Golf swing-measuring system

• US 7,704,157 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nobutaka Shimada, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited, Yoshiaki Shirai
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Onuki, Masahide, Shirai, Yoshiaki, Ueda, Masahiko, Shimada, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US11/089,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20050215337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 473/140, 473207-217, 473219-225, 473266-277, 473/409, 473151-156, 434/252, 434247-251
• US Class Current: 473/267
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0647 Visualisation of executed movements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/808 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• 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 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3608 Attachments on the body, e.g. for measuring, aligning, restraining A63B69/0059, A63B69/3673 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club
• 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 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30221 Sports video; Sports image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

A golf swing-measuring system including a computer (16) for capturing a colored moving image obtained by photographing a golfer (11) who swings by gripping a golf club (13). The computer (16) selects and extracts one or more images each showing a swing posture as check-point images such as an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image and extracts from a large number of still images constituting said color moving image. Thereafter the computer (16) obtains coordinates of positions of attention-focused points that operate in said check-point images when said golfer swings.

Claims

1. A golf swing-measuring system comprising:

a computer for capturing a colored moving image obtained by photographing a golfer who swings by gripping a golf club,

wherein said computer selects and extracts one or more images each showing a swing posture as check-point images, including an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image, and extracts from a large number of still images constituting said colored moving image, and obtains coordinates of positions of attention-focused points that operate in said check-point images when said golfer swings;

wherein when a colored mark is provided on at least one of said attention-focused points, a search range which is a region in which presence of said colored mark is estimated is set in said check-point image, and a color range which is an allowable range in which color information of a pixel in said image is regarded as the same as that of a reference color of said colored mark is set, and a coordinate of a position of each of said attention-focused points is obtained in said search range by regarding a pixel whose color falls in said color range as a position of said color mark,

wherein when a colored mark is not provided or when the provided colored mark is not found on the displayed image on at least one of said attention-focused points, differential processing is executed between said check-point image and a background image in which a golfer is not photographed to obtain a golfer'"'"'s silhouette and extract a contour of said silhouette, a portion of said obtained contour where not less than a predetermined number of pixels having curvatures in a range from −

10°

to 10°

are continuously present is extracted as a straight line portion, and a coordinate of a position of said attention-focused point is specified by using said straight line portion, and

wherein a pixel present at a position where an extension of said straight line portion intersects with said contour is specified as a coordinate of a position of said attention-focused point.

2. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said attention-focused point includes a golfer'"'"'s head, neck, shoulder, elbow, waist, knee, ankle, wrist or/and toe.

3. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said attention-focused point includes a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a color of a golfer'"'"'s wear, a golfer'"'"'s gloves or/and a golfer'"'"'s skin color.

4. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 1, wherein the differential processing is executed between said check-point image and the background image to extract the golfer'"'"'s silhouette by using hue, saturation and lightness of said check-point image and the background image.

5. A golf swing-measuring system comprising:

a computer for capturing a colored moving image obtained by photographing a golfer who swings by gripping a golf club,

wherein said computer selects and extracts one or more images each showing a swing posture as check-point images, including an address image, a take-back shaft 8 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, a take-back unskillful arm horizontal image, a top image, a downswing unskillful arm horizontal image, a downswing shaft 9 o'"'"'clock image, an impact image, a follow-through shaft 3 o'"'"'clock image, and a finish image, and extracts from a large number of still images constituting said colored moving image, and obtains coordinates of positions of attention-focused points that operate in said check-point images when said golfer swings;

wherein when a colored mark is provided on at least one of said attention-focused points, a search range which is a region in which presence of said colored mark is estimated is set in said check-point image, and a color range which is an allowable range in which color information of a pixel in said image is regarded as the same as that of a reference color of said colored mark is set, and a coordinate of a position of each of said attention-focused points is obtained in said search range by regarding a pixel whose color falls in said color range as a position of said color mark,

wherein when a colored mark is not provided or when the provided colored mark is not found on the displayed image on at least one of said attention-focused points, differential processing is executed between said check-point image and a background image in which a golfer is not photographed to obtain a golfer'"'"'s silhouette and extract a contour of said silhouette, a portion of said obtained contour where not less than a predetermined number of pixels having curvatures in a range from −

10°

to 10°

are continuously present is extracted as a straight line portion, and a coordinate of a position of said attention-focused point is specified by using said straight line portion, and

wherein a pixel present at a position where extensions of two of said straight line portions intersect with each other or a point of a contour present nearest to said intersection position is specified as a coordinate of a position of said attention-focused point.

6. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 5, wherein said attention-focused point includes a golfer'"'"'s head, neck, shoulder, elbow, waist, knee, ankle, wrist or/and toe.

7. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 5, wherein said attention-focused point includes a golfer'"'"'s silhouette, a color of a golfer'"'"'s wear, a golfer'"'"'s gloves or/and a golfer'"'"'s skin color.

8. The golf swing-measuring system according to claim 5, wherein the differential processing is executed between said check-point image and the background image to extract the golfer'"'"'s silhouette by using hue, saturation and lightness of said check-point image and the background image.