Pressure Sensing Sport Ball System and Related Methods of Use

This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/635,941, filed on Apr. 18, 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates generally to sport balls, and, more particularly, to a sport ball capable of sensing changes in the pressure of a fluid contained within the sport ball.

A variety of inflatable sport balls (e.g., soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, etc.) typically include a casing and a hollow bladder. The casing of a sport ball is generally formed from a durable, wear-resistant material. An exterior surface of the casing forms an exterior layer of the sport ball. The bladder is generally formed from a stretchable material. The bladder of the sport ball is disposed within the casing and configured to be filled or inflated with a fluid, such as air. When the bladder is inflated, the pressurized bladder exerts an outward force against an interior surface of the casing, thereby giving the sport ball a persistent shape when at rest. The shape of the sport ball may be deformed, however, such as when the sport ball is compressed or otherwise impacted by another object. Because the amount of fluid contained within the bladder remains constant, when the sport ball is compressed or otherwise impacted by another object, the pressure within the bladder increases.

In one aspect, a pressure sensing sport ball system includes: a casing that forms an exterior of a sport ball; a bladder disposed within the casing; a pressure sensor coupled to the bladder and operative to generate pressure data by gauging the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; and at least one processor operative to: access the pressure data generated by the pressure sensor; determine, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted; and output an indication that the sport ball has been impacted.

In another aspect, a method for monitoring the pressure within a sport ball includes: gauging the pressure of a fluid contained within a bladder of a sport ball; generating pressure data that can be accessed by a processor; determining, based at least in part on the pressure data, that the sport ball has been impacted; and causing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a visual indication that the sport ball has been impacted.

In another aspect, a pressure sensing sport ball apparatus includes: a casing that forms an exterior of a sport ball; a bladder disposed within the casing; and a pressure sensor disposed within the bladder and operative to: gauge the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; and generate pressure data that can be used by at least one processor to determine that the sport ball has been impacted.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the features as claimed. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “having,” including,” or other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not necessarily include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Further, relative terms, such as, for example, “about,” “substantially,” “generally,” and “approximately” are used to indicate a possible variation of ±10% in a stated value. While various features and functions of the present disclosure are described herein in the context of soccer balls, it will be understood that various features and functions of the present disclosure may be applied in the context of many different types of sport balls.

illustrates a first perspective view of a sport ball. As illustrated in, a sport ballhas a layered structure that includes at least an exterior casingand an interior bladder. As mentioned above, a casingforms an exterior of the sport ball. In some instances, as illustrated in, a casingincludes two or more panelsthat are stitched, adhered, bonded, welded, or otherwise joined together along abutting sides or edges, forming one or more seams. Often, as illustrated in, panelsare pentagonal or hexagonal in shape. However, in other instances, panelsmay have non-equilateral shapes, non-regular or non-geometric shapes, or a variety of other shapes that combine in a tessellation-type manner to form the casing.

In some instances, the panelsof a casingare all of the same shape (e.g., hexagonal). In some instances, the panelsof a casinginclude two or more different shapes (e.g., hexagons and pentagons). The abutting sides of the panelsthat combine to form the seamsmay be linear, concave, convex, or otherwise non-linear edges. In some instances, a casingmay have a seamless structure, such that the casinghas no distinct panelsand no seams. In some such instances, a casingmay be formed by a single piece of material. Accordingly, the construction of a casingmay vary significantly, leading to a wide variety of configurations of panels. For example, many modern soccer balls include twelve pentagonal panelsand twenty hexagonal panels. Or for example, the four panelsof modern American footballs are pointed ellipses (sometimes referred to as a “marquise” shape).

The material(s) selected for a casing, or for an individual panel, may be leather, synthetic leather, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, rubber, or any other suitable material that is generally durable and wear-resistant. In some instances, each panelof a sport ballmay include two or more layers different materials. For example, in some instances, each panelincluded in a casingmay include a polymer foam layer and a non-foamed polymer layer. Or for example, in some instances, a panelof a casingmay include an exterior polyvinyl chloride layer, an interior textile layer, and an intervening polymer foam layer.

As mentioned above, a bladderof a sport ballis typically hollow and disposed within a casing. The bladderis typically formed from a stretchable material and configured to be filled or inflated with a fluid, such as air. For example, in some instances, the bladdermay be formed from a rubber or carbon latex material that substantially prevents air or other fluids contained within the bladderfrom diffusing through the material. However, the bladdermay be formed using a variety of other polymer or elastomeric materials.

In order to facilitate inflation, the bladdertypically includes a valvethat extends from the bladderand through the casing, thereby being accessible from outside of the sport ball. However, in some instances, a bladdermay have a valve-less structure that is semi-permanently inflated. When inflated, the bladderbecomes pressurized and exerts an outward force against an interior surface of the casing, thereby giving the sport balla persistent shape, generally determined by the shape or configuration of the casing, when the sport ballis at rest. However, the shape of the sport ballwhen the sport ballis at rest may be determined at least in part by the shape or configuration of the casing, the shape or configuration of the bladder, or the shape or configuration of an intervening restriction layer, as described below. For example, as illustrated in, the configuration of the pentagonal and hexagonal panelsof the casinggive the sport balla spherical shape when the bladderis inflated. Or for example, the pointed ellipse shape of the panels of an American football give an American football its ovoid shape when the bladderof the American football is inflated.

In some instances, as illustrated in, the bladderincludes a pocket. A pocketincluded in a bladdermay provide a cavity, indentation, void, or other space that receives and holds a component, such as a device or a counterweight. In some instances, as illustrated in, when a bladderis disposed within a casingof a sport ball, the pocketincluded in the bladderprotrudes or projects inward and toward a center of the sport ball, thereby locating a componentincluded in the pocketwithin an interior area of the sport ball. In this position, the componentis protected from impacts of the sport ballwith surfaces, animated members, or other objects when the sport ballis being utilized. The shape and size of a pocketmay be selected to accommodate a component, such that the pocketreceives and securely retains the componentwithin the sport ball.

A componentmay include one or more electronic devices, such as a microprocessor, transmitter, receiver, memory, battery, or any other combination of elements that process, send, receive, or collect data. More specifically, examples of electronic devices that might be included in a componentinclude one or more of a) a pressure sensor for determining the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladder; b) a global positioning system (GPS) unit and/or an accelerometer that measures various factors relating to the location or movement the sport ball; c) a line sensor that determines whether the sport ballhas crossed a goal line or an out-of-bounds line; d) a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that stores data relating to the sport ballor assists with identifying the sport ball; and e) a camera that collects image data. A componentmay additionally or alternatively include a counterweight in order to enhance the balance, weight distribution, center of mass, or other properties of a sport ball. In many instances, one or more electronic devices included in a componentmay also serve as a counterweight.

In some instances, as illustrated in, a sport ballalso includes a restriction layer. As illustrated in, a restriction layerforms a middle layer of a sport balland is positioned between a casingand a bladder. In general, a restriction layeris formed from materials with a limited degree of stretch in order to restrict expansion of the bladder. For example, a restriction layermay be formed from a) a thread, yarn, or filament that is repeatedly wound around a bladderin various directions to form a mesh that covers substantially all of the bladder; b) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile elements stitched together to form a structure that extends around a bladder; c) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile strips that are impregnated with latex and placed in an overlapping configuration around a bladder; or d) a substantially seamless spherically-shaped textile. In some instances, a restriction layermay also be bonded, joined, or otherwise incorporated into either of a casingor a bladder. However, in some instances, a sport ballneed not include a restriction layer.

depicts a diagram of a pressure sensing sport ball system. In some instances, as depicted in, a pressure sensing sport ball systemincludes a sport ball, a pressure sensordisposed within the sport ball, and a processor. In general, the sport ball, the pressure sensor, and the processorof the pressure sensing sport ball systemfunction cooperatively to determine a) if and when the sport ballis impacted; b) how hard the sport ballis impacted; and/or c) what the sport ballis impacted by, e.g., a surface or an animated member. In some instances, as depicted in, the pressure sensing sport ball systemadditionally includes a computer-readable memory, a communication component, or a graphical user interface (GUI). In some instances, in addition to the pressure sensor, one or more of the processor, the computer-readable memory, and the communication component may also be disposed within the sport ball.

As mentioned above, the pressure sensoris disposed within the sport ball. For example, the pressure sensormay be disposed within a bladderof the sport ball, such as within a pocketincluded in the bladder, as described above. However the pressure sensoris disposed within the sport ball, the pressure sensoris operative to gauge the pressure of a fluid contained within a bladderof the sport balland generate computer-readable pressure datarepresenting the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladder. For example, in some instances, the pressure sensoris operative to generate pressure databy recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballon a regular interval of time, e.g., every millisecond, every 10 milliseconds, every 50 milliseconds, every 100 milliseconds, etc. In some instances, the pressure sensoris operative to generate pressure databy recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballonly when the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballchanges significantly, e.g., by more than one-tenth of a percent, more than half of a percent, more than one percent, more than five percent, etc. In some instances, the pressure sensoris operative to generate pressure databy recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballonly when the pressure of the fluid contained with the bladderof the sport ballexceeds a threshold pressure. In some instances, the pressure sensoris operative to generate pressure databy recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballon a regular interval of time as soon as the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballchanges significantly or exceeds a threshold pressure. In some such instances, as soon as the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballchanges significantly or exceeds a threshold pressure, the pressure sensoris operative to record the pressure of the fluid contained within the bladderof the sport ballon a regular interval for a predetermined period of time, e.g., one second, five seconds, ten seconds, etc. However, the pressure sensormay be operative or configured to generate pressure data by recording the pressure of a fluid contained within the bladderof a sport ballin any other way. In some instances, as depicted in, the pressure sensoris communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory, or the communication component. In some such instances, after generating pressure data, the pressure sensoris operative to transmit or otherwise provide the pressure datato the processor, the memory, or the communication component.

The processoris a computing device that is operative to receive pressure datagenerated by the pressure sensorand determine, using or based on the pressure data, if the sport ballhas been impacted, how hard the sport ball has been impacted, or what the sport ballhas been impacted by, as described in further detail below. In some instances, the processoris further operative to cause a GUIto display pressure datagenerated by the pressure sensoror an impact indication, e.g., an indication that the sport ballhas been impacted, which may further include an indication of how hard the sport ballwas impacted or an indication of what the sport ballwas impacted by. In some instances, as depicted in, the processoris disposed within the sport balland communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor, such that the processorcan receive pressure datagenerated by the pressure sensordirectly. In some instances, however, the processorreceives pressure datagenerated by the pressure sensorindirectly. For example, in some instances, a computer-readable memoryis communicatively coupled to both the pressure sensorand the processor. In some such instances, the pressure sensoris operative to transmit or otherwise provide pressure datato the computer-readable memory, and the processoris operative to access the pressure datafrom the computer-readable memory. Or for example, in some instances, the processoris not disposed within the sport ball. In some such instances, a communication componentis communicatively coupled to the pressure sensoror a computer-readable memorythat is communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor, and the communication componentis operative to receive pressure datafrom the pressure sensoror the computer-readable memoryand provide the pressure datato the processorby establishing a physical or wireless communication link with the processor.

As mentioned above, in various instances, a pressure sensing sport ball systemis operative to determine a) if and when a sport ballis impacted; b) how hard a sport ballis impacted; and/or c) what a sport ballis impacted by, e.g., a surface or an animated member.illustrates an impact of a sport ballagainst a surface. A surfacemay be a substantially flat surface or any other stationary or unanimated object, whether that object is substantially flat or not. For example, a surfacemay be the pitch of a soccer field or a goalpost of a soccer goal. In the example illustrated in, the sport ballis a soccer ball that includes a casing, a bladderdisposed within the casing, and a pressure sensordisposed within the bladder, e.g., the pressure sensoris disposed within a pocketincluded in the bladder, as described above. The bladderof the sport ballis inflated with air. According to the ideal gas law, all gases within a closed system obey an equation of state represented by the equation PV=nRT, wherein P is the pressure within the closed system, V is the volume of the closed system, n is the number of moles of the gas within the closed system, R is a universal gas constant, and T is the temperature of the closed system. In this example, when the sport ballis impacted by the surface, the sport ballis compressed accordingly, and the volume of the bladderof the sport balldecreases. Thus, according to the ideal gas law, because the temperature within the bladderof the sport balland the number of moles of air within the bladderof the sport ballremain substantially constant, but the volume of the bladderof the sport balldecreases, the pressure within the bladderof the sport ballmust increase. Because the pressure within the sport ballis constant throughout, the pressure sensoris able to accurately measure a force of an impact of the sport ball(as described in further detail below) no matter where or how the sport ballis impacted, unlike an accelerometer, for which the measure of a force of an impact of a sport ball may be influenced by where the sport ball was impacted relative to a position of the accelerometer. In this example, the pressure sensordisposed within the bladderof the sport ballrecords the pressure within the bladderof the sport ballevery millisecond. The resulting pressure datais depicted in.

depicts a pressure hysteresisrepresenting the changes in pressure over time within the bladderof the sport balldue to the impact of the sport ballagainst the surface. As used herein, a “pressure hysteresis”is a graph of the changes of the pressure within a closed system over time, as the pressure within the closed system increases in response to a stimulus and decreases as the system returns to rest. A pressure hysteresismay include a rising curve, representing the pressure increasing in response to the stimulus, and a falling curve, representing the pressure decreasing as the system returns to rest. A pressure hysteresismay include various characteristic features, such as a rest pressure, a peak pressure, a rising curve duration, a falling curve duration, a total duration, a pressure differential(e.g., peak pressuresubtracted by rest pressure), an area(e.g., an integral or a combined area beneath the rising curveand the falling curve), a maximum slope of the rising curveor the falling curve(not shown), or any combination thereof. However, a pressure hysteresismay include any other characteristic feature. As depicted in, a pressure hysteresismay have a form or shape similar to a bell curve, which may be substantially regular (e.g., the rising curveand the falling curveof the pressure hysteresismay be close to vertically symmetrical) or irregular (e.g., the rising curveand the falling curveof the pressure hysteresismay have completely different shapes).

Similarly,illustrates an impact of the sport ballfromby an animated member, anddepicts a pressure hysteresisrepresenting the changes in pressure over time within the bladderof the sport balldue to the impact of the sport ballby the animated member. As depicted in, the total durationof the pressure hysteresisis shorter than that of the pressure hysteresisin, but the peak pressureis greater than that of the pressure hysteresisin. One or more relationships or ratios may be calculated using the characteristic features of a pressure hysteresis, e.g., a ratio of the areato the total durationof the pressure hysteresis, a ratio of the peak pressureto the areaof the pressure hysteresis, a ratio of the area under the rising curve(not shown) to the area under the falling curve(not shown) of the pressure hysteresis, or a ratio of the maximum slope of the rising curveto the total durationof the pressure hysteresis. However, any other suitable relationship or ratio may be calculated using the characteristic features of a pressure hysteresis.

As mentioned above, in various instances, after the pressure sensordisposed within a sport ballgenerates pressure data, the pressure datais made available to a processor. The processorcan then use the pressure datato determine a) if and when the sport ballis impacted; b) how hard the sport ballis impacted; and/or c) what the sport ballis impacted by, e.g., a surfaceor an animated member. For example, in some instances, after receiving, accessing, or otherwise obtaining pressure datagenerated by a pressure sensordisposed within a sport ball, a processorcan use the pressure datato generate a pressure hysteresis. In this example, the processorcan then use characteristic features of the pressure hysteresisto make various determinations. For example, in some instances, the processorcan use the pressure hysteresisto determine if and when the sport ballis impacted by identifying the time (e.g., t) at which the pressure within the sport ballincreased significantly (e.g., by more than 1 or 2 percent), or at a significant rate (e.g., by more than 1 percent per millisecond). Or for example, in some instances, the processorcan use the pressure hysteresisto determine how hard the sport ballis impacted by identifying the peak pressureand using the peak pressureto calculate a force with which the sport ballwas impacted. The force with which a sport ballwas impacted may be used to calculate or determine a speed (e.g., a ball speed) at which the sport ballmoved in response to the impact.

Or for example, the processorcan use the pressure hysteresisto determine whether the sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor by an animated member. As depicted in, the rising curve durationof a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of a sport ballagainst a surfacemay be significantly longer in proportion to the total durationthan those of a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ballby an animated member. Thus, in some instances, a processorcan use a pressure hysteresisto determine whether a sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor an animated memberby comparing the rising curve durationto the total durationof the pressure hysteresis, such as by dividing the rising curve durationby the total duration, and then comparing the result to a threshold percentage. For example, the threshold percentage may be 5%, 10%, 15%, etc. In such an instance, if the rising curve durationdivided by the total durationis less than the threshold percentage, the processorcan determine that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member. Or, in such an instance, if the rising curve durationdivided by the total durationis greater than the threshold percentage, the processorcan determine that the sport ballwas impacted against a surface.

In another example, the processorcan use a pressure hysteresisto determine whether the sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor by an animated memberby analyzing the slope of the rising curveand/or the slope of the falling curve. As depicted in, the slope of the rising curveof a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of a sport ballby an animated membermay be steeper than that of a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ballby a surface. Thus, in some instances, for example, a processorcan calculate an initial derivative (e.g., at time t) of the rising curveof a pressure hysteresisand compare the initial derivative to a slope threshold. In such an instance, if the initial derivative is greater than slope threshold, the processorcan determine that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member. Or, in such an instance, if the initial derivative is less than the slope threshold, the processorcan determine that the sport ballwas impacted against a surface. However, a processormay use any other aspects of pressure dataor any other characteristic features of a pressure hysteresisto determine whether a sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor by an animated member.

For example, in some instances, a processorincludes or is otherwise operative to access a correlation engine that can be used to determine whether a sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor by an animated member. For example, the correlation engine may include one or more machine learning algorithms that can receive pressure datagenerated by a pressure sensorand use the pressure datato determine whether a sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor by an animated member. In some instances, a processor, such as by employing a correlation engine, can determine a type of surfaceor animated memberthat a sport ballwas impacted by. For example, the processormay be able to determine a shape, or a partial shape, of a surfaceor an animated memberthat impacted that the sport ball. Or for example, in some instances, if the processordetermines that the sport ballwas impacted against a surface, the processormay also determine whether the surfacewas the pitch of a soccer field or the goalpost of a soccer goal. Or for example, in some instances, if the processordetermines that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member, the processormay also determine whether the sport ballwas impacted by a hand, a foot, or a head. In some instances, a processordetermines a confidence or a likelihood of a sport ballhaving been impacted by a surfaceor by an animated member. For example, in some instances, a processordetermines that there is an X % likelihood that a sport ballhas been impacted by an animated member. In some instances, a processordetermines that there is an X % likelihood that a sport ballhas been impacted by an animated member, and, accordingly, that there is a (100-X) % likelihood that the sport ballhas been impacted by a surface.

The impact of a sport ballagainst another object, represented by the pressure datagenerated in response to the impact (e.g., the pressure dataincluded in a pressure hysteresis), may be referred to as a “pressure event.” In some instances, when analyzing the pressure dataof a pressure event (e.g., to determine if, when, or by what a sport ballwas impacted), the processorcan factor in or otherwise incorporate pressure datarepresenting one or more previous pressure events. For example, in some instances, when analyzing the pressure dataof a second pressure event that occurred shortly after a first pressure event, if the processordetermined that the first pressure event was an impact of the sport ballby an animated member, the processormay increase the likelihood that the second pressure event was an impact of the sport ballagainst a surface, or vice versa. However, the processormay use the pressure dataof a prior pressure event, or any information that can be gleaned from a corresponding pressure hysteresis(e.g., the magnitude of the rising curve, the slope of the rising curve, or the rising curve duration), in any other way when analyzing the pressure dataof a subsequent pressure event.

A fluctuation in the pressure within a sport ballmay not always be a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. For example, a fluctuation in the pressure within the sport ballmay be a reverberation. A reverberationmay be a fluctuation in the pressure within a sport ballin response to an initial increase in the pressure due to the sport ballbeing impacted (e.g., by a surfaceor an animated member). In some instances, a pressure event includes only a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. In some instances, a pressure event includes a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport balland one or more reverberationsthat follow the pressure hysteresisin response to the impact of the sport ball.depict pressure hysteresesfollowed by reverberations. In the example depicted by, each of the three pressure hysteresesrepresent a separate impact of a sport ballby a surface(e.g., the sport ballbounced on the surfacethree times). The first pressure hysteresis(i.e., the leftmost pressure hysteresis) is followed by a reverberation. The second and third pressure hysteresesare not followed by a reverberation. This may be because, for example, in a first bounce off the surfacerepresented by the first pressure hysteresis, the sport ballbounced high enough and/or remained suspended in the air long enough for a reverberationto be registered by a pressure sensordisposed within the sport ball, but in subsequent second and third bounces, represented by the second and third pressure hystereses, respectively, the sport balldoes not bounce high enough or remain suspended in the air long enough for a reverberation to be registered by the pressure sensor.

In some instances, to determine whether a fluctuation in pressure within a sport ballis a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball(e.g., by a surfaceor an animated member) or a reverberation, a processorcan use or otherwise consider pressure datafrom a time horizon extending beyond the fluctuation in pressure. For example, to determine that the fluctuation represented by reverberationinis a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball, a processorcan compare an area under the curve of the fluctuation to an areaunder the curve of a pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation, such as by dividing the areaunder the curve of the pressure hysteresisby the area under the curve of the fluctuation. If the result is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processorcan identify the fluctuation as a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisthat represents an impact of sport ball. Conversely, if the result is less than the threshold value, the processorcan identify the fluctuation as a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball(e.g., by a surfaceor an animated member). Or for example, to determine that the fluctuation represented by reverberationinis a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball, a processorcan determine or calculate an amount of time between the fluctuation and a pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation, e.g., Δt. If the amount of time between the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation is less than or equal to a threshold amount of time, the processorcan identify the fluctuation as a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. Conversely, if the amount of time between the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation is greater than the threshold amount of time, the processorcan identify the fluctuation as a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball(e.g., by a surfaceor an animated member). For example, Δtmay be less than the threshold amount of time, and Δtmay be greater than the threshold amount of time; therefore, a processormay identify the fluctuation represented by reverberationas a reverberationand the fluctuation represented by the third pressure hysteresisas a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. However, a processormay use pressure datafrom a time horizon expanding beyond a fluctuation in pressure within a sport ballto determine if the fluctuation is a reverberationor a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ballin any other way.

In the example depicted in, a first pressure hysteresisrepresenting a first impact of the sport ballwith an animated memberis followed by two reverberations, and a second pressure hysteresisrepresenting a second impact of the sport ballwith an animated memberis also followed by two reverberations(e.g., the sport ballis kicked into the air, where it reverberates, and then, before the sport ballis allowed to land on a surface, the sport ballis kicked back into the air, where it reverberates again). In this example, a processormay determine that the fluctuation represented by the first reverberationfollowing the first pressure hysteresisis a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ballby comparing the peak pressure of the fluctuation (e.g., PP2) with the peak pressure of the pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation (e.g., PP1), such as by dividing the peak pressure of the preceding pressure hysteresisby the peak pressure of the fluctuation. If the result is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processorcan determine that the fluctuation is a reverberation. Conversely, if the result is less than the threshold value, the processorcan determine that the fluctuation is pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. Or for example, a processormay determine that the fluctuation represented by the first reverberationfollowing the second pressure hysteresisis a reverberationand not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ballby determining and/or comparing one or more oscillation frequenciesbetween the fluctuation and the pressure hysteresisthat precedes the fluctuation and/or between the fluctuation and the fluctuation that follows the fluctuation (e.g., the fluctuation represented by the second reverberationfollowing the second pressure hysteresis). An oscillation frequencymay be the amount time between the peak pressures of two consecutive fluctuations. In this example, because the oscillation frequenciesbetween the fluctuation and the fluctuations immediately preceding and immediately following the fluctuation are less than a threshold oscillation frequency, the processorcan determine that the fluctuation is a reverberation, and not a pressure hysteresisrepresenting an impact of the sport ball. After identifying two consecutive pressure hysteresesrepresenting two consecutive impacts of a sport ball(e.g., the two pressure hysteresesdepicted in), a processorcan identify an amount of time between two impacts as a time of flight. In some instances, a processoronly identifies an amount of time between two impacts as a time of flightif there are a threshold number of reverberationsbetween the two impacts.

In some instances, when analyzing the pressure dataof a pressure event, the processorcan factor in or otherwise incorporate externally sourced information. For example, in some instances, a correlation engine included in or otherwise accessible by the processorincludes historical pressure datagenerated by a plurality of pressure sensorsdisposed within a respective plurality of sport ballsduring a multitude of prior pressure events. In such an instance, the processorcan use the historical pressure datawhen analyzing the pressure dataof a recent pressure event. Or for example, in some instances, the processorcan receive or otherwise access user submitted information and use the user submitted information when analyzing the pressure dataof a pressure event. For example, in some instances, after the processordetermines that a sport ballwas impacted by a surfaceor an animated member, a user of the pressure sensing sport ball systemcan confirm or deny the processor's determination, such as through the use of a graphical user interface (GUI)provided by the pressure sensing sport ball system, as described above and below, thereby providing the processorwith feedback that the processorcan use when analyzing the pressure dataof a subsequent pressure event, such as by training a machine learning algorithm included in a correlation engine included in or otherwise accessible by the processor. Or for example, in some instances, a user of the pressure sensing sport ball systemcan submit to the processor, such as through the use of a GUIprovided by the pressure sensing sport ball system, a type of surface that the sport ballwill be utilized on (e.g., grass, turf, or asphalt). In such an instance, the processorcan use knowledge of the type of surface that the sport ballwill be utilized on when analyzing the pressure dataof a pressure event. However, the processormay use any externally sourced information in any other way when analyzing the pressure dataof a pressure event.

As mentioned above, in various instances, a processoris operative to receive, access, or otherwise obtain pressure datagenerated by a pressure sensordisposed within a sport balland, using or based on the pressure data, determine a) if and when the sport ballis impacted; b) how hard the sport ballis impacted; and/or c) what the sport ballis impacted by, e.g., a surfaceor an animated member. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the processoris further operative to cause a graphical user interface (GUI)to display the pressure dataor an impact indication.illustrates a GUIaccessed or provided by a pressure sensing sport ball system. In the example illustrated in, the GUIis a video review application used by soccer referees, e.g., a video assisted referee application. In this example, the sport ball, a soccer ball, includes a pressure sensorand a communication componentdisposed within the sport ball, e.g., disposed within a pocketincluded in a bladderof the sport ball. In this example, the pressure sensorgenerates pressure databy recording the pressure of the air within the inflated bladderof the sport ballevery millisecond, and the communication component, communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor, wirelessly transmits the pressure datagenerated by the pressure sensorto a remote processorinstantly and in real-time. In this example, the processoruses the pressure datato determine a) if and when the sport ballis impacted; b) how hard the sport ballis impacted; and c) what the sport ballis impacted by, e.g., a soccer field (or “pitch”) or a soccer player (or “strike”). For example, as illustrated in, in the ten seconds between 73:13 and 73:23 of a soccer game in which the sport ballis being utilized, the processorhas determined that the sport ballwas impacted four times (i.e., impacts 3, 4, 5, and 6). The processorhas also caused the GUIto display the latest six impacts involving the sport ball, along with the peak pressurefor each impact, and whether the impact was determined to have been with the pitch or by a strike. In this example, the processorhas caused the GUIto display the latest impacts involving the sport ballin real-time. The GUIcan then be used by a referee of the soccer game to help the referee determine whether the soccer ball was struck by a player while the player was offside, or if the soccer ball was struck by a hand, for example.

A GUI, and the information generated for display within a GUIby a processor, may take on many different forms based on a particular application. For example, when the sport ballis a soccer ball designed or otherwise intended for individual youth soccer practice, the GUImay be a simple interface that displays information such as ball speed (e.g., calculated by a processorusing peak pressure values), time of flight, and a number of consecutive impacts of the sport ballby an animated member. Or for example, when the sport ballis a volleyball designed or otherwise intended for use during competition, the GUImay be a more intricate interface that displays information indicating whether an impact of the sport ballwas by a surfaceor an animated member, information indicating whether an impact of the sport ballwas a serve, a set, a spike, or a dig. Or for example, when the sport ballis a basketball, the GUImay display information indicating whether an impact of the sport ballwas by a floor, a backboard, or a rim of a basket. However, the GUImay take on any suitable form and display any suitable information for any suitable application.

depicts a flow diagram of a methodfor determining that a sport ballhas been impacted by an animated member. The methodmay be performed by a pressure sensing sport ball system, as described above. As depicted in, in some instances, the methodbegins with stepsand, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball systemgauges the pressure of a fluid contained within a sport balland generates pressure datacorresponding to the pressure of the fluid contained with the sport ball, respectively. For example, as described above, the pressure of a fluid contained within the sport ballcan be gauged and recorded by a pressure sensordisposed within a bladderof the sport ball. In some instances, the pressure datais provided to a computer-readable memoryfor storage. As depicted in, in some instances, after the pressure sensing sport ball systemgauges the pressure of the fluid contained within the sport balland generates corresponding pressure data, the methodcontinues with step, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball systemdetermines that the sport ballhas been impacted by an animated member. For example, as described above, a processorcan access, receive, or otherwise obtain the pressure datagenerated by a pressure sensordisposed within the sport balland use the pressure datato generate a pressure hysteresis. The processorcan then use characteristic features of the pressure hysteresisto determine a) that the sport ballwas impacted and b) that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member. As depicted in, in some instances, after determining that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member, the methodcontinues with step, wherein the pressure sensing sport ball systemcauses a graphical user interface (GUI)to display a visual indication indicating that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member. For example, as described above, a processorcan determine a) when the sport ballwas impacted; b) that the sport ballwas impacted by an animated member; and c) how hard the sport ballwas impacted by the animated member, and cause a GUIaccessed or provided by the pressure sensing sport ball systemto display one or more visual indications of the sport ballbeing impacted by the animated memberand how hard the sport ballwas impacted by the animated member.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the system will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the system disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.