KR20090029702A - Smart communicating sports equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Mobile communication devices are interfaced with sports equipment that include at least one embedded sensor. The sensor may be a variety of different sensors, including, but not limited to: 3D acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors; humidity sensors; wind speed sensors; pressure sensors; and the like. Data that relates to the sensor measurements are transmitted wirelessly from the sports equipment to another device that may analyze the data. This device may be a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, or a wired device, such as a desktop computer. The data may be transmitted through one or more networks.

Description

Smart communication sports device {SMART COMMUNICATING SPORTS EQUIPMENT}

The sports equipment market continues to expand. Over the years, equipment has been developed to analyze the performance of users with sports equipment. Some of these devices include golf devices that measure the golf ball's launch angle, back spin, side spin as well as the speed of the golf swing. In addition to equipment for determining the position of the ball in the strike zone or the position of the ball near the foul line, other sports equipment has been developed for baseball bats to measure the speed of baseball pitching. Such equipment is typically in close proximity to the user while the user is participating in or practicing his sport. For example, a person who measures his golf swing speed may place the measuring device within close proximity from his swing surface. Once the golf club is swung, the measuring device outputs the swing speed. However, this equipment can be very expensive and / or cumbersome to use.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to assist in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Equipment, such as sports equipment, has at least one sensor embedded therein that wirelessly transmits data to other devices. The built-in sensor may be a variety of different sensors, including, but not limited to, 3D acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, wind speed sensors, pressure sensors, and the like. Data relating to built-in sensor measurements is wirelessly transmitted from sports equipment to other devices, such as mobile devices that can analyze the data and present it to the user. In addition, this data may be transmitted to the user and / or other computing device via one or more networks.

1 and 2 illustrate an example computing device.

3 is a functional block diagram generally illustrating a smart communication sports equipment system.

4 is a system diagram of a smart communicating golf club.

5 is a system diagram of a smart communication sport ball.

6 is a system diagram of a smart communicating tee base.

7 is a system diagram of a base station.

8 shows an example mobile device screen shot of sensor data received from a smart communication sports equipment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.

3 is a functional block diagram generally illustrating a smart communication sports equipment system 300 in accordance with aspects of the present invention. Computing device 330 is a computing device as described in FIG. 1 and mobile device 320 is a mobile computing device as described in FIG.

Typically, a user uses sports applications such as sports application 322 and sports application 332 to perform analysis of sensor data received from sports equipment. Such sports applications are configured to receive sensor data via base stations 308, 310 or over a network coupled to the sports equipment, or directly from the sports equipment. Application 332 may be configured to communicate with other applications, such as application 322 on mobile device 320. Once the data is received from the smart communication sports equipment, the user can use the sports application to interact with the data on his device. By using a mobile device, a user can interact with data at almost any location. For example, a user may interact with golf club sensor data while practicing on a golf course.

Many different types of equipment may interface with mobile device 320 and computing device 330. For convenience of illustration, only a few explicit types of sports equipment are shown in FIG. 3. Club 312, ball 314, tee base 315 are coupled to mobile computing device 320 through base station 308. Equipment 1 -N; 316-318 are coupled to computing device 330 through base station 308. The equipment can also be connected to other devices (mobile or fixed) via network connections. Each device includes a node with one or more embedded sensors. At least one of the embedded sensors is configured to wirelessly transmit sensor data. According to one embodiment, each embedded sensor is wirelessly coupled and each node not only complies with certain network protocols but also includes the ability to wirelessly communicate directly with other nodes. According to one embodiment, the nodes of Crossbow Technology, Inc. are embedded in smart communication equipment. According to one embodiment, sensor data generated by the equipment is received by the base station and then provided to the device.

In general, a node can make sense, perform limited computations, and communicate wirelessly with other nodes or devices. Nodes typically include microprocessors, sensors such as microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors, and wireless devices (transceivers) controlled by small operating systems. The microprocessor processes the sensor data, the MEMS sensor provides an array of sensor inputs, and the wireless device enables the node to wirelessly transmit its sensor readings over the network.

Nodes are typically powered by small batteries, such as 3V batteries. Typically, a node can be powered for about six months to one year using a battery. Some nodes can last much longer using batteries. Some nodes are being developed that operate on solar power or draw power from external sources. To save power, the node can go to sleep and only wake up if a sensor reading is needed.

According to one embodiment, each node includes an operating system ("TinyOS"), which is an open source operating system designed for wireless embedded sensor networks. TinyOS includes a scheduler, database, wireless radio stack, mesh networking software, power management, and encryption technologies. TinyOS's component library includes network protocols, distributed services, sensor drivers, and data acquisition tools. TinyOS is an event-driven execution model that enables fine-grained power management but still requires scheduling flexibility due to the unpredictable nature of wireless communications and the physical world interface. .

The cellular / pager network 350 is a network responsible for message delivery to and reception of messages from wireless devices. The cellular / pager network 350 may include both wireless and wired components. For example, a cellular / pager network may include a cellular tower linked to a wired telephone network. Typically, cellular towers communicate with cell phones, long distance communication links, and the like. Wireless devices can also connect directly to WANs, LANs, and the like, using hardware such as Wi-Fi cards that are increasingly used for mobile devices.

Gateway 360 routes messages between the cellular / pager network 850 and the WAN / LAN 340. For example, a computer user can send an addressed message to a cellular telephone. Gateway 360 provides a means for transmitting a message from WAN / LAN 340 to cellular / pager network 350. Conversely, a user with a device connected to a cellular network can browse the web. Gateway 360 allows hyperlink text protocol (HTTP) messages to be communicated between WAN / LAN 340 and cellular / pager network 350.

4 illustrates a system of smart communication golf clubs in accordance with aspects of the present invention. As shown, the smart communication golf club 312 includes a head 450, a shaft 460, and a grip 470. Head 450 includes a built-in 3-D acceleration sensor 410. The shaft 450 includes a wireless processor module 420 powered by a battery 430. Antenna 440 is coupled to wireless processor module 420.

More than one sensor may be embedded in golf club 312. For example, a pressure sensor (not shown) may be disposed within the grip 490 to measure the pressure exerted on the golf club during the swing.

Each wireless processor module is coupled to a sensor and data acquisition board. In this example, the sensor and data acquisition board include a 3-D acceleration sensor 410. Nodes formed by sensors and wireless processor modules can communicate with other similar nodes and form their own networks. To connect with a host PC, LAN, or the Internet, the processor / wireless board is coupled to the gateway and network interface (see Figure 3).

The gateway can be connected to an RS-232 port, an Ethernet port, or wirelessly using the 802.11 a / b protocol. Examples of sensors that can be coupled to a wireless processor module include accelerometer sensors, barometer sensors, light sensors, sound sensors, magnetometer sensors, photo-sensitive light sensors, relative humidity sensors, and temperature sensors. It may include.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the wireless module is Mica2Dot manufactured by Crossbow Technology. 3-D acceleration sensor 410 is model number ACH04-08-05 manufactured by Measurement Specialties.

Club 312 may be used to provide 3-D acceleration data to a user. Many uses of this data can be determined. For example, a user can review this data to know his club speed as well as whether his club is on or off the target line.

As an example the use of smart communication sports equipment is clearly illustrated. Golf applications can operate on advanced smartphones with low-power local wireless technology. Golf clubs and tee bases (see FIG. 6) provide sports data (such as 3-D acceleration information) and environmental data (such as temperature and humidity) that can be transmitted in near real time to mobile devices for post-processing and observation. Includes multiple sensors for. Other data may also be transmitted by the golf club. For example, wind speed, direction, humidity, etc. on the ground can be transmitted. In addition, a practice golf ball (see example smartball in FIG. 5) may include sensors for speed, acceleration, and even the ball's locality. This may equally apply to tennis, squash, which may, for example, monitor the spin and locality information of the ball (eg, information about whether the ball is in or out of the play area).

5 illustrates a system of smart communication sport balls in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. As shown, the smart ball 314 includes a 3-D acceleration sensor 510, a wireless processor module 520, and a battery 530. The 3-D acceleration sensor 510 is coupled to the wireless module 520 and the battery 530. The wireless module is coupled to the antenna 540, the 3-D acceleration sensor 510, and the battery 530.

The components shown in FIG. 5 may be included in many different types of balls. For example, these components may be included in a golf ball, tennis ball, basketball ball, baseball ball, tennis ball, soccer ball, football ball, and the like. As the ball moves, the 3-D acceleration sensor 510 senses 3-D acceleration and provides this sensor measurement to the wireless module 520. The wireless module 520 may then transmit sensor data to some other device on the network using the antenna 540.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the wireless module is Mica2Dot manufactured by Crossbow Technology. 3-D acceleration sensor 410 is model number ACH04-08-05 manufactured by Measurement Specialties.

6 illustrates a system of smart communication tea base in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. As shown, the smart tea base 315 includes a humidity sensor 610, a sensor board 620, a wireless module 630, a battery 640, and an antenna 650.

The sensor board 620 is coupled to the humidity sensor 610 and the wireless module 630. The wireless module 630 is coupled to the battery 640 and the antenna 650. Smart tea base 315 is configured to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the environment.

According to one embodiment, the humidity sensor is C5M3 manufactured by Sensorbase Technologic, the wireless module is Mica2 manufactured by Crossbow Technology, and the sensor board is MTS310CA sensor board manufactured by Crossbow Technology.

7 illustrates a system of a base station in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. As shown, the base station 700 includes a wireless processor module 710, an interface board 720, a gateway 730, a battery 740, and an antenna 750.

Base station 700 is configured to receive sensor data from smart communication sports equipment and then forward the data to a host computing device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interface board is Mica2 manufactured by Crossbow Technology, the wireless module is a MIB510CA or MIB500CA interface / programming board manufactured by Crossbow Technology, and the gateway is a computing device or a mobile device as shown in FIG. It may be a computing device.

The interface board 720 may be coupled to the gateway device 730 wirelessly or via a wired connection. For example, an RS-232 serial interface may be used, and a hardwired Ethernet connection, or a wireless network connection may be used.

8 illustrates an example mobile device screen shot of sensor data received from a smart communication sports equipment in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Screen shot 810 shows the radial component of a golf club. Screen shot 820 shows the tangent component of a golf club. Radian and tangent components were received from the accelerometer sensor. Screen shot 830 shows the temperature and relative humidity measured by the tee base as described in FIG. 6, the speed of the golf club and the speed of the ball. In this particular embodiment, the golf club is a putter. The speed of the ball is measured as described for the small ball as described in FIG. Many types of displays can be configured to show sensor data to the user in a meaningful way.

1 and 2 and corresponding descriptions are intended to briefly and generally describe suitable computing environments in which embodiments may be implemented.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing the present invention includes a computing device, such as computing device 100. In a very basic configuration, computing device 100 typically includes at least one processing unit 102 and system memory 104. Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device, system memory 104 may be volatile (such as RAM), nonvolatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.), or some combination of volatile and nonvolatile. System memory 104 typically includes an operating system 105 and one or more applications 106, and may include program data 107. In one embodiment, the application 106 may include the sports application 120 to process and display sensor data received from the smart communication sports equipment. This basic configuration is shown in components in dashed line 108 in FIG. 1.

Computing device 100 may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device 100 may include additional data storage devices (removable and / or non-removable) such as magnetic disks, optical disks, tapes. Such additional storage is shown in FIG. 1 as removable storage 109 and non-removable storage 110. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory 104, removable storage 109, and non-removable storage 110 are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROMs, DVDs or other optical storage devices, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any desired information. And any other medium that can be used and accessed by the computing device 100, but is not limited to this example. Any such computer storage media may be part of computing device 100. In addition, the computing device 100 may have an input device 112 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, a touch input device, or the like. Output devices 114 such as displays, speakers, printers, and the like may also be included.

Computing device 100 may include a communication connection 116 that enables, for example, communication with other computing devices 118 via a network. Communication connection 116 is one example of communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier or transmission mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term " modulated data signal " means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed to encode information in the signal. By way of example, communication media includes, but is not limited to, wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, or other wireless media. As used herein, the term computer readable media includes both storage media and communication media.

2 illustrates a mobile computing device that can be used in one exemplary embodiment of the invention. 2, an exemplary system for implementing the present invention includes a mobile computing device, such as mobile computing device 200. Mobile computing device 200 includes a processor 260, a memory 262, a display 228, and a keypad 232. Memory 262 generally includes both volatile memory (eg, RAM) and nonvolatile memory (eg, ROM, flash memory, etc.). Mobile computing device 200 includes an operating system 264, such as Microsoft Corporation's Windows CE operating system, or other operating system that resides in memory 262 and runs on processor 260. Keypad 232 may be a push button numeric dialing pad (eg, on a conventional telephone), a multikey keyboard (such as a conventional keyboard). Display 228 may be a liquid crystal display, or any other type of display commonly used in mobile computing devices. Display 228 may be touch-sensitive and also functions as an input device.

One or more application programs, such as sports program 266, are loaded into memory 262 and run on operating system 264. The sports application 266 on the mobile computing device 200 is programmed to process sensor data received from smart communication sports equipment. Sports applications can reside within the hardware or software of the device. The mobile computing device 200 may include volatile storage and nonvolatile storage in the memory 262. Memory 262 also includes a sports data store 268 that is used to store data and sensor data relating to sports applications. Data store 268 may be a global facility for storing sports related data for an application on the device.

Mobile computing device 200 includes a power source 270 that can be implemented as one or more batteries. The power source 270 may further include an external power source such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradle that charges or supplements the battery.

Mobile computing device 200 is shown with two types of optional external notification mechanisms, LED 240 and audio interface 274. These devices, when activated, may be coupled directly to power source 270 to remain on for the duration indicated by the notification mechanism even if processor 260 and other components are shut down to conserve battery power. . Audio interface 274 is used to provide an audible signal to and receive an audible signal from the user. For example, audio interface 274 may be coupled to a microphone to receive audio input and coupled to a speaker to provide audio output, for example, to facilitate telephone conversation.

The mobile computing device 200 also includes communication connection (s), such as a radio interface layer, that performs the transmission and reception of communications. The communication connection 272 facilitates wireless connectivity between the mobile computing device 200 and the outside world. According to one embodiment, the communication to and from the communication connection 272 is performed under the control of the operating system 264.

The foregoing description, examples, and data, fully illustrate the manufacture and use of the composition of the present invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter.

Claims (8)

An embedded sensor configured to generate sensor data and configured to measure at least one of acceleration, light, sound, temperature, humidity, spin, position, wind, pressure, An embedded wireless processor module coupled to the embedded sensor, the embedded wireless processor module configured to receive the sensor data and to transmit data regarding the sensor data via a wireless link; An antenna coupled to the embedded wireless processor module; A power source configured to provide power to the embedded sensor and the embedded wireless processor module Smart communication sports apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, And the embedded wireless processor module is further configured to transmit the data over the wireless link to a base station configured to receive and provide the data to the computing device over the wireless link. The method of claim 1, The built-in sensor is a smart communication sports device selected from an accelerometer sensor, barometer sensor, light sensor, sound sensor, magnetometer sensor, humidity sensor, temperature sensor, wind sensor. The method of claim 1, The smart communication sport device is a smart communication sport device configured to be one of a club, a ball, a tee base. The method of claim 1, The built-in sensor. Smart communication sports device comprising a 3-D acceleration sensor and a pressure sensor coupled to the embedded wireless processor module. The method of claim 1, The built-in sensor, smart communication sports device comprising a 3-D acceleration sensor and a position sensor coupled to the embedded wireless processor module. The method of claim 1, The built-in sensor is a smart communication sports device configured to measure temperature, humidity, wind speed and comprises an environmental sensor coupled to the embedded wireless processor module. The method of claim 1, The embedded wireless processor module includes a scheduler and a wireless radio stack and an operating system configured to perform an operation on the sensor data.

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