GB2107202A - Punch-measuring amusement device - Google Patents

Abstract

An amusement device measures the speed, accuracy and power of punches delivered by a user to randomly illuminated targets viewed through a translucent resilient panel 16. The targets are L.E.D.'s 20 mounted on a circuit board 19. Sensors 28 are actuated by magnets 29 in a glove 30 and the signals induced in the sensors by the magnets are stored in a computer 23. These signals are processed to give an indication of speed and accuracy of the punch. The power of the punch is measured from changes in sound pressure level within the housing 10 picked up by microphone 27 connected to the computer 23. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Exercise/amusement device This invention relates to an exercise/amusement device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise/amusement device which is intended to be used to sense and display the speed, power and accuracy of punches landed by a user on a target or targets located on said device.

With this object in view the present invention provides an exercise/amusement device comprising a box-like housing at least one face of which is in the form of a translucent resilient panel on which are a plurality of sensors, means for producing targets being disposed behind said panel so that said targets can either be viewed through or projected onto said panel, the production of each said target being random whereupon a user of the device is required to punch that portion of the panel on which the target appears, the speed, power and accuracy of the punch being sensed by the associated sensor for instantaneous replay or for passage to a storage memory for subsequent replay at the end of a predetermined time.

The box-like housing advantageously comprises two tray-like halves, wherein each half consists of a frame of right angle members.

Preferably the halves are interconnected by welded on lugs so that there is a gap between the halves.

The resilient panel may have on its front and rear face immediately adjacent its edges, and also along its edges, strips of cushioning material, by means of which strips the panel abuts the adjacent right angle members. This cushioning material may be of, for example, rubber. The resilient panel is held securely against the angle members by means of an abutment which is secured to the upper one of the right angle members so that the resilient panel is sandwiched between said frame and the right angle members.

This arrangement puts the resilient panel under tension and the strips of cushioning material ensures that there is no direct contact between the resilient panel and the right angle members.

Preferably the means for producing targets is in the form of a printed circuit board comprising a two dimensional array of light emitting diodes.

The printed circuit board may be arranged parallel with and behind the resilient panel.

Each sensor is advantageously in the form of a planar coil of copper or a conductive paint coated on that side of the panel facing the interior of the housing and terminating at respective edges of the panel.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the amusement device of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a part cross-sectional view of the amusement device of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the preferred embodiment of the amusement device of the present invention comprises a box-like housing 10. The housing 10 comprises two tray-like halves, wherein each half consists of a square frame of right angle members 1 3. The halves are interconnected by welded on lugs 1 4 so that there is a gap therebetween. The right angle members 1 3 are made of a fairly robust material such as steel and are welded together.

Overlying the gap between the two halves of the housing 10 and connected to the respective halves is a strip 1 5 of light tight material. The strip 1 5 not only prevents light from entering the housing 10 but it also allows air to escape from the housing 10 since air is fed into the housing 10, under pressure, from a compressed air source (not shown).

That half of the housing 10 which forms the front half of the housing i O 0 mounts a translucent, resilient panel 1 6. The resilient panel 1 6 is of a tough flexible plastics material such as lexan (Registered Trade Mark).

The resilient panel 1 6 has on its front and rear face immediately adjacent its edges, and along its edges, strips 1 7 of cushioning material, by means of which strips 1 7 the panel 1 6 abuts adjacent right angle members 13 forming the front half of the housing 1 0. The strips 1 7 of cushioning material are, for example, made of rubbers. The resilient pannel 1 6 is held securely against the adjacent right angle member 13. by means of an abutment 1 8. The abutment 1 8 is made from square cross section steel bar and is secured to a top one of the respective right angle members 13 by a number of screws (not shown).The resilient panel 1 6 is therefore tightly sandwiched between respective right angle member 13 and the abutment 1 8. The strips 17 of rubber ensure that there is no direct contact between the resilient panel 1 6 and the right angle members 13 so that the resilient panel 1 6 is held under tension so that it is flexible to see the degree required.

The other half of the housing 10, which forms the rear half thereof, contains means for producing targets which is viewed through the translucent, resilient panel 1 6. Said means is in the form of a printed circuit board 1 9 which comprises a twodimensional array of light emitting diodes 20 of different colours. The diodes 20 are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. The circuit board 19 is secured to the top and bottom right angle members 1 3 forming the rear half of the housing 10 by respective inverted L-shaped brackets 21 (only the upper one of said brackets 21 being illustrated in Fig. 2) so that said board 19 is parallel with the panel 1 6. The rear half of the housing 10 is closed off by a backboard 22 which is made, for example, of thick textured chip-board.

A space is defined between the circuit board 1 9 and the backboard 22 which permits the mounting on the backboard 22 of a microcomputer 23, an amplifier 24 and an analog to digital converter 25. The operation of these iatter three components will be mentioned in due course. Provided at the bottom of the inside of the housing 10, straddling the two halves of the housing 10, is a loudspeaker 26. The loudspeaker 26 is connected to the computer 23 which controls the sounds emitted by the loudspeaker 26.

Mounted in the centre of the circuit board 1 9 is a microphone 27 which is sensitive to and picks up any changes in sound pressure level inside the housing 10. The signal received by the microphone 27 is fed to the analog to digital converter 25 and then to the computer 23. The use to which this signal is put will be described later.

That side of the resilient panel 1 6 which faces the interior of the housing 10, i.e. is immediately opposite the circuit board 19, is covered with a plurality of sensors each in the form of a planar coil 28. The planar coils are arranged in rows and are made of copper (by electrodeposition) or of a conductive paint (by being printed thereon). Each coil 28 terminates at a respective side of the panel 16 under the strips 17 and by appropriate means (not shown) are connected to the computer 23 via the amplifier 24. The coils 28 are so fine as to be practically invisible and are used to measure magnetic impulses from small rubber magnets 29 mounted inside gloves 30 (only one of which gloves 29 is shown in Fig. 2) which must be worn by the user when punching the panel 1 6.

The mode of operation of the amusement device of the present invention will now be described in detail it being understood that it is to be the object of a user of the device to punch with his or her fist with speed, accuracy and power, as many targets as appear on or through the panel 1 6 during a predetermined period of time.

The devices can be made ready for use by either actuation of a manually operated switch (not shown) or by insertion of a coin into a slot mechanism (not shown).

The computer 23 decides which diodes 20 on the circuit board 19 should be illuminated and in what particular pattern or target. The illumination of the diodes 20 is viewed through the resilient panel 1 6 which because it is translucent the targets formed by the illumination of the diodes 20 appear to be formed on the panel 1 6 itself. At the same time the computer 23 actuates the loudspeaker 26 to produce a sound to give the user an audible indication that a target has been formed by the diodes 20 and the part of the panel 1 6 on which it appears should be struck. The target only appears for a certain period of time before the computer 23 acts to produce a different target in a different position by illuminating a different set of diodes 20.In fact the computer 23 is programmed to produce several different targets in different positions over a predetermined period of time, for example one minute.

The device of the invention is intended to measure three parameters of the punch, namely speed, accuracy and power.

Speed and accuracy are measured as follows.

The target formed by illumination of the diodes 20 is covered on the panel 1 6 by a certain number of sensors (coils 28). As the user moves the glove 30 towards the panel 1 6 the magnets 29 inside the glove 30 induce a rising magnetic pulse in each of the coils 28 covering the target. The pulses are fed to the computer 23 via the amplifier 24 whereupon the computer 23 measures the rise time of each pulse and stores it in its memory. The faster the rise time the faster has been the punch and vice-versa. By measuring the time between the production of a target and the occurrence of induced magnetic pulses the computer determines the reaction time of the user. Of course the more accurately the user punches the target the greater the strength of the magnetic pulses produced by the coils 28.The strength of the pulses is measured by the computer 23 and stored in its memory.

The power or strength of the punch is measured by the changes in sound pressure level in the housing 10 when the punch is struck. The microphone 27 picks up these changes and the signals produced thereby are fed to the analog to digital converter and then to the computer 23 where it is stored in the memory. The computer compensates for the non-linearity of tension in the panel 16.

As previously mentioned, the computer runs a programme of different illuminated targets over a predetermined period. The speed, shape and positioning of these targets is part of the programme, which of course is interchangeable.

As each punch is delivered its parameters (speed, accuracy, power) are measured and stored in the memory of the computer 23 and at the end of the programme the score of the user issued through the loudspeaker 26 via a speech synthesizer of the computer 23.

Although not shown the device can be provided with hooks on its backboard to enable it to be hung against a wall. Other means of mounting the device is possible.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing and variations may be made thereto within the scope of the invention.

Thus, for example, instead of the means for producing targets being provided by the circuit board with light emitting diodes this can be dispensed with and a television monitor or a projector can be fixed to the back of the housing in place of the backboard so that targets can be projected directly onto the back of the translucent resilient panel. With a television monitor or projector the possibility exists of providing moving targets.

Claims (9)

1. An exercise/amusement device comprising a box-like housing at least one face of which is in the form of a translucent, resilient panel on which are a plurality of sensors, means for producing targets being disposed behind said panel so that said targets can either be viewed through or projected onto said panel, the production of each said target being random whereupon a user of the device is required to punch that portion of the panel on which the target appears, the speed, power and accuracy of a punch being sensed by the associated sensor for instantaneous replay or for passage to a storage memory for subsequent replay at the end of a predetermined time.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the box-like housing comprises two tray-like halves, wherein each half consists of a square frame of right angle members.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the halves are interconnected by welded on lugs so that there is a gap between the halves.

4. A device as claimed in claims 1,2 or 3 wherein the resilient panel has on its front and rear face immediately adjacent its edges, and also along its edges, strips of cushioning material, by which strips the panel abuts against the adjacent right angle members.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cushioning strips are of rubber.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the resilient panel is held against the right angle members by means of an abutment which is secured to the upper one of the right angle members so that the resilient panel is sandwiched between said frame and the right angle members.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means for producing targets is in the form of a printed circuit board comprising a two dimensional array of light emitting diodes and arranged in the housing parallel with and behind the resilient panel.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each sensor is in the form of a planar coil of copper or a conductive paint coated on that side of the panel facing the interior of the housing and terminating at respective edges of the panel under the strips.

9. An exercise/amusement device substantially as herinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.