Video analysis system of swing motion

• US 8,020,098 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Katayama, Hide
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta; Soumya
• Application Number:
  US11/387,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20060281060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 715/261, 715/720, 715/722
• US Class Current: 715/720
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/808 Microphones
• 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 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

A video analysis system for analyzing video of a swing motion including an imaging unit that records video of the swing motion, an impact detection unit, a video display unit, a control unit, and a personal computer. The control unit activates functions, remotely from the personal computer, and performs functions, including receiving the video of the swing motion, receiving an impact detection signal, recording the video of the swing motion, determining an impact time based on the impact detection signal and recording images of the swing motion for a predetermined time period that includes the impact with the ball, displaying the video of the swing motion on the video display unit, slowing down replay speed of the video of the swing motion to be lower than an actual speed of the recorded swing, temporarily stopping the video, and switching video replay between a forward mode and a backward mode.

Claims

1. A video analysis system for analyzing video of a swing motion for hitting a ball, the video analysis system comprising:

an imaging unit that records video of the swing motion;

an impact detection unit that detects impact with the ball;

a video display unit;

a control unit that performs functions (a) to (h);

(a) receiving the video of the swing motion from the imaging unit;

(b) receiving an impact detection signal from the impact detection unit;

(c) recording the video of the swing motion received from the imaging unit into the control unit;

(d) in response to the control unit recording the video of the swing motion received from the imaging unit, determining an impact time based on the impact detection signal received from the impact detection unit and recording images of the swing motion for a predetermined time period that includes the impact with the ball;

(e) displaying the video of the swing motion received from the imaging unit;

on the video display unit;

(f) while displaying the video of the swing motion on the video display unit, slowing down replay speed of the video of the swing motion to be lower than an actual speed of the recorded swing;

(g) while displaying the video of the swing motion on the video display unit, temporarily stopping the video; and

(h) while displaying the video of the swing motion on the video display unit, switching video replay between a forward mode and a backward mode; and

a personal computer that includes software that performs function (1);

(1) designating frame numbers of the video at an address position, a top position, an impact position, and a finish position in an image memory, and capturing images at the address position, the top position, the impact position, and the finish position from the video of the swing motion in response to a menu selection, and displaying the four captured images on the same screen of the video display unit,

wherein the control unit is connected to the personal computer,

wherein the functions (a) to (h) are activated by the control unit, remotely from the personal computer, and performed by the control unit, and wherein the function (1) is activated by and performed automatically by the personal computer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined time period is a sum of 1.3 to 2.2 seconds before the impact with the ball and 0.8 to 2.2 seconds after the impact with the ball.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further performs function (i):

(i) adjusting the predetermined time period when the control unit records the video of the swing motion by the function (d).

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the imaging unit comprises a first camera and a second camera, and

the control unit further performs function (j);

(j) switching among a first video of the first camera, a second video of the second camera, and a third video provided by center wiping of the first and second videos, and displaying the switched video on the video display unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further performs function (k):

(k) switching between a live video and a stored video, and displaying the switched video on the video display unit.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further performs function (l):

(l) erasing the recorded video of the swing motion from the control unit.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit further performs function (m);

(m) a function of transmitting the video of the swing motion to the personal computer,

wherein the personal computer is connected to the control unit, and

the control unit transmits the video of the swing motion to the personal computer.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

the control unit further comprises a plurality of buttons and a plurality of switches on an outer surface thereof,

when at least one of the buttons is depressed, the control unit activates a function corresponding to the at least one depressed button,

when at least one of the switches is operated, the control unit activates a function corresponding to the at least one operated switch, and

a total number of the buttons and the switches provided on the outer surface of the control unit is 20 or less.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the total number of the buttons and the switches provided on the outer surface of the control unit is 10 or less.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the video of the swing motion transmitted to the personal computer by the control unit includes at least one of a live video and a video recorded in the control unit.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the control unit further comprises a communication interface through which the video of the swing motion is transmitted from the control unit to the personal computer, and

the communication interface complies with a USB standard.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein:

a CPU clock frequency of the personal computer is equal to or higher than 1 GHz, and

the communication interface complies with a USB 2.0 standard having 480 Mbps in data transmission speed.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software performs functions (2) to (3):

(2) arranging the four captured images in a predetermined display format when displaying the four images on the same screen of the video display unit while generating a comment on the video of the swing motion by calling the comment from a previously created comment file and adding and registering a newly created comment to the comment file, and displaying the comment in the display format; and

(3) permitting entry of a name of a golfer and a name of an instructor in the display format and recording the names of the golfer and the instructor.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software performs at least one of functions (4) to (12):

(4) superposing two images in the video of the swing motion on each other on the same screen and making one of the images translucent, enabling a user to simultaneously view the two images on the same screen;

(5) switching between the video provided by one camera of the imaging unit and the videos provided by two cameras of the imaging unit for display;

(6) receiving a first video provided by a first camera of the imaging unit and a second video provided by a second camera of the imaging unit from the control unit and aligning top positions of the first and second videos, thereby displaying the first and second videos in synchronization with each other;

(7) displaying a scale on the screen on which the video of the swing motion is displayed;

(8) displaying a line selected from among a circle, an ellipse, a straight line, a rectangle, a free-form curve, and a grid line on the screen on which the video of the swing motion is displayed;

(9) setting three points within the screen on which the video of the swing motion is displayed and calculating and displaying an angle between two straight lines connecting the three points;

(10) saving a file of the video of the swing motion received from the control unit;

(11) compressing and saving a file of the video of the swing motion received from the control unit; and

(12) making a printer print the screen on which the video of the swing motion is displayed.

15. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a behavior analysis system of a hit ball so that ball behavior data, which is a ball hit result, and the video of the swing motion, which is a cause of ball behavior, can be determined.