TEACHING AID

• US 20130023353A1
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swing-Wright, LLC
• Original Assignee: Swing-Wright, LLC
• Inventors: Wright, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,864,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/224
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0627 when used improperly, e.g. by giving a warning
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• 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: A63B 69/36211 Mechanical guides guiding the club head end during the complete swing, e.g. rails
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A system for improving a swing has a transmitter coil for creating an electromagnetic field aligned with respect to a desired swing plane of a sporting implement and a plurality of coils for detecting an actual swing plane relative to the desired swing plane.

Claims

1. A system for improving a swing comprising:

means for transmitting an electromagnetic field aligned with respect to a desired swing plane of a sporting implement; and

means for detecting an actual swing plane relative to said desired swing plane.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting a signal to a user in real-time that the actual swing plane differs from the desired swing plane.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said transmitting means comprises an aural tone device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said aural tone device generates a tone that increases as an angle of the sporting implement increases relative to the desired swing plane.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said aural tone device generates a first pitch which indicates when the sporting implement is inside the desired swing plane and a second pitch when the sporting implement is outside the desired swing plane.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmitting means comprises a transmitting coil which is aligned with the desired swing plane.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said transmitting coil is circular.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said transmitting coil is rectangular.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said transmitting coil comprises a wire conductor wrapped in a series of turns and said wire conductor is encased in epoxy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said sporting implement has a butt end and a shaft said detecting means comprises three orthogonal coils mounted in said butt end or on said shaft.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein one of said orthogonal coils is aligned along a longitudinal axis of said sporting implement so that an axis of the one coil is pointed down a shaft of said sporting implement.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said one coil is minimally coupled to said electromagnetic field when the sporting implement remains parallel to a plane of said means for generating said electromagnetic field.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for determining the ratio of the signal sensed by the one coil relative a total received field.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said orthogonal coils are mounted on said shaft.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said orthogonal coils are mounted in said butt end.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein said transmitting means comprises an electronics package attached to said transmitter coil.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said electronics package comprises a wave form generator.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said detecting means comprises three orthogonal coils and said electronics package measures the transmitter signal sensed by each of the coils and compares an amplitude of a signal generated by a first one of said coils having an axis pointed down a shaft of the sporting implement to a sum of a signal amplitude of a second and third ones of said coils and generates a signal in the form of a ratio indicative of an angle of the shaft of the sporting implement relative to the desired plane angle.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for generating an aural sound when said ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said sporting implement is a golf club.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein said sporting implement is a tennis racket.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said sporting implement is a baseball bat.

23. A method for improving a swing comprising the steps of:

providing a sporting implement having a plurality of receiver coils in one of a butt end and on a shaft of said implement;

generating an electromagnetic field normal to a desired swing plane for the sporting implement;

sensing said electromagnetic field using said receiver coils during an actual swing of said sporting implement;

measuring a signal sensed by an axially aligned one of said receiver coils;

generating a ratio of the signal sensed by said axially aligned one of said receiver coils to a sum of signals sensed by remaining ones of said receiver coils; and

generating a real-time signal if the ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said sporting implement providing step comprises providing a sporting implement having three orthogonal receiver coils on said shaft.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said electromagnetic field generating step comprises providing a transmitter coil aligned with the desired swing plane and supplying an electrical current to said transmitter coil.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said real time signal generating step comprises generating an aural tone.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said aural tone generating step comprises generating a tone having a first pitch which indicates that the sporting implement is inside the desired swing plane and a tone having a second pitch which indicates that the sporting implement is outside the desired swing plane.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising creating a graphical image of a plane of the actual swing vs. the desired swing plane.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said sporting implement providing step comprises providing a sporting implement having three orthogonal receiver coils in said butt end.