JPS6339265B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention is applicable to sports balls, especially lifting in soccer competitions or the number of times the ball is kicked until it hits the ground or the length of time the ball stays in the air, such as in the traditional Japanese game of Kemari. Regarding exercise balls that are ideal for competitive games.

Conventional technology One of the skills of soccer players has been ball lifting, an exercise in which one player places the ball on the top of the foot, knee, chest, forehead, etc., and holds the ball without letting it fall to the ground. When adopted as a game and compete for the number of kicks until the ball falls, the time the ball is held, and the time it stays in the air, the number of kicks must be counted by a human. In particular, it is impossible to convert technical difficulties such as ball retention time and flight time each time into points based on individual players' judgment unless a separate measurer is assigned. Furthermore, even if a measurer is assigned, the judgment of the difficulty of the technology is subject to subjectivity, making it difficult to objectively evaluate it. Furthermore, in the case of temari, which is a game for young children, it is difficult for the child to count the number of movements while exercising, and it would be extremely convenient if the number of movements could be automatically counted.

Further, a counting means, a display means, an external pressure sensing means, and an operating means for operating the counting means are provided in the ball,
A ball whose pitching speed can be measured is known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-9472). however,
Such a ball has a solid structure, and the counting means, display means, actuating means, etc. are arranged at appropriate positions within the ball, for example, at the center of the ball or around the ball, and the bounce of the ball etc. Since this is not taken into consideration, it is inappropriate for lifting soccer balls, etc.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it incorporates an external force automatic counting means into the ball itself, automatically counts the external force applied to the ball during kicking, and further solves the difficulty of exercise technique. By converting and displaying numerical values, the objective is to enable objective evaluation of skills and to allow players to concentrate on the competition.

Structure of the Invention The exercise ball according to the present invention includes a detection means for detecting an external force applied to the ball, such as a pressure sensor, a detection signal from the detection means, and a numerical information signal related to the external force, for example, a detection signal from the detection means. Number of times, 2
It includes a calculation means for converting the time interval of two external forces into information converted into points, a display means for displaying this information, and a battery power source for driving each of the above means, and at least the calculation means, the display means, and the battery power source are integrally formed. The circuit unit is arranged together with the detection means on the opposite surface of the air injection valve on the inner surface of the ball having an air-tight structure, and the weight of the valve is added to the weight of the circuit unit and the detection means. The weights are set to be substantially equal.

Embodiment In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates an exercise ball, which is formed into the size of a soccer ball when used for a lifting competition. 2 is an air injection valve, 3 is a circuit unit, and 4 is a pressure sensor that serves as a detection means.These are arranged in positions opposite to valve 2, and their weights are adjusted so that they are balanced. Ru. That is, the weight of the valve 2 is generally about 8g to 9g, while the additional weight of the circuit unit 3 and pressure sensor 4 is:
Since the weight is about 15g to 20g, the balancer 5 is attached to the valve 2 side, and the weights of both are set to be substantially equal.

FIG. 2 shows the surface of the ball 1, and 6 is a display panel which is the surface portion of the circuit unit 3, on which numerical information to be described later is digitally displayed. This circuit unit 3 is embedded in the ball 1 and its surface coincides with the surface of the ball 1. 7 is an elastic bushing that closes the battery compartment. 8 is a hole equipped with a switch, and 9 is a hole equipped with a buzzer. Both are embedded inside the holes 8 and 9, and are designed to prevent external force from being directly applied to them.

FIG. 3 shows the display surface of the display panel 6, and in the case of this embodiment, two types of information are displayed alternately, for example, at one-second intervals. That is, the numerical values shown in Figure A represent the number of times of lifting, and the numerical values shown in Figure B represent the value obtained by adding the difficulty to the number of lifting times and converting it into a score. Here, the difficulty refers to the height of the ball 1 in each kick, that is, the flight time, and this is converted into a signal by detecting the time interval from the first kick to the next kick. As this time interval increases, the score increases in a geometric progression, as shown in Figure 9.

FIG. 4 shows the circuit unit 3 and this unit 3.
shows one part of the ball equipped with. In the circuit unit 3, 6 is a display panel, and a thin, low power consumption type display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, a light emitting diode, an electroluminescence display panel, an electrochromic display panel, etc. can be used. Here, it is suitable for the liquid crystal display panel to have a flexible structure in which the entire panel is made by mixing liquid crystal with fine particles for spacers, and thereby the impact resistance of the display panel can be improved.
Furthermore, when an electrochromic display panel is used, its strength can be improved by using a solid electrolyte and making the entire panel a solid structure. 10
is an LSI constituting a microcomputer, and is fixed on the board 11. 12, 12 is the substrate 1
This connector is made of conductive rubber or the like and connects the wiring on the display panel 6 to the wiring on the display panel 6. The display panel 6, board 11, LSI 10, and connector 12 are as follows:
It is molded and integrated with resin 13. 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a battery storage hole provided in a part of the resin 13, in which the battery 15 is fixed in contact with the lower substrate 11, and its electrical connection is made through a battery storage hole provided in the substrate 11 and the side wall of the battery storage hole 14. This is done via a contact member (not shown). A protective layer 16 made of an elastic material is adhesively fixed on the resin 13, and cushions external impact applied to the display panel 6, LSI 10, etc. As the elastic material, rubber or elastic synthetic resin is used. A hard material is suitable for the resin 13. Further, instead of the resin 13, it is also possible to use a rubber material such as silicone rubber. In this case, such a rubber material may be filled into a hard container and used together with the container. Reference numeral 7 designates the aforementioned elastic bush that seals the battery storage hole 14, and can be made of the same material as the protective layer 16, and when it is press-fitted, acts to press the battery 15 against the substrate 11 below. A protrusion 17 is formed around the elastic bush 7, and the protrusion 17 fits into a groove 18 provided in the protective layer 16, so that the protrusion 17 does not easily come out. Reference numeral 19 denotes a rod-shaped switch provided in the hole 8 communicating with the resin 13 and the protective layer 16, and acts as a switch having multiple functions such as a power switch and a counting reset switch. This switch 19 has a buried structure to prevent external force from being applied directly to it. Therefore, it is necessary to use a thin rod-like object for this operation. Discrimination between multiple functions can be performed by the number of operations, and the design is such that one operation turns the power on and off, and two consecutive operations reset the count. 20 is a display window made of a transparent elastic material, and a space 2 is provided between the display window 20 and the display panel 6 in order to further relieve the external force applied to the panel 6.
1 is provided. 22 is a buzzer formed in the protective layer 16 and installed in the hole 9; 23 is the resin 1;
Electrical contact formed on the bottom surface of 3, 24 is the protective layer 1
It is a protrusion formed on 6 sides.

Next, the ball 1 side will be explained. 25 is a rubber tube with an air-tight structure into which compressed air is injected via the air injection valve 2; 26 is a thread-wound layer formed by covering the outer periphery of this tube 25; 27 is a
The middle layer 28 made of rubber is a skin layer made of natural leather or synthetic leather. 29 is a bowl-shaped container made of hard resin whose bottom surface is adhered to the tube 25; 30 is a container 29 whose outer layer 2 is connected from the top end thereof;
It is an elastic layer formed on the side surface up to 8, and the opening is formed narrowly and is provided with a groove 31. 32 is a contact formed on the bottom surface of the container 29;
Reference numeral 4 denotes a pressure sensor attached to the inner surface of the tube 25, which can be sandwiched between the tubes 25 and 25 using insect rubber.This pressure sensor 4 is electrically connected to the contacts 32. As the pressure sensor 4, one using a strain gauge or one using a diffused semiconductor is suitable.

The circuit unit 3 described above is press-fitted and fixed into the bowl-shaped container 29. That is, the protrusions 24 of the protective layer 16 engage with the grooves 31 of the elastic layer 30 to make it difficult for the circuit unit 3 to come out, and at the same time, by forming the open end on the ball side narrowly, its fixation is strengthened. ing. In order to make it even more difficult for the circuit unit 3 to slip out of the opening, a structure may be added in which a plurality of rubber strips are bridged over the opening and thereby hold the circuit unit 3 down.

5 to 7 show specific circuits and signal waveforms of the circuit unit 3 and sensor 4. Fifth
In the figure, 4 is a strain gauge type pressure sensor.
It is constructed by connecting four strain gauges S ₁ to _{S 4} with a bridge. 15 is a battery power source, and 33 is a driver circuit for driving the sensor 4, specifically a constant voltage circuit. That is, when a lithium battery is used as the battery 15, its output voltage is approximately 3.0V, but
This is because the voltage decreases over time, and a constant voltage of 0.5 to 2.0 V is required to drive the pressure sensor 4 and accurately detect pressure changes within the ball 1. The pressure sensor 4 detects changes in the air pressure inside the ball 1, and outputs an electrical pulse signal when the internal pressure increases rapidly during kicking. 34 is an amplifier that amplifies the detection signal from the sensor 4, and obtains an impact pulse _P1 as its output. This pulse _P1 corresponds to a kicking ball motion, and its pulse height is proportional to the impact intensity.

The signal P ₁ in FIG. 6 represents this, and the voltage Vo is
This corresponds to the internal pressure of the ball 1 (approximately 0.45 kg/cm ² ). 35 is a comparator, to which the signal _P1 is applied to one side terminal, and to the other terminal a reference voltage obtained by dividing the constant voltage +V by a variable resistor 36.
Vth is applied. This reference voltage Vth is the voltage Vo
This comparator 35 removes larger noise or weak impact pulses from the sensor 4. For example, the small pulse P' shown in the signal _P1 (FIG. 6) is blocked by the comparator 35. Thus comparator 35
A significant impact pulse P ₂ is output to the output terminal of . Note that the signal CP in FIG. 6 indicates a clock pulse waveform output from an oscillator 37 (FIG. 7), which will be described later.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a signal processing circuit, 38 is an AND gate into which pulse P ₂ is input, 39 is
The number counter 40 to which the output of the AND gate 38 is added is a comparator which takes the output of the number counter 39 as one input and the signal corresponding to the number "1" as the other input, and when both inputs match. That is, when the output of the number counter 39 is "1", an "H" (high) level signal is output. This H
The level signal is generated by the electronic sound generation circuit 41 first stage circuit 41
joins and drives this. Electronic sound generation circuit 41
is divided into four stage circuits, the first stage circuit 41 receives a continuous sound signal with a certain time width, and the second stage circuit 41 receives a continuous sound signal with a fixed time width.
is an instantaneous single sound signal, and the third stage circuit 41 is
The intermittent sound circuit, the fourth stage circuit 41 outputs a continuous sound signal having a fixed time width. These four-stage circuits 41
- 41 are applied to a driver circuit 43 via an OR gate 42 to cause a buzzer 44 to sound. 4
Reference numeral 5 denotes an AND gate which has two inputs of signals obtained by inverting the output of the AND gate 38 and the output of the comparator 40 via an inverter 46, and its output is sent to the second stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41. is input to. Reference numeral 37 denotes an oscillator that generates a clock pulse CP, and this pulse CP is inputted to a counting terminal of a time counter 48 via an AND gate 47. 49
is a set/reset circuit which successively outputs a reset signal and a set signal immediately after the input of pulse _P2 , which are added to the time counter 48. The counting contents of the time counter 48 are first cleared by a reset signal, and then enabled for counting by a subsequent set signal. The reset and set signals are output in synchronization with the clock pulse CP. 50 is an arithmetic circuit that receives the output of the time counter 48 and executes the following predetermined arithmetic operation.

Y=(α・Ti)β (1) Here, α and β are constants, and α>10 and β≧1. Also, Ti is from the i-th pulse P ₂ to (i+1)
The period until the second pulse P ₂ , 0.05sec≦Ti
<3.0sec. The value of Y represents the score, and as the value of the period Ti is large, the value increases in a geometric progression. The 9th curve
As shown in the figure. 51 is a latch circuit, and 52 is an adder, which adds the calculation result by the calculation circuit 50 and the memory contents of the latch circuit 51, and the result is held in the latch circuit 51. In this way, the latch circuit 51 holds the total number of scores up to the i-th score, and is integrated via the adder 52 every time the i+1-th score is output from the arithmetic circuit 50. 53 is a frequency divider that receives the output pulse CP of the oscillator 37 and divides the frequency into a 1Hz signal; 54 is this frequency divider;
Hz signal switching signal, and other input signals include the score information signal from the latch circuit 51 and the number counter 3.
The display content switching circuit receives the number information signal from 9 and outputs the score information signal and the number information signal alternately at a 1 Hz cycle according to the switching signal. 5
Reference numeral 7 indicates a driver circuit that receives the number information signal or the score information signal and obtains a display drive signal, and 58 indicates a display panel. Reference numeral 59 denotes a comparator which inputs the time signal Ti from the time counter 48 as an input signal and the time signal To set as the maximum period as a reference signal, and when the relationship Ti<To is satisfied, it is in a normal state. It makes a judgment and obtains an L (low) level signal at its output. In this example, this time To is
It is set to "3 seconds". This is due to the following reasons. In other words, in general, in ball lifting competitions, the period from the first impact to the second impact corresponds to the height of the ball that was kicked up, and the ball must be held high. Since this requires a high degree of skill, this period To cannot be infinitely long, and judging from the skill level of a normal player, it is based on the assumption that the limit is about 3 seconds. The output of the comparator 59 is input to the third stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41, and at the same time is input to the AND gates 38 and 47 via a NOR gate 60. pulse from this
After the output of P ₂ , if the panel P ₂ is not output even after the time To has elapsed, the output of the comparator 59 changes to "H" level, the output of the NOR gate 60 is inverted to "L" level, and the AND gate 38 , 47 are blocked. In such a case, an electronic sound (intermittent sound) is used to indicate that the time is over, a rule has been violated, etc.
In this case, it is necessary to control so that the contents of the time counter 48 counted up to the time To after the last pulse P ₂ is output are not transferred to the arithmetic circuit 50. This uses the signal from the set/reset circuit 49 to set the i+1st pulse.
This can be achieved by configuring to perform calculations based on the contents of the time counter 48 counted during the period from the i-th pulse generation time to the i+1-th pulse generation time only when P ₂ arrives.

Reference numeral 61 denotes a comparator which receives the time signal Ti from the time counter 48 as an input signal and inputs the time signal Ts set as the minimum period as a reference, and Ti≧
When the relationship Ts is satisfied, it is determined that it is in a normal state and an "L" level signal is obtained at its output. In this embodiment, this time Ts is set to "0.25 seconds". This is due to the following reasons. In other words, if the period of impact before and after is extremely short,
This is because the ball's bounce naturally attenuates after falling to the ground, or the intention is to increase the number of kicks by keeping the height of the ball extremely low. It is set to "0.25 seconds". If the time Ti is smaller than this reference time Ts, the comparator 61
The output of NOR gate 60 changes to "H" level, and therefore the output of NOR gate 60 is inverted to "L" level, cutting off AND gates 38 and 47. As a result, both the number counter 39 and the time counter 48 stop their counting operations.

Incidentally, the arrow indicated by R in the figure indicates a reset signal, which is generated when the above-mentioned switch 19 is operated and when the power is turned on.

Next, the operation of the circuit will be explained. In the initial state, all the circuits are in the reset state, and the outputs of the comparators 59 and 61 are both at the "L" level, so the output of the NOR gate 60 is "H", and therefore the AND gates 38 and 47 are open. in a state. In such a state, if the first impact pulse _P2 is generated by applying an external force such as a kick to the ball 1, this pulse _P2 passes through the AND gate 38 and is input to the number counter 39 and the set value, respectively. Input to reset circuit 49. When the number counter 39 counts "1", both of the two inputs of the comparator 40 become "I", and an "H" level signal is obtained at its output. This "H" level signal activates the first stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41, and a continuous sound having a certain time width is emitted. This electronic sound means the start. The count signal of the number counter 39 is applied to the driver circuit 57 through the display content switching circuit 54 which is switched at a cycle of 1 Hz.
The number of times "1" is displayed on the display panel 58 at one second intervals.

Next, when the second impact pulse _P2 is input, the content of the number counter 39 changes to "2".
At this time, since the two inputs of the comparator 40 do not match, its output changes to "L" level, the output of the inverter 46 becomes "H", and the two inputs of the AND gate 45 both become "H". Obtain “H” at its output. This “H” level signal activates the second stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41.
A momentary single sound is uttered. This means that external force is applied for the second time or later. When the second impact pulse _P2 is input to the time counter 48, the contents of the count up to the point of input of this pulse are input to the next stage arithmetic circuit 50, and the score conversion as described above is executed. Since the memory content of the latch circuit 51 is initially zero, the result of this operation is sent to the adder 52.
The score information is stored in the latch circuit 51 via the display content switching circuit 54 and is applied to the display panel 58 via the display content switching circuit 54. Thus, the number counter 39
The numerical value "2" which is the content of "2" and the above-mentioned score will be displayed alternately on the display panel 58 at one second intervals. From then on, each time the impact pulse P ₂ is applied, the contents of the number counter 39 are incremented by "1", and the contents of the time counter 48 are processed through the calculation circuit 50, and as score information,
It is integrated into the latch circuit 51.

After the impact pulse P ₂ is generated, if the next pulse P ₂ does not arrive during the time To (3 seconds), the comparator 5
The output of 9 changes to "H", and the AND gates 38, 4
7 to prohibit the sending of count signals to the number counter 39 and time counter 48, and at the same time activate the third stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41.
It emits a continuous sound with a certain duration. This electronic sound means that the time has expired or that a rule has been violated.

On the other hand, when the game ends and the ball falls to the ground,
When the pound is attenuated, the pulse interval of impact pulse P ₂ becomes gradually shorter, and when this interval becomes less than time Ts (0.25 seconds),
The output of the comparator 61 changes to "H" and closes the AND gates 38 and 47 via the NOR gate 60. As a result, the counting of the number counter 39 and the time counter 48 is prohibited as described above, and at the same time, the fourth stage circuit 41 of the electronic sound generation circuit 41 is activated.
A continuous sound with a certain duration is emitted. This electronic sound means the competition is over.

In this way, the competition is based on the number of lifting attempts alternately displayed on the display panel 58 and the score obtained by adding the difficulty level to the number of lifting attempts.

Although the intended purpose can be achieved by the circuit configuration as described above, in reality, similar processing can be executed by a microcomputer. This will be explained using the program flowchart shown in FIG. When a start is applied, such as by turning on the power, the arithmetic section, storage section, etc. are first reset.
Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the impact pulse P ₂ has been input, and if the pulse P ₂ is present, a start sound which is a continuous sound is emitted. Subsequently, the time counter starts counting time. In the next step, the counting time Ti is compared with the longest reference time To, and if it is determined that Ti≧To, it is determined that the time has exceeded, and a rule violation is indicated by generating an intermittent electronic sound. After the electronic sound is generated, the state returns to the initial state. Also, if the second impact pulse P ₂ is input within the period when the condition Ti<To is satisfied,
The counting of the time counter is stopped and the counting time is now
A comparison is made between Ti and a minimum reference time Ts,
If Ti≧Ts, that is, it is determined to be normal, a single electronic sound is generated, and “1” is added to the number of times N. On the other hand, if it is determined that Ti<Ts, it is determined that the competition is over, the number of times and the score up to that point are displayed, and at the same time a completion notification sound is emitted, and the state returns to the initial state. As described above, when it is determined that Ti≧Ts and the number of times has been counted, the score is subsequently calculated. This is done using the above-mentioned equation (1), and then the integration is performed. This is shown in the following equation.

Y= _N 〓 ⁱ⁼¹ (α・Ti)〓 (2) The score Y thus calculated and the number of impacts N are displayed alternately on the display panel. After such processing, the contents of the time counter are reset and the process returns to the step of starting time counting again. Such processing is repeatedly executed according to the input of the impact pulse, and the number of times is added and the score is calculated.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the ball itself has a built-in detection means for detecting an external force applied to the ball, and a means for counting and displaying this detection signal, so that players can exercise by themselves. There is no need to count the number of times, and you can concentrate on the competition. Further, according to the present invention, since the height of the kicked ball is converted into a score and displayed, it becomes possible to objectively evaluate the athletic technique, and it can be used, for example, as a means of evaluating the lifting technique of soccer players. can. Further, the ball according to the present invention is suitable as a play ball for young children who cannot count numbers satisfactorily. Furthermore, lifting competitions or kemari-like competitions using balls according to the present invention do not require a large playing area and can be played by just one person, so they can be enjoyed as easy sports.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the ball according to the embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a front view of the ball, Figures 3A and 3B are display state diagrams of the display panel, Figure 4 is a sectional view showing an electronic device and a part of the ball, and Figure 5 is a sensor section and its 6 is a signal waveform diagram, FIG. 7 is an implementation circuit diagram, FIG. 8 is a program flowchart, and FIG. 9 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between score Y and time Ti. 1... Exercise ball, 3... Circuit unit, 6
...display panel, 10...LSI, 11...board,
13...Resin, 15...Battery, 16...Protective layer,
19... Switch, 22... Buzzer, 29... Bowl-shaped container, 4... Sensor, 39... Number of times counter,
40, 59, 61... Comparator, 41... Electronic sound generation circuit, 37... Oscillator, 48... Time counter, 49... Set/reset circuit, 50... Arithmetic circuit, 51... Latch circuit, 52 ...adder,
53... Frequency divider, 54... Display content switching circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detection means for detecting an external force applied to the ball, a calculation means for receiving a detection signal from the detection means and obtaining a numerical information signal related to the external force, and a calculation means for receiving the numerical information signal from the calculation means. It includes a display means for displaying the numerical information and a battery power supply means for driving each of the above-mentioned means, and at least the above-mentioned calculation means, display means and power supply means are integrally formed to constitute a circuit unit, and the circuit unit together with the above-mentioned detection means The air injection valve is disposed on the inner surface of the ball having an air-sealing structure on the opposite surface of the air injection valve, and is characterized in that the weight of the valve and the additional weight of the circuit unit and the detection means are set to be substantially equal. exercise ball. 2. The above-mentioned circuit unit is removable from the ball body, is configured so that the surface of the unit coincides with the surface of the ball when installed, and a protective layer made of an elastic material is provided on the surface of the circuit unit to alleviate external forces. An exercise ball according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The exercise ball according to claim 1, wherein the detection means comprises a pressure sensor attached to the inner surface of the tube, which is the innermost layer of the ball, to detect air pressure inside the ball. 4. The exercise ball according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means includes a number counter for counting the number of times an external force is applied to the ball, and the contents of the number counter are displayed on the display means. 5. The calculation means includes a time counter that counts the time interval between two external forces applied to the ball, and the display means displays score information calculated based on the contents of the time counter. An exercise ball according to claim 1. 6 The calculation means includes a number counter that counts the number of external forces applied to the ball, and a number counter that counts the number of external forces applied to the ball.
Claim 1, further comprising a time counter for counting time intervals between two external forces, wherein the contents of the number counter and the time counter are each converted into points and displayed on the display means. exercise ball. 7. The exercise ball according to claim 6, wherein the display means is comprised of one type of display device and alternately displays the score information of the number counter and the time counter at a predetermined period. 8. The calculation means includes means for multiplying the contents of the time counter by a different count depending on the size of the contents of the time counter, and the display means displays the multiplied numerical value as a score. Claims 5, 6, or 7
Exercise ball as described in section. 9 The calculation means calculates the number of times the number counter and the time counter when the content of the time counter exceeds the minimum time set based on the bounce of the ball and the maximum time set based on the flight time of the ball. 7. The exercise ball according to claim 6, further comprising prohibition means for prohibiting the counting operation.