WO2009034189A1

WO2009034189A1 - Training apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2009034189A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/062247
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gina Van Der Werf; Markus Van Dijk; Johan Andreas Versteegh
Original assignee: Technologies88 B.V.
Priority date: 2007-09-14
Filing date: 2008-09-15
Publication date: 2009-03-19

Abstract

The invention relates to a training apparatus for training a predefined motion with a sporting instrument, such as a tennis-racket, a baseball-bat, a golfclub and the like, comprising monitoring means for registration of the instrument's actual motion, storing means for storing said motion and feedback-means for providing a user of the device with information concerning said motion's difference and/or correspondence with respect to the predefined motion, wherein the apparatus is provided in a housing that is detachably mounted to or mountable to the sporting instrument.

Description

Training apparatus

The invention relates to a training apparatus for training a predefined motion with a sporting instrument, such as a tennis-racket, a baseball-bat, a golfclub and the like, com^¬ prising monitoring means for registration of the instrument's actual motion, storing means for storing said motion and feedback-means for providing a user of the device with information concerning said motion's difference and/or correspondence with respect to the predefined motion.

For training purposes with the training apparatus ac- cording to the preamble commonly use is made of videotaping for registration and storing of the instrument's actual motion and for providing feedback to the user so as to assist such user to identify where his motion differs or corresponds with respect to an ideal predefined motion. The training apparatus of the prior art suffers from the disadvantage that it remains difficult to learn to use the sporting instrument and to provide it with the ideal motion. Take for example golf. Several elements of the stroke or swing are relevant to examine if the golfer is to become consistent and accurate. The consistency of the stroke or swing, regardless of the type used, is an important consideration.

The ability to always be able to reproduce the same stroke, at the same speed and angle is difficult to achieve. To become a good, consistent golfer one requires a simple, repeat- able stroke/swing and an understanding of the relationships of the various elements of the stroke/swing. Most of us cannot feel the difference in minor changes to our swing and thus cannot distinguish between a good swing and a not so good swing.

Further disadvantages of the known training apparatus reside in the following. There is no relative frame or reference to keep the swing 'on its path' during the full swing. There is no way of getting immediate feedback without a good trainer. Golf instruction by a pro trainer is expensive and not always available. Although videotaping is a commonly used method, this is logistically annoying and unlikely to make a huge difference. The frame rate of normal video camera's (30 pictures per second at best) is too slow to show the small differences that make the swing good or not. Besides, there is still no frame of reference. It is difficult to visualize what the club does during the swing. Improvement comes slowly, and learning becomes frustrating. Most training aids feel differently from the clubs typically used or forces the user to learn a swing that doesn't fit his or her level of physical build. It is an object of the invention to alleviate one or more of the above problems and to provide a training apparatus that is capable to meet the personal need of the user and to assist the user at a personal level in his training exercises. The training apparatus according to the invention is therefore characterized by one or more of the appended claims.

In a first aspect of the invention the training apparatus is provided in a housing that is detachably mounted or mountable to the sporting instrument.

This allows that the training apparatus can assist the user without the need of further ancillary equipment whilst training, to improve the stroke or movement that the user is exercising with his of her own sporting instrument.

Beneficially, the training apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the monitoring means comprise motion sensors that are connected to a computing device for registration of signals from the sensors, which device connects to a memory serving as the storing means, and to which computing device at least one output-device is connected for providing a user with auditive and/or visual and/or tactile information feedback depending on the signals form the sensors. In this way very direct feedback can be provided to the user in the performance of the movements that are made with the sporting instrument .

In order to promote the training exercises of the user on a personal level tailored to said user's personal need, it is preferred that the storing means comprise at least signals representative for the predefined motion, and that the computing device in use compares the signals from the sensors with at least the predefined motion signals so as to provide the user with said information feedback depending on the difference and/or correspondence between at least the predefined motion signals and the actual motion as measured by the sensors.

In order to accommodate for permissible slight variations along the ideal predefined motion it is advantageous that the storing means comprise signals representative for an ideal predefined motion and a tolerance area with respect to said ideal motion, and that the computing device in use compares the signals from the sensors with said signals including the tolerance-area representative for said ideal motion so as to provide said information feedback depending on the difference and/or correspondence between said sensor signals and the predefined motion signals including said tolerance area.

It has further been shown to be beneficial that for accurate measurement of the movements made by the sporting instrument the sensors are selected to be accelerometers .

Preferably there are three accelerometers sensitive to movement in the x-, y- and z-direction, respectively.

In order to promote the ease of providing feedback information the output device is preferably selected from the group comprising a speaker unit, a lighting unit, a vibrating unit . Although the just-mentioned output device may be an integral part of the training apparatus of the invention, it is also possible that the computing device and the output device entertain a wireless connection. This allows that the output device is placed at an appreciable distance from the device making it possible for the user to take notice of the output device's signals but also allowing a trainer to take note therefrom. The trainer is then alerted quicker to problems in the movement of the user which allows the trainer to provide the user with more effective feedback. Also by placing the output device on a cer- tain distance from the training apparatus and separate therefrom allows the training apparatus to be designed with lower weight, thus, less impairing the movement of the sporting instrument. The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to a typical example and a drawing that are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. In the drawing:

- Fig. 1 shows a golf club provided with a training apparatus of the invention, and

- Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the training ap- paratus of the invention.

Same reference numerals applied in the figures refer to the same parts.

With reference first to Fig. 1 a golf club 1 is shown that is provided with the training apparatus 2 of the invention which is detachably mounted on the shaft 3 of the golf club 1. Although this example and Fig. 1 refer to a golf club 1 it will be clear for the artisan that any other sporting instrument is suitable for combination with the training apparatus 2 of the invention, such as but not limited to a tennis racket, a baseball bat, a spear or any other sporting instrument.

It is further possible to place the training apparatus 2 on another part of the golf club 1 in stead of the shaft 3. For instance it can be mounted suitably on the golf club's 1 head 4.

With reference now to Fig. 2 the training apparatus 2 is shown to comprise a housing 5 which is arranged to be mount- able to the sporting instrument 1 by any suitable means, for instance, straps or elastic bands of sufficient rigidity. Part of those bands are indicated with reference numerals 6 and 7.

Within the housing 5 there are monitoring means 8, 9, 10. The monitoring means are preferably sensors for registration of the sporting instrument's 1 actual motion when the housing 5 is mounted on said instrument 1.

The said motion sensors 8, 9, 10 are preferably accere- lometers sensitive to movement in the x-, y- and z-direction, respectively and connected to a computing device 11, which de- vice connects to a memory 12 that serves as storing means for the preferred motion.

The computing device 11 further feeds at least one output device 12, 13, 14 such as a speaker 12, a lighting unit 14 or a vibrating unit 13. Either one of these devices may also be connected with the computing device 11 through a wireless connection allowing that the output device 12, 13, 14 is not integral in the housing 5 of the training apparatus 2 but nevertheless allows the user of the device to take note from the device's output signals. The training device 2 of the invention thus provides the user with an auditive and/or a visual and/or a tectile information feedback depending on the signals from the motion sensors 8, 9, 10.

For this purpose the storing means or memory 12 com- prises at least a signal or signals representative for the desired predefined motion, whereby the computing device 11 whilst in use compares the signals from the motion sensors 8, 9, 10 with the predefined motion signals in the memory 12 so as to provide the user with the said information feedback depending on a measured difference or a measured correspondence between the predefined motion signals in the memory 12 and the actual motion as measured by the motion sensors 8, 9, 10. Preferably, the storing means or memory 12 not only comprises signals representative for the ideal predefined motion of the housing 5 when connected to the instrument 1 but also a tolerance area with respect to the ideal motion allowing that the computing device 11 during execution of the motion compares the signals measured by the motion sensors 8, 9, 10 with said signals and the tolerance area stored in the storing means or memory 12 that are representative for said ideal motion. The computing device 11 then provides the said information feedback depending on the difference and/or correspondence between said signals measured by the motion sensors 8, 9, 10 with the predefined motion signals including said tolerance area as stored within the storing means or memory 12.

The training apparatus 2 of the invention allows that the user wanting to train the consistency of a repeating move^¬ ment first can start under the guidance of a professional trainer judging the quality of the stroke or swing with the golf club 1. During this initial training session with the pro trainer a number of strokes or swings may be marked as good and may be used to define the tolerance area around the ideal predefined motion as stored in the storing means or memory 12, thus generating an envelope of allowable strokes or swings into a signal data file. When now the user desires to train without the help of the professional trainer use can be made of the training apparatus 2 of the invention by comparing each actual swing or stroke to the strokes that are in the stored data file and real time feedback can be provided whether the actual swing or stroke is within the tolerance band. Also the auditive, visual or tactile feedback can be varied so as to provide information on the level that the actual stroke or swing is consistent with or off the ideal stored one.

If due to repeated training the feedback information indicates that virtual all strokes or swings are within the tolerance area, the memory 12 can be reset and an updated ideal mo- tion can be stored therein with a narrower tolerance area so as to allow continued training and improvement of the swing.

Claims

1. Training apparatus (2) for training a predefined mo^¬ tion with a sporting instrument (1) , such as a tennis-racket, a baseball-bat, a golfclub and the like, comprising monitoring means (8, 9, 10) for registration of the instrument (l)'s actual motion, storing means for storing said motion and feedback-means for providing a user of the device with information concerning said motion's difference and/or correspondence with respect to the predefined motion, characterized in that the apparatus is provided in a housing (5) that is detachably mounted to or mountable to the sporting instrument (1) .

2. Training apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring means comprise motion sensors (8,9,10) that are connected to a computing device (11) for reg- istration of signals from the sensors (8, 9, 10), which device

(11) connects to a memory (12) serving as the storing means, and to which computing device at least one output-device (12, 13, 14) is connected for providing a user with auditive and/or visual and/or tactile information feedback depending on the signals form the sensors (8, 9, 10) .

3. Training apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the storing means (12) comprise at least signals representative for the predefined motion, and that the computing device (11) in use compares the signals from the sensors (8,9,10) with at least the predefined motion signals so as to provide the user with said information feedback depending on the difference and/or correspondence between at least the predefined motion signals and the actual motion as measured by the sensors (8, 9, 10) .

4. Training apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the storing means (12) comprise signals repre^¬ sentative for an ideal predefined motion and a tolerance area with respect to said ideal motion, and that the computing device (11) in use compares the signals from the sensors (8, 9, 10) with said signals including the tolerance-area representative for said ideal motion so as to provide said information feedback depending on the difference and/or correspondence between said sensor signals and the predefined motion signals including said tolerance area.

5. Training apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensors (8,9,10) are acceler- ometers .

6. Training apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that there are three accelerometers (8, 9, 10), sensi- tive to movement in the x-, y- and z-direction, respectively.

7. Training apparatus according to any one of claims 2-

6, characterized in that the output device (12, 13, 14) is se^¬ lected from the group comprising a speaker (12), a lighting unit (14), a vibrating unit (13) .

8. Training apparatus according to any one of claims 2-

7, characterized in that the computing device (1) and the output device (12, 13, 14) entertain a wireless connection.