Method for calculating a repeatability index when using a tennis racket

• US 9,358,442 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Babolat VS (Société Civile Babolat)
• Original Assignee: Babolat VS (Société Civile Babolat)
• Inventors: Mace, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US13/899,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20130316855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 473/422
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A method for calculating a repeatability index of gestures and shots of a player striking a tennis ball with a racket having attached measurement sensors. The method includes conducting an initial series of shots to measure vibration, angular velocity, and linear acceleration of the racket during each shot to generate behavioral data of the racket corresponding to each shot of the initial series, and later comparing the measured vibration, angular velocity and linear acceleration of the racket to shots of a further series to determine the type of hit and a repeatability index indicating an ability of the player to identically repeat each of the type of hit.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a repeatability index of gestures and shots of a player striking a tennis ball with a racket, the method comprising:

preliminary steps of, using the racket comprised of a handle, a frame, inside which frame is a head formed from different transverse and longitudinal strings, the head being tensed, and measurement sensors, fixed to the racket, that measure at least vibrations, i) conducting a series of shots with the racket striking a respective tennis ball in each of said shots, ii) with data from the measurement sensors, measuring vibration, angular velocity, and linear acceleration of the racket during each said shot, and iii) generating behavioral data of the racket corresponding to each said shot of the racket;

wherein the shots of the racket include plural different types of hits by the racket on the tennis ball, the types of hits including at least a topspin forehand shot, a service shot, and a slice backhand shot,

wherein the generated behavioral data includes data related to the measured vibration of the racket for each type of hit, the measured linear acceleration of the racket for each type of hit, and the measured angular velocity of the racket for each type of hit;

playing steps of i) conducting a further series of shots with the player striking the ball with the racket, wherein the shots of the further series of shots include the plural different types of hits by the racket on the tennis ball, including the topspin forehand shot, the service shot, and the slice backhand shot, ii) using the measured vibration, the measured linear acceleration, and the measured angular velocity from said measurement sensors of the racket for each hit made in the further series of shots, measuring the vibration, the angular velocity and the linear acceleration of the racket for each shot of the further series of shots, and iii) generating second playing data of the racket corresponding to each said shot of the further series of shots; and

analysis steps of i) comparing a) the measured vibration, angular velocity and linear acceleration of the racket for each shot of the further series of shots to b) the behavioral data to determine the type hit, from the plural different types of hits, being used by the player in each shot of the further series of shots, and ii) for at least the shots of a first of said determined type of hit made in the further series of shots, determining a repeatability index of the player'"'"'s shots of said first type of hits, by comparing a) the second playing data for each shot of the first type of hit with b) the second playing data for other shots of the first type of hit from the further series of shots, the repeatability index indicating an ability of the player to repeat each of the first type of hit identically.

2. The method for calculating according to claim 1, wherein the second playing data is based on raw measurements from output signals from said measurement sensors fixed to the racket, the measurement sensors measuring the vibrations, the linear acceleration, and the angular velocity of the racket, and the repeatability index is determined by comparing the raw measurements with each other for hits of the same type made during said playing steps.

3. The method for calculating according to claim 1, wherein,

the second playing data includes at least a first parameter output from the output signals of said measurement sensors,

the repeatability index is determined by comparing the first parameter for each hit of the same type made during the playing steps,

wherein the head of the racket is divided into plural zones,

wherein the first parameter relates to an impact zone of the ball on the head, and

wherein the repeatability index is expressed as a function of a first variable related to dispersion, around a first average value, of the first parameter.

4. The method for calculating according to claim 3, wherein,

the second playing data includes a second parameter output from the output signals of said measurement sensors, the second parameter relating to an angle of orientation of the head during each hit,

the repeatability index is further determined by comparing the second parameter, for each shot of the same type made during the playing steps, and

wherein the repeatability index is further expressed as a function of a second variable, related to dispersion of the second parameter, around an average value of the second parameter, called second value.

5. The method for calculating according to claim 4, wherein,

the second playing data includes a third parameter output from the output signals of said measurement sensors, the third parameter relating to a quantity of effect transmitted to the ball during each hit,

the repeatability index is determined by comparing the third parameter, for each shot of the same type made during the playing step, and

the repeatability index is further expressed as a function of a third variable, related to dispersion around a third average value, of the third parameter.

6. The method for calculating according to claim 5, wherein the repeatability index includes at least three terms added together, each term depending on one of the first, second, and third variables.

7. The method for calculating according to claim 5, wherein each variable, of the first, second, and third variables, is a standard deviation or a coefficient of variation.

8. The method for calculating according to claim 5, wherein each variable, of the first, second, and third variables, is corrected by an adjustment coefficient that normalises the respective variable to bring the respective variable to a scale for which each respective ball is struck identically during each shot of the further series of shots.

9. The method for calculating according to claim 5, comprising the further steps of:

comparing shots made by highly skilled players with shots made by less skilled players, and

each variable, of the first, second, and third variables, is corrected by a weighting factor that hierarchises the first, second, and third variables as a function of relevance, as a function of the comparison of the shots made by the highly skilled players with the shots made by the less skilled players.

10. The method for calculating according to claim 1, wherein,

the racket further comprises two connecting arms that extend diverging from the handle towards the frame, and

the handle comprises a tubular body.

11. A method for calculating a repeatability index of shots of a player striking a tennis ball with a racket, the method comprising:

preliminary steps of, with the racket comprised of a handle, a frame, inside which frame is a head formed from different transverse and longitudinal strings, the head being tensed, the head of the racket being divided into plural zones, and a system for measuring playing data comprising measurement sensors fixed to the racket that measure vibrations, linear acceleration, and angular velocity of the racket along three perpendicular directions fixed relative to a terrestrial reference frame, i) conducting a series of shots with the racket striking a respective tennis ball in each of said shots, ii) with the measurement sensors measuring movement of the racket during each said shot, including measuring vibrations, linear acceleration, and angular velocity of the racket during each of said shots, and iii) from the sensors measurements of the vibrations, the linear acceleration, and the angular velocity of the racket during each of said shots generating behavioral data of the racket corresponding to each said shot;

wherein the shots of the racket include plural different types of hits by the racket on the tennis ball, the types of hits including at least a topspin forehand shot, a service shot, and a slice backhand shot,

wherein the generated behavioral data includes data related to the measured movement of the racket for each type of hit;

playing steps of i) conducting a further series of shots with the player striking the ball with the racket, ii) using the data of the measurement sensors, measuring the movement of the racket for each shot of the further series of shots including vibrations, angular velocity, and linear acceleration of the racket, and iii) generating second playing data corresponding to each said shot of the further series of shots;

wherein the shots of the further series of shots include the plural different types of hits by the racket on the tennis ball including at least plural shots of a first type of hit from said plural different types of hits,

wherein the second playing data relates to the measured movement of the racket for each hit made in the further series of shots;

analysis steps of i) for each shot, comparing the second playing data to the behavioral data to determine the type of hit made by the player, and iii) for each of the plural shots of the first type of hit in the further series of shots, determining a repeatability index of the player'"'"'s shots of said first type of hit, by comparing a) the second playing data for each shot of the first type of hit with b) the second playing data for other shots of the first type from the further series of shots, the repeatability index indicating an ability of the player to repeat each of the first type of hit identically.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein,

the second playing data includes a first parameter output based on an impact zone of the ball on the head, and the repeatability index is expressed as a function of a first variable related to dispersion around a first average value of the first parameter,

the second playing data includes a second parameter relating to an angle of orientation of the head during each hit, the repeatability index is further expressed as a function of a variable called the second variable, related to dispersion of the second parameter about an average value, called second value, and

the second playing data includes a third parameter relating to a quantity of effect transmitted to the ball during each hit, the third parameter obtained from measurements output of the vibrations, the linear acceleration, and the angular velocity of the racket measured by the sensors.