Vibration Sensor Ring for Bat Impact Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Athletes struggle to determine the quality of their hits in sports like baseball and softball, as they cannot accurately assess whether the impact between the bat and ball is a clean hit by relying solely on the ball's direction and speed after contact.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising sensors attached to sporting equipment, such as a ring on a bat or racket, that detect vibrations upon impact and provide feedback through audible tones and analytics, helping players improve their timing and skill by analyzing the impact data and displaying statistics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is attached to the sporting implement to detect vibrations, then measurement precision of impact quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the feedback mechanism into separate functional components: vibration sensors attached to the implement, signal processing unit, and audible feedback device. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall system manageable and not overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements immediate audible feedback through a speaker or earpiece that converts detected vibration patterns into sound signals. This feedback loop provides real-time information to the player about impact quality, enabling immediate adjustment of technique without adding significant system complexity.
2Productivity
If vibration detection and feedback systems are integrated into sporting equipment, then training effectiveness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects vibrations, processes the signal, and generates appropriate audible feedback without requiring manual intervention from the player. The equipment serves itself by autonomously providing training feedback, thereby maintaining ease of operation while improving training effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the player to manually assess impact quality through complex visual analysis, the system inverts the approach by automatically analyzing vibrations and presenting simplified audible feedback. This reversal makes the system easier to operate while maintaining high training effectiveness.
3Loss of information
If multiple vibration ranges are detected with different audible tones, then information quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses different audible tone parameters (frequency, pitch, or volume) to represent different vibration ranges and impact qualities. By changing acoustic parameters rather than adding multiple complex signal processing pathways, the system maintains high information quality while limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 system provides immediate feedback on the quality of hits, enabling players to adjust their technique, improving muscle memory and reaction to various pitches and ball positions, leading to enhanced training outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
detecting, by a sensor included in a ring attachable to the sporting implement, vibrations caused by an impact between the sporting implement and the ball
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems, devices, and methods for providing feedback regarding an impact between a sporting implement and a ball, an example system comprising a ring attachable to the sporting implement, the ring including a sensor for detecting vibrations caused by an impact between the sporting implement and the ball and determining whether a level of the vibrations is within a predetermined range, and a speaker within audible range of the player, the speaker configured to emit an audible tone in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the level of the vibrations is within the predetermined range.