Basketball shot practice station with court projection mapping

• US 10,688,362 B1
• Filed: 11/26/2019
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gabriel Joshua Sangalang
• Original Assignee: Gabriel Joshua Sangalang
• Inventors: Sangalang, Gabriel Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Simms, Jr., John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Rayshun K
• Application Number:
  US16/696,562
• Time in Patent Office: 210 Days
• Field of Search: 473447
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0037 on a target surface or at impact on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0056 for statistical or strategic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2063/001 Targets or goals with ball-returning means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/025 on rollers or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0636 3D visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0638 Displaying moving images of recorded environment, e.g. virtual environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0675 Input for modifying training controls during workout
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0683 Input by handheld remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/14 Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/09 Adjustable dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/096 automatically adjusted according to anthropometric data of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 : with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 : Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 : Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/00 : Measuring physiological parameters of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/015 : used as a control parameter for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 : Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 : Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 47/021 : for picking-up automatically, e.g. by apparatus moving over the playing surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/06 : Revolving targets ; Moving targets, e.g. moving or revolving on impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 : for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 : for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 : Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/023 : Supports, e.g. poles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 : Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

A basketball shot practice station with movable positioning of the backboard and basket relative to a stationary shooting position of a user. A projection-mapped court image is projected on the floor of the station from the viewpoint of the user based on the basket position. Cameras image the shooter and the ball flight. A control system analyzes the shooter'"'"'s technique and ball trajectory, categorizes the shot results, and automatically adjusts the basket position to produce a given success rate by the user. It stores a profile of each user, and updates the user'"'"'s shooting statistics and skill level based on the shot results of each session. It initializes the profile with a default skill level based on initial input data. It may estimate a user'"'"'s age, height, and strength based on their image and weight. It increases the shot distance and backboard angles with increasing skill level.

Claims

1. A basketball shot practice station comprising:

a standing position for a human shooter of a physical basketball;

a physical basketball basket on a positioning apparatus that varies a position of the basket in height, distance, and angle of the basket relative to the shooter;

a computerized control system that controls the positioning apparatus;

a floor surface between the shooter and the basket; and

one or more projectors that project an image of a basketball court onto the floor surface as a projection map that is dynamically coordinated with the position of the basket to present an appearance of a physical basketball court from the viewpoint of the shooter;

wherein the floor surface blends smoothly into left, right, and back wall surfaces that serve as a projection screen for the image of the basketball court.

2. The basketball shot practice station of claim 1, wherein a back of the floor surface is concave upward and forward, and a bottom of the floor surface is concave upward and sloped downward from back to front to return balls to the shooter.

3. The basketball shot practice station of claim 2 further comprising:

a frame comprising upper left and right horizontal side beams having front and back ends, lower left and right horizontal side beams comprising front and back ends, a left front vertical beam between the front ends of the left upper and lower horizontal side beams, a right front vertical beam between the front ends of the right upper and lower horizontal beams;

a carriage mounted to and between the upper left and right side beams for forward and backward movement thereon via a first actuator connected to the control system;

a vertical mast mounted on the carriage for rotatable movement about a vertical axis via a second actuator connected to the control system;

a basketball backboard mounted on the vertical mast; and

the basket mounted on the backboard;

wherein the standing position of the shooter is closer to the basket than the left and right front vertical beams.

4. The basketball shot practice station of claim 3 further comprising:

the backboard mounted to the vertical mast for vertical movement thereon, via a third actuator connected to the control system.

5. The basketball shot practice station of claim 4 further comprising:

a horizontal front floor beam between the shooting position and the basket that stops and retains basketballs returning forward on the floor surface.

6. A basketball shot practice station comprising;

a standing position for a human shooter of a physical basketball;

a physical basketball basket on a positioning apparatus that varies a position of the basket in height, distance, and angle of the basket relative to the shooter;

a computerized control system that controls the positioning apparatus;

a floor surface between the shooter and the basket;

one or more projectors that project an image of a basketball court onto the floor surface as a projection map that is dynamically coordinated with the position of the basket to present an appearance of a physical basketball court from the viewpoint of the shooter; and

one or more ball flight sensing elements connected to the control system that input ball flight data to the controller;

wherein the control system determines from the ball flight data whether each shot passes through the basket, and compiles shot success statistics in a retained profile of the shooter;

wherein the control system initializes a skill level indication for the shooter, stores it in the profile, and thereafter updates the skill level indication based on the shot statistics; and

wherein the control system dynamically updates the skill level indication based on a given number of consecutive shots of the shooter, and automatically adjusts the position of the basket to achieve a given running success rate for said shooter over a subsequent given number of consecutive shots.

7. The basketball shot practice station of claim 6, further comprising:

wherein the one or more ball flight sensing elements comprises cameras that capture at least two different view angles of the basket throughout all positions of the basket; and

the control system models a 3-dimensional trajectory of each ball shot via the images from the cameras, and categorizes each shot as either

a) a swish, wherein the ball goes through the basket without touching anything else;

b) a bank, wherein the ball bounces off the backboard and goes through the basket;

c) a rattle, wherein the ball bounces off the rim and goes through the basket;

or

d) a miss.

8. The basketball shot practice station of claim 7, wherein the control system maintains the success rate statistics for the shooter by categories of swish, bank, rattle, or miss, by basket position, and by shooting technique comprising trajectory height, and makes technique recommendations to the shooter based on the success rate statistics by shooting technique.

9. A basketball shot practice station comprising;

a standing position for a human shooter of a physical basketball;

a physical basketball basket on a positioning apparatus that varies a position of the basket in height, distance, and angle of the basket relative to the shooter;

a computerized control system that controls the positioning apparatus;

a floor surface between the shooter and the basket;

one or more projectors that project an image of a basketball court onto the floor surface as a projection map that is dynamically coordinated with the position of the basket to present an appearance of a physical basketball court from the viewpoint of the shooter;

a camera connected to the control system that inputs an image of the shooter to the control system;

wherein the control system determines from the image a height and eye position of the shooter, and uses the eye position to compute the projection map from the viewpoint of the shooter.

10. The basketball shot practice station of claim 9, wherein the control system further estimates an initial skill level of the shooter from the height of the shooter, and provides an initial basket position based on the initial skill level to achieve a given shot success rate for the shooter over a given number of consecutive shots.

11. The basketball shot practice station of claim 9, wherein the control system further estimates an initial skill level of the shooter from data entered into the control system by the shooter, and provides an initial basket position based on the initial skill level to achieve a given shot success rate for the shooter over a given number of consecutive shots.

12. A method of operating a basketball shot practice station, comprising the steps of:

providing a standing position for a human shooter of a physical basketball;

providing a physical basketball basket on a positioning apparatus that varies a position of the basket in height, distance, and angle relative to the shooter;

providing a computerized control system that controls the positioning apparatus;

providing one or more projectors that project an image of a basketball court onto the floor surface as a projection map that is dynamically coordinated with the position of the basket to present the appearance of a physical basketball court from the viewpoint of the shooter;

providing one or more ball flight sensing elements connected to the control system that input ball flight data to the controller;

the shooter or an operator inputting profile data of the shooter into the control system;

the control system creating and retaining a profile of the shooter from the profile data;

the shooter standing at the standing position;

providing one or more cameras connected to the control system that image the shooter;

the control system estimating an initial skill level of the shooter based on the profile or by analyzing images of the shooter from the one or more cameras;

the control system initially positioning the basket at a height and proximity to the shooter to achieve a given shot success rate based on the skill level;

the control system determining an eye position of the shooter from the image of the shooter, using the eye position to compute a projection map of a physical basketball court from the viewpoint of the shooter, and projecting the projection map onto the floor surface from one or more projectors on the station;

the control system analyzing the ball flight data, determining whether the shot passes through the basket, and compiling shot success statistics in the shooter profile;

the control system dynamically updating the skill level based on a given number of consecutive shots of the shooter, and automatically adjusting the position of the basket to achieve the given success rate over a given number of consecutive shots; and

the control system dynamically updating the projection map in coordination with adjusting the position of the basket so the projected court appears realistic to the shooter in juxtaposition with the basket.

13. The basketball shot practice station of claim 12, wherein the control system maintains success rate statistics for each shooter by categories of swish, bank, rattle, or miss, by basket position, and by shooting technique comprising trajectory height.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

providing a weight sensor in a platform comprising the standing position;

the control system measuring a weight of the shooter via the weight sensor;

the control system tracking a height of the shooter over time via the one or more cameras; and

the control system adjusting the shooter'"'"'s skill level based on physical growth of the shooter over time as the shooter ages.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising using machine learning to automatically adjusting the position of the basket to achieve the given success rate over the given number of consecutive shots.