Golf swing-diagnosing system

• US 7,857,708 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Onuki, Masahide, Ueda, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/089,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20050215336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 434247-252, 473/151, 473/266, 473/219, 473/267
• US Class Current: 473/257
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0647 Visualisation of executed movements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A computer (16) for capturing a colored moving image photographed by photographing means (14, 15) has an extraction means for extracting images having necessary swing postures as check-point images from a large number of still images constituting the color moving image; a means for obtaining a coordinate of a position of each of attention-focused points, which operate, in each of the check-point images, while a golfer (11) is swinging; a means for diagnosing a golfer'"'"'s swing form by setting a plurality of diagnosis items for each trajectory pattern obtained by a ball motion measuring apparatus (20) to classify behavior of a golf ball and by comparing numerical data generated from data of the coordinate of the position of each of the attention-focused points with a judgement value set in each of a plurality of diagnosis items; and a means for outputting an advice drill corresponding to a result of a diagnosis.

Claims

1. A golf swing-diagnosing system to permit a adjustment of a golf swing comprising a computer for capturing a golf swing colored moving image and for capturing a number of still frames from the colored moving image in which a golfer swinging by gripping a golf club is photographed, wherein said computer comprises:

an extraction means for selectively extracting one or more individual still images each individual still image showing a swing posture as a check-point image, wherein the one or more individual still check-point images are selected from the group consisting of an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image from a large number of still images constituting said color moving image;

means for extracting a plurality of different colored marks attached to the golfer or the golfer'"'"'s golf club or a plurality of attention-focused points from each individual still check-point image sufficient to diagnose the golfer'"'"'s swing;

means for obtaining a coordinate of a position of each of a plurality of different colored marks attached to a golfer or a golf club, and/or of a plurality of attention-focused points comprising a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, contour of the golfer'"'"'s silhouette, the curvature of the contour of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a straight line associated with the contour of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, edge extraction characteristics of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a color of a golfer'"'"'s garment, and a golfer'"'"'s skin color, which operate, in each of said individual still check-point images, while said golfer is swinging, wherein sufficient different colored marks and/or attention-focused points are used to diagnose the golfer'"'"'s swing;

a means for diagnosing a swing form of said golfer by setting a plurality of diagnosis items each including a swing posture and a shaft angle for each trajectory pattern and by comparing numerical data generated from data of said coordinate of said position of each of said attention-focused points in each of said check-point images with a judgement value which is an ideal value inputted to said computer in advance; and

a means for outputting an advice drill corresponding to a result of each of said diagnosis from a data base in which a plurality of advice drills prepared as a practicing method for improving a swing form is registered.

2. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein said trajectory pattern is divided into a pull hook, a pull, a pull slice, a straight hook, a straight, a straight slice, a push hook, a push, and a push slice.

3. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, further comprising a ball motion measuring apparatus for measuring a behavior of a golf ball hit by said golfer so that said trajectory pattern is obtained according to a side spin amount of said golf ball measured by said ball motion measuring apparatus and a deviation angle thereof measured thereby.

4. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein a differential silhouette is obtained by executing differential processing between a top image in which a swing posture of a top state is photographed and an image obtained at a predetermined time period after said top image so that a conversion from backswing to forward swing which is made at said top state is diagnosed by using an area of said differential silhouette.

5. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein a conversion from backswing to forward swing made at the top state is diagnosed based on a difference of an angle formed between a shaft line in a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image and a shaft line in an address image when a golfer is seen rearward therefrom in a ball fly line direction.

6. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein it is judged that said golfer has a cock motion when a difference between a wrist angle in a predetermined swing posture and a wrist angle in another swing posture is not less than a predetermined value or when said wrist angle in said predetermined swing posture is not less than a predetermined value.

7. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 1, wherein when a mark set in each of a plurality of diagnosis items satisfies or does not satisfy a judgement value which is an ideal value, said marks are added to each other.

8. The golf swing diagnosing system of claim 1, wherein the number of individual still check-point images is twelve.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for executing differential processing between the plurality of colored marks and a colored background image to remove background colors proximate to that of the colored mark present in the background image to reduce erroneous recognition of the colored mark, and

wherein the golfer swinging by gripping a golf club is photographed to achieve a reduction of an erroneous recognition ratio of attention-focused points for diagnosing the swing of the golfer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of check-point images is limited to no more than twelve.

11. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 3, wherein said computer has an inquiry means through which said golfer inputs a trajectory pattern said golfer desires to be diagnosed before said golfer hits a golf ball so that when a trajectory pattern obtained from an actual behavior of said golf ball measured by said ball motion measuring apparatus conforms to or similar to said trajectory pattern inputted through said inquiry means, said computer outputs results of said diagnosis and an advice drill.

12. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 7, wherein said marks outputted for said respective diagnosis items are added to each other;

and a total of said marks is outputted as a result of a diagnosis.

13. A golf swing-diagnosing system comprising:

a computer for (1) extracting one or more individual still images each showing posture as check-point images selected from the group consisting of an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image from a large number of still colored images by capturing a colored image in which a golfer swinging by gripping a club is photographed;

(2) obtaining a coordinate of each of attention-focused points, which operate, in each of only said check-point images, while said golfer is swinging; and

(3) diagnosing a swing form of said golfer by setting a plurality of diagnosis items each including a swing posture and a shaft angle for each trajectory pattern; and

a server connected with said computer through a communication network and receiving swing information having results of a diagnosis on a swing form from said computer, and

a terminal information apparatus connected to said communication network for providing said swing information to said golfer.

14. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein past swing information is stored in time series in a data base of said server by relating said past swing information to said golfer.

15. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein said swing information has a result of a trajectory of a golf ball hit by said golf club.

16. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein said swing information has a plurality of advice drills which is prepared in correspondence to each of said diagnosis items as a practicing method for improving a swing form and is selected appropriately in correspondence to a result of a diagnosis on said swing form from a data base in which said advice drills are registered.

17. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein said swing information has contents of inquiry inputted before hitting a golf ball.

18. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein results of diagnosis on said swing form have a result of a diagnosis on a conversion from backswing to forward swing at said top state which is diagnosed by using an area of a differential silhouette which is obtained by executing differential processing between a top image in which a swing posture of a top state is photographed and an image obtained at a predetermined time period after said top image.

19. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein results of a diagnosis on said swing form have a result of a diagnosis on a conversion from backswing to forward swing made at the top state which is diagnosed based on a difference of an angle formed between a shaft line in a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image and a shaft line in an address image when a golfer is seen rearward therefrom in a ball fly line direction.

20. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 13, wherein said swing information has information of a loft angle of a golf club head selected according to an angle of elevation of a golf ball and a trajectory height thereof measured by a ball motion measuring apparatus.

21. The golf swing diagnosing system of claim 13, wherein the number of individual still images each showing posture as check-point images is twelve.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein a plurality of different colored marks are attached to the golfer or the golfer'"'"'s golf club to comprise a plurality of attention-focused points from each individual still check-point image sufficient to diagnose the golfer'"'"'s swing, and a processor for performing differential processing between the plurality of different colored marks and a colored background image is employed to remove background colors proximate to that of the colored mark present in the background image to reduce erroneous recognition of the colored mark.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the number of check-point images is limited to no more than twelve.

24. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 16, wherein each of said advice drills has a sample moving image for explaining a practicing method.

25. The golf swing-diagnosing system according to claim 18, wherein results obtained by diagnosing said swing form includes a wrist angle;

and said swing information has information of an optimum golf club shaft chosen from said results obtained by diagnosing said swing direction change-over motion made at the top state and said wrist angle.

26. A method of diagnosing a golf swing to permit a adjustment of a golf swing comprising a computer for capturing a golf swing colored moving image and for capturing a number of still frames from the colored moving image in which a golfer swinging by gripping a golf club is photographed, comprising:

selectively extracting one or more individual still images each individual still image showing a swing posture as a check-point image, wherein the one or more individual still check-point images are selected from the group consisting of an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image from a large number of still images constituting said color moving image;

extracting a plurality of different colored marks attached to the golfer or the golfer'"'"'s golf club or a plurality of attention-focused points from each individual still check-point image sufficient to diagnose the golfer'"'"'s swing;

obtaining a coordinate of a position of each of a plurality of different colored marks attached to a golfer or a golf club, and/or of a plurality of attention-focused points comprising a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, contour of the golfer'"'"'s silhouette, the curvature of the contour of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a straight line associated with the contour of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, edge extraction characteristics of a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a color of a golfer'"'"'s garment, and a golfer'"'"'s skin color, which operate, in each of said individual still check-point images, while said golfer is swinging, wherein sufficient different colored marks and/or attention-focused points are extracted to diagnose the golfer'"'"'s swing;

diagnosing a swing form of said golfer by setting a plurality of diagnosis items each including a swing posture and a shaft angle for each trajectory pattern and by comparing numerical data generated from data of said coordinate of said position of each of said attention-focused points in each of said check-point images with a judgement value which is an ideal value inputted to said computer in advance; and

outputting an advice drill corresponding to a result of each of said diagnosis from a data base in which a plurality of advice drills prepared as a practicing method for improving a swing form is registered.

27. The method of diagnosing a golf swing of claim 26, wherein the number of individual check-point images is twelve.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

executing differential processing between the plurality of colored marks and a colored background image to remove background colors proximate to that of the colored mark present in the background image to reduce erroneous recognition of the colored mark.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the number of check point images is limited to no more than twelve.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising recognizing an image using a template and template matching processing.