Miniature sports radar speed measuring device

• US 6,666,089 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sports Sensors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sports Sensors, Inc.
• Inventors: Dilz, Albert E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): KWOK, HELEN C
• Application Number:
  US10/005,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20020162391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 734/88, 736/57, 731/67, 735/142.7, 273/371, 273/378, 473/415, 473/180, 473/190, 473/192, 473/198, 473/199, 473/458, 473/451, 473/455, 342/115, 342/104, 342/99
• US Class Current: 73/488
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/182 Softball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• 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 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/00 Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00 starting appliances A63K3/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/14 for the hands, e.g. baseball, boxing or golfing gloves archer's finger tabs F41B5/1473
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 5/14 Details of bows; Accessories for arc shooting sighting devices for bows F41G1/467
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 27/00 Accessories; Details or attachments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/583 using transmission of continuous unmodulated waves, amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated waves and based upon the Doppler effect resulting from movement of targets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 : Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 : Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 : Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/35 : Details of non-pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/352 : Receivers

Abstract

A sensor is provided for measuring the speed of a moving sports object, particularly an object being shot or launched, for example, from a gun, bow or other implement, such as a bullet or paint ball being shot from a gun or an arrow being shot from a bow. The sensor is operable over a short range and is preferably mounted in close proximity to the path of the moving object. The sensor of the preferred embodiment utilizes CW Doppler radar in the form of a microwave radio frequency transmitter and receiver that has a single-transistor integrated antenna/oscillator. A simple, low cost unit having a low radiation and low energy consumption transmitter, receiver and signal processor, is provided. In use, the unit is situated so as to place a transmit/receive antenna close to or in the line of motion of the object. Such an antenna, so positioned, may be separated from the unit and connected through a transmission line. The remote display/annunciator can also or in the alternative be separated and located remote from the transmitter/receiver and connected by a cable or a wireless link. Paint ball gun marker velocity or bullet velocity can be measured or the gun calibrated with a sensor antenna on the gun barrel, and archery arrow velocity can be measured or calibrated with a sensor fixed to a bow.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the speed of a moving sports object comprising the steps of:

providing a battery powered device that includes a transmitter/receiver, at least one antenna element connected to the transmitter/receiver, a signal processor having an input in communication with the transmitter/receiver, and an output annunciator having an input in communication with the signal processor;

positioning the at least one antenna element on a launching or shooting implement approximately adjacent a path of an object to be shot from the implement, the speed of which is to be measured;

transmitting an RF signal from the at least one antenna element along the path in the direction of motion of the object and reflecting the transmitted signal from the object when the object is shot from the implement;

from the transmitted and reflected signals, generating a Doppler signal of the speed of the object being shot from the implement;

processing the generated Doppler signal with the signal processor and producing therefrom a digital representation of the speed of the object; and

outputting the digital representation of the speed of the object with the annunciator.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locating the annunciator remote from the antenna element.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locating the transmitter/receiver remote from at least one antenna element with a transmission line extending therebetween.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the transmitting of the RF signal between the antenna element and the transmitter/receiver includes transmitting the RF signal over a transmission line connecting the at least one antenna element to the transmitter/receiver which is located remote from the antenna element.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a wireless communications link connecting the processor with the annunciator.

6. The method of claim 1 for measuring the speed of a marker being shot from a paint ball gun wherein:

locating the at least one antenna element adjacent to a barrel of a paint ball gun and proximate a path of markers shot from the barrel;

radiating the RF signal from the antenna element at the barrel along the path in the direction of the marker being shot from the barrel;

reflecting the RF signal from the marker;

receiving the reflected signal with the antenna element at the barrel and communicating the reflected signal from the antenna element to the transmitter/receiver;

detecting the Doppler signal;

processing the detected Doppler signal with the signal processor and producing therefrom a digital representation of the speed of the marker leaving the barrel; and

outputting the digital representation of the speed with the annunciator.

7. A combination for measuring the speed of an object being shot from a shooting implement comprising:

a shooting implement;

a radar speed measuring device including;

an RF transmitter/receiver,

at least one RF antenna element connected to the transmitter/receiver,

a signal processor having an input in communication with the transmitter/receiver,

an output annunciator having an input in communication with the signal processor, and

a source of electric power connected to the transmitter/receiver, processor and annunciator;

the radar speed measuring device being mounted such that the at least one antenna element is approximately adjacent a path of an object to be shot therefrom and is directed along the path in the direction of motion of the object.

8. The combination of claim 7 for measuring the speed of a projectile being shot from a gun, wherein:

the implement is a gun having a barrel; and

the speed measuring device is mounted on the barrel such that the at least one antenna element is approximately adjacent the path of a projectile to be shot from the gun and is directed along the path in the direction of motion of the projectile.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the gun is a paintball gun and the projectile is a paintball.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein the gun is a firearm and the projectile is a bullet.

11. The combination of claim 7 for measuring the speed of an arrow being shot from a bow, and wherein:

the implement is a bow; and

the speed measuring device is mounted on the bow such that the at least one antenna element

is spaced forward of the bow, and forward of at least most of an arrow that is to be shot from the bow, when the bow is drawn,

is approximately adjacent the path of the arrow, and

is directed along the path in the direction of motion of the arrow.

12. A method of measuring the speed of a sports projectile being shot or launched from a shooting or launching implement, the method comprising:

providing a transmitter/receiver, at least one antenna element connected to the transmitter/receiver, a signal processor having a processor input connected to the transmitter/receiver, and a visual display having a display input connected to the signal processor;

positioning the at least one antenna element on the implement from which the projectile is being shot and forward thereof in close proximity to a path to be taken by the projectile in leaving the implement;

when the projectile is shot from the implement, displaying on the display a digital representation of the speed of the projectile leaving the implement by producing an RF signal with the transmitter/receiver, transmitting the RF signal via the antenna element and radiating the RF signal from the antenna element adjacent the implement along the path being taken by the projectile, reflecting the RF signal from the projectile, the reflected RF signal containing a Doppler signal related to the speed of the projectile moving from the implement, receiving the reflected signal with the antenna element adjacent the implement, communicating the reflected signal from the antenna element to the transmitter/receiver, detecting the Doppler signal from the reflected signal with the transmitter/receiver, processing the detected Doppler signal with the signal processor and in response thereto outputting a digital representation of the speed of the projectile leaving the implement on the display.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the projectile is a marker being shot from a paint ball gun and wherein:

the positioning includes positioning the at least one antenna element adjacent to the a barrel of a paint ball gun in close proximity to the path of markers shot from the barrel; and

when a marker is shot from the gun, displaying on the display a digital representation of the speed of the marker leaving the barrel by producing an RF signal with the transmitter/receiver, transmitting the RF signal via the antenna element and radiating the RF signal from the antenna element adjacent the barrel along the path of the marker leaving the barrel, reflecting the RF signal from the marker from the barrel, the reflected RF signal containing a Doppler signal related to the speed of the marker moving away from the barrel, receiving the reflected signal with the antenna element adjacent the barrel, communicating the reflected signal from the antenna element to the transmitter/receiver, detecting the Doppler signal from the reflected signal with the transmitter/receiver, processing the detected Doppler signal with the signal processor and in response thereto outputting a digital representation of the speed of the marker leaving the barrel on the display.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

adjusting the speed of the marker leaving the barrel of the paintball gun in response to the detected Doppler signal.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the projectile is an arrow shot from a bow and wherein:

the positioning includes positioning at least one antenna element on the bow and forward thereof in close proximity to the path of arrows shot from the bow;

when an arrow is shot from the bow, displaying on the display a digital representation of the speed of the arrow leaving the bow by producing an RF signal with the transmitter/receiver, transmitting the RF signal via the antenna element and radiating the RF signal from the antenna element adjacent the bow along the path of the arrow, reflecting the RF signal from the arrow from the bow, the reflected RF signal containing a Doppler signal related to the speed of the arrow moving from the bow, receiving the reflected signal with the antenna element adjacent the bow, communicating the reflected signal from the antenna element to the transmitter/receiver, detecting the Doppler signal from the reflected signal with the transmitter/receiver, processing the detected Doppler signal with the signal processor and in response thereto outputting a digital representation of the speed of the arrow leaving the bow on the display.