Golf swing diagnostic apparatus

• US 4,341,384 A
• Filed: 02/23/1981
• Issued: 07/27/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James D. Thackrey
• Original Assignee: James D. Thackrey
• Inventors: Thackrey, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US06/236,706
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 273/186 R, 273/186 A
• US Class Current: 473/222
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3623 for driving A63B69/3608, A63B69/3658, A63B69/3661, A63B69/3667 and A63B69/3691 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for determining how squarely a golf club face is presented to the ball near and at the point at which the club face makes contact with the ball. Collimated light from outside the clubhead arc on the target line-of-flight strikes a reflective patch fixed to the club face. The reflected beam is picked up by sensors, each of which if struck by light switches on an adjacent marker light. Thus the path followed by the reflected beam during one stroke is marked in lights for study or playback. As few as one or as many as thousands of sensors may be used, with suitable adjustment to the optics. If the marker lights turned on are right or left of target it indicates a non-square blow. Information about clubface loft angle during the stroke is obtained from the starting and stopping point of the line of marker lights. Opening or closing the clubface near the contact point results in the line of marker lights being other than vertical. SCRs are used to turn on the marker lights so each one stays on until reset. Results may be stored and played back in more elaborate versions, but the preferred embodiment merely displays.

Claims

1. Apparatus to be used in evaluating the swinging of a golf club with regard to the squareness of the golf club'"'"'s face to the intended ball-flight path at the point in the golf club swing at which the club face makes contact with the ball, comprising

a source of electromagnetic radiation, and

reflective material backed with adhesive so as to be affixed temporarily to any golf club'"'"'s face, and

a multiplicity of sensor-marker assemblies each of which comprises

a sensor assembly which reacts to the electromagnetic radiation from said source by closing an electrical circuit;

and

a marker light adjacent to said sensor-marker assembly and disposed to be switched on when the electrical circuit is closed, in which radiation from said source must be reflected from said reflective material to reach any of said multiplicity of sensor-marker assemblies, whereby during a single golf swing only certain ones of said sensor-marker assemblies receive radiation and these certain ones may be identified as having received radiation by their having closed the electrical circuit and switched on their associated marker light, the location of the switched-on marker lights with respect to the intended ball-flight path existing after a swing being immediately visible to an observer whereby the observer can evaluate the squareness of the golf club face during the swing.

2. Apparatus for use with a golf club for displaying the squareness of the golf club'"'"'s face to a working plane parallel to the plane containing the intended ball-flight path during that portion of a golf club swing when the club face is near the contact point with the ball, comprising

an incandescent filament located in the working plane, and

focusing means having conjugate points, one conjugate point being at said filament and the other being the contact point, and

a reflective surface fixed to the golf club'"'"'s face, and

a light-sensitive transistor located in the working plane, and

a silicone controlled rectifier (SCR) having one gate terminal and two main terminals, the gate terminal being connected to said light-sensitive transistor and the main terminals of said SCR being in a series circuit with

a marker light adjacent to said light-sensitive transistor, whereby at the contact point of the swing radiation from said incandescent filament is caused by said focusing means to fall on said reflective surface and, if the club face is square to the intended path, will be reflected to fall on said light-sensitive transistor and so trigger the gate of said SCR which conducts and turns on said marker light, the illumination or non-illumination of said marker light constituting a display showing squareness or non-squareness respectively of the golf club face at the contact point.

3. Apparatus for obtaining and displaying information about loft angle and squareness of a golf club'"'"'s face to a working plane parallel to the plane containing the intended ball-flight path during that portion of a golf club swing when the club face is at or near the contact point with the ball, comprising

an incandescent filament located in the working plane, and

focusing means having conjugate points, one conjugate point being at said filament and the other being at the contact point, and

a plurality of light-sensitive transistors located on the same side of the club face as said filament, on a field transverse to the working plane, each said transistor having associated with it

a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) having one gate terminal and two main terminals, the gate terminal being connected to said light-sensitive transistor and the main terminals being in a series circuit with

a marker light adjacent to said light-sensitive transistor, whereby at the contact point of the swing radiation from said filament is caused by said focusing means to reflect from the club face as the club face passes through the conjugate point and after reflection to proceed toward said light-sensitive transistors and possibly strike some of them, triggering the gate of their associated SCRs and turning on their associated marker lights whereby the pattern of turned-on marker lights forms a display from which information about the loft angle and squareness at and near the contact point is preserved for diagnosis and study.

4. Apparatus to be used when a golf club is swung for practice to sense and display the squareness of the club face to the desired ball-flight path and simultaneously the loft angle of the clubface when the club head is near the point where the clubface impacts a practice ball, comprising

a source of electromagnetic radiation formed into a beam and directed downward at the loft angle desired of the clubface at the moment of contact with the practice ball, and

a multiplicity of sensor-marker assemblies located adjacent to each other to form a field around said source of electromagnetic radiation, each of which sensor-marker assemblies comprises

a light-sensitive transistor which transmits an electric signal when struck by electromagnetic radiation reflected from the clubface, and

an SCR whose gate voltage is controlled by the signal from said light sensitive transistor, and

a marker light connected in series with the main terminals of said SCR,

in which electromagnetic radiation from said source does not reach said sensor-marker assemblies until it has been reflected from the clubface hence only such light-sensitive transistors as are in the path of the reflected beam will transmit an adequate voltage to the gate terminal of their associated SCR to turn on their associated marker light, whereby a display of illuminated marker lights exists until reset among the multiplicity of sensor-marker assemblies, the left-to-right and the vertical position of illuminated marker lights enabling the squareness of the clubface to the desired ball-flight path and the loft angle near the point where the club impacts the practice ball, respectively, to be determined.

5. Apparatus for displaying the accuracy with which a golfer swings a golf club against a practice ball, through creating a display of lights by which squareness and loft angle of the clubface at the point in the swing at which ball contact is made may be diagnosed, comprising

an incandescent filament, and

focusing means having two conjugate points, the first at said filament and the second on the unused portion of the clubface as contact is made with the practice ball, both said filament and said focusing means being adjustably mounted, and

a frame on which said filament and focusing means are mounted, said frame being curved about the second conjugate point so the second conjugate point remains essentially stationary when said filament and focusing means are moved along said frame for adjustment, and

a multiplicity of sensor-marker assemblies arranged in a field surrounding said filament and focusing means, the field being substantially perpendicular to the line between the conjugate points, each sensor-marker assembly comprising

a light-sensitive transistor, and

a resistor, and

a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) whose gate and said resistor are both connected to said light-sensitive transistor, said resistor being selected to control the sensitivity of said sensor-marker assembly to illumination such that when sufficient illumination is present the trigger voltage of the gate of said SCR is reached, and

a marker light in series with the main terminals of said SCR, there being in series connection with each said sensor-marker assemblies a common element,

a normally-closed momentary contact switch which may be momentarily opened to reset the apparatus, operation of the apparatus being to first adjust the line between conjugate points to be square with the clubface when the clubface is held as desired against the practice ball, and then to move the club, reset the marker lights and execute the practice swing, whereupon light from the filament will be reflected from the clubface into the field of sensor-marker assemblies, and only such sensor-marker assemblies as receive reflected light will turn on, enabling the squareness and actual loft angle of the clubface at the point of contact with the practice ball to be determined from the pattern of illuminated marker lights.

6. An electronic method of depicting in lights the squareness with the intended ball-flight path and the clubface loft angle near the point of impact with a practice golf ball, so as to diagnose a golfer'"'"'s swinging of a golf club, comprising

shining a beam of light from an elevated position in the direction of the intended ball-flight path downward to an area adjacent to the practice ball, through which area a part of the face of the golf club must pass if the swing is properly executed, and

sensing the location of light reflcted from the club'"'"'s face using light-sensitive transistors, a multiplicity of individual light-sensitive transistors being distributed transversely to the beam of light, and

electronically switching on an associated marker light adjacent to each of the light-sensitive transistors which is struck by the reflected light and

turning off all the marker lights after the diagnosis of the swing'"'"'s squareness and loft has been made in preparation for the next swing.