WO2015173597A1 - Team sports communication system - Google Patents

Team sports communication system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015173597A1
WO2015173597A1 PCT/HU2014/000110 HU2014000110W WO2015173597A1 WO 2015173597 A1 WO2015173597 A1 WO 2015173597A1 HU 2014000110 W HU2014000110 W HU 2014000110W WO 2015173597 A1 WO2015173597 A1 WO 2015173597A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
unit
ear
speaker
extension
team
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/HU2014/000110
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Levente CSORBA
Original Assignee
Csorba Levente
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Csorba Levente filed Critical Csorba Levente
Publication of WO2015173597A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015173597A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/3827—Portable transceivers
    • H04B1/385—Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/3827—Portable transceivers
    • H04B1/385—Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
    • H04B2001/3866—Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets carried on the head

Definitions

  • the subject of the utility model is a team sports communication device which can be worn hidden and free of any danger of accident, and, through such device, voice messages can be transmitted to the individual team members or even to the whole team at the same time; furthermore, upon demand, two directional communications can be carried out, too.
  • Our goal is to create an ear unit that can be worn unnoticed during sport activity - by practically excluding the chance to contact other players or objects - and a transmission unit that connects thereto by means of radio communication, which is transparent and easy to operate.
  • Personal communication devices are known (e.g. products of Phonak AG created for TV studios, spies and security experts) which can be placed into the ear canal and which remain there to their full extent and, through this, their observation, their contact with objects and the possibility of causing injuries can be excluded; however, the transmission of these devices operates with a low number of channels and thus they are not suitable for handling teams of a high number of players, and they are especially not suitable for transmission of individual messages.
  • the batteries included in the units must be replaced very often, which requires a mechanical forming which allows that the device can be dismantled, which results in relatively poor gasketing.
  • Our implementation is based on the realization that, by using a touchscreen computer, the radio channels of the transmission unit can be handled effectively. It is our further realization that by using an inner and an outer microphone and the statistical method of blind source separation (blind source separation, or, in other words, independent component analysis), two directional communication of a high quality can be realized even in the noisiest stadiums. Microphone supports that hang out from the ear, bother the player and involve danger of injury are not required for the outer microphone, and the whole device can be placed inside the ear.
  • the usage sample is a team sports communication device which consists of an ear unit and a transmission unit that is in radio connection with the ear unit.
  • the ear unit has a head part and an extension connected thereto.
  • the extension is maximum 2 cm long and has a diameter of maximum 1 cm, the largest diameter of the head unit is below 1.5 cm.
  • In the ear unit there is a radio frequency receiving unit, a battery, an induction charge receiving unit and a mini speaker.
  • the mini speaker is placed into the extension and at least one channel drives from the speaker to the inner end of the extension.
  • the transmission unit consists of a radio frequency transmitter unit, a touchscreen computer, at least one induction charger with USB connection and a microphone.
  • the device there is at least one microphone in the ear unit and one speaker unit in the transmission device.
  • Image no. 1 spatial view of the ear unit placed into the ear canal, during operation;
  • Image no. 2 connection scheme of the device units.
  • the extension (1) is a cylindrical or slightly conical plastic part (mad e.g. of polyurethane or silicone) and it is attached to the head unit (2) with a watertight joint, or, it can also be in a fully closed joint casing with the head unit (2).
  • the head unit (2) is widening at the entrance of the ear canal and an antenna (3) reaches out from it, which makes possible to pull out the ear unit (5) from the ear canal after use.
  • the antenna (3) is thin and cca.
  • the battery of the ear unit (5) is integrated in the head unit (2), which can be charged when not in use through an induction charge receiving unit (4) placed near the outer surface, but under the casing. Due to the latter solution the interruption of the casing surface can be avoided, i.e. those small cracks which can cause gasketing problems.
  • the gasket is very important both inwards and outwards, as leakage of toxic materials cannot be permitted, not even from a broken battery.
  • charging plugs or casing opening solutions are built in for the purposes of changing batteries. Due to the small capacity compared to consumption, such change operations are not rare; therefore the charging method suggested by us is expressly advantageous.
  • the induction charge plug contains an induction coil, which can get energy for the battery from an electromagnetic field excited on the outside.
  • the receiving unit is also placed into the head unit (2).
  • the device made according to the second design is suitable for two directional communications, too. In this case at least one microphone is inserted into the extension, which is connected to the inner end of the extension (1) through a channel. In order to achieve higher sound quality, it is also necessary to build in an outer microphone into the head unit (2) and in this case the external noises are separated from the speech of the player via blind source separation.
  • the stable fixing of the ear unit (5) is secured primarily by its friction in the ear canal, but, for the purpose of security, it is also suggested to fix the head unit (2) to the auricle with a sticking plaster of good quality.
  • the head unit (2) of the ear unit (5) and the extension (1) does not fill perfectly the ear canal in order to secure an aperture in the given ear, through which the sounds of the environment can also reach the eardrum.
  • a mini speaker is built into the extension (1) to which a channel is practically attached, the channel leads to the inner end (i.e. falling in the direction of the ear canal) of the extension (1).
  • a transmission unit (12) can serve many (e.g. in case of football: 11) ear units (5) through one transmitter (6) only.
  • the radio frequency transmitter (6) is connected to a computer (10) which has a touchscreen
  • the touchscreen (11) provides great freedom for the development and programming of graphic interfaces. It can be carried out via software that the coach can follow and adjust all functions of the device, thus, he can freely choose to communicate voice messages to the whole team or to individual players. Volume and other audio and transmission features can be changed, as it is obvious for a person who is skilled in the profession.
  • At least one induction charger unit (7) is attached to the computer (10), practically through a USB port, which is also furnished with induction coil and the batteries of at least one ear unit (5), when not in use, can be charged by placing it near the induction charger.
  • a microphone (9) is also connected to the computer (10) through which the coach can give the orders.
  • the microphone (9) can be held in hand, but there are designs which can be attached to the head, neck or ear and, as known well by experts, it can be connected to the computer (10) even via Bluetooth connection.
  • the speaker (8) is necessary in case of the second design, as the feedback of the actually connected player arrives through this device. Depending on settings, the feedback of every player can be received simultaneously, but the right on giving feedbacks can be given to the individual player who is actually communicating with the coach.
  • the coach can seat himself with the (mobile, designed to be held in hand) transmission unit (12) farther from the playfield, in an elevated position, and thus providing himself with a better view to the actions of the playfield, as the communication cannot be disturbed not even by the big noise of fans.
  • the transmission of the radio frequency transmitter (6) can be encrypted, and thus the unauthorized interception by the enemy is highly impeded.
  • the ear unit (5) is automatically turned on by the signal of the radio frequency transmitter (6) and places itself in active mode, but, after a certain period of time, e.g. 5 minutes, it turns back to passive mode. Due to the automatic on/off switching and the settings of the transmission unit (12), no switch is necessary on the ear unit (5) at all.
  • the suggested team sports device is easy to handle and to program, teams of higher number of players can be easily handled; moreover, two directional communications can be carried out, too.

Abstract

The team sports communication device consists of ear unit(s) (5) and a transmission unit (12) connected thereto. The ear unit (5) can be worn hidden and free of any danger of accident, and, through such device, voice messages can be transmitted to the individual team members or even to the whole team at the same time; furthermore, upon demand, two directional communications can be carried out, too. In the ear unit (5) there is a radio frequency receiving unit, a battery, an induction charge receiving unit (4) and a mini speaker; the transmission unit (12) consists of a radio frequency transmitter (6) one computer (10) with a touchscreen (11), at least one induction charger (7) furnished with USB connection and a microphone(9).

Description

Team sports communication system
The subject of the utility model is a team sports communication device which can be worn hidden and free of any danger of accident, and, through such device, voice messages can be transmitted to the individual team members or even to the whole team at the same time; furthermore, upon demand, two directional communications can be carried out, too.
In team sports, in general, it is the coaches' task to elaborate, introduce and practice the tactics with players, but in live situations the execution is the task of players. If they do not do this well, it is also the coaches' task to recognize and correct such errors as fast as possible. The modification of tactics is all the more necessary, since it must be adjusted to the tactics of the enemy and other variable circumstances during the match. Coaches, in general, may communicate with their players in a determined area near the playfield, but, for example in football, in a match played before a bigger audience, due to the size of the playfield and the big noise produced by fans, this may become occasional and many times it is also a problem to communicate the instructions in such a way that the enemy cannot become aware of it. Traditionally, the real, effective tactical communication is carried out with the team during halftime breaks. It is a further problem that the coach usually sees the movement of his team from the side of the playfield in like 2 dimensions, and not from the angle of TV spectators. The subsequent evaluation of the match from a video record is easier because of the different angles, but, from the perspective of the given game is "spilt milk". To facilitate the difficulties outlined above, technical solutions have already been suggested. The best example for that is the GB2353440 (A) - "Communication System for use in sports" English patent, in which every player wears a mini device attachable to the ear, containing a speaker, which devices are in connection with a transmission device worn by the coach on his waist, which has a microphone unit that can be held in hand or is fixed near the mouth. It can be mentioned as a disadvantage in respect of the above solution that the ear unit consists of a speaker unit and a curved outer ear band, similarly to regular headset units. The outer ear band cannot be considered as safe in sports involving physical contact, as it can be stuck, can be torn or can fall off as a consequence of an impact, although the main purpose is safety in respect of the official acceptance of the application. We consider as a further development possibility that in delicate situations the transmission of messages to the individual team members separately should also be possible and even two directional communications should be available for being able to confirm orders and to provide important feedbacks.
Our goal is to create an ear unit that can be worn unnoticed during sport activity - by practically excluding the chance to contact other players or objects - and a transmission unit that connects thereto by means of radio communication, which is transparent and easy to operate. Personal communication devices are known (e.g. products of Phonak AG created for TV studios, spies and security experts) which can be placed into the ear canal and which remain there to their full extent and, through this, their observation, their contact with objects and the possibility of causing injuries can be excluded; however, the transmission of these devices operates with a low number of channels and thus they are not suitable for handling teams of a high number of players, and they are especially not suitable for transmission of individual messages. It is their further disadvantage that the batteries included in the units must be replaced very often, which requires a mechanical forming which allows that the device can be dismantled, which results in relatively poor gasketing. Our implementation is based on the realization that, by using a touchscreen computer, the radio channels of the transmission unit can be handled effectively. It is our further realization that by using an inner and an outer microphone and the statistical method of blind source separation (blind source separation, or, in other words, independent component analysis), two directional communication of a high quality can be realized even in the noisiest stadiums. Microphone supports that hang out from the ear, bother the player and involve danger of injury are not required for the outer microphone, and the whole device can be placed inside the ear.
Thus, the usage sample is a team sports communication device which consists of an ear unit and a transmission unit that is in radio connection with the ear unit. The ear unit has a head part and an extension connected thereto. The extension is maximum 2 cm long and has a diameter of maximum 1 cm, the largest diameter of the head unit is below 1.5 cm. In the ear unit there is a radio frequency receiving unit, a battery, an induction charge receiving unit and a mini speaker. The mini speaker is placed into the extension and at least one channel drives from the speaker to the inner end of the extension. The transmission unit consists of a radio frequency transmitter unit, a touchscreen computer, at least one induction charger with USB connection and a microphone.
In the advantageous shape of the device there is at least one microphone in the ear unit and one speaker unit in the transmission device.
We attach the following images to present the device in detail:
Image no. 1 : spatial view of the ear unit placed into the ear canal, during operation; Image no. 2: connection scheme of the device units.
On image no. 1 a part of the human ear and skull can be seen, cut in half at the ear canal. The thinner part of the ear unit (5) at the right is the extension (1), which is entirely placed into the ear canal during operation. The extension (1) is a cylindrical or slightly conical plastic part (mad e.g. of polyurethane or silicone) and it is attached to the head unit (2) with a watertight joint, or, it can also be in a fully closed joint casing with the head unit (2). The head unit (2) is widening at the entrance of the ear canal and an antenna (3) reaches out from it, which makes possible to pull out the ear unit (5) from the ear canal after use. The antenna (3) is thin and cca. 1 cm long, made of flexible plastic fibre of high-tensile strength. The battery of the ear unit (5) is integrated in the head unit (2), which can be charged when not in use through an induction charge receiving unit (4) placed near the outer surface, but under the casing. Due to the latter solution the interruption of the casing surface can be avoided, i.e. those small cracks which can cause gasketing problems. The gasket is very important both inwards and outwards, as leakage of toxic materials cannot be permitted, not even from a broken battery. In case of other devices, in general, charging plugs or casing opening solutions are built in for the purposes of changing batteries. Due to the small capacity compared to consumption, such change operations are not rare; therefore the charging method suggested by us is expressly advantageous. Due to the same reason the casing can be even fully watertight, thus the cleaning of the ear unit (5) can be carried out more easily. The induction charge plug contains an induction coil, which can get energy for the battery from an electromagnetic field excited on the outside. The receiving unit is also placed into the head unit (2). The device made according to the second design is suitable for two directional communications, too. In this case at least one microphone is inserted into the extension, which is connected to the inner end of the extension (1) through a channel. In order to achieve higher sound quality, it is also necessary to build in an outer microphone into the head unit (2) and in this case the external noises are separated from the speech of the player via blind source separation. The stable fixing of the ear unit (5) is secured primarily by its friction in the ear canal, but, for the purpose of security, it is also suggested to fix the head unit (2) to the auricle with a sticking plaster of good quality. The head unit (2) of the ear unit (5) and the extension (1) does not fill perfectly the ear canal in order to secure an aperture in the given ear, through which the sounds of the environment can also reach the eardrum. A mini speaker is built into the extension (1) to which a channel is practically attached, the channel leads to the inner end (i.e. falling in the direction of the ear canal) of the extension (1).
On image no. 2 it can be seen that a transmission unit (12) can serve many (e.g. in case of football: 11) ear units (5) through one transmitter (6) only. The radio frequency transmitter (6) is connected to a computer (10) which has a touchscreen
(11). It is a practical simplification to use a tablet, which contains both the computer
(10) and the touchscreen (11). The touchscreen (11) provides great freedom for the development and programming of graphic interfaces. It can be carried out via software that the coach can follow and adjust all functions of the device, thus, he can freely choose to communicate voice messages to the whole team or to individual players. Volume and other audio and transmission features can be changed, as it is obvious for a person who is skilled in the profession. At least one induction charger unit (7) is attached to the computer (10), practically through a USB port, which is also furnished with induction coil and the batteries of at least one ear unit (5), when not in use, can be charged by placing it near the induction charger. A microphone (9) is also connected to the computer (10) through which the coach can give the orders. The microphone (9) can be held in hand, but there are designs which can be attached to the head, neck or ear and, as known well by experts, it can be connected to the computer (10) even via Bluetooth connection. The speaker (8) is necessary in case of the second design, as the feedback of the actually connected player arrives through this device. Depending on settings, the feedback of every player can be received simultaneously, but the right on giving feedbacks can be given to the individual player who is actually communicating with the coach.
The coach can seat himself with the (mobile, designed to be held in hand) transmission unit (12) farther from the playfield, in an elevated position, and thus providing himself with a better view to the actions of the playfield, as the communication cannot be disturbed not even by the big noise of fans. The transmission of the radio frequency transmitter (6) can be encrypted, and thus the unauthorized interception by the enemy is highly impeded. The ear unit (5) is automatically turned on by the signal of the radio frequency transmitter (6) and places itself in active mode, but, after a certain period of time, e.g. 5 minutes, it turns back to passive mode. Due to the automatic on/off switching and the settings of the transmission unit (12), no switch is necessary on the ear unit (5) at all.
The suggested team sports device is easy to handle and to program, teams of higher number of players can be easily handled; moreover, two directional communications can be carried out, too. List of reference - extension
- head unit
- antenna
- induction charge receiving unit
- ear unit
- radio frequency transmitter
- induction charger
- speaker
- microphone
0- computer
1 - touchscreen
2- transmission unit

Claims

Claims
1. Team sports communication device which consists of ear unit(s) (5) and a transmission unit (12) connected thereto, with the following features: the ear unit (5) has a head unit(2) and an extension (1) and antenna (3) attached thereto, the extension (1) has a maximum length of 2 cm and a maximum diameter of 1 cm, the largest diameter of the head unit is below 1.5 cm, in the ear unit (5) there is a radio frequency receiving unit, a battery, an induction charge receiving unit (4) and a mini speaker; the speaker is built into the extension and at least one channel leads from the speaker to the inner end of the extension (1), the transmission unit (12) consists of a radio frequency transmitter (6) one computer (10) with a touchscreen (11), at least one induction charger (7) furnished with USB connection and a microphone
(9) .
2. The team sports communication device described in point no. 1 above, with the following features: there is at least on microphone in the ear unit (5) and there is a speaker (8) in the transmission unit, the speaker (8) is connected to the computer
(10) .
PCT/HU2014/000110 2014-05-13 2014-11-25 Team sports communication system WO2015173597A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
HUU1400110 2014-05-13
HUU1400110U HU4462U (en) 2014-05-13 2014-05-13 Sports team communication tool

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2015173597A1 true WO2015173597A1 (en) 2015-11-19

Family

ID=52105626

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/HU2014/000110 WO2015173597A1 (en) 2014-05-13 2014-11-25 Team sports communication system

Country Status (2)

Country Link
HU (1) HU4462U (en)
WO (1) WO2015173597A1 (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4870688A (en) * 1986-05-27 1989-09-26 Barry Voroba Mass production auditory canal hearing aid
US20050170870A1 (en) * 2002-09-27 2005-08-04 Oren Koby, One Third Interest Sports communication system
US7092543B1 (en) * 1999-07-23 2006-08-15 Sarnoff Corporation One-size-fits-all uni-ear hearing instrument
US20120039482A1 (en) * 2009-04-02 2012-02-16 Duncan Christopher Walsh Headset

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4870688A (en) * 1986-05-27 1989-09-26 Barry Voroba Mass production auditory canal hearing aid
US7092543B1 (en) * 1999-07-23 2006-08-15 Sarnoff Corporation One-size-fits-all uni-ear hearing instrument
US20050170870A1 (en) * 2002-09-27 2005-08-04 Oren Koby, One Third Interest Sports communication system
US20120039482A1 (en) * 2009-04-02 2012-02-16 Duncan Christopher Walsh Headset

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
HU4462U (en) 2014-12-29

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