Instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee

• US 9,700,777 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sports Sensors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sports Sensors, Inc.
• Inventors: Dilz, Jr., Albert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/797,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20170014698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 473417
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/09 Adjustable dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0075 Means for releasably holding a ball in position prior to kicking, striking or the like golf tees A63B57/10
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

An instrumented, swing path adjustable, angle-adjustable batting tee is disclosed that measures both a bat speed and a ball exit velocity as a hitter swings a bat and initiates contact with a ball positioned on the tee. A bat speed radar detector is coupled to the tee and positioned within proximity of the ball set on the tee so that the bat speed radar detector measures the bat speed upon the bat initiating contact with the ball. A ball exit velocity radar is coupled to the tee and positioned within proximity of a ball flight of the ball as it leaves the bat so that the ball exit velocity radar measures the ball exit velocity of the ball in-flight after contact between the bat and the ball. The ball flight is a path that the ball travels after contact between the bat and a baseball or softball.

Claims

1. An instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee, comprising:

a batting tee configuration including a first end and a second end with the first end positioned opposite the second end on the batting tee configuration and positioned closer to a hitter than the second end and configured to hold a ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration, wherein the first end is aligned with the second end;

a bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and positioned within proximity of the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration below a swing plane of the hitter and fixed at a bat angle that is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter and configured to measure the bat speed of a bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball, wherein the bat speed is a velocity of the bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball;

a ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and fixed at a ball angle that is aligned with a ball exit velocity vector of the ball that is associated with a ball flight of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball and is positioned below the ball flight of the ball a distance from the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration and configured to measure the ball exit velocity of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball before the ball exit velocity decreases when travelling along the ball flight and does not detect the bat as the bat travels through the ball flight, wherein the ball exit velocity is an exit velocity of the ball early in-flight after contact between the bat and the ball; and

an adjustable swing adapter coupled to the batting tee configuration and is configured to adjust the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane of the hitter so that the bat angle of the bat speed radar is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter that is parallel with the angle of the batting tee configuration to measure the bat speed of the bat;

wherein the bat speed radar and the ball exit velocity radar are configured to measure both the bat speed and the ball exit velocity that result from a single swing of the bat in an attempt by the hitter to initiate contact with the ball by the bat as the ball travels along the ball flight that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and the ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration.

2. The instrumented, angle adjusted batting tee of claim 1, wherein the velocity measuring devices are further configured to transmit the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to a display so that the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed simultaneously by the display.

3. The instrumented, angle adjusted batting tee of claim 2, wherein the velocity measuring devices are further configured to transmit the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to the display so that the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed simultaneously by the display.

4. The instrumented, angle adjusted batting tee of claim 2, wherein the velocity measuring devices are further configured to transmit the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to the display so the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed sequentially by the display.

5. The instrumented, angle adjusted batting tee of claim 1, further comprising:

the adjustable swing angle adapter coupled to the batting tee configuration and configured to adjust the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane so that the ball is positioned in the swing plane and at the angle of the swing plane.

6. The instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee configuration of claim 1, wherein the bat speed radar includes a Doppler radar and the ball exit velocity radar includes a Doppler radar.

7. A method for measuring a bat speed and a ball exit velocity associated with a hitter initiating contact with a ball positioned on a batting tee, comprising:

positioning the ball on a batting tee configuration including a first end and a second end with the first end positioned opposite the second end on the batting tee configuration and positioned closer to a hitter than the second end so that the ball is stationary on the first end of the batting tee configuration, wherein the first end is aligned with the second end;

positioning a bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration within proximity of the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration below a swing plane of the hitter and fixed at a bat angle that is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter;

measuring, by the bat speed radar a bat speed of a bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball, wherein the bat speed is a velocity of a bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball;

positioning a ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and fixed at a ball angle that is aligned with a ball exit velocity vector of the ball that is associated with a ball flight of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball and is positioned below the ball flight a distance from the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration;

measuring, by the ball exit velocity radar a ball exit velocity of the ball after contact between the bat and before the ball exit velocity decreases when travelling along the ball flight and does not detect the bat as the bat travels through the ball flight, wherein the ball exit velocity is an exit velocity of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball;

adjusting, by an adjustable swing adapter, the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane of the hitter so that the bat angle of the bat speed radar is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter that is parallel with the angle of the batting tee configuration to measure the bat speed of the bat via an adjustable swing adapter coupled to the batting tee configuration; and

measuring, by the bat speed radar and the ball exit velocity radar, both the bat speed and the ball exit velocity that result from a single swing of the bat in an attempt by the hitter to initiate contact with the ball by the bat as the ball travels along the ball flight that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and the ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting, by the velocity measuring devices, the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to a display so that the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed simultaneously or sequentially by the display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, by the velocity measuring devices, the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to the display so that the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed simultaneously by the display.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, by the velocity measuring devices, the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity to the display so that the measured bat speed and the ball exit velocity are displayed sequentially by the display.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting, by the adjustable swing angle adapter, the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane so that the ball is positioned in the swing plane at the angle of the swing plane.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the bat speed radar includes a Doppler Radar and the ball exit velocity radar includes a Doppler radar.

13. An instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee configuration, comprising:

a batting tee configuration including a first end and a second end with the first end positioned opposite the second end on the batting tee configuration and positioned closer to a hitter than the second end on the batting tee configuration and is configured to hold a ball positioned on the batting tee configuration, wherein the first end is aligned with the second end;

a bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and positioned within proximity of the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration below a swing plane of the hitter and fixed at a bat angle that is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter and configured to measure the bat speed of a bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball, wherein the bat speed is a velocity of the bat when contact is initiated between the bat and the ball;

a ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and fixed at a ball angle that is aligned with a ball exit velocity vector of the ball that is associated with a ball flight of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball and is positioned below the ball flight of the ball a distance from the ball positioned on the first end of the batting tee configuration and configured to measure the ball exit velocity of the ball after contact between the bat and the ball before the ball exit velocity decreases when travelling along the ball flight and does not detect the bat as the bat travels through the ball flight, wherein the ball exit velocity is an exit velocity of the ball early in-flight after contact between the bat and the ball; and

an adjustable swing adapter coupled to the batting tee configuration and is configured to adjust the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane of the hitter so that the bat angle of the bat speed radar is aligned with the swing plane of the hitter that is parallel with the angle of the batting tee configuration to measure the bat speed of the bat;

wherein the bat speed radar and the ball exit velocity radar are configured to measure both the bat speed and the ball exit velocity that result from a single swing of the bat in an attempt by the hitter to initiate contact with the ball by the bat as the ball travels along the ball flight that is aligned with the bat speed radar coupled to the first end of the batting tee configuration and the ball exit velocity radar coupled to the second end of the batting tee configuration and transmit both the bat speed and the ball exit velocity to be displayed; and

a communications device that includes a display that is configured to simultaneously or sequentially display the bat speed and the ball exit velocity received from the velocity measuring device.

14. The instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee configuration of claim 13, further comprising:

the adjustable swing angle adapter coupled to the batting tee configuration and configured to adjust the batting tee configuration at an angle that corresponds to an angle of the swing plane so that the ball is positioned in the swing plane and at the angle of the swing plane.

15. The instrumented, angle-adjustable batting tee configuration of claim 13, wherein the bat speed radar includes a Doppler radar and the ball exit velocity radar includes a Doppler radar.

16. The instrumented-angle adjustable batting tee configuration of claim 13, wherein the communications device is further configured to display the bat speed and the ball exit velocity simultaneously.

17. The instrumented-angle adjustable batting tee configuration of claim 13, wherein the communications device is further configured to display the bat speed and the ball exit velocity sequentially.