Throwable Objects

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to throwable toys such as shuttles and balls. In some of the illustrative embodiments a shuttle includes means to determine information relating to the throw or state of motion of the shuttle, and means to convey an audio information signal to a user during the throw.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to throwable objects. Illustrative embodiments of the invention relate to throwable toys such as shuttles and balls. In some illustrative embodiments a shuttle includes means to determine information relating to the throw or state of motion of the shuttle, and means to convey an audio information signal to a user during the throw.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]It is known to play a variety of games using throwable objects such as shuttles, football and vortex footballs. More recently, such throwable objects have incorporated on-board electronics to measure and display information such as the distance travelled by the ball, for example using an accelerometer in combination with a microprocessor as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,576. US 2008 / 0234077 discloses a ball comprising a motion switch that emits a sound at different intervals when passed from player to player to indicate to the players a stage of the game, e.g. when playin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a throwable object that emits sound when it moves, allowing a user to receive feedback during the throw. This improves the experience of playing games with the object, as the user can hear the sounds the object makes while it is in the air. The design also prevents the speaker from rotating too much, minimizing the "Doppler effect" during the throw. Overall, this invention makes throwing games more intuitive and rewarding, and can also provide valuable feedback for applications outside of a game.

Problems solved by technology

However existing electronic balls are limited in terms of the flight information they can accurately generate in relation to the distance, height and speed that the ball is thrown.

For example, an accelerometer is not able to distinguish between motion of a ball in the hand and motion of a ball through the air.

When a swing is given to a ball by a player before it is thrown, the accelerometer will generate travel information assuming that it is already in mid-air, which pollutes the true distance measurement data.

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