TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20110205022A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sportsmedia Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sportvision, Inc. (Sportsmedia Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: McGuffin, James Orville, Borton, John Roy, Cavallaro, Richard H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• 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 2024/004 Multiple detectors or sensors each defining a different zone
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0638 Displaying moving images of recorded environment, e.g. virtual environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0022 for sensing the radiation of moving bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0804 Shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/14 wherein a voltage or current pulse is initiated and terminated in accordance with the pulse transmission and echo reception respectively, e.g. using counters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/18 : wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 : Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 : Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 : Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 : Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 : using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 5/22 : the subordinate centre not permitting interconnection of subscribers connected thereto

Abstract

A system simultaneously tracks multiple objects. All or a subset of the objects includes a wireless receiver and a transmitter for providing an output. The system includes one or more wireless transmitters that send commands to the wireless receivers of the multiple objects instructing different subsets of the multiple objects to output (via their respective transmitter) at different times. The system also includes object sensors that receive output from the transmitters of the multiple objects and a computer system in communication with the object sensors. The computer system calculates locations of the multiple objects based on the sensed output from the multiple objects. In some embodiments, the system can also track an item based on proximity of that item to one or more of the objects. In such embodiments, the multiple objects each includes one or more local sensors. The local sensors detect presence of the item and the items'"'"' transmitters communicate presence of the item based on respective one or more local sensors. The computer system identifies a location of the item based on communications from one or more of the objects indicating presence of the item and the calculated locations of the multiple objects detecting the item.

Claims

1. A method for tracking multiple objects, comprising:

wirelessly sending commands to the multiple objects instructing different subsets of the multiple objects to output at different times;

outputting electromagnetic signals from the multiple movable objects in response to respective commands;

sensing the electromagnetic signals from multiple movable objects; and

calculating locations of the multiple objects based on the sensed electromagnetic signals from the multiple movable objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, outputting, sensing and calculating are performed multiple times during an event; and

the commands change dynamically during the event based on one or more occurrence in the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, outputting, sensing and calculating are performed in multiple iterations during an event; and

the commands change dynamically during the event by adding or removing one or more objects from the commands associated with a particular iteration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically choosing a first subset of the objects to track at a first frequency; and

automatically choosing a second subset of the objects to track at a second frequency;

the outputting and sensing are performed for the first subset of the objects at the first frequency while the outputting, sensing and calculating are performed for the second subset of the objects at the second frequency in response to the automatically choosing the first subset and the automatically choosing the second subset.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, outputting, sensing and calculating are performed during an event; and

the first subset and the second subset are automatically chosen based on one or more occurrences in the event.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the wirelessly sending command, outputting, sensing and calculating are performed during an event; and

the first subset and the second subset are automatically chosen based on the calculated locations of the objects during the event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering a first set of sensors using a set of landmarks detectable by the first set of sensors; and

registering a second set of sensors based on the first set of sensors, the first set of sensors and the second set of sensors are used to perform the sensing of the electromagnetic signals from multiple movable objects.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising:

automatically detecting a concussion risk for a player associated with one of the objects; and

reporting the concussion risk.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically sensing that a first entity associated with a first object of the multiple objects is in proximity of an item;

identifying and storing a location of the first entity as a first location of the item;

automatically sensing that a second entity associated with a second object of the multiple objects is in proximity of the item; and

identifying and storing a location of the second entity as a second location of the item.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

interpolating one or more locations of the item between the first location and the second location; and

reporting about the one or more interpolated locations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, outputting, sensing and calculating are performed multiple times during an event to concurrently track movement of the multiple objects as the multiple objects simultaneously move.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the commands include an identification for an object and a time to output for that object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the outputting electromagnetic signals from the multiple movable objects is performed wirelessly; and

the electromagnetic signal is not visible.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the electromagnetic signal is an IR signal; and

the commands are sent using RF.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands to the multiple objects comprises determining that two or more objects of the multiple objects are located apart from each other by more than a threshold and sending commands to the two or more objects to output at the same time in response to determining that two or more objects are located apart from each other by more than the threshold;

the sensing the electromagnetic signals from multiple movable objects comprises capturing an image and finding indications of the two or more objects in the captured image; and

the calculating locations of the multiple objects includes distinguishing the indications of the two or more objects in the captured image based on previous locations of the two or more objects and determining new locations for the two or more objects based on the indications of the two or more objects in the captured image.

16. An apparatus for tracking, comprising:

multiple objects each of which includes a wireless receiver and a transmitter for providing an output;

one or more wireless transmitters that send commands to the wireless receivers for the multiple objects instructing different subsets of the multiple objects to output at different times;

object sensors that receive output from the multiple objects; and

a computer system in communication with the object sensors, the computer system calculates locations of the multiple objects based on the sensed output from the multiple objects.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the one or more transmitters send commands to the wireless receivers multiple times during an event in response to the computer; and

the commands change dynamically during the event based on the event.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the computer system automatically chooses a first subset of the objects to track at a first frequency based on occurrences at the event and automatically chooses a second subset of the objects to track at a second frequency based on occurrences at the event, information about the first subset and the second subset are communicated to the wireless transmitters so that commands are sent to the first subset of the objects at the first frequency while commands are sent the second subset of the objects at the second frequency.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the object sensors include a first subset of object sensors that can detect one or more landmarks and a second subset of object sensors, the first subset is different than the second subset, the first subset of object sensors are registered based on the landmarks, the second subset of object sensors are registered based on the first subset of object sensors and a set of targets sensed by both sets of object sensors.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein:

a first object of the multiple objects include a first local sensor that automatically senses that an item is in proximity to the first object;

the computer system identifies and stores a location of the first object as a first location of the item;

a second object of the multiple objects include a second local sensor that automatically senses that the item is in proximity to the second object; and

the computer system identifies and stores a location of the second object as a second location of the item.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the computer system interpolates one or more locations of the item between the first location and the second location and reports about the one or more interpolated locations.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the computer system determines that two or more objects of the multiple objects are located apart from each other by more than a threshold and causes the one or more wireless transmitters to send commands to the two or more objects to output at the same time in response to determining that two or more objects are located apart from each other by more than the threshold;

at least a subset of the object sensors capture an image and find indications of the two or more objects in the captured image; and

the computer system distinguishes the indications of the two or more objects in the captured image based on previous locations of the two or more objects and determines new locations for the two or more objects based on the indications of the two or more objects in the captured image.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the transmitters for the multiple objects output electromagnetic signals that are not visible;

the one or more wireless transmitters include multiple transmitters that redundantly instruct the multiple objects to individually output; and

the object sensors include image sensors,

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the multiple objects are helmets; and

each helmet has the wireless receiver and the transmitter positioned within the helmet, the transmitter includes a set of emitters positioned within holes in the surface of the helmet, the emitters output an electromagnetic signal that is not visible.

25. A method for tracking multiple objects, comprising:

wirelessly acquiring position samples of multiple objects that can move concurrently;

calculating locations of the objects based on the position samples;

wirelessly sending instructions to the objects that command timing of the position samples;

wirelessly acquiring additional position samples of the set of objects based on the commanded timing; and

calculating new locations of the objects based on the additional position samples.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the wirelessly sending instructions to the objects that change timing of the position samples comprises:

changing the frequency of commanding a pulse to obtain position samples is based on locations of the objects.

27. A method for tracking multiple objects, comprising:

wirelessly sending commands to the multiple objects instructing different subsets of the multiple objects to output at different times;

sensing output from the multiple movable objects based on the commands; and

calculating locations of the multiple objects based on the sensed output from the multiple movable objects.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, sensing and calculating are performed multiple times during an event; and

the commands change dynamically during the event based on one or more occurrences in the event.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, sensing and calculating are performed in multiple iterations during an event; and

the commands change dynamically during the event by adding or removing one or more objects from the commands associated with a particular iteration.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

automatically choosing a first subset of the objects to track at a first frequency; and

automatically choosing a second subset of the objects to track at a second frequency, the sensing and calculating are performed for the first subset of the objects at the first frequency while the sensing and calculating are performed for the second subset of the objects at the second frequency in response to the automatically choosing the first subset and the automatically choosing the second subset.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein:

the wirelessly sending commands, sensing and calculating are performed during an event; and

the first subset and the second subset are automatically chosen based on one or more occurrences in the event.