CN106999756B

CN106999756B - Instrumented ball game operation

Info

Publication number: CN106999756B
Application number: CN201580032734.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: K·金; M·A·泰森; M·J·戴维森; M·马齐亚尔兹
Original assignee: Russell Brands LLC
Current assignee: Russell Brands LLC
Priority date: 2014-06-18
Filing date: 2015-06-17
Publication date: 2020-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2035-06-17
Also published as: EP3157642A4; US20170144030A1; WO2015195739A1; CN106999756A; EP3157642B1; EP3157642A1; JP2017524494A; AU2015277211A1; JP6431604B2; CA2951276A1; CA2951276C; ES2773890T3; AU2015277211B2

Abstract

An instrumented sports device, such as a basketball or soccer ball, that can be handled by a user includes electronics that can detect motion and magnetic fields. For example, instrumented basketball may be used in conjunction with a magnetic basketball goal net so that a shot or miss may be detected.

Description

Instrumented ball game operation

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional serial No.62/013,956, filed 6/18/2014. The disclosure of this prior application is considered part of (and is incorporated by reference into) the disclosure of this application.

Technical Field

This document relates to systems and techniques for operating an instrumented play device that can be processed by a user, such as a basketball or soccer ball that includes an electronic device capable of detecting motion and magnetic fields. For example, this document relates to instrumented basketballs that can be used in conjunction with magnetic basketball nets, such as to detect goals or missed shots.

Background

Sports have become an integral part of society, where: multiple television channels are dedicated to sporting events, professional athletes promoting all kinds of products, and giving the public a great deal of appreciation for star athletes (both amateur and professional), supporting qualitative rewards such as college awards, sponsorship opportunities, and other professions that generate rewards. Thousands of people watch professional and college sporting events on any given night, and billions or millions of people watch major events, such as super cup quartet, duel, football world cup, and other events.

Thus, athletes may earn much money, groups that support them, and others may also earn much money. The relative increase in the importance of sports has been accompanied by attempts to improve athletic performance at all levels of development (from young children to professional athletes). The aggregation of athletic performance data may provide objective feedback to the athlete while the athlete is trying to improve. Athletes may use athletic performance data to set goals for improvement, track the athlete's progress of improvement, and for competition between the athlete and other athletes.

Disclosure of Invention

This document describes a system and techniques that may be used in combination with an instrumented human-manipulable sports device, such as a soccer ball or a basketball. For example, this document describes an instrumented basketball that may be used in conjunction with a magnetic basketball net and a computerized algorithm so that a shot or miss can be detected. In particular, the systems and techniques described here relate to instruments in sports devices, such as sensors for measuring motion (e.g., gyroscopes and accelerometers) and sensors for measuring the magnetic field around a ball (e.g., magnetometers). Moreover, the systems and techniques described herein relate to nets (e.g., basketball nets, soccer nets, etc.) that include one or more magnets. The motion data (inertial data) and magnetic field data collected by the sporting device may be processed in such an algorithm: the determination of a goal/miss may be performed by the algorithm. Further, the algorithm may determine the type of goal shot and the type of miss shot. For example, the algorithm may distinguish a shot of a "hollow" basketball from a shot that hits a box before falling through the net. Such data may be used in a variety of ways, such as providing statistics to the training athlete, to compare the performance of one athlete with the performance of other athletes (performance metrics of other athletes based on ball motion data may be stored in a computing device), to provide entertainment-related data (such as displaying statistics derived from motion or other data overlaid on a television screen of an ongoing sporting event), or to use motion data to influence the play of a television game, such as by using motion data from a person to influence the way his or her avatar executes in a television game.

The earth's magnetic field is influenced by ferromagnetic objects (e.g., steel basketball rims). When an instrumented basketball is close to the basketball rim, the magnetometer of the basketball will sense the disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field signal. When the sensed characteristics of the disturbance reflect known changes associated with a basketball passing near the rim (possibly by magnetic data alone, or in combination with other data such as accelerometer data or gyroscope data indicating that the player recently released the ball in the form of a shot or dropped the basketball in the form of a snap shot), and also in combination with later occurring data such as changes in sudden but slight deceleration and spin indicating that the ball is "hollow" through the basketball net), the ball may record events related to the shot (e.g., by storing a flag associated to such an event along with the clock time for that event) or the miss. The ball may then communicate this data wirelessly to an external computing device, either immediately (while the ball is being used) or thereafter (such as when the ball is at rest or when the ball is placed in an inductive charging basket, which also has wireless communication capabilities for communicating with the electronics within the ball.

The associated electronic device in the ball may be paired with a communication and/or computing device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer, through a mechanism such as a bluetooth wireless connection or Wi-Fi data connection. The sensor unit in the ball may have a pairing table memory that stores a plurality of previously paired bluetooth-enabled or other enabled devices. Applications installed on such devices, such as applications downloaded to the device from an application store, are available commercially or for free, and may provide enhanced interactivity with such balls. For example, the player may charge the ball on a charging base or charging dock, and may pair the ball or charging dock with the smartphone at that time or another time. After charging the electronics in the ball, the player may perform a number of predetermined, instructional (e.g., from a website or an application on their smartphone) exercises, such as dribbling (e.g., regular dribbling, diversion dribbling, etc.) and shooting exercises (e.g., in-situ shooting or jump shooting from a number of locations and distances). While training is being performed, the ball may collect athletic data and may process the data into a usable form by employing onboard processing algorithms and circuitry. (the ball may automatically turn on when a certain number of hard bounces are sensed, and may automatically turn off when placed in a charging base or charging dock, or at the expiration of a predetermined time without a hard bounce (e.g., an acceleration similar to the bounce of a ball on a hard floor, like a typical dribbling)). This data may be sent, in whole or in part, to a smartphone or other external computing device during or at the completion of training, and the user may employ a GUI on the device to determine his or her performance, including by looking at his or her performance as compared to one or more (e.g., aggregated or individual) other players of similar skill level. The application may also communicate with the server system and may provide ratings or other scores for various aspects of the athlete's performance in specific training aspects, and may also provide targeted recommendations for improving performance in certain aspects of the athlete's game.

In certain implementations, the systems and techniques may provide one or more advantages. For example, an instrumented ball and magnetic net may be provided, whereby a shot may be detected and a determination of a shot/miss may be made. Data regarding goals/misses may be collected and wirelessly transmitted to an external computing device for display to a user. In some embodiments, the type of shot and/or the type of miss may be determined using the systems and techniques provided herein. For example, a "hollow basket" may be distinguished from a shot that the hit box then drops through. In some embodiments, a miss in front of the hit box may be distinguished from a miss in the back of the hit box. Such information is useful for both: evaluating the athlete and providing the athlete with a profound analysis as to which zone to work on to improve shot performance and stability. More complete and accurate statistics may be maintained by the system, as the precise time (to fractions of a second) to score a basket may be determined, and the hold time for a shot may also be calculated by subtracting the time of motion sensor data indicating that the ball is left on the player's hand from this "shot" time. Moreover, an automated scoring and statistics collection system may be employed that may be less expensive than a fully manual system and provide greater accuracy and precision. By collecting data about the relative scores of the game, the sensing of the goal/shot miss as described herein may play a role in a larger system. By means of the system the role of the scorer can also be assigned to one of the game officials, making the management of the game simpler (fewer people need to be located) and cheaper.

In one implementation, a magnetic net for a basketball goal, the magnetic net comprising: a standard basketball net and one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball net.

Such magnetic nets for basketball goal may optionally include one or more of the following features. The one or more magnets may be configured to be removed from the basketball net and re-coupled to the standard basketball net without damaging the standard basketball net. The one or more magnets may be disposed within an open space within the cords of the standard basketball net such that the one or more magnets are not directly visible. The one or more magnets comprise four or more magnets.

In another implementation, a sports game ball system includes: a sports game ball and a magnetic basketball net. The sports game ball includes: a multilayer spherical shell isolated from an area surrounding the spherical shell; and one or more electronic sensors located within a periphery of the athletic game ball. The magnetic basketball net comprises: a standard basketball goal net and one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball goal net.

The athletic game ball system may optionally include one or more of the following features. The athletic game ball system may also include a circuit board supporting one or more electronic sensors and associated circuitry for monitoring movement of the athletic game ball and magnetic field signals proximate to the athletic game ball. The associated circuitry may include a wireless communication chip or a wireless communication chipset. The one or more electronic sensors may include (i) an accelerometer or an angular rate sensor; (ii) a magnetometer; and (iii) a near field communication sensor. The associated electronics may be programmed to identify disturbances in the magnetic field of the earth around the athletic game ball to identify when the athletic game ball has contacted or passed near the rim of the basketball goal. The associated electronics may be programmed to identify the magnetic field of the one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball goal net to identify when the athletic game ball has passed through the magnetic basketball goal net.

In another implementation, a computer-implemented method includes: identifying, by a computer system located within a sporting device, data captured from one or more sensors disposed within the sporting device and configured to sense a magnetic field around the sporting device as part of an actual sporting event occurrence; analyzing, by the computer system, the data to identify temporal changes in the magnetic field around the sporting device; and determining, by the computer system, that a temporary change in the magnetic field around the sporting device indicates that the sporting device passed through a magnetic basketball net.

Such computer-implemented methods may optionally include one or more of the following features. Analyzing the data may include identifying a change in the magnetic field around the sporting device that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The computer-implemented method may also include analyzing, by the computer system, the inertial data to identify motion of the sporting device. The computer-implemented method may also include determining, by the computer system, that the motion of the sporting device indicates that the sporting device hit a basketball rim before the sporting device passed through the magnetic basketball net. The computer-implemented method may also include determining, by the computer system, that the motion of the sporting device indicates that the sporting device did not strike a basketball rim before the sporting device passed through the magnetic basketball net. The sports device may be a basketball that includes a magnetometer. The computer-implemented method may also include wirelessly transmitting data from the sporting device to an external computing device configured to display an indication that the sporting device passed through the magnetic basketball net.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

FIG. 1 depicts a player shooting an instrumented basketball through a basketball goal comprising a net with integrated magnets;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic top views of basketball goals with an exemplary net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a basketball goal with another exemplary net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a basketball goal with another exemplary net including integrated magnets;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of a basketball goal with another exemplary net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a basketball goal with another exemplary net including schematically represented integrated magnets;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 8 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 9 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 10 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 11 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

FIG. 12 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets;

figure 13 is a further exemplary time-based plot of inertial data and magnetic field data acquired from an instrumented basketball shot projected toward a basketball goal with a net including integrated magnets.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed Description

This document describes systems and techniques for operating instrumented play equipment that can be handled by a user, such as a basketball or soccer ball that includes electronics capable of detecting motion and magnetic fields. For example, this document describes an instrumented basketball that may be used in conjunction with a magnetic basketball net, such as may detect a shot or miss.

FIG. 1 depicts a scenario 100 for electronically determining a missed shot and/or shot. The view is here a perspective view of a single player 102 who has just made a straight basketball shot, such as a penalty shot, or shot from the three second zone arc top. The ball 104 is provided with one or more instruments 106 (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, coils, or other field sensing devices) for sensing motion and for sensing magnetic fields through which the ball 104 passes. The basketball goal 108 may include one or more magnets 109 integrated with the net of the goal 108. As the ball passes through the basketball goal 108, the magnetic field emanating from the one or more magnets 109 is detected by one or more instruments 106 in the ball 104.

A plot of magnetic field strength 110 detected by one or more instruments 106 versus time or location (which is the same here as motion is left to right over time) shows an example of the sensed field strength 110 (for illustration only). As can be seen, the field strength 110 is relatively constant throughout the main arc of the ball because the ball is far from anything that is electric or magnetic (other than the earth). However, as the ball 104 passes through the basketball goal 108, the field strength 110 is at a peak (in this example, first at one extreme and then at the other extreme), as the ball 104 approaches the magnet 109 and the retreating magnet 109, and then settles down again (as the ball 104 falls to the floor).

In some embodiments, detecting and determining a shot and/or a miss occurs using electronics and algorithms on the ball 104 itself. That is, in some embodiments, the ball 104 includes an integrated microprocessor running one or more algorithms that may determine a goal and/or a miss based on data collected from one or more instruments 106 (e.g., motion data from an accelerometer and/or gyroscope and magnetic field data from one or more magnetometers). In some implementations, the output of the algorithm (also referred to as performance metric data) may be wirelessly transmitted to an external computing device for display to a user. For example, in some implementations, such performance metric data may be sent wirelessly (e.g., using bluetooth technology) to a smartphone running an application on instrumented ball 104.

In some embodiments, the motion data and magnetic field data from the one or more instruments 106 may be transmitted from the ball 104 to an external computer, which analyzes the data to determine a shot and/or a miss. In some implementations, an event may be triggered to indicate a score or miss, and the event may be aligned with a timeline of a sporting event, e.g., aligned with a timeline referenced to a game clock time for the sporting event.

While certain aspects of the instrumented basketball 104 are common to a normal basketball, a different feature is the integrated instrumentation 106 of the instrumented basketball 104. Such instruments 106 (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc.) may be located inside the ball 104, such as inside the bladder or casing of the ball 104, and may move with the ball 104 to sense motion imparted on the ball 104 and to sense magnetic fields around the ball 104. For example, when player 102 casts a shot (e.g., a basketball jump or a dunk) or plays a soccer ball, the raw accelerometer data in the three axes may be converted into an indication of the force of gravity exerted on ball 104. Other raw data may be processed using some stored assumptions about the sporting event (e.g., a stored function of the release height of a basketball shot) to provide derived data characterizing the shot using the raw data from the instrument 106. For example, the instrument 106 may measure angular velocity, acceleration, linear velocity, and/or deceleration. As another example, the instrument 106 may use such measured parameters to identify the number of times the basketball 104 bounces or touches within a set time period. As yet another example, the instrument 106 may measure an angle at which the basketball 104 contacts a surface (e.g., the floor). As yet another example, the instrument 106 may be used to identify the spin rate of the basketball 104. For example, the instrument 106 may also be used to measure the spin rate of a hovering football, the arc of a basketball shot, the spin axis and spin rate of a basketball shot, or the speed at which a soccer ball is played.

The instrument 106 may also include one or more magnetometer sensors (e.g., a three-dimensional magnetometer) that can sense the magnetic field around the ball 104. In some embodiments, the magnetometer may sense the earth's magnetic field and may detect disturbances of the earth's magnetic field. The earth's magnetic field is disturbed by ferromagnetic objects (e.g., steel basketball rims). Thus, when the instrumented basketball 104 is proximate to the basketball rim, the magnetometer of the basketball 104 can sense the interference with the earth's magnetic field signal due to the presence of the rim, which can be characterized by the electronics of the ball 104. In addition, the magnetometer of the ball 104 may sense a magnetic field emanating from a magnet, such as one or more magnets 109 coupled to the net of the basketball goal 108. In this manner, the electronics of the ball 104 may determine when the ball 104 has contacted the net of the basketball goal 108.

In some embodiments, inertial data from accelerometers and gyroscopes and magnetic field data from magnetometers may be used in combination in the following algorithm, as described in more detail below: the algorithm may determine whether to shoot a ball or miss and may distinguish between the types of shots or misses.

Electronics, such as in the form of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and other electronics, in communication with the instruments 106 and also located inside the ball 104 may perform processing operations to convert raw sensor data that is not meaningful in the context of a particular sport into derived data (e.g., performance metric data) specific to the particular sport.

Such raw data, derived data, or both may then be provided to a computing system external to ball 104, such as through wireless data communication between a wireless interface formed in ball 104 and a computer external to ball 104. For example, the data may be provided to a smartphone or tablet computer that executes an application program for causing an interface on the smartphone or tablet computer to communicate data with the electronics in ball 104. Such applications may have been obtained from an online application STORE (e.g., an application assets STORE or GOOGLE PLAY market), and may convert data received from ball 104 into a graphical representation that may be easily viewed and understood by an athlete or one or more other persons (e.g., a coach, referee, or audience of a sporting event). For example, data about the following may be displayed as text on the display of a smartphone or tablet computer: the speed at which a basketball shot is released, the angle at which the basketball shot is released, the number of goals shot versus the number of missed shots, the type of goals shot, and the amount of time between a player picking up a dribble and releasing the ball, or the amount of time between lifting the ball and releasing the ball from a shot. Some of the data may also be converted into graphical form and such conversion may occur in electronics in the ball, a computing device external to the ball 104, or partially on both. As an example, such an electronic device may calculate an arc for making a basketball shot based on information received from the instruments 106 in the ball 104, and the arc may be displayed as a graphical line on a background on a smart phone or tablet device. Such displayed arcs may be displayed close to the best practice technique showing how a shot should be aimed in the perfect world.

In this manner, the systems and techniques discussed herein may allow an objective representation of the processing of ball 104 to be immediately captured and displayed in real-time (e.g., with a delay of less than 1 or 2 seconds) in a visually pleasing manner on various computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets, head-up displays in the form of Google glass head-mounted displays) and in other suitable manners.

Referring to fig. 2A, as briefly described above, the net 220 of the basketball goal 200 may include one or more magnets 222A and 222 b. It should be understood that

magnets

222a and 222b are shown in a schematic manner. That is, while the magnets 222A and 222B are shown as being elongated along the radial direction of the basketball goal 200, it should be understood that fig. 2A and 2B, and fig. 3 and 4 are not intended to depict a particular orientation of the physical profile of the magnets 222A and 222B.

The basketball goal 200 includes a rim 210 to which a net 220 is attached. The basketball goal 200 may include a standard variety of rim 210 and net 220, except that one or

more magnets

222a and 222b are added to the net 220.

The depicted embodiment of mesh 220 includes two

magnets

222a and 222 b. In some embodiments, one magnet, three magnets, four magnets, five magnets, six magnets, or more than six magnets may be included in a single mesh 220. In some embodiments, magnet 222a and magnet 222b are the same or substantially similar to each other. In some embodiments,

magnets

222a and 222b are different from each other. These differences between

magnets

222a and 222b may include differences in factors such as, but not limited to, size, shape, magnetic field strength, materials, mounting location and orientation, color, pole orientation, and the like.

In the depicted embodiment, magnet 222a is mounted on mesh 220 near the front 210f of the frame, and magnet 222b is mounted on mesh 220 near the rear 210b of the frame. This provides but one exemplary embodiment in which

magnets

222a and 222b may be oriented relative to mesh 220 and frame 210. All other orientations of

magnets

222a and 222b relative to mesh 220 and frame 210 are also contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the depicted embodiment, the north pole of each of the

magnets

222a and 222b is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 200. In some embodiments, the south pole of each of the

magnets

222a and 222b is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 200.

In some embodiments, the north pole of one of the

magnets

222a and 222b is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 200, and the south pole of the other of the

magnets

222a and 222b is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 200.

Referring now to fig. 2B, the basketball goal 250 may include a rim 260 to which a net 270 may be coupled. The mesh 270 includes one or

more magnets

272a and 272 b. In this example, the north pole of the magnet 272a is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 250, and the south pole of the magnet 272b is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 250. In some implementations, such an arrangement results in the magnetic field strength of magnet 272a and the magnetic field strength of magnet 272b being complementary to each other. However, such an arrangement is not required for all embodiments.

Although in the depicted embodiment, the

magnets

222a, 222b, 272a, and 272b are shown with their poles aligned along the radius of the basketball goal 200 and the radius of the basketball goal 250, this orientation is not required. In some embodiments, the poles of one or more of the

magnets

222a, 222b, 272a, and 272b may be nominally oriented perpendicular to the radius of the basketball goal 200 and the radius of the basketball goal 250. In some embodiments, the poles of one or more of the

magnets

222a, 222b, 272a, and 272b may be oriented at an angle between about 0 and about 90 relative to the radius of the basketball goal 200 and the radius of the basketball goal 250.

Referring to fig. 3, a basketball goal 300 includes a rim 310 to which a net 320 is coupled. The net 320 includes a magnet 322a, a magnet 322b, a magnet 322c, and a magnet 322 d. The basketball goal 300 may include a standard variety of rim 310 and net 320, except that

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d are added to the net 320.

The depicted embodiment of mesh 320 includes four magnets: magnet 322a, magnet 322b, magnet 322c, and magnet 322 d. In some embodiments, one magnet, two magnets, three magnets, five magnets, six magnets, or more than six magnets may be included in a single mesh 320. In some embodiments, magnet 322a, magnet 322b, magnet 322c, and magnet 322d are the same or substantially similar to one another. In some embodiments, magnet 322a, magnet 322b, magnet 322c, and magnet 322d are different from one another. These differences between

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d may include differences in factors such as, but not limited to, size, shape, magnetic field strength, materials, mounting location and orientation, color, pole orientation, and the like.

In the depicted embodiment, the magnet 322a is mounted on the mesh 320 near the front 310f of the frame; the magnet 322b is mounted on the net 320 near the rear 310b of the frame; magnet 322c is mounted on web 320 near the left side 310L of the frame; and, a magnet 322d is mounted on the net 320 near the right side 310r of the frame. This provides another exemplary embodiment in which

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d may be oriented relative to web 320 and frame 310. All other possible orientations of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d relative to the mesh 320 and the frame 310 are also contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the depicted embodiment, the north pole of each of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 300. In some embodiments, the south pole of each of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 300. In some embodiments, the north pole of one or more of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d is oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 300, while the south poles of the remaining ones of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d are oriented toward the interior of the basketball goal 300.

Although in the depicted embodiment, each of the

magnets

322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d are positioned at approximately 90 ° intervals around the circumference of the basketball goal 300, such relative orientations are not required. For example, referring now also to FIG. 4, a basketball goal 400 includes a rim 410 to which a net 420 is coupled. The net 420 includes

magnets

422a, 422b, 422c and 422d that are not spaced 90 apart around the perimeter of the basketball goal 400. Rather, two magnets (magnet 422a and magnet 422b) are biased toward the front 410f of the frame, while the other two magnets (magnet 422c and magnet 422d) are biased toward the rear 410b of the frame. In some embodiments, the magnets may alternatively or additionally be positioned biased toward one or both sides of the frame 410. It should be understood that any or all regular and/or irregular types of positioning of the magnets on the net relative to the frame are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure.

Although the described embodiments heretofore included a single magnet along the vertical direction of the web, the embodiments provided herein are not so limited. That is, in some embodiments, two or more magnets may be located approximately directly above one another on the web (i.e., at different heights on the web). In some embodiments, two or more magnets may be positioned on the mesh at different heights and at different radial orientations relative to each other.

Referring to fig. 5A and 5B, a basketball goal 500 is shown in two different perspective views. The basketball goal 500 may include a rim 510 to which a net 520 may be attached. The basketball goal 500 may include a standard variety of rim 510 and net 520, except that

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are added to the net 520 (the magnets 522d are also on the front of the net 520, but are not visible in the view provided). Although the depicted embodiment of mesh 520 includes magnet 522a, magnet 522b, magnet 522c, and magnet 522d, as described above, in some embodiments one magnet, two magnets, three magnets, five magnets, six magnets, or more than six magnets are included.

In the depicted embodiment,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are flexible strip magnets. Such flexible strip magnets are merely one example of the types of magnets that may be used in conjunction with the mesh 520. In some embodiments, one or more of magnet 522a, magnet 522b, magnet 522c, and magnet 522d may be cylindrical, rectangular bar, spherical, horseshoe, doughnut or donut, disk, rectangular, multi-fingered, and other conventional shapes.

As described above, the poles of

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d may be oriented in any configuration as desired. For example, the

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d may be axially polarized in only one plane by this thickness with multiple poles, and so on.

In the depicted embodiment,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are attached to the interior surface of mesh 520. In some embodiments,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are attached to the outer surface of mesh 520. In some embodiments,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are attached to the inner and outer surfaces of mesh 520. In some embodiments,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are hidden inside the cords of mesh 520.

In the depicted embodiment,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are attached to the surface of web 520 using a hook and loop fastener system. That is, the

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c and 522d have a hook-shaped or loop-shaped rear surface, and the corresponding mounting bars have an opposite (hook-shaped or loop-shaped) surface. The

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c and 522d are attached to the web by having the mounting bar engaged to the

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c and 522d with the web 520 sandwiched therebetween. The technique for mounting

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d to mesh 520 allows

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d to be added to and/or removed from mesh 520 without modifying mesh 520. However, in some embodiments,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are substantially permanently attached to mesh 520.

In some embodiments,

magnets

522a, 522b, 522c, and 522d are attached to or within mesh 520 using various techniques and using combinations of these techniques: such as, but not limited to, clipping, bundling, using clips, using tape, using adhesive, weaving, stitching, and the like.

Referring to fig. 6, a perspective view of a basketball goal 600 is shown. The basketball goal 600 may include a rim 610 to which a net 620 may be attached. The basketball goal 600 may include a standard variety of rim 610 and net 620, except that

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d are added to the net 620. Although the depicted embodiment of mesh 620 includes

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d, in some embodiments one magnet, two magnets, three magnets, five magnets, six magnets, seven magnets, eight magnets, or more than eight magnets are included, as described above.

In the depicted implementation of

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d and net 620,

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d are disposed within the interior space of the cords of net 620. That is, the cords of the net 620 are tubular, and the

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d are thus located in the interior of the cords of the net 620. With this technique, in some embodiments, there is no visible indication of: mesh 620 includes

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622 d. The net 620 may look like any conventional basketball net 620.

In some embodiments,

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622d are elongated magnets, such as cylindrical magnets. For example, in some embodiments,

magnets

622a, 622b, 622c, and 622D may be # D36-N52 magnets or # D36 magnets sold by K & J Magnetics, pom, pa. The outer diameter of such an exemplary magnet is well suited for installation within the tubular cord of mesh 620.

Referring to fig. 7, a graph 700 includes a plot 710 of inertial sensor signals and a plot 740 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 700 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 700 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In the depicted graph 700, a curve (plot)710_sumIs the sum of the three-axis angular rate gyroscopes in basketball, and curve 712_sumIs the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. The magnetometer sensors are also three-axis sensors located within the basketball and added together to form the curve 740_sum. By dividing the curve 710_sum Curve sum 712_sumEntered into the algorithm, it may be determined that the basketball is pushed into the air at approximately 400 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At about time 1300, the basketball hits an object, which in this example is the rim of a basketball goal. At about time 1700, the basketball again hits an object, which in this example is the floor.

Curve 740_sumIs the output of the magnetometer within the basketball. It can be seen that the output of the magnetometer indicates undisturbed sensing of the earth's magnetic field from time 0 to about time 1300 and from about time 1500 to about time 2000. However, from about 1300 to about 1500, magnetometers detect a large amount of magnetic field changes. DetectedThose changes in the magnetic field can be correlated to two cases: (1) magnetometers in the basketball are very close to the basketball rim; and (2) magnetometers in basketball are in close proximity to magnets in the net. These two cases have different magnetic signal characteristics, respectively, which the algorithm can distinguish between. Furthermore, the magnetic characteristics of a shot that is hollow through the net are unique to the characteristics of a shot that first strikes the rim, bounces up, and then descends through the net. Also, since the rear of the frame has more metal than the front of the frame, the impact of the ball with the front of the frame has unique magnetic characteristics compared to the impact of the ball with the rear of the frame.

By utilizing both the graph 710 of the inertial sensor signals and the graph 740 of the magnetometer sensor signals, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether the shot was a goal or a miss. In this example, as in curve 740_sumBecause the magnetometer detects the signal of the magnet in the net, the ball is thrown. The algorithm is also able to detect the basketball crossing the net from the inertial sensor signals. The situation is such that: for example because the basketball is slowed down by the friction of the net as it passes through the net.

Referring to fig. 8, graph 800 includes a plot 810 of inertial sensor signals and a plot 840 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 800 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 800 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In graph 800, curve (plot)810_sumIs the sum of the three-axis angular rate gyroscopes in basketball, and curve 812_sumIs the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. The magnetometer sensors are also three-axis sensors located within the basketball and added together to form curve 840_sum. By fitting curve 810_sumAnd curve 812_sumEntered into the algorithm, it may be determined that the basketball is pushed into the air at approximately 400 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At about time 1200, the basketball hits an object, which in this example is the rim of a basketball goal. At about 1900 fAgain hitting an object, in this example the floor.

Curve 840_sumIs the output of the magnetometer within the basketball. It can be seen that the output of the magnetometer indicates undisturbed sensing of the earth's magnetic field from time 0 to about time 2000.

By utilizing both the graph 810 of the inertial sensor signals and the graph 840 of the magnetometer sensor signals, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether the shot was a goal or miss. In this example, as at curve 840_sumAs indicated in (a), the shot is missed because the magnetometer does not detect the signal of the magnet in the net. More specifically, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and determine that the shot hit a box without entry.

Referring to fig. 9, graph 900 includes a graph 910 of inertial sensor signals and a graph of magnetometer sensor signals 940. Graph 900 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 900 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In diagram 900, curve 912 is the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. Curve 942 is the expected value of a magnetometer if no magnets or soft iron (e.g., the rim of a basketball goal) were near a basketball. The algorithm may determine to push the basketball into the air at approximately 100 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At about time 1250, the basketball hits an object, which in this example is the rim of a basketball goal. The algorithm may also determine that if no magnets or soft iron (e.g., the rim of a basketball goal) is near the basketball, the signal from the magnetometer in the graph 940 does not significantly deviate from the expected value for that magnetometer, as represented by curve 942.

By utilizing both the graph 910 of the inertial sensor signal and the graph 940 of the magnetometer sensor signal, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether the shot was a goal or a miss. In this example, the shot is missed because the magnetometer did not detect the signal of the magnet in the net, as indicated in the graph 940. More specifically, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and determine that the shot hit a box without entry. Furthermore, the algorithm can determine that the ball is in contact with the front of the frame because at the moment of impact with the frame very little disturbance of the magnetometer signal is detected.

Referring to fig. 10, a graph 1000 includes a plot 1010 of inertial sensor signals and a plot 1040 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 1000 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 1000 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In diagram 1000, curve 1012 is the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. Curve 1042 is the expected value of the magnetometer if no magnet or soft iron (e.g., the rim of a basketball goal) is assumed to be close to the basketball. The algorithm may determine to push the basketball into the air at approximately 100 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At approximately time 1350, the basketball hits an object, which in this example is the rim of a basketball goal. The algorithm may also determine that the signal from the magnetometer in the graph 1040 does not significantly deviate from the expected value of the magnetometer if no magnets or soft iron (e.g., the rim of a basketball goal) is near the basketball, as represented by curve 1042. However, the magnetic signal characteristic of curve 1042 does not include the characteristic associated with the passage of a ball past a magnet placed in the net.

By utilizing both the graph 1010 of the inertial sensor signals and the graph 1040 of the magnetometer sensor signals, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether the shot was a goal or a miss. In this example, as indicated in graph 1040, the shot is missed because the magnetometer did not detect the signal of the magnet in the net. More specifically, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and determine that the shot hit a box without entry. Furthermore, the algorithm may determine that the ball is in contact with the back of the box because at the moment of impact with the box, significant interference with the magnetometer signal is detected. This significant interference may be associated with contact between the basketball and a large amount of soft iron, such as the back of the rim of the basketball goal.

Referring to fig. 11, graph 1100 includes a graph 1110 of inertial sensor signals and a graph 1140 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 1100 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 1100 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In graph 1100, curve 1110_sumIs the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. The magnetometer sensors are also three-axis sensors located within the basketball and added together to form curve 1140_sum. By fitting the curve 1110_sumAnd 1140_sumEntered into the algorithm, it may be determined that the basketball is pushed into the air at approximately 100 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At about time 1300, the basketball in this example is slightly slowed by contact with the net of the basketball goal (but not with the rim). At about 1900, the basketball again hits an object, which in this example is the floor.

Curve 1140_sumShown for a magnetometer within a basketball. It can be seen that the output of the magnetometer indicates undisturbed sensing of the earth's magnetic field from time 0 to about time 1300. However, at about time 1300, all components of the magnetometer data show a sharp change, indicating that the magnetometer is affected by the magnetic field of one or more magnets in the net of the basketball goal.

By utilizing both the graph 1110 of the inertial sensor signal and the graph 1140 of the magnetometer sensor signal, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether the shot was a goal or miss. In this example, as in curve 1140_sumBecause the magnetometer detects the signal of the magnet in the net, the ball is thrown. More specifically, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and that the shot was determined to be a "hollow shot" because the ball was shot but the shot did not hit the rim of the basketball goal.

Referring to fig. 12, a graph 1200 includes a plot 1210 of inertial sensor signals and a plot 1240 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 1200 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 1200 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In the depicted graph 1200, curve 1210_sumIs the sum of the three-axis angular rate gyroscopes in basketball, while curve 1212_sumIs the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. The magnetometer sensors are also three-axis sensors located within the basketball and added together to form curve 1240_sum. By dividing the curve 1210_sumAnd 1212_sumEntered into the algorithm, it may be determined that the basketball is pushed into the air at approximately 100 hours. In other words, a shot is started. At about time 1200, the basketball hits an object, which in this example is the rim of a basketball goal. At about time 1700, the basketball again hits an object, which in this example is the floor.

Curve 1240_sumIs the output of the magnetometer within the basketball. It can be seen that the output of the magnetometer indicates undisturbed sensing of the earth's magnetic field from time 0 to about time 1300 and from about time 1350 to about time 2000. However, from about 1300 to about 1350, magnetometers detect a large amount of magnetic field variations. Those changes in the detected magnetic field can be correlated to two cases: (1) magnetometers in the basketball are very close to the basketball rim; and (2) magnetometers in basketball are in close proximity to magnets in the net. These two cases have different magnetic signal characteristics, respectively, which the algorithm can distinguish between. Furthermore, the magnetic characteristics of a shot that is hollow through the net are unique to the characteristics of a shot that first strikes the rim, bounces up, and then descends through the net. Also, since the rear of the frame has more metal than the front of the frame, the impact of the ball with the front of the frame has unique magnetic characteristics compared to the impact with the rear of the frame.

By utilizing both the graph 1210 of the inertial sensor signals and the graph 1240 of the magnetometer sensor signals, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and that it was shotThe goal is also the shooting miss. In this example, as indicated in curve 1240, a ball is thrown because the magnetometer detects the signal of the magnet in the net. The algorithm is also able to detect the basketball crossing the net from the inertial sensor signals. The situation is such that: for example because the basketball is slowed down by the friction of the net as it passes through the net. In this example, the algorithm may determine that the ball was thrown after a small contact with the box (as by curve 1212)_sumIndicated).

Referring to fig. 13, diagram 1300 includes a plot 1310 of inertial sensor signals and a plot 1340 of magnetometer sensor signals. Graph 1300 shows the output of such a sensor: the sensors are located inside the instrumented basketball (e.g., the instrumentation 106 of fig. 1 is located inside the instrumented basketball 104). More specifically, graph 1300 shows the output (on the y-axis) of such a sensor with respect to time (on the x-axis).

In graph 1300, curve 1310_sumIs the sum of the three-axis accelerometers in basketball. The magnetometer sensors are also three-axis sensors located within the basketball and added together to form the curve 1340_sum. By plotting the curve 1310_sumAnd 1340_sumEntered into the algorithm, it may be determined that at approximately time 700, the basketball suddenly decelerates, in this example by making contact with the rim of the basketball goal. Bouncing continues on the frame until about 1600.

Curve 1340_sumIs the output of the magnetometer within the basketball. It can be seen that the output of the magnetometer indicates substantially undisturbed sensing of the earth's magnetic field from time 0 to about time 1800. However, at approximately time 1800, all components of the magnetometer data show a sharp change, indicating that the magnetometer is affected by the magnetic field of one or more magnets in the net of the basketball goal.

By utilizing both the graph 1310 of the inertial sensor signal and the graph 1340 of the magnetometer sensor signal, the algorithm can determine that a shot was attempted and whether a shot was made or missed. In this example, as at curve 1340_sumBecause the magnetometer detects the signal of the magnet in the net, the ball is thrown.More specifically, the algorithm may determine that a shot was attempted and that the shot bounced on the rim of the basketball goal multiple times before descending through the net.

It should be understood that one or more of the design features of the magnetic basketball nets provided herein may be combined with other features of other magnetic basketball nets provided herein. Indeed, hybrid designs combining various features of two or more from the magnetic basketball net designs provided herein may be created within the scope of the present disclosure.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. In the context of separate embodiments, certain features that are described in this specification can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain embodiments and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

In addition to the teachings described above and claimed below, apparatuses and/or methods having different combinations of the features described above and claimed below are also contemplated. As such, the present description is also directed to other apparatuses and/or methods having any other possible combination of the dependent features claimed below.

The various features and advantages that have been set forth in the foregoing description, include various alternatives along with details of the structure and function of the devices and/or methods. The present disclosure is intended to be illustrative only and, as such, is not intended to be exhaustive. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made, particularly in matters of structure, materials, elements, components, shape, size and arrangement of the components included within the principles of the invention, to the full extent indicated by the broad, general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. To the extent that: such various modifications are intended to be included herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. All references, publications, and patents (including figures and pictures contained herein) cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A magnetic net for a basketball goal having a rim, the magnetic net comprising:

a standard basketball net; and

one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball net at a distance spaced from a lower edge of the frame.

2. The magnetic net of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnets are configured to be removed from and re-coupled to the standard basketball net without damaging the standard basketball net.

3. The magnetic net of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnets are disposed within an open space within a cord of the standard basketball net such that the one or more magnets are not directly visible.

4. The magnetic net of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnets comprise four or more magnets.

5. A sports game ball system comprising:

a sports game ball, the sports game ball comprising:

a multilayer spherical shell isolated from an area surrounding the spherical shell; and

one or more electronic sensors located within a periphery of the athletic game ball; and

a magnetic basketball net, the magnetic basketball net comprising:

a standard basketball goal net; and

one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball net at a distance spaced from a lower rim of the basketball goal.

6. The sports game ball system according to claim 5, further comprising a circuit board supporting the one or more electronic sensors and associated circuitry for monitoring movement of the sports game ball and magnetic field signals proximate to the sports game ball.

7. The sports game ball system as in claim 6, wherein the associated circuitry comprises a wireless communication chip or a wireless communication chipset.

8. The sports game ball system according to claim 7, wherein the one or more electronic sensors include (i) an accelerometer or an angular rate sensor; (ii) a magnetometer; and (iii) a near field communication sensor.

9. The sports game ball system of claim 8, wherein the associated circuitry is programmed to identify a disturbance in the magnetic field of the earth around the sports game ball to identify when the sports game ball has contacted the rim of the basketball goal or passed near the rim of the basketball goal.

10. The sports game ball system of claim 8, wherein the associated circuitry is programmed to identify the magnetic field of the one or more magnets coupled to the standard basketball goal net to identify when the sports game ball has passed through the magnetic basketball goal net.

11. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

identifying, by a computer system located within a sporting device, data captured from one or more sensors disposed within the sporting device and configured to sense a magnetic field around the sporting device as part of an actual sporting event occurrence;

analyzing, by the computer system, the data to identify temporal changes in the magnetic field around the sporting device; and

determining, by the computer system, that a temporary change in the magnetic field around the sporting device indicates that the sporting device is passing through a net having a magnet coupling.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein analyzing the data comprises identifying a change in a magnetic field around the sports apparatus that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing, by the computer system, inertial data to identify motion of the sporting device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the computer system, that the motion of the sporting device indicates that the sporting device hit a basketball rim before the sporting device passed through the net with magnet couplings.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the computer system, that motion of the sporting device indicates that the sporting device did not strike a basketball rim before the sporting device passed through the net with the magnet coupling.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the sporting device is a basketball that includes a magnetometer.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising wirelessly transmitting data from the sporting device to an external computing device configured to display an indication that the sporting device passed through the mesh with magnet coupling.