PRESSURE SENSING SPORT BALL SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS OF USE

Abstract

In one instance, disclosed herein is a pressure sensing sport ball system, including: a casing that forms an exterior of a sport ball; a bladder disposed within the casing; a pressure sensor coupled to the bladder and operative to generate pressure data by gauging the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; and at least one processor operative to: access the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor; determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted; and output an indication that the sport ball has been impacted.

Claims

1. A pressure sensing sport ball system, the system comprising: a casing that forms an exterior of a sport ball; a bladder disposed within the casing; a pressure sensor coupled to the bladder and operative to generate pressure data by gauging the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; and at least one processor operative to: access the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor; determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted; and output an indication that the sport ball has been impacted.

2. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or an animated member.

3. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to: determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted by an animated member; and determine at least a partial shape of the animated member.

4. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) executed on a computing device and wherein the at least one processor is further operative to cause the GUI to display the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor.

5. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to cause the GUI to display the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor in real-time.

6. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to: determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member; and cause the GUI to display the determination of whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member.

7. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to receive feedback, from a user of the pressure sensing sport ball system through the GUI, on the determination of whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member.

8. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to determine whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member by analyzing a pressure hysteresis representing the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor.

9. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further operative to analyze the pressure hysteresis by comparing a characteristic feature of the pressure hysteresis to a threshold.

10. The pressure sensing sport ball system of claim 9, wherein the characteristic feature of the pressure hysteresis includes one or more of rest pressure, peak pressure, rising curve duration, falling curve duration, total duration, and pressure differential.

11. A method for monitoring the pressure within a sport ball, the method comprising: gauging the pressure of a fluid contained within a bladder of a sport ball; generating pressure data that can be accessed by a processor; determining, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted; and causing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a visual indication that the sport ball has been impacted.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing the GUI to display the pressure data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising causing the GUI to display the pressure data in real-time.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining, based at least in part on the pressure data, whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member; and causing the GUI to display the determination of whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving feedback, from a user of the pressure sensing sport ball system through the GUI, on the determination of whether the sport ball has been impacted by a surface or by an animated member.

16. A pressure sensing sport ball apparatus, comprising: a casing that forms an exterior of a sport ball; a bladder disposed within the casing; and a pressure sensor disposed within the bladder and operative to: gauge the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; and generate pressure data that can be used by at least one processor to determine that the sport has been impacted.

17. The pressure sensing sport ball apparatus of claim 16, further comprising the processor.

18. The pressure sensing sport ball apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pressure sensor and the at least one processor are housed within a pocket disposed within the bladder.

19. The pressure sensing sport ball apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a wireless communication component operative to transmit the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor to the at least one processor.

20. The pressure sensing sport ball apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pressure sensor and the wireless communication component are housed within a pocket disposed within the bladder.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The novel features of the present disclosure are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present disclosure will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the disclosure are utilized, and the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a sport ball;

[0009] FIG. 2 depicts a diagram of a pressure sensing sport ball system;

[0010] FIG. 3A illustrates an impact of a sport ball against a surface;

[0011] FIG. 3B depicts a pressure hysteresis representing an impact of a sport ball against a surface;

[0012] FIG. 4A illustrates an impact of a sport ball by an animated member;

[0013] FIG. 4B depicts a pressure hysteresis representing an impact of a sport ball by an animated member;

[0014] FIGS. 5A and 5B depict pressure hystereses representing impacts of a sport ball against one or more surfaces and by one or more animated members;

[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface displaying pressure data; and

[0016] FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of a method for determining that a sport ball has been impacted by an animated member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the features as claimed. As used herein, the terms comprises, comprising, having, including, or other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not necessarily include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Further, relative terms, such as, for example, about, substantially, generally, and approximately are used to indicate a possible variation of 10% in a stated value. While various features and functions of the present disclosure are described herein in the context of soccer balls, it will be understood that various features and functions of the present disclosure may be applied in the context of many different types of sport balls.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a first perspective view of a sport ball. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a sport ball 10 has a layered structure that includes at least an exterior casing 12 and an interior bladder 14. As mentioned above, a casing 12 forms an exterior of the sport ball 10. In some instances, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a casing 12 includes two or more panels 16 that are stitched, adhered, bonded, welded, or otherwise joined together along abutting sides or edges, forming one or more seams 18. Often, as illustrated in FIG. 1, panels 16 are pentagonal or hexagonal in shape. However, in other instances, panels 16 may have non-equilateral shapes, non-regular or non-geometric shapes, or a variety of other shapes that combine in a tessellation-type manner to form the casing 12.

[0019] In some instances, the panels 16 of a casing 12 are all of the same shape (e.g., hexagonal). In some instances, the panels 16 of a casing 12 include two or more different shapes (e.g., hexagons and pentagons). The abutting sides of the panels 16 that combine to form the seams 18 may be linear, concave, convex, or otherwise non-linear edges. In some instances, a casing 12 may have a seamless structure, such that the casing 12 has no distinct panels 16 and no seams 18. In some such instances, a casing 12 may be formed by a single piece of material. Accordingly, the construction of a casing 12 may vary significantly, leading to a wide variety of configurations of panels 16. For example, many modern soccer balls include twelve pentagonal panels 16 and twenty hexagonal panels 16. Or for example, the four panels 16 of modern American footballs are pointed ellipses (sometimes referred to as a marquise shape).

[0020] The material(s) selected for a casing 12, or for an individual panel 16, may be leather, synthetic leather, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, rubber, or any other suitable material that is generally durable and wear-resistant. In some instances, each panel 16 of a sport ball 10 may include two or more layers different materials. For example, in some instances, each panel 16 included in a casing 12 may include a polymer foam layer and a non-foamed polymer layer. Or for example, in some instances, a panel 16 of a casing 12 may include an exterior polyvinyl chloride layer, an interior textile layer, and an intervening polymer foam layer.

[0021] As mentioned above, a bladder 14 of a sport ball 10 is typically hollow and disposed within a casing 12. The bladder 14 is typically formed from a stretchable material and configured to be filled or inflated with a fluid, such as air. For example, in some instances, the bladder 14 may be formed from a rubber or carbon latex material that substantially prevents air or other fluids contained within the bladder 14 from diffusing through the material. However, the bladder 14 may be formed using a variety of other polymer or elastomeric materials.

[0022] In order to facilitate inflation, the bladder 14 typically includes a valve 15 that extends from the bladder 14 and through the casing 12, thereby being accessible from outside of the sport ball 10. However, in some instances, a bladder 14 may have a valve-less structure that is semi-permanently inflated. When inflated, the bladder 14 becomes pressurized and exerts an outward force against an interior surface of the casing 12, thereby giving the sport ball 10 a persistent shape, generally determined by the shape or configuration of the casing 12, when the sport ball 10 is at rest. However, the shape of the sport ball 10 when the sport ball 10 is at rest may be determined at least in part by the shape or configuration of the casing 12, the shape or configuration of the bladder 14, or the shape or configuration of an intervening restriction layer 13, as described below. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the configuration of the pentagonal and hexagonal panels 16 of the casing 12 give the sport ball 10 a spherical shape when the bladder 14 is inflated. Or for example, the pointed ellipse shape of the panels of an American football give an American football its ovoid shape when the bladder 14 of the American football is inflated.

[0023] In some instances, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the bladder 14 includes a pocket 17. A pocket 17 included in a bladder 14 may provide a cavity, indentation, void, or other space that receives and holds a component 19, such as a device or a counterweight. In some instances, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when a bladder 14 is disposed within a casing 12 of a sport ball 10, the pocket 17 included in the bladder 14 protrudes or projects inward and toward a center of the sport ball 10, thereby locating a component 19 included in the pocket 17 within an interior area of the sport ball 10. In this position, the component 19 is protected from impacts of the sport ball 10 with surfaces, animated members, or other objects when the sport ball 10 is being utilized. The shape and size of a pocket 17 may be selected to accommodate a component 19, such that the pocket 17 receives and securely retains the component 19 within the sport ball 10.

[0024] A component 19 may include one or more electronic devices, such as a microprocessor, transmitter, receiver, memory, battery, or any other combination of elements that process, send, receive, or collect data. More specifically, examples of electronic devices that might be included in a component 19 include one or more of a) a pressure sensor for determining the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14; b) a global positioning system (GPS) unit and/or an accelerometer that measures various factors relating to the location or movement the sport ball 10; c) a line sensor that determines whether the sport ball 10 has crossed a goal line or an out-of-bounds line; d) a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that stores data relating to the sport ball 10 or assists with identifying the sport ball 10; and e) a camera that collects image data. A component 19 may additionally or alternatively include a counterweight in order to enhance the balance, weight distribution, center of mass, or other properties of a sport ball 10. In many instances, one or more electronic devices included in a component 19 may also serve as a counterweight.

[0025] In some instances, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a sport ball 10 also includes a restriction layer 13. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a restriction layer 13 forms a middle layer of a sport ball 10 and is positioned between a casing 12 and a bladder 14. In general, a restriction layer 13 is formed from materials with a limited degree of stretch in order to restrict expansion of the bladder 14. For example, a restriction layer 13 may be formed from a) a thread, yarn, or filament that is repeatedly wound around a bladder 14 in various directions to form a mesh that covers substantially all of the bladder 14; b) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile elements stitched together to form a structure that extends around a bladder 14; c) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile strips that are impregnated with latex and placed in an overlapping configuration around a bladder 14; or d) a substantially seamless spherically-shaped textile. In some instances, a restriction layer 13 may also be bonded, joined, or otherwise incorporated into either of a casing 12 or a bladder 14. However, in some instances, a sport ball 10 need not include a restriction layer 13.

[0026] FIG. 2 depicts a diagram of a pressure sensing sport ball system. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 2, a pressure sensing sport ball system 20 includes a sport ball 10, a pressure sensor 21 disposed within the sport ball 10, and a processor 22. In general, the sport ball 10, the pressure sensor 21, and the processor 22 of the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 function cooperatively to determine a) if and when the sport ball 10 is impacted; b) how hard the sport ball 10 is impacted; and/or c) what the sport ball 10 is impacted by, e.g., a surface or an animated member. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 2, the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 additionally includes a computer-readable memory 23, a communication component 24, or a graphical user interface (GUI) 25. In some instances, in addition to the pressure sensor 21, one or more of the processor 22, the computer-readable memory 23, and the communication component may also be disposed within the sport ball 10.

[0027] As mentioned above, the pressure sensor 21 is disposed within the sport ball 10. For example, the pressure sensor 21 may be disposed within a bladder 14 of the sport ball 10, such as within a pocket 17 included in the bladder 14, as described above. However the pressure sensor 21 is disposed within the sport ball 10, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to gauge the pressure of a fluid contained within a bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 and generate computer-readable pressure data 26 representing the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder 14. For example, in some instances, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to generate pressure data 26 by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 on a regular interval of time, e.g., every millisecond, every 10 milliseconds, every 50 milliseconds, every 100 milliseconds, etc. In some instances, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to generate pressure data 26 by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 only when the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 changes significantly, e.g., by more than one-tenth of a percent, more than half of a percent, more than one percent, more than five percent, etc. In some instances, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to generate pressure data 26 by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 only when the pressure of the fluid contained with the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 exceeds a threshold pressure. In some instances, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to generate pressure data 26 by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 on a regular interval of time as soon as the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 changes significantly or exceeds a threshold pressure. In some such instances, as soon as the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 changes significantly or exceeds a threshold pressure, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to record the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 on a regular interval for a predetermined period of time, e.g., one second, five seconds, ten seconds, etc. However, the pressure sensor 21 may be operative or configured to generate pressure data by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder 14 of a sport ball 10 in any other way. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 2, the pressure sensor 21 is communicatively coupled to the processor 22, the memory 23, or the communication component 24. In some such instances, after generating pressure data 26, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to transmit or otherwise provide the pressure data 26 to the processor 22, the memory 23, or the communication component 24.

[0028] The processor 22 is a computing device that is operative to receive pressure data 26 generated by the pressure sensor 21 and determine, using or based on the pressure data 26, if the sport ball 10 has been impacted, how hard the sport ball has been impacted, or what the sport ball 10 has been impacted by, as described in further detail below. In some instances, the processor 22 is further operative to cause a GUI 25 to display pressure data 26 generated by the pressure sensor 21 or an impact indication 27, e.g., an indication that the sport ball 10 has been impacted, which may further include an indication of how hard the sport ball 10 was impacted or an indication of what the sport ball 10 was impacted by. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 2, the processor 22 is disposed within the sport ball 10 and communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor 21, such that the processor 22 can receive pressure data 26 generated by the pressure sensor 21 directly. In some instances, however, the processor 22 receives pressure data 26 generated by the pressure sensor 21 indirectly. For example, in some instances, a computer-readable memory 23 is communicatively coupled to both the pressure sensor 21 and the processor 22. In some such instances, the pressure sensor 21 is operative to transmit or otherwise provide pressure data 26 to the computer-readable memory 23, and the processor 22 is operative to access the pressure data 26 from the computer-readable memory 23. Or for example, in some instances, the processor 22 is not disposed within the sport ball 10. In some such instances, a communication component 24 is communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor 21 or a computer-readable memory 23 that is communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor 21, and the communication component 24 is operative to receive pressure data 26 from the pressure sensor 21 or the computer-readable memory 23 and provide the pressure data 26 to the processor 22 by establishing a physical or wireless communication link with the processor 22.

[0029] As mentioned above, in various instances, a pressure sensing sport ball system 20 is operative to determine a) if and when a sport ball 10 is impacted; b) how hard a sport ball 10 is impacted; and/or c) what a sport ball 10 is impacted by, e.g., a surface or an animated member. FIG. 3A illustrates an impact of a sport ball 10 against a surface 30. A surface 30 may be a substantially flat surface or any other stationary or unanimated object, whether that object is substantially flat or not. For example, a surface 30 may be the pitch of a soccer field or a goalpost of a soccer goal. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3A, the sport ball 10 is a soccer ball that includes a casing 12, a bladder 14 disposed within the casing 12, and a pressure sensor 21 disposed within the bladder 14, e.g., the pressure sensor 21 is disposed within a pocket 17 included in the bladder 14, as described above. The bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 is inflated with air. According to the ideal gas law, all gases within a closed system obey an equation of state represented by the equation PV=nRT, wherein P is the pressure within the closed system, V is the volume of the closed system, n is the number of moles of the gas within the closed system, R is a universal gas constant, and T is the temperature of the closed system. In this example, when the sport ball 10 is impacted by the surface 30, the sport ball 10 is compressed accordingly, and the volume of the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 decreases. Thus, according to the ideal gas law, because the temperature within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 and the number of moles of air within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 remain substantially constant, but the volume of the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 decreases, the pressure within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 must increase. Because the pressure within the sport ball 10 is constant throughout, the pressure sensor 21 is able to accurately measure a force of an impact of the sport ball 10 (as described in further detail below) no matter where or how the sport ball 10 is impacted, unlike an accelerometer, for which the measure of a force of an impact of a sport ball may be influenced by where the sport ball was impacted relative to a position of the accelerometer. In this example, the pressure sensor 21 disposed within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 records the pressure within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 every millisecond. The resulting pressure data 26 is depicted in FIG. 3B.

[0030] FIG. 3B depicts a pressure hysteresis 31 representing the changes in pressure over time within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 due to the impact of the sport ball 10 against the surface 30. As used herein, a pressure hysteresis 31 is a graph of the changes of the pressure within a closed system over time, as the pressure within the closed system increases in response to a stimulus and decreases as the system returns to rest. A pressure hysteresis 31 may include a rising curve 32, representing the pressure increasing in response to the stimulus, and a falling curve 33, representing the pressure decreasing as the system returns to rest. A pressure hysteresis 31 may include various characteristic features, such as a rest pressure 34, a peak pressure 35, a rising curve duration 36, a falling curve duration 37, a total duration 38, a pressure differential 39 (e.g., peak pressure 35 subtracted by rest pressure 34), an area 40 (e.g., an integral or a combined area beneath the rising curve 32 and the falling curve 33), a maximum slope of the rising curve 32 or the falling curve 33 (not shown), or any combination thereof. However, a pressure hysteresis 31 may include any other characteristic feature. As depicted in FIG. 3B, a pressure hysteresis 31 may have a form or shape similar to a bell curve, which may be substantially regular (e.g., the rising curve 32 and the falling curve 33 of the pressure hysteresis 31 may be close to vertically symmetrical) or irregular (e.g., the rising curve 32 and the falling curve 33 of the pressure hysteresis 31 may have completely different shapes).

[0031] Similarly, FIG. 4A illustrates an impact of the sport ball 10 from FIG. 3A by an animated member 60, and FIG. 4B depicts a pressure hysteresis 31 representing the changes in pressure over time within the bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 due to the impact of the sport ball 10 by the animated member 60. As depicted in FIG. 4B, the total duration 38 of the pressure hysteresis 31 is shorter than that of the pressure hysteresis 31 in FIG. 3B, but the peak pressure 35 is greater than that of the pressure hysteresis 31 in FIG. 3B. One or more relationships or ratios may be calculated using the characteristic features of a pressure hysteresis 31, e.g., a ratio of the area 40 to the total duration 38 of the pressure hysteresis 31, a ratio of the peak pressure 35 to the area 40 of the pressure hysteresis 31, a ratio of the area under the rising curve 32 (not shown) to the area under the falling curve 33 (not shown) of the pressure hysteresis 31, or a ratio of the maximum slope of the rising curve 32 to the total duration 38 of the pressure hysteresis 31. However, any other suitable relationship or ratio may be calculated using the characteristic features of a pressure hysteresis 31.

[0032] As mentioned above, in various instances, after the pressure sensor 21 disposed within a sport ball 10 generates pressure data 26, the pressure data 26 is made available to a processor 22. The processor 22 can then use the pressure data 26 to determine a) if and when the sport ball 10 is impacted; b) how hard the sport ball 10 is impacted; and/or c) what the sport ball 10 is impacted by, e.g., a surface 30 or an animated member 60. For example, in some instances, after receiving, accessing, or otherwise obtaining pressure data 26 generated by a pressure sensor 21 disposed within a sport ball 10, a processor 22 can use the pressure data 26 to generate a pressure hysteresis 31. In this example, the processor 22 can then use characteristic features of the pressure hysteresis 31 to make various determinations. For example, in some instances, the processor 22 can use the pressure hysteresis 31 to determine if and when the sport ball 10 is impacted by identifying the time (e.g., t.sub.1) at which the pressure within the sport ball 10 increased significantly (e.g., by more than 1 or 2 percent), or at a significant rate (e.g., by more than 1 percent per millisecond). Or for example, in some instances, the processor 22 can use the pressure hysteresis 31 to determine how hard the sport ball 10 is impacted by identifying the peak pressure 35 and using the peak pressure 35 to calculate a force with which the sport ball 10 was impacted. The force with which a sport ball 10 was impacted may be used to calculate or determine a speed (e.g., a ball speed) at which the sport ball 10 moved in response to the impact.

[0033] Or for example, the processor 22 can use the pressure hysteresis 31 to determine whether the sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60. As depicted in FIGS. 3B and 4B, the rising curve duration 36 of a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of a sport ball 10 against a surface 30 may be significantly longer in proportion to the total duration 38 than those of a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 by an animated member 60. Thus, in some instances, a processor 22 can use a pressure hysteresis 31 to determine whether a sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or an animated member 60 by comparing the rising curve duration 36 to the total duration 38 of the pressure hysteresis 31, such as by dividing the rising curve duration 36 by the total duration 38, and then comparing the result to a threshold percentage. For example, the threshold percentage may be 5%, 10%, 15%, etc. In such an instance, if the rising curve duration 36 divided by the total duration 38 is less than the threshold percentage, the processor 22 can determine that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60. Or, in such an instance, if the rising curve duration 36 divided by the total duration 38 is greater than the threshold percentage, the processor 22 can determine that the sport ball 10 was impacted against a surface 30.

[0034] In another example, the processor 22 can use a pressure hysteresis 31 to determine whether the sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60 by analyzing the slope of the rising curve 32 and/or the slope of the falling curve 33. As depicted in FIGS. 3B and 4B, the slope of the rising curve 32 of a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of a sport ball 10 by an animated member 60 may be steeper than that of a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 by a surface 30. Thus, in some instances, for example, a processor 22 can calculate an initial derivative (e.g., at time t.sub.1) of the rising curve 32 of a pressure hysteresis 31 and compare the initial derivative to a slope threshold. In such an instance, if the initial derivative is greater than slope threshold, the processor 22 can determine that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60. Or, in such an instance, if the initial derivative is less than the slope threshold, the processor 22 can determine that the sport ball 10 was impacted against a surface 30. However, a processor 22 may use any other aspects of pressure data 26 or any other characteristic features of a pressure hysteresis 31 to determine whether a sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60.

[0035] For example, in some instances, a processor 22 includes or is otherwise operative to access a correlation engine that can be used to determine whether a sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60. For example, the correlation engine may include one or more machine learning algorithms that can receive pressure data 26 generated by a pressure sensor 21 and use the pressure data 26 to determine whether a sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60. In some instances, a processor 22, such as by employing a correlation engine, can determine a type of surface 30 or animated member 60 that a sport ball 10 was impacted by. For example, the processor 22 may be able to determine a shape, or a partial shape, of a surface 30 or an animated member 60 that impacted that the sport ball 10. Or for example, in some instances, if the processor 22 determines that the sport ball 10 was impacted against a surface 30, the processor 22 may also determine whether the surface 30 was the pitch of a soccer field or the goalpost of a soccer goal. Or for example, in some instances, if the processor 22 determines that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60, the processor 22 may also determine whether the sport ball 10 was impacted by a hand, a foot, or a head. In some instances, a processor 22 determines a confidence or a likelihood of a sport ball 10 having been impacted by a surface 30 or by an animated member 60. For example, in some instances, a processor 22 determines that there is an X % likelihood that a sport ball 10 has been impacted by an animated member 60. In some instances, a processor 22 determines that there is an X % likelihood that a sport ball 10 has been impacted by an animated member 60, and, accordingly, that there is a (100-X) % likelihood that the sport ball 10 has been impacted by a surface 30.

[0036] The impact of a sport ball 10 against another object, represented by the pressure data 26 generated in response to the impact (e.g., the pressure data 26 included in a pressure hysteresis 31), may be referred to as a pressure event. In some instances, when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a pressure event (e.g., to determine if, when, or by what a sport ball 10 was impacted), the processor 22 can factor in or otherwise incorporate pressure data 26 representing one or more previous pressure events. For example, in some instances, when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a second pressure event that occurred shortly after a first pressure event, if the processor 22 determined that the first pressure event was an impact of the sport ball 10 by an animated member 60, the processor 22 may increase the likelihood that the second pressure event was an impact of the sport ball 10 against a surface 30, or vice versa. However, the processor 22 may use the pressure data 26 of a prior pressure event, or any information that can be gleaned from a corresponding pressure hysteresis 31 (e.g., the magnitude of the rising curve 32, the slope of the rising curve 32, or the rising curve duration 36), in any other way when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a subsequent pressure event.

[0037] A fluctuation in the pressure within a sport ball 10 may not always be a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. For example, a fluctuation in the pressure within the sport ball 10 may be a reverberation 41. A reverberation 41 may be a fluctuation in the pressure within a sport ball 10 in response to an initial increase in the pressure due to the sport ball 10 being impacted (e.g., by a surface 30 or an animated member 60). In some instances, a pressure event includes only a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. In some instances, a pressure event includes a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 and one or more reverberations 41 that follow the pressure hysteresis 31 in response to the impact of the sport ball 10. FIGS. 5A and 5B depict pressure hystereses 31 followed by reverberations 41. In the example depicted by FIG. 5A, each of the three pressure hystereses 31 represent a separate impact of a sport ball 10 by a surface 30 (e.g., the sport ball 10 bounced on the surface 30 three times). The first pressure hysteresis 31 (i.e., the leftmost pressure hysteresis 31) is followed by a reverberation 41. The second and third pressure hystereses 31 are not followed by a reverberation 41. This may be because, for example, in a first bounce off the surface 30 represented by the first pressure hysteresis 31, the sport ball 10 bounced high enough and/or remained suspended in the air long enough for a reverberation 41 to be registered by a pressure sensor 21 disposed within the sport ball 10, but in subsequent second and third bounces, represented by the second and third pressure hystereses 31, respectively, the sport ball 10 does not bounce high enough or remain suspended in the air long enough for a reverberation to be registered by the pressure sensor 21.

[0038] In some instances, to determine whether a fluctuation in pressure within a sport ball 10 is a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 (e.g., by a surface 30 or an animated member 60) or a reverberation 41, a processor 22 can use or otherwise consider pressure data 26 from a time horizon extending beyond the fluctuation in pressure. For example, to determine that the fluctuation represented by reverberation 41 in FIG. 5A is a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10, a processor 22 can compare an area under the curve of the fluctuation to an area 40 under the curve of a pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation, such as by dividing the area 40 under the curve of the pressure hysteresis 31 by the area under the curve of the fluctuation. If the result is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor 22 can identify the fluctuation as a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 that represents an impact of sport ball 10. Conversely, if the result is less than the threshold value, the processor 22 can identify the fluctuation as a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 (e.g., by a surface 30 or an animated member 60). Or for example, to determine that the fluctuation represented by reverberation 41 in FIG. 5A is a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10, a processor 22 can determine or calculate an amount of time between the fluctuation and a pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation, e.g., t.sub.1. If the amount of time between the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation is less than or equal to a threshold amount of time, the processor 22 can identify the fluctuation as a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. Conversely, if the amount of time between the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation is greater than the threshold amount of time, the processor 22 can identify the fluctuation as a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 (e.g., by a surface 30 or an animated member 60). For example, t.sub.1 may be less than the threshold amount of time, and t.sub.2 may be greater than the threshold amount of time; therefore, a processor 22 may identify the fluctuation represented by reverberation 41 as a reverberation 41 and the fluctuation represented by the third pressure hysteresis 31 as a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. However, a processor 22 may use pressure data 26 from a time horizon expanding beyond a fluctuation in pressure within a sport ball 10 to determine if the fluctuation is a reverberation 41 or a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 in any other way.

[0039] In the example depicted in FIG. 5B, a first pressure hysteresis 31 representing a first impact of the sport ball 10 with an animated member 60 is followed by two reverberations 41, and a second pressure hysteresis 31 representing a second impact of the sport ball 10 with an animated member 60 is also followed by two reverberations 41 (e.g., the sport ball 10 is kicked into the air, where it reverberates, and then, before the sport ball 10 is allowed to land on a surface 30, the sport ball 10 is kicked back into the air, where it reverberates again). In this example, a processor 22 may determine that the fluctuation represented by the first reverberation 41 following the first pressure hysteresis 31 is a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 by comparing the peak pressure of the fluctuation (e.g., PP2) with the peak pressure of the pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation (e.g., PP1), such as by dividing the peak pressure of the preceding pressure hysteresis 31 by the peak pressure of the fluctuation. If the result is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor 22 can determine that the fluctuation is a reverberation 41. Conversely, if the result is less than the threshold value, the processor 22 can determine that the fluctuation is pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. Or for example, a processor 22 may determine that the fluctuation represented by the first reverberation 41 following the second pressure hysteresis 31 is a reverberation 41 and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10 by determining and/or comparing one or more oscillation frequencies 42 between the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresis 31 that precedes the fluctuation and/or between the fluctuation and the fluctuation that follows the fluctuation (e.g., the fluctuation represented by the second reverberation 41 following the second pressure hysteresis 31). An oscillation frequency 42 may be the amount time between the peak pressures of two consecutive fluctuations. In this example, because the oscillation frequencies 42 between the fluctuation and the fluctuations immediately preceding and immediately following the fluctuation are less than a threshold oscillation frequency, the processor 22 can determine that the fluctuation is a reverberation 41, and not a pressure hysteresis 31 representing an impact of the sport ball 10. After identifying two consecutive pressure hystereses 31 representing two consecutive impacts of a sport ball 10 (e.g., the two pressure hystereses 31 depicted in FIG. 5B), a processor 22 can identify an amount of time between two impacts as a time of flight 43. In some instances, a processor 22 only identifies an amount of time between two impacts as a time of flight 43 if there are a threshold number of reverberations 41 between the two impacts.

[0040] In some instances, when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a pressure event, the processor 22 can factor in or otherwise incorporate externally sourced information. For example, in some instances, a correlation engine included in or otherwise accessible by the processor 22 includes historical pressure data 26 generated by a plurality of pressure sensors 21 disposed within a respective plurality of sport balls 10 during a multitude of prior pressure events. In such an instance, the processor 22 can use the historical pressure data 26 when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a recent pressure event. Or for example, in some instances, the processor 22 can receive or otherwise access user submitted information and use the user submitted information when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a pressure event. For example, in some instances, after the processor 22 determines that a sport ball 10 was impacted by a surface 30 or an animated member 60, a user of the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 can confirm or deny the processor's determination, such as through the use of a graphical user interface (GUI) 25 provided by the pressure sensing sport ball system 20, as described above and below, thereby providing the processor 22 with feedback that the processor 22 can use when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a subsequent pressure event, such as by training a machine learning algorithm included in a correlation engine included in or otherwise accessible by the processor 22. Or for example, in some instances, a user of the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 can submit to the processor 22, such as through the use of a GUI 25 provided by the pressure sensing sport ball system 20, a type of surface that the sport ball 10 will be utilized on (e.g., grass, turf, or asphalt). In such an instance, the processor 22 can use knowledge of the type of surface that the sport ball 10 will be utilized on when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a pressure event. However, the processor 22 may use any externally sourced information in any other way when analyzing the pressure data 26 of a pressure event.

[0041] As mentioned above, in various instances, a processor 22 is operative to receive, access, or otherwise obtain pressure data 26 generated by a pressure sensor 21 disposed within a sport ball 10 and, using or based on the pressure data 26, determine a) if and when the sport ball 10 is impacted; b) how hard the sport ball 10 is impacted; and/or c) what the sport ball 10 is impacted by, e.g., a surface 30 or an animated member 60. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the processor 22 is further operative to cause a graphical user interface (GUI) 25 to display the pressure data 26 or an impact indication 27. FIG. 6 illustrates a GUI 25 accessed or provided by a pressure sensing sport ball system 20. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the GUI 25 is a video review application used by soccer referees, e.g., a video assisted referee application. In this example, the sport ball 10, a soccer ball, includes a pressure sensor 21 and a communication component 24 disposed within the sport ball 10, e.g., disposed within a pocket 17 included in a bladder 14 of the sport ball 10. In this example, the pressure sensor 21 generates pressure data 26 by recording the pressure of the air within the inflated bladder 14 of the sport ball 10 every millisecond, and the communication component 24, communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor 21, wirelessly transmits the pressure data 26 generated by the pressure sensor 21 to a remote processor 22 instantly and in real-time. In this example, the processor 22 uses the pressure data 26 to determine a) if and when the sport ball 10 is impacted; b) how hard the sport ball 10 is impacted; and c) what the sport ball 10 is impacted by, e.g., a soccer field (or pitch) or a soccer player (or strike). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in the ten seconds between 73:13 and 73:23 of a soccer game in which the sport ball 10 is being utilized, the processor 22 has determined that the sport ball 10 was impacted four times (i.e., impacts 3, 4, 5, and 6). The processor 22 has also caused the GUI 25 to display the latest six impacts involving the sport ball 10, along with the peak pressure 35 for each impact, and whether the impact was determined to have been with the pitch or by a strike. In this example, the processor 22 has caused the GUI 25 to display the latest impacts involving the sport ball 10 in real-time. The GUI 25 can then be used by a referee of the soccer game to help the referee determine whether the soccer ball was struck by a player while the player was offside, or if the soccer ball was struck by a hand, for example.

[0042] A GUI 25, and the information generated for display within a GUI 25 by a processor 22, may take on many different forms based on a particular application. For example, when the sport ball 10 is a soccer ball designed or otherwise intended for individual youth soccer practice, the GUI 25 may be a simple interface that displays information such as ball speed (e.g., calculated by a processor 22 using peak pressure values), time of flight 43, and a number of consecutive impacts of the sport ball 10 by an animated member 60. Or for example, when the sport ball 10 is a volleyball designed or otherwise intended for use during competition, the GUI 25 may be a more intricate interface that displays information indicating whether an impact of the sport ball 10 was by a surface 30 or an animated member 60, information indicating whether an impact of the sport ball 10 was a serve, a set, a spike, or a dig. Or for example, when the sport ball 10 is a basketball, the GUI 25 may display information indicating whether an impact of the sport ball 10 was by a floor, a backboard, or a rim of a basket. However, the GUI 25 may take on any suitable form and display any suitable information for any suitable application.

[0043] FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of a method 50 for determining that a sport ball 10 has been impacted by an animated member 60. The method 50 may be performed by a pressure sensing sport ball system 20, as described above. As depicted in FIG. 7, in some instances, the method 50 begins with steps 51 and 52, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 gauges the pressure of a fluid contained within a sport ball 10 and generates pressure data 26 corresponding to the pressure of the fluid contained with the sport ball 10, respectively. For example, as described above, the pressure of a fluid contained within the sport ball 10 can be gauged and recorded by a pressure sensor 21 disposed within a bladder 14 of the sport ball 10. In some instances, the pressure data 26 is provided to a computer-readable memory 23 for storage. As depicted in FIG. 7, in some instances, after the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 gauges the pressure of the fluid contained within the sport ball 10 and generates corresponding pressure data 26, the method 50 continues with step 53, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 determines that the sport ball 10 has been impacted by an animated member 60. For example, as described above, a processor 22 can access, receive, or otherwise obtain the pressure data 26 generated by a pressure sensor 21 disposed within the sport ball 10 and use the pressure data 26 to generate a pressure hysteresis 31. The processor 22 can then use characteristic features of the pressure hysteresis 31 to determine a) that the sport ball 10 was impacted and b) that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60. As depicted in FIG. 7, in some instances, after determining that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60, the method 50 continues with step 54, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 causes a graphical user interface (GUI) 25 to display a visual indication indicating that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60. For example, as described above, a processor 22 can determine a) when the sport ball 10 was impacted; b) that the sport ball 10 was impacted by an animated member 60; and c) how hard the sport ball 10 was impacted by the animated member 60, and cause a GUI 25 accessed or provided by the pressure sensing sport ball system 20 to display one or more visual indications of the sport ball 10 being impacted by the animated member 60 and how hard the sport ball 10 was impacted by the animated member 60.

[0044] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the system will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the system disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.