Claims
- 1. A system for capturing the path of an object moving through a sensing volume defined by a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system, comprising:
- (a) a common housing positionable at a vertex of a sensing cone encompassing the sensing volume;
- (b) first, second, and third angle detectors mounted in the common housing, said first, second, and third detectors being separated from one another within said housing by known, fixed distances, wherein each said detector is for receiving a respective light beam from the object having a respective angle relative to a respective reference line of the 3D coordinate system, and for providing a signal corresponding to said respective angle;
- (c) means for determining, at successive samples, successive coordinate positions of the object within the sensing volume given the first, second, and third angles at each said sample to determine said path; and
- (d) means for displaying said path.
- 2. The system of claim 1, wherein means (d) comprises means for displaying said path and an ideal object path for comparison thereto.
- 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising memory means for storing said ideal path, wherein means (d) comprises means for displaying said path and said ideal path superimposed over each other for enhancing the comparison of said path with said ideal path.
- 4. The system of claim 1, wherein:
- said object is a golf club head of a golf club;
- said path is a swing trajectory of the golf club head.
- 5. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for determining, from said successive coordinate positions, the speed and acceleration of the golf club head at a point along said path where said path intersects a predetermined golf tee location, wherein means (d) comprises means for displaying said path, speed, and acceleration.
- 6. The system of claim 4, wherein means (d) comprises first and second liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for displaying top and back perspective views, respectively, of said path and an ideal golf club head path for comparison thereto.
- 7. The system of claim 4, further comprising a divergent light source incorporated within the common housing and for shining a divergent cone of light coincident within the sensing cone, wherein the golf club head comprises means for reflecting the light from the divergent light source as the first, second, and third light beams.
- 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising said means for reflecting, wherein said means for reflecting comprises an at least partially-spherical reflector attachable to said golf club.
- 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a light sensor mounted within said common housing above said angle detectors, wherein said reflector is attachable via a snap-on means to a shaft of said golf club near said golf club head and comprises a flat reflector portion adapted to reflect the light from the divergent light source as a fourth light beam directed at said light sensor at a point along said path, the system further comprising means for determining a club head face angle at a predetermined point of impact in accordance with the light sensed by said light sensor.
- 10. The system of claim 1, wherein said object comprises a divergent light source for providing the first, second, and third light beams.
- 11. The system of claim 1, wherein said object is a projectile.
- 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising said projectile, said projectile comprising a divergent light source for providing the first, second, and third light beams.
- 13. The system of claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third detectors each comprise a respective solid state incident angle detector (IAD) having two adjacent photodiode elements, each respective IAD comprising means for determining the respective angle based upon the ratio of light from the respective light beam falling on the two adjacent photodiode elements of the respective IAD.
- 14. The system of claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third detectors each comprise a respective solid state position sensitive detector (PSD) having a continuous strip of photosensitive surface, each respective PSD comprising means for determining the respective angle based upon the position at which the respective light beam falls on the strip.
- 15. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second reference lines are a line connecting said first and second angle detectors and said third reference line is the Z axis of the 3D coordinate system.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This nonprovisional U.S. national application, filed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 111(a), claims, under 37 C.F.R. .sctn. 1.78(a)(3), the benefit of the filing date of provisional U.S. national application Ser. No. 60/067,766, filed on Dec. 10, 1997 under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 111(b), the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (7)