Ambience creation device, traveling toy, ambience creation method, and ambience creation program

The present invention relates to a traveling toy, and more particularly to a reality generating device of a traveling toy that creates a reality equivalent to that of a real car by generating sounds and great vibrations.

In order to sufficiently provide the current information for the present invention, any available references such as patent publications, laid-open patent applications and scientific literatures cited or identified in the present application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

According to the conventional traveling toy as disclosed in Patent Document 1 proposed by the applicants, a pseudo sound generating device for a radio-controlled traveling toy is provided to selectively generate a high-speed sound, an intermediate-speed sound, a low-speed sound, an engine racing roar, an idle racing sound and an idle sound corresponding to the traveling mode of the radio-controlled car; and also to generate an emergency braking sound, a skidding sound as well as a horn sound to enhance reality.

The radio-controlled traveling toy car described in Patent Document 1 has an effect that generation of a sound signal in accordance with a radio control signal produces real sounds of a motor car, thus enhancing reality.

The real cars are, however, driven by gasoline or diesel engines which are actuated to rotate by a cell motor, and vibrations of a car body are generated by rotations of an engine during the idling mode. Accordingly, the regeneration of reality caused only by the sound generation is not substantially realized as compared with the real sounds and vibrations of real cars.

Accordingly, the applicants disclosed another invention in Patent Document 2, according to which, even when the radio-controlled traveling toy is not traveling, vibrations as well as sounds are generated by actuating a motor that is dedicated for driving the traveling toy.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual representation of the reality generating device according to Patent Document 2. The present working example shows a reality generating device 2 applied to a radio-controlled car toy, the system block diagram thereof being illustrated in FIG. 10. A reality generating device 90 comprises a control transmitter 92 and a radio-controlled car toy 94 as a traveling body. A radio-controlled car toy 94 comprises a radio-controlled traveling toy including: a superregenerating reception unit 96 for receiving the radio control signal, the unit 96 having an antenna; a control circuit unit 98 for decoding the received signal; and a steering drive amplifying unit 100 and a power drive amplifying unit 104 for driving a steering drive unit 110 and a power drive unit 112, respectively, in accordance with an output from the control circuit unit 98. The traveling toy is provided with a power switch 102, a power drive amplifying unit 104 and a pseudo sound generating device 106 having a speaker 122. The pseudo sound generating device 106 is provided with a sound circuit unit 108 (a microcomputer) which receives, as an input signal, each output signal from said control circuit unit 98 corresponding to each traveling mode and a control signal from said power switch. The sound circuit unit 108 (microcomputer) is configured to perform a processing operation in which a sound corresponding to said input signal is outputted from the speaker through said amplifying circuit, the sound being related to each traveling mode and preprogrammed for selection from the engine sounds and from the effect sounds other than the engine sounds. The sound circuit unit 108 (microcomputer) arranges that a vibration signal is generated in accordance with each of these engine sounds to perform a driving operation through the power drive amplifying unit 104.

The superregenerating reception unit 96 mounted in the radio-controlled car toy 94 receives a signal transmitted from a control transmitter 92. The received radio control signal is converted into a signal for controlling the steering drive unit 110 and the power drive unit 112, respectively, at the control circuit unit 98 connected to the superregenerating reception unit 96, and is then transferred to the steering drive amplifying unit 100 and the power drive amplifying unit 104, so that the units 110 and 112 are driven according to the signal converted at the control circuit unit 98. Thus, the radio-controlled car toy 94 conducts back/forth and right/left turning movements by way of a control stick (not shown) provided in a control transmitter 92. When a power switch 102 of the radio-controlled car toy 94 according to the present invention is switched on, the radio control signal from an output terminal of the control circuit unit 98 is also received by the sound circuit unit 108 as an input signal, and the pseudo sound is generated from the speaker 112 according to the various operation modes of the radio-controlled car toy, where the power drive amplifying unit 104 connected to the sound circuit unit 108 outputs a controlled vibration signal to the power drive unit 112. The sound circuit unit 108 processes a pseudo sound generation process and a vibration generation process according to a program stored in a ROM (not shown).

The invention according to Patent Document 2 comprises an operation sound generating unit which generates an operation sound during operation of the traveling toy and a vibration generating unit which emulate the vibration of the travel driving unit, and the invention has an effect that if desired, operation sounds and vibrations are simultaneously generated in order to enhance reality of the traveling toy and to emulate a real car with sounds and vibrations.

The operation sound generating unit is provided with a pseudo sound generating device having at least an amplifying circuit and a speaker, and is also provided with a dedicated IC configured to perform a processing operation in which the predetermined operation sounds and the other predetermined effect sounds are outputted from the speaker through the amplifying circuit corresponding to each operation mode. The operation sound generating unit can selectively generate engine sounds such as a high-speed sound, an intermediate-speed sound, a low-speed sound, an engine racing roar, an idle racing sound and an idle sound; and can further generate an emergency braking sound, a skidding sound as well as a horn sound, so that different effect sounds can be generated in accordance with a variety of conditions.

Further, the vibration generating unit transmits to the travel driving unit a signal to generate predetermined vibration cycles and vibration amplitudes, so that more precise and similar vibrations can be achieved when vibrations are provided to emulate a real car.

In addition, the traveling toy is a radio-controlled traveling toy further comprising: a receiving circuit that receives a radio control signal; a decoder circuit that decodes the received signal so as to output a decoded output signal; and a power motor drive circuit and a steering drive circuit connected to the decoder circuit so as to drive a motor unit and a steering unit, respectively, in accordance with the decoded output signal. The traveling toy is provided with a power switch and a pseudo sound generating device having an amplifying circuit and a speaker. Said pseudo sound generating device is equipped with a microcomputer which receives, as an input signal, each output signal from said decoder circuit corresponding to traveling modes and a control signal from said power switch. Said microcomputer is configured to perform a processing operation in which a sound corresponding to said input signal is generated from a speaker through said amplifying circuit, the sound being related to each traveling mode and preprogrammed for selection from engine sounds and from effect sounds other than the engine sounds. Said microcomputer is further configured to produce vibration signals in accordance with these engine sounds to actuate a driving operation by means of the power motor drive circuit. A cell sound can be generated by the power switch. Operations of a forward key, a reverse key, a turbo key and a right/left key can selectively generate engine sounds such as a high-speed sound, an intermediate-speed sound and a low-speed sound, as well as an engine racing roar, an idle racing sound and an idle sound. An emergency braking sound, a skidding sound as well as a horn sound can be generated so that the vibration of the motor unit is synchronized with said engine racing roar, said idle racing sound and the idling sound, and that the components to be added to a conventional traveling toy are minimized, thus resulting in efficient enhancement of reality.

The receiving circuit is comprised of an antenna that receives control signals from the transmitter, and a signal receiving unit that is a superregenerating unit. The signal receiving unit demodulates a PCM signal from a high frequency signal.

The decoder circuit (the control circuit unit) demodulates the control signal from the PCM signal to provide a decoded output signal which, upon transmission, controls each driving unit such as a power motor drive circuit and a steering drive circuit, and the microcomputer.

The microcomputer (the sound circuit unit) is a dedicated computer which contains therein a ROM and a central processing unit, and which provides a sound driving unit for actuating a speaker, and an interface for transmitting to the power motor drive circuit a drive signal for vibration generation.

The motor unit (the power drive unit) is a unit comprising a motor that drives wheels, and is driven by the power motor drive circuit.

The steering unit (the steering drive unit) is a front wheel steering means, and is driven by the steering drive circuit to determine the movement direction of the traveling toy.

The power motor drive circuit (the power drive amplifying unit) is a circuit which controls the current of the power motor in accordance with the decoder circuit and the microcomputer; for example, a variable resistance is controlled using a servomotor.

The steering drive circuit (the steering drive amplifying unit) is a circuit which drives the steering unit in accordance with a signal from the decoder circuit.

Meanwhile, the vibration signal is configured so that the motor will rotate in both directions, whereby vibrations can be generated by rotation of tires.

Next, a wheel is coupled to the motor unit through the wheel shaft, the wheel comprising: a tire; a first wheel cap that is inserted into said tire and is secured to said wheel shaft; and a second wheel cap that is rotatably secured to said wheel shaft. This configuration, giving enhanced reality of the operation of the wheel cap during vibration, can be made so that said traveling toy will have a wheel cap whose behavior is natural.