Methods and apparatus for high speed location determinations

• US 10,345,118 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Xue, Yao, Zhen, Liu, Haibin, Moyerman, Stephanie, Lathrop, Braxton, Hall, James, Parra, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Seng Heng
• Application Number:
  US15/264,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/36 Speed measurement by electric or magnetic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/004 Goals of the type used for football, handball, hockey or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2006 by influencing the self-induction of one or more coils G01D5/22 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for high speed location determinations are disclosed. An example apparatus includes at least two coils arranged along a zone of interest to generate a magnetic field, and a sensor to measure a change in the magnetic field associated with the at least two coils as an object of interest moves within or into the zone of interest. The example apparatus also includes a processor to determine a position of the object of interest based on the measured change.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first coil arranged in a first loop that defines a first portion of an opening of a sporting goal;

a second coil arranged in a second loop that defines a base of the sporting goal, at least a portion of the second coil defining a second portion of the opening of the sporting goal, the first coil and the second coil to be energized simultaneously to generate a magnetic field;

at least one sensor to measure a change in the magnetic field associated with the first and second coils as a sport implement moves within or into the opening of the sporting goal; and

a processor to determine a position of the sport implement based on the measured change of the magnetic field.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine at least one of a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, a spin velocity, or a projectile path of the sport implement.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine whether a trailing edge of the sport implement has entered the opening.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second coils includes an arcuate curve.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including a third coil that mirrors a path of the first coil, the third coil offset from the first coil.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the third coil is applied with current in a first phase, the first coil is applied with current in a second phase different from the first phase.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed in the sport implement.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sport implement includes a passive coil to define a magnetic dipole field.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the sport implement includes a plurality of passive coils that are oriented perpendicular to one another.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first loop includes multiple discrete coil loop circuits arranged along the opening of the sporting goal.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the third coil is applied with current in an opposite direction from that of the first coil to define a localized magnetic field between the first coil and the third coil.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the magnetic dipole field is orthogonal to a plane that encompasses the second loop.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first loop is in first plane, and the second loop is in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first loop is associated with uprights and an upper horizontal bar of the sporting goal, and the second loop is associated with a lower edge of a goal opening of the sporting goal.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the second coil defines an entire periphery of the base of the sporting goal.

11. A method comprising:

simultaneously energizing first and second coils to generate a magnetic field, the first and second coils arranged along a zone of interest of a sporting goal, the first coil arranged in a first loop that defines a first portion of the zone of interest of the sporting goal, the second coil arranged in a second loop that defines (1) a base of the sporting goal and (2) a second portion of the zone of interest of the sporting goal;

determining a change of the magnetic field associated with the first and second coils as a sport implement moves into or within the zone of interest; and

calculating, by executing instructions with at least one processor, a position of the sport implement based on the determined change of the magnetic field.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, further including determining at least one of a velocity, an acceleration, an orientation, a spin, or a projectile path of the sport implement.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, further including determining whether a trailing edge of the sport implement has entered the zone of interest.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the calculating of the position is based on measuring multiple peaks measured in the magnetic field.

15. A sporting goal comprising:

first and second coils located along a zone of interest of the sporting goal, the first coil arranged in a first loop that defines a first portion of a zone of interest of the sporting goal, the second coil arranged in a second loop that defines a base of the sporting goal and a second portion of the zone of interest of the sporting goal, the first and second coils to be energized simultaneously to generate a magnetic field;

at least one sensor to measure a change in the magnetic field as a sport implement moves within or into the zone of interest; and

a processor to determine a position of the sport implement based on the measured change in the magnetic field.

16. The sporting goal as defined in claim 15, wherein the sport implement is a puck or a ball.

17. The sporting goal as defined in claim 15, further including a third coil mirroring a path of the first loop of the first coil, the third coil offset from the first coil.

18. The sporting goal as defined in claim 17, wherein the first and third coils define the first portion of the zone of interest of the sporting goal.