# US 10,307,656 B2 · Swing diagnosis apparatus, swing diagnosis system, swing diagnosis method, and recording medium

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- Number: US 10,307,656 B2
- Document ID: US10307656B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/211,772
- Filed: 2016-07-15
- Published: 2017-02-02
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2015-07-28
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito; Kenya Kodaira; Norihisa Hagiwara; Kazuhiro Ito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10307656B2

## CPC

- A63B 69/3632: {Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning (A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00)}
- A61B 5/11: Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb {(A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721)}
- A61B 5/1121: {Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement}
- A61B 5/6895: {Sport equipment}
- G06Q 10/0639: Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
- G09B 19/0038: {Sports}
- A61B 2503/10: Athletes
- G06V 40/20: Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition (recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16)
- G16H 20/30: relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

A swing diagnosis apparatus includes a level calculation section that calculates a level on the basis of a relationship between an incidence angle of a ball hitting portion of an exercise appliance at impact, and an inclination of the ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A swing diagnosis apparatus for use with an exercise appliance, the swing diagnosis apparatus comprising:
a sensor; and
a processor programmed to:
measure, via the sensor, an incidence angle of a ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and an inclination of the ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and
calculate a level on the basis of a relationship between the incidence angle, and the inclination, wherein
the inclination of the ball hitting portion is a difference between: (i) a face angle formed between an outer edge of a hitting surface of the ball hitting portion and a virtual straight line orthogonal to the target hit ball direction, and (ii) the incidence angle, in a plan view.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the incidence angle of the ball hitting portion is an angle formed between a direction in which the ball hitting portion passes through a ball hitting point and a target hit ball direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor calculates the level according to a curved state of a hit ball predicted on the basis of the relationship.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor calculates the level on the basis of a speed of the ball hitting portion at impact.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor calculates the level according to the speed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a display that displays the calculated level.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the level is a score.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A swing diagnosis system comprising:
the swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1; and
wherein the level calculation section calculates a level on the basis of outputs from the inertial sensor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

A swing diagnosis system comprising:
the swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 2; and
wherein the level calculation section calculates a level on the basis of outputs from the inertial sensor.

### Claim 10

A swing diagnosis method comprising:
measuring, via a sensor, an incidence angle of a ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and an inclination of the ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and
calculating, by a processor, a level on the basis of a relationship between the measured incidence angle, and the measured inclination, wherein:
the inclination of the ball hitting portion is a difference between: (i) a face angle formed between an outer edge of a hitting surface of the ball hitting portion and a virtual straight line orthogonal to the target hit ball direction, and (ii) the incidence angle, in a plan view.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a swing diagnosis program causing a sensor and a processor to execute steps comprising:
measuring, by the sensor, an incidence angle of a ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and an inclination of the ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and
calculating, by the processor, a level on the basis of a relationship between the measured incidence angle, and the measured inclination, wherein
the inclination of the ball hitting portion is a difference between: (i) a face angle formed between an outer edge of a hitting surface of the ball hitting portion and a virtual straight line orthogonal to the target hit ball direction, and (ii) the incidence angle, in a plan view.

### Claim 12

A swing diagnosis apparatus for use with an exercise appliance, the swing diagnosis apparatus comprising:
a sensor; and
a processor programmed to:
determine, via the sensor, an incidence angle of a ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and an inclination of the ball hitting portion of the exercise appliance at impact, and
calculate a level based on at least the determined inclination, wherein
the inclination of the ball hitting portion is a difference between: (i) a face angle formed between an outer edge of a hitting surface of the ball hitting portion and a virtual straight line orthogonal to the target hit ball direction, and (ii) the incidence angle, in a plan view.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the incidence angle of the ball hitting portion is an angle formed between a direction in which the ball hitting portion passes through a ball hitting point and a target hit ball direction.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the level is calculated according to a curved state of a hit ball predicted on the basis of the relationship.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the level is calculated on the basis of a speed of the ball hitting portion at impact.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the calculated level is displayed.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The swing diagnosis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the level is a score.