Speed indicating apparatus

Abstract

A speed indicating system useful in training an athlete includes a spool on which a tether line is wound with the free end thereof then secured to the body of the athlete, any selected one of the athlete's limbs, or any object swung, kicked or thrown by the athlete. The spool includes one or more permanent magnet pieces mounted on its periphery in an alignment adjacent an inductive pickup coil which then communicates the current level induced to a meter indicating the tether line deployment rate. The reverse electromotive force resulting from the inductive coupling is then useful to reduce the inertially driven tether line deployment.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application obtains the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 202,528 filed on Mar. 10, 2009.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention:[0003]The present invention relates to apparatus for sensing the movement of the the whole or portions of the body of an athlete, or any sports object moved thereby, and more particularly to a measurement system in which the rate of deployment of a flexible tether line from a rotary spool provides an observable measurement useful in training.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art:[0005]The course of training an athlete often entails many measurements that are taken either for positive reinforcement of desired body movement or as an indication of improper habits. In each instance it is not the absolute value of the measurement but its trend over time that provides the significant information to the trainer and for these reasons simple and therefore rel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]One or more magnetized pieces fixed to the periphery of one of the two coaxial end discs, or wheels, defining the spool are then advanced across a set of pickup coils at a rate corresponding to the deployment of the tether webbing, generating an electrical current sensed by a meter containing a galvanometer movement with the meter deflection then corresponding to the rate of tether deployment. In this manner a measurement indication is obtained that corresponds directly to the rotation rate of the spool which, in turn, corresponds to the movement rate of the body, limb, sports device or ball that is tied to the free tether end, providing the athlete a visual feedback.

[0015]Of course, the same current that is induced in the pickup c

Problems solved by technology

Those skilled in the art, however, have noted that the development of a particular muscular group alone does not necessarily result in a superlative performance of a particular athletic endeavor.

Heretofore the complex mass distribution, inertia, elasticity and aerodynamic components of a tether line have limited its use to what

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