Sensors that can detect reflective tape from a distance?

[TheFrozenSlink]

Hey Guys,
I was wondering what kind of sensors that could be used to detect the reflective tape of the backboard from 20+ feet away?
We have the Axis camera, but for some reason we get framerate and quality that is really low. (to the point where sticking a toaster to the end of it seems like a feasible idea).

[BitTwiddler]

An old supermarket bar code scanner and some fancy programming?

[theprgramerdude]

Some other kind of camera? There really aren't that many options for directional light sensing.

[dtengineering]

I'll apologize in advance for not being up-to-date with the latest software revisions, but in the past my students had good success using the cRio and Axis camera to track a vision target.

The target was a 3' diameter black and white "bullseye" and the machine could follow a person holding the target as they walked around the room.

Maybe a software revision will help? Sorry I can't be more specific to this year's game, or your specific issue, but I do think the camera is probably worth investing some time in.

Jason