Sporting Apparatus With Monitoring Device

• US 20160158598A1
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: DOLEZEL, Keith, Carlyle, Scott, Kline, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,731,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/44 Angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• 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 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0015 for cricket
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0017 for badminton
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• 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: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/146 Golf gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 : Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 : Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 : using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A sporting apparatus includes a monitoring device. The monitoring device may add no weight to the sporting apparatus relative to a comparable sporting apparatus without the monitoring device. The monitoring device may have a center of gravity substantially aligning with the center of gravity of the sporting apparatus, resulting in a sporting apparatus with a monitor having substantially the same center of gravity as a comparable sporting apparatus without a monitor. The sporting apparatus monitor may be configured to trim unreliable post impact swing data and replace it with extrapolated pre-impact swing data and/or more reliable post impact swing data.

Claims

1. A sporting apparatus comprising a monitoring device, the monitoring device configured to transmit data responsive to a pre-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus, to trim data responsive to a post-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus, and to determine a hypothetical post-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus based at least in part on at least a portion of the data responsive to the pre-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus.

2. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 comprising golf club head having a sole portion and a face portion, the sole portion comprising a hollow sized and shaped to compliment the monitoring device when the monitoring device is installed within the hollow, the hollow having a volume corresponding to a mass of displaced material from the golf club head, the mass of displaced material substantially equaling a mass of the monitoring device as installed.

3. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the monitoring device is further configured to determine a post-vibration post-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus and determine the hypothetical post-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus based at least in part on at least a portion of the post-vibration post-impact swing path.

4. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hypothetical post-impact swing path of the sporting apparatus comprises a path from a point of impact of the sporting apparatus with a sporting object until a point substantially corresponding to a post-impact position at which post-impact vibrations of the sporting apparatus have substantially ceased.

20. The sporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the monitoring device is configured to store and/or transmit data from one or more practice swings, and use such stored and/or transmitted data to normalize the post impact swing path of the sporting apparatus.

5. A golf club head comprising a first portion comprising a first material of construction having a first density, and a void in the first portion configured to receive a monitoring device, the void having a first volume that, when multiplied by the first density comprises a hypothetical mass;

the monitoring device comprising components that together have a mass of the monitoring device substantially equaling the hypothetical mass.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, the monitoring device comprising one or more of a circuit board, a housing, a weight, and fastener.

7. The golf club head of claim 5 wherein the monitoring device has a second volume substantially equaling the first volume.

8. The golf club head of claim 5 wherein the monitoring device has a second density substantially equaling the first density.

9. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the monitoring device has a first center of gravity CG_s, and the golf club head has a hypothetical center of gravity CG_h comprising a center of gravity of the golf club head with the void filled with the first material of construction, and the first center of gravity CG_s substantially aligns with the hypothetical center of gravity CG_h when the monitoring device is installed in the golf club head.

10. A golf club head comprising a hollow configured to receive a monitoring device having a first monitoring device end and a second monitoring device end, the hollow being elongate and having a first hollow end and a second hollow end, the first hollow end configured to receive a fastener to secure the first monitoring device end to the golf club head;

the second monitoring device end configured to secure the second monitoring device end to the golf club head upon the fastener securing the first monitoring device end.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the second monitoring device end is configured to be secured to the golf club head via a friction fit.

12. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a generally frustoconical configuration.

13. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises a wedge-shaped portion.

14. The golf club head of claim 13 wherein the wedge-shaped portion is configured to be slideably received within a groove in the hollow.

15. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the second monitoring device end comprises an o-ring comprising a deformable material.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 wherein the o-ring is retained by a groove in the monitoring device.

17. The golf club head of claim 15 wherein the o-ring is retained by a groove in the hollow.

18. The golf club head of claim 11 wherein a second end comprises a deformable material.

19. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the golf club head proximate the first hollow end has a first club head contour, and the golf club head proximate the second hollow end has a second club head contour, and the second monitoring device end comprises a second monitoring device end contour that substantially complements the second club head contour when the monitoring device is secured within the golf club head.

21. A system comprising a remote device and a sporting apparatus having a longitudinal axis and comprising a first monitoring device and a second monitoring device, the first monitoring device and second monitoring device being spaced apart relative to the longitudinal axis and secured to the sporting apparatus, the first monitoring device and second monitoring device each comprising a monitoring device configured to transmit data corresponding to a swing of the sporting apparatus to the remote device, the system configured to:

a. determine which of the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device is, during a first portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus, transmitting data most reflective of the first portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus,

b. capture the data most reflective of the first portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus,

c. determine which of the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device is, during a second portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus, transmitting data most reflective of the second portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus,

d. capture the data most reflective of the second portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus, and

e. accumulate the data most reflective of the first portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus with the data most reflective of the second portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the first monitoring device is configured to transmit the data most reflective of the first portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus, and the second monitoring device is configured to transmit the data most reflective of the second portion of the swing of the sporting apparatus.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the first monitoring device is secured to the sporting apparatus at a proximal end thereof, and the second monitoring device is secured to the sporting apparatus at a distal end thereof.

24. The system of claim 21 comprising one or more additional monitoring devices, wherein the first monitoring device, the second monitoring device, and the one or more additional monitoring devices are substantially equally spaced along the longitudinal axis of the sporting apparatus.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the sporting apparatus comprises a golf club.

26. A first sporting apparatus, the first sporting apparatus comprising:

a first monitoring device near an area of impact of the first sporting apparatus, the first monitoring device comprising;

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

capturing data of a pre-impact path of a swing of the first sporting apparatus;

capturing data of a post-impact path of the swing of the first sporting apparatus;

trimming the data of the post-impact path; and

determining a hypothetical swing path of the swing of the first sporting apparatus based on the data of the pre-impact path and the trimmed data of the post-impact path.

27. The first sporting apparatus of claim 26, wherein the determining of the hypothetical swing path of the swing of the first sporting apparatus is additionally based on at least data of an impact of the swing of the first sporting apparatus with a sporting object.

28. The first sporting apparatus of claim 26, wherein trimming the data of the post-impact path comprises removing data captured during substantial post-impact vibrations of the first sporting apparatus.

29. The first sporting apparatus of claim 26, wherein the hypothetical swing path is a hypothetical post-impact swing path.

30. A system comprising:

a first sporting apparatus, the first sporting apparatus comprising;

a first monitoring device, the first monitoring device comprising;

a first processor; and

a first memory coupled with the first processor, the first memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the first processor cause the first processor to effectuate operations comprising;

capturing data of a first pre-impact path of a first swing portion of a first swing of the first sporting apparatus; and

capturing data of a first post-impact path of a second swing portion of the first swing of the first sporting apparatus; and

a remote apparatus, the remote apparatus comprising;

a remote processor; and

a remote memory coupled with the remote processor, the remote memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the remote processor cause the remote processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving the data of the first pre-impact path and the data of the first post-impact path;

trimming the data of the first post-impact swing path; and

determining a hypothetical post-impact swing path of the first swing of the first sporting apparatus based on the data of the first pre-impact path, and the trimmed data of the first post-impact path.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the remote processor further effectuates operations comprising determining the hypothetical post-impact swing path of the first swing of the first sporting apparatus additionally based at least on data of a portion of the first post-impact swing path, wherein the data of the portion of the first post-impact swing path comprising data of when vibrations of the first sporting apparatus have substantially ceased.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the first monitoring device is located near an area of impact for the first sporting apparatus.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the remote processor further effectuates operations comprising determining the hypothetical post-impact swing path of the first swing of the first sporting apparatus additionally based on at least data of a second swing of the first sporting apparatus.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the remote processor further effectuates operations comprising determining the hypothetical post-impact swing path of the first swing of the first sporting apparatus additionally based on data of a second monitoring device near a non-impact area of the first sporting apparatus.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the remote processor further effectuates operations comprising providing instructions to display the hypothetical post-impact swing path.

36. A method comprising:

a. capturing data of a first pre-impact path of a first swing of a sporting apparatus comprising a monitoring device, the monitoring device being sized, shaped, and positioned relative to the sporting apparatus such that the sporting apparatus comprising the monitoring device exhibits swing characteristics substantially similar to a comparable sporting apparatus without the monitoring device;

b. capturing data of a first post-impact path of the first swing of the sporting apparatus;

c. trimming the data of the first post-impact path; and

d. determining, based at least in part on the data of the first pre-impact path and trimming the data of the first post-impact path, a first hypothetical swing path of the sporting apparatus.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising displaying the first hypothetical swing path on a display.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein trimming the data of the first post-impact path comprises removing data captured during substantial post-impact vibrations of the sporting apparatus.

39. The method of claim 36 comprising:

e. capturing data of a second pre-impact path based on a second swing of the sporting apparatus;

f. capturing data of a second post-impact path based on the second swing of the sporting apparatus;

g. trimming the data of the second post-impact path; and

h. determining, based at least in part on the first hypothetical swing path, the data of the second pre-impact path and trimming the data of the second post-impact path, a second hypothetical swing path of the sporting apparatus.