CA2213485A1 - Method to detect the contact surface of an object used in sport with a contact ground - Google Patents
Method to detect the contact surface of an object used in sport with a contact groundInfo
- Publication number
- CA2213485A1 CA2213485A1 CA002213485A CA2213485A CA2213485A1 CA 2213485 A1 CA2213485 A1 CA 2213485A1 CA 002213485 A CA002213485 A CA 002213485A CA 2213485 A CA2213485 A CA 2213485A CA 2213485 A1 CA2213485 A1 CA 2213485A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ball
- contact ground
- sport
- contact
- ground
- 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
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
- A63B71/06—Indicating or scoring devices for games or players, or for other sports activities
- A63B71/0605—Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
- A63B71/06—Indicating or scoring devices for games or players, or for other sports activities
Abstract
A process and device are disclosed for recording and evaluating recorded traces of heat generated between an object (person 4, ball and a contact ground (playing field 2.9 or field limits 3,11) during the practice of a sport
Description
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 Method to detect the contact surface of an obiect used in sport with a contact ground Sta~e-of-the-art The invention is based on a method to detect the contact surface of an object used in sport (ball, player, tyres, skid or similar) with a contact ground (ground, table surface, area border or similar) according to the generic part of the main claim.
A preferred field of application of the generic method is particularly in the case of tennis the determination of the contact surface of balls with the contact ground, e.g. the with ground cover or the edge of the net. When playing tennis, now and then it is necessary to determine accurately the position of the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground. For example, it could be necessary to determine whether the impact point (contact surface or impression) of the ball on the ground is still in the playing area, whether it touches an outside line or whether it is outside of the area. It is also desirable to enable to determine a possibly prior contact of the ball with the edge of the net.
According to the state-of-the-art the contact coordinates of the ball on the contact ground are determined by the umpire or linesmen. This method, however, has the disadvantage that it is inaccurate and is fraught with the danger of erroneous decisions. In addition, it is known to locate the ball using optical or electro-magnetic monitoring devices.
In the case of a known device for the recognition of the position of a ball (DE 42 33 341) a detector/transmission unit is provided in the ball, while the receiver/transmission elements are arranged at various points in the vicinity of the line. The location of the ball is carried out by evaluating on the receivers the reflections of the pulses radiated by the active elements. This device for the recognition of the position of the ball has the disadvantage that constructive or CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 structural changes are required on the ball or the playing area. In addition, the ball itself will be monitored instead of the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground.
In the case of the other known ball locating system (W0 89/00066), which is used preferably for tennis, serves the purpose of monitoring is the checking of the passing of a ball over a certain line. In this case either below or above the ground of the tennis court transmitters emitting lG electromagnetic waves and/or receivers are provided which evaluate a signal reflected by the ball. For this purpose the tennis ball must have special magnetic properties. Constructive modifications on the ball and structural changes on the playing area are necessary for this system also. In this case too, the ball and not the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground is being monitored.
A further disadvantage of this known system is that the line to be monitored, particularly the line bordering the field, is considered as an ideal geometrically straight line. In fact its actual course often deviates from a straight line by tne shifting of the ground cover. These deviations cannot be taken into consideration by the known systems or not without great cost.
A further disadvantage of these known systems is that _he result is partly influenced by very high ball speeds due to transit time error.
A further disadvantage is that the receiving and transmission systems can be negatively influenced by the person hit_ing the ball and that a combination with independent TV recordings is not very easy.
The invention and its advantages In contrast, the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention having the characterising features of the main claim and of claim 7 has the advantage, CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 that not the position of the object, e.g. of the ball, is determined explicitly, but the contact surface of the object used in the sport with the contact ground. In this case the method according to the invention makes use of the heat tracks occurring as a result of the frictional heat during the contact between the object used in the sport and the contact ground.
The method according to the invention measures the temperature difference between the heat track and the contact ground, registers it, records and evaluates it, consequently being able to show this contact surface on a display screen.
As the method according to the invention determines to a lesser extent the position of the object used in the sport rather than records and evaluates the heat track impressions, any type of contact surface, particularly the various circular, oval tennis ball imprints or tracks of car tyres in curves etc., can be registered. Thus a person running on the contact ground or his imprints on the ground can be registered also.
An advantage of the method according to the invention is that the registered contact surfaces can be placed in relation with the markings, particularly border lines, situated on the contact surface, and/or their relative position to each other can be determined. A prerequisite for this is that the markings or the lines are concurrently registered by the method according to the invention. This prerequisite is normally fulfilled due to the necessarily different colouring of the markings and the lines, since different colours have different radiation and heat radiation reflection values and consequently are registered concurrently with the method according to the invention. Should this not suffice, there is the possibility to provide the corresponding markings with metal powder, particularly aluminium powder, or to treat them with lacquers or the like visible in the infrared range. Both methods of treatment are very simple and require minimal expenses.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 A further advantage of the invention is that neither the construction nor the structure of the object used in the sport or of the contact surface need to be modified.
A further advantage of the invention is that no inaccuracies of the measuring will occur due to the relatively high speed with which the object of the sport moves.
A further advantage of the invention is that the relatively slow cooling off of the heat tracks makes accurate measurements possible. After the cooling off a new measurement can take place in this position, while the previous measuring is stored for later display. Thus it is feasible to compare measurements, which have been made at the same position, with each other. For example, the paths chosen by a tennis player and how far these paths deviate from an ideal path.
A further advantage of the invention is that the geometric accuracy of the flat and the expansion of the area of the markings and lines, particularly of border lines, on the contact ground are insignificant for the contact surfaces to be registered.
A further advantage of the invention is that due to the two-dimensional consideration of the contact ground with the heat tracks situated on it no parallax errors can occur, permitting an accurate determination of the position with regard to the contact ground markings. In this regard the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the measuring device above the contact ground is relatively great.
In addition, the registered heat tracks are made visible in real time.
According to an advantageous development of the invention the object used in the sport is a ball, while the contact ground is the ground cover and/or a net or a net frame.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 As types of sport, above all tennis, ice hockey, table tennis but also billiards come to mind, preferably with a total contact surface which can be registered with a small number of thermographs and wherein the object travels at a relatively high speed, with partially obscure or difficult to register individual situations. While in tennis especially the border cases are critical, whether the ball was within the playing area or has touched the line or whether it was just outside of the line, in the case of other types of ball games like, for example, in the case of handball or also football, it would be of interest to check whether the ball saved by the goalkeeper had been already behind the goal line or not. In the latter case the contact ground would be, for example, the glove of the goalkeeper, while the heat track to be registered, although present for an extremely short period only, can be recorded.
According to another advantageous development of the invention the object used in the sport is a tyre situated on a vehicle, while the contact ground is the surface of the road or the like. The problems connected with the registration of individual situations in case of such a sport, like, for example, motor car racing, is first of all that in most cases one deals with long stretches, irrespective whether it applies to a four-wheel vehicle, i.e. a racing car or two-wheel vehicle, like a motorcycle or a bicycle. The measuring positions are provided mostly in those positions where boundary situations arise like, for example, a necessary braking or a sliding due to a curve or when suddenly accelerating after a curve or after leaving a curve a higher ground friction is produced. Such measurings in boundary situations can be used not only to analyse accidents, but also for teaching optimum solutions. Such recordings are particularly interesting when they can be combined with TV recordings, whereby individual situations can be explained to the viewer by superimposing the normal TV picture on the recording of the thermographs.
Especially in the case of motor car racing is the spectator not in the position to evaluate the qualitative edge of the top driver when driving through a curve or the like at a high CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 speed. Even if the TV picture would be digitalised and shown in slow motion, these differences are difficult to recognise. If, however, a comparison is carried out based on the thermographic recordings of various vehicles, the observer can establish very quickly the qualitative differences, as a matter of fact both as an interested spectator and to learn from it.
According to another alternative development of the invention the object used in the sport is at least one skid used on a iO winter sports equipment, while the contact ground is usually a frozen ground cover (ice). Also in case of these types of sports, like, for example, tobogganing or bobsleighing, extraordinarily high speeds occur, e.g. 150 km/h, and this mostly on a track built as an ice tube. In case of these high speeds the ideal line plays, of course, a decisive role. Every deviation from this ideal line means milliseconds of time lost, which may cost victory. Here too, due to the length of the track the measuring device to measure the heat track has to be provided in such a region where the danger of deviating from the ideal track is the greatest. In this case too, the measuring and the determination of the track chosen by the sportsman may be carried out for training purposes, but also for the purpose of informing the spectators, in fact preferably by TV. Accordingly, such thermographs can be provided at those ~5 positions which are usually not accessible by the spectator.
Here too, the application of the invention, as is the case in most other types of sports, could increase the popularity of the sport, because the spectator can put himself in the position of the sportsman in a manner completely different to that of normal TV recordings. In addition to the mentioned recording of the track, it is also possible to capture and record as to in which positions the sportsman has braked and the sportsman can determine whether the braking was necessary or not.
According to a further alternative advantageous development of the invention the object of the sport activity is a ski, whereby the contact ground is a ski run. Such a ski run can, CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 naturally, be icy as it is in most cases. It is possible, especially on short downward runs, to record the heat tracks of the ski on the ski run by using relatively few thermographs.
This method of recording can be used for training purposes in S this case also and be of great advantage. But, above all, it can provide the TV viewer with the possibility to compare the qualities of the different top sportsmen. The invention makes it also feasible to establish whether the skier produces too much frictional loss during the descent due to frequent turns, iO or whether he could establish a better ideal line and higher speeds by better weight distribution or different swings. It can be also established as to which styles of skiing are fraught with more danger and to contain the risk of injury. The invention makes it also feasible to establish what pressure the ski jumper exerts when he leaves the ramp and what affect this has on the length of flight.
According to a further advantageous development of the invention markings visible in the infrared range made in or on 2~) the contact ground are made perceivable. Apart from the fact that by this some sort of comparison values, which otherwise should be invisible to the spectator, can be made perceivable, this method could also be used for advertising, so that advertisements not perceivable for the naked eye can be made visible by superimposing the recording on the TV screen by means of thermographs.
According to an essential development of the invention the recorded heat tracks are, as described above, made accessible to the public, which can take place by projecting it on large screens and also by TV transmission accessible by the public.
The invention removes the obstacle to make the recordings of the heat tracks occurring during sport accessible not only to the public but, above all, to connect them with the recording method by way of TV cameras. This is carried out particularly by overwriting or overlapping the data recorded in each case by the thermographs on the one hand and by the TV camera on the other.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 Further advantages and advantageous developments of the invention become obvious from the following description of the drawing and the claims.
Drawing Several embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are described in detail in the following. They show in:
1û Fig.l - the application of the invention for tennis, Fig.2 - a tennis court in top view, Fig.3 - ball and ground contact in top view, Fig.4 - the application in case of a bobsleigh run, and Fig.5 - the application in case of a car race track.
Description of the embodiments In Fig.1 the application of the invention for tennis is shown, in fact in a simplified perspective view. A playing area 2 is determined on a tennis court l in the conventional manner by border lines 3. The strongly simplified illustrated players 4 play with a ball 5, which is supposed to be hit over the tennis net 6, while the known rules of tennis are to be observed. The umpire 8 sits on an umpire's chair 7 and monitors the observance of the rules and can accordingly intervene in the play. The umpire is being assisted by linesmen, who have to observe whether the ball ~ was still within the playing area 2 or just touched the line, or whether it has landed outside of the playing area. It is a known fact that this observation is very difficult, since the ball, particularly during service, travels at an extraordinarily high speed, so that in border cases even a skilled linesman experiences difficulties to determine whether the ball was on the border line 3 or outside of the playing area 2. The linesmen also have to observe whether on service the ball has landed in a service court 9 or CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 on its border line 11 or in the remaining playing area 2. At these high speeds even a TV camera would have difficulties to record the actual point of impact.
According to the invention approximately in the middle of each half playing area and at a sufficient height cameras 12 are provided, which in this case are held on cantilevered constructions 13. These cameras use infrared and, in addition, can have digital or other recording potentials. In any case this recording can be reproduced on a display unit screen 14, whereby one could use a TV. The umpire 8 on his umpire's chair 7 has several specially designed dlsplay unit screens 15, with which the respective shot can be recorded and thus reproduced at any time. Accordingly, this recording serves not only the purpose of checking the play errors by the umpire 8 with regard to the contacting of the ground by the ball, but the recording can be understood by the spectators any time during TV shows and used, for example, in conjunction with for advertising.
As Fig.2 shows, both cameras 12 are provided centrally in the two halves of the playing areas 2, whereby the contact by the ball can be registered from these central measuring points.
When frictional heat develops, the infrared picture shows automatically its position and stores it. The frictional heat of the contact surface disintegrates already after a few seconds. The speed of the ball has in this case no influence on the result, since only the remaining frictional heat is registered and not the ball itself. The measuring accuracy is within one millimetre.
Fig.3 shows in top view a comparison; on the left is the picture of a tennis ball and on the right a picture of a possible contact surface of same on the playing area. This contact surface has an oval shape, since first the ball is flattened on impact and following this it slides over a certain section of the ground. In case of a non-resilient object one would deal with a line.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 In the two embodiment illustrated in Fig.4 one deals with an ice trough 16 of a bobsleigh run, in which two different tracks 17 and 18 of the bobsleigh have been recorded by heat cameras which can be reproduced at a later time in the manner shown. It can be easily seen in this case that track 18 runs to a great extent within the ideal line, whereas track 17 shows that the corresponding bobsleigh was driven somewhat wide and not only does it have a longer path costing time, but also a possibly greater frictional heat. Here too it is of particular advantage that such track recordings can be shown subsequently on TV
where they can be superimposed, thus enable, on the one hand, the sportsman to view it critically, and on the other to explain the viewer why one or the other did not win.
In the third embodiment, illustrated in Fig.5, a racing car 19 is driven on a race track 21, on which its tyres leave heat tracks 22. As this can be clearly seen here, the heat tracks have changes 23, which are caused by braking, drifting or acceleration, each of which can develop a different frictional heat. In this manner shortcomings and advantages of the driving behaviour can be obtained both from the recording of the tracks and other vehicle-conditioned recordings. Thus, for example, a heat track is interrupted at that moment when the vehicle lifts off the ground.
All features which can be gathered from the description, the claims and the drawing are essential for the invention individually and in any combination with each other.
List of reference numerals - 1 Tennis court 2 Playing area 3 Border lines 4 Players Ball 6 Tennis net 7 Umpire's chair 8 Umpire 9 Service court 11 Border line of 9 12 Camera 13 Cantilever constructions 14 Display unit screen Umpire's unit 16 Ice trough 17 Tracks 18 Tracks 19 Racing car 21 Race track 22 Heat traces 23 Modification of 22
A preferred field of application of the generic method is particularly in the case of tennis the determination of the contact surface of balls with the contact ground, e.g. the with ground cover or the edge of the net. When playing tennis, now and then it is necessary to determine accurately the position of the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground. For example, it could be necessary to determine whether the impact point (contact surface or impression) of the ball on the ground is still in the playing area, whether it touches an outside line or whether it is outside of the area. It is also desirable to enable to determine a possibly prior contact of the ball with the edge of the net.
According to the state-of-the-art the contact coordinates of the ball on the contact ground are determined by the umpire or linesmen. This method, however, has the disadvantage that it is inaccurate and is fraught with the danger of erroneous decisions. In addition, it is known to locate the ball using optical or electro-magnetic monitoring devices.
In the case of a known device for the recognition of the position of a ball (DE 42 33 341) a detector/transmission unit is provided in the ball, while the receiver/transmission elements are arranged at various points in the vicinity of the line. The location of the ball is carried out by evaluating on the receivers the reflections of the pulses radiated by the active elements. This device for the recognition of the position of the ball has the disadvantage that constructive or CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 structural changes are required on the ball or the playing area. In addition, the ball itself will be monitored instead of the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground.
In the case of the other known ball locating system (W0 89/00066), which is used preferably for tennis, serves the purpose of monitoring is the checking of the passing of a ball over a certain line. In this case either below or above the ground of the tennis court transmitters emitting lG electromagnetic waves and/or receivers are provided which evaluate a signal reflected by the ball. For this purpose the tennis ball must have special magnetic properties. Constructive modifications on the ball and structural changes on the playing area are necessary for this system also. In this case too, the ball and not the contact surface of the ball on the contact ground is being monitored.
A further disadvantage of this known system is that the line to be monitored, particularly the line bordering the field, is considered as an ideal geometrically straight line. In fact its actual course often deviates from a straight line by tne shifting of the ground cover. These deviations cannot be taken into consideration by the known systems or not without great cost.
A further disadvantage of these known systems is that _he result is partly influenced by very high ball speeds due to transit time error.
A further disadvantage is that the receiving and transmission systems can be negatively influenced by the person hit_ing the ball and that a combination with independent TV recordings is not very easy.
The invention and its advantages In contrast, the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention having the characterising features of the main claim and of claim 7 has the advantage, CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 that not the position of the object, e.g. of the ball, is determined explicitly, but the contact surface of the object used in the sport with the contact ground. In this case the method according to the invention makes use of the heat tracks occurring as a result of the frictional heat during the contact between the object used in the sport and the contact ground.
The method according to the invention measures the temperature difference between the heat track and the contact ground, registers it, records and evaluates it, consequently being able to show this contact surface on a display screen.
As the method according to the invention determines to a lesser extent the position of the object used in the sport rather than records and evaluates the heat track impressions, any type of contact surface, particularly the various circular, oval tennis ball imprints or tracks of car tyres in curves etc., can be registered. Thus a person running on the contact ground or his imprints on the ground can be registered also.
An advantage of the method according to the invention is that the registered contact surfaces can be placed in relation with the markings, particularly border lines, situated on the contact surface, and/or their relative position to each other can be determined. A prerequisite for this is that the markings or the lines are concurrently registered by the method according to the invention. This prerequisite is normally fulfilled due to the necessarily different colouring of the markings and the lines, since different colours have different radiation and heat radiation reflection values and consequently are registered concurrently with the method according to the invention. Should this not suffice, there is the possibility to provide the corresponding markings with metal powder, particularly aluminium powder, or to treat them with lacquers or the like visible in the infrared range. Both methods of treatment are very simple and require minimal expenses.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 A further advantage of the invention is that neither the construction nor the structure of the object used in the sport or of the contact surface need to be modified.
A further advantage of the invention is that no inaccuracies of the measuring will occur due to the relatively high speed with which the object of the sport moves.
A further advantage of the invention is that the relatively slow cooling off of the heat tracks makes accurate measurements possible. After the cooling off a new measurement can take place in this position, while the previous measuring is stored for later display. Thus it is feasible to compare measurements, which have been made at the same position, with each other. For example, the paths chosen by a tennis player and how far these paths deviate from an ideal path.
A further advantage of the invention is that the geometric accuracy of the flat and the expansion of the area of the markings and lines, particularly of border lines, on the contact ground are insignificant for the contact surfaces to be registered.
A further advantage of the invention is that due to the two-dimensional consideration of the contact ground with the heat tracks situated on it no parallax errors can occur, permitting an accurate determination of the position with regard to the contact ground markings. In this regard the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the measuring device above the contact ground is relatively great.
In addition, the registered heat tracks are made visible in real time.
According to an advantageous development of the invention the object used in the sport is a ball, while the contact ground is the ground cover and/or a net or a net frame.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 As types of sport, above all tennis, ice hockey, table tennis but also billiards come to mind, preferably with a total contact surface which can be registered with a small number of thermographs and wherein the object travels at a relatively high speed, with partially obscure or difficult to register individual situations. While in tennis especially the border cases are critical, whether the ball was within the playing area or has touched the line or whether it was just outside of the line, in the case of other types of ball games like, for example, in the case of handball or also football, it would be of interest to check whether the ball saved by the goalkeeper had been already behind the goal line or not. In the latter case the contact ground would be, for example, the glove of the goalkeeper, while the heat track to be registered, although present for an extremely short period only, can be recorded.
According to another advantageous development of the invention the object used in the sport is a tyre situated on a vehicle, while the contact ground is the surface of the road or the like. The problems connected with the registration of individual situations in case of such a sport, like, for example, motor car racing, is first of all that in most cases one deals with long stretches, irrespective whether it applies to a four-wheel vehicle, i.e. a racing car or two-wheel vehicle, like a motorcycle or a bicycle. The measuring positions are provided mostly in those positions where boundary situations arise like, for example, a necessary braking or a sliding due to a curve or when suddenly accelerating after a curve or after leaving a curve a higher ground friction is produced. Such measurings in boundary situations can be used not only to analyse accidents, but also for teaching optimum solutions. Such recordings are particularly interesting when they can be combined with TV recordings, whereby individual situations can be explained to the viewer by superimposing the normal TV picture on the recording of the thermographs.
Especially in the case of motor car racing is the spectator not in the position to evaluate the qualitative edge of the top driver when driving through a curve or the like at a high CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 speed. Even if the TV picture would be digitalised and shown in slow motion, these differences are difficult to recognise. If, however, a comparison is carried out based on the thermographic recordings of various vehicles, the observer can establish very quickly the qualitative differences, as a matter of fact both as an interested spectator and to learn from it.
According to another alternative development of the invention the object used in the sport is at least one skid used on a iO winter sports equipment, while the contact ground is usually a frozen ground cover (ice). Also in case of these types of sports, like, for example, tobogganing or bobsleighing, extraordinarily high speeds occur, e.g. 150 km/h, and this mostly on a track built as an ice tube. In case of these high speeds the ideal line plays, of course, a decisive role. Every deviation from this ideal line means milliseconds of time lost, which may cost victory. Here too, due to the length of the track the measuring device to measure the heat track has to be provided in such a region where the danger of deviating from the ideal track is the greatest. In this case too, the measuring and the determination of the track chosen by the sportsman may be carried out for training purposes, but also for the purpose of informing the spectators, in fact preferably by TV. Accordingly, such thermographs can be provided at those ~5 positions which are usually not accessible by the spectator.
Here too, the application of the invention, as is the case in most other types of sports, could increase the popularity of the sport, because the spectator can put himself in the position of the sportsman in a manner completely different to that of normal TV recordings. In addition to the mentioned recording of the track, it is also possible to capture and record as to in which positions the sportsman has braked and the sportsman can determine whether the braking was necessary or not.
According to a further alternative advantageous development of the invention the object of the sport activity is a ski, whereby the contact ground is a ski run. Such a ski run can, CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 naturally, be icy as it is in most cases. It is possible, especially on short downward runs, to record the heat tracks of the ski on the ski run by using relatively few thermographs.
This method of recording can be used for training purposes in S this case also and be of great advantage. But, above all, it can provide the TV viewer with the possibility to compare the qualities of the different top sportsmen. The invention makes it also feasible to establish whether the skier produces too much frictional loss during the descent due to frequent turns, iO or whether he could establish a better ideal line and higher speeds by better weight distribution or different swings. It can be also established as to which styles of skiing are fraught with more danger and to contain the risk of injury. The invention makes it also feasible to establish what pressure the ski jumper exerts when he leaves the ramp and what affect this has on the length of flight.
According to a further advantageous development of the invention markings visible in the infrared range made in or on 2~) the contact ground are made perceivable. Apart from the fact that by this some sort of comparison values, which otherwise should be invisible to the spectator, can be made perceivable, this method could also be used for advertising, so that advertisements not perceivable for the naked eye can be made visible by superimposing the recording on the TV screen by means of thermographs.
According to an essential development of the invention the recorded heat tracks are, as described above, made accessible to the public, which can take place by projecting it on large screens and also by TV transmission accessible by the public.
The invention removes the obstacle to make the recordings of the heat tracks occurring during sport accessible not only to the public but, above all, to connect them with the recording method by way of TV cameras. This is carried out particularly by overwriting or overlapping the data recorded in each case by the thermographs on the one hand and by the TV camera on the other.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 Further advantages and advantageous developments of the invention become obvious from the following description of the drawing and the claims.
Drawing Several embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are described in detail in the following. They show in:
1û Fig.l - the application of the invention for tennis, Fig.2 - a tennis court in top view, Fig.3 - ball and ground contact in top view, Fig.4 - the application in case of a bobsleigh run, and Fig.5 - the application in case of a car race track.
Description of the embodiments In Fig.1 the application of the invention for tennis is shown, in fact in a simplified perspective view. A playing area 2 is determined on a tennis court l in the conventional manner by border lines 3. The strongly simplified illustrated players 4 play with a ball 5, which is supposed to be hit over the tennis net 6, while the known rules of tennis are to be observed. The umpire 8 sits on an umpire's chair 7 and monitors the observance of the rules and can accordingly intervene in the play. The umpire is being assisted by linesmen, who have to observe whether the ball ~ was still within the playing area 2 or just touched the line, or whether it has landed outside of the playing area. It is a known fact that this observation is very difficult, since the ball, particularly during service, travels at an extraordinarily high speed, so that in border cases even a skilled linesman experiences difficulties to determine whether the ball was on the border line 3 or outside of the playing area 2. The linesmen also have to observe whether on service the ball has landed in a service court 9 or CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 on its border line 11 or in the remaining playing area 2. At these high speeds even a TV camera would have difficulties to record the actual point of impact.
According to the invention approximately in the middle of each half playing area and at a sufficient height cameras 12 are provided, which in this case are held on cantilevered constructions 13. These cameras use infrared and, in addition, can have digital or other recording potentials. In any case this recording can be reproduced on a display unit screen 14, whereby one could use a TV. The umpire 8 on his umpire's chair 7 has several specially designed dlsplay unit screens 15, with which the respective shot can be recorded and thus reproduced at any time. Accordingly, this recording serves not only the purpose of checking the play errors by the umpire 8 with regard to the contacting of the ground by the ball, but the recording can be understood by the spectators any time during TV shows and used, for example, in conjunction with for advertising.
As Fig.2 shows, both cameras 12 are provided centrally in the two halves of the playing areas 2, whereby the contact by the ball can be registered from these central measuring points.
When frictional heat develops, the infrared picture shows automatically its position and stores it. The frictional heat of the contact surface disintegrates already after a few seconds. The speed of the ball has in this case no influence on the result, since only the remaining frictional heat is registered and not the ball itself. The measuring accuracy is within one millimetre.
Fig.3 shows in top view a comparison; on the left is the picture of a tennis ball and on the right a picture of a possible contact surface of same on the playing area. This contact surface has an oval shape, since first the ball is flattened on impact and following this it slides over a certain section of the ground. In case of a non-resilient object one would deal with a line.
CA 0221348~ 1997-08-20 In the two embodiment illustrated in Fig.4 one deals with an ice trough 16 of a bobsleigh run, in which two different tracks 17 and 18 of the bobsleigh have been recorded by heat cameras which can be reproduced at a later time in the manner shown. It can be easily seen in this case that track 18 runs to a great extent within the ideal line, whereas track 17 shows that the corresponding bobsleigh was driven somewhat wide and not only does it have a longer path costing time, but also a possibly greater frictional heat. Here too it is of particular advantage that such track recordings can be shown subsequently on TV
where they can be superimposed, thus enable, on the one hand, the sportsman to view it critically, and on the other to explain the viewer why one or the other did not win.
In the third embodiment, illustrated in Fig.5, a racing car 19 is driven on a race track 21, on which its tyres leave heat tracks 22. As this can be clearly seen here, the heat tracks have changes 23, which are caused by braking, drifting or acceleration, each of which can develop a different frictional heat. In this manner shortcomings and advantages of the driving behaviour can be obtained both from the recording of the tracks and other vehicle-conditioned recordings. Thus, for example, a heat track is interrupted at that moment when the vehicle lifts off the ground.
All features which can be gathered from the description, the claims and the drawing are essential for the invention individually and in any combination with each other.
List of reference numerals - 1 Tennis court 2 Playing area 3 Border lines 4 Players Ball 6 Tennis net 7 Umpire's chair 8 Umpire 9 Service court 11 Border line of 9 12 Camera 13 Cantilever constructions 14 Display unit screen Umpire's unit 16 Ice trough 17 Tracks 18 Tracks 19 Racing car 21 Race track 22 Heat traces 23 Modification of 22
Claims (11)
1. A method to detect and display the contact surface of an object used in a ball sport, motor sport, fencing, riding, winter sport or of a sportsman, with a contact ground, characterised by the following steps of the method:
that the heat of the contact ground occurring as the result of the object or the sportsman contacting the contact ground is measured by means of at least one thermograph, and that with the aid of a picture evaluating or picture processing equipment the heat measured by the thermographs is evaluated and/or processed into pictures which are perceivable by the viewer.
that the heat of the contact ground occurring as the result of the object or the sportsman contacting the contact ground is measured by means of at least one thermograph, and that with the aid of a picture evaluating or picture processing equipment the heat measured by the thermographs is evaluated and/or processed into pictures which are perceivable by the viewer.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the object is a tyre situated on a vehicle (19) and that the contact ground is the surface of a road (21) or the like.
3. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the object is at least one skid used in a winter sport equipment and that the contact ground is ice (16).
4. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the object is a ski and that the contact ground is a ski run.
5. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the object is a ball and the contact ground is the playing field of a ball-sport team.
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that markings visible in the infrared range made in or on the contact ground are made perceivable in the final picture to the viewer.
7. A method to detect and to make visible the contact surface of a tennis ball (5) used in tennis with the playing area or the net (2, 9, 3, 11), characterised by the following steps of the method:
that the lines bordering the playing field and the edge of the net are marked with a material recognisable in the infrared range, that the heat of the playing field or of the net resulting of the tennis ball (5) contacting the playing field (2, 9) or the net is measured by means of at least one thermograph, and that with the aid of a picture evaluating or picture processing equipment the heat measured by the thermographs is evaluated and/or processed into pictures which are perceivable by the viewer.
that the lines bordering the playing field and the edge of the net are marked with a material recognisable in the infrared range, that the heat of the playing field or of the net resulting of the tennis ball (5) contacting the playing field (2, 9) or the net is measured by means of at least one thermograph, and that with the aid of a picture evaluating or picture processing equipment the heat measured by the thermographs is evaluated and/or processed into pictures which are perceivable by the viewer.
8. A method according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 or claim 7, characterised in that the markings and/or signs are made perceivable for the thermographs with lacquers visible in the infrared range.
9. A method according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 or claim 7, characterised in that the markings and/or signs are made perceivable for the thermographs with metal powder, particularly aluminium powder, visible in the infrared range.
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the processing and evaluation of the pictures into final pictures is carried out electronically.
11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the final pictures are made accessible to the public.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE19505826A DE19505826A1 (en) | 1995-02-21 | 1995-02-21 | Device for recognizing the contact surface of a sports object on the playing field or floor |
| DE19505826.7 | 1995-02-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2213485A1 true CA2213485A1 (en) | 1996-08-29 |
Family
ID=7754541
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002213485A Abandoned CA2213485A1 (en) | 1995-02-21 | 1996-02-21 | Method to detect the contact surface of an object used in sport with a contact ground |
Country Status (12)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0812228B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH11500333A (en) |
| KR (1) | KR19980702381A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN1175907A (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE198052T1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU709741B2 (en) |
| BR (1) | BR9607460A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2213485A1 (en) |
| CZ (1) | CZ263897A3 (en) |
| DE (3) | DE19505826A1 (en) |
| HU (1) | HUP9802818A2 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1996025986A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6816185B2 (en) | 2000-12-29 | 2004-11-09 | Miki Harmath | System and method for judging boundary lines |
| US10939140B2 (en) | 2011-08-05 | 2021-03-02 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Selective capture and presentation of native image portions |
| US11039109B2 (en) | 2011-08-05 | 2021-06-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | System and method for adjusting an image for a vehicle mounted camera |
| US11159854B2 (en) | 2014-12-13 | 2021-10-26 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Systems and methods for tracking and tagging objects within a broadcast |
| US11758238B2 (en) | 2014-12-13 | 2023-09-12 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Systems and methods for displaying wind characteristics and effects within a broadcast |
Families Citing this family (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE19641907C2 (en) * | 1996-10-11 | 2000-07-13 | Joachim Rigling | Procedure for monitoring ball games |
| US6591216B1 (en) | 1998-07-09 | 2003-07-08 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Device and method for determining a spatial position of an object |
| DE10109921A1 (en) * | 2001-03-01 | 2002-09-05 | Ruediger Schrott | Computer animation method for displaying the braking path of a racing car superimposed on the camera images of the car so that a television viewer can easily appreciate the performance of the driver and the car |
| RU2254895C2 (en) * | 2002-12-26 | 2005-06-27 | Ворожцов Георгий Николаевич | Method for determining dynamic parameters of movement of material object during sportive matches or exercising, apparatus and method for evaluating sportsmen's technical and creative potential |
| AU2007219710B2 (en) * | 2006-03-01 | 2011-10-13 | Brennan Broadcast Group Pty Ltd | Detecting contacts during sporting activities etc |
| MD3989G2 (en) * | 2008-05-30 | 2010-08-31 | Еуджен МОРАРУ | Method for sports and educational training of teenagers |
| MD4164C1 (en) * | 2010-03-04 | 2012-11-30 | Еуджен МОРАРУ | Method for the formation of skills for doing physical exercises during the morning exercises and during the day in children, and system for implementing the method |
| EP2455911B1 (en) | 2010-11-23 | 2013-03-13 | Fundacion Centro De Tecnologias De Interaccion Visual Y Comunicaciones Vicomtech | Method for detecting the point of impact of a ball in sports events |
| RU2530863C1 (en) * | 2013-06-07 | 2014-10-20 | Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования "Поволжский государственный технологический университет" | Method of training and assessment of accuracy of free throws in basketball |
| US9288545B2 (en) * | 2014-12-13 | 2016-03-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Inc. | Systems and methods for tracking and tagging objects within a broadcast |
| US10143907B2 (en) * | 2015-12-09 | 2018-12-04 | Gregoire Gentil | Planar solutions to object-tracking problems |
| CN109289187B (en) * | 2017-07-24 | 2021-04-30 | 北京英泰智科技股份有限公司 | Table tennis training and level examination system |
| CN108568086B (en) * | 2018-04-24 | 2021-01-26 | 上海中医药大学 | Badminton match automatic referee platform based on Internet of things and use method thereof |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2586576A1 (en) * | 1985-09-02 | 1987-03-06 | Dubail Jean | AID SYSTEM FOR TENNIS ARBITRATION |
| GB2191361A (en) * | 1986-06-06 | 1987-12-09 | Michael Cyril Godin | Enchancing the image of retro-reflective projectiles |
| DE3904458A1 (en) * | 1989-02-15 | 1990-08-23 | Helmut Datz | Method for the reversible marking of points of impact |
| GB2264358A (en) * | 1992-02-20 | 1993-08-25 | Sector Limited | System for detecting position of impact of a projectile |
| FR2706317B3 (en) * | 1993-06-15 | 1995-05-05 | Dianeige | Device for recording and counting crossings of skiers on slopes. |
-
1995
- 1995-02-21 DE DE19505826A patent/DE19505826A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1996
- 1996-02-21 DE DE59606217T patent/DE59606217D1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-02-21 BR BR9607460A patent/BR9607460A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1996-02-21 DE DE19680090T patent/DE19680090D2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-02-21 WO PCT/DE1996/000266 patent/WO1996025986A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1996-02-21 CA CA002213485A patent/CA2213485A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1996-02-21 AU AU48743/96A patent/AU709741B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1996-02-21 HU HU9802818A patent/HUP9802818A2/en unknown
- 1996-02-21 EP EP96904705A patent/EP0812228B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-02-21 JP JP8525298A patent/JPH11500333A/en active Pending
- 1996-02-21 AT AT96904705T patent/ATE198052T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-02-21 CZ CZ972638A patent/CZ263897A3/en unknown
- 1996-02-21 KR KR1019970705780A patent/KR19980702381A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1996-02-21 CN CN96192044A patent/CN1175907A/en active Pending
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6816185B2 (en) | 2000-12-29 | 2004-11-09 | Miki Harmath | System and method for judging boundary lines |
| US10939140B2 (en) | 2011-08-05 | 2021-03-02 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Selective capture and presentation of native image portions |
| US11039109B2 (en) | 2011-08-05 | 2021-06-15 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | System and method for adjusting an image for a vehicle mounted camera |
| US11490054B2 (en) | 2011-08-05 | 2022-11-01 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | System and method for adjusting an image for a vehicle mounted camera |
| US11159854B2 (en) | 2014-12-13 | 2021-10-26 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Systems and methods for tracking and tagging objects within a broadcast |
| US11758238B2 (en) | 2014-12-13 | 2023-09-12 | Fox Sports Productions, Llc | Systems and methods for displaying wind characteristics and effects within a broadcast |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| KR19980702381A (en) | 1998-07-15 |
| AU4874396A (en) | 1996-09-11 |
| HUP9802818A2 (en) | 1999-03-29 |
| DE19505826A1 (en) | 1996-08-22 |
| DE19680090D2 (en) | 1998-02-26 |
| MX9706214A (en) | 1998-03-31 |
| CZ263897A3 (en) | 1998-01-14 |
| EP0812228A1 (en) | 1997-12-17 |
| JPH11500333A (en) | 1999-01-12 |
| WO1996025986A1 (en) | 1996-08-29 |
| ATE198052T1 (en) | 2000-12-15 |
| DE59606217D1 (en) | 2001-01-18 |
| EP0812228B1 (en) | 2000-12-13 |
| CN1175907A (en) | 1998-03-11 |
| BR9607460A (en) | 1998-12-15 |
| AU709741B2 (en) | 1999-09-02 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| AU709741B2 (en) | Method to detect the contact surface of an object used in sport with a contact ground | |
| US6322455B1 (en) | Interactive golf driving range facility | |
| KR100695340B1 (en) | Golf game | |
| EP2758803B1 (en) | System and method for supporting an exercise movement | |
| US6012987A (en) | Recreational game | |
| US9283464B2 (en) | Golf gaming systems and methods | |
| US4858922A (en) | Method and apparatus for determining the velocity and path of travel of a ball | |
| US6821211B2 (en) | Sport swing analysis system | |
| US5498000A (en) | Goaltender simulator system | |
| US7335116B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for locating the trajectory of an object in motion | |
| US10434397B2 (en) | Infrared hockey puck and goal detection system | |
| US9454825B2 (en) | Predictive flight path and non-destructive marking system and method | |
| EP1666916A2 (en) | Tracking system | |
| AU1020202A (en) | System and method for measuring a golfer's ball striking parameters | |
| US20080201100A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for locating the trajectory of an object in motion | |
| DE10029463A1 (en) | Position and/or movement detection device uses evaluation of signals provided by several transmitters detecting electromagnetic or sonar waves provided by transmitter attached to object | |
| Le et al. | On-field characteristics and head impact magnitude in youth tackle football | |
| US10810903B2 (en) | Computerized method of detecting and depicting a travel path of a golf ball | |
| MXPA97006214A (en) | Procedure to capture or feel the surface contact of an object used in a sport with a container base | |
| CA2484674C (en) | Method and apparatus for locating the trajectory of an object in motion | |
| FR3098411A1 (en) | Fun and sports training device | |
| WO2012007373A1 (en) | Soccer training apparatus | |
| Böhm et al. | Simulation of puck flight to determine spectator safety for various ice hockey board heights | |
| Zaman | Comprehensive Study on Sports Technology | |
| JP2023085285A (en) | Multi-sensor tracking system and method |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |