Weighted Training Ball Energy Absorption and Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current batting practice balls for sports like softball and baseball are either too large, travel excessively far when hit, lack instant feedback on proper contact, and are not durable enough for repeated use, making them unsafe and costly.
Innovation Solution
A specially designed, weighted ball with a flexible PVC shell and a filler material that changes shape upon improper contact, providing visual feedback and absorbing energy to reduce travel distance, while being durable and safe for repeated use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a regulation ball is used for batting practice, then the hitter can practice with a standard ball, but the ball travels great distances causing property damage or personal injury risks
Solution Approach 1:
The ball is segmented into an outer shell and inner filler material (sand, water, or other dense materials). This segmentation allows the ball to maintain a regulation appearance while containing weight that increases momentum and reduces travel distance upon impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball's weight parameter is changed by filling it with dense materials like sand or water. This parameter change increases the ball's mass, which according to physics principles (F=ma), reduces its acceleration and travel distance when struck, thereby improving safety without compromising practice effectiveness.
2Reliability
If safety nets or screens are used to contain the ball, then property damage and injury are prevented, but the setup becomes more costly and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The safety function is extracted from the external environment (nets and screens) and transferred to the ball itself. By modifying the ball's physical properties (weight and energy absorption), the ball inherently contains its own trajectory control, eliminating the need for complex external safety structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball becomes self-regulating in terms of safety. Its modified mass and energy absorption characteristics cause it to naturally travel shorter distances and dissipate energy more effectively, making the system self-contained and eliminating dependency on external safety infrastructure.
3Strength
If a weighted ball is used to enhance strength and speed, then dynamic training benefits are achieved, but the ball structure may not withstand continual bat strikes
Solution Approach 1:
The ball uses a composite structure combining a durable outer shell (PVC or similar material) with dense filler materials (sand, water, or other substances). This composite construction provides both the weight needed for strength training and the structural integrity to withstand repeated bat strikes, as the shell protects the filler while the filler provides the necessary mass.
4Ease of operation
If a foam core ball is used for batting practice, then the ball absorbs impact, but it does not deform to show the hitter if contact was proper and the ball travels very far
Solution Approach 1:
The ball's density parameter is changed by filling it with sand or water instead of using a lightweight foam core. This parameter change increases the ball's mass, which reduces its travel distance upon impact and allows the hitter to feel and observe proper contact mechanics, providing both impact absorption and 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 ball allows for effective strength training and instant feedback on hitting technique, reducing the risk of injury and property damage, and is more cost-effective due to its durability and ability to withstand multiple strikes.
Implementation Method 1
a weighted ball that is energy absorbing, nonburstable and soft, so as to travel shorter distances when hit
Implementation Method 2
the ball spin generated by the off center contact of the bat against the ball and the resultant centrifugal forces will cause the ball to donut perpendicular to the horizon
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is for a method of training and evaluating a hitter using a weighted ball where the hitter hits the weighted ball with a bat and where the weighted ball wraps around the bat and thereby the ball absorbs some of the energy from the batter and whereafter striking the weighted ball the ball leaves the bat in a substantially horizontal plane if it is hit correctly and where the weighted ball donuts substantially vertical to the ground if hit incorrectly or lifts up if hit too low or dives downward if hit to high or donuts horizontally if hit in an inside out manner with the bat.