Ball-Throwing Machine with Sensor-Based Player Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soccer players face challenges in measuring progress and improving their ball control skills during training, as existing methods lack a disciplined approach and require a partner, which is not always practical for serious athletes.
Innovation Solution
A specialized ball-throwing machine that can throw, lob, or pitch soccer balls towards a player, controlled by a handheld device with software to record progress and upload data to a network application for remote coaching, combined with an intelligent goal that uses sensors and lights to detect goal scoring and placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a player performs shooting and passing drills involving several balls, then the player can improve shooting and passing accuracy, but the player cannot concentrate on tracking the location of each pass or shot and cannot determine improvement based on previous drills
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically tracks and records the location of each ball during drills using sensors and imaging devices, providing immediate feedback to the player through a display interface. This eliminates the need for the player to manually track and remember ball locations, allowing full concentration on executing shots and passes while objectively measuring accuracy and improvement over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical tracking method (player visually following and remembering ball locations) with an automated electronic tracking system using sensors, cameras, and computer processing. This substitution captures ball location data automatically, providing precise measurement without requiring player concentration on tracking, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and ease of operation.
2Measurement precision
If players perform drills to improve shooting and passing accuracy, then accuracy can be improved, but players cannot determine whether they are improving based on results of previous drills
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously records drill results including ball location, accuracy metrics, and performance data, storing this information for comparison across multiple sessions. Players can immediately see their performance metrics after each drill and compare them with previous results, providing clear feedback on improvement without requiring time-consuming manual analysis or waiting for coach evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computer-based data management system as an intermediary between the drill performance and the player's understanding of improvement. This intermediary automatically captures, stores, and analyzes performance data, generating reports and comparisons that make improvement trends visible and measurable, eliminating the time loss associated with manual assessment methods.
3Reliability
If a ball-throwing machine is used to deliver balls during drills, then consistent ball delivery can be achieved, but the system complexity increases with sensors, controllers, and network applications
Solution Approach 1:
The system integrates multiple functions into unified components: the ball-throwing machine serves both as a delivery device and a data collection platform, while the controller simultaneously manages ball delivery timing, coordinates sensor data acquisition, and communicates with the network application. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, managing system complexity while maintaining reliable, consistent ball delivery for training drills.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables players to track their progress, receive remote coaching, and improve ball control skills effectively, allowing for personalized training programs and accurate measurement of improvement.
Implementation Method 1
A ball-throwing machine that can throw, lob, or pitch soccer balls towards a player
Implementation Method 2
an intelligent goal that uses sensors and lights to detect goal scoring and placement
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed that includes a ball-throwing machine included within a first housing, a controller communicatively coupled to the ball-throwing machine and included within a second housing different than the first housing, a camera, and a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon logic, the logic being executable by one or more processors to perform operations including: receiving information associated with a selection of a first training drill from the controller, responsive to receiving the information associated with the selection of the first training drill, causing the ball-throwing machine to impart motion to one or more balls in accordance with the first training drill, receiving multimedia data of a player captured by the camera, and performing a player recognition procedure to locate the player within the multimedia data.