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Unread 16-09-2006, 19:34
KenWittlief KenWittlief is offline
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Re: Position Tracking Devices

Quote:
Originally Posted by BRAVESaj25bd8
We plan to return the ball to the player wherever he or she may be on the court. We do not need to know the distance to the player as we feel any home court is small enough to just aim the ball back to the player and let the momentum of the ball take it to the player on a bounce or two. This is only for shots that will be made and it is only for one player games. The intent is to retun made shots back to the player so he or she does not get out of rhythm when they are trying to practice and improve their shooting skills.
Ok, now we are getting somewhere. The big WHY is: This system is needed so a person practicing on the court alone can keep his pace up without having to run after the ball or needing someone to toss balls to him

and the WHAT is: you want to design a system that can place a ball back into play, preferably projecting the ball in the direction of the player.

Very cool. Will this system always be in one place? for example, will it retrieve balls that go through the hoop, or will it be able to go after missed shots and bring the ball back to the edge of the court?

If it will always be in one place (attached to the goal pole for example) then you dont really need to know where the player is on the court (X and Y location) - you only need to know the angle from the center of the court to the player, so you can shoot the ball onto the court along that line.

This narrows down the requirements for HOW to design the system significantly!

You could use something like the retro reflective sensors and retro reflective tape (that was in the KOP a few years back, not sure if its still being used) The scanner has a laser diode that is modulated. The retro reflective tape sends light back the way it came, like the material used on license plates.

You could have the sensor either on a servo that sweeps back and forth across the court, or have it spin 360 degrees. The player would wear a headband with the reflective tape - whenever the sensor is pointing at the player the sensor will trigger.

Read the servo angle at that instant and you have your direction.

Last edited by KenWittlief : 16-09-2006 at 19:39.