Method and apparatus for evaluating feeling of hitting generated by golf club

• US 7,870,790 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ban, Wataru, Sato, Fumiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok; Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US11/931,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 735/79, 736/49, 73/110.4, 73/110.9, 73/120.1, 73/120.9, 473/151, 473/131, 473/221
• US Class Current: 73/579
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• 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 method for evaluating feeling of hitting of a golf club, includes: measuring vibration of a golf club appearing in a circumferential direction of a shaft when a golf ball is hit by the golf club having the three-axis accelerometer attached to the shaft by a three-axis accelerometer; analyzing the vibration of the golf club along the circumferential direction of the shaft measured by the three-axis accelerometer by a hand-arm vibration measurement filter; and evaluating feeling of hitting of the golf club in accordance with a result of analysis of vibration of the golf club appearing along the circumferential direction of the shaft by the hand-arm vibration measurement filter.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating feeling of hitting of a golf club having a three-axis accelerometer disposed on an outer side of a shaft of the golf club, comprising:

measuring, by the three-axis accelerometer disposed on the outer side of the shaft, vibration of the golf club appearing in a circumferential direction of the shaft when a golf ball is hit by the golf club;

analyzing, by a hand-arm vibration measurement filter, the vibration measured by the three-axis accelerometer; and

evaluating the feeling of hitting of the golf club in accordance with an analysis result of the hand-arm vibration measurement filter,

wherein a distance between a rear end of the shaft and the three-axis accelerometer ranges from 250 to 300 mm, and

wherein when the feeling of hitting of the golf club is evaluated in accordance with the analysis result of the hand-arm vibration measurement filter, the feeling of hitting of the golf club is evaluated in accordance with a time difference between a time when the vibration of the golf club in the specific frequency has attained a peak value and a time when a specific value falls within a range from 40 to 80% of the peak value.

2. The method for evaluating feeling of hitting of a golf club according to claim 1, wherein:

the three-axis accelerometer is attached to the shaft of the golf club by a block-shaped jig including one surface that has a circular arc shape so as to form a recess and another surface opposite the one surface that is planar,

the jig is fixed to the shaft by inserting the shaft into the recess; and

the three-axis accelerometer is attached to the planar surface of the jig.

3. The method for evaluating feeling of hitting of a golf club according to claim 1, wherein

when the vibration in the golf club head along the circumferential direction of the shaft measured by the three-axis accelerometer is analyzed by the hand-arm vibration measurement filter, vibration in the golf club appearing in the circumferential direction of the shaft at a specific frequency ranging from 30 to 60 Hz is analyzed.

4. An apparatus for evaluating a feeling of hitting of a golf club, the apparatus comprising:

a three-axis accelerometer disposed on an outer side of a shaft of a golf club, the three-axis accelerometer measuring vibration of the golf club appearing in a circumferential direction of the shaft when a golf ball is hit by the golf club; and

a computer which captures a signal pertaining to the vibration measured by the three-axis accelerometer and which analyzes the vibration through use of a hand-arm vibration measurement filter,

wherein a distance between a rear end of the shaft and the three-axis accelerometer ranges from 250 to 300 mm, and

wherein the feeling of hitting of the golf club is evaluated in accordance with a result of the hand-arm vibration measurement filter and in accordance with a time difference between a time when the vibration of the golf club in a specific frequency has attained a peak value and a time when the vibration of the golf club has attained a specific value within a range from 40 to 80% of the peak value.