A Performance Analysis System for the Sport of Bowling

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$Course Syllabus - Penn State Harrisburg Math/Computer Sciences ...$

$A Simulator for the MARIE Architecture - Penn State Harrisburg Math ...$

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The idea for the SMARTDOT system evolved from a conversation I had with some fellow teammates on the way back from the Pennsylvania State Bowling Championships in Johnstown in May of 1988. I'd like to thank Mike Wolfrom and Dave Zelger for raising the issue of how to accurately measure the rotational rate of a bowling ball. It has been through seeking an answer to that seemingly simple question that this body of work has taken shape. In 1988, the technology was simply not available to implement the various solutions that came to mind. In the ensuing four years, the question stayed with me, and the technology eventually caught up. I began developing the first SMARTDOT module prototype in May of 1992, and SMARTDOT captured its first waveform on April 11, 1993. I designed and built that first prototype without prior knowledge of the nature of the waveform it was designed to capture. Since then, numerous iterations of the module's hardware and embedded software have been required to get the module to the point where it truly performs its function in a "transparent" fashion. Soon after the success of the initial prototype, I placed the project on the back burner as I became engaged, and then married, and then purchased a house, and eventually assumed other career obligations that kept me from returning to the pursuit of this research. It was with my return to Penn State in June of 1998 in my quest for this Master's Degree in Computer Science at Penn State Harrisburg that I decided to dust off SMARTDOT and get back to work on it. I must thank Dr. Thang Bui, Dr. Timothy Wahls, and Dr. Linda Null for their collective exuberance and enthusiasm in teaching. Without their obvious interest in the success and welfare of their students, I would not have been drawn to Penn State Harrisburg, nor as driven to achieve all that I have within their program. I have been a Penn State student, in one form or another, at three different campuses, for more than a quarter of a century, and their department is the finest that I have known. Thanks again to Dr. Null for not only serving as my advisor and for appreciating my sense of humor, but also for her willingness to step outside of her normal areas of expertise and into "my" world of 8-bit embedded software. Thanks also to Dr. Seth Wolpert and Dr. Pavel Naumov for reviewing this manuscript and serving on the thesis committee. I must thank my friends and family for their collective support, understanding, and tolerance throughout the years that I have been immersed in this Master's program and obsessed with this project. I promise to them, in the near future, that I will emerge from my office and be able to focus on issues other than SMARTDOT and the current status of my Master's degree. Lastly, special praise must go to my wife Sandy, who has tolerated not only my obsession with this project over the decade of its existence, but has also been consistently supportive of my efforts towards its development. She has been there through every major milestone. In addition, over the past four years, her support of my pursuit of this degree has been steadfast and unwavering, even while I was taking six and nine credits a semester, and especially as I've spent untold hours at my computer composing this paper. She has brought me breakfast, lunch, and dinner at my desk so that I could continue working, and has never complained about the time she has lost to this passion of mine. Without her support and her encouragement, this project, this paper, and this degree would not have been possible. vi
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, AND MOTIVATION 1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Bowling is often considered a game of accuracy, but it is actually a game of errors. The goal of any experienced bowler is to find the optimal combination of style, equipment, and lane adjustments that creates the widest margin of error while still allowing the bowler to consistently deliver the ball to the pocket with sufficient force, angle, and "action" to generate strikes. Success with this strategy requires a combination of factors: the bowler's natural talent and ability, refined by a generous amount of coaching and practice; experience with "reading" lane conditions and making adjustments to the inevitable changes in those conditions; and the selection and use of the proper ball(s). Bowling balls are available in a variety of weights, balances, hardnesses, and surfaces. Those four variables combine to determine when and how much the ball hooks, and how hard it hits the pins. The bowler selects a bowling ball based on his or her bowling style and the current lane "condition", which is created by the distribution of oil on the lanes. There is a great deal of friction generated between the ball and the lane surface as the ball rolls down the lane, at a velocity that can approach 20 mph, with a rotational rate that regularly exceeds 300 rpms. To protect the finish of the lane, special lane-dressing oil is regularly applied to the first 30 to 40 feet of the lane. The oil can also be applied with a varying density across and down the lane to affect the "playability" of the lane, making it easier or more difficult for the ball to reach the strike pocket. The repeated action of bowling balls rolling down the lane redistributes the oil over time, changing the oil pattern as a bowling match progresses. The effects of that change can be quite noticeable, sudden, and dramatic [13]. Of primary concern to all bowlers is quickly and correctly adjusting to the inevitable changes in the oil pattern over the course of a bowling match. The bowling ball is the bowler's "oil sensor" for determining where the lane oil is (and isn't), as well as where the oil is "going". Based solely on observing the ball's reaction to the lane, the bowler adjusts to the ever-changing lane condition by drawing upon past experience with the results of various adjustments made under similar circumstances. These adjustments usually involve lateral changes in the starting location on the approach and/or the target on the lane, an increase or decrease in the speed of the ball, and/or a switch to a ball that hooks more, or less, or sooner, or later, etc. The bowler may also opt to change the amount of turn, lift, and/or spin they apply to the ball during release, with the intention of changing the amount the ball hooks or curves as it rolls down the lane. If the bowler does not release the ball with consistent amounts of speed, loft, lift, and turn (the variables that directly affect the ball's reaction with the lane), it is particularly difficult for them to accurately assess the condition of the lanes, let alone how that condition is changing. It has always been difficult to accurately quantify a bowler's relative level of consistency. It has been equally difficult to quantify and compare the relative performance of different types of bowling balls. 1
Page 1 and 2: The Pennsylvania State University T
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Section I: Introd
Page 5: LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 SMARTDOT
Page 9 and 10: eceiver that stores, processes, and
Page 11 and 12: 1.3.2 Product Development Phase The
Page 13 and 14: SECTION II: COLLECTING THE DATA - T
Page 15 and 16: 2.2 Design Constraints The feasibil
Page 17 and 18: 2.3 SENSING REQUIREMENTS The module
Page 19 and 20: Pin Deck Light Foul Line Figure 2-2
Page 21 and 22: 2.4.1 Ambient Light Sensor The ambi
Page 23 and 24: 9 28 8 RST V CC V CC 5 6 hyst 7 3 +
Page 25 and 26: 2.6 HARDWARE/SOFTWARE INTERACTION D
Page 27 and 28: 2.6.3 Baud Rate The module communic
Page 29 and 30: Configuration settings and the samp
Page 31 and 32: 2.7.5 The Ball is Rolling If the wa
Page 33 and 34: covered by the wand). When the modu
Page 35 and 36: 2.8.1 Detecting Release Detecting t
Page 37 and 38: Light Level 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 3
Page 39 and 40: By filtering the data, and then cou
Page 41 and 42: The 'F300x can write to any portion
Page 43 and 44: One possibility is to use a transfo
Page 45 and 46: 2.10 SUMMARY This portion of the re
Page 47 and 48: The ball's angular velocity increas
Page 49 and 50: Light Level 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 3
Page 51 and 52: the fundamental frequency has been
Page 53 and 54: Since the fundamental frequency and
Page 55 and 56: Figure 3-7: MASTER "Analysis" Scree
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known, the linear momentum (and thu
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In order to find the value for v 1
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3.5 ASSUMPTIONS AND ERROR ANALYSIS
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3.5.3 External Forces and Friction
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3.6.1 Implementation and Performanc
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Figure 3-11a: Effects of Phase Shif
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3.6.3 The "Perfect" Game to Analyze
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Since the change in angular velocit
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BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] United State Paten
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APPENDIX A - SMARTDOT MODULE EMBEDD
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Appendix A: SMARTDOT Module Embedde
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APPENDIX B - SMARTDOT MODULE SOURCE
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Appendix C: SMARTDOT Module Command
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Figure C-3 Appendix C: SMARTDOT Mod
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APPENDIX E - 300 GAME MASTER SCREEN
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Appendix E: 300 Game Analysis Frame
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