Device for generating a magnetic field in a goal area for taking a goal decision

• US 7,915,887 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Original Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Inventors: Braun, Oliver, Holzer, Christian, Englert, Walter, Bucher, Tilman
• Primary Examiner(s): Patidar; Jay M
• Application Number:
  US12/036,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20090108835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0043 Systems for locating the point of impact on a specific surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2063/005 having means not protruding from the profile of the post for attachment of a net
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/83 characterised by the position of the sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/004 Goals of the type used for football, handball, hockey or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/105 forming directly coupled primary and secondary coils or loops

Abstract

A device for generating a magnetic field in a goal area with at least two coils arranged in parallel to a goal area defined and bounded by a goal, wherein a first coil is attached in an area behind the goal and a second coil is attached closer to the goal than the first coil or identical to the goal, wherein the first coil and the second coil respectively have a coil impedance, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil is set so that a magnetic field of the second coil generated due to a magnetic field of the first coil reduces the magnetic field of the first coil at a location within the second coil by at least 20%.

Claims

1. A device for generating a magnetic field in a goal area, comprising at least two coils arranged in parallel to a goal area defined and bounded by a goal, wherein a first coil is attached in an area behind the goal and a second coil is attached closer to the goal than the first coil or attached identically to the goal, wherein the first coil and the second coil respectively comprise a coil impedance, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil is set so that a magnetic field of the second coil generated due to a magnetic field of the first coil reduces the magnetic field of the first coil at a location within the second coil by at least 20%.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein an axis perpendicular to the goal area which passes through the center of gravity of the goal area passes at least approximately both through the center of gravity of a coil opening area of the first and the second coil bounded by coil windings.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first coil comprises a coil opening area which is greater than or equal to the bounded goal area, and wherein the second coil comprises coil windings whose opening area at least approximately corresponds to the goal area.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the goal is bounded by two hollow side posts, one hollow crossbar and a goal line on which the goal is positioned, and wherein the second coil runs within the two hollow side posts, the hollow crossbar and within an area below the goal line, wherein there is respectively at least one cable shaft in the hollow side post and the hollow crossbar, whose cross-sectional dimension is smaller than a cross-section of the side post or the crossbar, and wherein the coil comprises a cable which runs within the cable shaft.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the goal is bounded by two side posts, a crossbar and a goal line, and wherein the second coil is attached to the two side posts and to the crossbar.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the area behind the goal comprises at least two net suspensions, and wherein the first coil is wound around an area defined by the net suspensions.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a generator for generating coil activation signals for the two coils by means of a multiplexing.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the generator for generating the coil activation signals generates the coil activation signals in a frequency division multiplexing.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first coil is controlled with a frequency in a frequency range from 500 Hz to 5 kHz.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the generator for generating the coil activation signals generates the coil activation signals in a time division multiplexing.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil for a frequency of the coil activation signal is in a frequency range from 500 Hz to 5 kHz in an impedance range between 0 and 100 Ohms.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second coil is operated in a short-circuit operation to act as a short-circuited secondary winding of a transformer formed from the first and the second coil.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second coil may be put in a short-circuit operation or an open-circuit operation by a switch.

14. A system for determining information about a position of a movable object in a goal area, in which at least two coils are attached in parallel to a goal area bounded and defined by a goal, wherein a first coil is attached in an area behind the goal and a second coil is attached closer to the goal than the first coil or identical to the goal, wherein the first coil and the second coil respectively comprise a coil impedance, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil is set so that a field of the second coil generated due to a magnetic field of the first coil reduces the magnetic field of the first coil at a location within the second coil by at least 20%, comprising

a device for providing information about a magnetic field which the movable object experiences at the position in the goal area;

and

a device for evaluating information about the magnetic field to obtain information about the position of the movable object in the goal area.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device for providing is implemented to provide both information about a magnetic field generated by the first coil and also information about a magnetic field generated by the second coil.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device for providing is located within the movable object.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the device for providing comprises a magnetic field sensor.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device for evaluating is implemented to provide an indication from information about a time course of a magnetic field experienced by the movable object as to whether the movable object crossed the goal plane.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the device for evaluating is implemented to provide the goal statement by means of a derivation of the time course of the magnetic field over time.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the derivation of the time course of the magnetic field over time is at least approximately equal to zero at the point of time of crossing the goal line.

21. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device for evaluating is implemented to be able to provide an indication where the movable object crossed the goal plane from information of the magnetic field generated by the first coil and information of the magnetic field generated by the second coil at the location of the movable object.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device for evaluating is implemented to provide an indication from a sequence of measurement values as to whether the movable object crossed the goal plane, wherein first information designates information about a magnetic field of the first coil in an open-circuit operation of the second coil, second information designates information about a reduced magnetic field of the first coil with a short-circuited second coil and third information designates information about a change between first information and second information.

23. A method for determining information about a position of a movable object in a goal area in which at least two coils are attached in parallel to a goal area defined and bounded by a goal, wherein the first coil is attached in an area behind the goal and a second coil is attached closer to the goal than the first coil or identical to the goal, wherein the first coil and the second coil respectively comprise a coil impedance, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil is set so that a field of the second coil generated due to a magnetic field of the first coil reduces the magnetic field of the first coil at a location within the second coil by at least 20%, comprising:

generating a magnetic alternating field using the first coil;

providing information about the magnetic alternating field which the movable object experiences at the position in the goal area;

evaluating the information about the magnetic alternating field to obtain information about the position of the movable object in the goal area.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein in evaluating a sequence of measurement values is evaluated to provide an indication as to whether the movable object crossed the goal plane, wherein first information designates information about a magnetic field of the first coil in an open-circuit operation of the second coil, second information designates information about a reduced magnetic field of the first coil with a short-circuited second coil and third information designates information about a change between first information and second information.

25. A computer program embodied within a computer readable medium and having a program code for performing the method for determining information about a position of a movable object in a goal area in which at least two coils are attached in parallel to a goal area defined and bounded by a goal, wherein the first coil is attached in an area behind the goal and a second coil is attached closer to the goal than the first coil or identical to the goal, wherein the first coil and the second coil respectively comprise a coil impedance, wherein the coil impedance of the second coil is set so that a field of the second coil generated due to a magnetic field of the first coil reduces the magnetic field of the first coil at a location within the second coil by at least 20%, comprising:

generating a magnetic alternating field using the first coil;

providing information about the magnetic alternating field which the movable object experiences at the position in the goal area;

evaluating the information about the magnetic alternating field to obtain information about the position of the movable object in the goal area,

when the computer program runs on a computer or a microcontroller.