Golf device and method

• US 8,226,494 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miettinen, Michael, Saastamoinen, Eljas, Rouhento, Jussi, Ruotsalainen, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US11/176,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 473/131, 473151-152, 473/156, 473/192, 473/198, 473/199, 473219-223, 473/212, 473/213, 434/252
• US Class Current: 473/213
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0015 for cricket
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• 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 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable device and a method for monitoring the performance a sportsman performing a plurality of motor acts, such as golf swings. The device comprises at least one sensor providing an output signal, the sensor being responsive to body movements of the sportsman. A signal processing unit is used for extracting data on the course of each of the plurality of motor acts from the sensor output signal, and a computing unit is used for determining, based on the data on the course of the plurality of motor acts, at least one characteristic number describing the repeatability of the motor act. By the means of the invention, the handicap number of the golfer can be predicted with good accuracy by monitoring several his or her subsequent swings.

Claims

1. A wristop computing device for measuring the movement of a user'"'"'s wrist while performing a series of swings of an object comprising:

a housing attachable to a users wrist and measuring the bodily movement of the wrist within different defined areas of temporal space,

the housing containing at least;

a timing device,

at least one sensor which is responsive to movement and arranged to generate a sensor output signal,

a signal processing unit arranged to extract data on the course of each of the swings from the sensor output signal, said data including key time points of the swings,

a computing unit arranged to calculate at least one statistical value representative of the user'"'"'s repeatability of the series of swings using said extracted data from the signal processing unit; and

a forecasted handicap for the user, which is directly comparable to the user'"'"'s actual handicap;

wherein the forecasted handicap is based in part on the at least one statistical value; and

a display unit arranged to display at least one of the statistical value and forecasted handicap calculated by the computing unit.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an acceleration sensor.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit is adapted to extract data on two-phase motor acts comprising a first phase of the motor act and a second phase of the motor act, such as a golf swing, from the sensor output signal.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the signal processing unit is adapted to detect the time points of starting of the motor act, the intervening of the first and second phases of the motor act and ending of the motor act.

5. A device according to claim 1, which comprises a microprocessor programmed to perform at least some of the functions of the signal processing unit and the computing unit.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one statistical value characterizes the overall repeatability of the series of swings, and is selected from the group of:

tempo of the series of swings, rhythm of the series of swings, duration of the first phase of the series of swings, velocity of the series of swings.

7. A device according to claim 1, which further comprises

a memory unit for temporarily storing at least part of the data on the course each of the plurality of swings,

at least one key button for receiving user input, and

a display.

8. A device according to claim 1, which is adapted to perform an automatic multiple monitoring program of the plurality of swings in response to user input and reporting the at least one characteristic number to the user.

9. A method of forecasting a golfer'"'"'s actual golf handicap by:

(a) attaching a wristop computing device to a golfer'"'"'s wrist and measuring the bodily movement of the golfer'"'"'s wrist within different defined areas of temporal space, the wristop computing device comprising a timing device, at least one sensor which is responsive to movement and arranged to generate a sensor output signal, a signal processing unit, a computing unit and a display unit;

(b) extracting data on the course of a series of swings of the golfer in the signal processing unit of the wristop computing device from the sensor output signal of the at least one sensor, the extracted data including key time points of the swings;

(c) computing at least one statistical value representative of the golfer'"'"'s repeatability of the series of swings in the computing unit of the wristop computing device using the extracted data from the signal processing unit;

(d) computing a forecasted golf handicap of the golfer, which can be compared to the golfer'"'"'s actual golf handicap, in the computing unit based in part on the at least one statistical value; and

displaying the forecasted golf handicap of the golfer on the display unit of the wristop computing device.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein at least one acceleration sensor is said sensor.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein a single microprocessor is utilized for performing the steps of extracting and computing.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of extracting data is adapted to enable extracting data on two-phase motor acts comprising a first phase of the motor act and a second phase of the motor act, such as said series of swings of said golfer, from the sensor output signal.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of extracting comprises detecting the time points of starting of the motor act, the intervening of the first and second phases of the motor act and ending of the motor act.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one characteristic number characterizes the overall repeatability of the motor act, and is selected from the group of:

tempo of the motor act, rhythm of the motor act, duration of the first phase of the motor act, velocity of the motor act.

15. A method according to claim 9, which further comprises displaying the at least one characteristic number to the golfer.