# US 12,772,359 B2 · Automatic toggling of stadium uplight structures > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,772,359 B2 - Document ID: US12772359B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 19/048,411 - Filed: 2025-02-07 - Published: 2025-08-14 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2024-02-09 - Applicants: Musco Corporation - Inventors: Andrew J. Schembs; Alireza Razavi; Jason T. Schutz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12772359B2 ## CPC - H05B 47/125: by using cameras - G01S 5/18: using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - H05B 47/12: by detecting audible sound - H05B 47/155: Coordinated control of two or more light sources - H05B 47/16: by timing means - H05B 47/165: following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] - G01S 2205/08: Sport - G06T 2207/30224: Ball; Puck - G06T 2207/30241: Trajectory - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract This disclosure describes a system including one or more lighting structures, each lighting structure comprising one or more uplights. The system further includes one or more sensors each directed towards a common focal area and a computing device in communication with each of the one or more sensors. The computing device includes one or more processors configured to control the one or more sensors to capture data descriptive of a ball moving above the common focal area. Based on the data, the one or more processors predict a motion characteristic of the ball and compare the motion characteristic to a threshold motion characteristic. In response to the motion characteristic being greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic, the one or more processors activate at least one of the one or more uplights. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: one or more lighting structures, each lighting structure comprising one or more uplights; one or more sensors each directed towards a common focal area, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras; and a computing device in communication with each of the one or more sensors, the computing device comprising one or more processors configured to: control the one or more sensors to capture data descriptive of a ball moving above the common focal area; based on the data, predict a motion characteristic of the ball; compare the motion characteristic to a threshold motion characteristic; in response to the motion characteristic being greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic, activate at least one of the one or more uplights in at least one of the one or more lighting structures, wherein the one or more processors being configured to control the one or more cameras to capture the data descriptive of the ball moving above the common focal area comprises the one or more processors being configured to: control the one or more cameras, each directed towards a respective portion of the common focal area, to capture a respective video stream; identify the ball within one or more of the video streams; identify that the ball passed above a preliminary height in the one or more of the video streams at a first time; based on a respective position of the ball in one or more frames timestamped near the first time of the one or more video streams, determine one or more of a velocity of the ball, a trajectory of the ball, and a rate of ascension of the ball; and based on the one or more of the velocity, the trajectory, and the rate of ascension, determine a predicted path of the ball. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors being configured to activate the at least one of the one or more uplights comprises the one or more processors being configured to: activate the at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures for a particular period of time; and after the expiration of the particular period of time, deactivate the at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the particular period of time is a user-defined period of time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: based on the motion characteristic of the ball, predict a length of time until a descent of the ball causes a height of the ball to fall below a threshold height; and define the particular period of time based on the predicted length of time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the particular period of time comprises one or more of: the predicted length of time; and the predicted length of time added to a user-defined period of time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine whether the predicted path of the ball is towards a field of play; and activate the at least one of the one or more uplights only when the predicted path of the ball has the motion characteristic greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic and is towards the field of play. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more directional microphones. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors being configured to control the one or more directional microphones to capture the data descriptive of the ball moving above the common focal area comprises the one or more processors being configured to: control the one or more directional microphones, each directed towards a portion of the common focal area, to capture a respective audio stream; analyze the one or more audio streams to detect an audio pattern classified as a hit audio pattern; and in response to detecting the audio pattern classified as the hit pattern, analyze audio data in the audio pattern. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the hit audio pattern is defined by one or more of a decibel level of the audio data, a frequency of the audio data, an amplitude of the audio data, a spectrogram of the audio data, and a gradient of the audio data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors being configured to analyze the audio data in the audio pattern comprises the one or more processors being configured to: determine the motion characteristic of the ball based on the audio pattern. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold motion characteristic comprises a motion characteristic where the ball would reach a height of the one or more uplights in one of the one or more lighting structures. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more lighting structures further comprise one or more downlights, wherein each of the one or more downlights are configured to initially be in an activated state, and wherein each of the one or more uplights are configured to initially be in a deactivated state. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the common focal area comprises an area that includes a batter's area of a sports field. ### Claim 14 A method comprising: controlling, by one or more processors, one or more sensors to capture data descriptive of a ball moving above a common focal area, wherein each of the one or more sensors are directed at the common focal area, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras; based on the data, predicting, by the one or more processors, a motion characteristic of the ball; comparing, by the one or more processors, the motion characteristic to a threshold motion characteristic; in response to the motion characteristic being greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic, activating, by the one or more processors, at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures, wherein controlling the one or more cameras to capture the data descriptive of the ball moving above the common focal area comprises: controlling, by the one or more processors, the one or more cameras, each directed towards a respective portion of the common focal area, to capture a respective video stream; identifying, by the one or more processors, the ball within one or more of the video streams; identifying, by the one or more processors, that the ball passed above a preliminary height in the one or more of the video streams at a first time; based on a respective position of the ball in one or more frames timestamped near the first time of the one or more video streams, determining, by the one or more processors, one or more of a velocity of the ball, a trajectory of the ball, and a rate of ascension of the ball; and based on the one or more of the velocity, the trajectory, and the rate of ascension, determining, by the one or more processors, a predicted path of the ball. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, activating the at least one of the one or more uplights comprises: activating, by the one or more processors, the at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures for a particular period of time; and after the expiration of the particular period of time, deactivating, by the one or more processors, the at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the particular period of time is a user-defined period of time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: based on the motion characteristic of the ball, predicting, by the one or more processors a length of time until a descent of the ball causes a height of the ball to fall below a threshold height; and defining, by the one or more processors, the particular period of time based on the predicted length of time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the particular period of time comprises one or more of: the predicted length of time; and the predicted length of time added to a user-defined period of time. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: determining, by the one or more processors, whether the predicted path of the ball is towards a field of play; and activating, by the one or more processors, the at least one of the one or more uplights only when the predicted path of the ball has the motion characteristic greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic and is towards the field of play. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more directional microphones. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, controlling the one or more directional microphones to capture the data descriptive of the ball moving above the common focal area comprises: controlling, by the one or more processors, the one or more directional microphones, each directed towards a portion of the common focal area, to capture a respective audio stream; analyzing, by the one or more processors, the one or more audio streams to detect an audio pattern classified as a hit audio pattern; and in response to detecting the audio pattern classified as the hit pattern, analyzing, by the one or more processors, audio data in the audio pattern. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the hit audio pattern is defined by one or more of a decibel level of the audio data, a frequency of the audio data, an amplitude of the audio data, a spectrogram of the audio data, and a gradient of the audio data. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, analyzing the audio data in the audio pattern comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, the motion characteristic of the ball based on the audio pattern. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the threshold motion characteristic comprises a motion characteristic where the ball would reach a height of the one or more uplights in one of the one or more lighting structures. ### Claim 25 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more lighting structures further comprise one or more downlights, wherein each of the one or more downlights are configured to initially be in an activated state, and wherein each of the one or more uplights are configured to initially be in a deactivated state. ### Claim 26 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the common focal area comprises an area that includes a batter's area of a sports field. ### Claim 27 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to: control one or more sensors to capture data descriptive of a ball moving above a common focal area, wherein each of the one or more sensors are directed at the common focal area, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras; based on the data, predict a motion characteristic of the ball; compare the motion characteristic to a threshold motion characteristic; in response to the motion characteristic being greater than or equal to the threshold motion characteristic, activate at least one of the one or more uplights in the at least one of the one or more lighting structures, wherein instructions that cause the one or more processors to control the one or more cameras to capture the data descriptive of the ball moving above the common focal area comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: control the one or more cameras, each directed towards a respective portion of the common focal area, to capture a respective video stream; identify the ball within one or more of the video streams; identify that the ball passed above a preliminary height in the one or more of the video streams at a first time; based on a respective position of the ball in one or more frames timestamped near the first time of the one or more video streams, determine one or more of a velocity of the ball, a trajectory of the ball, and a rate of ascension of the ball; and based on the one or more of the velocity, the trajectory, and the rate of ascension, determine a predicted path of the ball.