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US 10,864,410 B2Granted
Bluetooth enabled ball analyzer and locator
AssigneeGraff Golf LLC
InventorsMichael Eberle, Patrick Kelly, Aaron Shapiro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Bluetooth chip designed to track proximity and play a sound, along with an accelerometer, that is embedded inside of a golf ball is disclosed. The technology inside the balls allows it to be found quickly through proximity and sound, and the app gives a golfer helpful analytical data.
Claims18
A system for monitoring a golfer's performance, the system comprising:
- a golf ball with embedded electronics, the golf ball comprising:
- a BLE processor electrically connected to Bluetooth communications circuitry and memory;
- a spin detector electrically connected to the BLE processor, said spin detector directing data regarding rotation of the spin detector to the BLE processor, where the BLE processor converts the data regarding the rotation of the spin detector into a rotation value and a rotation direction, said rotation value determined by a frequency of the data and said rotation direction determined by a magnitude of the data, through a calculation and stores said rotation value and said rotation direction in the memory;
- a polymer urethane visco-elastic foam third layer mechanically encompassing the BLE processor and the spin detector;
- a polymer second layer mechanically enclosing the third layer;
- a cover layer with a surface dimple pattern enclosing the polymer second layer;
- a central interrogator comprising:
- a central interrogator processor;
- central interrogator Bluetooth circuitry electronically connected to the central interrogator processor, the central interrogator Bluetooth circuitry wirelessly connected to the Bluetooth communications circuitry;
- a display screen electrically connected to the central interrogator processor;
- wherein application software executes on the central interrogator processor, said application software interrogates the golf ball through the central interrogator Bluetooth circuitry for the rotation value and said rotation direction regarding the rotation of the spin detector, the application software derives analytics on the golfer's performance from the rotation value and the rotation direction for display on the display screen.
8 more elements
A method for analyzing performance of a game of golf, the method comprising:
- detecting an impact with an accelerometer;
- waking a microprocessor located inside of a golf ball upon a signal from the accelerometer that the impact was detected;
- measuring rotation with a spin detector, said spin detector sending a rotation signal to the microprocessor;
- measuring acceleration with the accelerometer, said accelerometer sending an acceleration signal to the microprocessor;
- converting the rotation signal into a rotation value and a rotation direction, said rotation value determined by a frequency of the data and said rotation direction determined by a magnitude of the rotation signal, through a calculation in the microprocessor;
- storing the rotation value, the rotation direction, and the acceleration signal in a memory electrically connected to the microprocessor;
- sending the rotation value, the rotation direction, and the acceleration signal to a Bluetooth communications interface for transmission to a central interrogator for analysis on a golfer's performance.
4 more elements
A golf ball with embedded electronics, the golf ball comprising:
- an accelerometer;
- a BLE processor electrically connected to the accelerometer, Bluetooth communications circuitry and memory, said BLE processor configured to emerge from a sleep state when the accelerometer detects movement, wherein the BLE processor stores data from the accelerometer in the memory;
- a spin detector electrically connected to the BLE processor, said spin detector directing rotation data regarding rotation of the spin detector to the BLE processor, where the BLE processor converts the data regarding the rotation of the spin detector into a rotation value and a rotation direction, said rotation value determined by a frequency of the data and said rotation direction determined by a magnitude of the data, through a calculation and stores said rotation value and said rotation direction in the memory;
- a polymer urethane visco-elastic foam third layer mechanically encompassing the BLE processor and the spin detector;
- a polymer second layer mechanically enclosing the third layer;
- a cover layer with a surface dimple pattern enclosing the polymer second layer;
- the Bluetooth communications circuitry configured to communicate the accelerometer data, the rotation direction, and the rotation value to a central interrogator for analysis on a golfers performance.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.