Backboard Sensor Tracking for Real-Time Basketball Shot KPIs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current basketball tracking systems are slow, expensive, and provide low-resolution data, limiting their use in real-time game officiating and player training, and do not account for shot origin or player physical characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A system with sensors coupled to a basketball backboard that tracks the ball's trajectory in real-time, providing accurate key performance indicators (KPIs) by tracing the ball's course within a voxel, determining its center location, and calculating arc angles and hit locations on the rim.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current basketball tracking systems are used, then shooting percentage statistics can be obtained, but the data production is slow and resolution is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/optical tracking systems with a magnetic field-based sensing system. Magnetic sensors detect the basketball's position through the backboard without physical contact, enabling high-resolution tracking (sub-centimeter accuracy) while operating in real-time during gameplay, thus resolving both precision and speed requirements simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the basketball and the detection system. The magnetic sensors embedded in the backboard detect changes in magnetic field caused by the ball's proximity, allowing non-contact, high-precision position detection that works continuously during game play without slowing down data production
2Measurement precision
If current tracking systems are used, then basic shooting statistics are provided, but the system is expensive with low resolution for trajectory tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive high-speed optical cameras and mechanical tracking systems with inexpensive magnetic sensors that can be embedded directly in the backboard. This substitution achieves superior trajectory tracking resolution (sub-centimeter accuracy) at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the sensing system directly into the backboard structure by embedding magnetic sensors within the backboard material. This integration eliminates the need for separate expensive tracking infrastructure, reducing overall system cost while maintaining high measurement precision for trajectory analysis
3Loss of information
If traditional shooting statistics are used, then only shooting percentage is tracked, but shot origin and player characteristics are not associated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shooting analysis into multiple independent data dimensions: shot origin location (x,y coordinates), ball trajectory parameters (angle, velocity), player characteristics (height, position), and outcome (make/miss). Each dimension is measured and recorded separately, then integrated to provide comprehensive analytics without overwhelming processing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the physical shooting event by recording magnetic sensor data that replicates the ball's position, velocity, and trajectory. This digital replica contains all necessary information about shot origin and characteristics, enabling detailed analysis without requiring complex physical measurement systems
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providing a user with key performance indicators of a basketball player relating to accuracy, precision and improvement. Specifically, the disclosure is directed to a system of sensors coupled to a basketball backboard adapted to provide an accurate tracking of a shot in a given three-dimensional space and extract features manipulated to yield key performance indicators based on establishing whether, how often and where the ball center passes the rim plane at a sub-cm resolution over a period of no more than 200 msec.