Baseball pitch-training apparatus

• US 20020081002A1
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: I-Ming Hsu, Juin-Yi Wu, Keh-Yi Lee, Mei-Fang Fang, Shin-Shou Huang, Wan-Ying Hsu
• Original Assignee: I-Ming Hsu, Juin-Yi Wu, Keh-Yi Lee, Mei-Fang Fang, Shin-Shou Huang, Wan-Ying Hsu
• Inventors: Fang, Mei-Fang, Hsu, I-Ming, Wu, Juin-Yi, Hsu, Wan-Ying, Huang, Shin-Shou, Lee, Keh-Yi
• Application Number:
  US09/766,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20020081002A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A baseball pitch-training apparatus includes a first-sampling region, second-sampling region, and a microprocessor. The first sampling region further includes a plurality of vertical and horizontal sampling units respectively along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction at the front edge of the home plate. The second sampling region is located in the rear of the first sampling region and also includes a plurality of vertical and horizontal sampling units. The sampling units of the present invention are used to generate position signals of a passing ball that will be forwarded to the microprocessor for further parsing the speed and the trajectory variation of a pitched ball, and determining whether or not the ball passed a strike region.

Claims

1. A baseball pitch-training apparatus, comprising:

a first sampling region, further including a plurality of first horizontal sampling units and a plurality of first vertical sampling units, the first horizontal sampling units being capable of sensing a first horizontal position of a ball passing the first sampling region, and the first vertical sampling units being capable of sensing a first vertical position of the ball passing the first sampling region;

a second sampling region, located in a rear of the first sample region, further including a plurality of second horizontal sampling units and a plurality of second vertical sampling units, the second horizontal sampling units being capable of sensing a second horizontal position of the ball passing the second sampling region, and the second vertical sampling units being capable of sensing a second vertical position of the ball passing the second sampling region; and

a microprocessor, connected electrically with the first sampling region and the second sampling region, for receiving the respective position signals of the ball generated by the first sampling region and the second sampling region, for determining whether or not the ball passed a strike region, for measuring a speed of the ball, and for calculating a trajectory variation of the ball.

2. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first sampling region is capable of generating a first time signal for said ball passing said first sampling region, said second sampling region is capable of generating a second time signal for said ball passing said second sampling region, and said microprocessor is capable of receiving the first time signal and the second time signal for determining said speed of said ball.

3. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any two adjacent said first horizontal sampling units space a distance less than a diameter of said ball, any two adjacent said first vertical sampling units space a distance less than the diameter of said ball, any two adjacent said second horizontal sampling units space a distance less than the diameter of said ball, and any two adjacent said second vertical sampling units space a distance less than the diameter of said ball.

4. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first sampling region includes a first rectangular frame for providing first horizontal side frames thereof to locate said first horizontal sampling units and for providing first vertical side frames thereof to locate said first vertical sampling units.

5. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first vertical sampling unit further includes a first vertical signal emitter and a respective first vertical signal receiver located thereofacross respectively at said first vertical side frames, and said first horizontal sampling unit further includes a first horizontal signal emitter and a respective first horizontal signal receiver located thereofacross respectively at said first horizontal side frames.

6. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first vertical emitter and said first horizontal emitter are laser emitters.

7. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second sampling region includes a second rectangular frame for providing second horizontal side frames thereof to locate said second horizontal sampling units and for providing second vertical side frames thereof to locate said second vertical sampling units.

8. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said second vertical sampling unit further includes a second vertical signal emitter and a respective second vertical signal receiver located thereofacross respectively at said second vertical side frames, and said second horizontal sampling unit further includes a second horizontal signal emitter and a respective second horizontal signal receiver located thereofacross respectively at said second horizontal side frames.

9. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said second vertical emitter and said second horizontal emitter are laser emitters.

10. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor further includes a logic circuitry coupled with said first sampling region for determining whether said ball passed said strike region or not.

11. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said strike region is defined vertically from a knee position to an elbow position of a batter and has a width equal to that of a home plate located at said batting area.

12. The baseball pitch-training apparatus according to claim 10 further includes an operational amplifier circuitry being used to bridge said sampling units (both said vertical sampling units and said horizontal units) of said sampling regions and said logic circuitry.