WO2001083043A1

WO2001083043A1 - Exercising device

Info

Publication number: WO2001083043A1
Application number: PCT/NO2001/000184
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stig Kr. Gravlie
Original assignee: Stigra H. Eriksens Eftf As
Priority date: 2000-05-03
Filing date: 2001-05-03
Publication date: 2001-11-08
Also published as: NO20002338L; DE20180368U1; NO20002338D0; AU2001260808A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a training device with a target plate for use in sport, especially sport with a ball, puck and the like which is aimed at a goal, to be mounted in such a goal, and in turn record hits on the target plate and possibly also record the force exerted on the target plate by an hit. The training device according to the present invention is provided with one or more electronic sensors which record an hit on the target plate, and which in a preferred embodiment can record the force exerted on the target plate by an hit. According to the present invention the electronic sensor is connected to a recording device for electronic signals where a first processing of the signals from one or more sensors is performed, and which recording device can also be connected to other peripheral units such as a display device or data processing device. The present invention futher relates to a system for processing information from one or more training devices with electronic sensors.

Description

Exercising device.

The present invention relates to a training device with a target plate for use in sport, especially sport with a ball, a puck, etc. which is aimed at a goal, to be mounted in such a goal in order to record hits on the target plate as well as possibly recording the force exerted on the target plate by the hit.

The training device according to the present invention is provided with one or more electronic sensors which record an impact/hit on the target plate, and which in a preferred embodiment can record the force which is exerted on the target plate by an impact/hit. According to the present invention the electronic sensor is connected to a recording device for electronic signals where a first processing of the signals from one or more sensors is performed, and which recording device may further be connected to other peripheral units such as a display device or data processing device. The present invention further relates to a system for processing information from one or more training devices with electronic sensors.

In connection with various kinds of sport where a ball, puck or the like is aimed at a goal, it is desirable for individual players or teams to practise shooting at the goal both in order to attain the desired precision as well as the desired force in a shot. This kind of training may be difficult to evaluate since it gives very little indication of how well a shot is positioned in relation to the object, i.e. what the player aimed at, while at the same time it is difficult to evaluate the force of the shot. In addition, it is difficult to assess the various . players in relation to one another with regard to accuracy of positioning and force of shot. In cases where teams are composed of players from different geographical locations, it is also difficult to assess the various players in relation to one another, with the result that coaches and team co-ordinators have to travel to the players' local training facilities in order to be able to evaluate the individual players there. Alternatively, a large group of players may be assembled for a so-called "selection trial" where the players are assessed and selected in order to form a team. However, both these methods require a certain amount of travelling which is both expensive and time-consuming, in addition to which individual players may have a "bad day", thus making them unable to do their very best during a selection procedure of this kind. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a trairiing device which can give an indication of a player's accuracy in positioning a shot while at the same time the training device can give an indication of the force of the shot when passing into the goal. It is a further object that the training device according to the present invention should be easy to move and install, thus enabling one or more training devices according to the present invention to be mounted in a goal at suitable locations along the goal post, thus making it possible to practise shooting precision against several parts of the goal, e.g. at the request of the coach or in some other way according to a specific system. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for processing information from one or more training devices according to the above- mentioned objects, which system makes it possible to evaluate players by recording the precision and force of the shot and then send this information to a person who wishes to evaluate this information. It is a further object of the present invention that the person who has to assess one or more players can set up a sequence where a number of training devices as indicated above specify via signal indicators which positions in a goal have to be hit by a player and then record whether the player is capable of hitting the desired target, e.g. within a specified time frame. This permits two-way communication between coach/player and the person assessing the player, e.g. in order to assemble a team across clubs, regions and perhaps nations.

Thus according to the present invention a training device has been provided with the object of counteracting the above-mentioned problems, as well as satisfying the above-mentioned objects. The training device is specified in the introductory part of the following independent claim 1, with characterising features as specified in the characterising part of claim 1. Further embodiments of the training device are specified in claims 2 to 6. Moreover, according to the present invention a system is provided for processing information which counteracts the above-mentioned problems and satisfies the above-mentioned objects. The system according to the present invention is specified in the following independent claim 7, with characterising features as specified in the characterising part of the following claim 7. Further embodiments of the system are specified in the dependent claims following claim 7.

According to the invention there is provided a training device with a target plate for use in sport, which training device is preferably mounted immediately on the inside of a goal post by attaching the training device to the goal post by means of a suitable attachment device. In alternative embodiments the training device may be placed by and large in any desired position in a goal by varying the attachment device with struts which provide an increased distance from the goal post or posts to which the attachment device is fastened. The training device according to the present invention is thereby particularly suited to those sports where precision and force are important elements, such as, e.g., handball, football, bandy, ice hockey, etc. In these sports branches, the placing of the ball or puck near the goal's upper crossbar, as well as at the intersections between the crossbar and a vertical goal post are particularly strategic points for placing shots. Other strategic points for placing shots may be, e.g., in the transition between a vertical goal post and the ground/floor. Thus it will be possible to install a plurality of training devices according to the present invention at a plurality of strategic locations in a goal, whereupon the players can practise strategic positioning of shots while at the same time receiving a verification of whether a shot is within a given distance from the strategic point. This distance may be changed by changing the size and perhaps the shape of the target plate employed with the training device. It is the target surface on the training device which is hit by a shot and which thereby transfers an hit to electronic information which is further recorded in accordance with the invention. By varying the size and shape of the target plate, the strategic target area can be increased or restricted.

According to the invention, the framing device consists of a housing, in which housing an arm with a first and a second end are movably mounted. In a preferred embodiment the mounting is implemented as a fulcrum between the first and second end of the arm. The first end of the arm is connected to the target surface on the outside of the housing and the second end of the arm is located inside the housing by preferably one electrical sensor, with the result that the arm influences the electrical sensor when there is an impact/hit on the target plate. The sensor is further connected to a recording device for electronic signals, possibly via a signal amplifier or another necessary electronic device which permits the transmission of electronic signals from the electronic sensor to a recording unit. The transmission of the signals is preferably carried out via cables, but in alternative embodiments may also be cordless, a transmitter unit being provided in connection with the electronic sensor, possibly in connection with a signal amplifier, while a receiver unit is provided in connection with the recording device for the electronic signals. The electronic sensor which is employed in connection with the present invention is preferably a pressure-sensitive sensor and in a simple embodiment of the present invention the sensor records only digitally whether an impact/hit against the target plate has taken place or not. In further embodiments the electronic pressure sensor is capable of quantifying the force against the target plate and by calibrating such a sensor it will be possible to express the force in a known and measurable quantity to which players and coaches can relate. In a preferred embodiment the electronic sensor is composed of a bar mounted perpendicularly relative to the direction of movement of the second end of the arm of the training device, on which bar are mounted a number of strain gauges which together provide a representation of the force on trie target plate after it has been transferred via the first and second ends of the arm to the bar with the strain gauges. This embodiment is preferred since a technical solution with strain gauges is reliable and inexpensive while taking up little space and the signals are easily processed in an electronic circuit.

In order for the training device to give a representative indication of the force of an impact/hit against the target plate, in a preferred embodiment the target plate is curved convexly towards the body (ball or puck) which has to hit the target plate. The force on the edge of the target plate will thereby be less than at the central part of the target plate and this curved shape will be able to compensate completely or partly for the torque which is produced on account of the distance between the attachment point for the target plate and the target point outside this attachment point. The ball or puck will thereby "bounce off the target plate and the reading of the force will be correctly represented even though the hit is recorded on the edge of the target plate. Alternatively, the target plate may be conical in shape with a point at the attachment point to the second end of the arm and with a fixed angle decreasing from the attachment point.

In a further embodiment the training device according to the present invention may be provided with a signal device which is further connected to the recording device and which can be activated by the recording device. A signal device of this kind may, for example, be a light diode, or another luminous point mounted on the training device's housing or in connection with the target plate. Activation of the signal device can indicate that a player has to aim at and try to hit the indicated training device, and thus it will be possible for a coach, for example, to indicate as required one of several training devices which a player should aim at and try to hit with a shot by activating a signal device in a training device amongst several training devices mounted in the same goal.

Furthermore, according to the present invention a system is provided for processing information from one or several training devices with electronic sensors as indicated above where each of the electronic sensors as indicated above is connected to a recording device, where the recording device according to the invention is further connected to a peripheral data processing device. When an impact/hit is recorded on a target plate, the recording device receives electronic signals from a training device, whereupon these signals may be processed and transmitted to the peripheral data processing device together with information concerning from which training device the signals have been received. Thus it is possible to identify which training device has been hit if a plurality of training devices are mounted in a goal, while at the same time this information is combined with information concerning, e.g. the force of the impact/hit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the peripheral data processing device is a personal computer, which is preferred since personal computers to-day are inexpensive and easy to use, while having highly standardised signal inputs and it will therefore be possible to design the recording device according to the present invention in such a manner that it can communicate with a large number of personal computers of different types. Sports clubs and coaches, e.g., may therefore use their own personal computers, or personal computers belonging to the club or training facilities.

In a further embodiment the peripheral data processing device can store information which is received from the recording device and thus it will be possible to compare information concerning the precision and force of an hit for one and the same player over time, possibly in order to trace any improvement. It will, moreover, be possible to compare the precision and force of different players. The stored information may also be transmitted in electronic form, e.g. via e-mail or in another file format to others who may be interested in information concerning the players' precision and force when hitting the target.

In a further embodiment the peripheral data processing device can execute a pre-defined sequence which via the recording device activates signal devices in different training devices. It will therefore be possible to program a sequence where the signal device in different training devices is activated in a predetermined sequence where, e.g., it is recorded wimin a specified time frame whether a shot and impact/hit have occurred against the indicated fraining device. This makes it possible for coaches or co-ordinators to set up specific sequences in relation to which several players have to be tested before comparing the results. Furthermore, such pre-programmed sequences may also be transmitted in electronic form, e.g. from a co-ordinator to the coach in a club via e- mail or other file format.

The invention is described in greater detail later and in the attached figures, in which: fig. 1 illustrates in cross section from above an embodiment of a training device according to the present invention; fig. 2 illustrates a handball goal in which are mounted six training devices according to the present invention; fig. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a system according to the present invention with a plurality of training devices connected to a peripheral data processing device.

Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the training device according to the present invention, consisting of a housing 1, substantially in the form of an A, which housing can be mounted on the inside of a goal post 10. The housing 1 is locked to the goal post 10 by a locking element 11 which is rotatably connected at point 12 and which is provided with a locking device 20. The training device is thereby mounted at a suitable and desired point along the inside of a goal post. Alternatively, one or more training devices may, for example, be mounted on a post or other structure if this is desirable in connection with shooting practice. The training device may also be released from the goal or the post by opening the locking device 20 which is also necessary if the fraining device, e.g., has to be moved on a goal post.

In connection with the housing 1 an arm 2 is furthermore movably mounted with a first end 3 and a second end 4. The arm 2 in figure 1 is rotatably mounted in the housing 1 about the fulcrum 13 and therefore in the length of the housing in the longitudinal direction there is provided an aperture where the arm 2 can move freely about the fulcrum 13. The first end 3 of the arm 2 is further connected to a target plate 5, e.g. by a screw connection in the centre of the plate. As illustrated in the figure and as indicated above, the target surface 5 in a preferred embodiment is curved convexly towards the ball or the puck which has to hit the target plate, in order to compensate for torque forces which are created when the ball or the puck hits the target plate at a distance from the centre (the attachment point to the arm's 2 second end 3), and which can interfere with the registration of force conveyed by a ball or puck.

The second end 4 of the arm 2 is located adjacent to an electronic sensor 6 which in fig. 1 is illustrated as a t-bar with attached strain gauges 7. In the contact point between the second end 4 of the arm 2 and the bar 6, as illustrated in fig. 1 contact points 18, 19 may be provided, the object of which is to reduce wear as well as ensuring good contact independently of angular difference, etc. Such contact surfaces may, for example, be pieces of flexible elements which also take up parts of the difference in distance between the second end 4 of the arm 2 and the bar 6. In alternative embodiments, as mentioned above, other electronic pressure sensors may be employed, which are mounted in connection with the second end 4 of the arm 2.

The strain gauges 7 as illustrated in fig. 1 are further connected to a signal amplifier 15 via a cable connection 8, which signal amplifier 15 is further connected to a recording device 9 for the electronic signals from the sensor 6 via a cable connection 31. In further alternative embodiments the cable connection 31 between the signal amplifier 15 and the recording device 9 may be replaced by, e.g., a cordless transmission by a transmitter/receiver unit.

In the illustrated embodiment, moreover, in the target plate 5 there is provided a signal device 16 which is connected to the recording device 9 via a cable connection 17. The signal device 16 can be used during shooting practice to indicate to a player which target plate he should aim at, if a plurality of training devices are arranged, e.g., in the same goal. The signal device 16 is activated thereby through the recording device 9. In fig. 2 there is also illustrated a goal framework, such as, e.g., a handball goal. On the inside of the goal framework 27 a training device according to the present invention is mounted in six different positions, where the device 21 is mounted in the transition between the left goal post and the ground, the fraining device 22 is mounted approximately in the middle of the left goal post, while the training device 23 is mounted in the intersection between the left goal post and the goal's crossbar. Similarly, on the right-hand side of the goal post 27 the training device 24 is mounted in the intersection between the crossbar and the right goal post, the training device 25 is mounted approximately in the middle of the right goal post, while the fraining device 26 is mounted in the transition between the right goal post and the ground.

Fig. 2 thereby illustrates an embodiment where a plurality of fraining devices according to the present invention are used for shooting practice at a target 27, e.g. in connection with handball.

Furthermore, fig. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a system according to the present invention where a plurality of training devices are connected to a peripheral data processing device via the recording device which is also a part of the fraining device according to the present invention. The system illusfrated in fig. 3 may, for example, be used in connection with a number of training devices as indicated in fig. 2. The system indicated in fig. 3 substantially comprises a plurality of sensors 6 which communicate via connecting cables 31 with the recording device 9, in accordance with that which is described in connection with the training device according to the present invention. The recording device 9 may also be connected to a power source via the connecting cable 33 for operation of the electronic circuits. Alternatively, the recording device 9 may be operated by a battery source, or via an external data processing device 30. The recording device 9 also communicates with an external data processing device 30 via a connecting cable 32, preferably adapted to an existing communication standard for personal computers (PC's) such as, e.g. RS 232 Series Interface, USB, parallel port or directly into the computer's internal bus system (if the recording device 9 is in the form of a circuit board which is inserted directly into contacts in the PC's main circuit board).

The data processing device 30 will thereby receive information from the recording device 9 when one of the sensors 6 records an impact/hit on one of the target plates, and the recording device 9 then transmits information concerning the impact/hit together with information concerning which sensor has been hit. The data processing device 30 can also display this impact/hit information graphically on a linked screen, or the data processing device 30 can be further connected to an external display device such as, e.g. a result display in a sports hall, a large screen, a sound indicator or the like. An impact/hit on one of the training devices will therefore be able to be displayed in the form of information concerning the force of the impact hit, etc. Alternatively, an impact/hit may be indicated by a sound signal without further indication of its force. In a further embodiment the information can be divided in such a manner that information concerning the force of the impact/hit is stored and presented in the data processing device 30 while at the same time inducing a simplified external signal such as, e.g. a sound effect indicating only that an impact/hit has occurred.

The data processing device 30 can, moreover, execute a prearranged sequence where it is indicated which training devices (amongst those which are connected to the recording device 9) should be marked, e.g. with the signal device 16, as illustrated in fig. 1. The data processing device 30 can thereby activate one or more signal devices 16 via the recording device 9 as a signal to a player that a shot has to be placed on the indicated training device. The data processing device 30 can then read any impact/hits on the activated teaming device within a predetermined period, before the next stage in the sequence is activated, whereupon a second signal device in one of the other training devices is activated. In this way it will be possible to test a plurality of players with a predetermined sequence in order thereafter to distinguish between the players' qualities by comparing the results.

According to the present invention the data processing device 30 can also communicate with other similar units via various kinds of electronic signal transmission such as e-mail, diskettes, other transfer of files via, e.g. data networks, etc. The present invention is thereby exemplified in the above detailed description and the scope of protection is further specified in the following patent claims. Various modifications and deviations which are obvious to a person skilled in the art are not necessarily identified in the above description but nevertheless fall within the scope of the protection as it is defined in the following patent claims.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A fraining device with a target plate for use in sport, in order to record a hit on the target plate and possibly also to record the force exerted on the target plate by a hit, characterized in that the device consists of a housing with an attachment device for releasable mounting on a goal post or the like with an arm which is movably mounted on the housing and which has a first and a second end, which first end is connected to a target surface on the outside of the housing, and the second end is located inside the housing preferably adjacent to an elecfronic sensor, thus causing the arm to influence the electronic sensor in the event of a hit on the target plate, which sensor is connected to a recording device for electronic signals from the electronic sensor.

2. A training device according to claim 1, characterized in that the recording device is connected to a display device which indicates when the arm influences the electronic sensor as a result of the influence of a force on the target surface.

3. A fraining device according to claims 1-2, characterized in that the electronic sensor is a pressure-sensitive sensor.

4. A framing device according to claims 1-2, characterized in that the elecfronic sensor is a device with strain gauges, arranged substantially perpendicularly relative to the movement of the second end of the arm.

5. A fraining device according to claims 1-4, characterized in that the target surface is curved convexly towards the body which has to hit the target.

6. A training device according to claims 1-5, characterized in that the fraining device is provided with a signal device which is connected to the recording device and which can be activated by the recording device.

7. A system for processing information from one or more fraining devices with electronic sensors as indicated in claims 1-6, characterized in that each of the elecfronic sensors is connected to a recording device which in turn is connected to a peripheral data processing device and which when a hit is recorded on one of the targets receives, possibly processes and transmits to the peripheral data processing device the elecfronic signal from the elecfronic sensor together with information concerning from which of the sensors the information originates.

8. A system according to claim 7, characterized in that the peripheral data processing device is a personal computer (PC).

9. A system according to claims 7-8, characterized in that the peripheral data processing device stores information from the recording device between pre-defined points of time.

10. A system according to claims 7-9, characterized in that the peripheral data processing device can execute a predefined sequence which via the recording device activates pre-defined signal devices, while at the same time the data processing device records information from the recording device through the whole or parts of the sequence.