Concept for detecting a contact with a game device

• US 20080088303A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Original Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Inventors: Englert, Walter
• Application Number:
  US11/672,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/226
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0028 Tracking the path of an object, e.g. a ball inside a soccer pitch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0056 for statistical or strategic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• 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

Abstract

A method of detecting a contact between a player and a ball in a ball game, comprising a step of generating a magnetic field which may be associated with the player, the magnetic field being generated with a code sequence or a frequency which differ from a code sequence or a frequency which may be associated with the other player of the ball game, a step of detecting the magnetic field which may be associated with the player, and a step of determining the code sequence or the frequency with which the magnetic field was sent so as to obtain, on the basis of the code sequence or frequency, ball-contact information indicating whether the player had contact with the ball.

Claims

1. A device (120) which is mountable to a player (100) of a ball game to be able to identify a contact of the player (100) with a ball (110), the device comprising:

a magnetic-field generator (300) for generating a magnetic field (130) which may be associated with the player, the magnetic-field generator (300) being configured to send the magnetic field (130) with a code sequence or a frequency which differ from a code sequence or a frequency exhibited by a different device which may be mounted to a different player of the example; and

a source of energy (310) for supplying the magnetic-field generator (300).

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic-field generator (300) comprises a coil and a coil driver within a coil wiring, the coil wiring being configured to drive a current through the coil and to detect no voltage induced within the coil.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coil driver is configured to control the coil with a code sequence or frequency which may be associated with the player (100).

4. The device as claimed in claims 2 or 3, wherein the coil driver comprises a microcontroller.

5. The device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the magnetic-field generator (300) is configured to generate the magnetic field (130) with a predetermined detection range, the detection range being smaller than or equal to 50 cm, and preferably smaller than or equal to 20 cm.

6. The device as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the source of energy (310) is a battery.

7. The device as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the device (120) may be mounted to a football shoe or a shin guard on a football player.

8. A ball (110) for a ball game, comprising:

a magnetic-field sensor (400) for detecting a magnetic field (130) which may be associated with a player (100) of the ball game; and

a means (410) for determining a code sequence or a frequency with which the magnetic field (130) was sent so as to obtain, on the basis of the code sequence or frequency, ball-contact information which indicates whether the player (100) had contact with the ball (110).

9. The ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the magnetic-field sensor (400) comprises a Hall sensor.

10. The ball as claimed in claim 8, wherein the magnetic-field sensor (400) comprises a magneto-resistive element.

11. The ball as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the magnetic-field sensor (400) is a three-dimensional magnetic-field sensor.

12. The ball as claimed in any of claims 8 to 11, the ball (110) further comprising a radio transmitter (420) for transmitting the ball-contact information.

13. The ball as claimed in any of claims 8 to 12, the ball (110) further comprising a means for providing time information to be able to associate the time information with ball-contact information.

14. The ball as claimed in any of claims 8 to 13, further comprising a memory to store the ball-contact information.

15. The ball as claimed in claim 14, comprising an interface to be able to read out a memory content of the memory.

16. The ball as claimed in any of claims 8 to 15, comprising a source of energy for supplying an electronic system of the ball.

17. A system for detecting a contact between a player (100) and a ball (110) in a ball game, comprising:

a device (120) which may be mounted to the player (100) to be able to ascertain the contact of the player (100) with the ball (110), comprising a magnetic-field generator (300) for generating a magnetic field (130) which may be associated with the player (100), the magnetic-field generator (300) being configured to send the magnetic field (130) with a code sequence or a frequency which differ from a code sequence or a frequency exhibited by a different device which may be mounted to a different player of the example, and an energy source (310) for supplying the magnetic-field generator (300); and

a ball (110) comprising a magnetic-field sensor (400) for detecting the magnetic field (130) which may be associated with the player (100) of the ball game, and

a means (410) for determining the code sequence or the frequency with which the magnetic field (130) was sent so as to obtain, on the basis of the code sequence or frequency, ball-contact information indicating whether the player (100) had a contact with the ball (110).

18. A method of detecting a contact between a player (100) and a ball (110) in a ball game, comprising:

generating a magnetic field (130) which may be associated with the player (100), the magnetic field being generated with a code sequence or a frequency which differ from a code sequence or a frequency which may be associated with the other player of the ball game;

detecting the magnetic field which may be associated with the player (100); and

determining the code sequence or the frequency with which the magnetic field (130) was sent so as to obtain, on the basis of the code sequence or frequency, ball-contact information indicating whether the player (100) had contact with the ball (110).

19. A computer program comprising a program code for performing the method as claimed in claim 18, when the program runs on a computer.