Goal detector for detection of an object passing a goal plane

• US 7,867,113 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Goalref APS
• Inventors: Petersen, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US10/547,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20060247076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 473/478, 473/471, 340/323.R, 463 40- 42, 273/271, 273/392, 273/57.2, 273/314
• US Class Current: 473/471
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0037 on a target surface or at impact on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0611 Automatic tennis linesmen, i.e. in-out detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/83 characterised by the position of the sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• 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 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• 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

Abstract

A system is disclosed for detection of whether a movable object, such as a sports object, e.g. a football or an ice hockey puck, has passed a flat plane in space, such as a goal plane defined e.g. as a vertical plane extending from a goal line or a horizontal plane defined by the upper rim of the basketball basket. The system comprises a plurality of pairs of antennas arranged along the periphery of the flat target plane, the two antennas of each of said pairs being arranged with a mutual displacement in the direction perpendicularly to the flat target plane, radio wave emitter means arranged in the movable object and/or each antenna, and means for receiving the radio waves from the radio wave emitter means and provide an output accordingly arranged in each antenna and/or in the movable object, the system further comprising processing means to receive and process said output together with a predetermined set of conditions and providing a resulting output if the set of conditions are fulfilled so as to determine whether the movable object passes the flat target plane.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a movable object,

a plurality of pairs of antennas arranged with a goal including two goal posts and a horizontal crossbar that delimit a periphery of a flat target plane, one antenna of each of said pairs being arranged and displaced from the other antenna of each of said pairs in a direction perpendicular to the flat target plane,

radio wave emitter means arranged in the movable object and/or each antenna, and

means for receiving radio waves from the radio wave emitter means and for providing an output accordingly arranged in each antenna and/or in the movable object,

at least one stationary auto-calibration transmitter arranged in the flat target plane and configured to provide a calibration signal to the plurality of pairs of antennas, and

processing means to receive and process said output together with a predetermined set of conditions and to provide a resulting output if the set of conditions are fulfilled so as to determine whether the movable object passes the flat target plane.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the pairs of antennas are arranged in series along a horizontal line of the target plane.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the pairs of antennas are arranged substantially equidistantly along said line.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the pairs of antennas are arranged with a mutual distance of half a wavelength of the radio waves emitted from the emitter means.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said pairs of antennas arranged on the goal are arranged within goalposts and/or the horizontal crossbar so that a substantially smooth surface of the goal is preserved.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one stationary calibrator device arranged in the flat target plane to provide a calibration signal for the system.

7. A system according claim 1, wherein each pair of antennas has a first antenna arranged in a first plane parallel to said flat target plane and a second antenna arranged in a second plane parallel to said flat target plane.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave emitter means and/or the receiver means of the movable object comprises antenna means regularly distributed in a shell of a shape corresponding to an outer shape of said movable object.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the antenna means is arranged on an inner surface of a top layer material of said movable object.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said mutual displacement between the antennas of each pair is within the range of 3 to 25 centimeters.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein a number of pairs of antennas is within a range of 3 to 20.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter means is arranged in the movable object and the receiver means is arranged in the plurality of pairs of antennas.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter means is arranged in the plurality of pairs of antennas and the receiver means is arranged in the movable object.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein said emitter means as well as said receiver means are arranged in the movable object and corresponding receiver means as well as emitter means are arranged in a plurality of pairs of antennas placed along the periphery of said flat target plane.

15. A system according to claim 1, further comprising one or more cameras controlled by controlling means that receives the output from the receiving means so that a picture frame is recorded by the at least one camera concurrently with passage of the movable object through the target plane.

16. A system comprising:

a movable object,

a plurality of pairs of antennas arranged with a goal including two goal posts and a horizontal crossbar that delimit a periphery of a flat target plane, both antennas of each of said pairs being arranged and displaced at a discernable depth from said flat target plane,

radio wave emitter means arranged in the movable object and/or each antenna, and

means for receiving radio waves from the radio wave emitter means and for providing an output accordingly arranged in each antenna and/or in the movable object,

at least one stationary auto-calibration transmitter arranged in the flat target plane and configured to provide a calibration signal to the plurality of pairs of antennas, and

processing means to receive and process said output together with a predetermined set of conditions and to provide a resulting output if the set of conditions are fulfilled so as to determine whether the movable object passes the flat target plane.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said discernable depth is directionally within said goal.