Golf club swing analyzers

• US 7,022,026 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charles H. Blankenship
• Original Assignee: Charles H. Blankenship
• Inventors: Blankenship, Charles H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US09/785,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20010017347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 473/221, 473/222, 473/225, 473/233, 473/257
• US Class Current: 473/221
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a golf club swing analyzer provides a housing; a light emission device configured to emit reference light toward a location in the path of a golf club swung adjacent the housing; a light reception device supported by the housing and configured to receive reference light emitted from the light emission device and reflected from the swung golf club; and discrimination circuitry coupled with the light reception device and configured to distinguish the reflected reference light received from the light emission device from incidental light, the discrimination circuitry being further configured to generate an indication signal responsive to the reception of reflected reference light.

Claims

1. A golf club swing analyzer comprising:

a light emission device configured to emit reference light toward a swung golf club;

a light reception device configured to receive reference light emitted from the light emission device and reflected from, the swung golf club; and

discrimination circuitry coupled with the light reception device and configured to discriminate the received reference light from incidental light and to generate an indication signal responsive to the discrimination of the received reference light and the incidental light, wherein the swung golf club blocks the incidental light from being received using the light reception device and the discrimination circuitry is configured to discriminate the received reference light from the incidental light responsive to the blocking.

2. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to generate the indication signal to indicate the reception of the received reference light.

3. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to generate the indication signal only responsive to the reception of the received reference light.

4. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to generate the indication signal responsive to the reception of the received reference light and not to generate the indication signal responsive to a reception of the incidental light within the light reception device.

5. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to not generate the indication signal responsive to a reception of the incidental light within the light reception device.

6. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the light emission device is configured to emit the reference light in a pulse having a duration less than a duration of one of a rise time and fall time resulting from the swung golf club blocking reception of incidental light within the light reception device.

7. The analyzer of claim 6 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to generate a timed pulse responsive to at least one of the received reference light and incidental light being received within the light reception device, the timed pulse having a duration greater than a duration of the reference light pulse and less than an individual one of the rise time and fall time.

8. The analyzer of claim 1 further comprising:

a processor coupled with the discrimination circuitry and configured to process the indication signal; and

a display coupled with the processor and wherein the processor is configured to control the display to indicate detection of the swung golf club responsive to processing of the indication signal.

9. The analyzer of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of light emission devices provided in a plurality of predefined positions upon a housing; and

a plurality of light reception devices provided in a plurality of corresponding positions upon the housing.

10. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the incidental light comprises light not generated for use in analyzing a golf swing.

11. The analyzer of claim 1 further comprising circuitry configured to indicate the discrimination to a user responsive to the indication signal.

12. The analyzer of claim 1 wherein the discrimination circuitry is configured to provide a high input impedance to output of the light reception device having a first frequency and a low input impedance to output of the light reception device having a second frequency, wherein the high input impedance is greater than the low input impedance and the first frequency is less than the second frequency.

13. A golf club swing analyzer comprising:

circuitry configured to receive reference light from a swung golf club, to receive incidental light, to discriminate the received reference light from the received incidental light, and to generate an indication signal to indicate the reception of the received reference light responsive to the discrimination; and

wherein the incidental light comprises light not generated for use in analyzing a golf swing, and the discrimination circuitry is configured to discriminate the received reference light from an entirety of all present incidental light.

14. The analyzer of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is configured to generate the indication signal only responsive to the reception of the received reference light.

15. The analyzer of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is configured to generate the indication signal responsive to the reception of the received reference light and not to generate the indication signal responsive to the reception of the received incidental light.

16. The analyzer of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is configured not to generate the indication signal responsive to the reception of the received incidental light.

17. The analyzer of claim 13 further comprising circuitry configured to emit the reference light toward the swung golf club.

18. The analyzer of claim 17 wherein the received incidental light comprises any light received by the circuitry configured to receive reference light and not emitted by the circuitry configured to emit the reference light.

19. The analyzer of claim 13 further comprising circuitry configured to emit the reference light in a pulse having a duration less than a duration of one of a rise time and fall time resulting from the swung golf club blocking the reception of incidental light.

20. The analyzer of claim 13 further comprising a display coupled with the circuitry and configured to indicate detection of the swung golf club responsive to the indication signal.

21. The analyzer of claim 13 further comprising circuitry configured to indicate the discrimination to a user responsive to the indication signal.

22. The analyzer of claim 13 wherein the circuitry is configured to provide a high input impedance to output of the light reception device having a first frequency and a low input impedance to output of the light reception device having a second frequency, wherein the high input impedance is greater than the low input impedance and the first frequency is less than the second frequency.

23. A golf club swing analyzer comprising:

a light reception device configured to receive reference light from a swung golf club and to receive incidental light;

circuitry coupled with the light reception device and configured to generate an indication signal responsive to the reception of the received reference light and not to generate the indication signal responsive to the reception of the received incidental light; and

a display coupled with the circuitry and configured to indicate detection of the swung golf club responsive to the generated indication signal; and

wherein the circuitry is configured to generate a pulse corresponding to the swung golf club blocking reception of incidental light from the light reception device, and the circuitry is configured to compare the generated pulse with the at least one pulse of the reference light to filter the incidental light.

24. The analyzer of claim 23 further comprising a light emission device configured to emit the reference light toward the swung golf club.

25. The analyzer of claim 23 wherein the incidental light comprises light not generated for use in analyzing a golf swing.

26. The analyzer of claim 23 wherein the circuitry is configured to provide a high input impedance to output of the light reception device having a first frequency and a low input impedance to output of the light reception device having a second frequency, wherein the high input impedance is greater than the low input impedance and the first frequency is less than the second frequency.

27. A golf club swing analyzer comprising:

a housing;

a light emission device configured to emit reference light in a substantially vertical direction toward a location in a path of a golf club swung adjacent the housing;

a light reception device supported by the housing and configured to receive reference light emitted from the light emission device and reflected from the swung golf club, wherein the light emission device is configured to emit the reference light in a plurality of pulses individually having a duration less than the duration of one of the rise time and fall time resulting from the golf club blocking incidental light from the light reception device; and

discrimination circuitry coupled with the light reception device and configured to discriminate the reflected reference light received from the light emission device from incidental light by generating a timed pulse responsive to reference light being received within the light reception device, the timed pulse having a duration greater than the duration of the reference light pulses and less than an individual one of the rise time and fall time.