AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SYSTEM
An apparatus includes a housing, a rotational motor situated within the housing, an eccentric load adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, and a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base. The legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from a flexible material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.
1 . A toy vehicle comprising:
a battery;
a plurality of wheels, wherein at least one wheel is adapted to contact and roll on a surface;
a vibrating mechanism connected to the battery; and
at least one driving leg, wherein vibration caused by the vibrating mechanism causes the at least one driving leg to move the vehicle across the surface.
2 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vibrating mechanism includes a motor and a counterweight adapted to be oscillated by the motor.
3 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg is curved toward a rear end of the vehicle.
4 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a single driving leg.
5 . The toy vehicle of claim 4 wherein the single driving leg is at least one of laterally centered or located toward a front end of the vehicle.
6 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of driving legs.
7 . The toy vehicle of claim 6 wherein the pair of driving leg are located toward a front end of the vehicle and are laterally spaced inside of a pair of front wheels.
8 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one driving leg is constructed from a rubber material, elastomer or thermoplastic elastomer.
9 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises a rotational motor having a housing and a counterweight disposed within the housing and adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, with the housing of the rotational motor including two flat, round sides connected by a cylindrical portion.
10 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises a rotational motor and a counterweight adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, with the counterweight adapted to be rotated about an axis perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is adapted to move and parallel to a surface that supports the vehicle.
11 . The toy vehicle of claim 10 wherein a center of mass of the counterweight is substantially aligned with a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle.
12 . The toy vehicle of claim 10 wherein the counterweight is situated near a front axle of the vehicle that supports a pair of front wheels.
13 . The toy vehicle of claim 10 wherein a rotational axis of the counterweight is substantially aligned with a front axle of the vehicle that supports a pair of front wheels.
14 . The toy vehicle of claim 2 wherein the motor includes a rotational axis perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is adapted to move and parallel to a surface that supports the vehicle.
15 . The toy vehicle of claim 14 wherein the motor is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction when viewed from the right side of the vehicle.
16 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a chassis, with the vibrating mechanism, battery, switch, and at least one driving leg connected to the chassis.
17 . The toy vehicle of claim 16 wherein the chassis includes holes for receiving axles for the wheels.
18 . The toy vehicle of claim 17 wherein one or more of the holes for receiving an axle are slotted to allow a corresponding axle to move vertically as the toy vehicle hops.
19 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a front linkage connected to the chassis, wherein the linkage is attached to a pivot to allow the front wheels to move vertically as the toy vehicle hops.
20 . The toy vehicle of claim 19 wherein the front wheels are rotatably coupled to a front axle supported by the front linkage, with the front linkage having a pivot parallel to the front axle and spaced away from the front axle.
21 . The toy vehicle of claim 20 wherein the front axle engages a slot adapted to limit vertical movement of the front axle.
22 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein a longitudinal offset between a leg tip and a leg base of the at least one driving leg and a vertical offset between the leg tip and the leg base of the at least one driving leg form at least a twenty-five degree angle relative to a vertical plane orthogonal to a longitudinal dimension of the vehicle.
23 . The toy vehicle of claim 22 wherein the longitudinal offset between the leg tip and the leg base of the at least one driving leg and the vertical offset between the leg tip and the leg base of the at least one driving leg form an angle relative to a vertical plane orthogonal to a longitudinal dimension of the vehicle of approximately forty degrees.
24 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein a circumferential surface of at least one of the plurality of wheels is tapered smaller away from an outside edge of the wheel.
25 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a switch adapted to be actuated by a magnet adjacent to the vehicle.
26 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle replicates a production vehicle and has dimensions of smaller than 1:75 scale of the production vehicle.
27 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a length of less than 2 inches and a width of less than 1 inch.
28 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wheels include front wheels and back wheels, with the vibrating mechanism situated longitudinally between the front wheels and the back wheels.
29 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a rear axle adapted to engage the back wheels and the battery is situated longitudinally over the rear axle.
30 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the battery is situated toward the back of the vehicle relative to the vibrating mechanism.
31 . The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein the battery is situated longitudinally between the front wheels and the back wheels.
32 . A toy vehicle comprising:
a battery;
a plurality of wheels, wherein at least one wheel is adapted to contact and roll on a surface;
a vibrating mechanism connected to the battery; and
a plurality of bristles, wherein vibration caused by the vibrating mechanism causes the plurality of bristles to move the vehicle across the surface.
33 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein the vibrating mechanism includes a motor and a counterweight adapted to be oscillated by the motor.
34 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises a rotational motor having a housing and a counterweight disposed within the housing and adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, with the housing of the rotational motor including two flat, round sides connected by a cylindrical portion.
35 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises a rotational motor and a counterweight adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, with the counterweight adapted to be rotated about an axis perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is adapted to move and parallel to a surface that supports the vehicle.
36 . The toy vehicle of claim 35 wherein a center of mass of the counterweight is substantially aligned with a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle.
37 . The toy vehicle of claim 35 wherein the counterweight is situated near a front axle of the vehicle that supports a pair of front wheels.
38 . The toy vehicle of claim 35 wherein a rotational axis of the counterweight is substantially aligned with a front axle of the vehicle that supports a pair of front wheels.
39 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises a rotational motor having a rotational axis perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is adapted to move and parallel to a surface that supports the vehicle.
40 . The toy vehicle of claim 39 wherein the motor is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction when viewed from the right side of the vehicle.
41 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein the vehicle includes a chassis, with the vibrating mechanism, battery, and switch connected to the chassis.
42 . The toy vehicle of claim 41 wherein the chassis includes holes for receiving axles for the wheels.
43 . The toy vehicle of claim 42 wherein one or more of the holes for receiving an axle are slotted to allow a corresponding axle to move vertically as the toy vehicle moves vertically.
44 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 further comprising a front linkage connected to the chassis, wherein the front linkage is attached to a pivot to allow wheels coupled to the front linkage to move vertically as the toy vehicle moves vertically.
45 . The toy vehicle of claim 44 wherein the front wheels are rotatably coupled to a front axle supported by the front linkage, with the front linkage having a pivot parallel to the front axle and spaced away from the front axle.
46 . The toy vehicle of claim 45 wherein the front axle engages a slot adapted to allow vertical movement of the front axle.
47 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 wherein a circumferential surface of at least one of the plurality of wheels is tapered smaller away from an outside edge of the wheel.
48 . The toy vehicle of claim 32 further comprising a switch adapted to be actuated by a magnet adjacent to the vehicle.
49 . An autonomous toy vehicle comprising:
a motor adapted to induce motion of the autonomous vehicle;
a battery;
a switch adapted to connect the battery to the motor or disconnect the battery from the motor based on a signal in a vicinity of the vehicle; and
a plurality of wheels.
50 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein the switch comprises a reed switch and the signal comprises a magnetic field.
51 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein the switch comprises an optical switch and the signal comprises an optical signal.
52 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein the switch is adapted to receive a radio signal and the signal comprises a radio signal.
53 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein the switch comprises a touch sensor and the signal comprises a contact adapted to engage the touch sensor.
54 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein a circumferential surface of at least one of the plurality of wheels is tapered smaller away from an outside edge of the wheel.
55 . The toy vehicle of claim 49 wherein the vehicle includes a chassis, with the motor, battery, and switch connected to the chassis and wherein the chassis includes holes for receiving axles for the wheels, with one or more of the holes for receiving an axle being slotted to allow a corresponding axle to move vertically as the toy vehicle hops.
56 . A track system for a toy vehicle comprising:
at least one intersection component having a plurality of connectors adapted to interconnect the intersection component with at least one other track component, wherein each of the components include at least one lane and the intersection component includes a magnet selectively moveable between at least a first location adjacent to a first lane and second location defining one of a retracted position or a second location adjacent to a second lane.
57 . The track system of claim 56 wherein the magnet is adapted to actuate a switch included in a toy vehicle as the toy vehicle moves on the first lane when the magnet is in the first location.
58 . The track system of claim 57 wherein the magnet is adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular to a surface on which the toy vehicle moves.
59 . A track system for a toy vehicle comprising:
one or more straight track components having side walls and a plurality of lanes defined by a dashed raised centerline adapted to cause vehicles traveling down one of the lanes to tend to stay within the lane.
60 . The track system of claim 59 further comprising:
one or more curved track components having side walls and a substantially continuous raised centerline adapted to cause vehicles traveling down one of the lanes to tend to stay within the lane as the vehicles move through the curve, wherein each of the straight track components include connectors adapted to interconnect the track component with at least one other track component.
61 . The track system of claim 60 wherein the dashed raised centerline and the substantially continuous raised centerline are defined by an upward slope situated at least at an edge of the lane.
62 . The track system of claim 60 wherein the dashed raised centerline and the substantially continuous raised centerline are defined by a vertical protrusion having substantially vertical sides at an edge of the lane.
63 . A track system for a toy vehicle comprising:
an attachment for a track component, wherein the track component includes one or more lanes and is adapted to interconnect with one or more other track components and the attachment includes a signal generating mechanism adapted to selectively generate a signal in a vicinity of a lane of the track component adjacent to the attachment and the signal is adapted to actuate a switch in a vehicle located in the lane, wherein actuation of the switch is adapted to cause power from a battery in the vehicle to be removed from a motor in the vehicle.
64 . The track system of claim 63 wherein the signal generating mechanism includes a magnet selectively moveable between at least a first location adjacent to a first lane and second location defining a retracted position, with the magnet being adapted to interact with a switch in the vehicle when the magnet is in the first location to cause power from the battery to be removed from the motor.
65 . The track system of claim 63 wherein the signal generating mechanism selectively generates an optical signal adapted to interact with an optical sensor in the vehicle when the vehicle is in a first lane adjacent to the signal generating mechanism to cause power from the battery to be removed from the motor.
66 . The track system of claim 63 wherein the signal generating mechanism selectively generates a radio signal adapted to interact with a radio sensor in the vehicle when the vehicle is in a first lane adjacent to the signal generating mechanism to cause power from the battery to be removed from the motor.
67 . A track system for a toy vehicle comprising:
an attachment for a track component, wherein the track component includes one or more lanes and is adapted to interconnect with one or more other track components and the attachment is adapted to selectively, depending on a position of a switch included in the attachment, activate a manual switch in the vehicle when the vehicle is in a first lane adjacent to the attachment to cause power from the battery to be removed from the motor.
68 . A track system for a toy vehicle comprising:
a track component including one or more lanes for autonomous vehicles and one or more parking spaces for the vehicles, wherein the track component is adapted to interconnect with one or more other track components and the track component includes a magnet adjacent to each of the one or more parking spaces, with the magnet being adapted to interact with a switch in the vehicle when the vehicle is in a corresponding parking space to cause power from the battery to be removed from the motor.
69 . The track system of claim 68 wherein each of the one or more parking spaces further comprises at least one sidewall and a lower profile ridge separating the parking space from a lane of the track component.
70 . A method for inducing movement of a toy vehicle having a vibration drive, the method comprising:
inducing vibration of the toy vehicle to cause the toy vehicle to move using one or more driving appendages contacting a first surface of a track and wheels contacting the track; and
at least one of:
allowing the toy vehicle to roll on the wheels based on a second surface of the track being adapted to preclude contact with the one or more driving appendages; or
causing the vehicle to stop using a magnet connected to the track, wherein the magnet causes actuation of a reed switch that connects a battery to a motor of the vehicle.