Computer aided golf training device

• US 4,542,906 A
• Filed: 08/29/1983
• Issued: 09/24/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Hiroaki, Yasuda, Yoshinori, Ogawa, Kohji, Tsutsumi, Takao, Takase, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lastova, MaryAnn Stoll
• Application Number:
  US06/527,473
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 273/32 H, 273/181 H, 273/181 E, 273/181 A, 273/181 G, 273/186 R, 273/186 B, 273/186 C, 273/186 RA, 273/183 A, 273/185 A, 273/185 B , 273/185 R, 434/247, 434/252
• US Class Current: 473/152
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/802 Ultra-sound sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A golf training device for detecting movement of a golf ball and club head including a supporting body which extends toward the golf ball traveling direction. On one side of the supporting body first and second optical signals are output, on the other side the signals are detected. First and second light signals are discriminated by analysis of their detected different phases, and this data is used to analyze ball movement. Club head movement, in one embodiment, is analyzed using fiber optic detectors in the mat.

Claims

1. A golf training device for detecting movement of a golf ball impacted to display data on the ball which comprises:

a supporting body which extends toward a golf ball traveling direction and which has a signal producing means holding part on one side and a signal detecting means holding part on the other side with respect to the reference axis of the golf ball traveling direction,

first and second light signal producing means placed along the golf ball traveling direction at a predetermined distance on the signal producing means holding part of said supporting body to emit, including means to emit light signals where the phase of the first light signal is different from the phase of the second light signal in at least an area where the golf bass is passed,

a first light signal detecting means for detecting the first light signal from at least said first light signal producing means including means to output a detection signal and a second light signal detecting means for discriminately detecting each of the signals from said first and second light signal producing means including means to output a detection signal, both of the light signal detecting means being arranged along the golf ball traveling direction at a predetermined distance on the light signal detecting means holding part of said supporting body and wherein the discrimination between said first and second signals is at least partially accomplished by the phase difference between said first and second light signals,

an operation-processing means which receives output signals from said first and second light signal detecting means and processes data on said golf ball based on said received signals, and

a display means for displaying the result of the processing in said operation-processing means.

2. A golf training device according to claim 1 wherein said light signal detecting means holding part extends upwardly from said supporting body at a predetermined length and has first and second light signal detecting means which are respectively vertically arranged.

3. A golf training device according to claim 1 wherein said operation-processing means includes a separating means for separating a detection signal indicative of movement of a golf ball which is output from said first and second light signal detecting means, from a detection signal indicative of movement of a club head and is capable of outputting the result of operation of the detection signal indicative of movement of the ball to said display means.

4. A golf training device for detecting movement of a golf ball impacted to display data on the ball which comprises:

a first base plate for a golf ball,

a club head moving speed detecting means comprising;

at least two elements which are placed in a predetermined distance in the golf ball traveling direction each having;

a coaxial optical fiber where one end is exposed on the surface of said first base plate;

a light emitting element placed at the opposite end from that exposed on said base plate, wherein said light emitting element is placed on the inner axis of said optical fiber; and

a photosensitive element placed at the opposite end from that exposed, wherein said light emitting element is placed on said base plate on the outer axis of said optical fibers provided in said first base plate, which detects the moving speed of said club head, and means to output a detection signal,

a second base plate which extends toward a golf ball traveling direction and which has a signal detecting means holding part on one side and a signal detecting means holding part on the other side with respect to the reference axis of the golf ball traveling direction,

a first and second signal producing means placed along the golf ball traveling direction at a predetermined distance on the signal producing means holding part of said second base plate including means to emit signals to at least an area where the golf ball is passed,

a first signal detecting means for detecting a signal from at least said first signal producing means further including means to output a detection signal and a second signal detecting means for detecting the signals from said first and second signal producing means, further including means to output a detection signal, both of the signal detecting means being arranged along the golf ball traveling direction at a predetermined distance on the signal detecting means holding part of said second base plate,

an operation-processing means constructed in such a manner that an output signal from said club head moving speed detecting means is received including means to process the data on club head moving speed;

an output signal from said first and second signal detecting means is received to perform processing of the data on the ball including speed of the ball;

the data on the moving speed of said club head moving speed detecting means is compared with the data on the speed of the ball obtained based on the output signal from said first and second signal detecting means; and

the data on the speed and other data of the ball are output to be displayed when the speed of the club head is smaller than the speed of the ball, otherwise indication of error is output without displaying the data on speed of the ball, and

a display means for displaying the result of the processing in said operation-processing means.

5. A golf training device according to claim 4 wherein said signal detecting means holding part extends upwardly from said supporting body at a predetermined length and has first and second signal detecting means which are respectively vertically arranged.

6. A golf training device according to claim 5 wherein said first and second signal producing means are respectively composed of first and second light emitting elements and said first and second signal detecting means are respectively composed of a plurality of photosensitive elements which are arranged with a distance between them smaller than that of the diameter of a golf ball.

7. A golf training device according to claim 6 wherein said first and second light emitting elements respectively emit beams whose phases are different from each other.