Goal Determination Using Remotely Detected Location in Space and Magnetic Flux-Based Goal-Proximity Sensing

Abstract

A location-and-event-tracking system includes radio-enabled anchors and tags on a field of play, and magnets attached to a goal (e.g., a basketball net). Tags are attached to players and to balls (“game-play objects”), and a magnetometer is embedded within the ball. The system uses the radio-enabled tags to track the position of player and the ball in space, and the system determines whether a basket (i.e., a goal) has been made using both the location of the ball in space and magnetic flux-related data received from the magnetometer. The system also determines whether the ball has gone out of bounds, and it sends a STOP message to the game-clock control system if the ball goes out of bounds or if a shot is made successfully.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for automatically identifying and indicating on a device whether a goal has been scored in a sporting activity, wherein 1) a game-play object that is manipulated within a field of play and used to score by being passed through a goal has a remotely identifiable object tag associated therewith; and 2) the game-play object has a first sensor component and the goal has a second sensor component, which first and second sensor components interact with each other when the game-play object is in the vicinity of the goal, the method comprising:
 identifying a position in three-dimensional space of the game-play object using its associated tag;   obtaining data that is associated with the first and second sensor components;   using the identified position of the game-play object, assessing whether a goal has been made by evaluating whether the game-play object has passed in order through a plurality of predefined discrete sub-regions before, at, and after the goal, which plurality of sub-regions are within a larger predefined and limited region surrounding the goal;   using the data associated with the first and second sensor components, assessing whether a goal has been made by evaluating interaction between the first and second sensor components;   identifying whether a score has been made based on the assessment conducted using the identified position of the game-play object and the assessment conducted using data associated with the first and second sensor components; and   transmitting a signal to the device to cause the device to indicate that a score has been made.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the object tag includes a radio-enabled transceiver and wherein a plurality of radio-enabled anchor transceivers are distributed around the field of play at known locations, and
 wherein the position in three-dimensional space of the game-play object is identified using radio communication between the object tag and the anchor transceivers.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensor components comprise a magnetometer and magnets, which magnetometer senses magnetic flux emanating from the magnets and generates magnetic flux data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the magnetic flux data generated by the magnetometer is used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the flux data generated by the magnetometer is used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components only if the magnetic flux sensed by the magnetometer reaches or exceeds a first predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the flux data generated by the magnetometer stops being used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components if the magnetic flux sensed by the magnetometer falls to or below a second predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the second predetermined threshold flux value is less than the first predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said data associated with the first and second sensor components comprises a peak value of sensed magnetic flux and a summed or integrated value of sensed magnetic flux. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a score is identified as having been made only if the peak value of sensed magnetic flux and the summed or integrated value of sensed magnetic flux meet or exceed respective predetermined threshold values. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 using the position of the game-play object identified using the associated tag, determining whether the game-play object is within said larger predefined and limited region surrounding the goal,   wherein the data associated with the first and second sensor components is used to assess whether a goal has been made only if the game-play object is within said larger predefined and limited region surrounding the goal.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a score is identified as having been made, even if said assessment conducted using the identified position of the game-play object indicates that the game-play object has passed through less than all of said sub-regions before, at, and after the goal, if said assessment conducted using data associated with the first and second sensor components indicates that a score has been made. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising issuing a stop command to stop a game clock if a score is identified as having been made. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 using the identified position of the game-play object, assessing whether the game-play object has gone out of bounds of the field of play; and   if the game-play object has gone out of bounds of the field of play, issuing a stop command to stop a game clock.   
     
     
         14 . A system for tracking a game-play object on a field of play including at least one goal and for automatically identifying and indicating on a score-indicating device whether a score has been made, the system comprising:
 an interface to the score-indicating device;   an object tag associated with the game-play object;   a first sensor component associated with the game-play object and a second sensor component associated with the goal, which first and second sensor components interact with each other when the game-play object is in the vicinity of the goal;   a plurality of sensors which can remotely detect the object tag; and   a computing device having a processor, a computer memory, and non-transitory program instructions in the computer memory;   wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured to cause the processor to execute the steps comprising
 receiving data from the plurality of tag-detecting sensors; 
 obtaining data that is associated with the first and second sensor components; 
 identifying from the data received from the tag-detecting sensors a position in three-dimensional space of the game-play object; 
 using the identified position of the game-play object, assessing whether a goal has been made by evaluating whether the game-play object has passed in order through a plurality of predefined discrete sub-regions before, at, and after the goal, which plurality of sub-regions are within a larger predefined and delimited region surrounding the goal; 
 using the data associated with the first and second sensor components, assessing whether a goal has been made by evaluating interaction between the first and second sensor components; 
 identifying whether a score has been made based on the assessment conducted using the identified position of the game-play object and the assessment conducted using data associated with the first and second sensor components; and 
 transmitting a signal to the score-indicating device via the interface to cause the score-indicating device to indicate that a score has been made. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the object tag includes a radio-enabled transceiver and the plurality of sensors include radio-enabled transceivers, which can communicate electronically with the object tag; and
 wherein the position in three-dimensional space of the game-play object is identified using radio communication between the object-tag transceiver and the sensor transceivers.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the first and second sensor components comprise a magnetometer and magnets, which magnetometer senses magnetic flux emanating from the magnets and generates magnetic flux data. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the flux data generated by the magnetometer is used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that the flux data generated by the magnetometer is used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components only if the magnetic flux sensed by the magnetometer reaches or exceeds a first predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that the flux data generated by the magnetometer stops being used to produce said data associated with the first and second sensor components if the magnetic flux sensed by the magnetometer falls to or below a second predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that the second predetermined threshold flux value is less than the first predetermined threshold flux value. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that said data associated with the first and second sensor components comprises a peak value of sensed magnetic flux and a summed or integrated value of sensed magnetic flux. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that a score is identified as having been made only if the peak value of sensed magnetic flux and the summed or integrated value of sensed magnetic flux meet or exceed respective predetermined threshold values. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured to cause the processor to
 1) determine whether the game-play object is within said larger predefined and limited region surrounding the goal using the position of the game-play object identified using the associated tag, and   2) assess whether a goal has been made using the data associated with the first and second sensor components only if the game-play object is within said larger predefined and limited region surrounding the goal.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that a score is identified as having been made, even if said assessment conducted using the identified position of the game-play object indicates that the game-play object has passed through less than all of said sub-regions before, at, and after the goal, if said assessment conducted using data associated with the first and second sensor components indicates that a score has been made. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are further configured to cause a stop command to be issued to stop a game clock if a score is identified as having been made. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory program instructions are configured such that
 whether the game-play object has gone out of bounds of the field of play is assessed using the identified position of the game-play object; and   a stop command to stop a game clock is issued if the game-play object has gone out of bounds of the field of play.