You can do it, but you need some guidelines. The exterior sensors aren't conclusive if the puck is flat on the ice (for instance, if they're at 45 degrees to the goal line, they will cross the detector line before the extent of the puck at 45 degrees to themselves), so then the only point that matters is the middle detector getting to a second detector located half the puck diameter further back
But then you have a bigger problem between that and the puck turning "up" 90 degrees, where every point in between must be figured out with puck orientation. The, if the puck turns in the other direction (spinning on edge), you could have the 4 sensors go off, but if it's spinning on the goal line, the middle one won't, unless it's at an angle in the first direction.
It would be a ridiculously tricky physics programming exercise, and may have to include using a camera to determine the puck orientation along 2 planes.
Edit: I apologize for taking this thought way too seriously.
- jmatchett383
No need, I'm enjoying the discussion. This would make a great engineering student project. Of course, once they worked it all out the NHL would be too stupid/stubborn to adopt it.
