Sporting Ball Color Pattern for Visual Acuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sporting balls lack enhanced visual acuity, making it difficult for players to easily locate and track the ball, especially when it spins, as existing graphics do not improve visual awareness during play.
Innovation Solution
Designing sporting balls with specific color patterns and graphics that create a 'flicker' effect, utilizing complementary colors with high luminance contrast to enhance visibility, such as yellow and blue or purple, which are strategically positioned on the ball's surface to aid in ball location and speed estimation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional structural markings or marketing graphics are used on the ball, then the ball can be manufactured with simple graphics, but the visual acuity and ease of tracking the ball is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies contrasting color patterns (e.g., black and white, or complementary colors) to the ball surface that create a flicker effect during rotation. This color design enhances visual acuity and makes the ball easier to track without complicating the manufacturing process, as it only requires applying colored markings to the ball surface.
2Illumination intensity
If the ball is made with high visibility colors, then the ball can be easily located, but the ball may blend into certain backgrounds reducing contrast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses locally contrasting color patterns distributed across the ball surface, where alternating regions of high-contrast colors create visual differentiation. This ensures that regardless of the background, certain portions of the ball always provide sufficient contrast to maintain visibility and tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The color pattern is designed with asymmetric distribution of light and dark regions, ensuring that the ball presents varying contrast profiles as it rotates. This asymmetric pattern prevents the ball from blending into uniform backgrounds and maintains visual detectability from multiple angles and lighting conditions.
3Speed
If the ball spins at high velocity, then the game flow is maintained, but the ball becomes difficult to track visually
Solution Approach 1:
The contrasting color pattern creates a periodic flicker effect as the ball rotates, with light and dark regions alternately passing through the player's visual field. This periodic visual stimulus enhances the player's ability to track the ball's motion and rotation even at high velocities, as the rhythmic pattern provides continuous visual feedback.
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
The enhanced visual acuity design improves player performance by making the ball more noticeable in peripheral vision, allowing for better tracking and location, even during high-speed spins, thereby improving overall gameplay.
Implementation Method 1
The first color and the second color may be substantially complementary and may be associated with a luminance contrast of greater than about 50%.
Implementation Method 2
the graphics are neither designed nor intended to improve visual acuity. Yet it would be highly advantageous for a player to have the ability to notice the ball (e.g., by recognizing the ball in a player's peripheral vision) and track the movement of the ball more easily. For example, if a player could more easily locate a ball because when the ball spins it creates a 'flicker' (spinning from a light portion to a dark portion and back)
Data Source
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AI summary
Sporting balls with enhanced visual acuity, casings for sporting balls with enhanced visual acuity, and methods for enhancing visual acuity of a soccer ball are described. In embodiments, the sporting ball has an exterior with a substantially spherical surface including a first pole opposing a second pole and an equator circumferentially intermediate the first pole and the second pole. Additionally, in embodiments a first exterior region of a first color may include a first hub section oriented at the first pole generally opposite a second hub section oriented at the second pole on the substantially spherical surface. The first hub section may have one or more first hub spokes extending spherically outwardly therefrom toward the equator, and the second hub section may have one or more second hub spokes extending spherically outwardly therefrom toward the equator. Further, in embodiments, the sporting ball may have a second exterior region of a second color.