Altitude control of an indoor flying toy

A method of remote controlling an altitude of a toy flying vehicle intended for indoor hovering flight, the vehicle having a rotor for rotation relative to a fuselage of the vehicle, and a separate remote controller for use by a player of the toy comprising:

• (a) providing a relative selected altitude level r′d corresponding to a selected altitude for the vehicle;
• (b) transmitting a position control signal with a light intensity I from the vehicle towards a surface;
• (c) determining if a reflected signal of said position control signal is received from the surface;
• (d) increasing a counter CNT if said reflected signal is received;
• (e) increasing said light intensity I;
• (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) while said light intensity I is less than a maximum value;
• (g) determining a relative altitude r′ and adjusting the rotor action according to a difference between the relative altitude r′ and the relative selected altitude level r′d to retain the selected altitude, wherein said determining the relative altitude r′ comprises selecting the relative altitude r′ from a table comprising correlations between values for the relative altitude r′ and values for the counter CNT;
• (h) performing steps (a)-(g) for an additional position control signal directed relative to the vehicle thereby to reflect from an additional located surface relative to the vehicle thereby to retain the distance of the vehicle relative to the additional located surface;
• the vehicle being configured for communication with the remote controller, the remote controller being capable of adjusting and controlling speed and direction of the vehicle and a receiver in the vehicle being responsive to signals with the remote controller, the signals from the remote controller being for changing speed and direction of the vehicle, and wherein the position control signal is directed upwardly thereby to retain the selected altitude relative to surface located above the vehicle, and wherein the surface from which the signal is reflected is a passive indoor surface;
• and
• controlling the toy by a control selected from at least one of a stop control;
• an altitude control by at least one of an up control;
• down control;
• a high height sensitivity control and a low height sensitivity control;
• take-off/landing control;
• gesture mode control;
• left/right trim control;
• control between altitude control mode and manual control mode.

A system of remote controlling an altitude of a toy flying vehicle intended for indoor operation, the vehicle having a rotor for rotation relative to a fuselage of the vehicle, and a separate remote controller for use by a player of the toy, the system comprising a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, and a non-volatile computer readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the following method:

• (a) providing a relative selected altitude level r′d corresponding to a selected altitude for the vehicle;
• (b) transmitting a position control signal with a light intensity I from the vehicle towards a surface;
• (c) determining if a reflected signal of said position control signal is received from the surface;
• (d) increasing a counter CNT if said reflected signal is received;
• (e) increasing said light intensity I;
• (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) while said light intensity I is less than a maximum value;
• and
• (g) determining a relative altitude r′ and adjusting rotor action according to a difference between the relative altitude r′ and the relative selected altitude level r′d to retain the selected altitude, wherein said determining the relative altitude r′ comprises selecting the relative altitude r′ from a table comprising correlations between values for the relative altitude r′ and values for the counter CNT.