Launch Monitor for Dynamic Golf Object Including Backing Marker and Primary Fluorescent Marker

This disclosure generally relates to a golf ball launch monitor.

Launch monitors for golf balls are well known. For example, US Patent Pub. No. 2019/0192944, which is commonly assigned to Acushnet Company and is incorporated in its entirety as if fully set forth herein, describes various configurations for a launch monitor.

Existing launch monitors can rely on imaging golf balls and/or golf clubs via the use of markings that emit or reflect light within the visible light spectrum. This general configuration can encounter challenges when analyzing certain types of golf balls, such as non-white golf balls, and/or white golf balls in certain settings or conditions.

It would be desirable to provide a more adaptable launch monitor.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a launch monitor configuration, assembly, or system. In other aspects, the present disclosure provides a method of generating kinematic information regarding a dynamic golf object via a launch monitor.

In a first aspect, a launch monitor system is provided that is configured to monitor at least one dynamic golf object. The dynamic golf object can include at least one first marker comprised of a first fluorescent colorant. The launch monitor system can be comprised of a first light source configured to illuminate the dynamic golf object with light at a first wavelength range.

The launch monitor system can further be comprised of a first imager configured to obtain at least one image of the dynamic golf object. In one aspect, the term imager and camera are used interchangeably herein. The first imager can be configured to capture light at a second wavelength range, and the second wavelength range is in the near-infrared or infrared range and is different from the first wavelength range.

In one aspect, the second wavelength range includes wavelengths that are longer than wavelengths in the first wavelength range. For example, the second wavelength range can include wavelengths that are at least 750 nm, or at least 760 nm, or at least 770 nm, or at least 775 nm, or at least 780 nm, or at least 785 nm, or at least 790 nm, or at least 800 nm, or at least 810 nm, or at least 820 nm, or at least 830 nm, or at least 840 nm, or at least 850 nm. In one aspect, the first wavelength range can include wavelengths that are no greater than 800 nm, or no greater than 790 nm, or no greater than 785 nm, or no greater than 780 nm, or no greater than 775 nm, or no greater than 770 nm, or no greater than 760 nm, or no greater than 750 nm, or no greater than 740 nm, or no greater than 730 nm. The launch monitor system can further be comprised of a first processor in communication with the first imager. The first processor can be configured to generate kinematic information regarding the dynamic golf object based on the at least one image from the first imager. The first fluorescent colorant on the dynamic golf object can be configured to: (i) absorb light from the first light source at least within the first wavelength range, and (ii) emit light towards the first imager at least within the second wavelength range. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the range of light that is configured to be absorbed by the first fluorescent colorant and the range of light that is configured to be emitted by the first fluorescent colorant can vary.

In one aspect, the first imager is comprised of a first imager configured to detect light at the second wavelength range. In one aspect, the first imager is a near-infrared or infrared imager. In one aspect, the first imager further comprises a band-pass filter. In another aspect the first light source is comprised of a first light source configured to emit light at the first wavelength range.

The first light source can be a near-infrared or infrared light source in one aspect. The near-infrared or infrared light source can be a near-infrared or infrared light emitting diode.

In one aspect, the first light source is comprised of a flash tube and a filter that is configured to filter light emitted from the flash tube having a wavelength below the second wavelength range. In one aspect, the flash tube is a xenon light flash tube. In one aspect, the first light source can include a filter that is configured to specifically block out any light having a wavelength above the visible light range (i.e., block out all near-infrared and infrared light).

The golf ball can be a non-white golf ball or a white golf ball. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a universal type of launch monitor that is configured to analyze golf balls of various appearances and colors.

The dynamic golf object can be comprised of a golf ball, in one aspect. The launch monitor system can be further configured to monitor a golf club including at least one first golf club marker comprised of a second fluorescent colorant. In one aspect, a single common launch monitor system is configured to analyze both the golf club and golf ball. In one aspect, a first dedicated launch monitor is provided for the golf ball and a second dedicated launch monitor is provided for the golf club. The two dedicated launch monitors can be in communication with one another.

The launch monitor system can further be comprised of a second light source configured to illuminate the golf club with light at a third wavelength range. The launch monitor system can further be comprised of a second imager configured to obtain at least one image of the golf club. The second imager can be configured to capture light at a fourth wavelength range. The fourth wavelength range can be in the near-infrared or infrared range, and is different from the third wavelength range.

The launch monitor system can further be comprised of a second processor in communication with the second imager, and the second processor can be configured to generate kinematic information regarding the golf club based on the at least one image from the second imager. The second fluorescent colorant on the golf club is configured to: (i) absorb light at least within the third wavelength range, and (ii) emit light at least within the fourth wavelength range.

The golf ball can further include at least one secondary golf ball marker comprised of the second fluorescent colorant, and the second light source can be further configured to illuminate the non-white golf ball with light at the third wavelength range.

In another aspect, a launch monitor system is provided that is configured to monitor a golf club and a golf ball. The golf ball can include at least one first golf ball marker comprised of a first fluorescent colorant and at least one second golf ball marker comprised of a second fluorescent colorant. The golf club can include at least one first golf club marker comprised of the second fluorescent colorant.

The launch monitor can comprise a golf ball launch monitor assembly including a first light source configured to illuminate the golf ball with light at a first wavelength rang. The golf ball launch monitor assembly can comprise a first imager configured to obtain at least one image of the golf ball. The first imager can be configured to capture light at a second wavelength range. The second wavelength range can be in the near-infrared or infrared range, and can be different from the first wavelength range. The golf ball launch monitor assembly can comprise a first processor in communication with the first imager. The first processor can be configured to generate kinematic information regarding the golf ball based on the at least one image from the first imager.

The launch monitor system can comprise a golf club launch monitor assembly including a second light source configured to illuminate the golf club with light at a third wavelength range. The golf club launch monitor assembly can comprise a second imager configured to obtain at least one image of the golf club. The second imager can be configured to capture light at a fourth wavelength range. The fourth wavelength range can be in the near-infrared or infrared range, and can be different from the third wavelength range. The golf club launch monitor assembly can be comprised of a second processor in communication with the second imager. The second processor can be configured to generate kinematic information regarding the golf club based on the at least one image from the second imager.

The first fluorescent colorant on the golf ball can be configured to: absorb light at least within the first wavelength range, and emit light at least within the second wavelength range.

The second fluorescent colorant on the golf ball and the golf club can be configured to: absorb light at least within the third wavelength range, and emit light at least within the fourth wavelength range.

In yet another aspect, a method of generating kinematic information regarding a dynamic golf object via a launch monitor is also provided. The method can comprise applying at least one first marker comprised of a first fluorescent colorant to the dynamic golf object. The method can further comprise illuminating, via a first light source, the dynamic golf object with light at a first wavelength range. The first wavelength range can be within the visible light range of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The method can further comprise obtaining, via a first imager, at least one image of the dynamic golf object, wherein the first imager is configured to capture light at a second wavelength range, wherein the second wavelength range is within the near-infrared or infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the second wavelength range is different from the first wavelength range.

The method can further comprise generating, via a processor, kinematic information regarding the at least one dynamic golf object based on the at least one image from the first imager. The first fluorescent colorant on the at least one dynamic golf object can be configured to: (i) absorb visible light from the first light source at least within the first wavelength range, and (ii) emit near-infrared or infrared light towards the first imager at least within the second wavelength range. In one aspect, the first light source is comprised of a flash tube and a filter that is configured to filter light emitted from the flash tube having a wavelength below the second wavelength range. In one aspect, the first imager is a near-infrared or infrared imager.

A launch monitor system configured to monitor at least one dynamic golf object is disclosed herein. The at least one dynamic golf object includes: (i) at least one backing marker comprised of a white colorant, and (ii) at least one primary marker comprised of a fluorescent colorant. The at least one backing marker is applied to an outer surface of the at least one dynamic golf object and the at least one primary marker is applied over the at least one backing marker such that the primary marker overlaps with at least a portion of the backing marker. In one aspect, the backing marker can be a lighter or brighter color than the color of the primary marker.

The launch monitor system comprises: a first light source configured to illuminate the at least one dynamic golf object; a first imager configured to obtain at least one image of the at least one dynamic golf object; and a first processor in communication with the first imager, the first processor being configured to generate kinematic information regarding the at least one dynamic golf object based on the at least one image from the first imager.

The fluorescent colorant of the at least one primary marker can be configured to: absorb light from the first light source at least within a first wavelength range, and emit light towards the first imager at least within a second wavelength range that includes wavelengths that are longer than wavelengths in the first wavelength range.

In one aspect, the first wavelength range can be in the visible light range, and the second wavelength range can be in the near-infrared or infrared light range. In another aspect, the first wavelength range can be in the visible light range, and the second wavelength range can be in visible light range.

The dynamic golf object can be a white golf ball, a non-white golf ball, and/or a golf club.

In one aspect, the at least one backing marker can be applied via pad printing. In one aspect, the at least one primary marker is applied via pad printing. Various other mark formation or application techniques can be used.

The at least one backing marker and the at least one primary marker can each have a circular profile. The shape of the markers can vary.

The at least one backing marker has a first area, and the at least one primary marker has a second area, and the first area is greater than the second area.

The at least one backing marker can have a first area, and the at least one primary marker can have a second area, and the first area can be identical to the second area.

The fluorescent colorant of the at least one primary marker can be semi-transparent or semi-translucent. Stated differently, the primary marker can be configured to allow some light to pass through to the backing marker. Because the backing marker is white, the light that has passed through is reflected by the backing marker and can provide improved contrast for imaging of the dynamic golf object.

In one aspect, the at least one dynamic golf object is a golf ball (which can be either a white golf ball or a colored golf ball), and the fluorescent colorant is configured to emit light having a wavelength in a near-infrared or infrared light range, and the golf ball further comprises at least one second marker comprised of another fluorescent colorant that is configured to emit light having a wavelength in a visible light range, and the golf ball further comprises at least one third marker comprised of a black colorant.

A method of generating kinematic information regarding a dynamic golf object via a launch monitor is also disclosed herein. The method can include applying at least one backing marker comprised of a white colorant to the dynamic golf object, and then applying at least one primary marker comprised of a fluorescent colorant to the dynamic golf object, such that the at least one primary marker at least partially overlaps with the at least one backing marker. The method can further comprise illuminating, via a first light source, the dynamic golf object with light; obtaining, via a first imager, at least one image of the dynamic golf object; and generating, via a processor, kinematic information regarding the at least one dynamic golf object based on the at least one image from the first imager.

The fluorescent colorant of the at least one primary marker can be configured to: absorb light from the first light source at least within a first wavelength range, and emit light towards the first imager at least within a second wavelength range that includes wavelengths that are longer than wavelengths in the first wavelength range. The first wavelength range can be in the visible light range, and the second wavelength range can be in the near-infrared or infrared light range.

The first wavelength range can be in the visible light range, and the second wavelength range can be in visible light range.

The at least one backing marker can be applied via pad printing, and the at least one primary marker can be applied via pad printing.

Various other aspects and features of the launch monitor system, assembly, and configuration, and the method of generating kinematic information regarding a dynamic golf object via a launch monitor are disclosed herein.

According to some of the disclosed embodiments, a launch monitor is disclosed herein that relies on using both the visible light wavelength range and the near-infrared or infrared light wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum. By using this combination of both visible light and near-infrared or infrared light, the presently disclosed launch monitor can be configured to be more adaptive and capable of obtaining kinematic data, information, images, etc., of golf equipment or objects that have a variety of colors or appearances. In one aspect, the launch monitor can utilize a near-infrared or infrared camera or imager. In one aspect, the launch monitor can rely on markings on the golf object, such as golf ball or golf club, being comprised of a colorant that fluoresces near-infrared or infrared light in response to being illuminated by light within the visible wavelength range. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the markings, imagers, light sources, and other components can vary.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to the use of fluorescent markings, whose advantages are detailed below, to be used on golf balls that fluoresce in the visible spectrum for use with a launch monitor system. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides several advantages of using markers that fluoresce in the near-infrared or infrared spectrum, away from the wavelengths where many golf balls fluoresce.

In one aspect, fluorescent markings have the advantage of eliminating the background of an image, and suppressing the effects of varying ambient illumination. These are both important for imaging outdoors where objects in the background and the angle and brightness of sunlight are not controlled.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a near-infrared or infrared camera is used to image and/or analyze a golf ball and/or golf club. In one aspect, the near-infrared or infrared camera can have a response curve that extends further into the infrared spectrum. The near-infrared or infrared camera can be configured to detect or capture light in the infrared spectrum.

In one aspect, the near-infrared or infrared camera can have a response curve that has a relatively higher response in the 700 nm to 900 nm range as compared to a conventional, non-infrared/near-infrared camera. Commercially available near-infrared or infrared cameras are available from various commercial manufacturers or providers, such as Teledyne DALSA, Edmunds Optics Inc., Exosens, Basler AG, among others.

The light sources in either the golf ball or golf club subsystems can vary. In one aspect, the light sources can each be a flash tube, such as a xenon flashtube. Commercially available flash tubes are provided by: Amglo Kemlite Laboratories, Phoxene, Olympus, among others. Commercially available near-infrared or infrared light sources, such as LEDS, are available from: Boston Electronics Corporation, Broadcom, Luminus Devices, among others. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various strobes, flash tubes, LEDs, bulbs, or other light sources can be used. In one aspect, the light sources can have a narrow emission spectrum. In another aspect, the light sources can have a wide emission spectrum, and optionally also include a filter.

In one aspect, the markings on the golf ball and/or golf club can include markings comprising a fluorescent colorant. In one aspect, the marking is configured to absorb light within the visible wavelength spectrum and is configured to emit light or energy within the near-infrared or infrared wavelength spectrum.

Filters can be used on the cameras and/or light sources of the launch monitor disclosed herein. In one aspect, a filter can be applied to the light source that is configured to cut off or block all wavelengths above a predefined threshold. In one aspect, the predefined threshold for the filter applied to the light source can be 725 nm, 745 nm, 760 nm, 775 nm, 785 nm, 800 nm, or 815 nm. In one aspect, another filter can be applied to the camera. In another aspect, the predefined threshold for the filter applied to the light source can be any value between 700 nm-825 nm, or any value between 750 nm-790 nm, or any value between 730 nm-810 nm. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the value for the predefined threshold for the filter applied to the light source can vary.

In one aspect, the filter on the camera can be configured to cut off or block all wavelengths that are shorter than a predefined threshold. In one aspect, the predefined threshold for the filter applied to the camera can be 820 nm, 835 nm, 850 nm, 865 nm, 880 nm, 895 nm, or 910 nm. In another aspect, the predefined threshold for the filter applied to the camera can be any value between 800 nm-950 nm, or any value between 850 nm-925 nm, or any value between 825 nm-875 nm.

In one aspect, the filter on the camera or imager can be selected so as to block all light outside of the near-infrared or infrared range. In one aspect, the filter on the camera or imager can be configured to only allow light within a predefined band of the near-infrared or infrared range. In one aspect, a filter on the camera for the golf club side can configured to only allow light within a first predefined range of the near-infrared or infrared range; and a filter on the camera for the golf ball side can configured to only allow light within a second predefined range of the near-infrared or infrared range which is different from the first predefined range.