JP2005046507A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf head club wherein head balance is improved by expanding the flexibility in design and optimizing the position of the center of gravity. <P>SOLUTION: The golf club head of hollow structure is formed of at least a face part, a top part and a sole part. An opening part is formed at the top of at least one of the top part of the golf club head which is a continuously arranged part of sites excepting for the face part and the top part of the golf club head which is a continuously arranged part of the face area of the other sites formed in a plurality of face areas excepting for the face part. A weight member molded of material of specific gravity larger than that of a head body is fitted into the opening part, and the outer surface of the weight member has the same outer shape as that of the top part being the continuously arranged part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head in which a weight member is mounted on a hollow head body.

In recent years, golf clubs called wood have been widely used as golf club heads (hereinafter referred to as “heads”) in which the head body is hollowly formed of a material such as titanium alloy, stainless steel, or carbon fiber.
Conventionally, this type of head is equipped with a weight member formed of a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the head body, and optimization of the center of gravity position by this weight member (the center of gravity height, the center of gravity depth, the moment of inertia, etc.). The head balance is improved by optimization. Conventionally, as a weight member mounting structure, the weight member is joined to the inside of the sole portion of the head main body, or a thin sole plate made of a material having a larger specific gravity than the head main body as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. Molded and integrally provided with a thick weight part in a part thereof, or provided with a bottomed recess that opens outward on the bottom surface of the sole part of the head body as disclosed in Patent Document 2, A structure in which a weight member is fitted in the recess is known.
JP-A-9-201432 JP 2001-212272 A

However, in the conventional structure in which the weight member is joined to the inside of the sole portion, the center of gravity is not lowered by the thick portion of the sole portion, and there is a difference in shape between the sole portion and the weight member. Then, there is a possibility that a gap is generated between the two and an abnormal noise is generated when the ball is hit.
In addition, since the thin sole plate other than the weight part is formed of a material having a specific gravity larger than that of the head body, the head disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot concentrate the weight by the weight part. Due to the structure in which the toe, heel side and back side are curved and extended upward, there is a drawback that it is difficult to lower the center of gravity by raising the position of the center of gravity.

In the head disclosed in Patent Document 2, the structure in which the concave portion is provided on the bottom surface of the sole portion, the shape of the sole portion becomes complicated, and the mold forming for manufacturing is troublesome. As a result, the shape and size of the weight member are restricted, and thus there have been pointed out disadvantages such as a reduced degree of freedom in design.
Further, instead of the weight member, there is also known a head that aims at lowering the center of gravity of the head by molding the entire sole portion with a material having a larger specific gravity than the head body, but like the conventional example disclosed in Patent Document 1, There is a drawback that the weight cannot be concentrated and the center of gravity of the head cannot be lowered for the weight.

  The present invention has been devised in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a head that improves the head balance by expanding the degree of freedom of design and optimizing the position of the center of gravity. Is a hollow structure head formed of at least a face part, a top part, and a sole part, and is formed in a plurality of surface regions except for the top part of the head, which is a continuous part of other parts excluding the face part, or the face part. Among the top portions of the head that is the continuous portion of the surface region of the other part formed, at least one top portion is formed with an opening, a weight member is fitted into the opening, and the outer surface of the weight member is It is characterized by having the same outer shape as the top portion as the continuous portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head according to the first aspect, the head has a hollow structure in which the sole portion is formed of a plurality of surface regions, and the plurality of surface regions of the sole portion are connected to each other. An opening is formed in at least one of the tops as the installation part, and a weight member is fitted into the opening, and the outer surface of the weight member has the same outer shape as the top as the connection part. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head according to the first or second aspect, the opening is formed along the top as the continuous portion, and a weight member extends along the top at the opening. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the opening is at least along the top of the connecting portion. , Formed in the heel direction or face, back direction, and a weight member is fitted in the opening along the top,
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the weight member is formed with a thick portion protruding inward in part. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the head according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the thick portion is a top portion as a continuous portion formed in the toe, heel direction, face and back direction of the head. It is characterized by being formed in the vicinity of the intersection.

According to the first and third aspects of the invention, since the weight member is fitted into the opening provided at the top of the head protruding outward, the center of gravity height, the center of gravity depth, the moment of inertia, etc. of the weight member Optimization is easy, and there is an advantage that an optimum balance of the head can be easily obtained.
Moreover, it has the advantage that the freedom degree of design improves by changing the shape of the thickness direction of a weight member arbitrarily.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the center of gravity of the head can be lowered.
According to the invention of claim 4, the moment of inertia can be increased by arranging the weight members in the toe and heel directions, and the swing of the swing can be achieved by arranging the weight members in the face and back directions. The optimum balance of the head can be obtained by the weight member.

  Furthermore, according to the invention according to claim 5, the degree of freedom in design is improved by arbitrarily changing the position of the thick part, and the thick part is arranged in the vicinity of the intersection of the top as in the invention according to claim 6. As a result, the center of gravity of the head can be lowered more reliably.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a first embodiment in which the invention according to claims 1 to 6 is applied to a head of a fairway wood. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a top part (crown part) 3 and a sole part. 5 and the side portion 7 are hollow head bodies integrally cast with a metal material such as titanium alloy, maraging steel, stainless steel, etc., and the specific gravity of the head body 1 is set to 2.5 or more and 8.0 or less. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, a face plate 11 made of plastic, such as rolling, forging, or press molding, made of a titanium alloy is welded to an opening 9 provided on the face side of the head body 1. Thus, a head 12 is formed, and the face plate 11 constitutes a face portion of the head 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, on the heel side of the head body 1, a cylindrical shaft fastening portion 15 through which the shaft fastening hole 13 penetrates from the top portion 3 to the sole portion 5 is a heel wall. 17 and the face plate 11 are provided integrally with the head main body 1 with a gap therebetween, and the shaft fixing portion 15 projects upward from the head main body 1 to form a hosel portion 19. The shaft 21 is inserted into the shaft fixing hole 13 from the top portion 3 side to the sole portion 5, and the plug 23 is fixed to the insertion end portion of the shaft 21 flush with the sole portion 5.

  Further, the sole portion 5 has a face side bordered by a reference line P at the substantially center of the face and back direction width of the head 12, and a toe and heel direction at the border of the toe of the head 12 and a substantially center reference line Q of the heel direction width The toe-side sole portion 5a and the heel-side sole portion 5b, each of which is a substantially planar surface area that rises obliquely upward, and the back side of the sole portion 5 with the reference line P as a boundary obliquely upwards backward The back-side sole portion 5c, which is a substantially planar surface area that rises, has such a structure, and when the golf club (hereinafter referred to as "club") 25 is shaken out, the toe-side sole portion 5a and the heel side are formed. The contact between the sole portion 5b and the ground is prevented to improve the swing of the club 25, and the stable contact can be achieved by eliminating the contact between the ground after hitting and the back side sole portion 5c. To have.

  For this reason, as shown in the figure, the sole portion 5 has a top portion T1 of the head 12 which is a continuous portion of the toe side sole portion 5a and the heel side sole portion 5b in the face and back directions, and projects to the outside. In the heel direction, the toe side sole portion 5a, the top portion T2 of the head 12 which is a continuous portion of the heel side sole portion 5b and the back side sole portion 5c protrudes outward, and both the top portions T1 and T2 are soles as shown in FIG. The shape intersects in a T shape at the center of the portion 5.

In this embodiment, the opening portion 27 is provided in the sole portion 5 along the top portion T1 in the face and back direction of the head 12, and the weight member 29 is fitted to the opening portion 27 so as to be exposed from the sole portion 5. It is characterized by being combined.
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 27 has a rectangular shape in plan view that is symmetrical with respect to the top T <b> 1, and each corner is formed in a round shape.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the weight member 29 is cast in the same shape in plan view that can be fitted into the opening 27, and the materials thereof are 15 to 70 wt% tungsten, 15 to 70 iron. A tungsten alloy having a specific gravity of 9 or more and containing at least 10% by weight and 9 to 65% by weight of nickel is used.
In this tungsten alloy, the melting temperature is lowered by adding nickel and iron to tungsten, and the flow of molten metal is improved by adding iron, so that casting and welding are easy.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the weight member 29 is provided with a thick portion 31 centering on the intersection X of the top portions T1 and T2, and projecting upward, as shown in FIG. Further, the thick portion 31 has the same width as the weight member 29 and the upper surface is formed in a rectangular shape, and the face side and the back side are formed in a round shape, so that the thick portion 31 is the maximum thickness of the weight member 29. It has become a part. The weight member 29 excluding the thick portion 31 is formed with a uniform thickness with the sole portion 5, and the bottom surface (outer surface) of the weight member 29 has the same outer shape as the top portions T1 and T2 that are connected portions. The sole portion 5 is formed flush with the sole portion 5.

  4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1. In FIG. 4, A and B respectively indicate the head 12 in the face and back direction when the head 12 is grounded along the lie angle. Dimension, toe and heel direction are shown in the top view, C and D are the face of the weight member 29, back direction length and toe, heel direction width, and E is the thick part. 31 shows lengths in the face and back directions.

In the present embodiment, the relations A to E are set as the following “1” to “3”.
“1” C is set in a range of 50 to 80% of A.
That is, when C is shorter than 50% with respect to A, the weight is concentrated on a part when a weight member having a predetermined weight is attached. Therefore, the weight of the weight member becomes high and the center of gravity of the head cannot be lowered. In addition, the weight member cannot suppress head blurring during the swing.

On the other hand, if C exceeds 80% with respect to A, the center of gravity of the head cannot be lowered despite the weight, and the sole part is formed separately from the head body and joined to the head body. This is because welding heat may affect the weight member.
“2” D is set in a range of 10 to 40% of B.
That is, when D is shorter than 10% with respect to B, the weight is concentrated on a part when attaching a weight member having a predetermined weight, so that the height of the weight member becomes high and the center of gravity of the head cannot be lowered. If D exceeds 40% with respect to B, the center of gravity of the head cannot be lowered despite the weight, and the head is easily shaken at the time of swing, making it difficult to catch the ball at the center.

“3” E is set to a range of 20 to 40% of C. If this range is removed, the weight is concentrated on a part when attaching a weight member of a predetermined weight, and the height of the weight member is increased. This is because it is difficult to lower the center of gravity of the head.
As shown in FIG. 3, between the lowermost edge 9a of the opening 9 on the face side and the frontmost edge 27a of the opening 27 of the sole 5, the face plate 11 and A predetermined distance (for example, about 4 mm) is secured so as not to be affected by the mutual welding heat of the weight members 29.

Further, as the molding material of the weight member 29, specific gravity of 6.0 to 20.0, such as copper alloy such as brass, lead, zinc, tin, gold, silver, tartan, and alloys thereof, in addition to the tungsten alloy described above. Other metal materials can also be used.
In this embodiment, the ball is hit by hitting the club 25 with the head 12 mounted thereon, and the toe-side sole portion 5a, the heel-side sole portion 5b, and the back-side sole having the structure described above are used. Since the sole portion 5 is formed in the three surface regions of the portion 5c, a stable swing is possible.

Then, the opening 27 is provided along the top portion T1 that protrudes most outward of the sole portion 5, and the weight member 29 is exposed from the sole portion 5 and fitted into the opening 27, so that the inside of the sole portion is Thus, the center of gravity of the head 12 can be effectively lowered as compared with the conventional structure in which the weight is joined to the head.
In addition, since the weight member 29 that is symmetric about the reference line Q is arranged vertically from the face side to the back side of the head 12, the weight member 29 can concentrate the weight at the center, and the weight member 29 can be concentrated. In addition, since the weight member 29 is arranged in this manner, the weight member 29 suppresses the blurring of the head 12 in the left-right direction at the time of swinging and ensures a good directionality of the hit ball.

Then, by appropriately changing the shape (thickness direction) of the weight member 29 and the position of the thick portion 31, the weight balance and the sweet spot are changed, and the launch angle can be adjusted.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the opening 27 is provided along the top portion T1 of the sole portion 5 that protrudes to the outermost side, and the weight member 29 is fitted into the opening 27. The weight member 29 can be centered, and the weight member 29 that is symmetrical about the reference line Q is arranged vertically from the face side to the back side of the head 12 so that the weight member 29 can swing due to concentration of the weight at the center portion. In some cases, the head balance can be optimized, for example, the head 12 is not shaken.

Moreover, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in design is improved by arbitrarily changing the shape of the weight member 29 protruding into the hollow head body 1 and the position of the thick portion 31.
FIG. 5 shows a head according to a second embodiment of claims 1 to 6, and this embodiment states that “by appropriately changing the position of the thick portion 31, the weight balance and the sweet spot are changed and launched. The effect of the first embodiment that “adjustment of the angle and the like is possible” is embodied, and the feature thereof is a thick portion 31-1 provided in the weight member 29-1 as compared with the structure of the first embodiment. According to the head 12-1 according to the present embodiment, when the head 12-1 is grounded according to the lie angle, the thick portion 31-1 is further disposed below. As a result, the center of gravity can be lowered and the sweet spot of the head 12-1 is lowered by arranging the thick portion 31-1 on the face side in this way, so that the launch angle at the time of hitting is increased, This has the advantage of improving flight distance.

  6 and 7 show a head according to the third embodiment of claims 1 to 3, and the head 12-2 according to this embodiment has an opening 27-1 having the same shape as the opening 27 in plan view. Is provided in the toe and heel directions of the head body 1-1 along the top portion T2, and the weight member 29-2 having the same shape as that of the weight member 29 in plan view is provided in the opening 27-1. In this embodiment, the thick portion 31-2 of the weight member 29-2 protrudes upward at the intersection X of the top portion T1 and the top portion T2. .

As in the first embodiment, the weight member 29-2 excluding the thick portion 31-2 is formed with a uniform thickness with the sole portion 5-1, and the outer surface thereof is a top portion T1, which is a continuous portion. It has the same outer shape as T2, and is formed flush with the sole portion 5-1.
In addition, since the other structure is the same as that of said 1st embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same thing and those description is abbreviate | omitted.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the opening 27-1 is provided along the top portion T2 protruding outward from the sole portion 5-1, and the weight member 29-2 is attached to the opening 27-1. By exposing and fitting from the portion 5-1, the head 12-2 can be effectively lowered in the center of gravity as in the first embodiment.
Further, since the weight member 29-2 that is symmetric about the reference line P is disposed horizontally in the toe and heel directions of the head 12-2 along the apex T2, the moment of inertia in the toe and heel directions is increased. As a result, the trajectory of the head 12-2 before hitting is stabilized and blurring of the head 12-2 at the time of hitting is suppressed.

If the thick portion 31-2 is shifted to the toe side, the head 12-2 is difficult to rotate around the shaft 21 to prevent a hook, and if the thick portion 31-2 is shifted to the heel side. Since the center of gravity moves toward the shaft 21 and the head 12-2 easily rotates, various design changes can be made, such as preventing slicing.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the opening 27-1 is provided along the top portion T2 protruding outward from the sole portion 5-1, and the weight member 29-1 is fitted into the opening 27-1. As a result, the center of gravity of the head 12-2 can be lowered, and the weight member 29-2 that is symmetric about the reference line P is disposed horizontally in the toe and heel directions of the head 12-2 along the top T2. Thus, the moment of inertia in the toe and heel directions is increased, the trajectory of the head 12-2 before hitting is stabilized, and the blurring of the left and right of the head 12-2 during hitting is suppressed. I was able to plan.

Further, by arbitrarily changing the shape (thickness direction) of the weight member 29-2 and the position of the thick portion 31-2 as described above, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in design is improved.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show a head according to a fourth embodiment of claims 1 to 6, and this embodiment has a configuration of the back side sole portion 5 c of the sole portion 5-2 in addition to the configuration of the third embodiment described above. -1 and the side portion 7-1 are provided with an opening 33 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view along the top portion T3 which is a continuous portion of the side portion 7-1. A weight member 35 made of the same material as that of the member 29 is fitted, and on the top surface T3, a thick portion 37 having an arcuate cross section is provided at one location on the inner surface of the weight member 35.

The outer surface of the weight member 35 has the same outer shape as the top portion T3 that is a continuous portion, and is formed flush with the sole portion 5-2 and the side portion 7-1.
Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment of FIG. 1, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
Thus, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the same functions and effects as those of the third embodiment described above, the back side sole portion 5c-1 and the side of the sole portion 5-2 in which the weight member 35 is separated from the face side. Due to the structure attached to the top portion T3 that is a continuous portion with the portion 7-1, the depth of the center of gravity of the head 12-3 becomes deep, the ball is likely to rise, and a high trajectory is hit, and the sweet spot is expanded.

  Conventionally, in this type of head, the weight member is mounted on the back side of the side portion in order to increase the depth of the center of gravity, but in this embodiment, the back side sole portion 5c-1 and the side portion 7-1 are mounted. By attaching the head 12-3 to the top portion T3, the center of gravity of the head 12-3 can be lowered and the center of gravity depth can be adjusted simultaneously by one weight member 35, and the weight member for adjusting the center of gravity depth can be lowered. It is not necessary to provide the target weight member separately.

And, when the weight member for adjusting the center of gravity depth and the weight member for the purpose of lowering the center of gravity are separately provided in this way, conventionally, there has been a problem that the center of gravity of the head is raised or the depth of center of gravity cannot be partitioned deeply, According to the configuration of the present embodiment, there is no such problem.
However, as described above, in the present embodiment, the depth of the center of gravity is further increased compared to the case where the weight member is joined to the inner surface of the side portion 7-1 due to the structure in which the opening portion 33 is provided in the top portion T3. Therefore, the head balance can be improved, and the adjustment range of the center of gravity angle can be increased.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the side that is the continuous portion of the surface region is referred to as the top portion. However, for example, a curved surface changing portion that has a larger curvature than the peripheral curvature connecting the peripheral curved surfaces is also described in this specification. Corresponds to the "top" in

FIG. 7 is a front view of a head according to the first embodiment of claims 1 to 6. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the head which concerns on 2nd embodiment of Claim 1 thru | or 6. It is sectional drawing of the head which concerns on 3rd embodiment of Claim 1 thru | or 6. It is sectional drawing of the head which concerns on 3rd embodiment of Claim 1 thru | or 6. It is sectional drawing of the head which concerns on 4th embodiment of Claim 1 thru | or 6. FIG. 7 is a rear view of a head according to a fourth embodiment of claims 1 to 6.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1-1, 1-2 Head body 5, 5-1, 5-2 Sole part 5a Toe side sole part 5b Heel side sole part 5c Back side sole part 7, 7-1 Side part 9, 27, 27- 1, 33 Opening 11 Face plate 12, 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 Head 25 Club 29, 29-1, 29-2, 35 Weight member 31, 31-1, 31-2, 37 Thickness Part 33
P, Q Reference line T1, T2, T3 Top X Intersection

Claims (6)

  A golf club head having a hollow structure formed by at least a face portion, a top portion, and a sole portion, and a plurality of surfaces except for the top portion of the golf club head that is a continuous portion of other portions excluding the face portion or the face portion An opening is formed in at least one top of the top of the golf club head that is a continuous portion of the surface region of the other part formed in the region, and a weight member is fitted into the opening, and the weight member A golf club head characterized in that the outer surface of the golf club has the same outer shape as the top portion which is a continuous portion.   A golf club head having a hollow structure in which a sole portion is formed of a plurality of surface regions, wherein an opening is formed in at least one top portion of top portions as continuous portions of the plurality of surface regions of the sole portion, 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a weight member is fitted into the opening, and an outer surface of the weight member has the same outer shape as a top portion as a continuous portion.   3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the opening is formed along a top portion which is a continuous portion, and a weight member is fitted in the opening along the top portion.   The opening is formed at least in the toe, heel direction, face, or back direction of the golf club head along the top as the continuous portion, and a weight member is fitted along the top in the opening. The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the weight member is formed with a thick portion protruding inward at a part thereof.   6. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the thick portion is formed in the vicinity of a crossing portion of a top portion which is a continuous portion formed in the toe, heel direction, face and back direction of the golf club head. .

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