Systems and related methods for automated equipment ID and performance evaluation

Abstract

A motion simulator may include a piece of sports equipment with indicia configured to at least partially identify the piece of sports equipment, a first sensor configured to automatically detect the indicia, a second sensor configured to detect a trajectory of a ball, and a display configured to display a motion simulation. The motion simulator may also receive an identification of the marker, identify features of the piece of sports equipment associated with the marker, receive a trajectory of the ball, generate simulated data indicative of a virtual ball with a virtual flight path in response to the trajectory, store the features of the piece of sports equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball, and generate simulated data indicative of the virtual ball. And causing the display screen to display the virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion simulation.

Description

[0001] Related references

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application serial number 17 / 735,886, filed on May 3, 2022, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND RELATED METHODS FOR AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT ID AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for equipment identification and performance assessment. Background Art

[0004] Golf simulators are used to simulate a real golf game in an at least partially virtual environment. In some golf simulators, a person using the simulator realistically swings a golf club at a golf ball, strikes the golf ball, and then watches the simulated golf ball play on a virtual golf course. Such simulators are incorporated into video games and training systems, for example. Summary of the invention

[0005] In some embodiments, the motion simulator may include a piece of sports equipment with a tag that is configured to at least partially identify the piece of sports equipment. The motion simulator may also include a first sensor that is configured to automatically detect the tag, a second sensor that is configured to detect the trajectory of a ball, and a display that is configured to display the motion simulation. The motion simulator may also include a processor and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the motion simulator to receive an identification of the tag in response to the first sensor detecting the tag. The instructions may cause the motion simulator to identify a characteristic of the piece of sports equipment associated with the tag in a database in response to receiving the identification of the tag. The instructions may cause the motion simulator to receive a trajectory of the ball from the second sensor in response to the second sensor detecting the use of the piece of sports equipment to interact with the ball. The instructions may cause the motion simulator to generate simulation data indicating a virtual ball with a virtual flight path in response to receiving the trajectory. The instructions may cause the motion simulator to store the characteristic of the piece of sports equipment, wherein the stored characteristic of the piece of sports equipment is associated with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball, and cause the display to display the virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion simulation.

[0006] The method of simulating the performance of sports equipment may involve detecting a marker on a piece of sports equipment using a first sensor and identifying a characteristic of the piece of sports equipment in response to detecting the marker. A trajectory of a ball may be detected using a second sensor in response to using the piece of sports equipment, and simulation data indicative of a virtual ball having a virtual flight path may be generated in response to the trajectory. The characteristic of the piece of sports equipment may be stored in association with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball and may cause a display to display the virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] While the present disclosure concludes with claims that particularly point out and distinctly claim specific embodiments, the various features and advantages of embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example sports simulator system in the form of a golf simulator system.

[0009] Figure 2A An example of a piece of sporting equipment in the form of a golf club having indicia for identifying the golf club is described.

[0010] Figure 2B Another example of a piece of sports equipment in the form of a golf ball is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 Possible configurations of markings on a piece of sporting equipment, such as a golf club, are illustrated.

[0012] Figure 4 Non-limiting examples of possible sports equipment for use with the motion simulator system are described, including baseball gloves, baseball bats, tennis rackets, golf gloves, and golf shoes.

[0013] Figure 5 Non-limiting examples of possible markings for a plurality of sports equipment in a sports simulator system are described, including QR codes, reflected infrared (IR) signatures, and dot matrix IR signatures.

[0014] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a motion simulator system performed by a processor executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium.

[0015] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method for simulating the performance of sports equipment.

[0016] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an electronic system included in one or more systems of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which are shown, in a schematic manner, specific examples of non-limiting examples in which this disclosure may be implemented. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the disclosure. However, other examples enabled herein may be used, and structural, material, and process changes may be made without exceeding the scope of the disclosure.

[0018] The function of a sports simulator is generally to provide the user with an artificial recreation of a sporting activity. In some cases, a sports simulator may provide an easier or more convenient way to participate in a given sporting activity without having to use all of the necessary equipment or facilities for the given sport. For example, in some cases, sports simulators may allow sports that are typically confined to outdoor fields to be adapted so that they can be played within smaller space requirements, such as in one's own home. In addition, some simulators allow the use of equipment that is typically used when playing the sport in a non-simulated environment. Capturing accurate equipment information using a sports simulator can be difficult because reliance on user input is unreliable and unverifiable, equipment has no captivating identifying markings, and prior attempts to guess at the equipment being used based on performance are often inaccurate. As a result, the ability of conventional simulators to provide accurate representations of player and equipment performance is often insufficient because conventional simulators have no reliable way to incorporate the properties of the user's physical equipment into the simulation.

[0019] According to this disclosure, a motion simulator can automatically identify the characteristics of a piece of sports equipment. In some embodiments, the motion simulator automatically detects at least one mark on a piece of sports equipment, and identifies at least one characteristic of the piece of sports equipment in response to detecting the mark. The simulator can detect and collect data on the use or behavior of the user to the piece of sports equipment, and can associate the characteristics of the detected sports equipment with the data collected from the use or behavior of the piece of sports equipment, and store the associated data in a database. Tracking the performance of players and equipment can achieve more detailed and accurate performance representation, evaluation and improvement without relying on unreliable user input or inaccurate guessing techniques. In addition, the motion simulator can use the data collected from the characteristics of the sports equipment and the data from the use of multiple pieces of sports equipment to generate suggestions to users to improve their sports and improve the overall game sports experience. In addition, the motion simulator can use the data collected from the characteristics of the sports equipment to reflect these characteristics in a virtual environment, thereby allowing a stronger sense of immersion and more accurate simulation of the simulated sports.

[0020] As used herein, the terms "computer-readable storage medium" and "storage device" refer to and include microelectronic devices that exhibit, but are not limited to, storage functions, but do not include embodiments that include transient signals. For example, a system on a chip (SoC) is included in the meaning of a computer-readable storage medium. As a non-limiting example, unless otherwise specified, a computer-readable storage medium may generally include a packaged semiconductor device having a storage function and storing instructions for operating the motion simulator described herein. More specific examples of storage devices include spin torque transfer magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (e.g., synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) that complies with double data rate (DDR) and / or graphic DDR (GDDR) standards (DDR4, DDR5, DDR6)), static random access memory (SRAM), racetrack memory, read-only memory (ROM), such as EPROM, resistive read-only memory (RROM), flash memory, and other known memory types.

[0021] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example motion simulator system 100 in the form of a golf simulator system. The motion simulator system 100 may include a piece of sporting equipment 102 (e.g., a golf club) with a marker configured to at least partially identify the piece of sporting equipment. The motion simulator system 100 may also include at least one of the first sensors 104 configured to detect the marker on the piece of sporting equipment 102 (e.g., a golf club) so that the motion simulator system 100 automatically identifies the piece of sporting equipment 102 and / or its characteristics in response to detecting the marker on the sporting equipment 102. The motion simulator system 100 may also include a ball 112 with another marker configured to at least partially identify the ball 112. The motion simulator system 100 may also include at least one second sensor 106 configured to detect the trajectory of the ball 112 (e.g., a golf ball). The motion simulator system 100 may also include a display 108 that may be operatively coupled to a computer 110, wherein the computer 110 may include a processor and a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions. The display 108 may be configured to display the motion simulation. In one embodiment, the display 108 may include a projector configured to project an image onto a screen. In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 may also optionally include a fence.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may take the form of a camera that is configured to automatically detect a marker on a piece of sporting equipment (described below). Figure 514). In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may include an infrared (IR) camera capable of detecting infrared radiation. The first sensor 104 may be located on the motion simulator system 100 so that the sports equipment 102 will be in view when the user performs simulated exercise in the play area 114. More specifically, the first sensor 104 may be positioned to detect a portion of the sports equipment 102 with a mark, for example, when the user performs simulated sports activities in the play area 114. In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may be mounted on a support structure extending onto the play area 114. In other embodiments, the first sensor 104 may be located anywhere so that the sports equipment 102 will be in view when the user performs simulated exercise in the play area 114. For example, the first sensor 104 may be located on or below the play area 114, and the first sensor 104 is exposed to detect the sports equipment 102 on or above the play area 114, so that when the user performs simulated exercise in the play area 114, the first sensor 102 can detect a portion of the sports equipment 102 with a mark. In an example where the sports equipment 102 is configured as a golf club, such a position and orientation of the first sensor 104 can detect a mark on the bottom of the golf club head or the back side of the golf club surface. For example, when a user performs simulated sports in the play area 114, the first sensor 104 can be located in front of, behind, above, below, horizontally to the side, or opposite horizontally to the location where the piece of sports equipment 102 is located.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may be powered on at all times, but in some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may be turned on or only powered on during a specified phase of the sport, for example, when setting up or starting a game or during a specified period of time after the motion simulator system 100 is powered on. The first sensor 104 and / or the computer 110 may be configured to perform image recognition to detect markings on a piece of sports equipment 102, for example, milled, stamped, engraved, scribed, inked (including infrared inked), and / or adhered to the piece of sports equipment 102. In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 may also be configured to recognize the piece of sports equipment 102 in response to the first sensor 104 detecting the physical shape of the piece of sports equipment 102. The first sensor 104 may be configured to automatically detect a logo printed on the piece of sports equipment. In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 may be configured to automatically detect physical surface details on a piece of sports equipment. For example, the first sensor 104 may be configured to detect a dimple pattern on the surface of a golf ball. The first sensor 104 may be located on the play area 114.

[0024] The second sensor 106 may be a sensor configured to detect the trajectory of the ball 112. In some embodiments, the second sensor 106 may include a high-speed camera that captures the motion or use of the sports equipment by acquiring a series of images using a very short exposure when the motion or use of the sports equipment is detected. For example, in some embodiments, the second sensor 106 may capture image data at an exposure less than or equal to 1 / 1000 seconds or a frame capture rate greater than or equal to 250 frames per second (FPS). In some embodiments, the second sensor 106 may have a capture rate in the range of from about 2500 FPS to about 3000 FPS. In some embodiments, the second sensor 106 may be configured to capture the interaction between a ball (e.g., ball 112) and a piece of sports equipment (e.g., sports equipment 102). The second sensor 106 may be configured to detect the motion of the ball, such as its speed, acceleration, trajectory, rotation, deformation, or any combination or subcombination of these. In some embodiments, the piece of sports equipment 102 is a golf club, the ball 112 is a golf ball, and the second sensor 106 can be configured to detect at least one of the club head speed, the flight trajectory of the ball, the distance the ball moves, the angle of the club face, the flight speed of the ball, the flight acceleration of the ball, or the deformation of the ball. Further, the second sensor 106 may include a storage device for storing captured images. For example, in some embodiments, the second sensor 106 can be configured to capture image data within a predefined time period, such as the entire use or action of a piece of sports equipment detected. The second sensor 106 can be configured to store all images associated with the time period in a memory. The storage device can be accessed by the processor of the motion simulator system 100 for analysis.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 and the second sensor 106 can be combined into a single sensor, a single housing, and / or a single device. For example, the first sensor 104 and the second sensor 106 can be the same sensor of a camera, where the camera can be used to capture the interaction between a ball (e.g., ball 112) and a piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102), and can also be configured to detect a mark on the piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102). In other embodiments, the first sensor 104 and the second sensor 106 can be two separate sensors, located in two different housings, and / or set in two separate devices. For example, the first sensor 104 can be located in a first camera and the second sensor 106 can be located in a second camera, where the second camera is configured to capture the interaction between the ball (e.g., ball 112) and the piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102), and the first camera is configured to detect the mark on the piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102). In some embodiments, the first sensor 104 and the second sensor 106 can be implemented in two separate cameras, where each camera can be configured to both capture an interaction between a ball (e.g., ball 112) and a piece of sports equipment (e.g., sports equipment 102) and to detect a marker on the piece of sports equipment (e.g., sports equipment 102).

[0026] In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 may include two independent systems. For example, the two systems may include a first system that may be configured to perform a simulation of a selected sport, and a separate second system that may be configured to perform analysis and identification of a piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102). In this example, the first and second systems may be configured to communicate with each other, for example, by sharing data.

[0027] Figure 2A An example of a piece of sporting equipment in the form of a golf club having indicia 206 configured to identify the golf club is described. In some embodiments, indicia 206 may be located on a groove of golf club 202 (i.e., the portion of golf club 202 where the shaft connects to the head), and indicia 206 may be oriented toward first sensor 104 or otherwise detected by first sensor 104 when golf club 202 is gripped to strike a ball and the head of golf club 202 is close to the ground (see Figure 1 ). In some embodiments, indicia 206 may identify at least one characteristic of golf club 202. For example, indicia 206 may identify at least one of golf club type (e.g., 5-iron, sand wedge, driver), manufacturer, make, model, year, shaft length, grip type, material, bend, or quality.

[0028] Figure 2B Another example of a piece of sporting equipment in the form of a golf ball is shown. Indicia 208 may be configured to at least partially identify golf ball 204. Indicia 208 may also identify one or more characteristics of golf ball 204, such as at least one of mass, weight, resilience, ball type, size, color, material, manufacturer, make, model, or year. Figure 2A and 2B Sporting equipment such as a golf club 202 and a golf ball 204 are shown separately, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to golf equipment, and a sports simulator with device identifiers can be used to identify and generate simulations of nearly any sporting equipment, including any type of ball-related sports.

[0029] Figure 3 302. A possible configuration of a mark 304 on a piece of sporting equipment, such as a golf club 302, is shown. In some embodiments, the mark 304 may be located on a handle, shaft, body, head, face, base, or other portion of a piece of sporting equipment. Figure 3 As shown, when the piece of sports equipment is a golf club, the mark 304 can be located on the handle of the golf club, on the shaft of the golf club, on the face of the golf club head, on the back of the golf club head, and / or on the bottom of the golf club head. In addition, during normal use of a motion simulator system (e.g., motion simulator system 100), the mark 304 can be located anywhere on the golf club 302 as long as it is within the detectable range of a sensor (e.g., first sensor 104). Although the position of the mark is different from Figure 3 302, but the disclosure is not so limited. For example, when a user uses the motion simulator system 100 to perform simulated sports, the marker can be placed anywhere on a piece of sports equipment as long as the marker is within the line of sight of a sensor (e.g., the first sensor 104).

[0030] Figure 4Non-limiting examples of possible sports equipment for a motion simulator system (e.g., motion simulator system 100) are depicted, including a baseball glove 402, a baseball bat 404, a tennis racket 406, a golf glove 408, and a golf shoe 410. In some embodiments, each piece of sports equipment may have a unique mark relative to the type or model of the sports equipment. For example, a baseball bat 404 of a particular model may have a mark unique to that particular model to indicate certain characteristics of the baseball bat 404 of that particular model. However, baseball bats of different models, even if manufactured by the same manufacturer, may also have different marks to indicate the characteristics of different models. In some embodiments, even between multiple pieces of sports equipment of the same model, each piece of sports equipment may also obtain a unique mark. In some embodiments, the mark may be unified for the category, type, or manufacturing cycle of the sports equipment.

[0031] Figure 5 A non-limiting example of possible markings 500 for multiple pieces of sports equipment in a motion simulator system (e.g., motion simulator system 100) is described, including a QR code 502, a reflective infrared (IR) feature 504, and a dot IR feature 506. The marking may be supported on the material of the piece of sports equipment or embedded therein. The marking may be milled, stamped, engraved, or imprinted onto a piece of sports equipment. In addition, the marking may be an infrared ink applied directly to a piece of sports equipment. Regardless of the form of the marking, the marking may be invisible to the human eye and may only be seen using a sensor (e.g., first sensor 104) in some examples. In other examples, the marking may be visible to the human eye and may be detected using a sensor (e.g., first sensor 104). In some embodiments, the marking may be retrofitted to a piece of sports equipment by, for example, placing the marking on a small, optional transparent sticker and affixing the sticker to the piece of sports equipment. In some embodiments, the marking may identify a unique ID that the motion simulator system may use to verify the identity of the user. The marking may include a dot pattern. In some embodiments, when the marking is a dot pattern, the dots may be associated with the characteristics of the piece of sports equipment. For example, when the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club, the marking including the dot pattern may have five dots to indicate that the golf club is a five-iron.

[0032] Figure 6is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the motion simulator system 100 performed by the processor executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. In operation 602, the motion simulator system 100 receives an identification of a marker in response to the first sensor 104 detecting the marker. In operation 604, the motion simulator system 100 identifies the characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the marker in the database. In some embodiments, the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club, and the motion simulator system 100 can identify one or more characteristics, including golf club type, manufacturer, manufacturer, model, year, shaft length, bend, grip type, material or quality. In addition, in some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 can identify one or more characteristics of a piece of sporting equipment including a sports ball based on the detected surface details of the piece of sporting equipment. For example, the motion simulator system 100 can identify a golf ball in response to detecting a mark on the ball, detecting a dimple pattern on the surface of the golf ball, or detecting other marks on the golf ball or embedded in the golf ball. In operation 606, the motion simulator system 100 receives or determines the trajectory of the ball from the second sensor 106 in response to the second sensor 106 detecting the use of the piece of sporting equipment to interact with the ball. At operation 608, the motion simulator system 100 generates simulation data indicating a virtual ball having a virtual flight path in response to the trajectory. At operation 610, the motion simulator system 100 stores the characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball. At operation 612, the motion simulator system 100 causes the display 108 to display the virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion simulator.

[0033] The motion simulator system 100 may accept a user identification of the user of the piece of sporting equipment and store the user identification in association with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball. In some embodiments, the user may manually input the user identification using an input terminal of the motion simulator system 100. When the piece of sporting equipment is identified after the motion simulator system 100 accepts the user identification, the motion simulator system 100 may automatically associate the identified piece of sporting equipment (e.g., sporting equipment 102) with the user. The motion simulator system 100 may also automatically accept the user identification in response to identifying the piece of sporting equipment that has been associated with the user identification.

[0034] The motion simulator system 100 may accept the device identification of the piece of sports equipment and store the device identification in association with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball. In some embodiments, the user may manually input the device identification using an input terminal of the motion simulator system 100 and associate the device with one or more virtual flight paths of the virtual ball identified by the user. For example, when the motion simulator system 100 is a golf simulator, if the user has played a simulated golf game but the motion simulator system 100 has not yet identified any equipment, the user may manually input one or more device identifications at the end of the game to be associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball that occurred in the completed golf game. In some embodiments, when the user has completed the game on the motion simulator system 100 and has not accepted the device identification for the game session, the motion simulator system 100 may generate a prompt to a display (e.g., display 108) requesting the player to input the device identification to be associated with the virtual path of the virtual ball that occurred during the game.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as the piece of sporting equipment (e.g., Figure 1 The sports equipment 102) is a golf club, and the ball (e.g., Figure 1 If the ball 112) is a golf ball, the motion simulator system 100 can receive characteristics of the interaction between the piece of sports equipment and the ball, including at least one of the club head speed, the flight trajectory of the ball, the movement distance of the ball, the club face angle, the flight speed of the ball, the flight acceleration of the ball, the deformation of the ball, or the rotation of the ball. Then, the motion simulator system 100 can store the identified characteristics of the piece of sports equipment in association with the received characteristics of the interaction between the piece of sports equipment and the ball.

[0036] For a device having a first sensor (eg, Figure 1In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 may be configured to display a virtual flight path of a virtual ball that is not a virtual flight path of a virtual ball, and may determine whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball is underperforming relative to other virtual flight paths of other virtual balls, and cause a display (e.g., display 108) to display a recommendation to use a different selected piece of sports equipment to improve performance. For example, the motion simulator system 100 may compare the virtual flight path with an average or best virtual flight path achieved using the same piece of sports equipment or in similar sports situations in terms of distance, speed, path relative to a target (e.g., direction relative to a golf hole, direction relative to a play area), or other metrics, and determine whether the percentage deviation from the average or best virtual flight path is within a standard deviation compared to all virtual flight paths stored in or accessible to the motion simulator system 100. In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 may cause the display to display a virtual storefront that presents an offer to purchase the recommended piece of sports equipment. In addition, the motion simulator system 100 may recommend certain sports equipment pairings in response to determining whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball is underperforming relative to other virtual flight paths of other virtual balls. For example, the motion simulator system 100 may recommend pairing certain golf clubs with certain golf gloves, golf balls, and / or golf shoes to improve performance.

[0037] The motion simulator system 100 can store the characteristics of multiple pieces of sports equipment, and the multiple pieces of sports equipment have virtual flight paths of responsive trajectories and user identifications. For example, the motion simulator system 100 can automatically identify the characteristics of golf clubs, golf balls, golf gloves, and golf shoes that are simultaneously used for the associated virtual flight paths or user identifications. Then, the motion simulator system 100 can store each identified characteristic of golf clubs, golf balls, golf gloves, and golf shoes, wherein the characteristic is associated with the corresponding virtual flight path or user identification of a virtual ball. In some embodiments, the motion simulator system 100 can generate a recommended sports equipment combination based on the combination of sports equipment of important or popular users (e.g., professional golfers) stored. In addition, the motion simulator system 100 can make the display display a virtual storefront, which has a preferred or recommended combination of multiple pieces of sports equipment. For example, if the motion simulator system 100 identifies the characteristics of a piece of sports equipment (e.g., a model of a golf club), then the motion simulator system 100 can then make the display display a virtual storefront, which displays other multiple pieces of sports equipment that other users or verified professional athletes often combine with the piece of sports equipment.

[0038] Based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sports equipment, the motion simulator system 100 can determine whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball is expected. For example, the motion simulator system 100 can determine that the distance traveled, trajectory, speed or other characteristics of the virtual flight path are within one standard deviation of the average flight path of the ball recorded by the interaction with the piece of sports equipment to determine whether the virtual flight path is expected. Then, when the virtual path is not expected, the motion simulator system 100 can request verification of the piece of sports equipment and, if the virtual flight path is not expected, store an indication that the virtual flight path of the virtual ball is not expected based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sports equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball.

[0039] Figure 7 700 is a flow chart illustrating a method 700 for simulating the performance of a sports equipment. In some embodiments, the method 700 may be performed by a device or system, such as a sports simulator system 100 (see Figure 1 At operation 702, method 700 utilizes a first sensor (eg, Figure 1 A first sensor 104) detects a piece of sports equipment (e.g., Figure 1 At operation 704, method 700 identifies a characteristic of the piece of sporting equipment in response to detecting the tag. At operation 706, method 700 uses a second sensor (e.g., Figure 1 In response to using the piece of sporting equipment, the method 700 detects the trajectory of the ball using the piece of sporting equipment. At operation 708, the method 700 generates simulation data indicating a virtual ball having a virtual flight path in response to the trajectory. At operation 710 of method 700, the method 700 stores the characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball. At operation 712, the method 700 causes a display (e.g., Figure 1 The display 108) displays a virtual flight path of a virtual ball in motion.

[0040] Figure 8 800 is a block diagram of an electronic system 800 included in one or more systems of the present disclosure. For example, the electronic system 800 can be any of a variety of types, such as a computer, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a control circuit, or other electronic device. The electronic system 800 may include one or more processors 802, such as a microprocessor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a combination of a microprocessor and an FPGA, to control the processing of system functions and requests in the electronic system 800. In some embodiments, the electronic system 800 is incorporated into the motion simulator system 100 of the present disclosure.

[0041] The electronic system 800 may include a power source 804 for operable communication with the processor 802. For example, if the electronic system 800 is a portable system, the power source 804 may include one or more of a fuel cell, an energy scavenging device, a permanent battery, a replaceable battery, and / or a rechargeable battery. The power source 804 may also include an AC adapter; thus, for example, the electronic system 800 may be plugged into a wall outlet.

[0042] Various other devices may be coupled to the processor 802, depending on the functions performed by the electronic system 800. For example, a user interface 806 may be coupled to the processor 802. The user interface 806 may include input devices such as buttons, switches, keyboards, light pens, mice, digitizers and styluses, touch screens, voice recognition systems, microphones, or combinations thereof. A display 808 may also be coupled to the processor 802. The display 808 may include an LCD display, an SED display, a CRT display, a DLP display, a plasma display, an OLED display, an LED display, a three-dimensional projection, an audio display, a projection screen display, or combinations thereof. In addition, an RF subsystem / baseband processor 810 may also be coupled to the processor 802. The RF subsystem / baseband processor 810 may include an antenna coupled to an RF receiver and an RF transmitter (not shown). A communication port 812 or multiple communication ports 812 may also be coupled to the processor 802. The communications port 812 may be adapted to couple to one or more peripheral devices 814, such as a modem, printer, computer, scanner, or camera, or to a network, such as a local area network, a remote area network, an intranet, or the Internet.

[0043] The processor 802 may control the electronic system 800 by executing software programs stored in one or more storage devices 816, 818 (also referred to herein as "storage device 816" and "storage device 818"). For example, the software programs may include an operating system, database software, drawing software, word processing software, media editing software, or media playback software. The storage device(s) 816, 818 may be operably coupled to the processor 802 to store and facilitate the execution of various programs. For example, the processor 802 may be coupled to a system memory 816, which may include spin torque transfer magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (e.g., synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) conforming to the double data rate (DDR) and / or graphics DDR (GDDR) standards (DDR4, DDR5, DDR6)), static random access memory (SRAM), racetrack memory, and one or more of other known memory types. The system memory 816 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof. System memory 816 is typically large so that it can store dynamically loaded applications and data.

[0044] The processor 802 may also be coupled to a storage device, which is a non-volatile memory, which may be referred to herein as "non-volatile memory 818", which is not to say that the system memory 816 is necessarily volatile. The non-volatile memory 818 may include one or more of STT-MRAM, MRAM, read-only memory (ROM), such as EPROM, resistive read-only memory (RROM), and flash memory used in conjunction with the system memory 816. The size of the non-volatile memory 818 is generally selected to be just large enough to store any necessary operating system, application programs, and fixed data. In addition, the non-volatile memory 818 may include high-capacity memory, such as disk drive memory, such as a hybrid drive including resistive memory, or other types of non-volatile solid-state memory.

[0045] In some embodiments, the electronic system 800 may include a graphics subsystem, such as a graphics card 820, connected to the processor 802. For example, each of the graphics card 820 and the processor 802 may be connected to and supported on a motherboard in their respective slots (e.g., a peripheral component interconnect expansion bus (PCIe) slot for the graphics card 820, a CPU slot for the processor 802). The graphics card 820 may include its own processing device, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or an FPGA 822. The GPU or FPGA 822 may be configured to process graphics-related tasks and may be a dedicated device for processing graphics-related tasks to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer for output to the display 808. The graphics card 820 may also include a memory group, such as a graphics memory block 824, which may include one or more high-speed memory devices connected to the GPU or FPGA 822, which are configured to store and facilitate the acceleration of graphics-related data. More specifically, the graphics memory block 824 may include one or more device groups configured as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (e.g., synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) compliant with double data rate (DDR) and / or graphics DDR (GDDR) standards (GDDR5, GDDR6, GDDR7)).

[0046] The illustrations provided herein are not intended to be actual views of any particular method, system, device, or structure, but are merely idealized representations used to describe examples of the present disclosure. In some cases, similar structures or components in the various figures may retain the same or similar numbering for the convenience of the reader; however, the similarity of numbering does not necessarily mean that the structure or component is the same in size, composition, configuration, or any other attribute.

[0047] The description may include examples to help one of ordinary skill in the art to implement the disclosed examples. The use of the terms "illustrative," "by way of example," and "for example" means that the relevant description is illustrative, and although the scope of the disclosure is intended to include examples and legal equivalents, the use of these terms is not intended to limit the scope of the examples of the disclosure to the specified components, steps, features, functions, etc.

[0048] It is readily understood that the components of the embodiments generally described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following description of various examples is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but is merely representative of various examples. Although various aspects of the examples may be shown in the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0049] In addition, the specific implementations shown and described are only examples and should not be construed as the only way to implement the present disclosure unless otherwise specified herein. Components, circuits, and functions may be shown in block diagram form so as not to obscure this disclosure in unnecessary details. On the contrary, the specific implementations shown and described are only illustrative and should not be construed as the only way to implement the present disclosure unless otherwise specified herein. In addition, the definitions of the blocks and the logical partitioning between the various blocks illustrate specific implementations. It is easy to see for those of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure can be implemented by many other segmentation solutions. In most cases, details such as time considerations are omitted, where these details are not necessary for a complete understanding of the present disclosure and are within the capabilities of those of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

[0050] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits associated with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an integrated circuit (IC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor (which may also be referred to herein as a host processor or simply a host) may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of multiple computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0051] The examples herein can be described as processes described as job diagrams, flow charts, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flow chart can describe operational behavior as a continuous process, many of the operations can be performed in another order, in parallel, or substantially simultaneously. In addition, the order of the behaviors may be rearranged. A process can correspond to a method, a thread, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, other structures, or a combination thereof. In addition, the methods disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, software, or both. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored in or transmitted to a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another.

[0052] Unless such limitations are explicitly stated, reference to elements herein using names such as "first," "second," etc. does not limit the number or order of these elements. Instead, these names can be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing two or more elements or instances of elements. Thus, reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used there, or that the first element must precede the second element in some way. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, a group of elements may contain one or more elements.

[0053] As used herein, the term "substantially" in relation to a given parameter, attribute or condition means and includes to the extent that a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the given parameter, attribute or condition is satisfied with minor differences, for example, within an acceptable manufacturing tolerance range. For example, depending on the particular parameter, attribute or condition that is substantially satisfied, the parameter, attribute or condition may be at least 90% satisfied, at least 95% satisfied, at least 99% satisfied, or 100% satisfied.

[0054] In this disclosure, the term "module" or "component" may refer to a specific hardware implementation to perform the operations of the module or component and / or software object or software routine, which may be stored on and / or executed by general hardware of a computing system (e.g., computer-readable media, processing devices, etc.). In some examples, the different components, modules, engines, and services described in this disclosure may be implemented as objects or processes executed on a computing system (e.g., as separate threads). Although some of the systems and methods described in this disclosure are generally described as being implemented in software (stored on and / or executed by general hardware), specific hardware implementations or combinations of software and specific hardware implementations are also possible and contemplated.

[0055] As used in this disclosure, the term "combination" refers to a plurality of elements and may include a combination of all elements or any of various subcombinations of certain elements. For example, the phrase "A, B, C, D, or a combination thereof" may refer to any one of A, B, C, or D; a combination of each of A, B, C, and D; and any subcombination of A, B, C, or D, such as A, B, and C; A, B, and D; A, C, and D; B, C, and D; A and B; A and C; A and D; B and C; B and D; or C and D.

[0056] The terms used in this disclosure, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended to be “open-ended” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including, but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “including, but not limited to,” etc.).

[0057] Furthermore, if a specific number of references to a claim being used are intended, such intent will be explicitly referenced in the claim, and in the absence of such reference, such intent is absent. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim references. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the use of the indefinite article "a" or "an" to introduce a claim reference will limit any particular claim containing such introduced claim reference to only one example of such reference, even if the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be construed as "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim references.

[0058] Furthermore, even if explicit reference is made to a particular number used in an introduced claim, one skilled in the art will recognize that such reference should be interpreted to mean at least the number referenced (e.g., a basic reference to "two references" without other modifiers means at least two references, or two or more references). Furthermore, where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." or "one or more of A, B, and C, etc." is used, generally, such interpretation is intended to include A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together, etc.

[0059] In addition, any disjunctive word or phrase indicating two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of one, either or both of the terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0060] Although this disclosure has been described herein with respect to certain illustrative examples, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that the present invention is not so limited. Rather, many additions, deletions, and modifications may be made to the illustrated and described examples without departing from the scope of the invention claimed below and its legal equivalents. Furthermore, features of one example may be combined with features of another example while still being included within the scope of the invention contemplated by the inventor.

Claims

1. A motion simulator comprising: a piece of sporting equipment bearing an indicia configured to at least partially identify the piece of sporting equipment; a first sensor configured to automatically detect the marking, a second sensor configured to detect a trajectory of a ball; a display configured to display the motion simulation; A processor; as well as a computer-readable storage medium storing thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the motion simulator to: receiving an identification of the marker in response to the first sensor detecting the marker; identifying a characteristic of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the tag in a database in response to receiving an identification of the tag; receiving a trajectory of the ball from a second sensor in response to the second sensor detecting interaction with the ball using the piece of sporting equipment; generating simulation data indicative of a virtual ball having a virtual flight path in response to the trajectory; storing characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball; and The display is caused to display a virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion simulation.

2. The motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium, when executed by a processor, cause the motion simulator to: receiving a user identification for a user of the piece of sporting equipment; and A user identification is stored in association with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball.

3. The motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium, when executed by a processor, cause the motion simulator to: determining whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball underperforms relative to other virtual flight paths of other virtual balls of multiple pieces of sporting equipment having characteristics different from the characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment detected by the first sensor; and Causing the display to show suggestions to use the selected different piece of exercise equipment to improve performance.

4. The motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium, when executed by the processor, cause the motion simulator to identify characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment, when the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club, as at least one of golf club type, manufacturer, make, model, year, shaft length, grip type, material, or quality.

5. The motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club or the ball is a golf ball, the second sensor is configured to detect club head speed, ball flight trajectory, ball travel distance, club face angle, ball flight speed, ball flight acceleration, and ball deformation.

6. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The first sensor includes an infrared (IR) camera.

7. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The marking comprises a material reflecting infrared radiation supported on or embedded in the material of the piece of sporting equipment.

8. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: When the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club, the indicia is located within a groove of the golf club.

9. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The marking comprises a dot pattern.

10. The motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The second sensor includes a high-speed camera.

11. The motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium, when executed by a processor, cause the motion simulator to: The equipment identification that accepts the piece of sports equipment; and A device identification associated with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball is stored.

12. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 11, characterized in that: The ball includes another marking configured to at least partially identify the ball.

13. A motion simulator according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 11, characterized in that: The instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium, when executed by the processor, cause the sports simulator to: determine whether a virtual flight path of the virtual ball is expected based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sports equipment; and request verification of the piece of sports equipment when the virtual flight path is not expected; as well as When the virtual flight path is not expected, based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball, an indication is stored that the virtual flight path of the virtual ball was not expected.

14. A method for simulating the performance of a sports equipment, comprising: detecting a mark on a piece of sporting equipment using a first sensor; identifying a characteristic of the piece of sporting equipment in response to detecting the indicia; detecting, with a second sensor, the trajectory of a ball in response to using the piece of sporting equipment; generating simulation data indicative of a virtual ball having a virtual flight path in response to the trajectory; storing characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball; and A display is caused to display a virtual flight path of the virtual ball in the motion.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising: The user identification of the user receiving the sports equipment; as well as A user identification is stored in association with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball.

16. The method according to claim 14, comprising: determining whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball underperforms relative to other virtual flight paths of other virtual balls of multiple pieces of sporting equipment having characteristics different from the characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment detected by the first sensor; and Causing the display to show suggestions to use the selected different piece of exercise equipment to improve performance.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that When the piece of sporting equipment is a golf club, the characteristic identifying the piece of sporting equipment includes at least one of golf club type, manufacturer, make, model, year, shaft length, grip type, material, or quality.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14, 15, 16 or 17, characterized in that Detecting the markings on the piece of sporting equipment includes detecting material that reflects infrared radiation and is supported by or embedded in material of the piece of sporting equipment.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14, 15, 16 or 17, comprising: Accept the equipment identification of the piece of sports equipment; as well as A device identification associated with a virtual flight path of the virtual ball is stored.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14, 15, 16 or 17, comprising: determining whether the virtual flight path of the virtual ball is as expected based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sports equipment; Request verification of the piece of sports equipment when the virtual flight path is not as expected; as well as When the virtual flight path is not expected, based on the trajectory and characteristics of the piece of sporting equipment associated with the virtual flight path of the virtual ball, an indication is stored that the virtual flight path of the virtual ball was not expected.

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