Moving body measuring apparatus

• US 20050213076A1
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Saegusa, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/38 using photographic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/40 using stroboscopic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/68 using optical means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/80 takes precedence ; by reflection of waves G01S17/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/481 Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements

Abstract

A moving body measuring apparatus of the invention measures movement information of a moving body as an object to be measured. The apparatus has an optical member having a boundary surface on which light is incident, the optical member being adapted to transmit light entering the boundary surface from one side and to reflect light entering the boundary surface from the other side; an irradiation light source that emits light toward the optical member and irradiates light outgoing from the optical member onto the moving body; a camera that photographs via the optical member an image of light reflected from a reflection marker provided on a surface of the irradiated moving body; and a movement information computation portion that computes movement information for the moving body based on the image of the light reflected by the reflection marker and photographed by the camera, wherein arrangement of the irradiation light source, the camera, and the optical member is adjusted such that an outgoing angle of the irradiation light outgoing from the boundary surface substantially coincides with an incoming angle at which the light reflected by the reflection marker enters the boundary surface.

Claims

1. A moving body measuring apparatus that measures movement information of a moving body as an object to be measured, the moving body measuring apparatus comprising:

an optical member having a boundary surface on which light is incident, the optical member being adapted to transmit light entering the boundary surface from one side and to reflect light entering the boundary surface from the other side;

an irradiation light source that emits light toward the optical member and irradiates light outgoing from the optical member onto the moving body;

a camera that photographs via the optical member an image of light reflected from a reflection marker provided on a surface of the irradiated moving body; and

a movement information computation portion that computes movement information for the moving body based on the image of the light reflected by the reflection marker and photographed by the camera,

wherein arrangement of the irradiation light source, the camera, and the optical member is adjusted such that an outgoing angle of the irradiation light outgoing from the boundary surface substantially coincides with an incoming angle at which the light reflected by the reflection marker enters the boundary surface.

2. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light absorbing member provided in a transmission direction of the boundary surface as seen from the camera,

wherein the camera is disposed so as to photograph the image of the light reflected by the reflection marker after the light is reflected by the boundary surface of the optical member.

3. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the optical member transmits and reflects portions of the irradiation light at the boundary surface such that the irradiation light outgoes from the boundary surface in two different directions, the irradiation light source irradiating the moving object from two different directions, and

wherein outgoing angles at which the irradiation light outgoes from the boundary surface of the optical member in the two different directions substantially coincide with respective incoming angles at which two reflected light beams, obtained by irradiating the moving body in two different directions, enter the boundary surface.

4. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising reflecting mirrors disposed in optical paths followed by the two reflected light beams before arriving at the camera such that the number of reflections, including the reflection by the optical member, is an even number or an odd number for each of the two reflected light beams.

5. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the camera incorporates images of the two reflected light beams that pass through two different optical paths into one image frame.

6. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflection marker is a retroreflection marker that reflects the irradiation light toward an incoming direction of the irradiation light.

7. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera photographs an image of the moving reflection marker through multiple exposures at fixed intervals of time.

8. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the camera performs the multiple exposures at the fixed intervals of time by the irradiation light source emitting light intermittently at the fixed intervals of time during photography by the camera.

9. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the camera performs the multiple exposures at the fixed intervals of time by the irradiation light source emitting light continuously during photography by the camera.

10. The moving body measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is a high speed video camera that performs photography at a speed equal to or greater than 120 frames per second.