System and method for simulating a billiard cue stroke

• US 8,645,085 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shark Engineering, LLC
• Original Assignee: Shark Engineering, LLC
• Inventors: Morris, Dustin Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US12/948,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 73/120.1, 73/120.4, 733/790.1, 733/790.4, 734/321, 734/88, 735/140.1, 735/70, 736/49, 738/654, 738/658, 738/663, 273/108, 273/108.1, 273/440, 340/500, 340/540, 340/573.1, 340/665, 340/670, 345/156, 463/1, 463/7, 463/9, 473/1, 473/2, 473/44, 702/1, 702/33, 702/41, 702/127, 702/141, 702/142, 702/182, 702/187, 702/189, 708/100, 708/105, 708/200, 715/700, 715/704
• US Class Current: 702/41
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 15/006 Training or aiming arrangements on billiard tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 15/08 Cues
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 15/20 Scoring or registering devices

Abstract

A billiard cue stroke simulator includes a wireless acceleration sensing device and a computing system. The wireless acceleration sensing device measures acceleration of a billiard cue along two or more axes of a coordinate system during a stroke of the billiard cue and generates acceleration data including the acceleration data. Additionally, the wireless acceleration sensing device transmits a wireless communication signal including the acceleration data to the computing system. The computing system generates image data indicating movement of the billiard cue during the stroke of the billiard cue based on the acceleration data and displays the image data. In this way, the billiard cue stroke simulator simulates the stroke of the billiard cue.

Claims

1. A billiard cue stroke simulator, comprising:

a wireless acceleration sensing device for attaching to a billiard cue, the wireless acceleration sensing device configured to generate acceleration data indicating acceleration of the billiard cue during a stroke of the billiard cue and generate a wireless communication signal including the acceleration data; and

a computing system configured to receive the wireless communication signal and generate image data indicating movement of the billiard cue based on the acceleration data in the wireless communication signal, the computing system further configured to display at least one image indicating movement of the billiard cue based on the image data.

2. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a wireless communication node for receiving the wireless communication signal generated by the wireless acceleration sensing device, and wherein the wireless acceleration sensing device comprises:

an accelerometer configured to generate the acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least two axes of a coordinate system;

a computing processor coupled to the accelerometer and configured to receive the acceleration data from the accelerometer; and

a wireless communication node coupled to the computing processor and configured to receive the acceleration data from the computing processor and generate the wireless communication signal indicating the acceleration data.

3. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 2, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

4. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 2, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of a simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

5. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 4, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of the simulated billiard cue in three dimensions.

6. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a wireless communication node for receiving the wireless communication signal generated by the wireless acceleration sensing device, and wherein the wireless acceleration sensing device comprises:

a low-g accelerometer configured to generate low-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of a coordinate system;

a high-g accelerometer configured to generate high-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of the coordinate system;

a computing processor coupled to the low-g accelerometer and the high-g accelerometer and configured to receive the low-level acceleration data from the low-g accelerometer and the high-level accelerometer data from the high-g accelerometer; and

a wireless communication node coupled to the computing processor and configured to receive the acceleration data from the computing processor and generate the wireless communication signal indicating the acceleration data, the acceleration data including both the low-level acceleration data and the high-level acceleration data.

7. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 6, wherein the low-g accelerometer and the high-g accelerometer in combination are further configured to generate the acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least two axes of the coordinate system.

8. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 7, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

9. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 7, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of a simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

10. A billiard cue stroke simulator, comprising:

means for generating acceleration data indicating acceleration of a billiard cue during a stroke of the billiard cue;

means for generating a wireless communication signal including the acceleration data;

means for generating image data indicating movement of the billiard cue based on the acceleration data in the wireless communication signal; and

means for displaying at least one image indicating movement of the billiard cue along at least two axes of the coordinate system based on the image data.

11. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 10, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

12. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 10, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of a simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

13. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 12, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of the simulated billiard cue in three dimensions.

14. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 10, wherein the acceleration data includes low-level acceleration data and high-level acceleration data, the billiard cue stroke simulator further comprising:

means for generating the low-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of a coordinate system; and

means for generating the high-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of the coordinate system.

15. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 14, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

16. The billiard cue stroke simulator of claim 14, wherein the at least one image includes a simulated billiard cue representing the billiard cue and shows movement of the simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

17. A method of simulating a billiard cue stroke, the method comprising:

generating acceleration data indicating acceleration of a billiard cue during a stroke of the billiard cue;

generating a wireless communication signal including the acceleration data;

generating image data indicating movement of the billiard cue based on the acceleration data in the wireless communication signal; and

displaying at least one image indicating movement of the billiard cue along at least two axes of the coordinate system based on the image data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of a simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of the simulated billiard cue in three dimensions.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the acceleration data includes low-level acceleration data and high-level acceleration data, the method further comprising:

generating the low-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of a coordinate system; and

generating the high-level acceleration data by measuring acceleration of the billiard cue along at least one axis of the coordinate system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one image comprises at least one graph indicating the position of the billiard cue over time along each axis of the at least two axes of the coordinate system.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one image indicates movement of a simulated billiard cue representing movement of the billiard cue over time along the at least two axes of the coordinate system.