JPH0539727Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a swing training device for practicing the swing of a baseball bat, a golf club, a tennis racket, or the like.

[Conventional technology]

In sports such as baseball, golf, and tennis, swing practice can be practiced by swinging a bat, club, racket, or the like. However, if you just practice swinging slowly and aimlessly, you won't be able to get the true effect of practice. Also, if you have some sort of goal to aim for when you swing, it will make your practice more competitive. For this reason, instead of using the actual equipment used in competitions, swing practice equipment is sometimes used to practice swings, which can tell whether the speed of the swing is sufficient and display the number of swings.

In this type of conventional swing practice device, a rotatable piece of iron is attracted with a magnet, and if it is a bat-shaped practice device, for example, this is embedded in the head part, and the head speed when swinging is adjusted to a set value. As described above, when this piece of iron separates from the magnet due to centrifugal force, it is configured to emit a sound to notify the user and to count the number of times the iron piece separates from the magnet. In addition, the set value of the head speed for performing such an operation is set by moving the magnet to change the distance from the rotation fulcrum of the iron piece and changing the moment due to the attraction force of the magnet. The speed value was displayed by indicating the position of the magnet on the speed scale.

However, in order to practice effectively with this type of swing trainer, the speed setting must be set as close to the speed of the best swing as possible, and the tolerance range for error becomes narrow. It must be possible to accurately pronounce sounds and count movements.

However, in a structure that includes a mechanically movable part that allows the iron piece to rotate, it is difficult to perform accurate movements in rough movements such as practice swings. Moreover, the attractive force of the magnet is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the magnet and the iron piece, so if the degree of closeness between the magnet and the iron piece deteriorates, the attractive force will be extremely reduced.
Malfunctions are more likely to occur. Furthermore, even if vibration occurs during the swing, the iron piece only slightly lifts from the magnet due to the vibration, and can be easily pulled away. Therefore, with a structure in which a rotatable piece of iron is separated from a magnet by centrifugal force, the operation will be inaccurate, so with conventional swing trainers, even if the speed is set close to the best swing, it will actually last longer. This has the problem that it sometimes operates at a slow speed, making it impossible to obtain a sufficient training effect. In addition, the conventional swing practice device has the problem that the larger the shake during the swing, the easier it is to operate, so there is a risk of developing a bad swing habit.

Furthermore, in a structure where the speed is set by moving the magnet, the degree of adhesion between the magnet and the iron piece is unstable,
Furthermore, accurate reproducibility cannot be expected due to play in the moving mechanism. Therefore, in the conventional swing training device, the value on the speed scale indicated by the position of the magnet is only a guide, and there is also a problem in that it is not possible to know the exact value of the set speed.

To address this inconvenience, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-263467 provides a sensor that detects the speed of the bat body, and when the output of this sensor is greater than a predetermined value, a buzzer is used to notify that it is a valid practice swing. Disclosed is a practice device that counts the number of times and times. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-263468 discloses a training device which has an acceleration pick-up at the tip of the bat and displays the speed, maximum speed, number of swings, etc. obtained based on the output of the acceleration pick-up. There is.

According to the above-mentioned training device, since the speed of the bat is detected and the comparison between the output of the sensor and a predetermined value is performed electrically, it is possible to obtain a more accurate head speed than with the above-mentioned structure having mechanically movable parts. It is also possible to accurately notify when the head speed exceeds a predetermined value.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

However, in the above configuration in which a sensor is provided, there is no consideration as to which direction the sensor detects, and the problem is whether detection is always performed under the same conditions for rough movements such as practice swings. becomes. For example, when detecting the swing direction of a bat, if the detection direction of the sensor and the swing direction do not match, accurate detection will not be possible, so the problem is that the grip angle must always be constant. It was hot.

In addition, the sensor output includes noise caused by vibrations caused by impacts other than the swing, such as slamming the main unit on the ground or hitting the grip with your hand, so the sensor output may not always be accurate. Not necessarily. For this reason, there was an inconvenience that accurate head speed could not be obtained.

Furthermore, when counting is performed when the sensor output is greater than a predetermined value, the speed of the bat body, which has once decreased below the predetermined value, may exceed the predetermined value again due to vibrations other than the swing, such as impact. In such a case, the detected speed exceeds the predetermined value two or more times in one swing, resulting in erroneous counting. In this way, the displayed maximum speed or notification based on comparison with a predetermined value may deviate greatly from the actual speed, which may even reduce the effectiveness of training.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-29159,
A configuration is disclosed in which one hit is counted from the attenuated waveform of a sine wave detected by a vibration detection sensor for each hit. Specifically, the first wave of the sine wave with the maximum amplitude is detected by a comparator, and the output of the comparator is expanded by a monostable multivibrator and given to the counter, so that only the first wave is used as a counting signal. I'm starting to get it. However, with this configuration, when the main body comes into contact with the ground, floor, etc., there is an inconvenience that the number of strokes is miscounted due to the generated vibration.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the swing training device according to the present invention is a device for practicing swings by holding a grip and practicing swinging the swing part, detects the acceleration of the swing part, and outputs it as an electric signal. a maximum value holding means for holding the maximum value of the output of the acceleration sensor; a signal conversion means for converting the output of the maximum value holding means into a speed value; a setting means for setting a set value by operation;
A comparator that compares the output of the acceleration sensor with this set value, a counter that counts when this comparator outputs that the acceleration sensor output is larger than the set value, and a value counted by this counter and a signal conversion means. In the swing training device equipped with a display means for displaying the speed value outputted by the device in decimal notation, the acceleration sensor detects the centrifugal force applied to the swing part as acceleration, and there is a connection between the acceleration sensor and the comparator. A low-pass filter is provided to remove high frequency components from the output of the acceleration sensor, and a posture change detection means detects that the body has been erected and the posture has changed, and this posture change detection means detects that the body has been erected. , the counter inputs a count input of 1
It is characterized in that the maximum value holding means releases the holding of the maximum value and makes it possible to hold a new maximum value.

[Effect]

The swing practice device having the above configuration is formed into a bat shape when used for practicing a baseball bat swing, for example, and a club shape when used for practicing a golf club swing, and
Usually, it is formed in a shape that resembles the equipment of the respective sport, such as a racket shape when used for practicing tennis racket swings. The user practices a swing by holding the grip of the swing training device with both hands or one hand and making practice swings in the same manner as the equipment for the competition.

The acceleration sensor is provided in the swing part where centrifugal force is applied during this practice swing. This acceleration sensor does not have mechanically movable parts such as rotating parts or sliding parts,
The stress applied to the detection part is directly output as an electric signal due to the piezoelectric effect, or the deformation of the detection part due to this stress is outputted as an electric signal such as resistance change, inductance change, or capacitance change. The control operation amount for suppression is output as an electrical signal. The swing portion corresponds to the head portion in the case of bat-type and club-type swing practice devices, and corresponds to the tip portion of the frame in the case of a racket-type swing practice device, for example. This acceleration sensor uses one with high directivity and is arranged so as to detect only the acceleration component in the normal direction of the swing as much as possible, so that only the centrifugal force can be detected. The centrifugal force F applied to the swing part makes the mass m,
When the speed in the tangential direction during swing is v and the distance to the center of the swing is r, it is expressed as F=mv ² /r. The acceleration sensor detects this centrifugal force F as acceleration a of the detection section. This acceleration a
is expressed as a=v ² /r, and the distance r can be considered a constant, so if this acceleration a is known, the velocity v can be found. Therefore, this acceleration sensor outputs the speed of the swing section by detecting centrifugal force as acceleration.

The low-pass filter removes high-frequency components that become noise caused by vibrations or the like from the output of the acceleration sensor.

In the setting means, a user of the swing training device or the like determines a desired speed through an operation, thereby setting a set value corresponding to this speed.
This set value may be an analog quantity or a digital quantity, and is output as an electrical signal.

The comparator inputs the output of the acceleration sensor that has passed through the low-pass filter and the setting value from the setting means, compares them, and outputs the result. When this comparator performs a comparison using a digital quantity, the acceleration sensor output is also converted into a digital quantity before being inputted. The comparator here only needs to change its output state when the output of the acceleration sensor increases and becomes larger than a set value, and there is no limitation on the change in the output state when the output of the acceleration sensor decreases thereafter. For this reason, in an actual circuit, the setting means and this comparator may be configured with a Schmitt circuit with hysteresis, or once the acceleration sensor output is larger than the set value, this state does not change until it is reset. A circuit can also be used.

The counter counts once when the comparator outputs that the output of the acceleration sensor is larger than the set value. At this time, when the user stands the main body upright, the attitude change detection means detects that the main body has been stood up. Then, the counter receives count input only once due to the above detection. Therefore, from then on, no count input will be accepted until the main body is set up again, and the counter will not count more than once in one swing. Moreover, this kind of count limit is achieved simply by the user standing the main body upright, such as by making a stance motion prior to swinging.
It does not require any switch operations, so it does not interfere with practice.

Further, the maximum value holding means holds the maximum value of the output of the acceleration sensor. This maximum value is converted into a speed value by the signal conversion means. The display means displays the speed value output from the signal conversion means and the count value output from the counter in decimal form using mechanical or electrical display means. The user is
The maximum speed of the swing and the count value of the counter can be known from the display of this display means. Moreover, when the posture change detection means detects that the main body is next stood up, the maximum value holding means,
Cancels holding the maximum value and enables holding a new maximum value. As a result, the display of the maximum speed of the swing can be updated for each swing simply by the user standing up the main body through a stance motion or the like prior to the swing.

As mentioned above, the swing trainer of the present invention is designed to detect the acceleration of the swing part using centrifugal force, so it can be used regardless of the grip angle.
It is possible to always obtain the correct acceleration of the swing section. In addition, the low-pass filter removes high-frequency components from the output of the acceleration sensor, making it possible to stably obtain the speed of the swing section without being affected by noise caused by vibrations other than the swing, such as impacts. . Further, since the output of the posture change detection means is used to update the speed display and limit the acceptance of count input, it is possible to accurately confirm the maximum swing speed and the effective number of swings for each swing.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In this embodiment, a bat-shaped swing practice device used for practicing baseball bat swing will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, this swing training device has a cylindrical hole 2 provided in the head portion 1 of a bat serving as a swing portion, and an acceleration sensor 3 is disposed at the tip of this hole 2. The acceleration sensor 3 is a sensor that detects only the acceleration component in the direction perpendicular to the diaphragm by forming a piezoelectric element in the shape of a diaphragm and fixing the periphery thereof, and the vertical direction of this diaphragm coincides with the central axis direction of the head part 1. It is arranged like this. In addition, this acceleration sensor 3
is molded with a conductive urethane foam 5, and is attached by fixing the periphery of the conductive urethane foam 5 to the inner periphery of the hole 2. When the acceleration sensor 3 is installed like this,
Conductive urethane foam 5 is an element that is inherently resistant to impact.
The shock resistance is further increased due to the buffering effect of . Furthermore, the shielding effect of the conductive urethane foam 5 can also prevent noise from entering the acceleration sensor 3. On the side of the head part 1,
A display/operation panel 4 is provided, and an electric circuit connected to the acceleration sensor 3 and used to perform display/operation on the display/operation panel 4 is arranged on the back side of the display/operation panel 4 .

The electric circuit of this swing trainer will be explained based on FIG. The output of the acceleration sensor 3 is connected to a temperature compensation circuit 7 via a low pass filter 6. The acceleration sensor 3 outputs a voltage as an analog signal in accordance with the acceleration that the diaphragm receives. The low-pass filter 6 is a filter that removes high frequency components from the output signal of the acceleration sensor 3 and removes noise caused by vibrations and the like. The temperature compensation circuit 7 includes an acceleration sensor 3 according to the temperature during use.
This is a circuit that compensates for errors in the output of The output of the temperature compensation circuit 7 is connected to an input of a peak hold circuit 9 and one input of a comparator 10 via an amplifier 8. Peak hold circuit 9
The output of is connected to a 7-segment LCD 13 via an A/D converter 11 and a speed display driver 12. The peak hold circuit 9 serving as maximum value holding means is a circuit that holds and outputs the maximum value of the output signal from the acceleration sensor 3. The A/D converter 11 is a circuit that converts the maximum value held by the peak hold circuit 9 into a digital signal.
The speed display driver 12 as a signal conversion means,
This circuit converts the input digital signal into a speed value, decodes it into a 7-segment display decimal number, and drives the 7-segment LCD 13. The 7-segment LCD 13 is a display means for displaying a 3-digit decimal number, and the speed display driver 1
The decimal signal output from 2 is digitally displayed. The other input of the comparator 10 is connected to the intermediate terminal of a variable resistor 14 to which a power supply voltage Vcc is applied. The variable resistor 14 serving as a setting means sets a set value, and outputs this set value as a voltage level from an intermediate terminal.
The comparator 10 is a circuit that compares the values of both inputs and outputs the result. This comparator 10
The output of is connected to the count input of counter 15 and the input of one-shot multivibrator 16. The counter 15 is the comparator 10
This circuit performs one count when a signal indicating that the voltage outputted from the acceleration sensor 3 via the amplifier 8 is higher than the voltage of the set value is issued.
The reset terminal of the counter 15 is grounded via a counter reset switch 25, and when the counter reset switch 25 is connected, the count of the counter 15 is reset. One-shot multivibrator 16
is a circuit that continues to emit a signal for a certain period of time from when the comparator 10 emits a signal indicating that the voltage output from the acceleration sensor 3 via the amplifier 8 is higher than the set value voltage. The count output of the counter 15 is the count output of the count display driver 1.
7 to the 7 segment LCD 18. The count display driver 17
The count value input from 5 is displayed in 7 segments.
This circuit decodes the data into decimal numbers and drives the 7-segment LCD 18. The 7 segment LCD 18 is
This is a display means that displays a 3-digit decimal number, and the count value is displayed digitally. The output of the one shot multivibrator 16 is connected to an electronic buzzer 21 and an LED 22 via a sound driver 19 and a light emitting driver 20, respectively. The sound driver 19 is a circuit that drives the electronic buzzer 21, and sounds the electronic buzzer 21 while a signal is being output from the one-shot multivibrator 16. The light emitting driver 20 is a circuit that drives the LED 22, and causes the LED 22 to emit light while a signal is output from the one-shot multivibrator 16. Further, this swing practice device is provided with a reset device 23, and this reset device 23
The output of is connected to the reset terminal of the peak hold circuit 9 and the input control terminal of the counter 15. This reset device 23 is composed of a mercury switch or the like, and is designed to emit a control signal when the button is raised, and has a function as an attitude change detecting means. The peak hold circuit 9 is
When a control signal is issued from this reset device 23, the maximum value held is reset. Also,
The counter 15 is configured to receive the count input from the comparator 10 via the preset terminal of the preflip-flop, and connects the input control terminal for inputting the control signal from the reset device 23 to the clear terminal of the preflip-flop. By connecting, once counting is performed, no count input is accepted until the next time a control signal is issued from the reset device 23 and the front flip-flop is cleared. In this reset device 23, a release terminal provided for canceling the operation is grounded via a display hold switch 24, and when this display hold switch 24 is connected, no control signal is generated regardless of the state of the button. Become. This display hold switch 24 is constituted by an alternate switch, and by operating it again, the operation of the reset device 23 can be restarted.

The display and operation panel 4 of this swing trainer includes:
As shown in FIG. 3, a power switch lever 26 is provided for operating the power switch of the electric circuit. On the left side of this power switch lever 26, there is a 7-segment LCD 13 for speed display and a 7-segment LCD 18 for count display.
A display section is arranged. A knob 27 for moving the intermediate terminal of the variable resistor 14 is arranged on the right side of the power switch lever 26.
Setting values can be set by rotating 7. Further, around this knob 27, a speed scale corresponding to the set value is carved. Above the knob 27, the operation parts of the display hold switch 24 and the counter reset switch 25 are arranged, so that the user can operate these switches 24 and 25. 7 segment LCD1
A sounding section of an electronic buzzer 21 and a light emitting section of an LED 22 are arranged above 3 and 18.

With the swing training device configured as described above, the user practices a swing by holding the grip with both hands and making a practice swing in the same manner as a normal butt swing. The acceleration sensor 3 outputs the centrifugal force during this practice swing as acceleration. The output signal of the acceleration sensor 3 is amplified by an amplifier 8 via a low-pass filter 6 and a temperature compensation circuit 7, and is input to a peak hold circuit 9 and a comparator 10. The peak hold circuit 9 holds and outputs the maximum value of the sensor output during swing. The maximum value output by the peak hold circuit 9 is digitally displayed on a 7-segment LCD 13 via an A/D converter 11 and a speed display driver 12. The speed display on this 7 segment LCD 13 is
The bat is raised in preparation for the next swing and maintained until a control signal is issued from the reset device 23. After the swing is completed, the user can keep the bat in the upright position and look at this display to determine the maximum swing speed. You can know. Further, this speed display can be maintained as it is regardless of the bat state by connecting the display hold switch 24 and releasing the reset device 23 by operating the display operation panel 4. When a swing is made with the display hold switch 24 open, a control signal is issued from the reset device 23, causing the peak hold circuit 9 to reset the holding of the maximum value and prepare for the next swing.

The sensor output input to the comparator 10 is
It is compared with the set value input from the variable resistor 14. The set value can be arbitrarily set by the user using the speed scale by operating the knob 27 on the display operation panel 4. When the sensor output becomes larger than the set value, the comparator 10 outputs a signal from the counter 15.
and a signal is issued to the one-shot multivibrator 16. The fact that a signal is emitted from the comparator 10 indicates that the speed of the swing has exceeded the set value even momentarily. Therefore, effective practice can be achieved by setting the set value to a speed that corresponds to the user's level of attainment, and practicing with only swings that exceed this set value being effective. When the counter 15 receives the signal from the comparator 10, it counts once. Once this counting is done, the reset device 23
Since the count input is not accepted until a control signal is issued from There is no continuous counting. Thereby, it is possible to prevent counting from being performed twice or more in one swing. Note that the input of the comparator 10 is connected to the amplifier 8.
If the output is taken from the output of the peak hold circuit 9 instead of from the output, the counter 15 will not be counted more than once, even without providing a flip-flop in front of it. The counter 15 can be reset by operating the display operation panel 4 to connect the counter reset switch 25. The count value of counter 15 is
7 segments via count display driver 17
Digitally displayed on LCD18. Since this count display is updated and maintained every time the counter 15 counts, the user can know the effective number of swings at that time by looking at this display at any time.

When the one-shot multivibrator 16 receives the signal from the comparator 10, it continues to emit the signal for a certain period of time. This fixed period is set within a range shorter than the time required for one swing when repeatedly practicing swings. When the sound driver 19 receives a signal from the one-shot multivibrator 16, it sounds the electronic buzzer 21 during that period. When the light emitting driver 20 receives a signal from the one-shot multivibrator 16, the LED 22 emits light during that period. The user listens to the sound of this electronic buzzer 21 when swinging, or
By looking at the light from the LED 22, it can be known that the swing speed exceeds the set value and that the swing is effective.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, the swing practice device according to the present invention is used to practice swinging by holding the grip and swinging the swing part, and includes an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the swing part and outputs it as an electric signal. , maximum value holding means for holding the maximum value of the output of the acceleration sensor, signal conversion means for converting the output of the maximum value holding means into a speed value, setting means for setting the set value by operation, and A comparator to compare with this setting value,
A counter that counts when this comparator outputs that the acceleration sensor output is larger than a set value, and a display means that displays the value counted by this counter and the speed value outputted by the signal conversion means in decimal notation. In a swing trainer equipped with a swing trainer, the acceleration sensor detects the centrifugal force applied to the swing part as acceleration, and a low-pass filter is installed between the acceleration sensor and the comparator to remove high frequency components from the output of the acceleration sensor. On the other hand, when the posture change detection means detects that the body has been stood up and the posture has changed, the counter accepts only one count input and the maximum The configuration is such that the value holding means releases the maximum value and can hold a new maximum value.

As a result, it is possible to notify the user of the maximum swing speed and that the swing speed has exceeded the set value, similar to the conventional swing practice device. However, since the swing trainer of the present invention detects centrifugal force as acceleration,
Regardless of the grip angle, you can always accurately obtain the acceleration that corresponds to your swing. Also,
It is possible to remove unnecessary high frequency components other than the output obtained by the swing from the acceleration sensor output, making it unaffected by noise caused by vibrations other than the swing such as impact, and stably obtaining the swing speed. I can do it. Furthermore, by standing the main body upright, it is possible to prevent the number of times the speed exceeds the setting from being counted more than once in one swing. Therefore, by allowing the user to stand up the main body and then swing, erroneous counts will not occur due to vibrations other than the swing, such as impact. Since the above-mentioned count limitation is performed simply by the user standing the main body upright, there is no need to operate a switch or the like, and there is no interference with practice. Furthermore, by standing the main body upright, the new maximum value of the output of the acceleration sensor is maintained, so by standing the main body as described above and then swinging, the speed display can be updated with each swing. Moreover, since the output of the posture change detection means is used to limit the count input and update the speed display as described above, it is possible to accurately count the maximum speed of the swing and the number of effective swings for each swing.

Therefore, with this swing trainer, the accurately detected speed eliminates the fear of developing a bad swing habit, and the accurate counting of effective swings allows for systematic and detailed practice. This makes it possible to improve the practice effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electric circuit in a swing trainer, and Figure 2 is a partial cross-section of the head portion of the swing trainer. Front view, FIG. 3 is a front view of the display operation panel in the swing trainer. 1 is a head part (swing part), 3 is an acceleration sensor, 6 is a low-pass filter, 9 is a peak hold circuit (maximum value holding means), 10 is a comparator,
12 is a speed display driver (signal conversion means), 13
14 is a variable resistor (setting means), 15 is a counter, 18 is a 7-segment LCD (display means), and 23 is a reset device (posture change detection means).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A device for practicing swinging by holding a grip and practicing swinging the swing part, which includes: an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the swing part and outputs it as an electrical signal; Maximum value holding means for holding the maximum value, signal conversion means for converting the output of the maximum value holding means into a speed value, setting means for setting a set value by operation, and comparing the output of the acceleration sensor with this set value. A comparator, a counter that counts when this comparator outputs that the acceleration sensor output is greater than the set value, and the value counted by this counter and the speed value output by the signal conversion means are displayed in decimal notation. In the swing trainer equipped with a display means, the acceleration sensor detects the centrifugal force applied to the swing part as acceleration, and a low frequency component is connected between the acceleration sensor and the comparator to remove high frequency components from the output of the acceleration sensor. A passing filter is provided, and an attitude change detection means detects that the attitude of the main body has changed when the main body is erected, and when the attitude change detection means detects that the main body is erected,
A swing training device characterized in that the counter accepts a count input only once, and the maximum value holding means releases the holding of the maximum value and makes it possible to hold a new maximum value.