US 4,855,711 AGranted

Impact detection apparatus

AssigneeSensor Science

InventorsDavid Harrop, Bradley A. Sharpe-Geisler, Valli R. Sharpe-Geisler

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An impact detection apparatus (10) includes a device that utilizes multiple sensor elements (11) to determine whether or not a ball lands in or out on a tennis court (12). The sensor positions (13-134) are adjacent to the various boundary lines of the tennis court (12). The sensor elements (11) are layered devices which, when compressed, generate an electrical impulse. The impulse is then analyzed through various signal processing means so that an impact caused a sensor (11) to be compressed may be characterized as being a ball, a footstep, or some other object. In this way, near-simultaneous impacts of a ball and a footstep can be distinguished. If the impact is characterized as a ball that has landed out, a control console (206) will give a visual and/or audible signal so that players, and officials if present, are informed that the ball was out.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An impact detection apparatus comprising:

a first primary multilayered sensor in the nature of a variable magnitude signal generating device situated so as to abut an area enclosed by a boundary of interest;
signal processing means having an input coupled to said multilayered sensor, said signal processing means being responsive to a variable magnitude input signal from said sensor and producing in response thereto an output signal indicative of whether an impact of a given object of interest has occurred to said sensor;
indicator means coupled to said signal processing means output signal for producing in response thereto a sensible signal indicative of impact of said given object of interest;
said multilayered sensor comprising a sandwiched multilayer device including in respective order:
a first outer conductive layer;
a first insulative layer;
an inner conductive layer;
a second insulative layer;
a second outer conductive layer;
said outer conductive layers being electrically interconnected to form an electrically shielded region therebetween within which said insulative layers and said inner conductive layer are disposed;
and,
at least one of said insulative layers is formed of a compressible insulative medium.

9 more elements

An impact detection apparatus specifically adapted to determine whether or not a ball lands in or out on a tennis court, comprising:

a plurality of primary multilayered sensors located on said tennis court in a sensor array with each sensor being situated adjacent to the lines defining the boundaries of the court;
each of said plurality of multilayered sensors comprising a sandwiched multilayer device including in respective order;
a first outer conductive layer;
a first insulative layer;
an inner conductive layer;
a second insulative layer;
a second outer conductive layer;
in each of said devices, the outer conductive layers being electrically interconnected to form an electrically shielded region there between within which said insulative layers and said inner conductive layer are disposed;
in each of said devices, at least one of said insulative layers is formed of a compressible insulative medium;
signal processing means having an input coupled to each of said multilayered sensors, said signal processing means being responsive to variable magnitude input signals from said sensors and producing in response thereto output signals indicative of whether an impact of a tennis ball has occurred on said sensor array;
indicator means coupled to said signal processing means output signals for producing in response thereto a sensible signal indicative of impact of said tennis ball on said sensor array.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.