SWING ANALYZER

• US 20090247312A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Fuminobu, Nagao, Hiroshi, Kimura, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,944,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/223
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/10 Positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/54 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• 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

Abstract

A calculating unit of a swing analyzer calculates, assuming that a golf club is in a uniform circular motion about a virtual center of rotation 0 during a swing, a virtual speed Vh at a central point R of a golf club head, based on a distance between first and second acceleration sensors, a distance between the first acceleration sensor and the central point R of a golf club head and outputs from the first and second acceleration sensors, and calculates the speed of central point R of a golf club head utilizing the virtual speed Vh.

Claims

1. A swing analyzer capable of outputting information that can be used for analyzing a swing of a user, comprising:

first and second acceleration sensors provided on a swing member swung by a user and having a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by a distance in said longitudinal direction;

a calculating unit capable of calculating speed of a portion as an object of measurement of said swing member, positioned apart from said first and second acceleration sensors in said longitudinal direction; and

a display unit displaying a result of calculation;

wherein

assuming that said swing member is in circular motion during a swing, said calculating unit calculates a virtual speed at said portion as the object of measurement based on the distance between said first and second acceleration sensors, distance between said first acceleration sensor and said portion as the object of measurement and outputs from said first and second acceleration sensors, calculates speed of said portion as the object of measurement utilizing said virtual speed, and displays the speed on said display unit.

2. The swing analyzer according to claim 1, wherein

said calculating unit stores in advance correction data calculated from said virtual speed and actual speed measured during a swing, for making equal or approximating said virtual speed to said actual speed;

and

said calculating unit calculates the speed of said portion as the object of measurement by correcting said virtual speed at the time of measurement using said correction data.

3. The swing analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an elastically deformable buffer member provided on a circumferential surface of said swing member; and

a board provided on said buffer member;

wherein

said first and second acceleration sensors are provided on a main surface of said board.

4. The swing analyzer according to claim 3, wherein

said calculating unit and said display unit are provided on a main surface opposite to said main surface on which said first and second acceleration sensors are provided.

5. The swing analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising

a strain gauge attached to said swing member;

wherein

said calculating unit calculates an amount of deflection of said swing member based on an output from said strain gauge.