Patent Grant
12214265
Not applicable
Not applicable
The present disclosure relates to a golf club, specifically to a golf club face plate, and, more specifically, to a golf club face plate having an internal surface design that is tied to a characteristic time (CT) measurement map and is configured to be modified to change CT measurements at various regions on the face plate. In another aspect, the disclosure is directed generally to systems for correlating CT measurements to internal face plate designs of golf clubs.
Many golfers at all skill levels constantly seek to improve their performance and lower their golf scores. As a result, players are frequently seeking updated and improved equipment. The performance of a golf club can vary based on several factors, including face plate design. Conventional golf club face plates used in drivers and other wood-type club heads may include features for controlling a golf ball's backspin and sidespin as well as directional accuracy. Typically, external surfaces of existing face plates are designed to control these performance aspects. Two variables that can control a club head's performance include bulge and roll, which relate to the face plate's curvature. The radii values of these two variables are selected to complement the club head's estimated speed and anticipated impact moment of inertia. By selectively adjusting the radii of a face plate's bulge and roll, a golf club head may exhibit enhanced accuracy of spin and initial directional vectors, thereby resulting in farther and more accurate shots. While external surfaces of existing face plates include design variables for controlling a club head's performance, conventional internal surfaces are designed to enhance durability and strength of the face plate. Thinner face plates usually result in high velocity shots; however, face plates that are too thin may experience cracking or premature failure.
Generally, golf ball travel distance is a function of the total kinetic energy imparted to the ball during impact with the club head, neglecting environmental effects. During impact, kinetic energy is transferred from the club so that it is stored as elastic strain energy in the club head and as viscoelastic strain energy in the ball. After impact, the stored energy in the ball and in the club is transformed back into kinetic energy in the form of translational and rotational velocity of the ball, as well as the club. Since the collision is not perfectly elastic, a portion of energy is dissipated in club head vibration and viscoelastic relaxation of the ball, which is a material property of the polymeric materials used in all manufactured golf balls.
Viscoelastic relaxation of the ball is a parasitic energy source, which is dependent upon the rate of deformation. To decrease or minimize this effect, the rate of deformation must be reduced, which may be accomplished by allowing more club face deformation during impact. Since metallic deformation may be purely elastic, the strain energy stored in the club face is returned to the ball after impact, which may increase the ball's outbound velocity after impact. A variety of techniques may be used to vary the allowable deformation of the club face, including uniform face thinning, thinned faces with ribbed stiffeners and varying thickness, among others.
With the advent of thin walled face plates, the performance of clubs has improved considerably. By increasing the surface area of the striking face, using high strength alloys for its construction, and reducing its thickness to introduce a “trampoline” effect, golf club head designers have successfully increased the efficiency of energy transfer from a clubface to a golf ball. As a result, the United States Golf Association (“USGA”) has imposed regulations to limit energy transferred from drivers to a golf ball by defining a maximum characteristic time (“CT”) that the clubface may remain in contact with a suspended steel weight impacting it. The maximum CT measurement corresponds to a maximum coefficient of restitution (“COR”) for clubs, which is also restricted by the USGA. Currently, the maximum COR permissible by the USGA is 0.830, and the maximum CT measurement is 257 microseconds (“μs”). CT measurement and COR, for all purposes herein, refers to CT measurement and COR as laid out, defined, and indicated as measured in the USGA's “Procedure for Measuring the Flexibility of a Golf Clubhead, Rev. 1.0.0 (May 1, 2008)”. CT measurement testing is a common, and preferred, test conducted at USGA governing professional golfing events, because it is a non-destructive test that can be conducted with a club head still attached to its shaft. These measurements can be taken at any location on the face of a club. Therefore, ensuring an entirety of a face plate remains below 257 μs is essential, otherwise the club head does not conform to USGA guidelines.
As discussed above, COR and CT relate to a duration of time a clubface remains in contact with a weight. A larger CT measurement consequently indicates greater elastic deformation of the clubface, which generally results in a greater travel distance of a golf ball, and thinner golf club face plates generally exhibit greater CT measurements than thicker face plates. At the same time, CT measurements tend to vary between locations on a face plate. One proposed method of enhancing CT at specific locations of a face plate may involve removing material from an internal surface of the face plate to thin the face plate. However, the internal surface design and the corresponding face thickness of a club face plate do not necessarily correlate to the CT measurement on an external surface directly adjacent thereto. Further, modifying a thickness of a face plate at one location may adversely affect CT measurements at one or more other locations. Consequently, modifying CT measurements at targeted locations of a face plate by changing an internal surface design can be difficult. Therefore, a need exists to correlate CT measurement locations with a club face internal surface design that allows for reliable tuning of CT measurements at particular locations without degrading or adversely influencing CT measurements at adjacent locations.
In some embodiments, a variable thickness face plate for a golf club head is provided. The face plate can include a longitudinal axis extending between a toe side and a heel side along a longest length of the face plate, the longitudinal axis dividing the plate into an upper region and a lower region. Further, the face plate may include a peripheral edge including an upper peripheral edge and a lower peripheral edge, the upper peripheral edge and the lower peripheral edge being separated by the longitudinal axis. The upper peripheral edge is configured to be adjacent a top, e.g., a topline or a crown, of the golf club head when the face plate is installed, and the lower peripheral edge is configured to be adjacent the sole of the golf club head when the face plate is installed. The face plate further includes a plurality of regions of constant thickness defined by an internal surface of the face plate, the thickness being measured perpendicularly from the internal surface of the face plate. The plurality of regions of constant thickness include a first subset of regions of constant thickness being disposed along a first horizontally-extending path proximate the upper peripheral edge, the first horizontally-extending path being disposed radially inward from and parallel to the upper peripheral edge, and a second subset of regions of constant thickness being disposed along a second horizontally-extending path proximate the lower peripheral edge, the second horizontally-extending path being disposed radially inward from and parallel to the lower peripheral edge.
In some embodiments, a variable thickness face plate for a golf club head is provided. The face plate can include a peripheral edge and a plurality of pads defined by an internal surface of the face plate, the plurality of pads being regions of pre-set thickness, and the thickness being measured perpendicularly from the internal surface of the face plate. A transition region exists between each of the plurality of pads on the internal surface. The internal surface of the face plate curves to adjust the thickness of the face plate within the transition region so that the pads are smoothly connected by the transition region. Further, each of the plurality of pads is defined by an enclosed boundary line comprising an upper boundary line and a lower boundary connecting two opposing side boundary lines, the enclosed boundary line defining a junction between the respective pad and the transition region surrounding the pad.
In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing a face plate for a golf club head is provided. The face plate can have a plurality of adjustable thickness regions formed on an internal surface of the face plate. The method can include selecting a quantity of adjustable thickness regions, the quantity of adjustable thickness regions corresponding to at least one of a number of adjustable thickness regions disposed along one or more horizontally-extending paths and a number of adjustable thickness regions disposed along one or more vertically-extending paths, the horizontally extending path being a parallel curve to an upper peripheral edge or a lower peripheral edge, and the vertically-extending path perpendicularly intersecting the upper peripheral edge and the lower peripheral edge. The method can further include selecting at least one horizontal spacing parameter, the horizontal spacing parameter corresponding to a spacing between each of the one or more vertically-extending paths along the upper peripheral edge, and selecting at least one thickness parameter, the thickness parameter corresponding to a thickness of the face plate at one or more of the adjustable thickness regions measured perpendicularly from the internal surface of the face plate. Furthermore, the method can include selecting at least one width parameter, the width parameter corresponding to a width of at least one of the adjustable thickness regions disposed along the one or more vertically-extending paths, the width being a distance measured between two opposing side boundary edges of the adjustable thickness region. Each of the adjustable thickness regions is defined by an enclosed boundary line comprising an upper boundary line and a lower boundary connecting the two opposing side boundary lines. The enclosed boundary line defines a junction between the respective adjustable thickness region and a transition region surrounding the adjustable thickness region, the transition region existing between each of the adjustable thickness regions. Moreover, the internal surface of the face plate curves to adjust the thickness of the face plate within the transition region so that the adjustable thickness regions are tangentially connected by the transition region.
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various embodiments or configurations of a golf club head comprising a face plate with an internal surface that is correlated with a characteristic time (“CT”) measurement map. The internal surface may have varying portions of constant thickness that are dimensioned to achieve particular CT measurements throughout the face plate. Varying a thickness of the face plate or other portions of the club head allows for improved performance of the club head by reducing the weight and enhancing energy transfer while maintaining acceptable durability requirements and stiffness requirements set forth by the United States Golf Association (“USGA”). As used herein, the terms “mass” and “weight” are used interchangeably, although it is understood that these terms refer to different properties in a strict physical sense.
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various embodiments or configurations of a golf club that includes a shaft and a golf club head. Although embodiments are disclosed with reference to a wood-type golf club, such as a driver, concepts associated with embodiments of the wood-type golf club may be applied to a wide range of golf clubs. For example, embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to a number of golf clubs including hybrid clubs, fairway wood clubs, putter-type clubs, iron-type golf clubs, utility-type golf clubs, and the like. The term “about,” as used herein, refers to variation in the numerical quantity that may occur, for example, through typical measuring and manufacturing procedures used for articles of manufacture that may include embodiments of the disclosure herein. Throughout the disclosure, the terms “about” and “approximately” refer to a range of values+5% of the numeric value that the term precedes. Additionally, the term “horizontal” should be understood to refer to a general heel-to-toe direction and the term “vertical” should be understood to refer to a general crown-to-sole direction, allowing for curvature, and not being construed so as to be limited to strict linear dimensions between those respective endpoints.
Example golf club and golf club head structures in accordance with this disclosure may relate to “wood-type” golf clubs and golf club heads, e.g., clubs and club heads typically used for drivers and fairway woods, as well as for “wood-type” utility or hybrid clubs, or the like. Although these club head structures may have little or no actual “wood” material, they still may be referred to conventionally in the art as “woods,” e.g., “metal woods” or “fairway woods.” Alternatively, golf club and golf club head structures of the disclosure may relate to “iron-type” golf clubs and golf club heads.
The present disclosure may provide a face plate for a golf club head that incorporates a customized CT measurement map with a correlated internal face design. The CT measurement map may be established using historical CT data from existing face plates, failure testing, fabrication processes, predicted and/or preferred ball contact locations and speeds, and additional computer algorithms to link CT measurements to geometrical characteristics of an internal surface of a golf club face plate. Consequently, CT measurements at various, targeted locations on a golf club face plate can be modified in a correlated manner, which may mitigate adverse CT measurement impacts at other locations on the golf club face plate during face plate design. More specifically, the face plate may include a plurality of discrete regions of constant thickness that can be dimensioned to achieve or adjust one or more of the CT measurement points. For example, one or more of the regions, which may also be referred to as “pads” herein, are internal surface offsets from the external surface and, accordingly, are regions of constant thickness. In this regard, it should be understood that “constant thickness” refers to a thickness of each pad, individually, and that variations in thickness as among different pads may still exist. Each of these pads may be associated with the CT measurement map so that adjustments to the dimensions of one or more pads can adjust CT measurements at one or more regions of the face plate in a predictable manner. That is, changing the thickness or size of one or more of the pads may change CT measurements at one or more regions on the face plate.
In some instances, the CT measurement map may be integrated into a computer aided design (“CAD”) program so that a user may select and modify one or more parameters associated with dimensions of the pads on an internal surface of a golf club face plate. Each of these pads may be controlled by one or more dimensional variables, such as, e.g., width, height, and thickness from an external surface of the face plate. In response to selecting one or more parameters, the CT measurement map may update accordingly to display estimated CT values at various locations on the external surface of the face plate. For example, CT measurements may be numerically displayed with a three-dimensional CAD model of the face plate. Additionally or alternatively, the CT measurements may be displayed in a chart or table.
The system may also be configured so that a user may select or pre-set one or more CT measurements at one or more regions on the external surface of the face plate, and dimensions or other parameters associated with one or more pads on the internal surface of the face place may be provided or calculated to achieve the selected CT measurements. For example, algorithms may be used to determine necessary parameters to achieve the desired CT measurement while mitigating adverse impacts to different areas of the face plate. Therefore, aspects of the present disclosure may enable enhanced CT measurements and, accordingly, performance of the face plate to be achieved by analytically determining dimensions and designs of the pads formed on the internal surface of the golf club face plate. Moreover, in any instance, the face plate design with the correlated CT measurement map may be analyzed using finite element analysis (“FEA”). For example, FEA may be used to ensure the structural integrity of the face plate remains intact before fabrication thereof. Incremental changes may be made to the face plate design and subsequent finite element analyses may be conducted before a face plate design is finalized, prototyped, and/or fabricated.
Face plates according to aspects of the present disclosure may incorporate a plurality of pads, or regions of constant thickness, that are thicker than a nominal thickness of the face plate, the latter which may be measured at a periphery of the face plate. Throughout the specification herein, the pads and surrounding surfaces may be described having a “tangential” relationship to one another. Correspondingly, the pads may be described as being “tangentially connected.”
Furthermore, throughout the specification, relationships are provided between the periphery of the face plate and the internal surface design of the face plate. Particularly, the shapes and positioning of the pads defined by the internal surface may be functions of the periphery curvature. The periphery or peripheral edge, as used herein, correspond to a perimeter or external boundary of the plate. The periphery or perimeter of face plates according to aspects of the present disclosure is generally a curved boundary comprising varying degrees of curvature. Aspects of the pads on the internal surface, e.g., the boundaries and positioning of the pads, may be functions of the curvature of the periphery. More specifically, as will be described in greater detail below, one or more edges of the pads may be disposed along paths that are parallel offsets or offset curves of the periphery of the face plate. As used herein, “parallel offsets” and “offset curves” are used to describe lines that are equally spaced along lengths thereof. For example, as used herein, a line or path may be a parallel offset to the peripheral edge of the face plate if it is substantially equally spaced from the periphery along its length, the spacing being measure normally, or perpendicularly, to the lines. In some instances, lines having this relationship may be described as “parallel curves”. Furthermore, one or more other edges of the pads may be disposed along paths that are normal to the periphery of the face plate. As used herein, for example, a line or path may be normal to the peripheral edge if it intersects the peripheral edge perpendicularly, or at a right angle. In some instances, the pads may be disposed along a path that curves to intersect the periphery normally at two points.
Referring now to
The lines P1, P2 and the longitudinal axis 84 define a grid that comprises two rows and three columns, i.e., an m×n grid where m and n are 3 and 2, respectively. The grid defines six sub-regions 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, each of which is disposed in one of the heel region 66, the toe region 74, or the medial region 70 and one of the crown region 78 or the sole region 82. While all of the sub-regions are not specifically referenced herein, each location along the face plate 50 defines a coordinate that can be considered to be disposed within a sub-region defined by two of the regions 66, 70, 74, 78, 82. For example, the hosel 62 is located within the heel region 66 and the crown region 78, and may be referred to as being disposed within the upper, heel sub-region 94 of the face plate 50. Further, for example, the sub-region 102 is disposed within the toe region 74 and the sole region 82. Therefore, it should be noted that the various sub-regions are defined by the intersections of the regions 66, 70, 74, 78, 82 disclosed herein. The following disclosure may describe varying configurations or positions of regions of constant thickness, also referred to as pads, with reference to the grid overlaid upon the face plate 50 of the club head 34 depicted in
As discussed above, the present disclosure may provide a face plate and systems and methods of adjusting CT measurements at discrete locations or regions on the face plate by modifying a variety of dimensional parameters associated with an internal surface design of the face plate. For example,
Face plates according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be fabricated by way of a variety of methods of manufacture. For example, metal stamping may be used to form a plurality of pads on a surface of material before being trimmed to form a periphery of a face plate. Particularly, with reference to the face plate 50 of
Referring to
Referring particularly to
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the internal surface 116 of the face plate 50 tangentially transitions between the pads 130 and the transition region 158 at each of the boundary line segments 166, 170, 174, thereby defining a transitional surface that may be free of sharp edges at the edges of each pad. In this context, for example, referring to
Similarly to the pad 130h, within the boundaries of the pad 130c and the pad 130m, the internal surface 116 is substantially parallel to a corresponding region of the external surface 120. The corresponding region of the external surface 120 is generally the region on the external surface 120 immediately or proximately opposing the portion of the internal surface 116 defined by the pad. Differently said, the corresponding region of the external surface 120 may be a region within a boundary that is generally a projection of the boundary 162 on the internal surface 116. This relationship may be true for each of the pads 130a-130o. Furthermore, the transition region 158 as described above may be applicable to each transition region 158 throughout an entirety of the internal surface 116. That is, internal surface 116 may smoothly transition between each of the pads 130a-130o so that it defines a series of curves as described above.
At some locations on the internal face plate 50, differences between thicknesses of the pads 130 may be less substantial. For example, referring to
Each of the cross-sections shown in
In some regions, the thickness of the face plate 50 may gradually increase from the peripheral edge 112 to a central region 230 of the face plate 50. For example, referring now to
As discussed above, the face plate 50 includes a plurality of pads 130 having varying thicknesses. For example, one or more of the pads 130 may have a thickness between about 2.0 mm and about 3.5 mm. In some embodiments, one or more of the pads 130 may have a thickness between about 2.1 mm and about 2.4 mm or between about 3.0 mm and about 3.3 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of each of the plurality of pads 130 may be at least about 1.8 mm, about 2.4 mm, or about 3.2 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of each of the plurality of pads 130 may be less than about 3.6 mm, about 2.7 mm, or about 2.3 mm. In this regard, “varying thickness” may be understood to mean that a thickness of a given pad may be generally uniform but that that thickness may be different from that of another one or more of the pads.
The thickness of the face plate 50 may be substantially uniform along the peripheral edge 112. In some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 112 may be between about 1.0 mm and about 2.2 mm. The thickness of the peripheral edge 112 may be, in some embodiments, between about 1.5 mm and about 2.0 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 112 may be at least about 0.8 mm and/or less than about 1.8 mm. Further, in some embodiments, the thickness of the peripheral edge 112 may be less than the thickness of each of the plurality of pads 130. However, in some embodiments, the thickness of the face plate 50 along the peripheral edge 112 may not be substantially uniform.
The thickness of the pads 130 and/or the peripheral edge 112 may be determined by way of a variety of methods. For example, one or more of the thicknesses may be determined via trial and error. That is, in response to results from testing and/or analyses, such as FEA, one or more of the thicknesses may be selectively increased or decreased to influence stress distribution about the face plate. Similarly, in response to tests that determine projected or actual characteristic time measurements across a face plate, one or more of the thicknesses may be adjusted to modify the characteristic time measurements. Therefore, the thicknesses may be iteratively adjusted to achieve an enhanced face plate design. Additionally or alternatively, these thicknesses may be determined using equations or algorithms that are configured to determine design parameters required to achieve specific results. More specifically, if a thickness of one pad is selected or adjusted by a user, algorithms may be use to adjust one or more of the remaining thicknesses to enhance the face plate design and to minimize negative changes to characteristic time measurements and/or stress distributions across the face plate. Moreover, the design of the transition region, e.g., the radii of curvature and associated thicknesses, may be determined using equations or algorithms as well. For example, when (or as) the thickness across a face plate are adjusted, either by a user or via computer aided design analyses, the curvatures within the transition region may be passively adjusted to achieve particular design characteristics and/or establish an enhanced face plate design.
Referring to
Still referring to
Still referring to
With continued reference to
In some embodiments, generally, upper and lower boundary line segments disposed substantially above the longitudinal axis 84 (see
Turning to
In addition to the height of each pad 130, vertical spacing between the generally horizontal subsets 310, 318, 326 may also be an adjustable parameter. For example, still referring to
Now referring to
In some embodiments, the upper peripheral edge 146 and the lower peripheral edge 150 may influence the overall curvatures of the first and second generally vertically-extending paths 302a, 302b. For example, the positioning and curvature of the paths 302a, 302b may be influenced by the upper and lower peripheral edges 146, 150 depending on their proximity to the upper and/or lower peripheral edges 146, 150. Differently said, moving along the first generally vertically-extending path 302a from the lower peripheral edge 150 toward the upper peripheral edge 146, the influence of the lower peripheral edge 150 on the curvature of the first generally vertically-extending path 302a may weaken as the influence of the upper peripheral edge 146 may strengthen. Therefore, the curvature of portions of the first generally vertically-extending path 302a proximate the upper peripheral edge 146 may be influenced by the upper peripheral edge 146 more than the lower peripheral edge 150, and the curvature of portions of the first generally vertically-extending path 302a proximate the lower peripheral edge 150 may be influenced by the lower peripheral edge 150 more than the upper peripheral edge 146. While the discussion above only references the first generally vertically-extending path 302a, this curvature trend/relationship may be applicable to any of the generally vertically-extending paths 302a-302e. Further, alternative embodiments may include additional generally vertically-extending paths that exhibit this curvature trend.
In the illustrated embodiment, some of the plurality of pads 130 are disposed along additional generally vertical subsets 382, 386, 390 disposed between the first generally vertical subset 366 and the second generally vertical subset 374. While the illustrated embodiment includes a total of five generally vertical subsets 366, 374, 382, 386, 390, including the first generally vertical subset 366 and the second generally vertical subset 374, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer generally vertical subsets. For example, some embodiments may include a single generally vertical subset of pads, i.e., pads arranged in a single generally vertical column. Further, some embodiments may include two, three, four, six, or more generally vertical subsets. Each of the generally vertical subsets 382, 386, 390 are arranged similarly to the first generally vertical subset 366 and the second generally vertical subset 374. For example, each of the pads 130 of the subsets 382, 386, 390 are arranged so that their center points 298 are disposed on generally vertically-extending paths 302c, 302d, 302e, respectively, that are arranged to be normal to the upper peripheral edge 146 and the lower peripheral edge 150. That is, each generally vertically-extending path 302c, 302d, 302e may be normal to the lower peripheral edge 150 at the intersection point with the lower peripheral edge 150 before extending and curving so that it intersects the upper peripheral edge 146 perpendicularly. Therefore, the curvature and positioning of the generally vertically-extending paths 302c, 302d, 302e may be functions of the upper peripheral edge 146 and the lower peripheral edge 150.
Still referring to
The pads 130 of the second generally vertical subset 374 are similarly designed so that the boundaries 162 thereof are functions of the upper peripheral edge 146 and the lower peripheral edge 150. Particularly, boundaries 162 of the pads 130e, 130j, 130o (see
Turning to
In addition to the width of each pad 130, the horizontal spacing between the generally vertical subsets 366, 374, 382, 386, 390 may also be an adjustable parameter, the horizontal spacing being measured between the generally vertically-extending paths 302a, 302b, 302c, 302d, 302e. For example, still referring to
Any of the above-mentioned design parameters, e.g., quantity of pads, number of generally vertical subsets, number of generally horizontal subsets, curvature of the peripheral edge, vertical spacing of pads, horizontal spacing of pads, curvature of internal surface within transition region, etc., may be determined by way of a variety of methods. For example, the quantity of pads may be determined via trial and error. That is, in response to results from one or more analyses, such as FEA, the number of pads may be deliberately increased or decreased to influence stress distribution about the face plate. Similarly, in response to tests that determine estimated or actual characteristic time measurements across a face plate, quantity and/or arrangement of the pads may be adjusted to modify the characteristic time measurements. Therefore, the quantity of pads may be iteratively adjusted to achieve an enhanced face plate design. Additionally or alternatively, arrangement and distribution of the pads may be determined using equations or algorithms that are configured to determine design parameters required to achieve specific results. More specifically, if a user wants to decrease a characteristic time measurement at a particular location, algorithms may adjust distribution of the pads to enhance the face plate design and to minimize negative changes to characteristic time measurements and/or stress distributions across the face plate. Moreover, the curvature of the paths that the pads are disposed along, e.g., the generally vertically-extending paths 302a-302e and/or the generally horizontally-extending paths 306a-306c shown in
In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a face plate with one or more pads, or regions of constant thickness, that are correlated with CT measurements on the face plate. As discussed in detail above, the one or more pads may be designed cohesively so that design parameters thereof, such as, e.g., number of pads, positioning of pads, size of the pads, etc., are selected to achieve particular performance results, such as, e.g., particular characteristic time measurements. Additionally, other parameters, such as, e.g., the vertical and horizontal alignment of the one or more pads, may be cooperative. For example, the outer peripheral edge of the face plate may control the horizontal and/or vertical alignment of the pads. Therefore, the designs of the one or more pads are each coordinated with each other, the overall face plate design, and desired performance parameters.
Still referring to
The schematic shown in
In another aspect, the internal surface 116 of the face plate 50 may include one or more score lines in addition to the pads discussed above. The one or more score lines may be laser etched, CNC milled, or formed using any other technique understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The score lines may extend generally horizontally and/or generally parallel to the rows of pads. Additionally or alternatively, the score lines may extend generally vertically and/or generally parallel to the columns of pads. Additionally or alternatively, the score lines may be angled relative to a horizontal and/or to the rows of pads. In one aspect, score lines may be generally linear or curvilinear. In another aspect, score lines may be periodic, zig-zag, or have a non-uniform shape. Further, in some aspects, the score lines may traverse entirely across the face plate 50 so that both ends of the score line intersect the outer peripheral edge 112. For example, a score line may extend from the upper peripheral edge 146 to the lower peripheral edge 150. Additionally or alternatively, one or more score lines may traverse only a portion of the plate. For example, a score lines may be configured so that only one end thereof intersects the outer peripheral edge 112. In some aspects, score lines may not intersect the outer peripheral edge 112 at all. Moreover, the score lines need not traverse across the entire interior surface 116, i.e., from one edge to an opposing edge. Rather, in some aspects, a score line may curve so that both ends thereof intersect the upper peripheral edge 146. Likewise, a score line may curve so that both ends thereof intersect the lower peripheral edge 150.
One or more score lines may overlap one or more of the pads and/or rows and/or columns of pads. Additionally or alternatively, one or more score lines may be disposed between rows and/or columns of pads. Additionally or alternatively, one or more score lines may meander around pads, e.g., extending above one pad in a row of pads and below an adjacent pad in the same row, while traversing the row in the space between the adjacent pads, or extending to the left of one pad in a column of pads and to the right of an adjacent pad in the same column, while traversing the column in the space between those adjacent pads. Preferably, each score line has a height that is smaller than a minimum height of the pads. Thus, in the case where the score line overlaps a pad, a row of pads, or a column of pads, the score line may be disposed entirely within the height of the pad(s).
Each score line also may include a depth extending in a direction between the interior surface 116 and the external surface 120. A maximum score line depth may be less than a minimum thickness of any of the pads. Alternatively, a maximum score line depth may be less than a thickness of any of the pads that it overlaps or to which it is adjacent, although it may be deeper than a depth of one or more other pads on the interior surface 116.
Score lines may have a generally rectangular cross-section when viewed perpendicular to their lengths. The score lines may include alternative cross-sectional shapes, such as rectangular, triangular or wedge-shaped, semi-circular, straight-sided with a rounded base, etc. In one aspect, all score lines on the interior surface 116 may have the same cross-sectional shape. In another aspect, the interior surface 116 may include score lines having two or more different cross-sectional shapes including, but not limited to, two or more of the shapes identified above.
Score lines may have substantially constant depths along their lengths. Alternatively, score lines may be shallower proximate one or both of their ends and get progressively deeper when extending toward a center of the club face or toward one or more points disposed between the ends. Alternatively, one or more of the score lines may have a depth that varies along its depth. For example, deeper portions of the score lines may be in the regions overlying one or more of the pads. Alternatively, deeper portions of the score lines may be in the regions disposed between one or more of the pads. In still another alternative, the varying depth may be unrelated to the locations of the pads. For example, the depth may vary periodically, e.g., in a wave-like pattern. Alternatively, changes in depth may be made in response to FEA results of the club face, with deeper or shallower portions of the score lines being located proximate regions of increased or decreased characteristic time and/or increased or decreased stress concentration.
The club face also may include one or more thickened portions adjacent to one or both edges of at least parts of one or more of the score lines, where the thickened portions are distinct from a thickness formed by or attributable to one or more of the pads. Thickened portions may be convexly or concavely shaped or linearly or otherwise shaped so as to form a ramp surface between the score line edge(s) and the adjacent portions of the interior surface 116 of the club face. Thickened portions may be generally uniformly shaped along their lengths. Alternatively, thickened portions may have smaller or larger cross-sections proximate one or both of their ends and get progressively larger or smaller, respectively, when extending toward a center of the club face or toward one or more points disposed between the ends. Alternatively, one or more of the thickened portions may have a cross-section that varies along its length. For example, larger portions of the thickened portions may be in the regions overlying one or more of the pads. Alternatively, larger portions of the thickened portions may be in the regions disposed between one or more of the pads. In still another alternative, the varying thickness may be unrelated to the locations of the pads. For example, the thickness may vary periodically, e.g., in a wave-like pattern. Alternatively, changes in thickness may be made in response to FEA results of the club face, with thicker or thinner portions of the thickened portions being located proximate regions of increased or decreased characteristic time and/or increased or decreased stress concentration.
The discussion above of a multi-thickness club face for a driver or similar metal wood similarly may apply to iron-type golf clubs. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the inner club faces of both types of clubs share many of the same characteristics, such as being defined by a heel end, a toe end, a sole or bottom end and an upper or top end, where the top end in the metal wood is adjacent a crown of the club and the top end of the iron is adjacent a topline.
Referring now to
The lines J1, J2 and the longitudinal axis 584 define a grid that comprises two rows and three columns, i.e., an m×n grid where m and n are 3 and 2, respectively. The grid defines six sub-regions 592, 594, 596, 598, 600, 602, each of which is disposed in one of the heel region 566, the toe region 574, or the medial region 570 and one of the top line region 578 or the sole region 582. While all of the sub-regions are not specifically referenced herein, each location along the face plate 550 defines a coordinate that can be considered to be disposed within a sub-region defined by two of the regions 566, 570, 574, 578, 582. For example, the hosel 562 is located within the heel region 566 and the top line region 578, and may be referred to as being disposed within the upper, heel sub-region 596 of the face plate 550. Further, for example, the sub-region 602 is disposed within the toe region 574 and the sole region 582. Therefore, it should be noted that the various sub-regions are defined by the intersections of the regions 566, 570, 574, 578, 582 disclosed herein. The following disclosure may describe varying configurations or positions of regions of constant thickness, also referred to as pads, with reference to the grid overlaid upon the face plate 550 of the club head 534 depicted in
As discussed above, the present disclosure may provide a face plate and systems and methods of adjusting CT measurements at discrete locations or regions on the face plate by modifying a variety of dimensional parameters associated with an internal surface design of the face plate. For example,
As illustrated in
The discussion of “thickness” described above in connection with
Referring to
Referring particularly to
Still referring to
Referring to
Similarly, a second generally horizontal subset 818 of pads 630 may have their centers 798 be disposed along a second generally horizontally-extending path 806b that is disposed proximate the lower peripheral edge 650 and is disposed radially inwardly from the lower peripheral edge 650. The second generally horizontally-extending path 806b may similarly be an offset curve of the lower peripheral edge 650. Therefore, the first generally horizontal subset 810 of pads 630 is arranged along a path that is a parallel curve of the upper peripheral edge 646, and the second generally horizontal subset 818 of pads 630 is arranged along a path this is a parallel curve of the lower peripheral edge 650. In the embodiment illustrated, a third generally horizontal subset 826 of pads 630 is disposed along a third generally horizontally-extending path 806c that is disposed between the first generally horizontally-extending path 806a and the second generally horizontally-extending path 806b. Alternative embodiments, may include any number of generally horizontally-extending paths. For example, some embodiments may include a face plate having pads disposed along a single generally horizontally-extending path. Some embodiments may include a plurality of pads disposed along four or more generally horizontally-extending paths. In some embodiments, generally horizontal subsets disposed above the longitudinal axis 584, i.e., within the top line region 578, may be arranged parallel to the upper peripheral edge 646, whereas generally horizontal subsets disposed below the longitudinal axis 584, i.e., within the sole region 582, may be arranged parallel to the lower peripheral edge 650. In situations with an odd number of rows of pads, a centrally-disposed row may be disposed along and/or parallel to the longitudinal axis 584. Alternatively, the centrally-disposed row may be located generally equidistantly between the adjacent rows above and below it.
Still referring to
In some embodiments, generally, upper and lower boundary line segments disposed above the longitudinal axis 584 (see
In the illustrated embodiment, some of the plurality of pads 630 are disposed along generally vertical subsets 882, 886, 890 disposed between the first generally vertical subset 866 and the second generally vertical subset 874. While the illustrated embodiment includes a total of five generally vertical subsets 866, 874, 882, 886, 890, including the first generally vertical subset 866 and the second generally vertical subset 874, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer generally vertical subsets. For example, some embodiments may include a single generally vertical subset of pads, i.e., pads arranged in a single generally vertical column. Further, some embodiments may include two, three, four, six, or more generally vertical subsets. Each of the generally vertical subsets 882, 886, 890 are arranged similarly to the first generally vertical subset 866 and the second generally vertical subset 874. For example, each of the pads 630 of the subsets 882, 886, 890 are arranged so that their center points 798 are disposed on generally vertically-extending paths 802c, 802d, 802e, respectively, that are arranged to be substantially normal to the upper peripheral edge 646 and the lower peripheral edge 650. That is, each generally vertically-extending path 802c, 802d 802e may be normal to the lower peripheral edge 650 at the intersection point with the lower peripheral edge 650 before extending and curving so that it intersects the upper peripheral edge 646 at an angle, the angle being substantially 90 degrees for the generally vertically extending paths 802a and 802c. As illustrated in
Similarly, the generally vertical subset 874, which may include the pads 630e, 630j, 630o as shown in
Still referring to
In addition, the pads 630 of the generally vertical subset 886 are designed so that the boundaries 662 thereof are functions of the upper peripheral edge 646 and the lower peripheral edge 650. Particularly, boundaries 662 of the pads 630c, 630h, 630m of the generally vertical subset 886 include opposing lateral boundary line segments 674 that are curves forming angles to the upper peripheral edge 646 and the lower peripheral edge 650. As illustrated in
Further, the pads 630 of the generally vertical subset 890 are designed so that the boundaries 662 thereof are functions of the upper peripheral edge 646 and the lower peripheral edge 650. Particularly, the boundaries 662 of the pads 630d, 630i, 630n of the generally vertical subset 890 include opposing boundary line segments 674, which are curves forming angles, e.g., greater or less than 90 degrees, to the upper peripheral edge 646 and the lower peripheral edge 650.
For the sake of clarity and conciseness, it will be appreciated that the comprehensive discussion of the boundary line segments (e.g., upper lower, first, second, third, vertical, horizontal, etc.) in reference to at least
Any of the above-mentioned design parameters, e.g., quantity of pads, number of generally vertical subsets, number of generally horizontal subsets, curvature of the peripheral edge, vertical spacing of pads, horizontal spacing of pads, curvature of internal surface within transition region, etc., may be determined by way of a variety of methods. For example, the quantity of pads may be determined via trial and error. That is, in response to results from one or more analyses, such as FEA, the number of pads may be deliberately increased or decreased to influence stress distribution about the face plate. Similarly, in response to tests that determine estimated or actual characteristic time measurements across a face plate, quantity and/or arrangement of the pads may be adjusted to modify the characteristic time measurements. Therefore, the quantity of pads may be iteratively adjusted to achieve an enhanced face plate design. Additionally or alternatively, arrangement and distribution of the pads may be determined using equations or algorithms that are configured to determine design parameters required to achieve specific results. More specifically, if a user wants to increase a characteristic time measurement at a particular location, algorithms may adjust distribution of the pads to enhance the face plate design and to minimize negative changes to characteristic time measurements and/or stress distributions across the face plate. Moreover, the curvature of the paths that the pads are disposed along, e.g., the generally vertically-extending paths 302a-302e and/or the generally horizontally-extending paths 306a-306c shown in
In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a face plate with one or more pads, or regions of constant thickness, that are correlated with CT measurements on the face plate. As discussed in detail above, the one or more pads may be designed cohesively so that design parameters thereof, such as, e.g., number of pads, positioning of pads, size of the pads, etc., are selected to achieve particular performance results, such as, e.g., particular characteristic time measurements. Additionally, other parameters, such as, e.g., the vertical and horizontal alignment of the one or more pads, may be cooperative. For example, the outer peripheral edge of the face plate may control the horizontal and/or vertical alignment of the pads. Therefore, the designs of the one or more pads are each coordinated with each other, the overall face plate design, and desired performance parameters.
Any of the embodiments described herein may be modified to include any of the structures or methodologies disclosed in connection with different embodiments. Further, the present disclosure is not limited to golf clubs of the type specifically shown. Still further, aspects of the golf club heads and weighting systems of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to work with any type of golf club.
As noted previously, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the disclosure has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the disclosure is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein. Various features and advantages of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.
Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/121,351, filed on Dec. 4, 2020, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
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