Process for making a golf ball with a built-in sensor

Abstract

A process for making a golf ball includes steps of: a) providing a spherical hollow core which is made from a deformable resilient material, which defines a central chamber, and which includes left and right hemispherical bodies with contiguous circular surfaces having separated upper segments movable away from each other to permit placement of a sensing assembly into the central chamber, b) molding an intermediate shell layer at an elevated temperature that is lower than a softening point of the deformable resilient material to enclose the spherical hollow core, and c) molding a cover to enclose the intermediate shell layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for making a golf ball with a built-in sensing assembly, comprising steps of:
 a) providing a spherical hollow core which is made from a deformable resilient material and which defines a central chamber configured to fittingly accommodate a sensing assembly, the spherical hollow core including opposite left and right hemispherical bodies respectively having left and right circular surfaces contiguous with each other,
 the left circular surface including
 a left cavity which extends leftward to terminate at a left abutment surface, and which extends in an upward-and-downward direction to terminate at a left ceiling surface and a left bottom surface, the left cavity serving as a left chamber half, and 
 upper and lower segments which are diametrically symmetrical to each other, and which border the left ceiling surface and the left bottom surface, respectively, 
 
 the right circular surface including
 a right cavity which extends rightward to terminate at a right abutment surface, and which extends in the upward-and-downward direction to terminate at a right ceiling surface and a right bottom surface, the right cavity serving as a right chamber half which mates with the left chamber half to form the central chamber, and 
 upper and lower segments which are diametrically symmetrical to each other, and which border the right ceiling surface and the right bottom surface, respectively, 
 
   wherein   the upper segments of the left and right circular surfaces are separated by a dividing plane which extends into the central chamber such that the upper segments of the left and right circular surfaces are movable away from each other to permit placement of the sensing assembly into the central chamber while vesting the left and right hemispherical bodies with a biasing force to bias the upper segments of the left and right circular surfaces to move toward each other;   b) molding an intermediate shell layer at an elevated temperature that is lower than a softening point of the deformable resilient material to enclose the spherical hollow core; and   c) molding a cover to enclose the intermediate shell layer.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a gravity center of the sensing assembly coincides with a center of the spherical hollow core after the sensing assembly is fittingly accommodated in the spherical hollow core. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the deformable resilient material is selected from the group consisting of an epoxy resin, rubber, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate shell layer is made from a material selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, ionomer material, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover is made from a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, ionomer, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensing assembly includes a chip module and a battery. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the chip module is selected from the group consisting of a sensing module, a communication module, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . A golf ball made by the method according to  claim 1 .