System and method for measuring a golfer's ball striking parameters

• US 6,561,917 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
• Inventors: Manwaring, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/683,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20020098897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 473/54-55, 473/131, 473/139-140, 473/198-200, 473/219-226, 473/150-151, 473/409, 434/247, 434/252, 434/257, 434/251, 434/249
• US Class Current: 473/151
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• 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 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A system (20) for capturing and analyzing golf club information and golf ball information during and after a golfer'"'"'s swing is disclosed herein. The golf club information includes golf club head orientation, golf club head velocity, and golf club spin. The golf club head orientation includes dynamic lie, loft and face angle of the golf club head. The golf club head velocity includes path of the golf club head, attack of the golf club head and downrange information. The golf ball information includes golf ball velocity, golf ball launch angle, golf ball side angle, golf ball speed manipulation and golf ball orientation. The golf ball orientation includes the true spin of the golf ball, and the tilt axis of the golf ball which entails the back spin and the side spin of the golf ball. The system includes camera units (26 and 28), a trigger device (30) and a computer (22).

Claims

1. A system for simultaneously measuring the golf club properties and the golf ball properties during a golfer'"'"'s striking of a golf ball, the system comprising:

a first camera and a second camera, each of the first and second cameras focused toward a predetermined field view;

a golf club having at least one light contrasting area thereon;

a golf ball within the predetermined field of view;

a detector disposed prior to the golf ball along a path of a golf club swing, the detector capable of estimating the speed of the golf club swing during the golfer'"'"'s striking of the golf ball;

means for calculating a first time interval between a first plurality of exposures of the golf club based on the estimation of speed of the golf club by the detector, and a second time interval between a second plurality of exposures of the launched golf ball, wherein a high speed golf club swing has a shorter first time interval than a low speed golf club swing; and

means for determining a plurality of golf club swing properties and golf ball launch properties based on an image frame generated by the first and second cameras, the image frame comprising the first plurality of exposures and the second plurality of exposures.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a first flash device for the first camera and a second flash device for the second camera.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the detector is a laser detector.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the detector is an audible detector.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the golf club has three highly reflective markers thereon.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the first time interval of the calculating means is less than the second time interval of the calculating means.