Autonomous Toy Vehicles Using Surface Markings and Wireless Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic toys lack the ability to sense and interact intelligently with their environment, and they are often physically constrained to slots or tracks, limiting their motion and interaction with other toys.
Innovation Solution
A toy system featuring drivable surfaces with encoded markings and self-propelled vehicles equipped with imaging systems and wireless transceivers, allowing them to autonomously navigate and interact with their environment, change behavior based on other vehicles, and respond to remote control commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional remote controlled toys are used, then they are easy to operate, but they lack the ability to sense and interact intelligently with their environment
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent mobile agents, each with its own sensing and control capabilities. Each agent operates autonomously while communicating with others through wireless transceivers, allowing intelligent environmental interaction without requiring a single complex centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
Each mobile agent is equipped with its own microcontroller, imaging system, and wireless transceiver, enabling it to independently sense its environment, make decisions, and communicate with other agents without requiring external control infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If toys are constrained to slot or track systems, then they are easy to control, but they are restricted in their motion and interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical slot or track constraints with virtual boundaries defined by wireless communication zones. Mobile agents navigate freely using onboard sensors and wireless transceivers to detect and respond to other agents, eliminating mechanical guidance structures while maintaining controllable behavior through software-based coordination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple toys operate independently, then they have autonomy, but they cannot coordinate their actions or respond to each other
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple mobile agents are merged into a coordinated system through wireless communication. Each agent's transceiver enables them to detect and respond to other agents in real-time, allowing autonomous operation while maintaining group coordination through simple message passing and position sharing.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a drivable surface that includes location encoding markings. A mobile agent is provided that includes a drive motor, an imaging system for taking images of the markings, a vehicle wireless transceiver, and a microcontroller operatively coupled to the motor, the imaging system, and the vehicle wireless transceiver. A basestation is provided that includes a controller operatively coupled to a basestation wireless transceiver. Via wireless communication between the wireless transceivers of the mobile agent and the basestation, an action to be implemented by the mobile agent can be determined by the basestation and communicated to the mobile agent, whereupon the microcontroller of the mobile agent controls detailed movement of the mobile agent on the drivable surface based on images taken of the markings of the drivable surface by the imaging system to cause the mobile agent to implement the action on the drivable surface.