Patent Application
20170232305
1) Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention relate generally to motion-related, information-indicating devices and methods. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to motion-related, information-indicating systems that can, for example, inform a quarterback the spin-speed and the strength of a thrown football.
2) Description of Prior Art and Related Information
In the American, Canadian, and Australian varieties of the game of football, as well as in the game of rugby, a ball having a generally prolate spheroid shape is used. (Australian footballs and rugby footballs tend to have more rounded ends than American and Canadian footballs. As used herein, the term “football” shall be understood to refer to any ball having a generally prolate spheroid shape, regardless of the particular sport for which it is intended). To produce a smooth and efficient trajectory, a football is preferably thrown such that it rotates or spins about its long axis (i.e., the axis through the ball's pointed ends). This spin is understood to generate forces that minimize wobbling of the ball, leading to a smooth, accurate, and energy-efficient trajectory. A professional football player can give a football a spin speed of about 10 revolutions per second. See, e.g., Wattsa et al., “The Drag Force on an American Football,” Am. J. Phys., Vol. 71, No. 8, August 2003.
In general, throwing a football accurately and efficiently is not an easily learned skill. A portion of the necessary skill involves achieving rapid spinning of the ball about its long axis. Another portion of the necessary skill involves achieving a strong throw for long passes. Both a beginner quarterback and a well skilled one are concerned with the spin speed of the ball as well as the strength of the throw. Consequently, for the purpose of developing and refining such skills, it would be advantageous to have a means of measuring 1) the spin speed of a football during its flight and 2) the strength of the throw.
Heretofore, there have not been shown any practical means of indicating or measuring these skills: 1) the spin speed of a thrown football and 2) the strength of the throw. More specifically, it is believed by the inventor that the prior art provides no practical methods for one to evaluate progress in achieving desired levels of spin on a football and desired strength levels of the throw.
It is known in the prior art to provide multiple colors and other indicia on the surface of a football. In some cases, it is believed that this is done primarily or exclusively for ornamental or cosmetic reasons, and not to provide information about a desired spin speed or throw strength. However, in some other cases, like in US 2010/0304905 A1, this is done to provide information about spin speed. More specifically, the multiple colors are designed such that when the football spins at a speed higher than a predetermined speed then the multiple colors merge into a single color. The shortcomings of using mixing colors is that the minimum speed required to mix colors varies by 1) the strength of daylight, 2) positions of the sun or the light source, the football, and the observer, and 3) the health of the observer's eye vision. These variations weaken the robustness of using mixing colors.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed to motion-related, information-indicating systems for generating and presenting flight relevant information of a thrown football. The information may contain at least one of the following flight parameters: 1) the spin speed, 2) the strength of the throw.
It is an aspect of the invention that motion-related, information-indicating systems include a measuring device and an indicating device.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the measuring device is in the form of one or more sensors that are positioned in some manner either on or inside of a football. The sensors gather information on the spin speed of the football.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring device is in the form of one or more sensors and it is positioned in some manner either on or inside of a football. The sensors gather information on the strength of the throw of the football.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring device comprises a gyro positioned to measure the speed spin of a football in revolutions per second. The gyro generates an output signal that has a value, ‘1’, when the football is spinning faster than a predetermined value, revolutions per second, for example 4.3 revolutions per second, and has a value, ‘0’, otherwise. Further the indicating device comprises an LED light positioned on the football. The LED light is configured to turn on and off corresponding to the value, ‘1’ or ‘0’, of the output signal of the gyro respectively. If the indicating LED light is observed to be on, this confirms to an observer that the spin speed of the football must be faster than a nominal speed.
Further, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether a football has been thrown with sufficient spin as to cause the indicating LED light to turn on.
Furthermore, a football having a measuring device and an indicating device as disclosed in this embodiment provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate spin speed and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring device comprises an accelerometer positioned to measure the acceleration of a football.
Acceleration is measured in meters per second squared (m/s2). The accelerometer generates an output that is proportional to the actual acceleration.
Further the indicating device comprises an LCD display monitor positioned on the ground. The LCD display monitor is configured to display acceleration values. The embodiment further comprises a controller and a transmitter/receiver pair.
The controller and the transmitter are positioned in the ball the same as the accelerometer, while the receiver is positioned next to the LCD display on the ground.
The controller is configured to receive the accelerometer output and to send it to the transmitter. In turn, the transmitter sends the acceleration of the football to the receiver on the ground. The receiver is configured to show its received acceleration value on the LCD display. If the indicating LCD display monitor shows an acceleration value, this confirms to an observer that the football was released with a force related to the displayed value.
Further, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether a football has been thrown with sufficient strength as to cause the indicating LCD display monitor to show a value lager than a predetermined value.
Furthermore, a football having a measuring device and an indicating device as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate the strength of the throw and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring device comprises a gyro positioned to measure the speed spin of a football in revolutions per second. The gyro generates an output signal that has a value, ‘1’, when the football is spinning faster than a predetermined value, revolutions per second, for example 4 revolutions per second, and has a value, ‘0’, otherwise. Further the indicating device comprises an LED light positioned on a finger ring to be worn by the thrower.
The embodiment further comprises a transmitter/receiver pair. The transmitter is positioned in the ball the same as the gyro, while the receiver is positioned inside the ring the same as the LED light.
The transmitter is configured to send the gyro output value (‘1’ or ‘0’) to the receiver in the ring. The LED light is configured to turn on and off corresponding to the values ‘1’ and ‘0’ received by the receiver respectively. If the indicating LED light on a ring worn by a quarterback is observed to be on, this confirms to an observer that the spin speed of the football must be faster than a nominal speed.
Further, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether a football has been thrown with sufficient spin as to cause the indicating LED light on the finger ring to turn on.
Furthermore, a football having a measuring device and an indicating device as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate spin speed and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring device comprises an accelerometer positioned inside a football to measure the acceleration of a football. The accelerometer generates an output that is proportional to the actual acceleration.
The indicating device comprises a ‘smart phone’.
The embodiment further comprises a controller and a transmitter. The controller and the transmitter are positioned in the football the same as the accelerometer.
The controller is configured to receive the accelerometer output and to send it to the transmitter. The transmitter and the ‘smart phone’ are configured to send and receive acceleration values respectively. The communication between the transmitter and the ‘smart phone’ may be via a wireless Wi-Fi connection.
The ‘smart phone’ is configured to show the received acceleration values on its display. It is further configured to vibrate or buzz if the acceleration value is larger than a preset value. If the ‘smart phone’ monitor displays an acceleration value, this confirms to an observer that the football was released with a force related to the displayed value.
Further, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether a football has been thrown with sufficient strength as to cause the ‘smart phone’ to vibrate or buzz, indicating an acceleration value larger than a preset value.
Furthermore, a football having a measuring device and an indicating device as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate the strength of the throw and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.
In the disclosure that follows, in the interest of clarity, not all features of actual implementations are described. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any such project, numerous engineering and technical decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals and sub-goals (e.g., compliance with system, technical, and practical constraints), which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, attention will necessarily be paid to proper design and engineering practices for the environment in question. It will be appreciated that such development efforts could be complex and time-consuming, outside the knowledge base of typical laymen, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the relevant fields.
Referring to
In accordance with the first embodiment of the invention, the motion-related, information-indicating system for football includes a measuring device 10 and an indicating device 20. The measuring device 10 is positioned inside the football 1 and the indicating device 20 is positioned on the surface of the football 1.
The measuring device 10 of the first embodiment is a gyro; and it is configured to detect the spin speeds about the pp′ axis that are greater than or equal to R revolutions per second. The measuring device 10 has two ports, A and B. Port B is at voltage level of ‘0’, which corresponds to a voltage level ground 12. Port A is at voltage level ‘0’ if the spin speed of the football 1 is less than R and it is at voltage level ‘1’ if the spin speed of the football 1 is greater than or equal to R. The voltage level ‘1’ does not necessarily correspond to a voltage of 1 volts but it corresponds to a predetermined voltage level that is distinct from the ground voltage (‘0’).
The indicating device 20 is a light source; it may be an LED type. The indicating device 20 has two ports: A′ and B′. Ports A and B of the measuring device 10 are connected to the ports A′ and B′ of the indicating device 20, respectively. The indicating device 20 is configured to be ‘on’ if port A of the measuring device 10 is at level ‘1’, and to be ‘off’ if port A of the measuring device 10 is at level ‘0’.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, if the light source of the indicator device 20 is observed to be on, this confirms to an observer that the spin speed of the football 1 must be faster than or equal to R revolutions per second.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether the football 1 has been thrown with sufficient spin as to cause the light source of the indicator device 20 to turn ‘on’.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the football 1 having the measuring device 10 and the indicating device 20 as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate the spin speed and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
Referring to
In accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, the motion-related, information-indicating system for football includes a measuring device 30 and an indicating device 70. The measuring device 30 is situated inside the football 1, but the indicating device 70 is on the ground; it is not physically attached to the football 1.
The measuring device 30 of the second embodiment is an accelerometer. It is configured to measure the acceleration of the football 1. More specifically, the measuring device may be a three axes accelerometer that measures the acceleration on three dimensions. Even more specifically, the measuring device 30 may compute the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 based on the magnitudes of acceleration on its three axes. If a1, a2, and a3 are the magnitudes of the acceleration of the football 1 along the three axes of the accelerometer of the measuring device 30, then the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 would be, square root of (a12+a22+a32).
In this disclosure, we use acceleration and strength (force) interchangeably because they are related according to (force)=(acceleration)×(mass). For more accuracy, the Earth gravitational acceleration, g, needs to be subtracted from (a1, a2, a3) before computing the magnitude of the acceleration due to the thrower's strength (force). The Earth gravitational acceleration, g, is approximately equal to 9.8 m/s2. To properly subtract g from (a1, a2, a3) we may need to: 1) Compute (g1, g2, g3), the representation of g with respect to the accelerometer axes. 2) Subtract (g1, g2, g3) from (a1, a2, a3). One way to compute (g1, g2, g3) is to: 1) Measure the (roll, pitch, and yaw) of the football 1 using Roll/Pitch/Yaw sensors. 2) Compute the accelerometer axes with respect to Earth using 1) above and the position of the accelerometer with respect to the football 1. 3) Then, project a vector of length g pointing downward onto the axes in 2) above to obtain (g1, g2, g3).
For even more accuracy in the measurement of throw strength, one may go beyond the scope of the second invention by removing the contributions of air resistance, wind speed and wind direction from (a1, a2, a3). During a throw, the air resistance is generally a function of 1) the football 1 geometry and 2) the football 1 speed during the throw. One may need another sensor to measure the contribution of the wind speed and the wind direction. The indicating device 70 is a display; it may be an LCD monitor.
Referring to
The connection of the controller 40 to the measuring device 30 enables the controller 40 to receive the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 from the measuring device 30. The connection of the controller 40 to the transmitter 50 enables the controller 40 to send the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 to the transmitter 50. The transmitter 50 sends the magnitude of the acceleration to the receiver 60. The connection of the receiver 60 to the indicating device 70 enables the receiver 60 to communicate the magnitude of the acceleration to the indicating device 70. At last, the indicating device 70 displays the magnitude of the acceleration.
Now, the controller 40 repeatedly performs the following sequence of tasks: 1) it reads the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 from the measuring device 30. 2) It sends the magnitude of the acceleration to the LCD monitor of the indicating device 70 through the transmitter 50 and the receiver 60. The LCD monitor of the indicating device 70 shows the acceleration of the football 1 based on the values it receives from the receiver 60.
The indicating device 70 may be configured such that in addition to showing the current value of the acceleration of the football 1, it also shows the maximum acceleration for each throw.
The measuring device 30, the controller 40, the transmitter 50, the receiver 60, and the indicating device 70 may be collectively configured to display the coordinates, (a1, a2, a3), of the acceleration of the football 1.
The indicating device 70 may reset its values to zero once the value of the acceleration is below a threshold, indicating end of a throw.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, if the LCD monitor of the indicating device 70 shows an acceleration value, this confirms to an observer that the football 1 was released with a force related to the displayed value.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether the football 1 has been thrown with sufficient strength as to cause the LCD monitor of the indicating device 70 to show a large maximum value.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the football 1 having the measuring device 30 and the indicating device 70 as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate the strength of the throw and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
Referring to
In accordance with the third embodiment of the invention, the motion-related, information-indicating system for football includes a measuring device 10 and an indicating device 20. According to
The measuring device 10 is a gyro that is configured to detect spins (about the pp′ axis) that are not slower than R revolutions per second. The measuring device 10 has two ports: A and B. The port B is at voltage level of ‘0’, which corresponds to a voltage level ground 12. The port A of the measuring device 10 is at voltage level ‘0’ if the spin speed of the football 1 is less than R, and it is at voltage level ‘1’ if the spin speed of the football 1 is greater than or equal to R.
The indicating device 20 is a light source; it may be an LED type. The indicating device 20 has two ports: A′ and B′.
Referring to
Referring to
Now while the football 1 has a spin speed of less than R revolutions per second about the pp′ axis, port A of the measuring device 10 has value ‘0’. Therefore port C of the transmitter 50 has value of ‘0’. Next the transmitter 50 communicates the value of port C to the receiver 60. Therefore the value of port C′ of the receiver 60 is ‘0’. Consequently the value of port A′ of the LED light of the indicating device 20 is ‘0’ and hence the LED light of the indicating device 20 is ‘off’. But while the football 1 has a spin speed of greater than or equal to R revolutions per second, port A of the measuring device 10 has value ‘1’. Therefore port C of the transmitter 50 has value of ‘1’. Next the transmitter 50 communicates the value of port C to the receiver 60. Therefore the value of port C′ of the receiver 60 is ‘1’. Consequently the value of port A′ of the LED light of the indicating device 20 is ‘1’ and hence the LED light of the indicating device 20 is ‘on’.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, if the light source of the indicator device 20 is observed to be ‘on’, this confirms to an observer that the spin speed of the football 1 must be no slower than R revolutions per second.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether the football 1 has been thrown with sufficient spin as to cause the light source of the indicator device 20 to turn ‘on’.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the football 1 having the measuring device 10 and the indicating device 20 as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate spin speed and thereby assess his/her progress in developing passing skills.
If the football 1 is being passed around among many players, then each player may wear a ring assembly in order to observe his/her spin speeds. If a player spins the football 1 fast enough, then the LED light of the indicating device 20 of the ring assembly 90 of all the players would light up. Although it is not in the focus of the third embodiment, by using simple push button switches, electronic identification tags, or proximity sensors, we may allow only the ring assembly 90 of a player who is throwing the football 1 to light up.
Referring to
The measuring device 30 of the fourth embodiment is an accelerometer configured to measure the acceleration of the football 1. The indicating device 95 is a smart phone; it may be an iPhone.
Referring to
The accelerometer of the measuring device 30 and the controller 40 are connected such that the controller 40 is able to receive the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 from the measuring device 30. The transmitter 50 is connected to the controller 40 such that the controller 40 is able to send the magnitude of the acceleration of the football 1 to the indicating device 95, the smart phone, which in turn displays the magnitude on its monitor.
Now, the controller 40 repeatedly performs the following sequence of tasks: 1) it reads the value of the acceleration of the football 1 from the measuring device 30. 2) It sends the acceleration value to the indicating device 95, the smart phone, though the transmitter 50
The indicating device 95, the smart phone, shows the acceleration value on its monitor. The indicating device 95 may be configured such that in addition to showing the current value of the acceleration of the football 1, it also shows the maximum acceleration for each throw. The indicating device 95, the smart phone, may reset the acceleration value to zero once the value falls below a threshold, indicating end of a throw. Further, the indicating device 95, the smart phone, may be configured to vibrate or buzz if the acceleration value is larger than a preset value. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, if the monitor of the indicating device 95 shows an acceleration value, this confirms to an observer that the football 1 was released with a force related to the displayed value.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether the football 1 has been thrown with sufficient strength as to cause the monitor of the indicating device 95 to show a large maximum value.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a practicing quarterback can assess his/her progress in perfecting passing skills by assessing whether the football 1 has been thrown with sufficient strength as to cause the indicating device 95 to vibrate or to buzz, indicating a strength level larger than a preset value.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the football 1 having the measuring device 30 and the indicating device 95 as disclosed herein provides a means for both beginning and advanced quarterbacks to consistently evaluate the strength of the throw and thereby assess their progress in developing passing skills.
All embodiments require a power source.
Although, in the first and the third embodiments, the parameter, R, is assumed preset, nevertheless, one may modify the systems to allow R to be adjustable using a dial, a knob or a switch. Now a user may increase R as he improves his skills.
In the fourth embodiment, trajectories and position of the football 1 may be shown on the smart phone 95 by using Roll/Pitch/Yaw and GPS sensors in the football 1.
There are many ways to protect the components used inside and on a football from the shocks and vibrations that the football endures during play. We would like to mention the use of the following materials: 1) Shock and vibration absorbing rubbers, 2) Foams, memory foams, or 3) High-density open cell foam and low-density open cell foam.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/296,598, filed Feb. 17, 2016, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62296598 | Feb 2016 | US |
