Ball with trajectory control for reconnaissance or recreation
First Claim
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1. A projectile apparatus comprising:
- a substantially spherical housing suitable for being projected into an airborne trajectory;
at least one orientation sensor positioned in the housing that determines the orientation of the housing along its airborne trajectory;
at least one deformable perturbation on the surface of the housing, the at least one deformable perturbation having an exterior surface and an undersurface;
at least one actuator positioned in the housing for deforming the exterior surface of the at least one perturbation from a first shape to a second shape; and
a processing unit electrically connected to the at least one orientation sensor and the at least one actuator;
whereinthe processing unit instructs the at least one actuator to deform the at least one perturbation from the first shape to the second shape in response to a signal from the at least one orientation sensor.
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Abstract
A ball with a housing suitable for being thrown or projected into an airborne trajectory, the ball capable of deforming a portion of the exterior surface of the housing for the purpose of controlling the direction of its airborne trajectory. Also disclosed is a ball with a housing suitable for being thrown or projected into an airborne trajectory with means for shifting its center of mass away from the center of the housing for the purpose of controlling the direction of its airborne trajectory. A golf ball with one or more deformable dimples is also disclosed.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A projectile apparatus comprising:
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a substantially spherical housing suitable for being projected into an airborne trajectory; at least one orientation sensor positioned in the housing that determines the orientation of the housing along its airborne trajectory; at least one deformable perturbation on the surface of the housing, the at least one deformable perturbation having an exterior surface and an undersurface; at least one actuator positioned in the housing for deforming the exterior surface of the at least one perturbation from a first shape to a second shape; and a processing unit electrically connected to the at least one orientation sensor and the at least one actuator;
whereinthe processing unit instructs the at least one actuator to deform the at least one perturbation from the first shape to the second shape in response to a signal from the at least one orientation sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A projectile apparatus comprising:
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a substantially spherical housing suitable for being projected into an airborne trajectory; at least one position sensor positioned in the housing that determines the position of the housing along its airborne trajectory; at least one deformable perturbation on the surface of the housing, the at least one deformable perturbation having an exterior surface and an undersurface; at least one actuator positioned in the housing for deforming the exterior surface of the at least one perturbation from a first shape to a second shape; and a processing unit electrically connected to the at least one position sensor and the at least one actuator;
whereinthe processing unit instructs the at least one actuator to deform the at least one perturbation from the first shape to the second shape in response to a signal from the at least one position sensor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A projectile apparatus comprising:
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a substantially spherical housing suitable for being projected into an airborne trajectory; at least one orientation sensor positioned in the housing that determines the orientation of the housing along its airborne trajectory; at least one actuator positioned in the housing for shifting the center of mass of the apparatus away from the center of the housing; and a processing unit electrically connected to the at least one orientation sensor and the at least one actuator;
whereinthe processing unit, in response to a signal from the at least one orientation sensor, activates the at least one actuator to shift the center of mass of the apparatus away from the center of the housing. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification