Device and method for measuring a rotational frequency of a movable game device

• US 20070059675A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Original Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Inventors: Englert, Walter, Kuenzler, Udo
• Application Number:
  US11/460,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20070059675A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/251
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/52 modulated by measured values
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/00 Hollow inflatable balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/862 Combination of radar systems with sonar systems

Abstract

For measuring the rotational frequency of a movable game device, one resorts to an existing radio signal in the form of a broadcast signal or mobile communication signal within the framework of an open system, or to a radio signal of an evaluation unit within the framework of a closed system, so as to obtain, by means of an antenna having a directivity characteristic, a time-varying radio antenna receive signal which has a low-frequency modulation portion, the frequency of which corresponding to the rotational frequency of the movable game device.

Claims

1. A device for measuring a rotational frequency of a movable game device using a high-frequency radio signal, the device comprising:

a provider for providing a time-varying radio antenna receive signal; and

a detector for detecting a low-frequency frequency, which has been modulated onto the high-frequency radio signal, using the time-varying radio antenna receive signal,

the low-frequency frequency of the time-varying radio antenna receive signal representing the rotational frequency of the movable game device.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the provider comprises a radio antenna designed for a frequency band used by a broadcasting signal or television signal or mobile communication signal, and which has a radiation characteristic which deviates from an ideal isotropic radiator, so that a rotation of the radio antenna provides a high-frequency carrier signal having a low-frequency modulation portion.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the provider comprises a selector for selecting a low-frequency modulation portion.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the detector is configured to determine a frequency of the low-frequency modulation signal as the rotational frequency.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the detector comprises an extreme-value detector or zero-crossing detector and a chronometer to determine a time duration between two extreme values or between an extreme value and a zero crossing, and to determine the rotational frequency from the time duration.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the detector is configured to suppress a carrier frequency of a high-frequency electromagnetic field to extract a low-frequency modulation portion.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the detector is configured to detect a low-frequency envelope of the radio antenna receive signal.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider is configured to provide a radio antenna receive signal having two channels,

a first channel representing a radio signal of a first receive antenna, and

a second channel representing a receive signal of a second receive antenna having an antenna characteristic which differs from an antenna characteristic of the first antenna.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the first radio antenna comprises a first antenna characteristic having a first direction of the highest sensitivity, and wherein the second radio

antenna comprises a second antenna characteristic having a second direction of the highest sensitivity,

wherein the first and second directions differ from each other.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a difference in the directions of the highest sensitivities is present which lies within a range of angles between 70°

and 110°

.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider comprises a dipole antenna or a ferrite antenna or a mobile communication antenna.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider is designed for a long-wave band, a medium-wave band or a short-wave band.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, which is mechanically connected to the movable game device and further comprises an output interface for transferring a piece of information indicating the rotational frequency to a receiver.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1,

the provider being mechanically connected to the movable game device, and the detector being located at a distance from the movable game device,

the movable game device comprising an output interface for transferring the time-varying radio antenna receive signal to the detector, and

the detector which is located at a distance comprising a receive interface to receive a signal stemming from the output interface of the movable game device.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, which is configured at a distance from the movable game device,

the provider being an input interface to receive a signal which stems from the movable game device and which comprises information about the time-varying radio antenna receive signal.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting information to an external transmitter, the information causing the external transmitter to radiate a radio transmit signal,

the provider comprising a receive antenna, and

the transmitter being configured to use the receive antenna when transmitting the information.

17. The device as claimed in claim 8,

the detector being configured to receive the first and second channels and to select the channel having a higher LF amplitude within a range smaller than 150 Hz.

18. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider is configured to provide a broad-band radio antenna receive signal comprising several high-frequency carriers modulated using low frequencies,

wherein the provider is configured to select an LF component which occurs in several modulated high-frequency carriers.

19. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider is configured to provide a high-frequency radio antenna receive signal or a low-frequency radio antenna receive signal.

20. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider or the extractor is configured to extract a low-frequency portion having a frequency of less than 100 Hz.

21. A method of measuring a rotational frequency of a movable game device using a high-frequency radio signal, the method comprising:

providing a time-varying radio antenna receive signal; and

detecting a low-frequency frequency, which has been modulated onto the high-frequency radio signal, using the time-varying radio antenna receive signal,

the low-frequency frequency of the time-varying radio antenna receive signal representing the rotational frequency of the movable game device.

22. A movable game device comprising:

a radio antenna for providing a time-varying radio antenna receive signal having a high-frequency carrier portion and a low-frequency modulation portion;

a selector for extracting the low-frequency modulation portion; and

an interface for outputting the selected low-frequency modulation portion.

23. The movable game device as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a detector for detecting a low-frequency frequency, which has been modulated onto the high-frequency radio signal, using the time-varying radio antenna receive signal,

wherein the interface is configured to transfer information about a frequency underlying the low-frequency modulation portion instead of a time curve of the selected low-frequency modulation portion.

24. The movable game device as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting information to an external transmitter, the information causing the external transmitter to radiate a radio transmit signal,

the provider comprising a receive antenna, and

the transmitter being configured to use the receive antenna when transmitting the information.

25. A computer program having a program code for performing the method of measuring a rotational frequency of a movable game device using a high-frequency radio signal, the method comprising:

providing a time-varying radio antenna receive signal; and

detecting a low-frequency frequency, which has been modulated onto the high-frequency radio signal, using the time-varying radio antenna receive signal,

the low-frequency frequency of the time-varying radio antenna receive signal representing the rotational frequency of the movable game device,

when the program runs on a computer.