Golf swing analysis device and golf swing analysis method

• US 9,604,101 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KEIO University, Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: KEIO University, Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shibuya, Kazuhiro, Ota, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Brandi
• Application Number:
  US14/077,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 473/221, 473/200, 700/91, 734/91, 733/79, 463/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A golf swing analysis device includes a joint force calculation section and a torque extraction section. The joint force calculation section generates a double pendulum model that includes a first link that corresponds to an upper part of a body of a golfer, a second link that corresponds to a golf club, and a joint that links the first link and the second link, and calculates a joint force applied to the joint along with a swing motion using an acceleration measured by an inertial sensor attached to the golf club. The torque extraction section extracts a torque that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around a first axis from the joint force.

Claims

1. A golf swing analysis device comprising:

a communicator configured to exchange signals with a first inertial sensor attached to a golf club; and

a processor configured to analyze a swing motion of the golf club performed by a golfer based on data from the first inertial sensor by the communicator, wherein the processor includes;

a joint force calculation section that generates a double pendulum model that includes a first link that corresponds to an upper part of a body of the golfer, a second link that corresponds to the golf club, and a joint that links the first link and the second link, and the joint force calculation section calculates a joint force applied to the joint along with the swing motion using an acceleration and an angular velocity measured by the first inertial sensor attached to the golf club;

a torque extraction section that extracts a torque and a torque component that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around a first axis from the joint force;

a torque change detection section that detects a timing at which a sign of the torque detected by the torque extraction section changes; and

an analytical information generation section that generates analytical information about a natural swing using the timing at which the sign of the torque changes detected by the torque change detection section or the torque component extracted by the torque extraction section, wherein the analytical information generation section determines a time at which a transition to the natural swing occurs using the timing detected by the torque change detection section.

2. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the first axis being an axis that is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the second link that corresponds to the golf club.

3. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the first axis being an axis that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the second link that corresponds to the golf club and a travel direction of the second link.

4. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the communicator is configured to exchange signals with a second inertial sensor attached to the upper part of the body of the golfer; and

the processor is configured to have;

the joint force calculation section calculate at least one component among a plurality of components obtained by decomposing the joint force using at least one of an angular velocity measured by the first inertial sensor, an acceleration measured by the second inertial sensor, and an angular velocity measured by the second inertial sensor, and

the torque extraction section extract the torque component that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around the first axis from each of the plurality of components of the joint force calculated by the joint force calculation section.

5. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the communicator is configured to exchange signals with a second inertial sensor attached to the upper part of the body of the golfer; and

the processor is configured to have;

the joint force calculation section calculate a component of the joint force in a travel direction of the second link using the angular velocity measured by the first inertial sensor, and calculate a component of the joint force in a longitudinal axis direction of the first link using an angular velocity measured by the second inertial sensor, and

the torque extraction section extract the torque component that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around the first axis from each of the component in the travel direction of the second link and the component in the longitudinal axis direction of the first link calculated by the joint force calculation section.

6. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the first link corresponding to a virtual line that connects a center point of a line that connects shoulders of the golfer and a grip of the golf club.

7. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1 further comprises:

a display that depicts information provided by the processor, wherein

the processor further includes an image data generation section that generates image data based on the torque extracted by the torque extraction section and the analytical information determined by the analytical information generation section, and

the information depicted by the display is based on the image data from the image data generation section.

8. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 7, wherein:

the torque extraction section determines time-series data of the torque;

the torque change detection section detects the time at which the sign of the torque changes from negative to positive before an impact time of the golf club based on the time-series data;

the analytical information generation section identifies the time at which the sign of the torque changes as the time of transition to the natural swing;

the image data generation section generates the image data that is indicative of a graph that plots the time-series data and identifies the impact time, a start time provided as a predetermined time period before the impact time, and the time of the natural swing; and

the display depicts the graph based on the image data from the image data generation section.

9. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the torque extraction section determines time-series data of the torque;

the torque change detection section detects the time at which the sign of the torque changes from negative to positive before an impact time of the golf club based on the time-series data; and

the analytical information generation section identifies the time at which the sign of the torque changes as the time of transition to the natural swing.

10. The golf swing analysis device as defined in claim 1 wherein the joint force calculation section calculates the joint force using:

F=m₂({umlaut over (x)}_g2−

g)

{umlaut over (x)}_g2−

g=α

_S2+{umlaut over (ω

)}_S2×

l_S2e_l2+ω

_S2×

(ω

_S2×

l_S2e_l2)

wherein F is the joint force, m₂ is a mass of the second link, {umlaut over (x)}_g2 is the acceleration of a center of gravity of the second link, g is gravitational acceleration, α

_S2 is the acceleration measured by the first inertial sensor, ω

_S2 is the angular velocity of the joint measured by the first inertial sensor, l_s2 is a distance from an attachment position of the first inertial sensor to the center of gravity of the golf club, and e_l2 is a unit vector in a longitudinal axis direction of the second link.

11. A golf swing analysis device comprising:

a communicator configured to exchange signals with a first inertial sensor attached to a golf club and a second inertial sensor attached to an upper part of a body of a golfer; and

a processor configured to analyze a swing motion of the golf club performed by a golfer based on data received from the first inertial sensor and the second inertial sensor by way of the communicator, wherein the processor includes;

a joint force calculation section that generates a double pendulum model that includes a first link that corresponds to the upper part of the body of the golfer, a second link that corresponds to the golf club, and a joint that links the first link and the second link, and the joint force calculation section calculates at least one component among a plurality of components obtained by decomposing a joint force applied to the joint along with the swing motion using at least one of an angular velocity measured by the first inertial sensor attached to the golf club, an acceleration measured by the second inertial sensor attached to the upper part of the body of the golfer, and an angular velocity measured by the second inertial sensor;

a torque extraction section that extracts a torque and a torque component that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around a first axis from each component of the joint force calculated by the joint force calculation section;

a torque change detection section that detects a timing at which a sign of the torque detected by the torque extraction section changes; and

an analytical information generation section that generates analytical information about a natural swing using the timing detected by the torque change detection section at which the sign of the torque changes, or the torque component extracted by the torque extraction section, wherein the analytical information generation section determines a time at which a transition to the natural swing occurs using the timing detected by the torque change detection section.

12. A golf swing analysis method comprising:

generating a double pendulum model that includes a first link that corresponds to an upper part of a body of a golfer, a second link that corresponds to a golf club, and a joint that links the first link and the second link;

calculating a joint force applied to the joint along with a swing motion using an acceleration and an angular velocity measured by a first inertial sensor attached to the golf club;

extracting a torque and a torque component that causes the second link to make a rotational motion around a first axis from the joint force;

detecting a timing at which a sign of the torque changes;

generating analytical information about a natural swing using the timing detected at which the sign of the torque changes or the torque component extracted; and

determining a time at which a transition to the natural swing occurs using the timing at which the sign of the torque changes.