Smart communicating sports equipment

• US 20060148594A1
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Saintoyant, Pierre-Yves, Mahonen, Petri
• Application Number:
  US11/030,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20060148594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/405
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00

Abstract

Mobile communication devices are interfaced with sports equipment that include at least one embedded sensor. The sensor may be a variety of different sensors, including, but not limited to: 3D acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors; humidity sensors; wind speed sensors; pressure sensors; and the like. Data that relates to the sensor measurements are transmitted wirelessly from the sports equipment to another device that may analyze the data. This device may be a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, or a wired device, such as a desktop computer. The data may be transmitted through one or more networks.

Claims

1. A system for smart communicating sports equipment, comprising:

a first piece of sports equipment, comprising;

an embedded sensor that is configured to produce sensor data;

a wireless processor module coupled to the embedded sensor that is configured to receive the sensor data and send data over a wireless link, wherein the data relates to the sensor data;

an antenna that is coupled to the wireless processor module; and

at least one power source configured to provide power to the embedded sensor and wireless processor module; and

a computing device, comprising;

a data store;

a network interface configured to communicate with the first piece of sports equipment and that is configured to receive the data from the wireless processor module;

a display configured to display data relating to the data obtained by the wireless sensor; and

an application configured to perform the following actions, including;

receiving the data;

processing the data; and

instructing the display to display the processed data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a base station that is wirelessly coupled to the first piece of sports equipment and that is configured to receive the data over the wireless link and provide the data to the computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the embedded sensor is a sensor that is configured to measure at least one of the following:

acceleration, temperature, humidity, spin, location, and pressure.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first piece of sports equipment comprises a club, wherein the embedded sensor comprises at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and an embedded pressure sensor that is coupled to the wireless processor module.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first piece of sports equipment comprises a ball, wherein the embedded sensor comprises at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and a location sensor that is coupled to the wireless processor module.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein first the piece of sports equipment comprises a tee base, wherein the embedded sensor comprises an environmental sensor that is coupled to the wireless processor module and that is configured measure at least one of:

temperature;

humidity; and

wind speed.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising a second piece of sports equipment that includes a second embedded sensor and is configured to communicate with the first piece of sports equipment.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless processor module includes an operating system that includes a wireless radio stack and a scheduler and that is configured to perform operations relating to the sensor data.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for processing sensor data received from a piece of smart communicating sports equipment, the instructions comprising:

receiving sensor data from the piece of smart communicating sports equipment, wherein the sensor data is produced from an embedded sensor and the sensor data is sent over a wireless link;

processing the sensor data; and

displaying the sensor data to a user.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein receiving the sensor data comprises receiving the sensor data on a mobile computing device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the sensor data relates to at least one of the following:

acceleration, temperature, humidity, spin, location, and pressure.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the sports equipment comprises a club and wherein the sensor data is data from at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and a pressure sensor.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the sports equipment comprises a ball and wherein the sensor data is data from at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and a location sensor.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the sports equipment comprises a tee base and wherein the sensor data is data from an environmental, wherein the environmental sensor is configured measure at least one of:

temperature;

humidity; and

wind speed.

15. A method for communicating between a smart communicating piece of sports equipment and a computing device, comprising:

obtaining sensor data from an embedded sensor on the smart communicating piece of sports equipment;

sending the sensor data from the smart communicating piece of sports equipment over a wireless link to the computing device;

wherein the computing device is configured to perform the following actions;

receiving the sensor data from the piece of smart communicating sports equipment;

processing the sensor data; and

displaying the sensor data to a user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensor data relates to at least one of the following:

acceleration, temperature, humidity, spin, location, and pressure.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the smart communicating piece of sports equipment comprises a club and wherein the sensor data is data from at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and a pressure sensor.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the sports equipment comprises a ball and wherein the sensor data is data from at least one of:

a 3-D acceleration sensor and a location sensor.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the sports equipment comprises a tee base and wherein the sensor data is data from an environmental, wherein the environmental sensor is configured measure at least one of:

temperature;

humidity; and

wind speed.