TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20170219707A1
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sportsmedia Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sportsmedia Technology Corporation
• Inventors: CAVALLARO, Richard H., McGuffin, James Orville, Borton, John Roy
• Granted Patent: US 10,241,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 American football A63B2243/007
• 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.

Claims

1. A system for tracking players at a live sporting event, comprising:

a first set of transmitters associated with a first set of players operable to transmit a first set of signals;

a second set of transmitters associated with a second set of players operable to transmit a second set of signals;

sensors positioned at the live sporting event operable to sense the first set of signals at a first frequency and the second set of the transmitters at a second frequency, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are determined based on characteristics of the first set of players and the second set of players and wherein the sensors are operable to change frequency of sensing for a transmitter in the first set of transmitters or the second set of transmitters based on an event related to a player associated with the transmitter; and

a computer system in communication with the sensors operable to calculate locations of the first set of players based on the first set of signals and calculate locations of the second set of players based on the second set of signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is the player becoming an active player or going to the bench.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is the player lining up in a different position.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is the player changing proximity to a ball.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a referee transmitter associated with a referee, wherein the sensors are operable to sense a referee set of signals and the computer system is operable to calculate locations of the referee based on the referee set of signals.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising accelerometers associated with the first set of players and the second set of players operable to measure acceleration and transmit acceleration data to a processor.

7. A system for tracking players at a live sporting event, comprising:

transmitters associated with the players operable to transmit a first set of signals;

a ball transmitter associated with a ball operable to transmit a ball signal;

sensors positioned at the live sporting event to receive the signals from the transmitters and the ball signal from the ball transmitter; and

a computer system in communication with the sensors, wherein the computer system is operable to calculate locations of the players and a location of the ball based on the signals sensed by the sensors.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is operable to apply a filter to the first set of signals received from the transmitters, wherein the filter includes a noise filter and/or a filter which discards signals originating from an exclusion zone at the live sporting event.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first set of signals includes a first signal with a first frequency associated with a first sporting position at the live sporting event and a second signal with a second frequency associated with a second sporting position at the live sporting event.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is operable to calculate three-dimensional locations of the players and a three-dimensional location of the ball based on the signals sensed by the sensors.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the three-dimensional locations of the players are calculated up to 8 feet above a venue floor of the live sporting event and a three-dimensional location of the ball is calculated up to 50 feet above the venue floor of the live sporting event.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further operable to remove or exclude three-dimensional locations of the players based on historical data stored in a memory of the computer system which indicates the three-dimensional locations are not accurate.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is operable to create an animation depicting motion of the players and/or the ball.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is operable to determine a change in possession of the ball among the players based on the signals from the transmitters and the ball signal from the ball transmitter, wherein the computer system is further operable to interpolate one or more intermediate locations between locations of the ball determined using the ball signal from the ball transmitter.

15. A system for tracking players at a live sporting event comprising:

a transmitter associated with a player operable to transmit a signal to one or more sensors positioned at the live sporting event; and

at least one accelerometer in communication with a processor, wherein the at least one accelerometer is operable to measure a change in motion and communicate the change in motion to the processor; and

a computer in communication with the processor;

wherein the change in motion indicates a force;

wherein, upon the processor determining that the force is greater than a threshold force, the processor is operable to send a concussion risk message to the computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer is in wireless communication with the processor.

17. The system of claim 15:

wherein the computer includes a database with a history of impacts to a player;

wherein, upon the processor determining that the force is less than a threshold force, the processor is operable to send an impact message to the computer; and

wherein the computer is operable to update the database with the history of impacts to the player to include impact data from the impact message.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer includes a user interface (UI) with text message and/or email message functionality operable to send a text message and/or an email message to medical personnel or a coach.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer is in communication with the processor via Infrared (IR) or Radio Frequency (RF) communication.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one accelerometer includes multiple accelerometers distributed around a head of the player.