Baseball-strike indicator and trajectory analyzer and method of using same

Claim 1

A baseball-strike-indicator-and-trajectory-analyzer apparatus adapted to be associated with a baseball diamond, including the pitcher's mound and home plate, comprising: at least one pair of sensors positioned with respect to said baseball diamond, wherein each of said sensors has a field of vision that includes said pitcher's mound, a batter, and said home plate, whereby a ball moving between said pitcher's mound and said home plate is continuously within the field of view; means connected to said sensors to record and store information, relating to all objects including said ball, received from said sensors; means connected to said recording and storing means to convert said information to a computer-compatible digital format; computer means adapted to receive and analyze said information in digital form from said digital-converter means; means to distiguish said ball from all other objects sensed by said sensors, so that said ball can be recognized and its trajectory defined in time and three-dimensional space; means adapted to analyze the initial part of said ball's trajectory in order to compute a nominal trajectory; means to determine said batter's dimensions when in his batting stance; means to compute the strike zone for said batter; graphics display and storage means adapted to receive computed information from said computer means to display graphically the movement of said ball in various selective pictorial arrangements; and means for controlling said apparatus.

Claim 19

A method to indicate and analyze the trajectory of a baseball between the pitcher's mound and home plate associated with a baseball diamond, comprising the steps of: providing sensors defined by a first and a second video camera; positioning said first and second cameras so as to establish a field of vision to include said pitcher's mound and said home plate therein; establishing a base line with respect to said first and second cameras by measuring the distance between said cameras; establishing the axis of the center line for each camera with respect to its associated field of vision; determining the angle between said base line and said center line of each of said cameras; determining the angle between said first camera and the center of said home plate, and said first camera and the center of said pitcher's mound; defining a strike zone, with respect to said home plate, having an X, Y, Z coordinate system, whereby "balls" and "strikes" are determined; storing data acquired by said cameras; converting said data to a computer-compatible digital format; inputing said digital format to a computer; computing known and variable data in order to identify said baseball and compute its trajectory between said pitcher's mound and said home plate; displaying the resulting information; recording and storing said data from said video cameras, prior to computing said data, by means of a video recorder; and providing means for controlling the input to a computer in which said data is computed; said input being defined by said known data and said variable data, said variable data being the data that is established by the movement of said baseball as said baseball traverses said strike zone.

Claim 20

A method to indicate and analyze the trajectory of a baseball between the pitcher's mound and home plate associated with a baseball diamond, comprising the steps of: providing sensors defined by a first and a second video camera; positioning said first and second cameras so as to establish a field of vision to include said pitcher's mound and said home plate therein; establishing a base line with respect to said first and second cameras by measuring the distance between said cameras; establishing the axis of the center line for each camera with respect to its associated field of vision; determining the angle between said base line and said center line of each of said cameras; determining the angle between said first camera and the center of said home plate, and said first camera and the center of said pitcher's mound; defining a strike zone, with respect to said home plate, having an X, Y, Z coordinate system, whereby "balls" and "strikes" are determined; storing data acquired by said cameras; converting said data to a computer-compatible digital format; inputing said digital format to a computer; computing known and variable data in order to identify said baseball and compute its trajectory between said pitcher's mound and said home plate; displaying the resulting information; recording and storing said data from said video cameras, prior to computing said data, by means of a video recorder; and providing means for controlling the input to a computer in which said data is computed; said input being defined by said known data and said variable data, said variable data being the data that is established by the movement of said baseball as said baseball traverses said strike zone.