Golf swing measurement system

Claim 2

A golf swing-monitoring system for measuring clubhead speed, comprising: a first IR transmitter which transmits a first infrared (IR) beam along a predetermined line toward a tee area; a first IR sensor for receiving the first IR beam which is reflected from a reflection means mounted to the golf club, said first IR sensor providing a first-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the first IR beam; a second IR transmitter which transmits a second IR beam along a predetermined line toward the tee area, wherein said second IR beam is substantially parallel to the first IR beam; a second IR sensor for receiving a second IR beam which is reflected from the reflection means mounted to the golf club, said second IR sensor providing a second-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the second IR beam; means for detecting the presence of a second-sensor output signal followed by a first-sensor output signal; means for measuring the difference in time between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal; means for converting the difference in time to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed; compensation means for adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value; and means for displaying the clubhead-speed value.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 wherein the means for converting the difference in time to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes a look-up table.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 wherein the means for converting the difference in time to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes a plurality of look-up tables, each of said look-up tables covering a predetermined range of clubhead-speed values.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1 wherein the compensation means for adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value includes selection means for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined percentages by which to increase the clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed.

Claim 6

The system of claim 4 wherein the compensation means for adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value includes means for selecting predetermined percentages which vary as a function of clubhead speed.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 wherein the visual display means includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 wherein the reflection means mounted to the golf club, includes a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the first and the second IR beams to the respective first and second IR sensors.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1 wherein the means for measuring the difference in time between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal includes means for counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal.

Claim 10

The system of claim 1 wherein the means for detecting the presence of a second-sensor output signal followed by a first-sensor output signal, the means for measuring the difference in time between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal, the means for converting the difference in time to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed, and the compensation means for adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value include a microcomputer which receives the first-sensor output signal and the second-sensor output signal as interrupt signals.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1 wherein the means for displaying the clubhead-speed value includes selective means for displaying the clubhead-speed value in either miles-per-hour or kilometers-per-hour units.

Claim 12

A golf swing-monitoring system for swing tempo, comprising: an IR transmitter which transmits an infrared (IR) beam along a predetermined line toward a tee area; an IR sensor for receiving the IR beam which is reflected from a reflection means mounted to the golf club, said IR sensor providing a sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the IR beam; means for measuring the difference in time between two consecutive sensor output signals; means for converting the difference in time between the two consecutive sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the tempo of a golf swing; visual display means for displaying the swing tempo value.

Claim 13

A golf swing-monitoring system for swing tempo, comprising: an IR transmitter which transmits an infrared (IR) beam along a predetermined line toward a tee area; an IR sensor for receiving the IR beam which is reflected from a reflection means mounted to the golf club, said IR sensor providing a sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the IR beam; means for measuring the difference in time between two consecutive sensor output signals; means for converting the difference in time between the two consecutive sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the tempo of a golf swing; visual display means for displaying the swing tempo value.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 wherein the visual display means includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 15

The system of claim 11 wherein the reflection means mounted to the golf club includes a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the IR beams to the IR sensors.

Claim 16

The system of claim 11 including a clock pulse source which provides clock output pulses for timing the system and wherein the means for measuring the difference in time between two consecutive sensor output signals includes means for counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the two consecutive sensor output signals to providing a tempo value.

Claim 17

The system of claim 11 wherein the means for converting the difference in time between the two consecutive sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the tempo of a golf swing includes a microcomputer which receives the sensor output signals as interrupt signals.

Claim 18

A golf-swing monitoring system for measuring and displaying tempo and clubhead speed parameters for a golfer swinging a golf club having a reflection means mounted thereto through a tee area, comprising: a first IR transmitter which transmits a first infrared (IR) beam along a predetermined line toward the tee area; a first IR sensor for receiving a first IR beam which in reflected from the reflection means, mounted to the golf club, said first IR sensor providing a first-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the first IR beam; a second IR transmitter which transmits a second IR beam along a predetermined line toward the tee area, wherein said second IR beam is substantially parallel to the first IR beam; a second IR sensor for receiving a second IR beam which is reflected from the reflection means, mounted to the golf club, said second IR sensor providing a second-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the second IR beam; means for detecting the presence of two consecutive second-sensor output signals followed by one first-sensor output signal; means for measuring the difference in time between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals; means for converting the difference in time between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the back swing time, or tempo, of the golf swing; means for measuring the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal; means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed; and visual display means for displaying the tempo value and the clubhead-speed value to the golfer.

Claim 19

A golf-swing monitoring system for measuring and displaying tempo and clubhead speed parameters for a golfer swinging a golf club having a reflection means mounted thereto through a tee area, comprising: a first IR transmitter which transmits a first infrared (IR) beam along a predetermined line toward the tee area; a first IR sensor for receiving a first IR beam which in reflected from the reflection means, mounted to the golf club, said first IR sensor providing a first-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the first IR beam; a second IR transmitter which transmits a second IR beam along a predetermined line toward the tee area, wherein said second IR beam is substantially parallel to the first IR beam; a second IR sensor for receiving a second IR beam which is reflected from the reflection means, mounted to the golf club, said second IR sensor providing a second-sensor output signal indicative of the passage of the golf club through the second IR beam; means for detecting the presence of two consecutive second-sensor output signals followed by one first-sensor output signal; means for measuring the difference in time between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals; means for converting the difference in time between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the back swing time, or tempo, of the golf swing; means for measuring the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal; means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed; and visual display means for displaying the tempo value and the clubhead-speed value to the golfer.

Claim 20

The system of claim 16 wherein the means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes a look-up table.

Claim 21

The system of claim 16 wherein the means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes a plurality of look-up tables, each of said look-up tables covering a predetermined range of clubhead-speed values.

Claim 22

The system of claim 16 wherein the means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes means for increasing each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage.

Claim 23

The system of claim 19 wherein the means for increasing each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage includes switch means for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined percentages.

Claim 24

The system of claim 19 wherein the means for increasing each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage includes switch means for selecting predetermined percentages which vary as a function of the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal.

Claim 25

The system of claim 16 wherein the visual display means for displaying the tempo value and the clubhead-speed value to the golfer includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 26

The system of claim 22 wherein the visual display means for displaying the tempo value and the clubhead-speed value to the golfer includes means for periodically reversing the polarity of digit display signals and a back plane for the liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 27

The system of claim 16 wherein the reflection means mounted to the golf club, for reflecting IR energy includes a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the first and the second IR beams to the respective first and second IR sensors.

Claim 28

The system of claim 16 including a clock pulse source which provides clock output pulses for timing the system and wherein the means for measuring the difference in time between two consecutive second-sensor output signals includes first means for counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals, providing a tempo value.

Claim 29

The system of claim 16 wherein the means for measuring the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal includes means for counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal, providing a clubhead-speed value.

Claim 30

The system of claim 26 wherein the means for converting to a tempo value and the means for converting to a clubhead-speed value include a microprocessor which converts the clubhead-speed values using lookup tables.

Claim 31

The system of claim 16 wherein the means for converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes selective means for providing clubhead speed in either miles per hour or kilometers per hour.

Claim 34

The system of claim 29 wherein the step of adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value includes converting the clubhead-speed values to predetermined compensated clubhead-speed values using a look-up table.

Claim 35

The method of claim 30 wherein the step of converting includes using a plurality of look-up tables, each of said look-up tables covering a predetermined range of clubhead-speed values.

Claim 36

The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value includes selecting one of a plurality of predetermined percentages by which to increase the clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed.

Claim 37

The method of claim 32 wherein the step of adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value includes selecting predetermined percentages which vary as a function of clubhead speed.

Claim 38

The method of claim 29 wherein the step of displaying clubhead speed includes displaying clubhead speed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 39

The method of claim 29 including the step of reflecting the first and the second IR beams from a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the first and the second IR beams to the respective first and second IR sensors.

Claim 40

The method of claim 29 wherein the step of measuring the difference in time between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal includes counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal.

Claim 41

The method of claim 29 wherein the steps of detecting the presence of a second-sensor output signal followed by a first-sensor output signal, measuring the difference in time between the second-sensor output signal and the following first-sensor output signal, converting the difference in time to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed, and adjusting the clubhead-speed value to a predetermined compensated clubhead-speed value include performing these steps with a microcomputer which receives the first-sensor output signal and the second-sensor output signal as interrupt signals.

Claim 42

The method of claim 29 wherein the step of displaying the clubhead-speed value includes selectively displaying the clubhead-speed value in either miles-per-hour or kilometers-per-hour units.

Claim 45

The method of claim 39 including displaying the swing tempo value on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 46

The method of claim 39 including the step of reflecting the IR beam from a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the IR beams to the IR sensors.

Claim 47

The method of claim 39 including measuring the difference in time between two consecutive sensor output signals by counting a number of clock output pulses from a clock pulse source to measure the time interval between the two consecutive sensor output signals to provide a tempo value.

Claim 48

The method of claim 39 wherein the step of converting the difference in time between the two consecutive sensor output signals to a tempo value indicative of the tempo of a golf swing includes performing these steps with a microcomputer which receives the sensor output signals as interrupt signals.

Claim 51

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes using a look-up table.

Claim 52

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes using a plurality of look-up tables, each of said look-up tables covering a predetermined range of clubhead-speed values.

Claim 53

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes modifying each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage.

Claim 54

The method of claim 47 wherein the step of modifying each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage includes selecting one of a plurality of predetermined percentages which vary as a function of clubhead speed.

Claim 55

The method of claim 47 wherein the step of increasing each value of the clubhead speed by a predetermined percentage includes selecting predetermined percentages which vary as a function of the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal.

Claim 56

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of displaying the tempo value and the clubhead-speed value to the golfer includes alternately displaying these values on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Claim 57

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of reflecting the first and the second IR beams includes reflecting IR from a cylindrical sleeve, which encircles the hosel at the distal end of a shaft of the golf club and which has an external reflective surface for reflecting the first and the second IR beams to the respective first and second IR sensors.

Claim 58

The method of claim 44 including the step of timing the system with clock output pulses from a clock pulse source and measuring the difference in time between two consecutive second-sensor output signals by counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the two consecutive second-sensor output signals to provide a tempo value.

Claim 59

The method of claim 52 wherein the step of measuring the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal includes counting a number of clock output pulses to measure the time interval between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal, providing a clubhead-speed value.

Claim 60

The method of claim 44 wherein the steps of converting to a tempo value and for converting to a clubhead-speed value include using a microprocessor to converts the clubhead-speed values using lookup tables.

Claim 61

The method of claim 44 wherein the step of converting the difference in time between the second of the two consecutive second-sensor output signals and the following first-sensor output signal to a clubhead-speed value indicative of the clubhead speed includes displaying clubhead speed in either miles per hour or kilometers per hour.