U.S. patent application number 11/829690 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-29 for method of applying rfid in ball game field/court to assist referee in making a decision and system therefor.
This patent application is currently assigned to Long Way Enterprise Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ching Piao HSU.
Application Number | 20090029806 11/829690 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40295895 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090029806 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HSU; Ching Piao |
January 29, 2009 |
METHOD OF APPLYING RFID IN BALL GAME FIELD/COURT TO ASSIST REFEREE
IN MAKING A DECISION AND SYSTEM THEREFOR
Abstract
A system for applying RFID in ball game field to assist in
making a decision in ball game includes a RFID tagging element
embedded in a ball used in the game; a plurality of RFID reading
devices spaced along borderlines of the ball game field for reading
the RFID tagging element in the ball; and a control center
connected to the RFID reading devices. When the ball with embedded
RFID tagging element touches any of the borderlines, at least one
of the RFID reading devices reads the RFID tagging element and
sends a signal to the control center for determining whether the
ball is out of bound or not. When the RFID reading devices are
arranged at goal areas, the system may be used to determine the
scoring. A decision signal is sent from the control center to a
referee for use as a reference in making a decision.
Inventors: |
HSU; Ching Piao; (Taipei
County, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RABIN & Berdo, PC
1101 14TH STREET, NW, SUITE 500
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Long Way Enterprise Co.,
Ltd.
Sindian City
TW
|
Family ID: |
40295895 |
Appl. No.: |
11/829690 |
Filed: |
July 27, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/467 ;
340/323R; 340/568.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2102/02 20151001;
A63B 43/00 20130101; A63B 71/0605 20130101; A63B 2071/0611
20130101; A63B 2225/50 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/467 ;
340/323.R; 340/568.6 |
International
Class: |
A63C 19/00 20060101
A63C019/00; A63B 71/06 20060101 A63B071/06 |
Claims
1. A system for applying RFID in a ball game field/court to assist
a referee in making a decision in a ball game, comprising: at least
one RFID tagging element embedded in a ball; at least one RFID
reading device arranged in decisive areas on the ball game
field/court; the RFID reading device being adapted to sense and
read the RFID tagging element; a control center connected to the at
least one RFID reading device for receiving, computing, and
processing a sensing signal transmitted from the at least one RFID
reading device, so as to generate a decision signal; and a
receiving device for receiving the decision signal generated by and
transmitted from the control center.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving device
includes a signal receiving receiver for receiving the decision
signal transmitted from the control center, a power unit, a
microprocessing unit for processing the decision signal received by
the signal receiver, and at least one signal display unit, on which
data obtained from the decision signal processed by the
microprocessing unit is shown.
3. A method of applying RFID in a ball game field/court to assist a
referee in making a decision in a ball game, comprising the steps
of: (a) arranging a plurality of RFID reading devices in all
decisive areas in the ball game field/court to define at the
decisive areas a sensing district each; (b) one or more of the RFID
reading devices transmitting a sensing signal to a control center
when a ball with an imbedded RFID tagging element passes one of the
sensing districts within a sensing range of that RFID reading
devices; and the control center processing the sensing signal
received from the RFID reading devices to determine whether the
ball has entered the sensing district or not; and (c) the control
center converting data obtained from the processed sensing signal
into a decision signal, and sending the decision signal to at least
one receiving device for showing the decision signal thereon, so
that the referee may use the decision signal as a reference in
making a decision in the ball game.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system of
applying Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system in a ball
game field/court to assist a referee in making a decision in a ball
game, and more particularly to a method and system that applies
RFID to assist in correct determination of an out-of-bounds ball
and scoring to avoid an incorrect decision made by a referee.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, in a ball game, any foul, out-of-bound ball, and
scoring are visually decided by a referee. Therefore, incorrect
decisions are frequently made due to visual errors to result in
unfairness in the ball game.
[0003] Similarly, in various kinds of ball games, the decision of
an out-of-bound ball and of scoring is very possibly wrong because
the referee fails to clearly see the ball from every different
viewing angle or is blocked in vision by players in the game. An
incorrect decision would inevitably result in unfairness in the
game and protesting by ball teams and supporters thereof. In some
cases, the incorrect decision would even result infighting among
audiences.
[0004] In the past, tape recording apparatus would usually be
provided in the site of ball game to record the whole process of
the game. The recorded images are rarely used by a referee as a
basis in making any decision in the game, unless in a condition in
which a decision is difficult to make. However, in most cases, the
referee's visual decision is still the final decision even if the
visual decision might be incorrect to result in unfairness in the
game.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
method of applying RFID in ball game field/court to assist a
referee in making a decision, in which a plurality of RFID reading
devices are arranged in a ball game field/court, so that whether a
ball is an out-of-bound ball or whether a score should be counted
can be correctly decided with the help of an RFID system.
[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
system of applying RFID in ball game field/court to assist a
referee in making a decision, so that whether a ball is an
out-of-bound ball or whether a score should be counted can be
correctly decided with the help of an RFID system.
[0007] To achieve the above and other objects, the system for
applying RFID in ball game field/court to assist a referee in
making a decision according to the present invention includes at
least one RFID tagging element embedded in a ball; at least one
RFID reading device arranged in a decisive area on the ball game
field/court for sensing and reading the RFID tagging element; a
control center connected to the at least one RFID reading device
for receiving, computing, and processing a sensing signal
transmitted from the RFID reading device to generate a decision
signal; and a receiving device for receiving and displaying the
decision signal transmitted thereto by the control center.
[0008] Wherein, the decisive area on the ball game field/court may
be a borderline of the ball game field/court or a borderline of a
goal area in the ball game field/court.
[0009] In an operable embodiment of the present invention, the
receiving device includes a signal receiver, a power unit, a
microprocessing unit, and at least one signal display unit. The
signal transmitted from the control center is received by the
signal receiver and processed by the microprocessing unit, and then
shown on the signal display unit.
[0010] To achieve the above and other objects, the method of
applying RFID in ball game field/court to assist a referee in
making a decision according to the present invention includes the
steps of: [0011] (a) arranging a plurality of RFID reading devices
in all decisive areas in a ball game field/court to define at the
decisive areas a sensing district each; [0012] (b) one or more of
the RFID reading devices transmitting a sensing signal to a control
center when a ball with an imbedded RFID tagging element passes one
of the sensing districts within a sensing range of that RFID
reading devices; and the control center processing the sensing
signal received from the RFID reading devices to determine whether
the ball has entered the sensing district or not; and [0013] (c)
the control center converting data obtained from the processed
sensing signal into a decision signal, and sending the decision
signal to a receiving device for showing the decision signal, so
that the referee may use the decision signal as a reference in
making a decision in a ball game.
[0014] In an operable embodiment of the present invention, the
decisive areas on the ball game field/court may be borderlines of
the ball game field/court or borderlines of goal areas in the ball
game field/court.
[0015] With the above arrangements, one or more of the RFID reading
devices would transmit a sensing signal to the control center when
a ball with an imbedded RFID tagging element passes one of the
sensing districts within a sensing range of that RFID reading
devices, so that the control center could determine from the
received sensing signal whether the ball is an out-of-bound ball or
whether a score should be counted; and the control center could
send a decision signal to at least one receiving device for use by
the referee as a reference in making a decision in the ball
game.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the application of RFID
in a soccer field to assist a referee in making a decision
according to the method of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a conceptual view showing the configuration of a
system for applying RFID in a soccer field to assist a referee in
making a decision according to the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps included in the
method of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 4 shows the decision of a ball touching a borderline in
a soccer game using the method and system of the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 5 shows the decision of scoring in a soccer game using
the method and system of the present invention; and
[0022] FIG. 6 shows the decision of a drop goal in a rugby game
using the method and system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3. The present invention relates
to a method and system of applying RFID in ball game field/court to
assist in making decision.
[0024] The system according to the present invention includes at
least one RFID tagging element 10 embedded in a ball 20; at least
one RFID reading device 11 arranged at a decisive area in a ball
game field/court for sensing and reading the RFID tagging element;
and a control center 12 connected to the at least one RFID reading
device 11 for receiving a sensing signal transmitted from the RFID
reading device 11. At the control center 12, the received sensing
signal is processed and computed using a built-in program, so that
a decision signal is transmitted to at least one receiving device
13. The receiving device 13 has a signal display unit, at where the
above-mentioned decision signal is shown.
[0025] The above-mentioned decisive area may be a borderline 21 of
the ball game field/court, or a borderline of a goal area 22. A
plurality of RFID reading devices 11 may be arranged along all
borderlines 21 of the ball game field/court, and the borderlines of
all goal areas 22 at intervals determined according to a maximum
sensing range of the RFID reading devices 11.
[0026] In an operable embodiment, the receiving device 13 includes
a signal receiver, a power unit, a microprocessing unit, and at
least one signal display unit. The receiving device 13 receives the
decision signal transmitted from the control center 12, and the
microprocessing unit processes the received decision signal. And,
data obtained from the processed decision signal is shown on the
signal display unit.
[0027] The at least one RFID tagging element 10, the at least one
RFID reading device 11, the control center 12, and the at least one
receiving device 13 are arranged on a ball game field/court to
constitute an auxiliary ball game judgment system. In a method of
using the above-structured auxiliary ball game judgment system to
assist a referee in making a decision in a ball game, the following
steps are included:
[0028] Arranging a plurality of RFID reading devices 11 in the
decisive areas of the ball game field/course to define at the
decisive areas a sensing district each; one or more of the RFID
reading devices 11 transmitting a sensing signal to the control
center 12 when a ball 20 with the imbedded RFID tagging element 10
passes one of the sensing districts within a sensing range of that
RFID reading devices 11; the control center 12 computing the
sensing signal received from the RFID reading devices 11 to output
a decision signal, and sending the decision signal to the at least
one receiving device 13; and the receiving device 13 showing the
decision signal received from the control center 12 on the signal
display unit, so that a referee may use the decision signal as a
reference in making a decision in the ball game.
[0029] According to an operable embodiment of the present
invention, when the auxiliary ball game judgment system is enabled,
the RFID reading devices 11 continuously send out signals. When the
ball 20 passes through any one of the decisive areas in the ball
game field/court, the RFID tagging element 10 in the ball 20
receives the signal continuously sent out by one adjacent RFID
reading device 11 to generate electric power and send back a signal
to that RFID reading device 11. The RFID reading device 11
identifies the signal sent by the RFID tagging element 10 and
generates a sensing signal. The sensing signal is transmitted by
the RFID reading device 11 to the control center 12, at where the
sensing signal is processed using a built-in program to decide an
exact condition of the ball 20 at that decisive area. A signal
indicating the decision is then transmitted from the control center
12 to the receiving device 13 for display. A referee may use the
decision signal displayed on the receiving device 13 as a reference
in making a decision to ensure the fairness in the ball game.
[0030] The above-mentioned decisive areas in the ball game
field/court may include borderlines 21 of the ball game field/court
and/or borderlines of goal areas 22. The RFID reading devices 11
are arranged at the borderlines 21 and the borderlines of the goal
areas 22 at intervals determined according to a maximum sensing
range of the RFID reading devices 11.
[0031] In a soccer game, for example, it is usually difficult to
determine whether a ball 20 is in contact with a borderline 21, and
in such a case, a wrong decision is frequently made in determining
whether the ball 20 is a line-out or not, particularly when there
are a lot of factors that would interfere a referee with a correct
decision to cause unfairness in the ball game.
[0032] Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 4 at the same time. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary ball
game judgment system may be applied in soccer, football,
basketball, and many other ball games.
[0033] In a method of using the above-structured auxiliary ball
game judgment system to decide a line-out in a soccer game, for
example, the following steps are included:
[0034] Arranging a plurality of RFID reading devices 11 along the
borderlines 21, wherein each of the RFID reading devices 11 has a
signal transmitting range substantially equal to a width of the
borderlines 21; one of the RFID reading devices 11 closest to a
ball 20 touching one of the borderlines 21 being induced by the
RFID tagging element 10 embedded in the ball 20 to transmit a
sensing signal to the control center 12; the control center 12
computing the received sensing signal and sending a decision signal
to the receiving device 13 at the referee when the control center
12 determines according to the rules of soccer game that the ball
20 is not a line-out; and the referee making a decision with the
assistance of the decision signal shown on the signal display unit
of the receiving device.
[0035] The decision signal is either a signal A indicating that a
ball is not a line-out, or a signal B indicating that the ball is a
line-out. And, the signal display unit of the receiving device 13
includes two indicating lamps, such as, for example, a green and a
red indicating lamp, corresponding to the signal A and B,
respectively.
[0036] When the ball game starts, the green lamp of the signal
display unit on the receiving device 13 is on, indicating the ball
20 is within the borderlines of the game field (decision signal A).
When the ball 20 is kicked to one of the borderlines 21, since the
ball 20 touches the borderline is not considered as a line-out
according to the rules of soccer game, the receiving device 13
would receive a decision signal A transmitted by the control center
12, and the green lamp of the signal display unit on the receiving
device 13 is still on to indicate that the ball 20 is still within
the borderlines 21. When the ball 20 is dribbled to leave the
borderline 21 and locate outside the ball field, the control center
12 would determine the ball 20 is a line-out and send a decision
signal B to the receiving device 13 at the referee. At this point,
the red lamp of the signal display unit is on, and the referee may
take the decision signal B as a reference to make a proper decision
according to actual condition.
[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the receiving device 13 is
provided with a reset button. The referee may timely reset the
receiving device 13 depending on an existing condition during the
game. When the ball 20 touches the borderline 21 and finally rolls
out of the game field, the red indicating lamp is on. However, when
the ball 20 is placed in the field to resume the game, the referee
may reset the data of the receiving device 13, so that the green
indicating lamp is on to indicate that the ball 20 used in the game
is not a line-out. Of course, the data of the receiving device 13
may also be reset under control of the control center 12.
[0038] In a soccer game, the ball 20 touching the borderline 21 is
not considered as line-out. However, in a basketball game, the ball
20 touching any of the end lines and sidelines is considered as
being out of bound. In the system of the present invention, the
settings for the control center 12 may be changed according to the
rules of a ball game, in which the system is applied to assist in
making a decision. In other words, when the system of the present
invention is applied in a basketball game, a ball touching the end
line or sideline would cause the control center to send a decision
signal that turns on the red lamp on the receiving device 13 to
indicate the ball is out of bound.
[0039] It is very possible that the referee is blocked by ball
players and does not find the ball touches a borderline, so that
the game continues. In this case, dispute would rise between the
two teams playing the game. However, it is impossible in the
conventional way to check a video tape of the game now and then to
determine whether any of the decisions made by the referee should
be corrected. Therefore, an unfair game might occur. This would be
very important particularly in a decisive game. Such unfair game
may be avoided by applying the method and system of the present
invention in the ball game field/court to assist a referee in
making a decision.
[0040] When the system of the present invention is applied in a
baseball game, a ball touching a foul line is considered as a fair
ball according to the rules of basketball game. The baseball field
is quite large in size and it would be difficult to determine
whether a ball is fair or foul when the ball falls near a foul line
at a point very far away from an umpire closest to the ball. With
the system of the present invention provided in a baseball field,
such disputing ball can be clearly decided and a decision signal A
or B may be sent to the receiving device 13 at the umpire to assist
the umpire in making a correct decision.
[0041] As having been emphasized in the above, the system of the
present invention could be applied to various kinds of ball games,
including football, rugby football, volleyball, baseball,
basketball, etc., to provide the referee, umpire, or judge with an
auxiliary decision as a reference to hopefully avoid inaccurate
judgment in the game.
[0042] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 5, and 6. The system of the present
invention may also be arranged at goal areas 22 in a soccer field,
for example, so as to assist in determining whether a score should
be counted and send the score to an electronic scoreboard in real
time. In an ideal embodiment of the system of the present invention
applied in soccer and football games, four RFID reading devices 11
are arranged in each goal area 22 separately at two joints of a
crossbar and two goal posts, and each lower end of the two goal
posts. When the ball 20 enters one goal area 22 and at least three
of the four RFID reading devices 11 sense the ball 20, it is
determined a score should be counted, and a scoring signal is sent
to the referee and the control center 12. The scoring signal may
also be transmitted via the control center 12 to a network system
or other systems to report the scores of the game in a real
time.
[0043] Further, signal suppressors (not shown) may be provided near
each of the above RFID reading devices 11, so that the signal sent
out by the RFID reading devices 11 has a suppressed sensing range
substantially equal to a width of the borderlines. That is, the
RFID reading devices 11 are directional sensing devices to enable
more stable and correct sensing.
[0044] The method and system of the present invention are mainly
used to clearly determine whether a ball near a vague zone, such as
a borderline, is out of bound or not, so as to assist an umpire or
referee in making a correct decision about the actual condition of
the ball; or to directly determine a score should be counted and
send the score to the control center 12, so that the score could be
shown on an electronic scoreboard and/or transmitted to other
network systems to report the game in real time.
[0045] The present invention has been described with some preferred
embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out
without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention
that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *