GOLF TRAINING DEVICE

Abstract

A golf training device for use in a glove or under the ball of the foot or under the heel, which includes pressure sensors, a visual display which is flexibly connected to the sensors for adjusting the position to suit the wearer, and a controller programmed to provide visual feedback to indicate if the pressure is appropriate or not. For a glove the sensors are located on the palm at the junction with the first three fmgers. There are two or more sensors and for each sensor the controller can display by an appropriately coloured LED that the pressure detected by the sensor is too light, appropriate or too tight. For a shoe the sensors are located under the ball of the foot or the heel and the LEDs indicate whether the weight is appropriately on the ball of the foot or on the heel.

Description

This invention relates to a golf training device for assisting golfers to improve their game.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The idea of assisting golfers to apply the appropriate grip of the golf club has previously been addressed.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,655,223 and 5,771,492 disclose golf training gloves with a thumb sensor or a sensor from the back of the hand to the little finger with an audible signal to alert the wearer to an incorrect grip.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,201 discloses a sensing glove using pneumatic sensors and an accelerometer on the glove.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,442 discloses a training glove with a sensor on the thumb and emits an audible signal. The audible signal is not desirable for a golfer as it can interfere with concentration.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,780,541 discloses a training glove with sensors along the middle, ring and index fingers. The electronics are disposed on the golf glove Velcro closure flap. Having the sensors on the fingertips can still mean that the club may be gripped incorrectly giving the golfer a false set of information.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,033,925 discloses a training glove with sensors on the palm and a controller which can define the settings for the sensor. LEDs are included in the electronics to indicate that settings have been made. The electronics are on the glove fastening flap and are covered when the glove is fastened. The warning device is a vibrator.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,033,916 discloses a watch with a pressure sensitive back plate to measure grip pressure from the wrist tension.

USA patent application 2010093457 discloses a golf glove and club combination for training.

It is an object of this invention to provide a more reliable means of sensing the correct grip or stance than the prior art and to provide a more intuitive feedback to adjust the grip until it is appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To this end the present invention provides a golf training device which may be used in a glove or under the ball of the foot or under the heel, the device incorporates one or more pressure sensors, a visual display which is flexibly connected to the sensors for adjusting the position to suit the wearer, and a controller programmed to provide visual feedback to indicate if the grip pressure is appropriate.

This invention is predicated on the insight that the key problem with golfers grip is applying the appropriate grip pressure rather than the grip orientation. Also the golfer's stance is important in ensuring the golfers weight is correctly positioned for the shot. The same device may be used for both situations.

The uniqueness of this product is that it gives instant feedback during the swing preferably via 2 led lights preferably calibrated in 3 ranges being light, medium or maximum, and a colour for each being green, yellow and red. The green light signals that the correct grip or stance has been achieved. The other unique aspect is the pressure sensor is a load based or pressure sensor and is not pneumatic.

Preferably when the sensors are positioned in a glove the pressure in the little finger and the 3^rd finger can be detected individually which helps the golfer and the coach isolate the problem in the golf grip.

The final unique factor is that the golfer sees the LED light setting before and during the swing, which is important and not by viewing a screen or app after the swing. For people who don't hold the club properly, this invention helps them to hold it properly as the lights don't come on unless the pressure passes a threshold value. When held in the correct position the second problem is that people grip the club too tightly and this stops the club from being delivered with the correct face direction and hence causes errant shots. Tension is the main problem, so over gripping the club causes many problems and by applying the appropriate grip pressure the other problems may be corrected automatically. Under gripping the club can also affect club face direction, resulting in ball direction problems and so the ideal pressure is also able to be taught. The glove is for training grip pressure when putting, chipping, pitching and swinging the other clubs (irons and woods).

With the stance the weight is preferably on the ball of the foot and not on the heel. So a green light is used again to show the correct weight distribution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment sensor unit and display used in this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the location of the unit shown in FIG. 1 with the sensors positioned in a glove adjacent the junction of the palm and the fingers;

FIG. 3 shows the position of a second embodiment of the sensor unit positioned on the ball of the foot;

FIG. 4 shows the position of a second embodiment of the sensor unit positioned on the heel of the foot;

FIG. 5 is a view of the back of a glove showing the electronics PCB and the LED's on the glove fastening flap;

FIG. 6 is a view of a shoe showing the electronics PCB and the LED's positioned on the laces of shoe;

FIG. 7 is a view of a shoe showing the electronics PCB and the LED's positioned on the toe of shoe.

The preferred sensor unit as shown in FIG. 1 is a combination of Low Level Antistatic Electrically Conductive Film (Velostat) and a flexible PCB. The other alternative is using 2 FSR's (force sensing resistors).

The preferred sensor is built by using a combination of a layer of flexible PCB on top, then 1 layer of velostat, then another layer of velostat, then another flexible PCB, all enclosed in a fabric sleeve and the sleeve 11 is then sewn onto the inside palm of the glove running just above the lifeline crease on the palm.

The electronic components are two sensors connected to a micro controller which is programmed to provide power to the LEDs when the pressure signals from each sensor are above a threshold value, in a desired range, or above the desired range. For sensing foot pressure 4 sensing points are preferably used.

The PCB also includes a battery and a USB and a charging LED indicator.

The glove 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 consists of a pocket 11 sewn on the inside of the glove that houses the 2 sensors 12 which are placed strategically so that when the glove wearer holds the club correctly the 2 sensors detect a force which is converted into a signal to drive 2 LEDs and programmed to show 3 levels of light emission. This enables the sensors to detect if both fingers are gripping with the correct pressure. With no pressure the LED is off. The 3 display levels are yellow (lightest grip) for chipping and putting, green for all other clubs and red for too tight a grip. The 2 sensors 12 are positioned specifically to pick up the pressure created by the first 3 fingers which form the grip and the position is also strategic in that if the grip is wrong the lights won't work. This is a key advantage in assisting the player to change their grip. The visual feedback is also visible in the peripheral vision as well as direct, if looking in a mirror.

The sensors 12 are connected to the circuit board in module 16 via an extension of the flexible PCB 14 which joins onto 4 electrical wires which run in the glove lining over to the top of the hand and around to the back of the hand come out and join with the PCB holding the electronics. This PCB is enclosed with a protective silicon housing 16. There is a charge USB port and a charging light to show when charging and when fully charged.

The electronics and light display 17 are on a flexible lead 14 so it is able to be positioned on the thumb/back of hand region as shown in FIG. 5, using a fastener such as velcro so that depending on the type of swing and grip of the player, the light pressure indicators can be positioned so that the player has a good visual line of sight or peripheral view when swinging. The advantage of this is that feedback is given to the player while swinging, unlike like prior art gloves and applications, where the information is fed to a computer app and then analysed later. The light glove provides instant visual feedback so that the player may adjust the pressure while looking at the lights to see that the correct pressure is being applied.

A further advantage of this glove embodiment is that information is also given as to whether the grip position, and consequently the club position, is correct. If only one of the LED's is lit it means that there is no pressure on one of the sensors. The embodiment where LED's are individually lit by one of the sensors is best used by a coach in teaching the correct grip. Once that has been taught the unit may be programmed to show the same colour on both LEDs.

This invention may also be used to sense whether the golfers weight is correctly positioned for a shot and during the shot. The same sensor unit as shown in FIG. 1 or a modified unit having 4 pressure sensors as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be used. The sensor pad 11 is placed under the ball of the foot as in FIG. 3 or under the heel as in FIG. 4. The exact positioning can be adjusted for each user. The electronics module 16 is placed in a visible position on the shoe. FIG. 6 shows it supported on the laces and FIG. 7 shows it held by a Velcro pad on the toe of the shoe. The controller is programmed differently when the device is used in a shoe so that green is shown for correct position and red for incorrect.

Each of the two lights can show

• • 1. no colour for no pressure
  • 2. red for slight pressure
  • 3. yellow for medium pressure
  • 4. green maximum foot pressure.

To use the sensing unit on the glove or in the shoe it needs to be charged and the switched on using a switch on the side of the module 16.

Usually the glove and shoe units are best utilised so that the glove LED's are showing yellow for a light grip or green for a medium and the ball of the foot sensor is showing green or maximum pressure.

Using the sensor under the heel will show what weight is being placed on the heel. Depending on the coaching advice the sensors will provide guidance in placing the users weight in the correct position.

Those skilled in the art will realise that this invention provides a training glove that provides more effective feedback for correcting the golfers grip pressure.

Those skilled in the art will also realise that this invention may be implemented in embodiments other than those described without departing from the core teaching of this invention.

Claims

1. A golf training device for use in a glove or under the ball of the foot or under the heel, said device comprising one or more pressure sensors, a visual display which is flexibly connected to the sensors for adjusting the position to suit the wearer, and a controller programmed to provide visual feedback to indicate if the pressure is appropriate.

2. A training device as claimed in claim 1 in which there are two sensors and for each sensor the controller can display by an appropriately coloured LED that the pressure detected by the sensor is too light, appropriate or too high.

3. A training device as claimed in claim 1 in which the sensor is a combination of Low Level Antistatic Electrically Conductive Film and a flexible PCB.

4. A training device as claimed in claim 2 wherein two force sensing resistors are used.

5. A golf training glove incorporating a device as claimed in claim 1 in which the sensors are located on the palm at the junction with the first three fingers and the display is located on the back of the glove.

6. A golf training glove as claimed in claim 5 in which the lights show yellow for a light grip, green for a medium grip and red for too tight a grip.

7. A golf shoe incorporating a device as claimed in claim 1 in which the sensors are located under the ball of the foot and/or the heel and the display is located on the shoe upper.

8. A golf shoe as claimed in claim 7 in which the lights show red for low pressure, yellow for a medium pressure and green for maximum pressure.