JP7219248B2 - golf club head - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to a metal golf club head having a hollow structure including a face portion, a crown portion and a sole portion.

Conventionally, in a golf club head (hereinafter also referred to as a head) having a metal head body having a hollow structure including a face portion, a crown portion, and a sole portion, the face portion is made flexible so that a ball can be hit. It is known that the crushing of the ball is sometimes suppressed, thereby reducing energy loss due to ball deformation and improving flight distance. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is known that grooves (inwardly protruding bending portions) are formed around the face side of the crown, sole, and side portions so that the face portion is easily flexed when hitting a ball. It is That is, when grooves are formed along the entire periphery of the crown, sole, and side portions of the face portion (in consideration of the rules of golf, the crown portion and sole portion excluding the side portions may be formed), the crown portion and the sole portion are formed. Since the face and side portions are easily displaced in the front-rear direction (face-back direction), the center of the face portion flexes greatly when the ball is hit, which can be expected to improve flight distance.

Also, recently, the thickness of the face portion is made thinner toward the periphery than at the center to widen the range where the coefficient of restitution is high. In particular, by forming a groove on the face portion side of the head as in Patent Document 1, the entire face portion can be easily bent, so that the effect can be increased.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-52099

As described above, by forming grooves in the crown, sole, and side portions, these portions become more likely to flex in the face-back direction. . However, since the crown, sole, and side portions on the rear side of the grooves flex, considerable energy loss occurs, and as a result, sufficient initial velocity cannot be imparted to the ball. When actually hitting a ball with a golf club equipped with a head having grooves formed on the face portion of the crown, sole, and side portions, the grooves flexed the face portion and provided a high rebound area, but the resulting impact was not sufficient. The result was that the flight distance was not improved (the initial velocity of the ball was not sufficient).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club head in which the face portion can be easily deflected when the ball is hit, and the initial velocity of the ball can be improved by reducing energy loss. do.

To achieve the above object, a golf club head according to the present invention has a head body made of metal and having a hollow structure including a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion. Further, on the inner surface of the golf club head, ribs protruding toward the inside of the head body are formed on the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portions along the circumferential direction of the head body. The head main body is further formed with front-rear ribs that are connected to the ribs and extend toward the back side, and the front-rear ribs are formed on both the toe side and the heel side of the crown portion. and formed on both the toe side and the heel side of the sole portion .

According to the head structure described above, grooves are formed in the crown, sole, and side portions along the circumferential direction, so that the face portion can be easily bent when hitting a ball. In this case, since the rib is formed so as to be integrated with the rear wall portion of the groove, the rear side of the groove has increased rigidity and is less likely to bend. That is, by forming the ribs, when the ball is hit, the energy loss due to the deflection on the rear side of the groove (the deflection occurring in the crown and sole) is reduced, and the deformation of the face is received and rebounded. (It is possible to improve the initial velocity of the ball and improve the flight distance of the ball).

In addition , since the highly rigid portion formed by the ribs can receive the bending of the face portion , it is possible to improve the resilience against the ball even in a structure without grooves. Furthermore, by forming the longitudinal ribs, it is possible to further increase the rigidity of the ribs and improve the resilience of the face portion.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a first embodiment of a golf club head according to the present invention, and is a front view showing a golf club to which the golf club head is attached; FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the crown side; FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the sole portion side; Sectional drawing along the IV-IV line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the distribution of CT values in the face portion when grooves and ribs are not formed in the head body; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the distribution of CT values in the face portion when grooves are formed in the head body without forming ribs. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the distribution of CT values in the face portion when grooves and ribs are formed in the head body; FIG. 10 is a view showing a second embodiment of the golf club head, and is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure on the heel portion side; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the toe portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. 10; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the face portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. 10; 11(a) and 11(b) are diagrams each showing one configuration example of a joining state between grooves and ribs of the golf club head shown in FIG. 10; FIG. FIG. 11 is a view showing a third embodiment of a golf club head, and is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure on the heel portion side; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the toe portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. 14; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the face portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. 14;

An embodiment of a golf club head according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 6 are views showing a first embodiment of a golf club head, FIG. 1 is a front view showing a golf club to which the golf club head according to this embodiment is attached, and FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the crown side, FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the sole side, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line VV of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of FIG.

Hereinafter, the "back side" specified in the present invention means the rear side opposite to the face portion in the axial direction of the golf club head. In addition, the “circumferential direction” means the outer edge of the golf club head (head body) when cut along a plane orthogonal to the axial direction.

The golf club 1 according to this embodiment is configured as a driver type in which a shaft 50 is fixed to the head body 3 .
The head body 3 includes a face portion 5 having a ball hitting surface (face surface) 5a, a crown portion 6 extending rearward from the upper edge of the face portion 5, and a sole extending rearward from the lower edge of the face portion 5. It has a hollow structure including a portion 7 and side portions 8 connecting the edges of the crown portion 6 and the sole portion 7 . The side portion 8 includes a back portion 8a facing the face portion 5, and a toe portion 8b and a heel portion 8c extending from the face portion 5 via the back portion 8a. When the side portion 8 is defined by ridgelines formed between the crown portion 6 and the sole portion 7, the side portion 8 is defined by the area between the ridgelines, as shown in the figure. Thus, when it is formed flush with the sole portion 7 without being partitioned by a ridge line, it is defined as an area rising from the sole portion 7 contacting the ground.

The head body 3 is constructed by joining a plurality of metal outer shell members divided at various positions by welding, bonding, or the like. For each outer shell member, for example, it is possible to integrally form a titanium alloy, an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, etc. by casting, press molding, etc., and welding, bonding, brazing, screwing, etc. The head main body 3 is created by fastening or the like. In this case, each member (outer shell member) constituting the head main body 3 is formed by integrating the side portion 8 with the sole portion 7 or integrating with the crown portion 6, or by partially The components may be integrally formed by casting or the like, and then joined by welding, adhesion, or the like. Further, as shown in the figure, the side portion 8 may be integrated with the sole portion 7 without forming a ridge line, or may be configured to be flush with the crown portion 6. may be integrated in a flush manner without forming the .

The face portion 5 is formed by, for example, pressing, CNC processing, or forging titanium, a titanium alloy, or the like. , the sole portion and the opening formed in the front side of the side portion. In this case, the face portion 5 may be formed in a plate shape and joined to another outer shell member, or may be formed in a cup shape and joined to the front edges of the crown portion, the side portions, and the sole portion. , may constitute a part of these.

A hosel portion 10 for fixing the tip of a shaft (not shown) is integrally formed in the head body 3 . The hosel portion 10 protrudes upward from the crown portion 6, and the tip portion of the shaft 50 is fitted and secured to the opening hole 10a.

A ball-striking surface (face surface) 5a of the face portion 5 is a portion for hitting a golf ball, and is an area surrounded by a top edge 5A that defines the top and bottom, a sole edge 5B that defines the top and bottom, and side edges 5C that define both sides. ing. That is, the face surface 5a has ridge lines between the crown portion 6, the sole portion 7 and the side portions 8 (the top edge 5A, the sole edge 5B, and a boundary line by the side edge 5C). In addition, when the ridgeline is curved, the boundary line is defined by the curved apex. In this case, the boundary lines may be color-coded so that the face surface 5a is clearly visible. Further, score lines may be separately formed on the face surface 5a.

The face portion 5 is formed with a roll curved along the crown-sole direction (vertical direction) and formed with a bulge curved along the toe-heel direction (horizontal direction). A central position (face center) C of the face portion 5 exists in the top region of the portion. This face center C is the geometric center position of the face surface 5a defined as described above. That is, in FIG. 1, when the face surface 5a is viewed from the front with the golf club held at a specified lie angle with respect to the reference horizontal plane P, the center of the maximum width of the face surface 5a is perpendicular to the reference horizontal plane P. , the face center C is the center position of the face height on the vertical plane.
The face center C tends to be a region of the face portion 5 where the amount of deflection (the amount of deflection in the face-back direction) is the largest.

A groove 20 is formed along the circumferential direction on the face portion side of the head body 3 . The groove 20 of the present embodiment is formed so as to extend in the toe-heel direction in a region excluding the toe-side end and the heel-side end of the crown portion 6 (groove 20A on the crown side; Also referred to as one groove), and in the side region rising from the sole portion 7, the region excluding the toe side end and the heel side end is formed to extend in the toe-heel direction of the sole portion 7. (groove 20B on the sole side; this groove is also referred to as a second groove). That is, the groove 20 of the present embodiment is not formed continuously in an annular shape on the face portion side of the head body 3, but is formed at the toe side end of each of the crown portion 6 and the sole portion 7 (side portion 8). It is formed to terminate at a ridge and a heel side end.

By forming the grooves 20 (the first groove 20A and the second groove 20B) on the face portion side of the head body in this manner, the flexibility of the face portion 5 can be improved. The cross-sectional shape of the groove 20 is not particularly limited, and the cross-sectional shape is concave like the first groove 20A formed in the crown portion 6 in FIG. Any configuration that can improve the flexibility of the face portion 5, such as a U-shaped cross section as in 20B or a V-shaped cross section, may be employed. Further, the grooves are not formed continuously along the circumferential direction, but may be continuous or discontinuous (intermittent) on the face portion side of the head body if the flexibility of the face portion can be improved. ).

In the head body 3, a rib 22 protruding toward the inside of the head body is formed on the rear side of the groove 20 formed as described above so as to protrude along the circumferential direction. The rib 22 of the present embodiment is formed so as to protrude in an annular manner over the circumferential direction on the rear side of the groove 20 and has a function of increasing the rigidity of the rear side of the groove 20 .

It should be noted that the rib 22 is preferably annularly formed in the circumferential direction so as to effectively bend the face portion 5. However, if the groove 20 is not annularly formed as in the present embodiment, They may be formed at positions corresponding to the first groove 20A and the second groove 20B. Also, the ribs 22 may be formed continuously or discontinuously (intermittently) along the circumferential direction.

The ribs 22 should be formed to such an extent that the crown portion and the sole portion are not deformed (bent) on the rear side of the grooves 20 that perform the function of improving the flexibility of the face portion and energy loss does not occur when the ball is hit. Good luck. Specifically, it is preferable that the thickness T of the rib 22 is 1.0 mm or more, and the protrusion height H is preferably 1.0 mm or more (of course, even if it is formed with a numerical value less than that, good). However, if the thickness T is too thick or the protrusion height H is too high, the weight of the head body will increase, and the center of gravity will shift forward and the depth of the center of gravity will become shallower. 0 mm or less, and the projection height H is preferably 3.0 mm or less.

The grooves 20 and ribs 22 configured as described above are integrally formed together with the outer shell member in consideration of the joint points of each outer shell member when the outer shell member constituting the head main body is formed by casting or press molding. Is possible.

According to the head structure described above, since the groove 20 is formed along the circumferential direction on the face portion side of the head main body 3, the face portion 5 can be easily bent when hitting a ball, and the ball can be moved backward from the groove 20. Since the rib 22 is formed on the side, the rear side of the groove 20 has increased rigidity and is less likely to bend (become less likely to deform). That is, the crown portion 6, the sole portion 7, and the side portions 8 on the rear side from the groove 20 tend to deform due to the bending of the face portion 5, but such deformation is suppressed by forming the ribs 22. When the ball is hit, the energy loss due to the deflection on the rear side of the groove 20 is reduced, and the deflection of the face portion 5 can be effectively received and the resilience can be improved (the initial velocity of the ball is improved. As a result, the flight distance of the ball can be improved.)

Further, in this embodiment, since the ribs 22 are continuously formed in the head main body in the circumferential direction, an annular high-rigidity portion is formed on the face side of the head main body 3 . Energy loss to the rear side is eliminated in the entire periphery, and the periphery of the face portion 5 can be deflected more effectively. As a result, the initial velocity of the ball when hit is improved, and the flight distance can be improved.

Here, the degree of improvement in the resilience of the face portion by forming the grooves 20 and ribs 22 as described above in the head body 3 was measured based on a generally known pendulum test. 7 to 9 show the state of distribution of values (values of CT values for each specific position on the face portion and contour line distribution).
In these figures, the CT values shown in the table are based on the CT value measured at the face center C (100%), and are in the crown (U)/sole (D) direction and the toe (T ) and the heel (H) direction are shown in increments of 5 mm at each position. Also, the contour line distribution shows how the repulsion area is distributed with the face center C as the center.

FIG. 7 shows the distribution of CT values in the face portion when grooves and ribs are not formed in the head body, and FIG. 8 shows the distribution of CT values in the case where grooves are formed in the head body without ribs. shows the distribution state of CT values in the face portion of the . FIG. 9 shows the distribution of CT values in the face portion when the grooves 20 and ribs 22 are formed in the head body as in the embodiment described above.

Compared to a configuration in which no grooves and ribs are formed in the head body (see FIG. 7), if grooves are formed on the face portion side of the head (see FIG. 8), the heel side of the face center C is in the range of 5 mm. A high resilience area is obtained in a range of 5 mm on the crown side, and in a range of 10 mm to 20 mm on the toe side and a range of 5 mm to 10 mm on the crown side. That is, it can be seen that a high repulsion area can be obtained by forming grooves on the face portion side, as compared with a configuration in which grooves and ribs are not formed in the head body.
Then, when the grooves 20 and ribs 22 as described above are formed on the face portion side of the head main body (see FIG. 9), a range of 5 mm on the heel side and 5 mm on the crown side centering on the face center C, and A high resilience area is obtained in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm on the toe side and 10 mm on the crown side to 10 mm on the sole side.

That is, considering the entire surface of the face, forming grooves in the head body makes it possible to obtain a high repulsion area on the face (see FIG. 8). By forming it, it becomes possible to expand the high repulsion area (see FIG. 9). It is believed that the expanded high-resilience area was obtained by forming ribs on the rear side of the grooves, which reduced energy loss at the time of hitting the ball, thereby improving the ball's initial velocity. becomes possible.

Next, another embodiment of the golf club head according to the present invention will be described.
In addition, in the embodiment described below, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

10 to 12 are diagrams showing a second embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the heel portion side, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the toe portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the golf club head shown in FIG. 10, and FIG.
The rib 22 of this embodiment is formed annularly continuously in the circumferential direction inside the head main body. The rib 22B formed on the side of the sole portion 7 and the side portion 8 (hereinafter also referred to as a second rib) is formed in the first groove 20A formed on the side of the crown portion 6 and the sole portion 7 and the side portion 8. It is formed so as to be integrated with the rear wall portion of the second groove 20B formed on the side.

For such first groove 20A, second groove 20B, first rib 22A, and second rib 22B, for example, as shown in FIG. The crown portion 6 is shown in the drawing) is bent inward to form the first rib 22A integrally, and the first groove 20A is formed in a cup shape. A stepped portion 20a that bends toward the inside of the head body is formed on the rear end side of the face member, and the end edge 20b of the stepped portion 20a is brought into contact with the bent first rib 22A and fixed (welded). It is possible to form

With such a configuration, the rear edge of the first groove 20A abuts against the bent first rib 22A. becomes difficult to deform, and the deformation of the face portion 5 when hitting a ball is firmly received, so that the resilience of the face portion 5 can be further enhanced. As for the first groove 20A, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the stepped portion 20a' is formed so as to gradually incline toward the back side, and the edge 20b' is bent. It is possible to further improve the flexibility of the face portion by contacting and fixing (welding) the formed rib 22A.

14 to 16 are diagrams showing a third embodiment of a golf club head. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the heel portion side, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the toe portion side of the golf club head shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the golf club head shown in FIG. 14, showing the internal structure of the face portion side.

In this embodiment, the head main body 3 is formed with a longitudinal rib 32 that is connected to the rib 22 and extends toward the back side.
As described above, the longitudinal rib 32 connected to the annularly formed rib 22 is formed along the extending direction of the crown portion 6, the sole portion 7, and the side portion 8, so that the face portion 5 is When it bends, it functions to receive the deformation, and the rigidity of the ribs 22 can be further increased. That is, it is possible to more effectively suppress the deformation on the rear side from the rib 22 to reduce the energy loss, and it is possible to bend the face portion 5 more effectively.

Note that the length of the longitudinal rib 32 is not particularly limited. Further, such longitudinal ribs 32 are formed on both the toe side and heel side sides of the crown portion 6 and on both the toe side and heel side sides of the sole portion 7 , so that the circumference of the face portion 5 is reduced. are efficiently supported, and the face portion 5 can be stably and easily bent.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various ways.

The groove width and depth of the groove 20 may be changed along the extending direction. Further, the groove 20 is formed linearly along the toe-heel direction, but it may be formed in a curved shape. That is, regarding the grooves 20 and the ribs 22, the shape along the circumferential direction may be one that is continuous over the entire circumference, one that is continuously formed while curving in the extending direction, or one that is discontinuously formed without being continuously formed. It may be formed in a uniform shape, or the like, as long as the face portion is formed so as to be easily bent. Further, according to the present invention, it is sufficient that ribs for enhancing rigidity are formed behind the grooves formed on the face portion side, and the formation position and shape of the ribs can be appropriately modified. For example, it is possible to make appropriate modifications such as increasing the thickness of the portion where the groove is formed and decreasing the thickness of the portion where the groove is not formed. Also, the configuration of the grooves and ribs can be appropriately modified according to the shape of the outer shell member, the joining position, and the like.

Further, according to the present invention, only the ribs 22 may be formed along the circumferential direction on the face portion side without forming the above-described grooves 20 on the head body 3 . For example, by thinning the periphery of the face portion, the face portion 5 can be made more flexible. , and the sole portion 8 is deformed, resulting in energy loss. For this reason, as in the above-described embodiment, by forming ribs protruding inward along the circumferential direction on the face portion side of the head body, the bending of the face portion can be received by the high-rigidity portion formed by the ribs. It is possible to improve the resilience against the ball. In particular, by forming ribs (annular ribs) that are continuous in the circumferential direction, it is possible to improve the resilience of the face portion.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, a driver type golf club is exemplified, but the present invention can be applied to various types of golf clubs, such as fairway woods and utility clubs, equipped with hollow structure golf club heads.

1 golf club 3 head body 5 face portion 6 crown portion 7 sole portion 8 side portion 20 groove 20A first groove 20B second groove 22 rib 22A first rib 22B second rib 32 longitudinal rib C face center

Claims (3)

A golf club head having a metal head body having a hollow structure including a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion,
ribs protruding toward the inside of the head main body are formed along the circumferential direction of the head main body on the inner surface of the golf club head, on the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion;
The head main body is further formed with a longitudinal rib that is connected to the rib and extends toward the back,
The golf club head is characterized in that the longitudinal ribs are formed on both the toe side and heel side sides of the crown portion and on both the toe side and heel side sides of the sole portion. 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the ribs are formed discontinuously and intermittently along the circumferential direction. 3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the rib and the longitudinal rib have a thickness of 1 mm or more and a protrusion height of 1 mm or more.

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