Ball motion measuring apparatus

• US 20010023209A1
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 6,579,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/407
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A ball motion measuring apparatus (10) has a CCD camera (11) having a multi-shutter (11b) which can open and close successively; strobes (13-1-13-4); a swinging speed measuring sensor (14); and a controlling/computing device (16) connected to the CCD camera (11), the strobes (13-1-13-4), and the swinging speed measuring sensor (14). The swinging speed measuring sensor (14) outputs a trigger signal for opening/closing the shutter to the CCD camera (11) when the swinging speed measuring sensor (14) detects passage of a golf club. Upon receipt of the trigger signal, the multi-shutter (11b) opens and closes successively. Synchronously with the opening/closing of the multi-shutter (11b), the strobes (13-1-13-4) emit flashlight sequentially. In this manner, a plurality of images of a golf ball (31) driven by the golf club are photographed in a one-image frame.

Claims

1. A ball motion measuring apparatus comprising:

a CCD camera having a multi-shutter capable of successively opening and closing at a plurality of times at a high speed;

a triggering sensor detecting a movement of a ball-hitting means or that of a ball and outputting a trigger signal to set opening/closing times of said multi-shutter; and

a controlling/computing device connected to said CCD camera and said triggering sensor and having a storing medium for an image frame and an image display means,

wherein owing to a plurality of successive openings/closings of said multi-shutter caused by detection of said triggering sensor, said CCD camera photographs a plurality of ball images on a one-image frame, and said image display means displays said ball images in said one-image frame.

2. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein strobes whose number is equal to or more than the number of opening/closing times of said multi-shutter are connected to said controlling/computing device, and said strobes flash sequentially and synchronously with opening/closing times of said multi-shutter.

3. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said controlling/computing device is connected to a swinging speed measuring sensor, for measuring a swinging speed of said ball-hitting means, having a projector having two projecting parts each emitting a detection ray and a receptor having two light-receiving parts each detecting said detection rays, and said swinging speed measuring sensor is disposed rearward from a ball-hitting position so that said controlling/computing device measures an interval between a time when said ball-hitting means intercepts one of said detection rays and a time when said ball-hitting means intercepts the other detection ray, whereby a swinging speed of said ball-hitting means is computed.

4. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said swinging speed measuring sensor serving as said triggering sensor is horizontally located at a position, 20 mm to 40 mm rearward from said ball-hitting position, orthogonal to an imaginary straight line extending in a predetermined progress direction of said ball and outputting said trigger signal when said ball-hitting means intercepts said detection rays, and

said CCD camera is horizontally located at a position, 100 mm to 300 mm forward from said ball-hitting position, orthogonal to said imaginary straight line to photograph images of said ball immediately after hitting.

5. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of said ball and a flight speed of said ball from an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

6. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of said ball and a flight speed of said ball from an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

7. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device computes an angle of a trajectory passing through central coordinates of images of said ball with respect to a horizontal direction pre-calibrated on said one-image frame to compute a flight angle of said ball with respect to an actual horizontal line.

8. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device computes an angle of a trajectory passing through central coordinates of images of said ball with respect to a horizontal direction pre-calibrated on said one-image frame to compute a flight angle of said ball with respect to an actual horizontal line.

9. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device computes an angle of a trajectory passing through central coordinates of images of said ball with respect to a horizontal direction pre-calibrated on said one-image frame to compute a flight angle of said ball with respect to an actual horizontal line.

10. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said controlling/computing device compares a diameter of each of a plurality of images of a measuring ball in said one-image frame with a diameter of each of reference images of two or more balls pre-photographed by said CCD camera, which stored in said controlling/computing device adding each data of said balls locating at different positions with respect to said imaginary straight line extending in said predetermined progress direction of said balls to determine a distance from said imaginary straight line and compute a deflection angle of said measuring ball with respect to said predetermined progress direction.

11. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said controlling/computing device compares a diameter of each of a plurality of images of a measuring ball in said one-image frame with a diameter of each of reference images of two or more balls pre-photographed by said CCD camera, which stored in said controlling/computing device adding each data of said balls locating at different positions with respect to said imaginary straight line extending in said predetermined progress direction of said balls to determine a distance from said imaginary straight line and compute a deflection angle of said measuring ball with respect to said predetermined progress direction.

12. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein said controlling/computing device compares a diameter of each of a plurality of images of a measuring ball in said one-image frame with a diameter of each of reference images of two or more balls pre-photographed by said CCD camera, which stored in said controlling/computing device adding each data of said balls locating at different positions with respect to said imaginary straight line extending in said predetermined progress direction of said balls to determine a distance from said imaginary straight line and compute a deflection angle of said measuring ball with respect to said predetermined progress direction.

13. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein said controlling/computing device compares a diameter of each of a plurality of images of a measuring ball in said one-image frame with a diameter of each of reference images of two or more balls pre-photographed by said CCD camera, which stored in said controlling/computing device adding each data of said balls locating at different positions with respect to said imaginary straight line extending in said predetermined progress direction of said balls to determine a distance from said imaginary straight line and compute a deflection angle of said measuring ball with respect to said predetermined progress direction.

14. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of a plurality of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of a given point on said ball to compute a rotational amount of said ball on a rotational axis passing through a central coordinate of said ball by an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

15. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of a plurality of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of a given point on said ball to compute a rotational amount of said ball on a rotational axis passing through a central coordinate of said ball by an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

16. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of a plurality of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of a given point on said ball to compute a rotational amount of said ball on a rotational axis passing through a central coordinate of said ball by an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

17. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of a plurality of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of a given point on said ball to compute a rotational amount of said ball on a rotational axis passing through a central coordinate of said ball by an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.

18. The ball motion measuring apparatus according to

claim 10

, wherein based on a plurality of images of a ball photographed in said one-image frame, said controlling/computing device determines a central coordinate of each of a plurality of images of said ball and computes an actual movement distance of a given point on said ball to compute a rotational amount of said ball on a rotational axis passing through a central coordinate of said ball by an interval between an opening/closing time of said multi-shutter and a successive opening/closing time of that.