BACKGROUND
Technical field
[0001] The present invention relates to a ball game-related training system. More specifically,
the present invention relates to a ball game-related training system to supply or
shoot the ball to allow the player to practice a variety of ball games practices,
including kicking or shooting the ball on the play field, hitting the ball falling
onto the play field by a hand for a spike type attack, and receiving and shooting
the ball over the air by a hand.
Related Art
[0002] In general, a variety of ball game practice aids are used to improve athlete's attack
and defense skill in ball games, such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Using
these exercise aids can reduce the fatigue of leaders, that is, coaches. Further,
athletes can learn a variety of skills quickly and easily. As an example of football,
such practice aids allow players to practice volley shoots, ground shoots, and heading
shoots. As examples of such ball game practice aids, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
No.
H9-276463 (published on October 28, 1997) tilted as "Ball shooting apparatus" (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document
1) and
U.S. Patent No. 8,371,964 B2 (issued on February 12, 2013) tilted as "Volleyball spiking training device" (hereinafter referred to as "Patent
Document 2") are disclosed.
[0003] In the ball shooting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a ball is inserted
between two pitching rollers rotated by two motors, and the ball is fired by the rotational
force of the pitching rollers. Therefore, there is a problem that the shooting angle
is not constant when using repeatedly the apparatus. Further, there is an inconvenience
that many balls fired must be manually collected and put in a ball container. In addition,
the ball shooting apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for practicing
various ball games since the ball is shot in a straight line at a relatively high
position from the apparatus.
[0004] The foot volleyball is a ball game that originated from Korea. In this game, a net
is set up between the two teams' courts, and the team uses their head and feet to
pass the ball to the opponent's team. In the conventional ball shooting apparatus
disclosed in the patent document 1, the ball is inserted between the two pitching
rollers, and the ball is fired forward by the pitching rollers. Therefore, there is
a problem that the ball hits the net directly. Moreover, this apparatus is very expensive
and is not suitable for general sports activities. This problem applies equally to
a volleyball game having the similar game rules to the foot volleyball. For example,
in the ball shooting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, only the horizontal
direction in which the ball is blown and the angle of inclination of the shot ball
may be adjusted. Therefore, this shooting apparatus is not suitable for basketballs
where that the players grab and toss the aerial ball falling vertically from above
the play field to the floor, volleyballs where the players hit the aerial ball falling
vertically from above the play field to the floor using the hand, and the foot volleyballs
where the players hit the aerial ball falling vertically from above the play field
to the floor using a foot.
[0005] The volleyball spike training system as disclosed in the patent document 2 comprises
a ball holder and an optional net. The training holder comprises a wheeled chassis
supporting a vertical stanchion projecting upwardly that supports a hopper and a ball
feeding apparatus. The stanchion includes a crank system for vertically adjusting
telescoped stanchion segments. Balls dropping from the hopper travel by gravity down
an inclined ramp at the top of the frame towards a discharge throat. Balls travelling
down the ramp are indexed by a Z-shaped lever that serially separates them. A pair
of downwardly projecting hands, one fixed and one pivoted, receive dropping balls
and temporarily hold them for shooting. The pivoting hand controls the indexing lever
to jam successive balls when the device is loaded. When a ball is shot and removed
from between the feed hands, another ball is freed by the indexing lever to automatically
drop into a shooting position between the hands. However, in the ball supply apparatus
disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the training ball supplied from the ramp is
held at the end portion of the discharge throat, the player may only spike-attack
the stopped ball. The user may not practice throwing or catching the flying balls.
In other words, the practitioners may not do various basketball-related practices,
nor may they kick or shoot a ball that is flying in the air. Further, in the case
of volleyball, the user may not practice toss action.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present disclosure has been made in order to solve the above problems. The present
disclosure is aimed to providing a ball shooting apparatus that automatically fires
the training ball toward a pre-standardized play field for various ball games such
as soccer, futsal, foot volleyball, volleyball, basketball, etc., and a ball collection
apparatus which automatically collects the training ball fired into the play field
and automatically supplies the collected training ball to the ball shooting apparatus,
so that the ball game may be practiced more easily with minimum cost and time.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system configured to detect the movement of a player on the play field and fire a
ball towards a position associated with the sensed movement to allow the player to
practice the ball receive operation, or to dropping the ball from above the play field
onto a bottom to allow the player to practice the ball spike attack.
[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system including a ball shooting apparatus capable of shooting the training ball in
various directions using a hydraulic actuator cylinder, and a ball collection device
that automatically collects the ball launched into the play field at the corner or
at the middle region of the end line or at the end line on the play field and automatically
supplies the ball to the ball shooting apparatus.
[0011] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system including a ball supply apparatus that falls down the ball downward from above
the play field onto the bottom, to allow the player to hit the ball by a hand or foot
or handing it over the net to the opposing court.
[0012] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system including a ball shooting apparatus for detecting a player's movement on the
play field and firing the ball at regular intervals in the motion detection direction,
or for launching a ball based on detection of a player's predetermined movement type.
[0013] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system including a ball shooting apparatus to shoot the ball by striking the ball
that is seated in the distal end of an elongate hollow shooting tube via the action
of a hydraulic actuator cylinder operated at high pressure by a hydraulic accumulator.
[0014] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system including a score counter to assign and display a scored based on a ball passing-through
sub-region in a rectangular region defined by the rectangular goalpost installed on
the football play field or the futsal play field, thereby maximizing the exercise
effect and inducing exercise interest.
[0015] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ball game-related training
system to fire a ball toward the player on the play field so that the player may smoothly
practice the receive operation of the fired ball.
[0016] As used herein, the play field or court may refer to a soccer field, a basketball
court, a volleyball court, and a foot volleyball court.
[0017] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ball game-related training
system comprising: a play court defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and
both opposing side lines, wherein the play court has a net extending along the half
line; a vertical column structure adjacent to at least one of the end and side lines;
and a ball supply apparatus coupled to the column structure at an upper portion thereof,
wherein the ball supply apparatus includes: a housing coupled to the upper portion
of the column structure, wherein a top portion of housing is partially opened, wherein
the housing is divided by a partition into a ball storage portion and a ball discharge
portion, wherein a bottom face of the ball storage portion is inclined downward toward
the ball discharge portion, wherein a first opening is formed in a bottom of the ball
discharge portion, and a second opening is formed in the partition at a lower portion
thereof; a rotatable opening/closing plate rotatably coupled to the partition, wherein
the rotatable opening/closing plate is configured to rotate to open/close the second
opening; and a ball discharge tube rotatably coupled to the ball discharge portion
at the first opening, wherein the ball discharge tube ball-communicates with the ball
discharge portion via the first opening.
[0018] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ball game-related training
system comprising: a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and
both opposing side lines; and a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball
toward a target position on the play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus includes:
a body frame having an internal space of a predetermined size defined therein, wherein
a front side thereof is opened; a training ball shooter configured to shoot a ball,
wherein the shooter is disposed in the inner space; and a ball container having an
outer wall of a predetermined size for accommodating balls, wherein the container
is coupled to a top end of the body frame, wherein a ball inlet of a predetermined
size is formed in a top portion of the body frame so that the ball is introduced from
the ball container into the ball shooter, wherein a bottom portion of the container
is formed to have a downward inclined face at a predetermined angle toward the ball
inlet so that the ball is introduced into the ball shooter; wherein the training ball
shooter includes: an elongate hollow shooting tube having a ball receiving hole defined
in a side wall thereof to receive a ball from the ball container; an orientation-variable
support coupled to and supporting the elongate hollow shooting tube thereon; a rotatable
support bracket coupled to and supporting the orientation-variable support thereon,
wherein both side faces of the orientation-variable support are pivotally coupled
to both side flanges of the rotatable support bracket respectively, wherein the rotatable
support bracket is configured to pivotally move up or down to allow the orientation-variable
support and the elongate hollow shooting tube coupled thereto to pivotally move up
or down; a rotatable plate coupled to the rotatable support bracket, wherein the rotatable
plate rotates in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to enable the rotatable
support bracket, the orientation-variable support coupled thereto, and the elongate
hollow shooting tube coupled thereto to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction; a hydraulic pressure circuit including an actuator cylinder, wherein the
cylinder is coupled to a proximal end of the elongate hollow shooting tube, wherein
a movable piston of the actuator cylinder is insertable into and withdrawn from the
elongate hollow shooting tube, wherein a striking plate is coupled to a distal end
of the movable piston, wherein the actuator cylinder is embodied as a hydraulic actuator
cylinder, wherein when the cylinder is activated, the striking plate is inserted into
the shooting tube and strikes the ball received in the tube to fire the ball, wherein
the cylinder has a hydraulic pressure inlet and a hydraulic pressure outlet defined
therein; and a controller configured to control the hydraulic pressure circuit, and
the pivotal movement and rotation movement of the shooting tube, wherein the hydraulic
pressure circuit further includes: a hydraulic pressure accumulator connected to the
hydraulic pressure inlet via a hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve, wherein
a nitrogen tube filled with nitrogen is disposed inside the hydraulic pressure accumulator;
a hydraulic pressure tank connected to the hydraulic pressure outlet via a hydraulic
pressure recovery solenoid valve; a hydraulic pressure pump interposed between the
hydraulic pressure tank and the hydraulic pressure accumulator, wherein a hydraulic
pressure supply solenoid valve is disposed between the hydraulic pressure pump and
the hydraulic pressure accumulator; and a pressure gauge for checking a nitrogen pressure
in the nitrogen tube, wherein the controller is further configured to control the
hydraulic pressure circuit based on a predetermined shooting mode and/or a predetermined
shooting period.
[0019] In one embodiment, the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined from the
half line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove line defined
therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured to be
downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof, wherein the ball shooting
apparatus is disposed on a corner region on the play field.
[0020] In one embodiment, the play field has a rectangular goalpost standing upright thereon,
wherein the system further includes a ball sensing gate comprising: a rectangular
body frame coupled to the goalpost; a first light emitting elements array arranged
on one of left and right vertical portions of the body frame and a first light receiving
elements array arranged on the other of left and right vertical portions of the body
frame, wherein the first light emitting elements correspond to the first light receiving
elements in terms of the number and positions thereof respectively; and a second light
emitting elements array arranged on one of lower and upper horizontal portions of
the body frame and a second light receiving elements array arranged on the other of
the lower and upper horizontal portions of the body frame, wherein the second light
emitting elements correspond to the second light receiving elements in terms of the
number and positions thereof respectively, wherein the system further comprises a
speed gun disposed behind the goalpost, and an impact sensor disposed on the goalpost
or the rectangular body frame, wherein the system further comprises a score controller
configured: to turn on the first and second light emitting elements arrays; to receive
optical signals corresponding to light emissions received by the first and second
light emitting elements arrays; to determine a specific sub-region in an planar region
defined by the horizontal and vertical portions of the frame, based on the received
optical signals, wherein the specific sub-region indicate a sub-region through which
the ball passes through in an event that a player shoots the ball toward the goalpost;
and to calculate a total score for the shoot event based on the determined specific
sub-region, and/or a ball speed detected by the speed gun and/or an impact level detected
by the impact sensor, wherein the system further comprises a display configured to
display the total score.
[0021] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ball game-related training
system comprising: a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and
both opposing side lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined
from the half line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove
line defined therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured
to be downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof, a ball shooting apparatus
configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the play field, wherein the
ball shooting apparatus is disposed on a corner of the paly field, wherein the ball
shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a ball from above; a ball supply
apparatus disposed at a higher position of a net disposed on the half line of the
play field, wherein the ball supply apparatus has an upper ball receiving opening
to receive a ball from above, and the ball supply apparatus has a lower rotatable
ball discharge tube, and the ball supply apparatus is configured to fall down the
received ball on the play field via the ball discharge tube based on a ball discharge
command signal; a ball convey tube line having one end vertically overlapping the
upper ball receiving opening of the ball supply apparatus, wherein the ball convey
tube line is downwardly inclined from the other end to one end thereof; and a ball
collection apparatus disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line, wherein
the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder,
and the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly in and along the
vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and the ball
collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the upper rotatable
ball discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof selectively overlaps
vertically and above the ball container, the upper ball receiving opening, and/or
the other end of the ball convey tube.
[0022] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ball game-related training
system comprising: a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and
both opposing side lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined
from the half line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove
line defined therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured
to be downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof; a ball shooting apparatus
configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the play field, wherein the
ball shooting apparatus is disposed on a corner of the paly field, wherein the ball
shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a ball from above; a ball collection
apparatus disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line, wherein the ball
collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder, and
the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly in and along the vertical
hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and the ball collection
apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the upper rotatable ball
discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof selectively overlaps
vertically and above the ball container, and/or an upper ball receiving opening of
a ball supply apparatus; a guide rail extending along and spaced from the side line
on the play field; a vertical post having at least one wheel on a bottom thereof so
as to move along and on the guide rail, wherein the vertical post has a height higher
than a height of a net disposed along the half line on the play field; and the ball
supply apparatus coupled to a top portion of the vertical post, and configured to
drop a ball onto the play field, wherein the ball supply apparatus has an upper ball
receiving opening to receive a ball from above, wherein when the ball supply apparatus
moves toward the ball collection apparatus together with the movement of the post
coupled thereto, the ball supply apparatus receives the ball from the upper rotatable
ball discharge tube of the ball collection apparatus via the ball receiving opening
thereof, and the ball supply apparatus has a lower rotatable ball discharge tube,
and the ball supply apparatus is configured to fall down the received ball on the
play field via the ball discharge tube based on a ball discharge command signal.
[0023] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ball game-related training
system comprising: a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and
both opposing side lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined
from the half line to each end line and each side line, wherein the play field has
a ball guide groove line defined therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide
groove line is configured to be downwardly inclined from one end and the other end
to a middle portion thereof; a basketball goalpost disposed behind the middle portion
of the end line; a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball toward a target
position on the play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus is disposed behind
the goalpost, wherein the ball shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a
ball from above; a ball collection apparatus disposed on the middle portion of the
ball guide groove line, wherein the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical
hollow ball guide elongate cylinder, and the ball is collected from the groove line
and moves upwardly in and along the vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using
a collection motor, and the ball collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball
discharge tube, and the upper rotatable ball discharge tube is rotated such that a
discharge hole thereof selectively overlaps vertically and above the ball container,
and/or an upper ball receiving opening of a ball supply apparatus; and a ball supply
apparatus configured to drop a ball onto the play field, wherein the ball supply apparatus
has an upper ball receiving opening to receive a ball from above, and the ball supply
apparatus has a lower rotatable ball discharge tube.
[0024] In one embodiment, a diameter of a distal end of the hollow shooting tube is smaller
than a diameter of the training ball so that the training ball is seated at the distal
end of the hollow tube.
[0025] In one embodiment, the system further includes the ball collection apparatus disposed
on the other end of the ball guide groove line, wherein the ball collection apparatus
includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder, and the ball is collected
from the groove line and moves upwardly in and along the vertical hollow ball guide
elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and the ball collection apparatus has
an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the upper rotatable ball discharge tube
is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof selectively overlaps vertically and
above the ball container of the ball shooting apparatus.
[0026] In one embodiment, the ball collection apparatus comprises: a vertical cylindrical
hollow tube having a bottom ball inlet hole and a top ball discharge hole and disposed
on the other end of the ball guide groove line; a vertical shaft concentrically received
in the cylindrical hollow tube, where the shaft is spaced from an inner face of the
hollow tube; a vertically helically extending blade extending along and on an outer
face of the vertical shaft; and a collection motor configured to allow rotation of
the vertical shaft, when the collection motor is activated, the ball collected into
the groove line is guided upwards along the vertically helically extending blade and
is discharged out of the discharge hole.
[0027] In one embodiment, he system further include an elongate vibration plate embedded
in the ball guide groove line, wherein the vibration plate is vibrated in the longitudinal
direction of the groove line by a rotation of a vibration motor such that the ball
collected in the groove line moves toward the bottom ball inlet hole defined in the
ball collection apparatus, wherein the elongate vibration plate is downwardly inclined
toward the bottom ball inlet hole.
[0028] In one embodiment, the hydraulic pressure circuit further includes: nitrogen tank
connected to the hydraulic pressure inlet via the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid
valve, wherein a nitrogen tube filled with nitrogen is disposed inside the nitrogen
tank; the hydraulic pressure tank connected to the hydraulic pressure outlet via the
hydraulic pressure recovery solenoid valve; the hydraulic pressure pump interposed
between the hydraulic pressure tank and the nitrogen tank, wherein the hydraulic pressure
supply solenoid valve is disposed between the hydraulic pressure pump and the nitrogen
tank; and the pressure gauge for checking a nitrogen pressure in the nitrogen tube,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the hydraulic pressure circuit
based on the predetermined shooting mode and/or the predetermined shooting period.
[0029] In one embodiment, the system further comprises cameras for photographing the play
field, wherein the cameras are installed on different sides of the body frame, wherein
the controller is configured to receive image information from the cameras and to
determine whether the image information contains a predetermined movement of the player
on the play field, and to activate the actuator cylinder upon determination that the
image information contains the predetermined movement of the player.
Advantageous effects
[0030] According to the present invention, in the ball game-related training system, the
training ball shooting apparatus that fires a ball by hydraulic actuator cylinder
operation is installed at a corner of a soccer field or behind a goalpost of a basketball
court. This allows the user to practice penalty kicks, volley kicks, and heading shots.
In addition, the training ball may be fired in a set mode by the user to allow the
player to kick or hit the fired ball with the kick or the hand. In this way, the player
may practice various ball game related exercises. The apparatus also flies the training
ball horizontally over the play field or drop the training ball from the vertical
direction to the play field floor. This allows the player to practice the spikes and
tossing exercises. Then, the training ball, which has fallen to the bottom of the
play field, may be automatically collected at the goal line or the end line and is
supplied to the training ball shooting apparatus to operate an unmanned ball game
practice system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0031]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a training ball shooting apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of a training ball shooting apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a training ball shooting apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal construction of a training
ball shooting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow shooting tube for firing a training ball
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for a training ball shooter according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an operation of a training ball shooting apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an operation of a training ball shooting apparatus according
to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a specific configuration diagram of a ball collection apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a ball supply apparatus according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration view of a soccer-related training system according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a play field shown in FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a ball shooting apparatus and a ball collection apparatus
shown in FIG. 11.
FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a ball sensing gate for determining a score for a ball
pass-through sub-region in a rectangular planer region defined by a goalpost according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of a score counter according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a foot volleyball-related training
system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a volleyball-related training system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a basketball-related training system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a ball guide groove line
formed behind an end line of a basketball court as shown in FIG. 18.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS
[0032] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in
more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood,
however, that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not
be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be noted that
the embodiments of the present invention described below are intended to sufficiently
convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In addition,
the present invention is used to practice soccer, volleyball, and basketball games
and a foot volleyball game which is a Korean ball game. The names of the lines drawn
on the soccer field, volleyball court, basketball court, and foot volleyball court
differ from each other. However, the half line on the soccer field, and center lines
on the volleyball court, basketball court, and foot volleyball court all are drawn
at a center thereof to bisect them. Therefore, as used herein, the line drawn at the
center thereof will be referred to as a half line irrespective of the type of the
ball games.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, a ball shooting apparatus 100 according to the present
invention will be described. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the ball shooting apparatus
100 includes a body frame 102 having an internal space of a predetermined size defined
therein. One side of the body frame 102, preferably the front side thereof, is opened.
Further, a training ball shooter 105 for launching a training ball is disposed in
the inner space. In this connection, a plurality of components are built in the body
frame 100 to rotate the training ball shooter 105 left and right, up and down, and
operate the training ball shooter 105. These components have a functionally close
connection, and these components and their operations will be described later. As
used herein, the training ball may refer to a conventional soccer ball, basketball
ball, foot volleyball game ball, or volley ball. In addition, a first camera CAM1
and a second camera CAM2 are installed on a front and side surfaces of the body frame
102 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 respectively. The cameras CAM1 and
CAM2 may capture subjects around the body frame 102 and acquire corresponding image
information.
[0034] Although not shown in the drawings, the lower end of the body frame 102 of the training
ball shooting apparatus 100 may be provided with wheels for moving the apparatus 100.
In this case, in order to fix the body frame 102, it is possible to additionally provide
fixing means of a known type preventing rotation of the wheels at either the front
or the rear portion of the body frame. Further, it is preferable that the front wheels
have a known structure such that the wheels can be changed in a direction thereof
freely when the body frame 102 is moved.
[0035] The ball container 104 having an outer wall of a predetermined size for accommodating
the training balls is coupled to the top end of the body frame 102. The ball container
104 is manufactured in the shape of a rectangular barrel having open top and bottom.
In order to allow the amount of the training balls loaded therein to be visible, the
container 104 may be configured as a mesh structure.
[0036] A ball inlet 107 of a predetermined size is formed in the upper portion of the body
frame 102 so that the training ball supplied from the ball container 104 can be introduced
into the ball shooter 105 in the body frame 102. The upper portion of the body frame
102 is formed to have a downward inclined surface at a predetermined angle toward
the ball inlet 107 so that the training ball can be easily introduced into the ball
shooter 105. In this connection, the body frame 102 and the ball container 104 may
be combined in various ways. For example, they may be joined together by welding.
Alternatively, fitting grooves may be formed in the edge of the upper portion of the
body frame 102, and corresponding fitting protrusions may be formed on the bottom
edge of the ball container 104, and the fitting protrusions may be fitted into the
fitting grooves.
[0037] Although not shown in the drawings, an operation switch of the shooter, a display
device for displaying the operation of the ball shooter, and operation key buttons
for setting an operation mode of the shooter may be provided outside the body frame
102. In one embodiment, such a display device, and operation key buttons may be implemented
with a touch screen.
[0038] The training ball shooter 105 installed in the inner space of the body frame 102
receives the training ball from the ball container 104 coupled to the upper portion
of the body frame 100 and may be configured to shoot the training ball. A connection
flexible tube 116 of a predetermined diameter extending from the bottom of the ball
inlet 107 formed at the lower end of the downwardly inclined faces 103 of the body
frame 100 is connected to the shooter 104 for introduction of the training ball into
the shooter 104. The connection flexible tube 116 is connected to a ball receiving
hole 115 opened at a front of a elongate hollow shooting tube 114 shown in FIG. 4,
wherein the tube 114 constitutes a part of the training ball shooter 105.
[0039] The training ball introduced into the ball receiving hole 115 of the elongate hollow
shooting tube 114 is seated at a shooting point as shown in FIG 5. In this connection,
at a distal end of the elongate hollow shooting tube 114, there is formed an inwardly
rounded protrusion 114a. Thus, due to the protrusion, the training ball introduced
into the ball receiving hole 115 is prevented from flowing out of the elongate hollow
shooting tube 114 in the absence of a strike. In addition, at the distal end of the
elongate hollow shooting tube 114, a sensor is installed to discriminate the presence
or absence of the training ball therein. The sensor may transmit the sensed information
to a controller MPU as shown in FIG. 6. As such a sensor, a photo sensor or the like
may be used.
[0040] The elongate hollow shooting tube 114 is coupled to and supported on and by an orientation-variable
support 112. The orientation-variable support 114 is supported by its rotatable support
bracket 110. Both side faces of the orientation-variable support 114 are pivotally
coupled to both side flanges of the rotatable support bracket 110 respectively. More
specifically, on one side face of the orientation-variable support 112, a rack gear
118 is integrally formed therewith. The rack gear 118 is intermeshed with a drive
gear 119 integrally formed on an inner face of one side flange of the rotatable support
bracket 110. A tilt-changing motor 117 connected to the drive gear 119 allows the
orientation-variable support 114 and, hence, the elongate hollow shooting tube 114
to pivot up and down. In addition, a direction-changing motor 120 is provided below
the rotatable support bracket 110. A rotatable plate 128 is coupled to a distal end
of a rotating shaft from the direction-changing motor 120. The rotatable support bracket
110 is screw-coupled to the rotatable plate 128. Accordingly, the orientation-variable
support 112 and thus, the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 can be rotated in the
clockwise or counterclockwise direction by driving the direction-changing motor 120.
[0041] In this manner, according to the present invention, the training ball shooter 105
of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction via the rotation of the rotatable support bracket 110 and pivotally moves
upward or downward via the upward or downward pivotal movement of the orientation-
variable support 112. Thus, the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 can be oriented
freely in the left, right, up and down directions. This allows the training ball located
in the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 to be fired freely in the left, right, up
and down directions
[0042] The training ball introduced into the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 is fired
by operation of an actuator cylinder 130 coupled to the proximal end of the elongate
hollow shooting tube 114. A movable piston 132 of the actuator cylinder 130 is insertable
into and withdrawn from the interior of the elongate hollow shooting tube 112, as
shown in FIG. 5. A striking plate 134 is coupled to the distal end of the movable
piston 132. In this connection, the actuator cylinder 132 may use a hydraulic or pneumatic
actuator cylinder. It is desirable to use a hydraulic actuator cylinder to fire the
training ball farther away.
[0043] The hydraulic actuator cylinder 132 typically has a hydraulic inlet and a hydraulic
outlet. The hydraulic inlet is connected to the outlet of a nitrogen tank 144 via
a hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve 150. The hydraulic outlet is connected
to the hydraulic tank 140 through a hydraulic pressure recovery solenoid valve 146.
A hydraulic pump 142 is interposed between the hydraulic tank 140 and the nitrogen
tank 144 and is connected thereto. In this connection, a hydraulic pressure supply
solenoid valve 148 is connected between the hydraulic pump 142 and the nitrogen tank
144. In this connection, a nitrogen tube filled with nitrogen is disposed inside the
nitrogen tank 144. There is provided a pressure gauge for checking the nitrogen pressure
of the nitrogen tube. When the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the nitrogen tank
114 having such a configuration, a pressure is applied to the nitrogen tube in proportion
to the supplied hydraulic pressure, so that the internal pressure of the nitrogen
tube increases. This increase in the internal pressure is provided to the controller
MPU.
[0044] The operation of the hydraulic circuit thus configured will be briefly described
below. In order to insert the movable piston 132 of the actuator cylinder 30 into
the elongate hollow shooting tube 114, the controller drives the hydraulic pump 142
at an open state of the hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valve 148 so that the hydraulic
pressure in the hydraulic tank 140 is supplied to the nitrogen tank 144. By such continuous
pumping, when the hydraulic pressure supplied into the nitrogen tank 144 increases,
pressure is applied to the nitrogen tube installed therein, and this pressure increase
level is provided to the controller. When the sensed pressure of the nitrogen tube
has a predetermined pressure value, the operation of the hydraulic pump 142 is stopped,
and at the same time, the hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valve 148 is closed.
Therefore, the nitrogen tank 148 is filled with a high-pressure hydraulic nitrogen.
[0045] When the shooting command is input from the external touch screen to the controller,
or when the preset shooting cycle from a software program is reached, the controller
opens the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve 150 only for a certain period
of time. With this operation, when the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve
150 is opened, the hydraulic pressure filled in the nitrogen tank 144 at a high pressure
is supplied to the hydraulic inlet of the actuator cylinder 130. This causes the movable
piston 130 in the actuator cylinder 130 to advance. By this action, the striking plate
134 attached to the distal end of the piston strikes the training ball placed at the
distal end of the elongate hollow shooting tube 114. As a result, the training ball
is fired.
[0046] After opening the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve 150 for the period
of time, the controller opens the hydraulic pressure recovery solenoid valve 146 and
the hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valves 148 and drives the hydraulic pump 142.
Thereby, the hydraulic pressure filled in the actuator cylinder 130 is recovered to
the hydraulic tank 140. As a result, the movable piston 132 enters back the actuator
cylinder.
[0047] The controller may control the rotation of the direction-changing motor 120 and the
tilt-changing motor 117 coupled to the rotatable support bracket 110, as well as the
drive of the hydraulic circuit described above. Thereby, the elongate hollow shooting
tube 114 may be rotated in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction or may pivotally
move in the upward or downward direction.
[0048] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a controller to control the ball shooter according to
an embodiment of the present invention. The controller may be provided in an inner
space of the body frame 102 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100. However,
the present invention is not limited thereto. Referring to FIG. 6, the shooting controller
is connected to the first and second cameras CAM1 and CAM2 installed on at least one
side face of four side faces of the body frame 102. This camera(s) images the play
field 10 on which a player is located. The two cameras CAM1 and CAM2 are configured
to photograph an area in front of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 and the
half line on the play field respectively. In addition, the touch screen TS may be
installed on one side of the four sides of the body frame 102. As described above,
the operation switch, the display device for displaying the operation of the shooter,
and the key buttons for setting the operation mode of the shooter are provided on
the touch screen.
[0049] A mode (manual mode, automatic mode, camera mode, direction setting mode, penalty
kick mode, head shoot mode, volley shoot mode, etc.) selected by the user through
the touch screen TS is supplied to the controller. Further, image signals photographed
from the first and second cameras CAM1 and CAM2 are input to the controller MPU. The
controller MPU controls all operations of the training ball shooting apparatus 100
based on those information. Mainly used modes are manual mode, auto mode, and camera
mode. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
[0050] In the case of the manual mode, the controller MPU receives a direction setting key
selection (vertical or horizontal direction) from the touch screen and accordingly
drives the direction-changing motor 120 and the tilt-changing motor 117. In this way,
the shooting direction of the training ball shooter 105 is set. The actuating cylinder
130 is actuated through a solenoid valve driving unit (SOD) via a fire command from
the touch screen by the user to fire the training ball. In the case of the automatic
mode, the controller MPU receives a direction setting key selection (vertical or horizontal
direction) from the touch screen and accordingly drives the direction-changing motor
120 and the tilt-changing motor 117. In this way, the shooting direction of the training
ball shooter 105 is set. The actuating cylinder 130 is actuated through a solenoid
valve driving unit (SOD) per a preset shooting initiation period (for example, every
15 seconds). In the case of the camera mode, the controller MPU controls the direction-changing
motor 120 and the tilt-changing motor 117 such that the shooting tube 114 is oriented
toward the direction of the player in the play field photographed by the first and
second cameras CAM1 and CAM2. Further, when the player starts move with a predetermined
movement (for example, when the player lifts his arm up maximally), the actuating
cylinder 130 is operated through the solenoid valve drive SOD 1 to 2 seconds after
the start of the movement. Thus, the training ball is fired toward to the player.
[0051] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of the training ball shooting apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present invention. This drawing is intended to explain the
operations in the case of the manual mode and the automatic mode. FIG. 8 is a flowchart
of the operation of the training ball shooting apparatus according to another embodiment
of the present invention. This figure is directed to a scenario where the firing direction
is set based on the imaging information captured by the first and second cameras CAM1
and CAM2 installed on the side of the body frame 102 and the training ball is fired
based on the movement of the player photographed by the first and second cameras CAM1
and CAM2.
[0052] First, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the operation of the training ball shooting
apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 described above will be described.
[0053] The training ball shooting apparatus 100 includes the touch screen TS disposed on
an outer surface of the body frame 102 as described above. This touch screen TS is
connected to the controller MPU incorporated in the body frame 102. When the user
inputs data through the touch screen TS, the controller MPU controls the operation
of the components provided in the body frame 102 based on the inputs. That is, the
controller begins to control the operation of the tilt-changing motor 117 and the
direction-changing motor 120, the hydraulic pump 142, and the various solenoid valves
146, 148, 150 disposed in the body frame 102 based on the inputs.
[0054] The training ball shooting apparatus 100 may be driven by the controller MPU in a
manual mode and a motion detection mode. In the manual mode, the user uses the touch
screen TS installed in the body frame 102 to select one of the exercise modes (penalty
kick, corner kick set play, ground ball shoot, volley shoot, head shoot modes or any
combination thereof), and a shooting period (for example, about 15 seconds), then
press the shooting button to fire the training ball to the play field 10. Alternatively,
the user may select one of the exercise modes (penalty kick, corner kick set play,
ground ball shoot, volley shoot, head shoot modes or any combination thereof), and
press the shooting button. In this connection, the orientation of the elongate hollow
shooting tube 114 may be adjusted via the tilt and/or direction-changing motors 117
and/or 120 based on the selected mode and, then, the training ball is fired continuously
in a predetermined cycle. In this connection, although the example of the shooting
button on the touch screen TC has been described, the present invention is not limited
thereto. The shooting button may be provided on a remote controller carried by a player
using a normal remote control device.
Manual/automatic mode for training ball shooting apparatus
[0055] When the training ball shooting apparatus 100 is operated, the controller MPU checks
the pressure in the nitrogen tank 144 at S1 operation to determine whether it is at
a pressure capable of advancing the movable piston 132 of the actuator cylinder 130
at a predetermined speed. When the pressure of the nitrogen tube in the nitrogen tank
140 does not reach the preset pressure, the controller opens the hydraulic pressure
recovery and supply solenoid valves 146 and 148 through the solenoid valve drive unit
SOD in operation S6. Accordingly, the hydraulic pressure in the actuator cylinder
130 is recovered to the hydraulic tank 140 and then supplied to the nitrogen tank
144. When the hydraulic pressure is continuously supplied to the nitrogen tank 144,
the pressure applied to the nitrogen tube installed therein is increased to reach
the predetermined pressure.
[0056] When it it is determined in S2 operation that the pressure of the nitrogen tank is
at the predetermined pressure, the controller MPU closes the hydraulic pressure recovery,
supply and discharge solenoid valves 146, 148, 150. Then, in S4 operation, the controller
determine whether the shooting button on the touch screen or remote control device
is pressed. When it is determined in S4 operation that the shooting button is pressed,
the controller MPU opens the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve 148 for a
preset time T in S5 operation. In this connection, the hydraulic pressure filled at
the high pressure in the nitrogen tank 144 is supplied to the hydraulic inlet of the
actuator cylinder 130 through the hydraulic pressure discharge solenoid valve 148
at a high speed due to the expansion of the compressed nitrogen tube.
[0057] Thus, the actuator cylinder 130 advances the movable piston 132, which is located
therein, by hydraulic pressure introduced at a very high pressure. Thus, the striking
plate 134 coupled to the distal end of the movable piston 132 strikes the training
ball placed at the distal end of the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 to fire the
ball. In this connection, the firing angle of the ball from the training ball shooter
105 located in the interior space of the body frame 102 of the training ball shooting
apparatus 100 is controlled by the controller controlling the tilt and direction changing
motors 117 and 120.
[0058] The controller MPU, upon having performed the S5 operation, opens the hydraulic pressure
recovery and supply solenoid valves 146 and 148 through the solenoid valve drive unit
SOD in operation S6 and then drives the hydraulic pump 142 in operation S7. In this
way, the nitrogen tank 142 is filled with hydraulic pressure.
[0059] If the shooting button on the touch screen TS is not activated in the S4 operation
described above, the controller MPU adjusts the horizontal angle and vertical angle
and the shooting period for the elongate hollow shooting tube 114 of the training
ball shooter 105. Thereafter, the aforementioned S5 operation is performed. The mode
set in the S8 operation refers to the automatic firing mode and the camera mode.
[0060] When the mode set in operation S8 is the automatic firing mode, the controller MPU
drives the direction-changing motor 120 and the tilt-changing motor 117 based on a
direction setting input (vertical direction or horizontal direction) from the touch
screen to set the shooting direction of the training ball shooter 105. Then, the controller
activates the actuator cylinder 130 of the hydraulic circuit through the solenoid
valve driving unit SOD based on every predetermined time period to fire the training
ball. If it is determined that the mode set in operation S8 is the camera mode, the
controller MPU controls the operation of the training ball shooting apparatus 100
as shown in FIG. 8. When the mode set in the S8 operation is a stop mode, the controller
does not perform any operation.
Movement sensing mode
[0061] In the movement sensing mode, the shooting direction is set based on the information
captured by the first and second cameras CAM1 and CAM2 installed on the sides of the
body frame 102, and then the training ball is fired based on the player's movement
in front of and/or at both sides of or around the shooter as imaged by the first and
second cameras CAM1 and CAM2.
[0062] Referring to FIG. 8, the controller MPU determines whether the current mode is the
camera operation mode in operation S104. If the determination result indicates that
the current mode is not the camera operation mode, the process jumps to operation
S17 where the shooter fires the training ball according to the manual/automatic modes
operation as described above.
[0063] When it is determined in the operation S12 that the current mode is the camera operation
mode, the controller MPU receives the image signals photographed by the first and
second cameras CAM1 and CMA2 installed on the sides of the body frame 102 in operation
S11. In S12 operation, the controller may detect the movement of the player in the
front or side of the training ball shooting apparatus 100. After detecting the movement
of the player, the controller MPU determines the position of the detected player,
and thereafter controls the tilt-changing motor 117 and the direction-changing motor
120 in operation S13 based on the position to adjust the vertical angle and the horizontal
angle, that is, the shooting angle of the training ball shooter 105.
[0064] Then, in S14 operation, the controller MPU analyzes the image signals transmitted
from the first and second cameras CAM1 and CAM2 to determine the motion of the subject.
In operation S15, the controller determines whether the movement of the player is
of a preset movement type. For example, the player determines whether the player has
lifted her/his arm up maximally. This determination can be easily made by comparing
a one-second previous frame image and a current frame image.
[0065] When, in operation S15, it is determined that the player movement determined from
the video signal received through the first and second cameras CAM1 and CAM2 is of
the predetermined motion type, the controller MPU controls the solenoid valve driving
unit SOD in operation S16 such that the striking plate 134 mounted at the distal end
of the movable piston 132 of the actuator cylinder 130 strikes the training ball as
previously described. Thereby, the training ball is fired towards the player.
[0066] The ball fired from the training ball shooter 105 of the training ball shooting apparatus
100 will be directed in a specific direction, that is, toward the player. The training
ball fired toward the player will be hit by the body member (e.g., foot, hand, etc.)
of the player and will fly or roll towards a touch line or goal line and eventually
will fall on the court of the play field.
[0067] Although the driving unit for the training ball shooter 105 has been described by
way of example using a hydraulic actuator cylinder in the above embodiment, the present
disclosure is not limited thereto. It is apparent that a pneumatic actuator cylinder
may be used as the driving unit by a person skilled in the art who understands the
specification of the present invention.
[0068] FIG. 9 shows a specific configuration of a ball collection apparatus according to
an embodiment of the present invention. The ball collection apparatus may be installed
at one corner of the bottom of the play field 10. In this connection, the play field
mentioned above may refer to the soccer field, the basketball court, the volleyball
court, and the foot volleyball court, etc. In order to allow the training ball that
has fallen onto the play field 10 to be guided from the half line toward the goal
line or the end line, the play field is inclined at an angle of θ2 from the half line
toward the goal line or the end line thereof. The ball collection apparatus 200 shown
in FIG. 9 may be installed near a ball guide groove line 14 formed in the rear of
the goal line or the end line of the play field 10, as shown in FIG. 9.
[0069] The ball guide groove line 14 is formed such that one end of the ball guide groove
line 14 is inclined downward to the other end or to an intermediate point thereof.
Therefore, the training ball falling down on the play field downwardly inclining from
the half line to the goal line or the end line is rolled from the half line HL in
the direction of the goal line or end line and eventually to the ball guide groove
line 14. The training ball collected in the ball guide groove line 14 rolls in the
direction of a bottom portion of a cylindrical collecting tube of the ball collection
apparatus 200. The training ball introduced into the lower end of the ball collection
apparatus 200 flows into the lower end gate G of the ball collection apparatus 200.
[0070] As shown in FIG. 9, when a collection motor 206 installed in a top of the ball collection
apparatus 200 is rotated, a vertical rotation shaft 208 connected to the motor is
rotated. In this connection, a vertically helically extending blade 210 having a vertical
pitch (for example, 220 mm) larger by about 1 cm than a diameter of the training ball
is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft 208.
[0071] In this connection, a distance r1 between the rotation shaft 208 and an inner surface
of an outer hollow cylindrical body of the ball collection apparatus 200 is 2 mm to
3 mm smaller than the diameter r2 of the training ball. Accordingly, when the rotation
shaft 208 is rotated, the training ball introduced into the lower gate G of the ball
collection apparatus 200 is transferred to an upper portion thereof along a screw
type conveyor 212 including the rotation shaft 208 and the vertically helically extending
blade 210. In this connection, the distance r2 between the rotation shaft 208 and
the inner surface of the outer hollow body of the ball collection apparatus 200 is
smaller than the diameter r1 of the training ball, and, thus, the training ball is
slightly distorted therebetween. In this way, the upward movement of the ball is carried
out reliably.
[0072] A vibration plate 214 is embedded in the ball guide groove line 14 in the front of
the gate G of the ball collection apparatus 200. The vibration plate is vibrated in
the longitudinal direction of the line 14 by the rotation of a vibration motor 216.
The vibration motor 216 is rotated at the same time as the collection motor 206 in
the ball collecting operation. This allows the training ball collected at the end
or middle portion of the downwardly inclined ball guide groove line 14 to smoothly
enter the gate G of the ball collection apparatus 200.
[0073] The training ball transferred to the upper portion of the screw type conveyor 212
of the ball collection apparatus 200 is discharged to the ball discharge tube 202
by rotation of the vertically helically extending blade 210. The training ball discharged
out of the ball discharge tube 202 is inserted into an upper opening of the ball container
104 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 installed adjacent to the ball collection
apparatus 200.
[0074] In this embodiment, the ball collection apparatus 200 includes the rotation shaft
208 installed inside the vertical cylindrical hollow tube 204 and the vertically helically
extending blade 210 on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 208. Further,
the collected balls are transported upward along the vertically helically extending
blade 210 and the inner wall face of the vertical cylindrical hollow tube 204. The
present invention is not limited to this. The ball collection apparatus 200 may be
realized by an equivalent screw conveying apparatus thereto.
[0075] In one embodiment, two vertical poles spaced apart from the rotation shaft 208 having
the vertically helically extending blade 210 formed on its periphery are arranged.
The two vertical poles may be vertically extended along the shaft 208 so as to be
separated with spacing from the shaft 208 at a distance of about 1 mm to 2 mm less
than the diameter r2 of the training ball. In this embodiment, when the training ball
is rolled into the gate of the ball collection apparatus, the ball is positioned between
the rotation shaft 208 and the two poles. When the vertically helically extending
blade is rotated, the training ball is moved vertically up along the rotation shaft
and the two poles. The collected ball is then pushed into the upper opening of the
ball container 104 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 9, the ball discharge tube 202 installed on the upper portion of
the ball collection apparatus 200 is rotatable configured at the upper portion of
the vertical cylindrical hollow tube 204, as shown by "R" in FIG. 9. The ball discharge
tube may be configured to rotate manually or rotate automatically by a motor via a
ring gear
[0077] FIG. 10 is a detailed block diagram of a ball supply apparatus 300 according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus is mounted on a column 250 erected
perpendicular to the bottom surface of the play field 10. This apparatus supply the
ball to the player on the play field 10 by dropping the training ball to the player,
or by flying the training ball in the horizontal direction toward the player on the
play field 10. This apparatus is useful for practicing the spiking action for the
foot volleyball and the volleyball, and for practicing a three-point shoot for the
basketball.
[0078] Referring to FIG. 10, the ball supply apparatus 300 has the housing 301 coupled to
an upper portion of the column 250. The top of the housing 301 is partially opened.
The housing is divided by a partition 308 into a ball storage portion 304 and a ball
discharge portion 306. The bottom surface 305 of the ball storage portion 304 is inclined
downward toward the ball discharge portion 306. An opening is formed in the bottom
of the ball discharge portion 306. A ball discharge tube 316 discharging the training
ball is rotatably coupled to the ball discharge portion 306 at the opening thereof.
[0079] Within the ball discharge portion 306, a stopper 314 extends vertically upward from
the distal end of the ball discharge tube 316. This stopper acts to limit the movement
of the discharged ball. A rotatable opening/closing plate 310 is rotatably coupled
to the partition 308. The rotatable opening/closing plate 310 is screw-coupled to
a rotation shaft from an opening/closing motor 302 installed in the housing 301. The
rotatable opening/closing plate 310 is configured to open/close a discharge hole formed
in a lower portion of the partition 308 by rotation of the opening/closing motor 302.
Thereby, the training ball accommodated in the ball storage portion 304 is not discharged
or is discharged through the discharge hole to the discharge tube.
[0080] A straight bevel gear system 318 is disposed in a lower end of the housing 302. A
rack gear of the straight bevel gear system 318 is integrally formed with the outer
peripheral face of the upper end of the ball discharge tube 316. The rack gear is
engaged with a drive gear of the straight bevel gear system 318. The drive gear is
coupled to a rotation shaft 322 of a swing motor 320 installed in the housing. The
opening/closing motor 302 and the swing motor 320 are connected to a controller MCU
324. The ball discharge tube 316 is configured to be inclined downward. The other
end of the ball discharge tube 316 has a vertically falling outlet 316a formed in
a rightly downward direction and a horizontally inclined outlet 316b formed in an
inclined horizontal direction. The ball introduced into the ball discharge tube 316
is discharged to the vertical falling outlet 316a or the inclined horizontal outlet
316b by a switching plate 316c coupled between the vertical falling outlet 316a and
the horizontally inclined outlet 316b.
[0081] The switching plate 316c opens either the vertical falling outlet 316a or the horizontally
inclined outlet 316b via a switching plate driving unit 316d constituted by a motor
or the like. When the switching plate drive unit 316d is not used, the switching plate
316c may be opened and closed using a manual switching plate activator. When using
the switching plate drive unit 316d, the switching plate drive unit 316d is controlled
by a controller 324 that receives a remote control signal from a remote control device.
[0082] For example, when the switching plate drive unit 316d vertically elects the switching
plate 316c, the vertical falling outlet 316a is opened and the horizontally inclined
outlet 316b is closed. As a result, the training ball ejected from the ball discharge
tube 316 goes straight downward. In contrast, when the switching plate drive unit
316d orients the switching plate 316c in the horizontal direction, the vertical falling
outlet 316a is closed and the horizontally inclined outlet 316b is opened. As a result,
the training ball discharged from the ball discharge tube 316 flies horizontally through
the horizontally inclined outlet 316b and then gradually falls down.
[0083] As shown in FIG. 10, when the rotatable opening/closing plate 310, which is shaft-coupled
to the rotation shaft 312 of the opening/closing motor 302 rotates one time by 360
degree of a rotation angle, the discharge hole formed in the partition is opened once
and then closed. Thereby, a single training ball is discharged through the ball discharge
tube 316. At this time, the ball may fall directly onto the bottom surface of the
play field 10 through the vertical falling outlet 316a or may horizontally fly through
the horizontally inclined outlet 316b and gradually falls to the bottom. This allows
the player to practice hitting the balls falling in various directions from above,
or allows the player to shooting the training ball flying horizontally. Thus, the
player may practice spike attacks with the hand strongly hitting the training ball
flying in the horizontal direction or falling directly down onto the bottom of the
play field 10. Further, the player may practice kicking the training ball flying in
the horizontal direction or falling directly down onto the bottom of the play field
10.
[0084] It is also possible to adjust the position of the ball discharge end of the ball
discharge tube 316 by the rotation of the swing motor 320. As a result, the drop position
of the ball can be adjusted. This allows the player to practice at various positions.
[0085] The controller 324 may transmit/receive data to control the training ball shooting
apparatus 100 in a wired or wireless manner. Thus, the controller may receive the
ball distribution control signal by wire or wirelessly, and may control the opening/closing
motor 302 and the swing motor 320. For example, when the training ball shooting apparatus
100 is controlled using only a remote controller device, the controller 324 receive
the data to control the training ball shooting apparatus 100 in a wireless manner
from the remote controller device and drives the opening/closing motor 302 and the
swing motor 320 based on the remote control signal transmitted from the remote controller
device. Thus, the training ball accommodated in the ball storage portion 304 may be
dropped to the bottom of the play field 10.
[0086] The training ball shooting apparatus 100, the ball collection apparatus 200, and
the ball supply apparatus 300 as configured as described above may be applied to the
ball games, for example, the soccer, the foot volley ball, the volleyball, and the
basketball. Depending on the type of each ball game, the location of the training
ball shooting apparatus 100, the ball collection apparatus 200, and the ball supply
apparatus 300 on the play field should be properly selected. FIG. 11 to FIG. 15, FIG.
16, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show examples of the soccer-related training system, the foot
volleyball training system, the volleyball training system and the basketball training
system in accordance with various embodiment of the present disclosure respectively.
Embodiment of soccer-related training system
[0087] Referring to FIGS. 11 to 15, the soccer-related training system 1 according to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the play field 10 having a
predetermined width. In one corner of the end line region of the play field 10, the
training ball shooting apparatus 100 for shooting the training ball toward a player
on the play field 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is installed. The ball collection apparatus
200, which automatically collects the training balls collected toward the goal line
and supplies the collected training balls to the training ball shooting apparatus
100, is positioned in the corner of the end line region of the play field 10 nearby
the training ball shooting apparatus 100. A pair of the training ball shooting apparatus
100 and the ball collection apparatus 200 may be installed at the diagonal ends of
the play field 10, respectively. Each normal soccer goal post 12 is installed in the
goal line area at both opposing ends of the play field 10.
[0088] The play field 10 shown in FIG. 11 is formed to be inclined downwards at 1 to 5 degrees
θ from the half line HL to the goal line on both opposing ends thereof, as shown in
FIG. 12. Each ball guide groove line 14 is formed in rear of the goal line side, more
specifically, in rear of each goal post 12. The groove line 14 is downwardly inclined
from one corner to the other corner. The training ball, which has fallen to the bottom
of the play field 10, rolls along each downward inclined face of the play field into
each goal line and enters each ball guide groove line 14. The training ball introduced
into each ball guide groove line 14 is collected along each downward inclined face
of each ball guide groove line 14 toward each gate G of each ball collection apparatus
200 installed on each corner side.
[0089] In order to use the soccer-related training system 1 configured as shown in FIG.
11, one of the training ball shooting apparatuses 100 installed on both sides of the
play field 10 must be activated. This activation can be made by the player's remote
control device. When the operation mode of the training ball shooting apparatus 100
activated by using the remote controller is set to the manual/automatic setting mode
or the motion detection mode, the training ball shooting apparatus 100 is configured
to fire the ball toward the player on the play field 10. Thus, the player in the play
field 10 may kick or head the training ball fired from the training ball shooting
apparatus 100 in at least one mode of the penalty kick mode, the corner kick set play
mode, the ground ball shoot mode, the volley ball shoot mode, or the heading shoot
mode. In this connection, when the player kicks the ball fired from the training ball
shooting apparatus 10 toward the goalpost 12, the training ball enters the goalpost
12.
[0090] The present invention includes a technical arrangement for sensing and scoring the
entry of the training ball into the goalpost 12.
[0091] In front or rear of the goalpost 12, a ball sensing gate BSG as shown in FIG. 14
is installed. Preferably, the ball sensing gate BSG is mounted in rear of the goalpost
12. The ball sensing gate BSG may be made of a pipe material as in the goalpost 12.
The gate is of a rectangular shape. On the upper side and the left side of the ball
sensing gate BSG having the rectangular frame shape, arrays of a plurality of regularly
and spacedly arranged light emitting devices (e.g., light emitting diodes, infrared
light emitting diodes, etc.) are installed. On the lower side and the right side of
the ball sensing gate BSG, arrays of a plurality of regularly spaced light receiving
elements (for example, an infrared photodiode or phototransistor, etc.) are provided.
[0092] When the training ball passes through a particular zone within the goalpost 12, the
ball sensing gate BSG is configured to determine the particular zone within the goalpost
12. This will be more clearly understood from the following description. In addition,
a speed gun SG for measuring the speed of the training ball flying toward the goalpost
12 is installed behind the ball sensing gate BSG.
[0093] The soccer-related training system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention
has been described with respect to the example of the soccer game where a plurality
of people may enjoy together. However, the soccer-related training system 1 is equally
applicable to a 5-player mini-soccer game played indoors like futsal. For example,
the players may alternate soccer practice and futsal practice. Depending on whether
the current played game is football or futsal, the position of the goalpost 12 installed
on the play field 10 may vary. For example, installing movable wheels on the bottom
of the goalpost 12 may be considered. Thus, the goalpost 12 may be installed on the
futsal play field that can be easily configured indoors. Further, the goalpost 12
may be moved to the larger soccer play field.
Score calculation when training ball passes through goalpost
[0094] When the training ball passes through the goalpost 12 shown in FIG. 11, this is sensed
by the sensors of the ball sensing gate BSG shown in FIG. 14. The sensors of the ball
sensing gate BSG include the arrays of the light emitting devices XL1 to XL4 (left
side) and YL1 to YL10 (upper side), and the corresponding arrays of the light receiving
device XP1 to XP4 (right side) and YP1 to YP10 (lower side).
[0095] FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of the ball sensing gate BSG. The region within the goalpost
is divided into 40 sub-regions. Each score is assigned to each sub-region.
The ball sensing gate BSG is configured to sense that the training ball passes through
a specific sub-region. In FIG. 14, numerals "o to 10" shown in the sub-regions indicate
scores for sub-regions.
[0096] Referring to FIG. 13, the ball sensing gate BSG coupled to the rear portion of the
goalpost 12 includes the light emitting devices arrays XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10
arranged along the left and upper sides of the ball sensing gate BSG respectively,
and the light receiving elements arrays XP1 to XP4 and YP1 to YP10 arranged along
the right and lower sides of the sensing gate BSG respectively. In this connection,
the light emitting devices array XL1 to XL4 and the light receiving devices array
XP1 to XP4 arranged along the left and right sides of the ball sensing gate BSG in
a rectangular box shape respectively are spacedly arranged at a regular interval of
610 mm. The interval of 610mm is equal to a value of a height of 2440 mm of the goalpost
12 divided by 4. In this connection, the light emitting devices array YL1 to YL10
and the light receiving devices array YP1 to YP10 arranged along the upper and lower
sides of the ball sensing gate BSG in a rectangular box shape respectively are spacedly
arranged at a regular interval of 732 mm. The interval of 732 mm is equal to a value
of a length of 7320 mm of the goalpost 12 divided by 10.
[0097] At least three light emitting elements are provided at equal intervals in each of
the light emitting elements XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10. At least three light receiving
elements are provided at equal intervals in each of the light receiving elements XP1
to XP4 and YP1 to YP10 corresponding to the light emitting elements XL1 to XL4 and
YL1 to YL10. Each of the light emitting devices XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10 constituted
as described above is driven to emit based on X axis and Y axis driving signals. Each
of the light receiving elements XP1 to XP4 and YP1 to YP10 constituted as described
above detects each light beam emitted from each of the light emitting elements XL1
to XL4 and YL1 to YL10.
[0098] In the above example, at least three light emitting elements are provided at equal
intervals in each of the light emitting elements XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10, and at
least three light receiving elements are provided at equal intervals in each of the
light receiving elements XP1 to XP4 and YP1 to YP10 corresponding to the light emitting
elements XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10. However, the present invention is not limited
thereto. In order to improve the sensing intensity, the larger number of the light
emitting elements are provided at equal intervals in each of the light emitting elements
XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to YL10, and the larger number of the light receiving elements
are provided at equal intervals in each of the light receiving elements XP1 to XP4
and YP1 to YP10 corresponding to the light emitting elements XL1 to XL4 and YL1 to
YL10.
[0099] A controller (not shown) drives the light emitting elements arrays XL1 to XL4 and
YL1 to YL10 of the ball sensing gate BSG and reads the outputs from the light receiving
elements arrays XP1 to XP4 and YP1 to YP10, thereby to determine the sub-area within
the goalpost 12 through which the ball passes. In addition, the controller receives
the ball speed of the training ball sensed at the speed gun SG. The controller may
calculate a total score based on scores corresponding to the determined sub-area and
the ball speed, and display the total score on the display device (not shown). The
controller may be referred to as a score counter SCNT.
[0100] Referring to FIG. 14, the score counter SCNT includes: light emitting drivers arrays
LD1 and LD2 configured to drive the light emitting elements arrays XLi and YLj (where
i is an integer of 1 to 4 and j is an integer of 1 to 10) provided on the X axis and
Y axis of the ball sensor gate BSG via emission control signals; optical signal receivers
arrays PR1 and PR2 configured to read the outputs from the light receiving device
arrays XPi and YPj corresponding to the X-axis and Y-axis light emitting device arrays
XLi and YLj of the ball sensing gate BSG and receiving the light sources (infrared
rays) from the light emitting device arrays XLi and YLj; a score calculator SCNT configured
to drive the light emitting drivers arrays LD1 and LD2 to turn on the light emitting
elements arrays XLi and YLj, to determine a ball passing-through sub-area in the goalpost
12 based on the read output signals from the optical signal receivers arrays PR1 and
PR2, to receive an impact signal from an impact sensor IS installed at the goalpost
12 or the ball sensor gate BSG and/or the speed measured by the speed-gun SG installed
at the rear of the goalpost 12, and to calculate a total score based on the determined
ball passing-through sub-area, the impact signal and/or the speed; and a display DISP
for externally displaying the total score calculated from the score calculator. In
the above embodiment, the light emitting drivers arrays LD1 and LD2 and the optical
receivers arrays PR1 and PR2 are provided. However, the score calculator SCNT itself
is configured to drive the light emitting element arrays XLi and YLj collectively
and to read the outputs from the light receiving elements arrays XPi and YPj. In this
case, it may dispense with the light emitting drivers arrays LD1 and LD2 and the optical
receivers arrays PR1 and PR2.
[0101] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the operation of calculation of the score when the
training ball passes through the goalpost will be described.
[0102] When the soccer-related training system 1 is operated, the score calculator SCNT
as shown in FIG. 14 supplies light emitting signals to the light emitting drivers
arrays LD1 and LD2 to turn on the light emitting elements arrays XLi and YLj provided
on the X axis and Y axis of the ball sensor gate BSG as shown in FIG. 14. The light
emissions from the light emitting elements arrays XLi and YLj are received from the
light receiving device arrays XPi and YPj corresponding to the light emitting devices
arrays XLi and YLj respectively. Upon receiving the light emissions from the light
emitting elements arrays XLi and YLj, the light receiving device arrays XPi and YPj
may transmit sensing signals indicating the light emissions to the optical receivers
arrays PR1 and PR2 respectively.
[0103] Normally, since the ball does not pass through within the goalpost 12, all of light
beams emitted from the light emitting element arrays XLi and YLj arranged on the left
side of the X axis and the upper side of the Y axis are received by the light receiving
elements arrays XPi and YPj on without interruption of the light beams. Therefore,
when the ball does not enter the goalpost 12, the detection signals detected by the
light receiving elements arrays XPi and YPj are identical with each other, and the
detection signals are provided to the score calculator SCNT through the optical receivers
arrays PR1 and PR2.
[0104] The score calculator SCNT determines whether there are blocked light beams when the
light beams corresponding to the detection signals received through the optical receivers
arrays PR1 and PR2 are received by the light receiving elements array s XPi and YPj.
In this way, which sub-region in the goalpost 12 the ball passed through is determined.
When the ball does not pass through within the goalpost 12, all of the sensing signals
from the light receiving elements arrays XPi and YPj will remain active logic "high".
[0105] When the training ball shot by the player passes through the "A" sub-region of FIG.
14, the light beams emitted by the light emitting elements XL1 and YL1 are momentarily
blocked by the training ball passing through the "A" sub-region. As a result, only
the outputs from the two photoreceptors XP1 and YP1 instantaneously become inactive
logic "low". This inactive logic "low" is supplied to the score calculator SCNT via
the optical receivers PR1, PR2. In this connection, the score calculator SCNT determines
that the outputs from the two photo-receivers XP1 and YP1 are inactive, and recognizes
that the training ball has passed through the "A" sub-region of FIG. 14. In this way,
the score calculator SCNT assigns "10" points to the current shoot according to the
predetermined scoring rule.
[0106] Then, the score calculator SCNT reads the speed information on the training ball
detected by the speed gun SG installed behind the goalpost 12. The score calculator
SCNT assigns a weight based on the speed information to the goalpost passing score
"10", thereby to determine a final goalpost passing score. The score calculator SCN
displays the training ball passing sub-region and the final goalpost passing score
on the display DISP. As a result, the player may know which sub-zone in the goalpost
the ball has passed through. Thus, the player may be more interested in practicing.
Regarding the weight, the weight 1 is assigned when the speed of the ball is 60 Km/h
or more, while the weight 0.5 is assigned when the speed is less than 60 Km/h. Even
though the balls passed through the same sub-region, the scores for the balls differ
depending on the speeds of the balls.
[0107] When the training ball shot by the player passes through the boundary zone between
the "A" sub-region and the "B" sub-region of the ball sensing gate BSG, the score
calculator SCNT assigns a point "9" which is an average between "10" corresponding
to the "A" sub-region and "8" corresponding to the "B" sub-region. Next, a weight
according to the speed detected by the speed gun SG is given to the point "9", thereby
to determine the goalpost passing score, which, in turn, is displayed on the display
DISP. In addition, when the training ball passes through a specific sub-region of
the ball sensor gate BSG, the impact sensor IS installed at the goalpost 12 may detect
the impact level. In this case, the score calculator SCNT assigns a score of '10'
as the goalpost passing score regardless of the sub-regions through which the training
ball passes.
[0108] As described above, in the soccer-related training system according to the present
invention, when the player shoots a ball toward the goalpost, the ball passing-through
sub-region in the goalpost and the speed of the ball are sensed, and, thus, the ball
passing-through sub-region in the goalpost and the ball passing-through score are
displayed on the display. This allows the player to practice with greater interest.
In addition, it is easy to recognize a specific sub-region which the ball has passed
through, so that the shooting posture and the like may be corrected more quickly.
[0109] Although not specifically described in the above embodiments, infrared ray or light
sensors may be arranged in the longitudinal and vertical directions of the goalpost
12 at an interval equal to a diameter of the ball. Thus, a specific sub-region in
the goalpost which the training ball passing through may be detected. The kick corresponding
to the training ball may be scored for the specific sub-region in the goalpost 12
which the ball passes through. This allows the player to know the player's score for
the kick. For example, when the ball passes through the four corners in the goalpost
12, the score 10 may be assigned. As a specific sub-region in the goalpost 12 which
the ball passes through is closer to the central region in the goalpost 12, the score
for the kick corresponding to the ball gradually decreases.
Embodiment of foot volleyball-related training system
[0110] In the foot volleyball, a net is placed between the two teams. The player uses only
the head and feet to pass the ball towards the opponent's team court. The player receives
a ball flying toward his or her court, and attacks the ball at a higher position than
the net. The strong attacks of the ball toward the opposing court is referred to as
a spike attack.
[0111] The foot volleyball training system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the
present invention includes the play field 10 defined by the end lines, the side lines
and the half line, as shown in FIG. 16. Three training ball shooting apparatuses 100,
G1 and G2 are installed at the corner portions of the play field 10 where the end
lines and the side lines are in contact with each other, thereby to fire the training
ball toward the opposing court of the play field 10. In addition, a ball collection
apparatus 200, which automatically collects the training balls collected at the end
lines and supplies the collected training ball to the training ball shooting apparatus
100, is installed at the corner of the play field 10. A ball supply apparatus 300
for dropping the ball onto the court of the play field 10 nearby the net is installed
at an intersection between the half line and side line, preferably at a position adjacent
to a net pole POL where the net NET is installed. Thus, the balls stored in a ball
storage portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300 is suppled through a lower ball
distribution or discharge pipe 316. Although the ball supply apparatus 300 is installed
closer to the position adjacent to the net pole POL on the play field 10 in this embodiment,
the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It may be recognized that the ball
supply apparatus 300 may be installed in various positions.
[0112] The ball supply apparatus 300 may hang on a pipe extending in a transverse direction
or a longitudinal direction above the play field 10. However, in this embodiment,
the ball supply apparatus 300 is installed on an upper portion of a vertical column
250. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The training ball shooting
apparatus 100 and G1 and G2 each has a camera CAM for photographing an object in front
of them. The camera may be installed on each of front faces of the training ball shooting
apparatuses.
[0113] The ball discharge tube 202 of the ball collection apparatus 200 is connected to
one end of a ball convey tube 251. The other end of the ball convey tube 251 is connected
to the opening of the ball storage portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300. In
this connection, said one end of the ball conveying tube 521 is located higher than
the other end thereof. For example, when the training ball is placed at said one end
of the ball convey tube 251, the ball is naturally transferred to the other end by
the ball's own weight because the tube 251 is inclined downwardly toward the other
end thereof. Along the half line of the play field 10, the net NET is installed in
the lateral direction.
[0114] The play field 10 shown in FIG. 16 is formed to be inclined downwards at 1 to 5 degrees
θ from the half line HL to the end lines on both opposing ends thereof, as shown in
FIG. 12. Each ball guide groove line 14 is formed in rear of the end line. The groove
line 14 is downwardly inclined from one corner to the other corner. The training ball,
which has fallen to the bottom of the play field 10, rolls along each downward inclined
face of the play field into each end line and enters each ball guide groove line 14.
The training ball introduced into each ball guide groove line 14 is collected along
each downward inclined face of each ball guide groove line 14 toward each gate G of
each ball collection apparatus 200 installed on each corner side.
[0115] Each of the training ball shooting apparatuses G1 and G2 shown in FIG. 1 is also
provided with a ball container 104, though this is not specifically shown in the drawing
for showing this embodiment of the present invention. The training ball may be manually
inserted into the ball container 104 of each of the training ball shooting apparatuses
G1 and G2 installed at each corner portion. Alternatively, the ball may be transferred
from the ball collection apparatus 200 described above to each of the training ball
shooting apparatuses G1 and G2.
Ball receive mode for foot volleyball
[0116] The training ball shooting apparatuses 100, G1 and G2 installed on the play field
10 of the foot volleyball-related training system 2 according to the embodiment of
the present invention may be activated using a remote control device as described
in the soccer-related training system. When the operation mode of one of the training
ball shooting apparatuses 100, G1 and G2 activated by using the remote controller
device is a manual/automatic setting mode or a motion detection mode, the training
ball shooting apparatus 100 fires the ball toward the player on the opposing court
of the play field 10. In this connection, the player may practice the foot volleyball
receive practice by receiving the ball shot from the training ball shooting apparatus
100, G1 or G2 with his foot or head and at the same time, pushing the ball over the
net toward the opposing court of the play field 10.
[0117] In the foot volleyball-related training system 2 according to this embodiment of
the present invention, the ball supply apparatus 200 as illustrated in FIG. 10 is
installed on the side line of the play field 10 as shown in FIG. 1.
Spike mode for foot volleyball
[0118] The spike mode for the foot volleyball-related training system 2 is set by the touch
screen TS provided on the body frame 102 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100
or the remote control device.
[0119] When the spike mode is set by the key button of the touch screen TS, the control
unit MPU shown in FIG. 6 transmits the setting information to the controller 324 in
the ball supply apparatus 300 shown in FIG 10. Data transmission/reception between
the control unit MPU in FIG. 6 and the controller 324 in the ball supply apparatus
300 may be performed in a wired or wireless manner. This data includes a spike ball
distribution control signal based on image information captured by the camera CAM.
For example, when the operation mode is the spike mode, and the camera CAM may detect
a predetermined motion (e.g., lifting the arm up) of the player, or the spike mode
setting signal is received from the remote control device held by the user, the spike
ball distribution control signal is transmitted to the controller 324 of the ball
supply apparatus 300.
[0120] When the user sets the spike mode using the remote controller device, the ball supply
apparatus 300 is driven. When the ball supply apparatus 300 is driven, the training
ball is discharged from the vertical falling outlet 316a or the horizontally inclined
outlet 316b of the ball supply pipe 316 of the ball supply apparatus 300, as described
above with reference to FIG. 10. That is, the ball falls vertically onto the court
of the play field 10 or flies horizontally. As a result, the player may practice spikes
by hitting the vertically falling ball or hitting the training ball flying horizontally.
[0121] As described above, the foot volleyball training system according to the present
invention fires a service ball at the end line of the foot volleyball court, or vertically
drops the ball, or fire the ball horizontally from the position close to the sideline.
This allows the foot volleyball player to more efficiently practice the ball receive
action and spike action.
Ball supply to ball supply apparatus
[0122] In connection with the supply of the ball from the ball collection apparatus 300
to the ball supply apparatus 200, the ball discharge tube 202 installed on the top
of the ball collection apparatus 200 in the configuration of FIG. 9 is rotated in
the "R" direction to vertically overlap with the ball conveying tube 251. When the
discharge port of the ball discharge tube 202 overlaps the ball conveying tube 251,
the collected training balls are discharged from the discharge port and flows along
the downwardly inclined ball conveying tube 251 into the upper opening in the storage
portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300.
Embodiment of volleyball-related training system
[0123] In the volleyball, a net is placed between the two teams. The player uses the hands
to pass the ball towards the opponent's team court. The player receives a ball flying
toward his or her court, and spike-attacks the ball at a higher position than the
net. The strong attacks of the ball toward the opposing court is referred to as a
spike attack. This volleyball training system 3 allow the player to practice the ball
receive and spike actions.
[0124] The volleyball training system 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes the play field 10 defined by the end lines, the side lines and
the half line, as shown in FIG. 17. A first training ball shooting apparatus 100 is
installed at the corner portion of the play field 10 where the end lines and the side
lines are in contact with each other, thereby to fire the training ball toward the
opposing court of the play field 10. In addition, a ball collection apparatus 200,
which automatically collects the training balls collected at the end lines and supplies
the collected training ball to the training ball shooting apparatus 100, is installed
at the corner of the play field 10. A second training ball shooting apparatus 100a
is installed on the side line of the play field 10. The second training ball shooting
apparatus 100a is manually driven. In one example, the ball collection apparatus 200
is adjacent to the training ball shooting apparatus 100 to feed the ball automatically
to the training ball shooting apparatus 100. In one example, the ball collection apparatus
200 is coupled via the ball convey tube to the training ball shooting apparatus 100
such that the ball is discharged from the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball collection
apparatus 200 and flows along the downwardly inclined convey tube and is inserted
into the opening of the ball storage portion of the training ball shooting apparatus
100. The play field 10 shown in FIG. 17 is formed to be inclined downwards at 1 to
5 degrees θ from the half line HL to the end lines on both opposing ends thereof,
as shown in FIG. 12. Each ball guide groove line 14 is formed in rear of the end line.
The groove line 14 is downwardly inclined from one corner to the other corner. The
training ball, which has fallen to the bottom of the play field 10, rolls along each
downward inclined face of the play field into each end line and enters each ball guide
groove line 14. The training ball introduced into each ball guide groove line 14 is
collected along each downward inclined face of each ball guide groove line 14 toward
each gate G of each ball collection apparatus 200 installed on each corner side. Each
of the training ball shooting apparatuses 100 and 100a is also provided with a ball
container 104, though this is not specifically shown in the drawing for showing this
embodiment of the present invention. The training ball may be manually inserted into
the ball container 104 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100a.
[0125] A ball supply apparatus 300 for dropping the ball onto the court of the play field
10 nearby the net is installed at an intersection between the half line and side line,
preferably at a position adjacent to a net pole POL where the net NET is installed.
Thus, the balls stored in a ball storage portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus
300 is suppled through a lower ball distribution or discharge pipe 316. Although the
ball supply apparatus 300 is installed closer to the position adjacent to the net
pole POL on the play field 10 in this embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited
thereto. It may be recognized that the ball supply apparatus 300 may be installed
in various positions. The ball supply apparatus 300 may hang on a pipe extending in
a transverse direction or a longitudinal direction above the play field 10. However,
in this embodiment, the ball supply apparatus 300 is installed on an upper portion
of a vertical column 250. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The first and second training ball shooting apparatuses 100 and 100a each has a camera
CAM for photographing an object in front of them. The camera may be installed on each
of front faces of the training ball shooting apparatuses.
[0126] The column 250 may be positioned on a guide rail 252 spaced apart from and parallel
to the side line of the play field 10. Thus, the column 250 may be movable along the
side line of the play field 10 on the guide rail 252. In this connection, the top
of the column 250 is formed to be higher than the height of the net pole POL installed
on the play field 10. Roller wheels 251 are attached to the bottom of the column 250.
Thus, the column 250 slides in the front-rear direction on and along the guide rail
252. Of course, the roller wheels 251 may be coupled to fixing means such that the
wheels 251 is not movable on the guide rail 252.
[0127] Thus, the column 250, coupled with the ball supply apparatus 300, may be moved along
the guide rail 252 to be located proximate the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball
collection apparatus 200. In this connection, the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball
collection apparatus 200 is rotated so that the ball discharge tube 202 overlaps the
upper portion of the ball supply apparatus 300. At this time, the training ball supplied
from the ball collection apparatus 200 enters the ball storage portion 304 of the
ball supply apparatus 300. Alternatively, the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball
collection apparatus 200 is connected to one end of the ball convey tube 251. The
other end of the ball convey tube 251 is connected to the opening of the ball storage
portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300. In this connection, said one end of
the ball conveying tube 521 is located higher than the other end thereof. For example,
when the training ball is placed at said one end of the ball convey tube 251, the
ball is naturally transferred to the other end by the ball's own weight because the
tube 251 is inclined downwardly toward the other end thereof.
Ball receive and spike modes for foot volleyball
[0128] The training ball shooting apparatus 100 installed on the play field 10 of the volleyball-related
training system 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be activated
using a remote control device as described in the soccer-related training system.
When the operation mode of one of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 activated
by using the remote controller device is a manual/automatic setting mode or a motion
detection mode, the training ball shooting apparatus 100 fires the ball toward the
player on the opposing court of the play field 10. In this connection, the player
may practice the volleyball receive practice by receiving the ball shot from the training
ball shooting apparatus 100 with his hand and at the same time, pushing the ball over
the net toward the opposing court of the play field 10.
[0129] The spike mode for the volleyball-related training system 2 is set by the touch screen
TS provided on the body frame 102 of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 or the
remote control device. When the spike mode is set by the key button of the touch screen
TS, the control unit MPU shown in FIG. 6 transmits the setting information to the
controller 324 in the ball supply apparatus 300 shown in FIG 10. Data transmission/reception
between the control unit MPU in FIG. 6 and the controller 324 in the ball supply apparatus
300 may be performed in a wired or wireless manner. This data includes a spike ball
distribution control signal based on image information captured by the camera CAM.
For example, when the operation mode is the spike mode, and the camera CAM may detect
a predetermined motion (e.g., lifting the arm up) of the player, or the spike mode
setting signal is received from the remote control device held by the user, the spike
ball distribution control signal is transmitted to the controller 324 of the ball
supply apparatus 300. When the user sets the spike mode using the remote controller
device, the ball supply apparatus 300 is driven. When the ball supply apparatus 300
is driven, the training ball is discharged from the vertical falling outlet 316a or
the horizontally inclined outlet 316b of the ball supply pipe 316 of the ball supply
apparatus 300, as described above with reference to FIG. 10. That is, the ball falls
vertically onto the bottom of the play field 10 or flies horizontally. As a result,
the player may practice spikes by hitting the vertically falling ball or hitting the
training ball flying horizontally.
[0130] As described above, the volleyball training system according to the present invention
fires a service ball at the end line of the volleyball court, or vertically drops
the ball, or fire the ball horizontally from the position close to the sideline. This
allows the volleyball player to more efficiently practice the ball receive action
and spike action.
Ball supply to ball supply apparatus
[0131] In order that the supply of the ball from the ball collection apparatus 200 to the
ball supply apparatus 300, the column 250 is pushed toward the ball collection apparatus
200, and, thus, the column 250 moves along the guide rail 252 in the forward and backward
directions using its roller wheels 251. In this way, the ball supply apparatus 300
is adjacent to the ball collection apparatus 200. The ball supply apparatus 300 is
positioned below the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball collection apparatus 200.
The discharge direction of the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball collection apparatus
200 is directed to toward the upper opening of the ball storage portion 304 of the
ball supply apparatus 300. The ball collection apparatus 200 is operated to collect
the training ball collected in the ball guide groove line 14 and discharge the ball
into the upper ball distribution pipe 316. Then, the collected training ball is introduced
into the ball storage portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300. Alternatively,
in order that the supply of the ball from the ball collection apparatus 300 to the
ball supply apparatus 200, the ball discharge tube 202 installed on the top of the
ball collection apparatus 200 in the configuration of FIG. 9 is rotated in the "R"
direction to vertically overlap with the ball conveying tube 251. When the discharge
port of the ball discharge tube 202 overlaps the ball conveying tube 251, the collected
training balls are discharged from the discharge port and flows along the downwardly
inclined ball conveying tube 251 into the upper opening in the storage portion 304
of the ball supply apparatus 300.
Embodiment of basketball-related training system
[0132] Basketball is a game in which two teams, each time having five players pass or dribble
the ball and throw it into the basket of the opponent team. This basketball-related
training system allows the practitioner to practice a ball receive practice by shooting
the training ball in the form of a pass action toward the player on the basketball
court or to practice a three-point shoot practice by dropping the ball onto a three-point
shoot area.
[0133] The basketball training system 4 according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes the play field 10 defined by the end lines, the side lines and
the half line. The play field 10 is formed to be inclined downwards at 1 to 5 degrees
θ from the half line HL to the end lines on both opposing ends thereof, as shown in
FIG. 12. Each ball guide groove line 14 is formed in rear of the end line. The groove
line 14 is downwardly inclined from one corner to the other corner. The training ball,
which has fallen to the bottom of the play field 10, rolls along each downward inclined
face of the play field into each end line and enters each ball guide groove line 14.
[0134] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the training ball introduced into each ball
guide groove line 14 is collected along each downward inclined face of each ball guide
groove line 14 toward each gate G of each ball collection apparatus 200 installed
on each corner side. Each downward inclined face of each ball guide groove line 14
is configured such that a first downwardly inclined face is formed from one end of
the line toward a middle portion of the line and a second downwardly inclined face
is formed from the other end of the line toward the middle portion of the line. Thus,
the ball is collected at the middle portion of the line 14 as shown in FIG. 19. In
this connection, the ball collection apparatus 200 is installed at the middle portion
of the line 14. In addition, the goalpost having a basket BG attached thereto is installed
near the end line of the play field 10.
[0135] A training ball shooting apparatus 100 is installed at the corner portion of the
play field 10 where the end lines and the side lines are in contact with each other,
thereby to fire the training ball toward the player on the play field 10. In addition,
a ball collection apparatus 200, which automatically collects the training balls collected
at the end lines and supplies the collected training ball to the training ball shooting
apparatus 100, is installed at the corner of the play field 10. A second training
ball shooting apparatus 100a is installed in rear of the goalpost BG of the play field
10. The second training ball shooting apparatus 100a is manually driven. In one example,
the ball collection apparatus 200 is adjacent to the training ball shooting apparatus
100 to feed the ball automatically to the training ball shooting apparatus 100. In
one example, the ball collection apparatus 200 is coupled via the ball convey tube
to the training ball shooting apparatus 100 such that the ball is discharged from
the ball discharge tube 202 of the ball collection apparatus 200 and flows along the
downwardly inclined convey tube and is inserted into the opening of the ball storage
portion of the training ball shooting apparatus 100.
[0136] A ball supply apparatus 300 for dropping the ball onto the court of the play field
10 may be installed nearby the side line of the play field 10. The balls stored in
a ball storage portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300 is suppled through a lower
ball distribution or discharge pipe 316 onto the 3 point shoot area on the play field
10. The ball supply apparatus 300 may hang on a pipe extending in a transverse direction
or a longitudinal direction above the play field 10. Further, in another embodiment,
the ball supply apparatus 300 is installed on an upper portion of a vertical column
250. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first and second
training ball shooting apparatuses 100 and 100a each has a camera CAM for photographing
an object in front of them. The camera may be installed on each of front faces of
the training ball shooting apparatuses. Although the ball supply apparatus 300 is
installed closer to the position adjacent to the side or end line on the play field
10 in this embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It may be recognized
that the ball supply apparatus 300 may be installed in various positions.
[0137] The training ball shooting apparatus 100 installed on the play field 10 may be activated
using a remote control device as described in the soccer-related training system.
When the operation mode of one of the training ball shooting apparatus 100 activated
by using the remote controller device is a manual/automatic setting mode or a motion
detection mode, the training ball shooting apparatus 100 fires the ball toward the
player on the play field 10. In this connection, the player may practice the ball
receive practice by receiving the ball shot from the training ball shooting apparatus
100 with his hand and at the same time, pushing the ball toward the basket BG. When
the ball supply apparatus 300 is driven, the training ball is discharged from the
vertical falling outlet 316a or the horizontally inclined outlet 316b of the ball
supply pipe 316 of the ball supply apparatus 300, as described above with reference
to FIG. 10. That is, the ball falls vertically onto the 3 point shoot area on the
play field 10 or flies horizontally toward the player in a pass action form. As a
result, the player may practice the ball receive or 3 point shoot practice.
[0138] As shown in FIG. 10, when the rotatable opening/closing plate 310, which is shaft-coupled
to the rotation shaft 312 of the opening/closing motor 302 rotates one time by 360
degree of a rotation angle, the discharge hole formed in the partition is opened once
and then closed. Thereby, a single training ball is discharged through the ball discharge
tube 316. At this time, the ball may fall directly onto the bottom surface of the
play field 10 through the vertical falling outlet 316a or may horizontally fly through
the horizontally inclined outlet 316b and gradually falls to the bottom. This allows
the player to practice receiving the balls falling in various directions, and/or to
shoot the balls into the basket. It is also possible to adjust the position of the
ball discharge end of the ball discharge tube 316 by the rotation of the swing motor
320. As a result, the drop position of the ball can be adjusted. This allows the player
to practice the 3 point shoot practices at various positions.
[0139] The controller 324 may transmit/receive data to control the training ball shooting
apparatus 100 in a wired or wireless manner. Thus, the controller may receive the
ball distribution control signal by wire or wirelessly, and may control the opening/closing
motor 302 and the swing motor 320. For example, when the training ball shooting apparatus
100 is controlled using only a remote controller device, the controller 324 receive
the data to control the training ball shooting apparatus 100 in a wireless manner
from the remote controller device and drives the opening/closing motor 302 and the
swing motor 320 based on the remote control signal transmitted from the remote controller
device. Thus, the training ball accommodated in the ball storage portion 304 may be
dropped to the 3 point shoot area on the play field 10. This may allow the player
to practice the 3 point shoot practices on her/his own.
[0140] In connection with the supply of the ball from the ball collection apparatus 300
to the ball supply apparatus 200, the ball discharge tube 202 installed on the top
of the ball collection apparatus 200 in the configuration of FIG. 9 is rotated in
the "R" direction to vertically overlap with the ball conveying tube 251. When the
discharge port of the ball discharge tube 202 overlaps the ball conveying tube 251,
the collected training balls are discharged from the discharge port and flows along
the downwardly inclined ball conveying tube 251 into the upper opening in the storage
portion 304 of the ball supply apparatus 300.
[0141] As described above, the basketball-related training system in accordance with the
present invention fires the balls toward on a player on a basketball court and supplies
balls to various areas including a three-point shooting area. Thus, the basketball
practitioner receive the training ball supplied at various positions by his hand,
and may practice various shoots including the 3 point shoots on his own. In addition,
the balls dropped on the play court may be automatically supplied via the ball collection
apparatus 200 to the training ball shooting apparatus 100 and the ball supply apparatus
300, which makes basketball practice more efficient.
1. A ball game-related training system comprising:
a play court defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and both opposing side
lines, wherein the play court has a net extending along the half line;
a vertical column structure adjacent to at least one of the end and side lines; and
a ball supply apparatus coupled to the column structure at an upper portion thereof,
wherein the ball supply apparatus includes:
a housing coupled to the upper portion of the column structure, wherein a top portion
of housing is partially opened, wherein the housing is divided by a partition into
a ball storage portion and a ball discharge portion, wherein a bottom face of the
ball storage portion is inclined downward toward the ball discharge portion, wherein
a first opening is formed in a bottom of the ball discharge portion, and a second
opening is formed in the partition at a lower portion thereof;
a rotatable opening/closing plate rotatably coupled to the partition, wherein the
rotatable opening/closing plate is configured to rotate to open/close the second opening;
and
a ball discharge tube rotatably coupled to the ball discharge portion at the first
opening, wherein the ball discharge tube ball-communicates with the ball discharge
portion via the first opening.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotatable opening/closing plate is screw-coupled
to a rotation shaft from an opening/closing motor installed in the housing, wherein
the rotatable opening/closing plate is configured to rotate to open/close the second
opening via rotation of the opening/closing motor.
3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper end of the discharge tube is inserted
into the ball discharge portion through the first opening, wherein a straight bevel
gear system is disposed in the housing, wherein a rack gear of the straight bevel
gear system is integrally formed with an outer peripheral face of the upper end of
the ball discharge tube, and the rack gear is mutual-meshed with a drive gear of the
straight bevel gear system, wherein the drive gear is coupled to a rotation shaft
from a swing motor installed in the housing.
4. A ball game-related training system comprising:
a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and both opposing side
lines; and
a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the
play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus includes:
a body frame having an internal space of a predetermined size defined therein, wherein
a front side thereof is opened;
a training ball shooter configured to shoot a ball, wherein the shooter is disposed
in the inner space; and
a ball container having an outer wall of a predetermined size for accommodating balls,
wherein the container is coupled to a top end of the body frame, wherein a ball inlet
of a predetermined size is formed in a top portion of the body frame so that the ball
is introduced from the ball container into the ball shooter, wherein a bottom portion
of the container is formed to have a downward inclined face at a predetermined angle
toward the ball inlet so that the ball is introduced into the ball shooter;
wherein the training ball shooter includes:
an elongate hollow shooting tube having a ball receiving hole defined in a side wall
thereof to receive a ball from the ball container;
an orientation-variable support coupled to and supporting the elongate hollow shooting
tube thereon;
a rotatable support bracket coupled to and supporting the orientation-variable support
thereon, wherein both side faces of the orientation-variable support are pivotally
coupled to both side flanges of the rotatable support bracket respectively, wherein
the rotatable support bracket is configured to pivotally move up or down to allow
the orientation-variable support and the elongate hollow shooting tube coupled thereto
to pivotally move up or down;
a rotatable plate coupled to the rotatable support bracket, wherein the rotatable
plate rotates in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to enable the rotatable
support bracket, the orientation-variable support coupled thereto, and the elongate
hollow shooting tube coupled thereto to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction;
a hydraulic pressure circuit including an actuator cylinder, wherein the cylinder
is coupled to a proximal end of the elongate hollow shooting tube, wherein a movable
piston of the actuator cylinder is insertable into and withdrawn from the elongate
hollow shooting tube, wherein a striking plate is coupled to a distal end of the movable
piston, wherein the actuator cylinder is embodied as a hydraulic actuator cylinder,
wherein when the cylinder is activated, the striking plate is inserted into the shooting
tube and strikes the ball received in the tube to fire the ball, wherein the cylinder
has a hydraulic pressure inlet and a hydraulic pressure outlet defined therein; and
a controller configured to control the hydraulic pressure circuit, and the pivotal
movement and rotation movement of the shooting tube,
wherein the hydraulic pressure circuit further includes:
a hydraulic pressure accumulator connected to the hydraulic pressure inlet via a hydraulic
pressure discharge solenoid valve, wherein a nitrogen tube filled with nitrogen is
disposed inside the hydraulic pressure accumulator;
a hydraulic pressure tank connected to the hydraulic pressure outlet via a hydraulic
pressure recovery solenoid valve;
a hydraulic pressure pump interposed between the hydraulic pressure tank and the hydraulic
pressure accumulator, wherein a hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valve is disposed
between the hydraulic pressure pump and the hydraulic pressure accumulator; and
a pressure gauge for checking a nitrogen pressure in the nitrogen tube,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the hydraulic pressure circuit
based on a predetermined shooting mode and/or a predetermined shooting period.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined
from the half line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove
line defined therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured
to be downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof, wherein the ball
shooting apparatus is disposed on a corner region on the play field.
6. The system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the play field has a rectangular goalpost standing
upright thereon,
wherein the system further includes a ball sensing gate comprising:
a rectangular body frame coupled to the goalpost;
a first light emitting elements array arranged on one of left and right vertical portions
of the body frame and a first light receiving elements array arranged on the other
of left and right vertical portions of the body frame, wherein the first light emitting
elements correspond to the first light receiving elements in terms of the number and
positions thereof respectively; and
a second light emitting elements array arranged on one of lower and upper horizontal
portions of the body frame and a second light receiving elements array arranged on
the other of the lower and upper horizontal portions of the body frame, wherein the
second light emitting elements correspond to the second light receiving elements in
terms of the number and positions thereof respectively,
wherein the system further comprises a speed gun disposed behind the goalpost, and
an impact sensor disposed on the goalpost or the rectangular body frame,
wherein the system further comprises a score controller configured:
to turn on the first and second light emitting elements arrays;
to receive optical signals corresponding to light emissions received by the first
and second light emitting elements arrays;
to determine a specific sub-region in an planar region defined by the horizontal and
vertical portions of the frame, based on the received optical signals, wherein the
specific sub-region indicate a sub-region through which the ball passes through in
an event that a player shoots the ball toward the goalpost; and
to calculate a total score for the shoot event based on the determined specific sub-region,
and/or a ball speed detected by the speed gun and/or an impact level detected by the
impact sensor,
wherein the system further comprises a display configured to display the total score.
7. The system of claim 4, wherein the hydraulic pressure circuit further includes:
a nitrogen tank connected to the hydraulic pressure inlet via the hydraulic pressure
discharge solenoid valve, wherein a nitrogen tube filled with nitrogen is disposed
inside the nitrogen tank;
the hydraulic pressure tank connected to the hydraulic pressure outlet via the hydraulic
pressure recovery solenoid valve;
the hydraulic pressure pump interposed between the hydraulic pressure tank and the
nitrogen tank, wherein the hydraulic pressure supply solenoid valve is disposed between
the hydraulic pressure pump and the nitrogen tank; and
the pressure gauge for checking a nitrogen pressure in the nitrogen tube,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the hydraulic pressure circuit
based on the predetermined shooting mode and/or the predetermined shooting period.
8. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises cameras for photographing
the play field, wherein the cameras are installed on different sides of the body frame,
wherein the controller is configured to receive image information from the cameras
and to determine whether the image information contains a predetermined movement of
the player on the play field, and to activate the actuator cylinder upon determination
that the image information contains the predetermined movement of the player.
9. The system of claim 4, wherein a diameter of a distal end of the hollow shooting tube
is smaller than a diameter of the training ball so that the training ball is seated
at the distal end of the hollow tube.
10. A ball game-related training system comprising:
a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and both opposing side
lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined from the half
line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove line defined
therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured to be
downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof,
a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the
play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus is disposed on a corner of the paly
field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a ball from
above;
a ball supply apparatus disposed at a higher position of a net disposed on the half
line of the play field, wherein the ball supply apparatus has an upper ball receiving
opening to receive a ball from above, and the ball supply apparatus has a lower rotatable
ball discharge tube, and the ball supply apparatus is configured to fall down the
received ball on the play field via the ball discharge tube based on a ball discharge
command signal;
a ball convey tube line having one end vertically overlapping the upper ball receiving
opening of the ball supply apparatus, wherein the ball convey tube line is downwardly
inclined from the other end to one end thereof; and
a ball collection apparatus disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line,
wherein the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate
cylinder, and the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly in and
along the vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and
the ball collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the
upper rotatable ball discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof
selectively overlaps vertically and above the ball container, the upper ball receiving
opening, and/or the other end of the ball convey tube.
11. A ball game-related training system comprising:
a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and both opposing side
lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined from the half
line to each end line, wherein the play field has a ball guide groove line defined
therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line is configured to be
downwardly inclined from one end to the other end thereof,
a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the
play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus is disposed on a corner of the paly
field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a ball from
above;
a ball collection apparatus disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line,
wherein the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate
cylinder, and the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly in and
along the vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and
the ball collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the
upper rotatable ball discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof
selectively overlaps vertically and above the ball container, and/or an upper ball
receiving opening of a ball supply apparatus;
a guide rail extending along and spaced from the side line on the play field;
a vertical post having at least one wheel on a bottom thereof so as to move along
and on the guide rail, wherein the vertical post has a height higher than a height
of a net disposed along the half line on the play field; and
the ball supply apparatus coupled to a top portion of the vertical post, and configured
to drop a ball onto the play field, wherein the ball supply apparatus has an upper
ball receiving opening to receive a ball from above, wherein when the ball supply
apparatus moves toward the ball collection apparatus together with the movement of
the post coupled thereto, the ball supply apparatus receives the ball from the upper
rotatable ball discharge tube of the ball collection apparatus via the ball receiving
opening thereof, and the ball supply apparatus has a lower rotatable ball discharge
tube, and the ball supply apparatus is configured to fall down the received ball on
the play field via the ball discharge tube based on a ball discharge command signal.
12. A ball game-related training system comprising:
a play field defined by a half line, both opposing end lines, and both opposing side
lines, wherein the play field is configured to be downwardly inclined from the half
line to each end line and each side line, wherein the play field has a ball guide
groove line defined therein along each end line, wherein the ball guide groove line
is configured to be downwardly inclined from one end and the other end to a middle
portion thereof;
a basketball goalpost disposed behind the middle portion of the end line;
a ball shooting apparatus configured to shoot a ball toward a target position on the
play field, wherein the ball shooting apparatus is disposed behind the goalpost, wherein
the ball shooting apparatus has a ball container receiving a ball from above;
a ball collection apparatus disposed on the middle portion of the ball guide groove
line, wherein the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide
elongate cylinder, and the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly
in and along the vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor,
and the ball collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and
the upper rotatable ball discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof
selectively overlaps vertically and above the ball container, and/or an upper ball
receiving opening of a ball supply apparatus; and
a ball supply apparatus configured to drop a ball onto the play field, wherein the
ball supply apparatus has an upper ball receiving opening to receive a ball from above,
and the ball supply apparatus has a lower rotatable ball discharge tube.
13. The system of any one of claims 5, 10 to 12, wherein the system further includes the
ball collection apparatus disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line,
wherein the ball collection apparatus includes a vertical hollow ball guide elongate
cylinder, and the ball is collected from the groove line and moves upwardly in and
along the vertical hollow ball guide elongate cylinder using a collection motor, and
the ball collection apparatus has an upper rotatable ball discharge tube, and the
upper rotatable ball discharge tube is rotated such that a discharge hole thereof
selectively overlaps vertically and above the ball container of the ball shooting
apparatus.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the ball collection apparatus comprises:
a vertical cylindrical hollow tube having a bottom ball inlet hole and a top ball
discharge hole and disposed on the other end of the ball guide groove line;
a vertical shaft concentrically received in the cylindrical hollow tube, where the
shaft is spaced from an inner face of the hollow tube;
a vertically helically extending blade extending along and on an outer face of the
vertical shaft; and
a collection motor configured to allow rotation of the vertical shaft,
when the collection motor is activated, the ball collected into the groove line is
guided upwards along the vertically helically extending blade and is discharged out
of the discharge hole.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further include an elongate vibration plate
embedded in the ball guide groove line, wherein the vibration plate is vibrated in
the longitudinal direction of the groove line by a rotation of a vibration motor such
that the ball collected in the groove line moves toward the bottom ball inlet hole
defined in the ball collection apparatus, wherein the elongate vibration plate is
downwardly inclined toward the bottom ball inlet hole.