US-12616874-B2 - Devices, systems and methods for using and monitoring sports equipment and sports activities

US12616874B2US 12616874 B2US12616874 B2US 12616874B2US-12616874-B2

Abstract

Sports equipment and/or areas of play are provided, comprising a sports equipment or area of play and a sensor.

Inventors

William L. Hunter
Olivia F. Hunter
Douglas R. Holberg

Assignees

CANARY MEDICAL SWITZERLAND AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221013

Claims (6)

1 . An area of play having a boundary with out-of-bounds sensors, an interior area within the boundary having in-play sensors, and a region within the interior area having a region sensor, wherein: the area of play is a hockey rink; each of the out-of-bounds sensors comprises a fixed position sensor configured to determine when a location of a mobile position sensor associated with a piece of sports equipment is outside the boundary, each of the in-play sensors comprises a fixed position sensor configured to determine when a location of the mobile position sensor associated with the piece of sports equipment is within the interior area, and each of the region sensors comprises a fixed position sensor configured to determine when a location of the mobile position sensor associated with the piece of sports equipment is within the region; wherein the region within the interior area is a crease of the hockey rink.
2 . A method comprising: obtaining data from at least one of the fixed sensors according to claim 1 ; storing the data in a memory of a memory; and transferring the data from the memory to a location outside the memory device.
3 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising the step of analyzing the data that has been transferred to a location outside the memory device.
4 . The method according to 3 , wherein analyzing the data comprises comparing the locations of one or more of the out-of-bounds fixed sensors, the in-play fixed sensors, and the region fixed sensor in the area of play to the location of the mobile position sensor associated with the piece of sports equipment.
5 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising determining the location of the piece of sports equipment relative to the area of play based on the comparison.
6 . The method according to claim 4 , further comprising determining a distance between the piece of sports equipment and one or more of the boundary of the area of play, the interior area of the area of play, and the region of the area of play based on the comparison.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS All applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates generally to sports, and more specifically, to devices and methods for monitoring and evaluating the performance of equipment and participants in a wide variety of sports Background DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Sport (or sports) refers to forms of competitive physical activity which are based upon physical athleticism, skill and/or dexterity, as well as intellectual ability and/or strategy. Sports most commonly are based upon rules of competition, with a common aim of sports is to improve or maintain physical ability, while at the same time providing recreation and enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. Sports however, also rely on strategy, in order to be able to compete at the highest level. Sports however can often push the limits of physical skills and abilities, and hence in some circumstances lead to significant trauma. For example, in the sport of football concussions and other play-related traumatic brain injuries have been proposed as a major cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (see Schwarz, Alan (20 Dec. 2009) Retrieved 6 Jan. 2014; see also Associated Press (2007 Sep. 29) “NFL Study Links Concussions, Depression”, Washington Post, Retrieved 2013 Sep. 3). Sports are also often plagued with controversy involving interpretations of what happened during a game and interpretation of rules. For example, in the 1972 AFC wild card game between the Steelers and the Raiders, a pass was thrown with 22 seconds left in the game. Two players attempting to catch the pass collided and another player caught the ball before it hit the ground, ultimately running for a game-winning touchdown. Questions swirled around who had actually touched the ball, and whether the pass was illegal under the rules of the game at that time. Hence, there is a need in the art for sports equipment that can help assess and prevent the likelihood of injury during the activity. In addition, there is a need in the art for sports equipment that can help assess compliance with the rules of the game. The present invention discloses sports equipment and areas of play containing a variety of sensors which can overcome many of the difficulties and limitations found with currently available sports equipment, and further provides other related advantages. SUMMARY Briefly stated, sports equipment (and related areas of play) are provided having one or more sensors (including for example ‘sensor modules’ or ‘SMs’ as described in more detail below). Such sensors can be placed on or within sports equipment and/or area of play in order to, amongst other things: a) monitor the safety and efficacy of the sports equipment and/or area of play; b) monitor wear and tear of the sports equipment and/or area of play; c) determine scoring; d) determine the applicability and/or enforcement of rules of the game; e) to monitor the safety of players, including over extended times beyond the time of the game; f) evaluate the performance, training and comparison of players; g) enhance the entertainment or viewing experience of spectators (e.g., by providing enhanced information such as the force of impacts, speeds and other physical measurements of the game, and by allowing comparisons with other known or estimated measurements from other games); h) for televised entertainment (e.g., by providing enhanced information as discussed herein); i) for providing actual measurements to be utilized for gaming purposes, and for determining statistical probabilities; j) in order to assist in the development of new and safer sports equipment and areas of play; k) to provide insight into new training methods, skills and/or techniques, and to assess the successfulness of such methods skills and/or techniques; and/or l) to be combined with other sensors on or in the equipment or area of play in order to provide a more complete picture or assessment of the game with respect to any of the above. Within one aspect of the invention one or more sensors can be included into the area of play, including for example, boundaries associated with play, as well as markers which are associated with the play (e.g., yard lines in football or the three-point boundary in basketball). Hence, within one embodiment of the invention pressure sensors or location sensors can be placed onto the boundaries of an area of play and/or markers in the field of play (e.g., sensors on the boundaries of a football or soccer field, the bounds of baseball field, the floor of a basketball court, the ice of a hockey rink, the bounds of a tennis court, the edges of a golf course and the bounds of a volleyball court). One or more pressure or location sensors can also be placed within the bounds of pla