Motion state of impacting and impacted object measuring apparatus and method

• US 8,959,981 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation), Flovel Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation), Flovel Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Tatsuya, Kai, Masataka, Miyagawa, Naoyuki, Arakawa, Masayoshi, Nakamura, Tetsuya, Shibui, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Application Number:
  US13/358,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 73/120.2, 367/90
• US Class Current: 73/12.02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras

Abstract

A measurement apparatus includes a first Doppler sensor which outputs a first transmission signal and receives a first Doppler signal, that is the first transmission signal returned after being reflected by an impacting object, a timing detection unit that detects an impact timing which is a moment when an impacted object is impacted by the impacting object, an impacting object speed computing unit that computes a speed of the impacting object based on the first Doppler signals obtained from the detected impact timing to a timing before a predetermined period, and an imaging unit that images the impacted object immediately after the impact so as to be used for computing a motion state of the impacted object, based on the computed speed of the impacting object.

Claims

1. A measurement apparatus comprising:

a first Doppler sensor which outputs a first transmission signal and receives a first Doppler signal, that is the first transmission signal returned after being reflected by an impacting object;

an impact timing detection unit that detects an impact timing, that is a moment when an impacted object is impacted by the impacting object;

an impacting object speed computing unit that computes a speed of the impacting object based on the first Doppler signals obtained between the detected impact timing and a previous timing before a predetermined period;

an image timing determination unit that determines a first imaging timing and a second imaging timing that capture images, based on the computed speed of the impacting object; and

an imaging unit that capture the images that contain the impacted object immediately after the impact and is used for computing a motion state of the impacted object, according to the determined imaging timings.

2. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a comparison unit that compares a signal level of the first Doppler signal with a predetermined reference level, and detects that the signal level of the first Doppler signal is the predetermined reference level or more; and

a storage unit that stores the first Doppler signals which are obtained during a predetermined period set in advance, and are sequentially updated by a new first Doppler signal having a level that is the predetermined reference level or more,

wherein the impacting object speed computing unit computes the speed of the impacting object, by using the first Doppler signals stored in the storage, unit, each time the first Doppler signals obtained during the predetermined period and stored in the storage unit, are updated by a new first Doppler signal.

3. The measurement apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the imaging unit obtains images of the impacted object twice at different timings immediately after the impact, and the measurement apparatus further comprises an impacted object speed computing unit that computes the motion state of the impacted object based on the two images obtained by the imaging unit.

4. The measurement apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a player imaging unit that images motion of a player upon impacting the impacted object using the impacting object; and

a display unit that displays a moving image of the player obtained by the player imaging unit, speed of the impacting object obtained by computing and the motion state of the impacted object.

5. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second Doppler sensor which outputs a second transmission signal and receives a second Doppler signal, that is the second transmission signal returned after being reflected by an impacting object; and

a switching unit that switches a target for computing the speed of the impacting object used by the impacting object speed computing unit, from the first Doppler signal to the second Doppler signal,

wherein the first Doppler sensor is for one of a right handed player and a left handed player, and the second Doppler sensor is for the other of the right handed player and the left handed player.

6. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impacting object is a golf club and the impacted object is a golf ball.

7. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first Doppler sensor and the impact timing detection unit are placed at a player'"'"'s front direction that is vertical direction against a ball trajectory direction of the impacted object.

8. A measurement method by a measurement apparatus having a Doppler sensor, an impact timing detection unit, an imaging timing determination unit, a computing unit and an imaging unit, the method comprising the steps of:

the Doppler sensor outputting a transmission signal and receiving a Doppler signal, that is the transmission signal returned after being reflected by an impacting object;

the impact timing detection unit detecting an impact timing, which is a moment when an impacted object is impacted by the impacting object;

the computing unit computing a speed of the impacting object based on the Doppler signals obtained between from the detected impact timing and a previous timing before a predetermined period;

the imaging timing determination unit that determines a first imaging timing and a second imaging timing that capture images, based on the computed speed of the impacting object; and

the imaging unit capturing the images that contain the impacted object immediately after the impact and is used for computing a motion state of the impacted object, according to the determined image timings.