Spin inducing arm pitching machine

Abstract

A game ball throwing machine utilizing a rotating arm to pitch a game ball, able to induce a variety of spins and types of pitches interchangeably. The ball thrower includes a base, a support frame attached to the base, rotating arm mechanism attached to the support frame, a source of power rotating the arm, ball holding means attached to the arm, and a human-machine interface which enables control of ball spin, release point, speed and target location. A novel software program integrates the throwing machine, indexing elements and one or more human-machine interface screens, calculating pitch parameters and converting them to machine outputs to enable customization of pitch variety and characteristics to the same or different locations rapidly with a high degree of accuracy, including means to simulate a known pitcher's unique pitch collection.

Claims

1. A ball-throwing machine including means to interchangeably deliver a ball with pitches of at least one type to different locations, said machine comprising: a frame; a shaft rotatably connected to the frame, wherein the shaft has a first angular orientation relative to the frame and a second angular orientation relative to the frame; an actuator operatively connected to the shaft, wherein the actuator rotates the shaft from the first angular orientation to the second angular orientation with a rotational speed; an arm fixedly connected to the shaft at a proximal end and extending for a distance to a distal end, wherein the arm has a first position corresponding with the first angular orientation of the shaft and is rotated by the rotational speed to a second position corresponding with the second angular position of the shaft; and a ball holder connected to the distal end of the arm, wherein the ball holder comprises a gripping means for imparting spin on the ball as the arm is moved from its first position to the second position, wherein the gripping means is at least one of a curved gripper and a cup gripper, wherein the curved gripper comprises at least one hooked finger partially wrapped around the ball, wherein the cup gripper comprises at least one of a conical cup and a cylindrical cup, wherein an actuator moves the conical cup relative to another conical cup, and wherein the cylindrical cup pivots on a pin.

2. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, wherein the arm is greater than 18 in length.

3. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller adjusts the rotational speed of the arm and is further comprised of a component selected from the group of components consisting of: a) at least one motor and a drive control, b) means for rapidly changing the speed of each arm; c) at least one air cylinder; d) at least one spring; e) a human-powered foot pedal; and f) a human-power lever; and wherein the arm has a construction selected from the group of constructions consisting of: a) a one-piece construction from the shaft to the ball holder; and b) a multi-piece construction comprising at least one mechanical joint means between the shaft and the ball holder.

4. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, wherein the curved gripper is further comprised of a pair of substantially hooked fingers wrapped around the ball, wherein a proximal end of the hooked fingers contact the ball at a first location and wherein a more distal section of the substantially hooked fingers contact the ball at a second location.

5. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, further comprising a spinning motor operatively engaging with the gripping means when the arm is at least in the first position, wherein the gripping means is a cup shaped appendage, and wherein the spinning motor rotates the gripping means.

6. The ball-throwing machine of claim 5, wherein the spinning motor is connected to the cup shaped appendage.

7. The ball-throwing machine of claim 6, wherein the gripping means further comprises at least one of a control rod, a plurality of pin joints, an air cylinder, a solenoid, and a rotation motor, wherein the rotation motor rotatably connects the cup shaped appendage to the distal end of the arm and moves the cup shaped appendage between a range of orientations relative to the arm, wherein the cup shaped appendage is at least one of a cylindrically shaped cup and a pair of opposing conically shaped cups, wherein the control rod acts on the pin joints to vary a space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups, and wherein at least one of the air cylinder and the solenoid vary the space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups.

8. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, further comprising a programmable controller in operative communication with the actuator, wherein the actuator is further comprised of a motor with a drive control.

9. The ball-throwing machine of claim 8, wherein the programmable controller further comprises a programmable microprocessor.

10. The ball-throwing machine of claim 9, further comprising a user interface in operative communication with the programmable microprocessor, wherein the user interface is at least one of a software application on a portable wireless device and a machine-mounted human-machine interface.

11. The ball-throwing machine of claim 10, wherein the human machine interface is further comprised of a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface is comprised of a pitch speed indicator, a ball spin direction indicator, and a ball spin amount indicator, wherein the ball spin direction indicator is shown in a polar arrangement with a plurality of optional ball spin directions and a rotating directional indicator identifying a selected one of the optional ball spin directions, and wherein the ball spin direction indicator is separate from the ball speed shown on the pitch speed indicator and the ball spin shown on the ball spin amount indicator.

12. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, wherein a direction of rotation for the arm is reversed enabling the machine to pitch underhand.

13. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1, further comprising a programmable controller in operative communication with the actuator and a spinning motor operatively engaging with the gripping means, wherein the gripping means is comprised of a pair of opposing conically shaped cups and a squeezing actuator, wherein the spinning motor rotates at least one of the pair of opposing conically shaped cups, the squeezing actuator compresses the pair of opposing conically shaped cups on the ball during the throwing motion opens the pair of opposing conically shaped cups and releases the ball at an arm location between the first position and the second position as determined by the programmable controller and communicated to the squeezing actuator.

14. The ball-throwing machine of claim 1 further comprising a human machine interface comprised of a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface is comprised of a pitch speed indicator, a ball spin direction indicator, and a ball spin amount indicator, wherein the ball spin direction indicator is shown in a polar arrangement with a plurality of optional ball spin directions and a rotating directional indicator identifying a selected one of the optional ball spin directions, and wherein the ball spin direction indicator is separate from the ball speed shown on the pitch speed indicator and the ball spin shown on the ball spin amount indicator.

15. A ball-throwing machine for propelling a ball toward a batter to simulate a pitch, comprising: a frame; an actuator connected to the frame; an arm connected to the actuator at a proximal end and extending for a distance to a distal end, wherein the actuator rotates the arm by a rotational speed from a first position to a second position; a ball holder connected to and extending from the distal end of the arm, wherein the ball holder further comprises a cup shaped appendage; a spinning motor connected to the ball holder and operatively engaging with the cup shaped appendage, wherein the spinning motor rotates the cup shaped appendage; and a programmable controller in operative communication with the actuator and the spinning motor; and a human-machine interface in operative communication with the programmable controller, wherein the human-machine interface is at least one of a software application on a portable wireless device and a machine-mounted human-machine interface.

16. The ball-throwing machine according claim 15, wherein the programmable controller sends a first signal to the actuator to vary the rotational speed and sends a second signal to the spinning motor to rotate the cup shaped appendage at a spinner speed.

17. The ball-throwing machine according claim 15, wherein the arm has a length greater than 18 between the proximal end and the distal end.

18. The ball-throwing machine according claim 17, wherein the cup shaped appendage is located beyond the distal end of the arm by a distance past the length of the arm to provide a space sufficient to grip the ball.

19. The ball-throwing machine according claim 15, wherein the ball holder further comprises at least one of a control rod, a plurality of pin joints, an air cylinder, a solenoid, and a rotation motor, wherein the rotation motor rotatably connects the cup shaped appendage to the distal end of the arm and moves the cup shaped appendage between a range of orientations relative to the arm, wherein the cup shaped appendage is at least one of a cylindrically shaped cup and a pair of opposing conically shaped cups, wherein the control rod acts on the pin joints to vary a space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups, and wherein at least one of the air cylinder and the solenoid vary the space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups.

20. The ball-throwing machine according claim 15, wherein the human machine interface is further comprised of a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface is comprised of a pitch speed indicator, a ball spin direction indicator, and a ball spin amount indicator, wherein the ball spin direction indicator is shown in a polar arrangement with a plurality of optional ball spin directions and a rotating directional indicator identifying a selected one of the optional ball spin directions, and wherein the ball spin direction indicator is separate from the ball speed shown on the pitch speed indicator and the ball spin shown on the ball spin amount indicator.

21. The ball-throwing machine according claim 15, further comprising a shaft, wherein the shaft is rotatably connected to at least one of the frame and the actuator, wherein the arm is connected to the actuator through a fixed connection between the shaft and the proximal end of the arm, wherein the shaft has a first angular orientation relative to the frame and a second angular orientation relative to the frame, and wherein the actuator rotates the shaft from the first angular orientation to the second angular orientation with the rotational speed.

22. A ball-throwing machine for propelling a ball toward a batter to simulate a pitch, comprising: a frame; an actuator connected to the frame; an arm connected to the actuator at a proximal end and extending for a distance to a distal end, wherein the actuator rotates the arm by a rotational speed from a first position to a second position; a ball holder connected to and extending from the distal end of the arm, wherein the ball holder further comprises a gripper with an appendage having a curvature corresponding with a shape of the ball; a programmable controller in operative communication with the actuator; and a human-machine interface in operative communication with the programmable controller, wherein the human-machine interface is further comprised of a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface is at least one of a software application on a portable wireless device and a machine-mounted human-machine interface, wherein the graphical interface is comprised of a pitch speed indicator, a ball spin direction indicator, and a ball spin amount indicator, wherein the ball spin direction indicator is shown in a polar arrangement with a plurality of optional ball spin directions and a rotating directional indicator identifying a selected one of the optional ball spin directions, and wherein the ball spin direction indicator is separate from the ball speed shown on the pitch speed indicator and the ball spin shown on the ball spin amount indicator.

23. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 22, wherein the arm has a length greater than 18 between the proximal end and the distal end.

24. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 22, wherein the appendage of the gripper is comprised of a pair of hooked fingers.

25. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 22, wherein the appendage of the gripper is further comprised of a cup shaped appendage.

26. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 25, further comprising a spinning motor connected to the ball holder, wherein the spinning motor operatively engages with and rotates the cup shaped appendage, wherein the programmable controller is in operative communication with the spinning motor, and wherein the programmable controller sends a first signal to the actuator to vary the rotational speed and sends a second signal to the spinning motor to rotate the cup shaped appendage at a spinner speed.

27. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 26, wherein the ball holder further comprises at least one of a control rod, a plurality of pin joints, an air cylinder, a solenoid, and a rotation motor, wherein the rotation motor rotatably connects the cup shaped appendage to the distal end of the arm and moves the cup shaped appendage between a range of orientations relative to the arm, wherein the cup shaped appendage is at least one of a cylindrically shaped cup and a pair of opposing conically shaped cups, wherein the control rod acts on the pin joints to vary a space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups, and wherein at least one of the air cylinder and the solenoid vary the space between the pair of opposing conically shaped cups.

28. A ball-throwing machine for propelling a ball toward a batter to simulate a pitch, comprising: a frame; an actuator connected to the frame; an arm connected to the actuator at a proximal end and extending for a distance to a distal end, wherein the actuator rotates the arm by a rotational speed from a first position to a second position, and wherein the arm has a length greater than 18 between the proximal end and the distal end; a programmable controller in operative communication with the actuator, wherein the programmable controller sends a first signal to the actuator to vary the rotational speed; and a ball holder connected to and extending from the distal end of the arm, wherein the ball holder further comprises a gripper with an appendage having a curvature corresponding with a shape of the ball.

29. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 28, wherein the appendage of the gripper is selected from the group of appendages consisting of a pair of hooked fingers, a cylindrically shaped cup, and a pair of opposing conically shaped cups, and wherein the appendage is located beyond the distal end of the arm by a distance past the length of the arm to provide a space sufficient to grip the ball.

30. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 28, further comprising a spinning motor connected to the ball holder and operatively engaging with the appendage of the gripper, wherein the appendage is a cup shaped appendage, wherein the spinning motor rotates the cup shaped appendage, wherein the programmable controller is in operative communication with the spinning motor, and wherein the programmable controller sends a second signal to the spinning motor to rotate the cup shaped appendage at a spinner speed.

31. The ball-throwing machine according to claim 28, further comprising a human-machine interface in operative communication with the programmable controller, wherein the human-machine interface is further comprised of a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface is at least one of a software application on a portable wireless device and a machine-mounted human-machine interface, wherein the graphical interface is comprised of a pitch speed indicator, a ball spin direction indicator, and a ball spin amount indicator, wherein the ball spin direction indicator is shown in a polar arrangement with a plurality of optional ball spin directions and a rotating directional indicator identifying a selected one of the optional ball spin directions, and wherein the ball spin direction indicator is separate from the ball speed shown on the pitch speed indicator and the ball spin shown on the ball spin amount indicator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The foregoing and still other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the detailed explanation of the preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment of the foot pedal powered machine with mechanical springs and reciprocating arm;

(3) FIG. 2: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment air spring machine with reciprocating arm, powered by electric motor;

(4) FIG. 3: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment foot powered machine with air spring and 360 degree arm sweep;

(5) FIG. 4: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment electric motor powered machine with air spring and 360 arm sweep;

(6) FIG. 5: Perspective view of the present invention illustrating pneumatic machine with spinning gripper;

(7) FIG. 6: Top view of present invention smart pneumatic machine with spinning gripper;

(8) FIG. 7: Enlarged view of present invention, illustrating the, squeezing, spinning ball gripper means;

(9) FIG. 8: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment illustrating the ball holder as a spinning conical cup ball grip;

(10) FIG. 9: Secondary view of present invention spinning conical ball cup embodiment;

(11) FIG. 10: Magnified view of the present invention passive spin-inducing ball holder;

(12) FIG. 11: Chart illustrating the advantage of the present invention using pre-charged springs and air cylinders;

(13) FIG. 12: Enlarged view of the present invention embodiment Cam shaped pulley prior to engagement.

(14) FIG. 13: Enlarged view of the present invention embodiment cam locking pulley after engagement;

(15) FIG. 14: Enlarged view of cam locking pulley which engages only with cable tension;

(16) FIG. 15: Perspective view of the present invention embodiment illustrating means and method of adjusting ball release angle by rotating throwing mechanism;

(17) FIG. 16: Perspective view illustrating method and terminology used by software calculation means;

(18) FIG. 17 Perspective enlarged view of the present invention, an embodiment illustrating the rotational ball gripper;

(19) FIG. 18: Illustration of present invention screen view of HMI drop down menu embodiment;

(20) FIG. 19: Illustration of present invention screen viw of HMI percentage of preset standard pitch embodiment.

(21) FIG. 20: Illustration of present invention screen view of HMI polar grid embodiment;

(22) FIG. 21: Illustration of present invention screen view of HMI defensive drill control embodiment.

(23) FIG. 22: Illustration of present invention screen view of HMI specific pitcher selection embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(24) All the following descriptions and embodiments relate to the same invention, an arm-type pitching machine which can control the spin, velocity and location of a pitched ball, to the degree and by means the prior art has not achieved nor anticipated. For simplicity, in this specification and claims the words pitch, pitcher and pitching is understood to mean not only pitching a ball to a batter, but also throwing a ball in various ways to a fielder, tennis player and other persons desiring to practice any game, sport or activity involving any object which may be propelled by the subject machine and process.

(25) Turning to FIG. 1, indicating a foot-powered version of the machine, including a basic frame 1, to which is incorporated a cable 2 connected to a foot pedal 3. Connected to the frame are one or more threaded fasteners, such as eyebolts 4, which serve to secure one or more springs 5 which provide the twisting power or torque upon a rotating shaft 6. This twisting power is released by the user upon depression of a latch release 7, rotating shaft 6 and arm 8 and causing ball gripper 9 to rotate in a forward motion propelling the ball to the target. Ball gripper 9 is shaped to some degree in a curve with a means to grip the ball such as appendages hereafter referred to as fingers. Gripper 9 is attached to moving arm 8, which is connected to rotating shaft 6 via clamping shaft collars 10. When operator steps down on foot pedal 3, cable 2 is pulled down, rotating pulley 11, which rotates shaft 6. When shaft has rotated far enough, cam latch 7 engages notched disk 12, locking arm 8 from rotating forward. Springs 5 provide torque on rotating shaft 6 through crank arms 13. Operator or feeder means, not shown, then loads ball into gripper 9. When cam latch 7 is released, arm 8 swings forward, propelling the ball. Ball is released when mechanism reaches the position shown in FIG. 1, where springs 5, crank arms 13, and rotating shaft 6 are all aligned, and springs 5 begin to decelerate arm 8.

(26) Pitch velocity is controlled by adjusting tension in springs 5. Tension is adjusted by moving the eyebolts 4 closer or farther from the rotating shaft 6. Eyebolts 4 are moved by rotating the threaded nuts 14. These nuts 14 can be replaced with threaded knobs to eliminate the need for tools, and in other variations of the invention, replaced with a powered screw drive, servo motor or other powered means to move the eyebolts 4. Pulley 11 is spring loaded such that it engages with cable 2 only when foot pedal 3 is pressed down. This prevents pulley 11 from interfering with the rotation of shaft 6 and arm 8 during the throwing motion, after foot pedal 3 has been released.

(27) Ball release angle and trajectory can be set by changing the angle of arm 8 relative to shaft 6 by loosening clamping shaft collars 10, moving the arm, and re-tightening the collars. Aim can also be adjusted by changing the angle of the entire throwing assembly, 4-14, relative to frame 1.

(28) Cam latch 7 is clearly visible to hitter to aid with timing. Drawbar type tension springs provide greater safety than tension springs in case of spring failure. In another embodiment, the mechanical springs are replaced with air cylinder(s). Tension is then adjusted by changing the air pressure in the cylinder. Cam latch 7 may include a low friction ball bearing to ease latch release. Frame 1 may be modified to include hinges so that it can fold up like a ladder for easier storage and transport. With these hinges added, the pitch release angle can be adjusted by changing the angle between the legs of the framethe greater the angle between them, the higher the release angle.

(29) FIG. 2 discloses a similar embodiment shown in FIG. 1, with the following differences: mechanical springs are replaced by an air cylinder 15, which may be attached to a reservoir or accumulator, not shown. Machine is powered by an electric gearmotor 16, which rotates the crank arm 17. Crank arm 17 is coupled to gearmotor 16 with a one way bearing. Air cylinder 15 is pressurized at rod end, causing the cylinder to act as a tension spring. Spring rate is adjusted by changing the pressure provided to the cylinder, which can be done quite rapidly with either a digital pressure controller and/or a quick pressure release/supply valve to quickly lower or increase the pressure in the air cylinder 15.

(30) As gear motor 16 rotates crank 17, roller chain 18 is pulled down, rotating sprocket 19, which rotates shaft 6, arm 8, and ball gripper 9. When crank arm 17 reaches 6:00 position, tension in the roller chain causes the crank arm 17 to suddenly rotate freely to the 12:00 position, quickly accelerating arm 8, throwing the ball.

(31) FIG. 3 discloses a basic foot powered variation with an air spring and 360 degree arm sweep. This embodiment differs from previously discussed in that: arm 8 and gripper 9 rotate a complete 360 degrees each pitch, rather than reciprocating back and forth. Shaft 6 is split into two fully supported shafts so that the rod of air cylinder 15 can pass between them. This results in a single cylinder piston engine layout. In embodiment shown, air cylinder 15 is used as a compression spring, whereas previously it had been used in tension.

(32) Shafts 6 are fitted with one-way bearings so that arm 8 may only rotate in the pitching direction. As foot pedal 3 is depressed, cable 2 pulls down on pulley 11, rotating shaft 6 and compressing air cylinder 15. As mechanism passes the fully compressed position shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder reverses torque on the shafts 6, causing them to rotate quickly 180 degrees, throwing the ball. At the cylinder's fully extended position, it becomes a brake, slowing the arm's rotation as it absorbs the arm's momentum.

(33) The energy absorbed by the cylinder 15 reduces the amount of energy required to be added to the system for the next pitch. For example, if the arm rotates from 0-180 degrees during cylinder expansion, it may travel from 180-270 degrees during deceleration. That only leaves 270-360 degrees of travel powered by user input.

(34) Pulley 11 includes a one way bearing so that the shaft 6 may freely rotate ahead of the pulley. Foot pedal 3 is lightly spring loaded to return to original position when user removes their weight.

(35) FIG. 4 indicates the basic electric motor powered machine with air spring and 360 arm sweep. This embodiment replaces the foot pedal 3 and one way pulley 11, with an electric gearmotor 16 and one way timing belt pulleys 20. As gearmotor 16 rotates, belt 21 conveys the torque to rotating shaft 6.

(36) Turning to FIG. 5, this embodiment allows for automatically adjusting the pitch in the vertical plane: velocity, spin/curve, and launch angle. Air cylinder 15 is again set in a single cylinder piston engine layout, and one way bearings 22 cause the arm to only rotate forward. Pitch speed is adjusted by varying the pressure in the cylinder. Ball spin is controlled in the gripper 23 by a small variable speed, reversible motor 24 attached to the ball gripper 23. Release angle is controlled by timing the release of the gripper 23. Air cylinder 15 pivots on housed low friction bearings 25 as arm rotates.

(37) There are various ways to control and power the same mechanism. First, the main cylinder 15 may be powered in both directions. This can cause issues at top dead center and bottom dead center, where the mechanism is self-locking. At bottom dead center, both the arm's momentum from releasing the last pitch plus the weight of the cylinder 15 itself will cause the mechanism to pass through this self-locking position. At top dead center, the self-locking can be an advantage. It allows the cylinder to pause and fully pressurize, eliminating losses from air flow through valves and supply lines. However it does require the addition of another powered element like a second air cylinder 15 or solenoid to bump the air cylinder 15 past top dead center and into its powered rotation.

(38) The cylinder 15 could also be used as variable air spring, with the entire mechanism powered by an electric gear motor 16 as in previous embodiments. In that case, the pressure must be varied between pitches. This can be accomplished by active means with air compressors, reservoirs and valves, but it can also be accomplished by effectively changing the size of the reservoir. This is accomplished by connecting multiple reservoirs and opening and closing valves as needed to provide a multitude of reservoir sizes. The smaller the reservoir, the higher the pressure generated as the air cylinder is compressed.

(39) The reservoirs can be sized such that each one halves the additional velocity imparted on the ball from the previous one, in effect creating a binary system to minimize the number of reservoirs and valves required to create a high number of pitch speeds. For example, if the speed range is to be 50-95 mph, four reservoirs can be opened or closed to create 16 different combinations, creating 16 different, equally spaced speeds. For a speed range of 50-95 mph, this is a step of just 3 mph.

(40) FIG. 6 is a top view of smart (microprocessor controlled) pneumatic machine with spinning gripper. FIG. 7 is a magnified view, of the squeezing, spinning ball gripper. This is a close up view of the gripper shown in FIG. 5. The ball fits between the conical cups 26, wherein the conical shape centers the ball as it is squeezed. Cups 23 spin freely on ball bearings housed in gripper arms 27. At least one cup 23 is powered by a small reversible variable speed motor 24 to control direction and speed of ball spin. Both gripper arms are squeezed together or pushed apart by mechanical means, such as a control rod 28, which can be powered by an air cylinder, electromagnet, solenoid or similar element, either manually set or automatically controlled by a combination of sensors, microprocessor and resident control system software. Gripper can contain a number of pin joints 29 to convert control rod force to gripping force.

(41) Conversely the ball holder can also be a single spinning conical cup 26 ball grip, as shown in FIG. 8. The ball is held by friction inside circular shaped cup 30, which centers the ball inside it. The cup 30 is spun by variable speed reversible motor 24. Cup 30 and motor 24 are attached to bracket 31, which pivots on pin 32. Mechanical stop 33 prevents cup from pivoting backwards as the arm accelerates to throw the ball. Bracket 31 is lightly magnetically or spring loaded to rest against stop 33. This keeps the bracket from prematurely pivoting forward from vibrations induced by spinning the ball. As arm 8 begins deceleration, bracket 31 pivots forward from inertia, releasing the pitched ball. See also FIG. 9 for a secondary view.

(42) FIG. 10 discloses the option of a passive spin-inducing ball holder. The close up view of ball holder 9 shows that the fingers wrap around the ball slightly. This creates backspin when the ball is released, as the ball is forced against the fingers from centrifugal force. Fingers may be roughened or otherwise covered with any resilient material to increase friction and resultant spin. For machine embodiments where the ball is loaded with the ball holder upright and gravity would cause it to fall out, a small spring loaded thumb or roller can be added. This would hold the ball in place lightly, so that it wouldn't fall out of the holder 9 on its own, but resistive and retaining force is set low enough that it would not significantly impede the ball's release when pitched. The curved or hooked fingers could also be replaced by a resilient pad. As the arm rotates, centrifugal force pushes the ball into the pad, creating the same effect as the hooked fingers and forcing the ball to roll or spin as it is released.

(43) FIG. 11 is a graphical summary of the advantage of using pre-charged springs and air cylinders in the invention. There is a limit to the energy available to power these machines. Operators are limited by their own strength and weight when using foot pedal powered machines, and electric machines are limited by the power available from standard household outlets. In order to make maximum use of the available power, in a preferred embodiment the springs are pre-charged, not free, before they are compressed or expanded. In the example case shown in the graph, the user weighs 200 lbs and can comfortably step 10 up, for a total available energy of 2000 in-lbs (energy=forcedisplacement). Note that energy stored in the spring is represented by the area under the force/displacement line. If the spring is free before compression, and the user is to use their full weight, they can only add 1000 in-lbs of energy to the system. If the spring is compressed with 150 lbs of force before the user steps on the pedal, they can add 1750 in-lbs of energy into the system. This is because the extra available force (body weight) at the start of compression is essentially wasted if the spring provides no resistance.

(44) This embodiment applies to use of air springs for pitching machines as well. If an air spring is connected to a small reservoir, the pressure will increase significantly as the cylinder 15 is compressed, so the starting pressure must be low, limiting the amount of energy added to the system. When a cylinder 15 connected to a very large reservoir is compressed, the air pressure does not increase. Because of this, the reservoir can start at a much higher pressure, and much more energy can be added to the system for each pitch.

(45) FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are before-and-after views of a cam shaped pulley 34 as a novel means to maximize energy input, not realized in the prior art. Even a pre-charged spring will require more force to compress at the end of its range than at the beginning. An operator is limited by their own body weight which cannot change during the compression. By replacing the standard round pulley with a cam shaped pulley 34 (also meaning a variable radius pulley), the full weight of the user can be input into the system.

(46) In the example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the starting pulley radius is larger than the ending radius. So with a constant input torque, the output tension to the belt 35 is increased as the cam rotates.

(47) FIG. 14 is a detailed view of a cam locking pulley which engages only with cable tension. Two brackets 36 are added to pulley 11, holding cam locks 37 in place. Cable 2 wraps around pulley, and attaches to cam locks 37 via bottom shaft 38. When cable 2 is pulled down by foot pedal 3 (not shown in this view), cam locks 37 rotate counterclockwise on top pin 39, engaging pulley 11, and the entire assembly rotates clockwise. Cam locks 37 are spring biased to rotate away from pulley 11 on pin 39, so they do not touch the pulley unless forced to by cable 2. Brackets 36 are spring loaded to return to starting position after foot pedal 3 is released. As brackets 36 return to starting position, they pull cable 2 and foot pedal 3 back up to starting position as well, leaving pulley 11 in cocked position, ready to throw.

(48) FIG. 15 discloses one of several means of adjusting ball release angle, and thus the vertical location of the pitched ball, by rotating the throwing mechanism. FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment where vertical ball release angle is controlled by rotating the entire throwing mechanism around the primary arm axis. Throwing mechanism consists of subframe 40, air cylinder 15, crank arms 13, primary arm rotation shafts 6, one way bearings 22, and arm 8. As hand wheel 41 is turned, threaded rod 42 also rotates, moving threaded coupling 43 back and forth. Threaded coupling 43 is attached to subframe 40, so as the hand wheel 41 is turned, subframe 40 and consequently all of the throwing mechanism, are rotated about shafts 6. Because the ball is released as the air cylinder 15 reaches its fully extended position and the mechanism begins to decelerate, rotating the throwing mechanism rotates the ball release point as well. Using a threaded rod 42 that can't be back driven by the torque of the throwing action prevents the release angle from moving on its own. The manual drive wheel 41 can be replaced by a stepper motor to automate this process. The stepper motor may be geared to increase torque and positional accuracy. Other ways to control this angle include a worm drive propelled rod, pushing or pulling one or more corners of the unit around a central support to adjust aim and pitch location vertically as well as horizontally. Another embodiment would be to adjust the amount and direction of spin to control the vertical and horizontal position of the pitched ball.

(49) FIG. 16 illustrates the terminology used in the claimed software and microprocessor means for calculating the ball's flight path and aiming the machine, also defined as mathematical formulae. The straight line flight path shows the ball's path if it traveled in a straight line from its release, unaffected by gravity or spin. The calculated flight path arc shows the ball's flight path as predicted by our equations. The target plane is the vertical plane perpendicular to initial straight line flight path at the target distance, Z. X is the horizontal distance between the ball's calculated impact point and the initial target point. Y is the vertical distance between the ball's calculated impact point and the initial target point.

(50) FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of the ball gripper that can rotate the ball's axis of rotation by 360 degrees. It differs from the gripper of FIG. 7, in that it has an angle bracket 44 has been added to arm 8. This rotates the orientation of the gripper 90 degrees, so that the gripper fingers are now parallel to the ball's pitch direction. The gripper is rotated by gripper rotation motor 45. Because the gripper can now vary the direction of the ball's spin, the machine is capable of throwing balls that curve in any direction. This embodiment also shows a new method of opening and closing the gripper, using an air cylinder 46. This cylinder could easily be replaced with a solenoid or electromagnet.

(51) Included within the scope of the present invention are numerous screen views present on the Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) that provide novel control and reprogramming advantages and means unanticipated by the prior art. FIG. 18: Illustration of present invention screen view of HMI drop down menu embodiment of a specific type of pitch selected, with adjustable speed/direction; FIG. 19 is a screen view of HMI dropdown menu representing a multitude of pitch types such as curveball, slider, fastball, etc. The drop down grid of pitches provides a multitude of pitches which can be selected by single touch. Adjustable touch sensor means allows user to easily input desired speed, percentage of spin normal for a type of pitch, direction of spin and location of pitch. Touchscreen control provides individual widgets for setting pitch speed, spin direction and spin amount. Pitch speed is set directly by adjusting a rotary slider. Units for the pitch speed are selectable by the user under a separate popup menu, typically miles per hour or kilometers per hour.

(52) Ball spin direction is set by either rotating the pointer or by selecting a pitch by name from the dropdown box. The dropdown box and pointer are linked so that adjusting one automatically updates the other. The pointer provides users a graphical means to select a pitch even if they do not what the pitch is called.

(53) Using the coordinates of a clock face, the pitch names for several corresponding directions the arrow is pointing include: 12:00 Overhand fastball 1:00 Right handed 4 seam fastball 2:00 Right handed 2 seam fastball 3:00 Right handed screwball or left handed sidearm curve 4:00 Left handed slider 5:00 Left handed curveball 6:00 Sinker or overhand curve 7:00 Right handed curveball 8:00 Right handed slider 9:00 Left handed screwball or right handed sidearm curve 10:00 Left handed 2 seam fastball 11:00 Left handed 4 seam fastball

(54) When the pointer is pointed at angles between these values, the pitch name displayed would match the closest named pitch. These are given as examples. Any choice of reference point yielding different clock coordinates for a given pitch type can be used in the scope and definition of the present invention.

(55) Ball spin amount is set as a percentage of an arbitrary maximum by a rotary slider. This allows users to set the spin amount using a more familiar relative amount (0-100%), instead of directly providing a rotational velocity or RPM, which is not common knowledge.

(56) Horizontal and vertical sliders provide a means for aiming the machine horizontally and vertically. Units of distance are as measured at the target plane, typically the front of home plate.

(57) An additional icon provides users access to a popup window for setting the units for these displays (metric or US), the type of balls being used (baseballs, softballs, cricket, etc.), and the distance to home plate. The values set here are used both for the user interface and for calculating machine aim and spring force.

(58) FIG. 19: Rectangular grid of pitches provides a multitude of pitches which can be selected by single touch. Separate widgets allow user to select the pitching hand, average speed, and spin amount that is applied to all available pitches.

(59) FIG. 20: Polar grid of pitches provides a multitude of pitches which can be selected by single touch. Polar layout provides graphical representation of which direction ball will spin and curve. Each segment of the polar display is an active button for selecting that particular speed and ball spin direction. Available speeds are calculated based on a single, user selected base speed. The spin amount setting is user selectable and applied to all pitches. This polar grid layout can be adapted so that pitch speed remains constant throughout, and the concentric rings represent increasing ball spin amounts instead of increasing pitch speeds.

(60) FIG. 21: The machine is placed at home plate on a ball field, then a single touch sets the machine to automatically throw a ball to the indicated location on the field. User can select ground balls, fly balls, or line drives with a multitude of speeds.

(61) FIG. 22: Specific pitcher screen: Users can create custom pitchers, each with a picture, a top speed, throwing hand, and a set of pitches. Each of these pitches can be customized to exactly match real or fictional pitchers using same parameters as screen shown in FIG. 18(pitch speed, spin direction, spin amount). Machine can be provided to customer with a library of these pitchers, or users can create their own. Because the machine aim is automatically calculated based on the pitch parameters, the trial and error method of aiming the machine of prior art is eliminated.

(62) The combination software-hardware method for using user input to set up pitch parameters utilizes substantially two constants that will be typically set by the device manufacturer, and up to five user inputs to calculate pitch parameters. The constants include:

(63) STEPSIZE is defined as the number of degrees of machine rotation per each stepper motor step. This value is set by the machine's hardware and depends on the step size and gear ratio of the stepper motors used to aim the machine. For a 200 step per rotation motor with a 47:1 gear ratio, the STEPSIZE equals (360/200)/47=0.0383.

(64) MAXSPIN is the fastest ball spin a user can select. It is an arbitrary value used to simplify user input. An average user may not know what specific RPM they want to spin a ball, but they will understand a relative value of 0-100%. For a MAXSPIN of 3600 RPM, a user selection of 50% would result in a ball spinning at 1800 RPM.

(65) User inputs substantially include any one or more of the following:

(66) PITCHSPEED is the speed of the pitch, in units of miles or kilometers per hour.

(67) Z is the horizontal distance from the ball release point to the target plane, in whole or fractional units of feet or meters.

(68) SPINANGLE is the direction of the ball's spin, in units of degrees, as seen from the batter's view. It is also the direction the ball will curve ignoring gravity. For example, this scale could start at 0 at 12:00 and increases in the clockwise direction as seen from pitcher's view.

(69) SPINAMOUNT % is the amount of ball spin, in units of percent, as a percentage from 0-100%, 100% being equal to the constant MAXSPIN.

(70) C-LIFT is an optional input for the engineering term coefficient of lift which correlates the magnus force during flight with ball spin and pitch speed. It provides a way for users to correct the machine's calculations of flight path to account for air density, ball surface quality, ball weight, or wind speed to improve the accuracy of the ball to curve prediction. Units of in/(s^2*RPM*mph^2).

(71) Arithmetic formulae calculations within the software are as follows:
SPINAMOUNT-RPM=SPINAMOUNT-%*MAXSPIN//converts spin amount from percentage value to an absolute value. Units of RPM.
ACC-X=sin(SPINANGLE)*SPINAMOUNT-RPM*CLIFT*PITCHSPEED^2//calculates horizontal acceleration of pitched ball. For example, in units of in/s^2.
ACC-Y=cos(SPINANGLE)*SPINAMOUNT-RPM*CLIFT*PITCHSPEED^2386.4//calculates vertical acceleration of pitched ball including gravity. For example in units of in/s^2.
T=Z/(1.4667*PITCHSPEED)//calculated time of ball flight. In units of seconds.
X=0.5*ACC-X*T^2//horizontal displacement of ball during flight from magnus force. For example in units of inches.
Y=0.5*ACC-Y*T^2//vertical displacement of ball during flight from magnus force and gravity. For example, in units of inches.
ANG-X=ARCTAN(X/(Z*12))//angle of horizontal displacement of ball during flight from magnus force. For example, in units of degrees.
ANG-Y=ARCTAN(Y/(Z*12))//angle of horizontal displacement of ball during flight from magnus force. Units of degrees.
XSTEP=INTEGER(ANG-X/STEPSIZE+0.5)//number of horizontal steps to rotate machine ANG-X degrees.
YSTEP=INTEGER(ANG-Y/STEPSIZE+0.5)//number of vertical steps to rotate machine ANG-Y degrees.
Algorithm for aiming machine:
1) TAKE USER INPUT FOR NEW PITCH
2) CALCULATE XSTEP AND YSTEP
3) COMPARE XSTEP AND YSTEP TO PREVIOUS VALUES
4) MOVE MACHINE THE DIFFERENCE
5) ADJUST RELEASE POINT IF NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE DESIRED VERTICAL LOCATION

(72) This results in all pitches being thrown in same location. Machine can be aimed outside of this process to change pitch location as well, and remain within the scope of the invention.

(73) PITCHSPEED is used to calculate either air spring pressure or mechanical spring displacement from an empirically derived equation.

(74) SPINAMOUNT-RPM is used to drive ball spinner motor 24 at that RPM.

(75) SPINANGLE is used to position gripper rotating motor 45, setting ball spin angle directly.

(76) While any of the above calculated or input values may be listed in English or Metric units, it is understood any unit of measurement, whether whole or fractional, and any alternative tag name for any variable listed above, would still remain within the scope of the claims of this invention.

(77) Any combination of any of the above said manual adjustments or operations can furthermore be automated via a combination of devices such as sensors means such as photo-eyes, microswitches and proximity switches, data processing means such as a microprocessor accessing data provided by the sensors and a human-machine interface, utilizing resident algorithms in the form of firmware or software in calculating necessary adjustments on the machine and converting those calculated values into signals to motive means such as servo, stepper or gear motors or air or pneumatic cylinders or air springs, and remain in the scope and intent of the subject invention.

(78) Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present disclosure of a new and useful SPIN INDUCING ARM PITCHING MACHINE, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this disclosure except as set forth in the following claims.