GB2505506A - A free kick practice wall with moving members - Google Patents

SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR FREE-KICK PRACTICING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

100011 The present invention generally relates to devices, apparatuses, systems and methods for training players in ball-kicking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

100021 Soccer or Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players each. This game is one of the most popular sport games in the world and attracts millions of viewers and fans. Soccer players are often required to practice direct and indirect free-kicks by having a stationary wall placed between the kicker and the goal, where the player practices by attempting to kick the ball into the goal passed the wall apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

100031 According to some aspects of the invention, there is provided a wall apparatus for free kick practicing comprising (a) a base member; (b) at least one wall member for simulating at least one soccer player, wherein each wall member movably connects to the base member; (c) a movement mechanism for mechanically moving each of the wall members; and (ci) a controller configured for controlling the movement mechanism, wherein the wall apparatus is configured for allowing a player to practice free-kicking by moving the at least one wall member while the player practices free kicking of a ball to a goal.

100041 Optionally, the at least one wall member comprises a plurality of wall members each configured to simulate a single player in size and shape.

100051 According to some embodiments, the movement mechanism comprises a pneumatic system connecting to each of the wall members for moving thereof by using pressured gas. This pneumatic system may optionally comprise at least one piston, at least one gas tank and at least one compressor connected thereto for enabling to compress the gas from the tank, wherein each of the wall members connects to the pneumatic system allowing the pneumatic system to control each of the wall members separately, wherein each piston connects to a respective wall member for enabling a linear movement thereof Additionally or alternatively, the pneumatic system further comprises at least one pressure regulator and pressure measurement device for regulating, measuring and indicating the pressure delivered to the wall member.

100061 Optionally, each of the one or more wall members has a head portion shaped according to a size and configuration that resembles a human head and a torso portion resembling a human torso, wherein each wall member is held, in a stationary position, at a height that simulated an average human player's height.

100071 The apparatus may further comprise a plurality of wall members and at least one wireless receiver for receiving signals from at least one remote transmitter of a sensor device attached to the player, wherein the sensor device is configured for detecting kick related movements of the player for allowing moving the at least one wall member in response to each identified ldck movement. According to some embodiments, at least one of the wall members is operated once a movement of the player is identified and wherein the wall member movement includes linearly lifting at least one of the plurality of wall members to increase the height thereof The controller may operate an algorithm for operating the plurality of wall members in response to received signals indicative of the player's movements, wherein the algorithm may be based on random calculations, wherein upon receiving a signal indicative of some movement of the player one or more of the plurality of wall members is randomly moved. Additionally or alternatively, the controller is configured for determining operational characteristics of the at least one wall member such as lifting height selected one or more wall members for lifting and the like, according to the signals received form said sensor device, at each given timeframe.

100081 Optionally, the controller is configured for determining operational characteristics of the at least one wall member of each given timcframe, according to which the at least one wall member is operated, wherein the operational characteristics comprise at least one of: (i) specific one or more wall members that are selected to be operated within the respective time frame; (ii) operation duration of each selected wall member; (iii) motion characteristics of each selected wall member.

100091 According to some embodiments of the invention, the movement mechanism comprises at least one motor or at least one piston configured for linearly moving the at least one wall member.

100101 According to other aspects of the invention, the is provided a system for free kick practicing comprising: (a) a sensor device that is attachable to a player's body, wherein the sensor device is configured for sensing movements of the player and outputting a signal indicative thereof; and (b) a wall apparatus comprising: (i a base member; (ii) at least one wall member for simulating at least one soccer player in size movably connected to said base member; (iii) a movement mechanism for mechanically moving each of the at least one wall member along at least one movement axis, wherein the movement mechanism is configured to connect to each of the at least one wall member; (iv) a controller configured for controlling the movement mechanism; and (v) a receiver for receiving output data from the sensor device, where the receiver communicates with the controller, wherein the controller is configured for operating the movement mechanism in response to movements of the player as sensed by the sensor device.

100111 Optionally, the sensor device comprises at least one motion sensor capable of sensing motion, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting signals indicative of sensor's output. The transmitter may be configured for transmitting Infra-Red (IR) or Radio Frequency (RF) signals to the receiver, and the receiver is configured for receiving JR or RF signals, respectively, wherein the receiver and transmitter arc configured for respectively receiving and transmitting signals within the same frequency band.

100121 Optionally, the sensor device further comprises at least one leg patch for attaching the at least one sensor to the player's leg.

100131 The controller may optionally be configured for determining operational characteristics of the at least one wall member, according to the signals received form the sensor device, at each given timeframe.

100141 Optionally, the controller is configured for determining operational characteristics of the at least one wall member, according to the data received form the sensor device, at each given timeframe.

100151 According to other aspects of the invention, there is provided a method for practicing soccer free kicks, where the method includes: (a) sensing kick related movements of a player by using a sensor device attached to the player's leg; (b) transmitting a signal indicative of the sensed kick related movement to a wall apparatus configured for operating a plurality of wall members comprised thereby; (c) receiving the transmitted signal, using the wall apparatus; and (d) operating at least one of the plurality of wall members according to the sensed movements of the player.

10016] The method may further include determining operational characteristics that define the manner in which the wall members are to be operated, according to the received signal. Optionally these characteristics include at least one of: (i) specific one or morc wall mcmbers that arc selected to bc operated within thc rcspcctivc time franc; (ii) operation duration of each selected wall member; (iii) motion characteristics of each selected wall member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

10017] Fig. I schcmatically iflustratcs a systcm for frcc kick practicing, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

10018] Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a pneumatic movement mechanism of the system described in Fig. 1, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

100191 Fig. 3 isa flowchart schematically illustrating how thc frcc kick practice system opcratcs, using a pneumatic based systcm cnabling moving cach wall member thercof via pneumatic pistons, according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

10020] In the following detailed description of various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part thereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10021] According to some embodiments of the invention, there are provided a wall apparatus and a system for allowing players to practice free kicks in an efficient manner that simulates the reality of free kick scenarios in which a number of players form a human-wall, where each player can move and jump to various directions once the ball is kicked by the kicker.

10022] According to some embodiments of the invention, the system includes one or more sensor devices, each including one or more motion sensors attached to the kickers (free kick player) body such as the player's leg(s) or foot/feet and a transmitter for transmitting signals indicative of the motion detected at each given timeframe. The system also includes a wall device that simulates the human-wall having a plurality of wall members all in the shape and size/width of a real human player (the wall members are also referred to as dummies" in this document). The wall apparatus receives signals from the sensor device and electronically operates a mechanism that mechanically moves the wall members in response to the movement of the player's leg/foot.

10023] The movement may be linear along a single axis, per wall member, or include various optional movement directions depending on the mechanical abilities of the system. According to some embodiments of the invention, the wall apparatus also includes a receiver for receiving the sensor device's outputted sials; the movement mechanism; a controller for controlling the movement mechanism and the wall members.

10024] According to somc embodiments of the invention, upon receiving each signal or several sials over a timeframe from the sensor device (through the receiver), the controller calculates if and how the wall members should be operated in response, according to a predefined program embedded therein. The controller may be a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) such as MieroLogics 1100 16 110, Simens -SIMATIC 57-200, LinMot -Controller ElOOl/El 100 (for linear motors), and the like.

10025] In cases in which the movement of each wall-member (dummy) can only be linear (e.g. up and back down only), the algorithm may be programmed for deciding which wall member or members should be operated at any given time frame (i.e. deciding which of the dummies should be lifted within a predefined fixed timeframe), where "operation" includes turning the wall member on/off since each can only lift to a certain height and retract back into its non-lifted position. The number of turned-on wall members at each given moment may be determined randomly, where a detection of a leg movement of the player, without considering the characteristics of the movement such as speed/acceleration, direction and the like. To do so, the controller may be programmed to operate a random-engine which determines the operation of the wall apparatus (how many and which of the wall members will be operated at each given moment or any other timeframe). According to some embodiments each piston may be able to be lifted to various different heights by controlling air pressure, allowing thereby simulating wall players of different heights and/or vertical movements of the players.

10026] Alternatively, if the movement mechanism is configured to allow moving each wall member in various directions, the algorithm may determine other more advanced operational characteristics of each wall member at each given timeftame, according to results of an analysis of the player's leg movements taken from the outputs of the sensor device. This may require both analyzing the movement of the player's leg at each given timeframe for determining other operational characteristics of the wall members such as duration of operation, tilting and specific height of lifting (if enabled mechanically by the system), tilting features of the wall members that are to be operated and the 111cc. These embodiments may require much more sophisticated and complicated controller and movement mechanism configurations.

100271 The movement mechanism maybe any system that can translate data/signals such as electronic signals into mechanical movement such as a pneumatic system, a hydraulic system, a motor based system and the like. Each wall member may be operated separately by the movement mechanism for allowing selecting specific one or more wall members that are to be moved at each given timeframe.

10028] A "player" or a "kicker" may be any human who practices free kicking to a goal. The term soccer or football refers to any sports game requiring kicking a ball into a goal.

100291 The term "free kick" or "free kicking" refers to the known term as used in soccer and football including both direct and indirect free kicking rules.

10030] Reference is now made to Fig. 1, schematically illustrating a system 100 for free kick practicing, according to some embodiments of the present invention. The free kick practice involves a player 50 kicking a ball 20 towards a goal (not shown) while trying to pass a wall apparatus 110 simulating a wall of human players trying to block the kicking player's ball path by standing between the kicking player and the goal.

10031] The system 100 includes a wall apparatus 110 and a sensor device 120, where the sensor device 120 includes a motion sensor 121 attached to a player's 50 ankle through a patch 122, where the senor 121 also has a wireless transmitter 123 for transmitting signals indicative of the sensed data via a wireless communication link such as via Radio Frequency (RF) or Infrared (IR) based communication within a predefined RF/I R frequency range.

10032] According to some embodiments of the invention, the motion sensor 121 can identify movement, measure movement characteristics such as measuring the velocity and acceleration of the movement to determine force applied by the player's leg to identif' a "kick" motion and to determine its features such as direction, momentum and the like.

100331 As illustrated in Fig. I, a plurality of wall members lila, 11th and lift shaped as dummies having a size that simulates an average player's torso dimensions and a head shape, where the wall members lila. ilib and ilic are attached to a base member 118 which isa cover and frame structure holding the wall members lila-ilic. Each wall member llla/lllb/lllc can be separately and only linearly moved by a movement mechanism upwards to a lifted position adding a height of "h" to the height "H" of the wall member illa/ilib/ilic at its non-lifted position. In some embodiments, each wall member lila/Ill b/li ic can only be lifted to a height of (H+h) and there arc no in-between positions. In other embodiments the wall members ilia/ilib/ilic can be lifted to various heights between a given height range.

100341 According to other embodiments, other operational characteristics can be 1 5 determined according to the sensed leg movements of the player such as, for example: selected one or more wall members lila, ii lb and/or Ii Ic and operated; operation duration of each selected wall member; and/or motion characteristics of each selected wall member (e.g. lifting height, tilting characteristics, effects such ash shaking of the respective wall member and the like).

10035] The height H from the ground may be adapted to at least a portion of an average height of players according to the players' respective gender and/or age group.

This means that for children the height "U" is designed according to their age group and for adults according to an average adult player's height.

100361 Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the wall apparatus 110 of the system 100 illustrated, according to some embodiments of the invention. The wall apparatus 110 includes: (i) the wall members (dummies) lIla, ii lb and II Ic; The base member 118; a controller 112; a receiver 114; and (iii) a pneumatic movement mechanism 130.

10037] According to some embodiments of the invention, the receiver 114 receives wireless signals (e.g. radio frequency (RE) or infrared (IR) signals), indicative of the movement of the player's 50 leg. The signal is transmitted by the transmitter 123 of the sensor device 120 over a respective wireless communication link defined within a certain frequency band. The controller 112 receives output data of the receiver 114 and operates the pneumatic movement mechanism 130 according to the received data and according to a predefined calculation method/algorithm. To control the Pneumatic movement mechanism 130, the controller 112 and/or movement mechanism 130 includes a set of one or more relays allowing electronically switching on/off the entire movement mechanism 130 or parts thereof for operating the wall members Illa-Ille.

10038] According to some embodiments, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the pneumatic movement mechanism 130 includes: a solenoid valve 134; a gas tank 131; a compressor 132; pneumatic pistons liSa, llSb and uSc connected to the gas tank 131 via pipes 133a, 133b and 133c and optionally via a gas faucet respectively for enabling operating each piston 115a/115b/115c separately. Each piston 115a/115b/llSc connects to a different wall member 111a/111b/111c respectively for allowing lifting thereof once operated to a predefined lifting height l-l+h from the ground. The respective wall member 111a/lllb/lllc is retrieved to a non-lifted position at a height of H once the respective piston 115a/llSb/115c is deactivated.

10039] Gas (e.g. air) compressed by the compressor 132 into the tank 131, connected thereto via piping 135, is pushed into the pistons liSa/li Sb/il Sc for operating thereof to lift each selected respective wall member lila/i iIb/i lie. The solenoid valve 134 connects to a relay switch 113 of the controller 112 for switching the pneumatic moving mechanism 130 on/off Once a leg movement is identified by the controller 112 it switches on the moving mechanism 130 and in this example, lifts all wall members lila, ilib and Ilic for a lifling duration that can be either fixed and permanent or determined according to characteristics/features of the sial (indicative of the characteristics of the movement (kick).

100401 According to some embodiments of the invention, the pneumatic movement mechanism 130 thrther includes gas pressure regulation and measuring devices such as devices 116a, llób and 116c for regulating, measuring and indicating the pressure delivered to each wall member lila/ill b/i lie through the pistons liSa/il Sb/li Sc, respectively.

10041] In the embodiments illustrated by Figures 1-2 only three wall members lila, lllb and lllc were shown but the system 100 may (i) include a different number of wall members; and/or (ii) enable adding and removing wall members for simulating the real game situation in which the number of wall forming players is decided on the spot and is not limited as well as for enabling the practicing player to practice free kicking in various situations simulating various numbers of wall forming players.

100421 According to some embodiments of the invention, the sensor(s) can sense and indicate other aspects of the sensed kick related movements such as the kick impact intensity, direction and the like, where this information is transmitted to the wall apparatus for determining the operational characteristics for operating the wall members according to the received information. Alternatively the sensor only senses and indicates that a kick has been identified within the sensing timeframe allowing the wall members to be controlled and lifted whenever a kick is identified.

100431 Additionally or ahematively, the movement mechanism allows separately moving each wall member in more than one linear direction and manner. For example each wall member may bc connected to a set of motors each enabling moving the respective wall member in different direction and way. For instance, one motor can create linear vertical movement for changing the wall member's height, while another enables a linear horizontal movement for changing the location of the wall member and its distance from an adjacent wall member, another motor may allow cyclic movement, etc. This may allow the controller to set complicated and versatile movement characteristic to each operated wall member at each given timeframe according to the sensor device's output signal and optionally after the transmitted signal is analyzed by the controller to identi' the player's movement features and to determine the operational characteristics of the wall apparatus accordingly.

100441 To begin practice, the wall apparatus is located at a desired distance from a goal and the kicker player begins at a desired practicing position at a distance from the wall apparatus to simulate a free kick game scenario. Once the wall apparatus and player are in places, the wall apparatus and sensor device can be activated to begin the practice.

100451 According to some embodiments of the invention, the wall apparatus can be configured to allow adding and removing wall members to allow changing the number of wall members (dummies) according to practice requirements. To do so, the wall apparatus may include, for example, ten pistons allowing installing up to ten wall members for simulating any number of wall forming players up to the maximal number according to the soccer/football game rules. This will also allow changing and defining the distances between each two adjacent wall members by deciding to which piston the respective wall member will be connected.

100461 Reference is now made to Fig. 3, which is a flowchart schematically illustrating how a pneumatic free kick practice system operates, according to one embodiment of the invention. According to this embodiment, the sensor device senses the player's impact with the ball at a given timeframe "ti" 31 and transmits a signal indicative thereof to the controller of the wall apparatus 32. The signal is received by the wall apparatus 33 receiver and is analyzed 34 to identi', for instance, kicks and optionally also their characteristics such as direction momentum and the like. Once a kick is identified 35 the controller of the wall apparatus defines an operation layout of the respective timeframe t1 36, which defines which wall member(s) are selected and how they arc to be opcratcd (c.g. dcfme operational characteristics as cxcmplificd above). The selected wall member(s) are(is) then operated by the controller according to the operation layout 38, where first the pneumatic movement mechanism is operated via the solenoid valve 37. These steps can be repeated for each timeframe, which may be of several seconds of tenths of a second, as long as the system is operated.

100471 Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following invention and its various embodiments and/or by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim arc set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations. A teaching that two elements are combined in a claimed combination is further to be understood as also allowing for a claimed combination in which the two elements are not combined with each other, but may be used alone or combined in other combinations. The excision of any disclosed element of the invention is explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the invention.

100481 The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.

10049] The defmitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same ftrnction in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

10050] Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

100511 The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention.

10052] Although the invention has been described in detail, nevertheless changes and modifications, which do not depart from the teachings of the present invention, will be evident to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are deemed to come within the purview of the present invenhon and the appended claims.