Abstract:
A golf training club apparatus is disclosed having impact sensors and a display to show where on the club face the ball was struck for providing immediate visual feedback by electronic means to the golfer. The golf club includes a shaft having a grip end and a tip distal from the grip end. The golf club also has a club head affixed to the shaft adjacent the tip of the shaft and having a face for striking a golf ball. The club has a plurality of optical sensors adjacent the face for detecting contact between the face and the golf ball and electronics mounted within the head for processing signals from the sensors for analyzing at least the location of the contact between the face and the golf ball. The club further includes a display for displaying to the golfer at least the location of the contact between the face and the golf ball. The electronics also analyze whether the ball is tending to slice or hook by detecting lateral movement of the ball during contact with the club face.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/311,588, filed on Aug. 10, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to golf clubs and more particularly to a training golf club with impact sensors in the face of the club head and a display to show where on the club face the ball was struck.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Golf is a simple game to understand and a very difficult game to master. Many people struggle with fundamentally unsound swings and would like to improve their golf swings and thereby increase their enjoyment of the game. Unfortunately, when most golfers try to improve their swings, they do so without adequate feedback (information) about what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. For example, one of the most important aspects of the golf swing is to hit the ball reasonably close to the middle of the club face and to do so with the club face pointing at the target (perpendicular to the desired ball flight). The problem is that when a typical golfer mishits a shot, he or she often has no idea of what was wrong with the swing. The golfer usually doesn&#39;t know if the ball struck the correct part of the club face, if the club face was pointed at the target or not, or if the club head was moving along the correct swing path. Generally speaking, in order to improve, one needs to know what one is doing incorrectly so that an appropriate correction can be made to try to swing the club correctly in a repeatable manner.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, it can be seen that a need yet remains in the art for a golf club device that provides good feedback to the golfer about the nature of the contact between the club and the golf ball at impact. It is to the provision of such a golf club that the present invention is primarily directed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The invention is golf club including a sensor system that is mounted within or on the face of a conventional golf club to provide a signal used by electronics mounted within the golf club to provide a visual indication of where and how the ball impacted the head of the club when hit by the user. This allows the club to be used in practice at a driving range, golf course, or back yard and gives an immediate visual indication to the user of how and where the ball was hit by the club face.  
           [0006]    Briefly described, in a first preferred form the present invention comprises a golf training club for use by a golfer. The golf training club includes a shaft having a grip and and tip distal from the grip end. The training club also includes a club head affixed to the shaft near the tip of the shaft. The club head has a face for striking a golf ball. A plurality of sensors are positioned adjacent the face of the club head for detecting contact between the face and a golf ball. Electronics are mounted within the head or within the shaft for processing signals from the sensors for analyzing at least the location of the contact between the face and a golf ball. A display is provided for displaying to the golfer at least the location of the contact between the face and the golf ball.  
           [0007]    Preferably, the golf training club utilizes an array of optical sensors and the display is mounted adjacent the grip end of the shaft. Also preferably, the electronics are operative to further analyze the existence and extent of any side spin resulting from contact of the ball on the face. Also preferably, the electronics are housed within the club head and are operative for sensing, in conjunction with the sensor array, whether any of the individual sensors has been covered, thereby indicating a hit, to begin recording data. The data so recorded is used to a display an image representing more than one hit on the display. The image displayed representing more than one hit can be an image of an average hit taken over a previous collection of hits. Similarly, the display can be a composite image of numerous prior hits to show the pattern of contact location on the club face. Optionally, the electronics can be operative for calculating an estimated distance the ball would be estimated to travel based at least in part on measurements made at the club face at impact with the ball.  
           [0008]    Preferably, the club head is a driver or other type of “metal wood” club head. However, the invention could be provided in the form of or in conjunction with an “iron” type club head.  
           [0009]    The invention advantageously provides a learning tool to provide immediate feedback for golfers to allow them to improve the accuracy with which they hit the golf ball. The invention provides this immediate feedback showing the golfer where the ball was hit in relation to the proper position (i.e., the so-called sweet spot) on the club head. The invention also provides good feedback of the quality of the impact in relation to the proper angle by giving an indication of whether the ball would tend to slice or hook in response to contact with the club face. The invention provides useful information and it helps the user to avoid or break bad habits.  
           [0010]    Providing immediate feedback as to where and how the ball impacted the head of the club when hit is very helpful. This is further enhanced by the invention allowing for practicing in locations other than the golf course. For example, when at a golf course or driving range and the golfer hits the ball, at least some feedback is provided by any club in the form of the observed flight of the ball. When practicing at home by hitting into a practice net with a conventional club, unfortunately even that little bit of feedback information is eliminated. The present invention allows the golfer to obtain very good feedback information even when practicing at home hitting into a net, thereby expanding the opportunities for effective practice. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a golf club according to a preferred form of the invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a club head portion of the golf club of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a schematic, section illustration of the club head portion of the golf club of FIG. 2.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a schematic, sectional illustration of the club head portion of the golf club of FIG. 2, shown in contact with a golf ball.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 a  is a schematic illustration of the face portion of the club head of FIG. 2, depicting an array of sensors and a ball impact location.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 b  is a schematic illustration of a display screen portion of the golf club of FIG. 1 and shown depicting ball contact at the location depicted in FIG. 4 a.    
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is another schematic, sectional illustration of the club head portion of the golf club of FIG. 2, shown in off-center contact with a golf ball.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 a  is a schematic illustration of the face portion of the club head of FIG. 2, depicting an array of sensors and an off-center ball impact location as shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 b  is a schematic illustration of the display screen portion of the golf club of FIG. 1 and shown depicting the off-center ball contact at the location depicted in FIG. 5 a.    
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an electronics circuit portion of the golf club of FIG. 1.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration depicting the sequential contact of a ball with the club face of FIG. 1 and showing the lateral movement of the ball across the club face while in contact therewith, as well as depicting the occlusion of various sensors over the same time and the corresponding display images.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of portions of the club of FIG. 1 in use.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting the operation of the electronics and the display of the golf club of FIG. 1.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 is a schematic, sectional illustration of a grip end portion of the golf club of FIG. 1.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 11 a  through  11   k  are schematic illustrations depicting the sequential contact of a ball with the club face of FIG. 1 and depicting the covering and uncovering of various sensors as the ball moves laterally across the club face during contact therewith. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]    Referring now in detail to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a golf club  100  according to a preferred form of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic golf club  100  includes an end cap  45 , a display array  44 , a golf club shaft  42  with a grip  43 , and a club-head  40 . The club head  40  has mounted therein a sensor array  41 . End cap assembly  45  connects to electronics  46  mounted within shaft  42 . The electronics  46  within the shaft  42  processes signals from the sensor array  41  in the club head that are activated when the club head  40  impacts the golf ball  48 . The sensor array  41  signals the electronics  46  to retrieve and process the impact information within a microcontroller memory system, and then display that information to the user using the display array  44  to allow the user to observe how and where golf ball  48  was hit relative to the sweet spot or center of the club face. If golf ball  48  does not cover any of the sensors in sensor array  41 , and therefore does not signal complete blockage of the ambient light thereto, no indication of a hit will be presented to the user. When the golf ball  48  covers at least one sensor within the sensor array  41 , the system is activated and will present the user with immediate feedback on where and how the ball impacted the club face. An additional feature is provided by electronics  46  by presenting a number of the most recent hit positions to be displayed on display array  44  at the push of a button, to allow the user to see the average cluster of where the ball is being hit. Thus, using this feedback information, the user can learn to hit the ball in a correct manner more consistently.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 2 shows the club head/sensor array configuration. The full assembly is mounted within the sweet spot area of club head  40  to position it such that the center sensors are aligned in the normal sweet-spot area of the club head. As shown, it is arranged as a matrix to provide  11  sensors (S 1 , S 2 , S 3  . . . S 11 ) spread evenly over the club face such that a golf ball which impacts in the very center of the club face will only cover the center sensor S 6 . Of course, additional sensors could be added if required to increase the resolution, or a different pattern could be employed if necessary. Sensor  24 &#39;s are spaced such that the ball can normally cover only one sensor if it impacts the club face in that position. If the ball impacts the club face between two sensors, both are covered. Electronics  46  will detect that fact and can re-map the information into one position dot to be displayed. Thus, the 3/5/3 sensor matrix can be re-mapped to a higher resolution matrix for display. The matrix does not have to re-mapped in this matter, and could be much larger or smaller as appropriate. For clarity, the sensors within sensor array  41  (S 1 , S 2 , etc.) have been assigned numbers for discussion later.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 shows the sensor array system viewed from the top as mounted within club head  40 . The entire sensor assembly  41  could be mounted by retainer  30  or other appropriate means to club head  40 . Club face strike plate  26  is the front of the club face with multiple holes drilled, punched, or molded in it to create the positions of sensor array  41 .  
         [0029]    Sensor  24  is a photo-diode or photo-transistor, or other appropriate optical sensor, sensitive to the ambient light available while the club is in use. Retainer flange  23  is used to mount the sensors such as to create the desired mounting position of sensor  24  in club face strike plate  26 . The energy in the golf ball  48  is absorbed by club face strike plate  26 , thus protecting sensor  24  from damage. There are multiple sensors  24  arranged to produce a low resolution positional array on the club face strike plate  26 . A larger number of sensors can be employed to produce a higher resolution positional array.  
         [0030]    Cable  32  is a wiring harness, flex circuit, or other appropriate means of electrically connecting sensor PCB  22  to the electronics  46  located within the shaft  42 .  
         [0031]    As shown in FIG. 4, when the golf ball  48  impacts the club face, it compresses, covering one or more additional sensors  24 , resulting in a absence of light detected by the appropriate sensors  24  within the sensor array  41 . This action results in an electrical output signal relayed via cable or flex circuit  32  to the electronics  46  for processing. After processing, the recorded information is transferred to the display array  44  for observation by the user of the club, and also stored in internal memory for the display of the last several (preferably 8) positions, or “average” positions when requested by the user.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 4 also shows (in one dimension only for clarity) the configuration of a proper hit on the face of the sensor array  41 . Golf ball  48  covers the center sensor  24 , resulting in an absence of light detected by sensor S 6 . This information allows electronics  46  to read the position of where golf ball  48  impacted strike plate  26  and then process and display that information to the user via display array  44 . This example would show the ball being hit at the center of the sweet spot of the club face.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 5 shows a side hit by the user. The ball impact description is as described above, but in this situation, sensor S 5  is covered, resulting in a display indication to the user of a side hit.  
       Electronic Block Diagram  
       [0034]    [0034]FIG. 6 shows the block diagram of the electronic system. Battery  61  provides the power for the entire system when in use by the user. It may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeable type battery that is small yet powerful enough to provide all power needed. Power button  7  activates solid state switch  2  when depressed by the user before use. The power is automatically deactivated if a ball does not cover a sensor in sensor array  41  for 1 minute or other appropriate time. All active electronic components reside on the main PCB board, electronics  46 .  
         [0035]    Power conservation is of paramount importance and is managed by the electronic subsystem. Micro-controller  9  is a very low power device, running at a speed low enough to conserve power, yet still provide the processing required. Hit detector  8  is designed to be powered during the entire session, but draws very little power and is activated if any one of the sensors in sensor array  41  sensing the absence of light.  
         [0036]    The display array  44  is only activated during a hit/display cycle. Micro-controller  9  is a small microprocessor that controls all the functionality required by the system. Sensor interface  10  provides an interface for micro-controller  9  to read the sensor array  41 . Display controller  4  is responsible for displaying information from micro-controller  9  on display array  44 .  
         [0037]    Display driver  5  provides the power drive capability to display the appropriate hit locations using the display cycle. Display array  44  could be a standard 5×7 dot matrix LED array, a custom LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)or other appropriate display technology applicable to this application. The entire electronics  46  could be packaged in an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or other modern technology to reduce size and cost.  
       Electronics Operation  
       [0038]    The user actives power button  7  to provide power to the system at the beginning of the training or practice session. When the user hits a golf ball, hit detector  8  senses any one or more of the sensors in sensor array  41  being covered and signals microcontroller  9  that golf ball  48  is present on sensor array  41 . Micro-controller  9  records the sensor information of sensor array  41  via sensor interface  10 . As shown in FIG. 7, the positions of the ball over the sensors are recorded and stored within microcontroller  9  memory in time sync, that is, they are sampled and recorded at a known constant sample rate. In the example presented in FIG. 7, at time=0 (Any sensor covered) golf ball  48  has impacted on the center of strike plate  26  (club face) and covered the center sensor, S 6 . At time=0.0006, golf ball  48  has moved across strike plate  26  such that only sensor S 5  is covered and recorded. On the next sample, at time=0.0012, sensors S 4  and S 5  are both covered as the golf ball  48  continues it&#39;s trail across strike plate  26 . At time=0.0018, just before golf ball  48  leaves strike plate  26 , sensor S 4  is covered and recorded. When the record cycle is completed, the display portion of the cycle begins. Micro-controller  9  processes the sensor positional and time information recorded to create the display information for presentation by display array  44 . This is displayed via display controller  4 , display driver  5 , and display array  44  to show the user the position the golf ball  48  impacted strike plate  26 , and also the time displaced information of how the ball behaved while in contact with strike plate  26 .  
         [0039]    Again in FIG. 7, the example shows how the display is presented to the user. The first recorded position is shown in the very center at time=3.0 seconds from golf ball  48  impact. At time=3.2 seconds, the second display sequence shows the ball is rolling off of the club face to the left. Subsequent displays result in the user observing that the ball actually impacted the center of the club first, but rolled off to the left. Each display cycle last for an appropriate time to allow the user to observe the results, and is then repeated to make sure the user sees the information recorded. When completed, micro-controller  9  re-enables hit detector  8  to monitor sensor array  41  for another hit to occur. The recorded position of the initial hit position is then stored into the “average hit” memory to be used when desired by the user to display the last 8 positions in sequential order to produce an average hit position display.  
         [0040]    There is considerable feedback information within each hit of the ball, but even more information can be derived from the average position of the last 8 hits. FIG. 8 shows the average initial hit display capability of the design. The initial position of each of the last 8 hits is recorded and stored in micro-controller  9  memory, one at a time. If the user presses average button  6 , a request is sent to the electronics to display the last eight hit positions in proper order. Each position is individually displayed for a short period of time resulting in a sequential blinking of the positions recorded in a last in first out order. As shown, hit  1  would represent the oldest recorded data, while hit  8  would be the most recent. Thus, as long as the user holds the button down, the sequence is repeated to produce the average display. If all hits are on the same position, then only one display would blink 8 times, showing that the cluster is very tight and controlled. Therefore, the object would be for the user to adjust stance, swing, etc. until all the hits occurred on the center of the club, with only the center display being illuminated for 8 times per cycle, with the ball not rolling off the club face to the left or right (no hook or slice). Each new hit will record the latest position, and drop off the oldest position out of the 8 position memory, resulting in a running average of the last  8  positions displayed.  
       Controller Flow Chart  
       [0041]    [0041]FIG. 9 shows the system software flowchart for all required functions including power management, hit processing, and display processing. Start block  50  is entered when the user activates power button  7  shown in FIG. 6. Hit monitor circuit  8  looks to see if any sensor in the PCB  22  is covered, resulting in absence of light. If connection is not detected in hit block  51 , it loops back to start block  50  to look again. If a hit is detected in hit block  51 , micro-controller  9  reconfigures the I/O ports in block  52  and resets the automatic power off “No Hit” timer. Then, read all sensors block  53  begins to read all sensors and store the data in time sync via store data block  54 . None covered or time-out block  55  then checks to see if there are still sensors covered. If sensors are still covered, it loops to read all sensors block  53  and continues to read sensors in time sync. If no sensors are covered, the software senses the golf ball has left the club face and formats the data and expands time in block  56 , and builds the display sequence information in block  57 . Then, the display of the information to the user is controlled by block  57  until the display time is up in block  58 . The hit information will be repeated more than once to give the user sufficient time to observe the information. When the display time is expired, block  58  transfers to reset hardware block  59  which resets the system registers. Thus, control is passed back to start block  50  for another sequence of hit and display until the user is finished with the use of the club and the automatic power shut down feature is activated.  
         [0042]    While the software is scanning looking for a hit in hit block  51 , it also looks for average button  6  to be pressed by the user. If the button is pressed, control is sent to display average hits block  64  and displays the average hit positions for one cycle. After displaying the average hit positions one cycle, control is passed back to block  50  for another look. Thus, if the user holds down average button  6 , the average display will be continuously looping displaying the average hit positions until the button is released.  
       Electronics Compartment Description  
       [0043]    [0043]FIG. 10 shows the handle mounted battery/electronics assembly. Battery  61  is contained within grip cap  65  at the top of grip  43  to provide a holder for the battery that will not be pertibated by operation of the club. Battery slot  74  allows the user to insert or remove the battery as required to change it out occasionally for a fresh battery. End cap  60  houses display array  44 , power button  7 , and average button  6 . Electronic PC Board  46  is connected to grip cap  65  and is contained within shaft  42  for protection. Cable or flex circuit  32  connects electronics  46  PCB or flex circuit  22  located within the club head behind strike plate  26 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIGS. 11 a  through  11   k  are schematic illustrations depicting the sequential contact of a ball with the club face of FIG. 1 and depicting the covering and uncovering of various sensors as the ball moves laterally across the club face during contact therewith. As shown the ball is likely to curve (hook or slice) during its flight as a result of the sliding contact with the club face during impact. This can be represented on the display to provide feedback to the user.  
         [0045]    Also, the extent to which the ball compresses (how many additional sensors become covered) and how long the sensors are covered can be used to estimate the distance the shot would travel. This information can be displayed to the user, if desired.  
         [0046]    Although shown in a driver configuration, those skilled in the art will quickly recognize that the invention can also be provided on iron or other type clubs as well.  
         [0047]    The invention provides a learning tool to give immediate feedback for golfers to improve the accuracy with which they hit a golf ball with a golf club.  
         [0048]    Advantageously, the electronic golf club according to the present invention provides immediate feedback of where the golf ball was hit in relation to the proper position, or sweet spot, on the head of the club.  
         [0049]    Advantageously, the electronic golf club according to the present invention further provides positive feedback of how the ball was hit in relation to the proper angle, slice or hook by displaying time dependent information of how the ball behaved while in contact with the club face.  
         [0050]    Moreover, the electronic golf club according to the present invention further provides a ready means to store the last few hit positions and display them upon command of the user to display the “average” dot spread of where the golf ball has been impacting the head.  
         [0051]    Advantageously, the electronic golf club according to the present invention also provides the ability to record golf ball positional information in a very short time while the ball is in contact and compressed on the club face and display that information in a time expanded format for easy interpretation by the user.  
         [0052]    The invention provide an alternative for practicing hitting a golf ball that produces useful feedback on how well the ball is hit, thus avoiding bad habit generation during practice.  
         [0053]    The invention as described in this detailed description manages the power of the battery to maximize the actual use time of the electronic club in a training or practice session.  
         [0054]    The electronic golf club system described herein can be adapted to irons, putters, as well as metal woods type clubs.  
         [0055]    While the invention has been disclosed in preferred forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.