Hitting position detecting device, hitting position detecting method, and method of manufacturing hitting position detecting device

• US 8,398,502 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mugen Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mugen Inc.
• Inventors: Iwahashi, Masayoshi, Ikka, Akinari, Izumikawa, Pete
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGESSE, NINI F
• Application Number:
  US12/744,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 473/219, 473/221, 473/222, 473/223, 473/226, 473/332, 473/333, 473/335, 473/350, 473/407, 473/409
• US Class Current: 473/223
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0043 Systems for locating the point of impact on a specific surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/808 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/42 Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• 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: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A hitting position detecting device includes: a golf club which includes a shaft having a grip portion and a head portion having a face portion with a hitting surface and a rear surface and attached to the front end of the shaft; vibration wave sensors which is arranged on the side of the rear surface of the face portion and is fixed to the head portion so as to output electrical signals in accordance with a vibration wave generated upon hitting of the face portion; a calculation unit which detects arrival times in the vibration wave sensors of the vibration wave generated in the face portion upon hitting of a ball on the basis of the electrical signals, calculates a hitting position of the ball in the face portion on the basis of a difference in the plurality of arrival times, and then outputs the result as a hitting position signal; a display unit which displays the hitting position in the face portion on the basis of the hitting position signal output from the calculation unit; and a power source which supplies power to the vibration wave sensors, the calculation unit, and the display unit.

Claims

1. A hitting position detecting device comprising:

a golf club which includes a shaft having a grip portion and a head portion having a face portion with a hitting surface and a rear surface and attached to the front end of the shaft;

at least three vibration wave sensors which are arranged on the side of the rear surface of the face portion and fixed to the head portion so as to output electrical signals in accordance with a vibration wave generated upon hitting of the face portion;

a calculation unit which detects arrival times in the vibration wave sensors of the vibration wave generated in the face portion upon hitting of a ball on the basis of the electrical signals, calculates a hitting position of the ball in the face portion on the basis of a difference in the plurality of arrival times, and then outputs the result as a hitting position signal;

a display unit which displays the hitting position in the face portion on the basis of the hitting position signal output from the calculation unit; and

a power source which supplies power to the vibration wave sensors, the calculation unit, and the display unit;

wherein the calculation unit detects a difference in arrival by setting two vibration, wave sensors as a pair, and calculates the hitting position on the basis of the difference in arrival time obtained by at least two pairs of vibration wave sensors.

2. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit calculates Δ

L1=a×

Δ

T1+b on the assumption that

(1) each difference when a first pair of the vibration wave sensors detects arrival of the vibration wave is denoted by Δ

T1,

(2) each difference when a second pair of the vibration wave sensors detects arrival of the vibration wave is denoted by Δ

T2,

(3) vibration propagation constants stored in advance in the calculation unit are denoted by a, b, c, and d, and

(4) a difference in distance from each of the first pair of vibration wave sensors to an imaginary hitting position is denoted by Δ

L1,

wherein the calculation unit calculates Δ

L2=c×

Δ

T2+d on the assumption that

(5) a difference in distance from each of the second pair of vibration wave sensors to the imaginary hitting position is denoted by Δ

L2,

wherein the calculation unit assumes that

(6) a difference in distance obtained in advance from each of the first pair of vibration wave sensors to each position P in all areas having desired hitting positions on the face portion is denoted by Δ

Lp1, and

(7) a difference in distance obtained in advance from each of the second pair of vibration wave sensors to each position P in all areas having desired hitting positions on the face portion is denoted by Δ

Lp2,

wherein (8) the calculation unit obtains a position Ps by the following equation of

Ps=min{(Δ

Lp1−

Δ

L1)²+(Δ

Lp2−

Δ

L2)²}

on the assumption that an operator min{ } denotes a position P where the value { } becomes minimum, and

wherein the calculation unit determines the position Ps to be the hitting position.

3. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the hitting surface of the face portion is substantially formed in a trapezoid, and

wherein four vibration wave sensors are respectively disposed at four corner points of the trapezoid.

4. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 3,

wherein diagonal lines of the trapezoid intersect each other at the center portion of the face portion.

5. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 3, comprising an operation error detection unit which detects an operation error of one of the four vibration wave sensors,

wherein when the operation error detection unit detects an operation error of one of the vibration wave sensors, the calculation unit sets the other three vibration wave sensors as two pairs, and calculates the hitting position.

6. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the vibration wave sensors are fixed to the rear surface of the face portion via at least one of a viscoelastic element and an elastic element.

7. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the vibration wave sensors are fixed to the face portion so as to be perpendicular thereto, and are fixed by cylindrical elements each having a cavity therein.

8. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1, comprising a measurement unit which measures at least one physical characteristic selected from a group including a position, an angle, a speed, and an acceleration of the shaft, and a speed and an acceleration of the head portion,

wherein the calculation unit is activated when at least one of the physical characteristics measured by the measurement unit reaches a predetermined value.

9. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1, comprising a head speed measurement unit which detects a speed of the head portion,

wherein the calculation unit calculates a driving distance of a golf ball hit based on the head speed and the hitting position, and the display unit displays the driving distance thereon.

10. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the display unit displays the hitting position by using a predetermined symbol on a schematic figure of the head portion.

11. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit calculates a higher score for the hitting position located closer to a great driving distance area or a sweet spot of the face portion, and

wherein the display unit displays the score thereon.

12. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 10,

wherein the display unit has a function of blinking the symbol.

13. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit has a memory function of storing of the hitting position signal, and displays the past hitting position on the display unit in accordance with a request.

14. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein the vibration wave sensors automatically enter a measurement mode at the time of a swing action, and

wherein the display unit automatically changes a display screen at the time of the swing action, and includes a reset button for returning an erased image to an original state.

15. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein at least a part of the shaft and the head portion are covered by an electric power generating element, and

wherein the electric power generating element is electrically connected to the vibration wave sensors and the display unit so as to supply at least a part of required electric power thereto.

16. The hitting position detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitting unit which wirelessly transmits the electrical signals output from the vibration wave sensors; and

a receiving unit which is provided separately from the golf club and receives the electrical signals,

wherein the calculation unit and the display unit are disposed separately from the golf club, and are connected to the receiving unit.

17. A hitting position detecting method comprising:

hitting a ball by using a golf club which includes a shaft having a grip portion and a head portion having a face portion with a hitting surface and a rear surface and attached to the front end of the shaft;

detecting each time at which a vibration wave generated in the face portion upon hitting of the ball arrives at vibration wave sensors which are arranged on the side of the rear surface of the face portion and is fixed to the head portion;

calculating a hitting position of the ball in the face portion on the basis of each difference in arrival time of the vibration wave and outputting the result as a hitting position signal; and

displaying the hitting position in the face portion on the basis of the hitting position signal;

wherein the number of the vibration wave sensors is at least three, and the detection of the difference in arrival time is performed by at least two pairs of vibration wave sensors by setting two vibration wave sensors as a pair, and

wherein the calculation of the hitting position is performed by the following steps;

calculating Δ

L1=a×

Δ

T1+b on the assumption that

(1) each difference when a first pair of the vibration wave sensors detects arrival of the vibration wave is denoted by Δ

T1,

(2) each difference when a second pair of the vibration wave sensors detects arrival of the vibration wave is denoted by Δ

T2,

(3) vibration propagation constants stored in advance in the calculation unit are denoted by a, b, c, and d, and

(4) a difference in distance from each of the first pair of vibration wave sensors to an imaginary hitting position is denoted by Δ

L1;

calculating Δ

L2=c×

Δ

T2+d on the assumption that

(5) a difference in distance from each of the second pair of vibration wave sensors to the imaginary hitting position is denoted by Δ

L2;

assuming that

(6) a difference in distance obtained in advance from each of the first pair of vibration wave sensors to each position P in all areas having desired hitting positions on the face portion is denoted by Δ

Lp1, and

(7) a difference in distance obtained in advance from each of the second pair of vibration wave sensors to each position P in all areas having desired hitting positions on the face portion is denoted by Δ

Lp2,

wherein (8) the calculation unit obtains a position Ps by the following equation of

Ps=min{(Δ

Lp1−

Δ

L1)²+(Δ

Lp2−

Δ

L2)²}

on the assumption that an operator min{ } denotes a position P where the value { } becomes minimum; and

determining the position Ps to be the hitting position.

18. A method of manufacturing a hitting position detecting device, comprising:

installing three or more sensors in a rear surface as a back potion of a face portion in the vicinity of the contoured portion or the substantially outermost periphery of a hitting surface called the face portion of a golf club so as to detect a vibration wave generated upon hitting of a golf ball;

installing a calculation processing unit which calculates minute differences in arrival times of the vibration wave generated upon hitting of the ball by using two pairs of sensors in which arbitrary two sensors are set as a pair, and a combination of one of the two sensors and another sensor or a combination of two sensors other than the two sensors is set as another pair;

installing a calculation function microcomputer unit which substantially calculates the hitting position on the basis of the minute difference in times obtained by each of the pairs of sensors;

installing a display unit in a shaft of the golf club so as to simultaneously display a hitting position and an approximate outer shape of the face portion; and

installing a power supply for the microcomputer.