Radio controlled vehicle with selectable vehicle suspension system

A toy wheeled vehicle having a chassis and a selectable vehicle suspension system, with the vehicle having a frame and a chassis attached to the frame. The vehicle has at least one opening through the chassis, longitudinally spaced rotatable front and rear axles supported on the frame, and a first and second set of wheels attached to the front and rear axles, respectively. The vehicle also has at least one lifting motor mounted on the frame and has a first rotatable arm connected to a vertically extending guide post, with the guide post being vertically extendable through the chassis opening and being connected to the chassis. At least one driving motor is mounted on the frame and has a rotatable shaft connected to the rear axle. Further, at least one hopping actuating motor is mounted on the frame and has a second rotatable arm connected to the front axle. At least one power supply is mounted on the frame and has electrical connections with the lifting motor, the driving motor and the hopping actuating motor. A switch for selectively energizing the lifting motor, the driving motor and the hopping actuating motor through a control circuit that is electrically connected to the power supply and the lifting motor, the driving motor and the hopping actuating motor. A radio controller transmits control signals to the control circuit for controlling the individual or in unison movement of the lifting motor, the driving motor and the hopping actuating motor.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to radio controlled toy vehicles. More 
precisely, it relates to a radio controlled vehicle with a selectable 
vehicle suspension system. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There are toy vehicles and models that are radio controlled or that are 
remotely operated. There are also toy vehicles and models that have 
adjustable vehicle suspension systems, such as the vehicle described in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,655, which has four wheels that are connected to the 
vehicle's body through a suspension system such that the body may be 
raised or lowered by pulling or pushing on the wheels away from or toward 
the underside of the body. The '655 Patent suspension system discloses the 
use of flexible, hollow plastic tubes that are stretched to sequential 
lengths until the tubes assume a longitudinally spaced position. There are 
also remotely controlled toy vehicles and models, such as the vehicle 
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,077, which has a lift assembly that moves 
the vehicle's chassis relative to each of the vehicles's axles. The '077 
Patent lift assembly includes front and rear motors that are connected to 
front and rear output shafts, respectively, and front and rear 
transmissions for converting the rotational movement of the respective 
output shafts into a lifting movement for lifting the chassis relative to 
the vehicle's axles. The '077 Patent vehicle also includes laterally 
opposed side walls connected to the chassis with vertical slots in the 
side walls for allowing the front and rear axles to extend through the 
vertical slots and which act as a guide means for maintaining the 
transverse orientation of the axles while allowing movement of the axles 
relative to the chassis. 
Further, there are remotely controlled adjustable vehicle suspension 
systems for toys or models, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,059, 
which have a motor connected to each of the vehicle's wheels and a 
suspension arm fixed to the output shaft of a reduction gear set for each 
motor. The suspension arm can be pivotally driven or angularly displaced 
which allows for each of the wheels to be raised or lowered relative to 
the vehicle body. The above-mentioned remotely controlled vehicles and 
adjustable suspension systems, however, are not radio controlled and do 
not have, use or disclose a radio controlled vehicle or model that has a 
body post located by each wheel, with each body post connected to an 
actuating arm that is connected to a servo motor for raising and lowering 
the body post and which is not connected to a reduction gear set. The 
above-mentioned remotely controlled vehicles and adjustable suspension 
systems do not disclose or describe the use of body posts whose movement 
causes the corner of vehicle's body to be raised or lowered independently 
or in unison with the movement of the other body posts, and which are 
independent of the drive motor. 
The above-mentioned remote controlled vehicles and adjustable suspension 
systems also do not describe a radio controlled vehicle that has body 
posts which cause the vehicle's body to tilt left or right while the 
vehicle is moving forward or reverse, and can also raise or lower the 
vehicle's front or rear sections. Further, the above-mentioned remote 
controlled vehicles and adjustable suspension systems do not disclose or 
describe the use of a hopping action servo motor in a radio controlled 
vehicle which can have the front end of the vehicle bounce off the ground 
surface. Accordingly, there is a need for a radio controlled toy or model 
vehicle with a selectable vehicle suspension system that would provide for 
each corner of the vehicle's chassis to tilt in unison with or 
independently from the remaining corners of the chassis, while the vehicle 
is in motion or is stationary. 
Further, there is a need for a radio controlled toy vehicle or model that 
has a selectable vehicle suspension system which has a drive motor 
separate from wheel servo motors that are connected to body posts and 
which allow for the tilting, lowering and raising of the vehicle's 
chassis, in unison or independently via radio control, while the vehicle 
is stationary or in motion. 
In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the previously known 
remote controlled toy or model vehicles and adjustable suspension systems 
for toy or model vehicles, there is a need for a radio controlled toy or 
model vehicle with a selectable suspension system that tilts the corners 
of the vehicle and raises or lowers the front and rear sections of the 
chassis, in unison or independently via remote control. There is also a 
need for a radio controlled toy or model vehicle with a selectable 
suspension system that does not require the use of a transmission means 
for converting the rotation motion of an output shaft of a drive motor for 
raising, tilting or lowering the chassis of an vehicle. There is also a 
need for a radio controlled toy or model vehicle with a selectable 
suspension system that has wheel servo motors for tilting, raising and 
lowering the corners and the front and rear sections of the chassis of the 
vehicle and a hopping action servo motor for bouncing the front section of 
the vehicle via radio control. The radio controlled toy or model vehicle 
with a selectable suspension system of the present invention meeting these 
requirements is described in more detail below. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages of the prior 
methods and systems for remotely controlling a toy or model vehicle with a 
selectable suspension system has been overcome. The radio controlled 
vehicle with a selectable suspension system of the present invention 
eliminates the requirement of having a transmission means for converting 
the rotational movement of an output shaft of a drive motor for lifting, 
tilting or lowering the vehicle's chassis. Additionally, the present 
invention includes a hopping servo motor that causes the front section of 
the vehicle to bounce while the vehicle is stationary or in motion. 
According to the present invention, the radio controlled vehicle with a 
selectable suspension system consists of a radio controlled toy or model 
vehicle that has four servo motors connected to body post guides which are 
attached to the four corners of the vehicle's chassis. The servo motors 
are electrically powered by a battery power source which can be separate 
from the battery power source for the drive motor that is connected to the 
front and rear axles of the vehicle for moving the vehicle forwards or 
reverse. The vehicle also has a hopping servo motor that is connected to a 
front servo mount and post guide which are connected to the front section 
of the chassis. The hopping servo motor is radio controlled and provides a 
means for the front section of the vehicle's frame to bounce the front 
section of the chassis relative to the front axle. 
The vehicle's chassis can be tilted, lowered or raised while the vehicle is 
in motion or is stationary through the radio controlled actuation of the 
four servo motors which cause the body post guides to move vertically 
relative to the front or rear axles, and can be radio controlled to be 
actuated in unison or independently of each other. 
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a 
radio controlled vehicle with a selectable suspension system that provides 
for the tilting, raising or lowering of the vehicle's chassis relative to 
the front and rear axles. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a radio 
controlled vehicle with a selectable suspension system that has a hopping 
servo motor connected to the front section of the chassis for bouncing the 
front section of the vehicle's frame. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a radio controlled 
vehicle with a selectable suspension system that provides for the tilting, 
raising or lowering of the vehicle's chassis relative to the front and 
rear axles while the vehicle is in motion or is stationary. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a radio 
controlled vehicle with a selectable suspension system that provides for 
the tilting, raising or lowering of the vehicle's chassis relative to the 
front and rear axles while the vehicle is in motion or is stationary, and 
which has a radio controlled hopping servo motor that is connected to the 
front section of the frame for bouncing the front section of the frame, 
and a separate drive motor for moving the vehicle. Other objects and 
advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following 
description wherein is set forth, by way of illustration and example, 
certain embodiments of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, a typical embodiment of the invention is 
shown in FIGS. 1-5. Before the present invention is described, however, it 
is to be understood that this invention is not limited to a particular or 
specific description. It is also to be understood that the terminology 
used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, 
and is not intended to be limiting, as the scope of the present invention 
will be limited only by the appended claims. Further, unless defined 
otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly 
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention 
belongs. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a radio controlled vehicle 1 is shown with a 
radio control transmitter and receiver ("radio controller") 2. Examples of 
radio controllers that can be used as a radio controller 2 include the 
aircraft model radio controller X-388S unit manufactured by JR radios, 
which are distributed by Horizon Hobby Distributors, Inc. The X-388S 
aircraft model radio controller unit is preferred because it provides an 
eight channel transmitter which is needed when control signals are to be 
transmitted to a model having separate motors that can be controlled 
independently or in unison of each other. An example of a radio controlled 
vehicle that can be modified to include the features of the present 
invention of the vehicle 1 is a 1/10th scale high performance racing car, 
such as the NISSAN 300ZX IMSA-GTS model manufactured by the TAMIYA Plastic 
Model Company. The chassis body of the radio controlled vehicle can be 
replaced or modified by obtaining different chassis designs, such as 
provided by BoLINK.RTM. R/C Cars, Inc. 
In the present invention, the vehicle 1 has a chassis 5 which is connected 
to a frame 6 through the use of a pair of front and rear body posts 8 and 
9, respectively, that extend vertically upward through the surface of the 
chassis 5 through apertures 10 and downward through the frame 6 through 
the apertures 11. The frame 6 defines a central longitudinal axis and has 
a pair of rotatable front and rear wheels 12 and 13, respectively, which 
are connected to front and rear axles 20 and 21, respectively. The front 
and rear axles 20 and 21 extend in a direction transverse to the central 
longitudinal axis of the frame 6. The vehicle 1 moves longitudinally 
forward and backward depending upon the rolling movement of the wheels 12 
and 13 whose rotational movement is described in further detail below. 
The Body Posts and Servo Motor System 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, each of the body posts 8 and 9 has a top end 
24 that has a channel 25 extending through the top end 24 for receiving a 
retainer clip 26. Each body post 8 and 9 also has a body support 27 at the 
top end 24 that is spaced from the channel 25 for supporting the underside 
of the chassis 5. The body support 27 has a surface area greater than that 
of the aperture 10. The chassis 5 is shown connected to the body posts 8 
and 9 by having the body posts 8 and 9 extend through the apertures 10 
with the chassis 5 resting on the body support 27 and being kept in place 
by the retainer clips 26. 
The pair of body posts 8 and 9 are connected to a pair of spaced apart 
front and rear servo motors 30 and 31, respectively, which are attached to 
spaced apart front and rear servo mounts, 34 and 35, respectively. The 
front and rear servo mounts 34 and 35 are attached to the frame 6. The 
front servo mounts 34 are located in front of the front axle 20, while the 
rear servo mounts 35 are located behind the rear axle 20. Each of the 
servo motors 30 and 31 has a servo arm 37 that is attached to a reversibly 
rotatable output shaft 38. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the rotation of the 
output shaft 38 causes the servo arm 37 to rotatably move in a clockwise 
or counter-clockwise direction depending on the rotational direction of 
the output shaft 38. The servo arm 37 also is shown to have a post 
connecting end 39. The post connecting end 39 has a slot 40 for receiving 
a body post therein. Each of the body posts 8 and 9 has a pair of washers 
41 that are placed on top of and below the servo arm's slot 37. The 
washers 41 are held in place through the use of retainer clips 42, which 
are inserted through holes in the respective body post above and below the 
washers 41. The servo arm 37 is designed to have such a length that the 
outer edges of the slot 40 extend beyond the body post when the body post 
is raised or lowered to its highest or lowest level. The servo arm 37 is 
adapted to raise its connected body post by being rotatably rotated in a 
counter-clockwise direction by the servo motor. Likewise, the servo arm 37 
will lower its connected body post by being rotated in a clockwise 
direction by the servo motor. 
Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the front pair of body posts 8 are adapted to 
vertically travel through the apertures 43 of the spaced apart L-shaped 
upper guides 44. The upper guides 44 are mounted in front of the body 
posts 8 and are attached to the frame 6 near the left and right side of 
the frame 6. The upper guides 44 have spaced apart first and second ends 
44a and 44b, respectively. Each first end 44a has an aperture 43 located 
at the top surface of the first end 44a. The apertures 43 are aligned with 
the vertical axis of the body posts 8 such that the body posts 8 extend 
through the apertures 43. The second end 44b of the upper guides 44 are 
connected to the frame 6. The upper guides 44 are adapted to provide 
vertical directional guidance to the body posts 8 as the body posts 8 are 
raised and lowered by the movement of the servo arms 37. 
The Front Wheel Suspension System 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, attached to each of the second ends 44b of the 
upper guides 44 is a front shock mounting bracket 45. The front shock 
mounting brackets 45 are approximately positioned in front of the front 
body posts 8 and above the front axle 20. The front shock mounting 
brackets 45 are rectangular braces that are adapted to support spaced 
apart upper shock mounts 47 and 48. The spaced apart upper shock mounts 47 
and 48 are connected to spaced apart lower shock mounts 50 and 51, 
respectively, by front shock spring assemblies 53 and 54, respectively. 
The lower shock mounts 50 and 51 are connected to the front axle 20 near 
the front wheels 12. The front shock spring assemblies 53 and 54 are 
adapted to provide front wheel suspension to the front axle 20 and the 
front wheels 12. The front shock spring assemblies 53 and 54 are of 
conventional design that include the use of a spring with a center 
extendable and contractible rod. 
The Front Hopper Actuator 
Referring to FIGS. 3-5, attached to the lower shock mounts 50 and 51 and 
located in the space created by the spaced apart upper shock mounts 47 and 
48 is a hopper actuator arm 60. The hopper actuator arm 60 has a 
rectangular center section with opposite extending arms, with each 
opposite extending arm being connected to the front axle 20 near a front 
wheel 12. The hopper actuator arm 60 is connected to an offset rotating 
cam 61, which is connected to a hopper servo motor 62 by an actuator post 
63. The hopper servo motor 62 is attached to a hopper servo mount 64 that 
is connected to the frame 6 and which is located in front of the front 
axle 20 and the front tires 12, but behind the leading edge of the frame 
6. 
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the offset rotating cam 61 has a circumference 
that has a radius greater on one portion of the cam, such that as the cam 
61 rotates the outer edge of the cam 61 is adapted to raise the hopper 
actuator arm 60 when the circumference portion of the cam 61 with the 
greater radius makes contact with the hopper actuator arm 60. The offset 
rotation by the offset rotating cam 61 occurs when the hopper actuator 
post 63 is rotated by the hopper servo motor 62. The offset rotating cam 
61, when rotated, is adapted to cause the hopper actuator arm 60 to move 
down slowly and bounce rapidly up because of the combined movement of the 
offset portion of the cam 61 and the front shock spring assemblies 53 and 
54. As shown in FIG. 3, the offset rotation causes the hopper actuating 
arm 60 to bounce relative to the ground surface. The bouncing motion 
causes the front section of the frame 6 to bounce, because the front axle 
20 is forced to bounce when the extended arms of the hopper actuator arm 
60 move up and down, which in turn causes the front axle 20 to move up and 
down. 
Further, as shown in FIGS. 2-5, on the front surface 60a of the hopper 
actuator arm 60 that faces the hopper servo motor 62, a pin 60b is shown 
extending toward the hopper servo motor 62. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, 
the pin 60b is connected to the front surface 60a. The pin 60b is 
momentarily supported by and rests on the outer edge 61a of the cam 61. 
The cam 61 has an offset semi-circular shape and has a first cam end, 
which is connected to the actuator post 63 and which has the shortest 
radius of the cam 61, and a second cam end that is located at the greatest 
radius of the cam 61. When the cam 61 is rotated by the actuator post 63, 
the pin 60b travels along the outer edge 61a of the cam 61 from the first 
cam end toward the second cam end. The rotation of the cam 61 causes the 
pin 60b to travel along the offset semi-circular shaped outer edge 61a of 
the cam 61, thereby causing the hopper actuator arm 60 to rise. As the cam 
61 is further rotated and the pin 60b travels beyond the second cam end, 
the pin 60b and the hopper actuator arm 60 are allowed to fall relative to 
the ground surface. The front shock spring assemblies 53 and 54 cause the 
pin 60b and the hopper actuator arm 60 to bounce back up toward the cam 
61. As the cam 61 continues to rotate, the pin 60b comes in contact with 
the outer edge 61a of the cam 61 near the first cam end. The continued 
rotation of the cam 61 with its offset semi-circular shaped outer edge 61a 
causes the pin 60b to rise and fall, thereby causing the hopper actuator 
arm 60 to rise and fall. 
The Rear Wheel Suspension System 
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear axle 21 is shown connected to 
spaced apart rear lower shock mounts 68 and 69 that are connected to 
spaced apart rear upper shock mounts 70 and 71, respectively, by rear 
shock spring assemblies 72 and 73, respectively. The rear upper shock 
mounts 70 and 71 and the rear shock spring assemblies 72 and 73 are 
similar in design to the front upper shock mounts 47 and 48 and the front 
shock spring assemblies 53 and 54, respectively. 
The rear upper shock mounts 70 and 71 are located above and behind the rear 
axle 21 and are connected to the rear shock mounting bracket 75, which is 
connected to the frame 6 and to the rear servo mounts 35. Also connected 
to the rear shock mounting bracket 75, but located below the rear servo 
mount 35, is the control support mount 78, which is a platform that 
extends forward of the rear axle 21 to approximately midway along the 
length of the frame 6. The control support mount 78 has apertures 84 that 
are aligned with the vertical axis of the body posts 9, such that the body 
posts 9 can extend and retract through the apertures 84 of the control 
support mount 78 when the rear servo motors 31 are energized. 
The Control Systems 
Mounted on and attached to the control support mount 78 is a receiver and 
distributor box 86 and a drive speed control 88. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, 
the receiver and distributor box 86 receives electrical control signals 
from the radio controller 2. The vehicle 1 has a vehicle drive battery 
power supply 94 which is mounted on and attached to a power supply support 
95. The power supply support 95 is a support platform that is connected to 
the frame 6 and is located behind the rear axle 21 and in front of the 
trailing edge of the frame 6. Also mounted on and connected to the power 
supply support 95 is a servo battery power supply 97. The battery power 
from the drive battery power supply 94 and the servo battery power supply 
97 is provided to the vehicle 1 when the drive power switch 99 and the 
servo power switch 100, respectively, are turned on. The drive power 
switch 99 is located on the left side of the frame 6 approximately midway 
along the length of the frame 6. The servo power switch 100 is located on 
the right side of the frame 6 approximately midway along the length of the 
frame 6. The drive and servo power switches 99 and 100, respectively, are 
electrically connected to the drive and servo battery power supplies 94 
and 97, respectively. 
As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the drive battery power supply 94 is electrically 
connected to a drive motor 104 through the drive power switch 99 and the 
speed control 88. The drive motor 104 is mounted on and connected to the 
frame 6 below the control servo mount 78 and in front of and adjacent to 
the rear axle 21. The servo battery power supply 97 is electrically 
connected to the receiver and distributor box 86 through the servo power 
switch 100. The drive motor 104 has a rotatable shaft that is connected to 
the rear axle 21 through a reduction gear means, such as a conventional 
gear box, that is adapted to rotate the rear axle 21, which in turn causes 
the vehicle 1 to move forward or reverse. 
A steering servo motor 109 is electrically connected to the receiver and 
distributor box 86. The steering servo motor 109 is mounted on and 
connected to the frame 6, and is located behind the front axle 20 and 
below the front servo mount 34. The steering servo motor 109 uses 
conventional steering connections, such as a tie rod 114 and pivot pins 
115. 
Control signals are transmitted from the radio controller 2, which has a 
battery power supply 119. The receiver and distributor box 86 receives the 
control signals and sends the appropriate control signal to the 
appropriate motor. 
For example, if the user of the vehicle 1 wishes to have the vehicle move 
forward, the user switches the drive power switch 99 on and has the radio 
controller 2 send a control signal to the drive motor 104. The control 
signal is first received by the speed control 88 which sends the signal to 
the drive motor 104 to move forward at the desired rate of speed. If the 
user wants to raise or lower the right front side of the chassis 5 body, 
the user switches the servo power switch on and has the radio controller 2 
send a control signal to the receiver and distributor box 86 which in turn 
sends the appropriate control signal to the right front servo motor of the 
front pair of servo motors 30 to raise or lower the right front body post 
of the front body posts 8 relative to the frame 6. 
Additionally, if the user wants to have the front section of the vehicle 1 
bounce, the user then has the radio controller 2 send the appropriate 
control signal to the receiver and distributor box 86, which sends the 
appropriate control signal to the hopper servo motor 62. The hopper servo 
motor 62 causes the rotating offset cam 61 to rotate, which causes the 
actuator post to be alternately move up and down, thereby causing the 
hopper actuator arm 60 to bounce the front end of the vehicle 1. 
The Operation of the Vehicle 
In operation, the vehicle 1 has a radio controller 2 for transmitting 
control signals to the vehicle's receiver and distributor box 86. If the 
drive power and servo power switches 99 and 100 are turned on, the 
receiver and distributor box 86, which receives electrical power from the 
drive battery power supply 94 and the servo battery power supply 97, sends 
a control signal to the speed control 88 if the user wants the vehicle 1 
to move forward, reverse, speed up or slow down. If the user wants the 
vehicle 1 to turn, the radio controller 2 sends the appropriate signal to 
the receiver and distributor box 86 which sends the control signal to the 
steering servo motor. If the user wants the vehicle 1 to have its left 
front side raised or lowered, the appropriate control signal is sent to 
the left front servo motor 30, which in turn actuates the body post 8 to 
raise or lower the left front side of the chassis 5. 
The user can also have the vehicle 1 simultaneously or in unison raise or 
lower the left and right front and rear sections of the chassis 5, and/or 
have the front section bounce by also sending the appropriate control 
signal to the hopper servo motor 62, which actuates the hopper actuator 
arm 60. The user can further have the vehicle travel forward and reverse 
while having the servo motors 30 and 31 raise and/or lower the front and 
rear sections of the chassis 5, and also having the front section of the 
vehicle 1 bounce because of the actuation of the hopper servo motor 62. 
SUMMARY 
The vehicle 1 is disclosed to have a radio controller 2 that sends control 
signals to the vehicle 1 and which are received by the receiver and 
distributor box 86. The vehicle 1 has two battery power sources, the drive 
battery power source 94 and the servo battery power source 97, which are 
controlled by their respective on/off switch 99 and 100, respectively. The 
vehicle 1 has two front servo motors 30 and two rear servo motors 31 that 
actuate respective front and rear body posts 8 and 9 for lowering or 
raising the chassis 5 of the vehicle. The vehicle 1 also has a hopper 
servo motor that is connected to a hopper actuator arm for bouncing the 
front section of the vehicle. The front and rear servo motors and the 
hopper servo motor are electrically connected to the servo battery power 
supply 97 through the receiver and distributor box 86. The vehicle 1 
further has a steering servo motor 109 that is electrically connected to 
the servo battery power supply 97 through the receiver and distributor box 
86. The vehicle 1 has a drive motor 104 that is controlled by the speed 
control 88 through the receiver and distributor box 86, and which is 
powered by the drive battery power supply 94. 
The vehicle 1 is adapted to be radio control operated such that control 
signals are transmitted by the radio controller 2 and received by the 
receiver and distributor box 86. The vehicle 1 can be radio controlled to 
travel forward or reverse, while also having the front and/or rear servo 
motors 30 and 31 selectively in unison or independent of one another 
actuate the body posts 8 and/or 9 to raise or lower the respective 
sections of the chassis 5. Simultaneously or independently of the 
above-mentioned, the vehicle 1 can have its front section bounce by the 
actuation of the hopper servo motor 62. It is to be understood that while 
certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, the 
invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as such limitations are 
included in the following claims.