Method and system for determining the roundness of a golf ball
AssigneeBlue Marlin LLC
InventorsPeter Zanzucchi, Jonathan Bernstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A golf ball is illuminated with diffused back lighting. CCD images of the golf ball are taken while the golf ball is being illuminated with the diffused back lighting. The edge or circumference of the golf ball is captured and sharply defined in the CCD images. The uniformity of the circumference may be determined by evaluating the radius of the object's circumference in an image, where an image is generated for n points around the circumference of the object, such as every 20° or 30°. By rotating the game ball, preferable with a battery operated stepper motor, the surface of the golf ball can be mapped.
Claims14
A method of determining the properties of an object as a function of the object's orientation, the method comprising:
- providing the object to be evaluated;
- generating a digital image of the object with diffused back lighting at a plurality of different orientations;
- evaluating the radius of the object in each of the digital images of the object with diffused back lighting;
- determining a first property of the object, wherein the first property of the object is the uniformity of the object's circumference based on the evaluation of the radius of the object in each of the digital images.
An apparatus for determining the properties of an object as a function of the object's orientation comprising:
- a processor operable to execute computer program instructions;
- and
- a memory operable to store computer program instructions executable by the processor, for performing the steps of:
- generating a digital image of the object with diffused back lighting at a plurality of different orientations;
- evaluating the radius of the object in each of the digital images of the object with diffused back lighting;
- determining a first property of the object, wherein the first property of the object is the uniformity of the object's circumference based on the evaluation of the radius of the object in each of the digital images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.