JP2007130071A - Golf ball performance evaluation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for comprehensively and accurately evaluating the performance of a golf ball. <P>SOLUTION: The system for evaluating the performance of the golf ball comprises an initial characteristic analyzing part 10 for measuring and analyzing the kinetic characteristics of the golf ball 40 just having been shot by a golf club 44 and a trajectory characteristic analyzing part 20 for measuring and analyzing the kinetic characteristics of the golf ball on a trajectory 90 along which the golf ball shot by the golf club flies. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a performance evaluation system for a golf ball. More specifically, in addition to the motion characteristics of a golf ball immediately after being launched by a golf club, the golf ball continues on a trajectory (orbit) on which a parabola flies. The present invention relates to a golf ball performance evaluation system that measures and analyzes the motion characteristics of the golf ball.

  Conventionally, golf ball flight characteristics (flight characteristics) have been measured and evaluated by actual hitting using golf clubs such as speed (initial speed), angle (launch angle), and spin rate immediately after launching the golf ball. In some cases, the trajectory and the flight distance of the hit ball are calculated by simulation using the above characteristics (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-206451

  However, the characteristics of the golf ball immediately after launching measured by the above-described conventional system are initial motion characteristics within a remarkably close range where the flight distance of the launched golf ball is less than 1 m. If the distance from the hitting position to the landing point is 210 m (about 230 yards), it is difficult to estimate the shape of the trajectory to the landing point, the behavior of the golf ball from the initial motion characteristics of the golf ball, In particular, the behavior of the golf ball at a high position on the trajectory could not be accurately grasped.

  On the other hand, it is known that the flying characteristics of a solid golf ball largely depend on the resilience characteristics of the core portion and the cover portion constituting the golf ball and the aerodynamic characteristics caused by the dimples formed on the cover. When it is considered that a golf ball having excellent flight characteristics will fly with a trajectory commensurate with it, immediately after the rebound characteristics based on the physical properties of the golf ball constituent materials and the aerodynamic characteristics based on the surface shape such as dimple arrangement are launched. It is necessary to grasp the movement characteristics of the golf ball and the movement characteristics of the golf ball before and after that including the peak position on the trajectory. For this purpose, the above two movement characteristics are measured simultaneously. It was necessary to analyze.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and continuously measures the motion characteristics of the golf ball immediately after being launched and the motion characteristics of the golf ball on the flying ballistic path by each measuring unit, and outputs It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball performance evaluation system capable of comprehensively and accurately evaluating the performance of a golf ball by analyzing the obtained information.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an initial characteristic analysis unit that measures and analyzes a motion characteristic of a golf ball immediately after being launched by a golf club, and a trajectory on which the golf ball launched by the golf club flies. A golf ball performance evaluation system comprising a ballistic characteristic analysis unit that measures and analyzes the motion characteristics of the golf ball is provided.

  In the present invention, the initial characteristic analysis unit includes, for example, initial velocity, launch angle (upward angle with respect to the horizontal line, lateral angle with respect to the reference line), back spin amount as the motion characteristics of the golf ball immediately after being launched by the golf club. The amount of side spin can be measured and analyzed.

  In the present invention, the ballistic characteristic analysis unit includes, as the movement characteristics of the golf ball on the ballistic path, for example, the velocity of the ball at any position on the ballistic path, the ball launch angle with respect to the horizontal line, and the ballistic angle including the fall angle , The height of the hit ball at any position including the maximum height from the horizontal line, the launch angle of the hit ball in the left and right direction and the amount of deviation in the left and right direction including the maximum bias (distance), various spins of the golf ball on the trajectory (backspin And side spin), the hit distance of the hit ball, the flight time of the hit ball, and the like can be measured and analyzed.

  According to the golf ball performance evaluation system of the present invention, for each golf ball launched by a golf club and flying, the initial characteristics immediately after launch and the characteristics at an arbitrary position on the trajectory are measured by each measuring unit. By continuously measuring and analyzing the output information, it is possible to comprehensively and accurately evaluate the performance of the golf ball.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a golf ball performance evaluation system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a portion of the system excluding a display unit.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes an initial characteristic analysis unit. The initial characteristic analysis unit 10 includes sensor means 12, photographing means 14 in which two cameras are arranged substantially horizontally in the direction of the hit ball, and characteristic analysis means 16 for analyzing and displaying the photographing result. The sensor unit 12, the imaging unit 14, and the characteristic analysis unit 16 are electrically connected although not shown. 1 and 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a ballistic characteristic analysis unit. The ballistic characteristic analysis unit 20 includes a radar transmission / reception unit 22 and a display unit 24, which are not shown, but are electrically connected. Further, the elevation angle measuring unit 30 of the hit ball can be additionally used in the system of this example.

  First, the initial characteristic analysis unit 10 will be described. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the golf ball 40 is set on the tee 42. Sensor means 12 for detecting the passage of the head of the golf club 44 that has been swung is disposed behind the flying line of the set golf ball 40. The sensor means 12 is set with a first sensor 12a and a second sensor 12b made of an optical light emitting part and a light receiving part at an interval of m1 (about 70 mm). The distance m2 between the second sensor 12b and the tee 42 is about 40 mm.

  In addition, the initial characteristic analysis unit 10 has an extremely initial part in the trajectory of the golf ball flying in a parabola shown in FIG. 3 in the photographing means 14 in order to measure the initial motion characteristics of the hit ball after impact by the golf club 44. Two cameras for photographing the behavior of the golf ball are set horizontally. That is, the first camera 14a is set at a position with a distance m4 of 50 to 300 mm from the tee 42, and the second camera 14b is set at a position with a distance m5 of 60 to 250 mm from the first camera 14a. As these cameras, CCD cameras having a shutter speed of 1 / 10,000 to 200,000 seconds are preferable, and it is preferable to provide strobes 14c and 14d, respectively (strobes are shown only in FIG. 2).

  Next, a measurement method by the initial characteristic analysis unit 10 will be described using the operation diagrams shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. First, when the first sensor 12a and the second sensor 12b detect the head passage of the golf club 44 swung by the golfer, the passage time t1 is detected, and the head speed is determined based on the relationship with the distance m1 between the two sensors 12a and 12b. Is measured. Next, in response to a signal from the second sensor 12b, a trigger output ST acts on the first camera 14a, the second camera 14b, and the strobes 14c and 14d. The trigger output ST measures, for example, a plurality of head speeds to be applied in advance, and sets a delay time t2 corresponding to these head speeds and a shutter interval t3 of both the cameras 14a and 14b. Images taken by both cameras 14 a and 14 b are displayed on the monitor screen 18 of the characteristic analysis unit 16.

  Next, a method for analyzing the initial motion characteristics of a golf ball will be described. The initial velocity of the golf ball is measured from the relationship between the time t3 when the hit ball passes through the first camera 14a and the second camera 14b and the distance m5 between the cameras 14a and 14b. The golf ball launch angle (vertical direction with respect to the horizontal line), back spin amount, and side spin amount are as follows.

  FIG. 5 shows the hit ball displayed on the monitor screen 18 of the characteristic analysis unit 16 when the golf ball is hit. A hit ball captured from the side by the first camera 14 a is projected on the first portion 60 of the monitor screen 18, and a hit ball captured from the side by the second camera 14 b is displayed on the second portion 62, and the measured value is displayed in the third portion 64. Is displayed. The surface of the golf ball 40 is provided with an isosceles triangle mark M in this embodiment. Since the color of the mark M is distinguished from the color of the golf ball (usually white), black or a dark color similar to this is preferable.

  In the initial motion characteristic analysis method of this example, the background of the black area is displayed from the monitor screen 18 by the binary value method (white / black) with respect to the video displayed on the first portion 60 and the second portion 62 of the monitor screen 18. The outline of the golf ball 40 that is a white portion is extracted from Next, the mark M (black) in the extracted outer shape of the golf ball 40 is extracted by the same binary value method.

  When the above processing is completed, the main axis (extension line including the height) of the mark M is obtained, and further, a vertical search is performed from this main axis, and a change point at which black changes to white is obtained. The search of the change point from black to white by this vertical search is performed along the main axis, and from the result, a straight line passing through the point sequence of these change points, that is, two oblique sides is obtained. Next, a base line perpendicular to the middle line of the two oblique sides is set outside the black block (mark M), and a search is made from here to the block side to obtain the bottom side. When obtaining the hypotenuse and the base, it is preferable to obtain the curve approximation in consideration of the curvature of the spherical surface.

  When the triangle, that is, the mark M is set by the image processing, three vertices are obtained from the three sides, and the first vertex A1, the second vertex A2, and the third vertex A3 are determined. Then, from the images projected on the first portion 60 and the second portion 62 of the monitor screen 18, the first vertex A1, the second vertex A2, and the third vertex A3 when the golf ball 40 is a unit sphere having a radius of 1 A three-dimensional vector is obtained, a rotation axis vector of the golf ball 40 is obtained based on the movement from the first portion 60 to the second portion 62 of the monitor screen 18, and a vector operation is performed between the rotation axis vector and the vector of the position of each vertex. To determine the amount of rotation of the golf ball. When the rotation axis vector and the rotation amount are obtained, the back spin amount and the side spin amount of the golf ball 40 can be obtained.

  Further, by measuring the vertical positional relationship of the golf ball 40 between the first portion 60 and the second portion 62 of the monitor screen 18, the relationship between the distance m5 (horizontal distance) between the cameras 14a and 14b The launch angle in the direction can be obtained. Further, based on the size of the diameter of the golf ball 40 of the first portion 60 and the second portion 62 of the monitor screen 18, it is possible to measure the left and right shake (left and right launch angle) of the hit ball.

  Next, a measurement method by the ballistic characteristic analysis unit 20 will be described. The ballistic characteristic analysis unit 20 includes radar transmission / reception means 22 and display means 24. In the present embodiment, the radar transmission / reception means 22 includes one transmitter that transmits radio waves toward the golf ball 40 that has been launched, and three receivers that receive radio waves that have been reflected back by hitting the golf ball 40. Built in. The radar transmission / reception means 22 can be set with a distance m3 of about 2000 mm, for example, directly behind the tee 42. On the other hand, the display unit 24 is electrically connected to the radar transmission / reception unit 22 and has a data calculation function.

  In this example, a plurality of dimples 80 (in this example, 5 dimples) are linearly formed so as to improve the reflection of radio waves by the hit ball and to easily detect the rotation state of the hit ball, for example, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, by applying a metal-based paint 82 in these dimples 80, it is possible to provide a mark 84 with excellent radio wave reflectivity on the surface of the golf ball. This metal paint mark 84 can be provided in addition to the isosceles triangle mark M described above.

  The radar transmission / reception means 22 transmits radio waves toward the golf ball 40 on the tee 42 and the golf ball 40 that has been launched, and receives radio waves reflected by the linear marks 84 made of the metallic paint. Thus, in the trajectory 90 shown in FIG. 3, the golf ball position that changes from moment to moment starts from the golf ball set position 92 to the tee, passes through the highest point position 94 and reaches the drop point 96 immediately after launch. And measure. Thereby, the velocity of the golf ball at an arbitrary position on the trajectory from the initial velocity immediately after launching the golf ball to the falling point 96 can be calculated.

  Prior to the measurement relating to the hit ball described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the radar transmission / reception means 22 uniquely sets the horizontal line X on the field and also sets the center line. Accordingly, the height of the ball at any position including the ball launch angle and the fall angle with respect to the set horizontal line X and the maximum height h of the golf ball from the horizontal line X on the ball trajectory is measured. Can do. On the other hand, the deviation amount (distance) in the left-right direction including the launch angle of the hit ball in the left-right direction and the maximum deviation can be calculated as the deviation from the set center line.

  Furthermore, various spins (back spin and side spin) of the golf ball on the trajectory can be calculated by detecting the reflected radio wave from the linear mark 84 by the metallic paint described above. In this case, the various spins can be calculated corresponding to various behaviors of the golf ball on the trajectory. Further, the flight distance d and the flight time from the golf ball set position 92 to the golf ball dropping point 96 can also be calculated.

  The movement characteristics of the golf ball on the ballistic path measured and analyzed by the ballistic characteristic analysis unit 20 are displayed on the monitor screen 26 of the display means 24.

  In the present embodiment, the elevation angle measurement unit 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be used as necessary. It is preferable that the elevation measuring unit 30 has a built-in camera, and the camera is set at a substantially tee position with respect to the flight line direction of the hit ball and at a human eye height position with respect to the vertical direction.

  The elevation angle measurement unit 30 can start imaging using a trigger signal based on the sound of the hitting sound or the trigger output ST described in the section of the measurement method by the initial characteristic analysis unit. The shot golf ball image that changes with time is converted into an electrical signal and sent to a display unit (not shown) or a personal computer with a built-in arithmetic unit, and a trajectory is displayed on the monitor screen. The elevation angle on the trajectory (the rising angle of the hitting ball with respect to the horizontal line at the camera height or the height of the human eye), the left and right angles (bias) with respect to the center line, the rising angular velocity, the falling angular velocity, etc. Displayed on the screen.

  The data obtained by the initial characteristic analysis unit 10, the ballistic characteristic analysis unit 20, and the elevation angle measurement unit 30 as described above is aggregated in a personal computer, and necessary data is analyzed for golf balls, golf clubs, and the like. Processed and stored in an easy-to-use state.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a performance evaluation system for a golf ball according to the present invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the part except the display part of the system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the trajectory of a golf ball. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the system of FIG. It is a figure of the monitor screen of the system of FIG. It is the schematic which shows an example of the mark provided in the golf ball surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Initial characteristic analysis part 12 Sensor means 14 Imaging means 16 Characteristic analysis means 20 Ballistic characteristic analysis part 22 Radar transmission / reception means 24 Display means 30 Elevation angle measurement part 40 Golf ball 44 Golf club

Claims (3)

  An initial characteristic analyzer that measures and analyzes the motion characteristics of a golf ball immediately after being hit by the golf club, and measures and analyzes the motion characteristics of the golf ball on the trajectory on which the golf ball hit by the golf club flies A golf ball performance evaluation system comprising: a ballistic characteristic analysis unit.   2. The golf ball performance evaluation according to claim 1, wherein the ballistic characteristic analysis unit includes radar transmission / reception means for transmitting radio waves toward the golf ball and receiving radio waves reflected by the golf ball. system. The golf ball performance evaluation system according to claim 1, further comprising an elevation angle measuring unit that measures an elevation angle of a trajectory on which the golf ball launched by the golf club flies.

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