# US 12,002,222 B2 · Device for calculating flight information of ball, method of calculating flight information of ball, and computing-device-readable recording medium having the method recorded therein

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- Number: US 12,002,222 B2
- Document ID: US12002222B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/721,307
- Filed: 2022-04-14
- Published: 2022-07-28
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-12
- Assignees: Golfzon Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Golfzon Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Sea Jung Oh; Min Ho Lee; Tae Hee Lee; Seung Hyun Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002222B2

## CPC

- G06T 7/246: using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
- A63B 24/00: Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; {Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances}
- A63B 24/0021: {Tracking a path or terminating locations}
- A63B 69/3658: {Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction}
- G06T 7/33: using feature-based methods
- G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80)
- G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods
- G06V 10/10: Image acquisition (document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60)
- A63B 2024/0031: {at the starting point}
- A63B 2220/806: Video cameras
- G06T 2207/30224: Ball; Puck
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

Disclosed are a device for calculating flight information of a ball and a method of calculating flight information of a ball that are capable of rapidly calculating the motion parameters of a ball and a golf club using an infrared sensing type device or a camera sensing type device and very rapidly calculating spin information of the ball corresponding to the calculated motion parameters with high accuracy through a simple calculation with reference to database type information about the calculated motion parameters, and a computing-device-readable recording medium having the method recorded therein.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A virtual golf simulation apparatus for providing an image simulating a motion of a golf ball hit by a user's golf swing, the apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to detect a motion of a golf club and a motion of the golf ball moved by the user's golf shot using the golf club, including:
a camera configured to consecutively acquire images of the motion of the golf club and the golf ball during a time period including an impact time at which the golf ball is hit by a head of the golf club; and
a sensing processor configured to analyze the acquired images to obtain positions information of the golf ball and the head of the golf club in each of the images and to obtain motion parameters of the golf club and motion parameters of the golf ball using the positions information of the golf ball and the head of the golf club,
a reference DB configured to store premeasured data for spins of golf balls moved by golf shots corresponding to golf clubs' motion parameters and golf balls' motion parameters in a form of a database; and
a simulator comprising a spin processor, a data storage, an image processor, and a display,
the simulator configured to provide a simulation image which simulates the motion of the golf ball hit by applying the motion parameters of the golf ball obtained by the sensing processor and the spin calculated by the spin processor,
the spin processor configured to obtain a spin of the moving golf ball detected by the sensor using the reference DB′ premeasured data for spins corresponding to the motion parameters of the golf club and the golf ball obtained by the sensing processor,
the data storage configured to store an image data based on the spin of the moving golf ball obtained by the spin processor,
the image processor configured to generate the image simulating the motion of the golf ball based on the image data stored in the data storage, and
the display configured to display a simulation image generated by the image processor,
wherein the sensing processor is configured to obtain an angle of attack, which is an angle at which the head of the golf club contacts the golf ball at an impact time and a speed of the head of the golf club as the motion parameters of the golf club, and obtain a launch angle of the golf ball as the motion parameters of the golf ball, and
wherein the reference DB is configured to store database type information about values of the angle of attack premeasured as the golf clubs' motion parameters, about values of a dynamic loft, which is a loft of a face of a head of a golf club at an impact time corresponding to a launch angle according to impact, premeasured as the golf balls' motion parameters, and
to store database type information about values of a back spin of a golf ball corresponding to the dynamic loft with respect to predetermined value of a head speed of a golf club, wherein the values of the back spin of the golf ball are premeasured corresponding to values of the dynamic loft,
wherein the spin processor is configured to:
determine a value of the dynamic loft corresponding to the obtained angle of attack of the golf club and the obtained launch angle of the golf ball with reference to the reference DB, and
determine a value of the back spin corresponding to the determined value of the dynamic loft and the obtained head speed of the golf club with reference to the reference DB,
wherein the spin processor is configured to:
determine a ball motion vector based on the obtained launch angle of the golf ball, the obtained direction of the golf ball, and the obtained speed of the golf ball,
determine a club motion vector based on the obtained angle of attack, the obtained swing direction, and the obtained head speed of the golf club, and
calculate a spin axis about which the golf ball spins using the determined ball motion vector and the determined club motion vector according to predetermined conditions,
wherein the spin processor is configured to calculate a value of a side spin of the golf ball using information about the determined value of the back spin of the ball and the calculated spin axis according to a predetermined functional relationship.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing processor is configured to specify the golf ball in each of the acquired images, and extract coordinates of a center point of the specified golf ball as the position information of the golf ball in each of the acquired images.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensing processor is configured to line-fitting for specifying the golf club in each of the acquired images, and extract coordinates of an end point of the fitted line as the position information of the head of the golf club in each of the acquired images.

### Claim 4

A virtual golf simulation apparatus for providing an image simulating a motion of a golf ball hit by a user's golf swing, the apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to detect a motion of a golf club and a motion of the golf ball moved by the user's golf shot using the golf club, including:
a camera configured to consecutively acquire images of the motion of the golf club and the golf ball during a time period including an impact time at which the golf ball is hit by a head of the golf club; and
a sensing processor configured to analyze the acquired images to obtain positions information of the golf ball and the head of the golf club in each of the images,
a reference DB configured to store premeasured data for spins of golf balls moved by golf shots corresponding to golf clubs' motion parameters and golf balls' motion parameters in a form of a database; and
a simulator comprising a spin processor, a data storage, an image processor, and a display,
the simulator configured to provide a simulation image which simulates the motion of the golf ball hit by applying the motion parameters of the golf ball obtained by the sensing processor and the spin calculated by the spin processor,
the spin processor configured to obtain a spin of the moving golf ball detected by the sensor using the reference DB′ premeasured data for spins corresponding to the motion parameters of the golf club and the golf ball obtained by the sensing processor,
the data storage configured to store an image data based on the spin of the moving golf ball obtained by the spin processor,
the image processor configured to generate the image simulating the motion of the golf ball based on the image data stored in the data storage, and
the display configured to display a simulation image generated by the image processor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the spin processor is configured to:
obtain an angle of attack of the head of the golf club, a swing direction of the golf club and a speed of the head of the golf club using the positions information of the golf ball and the head of the golf club as the motion parameters of the golf club, and
obtain a launch angle of the golf ball, a direction of the golf ball and a speed of the golf ball using the positions information of the golf ball and the head of the golf club as the motion parameters of the golf ball.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reference DB is configured to store database type information about an angle of attack, which is an angle at which a head of a golf club contacts a golf ball at an impact time, premeasured as one of the golf clubs' motion parameters,
to store database type information about a dynamic loft, which is a loft of a face of a head of a golf club at an impact time corresponding to a launch angle according to impact, premeasured as one of the golf balls' motion parameters, and
to store database type information about values of a back spin of a golf ball corresponding to the dynamic loft with respect to predetermined value of a head speed of a golf club, wherein the values of the back spin of the golf ball are premeasured corresponding to values of the dynamic loft.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the spin processor is configured to:
determine a value of the dynamic loft corresponding to the obtained angle of attack of the golf club and the obtained launch angle of the golf ball with reference to the reference DB, and
determine a value of the back spin corresponding to the determined value of the dynamic loft and the obtained head speed of the golf club with reference to the reference DB.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the spin processor is configured to:
determine a ball motion vector based on the obtained launch angle of the golf ball, the obtained direction of the golf ball, and the obtained speed of the golf ball,
determine a club motion vector based on the obtained angle of attack, the obtained swing direction, and the obtained head speed of the golf club, and
calculate a spin axis about which the golf ball spins using the determined ball motion vector and the determined club motion vector according to predetermined conditions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the spin processor is configured to calculate a value of a side spin of the golf ball using information about the determined value of the back spin of the ball and the calculated spin axis according to a predetermined functional relationship.