Patent ID: 6872141

Claim:
A crawler driving apparatus for a game apparatus, the crawler apparatus comprising: a crawler having at least one electric storage battery for self running of the crawler on and along a supporting surface; an electric charging apparatus along the supporting surface to which the crawler can run to cause the storage battery thereof to be connected to the charging apparatus and charged with electricity by the charging apparatus in a state in which the crawler is adjacent to or not separated from the supporting surface and wherein said supporting surface has a stand-by position, to which the crawler is caused to run after a game is over, and a charging position different from the stand-by position; output means provided on said crawler for outputting a signal representing remaining electricity in the battery when the crawler has reached said stand-by position; input means provided on said charging apparatus to receive said signal representing remaining electricity from said output means when the crawler is at said stand-by position; and a charge control unit for determining that charging of the storage battery is necessary when the signal representing remaining electricity indicates that the remaining electricity in the storage battery is less than a predetermined amount and for causing the crawler to move from said stand-by position to said charging position, when the charge control unit determines that charging is necessary, in such a manner that charge terminals provided on said crawler are connected to connection terminals of said electric charging apparatus to carry out electric charging of the storage battery.