Golf ball flight monitoring system

Abstract

An golf flight path and swing monitoring apparatus includes a first and second spaced-apart sensors for determining club head speed during a golf downswing. A computer running a software program is configured for calculating the swing path, club head speed and club head angle at impact with a ball based on the monitored light signals of the sensors. Multiple temporally successive images of the ball after impact are captured for comparison and total ball flight characteristics determination. The golf ball has a stripe at least halfway around its surface that is apparent within each image notwithstanding the rotated position of the ball. Linear extrapolations of the marking and circumferential extrapolations of the images are automatically performed by the computer. Three-dimensional positions, preferably based on calculated diameters, are calculated based on the circumferential extrapolations. Initial backspin, sidespin and three-dimensional velocity of the golf ball are calculated based on the circumferential and linear extrapolations, and on the curvature and position of the stripes, and the calculated three-dimensional positions. The sensors are used to trigger the shuttering of the camera and flashlamps used to capture the images. An impact image can also be captured and the relative position of the club head to the ball at impact observed and evaluated. The energy transfer efficiency of the impact between the club head and ball may also be determined and compared with other transfer efficiencies of other impacts of other swings.

1 . An apparatus for determining the probable flight of a golf ball following impact based upon characteristics of ball movement following impact with a golf club, the apparatus comprising: 
 a single camera for capturing a plurality of two dimensional post impact images each including an image of the golf ball and outputting on an output visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera; and    a processor connected with said output and configured to receive data wherein the only visual image data received is visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera;    wherein said golf ball has at least one marking that is at least halfway circumambulatory of the surface of said golf ball such that said marking is at least partially within the view of said camera for any rotational position of said golf ball when said images are taken; and    wherein said processor determines spin of said ball based on an automatic determination of at least one characteristic of only one of said markings on images captured only with said camera;    said at least one characteristic including curvature of said marking.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said processor analyzes the visual image data to automatically find said marking and calculates a linear extrapolation of said marking for each of said images.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said processor calculates backspin on said ball based on a comparison of linear extrapolations from at least two of said images.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said processor automatically finds a perimeter of the image of the golf ball utilizing data wherein the only visual image data utilized is visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera in at least one image and calculates a circumferential extrapolation of said image.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said processor determines diameters of the image of the golf ball in said two or more images based on circumferential extrapolations from said two or more images and calculates a three-dimensional velocity of said ball based in part on a comparison of said diameters, and wherein said calculation is independent of an orientation of the circumambulatory marking on said images.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said processor automatically finds a perimeter of the images of the golf ball in at least two or more images and calculates a circumferential extrapolation of said images of the golf ball to determine a diameter of the image of the golf ball in said two or more images based on circumferential extrapolations from said two or more images and calculates a three-dimensional velocity of said ball based in part on a comparison of said diameters.  
   
   
       7 . An apparatus for determining ball velocity in three dimensions of a golf ball after impact with a golf club head, comprising: 
 a single camera for capturing two or more two-dimensional images each including an image of the golf ball after impact with the golf club head and outputting on an output visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera; and    a processor connected with said output for calculating a three-dimensional ball velocity by determining circumferential extrapolations of perimeters of the image of the golf ball utilizing data wherein the only visual image data utilized is visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera in two or more images obtained only by using the single camera, by automatically determining and comparing three-dimensional spatial positions of the image of the golf ball in said two or more images, and by calculating three-dimensional velocity using said three-dimensional spatial position determination and comparison.    
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said three-dimensional spatial positions are determined based in part on a determination of diameters of the image of the golf ball in said images.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the processor is further for determining a three-dimensional spatial position of the geometric center of at least one image of the golf ball in one of said images and for calculating the three-dimensional velocity based in part on said three-dimensional spatial position determination.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said processor is further for determining three-dimensional displacement of said ball.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the processor determines sidespin on said golf ball from said images.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said processor automatically determines a circumferential extrapolation of the image of the golf ball in at least one image, calculates a three-dimensional spatial position from said circumferential extrapolation and determines a three-dimensional velocity based at least in part on said three-dimensional spatial position.  
   
   
       13 . A system for monitoring spin of a golf ball following impact by a golf club, the system comprising: 
 a golf ball having an elongated stripe thereon;    a single camera positioned to capture at least two two-dimensional images including images of the golf ball following impact by a golf club and outputting on an output visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured; and    a processor coupled to the output for finding the stripe utilizing data wherein the only visual image data utilized is visual image data generated exclusively from the two-dimensional images captured by the single camera and for determining a spin of the ball based on at least one characteristic of the stripe in said images;    said at least one characteristic including curvature of said stripe.    
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is further for determining three-dimensional velocity of the ball following impact based on the position and dimensions of the ball in said images.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein said processor is further for determining said three-dimensional velocity independent of characteristics of the stripe on said images of the ball.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 13  wherein said processor calculates a linear extrapolation of said marking in at least two of said images, and calculates backspin on said ball based on a comparison of said linear extrapolations.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 13  wherein said processor calculates sidespin on said ball based in part on curvatures of said marking on said images.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the processor is further for determining three-dimensional displacement of the ball following impact based on the position and dimensions of the ball in said images.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 13  said at least one characteristic further includes orientation of said stripe.