Remote controlled vehicle systems

Claim 2

In a remotely controlled vehicle system comprising in combination at least one electrically powered vehicle including driving means which is continuously energized from a remote source of power through oppositely polarized contacts, track means comprising a repetitive pattern of conductors superimposed along a surface on which said vehicle travels, and including: a first set comprising a plurality of said conductors uniformly spaced apart on said surface, a second set comprising conducting means interposed between and electrically isolated from successive conductors of said first set along said surface, the conductors of said first set and the second conducting means being connected to opposite terminals of said remote source of power for oppositely polarizing said first set relative to said second set, first and second contacting means fastened on said vehicle in circuit relation to opposite terminals of said driving means, said contacting means constrained to move relative to said vehicle only in a direction substantially normal to the surface of said track, said first contacting means connected to one said terminal comprising a contacting surface constructed to make slidable electrical contact with one or more conductors of said first set simultaneously without making electrical contact with the intervening conducting means of said second set, and said second contacting means connected to the other said terminal, constructed to make slidable electrical contact with the intervening conducting means of said second set without being electrically responsive to the conducting means of said first set, each of said second contacting means so disposed relative to said first contacting means that when said first contacting means is in contact with one or more conductors of said first set at least one of said second contacting means is in contact with the intervening conducting means of said second set.

Claim 3

A vehicle system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said track means comprises a repetitive pattern of substantially parallel conductors superimposed on a substantially plane surface and extending in a principal direction of travel of the vehicle, and said first set comprises a plurality of said conductors uniformly spaced apart in a lateral direction on said surface and elevated at a substantially uniform height above said surface, and said second set comprises conducting means interposed between successive conductors of said first set along said surface and substantially depressed in height relative to the conductors of said first set, the elevated conductors of said first set and the second depressed conducting means being connected to opposite terminals of said remote source of power for oppositely polarizing said first set relative to said second set, said first and second contacting means fastened to the bottom of said vehicle in circuit relation to opposite termiNals of said driving means, said contacting means constrained to move relative to said vehicle only in a direction substantially normal to the surface of said track, said first contacting means connected to one said terminal comprising an extended contacting surface disposed to contact at least two of the elevated conductors of said first set simultaneously without making contact with the depressed conducting means of said second set, and said second contacting means comprising one or more narrow members connected to the other said terminal, said narrow members shaped to fit between the elevated conductors of said first set and to make contact with the depressed conducting means of said second set, each of said narrow second contacting means so disposed relative to said extended first contacting means that when said extended first contacting means is in contact with a pair of the elevated conductors of said first set at least one of said narrow second contacting means is in contact with the depressed conducting means of said second set.

Claim 4

A vehicle system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said first contacting means is elongated in one dimension for contacting two of said elevated conductors simultaneously, and said second narrow contacting means comprises spring mounted contactors constructed to move over said elevated conductors making electrical contact only with said depressed conducting means.

Claim 5

A vehicle system in accordance with claim 2 in which said first contacting means comprises an elongated bar mounted so that it extends transversely across the bottom of said vehicle contacting at least two of said elevated conductors simultaneously.

Claim 6

A vehicle system in accordance with claim 2 in which said first contacting means comprises an annular circular or elliptical surface having an inner radius which at least exceeds the separation between two of said raised conductors.

Claim 7

The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said remote source supplies alternating current power, and said system comprises a plurality of vehicles each having a pair of said contacting means, control means connected to said alternating current source and including means to separately regulate signals of opposite phase imposed between said first conductors and said second conducting means on said track, a first motor circuit connected between said contacting means in one of the vehicles on said track responsive to unidirectional signals of one phase to drive a first one of said motors, and a second motor circuit connected between said contacting means in one of the vehicles on said track responsive to unidirectional signals of the opposite phase to drive a second one of said motors, whereby the driving speed of said first and second motors are separately controlled from said control means.

Claim 8

The combination in accordance with claim 6 wherein said system includes two vehicles, and one of said vehicles comprises a driving circuit including at least one motor responsive to signals from said control means of said one phase, and the other vehicle comprises a driving circuit including at least one motor responsive to signals from said control means of the opposite phase, whereby each said vehicle includes driving means responsive to a separately regulated signal from said source.

Claim 9

The combination in accordance with claim 7 wherein the driving circuit in each of said vehicles comprises at least two motors in an electrical circuit responsive to unidirectional voltage signals from said control circuit, means for triggering at least one of said two motors in one said vehicle to operate in the same or a different voltage range than that in which the other said motor operates, one of said motors connected to drive one of the driving wheels of said vehicle and the other of said motors connected to drive the other driving wheel of said vehicle, whereby the direction of said vehicle is determined by the relative speeds of said motors which speeds are a function of The magnitude of the unidirectional voltage signal from said control circuit.

Claim 10

The combination in accordance with claim 8 wherein said means for triggering at least one said motor includes an avalanche breakdown rectifier.

Claim 11

The combination in accordance with claim 8 wherein said control means for separately regulating signals of opposite phase from said alternating current source includes additional circuit means for imposing a voltage spike on each of said unidirectional control signals of opposite phase and for varying the position of each of said spikes in the time cycles of said oppositely phased signals directed to separate vehicles, driving circuits responsive to unidirectional signals of opposite phase respectively connected between the contactors of each of said two vehicles, the circuits in each of said vehicles including a first and second motor in substantially parallel relation, said first motor responsive to operate at substantially low voltage between said contactors, and a trigger circuit in each of said circuits connected to trigger operation of the second motor in said circuit in response to one said voltage spike in the unidirectional voltage signal received by said circuit from said control circuit, whereby depending on the position of the spike in the time cycle of said signal, the second said motor operates at a speed which is faster, equal to or slower than the speed of said first motor, thereby controlling the direction of said vehicle.

Claim 12

A control circuit in accordance with claim 10 for separately regulating signals of opposite phase from said alternating current source includes additional circuit means for imposing a voltage spike on each of said control signals and for imposing the control signals including the voltage spike between said elevated conductors and said depressed conducting means on said track, said circuit including in combination: a transformer circuit connected to receive the alternating current voltage from said source, means comprising a pair of center taps connected to said transformer circuit at points of equally disposed potential above and below the ground or neutral potential of said source, each of said taps connected through a variable resistor and an oppositely directed rectifier to one of the two output terminals of said control circuit for providing to said terminals separately controlled voltage signals corresponding to the positive and negative portions of the signal from said source, an additional pair of taps connected to the voltage extremities of said transformer, each of said taps connected through a variable resistor circuit to charging means, said charging means connected to trigger the operation of an avalanche breakdown rectifier, the output of each said avalanche breakdown devices connected to said respective terminals for imposing a spike of corresponding polarity on the voltage output derived from said terminal at a point in the alternating current cycle corresponding to the triggering of said avalanche breakdown rectifier.

Claim 13

A vehicle system in accordance with claim 8 wherein each of said vehicles has a unidirectional circuit having a first motor M1 and a second motor M2, each in circuit relation across said contactors to receive current from said source of power through said raised conductors and said conducting means on said track, a first trigger circuit and a second trigger circuit, said first trigger circuit disposed in shunt relation to said first motor M1 across said contactors, said second trigger circuit disposed in series relation to said second motor M2 across said contactors, each of said trigger circuits including a potential divider across said contactors for operating said trigger circuits at a preselected voltage, the resistance values of the said respective potential dividers arranged so that below a preselected voltage V1 neither of said trigger circuits is operative, at an intermediate voltage range between V1 and V2 only said second trigger circuit is operative, and above the preselected upper voltage V2, both said trigger circuits are operative, whereby below voltage V1 only the motor M1 is operative, in the range between V1 and V2 both motors M1 and M2 are operative, and in the range above V2 only motor M2 is operative.

Claim 14

In a vehicle system in accordance with claim 7, a tandem control circuit for separately regulating signals of respectively opposite phase from said alternating current source and for imposing the control signals between said elevated conductors and said depressed conducting means on said track, said circuit including: a transformer connected to receive the alternating current voltage signals from said source, means comprising a pair of center taps connected to said transformer circuit at points equally disposed above and below the ground or neutral potential of said source, each of said taps respectively connected through an avalanche breakdown rectifier in series with a first variable resistor to opposite terminals connected between said elevated conductors and said depressed conducting means on said track, a charging circuit including a second variable series resistor and a capacitor connected from each said center tap for triggering the avalanche breakdown rectifier in the circuit of opposite polarity, whereby the first said variable resistor controls the frequency of pulses to the respective motors interposed across the conductors of said track and the second said variable resistor controls the magnitude of said pulses.

Claim 15

The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said remote source supplies alternating current power, and said system comprises a plurality of vehicles each having a pair of said contacting means, control means connected to said alternating current source and including means to separately regulate signals of opposite phase imposed between said elevated conductors and said second conducting means on said track, a first motor circuit connected between said contacting means in one of the vehicles on said track response to unidirectional signals of one phase to drive a first one of said motors, and a second motor circuit connected between said contacting means in one of the vehicles of said track responsive to unidirectional signals of the opposite phase to drive a second one of said motors, whereby the driving speed of said first and second motors are separately controlled from said control means.

Claim 16

The combination in accordance with claim 14 wherein the depressed conducting means included in the track of said system comprises a first and a second parallel, separately insulated conducting strip between each pair of elevated conductors, said control means consisting of a ground or neutral connection between said alternating current source and said set of elevated conductors, and a pair of separate oppositely poled variable resistance connections between the high potential terminal of said alternating current source and each of said separately insulated depressed conducting strips, said system consisting of two said vehicles, two said motor circuits in each of said two vehicles respectively responsive to oppositely phased signals from said control means, each of said model vehicles having a first motor connected to one wheel and a second motor connected to an opposite wheel, each of said motors connected in a unidirectional circuit of opposite polarity disposed between said first contacting means and said second contacting means, said first contacting means in each said vehicle constructed and arranged to contact said raised conductors without coming in contact with said depressed conduction means, and said second contacting means in each said vehicle constructed and arranged to contact only a corresponding one of said depreSsed conducting strips, the circuit of each of said motors including in series therewith a trigger circuit constructed to become conducting at a preselected voltage imposed between said first and second contacting means, the amplitude of oppositely phased voltages imposed across each said circuit being under control of variable resistance means between the high potential terminal of said alternating current source and a corresponding set of said depressed conducting strips.

Claim 17

The combination in accordance with claim 15 wherein each said trigger circuit comprises a controlled solid state avalanche breakdown rectifier, means connected to said avalanche breakdown rectifier in shunt across the terminals of each said motor for triggering operation of said avalanche breakdown rectifier at a preselected voltage.

Claim 18

The combination in accordance with claim 15 in which said model vehicle circuit comprises at least N model vehicles, each having two motor circuits respectively responsive to oppositely phased signals from said control circuit, said track depressed conducting means comprises N parallel, separately insulated conducting strips between each said pair of elevated conductors, and said control circuit comprises N pairs of oppositely poled unidirectional circuits connected in parallel between the high potential terminal of said alternating current source and a corresponding set of said depressed conducting strips, each of said N circuits comprising variable resistance means, and wherein the second contacting means in each said vehicle is constructed to contact only a depressed strip belonging to its corresponding set of N sets of strips.

Claim 19

In a model vehicle system which includes a track having at least two conducting means connected to opposite terminals of a source of power, at least one model vehicle having contactors engaging opposite terminals of said conducting means, a control circuit connected to said source of power constructed to impose across said conducting means at least one unidirectional voltage signal, said control circuit including means manipulable to impose a spike on said voltage signal at progressively different positions in the time cycle of said voltage signal, the driving circuit of said vehicle comprising a first and a second motor in electrical circuit relation between said contactors, said first motor responsive to the voltage signal from said control circuit to operate at a substantially low voltage, a trigger circuit responsive to one of the spikes imposed on the voltage signal from said control circuit to trigger operation of said second motor, whereby depending on the position of the spike in the time cycle of said signal, the second said motor operates at a speed which is faster, equal to or slower than the speed of said first motor, thereby controlling the direction of said vehicle.

Claim 20

In a model vehicle system which includes a track having at least two conducting means connected to opposite terminals of a source of power, at least one model vehicle having contactors engaging opposite terminals of said conducting means, a control circuit connected to said source of power constructed to impose across said conducting means at least one unidirectional voltage signal, said control circuit including means manipulable to impose a spike on said voltage signal at progressively different positions in the time cycle of said voltage signal, the driving circuit of said vehicle comprising a first and a second motor in electrical circuit relation between said contactors, said first motor responsive to the voltage signal from said control circuit to operate at a substantially low voltage, a trigger circuit responsive to one of the spikes imposed on the voltage signal from said control circuit to trigger operation of said second motor, whereby depending on the position of the spike in the time cycle of said signal, the second said motor operates at a speed which is faster, equal to or slower than the speed of said first motor, thereby controlling the direction of said vehicle.

Claim 21

The combination in accordance with claim 18 wherein said source is of alternating current, means connected to said control circuit for separately regulating signals of opposite phase from said source, dual additional means manipulable to impose a voltage spike at progressively different positions on each of the signals of opposite phase from said source, said system comprising two model vehicles each having a driving circuit responsive to a signal of opposite phase from said control circuit, and each said driving circuit comprising a first and a second motor in circuit relation between said contactors, each of the first said motors of said two vehicles responsive to voltage signals of respectively opposite phase from said control circuit to operate at substantially low voltages, a trigger circuit connected to the second said motors in each of said vehicles and responsive to a spike imposed on the voltage signal of appropriate polarity from said control circuit to trigger operation of the second motor in the corresponding vehicle, whereby depending on the position of the spikE in the time cycle of the voltage signals of each phase, the second said motor in each of said vehicles operates at a speed which is faster, equal to or slower than the speed of the respective first motor in said vehicle, thereby controlling the direction of each of said vehicles.

Claim 22

The combination in accordance with claim 19 wherein in each of said vehicles one said motor is connected in series with resistance means across said contactors and the other said motor is connected across said contactors in series with an avalanche breakdown rectifier, and a triggering circuit is connected to said avalanche breakdown rectifier and is responsive to said voltage spike to render said avalanche breakdown rectifier conducting.

Claim 23

A model vehicle system which includes a track having at least two conducting means connected to opposite terminals of an alternating current source of power and one or more vehicles having contactors constructed to engage said two conducting means, each said vehicle including a circuit responsive to a unidirectional voltage signal from said source, a first motor M1 and a second motor M2 connected in each said circuit for independently driving opposite wheels of said vehicle, said first motor M1 connected in normally operating condition across said contactors, a first avalanche breakdown rectifier connected in shunt relation across said first motor M1, said second motor M2 connected in series with a second avalanche breakdown rectifier across said contacts, a triggering circuit connected between said contacts to trigger conduction of said second avalanche breakdown rectifier in response to a relatively low voltage signal V1 across said contacts, a triggering circuit connected between said contacts to trigger conduction of said first avalanche breakdown rectifier in response to a relatively higher voltage signal V2 across said contacts, whereby below voltage V1 neither of said valanche breakdown rectifiers is conducting, motor M1 is operative and motor M2 is inoperative, between voltage V1 and V2 the second said avalanche breakdown rectifier is conducting and both motors M1 and M2 are operating, and above voltage V2 both said avalanche breakdown rectifiers are conducting, motor M1 is shunted out, and motor M2 is operating.

Claim 24

A model vehicle system which includes a track having at least two conducting means connected to opposite terminals of an alternating current source of power and one or more vehicles having contactors constructed to engage said two conducting means, each said vehicle including a circuit responsive to a unidirectional voltage signal from said source, a first motor M1 and a second motor M2 connected in each said circuit for independently driving opposite wheels of said vehicle, said first motor M1 connected in normally operating condition across said contactors, a first avalanche breakdown rectifier connected in shunt relation across said first motor M1, said second motor M2 connected in series with a second avalanche breakdown rectifier across said contacts, a triggering circuit connected between said contacts to trigger conduction of said second avalanche breakdown rectifier in response to a relatively low voltage signal V1 across said contacts, a triggering circuit connected between said contacts to trigger conduction of said first avalanche breakdown rectifier in response to a relatively higher voltage signal V2 across said contacts, whereby below voltage V1 neither of said valanche breakdown rectifiers is conducting, motor M1 is operative and motor M2 is inoperative, between voltage V1 and V2 the second said avalanche breakdown rectifier is conducting and both motors M1 and M2 are operating, and above voltage V2 both said avalanche breakdown rectifiers are conducting, motor M1 is shunted out, and motor M2 is operating.

Claim 27

The method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said source is of alternating current, and said system comprises at least two model vehicles each having a receiving circuit responsive to an oppositely phased unidirectional voltage signal, the steps of: separately interposing voltage spikes on each of said control signals at progressively diFferent positions in the time cycles of each of said control signals, operating the first motors in the receiving circuits of said vehicles at speeds which are the functions of the respectively phase control voltage signals, and initiating operation of the second motors in the receiving circuits of each of said vehicles in response to the position of the voltage spike in the control signal of corresponding phase, whereby, depending on the position of the spike in the time cycle of the voltage signals of each phase, the second motor in each said circuit operates at a speed which is faster, equal to, or slower than the speed on the first motor in said vehicle.