Measuring device / sensor system for measuring, transferring and processing of relevant performance data from training and competition in contact sports, in particular the physical contact and its force effect

In practice and as far as possible, performance data in contact sports, in particular those of factual contact and force effect of relevant objects and persons to each other, are not surveyed separately but evaluated subjectively. In contact sports like martial arts this is especially critical, because an occurred contact and its force effect are the significant success data in these sports. In other types of contact sports, e.g. ball sports one is concentrated on the performance data, that lead to goal achievement (e.g. goal scoring) and is not looking objectively into the performance of participants for, for example, draw conclusions about the correct technique execution at any time in a game or competition. Though there are already measuring devices for some contact sports for detecting force effect and contact, these are limited to several defined single sensors and applications. Therefore it may be possible to make objective measurement but in case of doubt, a subjective evaluation of technique and point assignment is still necessary. This invention contains a system of measuring devices, that can, especially in martial arts sports, improve the point assignment and in other contact sports the evaluation of techniques. These special measuring devices for contact measuring and its movement and acceleration sensors, display systems and hardware interfaces can be combined with software interfaces and be tailored to fit different applications. In case of martial arts sports, the configuration of protective equipment with these measuring devices is one use case, in which the measuring devices detect all relevant data like contact, force effect and movement direction, that can be used for competition decisions.

A sport training system is described. Embodiments of the sport training system include a sport arena and a control module. The sport arena can include a plurality of sensors implemented as targets for a player to engage. The sport arena can further include a plurality of light sources located proximate the sensors to visually indicate which target should be engaged by a player. The control module can be operatively connected to the plurality of sensors and the plurality of light sources to run a variety of games.

A punch-and-cycle exercise device is described. The device includes a cycling mechanism, a frame to which a punch-pad is attached, a plurality of delineated target zones arranged on the punch pad, a sensor unit that may include an impact sensor, an accelerometer, and a single or plurality of hall effect sensors, each communicatively connected to the target zones. A control unit communicatively connects with the sensors, a punch-pad mounted camera, and a display. Gloves with built in magnets and/or unique markings/visual identifiers interact with the sensors and/or camera and provide data to the controller to track user success at responding with correct puncing form to illuminated and sequenced punching programs while cycling. Output can be displayed locally or on any paired device.

A method for tracking performance of player including determining global direction of magnetic field at first court and computing first court specific data; providing rotation for rotating apparatus about spin axis via player, wherein rotating apparatus comprising XYZ-magnetic field sensor; measuring plurality of magnetic field values as function of time when rotating apparatus is rotating about spin axis; computing magnetic field component of magnetic field in direction of local body co-ordinate of spin axis of rotating apparatus; determining direction of spin axis using computed magnetic field component of magnetic field and determined global direction of magnetic field; determining player specific data comprising angle of spin axis with respect to horizontal ground plane and angle of shot direction with respect to horizontal component of spin axis; and calibrating and storing first court specific data and player specific data to track performance of player at first court.

A sports and performance media positional detection system, comprising: at least two elements, with at least one element involved in the sporting activity; a power source; and machine-to-machine communication, which are collectively arranged such that if any two or more elements interact, their electromagnetic properties can be detected thus allowing the position of the interacting elements to be communicated to a decision maker. The system can be applied to at least one stationary element, which can be the playing surface, lines defining the boundaries, or a set of goalposts; and at least one moving element, which could be a ball, footwear, or the participants themselves. The system can also be applied to performance media capture.

A recreational game including a throwable object, a plurality of reception mechanisms, and a deflection mechanism. The throwable object can be thrown by a player of the recreational game and received by a reception mechanism. The throwable object can be deflected by the deflection mechanism to change a direction of the throwable object when the throwable object contacts the deflection mechanism. The deflection mechanism can include a nonplanar surface.

A ball supply apparatus includes: a housing coupled to the upper portion of the column structure, wherein a top portion of housing is partially opened, wherein the housing is divided by a partition into a ball storage portion and a ball discharge portion, wherein a bottom face of the ball storage portion is inclined downward toward the ball discharge portion, wherein a first opening is formed in a bottom of the ball discharge portion, and a second opening is formed in the partition at a lower portion thereof; a rotatable opening/closing plate rotatably coupled to the partition, wherein the rotatable opening/closing plate is configured to rotate to open/close the second opening; and a ball discharge tube rotatably coupled to the ball discharge portion at the first opening, wherein the ball discharge tube ball-communicates with the ball discharge portion via the first opening.

A system simultaneously tracks multiple objects. All or a subset of the objects includes a wireless receiver and a transmitter for providing an output. The system includes one or more wireless transmitters that send commands to the wireless receivers of the multiple objects instructing different subsets of the multiple objects to output (via their respective transmitter) at different times. The system also includes object sensors that receive output from the transmitters of the multiple objects and a computer system in communication with the object sensors. The computer system calculates locations of the multiple objects based on the sensed output from the multiple objects.

A torso protector device for martial arts is disclosed. The device comprises a cylindrical torso protection body to protect a wearer's torso; a shoulder cover coupled to the cylindrical torso protection body at front and rear portions thereof, wherein the shoulder cover has a neck opening defined in a top thereof, wherein left and right arm passing openings are defined in the shoulder cover in the left and right sides thereof respectively; a wire coupled to the cylindrical torso protection body and the shoulder cover; a wire adjuster module coupled to the wire; and a screener to screen the wire, wherein an adjustment dial is operatively coupled to the wire adjuster module, wherein the rotation of the adjustment dial results in length increase or decrease of the wire.

A golf target system featuring a hitting bay including a golf ball launch monitor system, a playing area including a plurality of illuminated panels, and a controller in communication with the golf ball launch monitor system and the plurality of illuminated panels, wherein the controller selectively controls the illumination of the plurality of panels to define one or more visual targets observable from the hitting bay and receives information from the golf ball launch monitor system such that, when a golf ball is hit from the hitting bay towards the playing area, the golf ball launch monitor system communicates data to the controller sufficient for the controller to identify a landing position of the golf ball with respect to the one or more visual targets.