Measuring apparatus for golf club

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9233291-B2
Application number	US-201313742833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2013
Priority date	Jan 27, 2012
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A measuring apparatus 10 for a golf club 34 includes: a club camera 20 capable of photographing the golf club; a control part 30 capable of controlling a timing at which the golf club is photographed; and three sensors capable of detecting passage of the golf club 34 . The three sensors are defined as a first sensor S 1 , a second sensor S 2 , and a third sensor S 3 in this order from a point close to a position of a golf ball. When a club speed calculated based on the passage of the golf club detected by the second sensor S 2 and the third sensor S 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control part generates a trigger signal for starting to photograph the golf club. The measuring apparatus 10 can effectively suppress erroneous generation of the trigger signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring apparatus for a golf club comprising:
a club camera capable of photographing the golf club;
a control part capable of controlling a timing at which the golf club is photographed; and
three sensors capable of detecting passage of the golf club,
wherein the three sensors are a first sensor, a second sensor, and a third sensor, and when a club speed calculated based on the passage of the golf club detected by the second sensor and the third sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control part generates a trigger signal for starting to photograph the golf club,
wherein the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor are positioned on one side of a launch position of a golf ball in a direction opposite to a launch direction of the golf ball,
wherein the second sensor is located further from the launch position in the direction opposite to the launch direction than the first sensor, and
wherein the third sensor is located further from the launch position in the direction opposite to the launch direction than the second sensor.

2. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a head moving distance Dh is calculated based on a head position when the second sensor detects the passage of the golf club and a head position when the first sensor detects the passage of the golf club; and a head speed is calculated based on the head moving distance Dh.

3. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an information processing part capable of calculating a head speed, wherein
when a time at which the club is detected by the second sensor is defined as T 2 ;
a time at which the club is detected by the first sensor is defined as T 1 ;
a time period between the time T 2 and the time T 1 is defined as T 12 ;
a head image at the time T 1 is defined as H 1 ;
a head image at the time T 2 is defined as H 2 ; and
a head moving distance obtained from the image H 1 and the image H 2 is defined as Dh,
the information processing part calculates the head speed based on the head moving distance Dh and the time T 12 .

4. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
at least two sensors which are adjacent to each other in the three sensors are light emitting/receiving sensors; and
directions of emitted lights of the two sensors are opposite to each other.

5. The measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the two light emitting/receiving sensors are the second sensor and the third sensor.

6. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the three sensors are light emitting/receiving sensors;
directions of emitted lights of the first sensor and the second sensor are opposite to each other; and
directions of emitted lights of the second sensor and the third sensor are opposite to each other.

7. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is 5 m/s or greater and 15 m/s or less.

8. The measuring apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein when a club having a mark provided on a crown of a head is used, the head moving distance Dh can be measured based on the mark.

9. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a distance between a detection position of the first sensor and a detection position of the second sensor is defined as D 1 , the distance D 1 is 80 mm or greater and 120 mm or less.

10. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a distance between a detection position of the second sensor and a detection position of the third sensor is defined as D 2 , the distance D 2 is 10 mm or greater and 30 mm or less.

11. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a distance between a detection position of the first sensor and a detection position of the second sensor is defined as D 1 and a distance between the detection position of the second sensor and a detection position of the third sensor is defined as D 2 , the distance D 2 is less than the distance D 1 .

12. The measuring apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein D 2 /D 1 is 0.08 or greater and 0.38 or less.

13. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a straight line passing through a center point of a hit ball and a center point of a lens of the club camera is defined as a straight line C, an angle θc between the straight line C and a vertical line Z is 70 degrees or greater and 90 degrees or less.

14. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a height between a ground level and a center point of a lens of the club camera is defined as Hc, the height Hc is 0.9 m or greater and 1.2 m or less.

Assignees

• Dunlop Sports Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kamino Kazuya

Classifications

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• G06T1/0007 Primary

  Image acquisition · CPC title

• A63B69/3658 Primary

  Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction · CPC title

• A63F7/06

  Games simulating outdoor ball games, e.g. hockey (table games physically beneficial for the human body, modelled on outdoor sports, e.g. table tennis, A63B67/04) · CPC title

• A63F7/0628

  Golf · CPC title