Flying spherical body measuring apparatus

• US 5,481,355 A
• Filed: 08/05/1993
• Issued: 01/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kondo, Katsufumi, Masuda, Katsuhiko, Chujo, Yasuyuki, Yataka, Kouji, Iijima, Kenzaburou
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US08/102,345
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 250/222.1, 273/185 R, 356/28, 356/152.3
• US Class Current: 356/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/36 Devices characterised by the use of optical means, e.g. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/68 takes precedence; gyrometers using the Sagnac effect, i.e. rotation-induced shifts between counter-rotating electromagnetic beams G01C19/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/68 using optical means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/80 takes precedence ; by reflection of waves G01S17/58

Abstract

The initial movement of a spherical body is detected by detecting the intersection with a light beam emitted from trigger light illuminating portion 2 to trigger light-receiving portion 3, and as a result, measurement of time by an arithmetic processing unit is started. During flight, spherical body 1 intersects light beams emitted from surface velocity sensors 4 and 5, the reflected light therein is detected by these surface velocity sensors 4 and 5, and the surface velocity of spherical body 1 is then measured. Spherical body 1 continues in flight and intersects at least two light beams irradiated from multi-beam illuminating portion 6 which are detected by multi-beam light-receiving portion 7. Based on a signal from multi-beam light-receiving portion 7 the arithmetic processing unit measures the time of intersection of spherical body 1 with a light beam, and then calculates the angle of elevation, horizontal angle, velocity and surface velocity of spherical body 1 based on the aforementioned measured time period. Furthermore, this arithmetic processing unit also calculates the amount of directional rotation of spherical body 1 based on the aforementioned calculated angle of elevation, horizontal angle, velocity and surface velocity of spherical body 1.

Claims

1. A flying spherical body measuring apparatus comprising:

a detecting means for detecting the start of motion of a flying spherical body from a predetermined initial flight point;

a surface velocity sensor, arranged in a forward direction of said flying spherical body, with respect to said initial flight point, for optically measuring a surface velocity of said flying spherical body;

a multi-beam illuminating portion for emitting a plurality of light beams along a plane in a manner such that at least two of said plurality of light beams intersect said flying spherical body while in flight, said multi-beam illuminating portion being arranged in a forward direction of said flying spherical body with respect to said surface velocity sensor;

a multi-beam light receiving portion for receiving respectively a plurality of light beams emitted from said multi-beam illuminating portion; and

an arithmetic processing means for timing periods from the start of motion of the spherical body to intersections of the spherical body with at least two of said plurality of light beams and for calculating amounts of rotation of said flying spherical body with respect to predetermined directions based on the surface velocity measured by said surface velocity sensor, and amounts of an angle of elevation, a horizontal angle and velocity of said flying spherical body based on said periods;

said surface velocity sensor comprising;

a side portion surface velocity sensor for detecting the surface velocity of a side portion of said flying spherical body by means of emitting a light beam at said side portion of said flying spherical body and then detecting the reflected light of said light beam; and

a lower portion surface velocity sensor for detecting the surface velocity of a lower portion of said flying spherical body by means of emitting a light beam at said lower portion of said flying spherical body and then detecting the reflected light of said light beam.

2. A flying spherical body measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said side portion surface velocity sensor and said lower portion surface velocity sensor each respectively comprises;

an illuminating device;

a collimator lens for converting light emitted from said illuminating device into parallel rays;

a splitter for dividing said parallel rays passing through said collimator lens into two light beams diverging at a predetermined angle;

a total reflective mirror for totally reflecting said two light beams, and for intersecting said two light beams at a predetermined angle in a space through which said flying spherical body will pass;

a converging lens for converging the reflected light of said two light beams reflected by said flying spherical body; and

a light-receiving device for converting said reflected light converged by means of said converging lens into an electric signal.

3. A flying spherical body measuring process comprising the steps of:

calculating a velocity, angle of elevation and horizontal angle of a flying spherical body;

converting frequency data detected by means of a surface velocity sensor into block data of n equivalent portions, performing Fourier transformation calculation at every block data, and calculating an average frequency of each block data;

calculating an average surface velocity at every block data based on said average frequency of each block data;

calculating a surface velocity component at every block data based on said average surface velocity; and

calculating the amount of directional rotation of said flying spherical body based on the relationship between said surface velocity component, and a flight directional component, of surface velocity expressed by means of the rotational amount of said flying spherical body.