GOLF SWING ANALYSIS APPARATUS

• US 20160184632A1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited), Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Okazaki, Kousuke, Nakamura, Yuto, Ueda, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,821,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• 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

Abstract

A golf swing analysis apparatus capable of estimating the strike point of the ball on the face in a simple manner when a golf club is swung is provided. The apparatus is provided with a derivation unit, a calculation unit, and an estimation unit to analyze a swing using a golf club having a grip, a shaft and a head. The derivation unit derives analytical data including at least one of time-series angular velocity data and time-series acceleration data in an analysis time interval near impact, from sensor data output from at least one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor attached to at least one of the grip and the shaft. The calculation unit calculates a feature amount of a waveform of the analytical data. The estimation unit estimates an impact position of a ball on a face of the head, according to the feature amount.

Claims

1. A golf swing analysis apparatus for analyzing a golf swing that uses a golf club having a grip, a shaft and a head, comprising:

a derivation unit configured to derive analytical data including at least one of time-series angular velocity data and time-series acceleration data in an analysis time interval near impact, from sensor data output from at least one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor attached to at least one of the grip and the shaft;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a feature amount of a waveform of the analytical data; and

an estimation unit configured to estimate an impact position of a ball on a face of the head, according to the feature amount.

2. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, based on a predetermined regression equation in which the feature amount is an explanatory variable and the impact position is an objective variable.

3. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the analytical data includes the angular velocity data about a first axis that slopes relative to a first direction defined on the face,

the calculation unit is configured to calculate a first feature amount which is the feature amount of a waveform of the angular velocity data about the first axis, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position in the first direction on the face, according to the first feature amount.

4. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first direction is a toe-heel direction, and the first axis is substantially parallel to a direction in which the shaft extends or a face-back direction.

5. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first direction is a top-sole direction, and the first axis is substantially parallel to a toe-heel direction or a face-back direction.

6. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to any of claims 3,

wherein the analytical data includes the angular velocity data about a second axis that slopes relative to a second direction approximately orthogonal to the first direction defined on the face,

the calculation unit is configured to calculate a second feature amount which is the feature amount of a waveform of the angular velocity data about the second axis, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position of the second direction on the face, according to the second feature amount.

7. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a classification unit configured to classify a behavior of the head near impact into a plurality of patterns, based on the sensor data,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, using an algorithm corresponding to a pattern classified by the classification unit.

8. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mishit determination unit configured to determine a mishit in which the ball impacts an edge portion of the face, based on at least the acceleration data after impact included in the sensor data,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position if it is not determined that the mishit occurred.

9. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature amount is an amplitude of a waveform of the analytical data.

10. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the feature amount is a length of time between feature times included in the analysis time interval, and

each of the feature times is an impact time or a time at which an amplitude peak appears.

11. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a plurality of the feature amounts from the analytical data, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, based on a predetermined multiple regression equation in which the plurality of the feature amounts are explanatory variables and the impact position is an objective variable.

12. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a toe-heel classification unit configured to classify the impact position in a toe-heel direction on the face into a plurality of regions, according to at least one of a first-order mode peak frequency of an amplitude spectrum of an angular velocity about an axis in a direction in which the shaft extends and a phase angle corresponding to the peak frequency,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, based on the regression equation or the multiple regression equation corresponding to a pattern classified by the toe-heel classification unit.

13. The analysis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the toe-heel classification unit is configured to determine that the impact position is included near the center on the face, if the peak frequency is within a predetermined range.

14. The analysis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the toe-heel classification unit is configured to determine that the impact position is included in a region on a toe side of the face in a case where the phase angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and to determine that the impact position is included in a region on a heel side of the face in a case where the phase angle is smaller than the predetermined value.

15. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a top-sole classification unit configured to classify the impact position in a top-sole direction on the face into a plurality of regions, according to a phase angle corresponding to a predetermined frequency greater than or equal to 150 Hz of a phase spectrum of an acceleration in a face-back direction or a phase angle corresponding to a predetermined frequency greater than or equal to 150 Hz of a phase spectrum of an angular velocity about an axis in a toe-heel direction,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, based on the regression equation or the multiple regression equation corresponding to a pattern classified by the top-sole classification unit.

16. The analysis apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the top-sole classification unit is configured to determine that the impact position is included in a region on the top side of the face in a case where the phase angle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and to determine that the impact position is included in a region on the sole side of the face in a case where the phase angle is smaller than the predetermined value.

17. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a feature amount of a spectrum of the analytical data, as the feature amount of the waveform of the analytical data.

18. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a first-order or second-order mode peak amplitude of a spectrum of the angular velocity data, as the feature amount of the waveform of the analytical data.

19. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a first-order or second-order mode peak amplitude of a spectrum of the acceleration data, as the feature amount of the waveform of the analytical data.

20. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate an amplitude of the angular velocity data, as the feature amount of the waveform of the analytical data.

21. The golf swing analysis apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a mishit determination unit configured to determine a mishit in which the ball impacts an edge portion of the face, in a case where the feature amount is outside a predetermined range,

wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the impact position, if it is not determined that the mishit occurred.

22. A method for analyzing a golf swing that uses a golf club having a grip, a shaft and a head, comprising the steps of:

deriving analytical data including at least one of time-series angular velocity data and time-series acceleration data in an analysis time interval near impact, from sensor data output from at least one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor attached to at least one of the grip and the shaft;

calculating a feature amount of a waveform of the analytical data; and

estimating an impact position of a ball on a face of the head, according to the feature amount.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program for analyzing a golf swing that uses a golf club having a grip, a shaft and a head, the program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

deriving analytical data including at least one of time-series angular velocity data and time-series acceleration data in an analysis time interval near impact, from sensor data output from at least one of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor attached to at least one of the grip and the shaft;

calculating a feature amount of a waveform of the analytical data; and

estimating an impact position of a ball on a face of the head, according to the feature amount.