Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R3/00—Circuits for transducers
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B43/00—Balls with special arrangements
  • A63B43/004—Balls with special arrangements electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2220/00—Measuring of physical parameters relating to sporting activity
  • A63B2220/17—Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2220/00—Measuring of physical parameters relating to sporting activity
  • A63B2220/80—Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor
  • A63B2220/83—Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor characterised by the position of the sensor
  • A63B2220/833—Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2225/00—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment
  • A63B2225/50—Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2243/00—Specific ball sports not provided for in A63B2102/00 - A63B2102/38
  • A63B2243/0025—Football
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B43/00—Balls with special arrangements

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for acquiring information on the dynamic situation of a ball and / or restoring the sound environment during a sporting event relating to a ball sport, in particular during a match.
• football or basketball for the sound system of a stadium or a sports hall, or for television or radio broadcasting.
• Radio or television reports of football, rugby, handball or basketball matches require the permanent intervention of a commentator to transmit to the viewer or to the listener the soundscapes formed by the noises of the ball (strikes, rebounds , ...), unlike tennis matches where the impact of the ball on the racket or on the field contributes greatly to reviving the course of the discussions from a distance.
• the object of the present invention is to propose a technical solution to this drawback by allowing the sound of balloon noises to be taken, and to transmit them to a fixed installation where they can be mixed with comments or with a general atmosphere captured by fixed microphones.
• the invention relates more particularly to a method consisting in integrating into inside the ball a device comprising a radiofrequency transmitter and a microphone, said device being positioned inside the ball by a flexible suspension means, and in that one has near the playing field a radio frequency receiver for receive the signals transmitted by the device included in the balloon and reproduce a corresponding audio signal.
• This device makes it possible to capture noises such as impacts on the ball directly, and to transmit them to a fixed receiver. It allows the use of a microphone with low sensitivity and low bandwidth. Furthermore, the device is preferably positioned at the center of gravity of the balloon, which avoids disturbance of both static and dynamic behavior of the balloon.
• the microphone is a microphone of low sensitivity so as not to pick up the ambient noises (cries of the spectators, wind, etc.), but only the noises specific to the balloon (striking the balloon, rebounds, ...)
• the device is activated by a sensor sensitive to acceleration, the power supply circuit of the transmitter comprising a timer for a predetermined duration after activation. When the balloon is at rest for a time greater than said predetermined duration, the sound environment is a priori irrelevant, and it is possible to interrupt the supply of the transmitter to increase the autonomy of the device.
• the device includes a switch accessible through the balloon inflation valve.
• the device comprises a switch that can be activated by a radio frequency signal.
• the radio receiver consumes significantly less electrical energy than the transmitter, which increases the autonomy of the device.
• the supply circuit of the radiofrequency transmitter comprises an activation circuit sensitive to the level of the signal delivered by the microphone, supplying said transmitter only when said signal exceeds a threshold value, the supply circuit of the transmitter including a timer for a predetermined duration after activation
• the invention also relates to a balloon comprising in its inflation volume a device constituted by a microphone, a low-frequency circuit delivering a modulation signal to a radiofrequency transmitter and a power source.
• a bladder having an elastic tubular sleeve extending substantially along a diagonal inside which said device is disposed
• the sleeve has perforated walls in that it communicates with the inflation valve of the bladder.
• the device comprises a switch accessible through said sleeve by a rod passing through the inflation valve
• the bladder has elastic suspensions extending substantially radially between the interior wall and the device.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the device integrated in the balloon
• FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a balloon according to the invention
• FIG. 3 shows the block diagram of an equipment according to the invention
• FIG. 4 shows the block diagram of the processing electronics of the fixed station
• Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the device integrated in the balloon. It includes a piezoelectric microphone (1) delivering a signal preamplified by a low-frequency circuit (2).
• the signal delivered by this low-frequency circuit (2) ensures the frequency modulation of a high-frequency circuit (3) operating in the VIF band from 140 to 180 Mhz, with a transmission power of about 5mW which gives it a range of about 200 meters.
• B.F. (2) and H.F. (3) is provided by a lithium battery
• a switch (5) switches off the device when the ball is stored.
• This switch is for example accessible with a rod passing through the inflation valve of the balloon. It can also be constituted by a radio controlled electronic switch. The consumption of a receiver being much lower than the consumption of the transmitter, such a radio controlled switch makes it possible to significantly extend the life of the battery (5).
• the device comprises a detection circuit (6) activating the supply of the HF circuit (3) when the signal delivered by the LF circuit exceeds a threshold value, even transiently.
• a timer (7) maintains the power supply to the HF circuit (3) for a predetermined duration, for example 30 seconds, after an impulse from the circuit (6) so as to avoid a chopped transmission of the signal
• FIG. 2 represents a sectional view d a balloon comprising such a device. It is constituted in a known manner of an envelope (8) produced for example by sewing a plurality of polygonal pieces cut from a multilayer material. Inside this envelope (8) is a bladder (9) made of latex by example, communicating with the outside via a valve (10)
• a sleeve (11) is provided, constituted by a latex conduit, the wall of which is perforated to allow air to pass when the balloon is inflated.
• This sleeve is welded at its front ends. (12, 13) on the inner wall of the bladder (9) and extends substantially along a diameter of the balloon
• the radio transmitter device (13) is maintained by elastic deformation of the sleeve (11) It is placed substantially in the center of the balloon, in the middle of the sleeve (11) so that its weight does not disturb the static or dynamic behavior of the balloon II can be replaced by the bladder inflation port
• the radio transmitter device (13) can be introduced into the sleeve (11) using a piston having an interior section complementary to one of the front ends of the device.
• This piston has a length greater than the radius of the balloon.
• device is placed on 1 end of the piston which is used to push it back in the middle of the sleeve (11)
• the piston has an outer ring limiting movement to
• the device may be suspended in the balloon by means equivalent to the perforated sleeve, for example by a solid sleeve or an elastic guying.
• the device is suspended by a set of links converging towards the center of the balloon, one of the ends of the links being fixed on the inner wall of the bladder or of the balloon, and the other end of the links being fixed on the device.
• the invention also relates to a reception station for implementing the method according to the invention.
• This station includes means for reproducing a satisfactory sound from the module signal received.
• the sound picked up by the microphone is not always usable, due to phenomena of resonance, distortion due to the implantation in the heart of the balloon, the clipping of high intensities, etc.
• one solution consists in processing the signal by time filtering.
• FIG. 3 represents the block diagram of an equipment according to the invention.
• the part implanted in the balloon comprises a micro-transmitter (20) and a modulation circuit low frequency (21) connected to a microphone (22)
• a battery (23) provides the power supplies.
• the fixed part includes a receiver (24), an electronic processing circuit (25) and a mixer (26) delivering a low-frequency signal.
• FIG. 4 represents the block diagram of the electronic processing of the fixed station. It is composed of an analog / digital converter (27) receiving the demodulated audio signal coming from the high-frequency receiver. The digitized signal is exploited by a microcomputer (28) performing a thresholding and delivering an activation or deactivation signal to an audio switch (29).
• the demodulated audio signal from the HF receiver digitizes by the analog / digital converter (27) supplied to the microcomputer (28) a digital value corresponding to the amplitude of the audio signal This value is compared to a set value corresponding to a triggering threshold . If the value of the signal from the analog / digital converter
• the microcomputer blocks the audio switch (29).
• the microcomputer (28) then launches a new A / D conversion cycle and again compares the signal supplied by the analog / digital converter (27) with the set value. The cycle starts again as long as the value of the converted audio signal is lower than the set value
• the microcomputer (28) activates the audio switch (29 ) for a short duration T compared to the reverberation time, of the order of 10 milliseconds
• this duration can be adjusted in steps of 1 millisecond to optimize the output signal
• the microcomputer (28) locks the audio switch (29) again for a period of 1 order of magnitude of the reverberation time, ie in the range of 200 to 500 milliseconds. This time is also adjustable.
• FIG. 5 represents the timing diagram of the received signal.
• the curve (30) indicates the evolution of the audio signal over time, and the lower curve (3
• the advantage of this treatment is to eliminate the vibration modes specific to the balloon while retaining the wealth of information provided by the on-board micro-transmitter.
• the intensity of the sounds and the dynamics of the signal are correctly restored.
• the signal is then processed by a center band pass filter on a frequency of the order of 1000 Hz, so as to rebalance the tone of the sound emitted by the balloon.

Landscapes

• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
• Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
• Input Circuits Of Receivers And Coupling Of Receivers And Audio Equipment (AREA)
• Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
• Transmitters (AREA)
• Pinball Game Machines (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=26232354

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1996
  • 1996-11-29 CN CN96199797A patent/CN1211379A/zh active Pending
  • 1996-11-29 WO PCT/FR1996/001903 patent/WO1997020449A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1996-11-29 AU AU10348/97A patent/AU1034897A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-11-29 EP EP96941087A patent/EP0864245B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-11-29 BR BR9611798-2A patent/BR9611798A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-11-29 JP JP9520238A patent/JP2000500943A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-11-29 DE DE69609626T patent/DE69609626D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-11-29 EA EA199800487A patent/EA000895B1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-11-29 AT AT96941087T patent/ATE195210T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-11-29 KR KR1019980703970A patent/KR19990071693A/ko not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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