Dynamic sampling in sports equipment

• US 9,999,804 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Goel, Manan, Lafortune, Mario A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skaarup, Jason
• Application Number:
  US15/153,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20160256739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• 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 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

Analysis of sporting equipment characteristics may be analyzed using dynamic sampling rates. For example, analyzing a golf swing may include the use of one or more sensors providing data at various sampling rates. According to some aspects, the sampling rate may be dynamically modified upon determination of one or more golf equipment characteristics, environmental conditions, player characteristics and the like. In one example, a sampling rate processor may dynamically select a sampling rate at which data is sampled from one or more sensors. In some examples, by dynamically selecting the sampling rate, an analysis may be tailored to various types, and portions of a golf swing, in addition to producing power consumption by the analysis instruments in the golf club system. According to other aspects, triggering conditions for modifying a sampling rate may be determined from a population of one or more previous golf swings performed by a user.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a processor;

a sensor configured to capture sensor data related to at least one metric of a golf swing;

a transceiver configured to receive transceiver data related to a location of a golf ball on a golf course, and at least one of golf course condition information and prevailing weather conditions; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor is configured to cause the golf club to perform;

receiving the sensor data from the sensor;

sampling the received sensor data at a first sampling rate;

receiving the transceiver data from the transceiver;

identifying, from the transceiver data, a lie-type of the golf ball;

classifying the sensor and transceiver data into one of a plurality of golf swing categories, based on the lie-type; and

based upon at least the classified golf swing category, selecting a second sampling rate, by a sampling rate processor, for sampling sensor data from the sensor.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions that when executed further cause the golf club to perform:

comparing a first value of the sensor data obtained from the sensor during operation of the processor at a first sampling rate to a plurality of threshold values;

determining that the first value of the sensor data corresponds to a first threshold value within the plurality of threshold values; and

wherein the selection of the second sampling rate is based upon both the correspondence of the first value of the sensor data to the first threshold value and the classified golf swing category.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and sensor data is classified into a golf swing category based on a selected golf club type.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the transceiver data includes location information, and is classified into a golf swing category based on a distance to a target.

5. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the transceiver data includes prevailing weather information, and is classified into a golf swing category based on a wind speed and a wind direction.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from a group comprising at least one of:

an accelerometer, a force sensor, a gyroscope, a magnetic field sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, a microphone, a GPS sensor, a wind speed and direction sensor, and a resistivity sensor.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the at least one metric of the golf swing includes a swing speed, a swing acceleration, or a swing orientation.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the first sampling rate is a default sampling rate.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the first sampling rate is a last-used sampling rate.

10. A golf club comprising:

a first sensor configured to capture data related to at least one metric of a golf swing;

a second sensor configured to capture data related to a location of a golf ball on a golf course, and at least one of golf course condition information and prevailing weather conditions;

a processor; and

a non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the golf club to;

receive first data from the first sensor;

sample the received first data at a first sampling rate;

receive second data from the second sensor;

identify, from the second data, a lie-type of the golf ball;

classify the first and second data into one of a plurality of golf swing categories; and

select, based on the classification of the first and second data into the one of a plurality of golf swing categories, a second sampling rate for sampling data from the first sensor.

11. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

12. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the at least one metric of the golf swing is identifiable in data received at the second sampling rate from the first sensor.

13. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the at least one metric of the golf swing includes a swing speed, a swing acceleration, or a swing orientation.

14. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer, a force sensor, a gyroscope, a magnetic field sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, a microphone, a GPS sensor, a wind speed and direction sensor, or a resistivity sensor.

15. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the second sensor is a resistivity sensor.

16. A self-contained instrumented golf club, the golf club comprising:

a golf club head;

a shaft;

a first sensor, configured to capture golf swing data related to at least one metric of a golf swing;

a second sensor configured to capture condition data related to a location of a golf ball on a golf course, and at least one of golf course condition information and prevailing weather conditions;

a sampling rate processor; and

an analysis processor,

wherein the analysis processor is configured to classify the golf swing data and condition data into a golf swing category based on a lie-type of the golf ball identified from the condition data,

wherein the sampling rate processor is configured to select a first sampling rate and a second sampling rate at which the first sensor captures golf swing data, based upon the golf swing category, and

wherein the analysis processor is configured to compare golf swing data sampled at the first sampling rate and the second sampling rate.

17. The instrumented golf club of claim 16, wherein the golf swing category is classified based on a selected golf club type, or a distance to target.

18. The instrumented golf club of claim 16, wherein the second sampling rate is less than the first sampling rate.

19. The instrumented golf club of claim 18, wherein the at least one metric of the golf swing is identifiable in the data received at the second sampling rate.

20. The instrumented golf club of claim 16, wherein the second sensor is a resistivity sensor.