Patent US3579906A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3579906A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Miniature steerable vehicle and track system therefor
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1969-12-19
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Granted: 1971-05-25
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Expires: 1989-12-19
Abstract
Abstract A miniature four-wheeled vehicle is provided with a solenoid having a linearly movable armature for turning the steering wheels in response to electrical impulses received by a set of contact brushes on the vehicle which selectively engages the conductive track system on a supporting surface which also supplies power to the vehicle and includes conductive guiding areas on the surface for steering the vehicle through a switch in the track system.
Inventors
- 👤 David H La Forge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 13:05
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63H; A63H18/00; A63H18/02; A63H18/023; A63H18/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
204 words
A system for operating electrically propelled miniature vehicles along a predetermined path defined by a pair of generally coextensive parallel spaced electrically conductive strips disposed on a generally nonconductive supporting surface, said vehicles including a body provided with at least one surface engaging steering wheel turnable about a generally vertical axis for guiding the direction of movement of the vehicle, biassing means to urge said steering wheel toward a predetermined position to move the vehicle in a predetermined direction, electromagnetic means for actuating said steering wheel including solenoid coil means and armature means linearly reciprocably movable in response to shiftable magnetic fields produced by said solenoid coil means for reciprocably turning said steering wheel, said electromagnetic means also including brush means attached to said body for operative engagement with said conductive strips while the vehicle is moving and circuit means connecting the electromagnetic means and brush means for establishing a first magnetic field in said solenoid coil means when said vehicle is laterally displaced in one direction with respect to said conductive strips to urge said armature means to turn the steering wheel to guide the vehicle toward a position astride said conductive strips, and means for supplying electrical energy to said conductive strips.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
204 words
A system for operating electrically propelled miniature vehicles along a predetermined path defined by a pair of generally coextensive parallel spaced electrically conductive strips disposed on a generally nonconductive supporting surface, said vehicles including a body provided with at least one surface engaging steering wheel turnable about a generally vertical axis for guiding the direction of movement of the vehicle, biassing means to urge said steering wheel toward a predetermined position to move the vehicle in a predetermined direction, electromagnetic means for actuating said steering wheel including solenoid coil means and armature means linearly reciprocably movable in response to shiftable magnetic fields produced by said solenoid coil means for reciprocably turning said steering wheel, said electromagnetic means also including brush means attached to said body for operative engagement with said conductive strips while the vehicle is moving and circuit means connecting the electromagnetic means and brush means for establishing a first magnetic field in said solenoid coil means when said vehicle is laterally displaced in one direction with respect to said conductive strips to urge said armature means to turn the steering wheel to guide the vehicle toward a position astride said conductive strips, and means for supplying electrical energy to said conductive strips.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said biassing means includes circuit means for establishing a second magnetic field.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said circuit means includes means for establishing a third magnetic field in said solenoid coil means when said vehicle is laterally displaced with respect to said conductive strips in a direction opposite to said one direction to urge said armature means to turn the steering wheel to guide the vehicle to a position astride said conductive strips.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said body also includes at least one ground-engaging wheel for propelling the vehicle, electric motor means for driving said propelling wheel, and said circuit means includes means for connecting the electric motor means with the brush means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The invention defined in claim 4, wherein said body also includes at least two steering wheels each turnable about generally vertical spaced axes, tie rod means connecting said two steering wheels for turning them in unison, said tie rod means including said armature means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The invention defined in claim 5, wherein said solenoid coil means surrounds said armature means and is transversely horizontally disposed on said body.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said brush means includes at least two downwardly extending flexible contact members arranged for electrical contact between one of said members and one of the conductive strips when the vehicle is astride the pair of conductive strips, the second of said two flexible members being arranged for electrical contact with a conductive strip only when the vehicle is laterally displaced.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The invention defined in claim 7, wherein said brush means also includes a third downwardly extending flexible contact member arranged for electrical contact with the other of the conductive strips when the vehicle is astride the pair of conductive strips.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
91 words
The invention defined in claim 7, wherein said armature means includes an elongated ferromagnetic element, said solenoid coil means includes a winding arranged coaxially with said element, and said circuit means includes a first connection between said one contact member and one end of said winding and a second connection between said second member and a point in said winding electrically remote from said one end for exerting force on the ferromagnetic element in one direction, and means for exerting force for urging movement of said element in the opposite direction.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
The invention defined in claim 9, wherein said means for exerting force for urging movement of the ferromagnetic element in said opposite direction includes a third downwardly extending flexible contact member arranged for electrical contact with the other of the conductive strips and circuit means connecting said third member with the other end of said winding, said second member being connected with said winding at a point electrically remote from both ends thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The invention defined in claim 10, wherein said winding includes two coaxially aligned portions, said portions when energized establishing two opposed approximately equal magnetic forces.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
The invention defined in claim 11, wherein one of said two portions of said winding is connected in circuit with said first and second flexible contact members, the other portion of the winding being connected in circuit with said second and third flexible contact members.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive strips include metallic material bonded with said supporting surface.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention defined in claim 13, wherein said metallic material includes metal particles deposited on said surface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The invention defined in claim 13, wherein said metallic material includes metal foil adhesively secured to said surface.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention defined in claim 15, wherein said means for supplying electrical energy to said conductive strips includes another pair of metal foil strips respectively electrically connected with the first pair of strips and extending on said surface angularly away from said first pair, one of said another pair of strips being separated from one of the first pair of strips by a layer of insulating material.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
65 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said means for supplying electrical energy to said conductive strips includes enclosure means for a power supply means, said supply means including line cord input means and output supply contact means, said latter contact means comprising flexible contact members mounted for projecting downwardly from said enclosure means for electrical engagement with spaced metallic elements on a supporting surface.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention defined in claim 17, wherein said enclosure means is provided with a plurality of supporting feet, and said flexible contact members normally project below the bottom plane of said feet.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said spaced conductive strips are arranged to define a main path and at least one subsidiary path diverging from said main path, and circuit second means including at least one conductive area on said supporting surface spaced from said first-mentioned conductive strips for selectively energizing said electromagnetic means on a vehicle for guiding said vehicle into a predetermined subsidiary path.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
The invention defined in claim 19, wherein said one conductive area is positioned between said pair of conductive strips adjacent the juncture of said main and subsidiary paths.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
94 words
The invention defined in claim 20, wherein said subsidiary path is defined by a continuation of one of the conductive strips of the main path and by another conductive strip arranged parallel with the continuation of said one of the conductive strips and insulated therefrom, said another strip terminating at one end at the juncture of said paths, said second circuit means including means for electrically connecting said another strip with the other of the conductive strips of the main path and for electrically connecting said conductive area with one of said conductive strips.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
The invention defined in claim 21, wherein said second circuit means includes switching means for selectively disconnecting said conductive area from any of said conductive strips.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
55 words
The invention defined in claim 22, wherein a conductive area is provided for each path defined by pairs of generally parallel conductive strips, said areas being disposed at the juncture of said paths, said second circuit means including switching means for selectively electrically connecting any one of said areas with one of the conductive strips.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
29 words
The invention defined in claim 23, wherein said switching means includes means for simultaneously disconnecting one conductive area when another conductive area is electrically connected with a conductive strip.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
40 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said biassing means includes mechanical spring means connected with said means for actuating the steering wheel to urge the steering wheel towards said predetermined position in the absence of said first magnetic field.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
87 words
The invention defined in claim 25, wherein said mechanical spring means is connected to urge the steering wheel towards a position to maintain the vehicle in said predetermined direction, and said circuit means includes means for establishing a second magnetic field in said solenoid coil means when the vehicle is laterally displaced in a direction opposite to said one direction with respect to the conductive strips to urge said armature means to turn the steering wheel to guide the vehicle toward a position astride said conductive strips.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
98 words
The invention defined in claim 26, wherein said solenoid coil means includes two axially aligned windings and a pair of brushes for energizing each of said windings, said brushes being attached to vehicle for contact with a supporting surface and being positioned for contact of one of said pair of brushes with said conductive strips to energize one of said windings only when the vehicle is displaced to one side with respect to the conductIve strips and to energize the other of said windings when the vehicle is displaced to the other side with respect to the strips.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
109 words
The invention defined in claim 27, wherein said brushes are positioned in transverse spaced alignment whereby one brush of each of said pairs is in contact with a respective one of the conductive strips substantially in all lateral positions of the vehicle, the remaining brush of one pair being positioned for contact with the respective other conductive strip only when the vehicle is laterally displaced in one direction, the remaining brush of the other pair being positioned for contact with the respective other conductive strip only when the vehicle is laterally displaced in the other direction, whereby said windings are selectively energized only when the vehicle is laterally displaced.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
48 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said brush means is positioned for operative engagement with the conductive strips for establishing said magnetic field only when the said predetermined direction of movement of the vehicle deviates laterally from the direction of the path defined by the conductive strips.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
50 words
The invention defined in claim 29, wherein said circuit means includes electric motor means for propelling said vehicle and means connecting said electric motor means and brush means, whereby when said magnetic field is established in the solenoid coil means, the effective power of the motor means is correspondingly reduced.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-05-24 | 1974-11-23 | 1975-05-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-05-24 | 1978-11-23 | 1979-05-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-05-24 | 1982-11-23 | 1983-05-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |