GOLF CLUB MEASURING SYSTEM AND GOLF CLUB MEASURING METHOD

• US 20130035174A1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: YATAKA, KOJI
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/223
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/30 forming hand-held throwing or catching aids for use with rings, discs, wheels or cylindrical throwing-bodies, or for use with balls having a central bore
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/42 Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand

Abstract

A golf club measuring system is designed to dynamically measure physical values of a golf club shaft during its swinging motion. A sensor wiring substrate includes a flexible board (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate material), a connector, a plurality of couplers, and a plurality of wires. A plurality of sensors is connected to the sensor wiring substrate via a plurality of couplers. The sensor wiring substrate is helically wound about the golf club shaft such that the flexible board is slightly warped and closely attached to the curved surface of a golf club shaft, thus reducing air resistance occurring on the golf club shaft being swung. An external device (e.g. a strain measuring device) is connected to the connector of the sensor wiring substrate so as to receive signals representing physical values (e.g. strain values), occurring on the golf club shaft being swung, from a plurality of sensors.

Claims

1. A golf club measuring system for dynamically measuring physical values of a golf club shaft being swung, comprising:

a plurality of sensors attached to the golf club shaft at predetermined positions; and

a sensor wiring substrate including a flexible board which is attached to the golf club shaft, a plurality of couplers which are connected to the plurality of sensors, and a plurality of wires which are juxtaposed to each other and connected to the plurality of sensors via the plurality of couplers,

wherein the flexible board is slightly warped and closely attached to a curved surface of the golf club shaft.

2. The golf club measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are attached to the golf club shaft in an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction whilst the plurality of couplers is divided into a plurality of groups which are disposed at different positions in a z-axis direction corresponding to a length direction of the golf club shaft.

3. The golf club measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible board is formed in a shape whose width is gradually reduced from a base portion to a distal portion so that the flexible board can be helically wound about the golf club shaft.

4. The golf club measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor wiring substrate further includes a connector which is positioned at a base portion thereof and which is electrically connected to the plurality of couplers via the plurality of wires.

5. The golf club measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible board is fixed to the golf club shaft with a base portion and a distal portion thereof.

6. The golf club measuring system according to claim 4, further comprising an external device which is electrically connected to the connector so as to receive signals representing physical values from the plurality of sensors via the plurality of couplers and the plurality of wires.

7. The golf club measuring system according to claim 4, wherein the sensor wiring substrate further includes at least one bypass portion, which is externally curved in a width direction perpendicular to a length direction of the flexible board so as to bypass a predetermined area lying in the length direction of the flexible board, at a predetermined position between the connector and the plurality of couplers.

8. The golf club measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible board renders transparency transmitting visible light therethrough with a predetermined color which is different from coloring of the plurality of wires.

9. A golf club measuring method for dynamically measuring physical values of a golf club shaft being swung, comprising:

attaching a sensor wiring substrate, including a flexible board, a plurality of couplers and a plurality of wires, onto the golf club shaft such that the flexible board is slightly warped and closely attached to a curved surface of the golf club shaft;

connecting a plurality of sensors to the plurality of couplers of the sensor wiring substrate;

connecting an external device to a base portion of the sensor wiring substrate; and

measuring physical values occurring on the golf club shaft being swung with the external device receiving signals representing physical values from the plurality of sensors via the plurality of couplers and the plurality of wires.

10. The golf club measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors are attached to the golf club shaft in an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction whilst the plurality of couplers is divided into a plurality of groups which are disposed at different positions in a z-axis direction corresponding to a length direction of the golf club shaft.

11. The golf club measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the flexible board is formed in a shape whose width is gradually reduced from the base portion to a distal portion so that the flexible board can be helically wound about the golf club shaft.

12. The golf club measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the sensor wiring substrate further includes a connector which is positioned at the base portion thereof in connection with the external device and which is electrically connected to the plurality of couplers via the plurality of wires.

13. A golf club equipped with a plurality of sensors via a sensor wiring substrate, wherein the sensor wiring substrate includes a flexible board which is attached to a shaft, a plurality of couplers which are connected to the plurality of sensors, and a plurality of wires which are juxtaposed to each other and connected to the plurality of sensors via the plurality of couplers, and wherein the flexible board is slightly warped and closely attached to a curved surface of the shaft.

14. The golf club according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensors are attached to the shaft in an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction whilst the plurality of couplers is divided into a plurality of groups which are disposed at different positions in a z-axis direction corresponding to a length direction of the shaft.

15. The golf club according to claim 13, wherein the flexible board is formed in a shape whose width is gradually reduced from a base portion to a distal portion so that the flexible board can be helically wound about the shaft.

16. The golf club according to claim 13, wherein the sensor wiring substrate further includes a connector which is positioned at a base portion thereof and which is electrically connected to the plurality of couplers via the plurality of wires.

17. The golf club according to claim 13, wherein the flexible board is fixed to the shaft with the base portion and a distal portion thereof.

18. The golf club claim 16, further comprising an external device which is connected to the connector of the sensor wiring substrate and installed inside a hollow space of the shaft, wherein the external device receives signals representing physical values, occurring on a shaft being swung, from the plurality of sensors via the plurality of couplers and the plurality of wires.