Apparatus for capturing tennis play data

Abstract

An apparatus ( 10 ) for capturing tennis play data is preferably in the form of an apparatus which can be worn on the body of the player, particularly with an armband ( 12 ) on an arm of the player. By way of example, it comprises a voice recognition device with a microphone and particularly also motion sensors or further sensors. The sensors can record and later evaluate data from the player which are relevant to tennis play.

1 . An apparatus for capturing tennis play data, wherein the apparatus is designed as an apparatus that can be worn on the player's body and/or as an apparatus arranged entirely or partially in the racket, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a plurality of data capturing devices for acquiring various tennis play-specific data. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that at least two, preferably more than two, data capturing devices are provided from the group of voice recognition device having a microphone, ball impact capturing device, motion sensor device, key input device for hit information, physiology sensor device. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the apparatus is designed as an apparatus that can be worn on the player's arm or the apparatus is designed as an apparatus that can be worn on the player's chest or the apparatus is designed as an apparatus that be worn on the player's head or the apparatus is designed as an apparatus arranged in the handle and/or in the frame and/or in the strings of the racket. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising a voice recognition unit having a microphone through which voice input by the player can be captured and evaluated, characterized in that the voice input device comprises an activation device that can be operated by the player and through whose activation voice input can be entered and/or on whose non-activation voice input cannot be entered. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , characterized in that the voice recognition unit is designed for recognition of a speaker-dependent vocabulary and/or for recognition of a speaker-independent vocabulary. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , characterized in that different manually inputable operating sequences and a first voice input following the manual input can be recognized by a control unit, wherein the manual sequence and the voice input can be recognized as an allocation when combined, indicating whether the input is for the player or for his opponent. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the control unit is equipped, so that a voice input occurring after the allocation can be checked for its accuracy with respect to the allocation of players and/or opponents. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , characterized in that the activation device is a finger pressure operable switch or button. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , characterized in that the activation device is formed by a motion sensor in the apparatus which is designed, so that a rotation of the apparatus or tapping on the apparatus is recognizable as activation. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the apparatus comprises a vibration generator which is operable for confirmation of receipt and/or of recognition and/or of non-recognition of voice input by a control unit of the apparatus. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it has a visually readable display, in particular an alphanumeric display which is operable by a control unit of the apparatus for confirmation of receipt and/or recognition and/or non-recognition of voice input. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it has a visually readable display which can be controlled by the control unit of the apparatus to display the result of the play, wherein a control unit is designed in particular for calculation and display of the results based on the voice input evaluated by the control unit. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the apparatus comprises the motion sensor device for detection of tennis hit motions by the player and is equipped for saving the motion sensor data. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , characterized in that the motion sensor device comprises one to three acceleration sensors and in particular additionally comprises one to three gyroscopic sensors and in particular additionally comprises one to three compass sensors. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is an apparatus that can be worn on the player's arm, characterized in that the apparatus is equipped with a selection input means, by which it is possible to enter whether hitting motions on the player's hitting arm or on the player's non-hitting arm are recorded and saved and/or whether the apparatus is an apparatus that can be worn on the player's chest and/or an apparatus that can be worn on the player's head and is equipped with a selection input means, which allows the input of the wearing position into the apparatus. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that its control unit is designed for evaluating motion sensor signals, in particular for comparing motion sensor signals with sensor signal value tables stored in a memory in the apparatus. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the apparatus is designed for storage of a ball signal which signals the impact of a tennis ball with the tennis racket of the player and in particular the apparatus also is designed for saving a ball signal for the impact of the tennis ball with the tennis court and/or for the impact of the tennis ball with the opponent's tennis racket. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , characterized in that the ball signal can be generated in the apparatus and/or the apparatus is designed for receiving an externally generated ball signal. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , characterized in that the ball signal can be generated by a sensor in the apparatus, in particular the impact of the ball can be detectable acoustically by a microphone in the apparatus and can be evaluated by a recognition device of the apparatus as a ball signal and/or as one of the various ball signals. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 19 , characterized in that it has two microphones one of which is provided for detection of the ball impact and the other of which is provided for voice input, and in particular the microphone is continuously ready for the ball impact, and the microphone for the voice input is ready only after being activated by the player, or the apparatus has only one microphone which is constantly ready for the ball impact and is ready for voice input only after being activated by the player. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it is designed with a physiological sensor for detecting the heart rate of the player and/or with a physiological sensor for detecting the oxygen saturation of the blood of the player and/or with a physiological sensor for measuring perspiration and/or with a physiological sensor for measuring the blood pressure. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that its control unit is designed for evaluating at least two, in particular three and more in particular four of the data capturing devices. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it has at least one interface which is designed for delivery of stored data from the data capturing devices and/or for delivery of evaluation results from the data of the data capturing devices, wherein the interface in particular is a wireless interface. 
     
     
         24 . A tennis game capturing apparatus comprising a computer and designed to receive and process the data signals from at least one of the devices according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         25 . The tennis game capturing apparatus according to  claim 24 , comprising at least one laser scanner by means of which on placement of the tennis game evaluation apparatus on a tennis court at least the hitting position of one of the players on the tennis court can be determined. 
     
     
         26 . The tennis game capturing apparatus according to  claim 25 , characterized in that it is designed for synchronization of the hitting position determined with the recorded and/or generated data signals from the apparatus worn by the player. 
     
     
         27 . The tennis game capturing apparatus according to  claim 24 , comprising at least one video camera for recording at least one half of the tennis court, in particular comprising two video cameras for recording both halves of the tennis court. 
     
     
         28 . The tennis game capturing apparatus according to  claim 25 , characterized in that the at least one video camera can be positioned by the positioning signal of the at least one laser scanner such that the focused player recordings can be generated. 
     
     
         29 . A data processing program which is designed for processing the data of at least one apparatus according to  claim 1  in that it is designed for processing and combining data from at least two of the data capturing devices of the apparatus. 
     
     
         30 . The data processing program according to  claim 29 , characterized in that it is designed for processing and combining motion sensor information and/or orientation sensor information and/or ball signal information and/or physiological sensor information from the apparatus as a function of game point results. 
     
     
         31 . The data processing program according to  claim 29 , characterized in that it contains at least one library of sensor signals which contains tables of characteristic sensor signals of sensors in particular motion sensors of the apparatus as well as the tennis game information allocated to the characteristic sensor signals, in particular information about the type of hit. 
     
     
         32 . The data processing program according to  claim 31 , characterized in that the library contains characteristic motion sensor signals of the tables containing hitting arm motions as well as tables of characteristic motion sensor signals of the non-hitting arm, and the program is designed for evaluating information from the apparatus which indicates whether the apparatus was worn on the hitting arm or on the non-hitting arm during the play capture. 
     
     
         33 . The data processing program according to  claim 31 , characterized in that the library contains at least one table with characteristic motion sensor signals for wearing the apparatus on the player's chest, or the library contains at least one table with characteristic motion sensor signals for wearing the apparatus on the player's head or the library contains at least one table with characteristic motion sensor data for sensors located in the racket. 
     
     
         34 . The data processing program according to  claim 31 , characterized in that the library contains player-independent tables which contain presaved motion sensor signals, and the library contains player-dependent tables in which characteristic motion sensor signals for an individual player are stored. 
     
     
         35 . The data processing program according to  claim 29 , characterized in that this program additionally is designed for processing player position data, in particular from a tennis game capturing apparatus and/or for processing video information. 
     
     
         36 . A data medium containing a data processing program according to  claim 29 .