Electric apparatus for use when practicing a golf swing

• US 4,979,745 A
• Filed: 02/24/1989
• Issued: 12/25/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maruman Golf Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maruman Golf Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US07/315,092
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 273/186 D, 273/29 R, 273/29 A, 273/26 R, 273/26 B, 273/183 R, 273/183 A, 273/183 D, 273/186 R, 273/186 A, 273/186 B, 273/195 R, 273/194 A , 273/164, 273/185 B, 434/252, 434/247, 340/323 R
• US Class Current: 473/222
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0627 when used improperly, e.g. by giving a warning
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club

Abstract

In an apparatus used for practicing a golf swing, a transmitter-receiver is stationarily arranged on the ground, and a relay unit is provided on the golf club in or near to head. The transmitter-receiver has an infrared light emitter and a pair of receivers. The relay unit has a receiver for receiving the light from the emitter of the transmitter-receiver and a infrared ray emitter for emitting a ray toward the pair of receivers of the transmitter-receiver. An LSI is provided for processing the light received by the pair of receivers separately, for detecting a change in intensity at time elapses for calculating the direction of the swing, and the timing of a maximum intensity for obtaining the head speed.

Claims

1. An apparatus used when practicing a golf swing, comprising:

a golf club having a shaft and a head;

a first light transmitting means for generating a beam of light substantially parallel to the ground;

first and second light receiving means located at the sides of the first light transmitting means for receiving light,

said first light transmitting means and said first and second light receiving means being stationarily arranged on the ground so as to face a head of the golf club at a position corresponding to an impact region in a passage of the head during a swing;

relay means, mounted in the head of the golf club or adjacent thereto, for relaying the light from said first light transmitting means to said first and second light receiving means during a swing;

first processing means, responsive to an elapsed time period corresponding to an intensity of light received by said first light receiving means during a club swing, for obtaining a first distance between the head and the first light receiving means;

second processing means, responsive to an elapsed time period corresponding to an intensity of light received by said second light receiving means during a club swing, for obtaining a second distance between the head and said second light receiving means; and

means for calculating a head trajectory angle of the swing based on the first and second distances, said head trajectory being at least one of an angle of inclination of a club face and an angle of inclination of an axis of said club swing with respect to a golf ball.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said relay means comprises:

a third light receiving means arranged on the golf club in or adjacent to the head thereof for receiving light from said stationary first light transmitting means;

a second light transmitting means arranged on the head for transmitting a light corresponding to the light received by said third light receiving means to the stationary first and second light receiving means; and

phase control means arranged between said third light receiving means and said second light transmitting means for controlling the phase between the light received by the third light receiving means and the light transmitted by the second light transmitting means, and for generating a time delay between the time said third light receiving means receives said beam of light and the time when said second light transmitting means transmits a second beam of light, wherein said phase control means discriminates between signals detected by said first and second light receiving means from a reflected signal.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said phase control means controls the phase difference so that a one bit phase difference is obtained between the light received by said third light receiving means and the light transmitted by the second light transmitting means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing means includes first detecting means for detecting a maximum intensity of a light received by the first light receiving means, and means for calculating the first distance based on the first maximum intensity;

and wherein said second processing means comprises second detecting means for detecting a second maximum intensity of light received by the second light receiving means, and means for calculating the second distance D2 based on the second maximum intensity.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of said first detecting means and said second detecting means comprises:

a means for obtaining an electric signal indicating the intensity of the received light;

a register means for storing the value of a prior electric signal; and

a comparing means for comparing a value of the electric signal now received with the value of the prior electric signal in the register means, for updating the register means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said calculating means for calculating the head trajectory angle comprises:

a timing means for generating a timing signal for a small period;

first detecting means operating synchronously with said timing means for detecting a first time for obtaining the first distance between the head and said first light receiving means;

second detecting means for detecting a second time for obtaining the second distance between the head and said second light receiving means;

means for calculating a difference between the first and second times obtained by said first and second detecting means; and

mean for calculating a head speed based on the calculated time difference and the first and second distances.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of said first detecting means and said second detecting means comprises:

a timer counter for counting a number of timing pulses;

means for transforming the intensity of light to an electric level signal;

register means for storing an electric value corresponding to the peak value of the intensity of light received by said first and second receiving means respectively;

comparing means for comparing the detected level with a stored peak value to update said register means; and

means for storing the value of said counter when the peak value is updated, the stored value of said counter obtaining the finally updated peak value as the timing of the detecting of the peak of the received light.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for determining a swing error from the content of the stored value of the time corresponding to an initial value of the counter.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for visually displaying the content of a swing angle.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for storing data of swing characteristics for a plurality of swings, and means for sequentially displaying the stored data of swing characteristics up to the completion of a count down of the number of swings.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first light transmitting means and said first and second light receiving means are arranged as a unit which is fixed in the ground in the same way as a golf tee.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light issued from the said first light transmitting means or the light relayed by said relay means is an infrared ray.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for monitoring a condition of a swing up to an impact phase for commencing operation of said first and second processing means after the impact phase is reduced.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said monitoring means comprises:

means for emitting a search beam toward the club head;

timer means for determining an elapse of time from an address phase to the impact phase of the swing;

means for detecting the search beam by said first and second light receiving means;

means for determining from a time longer than a first predetermined value upon said detection that the impact phase has been reached; and

means for issuing a trigger signal to said first and second processing means to commence operation when the impact phase has been reached.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for warning that an address is properly set, to allow said timer means to commence operation.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for determining, from said time shorter than a second predetermined value smaller than a first predetermined value when the search beam is detected, that the club head has been waggled, and means for clearing said timer means.

17. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for determining, when a search beam is not detected after said first predetermined time value has elapsed, that the swing is erroneous.