U.S. patent application number 10/197452 was filed with the patent office on 2004-01-22 for device for training the correct swing for a club.
Invention is credited to Ziener-Gundersen, Dag H..
Application Number | 20040014531 10/197452 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30442953 |
Filed Date | 2004-01-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040014531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ziener-Gundersen, Dag H. |
January 22, 2004 |
Device for training the correct swing for a club
Abstract
A device for improving the performance of a player, particularly
the repetitive correct swinging of a club, is preferably attached
to a standard club shaft and has a housing containing at least one
processor attached to X Y and Z accelerators. The processor is
further attached to data storage and a power supply. The processor
can further be connected to a radio and/or IR transmitter as well
as a visual display means. A plurality of switches are provided to
control on/off, mode selection, storage, etc. The visual display
can be either an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or a liquid
crystal display (LCD) either one of which will display either the
path of the club moving through a pre installed "master" swing or a
swing derived from sampled swing data.
Inventors: |
Ziener-Gundersen, Dag H.;
(Asker, NO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Russell J. Egan
Suite 120
908 Town & Country Blvd.
Houston
TX
77024-2221
US
|
Family ID: |
30442953 |
Appl. No.: |
10/197452 |
Filed: |
July 17, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/222 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2024/0068 20130101;
A63B 15/02 20130101; A63B 15/00 20130101; A63B 2220/40 20130101;
A63B 69/3623 20130101; A63B 2225/50 20130101; A63B 24/0062
20130101; A63B 2225/74 20200801; A63B 69/0024 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/222 |
International
Class: |
A63B 069/36 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A device for improving the performance of a player, particularly
the repetitive correct swinging of a club, comprising: a housing
assembly adapted to be secured to a conventional club, said housing
defining a cavity having therein an array of accelerometers
connected to logic means programmed for a predetermined correct
swing and responsive to said accelerometers; whereby display is
made of the player's swing.
2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said logic means
contains preprogrammed data for a correct swing which data is
compared with the output of said accelerometer array and displayed
on said display means.
3. The device according to claim 1 wherein said logic means accepts
data from said accelerometer array and defines a correct swing
which is displayed on said display means.
4. The device according to claim 1 further comprising
transmitter/receiver means within said housing for
transmitting/receiving the data of the swing
5. The device according to claim 4 wherein said data is transmitted
by radio to a golf pro observing the golfer and/or to a head set
worn by the golfer.
6. The device according to claim 4 wherein said data is
transmitted/received to/from a computer.
7. The device according to claim 1 further comprising visual
display means formed by an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs)
arranged to display a programmed swing and/or the actual swing.
8. The device according to claim 1 further comprising visual
display means formed by a liquid crystal display on which a
preprogrammed swing is primarily displayed with the actual swing as
noted by said first and second sensor arrays superimposed upon the
primary display.
9. The device according to claim 4 wherein the device receives data
and commands from a computer for interactive communication and
learning.
10. A method for improving the performance of a player,
particularly in sports requiring repetitive correct motions, such
as swinging of a club, in order to achieve maximum results by said
player, comprising the steps of providing said player with a device
adapted to be secured to a conventional club, said device having a
housing defining a cavity with an array of accelerometers therein
connected to logic means programmed for a predetermined correct
motion and responsive to said accelerometers to generate data on
said motion, visual means for displaying the results of said
motion, means for transmitting said data by radio to a coach
observing the player and/or to a head set worn by the player and/or
transmitting/receiving said data to/from a computer; said player
executing the motion to be improved; comparing the just completed
motion with the desired motion, the player's history of said
motion, and corrective action to be taken to improve said motion;
displaying said comparison whereby the player is made aware of his
motion and what corrective action must be taken.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present invention constitutes an improvement over the
devices described in my U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/048,475
filed Mar. 26, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,779 issued Aug. 24,
1999 and in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/541,251 filed
Apr. 3, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. The Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention pertains to a device which can be
readily attached to a conventional club for teaching a player to
have a better swing thereby improving the player's game score. In
particular, the present invention relates to a device which is
clipped onto a conventional club, or inserted into a cavity in the
club and will give a sensed output whenever there is a deviation
from a programmed swing.
[0004] 2. The Prior Art
[0005] The popularity of the game of golf has produced a wide
variety of gadgets which are intended to train a golfer to have the
correct swinging motion with a golf club from starting with
addressing the ball through, and including, the follow through.
These gadgets can be generally classified into two categories. The
first is a body restraint which is some form of harness placed on
the golfer's person allowing only limited movement, which movement
is supposedly the correct movement for the desired swing. The
theory is that the golfer will train while wearing this and learn
the correct swinging motion. The problem with this type of device
is that the golfer can exert effort against the restraint, while
training, and therefor does not necessarily learn the correct
motion. In this instance, when the restraint is removed, the golfer
continues to exert the same effort which results in a distorted
swinging motion and a poor shot. Such devices are cumbersome to put
on and therefor are not conducive to use for a practice swing on
the course immediately prior to taking a scoring shot. The second
type of gadget is one which controls the motion of the club. This
is usually some form of guide rails which restrict the club
movement, rather than the golfer, to the supposed desired path of
the club head. Again the problem is that the golfer gets used to
relying upon the gadget for club control rather than learning the
correct swing for himself This second type of gadget is usually of
sufficient structure that it is not readily portable. Clearly it
could not be carried onto a golf course and used for a practice
swing immediately prior to taking a scoring shot.
[0006] There are a variety of similar devices intended to teach
correct swinging motions for other sports, such as baseball and
tennis. However, all of these devices suffer from the same problems
as those that are found in the above discussed devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The subject device addresses the problem a player has in
achieving a correct and reparative swing which will allow him to
hit the ball properly. The performance of a good swing ensures that
the swing follows a consistent path from a start, to hitting the
ball and the follow through. During the back swing and the forward
swing, the club should follow the exact same path. The present
invention addresses this problem by providing a device that is
attached to a conventional sports club. The device is equipped with
at least one motion sensor element which will provide an indication
to the player when the subject club has moved out of its desired
path. The object is to ensure that the player learns to maintain a
natural and correct swing without bringing the club out of a
position which will impair the possibility of hitting a ball
correctly. The device must have sufficient ruggedness to withstand
the forces generated during the swing as well as those generated by
striking the ball, which may be a standard ball, training ball or
the like.
[0008] The present invention is intended to overcome the above
noted problems of both types of prior art devices by providing a
device, which can either be an attachment for a standard club or
inserted into a cavity in a modified club, and then be carried onto
the course and used for a practice swing immediately prior to
taking up a club for a scoring swing.
[0009] The present invention relates to a device to be clipped onto
a conventional club or inserted into a preformed cavity in the club
for teaching players to have a better swing thereby improving their
game score. In particular, the present invention relates to a
device which will give a sensed input, through audio, tactile
and/or visual feed back, to the player when there is any deviation
from a programmed swing. The visual display of the information can
be shown on an electronic display directly attached to the device
and/or on a remote display, such as any hand held, portable, or
desk top computers having the capability of sending and receiving
signals from the device and displaying the transmitted data. The
display could include LCD (liquid crystal display) carried on the
golfer's arm or as a flip down pair of glasses or as a flip down
form a cap brim. The electronic device will further be sued for
programming or for real time interaction with the device.
[0010] While the present invention is described in a device for
teaching a correct swing for golf the principles employed therein
can be applied to other sporting activities such as hockey,
baseball, tennis, etc. in which a stick, a bat, a racquet, glovers
or boots, etc. must be properly swung. For the sake of simplicity
of description, only a golfer and golf club will be discussed as
the example.
[0011] The subject device addresses the problem a golfer has in
achieving a correct and repetitive golf swing which will allow him
to hit the golf ball properly every time. The essence to a good
shot lies in the performance of the swing to ensure that the club
follows a consistent path starting with addressing the ball and
continuing through the back swing, the forward swing, hitting the
ball and the follow through. During, the club should follow the
exact predetermined path every time to become the selected and
preferred swing of the golfer.
[0012] The present invention is intended to overcome the above
noted problems of both types of prior art devices by providing an
attachment for a standard golf club, which can be carried onto the
course and used for a practice swing immediately prior to taking up
a club for a scoring swing.
[0013] The principles of the present invention can be applied to
other forms of athletic events, such as baseball, hockey, tennis,
etc., wherein a bat, stick, gloves, or boots or the like are used
to hit a ball, a puck, etc. In each instance it is the object to
swing the bat, etc. through a defined path so as to properly strike
the ball etc. in such manner as to get the desired result. This
would, of course, include determining the proper angle of the
"face" of the bat etc. for giving the ball etc. the desired
loft.
[0014] The principles of the present invention can be applied to
other forms of athletic events requiring throwing for distance
and/or accuracy, such as the field events of track, ie., the
javelin, the discus, etc., in which repeated correct motion
produced the best results.
[0015] The subject invention preferably is a unit attached to any
club but could also be received in a cavity in the head of a golf
club.
[0016] The described device is provided with a plurality of sensor
means in the form of sensors and accelerometers, Programmed Logic
Circuitry (PLC) connected to receive data from the sensor means and
provide a hardwired output or by radio link to a display means,
such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an array of Light Emiting
Diodes (LED) or other visual display means mounted on the club head
or carried as a separate display on the golfer's arm or the like
communicating either by wire or wireless.
[0017] The principles of subject invention could be applied to
training devices for sticking other types or balls, etc., with
bats, sticks of the like as in the games of baseball, hockey,
tennis, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0018] The present invention will now be described, by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through the
present invention mounted on a conventional golf club;
[0020] FIG. 2. is a diagrammatic horizontal section taken along
line 2-2 in FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an alternate
embodiment of the subject invention inserted into a golf club
head;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top plan view taken along line 4-4
of FIG. 3 showing the visual display means of the present
invention; and
[0023] FIG. 5 is a block level schematic representation of the
versitility of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0024] The present invention will now be described in an embodiment
wherein the invention is selectively attached to the shaft, near
the head, of a conventional golf club. It is to be understood that
the subject invention could also be received in a cavity in the
head of a standard golf club. It is also to be understood that
appropriately modified embodiments of the present invention could
also be attachments to or incorporated as integral members of other
swing training devices, for example racquets, bats, and sticks for
training tennis and squash players, baseball players, and hockey
players, respectively. Suitable embodiments could be made for just
about any other sport where the player strikes at a target with a
stick, bat, club, or paddle and a proper swing is required so as to
impart the proper trajectory to the ball etc.
[0025] For the sake of simplicity, the subject invention 10 is
shown and described with a conventional golf club 12 having a shaft
14 with a head 16 fixed to one end thereof The housing 18 of the
present invention has a main housing 20 and a clamping plate 22
attached to the main housing at one end by a hinge 24 and adapted
to be selectively secured at the other end to the main housing by
screws 26 or the like. The main housing and the clamping plate
together define a passage 28 for the shaft 14 of the club 12 with
the surfaces 30, 32 forming the passage being adapted for gripping
the shaft 14 in such manner that there is not movement relative to
the shaft during swinging of the club. Orientation means 34, 36 are
provided on the shaft 14 and housing 18, respectfully, to insure
that the device 10 is always in the same proper orientation each
time it is applied to the shaft 14. Orientation means 34 preferably
is some sort of permanent indicia while orientation means 36 can be
permanent indicia and/or sensing means.
[0026] The main housing 20 encloses a processor 38 which is
attached to an X accelerator 40, a Y accelerator 42, and a Z
accelerator 44. The accelerometers 40, 42, 44 may be electronic,
mechanical, optical or a combination thereof The processor is
further attached to data storage means 46 and batteries 48. In the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processor 38 is further
connected to a wireless transmitter 50, for example radio or IR,
while in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the processor is connected
to a visual display means 52 mounted on the top exterior surface of
the main housing. The housing may optionally be provided with a
plurality of switch means 54 to control on/off, mode selection,
storage, etc. or the computer LCD may be provided with touch screen
capability for making such selections.
[0027] The visual display means 52 can be either an array of
light-emiting diodes (LEDs) or, preferably, a liquid crystal
display (LCD) either one of which will display either the path of
the club moving through a pre installed "master" swing or a swing
derived from sampled swing data of the golfer. The device could
also be set to input new data or for a training swing. These
selections are made by the appropriate selection switch means 54 or
by the above-mentioned touch screen at the computer.
[0028] The visual display is shown in FIG. 4 where typically the
preprogrammed swing 56 is shown in solid lines, a low swing 58 is
shown in dotted lines, and a high swing 60 is shown in dashed lines
and/or different colors may be used to display the various swings.
Other data, such as club speed, slice degree, hook degree, loft
degree, etc., can also be displayed in either numerical or graphic
form on the same or different screens.
[0029] When the golfer wants to practice his swing, he takes the
club in his hands and assumes a proper stance. Then he turns the
device on. He makes his selection of function (i.e., will he use a
preprogrammed swing or will he record the swing he will be making
or work interactive with a program). He then addresses the ball and
begins his back swing followed by the forward swing, striking the
ball and follow through. As he makes these moves, the motion of the
club will be sensed by the three accelerometers 40, 42, 44. The
outputs from the accelerometers will be processed by the
programmable logic circuitry to produce a display indicating the
proper swing and how and where the golfer deviated from this swing
during his shot. Orientation means 36 can include a separate sensor
to measure the placement of the unit relative to the shaft to
insure that there has been no relative movement and/or to
compensate for any movement that might occur.
[0030] The Programmable Logic Circuit program is set to start
sampling after sensing an acceleration of the club and will sample,
typically 500 samples, through a 2-3 second swing. The data storage
will have sufficient capacity to store several swings.
[0031] The programmable logic circuit, with data storage, will have
several features in usage. These include:
[0032] 1. The golfer can request to store data from a swing that
the golfer, through practice, has determined is his "Master" swing.
Then every swing will be compared with thisswing and the display
will show how much and in which direction the golfer deviated from
this master swing, ie., in his back swing, forward swing as well as
rotation of the club, and any deviation from this master swing will
be displayed.
[0033] 2. A master swing, such as a swing typically used by a
successful professional golfer, can be programed into the unit so
that the golfer is trained in achieving this swing. The same
comparison and feed back is given.
[0034] 3. An especially memorable swing, either good or bad, can be
stored for historic reason or for analysis later on to achieve the
proper training in, for example, removing bad habits, etc.
[0035] 4. The golfer's swings can be used for on-line interactive
communication with a PC or for historic usage from video games and
other games such as virtual golf play etc.
[0036] 5. A set of head phones or ear plugs with a radio receiver
will be used for tactile sounds or voice commands.
[0037] The subject invention can be made either as a clip on a
device with an integrated display or as a clip on a device without
a display but with radio or IR Interface to an external monitoring
unit which preferably is a small handheld computer such as an I
pac, notebook in combination with head phones.
[0038] FIG. 5 is a block level schematic diagram illustrating the
versatility of the subject invention. The sensing unit 62 contains
the sensors, accelerometers, processors, data storage, programs,
power supply, and wireless transmitter receiver. The unit can be
strapped onto a club 64, received in a cavity in a club 66,
attached to a glove or boot 68, attached to or received in the
handle of a bat (baseball, cricket, etc.) 70, or the handle of a
racket-(tennis; squash, etc.) 72. The player can wear a headset 74
to receive information of the swing. Instead of a headset, a
display could be worn on the arm, on flip down glasses, or as a
flip down from the brim of a hat. A stand alone unit 76 can be
placed where it can be viewed by the player and/or coach. This unit
would include a computer, preferably a lap top or notebook for
portability purposes, connections to a large screen monitor,
processor, data storage, wireless transmitter/receiver and power
supply.
[0039] It is within the scope of the invention to have swing
related data, such a swing speed, slice, hook, contact on the face
of the club, and even the stance of the player.
[0040] The present invention may be subject to many modifications
and changes without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof Therefore, the present embodiments should
be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive
of the scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *