GOLF-SWING MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20170043228A1
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shot Scope Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Shot Scope Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Hunter, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,709,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• 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 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• 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: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material

Abstract

A system for automatically gathering information on a performance of an action involving an object being hit or struck, the system comprising at least one object contact sensor for detecting a contact with the object. Preferably one or more of the at least one object contact sensors comprises a shock and/or vibration sensor such as an accelerometer, and/or one or more of the at least one object contact sensors comprises a sound sensor; and the system is configured to at least partially detect shock and/or vibrations caused by contact with the object using the one or more shock and/or vibration sensors and/or at least partially detect sound generated by contact with the object using the one or more sound sensors to thereby detect contact with the object. A possible use of the system is as a system for automatically gathering information on a performance of an action performed by a player or user in a sport and/or on performance of a golf swing in which the object being struck is a golf ball being hit or struck by a golf club and the at least one object contact sensor is configured to detect contact between the golf club and golf ball.

Claims

1. A system for automatically gathering information on a performance of an action involving an object being hit or struck, the system comprising:

at least one object contact sensor for detecting a contact with the object.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one object contact sensors comprises a shock and/or vibration sensor such as an accelerometer, and/or one or more of the at least one object contact sensors comprises a sound sensor;

and

the system is configured to at least partially detect shock and/or vibrations caused by contact with the object using the one or more shock and/or vibration sensors and/or at least partially detect sound generated by contact with the object using the one or more sound sensors to thereby detect contact with the object,

wherein the system is a system for automatically gathering information on a performance of an action performed by a player or user in a sport and/or on performance of a golf swing in which the object being struck is a golf ball being hit or struck by a golf club and the at least one object contact sensor is configured to detect contact between the golf club and golf ball.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises or is comprised in at least one wearable, portable device, such as a wrist worn device,

wherein the device is configured to be worn on the wrist of the upper hand of the player or user.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises or is configured to communicate with one or more tags, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, applied, affixed, affixable or mountable to a piece of equipment or golf club,

the system being adapted to automatically detect when a piece of equipment or golf club is being used, such as to hit or strike the object, and/or which piece or what type of equipment or golf club is being used, such as to hit or strike the object, and

wherein the at least one tag is attachable to a part of the equipment or golf club that is adjacent, proximate or gripped by the player or user.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein each tag comprises, encodes or transmits an identifier and the system is configured to determine which piece or what type of equipment or golf club is being used based on the identifier.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one tag is configured to screw into or otherwise attach to the top of a handle or grip of the piece of equipment or golf club or be located or locatable at least partly inside the handle or grip of the piece of equipment or golf club and/or the tag is configured such that at least part or all of the tag is located or locatable underneath or within a grip or handle of the piece of equipment or golf club,

wherein the system comprises or is configured to communicate with a tag reader for reading the tags, and the tag reader is comprised in or mounted or mountable on the at least one wearable, portable device,

and wherein the system is configured to determine proximity between the tag and tag reader and determine when a piece of equipment or golf club is being held when the at least one tag on the piece of equipment is adjacent or proximate to all or part of the tag reader.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein all or part of the tag reader is located or locatable on the underside of a wrist of the player or user,

wherein the tag reader comprises an antenna, and optionally at least part or a whole of the antenna is configured to be situated on the underside of a wrist of the player.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the antenna is comprised in or around a strap of the wearable device, wherein

the strap is adjustable to vary an adjustment position, circumference, configuration or length of the strap, and wherein

the system comprises a strap sensor that is configured to determine the adjustment position, circumference, configuration or length of the strap or data indicative thereof and the system is configured to adjust at least one operating parameter of, or compensation for, the antenna based on the determined adjustment position, circumference, configuration or size of the strap or the data indicative thereof,

the system comprises a plurality of antenna matching circuits or systems, and/or an adjustable matching circuit or system, wherein the system is configured to adjust at least one operating parameter of, or compensation for, the antenna by selecting and/or varying one or more of the matching circuits or systems based on the determined adjustment position, circumference, configuration or length of the strap or data indicative thereof,

the strap sensor comprises or is in communication with one or more first contacts on a first end or part of the strap and one or more second contacts on a second end or part of the strap, wherein one or more of the first contacts contact or are selectively contactable with one or more of the second contacts when the strap is closed or secured and the one or more first and second contacts are linked by a conductor configured to allow a measurement circuit to be completed by contact between the one or more first and second contacts and the system is configured to determine the adjustment position, circumference, configuration or size of the strap based on at least one electrical property of the measurement circuit measured by a strap sensor.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises one or more swing sensors, the at least one swing sensor being or comprising one or more inertial sensors, wherein:

the at least one swing sensor comprises or is comprised in the one or more shock and/or vibration sensors,

the system is configured to monitor for a prescribed swing motion using the at least one swing sensor,

the system is configured to activate the at least one object sensor due to, or responsive to, readings from the at least one swing sensor,

the system is configured to activate the at least one object sensor for a period of time during a swing motion and/or the system is configured to activate the at least one swing sensor due to the piece of equipment being detected,

the system comprising a swing detector that comprises or communicates with the at least one swing sensor and is configured to detect swing motions, wherein further;

the swing detector is configured to monitor the at least one swing sensor for predefined motion ranges in a predefined order and/or in predefined time windows,

the swing detector is configured with one or more patterns of movements which nominally describe a swing, and monitors the at least one swing sensor to detect such motions or patterns,

the patterns are or comprise ranges or patterns in the spatial and/or temporal domains,

the swing detector is configured to monitor the at least one swing sensor for readings within a defined range indicative of a motion occurring, and then monitor for another motion indicative of a next stage of a swing,

and wherein the piece of equipment is a golf club and/or the swing detector is configured to detect a golf swing, and optionally the swing detector is configured with one or more patterns that nominally describe golf swings.

32. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to collect one or more of:

location data, time data, equipment type and/or ID data, swing data derived from readings from the at least one swing sensor and/or the at least one object contact sensor, swing type data derived from the at least one swing sensor, the at least one object contact sensor and/or internal variables of the at least one portable device, shot count, and/or internal variables from the at least one portable device, wherein

the system is configured to differentiate between practice swings and real swings or shots, wherein contact with the object occurs in a real swing or shot, by using the one or more object contact sensors to determine whether or not contact with the object occurs during a swing,

and the system is configured to use the location information from a cluster of swings in order to determine the final location of a real swing, wherein the cluster of swings are clustered in the time and/or spatial domains,

and the cluster of swings comprise a real swing and one or more practice swings.

36. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises one or more user interfaces, arranged so as to allow the user or player to log a shot and/or receive clarification from the player or user if a shot did or did not take place, wherein:

the system is configured to communicate with one or more remote servers through the at least one communication interface to thereby send gathered information, additional information, internal variables from the at least one portable device, and/or data derived therefrom and/or receive the maps or other location specific information,

the system is configured to analyse or allow analysis of the gathered information, in order to produce statistical data, and

the system is configured to determine when a real swing shot is performed or played and to automatically update a scorecard accordingly.

40. The system according to claim 1, the system comprising:

one or more swing sensors, the at least one swing sensor being or comprising one or more inertial sensors;

the system being configured to detect swing motions based at least in part on the data received from the swing sensor;

wherein

the swing detector is configured to monitor the at least one swing sensor for predefined motion ranges in a predefined order and/or in predefined time windows; and

the swing detector is configured with one or more patterns of movements which nominally describe a swing, and monitors the at least one swing sensor to detect such motions or patterns in order to identify performance or characteristics of a swing.

41. The system according to claim 1, the system comprising or configured to communicate with a tag reader, the tag reader being comprised in or mounted or mountable on a wrist worn portable device, the tag reader being configured to communicate with one or more tags applied, affixed, affixable or mountable to the object, piece of equipment or golf club, wherein each tag comprises, encodes or transmits an identifier and the system is configured to determine which piece or what type of object, equipment or golf club is being used based on the identifier.

42. A portable device comprising or comprised within or configured for use with the system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is a wearable device, the portable device comprising one or more object contact sensors, the object contact sensors comprising one or more of:

shock and/or vibration sensors, inertial sensors, acoustic sensors, one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes and/or one or more sound sensors.

43. The portable device according to claim 42, wherein the portable device comprises:

one or more tag readers configured to communicate with one or more tags, wherein the one or more tags are configured to be attached, affixed, affixable or mountable to pieces of equipment,

a location sensor, such as a GPS location device, and

the portable device is a wrist mounted or mountable device.

46. A tag, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), for use in the system according to claim 1, the tag comprising, encoding and/or being configured to transmit a unique identifier, the tag being configured to be attachable or affixable to a piece of sporting equipment.

47. The tag according to claim 46, wherein the tag is configured to screw into the top of a golf club or fit otherwise around the grip of the club or be configured such that at least part or all of the tag is located or locatable underneath or within a grip or handle of the piece of equipment, such as a golf club.

49. A method for automatically gathering information on the performance of an action comprising at least one object striking another object, the method comprising automatically detecting when an object is hit using the system according to claim 1.

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