Device and method for measuring a shot force exerted on a movable game device

• US 20070191083A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Original Assignee: Cairos Technologies Ag
• Inventors: Englert, Walter, Kuenzler, Udo
• Granted Patent: US 7,891,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/52 modulated by measured values
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/00 Hollow inflatable balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/862 Combination of radar systems with sonar systems

Abstract

For measuring a shot force exerted on a movable game device, a time curve of the acceleration during the shot or of the pressure within the game device during the shot is recorded and processed to obtain an energy measure, said energy measure then serving to provide information about the shot force.

Claims

1. A device for measuring a shot force exerted on a movable game device, comprising:

a provider for providing a time curve, which occurs when the game device is impacted by an object, of an acceleration acting upon the object, or a time curve of a pressure of the game device;

a processor for processing the time curve of the acceleration or the time curve of the pressure to obtain an energy measure which depends on an energy transferred onto the object by the shot;

a provider for providing information about the shot force on the basis of the energy measure.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the provider comprises an acceleration sensor or pressure sensor mounted to a game device, or comprises a receiver configured to obtain time curves stemming from the movable game device, or to obtain an energy measure.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to temporally integrate the time curve, a result of an integration representing the energy measure.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to examine the time curve for a maximum, a minimum, a shape, a time duration of a deviation from a normal value in a state at rest so as to obtain the energy measure.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shot force is a value on a shot-force scale, and wherein the provider is configured to map a value of the energy measure to a value of the shot-force scale in accordance with a predetermined mapping specification.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shot force is dependant on a distance the movable game device would cover when hit within a specific shot angle, and

wherein the provider is configured to calculate the distance covered on the basis of the energy measure, a game-device weight and a game-device friction in air.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the provider is configured to measure the time curve of the internal pressure,

wherein the processor is configured to provide information about an internal pressure at rest prior to or after the shot, and to integrate a pressure change of the pressure over the pressure at rest in order to obtain the energy measure, and

wherein the provider comprises a memory having an information about a previously determined group of curves stored therein, information about curves being stored for various pressures, one curve including a connection between a shot force and an energy measure, and

wherein the provider is configured to select a curve on the basis of the pressure at rest and to provide, on the basis of the energy measure, a shot force indicated by the curve selected.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the memory has a three-dimensional table stored therein, wherein a shot force is associated with different pairs of internal pressure and energy measure, and

wherein the provider is configured to access the table as a function of the internal pressure and the energy measure, in order to determine the shot force.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the movable game device is a ball.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the provider comprises information about different groups of curves for different types of game devices, and wherein the provider is configured to identify, beside the internal pressure and the energy measure, also a type of the game device on the basis of an input piece of information about the type of the game device.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the provider for providing information about the shot force is configured to obtain a piece of information about the type of the game device via a radio signal from the game device.

12. A movable game device comprising:

an acceleration sensor for providing a time curve of an acceleration, or a pressure sensor for providing a time curve of a pressure of the game device which occurs while an object impacts the game device; and

an outputter for outputting the time curve of the acceleration or pressure.

13. The movable game device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the outputter comprises an interface with an evaluation device within or outside the movable game device.

14. The movable game device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a processor for processing the time curve of the acceleration or the time curve of the internal pressure to obtain an energy measure which depends on an energy transferred to the movable gaming object by the shot, and

the outputter for outputting being configured to feed the processor for processing the time curve.

15. The movable game device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a provider for providing information about the shot force on the basis of the energy measure.

16. A method for measuring a shot force exerted on a movable game device, comprising:

providing a time curve, which occurs when the game device is impacted by an object, of an acceleration acting upon the object, or a time curve of a pressure of the game device;

processing the time curve of the acceleration or the time curve of the pressure to obtain an energy measure which depends on an energy transferred onto the object by the shot;

providing information about the shot force on the basis of the energy measure.

17. A computer program having a program code for performing the method for measuring a shot force exerted on a movable game device, the method comprising:

providing a time curve, which occurs when the game device is impacted by an object, of an acceleration acting upon the object, or a time curve of a pressure of the game device;

processing the time curve of the acceleration or the time curve of the pressure to obtain an energy measure which depends on an energy transferred onto the object by the shot;

providing information about the shot force on the basis of the energy measure,

when the program runs on a computer.