JP2005279090A - Batting training device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a batting training device capable of precisely evaluating the batting and allowing a user to do training for improving the kinetic vision. <P>SOLUTION: The batting training device has a plurality of pressure-sensitive sensors 9 mounted on a batting zone 12 of a batting tool 2, and a determining means 16 for determining which pressure-sensitive sensor 9 detects the batting of a ball 5 by the batting tool 2 and evaluating the batting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an impact training device.

As a conventional technique of this type, as shown in Patent Document 1, when a player swings a hitting tool in accordance with a simulated pitch displayed on a monitor, a sensor built in the hitting tool detects acceleration and rotation speed. It is known that a ball movement parameter is calculated based on the acceleration and rotation speed, and an image of an expected hitting course is output to a monitor. The prior art is a bodily sensation ball game machine, but can also be used as a batting training device.
Although the conventional technique can sense the rotational speed and acceleration of the hitting tool with respect to the simulated pitch, there is a problem that it is impossible to detect which part of the hitting tool the ball actually hits and the hitting cannot be evaluated with high accuracy.

Further, in the prior art, hitting a light spot or the like and hitting the moving ball by seeing the moving ball is impossible, so it is impossible to cultivate the dynamic visual acuity with respect to the moving ball, and it is not suitable for hitting training.
JP 2001-104636 A

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is capable of evaluating a hit with high accuracy by detecting which part of the hitting tool the ball hits with a sensor, and using a moving ball to train a dynamic visual acuity. It is a thing.

The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is that a plurality of pressure sensitive sensors 9 are provided in the striking region 12 of the striking tool 2, and any pressure sensitivity when the ball 5 is hit with this striking tool 2. A judgment means 16 for judging whether or not the sensor 9 has been sensed and evaluating the impact is provided.
According to another technical means of the present invention, the impact tool 2 is a bat, and at least one pressure-sensitive sensor 9 is provided in the sweet spot 11, and the pressure-sensitive sensor 9 in the sweet spot 11 When this is detected, the judging means 16 performs hit hit evaluation.

Another technical means of the present invention is that when at least one of the pressure sensitive sensors 9 is provided in the striking region 12 outside the sweet spot 11, and the pressure sensitive sensor 9 detects the striking pressure, the judging means 16 is to evaluate the hitting of foul, fly or goro.
Further, according to another technical means of the present invention, a notifying means 22 for notifying an evaluation of a hit made by the judging means 16 is built in the hitting tool 2, and a sound is used for the notifying means 22. In the point.
Further, according to another technical means of the present invention, the judging means 16 is provided in a throwing machine 3 capable of throwing a ball with a change in speed, and there is a feeling between the judging means 16 and the hitting tool 2. A communication means 14 capable of transmitting an electrical signal from the pressure sensor 9 is provided.

  With the ball game striking tool of the present invention, the hitting can be evaluated with high accuracy, and the dynamic visual acuity can be trained by using the moving ball.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The batting training apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, inputs the hitting tool 2 that hits the ball 5, the pitcher 3 that throws the ball 5, and the start and end of the hitting training. The communication means 14 is provided between them.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the hitting tool 2 is a baseball or softball bat made of wood, metal, or synthetic resin. On the base end side, a grip end 6 protruding outward in the radial direction and the smallest straight cylindrical grip portion 7 connected to the grip end 6 are formed. A head portion 8 is formed.

A striking region 12 used for striking the ball 5 is formed over the entire surface of the head portion 8 in the axial direction and in the surface region of the peripheral front half (upper part in FIG. 1). This hitting area 12 is an area that may come into contact with the ball 5 at the time of hitting, and a sweet spot 11 is formed in this area.
When the impact tool 2 is a bat, the sweet spot 11 is an area that is provided on the head portion 8 side of the impact area 12 and has a substantially elliptical shape. In the sweet spot 11, the restitution coefficient of the ball 5 is maximized, and the hit ball is likely to be the fastest hit. In addition, when the ball 5 is hit in the hit area 12 that deviates from the sweet spot 11 in the front, rear, left, and right directions, the possibility of a hit is increased. That is, the upper and lower adjacent areas of the sweet spot 11 are likely to be fly and ground, respectively, and the left and right adjacent areas tend to become fouls. From the above, it is possible to evaluate the hitting result by providing a sweet spot 11 and a means for detecting hitting in the hitting region 12 outside the sweet spot 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the means for sensing the impact is a plurality of pressure sensors 9 provided in the sweet spot 11 and its adjacent region. It is preferable to provide at least one detection sensor 9 in each region. The detection sensor 9 provided in each region includes a sweet spot sweet spot 11, a sweet spot pressure sensor 9a, and a fly detection sensor 9b in the order of the top, bottom, left, and right. The grounder detection sensor 9c, the foul pressure sensor 9d, and the foul pressure sensor. Among these detection sensors 9, the sweet spot detection sensor 9 a is a rectangle that circumscribes the sweet spot 11.

Each of the pressure-sensitive sensors 9 is a pressure sensor using a piezoelectric element, and the contact pressure with the ball is converted into an electric signal for each sensor. This electrical signal is transmitted to the communication device 10 provided on the back surface of the head unit 8 by the cable 13 and transmitted to the receiving unit 15 provided in the pitcher 3 wirelessly. The communication device 10 and the receiving unit 15 constitute a wireless communication unit 14.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the pitcher 3 includes a box-shaped main body 18 made of metal or synthetic resin, and a complementary basket 17 provided on the upper portion thereof. The front surface of the main body 18 facing the batter 19 has a receiving unit 15 in the lower right portion, a speaker 39 in the upper left portion, a display panel 40 and an operation panel 33 in the upper central portion, and these and controls provided inside the main body 18. The parts 21 are connected by wiring. In addition, a pair of pitching rollers 26 are provided on the left and right of the pitching cylinder 20 inside the main body 18, and the ball 5 complemented from the catching basket 17 is sandwiched between the left and right pitching rollers 26 and accelerated. It is like that. The pitching roller 26 is connected to the left and right drive motors 27 via a drive belt 31 so as to be able to transmit power, and the control unit 21 individually controls the pitching by rotating the left and right drive motors 27 at a predetermined rotational speed. It is possible.

  The control unit 21 is a part that performs pitching control, batting evaluation, and batting result display. The pitching is controlled by the control unit 21 controlling the number of rotations of the drive motor 27 according to the pitching content determined according to the pitching program input or selected from the operation panel 33. When throwing a changing ball, the left and right rotational speed of the drive motor 27 is controlled to a different rotational speed, and when it is desired to increase the ball speed, the rotational speed of the drive motor 27 is controlled to be a high rotational speed. After the drive motor 27 reaches a predetermined number of revolutions, the ball stopping pin 25 is removed and the ball 5 slides down in the pitching cylinder 20, and the ball 5 is accelerated between the pitching rollers 26 to perform pitching.

When a different electrical signal is input for each pressure-sensitive sensor 9 via the receiver 15, the hit evaluation is performed according to five types of hit evaluations of hit, fly, grounder, and foul. If an electric signal is not obtained even after a predetermined time has passed since the selection and the pitching, it is determined that the swinging is not performed, and the determination means 16 is constituted by these.
When the determination means 16 hits the ball 5 with the sweet spot 11, an electric signal is input from the sweet spot detection sensor 9a, and a hit is determined. In addition, when the ball 5 is hit in the hit area 12 which is off the top, bottom, left and right of the sweet spot 11, an electric signal is sent from the detection sensor 9 other than the sweet spot detection sensor 9a, and the determination of fly, grounder, and foul is performed. Done. Further, when the ball 5 does not contact the hitting area 12, it is determined that the ball is not swung.

The hit evaluation is transmitted to the batter 19 using the notification means 22, and voice or message display can be used for the notification means 22. The message display, which is one of the notification means 22, displays the hit evaluation on the display board 40 as messages such as “missing”, “hit”, “fly”, and the like. Also, the voice as one of the notification means 22 is used to convey the batting evaluation by voice from the speaker 39, and messages such as “missing”, “hit”, “fly”, etc. are recorded in advance and pronounced. .
As shown in FIG. 7, the foot switch 4 is a rectangular mat provided under the foot of the batter 19, and a circular start switch 34 and a stop switch 35 are provided on the surface, and below the mat surface. A push button 36 is provided through the film. The push button 36 is connected to the wireless transmission unit 37 by a cord so that the activation signal can be transmitted to the pitcher 3 by the wireless communication means 14, and the initial setting input and the batter 19 are prepared for hitting. Then, when the start switch 34 is stepped on, pitching is started, and when the stop switch 35 is stepped on, pitching is interrupted and a standby state is entered. By providing the foot switch 4, it is possible to prevent the ball 5 from being thrown to the batter 19 who is preparing to hit, and to improve the safety of the pitcher.

The balls 5 are hollow spheres formed of a soft synthetic resin such as PP or PE, and the diameter thereof is 35 mm. In this way, by molding with a soft material or having a smaller size than a normal baseball ball, there is no possibility of damaging the lighting fixture or the like even when throwing or hitting, and the pitcher 3 can be used in a general household. You will be able to perform blow training.
Next, with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 8a and 8b, a determination method of “hit evaluation” will be described.
When the power switch 32 on the front surface of the pitcher 3 is turned on in Step 1, "Input the initial settings" in Step 2. Is displayed on the display panel 40. The initial setting includes a pitching program, the number of pitches, and an elapsed time setting, and is input from the operation panel 33 using keys and buttons. The pitching program is a program in which pitching contents such as changing balls and straight balls and pitching contents with different ball speeds such as fast and low speed balls are continuously assembled. Use a fast-ball-based pitching program or a changing-ball-based pitching program. This enables training that matches the weaknesses of batter 19.

In step 3, it is determined whether or not an initial setting consisting of a pitching program, the number of pitches, elapsed time setting, and the like has been input from the operation panel 33. If the setting has been input, the process proceeds to step 4; Returns to step 3. Step 3 indicates that the pitching operation is not entered unless a setting is input from the operation panel 33.
In step 4, “ready” is displayed on the display panel 40, and the process proceeds to step 5. “Ready” displayed in step 4 indicates to the batter 19 that the input of the initial setting has been completed and it is possible to shift to the pitching operation. The batter 19 confirms this “ready” display and then slowly Can prepare for hitting.

If the foot switch 4 is stepped on in step 5, the process proceeds to step 6. If the foot switch 4 is not depressed, the process returns to step 4. The foot switch 4 is an activation switch that is used when the batter 19 is ready to hit after the batting preparation is completed, and the batter 19 that has the hitting tool 2 in his hand and is away from the pitcher 3 by providing a switch at the foot. However, it is possible to enter the batting training without impairing the posture of the batting preparation, and it is possible to eliminate the worry of being thrown unexpectedly.
In step 6, when the control unit 21 receives an activation signal from the foot switch 4 or senses that the elapsed time counter is reset, the process proceeds to step 8, and if not received or elapsed time If the counter has not been reset, return to Step 6. Since the foot switch 4 is not pressed during pitching training, the activation signal from the foot switch 4 is received by the control unit 21 before the first throw, and the control unit 21 receives the activation signal and enters a pitching operation. . When the pitching has already been performed, when the control unit 21 senses that the elapsed time counter is reset, the control unit 21 enters the next pitching operation.

In step 7, the pitch number counter is reset, and the process returns to step 4. The pitch counter determines whether or not the pitch input in the initial setting has been reached. If the pitch reaches the initial setting, the process returns to step 4 to interrupt the pitch. The number counter is also reset to the initial value (that is, the number of pitches = 0).
In step 8, the pitch number counter is compared with the set pitch number. If the pitch number has reached the set value, the process proceeds to step 7. If the pitch number is less than the set number, the process proceeds to step 9. That is, when the number of pitches is equal to or less than the initially set number of pitches, the pitching operation is continued.

In step 9, the pitching contents are read into the control unit 21, and the process proceeds to step 10. This pitch content indicates the next pitch content according to the default pitch program.
In step 10, the pitching roller 26 starts to rotate, and the process proceeds to step 11. When the pitching roller 26 is heavy, etc., it takes time to reach a predetermined rotational speed. It should be noted that a sufficient time can be taken so that the pitching roller 26 can reach a predetermined rotational speed so that a certain time is required to move from step 10 to step 11.

In step 11, “start pitching” is displayed on the display panel 40, a warning sound is emitted from the speaker 39, the batter 19 is notified of the start of pitching, and the process proceeds to step 12. Only one of the display and warning sound that informs the batter 19 of this pitching start may be used. The display and warning sound not only indicate to the batter 19 that a batting is about to be performed, but also have an effect of calling attention to a person other than the batter 19 nearby.
In step 12, the pitch number of the pitch number counter is updated, and the process proceeds to step 13.
In step 13, the ball stop pin 25 is removed and the ball 5 rolls down in the throwing cylinder 20, is sandwiched between the rotating left and right throwing rollers 26, and is rotated and accelerated according to the ball type and the ball speed. The ball is fired from the tip of the throwing cylinder 20, and the process proceeds to Step 14.

In step 14, the elapsed time of the elapsed time counter is compared with the default elapsed time setting input in step 1. If the elapsed time is less than the elapsed time setting, the process proceeds to step 15, and if the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the elapsed time setting. Proceed to step 16. Step 14 indicates that if the elapsed time is equal to or less than the set value, it is determined whether an electric signal is input from each of the sensing sensors 9, and if the elapsed time exceeds the set value, it is processed as an idling.
Even if the elapsed time setting is exceeded in step 15, it is assumed that no hit is detected, and “missing” is displayed on the display panel 40, and the process proceeds to step 24.

In step 16, it is determined whether or not a signal from the sweet spot pressure sensor 9a is received. If an electric signal is received, the process proceeds to step 17, and if not received, the process proceeds to step 18. In step 16, hit determination is mainly performed.
In step 17, the hit evaluation of the hit is notified by displaying “hit” on the display panel 40, and then proceeds to step 24.
In step 18, it is determined whether or not a signal from the fly pressure sensor 9 b is received. If an electric signal is received, the process proceeds to step 19, and if not received, the process proceeds to step 20. In step 18, fly determination is performed.

In step 19, the fly hit evaluation is notified by displaying “fly” on the display panel 40, and then proceeds to step 24.
In step 20, it is determined whether or not a signal from the grounder pressure sensor 9c is received. If an electric signal is received, the process proceeds to step 21. If not received, the process proceeds to step 22. In step 20, determination of grounder (goro) is performed.
In step 21, the grounder's impact evaluation is notified by displaying “Grounder” on the display panel 40, and then proceeds to step 24.

In step 22, it is determined whether or not a signal from the foul detection sensor 9d or 9e is received. If an electric signal is received, the process proceeds to step 23. If not received, the process returns to step 14. In step 22, a foul determination is made. If no electric signal is input by combining the previous hit, fly, and grounder determinations, the process returns to step 14 to repeat these four determinations.
In step 23, the foul strike evaluation is notified by displaying "Foul" on the display panel 40, and then the process proceeds to step 24.

In step 24, the elapsed time counter is reset, the elapsed time becomes zero, and the process returns to step 2.
As shown in FIG. 9, the striking tool 2 of the second embodiment includes a control unit 21 that directly inputs an electric signal from the pressure-sensitive sensor 9 instead of providing the transmitter 10 on the back surface side of the head unit 8, and the striking device A speaker 39 is provided for transmitting the result to the batter 19 by means of voice notification means 22.
By using the striking tool 3 of the second embodiment, the communication means 14 and the receiving unit 15 associated therewith are not required, the number of members can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, the batting training can be performed only by the batting tool 2, and the batting training can be performed with the pitcher standing on the mound.

In the present invention, the shape of each member and the positional relationship between the front, rear, left, and right in the embodiment are best configured as shown in FIGS. However, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A member, a structure can be variously deformed, and a combination can also be changed.
The area where the sweet spot detection sensor 9a is installed need not be a rectangle circumscribing the sweet spot 11, but may be an elliptical area matching the sweet spot 11 or an arbitrary installation area smaller than this.

When the installation area of the sweet spot detection sensor 9a is further divided into two parts up and down, a grounder with a low hitting angle and a fast ball speed can be expected in the upper half, and a home run (long hit) with a large hitting angle can be expected in the lower half. Accordingly, the sweet spot pressure sensor 9a may be provided separately from the hit area and the home run area, and when these are detected, hit evaluation of the hit or home run may be performed.
The pressure-sensitive sensor 9 provided in the striking region 12 may be provided only in the sweet spot 11, and a plurality of detection sensors 9 (9a to 9e) may be provided. It is not necessary to provide the pressure-sensitive sensor 9 on the entire surface of the hitting area 12, and it may be only around the sweet spot 11.

A pair of pitching rollers may be added vertically to the pitching roller 26 and pitched by four rollers, or three pitching rollers 26 arranged radially may be provided. Thereby, a changing ball such as a fork or a hop that changes up and down can be thrown.
The ball 5 is preferably formed hollow with a soft synthetic resin, but a normal hard ball or soft ball may be used, or a table tennis ping pong or a golf ball may be used.

It is sectional drawing which shows the impact tool of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a hit | damage tool. It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole impact training apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of a pitcher. It is a top view which shows the main body of a pitcher. It is a perspective view which shows a foot switch. It is a flowchart which shows a hit | damage training operation | movement. It is a flowchart which shows a hit | damage evaluation method. It is a perspective view which shows the impact tool of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Impact training apparatus 2 Impact tool 3 Throwing machine 9 Pressure sensor 12 Impact area 14 Communication means 16 Judgment means 22 Notification means

Claims (5)

  A plurality of pressure sensitive sensors (9) are provided in the striking area (12) of the striking tool (2), and any pressure sensitive sensor (9) is detected when the ball (5) is hit with the striking tool (2). A batting training apparatus comprising a judging means (16) for judging whether or not the batting is evaluated.   The impact tool (2) is a bat, and at least one pressure sensor (9) is provided at the sweet spot (11), and the pressure sensor (9) at the sweet spot (11) detects the impact pressure. 2. The batting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the judging means (16) performs hit hit evaluation.   At least one pressure sensor (9) is provided in the striking area (12) outside the sweet spot (11), and when the pressure sensor (9) detects the striking pressure, the determination means (16) The batting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the batting evaluation of foul, fly or goro is performed.   The hitting tool (2) has a built-in notifying means (22) for notifying the evaluation of the hit made by the judging means (16), and sound is used for the notifying means (22). The batting training apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The judging means (16) is provided in a pitcher (3) capable of throwing a ball with varying speed and pressure sensor (9) between the judging means (16) and the hitting tool (2). The batting training apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a communication means (14) capable of transmitting an electrical signal from the bat.

Images