JP2011092242A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head, even if a hitting point is deviated towards a crown side and a sole side, retaining a small carry difference from a carry when hitting a ball on a sweet spot. <P>SOLUTION: The backside of a face 11 includes a toe-side rib 21, a heel-side rib 22 and a laterally-long-X-shaped intermediate rib 24 provided between the ribs. The face section between the toe-side rib 21 and the heel-side rib 22 are divided into a crown-adjacency portion Mc, a sole-adjacency portion Ms, a toe-adjacency portion Mt and a heel-adjacency portion Mh; the crown-side and sole-side angle θ of the intermediate rib 24 is formed into an obtuse angle; and the area of the sole-adjacency portion is set larger than those of the toe-adjacency portion and the heel-adjacency portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head, and more particularly to a golf club head that can achieve a thin face and can reduce a flight distance difference with respect to variations in hit points when hitting a golf ball. .

  In general, when a golf club called a driver is made of a hollow metal, it tends to improve the flight distance characteristics by reducing the thickness of the face as a striking surface of the golf ball as much as possible. According to this, the amount of deflection of the sweet spot, which is an intersection point that connects the center of gravity of the golf club head (hereinafter referred to as “head”) and the face surface vertically, can be increased and the flight distance can be extended.

  When the thickness of the face is reduced, it is necessary to maintain a certain strength. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a thick portion may be provided on the back surface of the face.

JP 2008-36050 A

The head described in Patent Document 1 employs a configuration in which a substantially X-shaped thick part (rib) is provided on the back face of the face and the face surface is divided into a crown part, a sole part, a toe part, and a heel part. Has been.
However, in the head described in Patent Document 1, only an X-shaped rib is provided, and when the face has a large area, it conforms to the rebound coefficient regulation value defined by R & A. There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the thickness within the range.
The X-shaped rib in the head described in Patent Document 1 has an end portion that is not so far away from the central portion of the crown and sole, that is, the rib has a vertically extending shape. The area of the side portion is relatively large. Therefore, in the future, if the plate thickness is increased in order to maintain the strength of the toe side and the heel side, the degree of freedom of turning the weight to other parts of the head is reduced.
In addition, since the area of the crown-side portion and the sole-side portion is relatively small, the crown-side portion and the sole-side portion are difficult to bend, and the flight distance difference when the hit point is shifted up and down with respect to the sweet spot is large. There is also a problem that should be improved.

  In the case of an advanced golfer, it is said that the direction in which the hit points vary tends to appear in the vertical direction of the face. This is probably dependent on the individuality of the swing, but in general, the golfer's swing plane at the advanced level is more stable than the average golfer. Therefore, the head is less likely to be displaced in the front-rear direction on the toe side and the heel side, while the head is displaced up and down due to a timing shift in weight movement, etc. This causes a loss of flight distance compared to hitting a ball with a sweet spot.

[Object of invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head capable of maintaining a required strength by reducing the thickness of a face.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head capable of reducing the difference between the flight distance when hitting with a sweet spot and the flight distance when the hitting point is shifted in the vertical direction with respect to the sweet spot. It is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a hollow metal golf club head having a thick portion provided on the back surface of a face that is a striking surface of a golf ball.
The thick-walled portion includes a toe-side rib extending between the front of the toe side and the crown side, a heel side rib extending between the rear, and a substantially horizontally long X shape located between the toe side rib and the heel side rib and continuing to the rib. The intermediate rib is used.

  In the present invention, one of the ribs forming the intermediate rib extends in a direction connecting the crown front end side and the sole rear end side, and the other rib is provided so as to extend in a direction connecting the crown rear end side and the sole front end side. it can.

Further, the face portion between the toe side rib and the heel side rib is divided into a crown side portion, a sole side portion, a toe side portion, and a heel side portion,
The area near the crown and the sole may be larger than the area near the toe and heel.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the toe side rib and the heel side rib are provided in an arc shape having a center in the face surface between the ribs.

  Each of the toe side rib and the heel side rib includes a center rib, and an upper rib and a lower rib that are connected to each other above and below the center rib via a bent portion, and the center rib is on the toe side than the upper and lower ribs. And it is good also as a structure of being provided in the state which is located in the heel side and follows the three continuous sides of a polygon.

  Furthermore, one end side of the two ribs forming the intermediate rib can extend through the toe side rib and the heel side rib, respectively.

  According to the present invention, the ribs are provided on the toe side and the heel side of the back surface of the face, and the X-shaped intermediate rib is provided between the ribs. Therefore, the entire face can be reduced in thickness while maintaining the strength. , It is possible to give a degree of design freedom that the weight can be distributed to others. In addition, one rib forming the intermediate rib extends in a direction connecting the crown front end side and the sole rear end side, and the other rib extends in a direction connecting the crown rear end side and the sole front end side. It is possible to secure a wide area between the portion close to the sole and the sole, and to easily deflect the crown close portion and the sole close portion so as to suppress a decrease in flight distance when the hitting point is shifted up and down.

  Moreover, according to the structure which provided the toe side rib and the heel side rib in circular arc shape, it can avoid that the area of a toe side part and a sole side part becomes extremely small.

  Further, in the configuration in which the toe side rib and the heel side rib are provided in a shape along the octagonal side formed by the crown side peripheral wall and the sole side peripheral wall, the same operation and effect as when the arc-shaped rib is formed. Obtainable.

  Further, the structure in which one end side of the intermediate rib is extended to the outer peripheral side than the toe side rib and the heel side rib can maintain the strength of the face surface portion located outside the toe side and the heel side.

The front view which looked at the golf club head concerning a 1st embodiment from the face side. The schematic front view which looked at the said face from the back side. The front view which looked at the golf club head which concerns on 2nd Embodiment from the face side. The schematic front view which looked at the face of FIG. 3 from the back surface side.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Regarding terms indicating direction or position in this specification, when the head is viewed from the face side, the toe side is “front”, the heel side is “rear”, the crown side is “up”, and the sole side is “lower”. And
1 and 2, a so-called wood type golf club head 10 includes a face 11, a toe 12 and a heel 13 positioned in front of and behind the face 11, and a crown 14 and a sole 15 positioned above and below. It is comprised by the hollow metal molded product. A hosel 17 to which a shaft (not shown) is connected is provided at the rear portion of the crown 14 and the upper portion of the heel 13, and the shaft is inserted into the hosel 17 so that the shaft is fixed to the head 10. The face 11 is provided in a curved shape called a bulge.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the face 11 has a thick portion 20 formed integrally with the face 11 on the back side thereof. The thick wall portion 20 is located between the ribs 21 and 22 and the toe side rib 21 extending in the vertical direction near the toe, the heel side rib 22 extending in the vertical direction near the heel, and the ribs 21 and 22. Intermediate rib 24. By providing such a thick portion 20, between the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22, the face 11 portion is divided into four parts: a crown side portion Mc, a sole side portion Ms, a toe side portion Mt, and a heel side portion Mh. can do. A peripheral wall 30 that rises with respect to the surface of the face 11 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the face 11, and this peripheral wall 30 is connected to an opening of a head body (not shown) that forms a crown and sole. This is the area that forms the face side edges of the toe and heel.

  The toe side rib 21 extends so as to connect the crown side front and the sole side front, and the heel side rib 22 extends so as to connect the crown side rear side and the sole side rear side. The heel side rib 22 is provided in a shape approximate to a “C” shape in a front view, and is provided in an arc shape having a center in the sole portion Ms.

  The intermediate rib 24 is provided in an X shape (laterally long) that is long in the lateral direction when viewed from the front. More specifically, of the two ribs 24A and 24B forming the intermediate rib 24, one rib 24A extends linearly in a direction connecting the crown front end side and the sole rear end side, and the other rib 24B is a crown. It extends linearly in the direction connecting the rear end side and the sole front end side. Due to this extending direction, the ribs 24A, 24B intersect at the center of the face with the angle θ opening to the crown side and the sole side as an obtuse angle, and the areas of the crown side Mc and sole side Ms are close to the toe side Mt and heel side It is ensured larger than the area of the part Mh. Each one end side of the ribs 24A and 24B passes through the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22 and is further extended to the outer peripheral side of the face 11, whereby the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22 are extended. A front crown portion Mc1, a front toe portion Mt1, a rear crown portion Mc2 and a rear sole portion Mh1 are formed on the face portion further outside.

  The toe side rib 21, the heel side rib 22, and the intermediate rib 24 are formed in a substantially dome shape so that the center portion has the highest thickness in the cross-sectional shape along the width direction, and the base of the face 11 is It is provided so as to be gently connected to the plane. Further, the intermediate rib 24 is provided such that the thickness of the central portion where the ribs 24 </ b> A and 24 </ b> B intersect is the largest, and the thickness is reduced between the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22. . In the illustrated example, the intermediate ribs 24 are crossed by the straight ribs 24A and 24B, but may be formed by crossing the curved ribs and appearing in an X shape in plan view.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a golf club head according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the second embodiment, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.
In the second embodiment, the toe side rib 21 provided so as to connect between the crown side and the sole side front and the heel side rib 22 provided so as to connect between the crown side and the sole side rear are linearly bent. The configuration is characterized in that a laterally long X-shaped intermediate rib 24 is accommodated between the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the front toe side portion Mt1 and the rear heel side portion Mh1 are formed on the face 11 portion outside the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22.

  The toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22 are substantially straight central ribs 21A and 22A, upper ribs 21B and 22B connecting the upper portions of the central ribs 21A and 22A and the crown side, and the central ribs 21A and 22A. It is comprised by the lower ribs 21C and 22C which connect a lower part and the sole side. The upper ribs 21B and 22B extend in a direction in which their upper end sides approach each other, and the lower ribs 21C and 22C extend in a direction in which their lower end sides approach each other. The rib 21A is closest to the toe side, and the other central rib 22A is closest to the heel side, and the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22 are polygons (octagons) formed by the crown side peripheral wall and the sole side peripheral wall. It is designed to exhibit a planar shape substantially along three consecutive sides.

  The intermediate rib 24 in the second embodiment has an obtuse angle θ as in the first embodiment. Further, the end portions of the ribs 24A and 24B are provided so as to be connected to the bent portions of the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22, and the width from the center portion toward the toe side rib 21 and the heel side rib 22 is wide. The thickness is gradually reduced.

  Next, a specific experimental example of the present invention will be described using a prototype head according to the present invention and a comparison head.

Five titanium heads were prepared with a head volume of 460 cc and a head weight of 202 g by a 4 pcs forging method. The difference between these four heads is only the face configuration, and the other parts are common.
Prototype head 1:
The intermediate rib 24 is a laterally long rib whose angle θ on the crown side and the sole side is 130 degrees, and the areas of the crown-side portion Mc, the sole-side portion Ms, the toe-side portion Mt, and the heel-side portion Mh are 7.1 cm ² and 17, respectively. .4cm ^2, 2.8cm ^2, and 2.8 cm ^2, and the thickness 2.4mm, 2.4mm, 2.6mm, and 2.9 mm. Further, the front crown nearer portion Mc1, front toe closer unit Mt1, rear crown nearer portion Mc2 and the rear sole nearer portions each 1.6 cm ² area of ^{Mh1, 3.2cm 2, 0.8cm 2,} 4.0cm 2 The plate thicknesses were 1.9 mm, 2.1 mm, 2.3 mm, and 2.3 mm, respectively. The width of the intermediate rib is 6 mm, and the width of the toe side rib and the heel side rib is 5 mm. Further, the rib thickness was gradually decreased so that the central plate thickness of the intermediate rib was 5.3 mm and the end plate thickness was 2.4 mm. The total area of the back surface of the face is 52.5 cm ² and its weight is 65 g.

Prototype head 2:
Wherein the angle θ as well as 130 degrees and prototype head 1, the crown closer unit Mc, sole closer unit Ms, toe closer portion Mt, respectively the area of the heel near portion Mh 7.8 cm ² of the intermediate rib 24, 8.0 cm ² 2.1 cm ² and 2.1 cm ^2, and the plate thicknesses were 2.5 mm, 2.3 mm, 2.5 mm, and 2.8 mm. Further, the front crown nearer portion Mc1 and 8.1 cm ² area of the rear sole closer unit Mh1, and 8.0 cm ^2, and their thickness to 2.0 mm, and 2.4 mm. The center width of the intermediate rib is 6 mm and the end width is gradually narrowed to 3 mm, and the thickness is gradually reduced so that the center plate thickness is 5.3 mm and the end plate thickness is 3.8 mm. I let you. Further, the width of the toe side rib and the heel side rib was 6 mm, and the thickness of the portion where the rib was provided was 3.8 mm. The total area and weight of the face back surface are the same as those of the prototype head 1.

Comparison head 1:
An X-shaped rib similar to the intermediate rib of the prototype head 1 was rotated by approximately 90 degrees to form a vertically long type on the back face of the face that was long in the vertical direction of the face. The area near the crown and the sole was 3.2 cm ² and 2.8 cm ² , and the plate thickness was 1.8 mm and 1.8 mm. Moreover, the toe side and heel side areas were 19.5 cm ² and 19.0 cm ² , and the plate thicknesses were 2.2 mm and 2.5 mm. The total area and weight of the face back surface are 52.5 cm ² and 74 g.

Comparison head 2:
An intermediate rib similar to the comparative head 1 and a toe side rib and a heel side rib of the prototype head 2 were provided. The areas near the crown and the sole were 2.5 cm ² and 2.5 cm ² , and the plate thickness was 2.7 mm and 2.5 mm. In addition, the area near the toe and heel was 7.8 cm ² and 8.1 cm ² , and the plate thickness was 2.5 mm and 2.3 mm. The total area and weight of the face back surface are 52.5 cm ² and 65 g.

Comparison head 3
One intermediate rib similar to the prototype head 1 was provided at the center of the face. Crown near portion, the sole closer section, the area of the toe closer section and the heel closer ^{section, 9.5cm 2, 17.6cm 2, 5.9cm} 2, a 6.9 cm ^2, the thickness is 2.2 mm, 2 4 mm, 1.9 mm, and 1.8 mm. The total area and weight of the face back surface are 52.5 cm ² and 74 g.

A golf club having a loft angle of 10 degrees and a lie angle of 60 degrees is connected to the prototype heads 1 and 2 and the comparison heads 1 to 3 by a shaft (length 1143 mm (45 inches), weight 65 g) using a trial hitting robot. A flight distance test was conducted. In this test, the head speed was 40 m / s, and the average value of hitting five balls each was determined. As shown in FIG. 1, the hit points of the golf ball are the center P1 of the face, and points P2 and P3 which are 12 mm away from the center in the crown direction and the sole side in the vertical direction. Here, the center P1 of the face is the intersection of the center of an imaginary line connecting the boundary between the face, the crown and the sole in the vertical direction and the center of the imaginary line connecting the boundary between the face, the toe and the heel in the horizontal direction. It is a position to be a sweet spot.
The result of the flight distance by each point hit of Example 1 is shown below.

表１の結果に示されるように、試作ヘッド１及び２は、クラウン寄り部及びソール寄り部においてセンターとの飛距離差が３ｍと少ないヘッドとなった。従って、試作ヘッド１及び２は、フェースにおいて、上下方向にスイートエリアが広いタイプと言える。因みに、試作ヘッド１及び２は、何れも反発係数に関するＲ＆Ａの規制値（ＣＴ値）を越えない２３５であった。
比較ヘッド１及び２は、打点がセンターの上下方向にずれたときの飛距離差が８ｍとなり、相対的に上下方向のスイートエリアが狭いヘッドとなる。また、比較ヘッド３は、更に飛距離が低下するものとなった。なお、比較ヘッド１〜３のＣＴ値は、それぞれ２３３、２３４、２３３であった。

As shown in the results in Table 1, the prototype heads 1 and 2 were heads having a small flight distance difference of 3 m from the center at the crown-side portion and the sole-side portion. Therefore, it can be said that the prototype heads 1 and 2 have a wide sweet area in the vertical direction on the face. Incidentally, both the prototype heads 1 and 2 were 235 which did not exceed the R & A regulation value (CT value) regarding the coefficient of restitution.
The comparison heads 1 and 2 have a flight distance difference of 8 m when the hit point is shifted in the vertical direction of the center, and are relatively narrow heads in the vertical direction. Further, the comparison head 3 has a further reduced flight distance. The CT values of the comparison heads 1 to 3 were 233, 234, and 233, respectively.

The best configuration, method and the like for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, although the present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to specific embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the technical idea and object of the present invention. The trader can add various modifications.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wood type referred to as a driver has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a so-called fairway wood or a utility golf club head.
Furthermore, the thick portion 20 is not limited to the face integrated structure, and a separate thick portion may be formed and bonded to the back surface of the face.
Further, although the angle θ between the crown side and the sole side of the intermediate rib 24 is set to 130 degrees, the flight distance difference at P2 and P3 is shorter than the flight distance difference of the comparison heads 1 to 3 with respect to the hitting point P1. Any obtuse angle that can be maintained is acceptable.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Golf club head, 11 ... Face, 12 ... Toe, 13 ... Heel, 14 ... Crown, 15 ... Sole, 20 ... Thick part, 21 ... Toe side rib, 22 ... Heel side rib, 24 ... Intermediate rib, Mc ... Crown part, Ms ... Sole part, Mt ... Toe part, Mh ... Heel part

Claims (6)

In a golf club head made of a hollow metal in which a thick part is provided on the back surface of the face that is a striking surface of a golf ball,
The thick-walled portion includes a toe-side rib extending between the front of the toe side and the crown side, a heel side rib extending between the rear, and a substantially horizontally long X shape located between the toe side rib and the heel side rib and continuing to the rib. A golf club head comprising: an intermediate rib. The one rib forming the intermediate rib extends in a direction connecting the crown front end side and the sole rear end side, and the other rib extends in a direction connecting the crown rear end side and the sole front end side. Golf club head. The face portion between the toe side rib and the heel side rib is divided into a crown side, a sole side, a toe side, and a heel side,
3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein areas of the crown and sole portions are larger than areas of the toe and heel portions. 4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the toe side rib and the heel side rib are provided in an arc shape having a center in a face surface between the ribs. Each of the toe side rib and the heel side rib includes a center rib, and an upper rib and a lower rib that are connected to each other above and below the center rib via a bent portion, and the center rib is closer to the toe side and heel than the upper and lower ribs. 4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head is provided in a state along the three sides of the polygon located on the side. 5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein one end side of the two ribs forming the intermediate rib is extended through the toe side rib and the heel side rib, respectively.

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