CA2106336A1 - Television visible hockey pucks - Google Patents
Television visible hockey pucksInfo
- Publication number
- CA2106336A1 CA2106336A1 CA 2106336 CA2106336A CA2106336A1 CA 2106336 A1 CA2106336 A1 CA 2106336A1 CA 2106336 CA2106336 CA 2106336 CA 2106336 A CA2106336 A CA 2106336A CA 2106336 A1 CA2106336 A1 CA 2106336A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- puck
- hockey puck
- hockey
- colored retroreflective
- retroreflective material
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck with the hockey puck having a colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a white diffuse surface.
A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck with the hockey puck having a colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a white diffuse surface.
Description
, FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to hockey pucks and more particular to hockey pucks that enhance the brightness of the puck for television viewers without degrading the ability of the hockey players to see and manipulate the puck.
.,~ S
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the difficulties involved with watching hockey on television is following the small, fast-moving puclc. To make the puck more visible to the television viewer, the Johnson U.S. patent 3,944,738 proposed placing a retroreflective material of exposed lens sheet material on the surface of the hockey 1 0 puck. Exposed lens materials are more fully described in U.S. patents 3,382,908 and 3,449,201.
. .
ii , . .
In the Johnson device, a light on the top of the television camera directs a beam of light on the hockey ~ -puck. The light is reflected into the television camera from the puck, thus providing a bright easy to -i follow image for the television viewer.
``' 1 5 . ,.' ' Although U.S. patent 3,944,738 teaches the use of exposeid lens material as a prefeirred material, the use of exposed lens rnaterial creates problems because the e~posed lens material makes it more difficult i for the hockey player to see. That is, the exposed lens materials has a silvery reflection from arena lights that causes the puck to be pàr~ally obscured to the hockey player since the silvery ~eflection ` 2 0 blends into reflections from the ice. Additionally, television visibility of the exposed lens material hockey puck decreases when the surface of the hockey puck becomes wet. Unfortunately, hockey pucks do become wet or collect moisture during use resulting in degradation of the te~evision image of thebocheypuclL
-:
.
A fulther disadvantage of the use of exposed lens material is that the exposed lens surface has a rough texture which is inconsistent with the texture of the other portions of the hockey puck and may effect how the puck slides along the ice.
S The present invention provides an improvement to light-reflecting hockey pucks by using a colored retroreflective material having a top surface which can be formed with substantially the same texture and ! smoothness as the rest of the hockey puck. In addition, the image of the hockey puck of the present . invention does not degrade as a result of moisture accumula~ng on the hockey puclc A further ~ advantage is that the colored retroreflertive material in the present invention does not malce it more 3 1 0 difficu1t for the hockey players to follow the hockey puck on the ice. Thus the present invention ~, addresses both the visua~ image of the hockey puck ( as the hockey player sees the puck) and the ~ television image of the hockey puck (as the television viewer sees the puck) by providing an enhanced `, television image without degrading the visual image presented to the hockey player.
DESCRIPTION OF T~E PRIOR ART -`
U. S. patent 4,183,536 (1980) and U. S. patent 4,846,475 refer to a technique of using , chemiluminescense to enhance visibility of a puck for players during dusk or darkness. No mention is made of the problems of viewing a hockey puck on a television screen.'~ Cherniluminescent materials produce phosphorescence glow by converting chemical energy into 2 0 light.
U. S. patent 4,968,036 (1980) shows a hockey puck with an internal energy source with a self-'~ contained light. Line 20, column 2 mentions another ernbodiment wherein a highly ~ansparent or clear glass-like material covers light reflec~ors located in the puck. A puck constructed in this 2 5 fasbion is itself no light source; rather, it reflects the light of the floodlights of the playing field.
., ~ " -.
'`'~ ', ~' ~ ' 210~336 U. S. patent 3,102,727 (1963) shows an internal light source inside a puck so that the television viewers can more easily track the puck. The patent discusses use of color filters and reflectors in :;
~. con3unction with the light source. This patent also points out the long-recognized need for a highly -i 5 visible ice hockey puck and offers a practical solution. While this technique could p~oduce a puck . ~
of sufficient luminance to be more visible on a television screen even under bright stadium lighting. The disadvantage of this puck is the e~pense involved and probable limited durability of the puck. For example frozen puck batteries may not last long. In addition, inserting lights and batteries alters the weight and feel of the puck .
,~ 10 '. ' U. S. patent 3,675,928 (1972) claims the construction of a safety puck that is designed with dissimilar materials that could also be colored for an added benefit of higher puck visibility when us~ on dark colored playing surfaces other than ice.
, ~ .. ... .
~j 1 5 U. S. patent 3,840,699 (1974) shows a system of tracking a puck using electronics, and a unique j spectlal image generated from the surface of ~e puck. The design includes two television cameras, ;l one of which has the capability to be sensitive to a given wavelength. This unusual wavelength can be generated indoors by u~ie of a W electromagnetic wave generator that is directed toward the ~; fluorescent surface of the puck and then diffusely reflected (not retroreflected) off the face of the 2 0 puck. This reflected single wavelength of light is picked up by the special camera E~lectronically, the contlast of the puck is enhanced against the ice when both camera signals are put together.
' ~ :
U. S. patent 4,064,528 (1977) is related to U. S. patent 3,840,699 but does not mention special ma~ials U2iedl to enhance the ability to scan the puck with a television came~a -il 2 5 .
, .
'' ' ,:
. .
U. S. patent 3,944,738 (l976) used exposed lens retroreflective materials. When viewed by ambient lighting, exposed lens materials appear silver or white. There is no color. The glass reflective lens elements have a reflective, vapor-deposited aluminum layer underneath.
:' S BRIEF DESCRIPIION OF THE DRAWINGS
, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the puck of the present invention;
..
! Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of figure 1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck with o~e embodiment of the hockey puck having an annular top and bottom surface of a first texture with a central recess and ~''Z~ a layer of colored retroreflective material located in the recess,with the layer of colored retroreflective 1 5 mat~ial having a top colored t~ansparent layer substantia11y the sarne as the f~rst texture and located continuous with the top surface of the hockey puck to permit the hockey puck to present a continuous 3, surface to a sheet of ioe and another embodiment with the colored retroreflective extending completely across the top surface and the bottom surface of the puck with the colored ~etr~reflective material -il selected ~om a group of non-moisture sensitive colored re~reflective materials having a minimum 2 0 light reflec~ion of about twice the reflectivity of a white diffuse surface.
f ~, DESCRIPIION OF THE PREFERRED 3~MBODIMENT
Figure l reference numeral 10 generally identifies a Nbber hockey puck having a top cylindrical surface 11 with two semi~rcular colored retroreflective materials 12 and 13 located in a cen~al region of puck 2 5 10. An identical layer of colored retroQeflective material is located on the opposite face of puck 10 and f . f - ~
,. : . ,, , - - . :;; . : . .. ..
21~633~
will not be described herein. Located in a band around the periphery of puck 10 is a band 14 of colored retroreflective material. When colored retroreflective materials are used which have a preferred axis such as prismatic materials, as the puck rotates it provides a pulsating image on the television screen. If two colored retroreflective materials 12 and 13 are located with the preferred axis of the colored S retroreflective materials at right angles from each other they provide two distinct light reflecting patterns. Consequently, as the puck rotates it provides a pulsating image that rotates twice as fast on the television screen which further enhances the ability of a viewer to follow the puck. A further result is a more unifo~n output of reflective light from the puck when two distinct light reflecting patterns are used. It should be understood that the reference to coloQed herein refers to retroreflective materials that 1 0 have some color in order to produce a non silvery-white reflection which is produced by a nbient light impinging on clear glass beads of exposed lens materials. That is, the color of the retroreflective rnaterials is a direct result of adding sufficient colorant to the retmtreflective materials so as to produce a visual colonzation but not so much so as to impede the reflectivity of the retroreflective material whereas the silver-white reflection of exposed lens material is the result of adding no color to the 1 5 exposed lens ma~ial.
':
,; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the hockey puck 10 taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1, revealing the top layer of colored retroreflective rnaterial 13, having a top surface 21 which is located substantially in the sarne plane as puck surface 11. In addition, top surface 21 has substantially the 2 0 sarne texture and roughness as puck surface 11. The type of colored retroreflective rnaterial used in ~e present invention lncludes a transparent top layer 20 which is usually an a~ylic resin, a plulality of sma11 glass beads 22, and a reflective layer 23 located behind beads 22. Located beneath colored retroreflective material 20 is a layer of lead tape which is added to the hockey puck to maintain the t weight of the puck within proper paramete~s as the rubber material is removed and replaced with the 2 5 lighter retroreflective material. Layers of adhesive 24 and 26 on o~posite sides of lead sheet 25 hold S ."
210~3~6 ~' both the colored retroreflective material and the lead in puck 10. In the embodiment shown the transparent layer is clear, however, if desired, color can be added to the transparent layer to provide a puck with greater visual contrast with the ice. Ln order to maintain the retroreflectivity the arnount of transparent color added to the transparent layer should not make the transparent layer opaque.
~ 5 It has been found that to provide good television visibility of the hockey puck without endangenng the players because of poor puck visibility non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials should be used. lhe colored retroreflective materials of the present invention meeting the above criteria comprise enclosed lens, encapsulated lens, prismatic and microprismatic material, either metalized or 1 0 unmetalized More specifically, the materials specified in ASTM ~495~89 for colored retroreflective sheeting for highway signs have the desired characteristic of retroreflectivity without degrading the i visual image of the hockey puck.
., The enclosed lens material is more fully described in U. S. patent 3,190,178; the encapsulated lens ` ~ 1 5 material is more fully described in U. S. patent 4,025,159; and the microprismatic material is more fully described in U.S. patent, 4,588,258 which are incorporated herein by reference.
. .~ ' .
' TEST RESULTS
j In ordea to compare the television viewing of ~e pucks with different materials, different ! 2 0 retroreflective mate~ials were applied on the sides and tops of different hockey pucks (pucks a-o ;~ Table 1). Theretroreflective materials are standard manufact~ed retroreflective materials meeting the requirements of the ASTM specifica~on.
,~, .
The camera and light source were 130 feet from the middle of the viewed area and about 33 feet 2 5 above the ice. During testing the pucks ranged from 100 to 150 feet from the camera.
~ ~.
~,, . . .
~10~336 ~
-, The auditorium design and camera/light source geometry are such that the reflective vialues included an Observation angle of 0.5 de~ees and light entrance angles ranging from 20 degrees to 70 degrees for the top surfaces. The vertical sides of the puck contained sheeting exposed to all S entrance angles since the band of side reboreflective materials extends around the puck. It is , estimated that the pucks are in the flat position on ice greater than 90 percent of the time.
ln some pucks colored transparent layers or colored background were included to provide enhanced visual visibility of the puck for the hockey player. The type of retroreflective material as well as the color is listed in Table one. Two different si~ circular central retroreflective regions ~ 1 0 were tested one with a diameter of 1 and 1/4 inch and the other with a 2 inch diameter. The ;, retroreflective band around the side of the puck was 1/4 inches wide. The use of both vertical and d hori~ontal retroreflective mate~ials ensures that at least one surface will be reflecting light back into ~ the camera to p~vide the enhanced image.
~, ' ~ 21~6336 .~
TABLR ONE
Application Application Application around on top and on top and Puck Yertical side- bottom 1-114- bottom 2-inch i 114-inch inch diameter diametera Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow b Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow c Encapsulated lens yellow d Exposed lens Exposed lens . e Exposed lens Enclosed lens f~ f Encapsulated ,~ lens yellow ::', g Exposed lens Exposed lens ' h Micro~sma~c White i Exposed lens Micrcpisma~c Micr~isma~c Encapsulated : .
-~ Fluoqescent lens Fluorescent Red/orange Red/a¢ange . .
k Exp~sed lens i1 I Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow ~;i m Encapsulated Encapsulated ' leals o~ange lens o~ange n El~posed lens El~posed lens o Enclosed lens Encapsul~
black lense o¢ange . ~ -.
8 - i -21~633~
All of the a'oove pucks when viewed on a television screen appeared, to glow around their sides.
~ven puck S101' (Enclosed, Lens Black) which has the same photometric retroreflectivity as blue was glowing faintly. In order to provide sufficient reflectivity to enhance the image of the puck for television viewing the material on the puck should have a minimum reflectivity of about 2 times S brighter than a perfect white diffuse surface. While ice conditions and color may vary for most ` applications the use of colored retroreflective materials having a minimum of about 2 times brighter than a perfect white diffuse surface provides an image that is clearly visible and easy to follow for :;
he television viewer.
, 1 0 The following table summariæs the obse~vation angles and the comparative light reflective for , e~posed lens material and microE~ismatic fluorescent that are not included ~n ASTM D 495~89 . -.. . .
An observation angle of 5 degrees or less (the angle bet veen the light source the and the camera lens with the puck at the apex of t'he ang1e) provides a sufficiently small angle for obtain~,g an enhanced image in the television screen.
TABLE IWO -Observation Reflectivity Angle Entrance Angle (cdlfclft2) ~ Material 7~ Exposed Lens 0.5 degrees 30 degress 170 Micr~pri~c 0.5 degrees 30degrees 50 ~ Fluorescent .,. ~ , The 30 degree ent~ance a,ngle was chosen a,s an aI)proximation of all pertinent an,gles.
The came~son was a,ble to maximize the retroreflectivity when focusing ~e light in an 2 0 ~pproxirn,ately 10-foot dia,meter ci,rcle on the ice.
210633~
The 150-watt, 120-volt Sylvania GTE Halogen light source with a conical enclosed reflector was center mounted approxirnately 8 inches ~om the center of the camera lens. The light was scattered evenly in a cone with an angle of 40 degrees. The carnera was a commercial Sony, approximately 10 years old. While an incandescent broad spectrum white light source was used one could also a 5 use a colored light source or light filters to obtain a colored source.
Hockey players visually see the puck because of the contrast of a black puck on a white or translucent sheet of ice. Unfortunately, when exposed lens materials are placed on the puck the hockey players lose subst~ntial visibility because of ambient lighting striking the puck. That is, the 1 0 part of the puck with the exposed lens material has a white oq silver color similar to the ice background. Consequently, when the players view the puck ~eflectorized with exposed lens materials, ~e visibility of the puck diminishes. Diminishing the visibility of the puck causes -1 accidents and impairs the players' ability to play the game proficiently since the strong visual contrast between the black puck and the ice is diminished whereas colored retroreflective material ~, I S does not diminish the players visibility of the puck.
,. ~
A further reason making exposed lens mat~ials unacceptable, equally important as the first, is that exposed lens materials lose their retroreflectivity when wet. The optics of the exposed lens system are such that water on the surface of the exposed lens material distorts the light beam preventing the light , 2 0 from being reflected toward the light source. It is scattered landomly. To illustrate ~is effect the pucks were immersed in water and when tolally wet with water, there was no visually disce3rnable retr~reflective effect with the exposed lens retroreflective materiaL Ln addition when ~e water beads up on the surface of exposed lens mate rials, the adjacent areas not wet, remained highly reflective thus providing a surface with uneven reflective p~perties. It further appears that when the surfaces are 2 5 soibd, or hand oil is on the surface of the exposed lens material, the exposed lens surface has a higher 210633~ -tendency to wet and consequently a greater tendency to scatter rather than reflect light. Thus the television image becomes subject to environment of the puck when exposed lens materials are used but is not effected when the non-exposed lens materials are used.
While the embodiment shown uses a partial layer of retroreflective material on the top and S bottom of the puck, if desired, the retroreflective material could extend across the entire top and bottom of the puck to provide a top and bottom surface that was completely retroreflective.
' .
., ;'.
-3 ~: .
' '- ',.
,, ~
.''', ' . ' .
11 , ,' , ~
....
This invention relates to hockey pucks and more particular to hockey pucks that enhance the brightness of the puck for television viewers without degrading the ability of the hockey players to see and manipulate the puck.
.,~ S
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the difficulties involved with watching hockey on television is following the small, fast-moving puclc. To make the puck more visible to the television viewer, the Johnson U.S. patent 3,944,738 proposed placing a retroreflective material of exposed lens sheet material on the surface of the hockey 1 0 puck. Exposed lens materials are more fully described in U.S. patents 3,382,908 and 3,449,201.
. .
ii , . .
In the Johnson device, a light on the top of the television camera directs a beam of light on the hockey ~ -puck. The light is reflected into the television camera from the puck, thus providing a bright easy to -i follow image for the television viewer.
``' 1 5 . ,.' ' Although U.S. patent 3,944,738 teaches the use of exposeid lens material as a prefeirred material, the use of exposed lens rnaterial creates problems because the e~posed lens material makes it more difficult i for the hockey player to see. That is, the exposed lens materials has a silvery reflection from arena lights that causes the puck to be pàr~ally obscured to the hockey player since the silvery ~eflection ` 2 0 blends into reflections from the ice. Additionally, television visibility of the exposed lens material hockey puck decreases when the surface of the hockey puck becomes wet. Unfortunately, hockey pucks do become wet or collect moisture during use resulting in degradation of the te~evision image of thebocheypuclL
-:
.
A fulther disadvantage of the use of exposed lens material is that the exposed lens surface has a rough texture which is inconsistent with the texture of the other portions of the hockey puck and may effect how the puck slides along the ice.
S The present invention provides an improvement to light-reflecting hockey pucks by using a colored retroreflective material having a top surface which can be formed with substantially the same texture and ! smoothness as the rest of the hockey puck. In addition, the image of the hockey puck of the present . invention does not degrade as a result of moisture accumula~ng on the hockey puclc A further ~ advantage is that the colored retroreflertive material in the present invention does not malce it more 3 1 0 difficu1t for the hockey players to follow the hockey puck on the ice. Thus the present invention ~, addresses both the visua~ image of the hockey puck ( as the hockey player sees the puck) and the ~ television image of the hockey puck (as the television viewer sees the puck) by providing an enhanced `, television image without degrading the visual image presented to the hockey player.
DESCRIPTION OF T~E PRIOR ART -`
U. S. patent 4,183,536 (1980) and U. S. patent 4,846,475 refer to a technique of using , chemiluminescense to enhance visibility of a puck for players during dusk or darkness. No mention is made of the problems of viewing a hockey puck on a television screen.'~ Cherniluminescent materials produce phosphorescence glow by converting chemical energy into 2 0 light.
U. S. patent 4,968,036 (1980) shows a hockey puck with an internal energy source with a self-'~ contained light. Line 20, column 2 mentions another ernbodiment wherein a highly ~ansparent or clear glass-like material covers light reflec~ors located in the puck. A puck constructed in this 2 5 fasbion is itself no light source; rather, it reflects the light of the floodlights of the playing field.
., ~ " -.
'`'~ ', ~' ~ ' 210~336 U. S. patent 3,102,727 (1963) shows an internal light source inside a puck so that the television viewers can more easily track the puck. The patent discusses use of color filters and reflectors in :;
~. con3unction with the light source. This patent also points out the long-recognized need for a highly -i 5 visible ice hockey puck and offers a practical solution. While this technique could p~oduce a puck . ~
of sufficient luminance to be more visible on a television screen even under bright stadium lighting. The disadvantage of this puck is the e~pense involved and probable limited durability of the puck. For example frozen puck batteries may not last long. In addition, inserting lights and batteries alters the weight and feel of the puck .
,~ 10 '. ' U. S. patent 3,675,928 (1972) claims the construction of a safety puck that is designed with dissimilar materials that could also be colored for an added benefit of higher puck visibility when us~ on dark colored playing surfaces other than ice.
, ~ .. ... .
~j 1 5 U. S. patent 3,840,699 (1974) shows a system of tracking a puck using electronics, and a unique j spectlal image generated from the surface of ~e puck. The design includes two television cameras, ;l one of which has the capability to be sensitive to a given wavelength. This unusual wavelength can be generated indoors by u~ie of a W electromagnetic wave generator that is directed toward the ~; fluorescent surface of the puck and then diffusely reflected (not retroreflected) off the face of the 2 0 puck. This reflected single wavelength of light is picked up by the special camera E~lectronically, the contlast of the puck is enhanced against the ice when both camera signals are put together.
' ~ :
U. S. patent 4,064,528 (1977) is related to U. S. patent 3,840,699 but does not mention special ma~ials U2iedl to enhance the ability to scan the puck with a television came~a -il 2 5 .
, .
'' ' ,:
. .
U. S. patent 3,944,738 (l976) used exposed lens retroreflective materials. When viewed by ambient lighting, exposed lens materials appear silver or white. There is no color. The glass reflective lens elements have a reflective, vapor-deposited aluminum layer underneath.
:' S BRIEF DESCRIPIION OF THE DRAWINGS
, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the puck of the present invention;
..
! Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of figure 1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck with o~e embodiment of the hockey puck having an annular top and bottom surface of a first texture with a central recess and ~''Z~ a layer of colored retroreflective material located in the recess,with the layer of colored retroreflective 1 5 mat~ial having a top colored t~ansparent layer substantia11y the sarne as the f~rst texture and located continuous with the top surface of the hockey puck to permit the hockey puck to present a continuous 3, surface to a sheet of ioe and another embodiment with the colored retroreflective extending completely across the top surface and the bottom surface of the puck with the colored ~etr~reflective material -il selected ~om a group of non-moisture sensitive colored re~reflective materials having a minimum 2 0 light reflec~ion of about twice the reflectivity of a white diffuse surface.
f ~, DESCRIPIION OF THE PREFERRED 3~MBODIMENT
Figure l reference numeral 10 generally identifies a Nbber hockey puck having a top cylindrical surface 11 with two semi~rcular colored retroreflective materials 12 and 13 located in a cen~al region of puck 2 5 10. An identical layer of colored retroQeflective material is located on the opposite face of puck 10 and f . f - ~
,. : . ,, , - - . :;; . : . .. ..
21~633~
will not be described herein. Located in a band around the periphery of puck 10 is a band 14 of colored retroreflective material. When colored retroreflective materials are used which have a preferred axis such as prismatic materials, as the puck rotates it provides a pulsating image on the television screen. If two colored retroreflective materials 12 and 13 are located with the preferred axis of the colored S retroreflective materials at right angles from each other they provide two distinct light reflecting patterns. Consequently, as the puck rotates it provides a pulsating image that rotates twice as fast on the television screen which further enhances the ability of a viewer to follow the puck. A further result is a more unifo~n output of reflective light from the puck when two distinct light reflecting patterns are used. It should be understood that the reference to coloQed herein refers to retroreflective materials that 1 0 have some color in order to produce a non silvery-white reflection which is produced by a nbient light impinging on clear glass beads of exposed lens materials. That is, the color of the retroreflective rnaterials is a direct result of adding sufficient colorant to the retmtreflective materials so as to produce a visual colonzation but not so much so as to impede the reflectivity of the retroreflective material whereas the silver-white reflection of exposed lens material is the result of adding no color to the 1 5 exposed lens ma~ial.
':
,; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the hockey puck 10 taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1, revealing the top layer of colored retroreflective rnaterial 13, having a top surface 21 which is located substantially in the sarne plane as puck surface 11. In addition, top surface 21 has substantially the 2 0 sarne texture and roughness as puck surface 11. The type of colored retroreflective rnaterial used in ~e present invention lncludes a transparent top layer 20 which is usually an a~ylic resin, a plulality of sma11 glass beads 22, and a reflective layer 23 located behind beads 22. Located beneath colored retroreflective material 20 is a layer of lead tape which is added to the hockey puck to maintain the t weight of the puck within proper paramete~s as the rubber material is removed and replaced with the 2 5 lighter retroreflective material. Layers of adhesive 24 and 26 on o~posite sides of lead sheet 25 hold S ."
210~3~6 ~' both the colored retroreflective material and the lead in puck 10. In the embodiment shown the transparent layer is clear, however, if desired, color can be added to the transparent layer to provide a puck with greater visual contrast with the ice. Ln order to maintain the retroreflectivity the arnount of transparent color added to the transparent layer should not make the transparent layer opaque.
~ 5 It has been found that to provide good television visibility of the hockey puck without endangenng the players because of poor puck visibility non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials should be used. lhe colored retroreflective materials of the present invention meeting the above criteria comprise enclosed lens, encapsulated lens, prismatic and microprismatic material, either metalized or 1 0 unmetalized More specifically, the materials specified in ASTM ~495~89 for colored retroreflective sheeting for highway signs have the desired characteristic of retroreflectivity without degrading the i visual image of the hockey puck.
., The enclosed lens material is more fully described in U. S. patent 3,190,178; the encapsulated lens ` ~ 1 5 material is more fully described in U. S. patent 4,025,159; and the microprismatic material is more fully described in U.S. patent, 4,588,258 which are incorporated herein by reference.
. .~ ' .
' TEST RESULTS
j In ordea to compare the television viewing of ~e pucks with different materials, different ! 2 0 retroreflective mate~ials were applied on the sides and tops of different hockey pucks (pucks a-o ;~ Table 1). Theretroreflective materials are standard manufact~ed retroreflective materials meeting the requirements of the ASTM specifica~on.
,~, .
The camera and light source were 130 feet from the middle of the viewed area and about 33 feet 2 5 above the ice. During testing the pucks ranged from 100 to 150 feet from the camera.
~ ~.
~,, . . .
~10~336 ~
-, The auditorium design and camera/light source geometry are such that the reflective vialues included an Observation angle of 0.5 de~ees and light entrance angles ranging from 20 degrees to 70 degrees for the top surfaces. The vertical sides of the puck contained sheeting exposed to all S entrance angles since the band of side reboreflective materials extends around the puck. It is , estimated that the pucks are in the flat position on ice greater than 90 percent of the time.
ln some pucks colored transparent layers or colored background were included to provide enhanced visual visibility of the puck for the hockey player. The type of retroreflective material as well as the color is listed in Table one. Two different si~ circular central retroreflective regions ~ 1 0 were tested one with a diameter of 1 and 1/4 inch and the other with a 2 inch diameter. The ;, retroreflective band around the side of the puck was 1/4 inches wide. The use of both vertical and d hori~ontal retroreflective mate~ials ensures that at least one surface will be reflecting light back into ~ the camera to p~vide the enhanced image.
~, ' ~ 21~6336 .~
TABLR ONE
Application Application Application around on top and on top and Puck Yertical side- bottom 1-114- bottom 2-inch i 114-inch inch diameter diametera Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow b Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow c Encapsulated lens yellow d Exposed lens Exposed lens . e Exposed lens Enclosed lens f~ f Encapsulated ,~ lens yellow ::', g Exposed lens Exposed lens ' h Micro~sma~c White i Exposed lens Micrcpisma~c Micr~isma~c Encapsulated : .
-~ Fluoqescent lens Fluorescent Red/orange Red/a¢ange . .
k Exp~sed lens i1 I Encapsulated Encapsulated lens yellow lens yellow ~;i m Encapsulated Encapsulated ' leals o~ange lens o~ange n El~posed lens El~posed lens o Enclosed lens Encapsul~
black lense o¢ange . ~ -.
8 - i -21~633~
All of the a'oove pucks when viewed on a television screen appeared, to glow around their sides.
~ven puck S101' (Enclosed, Lens Black) which has the same photometric retroreflectivity as blue was glowing faintly. In order to provide sufficient reflectivity to enhance the image of the puck for television viewing the material on the puck should have a minimum reflectivity of about 2 times S brighter than a perfect white diffuse surface. While ice conditions and color may vary for most ` applications the use of colored retroreflective materials having a minimum of about 2 times brighter than a perfect white diffuse surface provides an image that is clearly visible and easy to follow for :;
he television viewer.
, 1 0 The following table summariæs the obse~vation angles and the comparative light reflective for , e~posed lens material and microE~ismatic fluorescent that are not included ~n ASTM D 495~89 . -.. . .
An observation angle of 5 degrees or less (the angle bet veen the light source the and the camera lens with the puck at the apex of t'he ang1e) provides a sufficiently small angle for obtain~,g an enhanced image in the television screen.
TABLE IWO -Observation Reflectivity Angle Entrance Angle (cdlfclft2) ~ Material 7~ Exposed Lens 0.5 degrees 30 degress 170 Micr~pri~c 0.5 degrees 30degrees 50 ~ Fluorescent .,. ~ , The 30 degree ent~ance a,ngle was chosen a,s an aI)proximation of all pertinent an,gles.
The came~son was a,ble to maximize the retroreflectivity when focusing ~e light in an 2 0 ~pproxirn,ately 10-foot dia,meter ci,rcle on the ice.
210633~
The 150-watt, 120-volt Sylvania GTE Halogen light source with a conical enclosed reflector was center mounted approxirnately 8 inches ~om the center of the camera lens. The light was scattered evenly in a cone with an angle of 40 degrees. The carnera was a commercial Sony, approximately 10 years old. While an incandescent broad spectrum white light source was used one could also a 5 use a colored light source or light filters to obtain a colored source.
Hockey players visually see the puck because of the contrast of a black puck on a white or translucent sheet of ice. Unfortunately, when exposed lens materials are placed on the puck the hockey players lose subst~ntial visibility because of ambient lighting striking the puck. That is, the 1 0 part of the puck with the exposed lens material has a white oq silver color similar to the ice background. Consequently, when the players view the puck ~eflectorized with exposed lens materials, ~e visibility of the puck diminishes. Diminishing the visibility of the puck causes -1 accidents and impairs the players' ability to play the game proficiently since the strong visual contrast between the black puck and the ice is diminished whereas colored retroreflective material ~, I S does not diminish the players visibility of the puck.
,. ~
A further reason making exposed lens mat~ials unacceptable, equally important as the first, is that exposed lens materials lose their retroreflectivity when wet. The optics of the exposed lens system are such that water on the surface of the exposed lens material distorts the light beam preventing the light , 2 0 from being reflected toward the light source. It is scattered landomly. To illustrate ~is effect the pucks were immersed in water and when tolally wet with water, there was no visually disce3rnable retr~reflective effect with the exposed lens retroreflective materiaL Ln addition when ~e water beads up on the surface of exposed lens mate rials, the adjacent areas not wet, remained highly reflective thus providing a surface with uneven reflective p~perties. It further appears that when the surfaces are 2 5 soibd, or hand oil is on the surface of the exposed lens material, the exposed lens surface has a higher 210633~ -tendency to wet and consequently a greater tendency to scatter rather than reflect light. Thus the television image becomes subject to environment of the puck when exposed lens materials are used but is not effected when the non-exposed lens materials are used.
While the embodiment shown uses a partial layer of retroreflective material on the top and S bottom of the puck, if desired, the retroreflective material could extend across the entire top and bottom of the puck to provide a top and bottom surface that was completely retroreflective.
' .
., ;'.
-3 ~: .
' '- ',.
,, ~
.''', ' . ' .
11 , ,' , ~
....
Claims (13)
1. A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck comprising:
a hockey puck;
a layer of colored retroreflective material located on said hockey puck, said colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a perfect white diffuse surface.
a hockey puck;
a layer of colored retroreflective material located on said hockey puck, said colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a perfect white diffuse surface.
2. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein the non-moisture sensitive materials consist of: enclosed lens material, encapsulated lens material, prismatic and microprismatic material.
3. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein a layer of lead tape is located in said recess to add weight to said hockey puck.
4. The hockey puck of claim 3 wherein said lead tape is held in said recess by an adhesive.
5. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein the colored retroreflective material includes both metalized and unmetalized prismatic material.
6. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein said colored retroreflective material is adhesively fastened to said puck.
7. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein said transparent layer includes a colorant selected from the group of yellow, red, or orange.
8. The hockey puck of claim 1 including a polymer coating extending over said puck top surface and said colored retroreflective material.
9. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein said colored retroreflective material has a diameter ranging from about 1 and 1/4 inches to 2 inches in diameter.
10. The hockey puck of claim 1 including a light source and a television camera wherein the angle of observation with said puck is one degree or less and the angle of light entrance ranges from 0 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to said colored retroreflective material.
11. The hockey puck of claim 1 wherein the colored retroreflective material has a preferred axis and comprise at least two different orientations so that the reflected light from a rotating hockey puck provides a pulsating image on a television screen that is twice as fast as if there were only one axis of orientation to the colored retroreflective material.
12. A hockey puck for reflecting light to a television camera to enhance the television viewing of the hockey puck without degrading the hockey players' visibility of the hockey puck comprising:
a hockey puck, said hockey puck having an annular top surface of a first texture and an annular bottom surface, said hockey puck having a recess therein;
a layer of colored retroreflective material located in said recess, said layer of colored retroreflective material having a top transparent layer of a second texture with said second texture substantially the same as the first texture, said colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a perfect white diffuse surface.
a hockey puck, said hockey puck having an annular top surface of a first texture and an annular bottom surface, said hockey puck having a recess therein;
a layer of colored retroreflective material located in said recess, said layer of colored retroreflective material having a top transparent layer of a second texture with said second texture substantially the same as the first texture, said colored retroreflective material selected from the group of non-moisture sensitive colored retroreflective materials having a minimum light reflection of about twice the reflectivity of a perfect white diffuse surface.
13. The hockey puck of claim 12 wherein said colored retroreflective material having a top surface located continuous with said top surface of said hockey puck to permit said hockey puck to present a continuous surface to a sheet of ice.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US95355892A | 1992-09-29 | 1992-09-29 | |
| US07/953,558 | 1992-09-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2106336A1 true CA2106336A1 (en) | 1994-03-30 |
Family
ID=25494182
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2106336 Abandoned CA2106336A1 (en) | 1992-09-29 | 1993-09-16 | Television visible hockey pucks |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2106336A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5564698A (en) * | 1995-06-30 | 1996-10-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | Electromagnetic transmitting hockey puck |
| US5912700A (en) | 1996-01-10 | 1999-06-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | System for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event |
| US6466275B1 (en) | 1999-04-16 | 2002-10-15 | Sportvision, Inc. | Enhancing a video of an event at a remote location using data acquired at the event |
| US8786415B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2014-07-22 | Sportvision, Inc. | Tracking system using proximity and/or presence |
| US9463360B1 (en) | 2015-04-30 | 2016-10-11 | Night Puck Technology, Inc. | Night puck |
| WO2023009866A3 (en) * | 2021-07-29 | 2023-03-09 | DOEDEN, Patricia | Trackable hockey pucks and similar projectiles |
-
1993
- 1993-09-16 CA CA 2106336 patent/CA2106336A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5564698A (en) * | 1995-06-30 | 1996-10-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | Electromagnetic transmitting hockey puck |
| US5912700A (en) | 1996-01-10 | 1999-06-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | System for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event |
| US6154250A (en) * | 1996-01-10 | 2000-11-28 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | System for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event |
| US6466275B1 (en) | 1999-04-16 | 2002-10-15 | Sportvision, Inc. | Enhancing a video of an event at a remote location using data acquired at the event |
| US11022690B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2021-06-01 | Sportsmedia Technology Corporation | Tracking system |
| US8884741B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2014-11-11 | Sportvision, Inc. | Tracking system |
| US9625321B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2017-04-18 | Sportvision, Inc. | Tracking system |
| US10613226B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2020-04-07 | Sportsmedia Technology Corporation | Tracking system |
| US8786415B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2014-07-22 | Sportvision, Inc. | Tracking system using proximity and/or presence |
| US11397264B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2022-07-26 | Sportsmedia Technology Corporation | Tracking system |
| US11874373B2 (en) | 2010-02-24 | 2024-01-16 | Sportsmedia Technology Corporation | Tracking system |
| US9463360B1 (en) | 2015-04-30 | 2016-10-11 | Night Puck Technology, Inc. | Night puck |
| WO2023009866A3 (en) * | 2021-07-29 | 2023-03-09 | DOEDEN, Patricia | Trackable hockey pucks and similar projectiles |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US20030016368A1 (en) | Visibly transparent retroreflective materials | |
| RU2497161C2 (en) | Retroreflector for use in applications associated with touch screens and in positioning systems | |
| US7836661B2 (en) | Method of camouflaging a structure against a background having a generally uniform composition | |
| TW200914936A (en) | Corner-cube retroreflectors for displays | |
| GB2321565A (en) | Retro-reflective flexible material sheet for use as background in chroma-keying video image composition system | |
| JP2009516216A5 (en) | ||
| US20110199679A1 (en) | Stereoscopic Illumination System for Retroreflective Materials | |
| US2187057A (en) | Finder device | |
| CA2106336A1 (en) | Television visible hockey pucks | |
| US4538216A (en) | Lighting apparatus | |
| CN110297387A (en) | Screen and optical projection system | |
| GB2142444A (en) | Apparatus for viewing printed circuit boards having specular non-planar topography | |
| US4910649A (en) | Airfield light having a light source arranged in a house | |
| TWI550322B (en) | Back lighting device and display comprising a back lighting device | |
| JPS62501584A (en) | projection screen | |
| JPH0411002B2 (en) | ||
| US4991933A (en) | Front projection screen | |
| JPH0612491Y2 (en) | Target device for surveying | |
| US4042236A (en) | Tennis game method and apparatus | |
| US7123411B2 (en) | Reflective multi-image surface | |
| WO1996038709A1 (en) | Object observation apparatus and method | |
| EP0148917A1 (en) | Improving the visibility of balls and other projectiles used in games | |
| CN217846881U (en) | Front projection screen with multilayer lens structure | |
| US20230288618A1 (en) | Retroreflector | |
| GB2338367A (en) | Chroma-keying using a retro-reflective flexible material sheet as a background |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |