GOLF CLUB HEAD MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A system for measuring a golf club head having a club face, the system comprising:
- at least three markers placed on the club face, the marker placement adapted to (1) define the geometry of the club face without further calibration, and (2) conform to a known tolerance of relative spacing and orientation between the markers;
at least two cameras adapted to capture a plurality of images of the markers during a swing and communicating those images to a processor;
the processor configured to perform the following steps;
a. performing threshold processing on the images to detect pixels that may correspond to the markers;
b. determining a position for the markers in three dimensional space;
c. finding a group of markers that fall within the tolerance of a known geometric relationship;
d. labeling the markers based on their position with respect to the known geometric relationship; and
e. calculating the position of the club head during the swing based on the 3D position of the markers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This disclosure describes a method for measuring the path and orientation of a golf club during a swing. Of particular interest is the orientation of the club face and its path prior to, at and just after impact with the ball. Golfers and club manufactures are interested in this information for swing improvement and club design. The key measurements are the face orientation and path relative to the ball, these are: horizontal path, vertical path, face open/close, face loft, face lie and ball impact position on the face. The disclosure additionally defines a means for accurately measuring the orientation of the club head and shaft throughout the entire swing. The technique may use an inertial navigation system attached to the head or shaft in conjunction with the camera system. An important feature of the method is the ease of use in that it provides accurate results without complex calibration procedures.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for measuring a golf club head having a club face, the system comprising:
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at least three markers placed on the club face, the marker placement adapted to (1) define the geometry of the club face without further calibration, and (2) conform to a known tolerance of relative spacing and orientation between the markers; at least two cameras adapted to capture a plurality of images of the markers during a swing and communicating those images to a processor; the processor configured to perform the following steps; a. performing threshold processing on the images to detect pixels that may correspond to the markers; b. determining a position for the markers in three dimensional space; c. finding a group of markers that fall within the tolerance of a known geometric relationship; d. labeling the markers based on their position with respect to the known geometric relationship; and e. calculating the position of the club head during the swing based on the 3D position of the markers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of measuring the orientation of a golf club head during a swing, the golf club head having a club face, the method comprising:
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a. applying at least three markers placed on the club face, the marker placement is such that (1) the markers define the geometry of the club face without further calibration, and (2) the markers'"'"' relative spacing and orientation to each other are within a known tolerance; b. capturing a plurality of images from at least two cameras of the golf club face during a swing; c. performing threshold processing on the images to detect pixels that may correspond to the markers; d. determining a position for the markers in three dimensional space; e. finding a group of markers that fall within the tolerance of a known geometric relationship; f. labeling the markers based on their position with respect to the known geometric relationship; and g. calculating the position of the club head during the swing based on the 3D position of the markers. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification