US20060178235A1 - Apparatus and method for determining participant contact with a sports object - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus determine contact by a participant with a sports object by detecting contact of the sports object with the participant via a personal area network of the participant; transmitting in response to the detection player identification information to a central controller; determining that the sports object has left a field of play by the central controller; and alerting in response to the determination a sports official to identify a last participant to contact the sports object via an official system by the central controller.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD
• This invention relates to detection of an object being touched by a person.
BACKGROUND
• In many sports, it is important to know which player last touched the game ball. This is particularly true in sports such as basketball and soccer. Whereas, in soccer, it is possible to review a play using instant replay using taped video, it greatly slows down the flow of the game. The problem is not severe in a game such as football which has a natural stopping point at regular intervals. But in soccer particularly, the need to stop the game and review a particular play causes major disruption in the soccer game itself. This is also true in basketball. By the same token, in championship play, a mistake by a referee during a soccer game concerning who was the last player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds can have serious repercussions not only to the game but also to the mood of the crowd which have been known to riot. These considerations are also true for other sports such as rugby, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• A method and apparatus determine contact by a participant with a sports object by detecting contact of the sports object with the participant via a personal area network of the participant; transmitting in response to the detection participant identification information to a central controller; determining that the sports object has left a field of play by the central controller; and alerting in response to the determination a sports official to identify a last participant to contact the sports object via an official system by the central controller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system;
• FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a system;
• FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of connectors positioned on a ball;
• FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the arrangement of conductors on a ball;
• FIG. 5 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations performed by an embodiment of a body controller;
• FIG. 6 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations of an embodiment of a central system;
• FIG. 7 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations of another embodiment of a body controller;
• FIG. 8 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations of an embodiment of a ball controller;
• FIG. 9 illustrates, in block diagram form, an embodiment of a body controller;
• FIG. 10 illustrates, in block diagram form, an embodiment of a central system;
• FIG. 11 illustrates, in block diagram form, an embodiment of an official system; and
• FIG. 12 illustrates, in block diagram form, a ball controller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• In one embodiment, a personal area network (also referred to as a body area network) is created for each player so that the body and the clothing of each player becomes a local area network. The ball or other physical object generates an identification code which is transmitted to the player's personal area network when the ball touches the player's body or clothing. The information is transmitted from the ball to the personal area network via conductors on the surface of the ball. The personal area network of the player is under the control of a body controller which then transmits the information from the ball to a central system. The central system records the players that touch the ball and analyzes this information when it determines that the ball has gone out of the field of play of other game occurrences. This determination may be made based on an input from a game official. At that time, the central controller can transmit to a system utilized by an official of the game (official system), such as a linesman or referee, the information concerning the last player to touch the ball.
• In addition, another embodiment of the body controller allows the body controller to determine the position of the player on the playing field and transmit this information to the central system. Such location information is important, for example, to determine offside decisions in a soccer game.
• In also, another embodiment allows the central system to analysis location and contact information to produce statistical information such as pass completion rates, percentage of ball possession, etc.
• In another embodiment, the body controller of a player transmits the player's identification information to the ball when the player comes in contact with the ball. The ball controller then uses the player identification information to transmit this information to a central system.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system.Ball controller106 is continuously transmitting the ball's identification information to the outer surface of the ball. Whenball104 comes into contact withplayer102, the ball's identification information is transferred to the personal area network of the player's body or clothes that is under control ofbody controller103. The construction ofbody controller103 and its interaction with the personal area network is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,827 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,913, these patents are hereby incorporated by reference. In addition, the incorporated patents disclose the transfer of information from an external object, such asball104, to the personal area network.
• Body controller103 then transmits the fact thatball104 has touchedplayer102 tocentral system101.Central system101 analyzes this information and determines if it should be transmitted to official system111. The transmission of information fromcentral system101 is toofficial controller107.Official controller107 may choose to provide this information to a game official via input-output device108 ordisplay device109. In one embodiment, the identity ofplayer102 is always displayed on109 so that the official can determine the last player to touch the ball before it went out of play. In another embodiment, the official can request this information fromcentral system101. Input-output device108 can consist of an audio transducer so that the information fromcentral system101 can be provided to the official as audio output.
• Body controller103 also has a location positioning mechanism so as to determine the location ofplayer102 on the playing field. This location positioning mechanism may utilize global positioning satellite techniques or may utilize gyroscopic positioning techniques as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,381 which is hereby incorporated by reference.Body controller103 transmits the location information tocentral system101.
• FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a system. InFIG. 2,body controller203 is continuously generating the identification information forplayer202 and placing this information on the personal area network ofplayer202. Whenplayer202 comes in contact withball204, the identification ofplayer202 is transferred toball controller206 via the conductors on the surface ofball204 from the personal area network.
• Ball controller206 then transmits the identification ofplayer202 tocentral system201.Central system201 after analyzing the information may transfer the information toofficial system211 viaofficial controller207.Official controller207 can choose to utilize input-output device208 ordisplay device209 to inform the official of the last person to touchball204.
• FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the exterior ofball204. The exterior surface ofball204 comprises a plurality of electrode pairs301-304 which are utilized byball controller206 to receive or transmit information to a player. These pairs of electrodes are arranged on the surface ofball204 and interconnect toball controller206. In one embodiment,ball controller206 may be a thin film circuit or other miniaturized circuit type on the inner-surface ofball204. In addition,ball controller206 may be duplicated for reliability.
• FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the arrangement of conductors along the surface ofball204.Electrodes401 are arranged along the exterior surface of the ball.Electrodes402 are isolated from the surface of the ball but just below the outer skin of the ball. In this embodiment,ball controller206 may be a thin film circuit or other miniaturized circuit type on the inner-surface of theball204. In addition,ball controller206 may be duplicated for reliability.
• FIG. 5 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations of an embodiment of a body controller such asbody controller103 ofFIG. 1. After being started inblock501,decision block502 determines if it is time to transmit position information defining the location ofplayer102 on the playing field. If the answer is no, control is transferred todecision block504. If the answer is yes indecision block502, block503 transmits the position information tocentral system101 before transferring control todecision block504. The latter decision block determines if the ball ID is being received because of contact ofball104 withplayer102. If the answer is no indecision block504, control is transferred back todecision block502. If the answer is yes indecision block504, block506 transmits the indication of which player is in contact with the ball tocentral system101 before transferring control back todecision block502.
• FIG. 6 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations performed by an embodiment of a central system such ascentral system101 or201. After being started inblock601,decision block602 determines if player position information has been received. If the answer is no, control is transferred todecision block607. If the answer is yes, block603 stores the position information along with the identity of the player. Next,decision block604 determines, based on the rules of the game, whether there is a possibility that the player's position constitutes a possible violation. If the answer is no, control is transferred todecision block607. If the answer is yes indecision block604, block606 transmits a signal along with the identification of the player to the official system indicating a possible violation before transferring control todecision block607.
• Decision block607 determines if player identification information is being received from either a body controller or a ball depending on the particular embodiment. If the answer is no, control is transferred todecision block609. If the answer is yes indecision block607, block608 stores the identification information before transferring control todecision block609.Decision block609 determines if there is a request for the last player contact either generated by the central system or being requested by the official via official system such asofficial system111 or211. If the answer is no, control is transferred back todecision block602. If the answer indecision block609 is yes, block611 transmits the identity of the last player to contact the ball to the official system before returning control back todecision block602.
• FIG. 7 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations performed by a body controller in another embodiment such asbody controller203. Note, thatFIG. 7 only illustrates the operations being performed with respect to the central system.Body controller203 is constantly transmitting the identification of the player via the personal area network in case a ball should come in contact with the player. After being started inblock701,decision block702 determines if it is time to transmit the position information of the player. If the answer is no, control is transferred back todecision block702. If the answer is yes, block703 transmits the position information with the identity of the player to the central system before returning control back todecision block702.
• FIG. 8 illustrates, in flowchart form, operations performed by an embodiment of a ball controller, such asball controller206. The operations illustrated inFIG. 8 are only those performed with respect tocentral system201. The ball controller is continuously testing to see if the player identification is being received because the ball has contacted a player. After being started inblock801,decision block802 determines if a player ID is being received. If the answer is no,decision block802 is re-executed. If the answer is yes, block803 transmits the identification of the player and an indication that the player is in contact with the ball before returning control back todecision block802.
• FIG. 9 illustrates, in block diagram form, a body controller.Processor903, by executing programs inmemory906, provides the overall control.Positioning unit901, which may be a global positioning system or a gyroscope system, provides location information toprocessor903.Processor903 transmits and receives data via the personal area network viaPAN interface902.Radio unit904 provides the reception and transmission of radio signals with the central system.
• PAN routine907 collects and utilizes information from the PAN. Positioning routine908 accepts location information frompositioning unit901 and transmits this information to the central system. Data is stored indata909.Operating system911 provides the overall control.
• FIG. 10 illustrates, in block diagram form, a central system, such ascentral system101 or201.Processor1003 provides overall control of the system by execution of routines inmemory1006.Radio unit1004 provides communications with the body controllers and the ball controller.
• Player position routine1007 is responsible for receiving player positions and determining whether these positions violate the rules of the game. Thelast contact routine1008 provides for the determination of which player last contacted the ball. Data is stored indata1009.Operating system1011 provides overall control.
• FIG. 11 illustrates, in block diagram form, an official system such asofficial system111 or211.Processor1103 receives and transmits information with the central system viaradio unit1104. The user utilizesuser interface1102 to input information intoprocessor1103, andprocessor1103 displays information to the user viadisplay1101.Processor1103 performs these activities by the execution of routines and applications inmemory1106.
• User interface routine1107 provides for receiving and utilizing input from the user fromuser interface1102.Display control1108 not only displays information ondisplay1101 but also makes the necessary analysis before displaying this information. Data is stored indata1109.Operating system1111 provides overall control.
• FIG. 12 illustrates, in block diagram form, an embodiment of a ball controller such asball controller106 or206.Processor1203 provides overall control by execution of routines inmemory1206. Electrodes interface1202 provides the interface toelectrodes1201 that are arranged on the ball as illustrated in FIGS.3 or4.Radio unit1204 provides the communication link with the central system.Player detection routine1207 provides the control for the detection of the player and the transmission of this information to the central system. Data is stored indata1209, andoperating system1211 provides overall control.
• When the operations of the body controller, ball controller, central system or official system are implemented in software, it should be noted that the software can be stored on any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method. In the context of this document, a computer-readable medium is an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method. The software can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. For example, the computer-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured via optical scanning of the paper or other medium and then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and stored in a computer memory.
• In an alternative embodiment, where the body controller, ball controller, central system or official system is implemented in hardware, the body controller, ball controller, central system or official system can be implemented with any or a combination of the following technologies, which are each well known in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
• Of course, various changes and modifications to the illustrated embodiments described above would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims except in so far as limited by the prior art.

Claims (20)

1. A method for assisting in officiating a sports contest, comprising the steps of:

detecting contact of a sports object with a participant via a personal area network of the participant;

transmitting in response to the detection participant identification information to a central controller;

determining that the sports object has left a field of play by the central controller; and

alerting in response to the determination a sports official to identify a last participant to contact the sports object via an official system by the central controller.

2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of detecting contact of the sports object with a participant comprises the step of receiving information from the personal area network of the participant by a body controller of the participant; and

the step of transmitting is executed by the body controller.

3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprises the steps of determining a location of the participant on the field of play;

transmitting a message to the central controller for determination if the location of the participant is a possible violation of official rules.

4. The method ofclaim 1 further comprises the steps of determining a location of the participant on the field of play; and

calculating statistical information based on locations of the participant and contacts by the participant with the sports object.

5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises the step of receiving information from the sports official via the official system.

6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of detecting contact of the sports object with a participant comprises the step of receiving information from the personal area network of the participant by an object controller of the sports object; and

the step of transmitting is executed by the object controller whereby the participant identification information is received from the personal area network.

7. The method ofclaim 6 further comprises the steps of determining a location of the participant on the field of play;

transmitting a message to the central controller for determination if the location of the participant is a possible violation of official rules.

8. The method ofclaim 6 further comprises the steps of determining a location of the participant on the field of play; and

calculating statistical information based on locations of the participant and contacts by the participant with the sports object.

9. The method ofclaim 6 wherein the step of determining comprises the step of receiving information from the sports official via the official system.

10. An apparatus to assist in officiating a sports contest, comprising:

a central controller;

a official system;

a body controller detecting contact with a sports object via a personal area network for a participant and transmitting a contact message to the central controller indicating the contact and participant identification information; and

the central controller transmitting an alerting message to the official system to identify a last participant to contact the sports object upon receipt of the contact message and a determination that the sports object has left a field of play.

11. The apparatus ofclaim 10 further comprises a participant locator and the body controller transmitting a participant location message based on information from the participant locator to the central controller; and

the central controller determining if the location of the participant is a possible rule violation.

12. The apparatus ofclaim 10 wherein the central controller further calculating statistical information based on locations of the participant and contacts by the participant with the sports object.

13. An apparatus to assist in officiating a sports contest, comprising:

a central controller;

a official system;

a object controller detecting contact with a sports object via a personal area network for a participant and transmitting a contact message to the central controller indicating the contact and receiving participant identification information from the personal area network; and

the central controller transmitting an alerting message to the official system to identify a last participant to contact the sports object upon receipt of the contact message and a determination that the sports object has left a field of play.

14. The apparatus ofclaim 13 further comprises a participant locator and a body controller;

the body controller transmitting a participant location message based on information from the participant locator to the central controller; and

the central controller determining if the location of the participant is a possible rule violation.

15. The apparatus ofclaim 10 wherein the central controller further calculating statistical information based on locations of the participant and contacts by the participant with the sports object.

16. A processor-readable medium for assisting in officiating a sports contest, comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

processor-executable instructions for detecting contact of a sports object with a participant via a personal area network of the participant;

processor-executable instructions executed by a central controller for transmitting in response to the detection participant identification information;

processor-executable instructions executed by a central controller for determining that the sports object has left a field of play; and

processor-executable instructions executed by a central controller for alerting in response to the determination a sports official and identifying a last participant to contact the sports object via an official system.

17. The processor-readable medium ofclaim 16 wherein the processor-executable instructions for detecting contact of the sports object with a participant are executed by a body controller of the participant with information from the personal area network of the participant; and

the processor-executable instructions for transmitting are executed by the body controller.

18. The processor-readable medium ofclaim 16 further comprises the processor-executable instructions for determining a location of the participant on the field of play; and

processor-executable instructions for transmitting a message to the central controller for determination if the location of the participant is a possible violation of official rules.

19. The processor-readable medium ofclaim 16 further comprises processor-executable instructions for determining a location of the participant on the field of play; and

processor-executable instructions for calculating statistical information based on locations of the participant and contacts by the participant with the sports object.

20. An apparatus for implementing the steps ofclaim 1.

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