Patent Application
20130035171
The present invention relates to an apparatus for correcting a head-up phenomenon during a golf swing, and more specifically, an apparatus, which makes a golf ball either ascend above a ground or descend toward the ground from above just before the impact only if a down-swing is performed or a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value during the golf tee-shot training, such that the golfer may not suffer too much burden, the burden occurring due to a golf ball placed on the tee during a swing.
Generally, golf is a game that is played by striking a golf ball to a green to sink it into a hole-cup placed a certain distance apart from where the golf ball is struck, and golf is a record game, and thus, a golfer who sinks a golf ball into a hole-cup with the smallest number of strokes becomes a winner.
The most important things in golf are a distance of a shot and an accuracy of a shot. If a distance and a shot are accurate, the number of strokes may be reduced, and thus, every golfer practices much more for the distance of a shot and the accuracy of a shot.
However, even if a golfer know thoroughly a pose, which has to be maintained just before a swing and an impact, so as to improve a distance of a shot and an accuracy of a shot, if a golfer does not correct a head-up habit by which a head of a golfer ascends before an impact, improvement of the distance of a shot and the accuracy of a shot is impossible.
This bad habit is seldom corrected, and it is impossible to keep a good score without correcting the bad habit.
This phenomenon occurs usually to a pro player as well as the public, and thus, to avoid the bad habit, an intensive training for avoiding the head up is performed, and an assistive device for avoiding the head up or a device for a posture correction is used.
However, because there are many regulations which does not allow a golfer to use the assistive device during a golf rounding, the assistive device is not well used, and because the device for the posture correction used in a golf training cannot be used in a golf rounding, a golfer familiar to use the device sometimes does not get a good result.
Therefore, to improve a distance of a shot and an accuracy of a shot, a golfer has to repeatedly practice to correct the head-up habit.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to provide an apparatus for correcting a head-up phenomenon during a golf swing that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. An aspect of the present invention is directed to provide an apparatus for correcting a head-up phenomenon during a golf swing, which makes a golf ball either ascend above a ground or descend toward the ground from above just before the impact if a down-swing is performed or a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value during the golf tee-shot training, and places a golf ball during a down-swing process instead of placing a golf ball from an addressing time, and therefore, enables a golfer not to suffers a burden occurring because of placing a golf ball from an addressing time and enables a golfer not to raise a head.
To achieve these and other advantage and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an apparatus for correcting a head-up phenomenon during a golf swing, which keeps a golf ball inside a ground not to be seen before a down-swing, makes a golf ball ascend above a ground or descend toward the ground after the ascent, adjusts an ascending or descending interval and an ascending or descending time according to a pre-set value, and makes a golf ball randomly descend or maintains an ascending state if a motion of swinging a golf club is checked after ascending.
According to the embodiments, the present invention maintains nothing on a tee during an addressing time by making a golf ball ascend above a ground just before the impact only if a down-swing is performed or a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value during the golf tee-shot training, and therefore, makes a golfer not need to raise a head and makes a golfer correct a head-up habit.
Moreover, the present invention makes a golfer to keep looking at the striking site till the last moment by making a golf ball not ascend or making a golf ball, which already ascends, descend just before an impact even if a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value, thereby preventing a head of a golfer from being raised and making a golfer correct a head-up habit.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is an apparatus for correcting a head-up phenomenon during a golf swing, which keeps a golf ball inside a ground not to be seen if a swing speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined velocity, makes a golf ball ascend above the ground just before the impact if a swing speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined velocity, adjusts an lifting interval and an ascending time of a golf ball according to a predetermined value, and makes a golf ball randomly descend or maintains an ascending state if a motion of swinging a golf club is checked after ascending.
To describe more detail, the present invention, as shown in
The detail configuration of each of the units forming the present invention is as shown in
First, the operation unit 11 may include a swing-speed set button 11a which increases or decreases the maximum of the swing speed and the swing range to transfer an increased-or-decreased set value to the control unit 14, a height set button 11b which adjusts a lift height of a golf ball to transfer an adjusted signal to the control unit 14; a motion set button 11c which sets the lifting interval and the lifting time of the golf ball randomly or regularly to transfer a set signal to the control unit 14; and a display means 11d which displays a operated state and a motion state of the buttons.
The display means 11d may be a liquid crystal display device LCD which receives electric signals of each of the buttons to convert the signals to digital signals and displays the swing speed of the golf club detected by the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12.
The swing speed/swing range detection unit 12 of the present invention may include a speedometer 12a which senses a swing motion of a golf club at a front side or a rear side of a body of a golfer to calculate a velocity by using a distance by which a golf club moves and a time for which the golf club moves; a position sensor 12b which is placed in a rear side of a swing direction of the golf club and senses whether the golf club proceeds inside the set range of a an up, down, left and right direction of a golf ball 1; and a sensing sensor 12c which senses whether or not a golfer is.
The speedometer 12a of the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12 may be placed in a front side of a back-swing trajectory of a golfer and measure a swing speed of a club by using times from a back-swing till an impact.
Moreover, the position sensor 12b is a sensor which detects positions generated by a swing of the golf club about the golf ball 1 placed on the tee 16c.
The golf-ball sensing unit 13 of the present invention may be a proximity sensor which is placed in one side of the tee 16c, on which the golf ball is placed, at an interval, may be a weight sensor which senses a weight variation depending on an existence of the golf ball 1 on the tee 16c to sense whether or not the golf ball is, may be an illuminance sensor such as a CDS sensor which senses a light and shade of an ambient depending on an existence of the golf ball 1 on the tee 16c to sense whether or not the golf ball is, or may be a sensor which consists of the proximity sensor, the weight sensor and the illuminance sensor.
The control unit 14 of the present invention may be a microprocessor or a program built in a microprocessor which includes a comparative unit 14a which compares the maximum of the swing speed set by the operation unit 11 with a real swing speed of the golf club detected by the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12; a set processing unit 14b which outputs an moving signal of a golf-ball locking unit 16 depending on a lifting interval and a lifting time of the golf ball, the lifting interval and the lifting time being set by the operation unit 11 and gathers detection signals of the comparative unit 14a to output a moving signal beforehand set for corresponding to the gathered detection signal; and a driver 14c which outputs moving signal of the lift driving unit 15 and the golf-ball locking unit 16 according to a signal outputted from the comparative unit 14a.
The comparative unit 14a may be a comparative circuit comprising 0P Amp which compares a set reference value with a inputted detection signal to determine whether the detection signal is equal to or higher than the reference value or the detection signal is equal to or lower than the reference value.
The set processing unit 14b may be a microprocessor or a program built in a microprocessor which makes the golf ball locking unit 16 ascend if the comparative unit 14a detects a real swing speed equal to or higher than the maximum of the swing speed set by the operation unit 11, and makes the golf ball locking unit 16 descend if the comparative unit 14a detects a real swing range getting out of the beforehand set range. That is, the microprocessor or the program may output a predetermined moving signal depending on the gathered detection signals. Moreover, the microprocessor or the program may output a moving signal of the lift driving unit 15 and the golf-ball locking unit 16 depending on the lifting interval and the lifting time of the golf ball even if the comparative unit 14a detects a real swing speed equal to or higher than the maximum of the swing speed set by the operation unit 11, the lifting interval and the lifting time being set and received by the operation unit 11.
The lift driving unit 15 of the present invention includes a motor 151a which rotates forward and backward according to a control signal transferred from the control unit 14; a lifting means 151c which moves forward and backward according to a rotation of the motor 151a in the state that the lifting means 151c forms a closed path by being connected to a path set part 151b coupled to a rotational shaft of the motor 151a and to another path set part 151b located at one position or two path set part 151b located at two position vertically to a ground,; a lift support part 151d which is connected to both sides of a bracket, which is fixed in a side of a vertical and straight path of the lifting means 151c by a shaft, at certain intervals; an operation support part 151e which is connected to both sides of a bracket, which is placed in a side direction of the lift support part 151d, at certain interval; an operation hinge 151f which is coupled to a lower portion of the golf-ball locking unit 16 by a shaft; and an operation link 151g one end of which is formed integrally with the operation hinge 151f or connected to the operation hinge 151f, a middle portion of which passes through the lift support part 151d and is supported by the lift support part 151d, the other end of which passes through the operation support part 151e and is supported by the operation support part 151e and which is formed in a boar shape or a bar shape.
Here, the motor 151a rotates forward and backward according to a signal outputted from a driver 14c of the control unit 14. A forward and backward rotation of the motor 151a may be restrictively driven so as to stop at a lift-limited position of the golf-ball locking unit 16, or a motion of the motor 151a may be limited by a sensor located at the lift-limited position.
The path set part 151b may be any one of a pulley, a pinion and a chain gear.
The lifting means may be timing belt or a chain.
The lift support part 151d may include a shaft fixed at a side of a path, which is parallel with a vertical and straight path of the lifting means 151c, that is, a lift path of the golf-ball locking unit 16, at certain intervals; a bracket formed in one end portion of the shaft; a through hole being formed in a center portion of the bracket; and a pair of bearings coupled to both sides of the bracket at certain intervals.
The operation support part 151e may include a shaft fixed to a upper portion of a wall in which the motor 151a is fixed; a bracket formed in one end portion of the shaft; a through hole being formed in a center portion of the bracket; and a pair of bearings coupled to both sides of the bracket at certain intervals.
The operation hinge 151f may be any one of a pin, a ring and a bearing which are formed in one end portion of the operation link 151g.
The golf-ball locking unit 16 of the present invention may include a guide rail 16a which is mounted on a wall vertically to a ground; a bracket 16b which is guided by the guide rail 16a to ascends or descends by a ascending force or a descending force transferred from the lift driving unit 15; a center pass-shaped tee 16c which is fixed to an upper portion of the bracket 16b; and a vacuum (a vacuum pump) 16d which is connected to a lower portion of the tee 16c through a hose and suctions the outside air through a center through hole formed in a center portion of the tee by using a vacuum, the outside air being suctioned from a side in which the golf ball 1 is placed.
The power supply unit 18 may be a constant-voltage power supplier comprising a voltage stabilizer which converts an alternating current AC to a direct current DC to transfer a driving power to the control unit 14 and each of the units.
An operating method of the present invention described above will be provided below.
First, if the sensing sensor 12c senses a motion when a golfer is coming into a position of the operation unit 11 or a position for training, or a power switch is turned on, the sensing sensor 12c transfers a sensing signal to the control unit 14, thereby the present invention being operated.
In this case, if the maximum of the swing speed is increased or decreased to be set by operating the swing-speed set button 11a of the operation unit 11, an increased-or-decreased set value is transferred to the control unit 14 to be saved.
Also, if a lift height of the golf ball is adjusted by operating the height set button 11b of the operation unit 11, an adjusted value is transferred to the control unit 14.
Also, if a lifting interval and the lifting time of the golf ball 1 are randomly or regularly set by operating the motion set button 11c, a set signal is transferred to the control unit 14 to be saved.
At this point, the lifting interval of the golf ball 1 means one cycle for which the golf ball ascend and descend. The lifting interval of the golf ball 1 means a start time, at which the golf ball regularly ascends or descends according to the lifting interval, at which the golf ball ascends by a golfer's back-swings, at which the golf ball descends when a back-swing is changed to a down-swing, at which the golf ball ascends just before an impact, or at which the golf ball again descends to prevent a strike from being performed. A lift of the golf ball 1 is randomly performed by the motion set.
Therefore, the present invention leads a golfer to check whether or not a golf ball is when the golfer is swinging fully.
Because a golf ball ascends above a ground or descends toward the ground from above just before the impact only if a down-swing is performed or a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value during the golf tee-shot training, the present invention basically prevents a golfer from suffering too much burden, the burden occurring due to a golf ball placed on the tee during a swing.
As described above, if the pre-set value for a motion is beforehand set by using the operation unit 11, a golf ball 1 is provided with the tee 16c (an apparatus for providing the golf ball is widely used, and therefore, a detail description is not provide). If the golf-ball locking unit 13 senses the golf ball provided with the tee 16c to transfer a sensing signal to the control unit 14, the control unit 14 operates the vacuum 16d of the golf-ball locking unit 16. The control unit 14 operates the lift driving unit 15, as shown in
Subsequently, if a golfer strikes a golf ball, the control unit 14 stops the vacuum 16d of the golf-ball locking unit 16 and rotates a cylinder 15a of the lift driving unit 15 to a reverse direction, thereby the golf-ball locking unit 16 descending under the hole 3 of the grass mat 2, that is, to the original position.
The detail description about the lift driving unit 15 will be provided below. If a driving signal is inputted from the driver 14c of the control unit 14 to the motor 151a, the motor 151a rotates forward to rotate the lifting means 151c in order for the golf-ball locking unit 16 to ascend, the lifting means 151c being coupled to the two or three pulleys used as the path set part 151b.
Then, the lift support part 151d coupled to the lifting means 151c makes the operation link 151g ascend about the operation support part 151e, and therefore, the other side of the operation link 151g ascends, thereby the golf-ball locking unit 16 coupled to the operation hinge 151f disposed at the other side of the operation link 151g ascending.
The golf-ball locking unit 16 ascending as described above expels the ball above the hole formed in the grass mat 2 when the golf-ball locking unit 16 is holding the golf ball by a vacuum-suction operation of the vacuum 16d.
Here, the golf ball 1 descends according to a descent of the lifting means 151c, the descent occurring by a backward rotation of the motor 151a. Also, a descent of the golf ball occurs by a backward operation of the above-described operation.
An operation of the control unit 14 controlling the above-described lifting operation of the golf ball will be described below with reference to
In step S1, the control unit 14 saves a pre-set value if the pre-set value is set in the operation unit 11 by completion of every operation.
In this condition, if a golf-ball sensing signal is transferred from the golf-ball sensing unit 13 in step S2, the control unit 14 loads an lifting interval and an ascending time of a golf ball in step S3, operate the vacuum 16d of the golf-ball locking unit 16 in step S4, and outputs an operation signal so as to operate the lift driving unit 15.
At this point, the control unit 14 makes the golf ball ascend or descend according to the lifting interval of the golf ball 1. That is, as described above, the control unit 14 makes the golf ball regularly ascend or descend, makes the golf ball ascend by a golfer's back-swings, makes the golf ball descend when a back-swing is changed to a down-swing, makes the golf ball ascend just before an impact, or makes the golf ball again descend so as to prevent a strike from being performed, according to the lifting interval.
When the control unit 14 performs the control process, if a swing speed of a golfer is transferred from the speedometer 12a of the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12 in step S5, the control unit 14 determines whether the swing speed is equal to or higher than the pre-set swing speed in step S6. If the swing speed is equal to or lower than the pre-set swing speed, the control unit 14 keeps a stopped state of the lift driving unit 15, and if the swing speed is equal to or higher than the pre-set swing speed, the control unit 14 makes the lift driving unit 15 ascend in step S7.
At this point, if a swing range of the golf club is transferred from the position sensor 12b of the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12, the control unit 14 determines whether the swing range is within a pre-set swing range in step S8. If the swing range is within a pre-set swing range, the control unit 14 keeps a stopped state of the lift driving unit 15, and if the swing range is not within the pre-set swing range, the control unit 14 makes the lift driving unit descend in step S9.
In the step S3 of loading a pre-set value of the operation unit, the control unit determines whether the lifting time is regularly set or randomly set in step S10. If the lifting time is regularly set, the control unit performs the step S6 of determining the swing speed in the speedometer 12a, and if the lifting time is randomly set, the control unit randomly set a lifting-operation parameter of the lift driving unit 15 in step 11. Also, if a swing speed of a golfer is transferred from the speedometer 12a of the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12 in step 12, the control unit determines whether the swing speed corresponds to the pre-set swing speed in step 13. If the swing speed is equal to or lower than the pre-set swing speed, the control unit keeps the stopped state of the lift driving unit 15, and if the swing speed is equal to or higher than the pre-set swing speed, the control unit keeps the ascending state of the lift driving unit 15, or makes the lift driving unit 15 descend after making the lift driving unit 15 ascend, or keeps the descending state of the lift driving unit 15, according to the pre-set value which is randomly set, and then, in next operation, controls a random operation such as an ascent, in step S14. However, in this case, if a golf club gets out of the swing range (a moving range of a golf club in an up, down, left and right direction with respect to a golf ball), the control unit controls the lift driving unit 15 to descend in step 16.
Accordingly, even if a golfer swings fully, a golf ball 1 may be or may not be placed in the grass mat 2, that is, even if the swing speed is equal to or higher than a certain value, a golf ball may not ascend or may descend just before an impact after the golf ball ascend, according to the fact whether the swing speed corresponds to the pre-set swing speed. Therefore, the present invention leads a golfer to keep looking at the striking site till the last moment, thereby preventing a head of a golfer from being raised and making a golfer correct a head-up habit.
According to the control operation of the control unit 14, the present invention makes a golf ball 1 ascend or descend. For example, as shown in
First, as shown in
At this point, the swing may be a full swing for striking a golf ball 1, or may be a slow swing for maintaining a correct pose or selecting a striking position. This swing is sensed by the speedometer 12a of the swing speed/swing range detection unit 12, thereby the control unit 14 performing the above-described control operation.
In this case, if the golfer's swing speed, which is equal to or higher than the pre-set swing speed, and thus, is guessed as a full swing, is sensed, the lift driving unit 15 is driven at a start time, in which a golfer's swing pose is the same as the pose shown in
At this point, if the lift driving unit 15 is operated to make the golf-ball locking unit 16 ascend, as shown in
Therefore, just after a strike of a golf ball or a full swing without a golf ball, as shown in
As described above, the present invention helps a golfer keep his or her eyes on the place, in which a golf ball to be struck is located, by making a golf ball ascend above a ground just before the impact only if a swing speed exceeds a pre-set value during the golf tee-shot training, thereby a golfer avoiding the head-up phenomenon and correcting the head-up habit.
In addition, even if the swing speed exceeds the pre-set value, the golf ball would not ascend or would descend from above just before the impact, such that the golfer can keep looking at the striking site till the last moment, thereby a golfer avoiding the head-up phenomenon and correcting the head-up habit.
Another embodiment of the lift driving unit 15 may be applied to the present invention.
As shown in
Then, the rack gear 152b, which meshes with the spur gear 152a and includes a saw-tooth formed only in one side of a straight block, makes the golf-ball locking unit 16 ascend, according to an operation, the operation meaning that the motor, which rotates forward and backward according to a control signal transferred from the control unit 14 and is mounted on an internal wall of a board in which the grass mat 2 is spread, rotates the spur gear 152a forward and backward.
In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
The solenoid is placed just under the golf-ball locking unit 16, and makes the golf-ball locking unit 16 ascend according to an operation signal transferred from the control unit 14.
Also, as shown in
The hole-blocking member 17 may be the same as the grass mat in which an artificial turf is formed.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2010-0036060 | Apr 2010 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2010/003336 | 5/26/2010 | WO | 00 | 10/19/2012 |
