Method and apparatus for evaluating a putt

• US 8,192,295 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Rankin, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre Eddy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US12/464,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20090280921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 473/199, 473/266, 473/131, 473/151, 473/405, 434/252, 463/2, 463/3, 463/7, 463/36
• US Class Current: 473/199
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/00 Golfing accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3676 for putting A63B69/3608, A63B69/3661, A63B69/3667 and A63B69/3697 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0676 Force, weight, load, energy, speed or acceleration

Abstract

A method, system and golf ball determine the side spin and/or back spin of a golf ball to facilitate the evaluation of a putt. In one embodiment, a system includes a golf ball and an offboard display device. The golf ball includes a golf ball body, a motion sensor disposed within the golf ball body and configured to measure acceleration of the golf ball along each of three mutually perpendicular axis, and a transmitter within the golf ball body transmits data representative of spin of the golf ball. The display device includes a receiver and a display, and the receiver receives data representative of the spin of the golf ball from the transmitter and the display is configured to provide a representation of a measure of the spin of the golf ball.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating a spin of a moving golf ball that is struck with a golf club, the system comprising:

a golf ball comprising;

a golf ball body;

a motion sensor disposed within the golf ball body and configured to measure acceleration of the golf ball along each of three mutually perpendicular axis;

a processor disposed within the golf ball body and configured to determine spin of the golf ball based upon the acceleration measured by the motion sensor, the processor further configured to determine the backspin of the golf ball based upon a time rate of angular rotation of an acceleration vector about a horizontal axis; and

a transmitter disposed within the golf ball body configured to transmit data representative of spin of the golf ball; and

a display device comprising;

a receiver configured to receive data representative of the spin of the golf ball from transmitter;

a display configured to provide a representation of a measure of the spin of the golf ball, wherein at least one of the golf ball and the display device comprises a processor configured to determine the spin of the golf ball based upon the acceleration measured by the motion sensor.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine the side spin of the golf ball based upon a time rate of angular rotation of an acceleration vector about a vertical axis.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine a skid time or a bounce count.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine a score based upon at least the spin of the golf ball.