Finger position sensing for handheld sports equipment

• US 8,814,713 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Liu, Hua, Qin, Yuanyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Brewster, William`
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US12/006,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,430 Days
• Field of Search: 473/422, 473/425, 473/438, 473201-202
• US Class Current: 473/202
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2060/462 Devices measuring hand characteristics to determine correct grip size
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2060/464 Means for indicating or measuring the pressure on the grip
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/10 Positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/06 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/08 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/10 with means for indicating correct holding positions A63B60/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 by varying capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools

Abstract

A finger position training sports device can include a surface for receiving at least a portion of a hand, a plurality of capacitance sensor areas formed on the surface, and a capacitance sense circuit attached to the sports device. The capacitance sense circuit can have an input coupled to each capacitance sensor area and a processor circuit that activates an indication value when predetermined sensor areas indicate contact with different portions of at least one hand.

Claims

1. A finger position training sports device, comprising:

a surface for receiving at least a portion of a hand;

a plurality of capacitance sensor areas formed on the surface, each of the plurality of capacitance sensor areas comprising a capacitor structure; and

a capacitance sense circuit attached to the sports device having an input coupled to each capacitance sensor area and a processor circuit that activates an indication value when predetermined capacitance sensor areas, of the plurality of capacitor sensor areas, indicate contact with different portions of at least one hand based on a capacitance formed between the respective capacitor structures and the different portions of the at least one hand.

2. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the surface forms part of a handle, and the sports device has a surface for striking a projectile.

3. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein:

the device has a shape of a sports device having a surface for striking a projectile; and

at least a portion of the surface is formed on a handle of the device corresponding to the handle of the sports device.

4. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sense circuit includes at least a portion formed below the surface.

5. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the surface is formed on an outer surface of a sports projectile that is thrown by hand.

6. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein:

the device has a shape of a sports projectile that is thrown by the hand; and

at least a portion of the surface is formed on an outer surface of the device.

7. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein each capacitor structure comprises at least a first plate portion and a second plate portion formed essentially coplanar to the first plate portion.

8. The finger position training sports device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sense circuit comprises at least one integrated circuit having a different terminals coupled to each capacitance sensor area, and an output that provides the indication value.

9. The finger position training sports device of claim 8, wherein the at least one integrated circuit includes:

a plurality of ports coupled to a digital bus and an analog;

a capacitance sense circuit coupled to the analog bus, the capacitance sense circuit includes;

a common sense node coupled to the analog bus by a plurality of switch elements;

a comparator having a first input coupled to the common sense node and a second input coupled to receive a reference voltage; and

a counter circuit coupled to generate a count value based on a time required to charge and discharge the common sense node.

10. A method of training finger positions for a sports related object, comprising:

providing a plurality of capacitance sense regions on a surface of a sports related object, each capacitance sense region comprising a capacitor structure and corresponding to a position of a different finger;

determining if multiple fingers are in contact with predetermined capacitance sense regions based on a capacitance between the respective capacitor structures and the multiple fingers using a capacitance sensing circuit attached to the sports related object and coupled to the capacitive structure of each of the plurality of capacitance sense areas; and

if multiple fingers are in contact with predetermined capacitance sense regions, generating a user indication using an indicator generator attached to the sports related object and coupled to the capacitive sensing circuit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing a plurality of capacitance sense regions includes providing a plurality of different sensors that are attachable to the surface of the sports related object, and include electrical leads connectable to the capacitance sensing circuit.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining if multiple fingers are in contact with predetermined capacitance sense regions includes:

determining a sensed capacitance of each capacitance sense region; and

comparing each sensed capacitance to at least one predetermined value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a sensed capacitance of each capacitance sense region includes:

determining the rate at which a charge can be placed on the capacitance sense region, and generating a sense count based on the rate; and

comparing each sensed capacitance to a predetermined capacitance includes comparing the sense count value to a predetermined reference count.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein comparing each sensed capacitance to a predetermined capacitance includes reading the predetermined capacitance from a storage location within the sports related object.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a sensed capacitance of each capacitance sense region, includes:

sequentially connecting each capacitance sense region to a common sense node; and

for each capacitance sense region, charging and discharging the common sense node.

16. The method of claim 10, further including programming a hand position using the capacitance sensing circuit, the programming comprising:

determining a capacitance of each capacitance sense region; and

storing a user capacitance value corresponding to the capacitance determined for each capacitance sense region at a location within the sports related object.

17. A sports related device, comprising:

a plurality of sense regions formed on the surface for receiving at least one hand; and

a sense assembly that activates an indicator in response to capacitance changes in the sense regions that indicate at least one predetermined hand position, the sense assembly including a capacitance sense circuit comprising a plurality of switch elements for selectively coupling inputs to a common capacitance sense node, a comparator having a comparator input coupled to the common capacitance sense node, and an output coupled to a count circuit.

18. The sports related device of claim 17, wherein the capacitance sense circuit further includes a processor coupled to the count circuit and a storage circuit configured to compare a sense count value generated by the count circuit to a limit count value stored in the storage circuit.

19. The sports related device of claim 17, wherein the sports related device has a shape corresponding to sports equipment selected from the group consisting of:

a ball, a racquet, a bat, a paddle, a flying disc, a club, a mallet, baton, pole, oar, stick, sports type weapon, brush, and broom.

20. The sports related device of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of sense regions comprise a capacitor structure, and wherein the sense assembly activates the indicator in response to capacitance changes in the sense regions that indicate at least one predetermined hand position based on a capacitance between the respective capacitors structures and at least one the hand.