SYSTEMS AND METHODS UTILIZING A BALL INCLUDING ONE OR MORE SENSORS TO IMPROVE PITCHING PERFORMANCE

• US 20160354666A1
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aidan Conner Frye, Isaac Brady Frye, Jeffrey Kyle Greenwalt, Jeffrey Neal Frye, Richard Joseph Finn, Thomas Jay Nace
• Original Assignee: Aidan Conner Frye, Isaac Brady Frye, Jeffrey Kyle Greenwalt, Jeffrey Neal Frye, Richard Joseph Finn, Thomas Jay Nace
• Inventors: Greenwalt, Jeffrey Kyle, Frye, Jeffrey Neal, Finn, Richard Joseph, Nace, Thomas Jay, Frye, Aidan Conner, Frye, Isaac Brady
• Granted Patent: US 9,889,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/125 stitchings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/24 Angular displacement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/44 Angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0054 : Bowling, i.e. ten-pin bowling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 : Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/08 : made of two halves
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 : electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 : with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 : for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 : Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 : Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

A ball, and in particular a baseball or softball, including one or more sensors such as accelerometers and/or inertial measurement units, and systems and methods using the same to improve a pitcher'"'"'s pitching performance are described herein. In some embodiments, the ball may include one or more inertial measurement units and/or accelerometers capable of monitoring motion of the ball while it is thrown. Various types of pitches may be selected, and in response to the inertial measurement unit(s) and/or accelerometer(s) detecting certain parameters corresponding to a selected pitch, one or more indicators may be caused to perform an action. For example, one or more illuminating elements located on the ball may turn a first color in response to detecting parameters corresponding to the selected pitch.

Claims

1. A method for providing feedback to an individual throwing a ball, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a type of pitch for a ball to be thrown as;

obtaining at least one parameter corresponding to the selected type of pitch;

monitoring at least one sensor located within the ball;

determining that the at least one sensor has detected the at least one parameter corresponding to the selected type of pitch; and

causing at least one illuminating element located on a surface of the ball to turn a first color in response to the at least one parameter being detected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter for the selected type of pitch of the ball to be thrown comprises at least one of:

a spin rate;

an amount of vertical displacement;

an amount of horizontal displacement; and

a velocity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of:

an inertial measurement unit;

a gyroscope; and

an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring further comprises:

monitoring an output from the at least one sensor as the ball is being thrown.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining further comprises:

detecting that the output from the at least one sensor has exceed a predefined threshold for the at least one parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing at least one audio producing element to produce an audio tone in response to the at least one parameter being detected.

7. A system, comprising:

a ball comprising;

at least one sensor;

at least one first processor; and

first communications circuitry; and

a user device comprising;

second communications circuitry;

memory comprising at least one predefined value for each of a plurality of pitches;

a display that displays the plurality of pitches; and

at least one second processor operable to;

determine that a selection of a type of pitch for the ball to be thrown as has been made;

retrieve, from the user device'"'"'s memory, the at least one predefined value for the selected type of pitch; and

send, using the second communications circuitry, the predefined threshold values to the ball'"'"'s first communications circuitry.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one predefined value comprises at least one of:

a spin rate for the ball; and

a velocity for the ball.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the display presents a user interface comprising a list of the plurality of pitches capable of being selected.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the first communications circuitry and the second communications circuitry are operable to communicate with one another via at least one of:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®

, cellular, and a hardwire connection.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the ball is operable to send an output from the at least one sensor to the user device using the first communication circuitry.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one second processor of the user device is further operable to:

display the output within a user interface presented on the display; and

store the output in memory.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the ball further comprises:

at least one indicator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one indicator comprises at least one of:

at least one illuminating element;

at least one transmitter; and

at least one audio producing element.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one indicator comprises at least one illuminating element, the at least one second processor of the user device is further operable to:

provide instructions to the ball to turn a first color in response to the at least one sensor of the ball detecting that the predefined threshold value has been exceeded.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the ball comprises one of:

a baseball; and

a softball.

17. A system, comprising:

a ball comprising;

at least one sensor;

at least one first processor; and

first communications circuitry;

a first detection unit operable to track the ball along a first plane, the first detection unit located proximate a release area for the ball; and

a second detection unit operable to track the ball along a second plane, the second plane being perpendicular to the first plane, and the second detection unit being located proximate to a receiving area for the ball.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the first detection unit further comprises;

first motion tracking circuitry; and

second communications circuitry; and

the second detection unit further comprises;

second motion tracking circuitry; and

third communications circuitry.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first motion tracking circuitry and the second motion tracking circuitry comprise at least one of:

a Doppler radar;

a Sonar radar; and

image capturing circuitry.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a user device comprising;

fourth communications circuitry;

memory;

a display; and

at least one second processor.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one second processor is operable to:

receive first outputs from the at least one sensor on the ball;

receive second outputs from the first detection unit and the second detection unit regarding a motion of the ball; and

reconstruct a flight of the ball based on the received first and second outputs.