SENSOR DEVICE

• US 20160089085A1
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: YAMASHITA, Kosei, MATSUNAGA, Hideyuki, OGUCHI, Yoshio, HASHIDA, Toshiki, YAMAMURA, Shinji, OBARA, Tatsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,850,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6895 Sport equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/04 Badminton
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• 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 49/08 with special construction of the handle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• 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: G01C 19/00 Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence

Abstract

To detect a motion of a hitting tool more precisely by a sensor, provided is a sensor device including: a base member configured to be mounted on a hitting tool via a fitting structure; a substrate joined to the base member; a sensor disposed on the substrate and configured to detect a motion of the hitting tool delivered via the base member and the substrate; a communication unit configured to transmit a detection result of the motion of the hitting tool to an external device; and an exterior member configured to cover the sensor and the communication unit.

Claims

1. A sensor device comprising:

a base member configured to be mounted on a hitting tool via a fitting structure;

a substrate joined to the base member;

a sensor disposed on the substrate and configured to detect a motion of the hitting tool delivered via the base member and the substrate;

a communication unit configured to transmit a detection result of the motion of the hitting tool to an external device; and

an exterior member configured to cover the sensor and the communication unit.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1,

wherein the fitting structure is formed by a fitting member independent from the hitting tool,

wherein the sensor device further includes the fitting member,

wherein the fitting member has a shape corresponding to a shape of a fitting portion of the hitting tool, and

wherein the base member is detachably mounted on the fitting member.

3. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the fitting member has a shape which is able to fit into a grip end of the hitting tool.

4. The sensor device according to claim 3,

wherein the fitting member includes an octagonal pillar portion which is able to fit into the grip end, and

wherein the base member includes a cylindrical protrusion that fits into the octagonal pillar portion and a battery case internally included in the protrusion.

5. The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the communication unit is disposed on an opposite side to the battery case with the base member and the substrate interposed between the communication unit and the battery case.

6. The sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the fitting member includes

an arm portion configured to be rotatable with respect to a portion facing the base member,

a claw formed in the arm portion and configured to engage with an inside portion of the grip end when the arm portion is rotated in a first direction, and

a protrusion formed in the arm portion and configured to come into contact with the base member when the base member is mounted on the fitting member, to rotate the arm portion in the first direction.

7. The sensor device according to claim 6, wherein the engagement of the claw and the inside portion of the grip end is released by rotating the arm portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

8. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the base member comes into line contact or point contact with the fitting member.

9. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the base member further includes a lock mechanism that locks a positional relation between the base member and the fitting member when the base member is mounted on the fitting member.

10. The sensor device according to claim 2,

wherein the fitting member has a shape capable of holding a shaft-shaped portion of the hitting tool, and

wherein the base member is mounted on the fitting member.

11. The sensor device according to claim 2,

wherein the fitting member and the base member have mutually corresponding shapes capable of holding a shaft-shaped portion of the hitting tool, and

wherein the base member is fitted on the hitting tool by holding the shaft-shaped portion between the base member and the fitting member.

12. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the fitting structure is integrated with the hitting tool.

13. The sensor device according to claim 12, wherein a portion including the base member is accommodated inside the hitting tool through an opening formed in the fitting structure.

14. The sensor device according to claim 13, wherein the portion including the base member is rotated inside the opening to be fixed to the fitting structure.

15. The sensor device according to claim 14, wherein, in the exterior member, a groove through which a jig for rotating the portion including the base member is inserted is formed.

16. The sensor device according to claim 13,

wherein the base member further includes a claw that is able to be opened and closed inside the opening, and

wherein the portion including the base member is fixed to the fitting structure by the claw.

17. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the exterior member has a structure that protects the sensor and the communication unit from an external impact.

18. The sensor device according to claim 17, wherein spaces are formed between the exterior member and the sensor, and between the exterior member and the communication unit.

19. The sensor device according to claim 1,

wherein the base member is detachably mounted on the fitting structure and is detachably mounted on a charger that has a shape corresponding to a mounting portion of the base member, and

wherein the sensor device further includes

a battery case, and

a connection terminal configured to connect a battery accommodated in the battery case to a charging terminal of the charger when the base member is mounted on the charger.

20. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the base member and the exterior member are connected by a waterproof structure.

21. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the base member and the substrate have materials and shapes that preserve frequency characteristics of delivered vibration of the hitting tool.

22. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes two sensors with mutually different detection directions.

23. The sensor device according to claim 22, wherein the detection directions of the two sensors are orthogonal.

24. The sensor device according to claim 23, wherein the detection directions of the two sensors include a first direction parallel to a hitting plane of the hitting tool and a second direction at right angles to the hitting plane.

25. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the base member and the exterior member are integrally formed.