Method and apparatus for active control of golf club impact
First Claim
1. A golf club head having a hitting surface for impacting a golf ball;
- the head comprising;
a transducer for converting mechanical energy from said surface during a golf ball impact event to electrical energy;
a circuit coupled to said transducer for selectively generating a triggering signal responsive to said electrical energy; and
an actuator disposed in the golf club head mechanically coupled to said hitting surface by mounted attachment thereof and actuated responsive to said triggering signal, said actuator changing a mechanical attribute of said hitting surface and thereby altering golf ball impact in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event in response to said electrical energy.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for actively controlling the impact between a club head and a golf ball. A golf club head has a face with an actuator material or device mechanically coupled to influence face motion. The face actuation controls impact parameters, impact properties, or resulting ball parameters such as speed, direction and spin rates resulting from the impact event between the face of the club and the golf ball. Further, the apparatus has a control device for determining the actuation of the face. Several embodiments are presented for controlling parameters such as ball speed and direction. The invention can use energy derived from the ball impact, converted into electrical energy, and then reapplied in a controlled fashion to influence an aspect of the face, such as position, velocity, deformation, stiffness, vibration, motion, temperature, or other physical parameter.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A golf club head having a hitting surface for impacting a golf ball;
- the head comprising;
a transducer for converting mechanical energy from said surface during a golf ball impact event to electrical energy; a circuit coupled to said transducer for selectively generating a triggering signal responsive to said electrical energy; and an actuator disposed in the golf club head mechanically coupled to said hitting surface by mounted attachment thereof and actuated responsive to said triggering signal, said actuator changing a mechanical attribute of said hitting surface and thereby altering golf ball impact in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event in response to said electrical energy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- the head comprising;
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20. A golf club head having a ball impacting face for hitting a stationary golf ball, the head comprising;
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a transducer disposed in the golf club head and coupled to said ball impacting face by mounted attachment thereof for converting first mechanical energy of golf ball impact during an impact event into input electrical energy and for converting output electrical energy into second mechanical energy, said transducer by said second mechanical energy changing a mechanical attribute of said ball impacting face in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event; and a circuit coupled to said transducer for receiving said input electrical energy and supplying said output electrical energy; said input electrical energy being a pulse signal responsive to the first mechanical energy and said output electrical energy being an oscillating signal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of reducing the effective coefficient of friction between the face of a golf club head and a golf ball;
- the method comprising the steps of;
establishing a transducer in said golf club head electromechanically coupled to said face by mounted attachment thereof; and
,automatically actuating said transducer to convert the energy upon ball impact with said face during an impact event into an electro-mechanically actuated ultra-sonic vibration of said face to thereby change a mechanical attribute of said face for the interaction of said face and said ball in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event. - View Dependent Claims (27)
- the method comprising the steps of;
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28. A method of altering the interaction between a golf club head hitting surface and a golf ball being impacted by the hitting surface;
- the method comprising the steps of;
coupling a piezoelectric element disposed in the golf club head to said hitting surface by mounted attachment thereof to generate a first electrical signal in response to said hitting surface impacting said golf ball during an impact event; converting said first electrical signal into a selected second electrical signal; selectively connecting said second electrical signal to said piezoelectric element, said piezoelectric element changing a mechanical attribute of said hitting surface responsive to said second electrical signal to thereby alter the behavior of said golf ball in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event. - View Dependent Claims (29)
- the method comprising the steps of;
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30. A golf club head comprising:
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a hitting surface; and
,a device disposed in the golf club head coupled to said hitting surface by mounted attachment thereof for automatic electro-mechanical actuation responsive to impact of said hitting surface with a golf ball during an impact event, said device actively stiffening said hitting surface in adaptively controlled manner during said impact event when the force of said impact exceeds a selected threshold. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A golf club head comprising:
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a hitting surface; and
,a variable stiffening element disposed in the golf club head coupled to said hitting surface by mounted attachment thereof for automatic electromechanical actuation, said variable stiffening element selectively increasing and decreasing the stiffness of said hitting surface of said head in adaptively controlled manner during an impact event responsive to sensed impact with a ball during said impact event. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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Specification