TRAINING AID

• US 20120088612A1
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vernon Ralph Johnson
• Original Assignee: Vernon Ralph Johnson
• Inventors: Johnson, Vernon Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 8,827,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/422
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00

Abstract

A training aid (10) provides real-time biometric feedback for swung or linearly accelerated implements where the feedback is provided above a user adjustable threshold. The training aid (10) includes a two-part housing (12) and mounting means for releasably mounting the housing to an implement. A battery (16) is located in the housing (12) with a buzzer (22) connected to the battery (16) through an electrical circuit. A force activated switch (14) in the electrical circuit is activated to energise the buzzer (22) to sound in response to displacement of the training aid. The force activated switch (14) has a force threshold at which the force activated switch (14) is activated to energise the buzzer (22) to sound. The force activated switch (14) is configured so that the force threshold is user adjustable.

Claims

1. A training aid including:

a housing;

mounting means for releasably mounting the housing to an implement;

a battery within the housing;

a sound generator connected to the battery through an electrical circuit; and

a force activated switch in the electrical circuit, which is activated to energise the sound generator to sound in response to displacement of the training aid, wherein the force activated switch;

has a force threshold at which the force activated switch is activated to energise the sound generator to sound, and

is configured so that the force threshold is user adjustable.

2. The training aid of claim 1, wherein the force activated switch includes a force sensor measuring a force exerted on at least part of the training aid during displacement of the training aid.

3. The training aid of claim 2, wherein the force sensor comprises an accelerometer.

4. The training aid of claim 1, wherein the force activated switch is operable to open or close the electrical circuit by being respectively open or closed, the sound generator being energised when the electrical circuit is closed.

5. The training aid of claim 4, wherein the force activated switch is closed by displacement of the battery in the housing during displacement of the training aid.

6. The training aid of claim 4, wherein the force activated switch comprises:

a compression spring against which the battery acts when the training aid is displaced; and

an electrical contact of the electrical circuit, which is spaced a user adjustable distance from a terminal of the battery so that the terminal of the battery contacts the electrical contact when the compression spring is sufficiently compressed, thereby to close the electrical circuit.

7. The training aid of claim 6, wherein the training aid includes adjustment means for adjusting the distance between the electrical contact and the terminal of the battery, thereby to adjust the force threshold at which the electrical circuit is closed.

8. The training aid of claim 7, wherein the adjustment means is a screw operable to displace the electrical contact.

9. The training aid of claim 1, wherein the force activated switch comprises:

a force sensor outputting a force voltage which varies depending on the displacement of the training aid;

a user adjustable potentiometer outputting a force threshold voltage which is the force threshold; and

a voltage comparator which is operable to compare the force voltage to the force threshold voltage,

wherein the force activated switch is operable to energise the sound generator when the force voltage of the accelerometer is bigger than the force threshold voltage.

10. The training aid of claim 9, wherein the force activated switch is operable to open or close the electrical circuit by being respectively open or closed, the sound generator being energised when the electrical circuit is closed.

11. The training aid of claim 9, wherein the electrical circuit of the training aid includes an on/off switch between the force activated switch and the battery, the force activated switch being energised only when the on/off switch is closed.

12. The training aid of claim 11, wherein the on/off switch comprises:

a compression spring against which the battery acts; and

an electrical contact of the electrical circuit, which is spaced a distance from a terminal of the battery so that the terminal of the battery contacts the electrical contact when the spring is sufficiently compressed, thereby to energise the force activated switch.

13. The training aid of claim 11, wherein the on/off switch is closed by displacement of the battery in the housing.

14. The training aid of claim 1, wherein the force activated switch comprises:

an accelerometer outputting a force voltage which varies depending on the displacement of the training aid;

an analog-to-digital converter connected to the accelerometer and which outputs a digital value proportional to the magnitude of the force voltage;

a digital comparator which is operable to compare the digital value to the force threshold; and

wherein the force activated switch energises the sound generator when the digital value of the accelerometer is bigger than the force threshold.

15. The training aid of claim 14, wherein the force activated switch includes a user adjustable potentiometer outputting a force threshold voltage which is converted to the force threshold by an analog-to-digital converter.

16. The training aid of claim 14, wherein the digital comparator is a microprocessor.

17. The training aid of claim 14, wherein the sound generator is energised by outputting a suitable alternating electrical current to the sound generator.

18. The training aid of claim 17, wherein the sound generator is a piezoelectric sounder.

19. A method of providing real-time audible biometric feedback during swinging of an implement, the method including:

mounting a training aid to the implement; and

setting a swing speed threshold at which a sound generator of the training aid sounds when swinging the implement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method includes:

setting the swing speed threshold by adjusting a force threshold of the training aid;

measuring the swing speed of the implement by measuring a force exerted on at least part of the training aid;

comparing the force with the force threshold; and

energising the sound generator of the training aid to sound if the force is bigger than the force threshold.