Luminous Ball with Internal Light Source for Night Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional luminous baseballs/softballs lack sufficient lighting for safe nighttime play, with fluorescent materials peeling off and having short service life, affecting player safety and game performance due to non-standard specifications and residue health hazards.
Innovation Solution
A luminous ball design featuring a transparent internal sphere with a light-emitting device, wrapped in genuine leather with seams and threads mimicking a standard baseball/softball, allowing light to penetrate and be visible through seams and apertures, maintaining the ball's standard specifications and safety features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fluorescent materials are coated on the ball surface or fluorescent components are disposed in the ball, then the ball can be recognized at night, but the fluorescent materials peel off during play and the service life is short
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the light-emitting function from fluorescent materials and implements it through a separate light-emitting device (LED or fluorescent lamp) housed in a light-transmissive case. This device is disposed within the baseball/softball structure, separating the illumination function from the ball's structural materials, thereby eliminating peeling issues and extending service life while maintaining night visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a light-transmissive case as an intermediary structure that houses the light-emitting device. This case allows light to pass through while protecting the light-emitting components, enabling the ball to be recognized at night without using fluorescent coatings that peel off during play.
2Illumination intensity
If fluorescent materials are coated on the ball surface, then the ball can be seen at night, but the residue of fluorescent materials is harmful to health
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes fluorescent materials from the ball surface and replaces them with a light-emitting device enclosed in a light-transmissive case. This extraction eliminates the source of harmful fluorescent residue while maintaining the ball's visibility at night through controlled light emission from the device.
3Illumination intensity
If light-emitting components are disposed in the ball, then the ball can be recognized at night, but the ball's structure, material, weight and hardness differ from standard baseball/softball
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the light-emitting device within a light-transmissive case that is integrated into the baseball/softball structure. The case is designed to fit within the ball's internal space, allowing the light-emitting components to be housed without significantly altering the ball's external dimensions, weight, or hardness, thereby maintaining standard specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies light-transmissive material locally at specific positions on the ball (in the seam areas) rather than making the entire ball light-transmissive. This localized approach allows light to pass through the seams for visibility while maintaining the standard material properties and structure of the rest of the ball, ensuring compliance with standard specifications.
4Illumination intensity
If fluorescent materials are used for night play, then the ball can be recognized, but the light emitted is weak and players cannot promptly recognize the ball
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs high-intensity light-emitting devices (LED or fluorescent lamps) that provide strong, immediate illumination compared to weak fluorescent materials. These devices emit sufficient light to be clearly visible during nighttime play, enabling players to react quickly to the ball's movement and improving response time.
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 safe and recognizable nighttime play with consistent lighting through seams and apertures, ensuring the ball's standard specifications are met for formal games, reducing health risks from fluorescent materials and enhancing player reaction time.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting device disposed in the receiving space; a plurality of thread apertures disposed in pairs at two sides of the at least one seam; at least one thread penetrating the plurality of thread apertures to stitch the edge of the covering between the two sides of the at least one seam; wherein the internal sphere is a transparent ball, a light generated by the light-emitting device penetrates the internal sphere through the receiving space, and is visible through the at least one seam and the plurality of the thread apertures distributed on the covering
Data Source
AI summary
A luminous ball is provided, including an internal sphere in which at least one receiving space is disposed; a light-emitting device disposed in the receiving space; at least one covering wrapping an external circumferential surface of the internal sphere; at least one seam formed on an edge of the covering; a plurality of thread apertures disposed in pairs at two sides of the at least one seam; at least one thread penetrating the plurality of thread apertures to stitch the edge of the covering between the two sides of the at least one seam; wherein the internal sphere is a transparent ball, a light generated by the light-emitting device penetrates the internal sphere through the receiving space, and is visible through the at least one seam and the plurality of the thread apertures distributed on the covering.