Basketball goal sensing system
A basketball goal sensing system includes a sensor assembly integrated with the cover plate pad of a commercially available basketball hoop. The sensor assembly includes a plurality of infrared LEDs and a plurality of sensors for detecting infrared light that reflects off an object passing through the basketball rim and/or net. If an object passing through the rim and/or net exhibits a reflective profile of a basketball, the system considers the event to be a goal and transmits a signal to the base station. If that goal is a clock-stopping event the game clock is stopped.
1 . A goal sensing system including:
a. A basketball hoop having a cover plate pad, said cover plate pad defining a depression;
b. A sensor assembly engaged with said depression wherein said sensor assembly lays substantially flush with said cover plate pad;
c. A base station communicatively coupled to said sensor assembly; and
d. A game clock communicatively coupled to said base station, wherein said sensor assembly sends a signal to said base station when a goal occurs at said basketball hoop.
2 . The goal sensing system of claim 1 wherein said goal may trigger said game clock to stop.
3 . The goal sensing system of claim 1 wherein said sensor assembly includes plurality of infrared LEDs and a plurality of infrared sensors, each of said sensors directed towards said rim or said net.
4 . The goal sensing system of claim 3 wherein each of said sensors is independently tiltable relative to other said sensors.
5 . The goal sensing system of claim 3 wherein each of said sensors is associated with two infrared LEDs.
6 . The goal sensing system of claim 5 having exactly three sensors oriented as a first sensor above a second and third sensor, with said second and third sensor substantially horizontally aligned.
7 . A method of sensing a basketball goal including the non-sequential steps of:
a. Engaging a sensor assembly with the cover plate pad of a basketball hoop, said sensor assembly including a plurality of infrared LEDs and a plurality of infrared sensors, wherein each of said sensors is directed towards the rim or the net of said basketball hoop;
b. Communicatively coupling said sensor assembly with a base station;
c. Communicatively coupling a game clock with said base station;
d. Comparing the reflective profile of an object activating a first sensor with a pre-established first sensor basketball reflective profile;
e. Comparing the reflective profile of said object activating a second sensor with a pre-established second sensor basketball reflective profile; and
f. Signaling a base station that a goal has occurred.
8 . The method of sensing a basketball goal of claim 7 wherein said step of signaling said base station that a goal has occurred is performed only if said object's first and second reflective profiles match said first and second pre-established basketball profiles within prescribed tolerances.
9 . The method of sensing a basketball goal of claim 8 further including the step of stopping a game clock.