US20110223830A1

US20110223830A1 - Personal music laser show toy system

Info

Publication number: US20110223830A1
Application number: US12/722,574
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Redpath; Sarah Donan Redpath
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-03-12
Filing date: 2010-03-12
Publication date: 2011-09-15

Abstract

The invention relates to a toy for a laser beam pattern that is controlled by a stereo output from music with the ability to control the starting pattern by the user. The above system provides a unique small visual entertainment music amplifier system toy that operates on batteries as well as AC adapter output.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toy as a music laser show for a portable media player, and more specifically to a laser pattern that is controlled by music with said pattern adjustable option for the user. The present invention provides a means to use multiple lasers and a background laser diffraction matrix pattern to visually make the appearance of the laser patterns to float in space.
Laser shows are well known prior art and are controlled by mirrors mounted on motors. There are numerous laser show entertainment systems available today and quite expensive and not for portable media players and not as toys. One device known for generating light patterns is LASER ONE™ FX machine. This machine generates various patterns with a laser onto a 1st rotating mirror that in turn reflects this beam onto a second rotating mirror. The process requires a size increase in the second mirror to accommodate the angular reflection from the 1^stmirror though there are drawbacks of the results.
Prior Art exists which addresses the issue of large angular reflections with a circular arrangement of mirrors and beam crossing to tighten the angle of incidence and reflection as to fix the drawbacks of the LASER ONE™ FX machine. Both embodiments control the speed of motors to produce a pattern which is well known art from the 1970s. Other processes that have been deployed is to attach audio to change patterns generated by a laser beam incident and reflection through the use of membranes attached to mirrors or motors.
While prior art exists for the purchase of laser entertainment systems with most having complex apparatus for the movement of mirrors there is no compact inexpensive personal laser entertainment system available that can produce a music controlled pattern that appears to float in space using batteries and/or an AC adapter designed to be connected to a portable media player such as an iPod™ from Apple Corporation. Furthermore, there has not been a simplification of the use of the well known art of using motors connected to an audio input to produce a very small cost effective battery operated toy.
In this respect, the Personal Music Laser Show Toy System invention substantially departs from the conventional design of the modern day purchasable system prior art for over 30 years and in doing so provides an inexpensive new entertainment system toy for a portable media player.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a music controlled laser entertainment system toy. In view of the prior art, the present invention provides a unique personal entertainment system toy for a portable media player that allows the user to set the laser pattern to be automatically adjusted to music with a laser diffraction matrix pattern background to produce the appearance of a floating image in space. The embodiment of the invention provides an inexpensive unique circuit board design that allows for optionally adding more lasers and the ability to use a heterogeneous set of wall AC adapters of varying voltage as well as battery combinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the embodiment operation.

FIG. 2 a-b is a circuit diagram.

FIG. 3 a-b is a bottom and top circuit board design of an actual implementation.

FIG. 4 a-b is a diagram for the laser beam optical paths.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of the resulting image produced by the embodiment operation.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 a block diagram is shown, at 100 is a 6-9 v power supply to voltage regulators 200 thru 600. At 600 is a voltage regulator for a stereo amplifier at 700. At 700 the amplifier has one stereo output channel 750 to OP amp adder 2 at 1100 and another stereo output channel 775 to OP amp adder 1 at 1000. The OP Amp adders 1000 and 1100 are used to combine voltage from the amplifier 700 outputs 775 and 750 to the motors 1200 and 1300 respectfully.
At 1000 is OP amp adder 1 which adds voltage from Voltage Divider Motor1 at 800. Voltage Divider Motor1 at 800 divides voltage from Motor 1 Voltage regulator at 200. At 1100 is OP amp adder 2 which adds voltage from Voltage Divider Motor2 at 900. Voltage Divider Motor2 at 900 divides voltage from Motor2 Voltage regulator at 300. Voltage regulator 200 and 300 are user controlled voltage regulators which enable the user to control the initial speed of the motors. At 400 thru 500 a number of Laser Voltage regulators can be provided taking power at 100 to supply lasers.
At 1250 is a DPDT (double throw double pole switch) for the polarity of Motor 1 at 1200 to change the direction of the motor by the user. At 1350 is a DPDT for the polarity of Motor 2 at 1300 to change the direction of the motor by the user.
Referring FIG. 2 a is a schematic diagram of component and values used to construct a working embodiment. One skilled in the area can see that the circuit design can be used to create the embodiment and is the working model.
Referring to FIG. 2 b, is a schematic diagram of component and values used to construct a working embodiment with block diagram areas in reference to FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 3 a is a bottom level circuit board design for the embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2 b is a top level circuit board design for the embodiment. One skilled in the area can see that the circuit board is designed to enable sufficient heat sinking and connection of components for optimal use and minimal production cost. The circuit board is 120 mm by 64 mm and dictates and provides a compact production of the embodiment to fit within this size.
Referring to FIG. 4 a is a diagram of the laser optics design to fit within the circuit board design area in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b of 120 mm by 64 mm. Referring to FIG. 4 a, the figure is labeled Left, Right, Top, Bottom for reference points.
At 100 a normal is defined and at 200 a motor is placed on the normal with axis along the normal at 100. A 25 mm round front surface mirror at 210 is mounted perpendicular to the motor axis at 200, this location is referred to as coordinate (0,0). At 200 the motor body is left of the front surface mirror at 210.
At 300 another normal is defined which is parallel to the normal at 200. Normal 300 is 21.5 mm above the normal at 100. At 400 a motor is placed at the normal at 300 in which the motor's perpendicular axis is 59 degrees±2° to this normal at 300. The motor at 400 has a 25 mm round front surface mirror at 410 mounted perpendicular to the motor axis, as a result the mirror at 410 is 59 degrees±2° from the normal at 300. At 400 the motor body is right of the front surface mirror 410. At 400 the motor mounted front surface mirror at 410 front surface is facing and 40 mm horizontal distance from the front surface mirror center at 210 mounted on the motor at 200 along the normal 100. At 210 the front surface mirror front surface is facing 410 the front surface mirror front surface.
At 500 a laser is placed right 23.5 mm horizontal distance from the motor mirror 210 on normal 100. The laser at 500 is 28 degrees±2° from the normal essentially 12.5 mm below the normal 100. The laser at 500 is pointing toward the front surface mirror at 210. The laser at 500 must be 28 degrees±2° from the normal to allow fine angle adjust if needed and at least 23.5 mm from the mirror as to allow another laser at 600 which is perpendicular to the normal at 100 to be placed. The laser at 600 is used to provide a matrix diffraction grating. Optimally, at 500 a green laser should be used and at 600 a violet blue laser should be used. This combination will provide the appearance to the user of the pattern created from the laser at 500 (green) to appear floating in space.
Referring to FIG. 4 a, at 200 a motor has mounted a 25 mm front surface mirror 210 and at 400 a motor has mounted a 25 mm front surface mirror 410. The motors 200 and 400 are mounted as to have the axis 20 mm in height for clearance for the mirrors 210 and 410 to spin respectfully. At 500 a laser (green) is shown and its height is 20 mm as to strike the mirror 210 and 410 close to center.
At 600 is a laser at height zero. The motors at 200 and 400 are high enough as to allow for the laser 600 to be placed at height zero and not block the laser beam from laser 500 to strike the mirrors at 210 and 410. At 500 a 5 mw Class 111 b laser is to be recommended as it is relatively safe for toy operation. Alternatively at 500 a Class II 1 mw green laser could be used which is safer. At 600 a Class IIIb 10 mw Violet-Blue laser (405 nm) is recommended inline with a matrix diffraction grating at 700 and should produce a relatively safe pattern due to the dispersion. Optionally the motors at 200 and 400 can provide fan blades for air flow to enable cooling if needed.
Referring to FIG. 4 b, a beam combiner at 800 can be used to add another laser at 900. The laser at 400 should be pulled back along the incidence axis to the normal at 100 to mount the beam combiner at 800. At 900 another laser is added which incidences to the beam combiner at 800. At 900 a red laser (650 nm) could be used to add another color.
Referring to FIG. 5 at 5000 is a diffraction matrix that is produced by the embodiment referring to FIG. 4A by laser at 600. Referring to FIG. 5 at 5100 is a hypotricoid that is produced by the embodiment referring to FIG. 4 a by laser at 500. Referring to FIG. 5 at 5000 the diffraction matrix color is optimally chosen to be 405 nm to 488 nm. Referring to FIG. 5 at 5100 the hyptrichoid color is optimally chosen to be 540 nm. The aforementioned optimal color combinations will enable the user to perceive the hypotricoid in FIG. 5 at 5100 to be floating in space.

Claims

1. A Personal Music Laser Show Toy System for a portable media player comprising the use of two motors with mirrors that are voltage controlled for speed by audio output to be incident with a laser beam to produce mathematical curves hypotrochoids and epitrochoids type patterns.

2. Personal Music Laser Show Toy System of claim 1 comprising the use of two OP amp adders in which one said OP Amp adder is used to combine a voltage regulator output to adjust the initial speed of one motor with added music amplifier to automatically adjust the speed of the motor from the music output of one channel and the other said OP amp adder is used to combine a voltage regulator output to adjust the initial speed of another motor with added music amplifier to automatically adjust the speed of the motor from the music output of another channel with said motors having mirrors for a laser beam to strike to produce mathematical curves hypotrochoids and epitrochoids type patterns; thereby allowing for stereo music output to produce a laser beam music in sync pattern as a visual entertainment system toy.

3. The Personal Music Laser Show Toy System of claim 1 using a laser in combination to produce a background diffraction matrix to visually make the appearance of the motor striking laser beam producing patterns to appear floating.

4. The Personal Music Laser Show Toy System of claim 1 using a beam combiner to allow for more than one laser beam to strike said mirrors.