Remotely-controlled light-beam firing and sensing vehicular toy

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention contemplates a vehicular toy that both (i) spatially maneuvers, and (ii) fires a simulated "gun" or "cannon"--normally a directionally-emitted concentrated light beam--at equivalent, adversary, toys under remote control.
Each toy (iii) detects the simulated "gunfire," or concentrated directional light beam, of other such toys, and is (iv) selectively sensitive in time and/or spatial direction in such detections, making that not all light beam that variously impinge upon the toy invariably score "hits.
" Each vehicular toy indicates, normally visually, each occasion when it has been successfully "hit" by the simulated "gunfire" of opposing toys.
When the accumulation of such simulated "hits" is sufficiently great then the toy stops, simulating disablement or destruction, until manually reset.
The present invention further contemplates a spatially full-floating multi-directional control mechanism having a handle grip that is typically in the shape of at least an arcuate portion of a steering wheel.
When held by one or two hands and positionally oriented in free space, the mechanism produces signals indicating both left and right, and forwards and rearwards, depending on its (i) orientation and (ii) acceleration.
When such a mechanism incorporated within a remote control transmitter and used to control the remotely-controlled locomoting toy in accordance with the present invention, it permits a highly responsive, sensitive and dynamic directional control of the toy.
In its preferred embodiment, the remotely-controllable locomoting toy in accordance with the present invention includes a toy body, normally molded of plastic.
A receiver, mounted to the toy body, receives remotely-generated commands from an associated remote controller.
A self-energized source of motive force, normally a battery and a motor, is also mounted to the toy body.
The source of motive force is responsive to selected commands decoded by the receiver so as to cause the toy body to move about, normally on the floor or ground