Education and demonstration – Physical education – Golf
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-07-17
Richman, Glenn E. (Department: 3764)
Education and demonstration
Physical education
Golf
C482S003000, C473S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261102
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for teaching proper swing tempo. Specifically, acceleration information is used as an aid to swing tempo training. Examples of activities which may benefit from this method and apparatus include sporting activities such as golf, baseball, hockey, and tennis, and non-sporting activities such as swinging a hammer or an ax.
A difficult challenge in swing intensive sporting activities (e.g., golf or tennis) is to perfect a swing and repeat it consistently. The pace of a swing, also known as swing tempo, is an important factor in most swing intensive activities as proper swing tempo is indicative of proper body position and proper body motion. In golf, for example, proper golf swing tempo ensures that golf club head velocity and golf club head position are optimized during a golf swing. As such, a device which assists a golfer in consistently repeating proper swing tempo can be an invaluable teaching aid.
To be effective, a swing tempo training device must provide “real-time” feedback (i.e., sufficiently instantaneous and continuous to allow modification of a swing during the swing).
Real-time feedback provides real-time information which allows a person to know during a swing whether swing tempo should be increased, decreased, or maintained.
While a number of swing tempo training devices exist, most fail to provide real-time swing tempo information (making adjustments during a swing impossible). U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,084 (hereinafter “the '084 patent”), for example, discloses a golf swing training device which measures swing tempo by using two parallel infrared transmitters and receivers located in a tee area. By measuring the time between two successive breaks in the path of transmitted infrared beams of light, an average backswing tempo and an average velocity through the tee area can be derived. The '084 apparatus provides swing tempo information only after the golf swing has been completed. Additionally, swing tempo information is not real-time; only average club speed and average swing tempo can be measured. As such, a golfer using the '084 device is unable to adjust swing tempo during a swing. Further, the system is not readily adaptable to applications where the object being struck is moving (as is the case in many non-golf applications).
Another example of a conventional swing tempo training device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,577 (hereinafter “the '577 patent”) The '577 patent discloses a swing training device which provides an audible sound representative of the velocity of a golf club during a golf swing. A pair of tensioned vibrational members placed on a golf club vibrate during a golf swing, producing an audible sound with a volume proportional to the velocity of the golf club. Only one sound is produced by the vibrating members, the volume of which is proportional to the club's velocity. This feature makes it impossible to control the device's volume (as a courtesy to other golfers) without changing swing tempo and makes small differences in swing tempo indistinguishable in a noisy environment. As well, the '577 device causes a golf club to vibrate in a manner many golfers may find annoying or distracting.
A need therefore exists for a swing tempo training device which provides real-time feedback that does not disturb others and which does not create artificial vibrations during a swing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which overcomes the short comings of conventional swing training devices and provides a highly effective swing tempo training device which can be used both on an off a playing field, work area, or the like.
First, it is an object of the invention to provide real-time feedback during an entire swing. Such feedback allows a user to recognize and correct improper swing tempo during a swing. Because improper swing tempo is indicative of improper body motion, real-time swing tempo information provides real-time body motion information (i. e., biofeedback).
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which allows swing tempo information to be easily recorded, replayed, and mimicked. For instance, the swing tempo of a professional can be recorded and replayed so that students can learn the professional's swing tempo.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide feedback which allows small changes in velocity of a swinging object to be detected (even in noisy environments) and which does not disturb other participants.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a small-sized swing tempo training device which provides no significant alteration to the aerodynamic properties of a swinging object, which does not induce vibrations during a swing, and which is inexpensive and reliable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the invention by providing a swing tempo training device which provides real-time swing tempo information.
The swing tempo training device of the present invention comprises an accelerometer coupled to a voltage-to-frequency converter, and an output means coupled to the voltage-to-frequency converter. The accelerometer measures the real-time centripetal acceleration of a swinging object (centripetal acceleration being related to the square of the velocity of the swinging object) and produces a voltage signal with a voltage level proportional to the measured acceleration. As the measured acceleration varies, so does the voltage level of the voltage signal produced by the accelerometer. In response to the voltage signal produced by the accelerometer, the voltage-to-frequency converter produces an audio signal with a frequency (and amplitude) proportional to the voltage signal from the accelerometer. Just as the voltage signal varies as measured acceleration varies, the frequency of the audio signal produced by the voltage-to-frequency converter varies as the voltage level of the voltage signal varies. In this manner, a different audio frequency is produced for each different acceleration value measured by the accelerometer.
The audio signal produced by the voltage-to-frequency converter is passed to the output means which may comprise an amplifier and a speaker. In a preferred embodiment, the output means comprises a Frequency Modulation (hereinafter “FM”) or Amplitude Modulation (hereinafter “AM”) transmitter (e.g., an electromagnetic transmitter) which produces a FM or an AM signal from the audio signal and transmits this modulated signal in either the MHz or kHz frequency range. This particular output means allows the audio signal to be received, demodulated, played, and recorded with a standard AM/FM receiver/cassette recorder. A highly desirable feature of this embodiment is that a user may record and replay a proper swing tempo numerous times thereby memorizing the sound created during a proper swing.
When using the swing tempo training device of the present invention during a swing, a user will hear sounds representative of the real-time velocity of the swinging object. If at a given instant the velocity of the swinging object differs from the desired velocity, the user will immediately recognize a difference in audio frequency (e.g., a difference in tone). This allows the user to identify what portion of the swing is improper, thereby allowing the user not only to concentrate on correcting that portion of the swing during subsequent swings but also allowing corrections during a swing. As well, numerous swing tempos may be recorded (such as for long or short distance swings) and the swing tempo of a professional (which a novice may emulate) may be recorded.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3717857 (1973-02-01), Evans
patent: 3788647 (1974-01-01), Evans
patent: 3815427 (1974-06-01), Gladston
Dugan Brian M.
Grober Robert D.
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