured to receive digital information via a wired connection.

7. The optical matrix building block according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The optical matrix building block is also configured to determine whether the connected building block device is capable of supplying power to the electrically connected building block, and to determine whether the connected building block device is configured for digital communication.

8. The optical matrix building block according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The light matrix building block is also configured to adjust the color and intensity of each of the light-emitting elements according to the state of the connected building block device.

9. A modular toy or educational construction kit, comprising a light matrix building block according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a device including the building block, wherein, The optical matrix building blocks and the building block devices are each configured to be electrically connected to each other.

10. The modular toy or educational construction kit according to claim 9, wherein, The building block device is a building block hub device configured to encode digital information used for the optical matrix building blocks.

11. The modular toy or educational construction kit according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, The building block device is a building block hub device configured to wirelessly receive digital information for the optical matrix building blocks.

12. The modular toy or educational construction kit of claim 11, wherein, The building block hub device is also configured to receive digital information for the optical matrix building block as a single Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) message.

13. The modular toy or educational construction kit according to claim 9, wherein, The building block device is a building block battery device.

14. A communication method for communicating between a light matrix building block and a building block device, the light matrix building block comprising a plurality of individual light-emitting elements and configured to independently control the color and intensity of each of the light-emitting elements, the method comprising: The building block device provides digital information to the optical matrix building block. The digital information is received and decoded by the optical matrix building block. The light matrix building block adjusts the color and intensity of each of the light-emitting elements according to the received digital information. The digital information used to adjust the color and intensity of the light-emitting elements among the multiple light-emitting elements is encoded in a single information byte.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein, Intensity and color coding information are provided as index intensity and index color, respectively.

16. The communication method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, Intensity encoding information and color encoding information are each encoded with 4 bits.

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