The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 02, 1989
Filed:
Jan. 29, 1986
Michael A Form, Southborough, MA (US);
Computer Sports Systems, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
Pinfall apparatus for the sport of bowling utilizes a digitized video picture of the pins to detect and count pins. A video camera is controlled by a microprocessor to take a 'snapshot' of the pins which are illuminated by normal ambient light. The image is then digitized and stored as pixel values. During calibration of the system, additional parameters are stored which define memory addresses that correspond to potential pin locations. In addition, to minimize the effects of noise, a cutoff or threshold value is stored which determines the percentage of memory addresses calculated in accordance with the defined parameters which must be present for a pin to be standing in the predetermined location. The count is stored as a pin count. Later another 'snapshot' is taken of pins which remain standing after a ball has been rolled and a pixed count determined as before. If the pixel count is greater than the stored pin count, then a pin is declared standing in the corresponding pin location. The process is repeated for each potential pin location.