WO2014147444A1

WO2014147444A1 - Cricket ball launching machine

Info

Publication number: WO2014147444A1
Application number: PCT/IB2013/052237
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sanjay SAHU; Tokutake SHIGERU
Original assignee: Sahu Sanjay; Shigeru Tokutake
Priority date: 2013-03-21
Filing date: 2013-03-21
Publication date: 2014-09-25

Abstract

A ball launching machine includes a ball stocker (101) for stocking the balls to be pitched, a ball transfer tube (102) for the balls to be transferred from the ball stocker (101) to the ball supporting structure, a pitching arm (103) for providing the arm-motion of a bowler, a motor drive (104) for rotating the pitching arm (103), a vibration absorber (105) for absorbing the vibrations of the machine thus providing stability, a vertical axis adjustment dial (106) for adjusting the length of the pitched ball, an operation switch (107) for operating the machine, a horizontal-axis adjustment dial (108) for controlling the traverse direction of the ball and controlling the motion direction of the pitching arm (103), a height adjustment mechanism (109) wherein height of the machine can be adjusted to imitate the height of a bowler and plurality of wheels particularly tyres (110) to move the machine easily.

Description

CRICKET BALL LAUNCHING MACHINE

FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to a cricket ball launching machine. More specifically, it relates to a cricket ball launching machine which can change the speed and length of the ball, wherein the machine is provided with a pitching arm, such that the batsman can watch the swing of the arm and predict the motion of the ball, thus imitating a real bowler's motion and providing an enhanced experience.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] Cricket is one of the most popular games in the world. It involves strenuous training to improve the performance of the players. Players in cricket can be divided into batsmen and bowlers, with the exception of a few all-rounder players good at both batting and bowling. Batting requires tremendous amount of practice. A batsman should be able to bat over long lengths of time. While practicing, two types of shots are usually practiced by the batsman- sometimes he needs to improve a certain manner of batting and needs to be bowled at the same pitch over and over again; at other times, he needs to practice to be able to hit balls of different pitches perfectly. Therefore, a bowler is always required to assist a batsman in practice. In reality, one bowler is not enough since repetitive bowling can injure a bowler's arm; therefore, several bowlers assist a batsman in practice. Also, in manual bowling, it is hard to achieve same pitch every time when a batsman needs to practice a particular shot continuously. This is the reason why pitching machines would be a great boon for practicing cricket.

[003] There are several pitching machines in the prior art, but few have been designed with cricket in mind. The majority of the pitching machines available are for baseball or softball. The utmost disadvantage of using a pitching machine meant for baseball in cricket is the change of pitch and trajectory because of the improper grip of a cricket ball by the machine meant for baseball. As is known, a baseball is lighter but a little wider than the cricket ball. Since the baseball pitching machines are specific for baseballs, the entire mechanism of gripping the ball would need to be altered to make the machine suitable for pitching cricket balls. Also, the transfer tube for storing the balls is such that it is designed specifically in the size of baseballs, hence the transfer tube would need to be changed. Moreover, since the baseball is lighter, the trajectory of the machine when pitching a cricket ball would change.

[004] Pitching machines are usually of two kinds, electric and manual. An important criterion of pitching machines is that they should be easy to operate, should be reliable and be able to throw the ball at a certain pitch repetitively. Both kinds of pitching machines, electric and manual, have their own merits and demerits. When it comes to pitching adjustments, the manual machine needs to be adjusted and checked for the correct pitch time and again whereas in an electric machine, the setting of a correct pitch requires a complex set of instructions to be followed; they have complex mechanism for changing the pitch of the ball and they too needs to be tested repetitively to get the perfect pitch.

[005] Manual pitching machines are preferred over the electric ones for the disadvantages and complexity in the operation of an electric machine. However, most of these manual pitching machines "throw" the ball at the batsman. However, the motion of "throwing" the ball does not imitate the motion of a bowler's arm satisfactorily. In cricket, a batsman predicts the pitch and motion of the ball by the motion and height of a bowler' s arm. Since these machines throw the ball without any arm motion, the simulation of a real batting experience is lost. On the other hand, in most electric pitching machines, the machines impart an unnatural spin to the ball and pitching is erratic. [006] At present, there is not a machine present in the market which provides the combined benefits of both the manual and the electric machine. Therefore, there is a need for a cricket ball launching machine whose pitch can be easily adjusted, which is easy-to-use, reliable, affordable, easily maintainable, imparts a natural spin to the ball and most importantly, has an arm movement by which a batsman can look at the arm of the machine and predict the motion of the ball, thus enhancing the overall batting practice experience.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[007] The main object of this invention is to provide a cricket ball launching machine that can closely imitate a bowler's bowling.

[008] Another object of the invention is to provide a ball launching machine with a pitching arm so that the batsman can be provided with a real-life bowling experience wherein he can predict the motion of the ball by watching the motion of the pitching arm.

[009] Another object of the invention is to provide for a machine that can provide the feasibility of using the machine for batting practice anytime and for long, continuous hours.

[0010] Yet another object of the invention is to provide for a machine that can provide auto-pitching wherein balls can be thrown continuously at predefined speed and rhythm at specified intervals.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide for a ball launching machine that can provide swing and speed of the ball similar to professional bowling.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide for a machine which can be easily adjusted such that the pitch of the ball varies according to the batsman's needs. [0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy change of length and line of a ball to be pitched according to the weight of the ball.

[0014] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide for a machine wherein ball motion is stable and does not deviate from its trajectory abruptly.

[0015] The other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are incorporated for illustration of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a cricket ball launching machine which has a pitching arm to imitate the arm movement of a bowler such that a batsman can watch the pitching arm movement and predict the ball's motion. In cricket, a batsman predicts the length of the ball by the movement of the bowler's arm. To provide a simulating near-life experience to the batsman, the invention provides a pitching arm. Besides this major advantage, the invention also devises a unique mechanism to impart spin and swing to the ball which closely imitates the swing and spin of a bowler. Also, the invention provides an easy method of changing the ball trajectory, controlling the transverse ball motion as well as changing the strength of the ball to be pitched to suit the batsman's practice needs. The machine's height can also be easily changed to provide the bowling of a tall or a short bowler.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cricket ball launching machine comprises of atleast a ball stocker, atleast a ball transfer tube, atleast a pitching arm, atleast a motor drive, atleast a vertical axis adjustment dial, atleast a horizontal axis adjustment dial, atleast a pitching spring, atleast a vibration absorber, and plurality of height adjustment mechanism. [0018] According to an embodiment, the ball stocker can stock plurality of balls for example about hundred balls, such that frequent re-loading is not necessary. The balls can be transferred through the ball transfer tube to the ball supporting structure. The transfer tube can transfer one ball at a time to the ball supporting structure to pitch. The machine can be started manually/remotely to launch the ball and the pitching arm can start moving/ rotating towards the ball supporting structure. The arm picks up the ball as soon as it reaches near the ball transferring tube. At the same time, the pitching spring connected to the arm mechanism can release its tension. Thus, the ball can throw at higher speed and the pitching arm rotates to its initial position.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, there is a provision for auto- pitching so that balls can be pitched at the batsman at specified intervals. The batsman can also specify the ball lengths, i.e. whether balls are to be pitched at the same length every time or at different lengths. Also, the operation of starting and stopping the machine can be controlled remotely. Therefore, the present invention closely imitates the arm movement of a bowler and provides a mechanism to impart swing and spin to a ball for an enhanced batting practice. The machine can be adjusted easily as per the batsman's needs, and is easy-to-operate.

[0020] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.

[0022] Fig 1 shows the various parts of the ball launching machine, according to an embodiment herein;

[0023] Fig 2 shows the perspective view of the ball launching machine, according to an embodiment herein;

[0024] Fig 3 shows the normal position of the frame of the machine, according to an embodiment herein;

[0025] Fig 4 shows the leaning backward position of the machine's frame, according to an embodiment herein;

[0026] Fig 5 shows the leaning forward position of the machine's frame, according to an embodiment herein;

[0027] Fig 6 illustrates the trajectory of the ball when the frame is in the normal position, according to an embodiment herein;

[0028] Fig 7 illustrates the trajectory of the ball when the machine's frame is in a leaning backward position, according to an embodiment herein;

[0029] Fig 8 illustrates the trajectory of the ball when the machine's frame is in a leaning forward position, according to an embodiment herein;

[0030] Fig 9 illustrates the mechanism to impart spin to the ball, according to an embodiment herein;

[0031] Fig 10 shows the directional spin of the ball and the rotor disc, according to an embodiment herein;

[0032] Fig 11 illustrates the mechanism to impart spin to the ball, according to another embodiment herein; and [0033] Fig 12 shows the directional spin of the ball and the rotor disc, according to another embodiment herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein

[0035] As mentioned hereinbefore, there is a need for a cricket ball launching machine wherein the pitching is easily adjustable, the machine is easy-to-use and reliable and most importantly, it can provide a near real-life bowling experience to the batsman thus enhancing his batting practice experience. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 10, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown herein.

[0036] Fig. 1 illustrates a general view 100 illustrating various parts of the cricket ball launching machine along with its pitching arm, according to an embodiment. Accordingly, the ball launching machine includes a ball stocker 101 for stocking the balls to be pitched, a ball transfer tube 102 for the balls to be transferred from the ball stocker 101 to the ball supporting structure (not shown), a pitching arm 103 for providing the arm-motion of a bowler, a motor drive 104 for rotating the pitching arm 103, a vibration absorber 105 for absorbing the vibrations of the machine thus providing stability, a vertical axis adjustment dial 106 for adjusting the length of the pitched ball, an operation switch 107 for operating the machine, a horizontal-axis adjustment dial 108 for controlling the traverse direction of the ball and controlling the motion direction of the pitching arm, a height adjustment mechanism 109 wherein height of the machine can be adjusted to imitate the height of a bowler and plurality of wheels particularly tyres 110 to move the machine easily.

[0037] Fig 2 shows the perspective view of the cricket ball launching machine 100, according to an embodiment. Accordingly, a pitching spring 111 is provided to control the pitching strength of the arm 103. Further, a pitching power adjustment dial 112 is provided near the pitching spring 111 to control the strength of pitching.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present invention, a pitching arm 103 is provided that imitates the motion of a bowler's arm. The pitching arm 103 is placed at a position which is easily noticeable by the batsman. The motion of the pitching arm 103 is such that it rotates in a clock-wise direction from the initial position illustrated in Fig 1 and on its path of rotation, picks up the cricket ball from the ball supporting structure and pitches it at the batsman. Therefore, the rotating arm 103 of the machine closely imitates the rotating arm of a bowler. In a game of cricket, the batsman needs to assess the length of the ball pitched and strike it by watching the motion of the bowler's arm. With the help of this machine, a close- to-real-life experience is created as the batsman can watch the rotating motion of the pitching arm 103 and can predict the motion of the ball.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, in the ball stocker 101, an approximate of a hundred balls can be stocked for pitching. This provides continuous, uninterrupted pitching without re-loading the balls time and again.

[0040] The ball stocker 101 is attached to the ball transfer tube 102. The ball transfer tube 102 is a cylindrical tube connecting the ball stocker 101 at one end and the ball supporting structure at the other hand. The diameter of the ball transfer tube 102 is a little bigger than the diameter of a cricket ball, such that balls placed in the transfer tube 102 are in a row, without overlapping each other. The ball transfer tube 102 helps in the smooth transferring of one ball at a time to the ball supporting structure. In other words, the ball transfer tube 102 supplies one ball for every single pitching to the ball supporting structure.

[0041] Whenever the operation switch 107 is pressed, the driving motor 104 starts operating and the pitching arm 103 starts rotating. The operation switch 107 is connected to the driving motor 104 which in turn is connected to the pitching arm 103. Further, the pitching arm 103 is connected to the pitching spring 111 provided at another side of machine frame. When the driving motor 104 operates, it rotates the pitching arm 103 at a predefined speed; the pitching spring 111 connected to the pitching arm 103 is also extended simultaneously. The pitching arm 103, therefore, moves forward with the help of the driving motor 104 and simultaneously, the spring tensions up. The arm 103 then picks up the ball from the ball supporting structure; at the same time, the spring releases its tension, thus pitching the ball towards the batsman at a higher speed. The pitching arm 103 returns to its initial position, ready for the second pitching.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, a vibration absorber 105 is provided in the machine to suppress the vibrations caused due to the mechanisms involved. The vibration absorber 105 can have rubber cushions which absorb the vibrations. Another important advantage of the vibration absorber 105 is that it helps in improving the pitching accuracy by suppressing the vibrations of the machine.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, there are various adjustment mechanisms are provided, such as, height adjustment mechanism 109, horizontal- axis adjustment dial 108, pitching power adjustment dial 112 and vertical axis adjustment dial 106. [0044] In an embodiment, the height adjustment mechanism 109 helps in adjusting the entire height of the machine to imitate the height of a tall or short bowler. The height adjustment mechanism 109 consists of four threaded screws/pillars positioned at four corners of the frame of the bowling machine. The screws/pillars rest on the ground; and in an embodiment, at the top of each screw/pillar, a wheel with a handle is provided for easy rotation of the threaded screws/pillars. Whenever the height of the frame 113 needs to be adjusted, the frame 113 can be slid along the screws/pillars to the necessary height and tightened. In another embodiment, different mechanism for height adjustment can also be adopted in a similar light.

[0045] There is also a horizontal-axis adjustment dial 108 that helps in controlling the direction of the horizontal/transverse ball movement. This dial 108 controls the transverse ball motion by changing the direction motion of the pitching arm 103.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, a pitching power adjustment dial 112 is provided to control the pitching strength of the ball. The pitching power adjustment dial is provided near the pitching spring 111 and the dial 112 is connected to the pitching spring 111. The dial can be operated to impart the required tension to the spring 111. As the tension of the spring 111 varies according to the adjustment of the dial, the force at which the spring 111 releases itself to bring the pitching arm 103 to pitch also varies, thus changing the pitching strength of the arm 103 and varying the force at which the ball is thrown. In this way, the force at which a ball needs to be pitched can be adjusted with the help of the pitching power adjustment dial 112.

[0047] According to an embodiment, a vertical axis adjustment dial 106 is provided to adjust the ball trajectory, thus adjusting the length of the ball pitched. In other words, the vertical axis adjustment dial 106 enables to adjust the distance at which the ball need hit the pitch. While changing the trajectory of the ball, the entire frame 113 of the machine is moved forward or backward. This is further illustrated in Figs 3, 4 and 5. Fig 3 shows the normal position of the frame 113, Fig 4 shows the leaning backward position of the frame 113 and Fig 5 shows the leaning forward position of the frame 113. These varied positions are obtained by changing the position of the lever 114 on the vertical axis adjustment dial 106. As the lever 114 is slid on the vertical rod 115 from the top to the bottom, the frame 114 moves from a leaning forward position (as shown in Fig 5) to a leaning backward position (as shown in Fig 4).

[0048] The trajectory change or the pitching change is further illustrated in Fig 6, 7 and 8, according to an embodiment. Fig 6 illustrates the trajectory/ pitching of a ball 116 when the frame 113 is in the normal position. At this position, the trajectory is almost on a straight line. When the ball 116 needs to be thrown at a higher trajectory, the lever 114 can be slid down on the vertical axis 115, such that the rotating arm's 103 position is changed, as illustrated in Fig 7. When the ball 116 is thrown from this position, the pitching position of the ball 116 changes. If the ball 116 needs to be thrown at a different pitch, the lever 115 can be moved towards the top of the vertical axis 115, such that the frame 113 is tilted forward, as illustrated in Fig 8. At this position, the rotating arm 103 will throw the ball 116 at a different/ lower trajectory. In this way, the trajectory of the ball 116 can be changed; therefore, the pitching of the ball 116 can be changed by adjusting the vertical axis adjustment dial 106.

[0049] The vertical axis adjustment dial 106 also proves to be useful when balls of different weights need to be pitched. A heavier ball would be pitched differently than a lighter ball. When one needs to have a similar pitch with different balls, this adjustment dial 106 can be used to achieve the required pitch.

[0050] Operation of the Machine: As described hereinbefore, the ball stocker 101 stocks the balls and transfers the same through the ball transfer tube 102. The ball transfer tube 102 transfers, one ball at a time, to the ball supporting structure. When the operation switch 107 is pressed, the motor drive 104 starts operating, thus setting the pitching arm 103 in motion. The pitching arm 103 is connected to the pitching spring 111. When operated thus, the pitching arm 103 starts rotating towards the Ball Supporting Structure and simultaneously, this movement of the pitching arm 103 as it moves away from the pitching spring 111 makes the spring 111 build up tension. As the motor 104 moves the pitching arm 103 towards the ball supporting structure, the arm 103 completes half of its rotation, and the spring 111 releases the tension. As the spring 111 releases the tension, the ball is picked up by the pitching arm 103 from the supporting structure and is pitched. Thus, in one swift motion, the pitching arm 103 picks up the ball, pitches it at the batsman and arrives at its initial position. In this way, pitching arm 103 of the present invention imitates the bowling action of a bowler.

[0051] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, a mechanism has been devised to impart spin to the ball while pitching. This is further illustrated in Fig 9. This mechanism provides the machine the capacity to provide different spins to the ball and simulate a real-life bowler's spin effectively. Accordingly, to provide a spin, a rotor disc 201 can be provided near the pitching arm 103 of the machine as illustrated in Fig 9. The rotor disc 201, as shown in Fig 9, rotates in a forward direction, i.e. clockwise, according to an embodiment. The rotor disc, as shown in Fig.ll, rotates in a backward direction, ie., anti-clockwise direction, according to another embodiment. The spin of the rotor disc 201 can be individually controlled. The spin of the ball 116 pitched would vary depending on the spinning speed of the rotor disc 201 as well as the distance of the rotor disc 201 from the pitching arm 103.

[0052] Operation of Spin Mechanism: The rotor disc 201 is placed near the pitching line of the ball 117. When the pitching arm 103, in its rotation, picks up the ball 117 and pitches it, the ball 117 touches the rotor disc 201 placed near the pitching arm 103. Thus, the ball 117 touches lightly with the rotor disc 201 and since the rotor disc 201 already rotates either in clockwise or anticlockwise direction at a definite speed, the same speed is imparted to the ball 117 in motion. Thus, two different speeds act on the ball 117, as further illustrated in Fig 10 enables clockwise direction spin on ball. In another embodiment, the ball rotates and spun in anti-clockwise direction as shown in Fig 12. Due to the imparting of a different directional speed to the pitched ball 117 in motion, the ball 117 deflects in a different direction after it hits the ground. Thus, by the help of the motion of the rotor disc 201, spin can be produced in the ball 117 pitched.

[0053] In an embodiment of this invention, the rotor disc 201 is an addition to the main ball launching machine and can be attached and detached as and when required.

[0054] In an advantageous embodiment of this invention, a mechanism is devised wherein the balls are thrown at specific intervals. The intervals can be varied by changing the speed of motor, and the operator can also decide whether to pitch the ball at the same length every time or to pitch the ball at different lengths. In this way, a batsman can practice the same shot repeatedly to improve his performance as well as practice different shots.

[0055] In a further embodiment, the operator can remotely control the operation of the machine, wherein the operator can choose the time of pitching the ball.

[0056] An advantage of the presence of the vibration absorber 105 in the machine is that the pitching accuracy is better because of the suppression of the vibrations of the machine, such that ball motion is stable and does not deviate from its trajectory abruptly.

[0057] An advantage of the present invention is that it can auto-pitched at specified intervals and the player can choose whether to have the ball pitched at same lengths or at varied lengths, thus enhancing the practice of the batsman.

[0058] Another advantage of the present invention is that there is an effective mechanism to impart spin and swing to the ball, thus launching the ball in an equivalent manner to a real-life bowler. [0059] The most important advantage of the present invention is that the machine is provided with a pitching arm which rotates and pitches the ball and whose motion can be seen by the batsman. Thus, just like being bowled by a bowler, the batsman can see the motion of the pitching arm and predict the length and pitch of the ball and practice his batting. This invention provides the batsman the simulating experience of being bowled by an actual bowler.

[0060] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A cricket ball launching machine comprising of:

atleast a ball stocker for stocking the balls to be pitched;

atleast a ball transfer tube for the balls to be transferred from the ball stocker;

atleast a pitching arm for providing the arm-motion of a bowler;

alteast a motor drive for rotating the pitching arm; and

an operation switch for operating the machine; wherein said pitching arm can pitch the ball at variable speed.

2. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1, wherein said ball stocker can store about 80 to 100 balls.

3. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1, wherein said ball transfer tube diameter is little larger than the diameter of the ball to move the ball freely without any obstruction.

4. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1, wherein said motor drive is mechanically coupled with said pitching arm to rotate said pitching arm.

5. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1 further comprising of:

a vertical axis adjustment dial for adjusting the length of the pitching ball; a horizontal-axis adjustment dial for controlling the traverse direction of the ball and controlling the motion direction of the pitching arm; and a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the machine;

6. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 5, wherein said vertical axis adjustment dial enables to move the frame upward/downward direction thereby enabling varying the length of pitching ball.

7. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1 further comprises of

atleast a pitching spring connected to said pitching arm for controlling pitching power; and atleast a pitching power adjustment dial connected rear side of said pitching spring for varying pitching power.

8. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 7, wherein said pitching power adjustment dial enables to change the tension in said pitching spring.

9. The cricket ball launching machine of claim 1 further comprising of a spinning rotor can be provided near said pitching arm.

10. A cricket ball launching machine substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to and with the help of forgoing examples and accompanying drawings.