PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR WITH DISPLAY AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20170151481A1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Published: 06/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Shaunak Divine
• Original Assignee: James Shaunak Divine
• Inventors: Divine, James Shaunak
• Granted Patent: US 10,434,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0666 worn on the head or face, e.g. combined with goggles or glasses
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0095 Volleyball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• 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: A63B 71/10 for the head A63B71/081 takes precedence ; in the form of caps or hats A42B1/08; helmets A42B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/42 of sport video content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

Protective headgear includes, for example, a headgear body that is wearable on a head of a baseball umpire. At least one sensor is configured to generate imaging data that includes a batter in proximity to home plate. A processor analyzes the imaging data to determine a strike zone of the batter and to generate augmented reality data in response thereto. A display device generates a heads up display of the strike zone that is viewable to the baseball umpire during a pitch to the batter, based on the augmented reality data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. Protective headgear comprising:

a headgear body that is wearable on a head of a baseball umpire;

at least one sensor, coupled to the headgear body, configured to generate imaging data that includes a batter in proximity to home plate;

a processor, coupled to the sensor, that operates in conjunction with a memory and is configured to analyze the imaging data to determine a strike zone of the batter and to generate augmented reality data in response thereto; and

a display device, coupled to the headgear body and the processor, configured to generate a heads up display of the strike zone that is viewable to the baseball umpire during a pitch to the batter, based on the augmented reality data.

2. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of sensors that generate a stereoscopic image of the batter.

3. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor captures at least one visual image of the batter.

4. The protective headgear of claim 3 wherein a uniform of the batter includes a plurality of visible targets and wherein the processor analyzes the imaging data to determine the strike zone of the batter based on corresponding positions of the plurality of visible targets.

5. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one millimeter wave transmitter and at least one millimeter wave receiver that captures a reflected millimeter wave image of the batter.

6. The protective headgear of claim 5 wherein a uniform of the batter includes a plurality of millimeter wave reflectors and wherein the processor analyzes the imaging data to determine the strike zone of the batter based on corresponding positions of the plurality of millimeter wave reflectors.

7. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor captures at least one infrared image of the batter.

8. The protective headgear of claim 7 wherein a uniform of the batter includes a plurality of infrared reflectors and wherein the processor analyzes the imaging data to determine the strike zone of the batter based on corresponding positions of the plurality of infrared targets.

9. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the augmented reality data includes a region outline that outlines the strike zone in the heads up display.

10. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the augmented reality data includes a colored region corresponding to the strike zone in the heads up display.

11. The protective headgear of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of sensors and the strike zone of the batter is generated as a three dimension region.

12. The protective headgear of claim 11 wherein the processor analyzes a trajectory of a ball during a pitch to the batter in relation to the three dimension region to generate a ball or strike determination.

13. The protective headgear of claim 11 wherein the ball includes an imaging reflector and wherein the processor analyzes the imaging data to determine the trajectory of the ball based an identification of a signal from the imaging reflector.

14. The protective headgear of claim 12 wherein processor adjusts a color corresponding to the strike zone in the augmented reality data, based on the ball or strike determination.

15. The protective headgear of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface that receives game data, and wherein the augmented reality data further includes the game data.

16. A method comprising:

generating imaging data that includes a batter in proximity to home plate via at least one sensor of a protective headgear wearable on a head of a baseball umpire;

analyzing, via a processor, the imaging data to determine a strike zone of the batter and to generate augmented reality data in response thereto; and

generating a heads up display of the strike zone that is viewable to the baseball umpire during a pitch to the batter, based on the augmented reality data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging data includes a stereoscopic image of the batter.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging data includes at least one visual image of the batter.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a uniform of the batter includes a plurality of visible targets and wherein analyzing the imaging data to determine the strike zone of the batter includes determining corresponding positions of the plurality of visible targets.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the imaging data includes a reflected millimeter wave image of the batter.