Devices and programs

Abstract

The objective is to provide a system that can synchronously detect and / or record the inertial forces of multiple parts. [Solution] A recording system that uses multiple devices for detecting and / or recording inertial forces, attached to multiple parts of the user, wherein each of the multiple devices comprises an inertial sensor and a storage unit. A recording system for synchronously detecting and / or recording the inertial forces of the aforementioned multiple parts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus that records or displays information related to the swing of a golf club or the like.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a golf navigation device that can record one's own hitting history and score on a golf course and record walking history information or the like to grasp the player's actions and playing situation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the golf navigation device described in Patent Document 1, in order to register the score and hitting history while playing a round of the golf course, it is necessary to perform a registration operation. If the registration operation is forgotten, the user can re-register the score and hitting history by referring to the displayed walking history information or the like. However, even if the user views the walking history, it is not easy to remember and register the hitting points later. Also, it is not easy to review one's own play and swing and utilize the points for reflection in subsequent practice and play.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus or the like that can facilitate, for example, recalling and remembering a golf play. This object can be achieved, for example, by a combination of the components described in the means for solving the problems. Also, the dependent claims can be, for example, further advantageous specific examples of the present invention.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The device may include a mounting member that can be attached to a part that moves in conjunction with a golf swing, an inertial sensor that outputs data based on inertial force, and a control unit that controls the storage unit to store position information acquired by a position information acquisition means in association with the output data of the inertial sensor so that it can be identified that the data based on inertial force is at least related to a golf swing.

[0007] In this way, information about the position of the swing can be recorded in correspondence with data based on the inertial force during the swing. Then, by displaying and playing back the recorded information in this way, it becomes easy for the user to review their golf game. To enable such display and playback, devices such as (11) to (17) described later can be used.

[0008] "Inertial force" is an apparent force that appears in a coordinate system undergoing accelerated motion relative to an inertial frame of reference. In this invention, it is best to consider it as an apparent force related to the device, resulting from the accelerated motion caused by a series of swing movements, from the stationary state at address before the swing, through the take-back, downswing, and follow-through. For example, the inertial sensor may output data based on inertial force, specifically data based on inertial force and gravity, and may output data based on the resultant force of inertial force and gravity.

[0009] The "attachment" can be anything that can be attached to a part that moves with the swing, but it is preferable to use a band that is wrapped around the wrist like a wristwatch, or a clip-like component that is attached by clamping onto a part of a glove. "Moving with the swing" means, for example, the movement required to make a golf swing. The "part that moves with the swing" is a part that makes a fixed movement when swinging, and it is even better to use a part of the upper limb, and especially a part far from the shoulder, such as the wrist or the back of the hand. The wrist and the back of the hand are easier to detect inertial forces in because the speed and amount of movement during a swing are greater than in the vicinity of the shoulder. "Attachment" means, for example, that it should be attached in a way that makes it difficult to move so that the acceleration due to the swing can be distinguished from the acceleration due to displacement of the attachment, but it is especially preferable that it is attached in a way that the relative positional relationship with the attached part does not change when the swing is performed.

[0010] The "location information acquisition means" should be a device capable of determining the location of this device within the golf course. Using such a location information detection device, the position on the course during a swing can be recorded along with data based on the inertial force during the swing. Specifically, the configuration may involve acquiring the location information of this device detected by an external device, but it is particularly good to use a location information detector that detects location information within this device, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that can acquire location information such as latitude and longitude. The "inertial sensor" should be a sensor that can output a value that changes due to the inertial force associated with the swing, such as an acceleration sensor or a gyroscope.

[0011] "To be identifiable" means that it is sufficient to determine from the data stored in the memory whether or not it is an inertial force associated with a golf swing. For example, it is good to associate data that shows the change in inertial force over time (for example, time-series data within a predetermined time range output by the sensor) with location information. The data to be associated with location information could be the data at the moment of detection, but it is particularly good to associate it with data spanning a predetermined time including the time of detection. The user can refer to such inertial force-based data and location information to determine whether or not a swing occurred, or to obtain information such as the quality of the swing. In this configuration, it is not essential to execute control to store data and location information when a golf swing is detected. It is sufficient to store location information along with data based on such inertial force when an inertial force that is presumed to be a golf swing is detected. However, it is particularly good to configure the system to execute control to store data and location information when a golf swing is detected.

[0012] "Mapping" means that the position information at the time the swing was detected should be identifiable. The method of mapping can be direct or indirect, but for example, since position information and data recordings are usually stored together with time information, it is good to map them indirectly through the time information at which the position information and inertial force-based data were acquired. As for the configuration of "storing position information acquired by the position information acquisition means in association with the output data of the inertial sensor in the storage unit", for example, the configuration may be to store the position information in the storage unit in association with the output data of the inertial sensor itself, or to store the position information in the storage unit with data processed from the output data of the inertial sensor, or to store data processed from the position information acquired in association with the output data of the inertial sensor in the storage unit, but it is good to store the data processed from the position information acquired in association with data processed from the output data of the inertial sensor in the storage unit.

[0013] (2) The inertial sensor may include an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration as a physical quantity corresponding to inertial force. In this way, acceleration data during the swing can be output as data based on inertial force. It is also desirable to have a configuration for analyzing the changes in acceleration during the recorded swing, and in particular, a configuration for determining the swing content such as swing speed, rhythm, and the time spent at the top of the swing, such as the quality of impact such as a clean hit, duff, or top, and the club used.

[0014] (3) The acceleration sensor should be capable of detecting acceleration in each of the multiple axial directions, and the control unit should be controlled to store the acceleration data for each of the multiple axial directions in the memory unit. In this way, when the control unit uses the data stored in the memory unit for processing, or when the user displays and plays back the stored data, it becomes easy to distinguish between acceleration associated with the swing and acceleration unrelated to the swing using the acceleration in the multiple axial directions. Two or more axes are sufficient, but three is particularly good. It is particularly good to store the acceleration values ​​in multiple directions as vector components in the memory unit as a history of changes in the acceleration of the composite vector, and to identify the inertial force associated with the golf swing based on the pattern of changes in the composite vector. If the device that enables display and playback can display the composite vector in three dimensions, it will be even easier for the user to determine whether or not they have made a swing, or to obtain information such as the quality of the swing.

[0015] (4) The acceleration sensor is preferably capable of detecting acceleration in each of the three axial directions, and the direction of each axis is preferably set to a direction that can distinguish the movement of the part to which it is attached. In this way, the acceleration indicating the degree of movement of the part to which the device according to the present invention is attached can be recorded. By analyzing the recorded acceleration data, the user can understand in detail the movement of the part to which it is attached during a swing, such as the movement of the hand, stance, grip, etc. The three axial directions are preferably perpendicular to each other. For example, the first axial direction is the direction from the wrist to the elbow along the player's forearm when the device is fixed to the player's wrist by the attachment member. The second axial direction is the direction perpendicular to the first axial direction within the plane in contact with the player's wrist when the device is fixed to the player's wrist by the attachment member, and the third axial direction is preferably substantially perpendicular to the plane in contact with the player's wrist when the device is fixed to the player's wrist by the attachment member.

[0016] (5) The control unit may detect that a swing has been performed based on data derived from the inertial force output by the inertial sensor. In this way, the device can detect that a swing has been performed and execute various processes in response to the detection. Examples of such processes include automatic counting of strokes, automatic recording of scores, alarms prompting score recording, and evaluation of the swing.

[0017] (6) In the configuration of (5), the control unit may use the value based on the inertial force data output by the inertial sensor exceeding a predetermined threshold to detect that a golf swing has been performed. For example, inertial force values ​​below the threshold may be treated as noise. In this way, the accuracy of swing detection can be improved.

[0018] (7) In configuration (5) or (6), the control unit may use whether the data based on the inertial force output by the inertial sensor corresponds to the inertial force when the golf club is held to detect whether a swing has taken place. This makes it easy to distinguish the change in acceleration caused by the swing that occurs after the golf club is held from other accelerations. In particular, when combined with configuration (6), the accuracy of swing detection can be further improved. "Inertial force when the golf club is held" may refer to, for example, stillness for a certain period of time or longer, or a specific pattern of inertial force that occurs when the player grips the golf club. The characteristics of the data based on the inertial force during a swing often differ from player to player, and even for the same player, they often differ depending on the club number and the strength of the swing, but the inventors have discovered that the data based on the inertial force when the golf club is held before the swing produces a common pattern for the same player. Specifically, for example, it is particularly good to define "inertial force when the golf club is held" as stillness for a certain period of time or longer.

[0019] (8) The control unit may store the latest fixed amount of inertial sensor output data in the temporary storage unit, and after the fixed amount of data has been stored, it may control the unit to overwrite older data so that the latest fixed amount of data remains, and when the inertial sensor detects that a golf swing has been performed, it may control the unit to store at least a portion of the fixed amount of data stored in the temporary storage unit, which includes the output data indicating the swing, in the storage unit. In this way, it is possible to suppress the storage of data unrelated to the swing, and thus the capacity of the storage unit can be reduced.

[0020] The temporary storage unit may be a part of the storage area of ​​the main storage unit, but it is particularly good to use one with a high number of rewrite cycles. For example, it is good to use flash memory with a relatively low number of rewrite cycles as the main storage unit, and RAM or EEPROM with a high number of rewrite cycles as the temporary storage unit. When storing at least a portion of a certain amount of data accumulated in the temporary storage unit containing the output data indicating the swing into the main storage unit, it is particularly good to store it in the main storage unit in a state that makes it difficult to overwrite. To make it difficult to overwrite, for example, the data can be recorded with an overwrite-prohibited attribute. The data can be recorded as a file, and the overwrite-prohibited attribute can be added to the file.

[0021] (9) The device further comprises an audio acquisition unit, and the control unit may be controlled to store in the storage unit at least the audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit when the inertial sensor detects the inertial force associated with the golf swing, in association with the output data of the inertial sensor when the inertial sensor detects the inertial force associated with the golf swing.

[0022] In this way, in addition to data based on inertial force, audio during the swing can be recorded. Then, by displaying and playing back the recorded audio along with the data based on inertial force and positional information, users can more easily review their golf game. In particular, the control unit should be controlled to store audio data acquired from the audio acquisition unit during a predetermined time period, including at least one of the periods before or after the inertial sensor detects the inertial force associated with the golf swing, in the storage unit, corresponding the audio data output by the inertial sensor when it detects the inertial force associated with the golf swing. In actual play on a golf course, for example, the surroundings are often quiet at the address just before the swing, and audio such as "Nice shot!" or "Damn!" is often recorded immediately after the ball is hit. Using these sounds recorded during the swing makes it easier to pinpoint the swing position and allows users to easily review the circumstances of their swing. The control unit should also be controlled to store audio data in the storage unit even when the audio acquisition unit is not detecting the inertial force associated with the golf swing. This allows users to later review situations other than the swing based on recorded audio, or to add or edit the swing position based on audio if the swing cannot be detected due to inertia.

[0023] (10) In the program of the present invention, it is preferable to make the computer function as the device described in any of (1) to (9) above.

[0024] An apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the second apparatus) having a control unit that controls to display, on a display unit, information based on the position information and information based on the output data of an inertial sensor in association with each other based on the position information recorded by the apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9) above (hereinafter referred to as the first apparatus). With such a display unit, the user can recognize, after the play, the data based on the inertial force at the time of the recorded swing and the position information in association with each other, and can easily review the play. It may be configured that the first apparatus includes a display unit that displays the information based on the position information and the information based on the output data of the inertial sensor in association with each other. However, if such a display unit is included in the first apparatus, it is likely to interfere with the play itself and is not preferable. It is desirable that the first apparatus does not include such a display unit and the second apparatus includes it. The second apparatus may be, for example, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, or the like.

[0025] (12) The control unit may control to display, on the display unit, the hitting position estimated based on the position information recorded by the first apparatus and the output data of the inertial sensor, together with layout information indicating the course layout of the golf course including the estimated hitting position. By doing so, the user can grasp the candidate hitting positions together with the course layout of the golf course, and can more easily review the play. The "layout information indicating the course layout of the golf course" may be, for example, an image of the golf course, information indicating areas such as the tee ground, the fairway, and the hazard. The layout information indicating the course layout of the golf course displayed on the display unit is preferably the information of the hole including the hitting position of the course.

[0026] "Display together with the course layout" may mean, for example, displaying both the course layout and the hitting position in a visible manner. Specifically, for example, an icon indicating the hitting position may be displayed superimposed on an image of the golf course, or a character or figure indicating the number of strokes displayed at a position different from the position corresponding to the hitting position in the image of the golf course may be connected by a line segment, and so on. In this case, it is particularly preferable that the control unit has a configuration including a function for individually invalidating the displayed estimated hitting position. Although the displayed estimated hitting positions may include ones different from the actual hitting positions, by invalidating incorrect hitting positions, the display can be made based on the content that matches the actual play, making it easier for the user to review the play.

[0027] (13) The control unit controls to perform a display showing the temporal change of information based on the output data of the inertial sensor, and when one point in the display showing the temporal change is designated, based on the association between the output data of the inertial sensor and the position information, it is preferable to display the position information when the inertial sensor output the data corresponding to the designated one point together with the course layout. By doing so, the user can visually recognize the temporal change of the information based on the output data of the inertial sensor and quickly know the position information corresponding to the designated one point selected therefrom. Also, in a configuration where the estimated hitting positions can be individually invalidated, the user can use the waveform displayed as a material for judging whether it is the correct hitting position, and the accuracy of the judgment can be improved. "Display showing the temporal change" may be any display as long as the user can recognize the change of the data. For example, it may be a video, but a still image is particularly preferable because it can be grasped at a glance. When displaying as a still image, it is particularly preferable to use a waveform graph with the vertical axis as the value of the output data and the horizontal axis as the time axis, or the locus of the composite vector. "One point in the display showing the temporal change is designated" means that one point in the display showing the temporal change may be designated by any method as long as it is designated by an operation of the user or the like. For example, it is preferable that one point in the display showing the temporal change is designated by detecting an operation of the user such as a click operation of the mouse.

[0028] (14) The control unit controls the display unit to display a waveform showing the temporal change of the output data of the inertial sensor, and when one of the estimated batted ball positions is specified, it is preferable to control the display unit to display the portion of the waveform acquired at that batted ball position in an easily visible manner. In this way, the user can quickly see the information based on the data based on the inertial force at the specified batted ball position, making it easier to review the swing. In addition, in a configuration in which the estimated batted ball positions can be individually invalidated, the user can quickly identify the waveform corresponding to the candidate batted ball position, reducing the time required for decision-making. "Easily visible" means, for example, to display it in a way that it stands out more than parts of the waveform that are unrelated to the swing or displays other than the waveform. Specifically, this could be done by surrounding the relevant part with a frame, changing the color of the relevant part to stand out relatively (for example, to a higher saturation or brightness than others), or making it blink.

[0029] (15) The second device further comprises an audio playback unit, and the control unit controls the audio playback unit to play back audio data recorded at a specified timing or at a specified ball-hit position. In this way, the user can not only see information based on the inertial force during the swing but also hear the sound of the swing, making it easier to review the swing. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the estimated ball-hit position can be individually invalidated, the accuracy of determining whether the ball-hit position is correct or not can be increased by the presence or absence of a sound of the ball being hit.

[0030] (16) The control unit may be controlled to display the waveforms showing the temporal changes in the output data of the inertial sensor at each of the multiple estimated ball-hit positions side by side on the display unit. This makes it easy to review play while comparing multiple swings. "Side by side" means that the waveforms may be arranged vertically or horizontally, but it is particularly good to arrange them horizontally in the order of the recorded time. This allows the user to visually see the trends of the waveforms of multiple swings at once. It is even better to arrange the waveforms corresponding to swings within the same hole horizontally in the order of the recorded time, and vertically in the order of the holes. By arranging them in the order of the recorded time in this way, the user can visually see the temporal changes in the trends of the swing waveforms. It is also good to leave gaps between the multiple waveforms. This makes it easy for the user to distinguish and visually see the waveforms for each swing.

[0031] (17) The control unit should allow the user to select multiple waveforms from a series of waveforms displayed side by side, and control the display unit to display the selected waveforms in a comparable manner. In this way, the user can compare the selected waveforms in detail, making it easier to review and analyze the swing. "Comparable" means that the waveforms selected by the user should be displayed in a way that makes it easy to visually compare them. For example, displaying them on a common time axis makes comparison easier. Specifically, displaying them side by side is good, and displaying them overlaid is especially good because it also makes it easier to compare the vertical axis.

[0032] (18) In the program of the present invention, the computer may be made to function as the device described in any of (11) to (17) above.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the means for solving the above-mentioned problems. The components described in the means for solving the above-mentioned problems may be arbitrarily selected and combined within the range of possible combinations. Furthermore, any component of each embodiment may be arbitrarily combined within the range of possible combinations with the components that embody the components for solving the problems described in the means for solving the problems or any component described in the means for solving the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing user U playing golf while wearing the recording device 10. Figure 1(b) is a schematic diagram showing how data recorded by the recording device 10 is imported into the playback device 20 and displayed. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing the external appearance of the recording device 10. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the recording device 10 with user U wearing it, along with the axial direction of the acceleration sensor 112. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording device 10. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) shows an example of the main screen displayed by the recording device 10. Figure 5(b) shows an example of the operation mode selection screen. [Figure 6] Figures 6(a) to 6(d) show examples of display screens shown by the recording device 10 in golf course mode. [Figure 7] Figures 7(a) and (b) show examples of display screens shown by the recording device 10 in practice range mode. [Figure 8] Figures 8(a) to 8(c) are graphs showing the changes in acceleration values ​​in the X, Y, and Z axes output by the acceleration sensor 112 during swinging, walking, and running, respectively. [Figure 9] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the playback device 20. [Figure 10] An example of the scorebook screen displayed by the playback device 20 is shown. [Figure 11]An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 12] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 13] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 14] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 15] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 16] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 17] An example of the practice results screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 18] An example of the swing comparison screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 19] An example of the swing comparison screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the first embodiment is shown. [Figure 20] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the second embodiment is shown. [Figure 21] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the second embodiment is shown. [Figure 22] An example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the second embodiment is shown. [Figure 23] An example of the practice results screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the second embodiment is shown. [Figure 24] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording device 10. [Figure 25] A modified example of the scorecard screen displayed by the playback device 20 of the second embodiment is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] [First Embodiment] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing a user U playing golf while wearing the recording device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(b) is a schematic diagram showing the data recorded by the recording device 10 being imported into the playback device 20 and displayed. As shown in these drawings, user U plays golf with the recording device 10 attached to their wrist. After playing, user U imports the data recorded by the recording device 10 into the playback device 20 for display, allowing them to check and edit their score and review their play. The recording device 10 and the playback device 20 will be described below.

[0036] [Recording device of the first embodiment] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the recording device 10. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the recording device 10 worn on the wrist of user U, along with the axial direction of the acceleration sensor 112. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording device 10. As shown in Figure 2, the recording device 10 has an appearance similar to a wristwatch and is equipped with a flat case 110. Band portions 120, which correspond to mounting members, are integrally formed with the case 110 at both ends facing each other across the center of the case 110. The band portion 120 consists of a pointed band 121 and a main band 122.

[0037] The pointed band 121 is molded from, for example, urethane, and has multiple mounting holes 121a (see Figure 1) formed along its longitudinal direction. The main band 122 is molded from, for example, urethane, and has a buckle 123 attached to the end opposite to the case 110, which includes a cap 123a and a mounting rod 123b. A keeper 122a is provided between the buckle 123 and the case 110 of the main band 122, into which the tip of the pointed band 121 is inserted.

[0038] The recording device 10 is attached to the user U's wrist as shown in Figure 3 by wrapping the tip band 121 and the main band 122 around the wrist, passing the tip band 121 through the umbrella 123a, and passing the mounting rod 123b through the appropriate mounting hole 121a. At this time, the mounting hole 121a through which the mounting rod 123b passes is selected so that the recording device 10 does not shift from its position on the wrist even when the golf club is swung.

[0039] A display unit 130 is provided on the front of the case 110, which is exposed to the outside when the recording device 10 is mounted as described above. The display unit 130 is made up of a small liquid crystal panel and displays various information such as the operating mode, battery level, and time under the control of the control unit 115, which will be described later.

[0040] An operation button 140 is provided on one side of the case 110. The operation button 140 is used for selecting the operating mode, starting and stopping recording, turning the power on and off, etc. The operation corresponding to the operation of the operation button 140 will be described later.

[0041] A terminal cover is provided on the other side of the case 110, which can be opened and closed. When this terminal cover is opened, a miniUSB terminal 150 is exposed. The device can be charged by connecting an AC adapter to this miniUSB terminal 150. It can also be connected to the playback device 20 via a USB cable to update the golf course data in the recording device 10 or to import data into the playback device 20.

[0042] The case 110 contains a GPS receiver 111 that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and determines the current position (longitude and latitude), an acceleration sensor 112 that detects acceleration in three axes, an audio acquisition unit 113 that acquires ambient audio data, a control unit 115 that controls each component within the recording device 10, a battery 116 that provides power, and a storage unit 117 that stores programs executed by the control unit 115, golf information such as the golf course layout, and output data from various functions under the control of the control unit 115.

[0043] The acceleration sensor 112 is an example of an inertial sensor and outputs acceleration data for each of its three mutually orthogonal axes. The three axes of the acceleration sensor 112 are mutually orthogonal. By using the three-axis data output by the acceleration sensor 112, it becomes easier to determine the acceleration due to swing compared to using a single-axis acceleration sensor. Figure 2 illustrates the three axes. As shown in Figure 2, the first axis (X axis) is the direction from the main band 122 to the tip band 121 on the display surface of the display unit 130. The second axis (Y axis) is the direction from the side where the operation button 140 is located to the side where the miniUSB terminal 150 is located on the display surface of the display unit 130. The third axis (Z axis) is the normal direction to the display surface of the display unit 130.

[0044] Figure 3 shows the recording device 10 being worn by user U. The recording device 10 is worn with the operation buttons 140 facing the fingertips and the case 110 resting against the back of user U's left wrist. As a result, the recording device 10 is fixed to user U's left wrist with the X-axis generally pointing from the little finger to the thumb of user U's left hand, the Y-axis pointing along user U's forearm from the wrist to the elbow, and the Z-axis pointing almost perpendicular to the back of user U's left wrist.

[0045] By setting the axis in this way, the recorded acceleration data can be analyzed to determine the swing and wrist movement (e.g., pronation and supination) of the hand wearing the recording device 10. By determining the wrist movement, the characteristics of the grip during the swing (e.g., square grip, weak grip, strong grip, etc.) can be determined. The 3-axis acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 is sampled and acquired at a sampling frequency (e.g., 30Hz) set by the control unit 115.

[0046] The voice acquisition unit 113 consists of a microphone that converts ambient sound into analog electrical signals, and an AD converter that converts the electrical signals output by the microphone into digital data at a predetermined sampling frequency (e.g., 44.1 kHz). The voice acquisition unit 113 is installed inside the case 110 so as to be able to acquire at least the sound of the ball being hit with a golf club and the voice of the user. In actual play on a golf course, for example, the surroundings become quiet when addressing the ball just before the swing, then the sound of the ball being hit occurs, and immediately after the ball is hit, voices such as "Nice shot!" or "Damn!" are often uttered. These characteristics of voice can be used to determine that the ball has been hit and to determine the position of the ball later. In addition, statements and conversations after the ball is hit (e.g., "Damn! I hit it!") can be recorded and played back later to review and analyze the play.

[0047] Battery 116 is a rechargeable secondary battery, similar to a rechargeable battery, and can be charged via the miniUSB terminal 150.

[0048] The memory unit 117 may be a non-removable internal storage device, or it may be a slot for inserting a removable recording medium such as a microSD card slot (including read / write functions). In this example, the memory unit 117 is described as an internal storage device. The memory unit 117 comprises a flash memory 117a that has a relatively low number of rewrite cycles but is easy to increase in capacity, and a RAM 117b that has a high number of rewrite cycles but is difficult to increase in capacity. The flash memory 117a stores data that is not frequently rewritten.

[0049] The flash memory 117a stores a program that defines the control performed by the control unit 115, data used in the program, golf course information including the location of the golf course and course data (e.g., course layout of each hole, location of hazards on the course such as greens and bunkers), scores to be recorded as records of play and practice, acceleration data, voice data, and various other data. The golf course information can be, for example, information on the layout images of the 1st to 18th holes as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-57189, and latitude and longitude data on said layout images, or data on the layout, location, and course characteristics of each hole of the golf course as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-339929. The data stored in the flash memory 117a can be updated or imported into an external device such as a playback device 20 via the miniUSB terminal 150.

[0050] The data file stored in the flash memory 117a as a record of play includes header information and ball-hit records. The header information includes information such as the golf course name, round date and time, weather, and wind. The ball-hit records include a number of records corresponding to the number of times a ball was detected during play by the ball-hit detection process described later. Each ball-hit record includes the hole where the ball was hit, the number of strokes on that hole, location information output by the GPS receiver 111 when the ball was detected, acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 when the ball was detected, and audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 113 when the ball was detected.

[0051] Similarly, the data files stored as practice records also include header information and batted ball records. The header information includes information such as the name of the practice field, the date and time of practice, the weather, and the wind. The batted ball records include a number of records corresponding to the number of times a batted ball was detected during practice by the batted ball detection process described later. Each batted ball record includes the batted ball position output by the GPS receiver 111 when the batted ball is detected, acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 when the batted ball is detected, and audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 113 when the batted ball is detected.

[0052] On the other hand, RAM 117b corresponds to a temporary storage unit and temporarily stores data that is not yet determined to be saved as a record. Data storage control using flash memory 117a and RAM 117b will be described later.

[0053] The control unit 115 is equipped with a CPU and various peripheral circuits, and the CPU executes a program stored in the memory unit 117, thereby appropriately utilizing the information input from the various input devices (GPS receiver 111, acceleration sensor 112, voice acquisition unit 113, miniUSB terminal 150, operation buttons 140, etc.) and the data stored in the memory unit 117 to control output devices (display unit 130, memory unit 117, miniUSB terminal 150, etc.) and save the results of the processing.

[0054] The recording device 10 has three operating modes: clock mode, golf course mode, and practice range mode. Clock mode displays the current time. Golf course mode is used when playing golf on a golf course and automatically records play information such as score and ball position. Practice range mode is used when practicing swings at a practice range or similar location and records detailed acceleration data during swings acquired by the acceleration sensor 112. These operating modes can be switched by selecting and confirming a mode using the operation button 140.

[0055] The following describes the control performed by the control unit 115 in relation to the operation of the recording device 10 in each operating mode. Note that in the following description, processes where the primary entity is not explicitly stated are controlled by the control unit 115.

[0056] User U must pre-charge the battery 116 before use. When the battery 116 is sufficiently charged and the control unit 115 recognizes that the operation button 140 has been pressed and held for 2 seconds or more while the power is OFF, it controls the power supply to each part connected to the control unit 115 and displays the main screen shown in Figure 5(a) on the display unit 130. The main screen includes the time, date, remaining battery level of 116, current operating mode, and a mode switching menu. Furthermore, when the control unit 115 recognizes that the operation button 140 has been pressed and held for 5 seconds or more while the power is ON, the control unit 115 draws a predetermined termination screen on the display unit 130 and then controls the power supply to each part connected to the control unit 115.

[0057] To select and confirm a menu item displayed on the display unit 130, a short press of the operation button 140 selects the next item, and a long press confirms the selected item. For example, switching the operating mode is done as follows: Short press the operation button 140 several times until the triangular cursor points to the mode switch, as shown in Figure 5(a). Then, long press the operation button 140 once. When this long press operation is detected, the operating mode selection screen shown in Figure 5(b) is displayed. When the operation button 140 is short-pressed, the cursor moves in the order of clock mode, golf course mode, and practice range mode. When the user positions the cursor to the desired operating mode and long-presses the operation button 140, the system transitions to the operating mode corresponding to the cursor's position. The same operation of the operation button 140 is applied to other menus, allowing selection and confirmation of items included in the menu. If there are further detailed menus under the selected menu, these detailed menus are displayed after a long press operation for confirmation. Through these operations, user U selects and confirms the menu displayed on the display unit 130.

[0058] (Clock mode) In clock mode, the GPS receiver 111, acceleration sensor 112, and voice acquisition unit 113 are not operated, and the main screen shown in Figure 5(a) is displayed on the display unit 130. In the initial state immediately after power is turned on, the device operates in this clock mode. In clock mode, since the GPS receiver 111, acceleration sensor 112, and voice acquisition unit 113 are not operated, power consumption can be reduced, and the battery 116 can be used for a longer period of time.

[0059] (Golf course mode) When the golf course mode is selected on the mode switching screen shown in Figure 5(b), the operating mode is switched to golf course mode. In golf course mode, the GPS receiver 111, acceleration sensor 112, and voice acquisition unit 113 are activated to perform golf course navigation and automatic recording of strokes and ball position. When golf course mode is selected, the initial screen for golf course mode shown in Figure 6(a) is displayed. The initial screen for golf course mode displays a golf course selection menu, a weather information input menu, a wind information input menu, and a mode switching menu. When the golf course selection menu is selected, as shown in Figure 6(b), the golf course closest to the current location acquired by the GPS receiver 111 (Tokyo International GC in this example) is automatically displayed as a candidate for selection. It is also possible to search for and select a golf course manually. User U uses the operation button 140 to determine the golf course and the OUT / IN course to play. In addition, weather and wind information can be optionally entered using the weather information input menu and wind information input menu by operating the operation button. The golf course information, weather, and wind information set through these operations are recorded in the header section of the data file.

[0060] Once the golf course selection is complete, the "Start Playing" menu is added to the initial screen of the golf course mode and displayed on the display unit 130, as shown in Figure 6(c). When "Start Playing" is selected, the system recognizes this as a play start operation and starts the navigation and automatic recording functions. User U performs this operation before starting play.

[0061] After play begins, the navigation function displays the navigation screen shown in Figure 6(d) on the display unit 130. The navigation screen displays the battery level, time, current operating mode, as well as the hole number of the current hole, par score, current score, and distance to objects (green edge, cup, hazard, etc.). A "End Play" menu is also displayed as selectable. Hole identification is performed based on location information acquired by the GPS receiver 111 and golf course information. Specifically, movement from the green to the teeing ground is used as a trigger to recognize the end of play on a certain hole and the start of play on the next hole. The current score is automatically obtained by detecting the ball shot using the ball shot detection process described later and counting the score for each hole. By looking at the navigation screen, user U can check information about the hole being played and their score. The control unit 115 periodically acquires location information from the GPS receiver 111 and updates the display information on the navigation screen according to the acquired location information.

[0062] Additionally, the automatic recording function starts after play begins. The automatic recording function adds a ball-hit record to the data file each time a ball is detected through the ball-hit detection process. The ball-hit record includes the hole number of the current hole, the number of strokes, and the location information, acceleration data, and audio data associated with the ball's detection.

[0063] To detect irregularly occurring batted balls and record acceleration and audio data, the control unit 115 uses flash memory 117a and RAM 117b to perform the following recording control. First, in order to wait for a batted ball to occur, acceleration data and audio data for a certain period of time (for example, 15 seconds) are stored in RAM 117b. After the data for that period of time has been stored, older data is overwritten so that the latest data for that period of time remains. Then, when a batted ball is detected by the batted ball detection process, the data for that period of time stored in RAM 117b is written to flash memory 117a as acceleration data and audio data that constitute the batted ball record in the data file, corresponding to the time the batted ball was detected, and stored there. At this time, the data for that period of time written to flash memory 117a includes the time the batted ball was detected, for example, data for 7.5 seconds before and after the time the batted ball was detected. By performing this control, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of data unrelated to the swing in flash memory 117a, thereby reducing the storage capacity. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lifespan of flash memory 117a from being shortened by repeated data rewriting. When storing data for a certain period of time in the flash memory 117a, an overwrite-prohibition attribute is added to the data to make it difficult to overwrite. This prevents accidental overwriting of data. Furthermore, the control unit 115 controls the system to store the location information output by the GPS receiver 111 when a ball is hit in the flash memory 117a, associating it with the time, and as location information that constitutes the ball hit record in the data file. In this embodiment, the GPS receiver 111 outputs location information every second.

[0064] As described above, acceleration data, audio data, and location information are each associated with a time and recorded as ball-hit records in the flash memory 117a as data files. This ensures that acceleration data, audio data, and location information are stored in a mutually corresponding manner via time. However, while location information is stored every second, acceleration data and audio data are stored when ball-hits are detected, without synchronization with the storage of location information. Therefore, the time at which the location information is obtained may not match the time at which the acceleration data and audio data are recorded. In cases where the times of the recorded data do not match, the data with the closest timestamps are treated as corresponding.

[0065] In this way, the navigation function and automatic recording function are continuously performed during play. Then, based on the location information output by the GPS receiver 111, when the system recognizes that the user has reached the green of the final hole and has left the green, the navigation function and automatic recording function are terminated, indicating that play has ended. Also, if the user selects and confirms the "End Play" menu by operating the operation button 140 after starting play, the navigation function and automatic recording function are terminated, indicating that play has ended. Finally, the initial screen of the golf course mode shown in Figure 6(a) is displayed on the display unit 130.

[0066] (Practice Range Mode) When the practice range mode is selected on the mode switching screen shown in Figure 5(b), the operating mode is switched to practice range mode. In practice range mode, the system is controlled to store position information, acceleration data, and audio data during practice in the memory unit 117 in association with time. In practice range mode, acceleration data is sampled at a higher sampling frequency (e.g., 100Hz) than in golf course mode (e.g., 30Hz), and acceleration data that allows for detailed analysis of the swing is recorded.

[0067] When the practice field mode is selected, the initial screen for the practice field mode shown in Figure 7(a) is displayed on the display unit 130. The initial screen for the practice field mode displays the practice field information input menu, weather information input menu, wind information input menu, mode switching menu, and practice start menu. By operating the operation buttons, the user can optionally input the practice field name, weather, and wind information using the practice field information input menu, weather information input menu, and wind information input menu. This input information is recorded in the header section of the data file. When the user U operates the operation button 140 and selects the practice start menu, the recording of location information, acceleration data, and audio data begins. Once the recording of practice begins, as shown in Figure 7(b), the display unit 130 displays the battery level, time, date, current operating mode, and the selectable practice end menu. The control unit 115 adds a ball hit record to the data file and records location information, acceleration data, and audio data each time a ball hit is detected, until the practice end menu is selected. When the user selects the "end practice" menu by operating the operation button 140, the system recognizes that practice has ended, terminates recording, and displays the initial screen of the golf course mode shown in Figure 7(a) on the display unit 130.

[0068] The data recorded in the golf course mode and practice range mode described above can be visualized on the playback device 20, as described later, to help review play and practice.

[0069] The counting of the number of shots and the storage of data in the flash memory 117a are performed when a shot is detected, as described above. Generally, a golf swing consists of a series of actions: address, backswing, downswing, impact, and follow-through. The recording device 10 detects a shot when it determines that one or more of these actions have occurred, based on the acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112.

[0070] (Ball detection process) Figures 8(a) to 8(c) are graphs showing the changes in acceleration values ​​in the X, Y, and Z axes output by the acceleration sensor 112 during swinging, walking, and running, respectively. The sampling frequency when acquiring the data for each graph was 30 Hz, and the vertical axis in the graph represents the acceleration value (G value), while the horizontal axis represents the number of samples. Figure 8(a) also clearly indicates the parts corresponding to the address, take-back, and downswing to follow-through (simply labeled "swing" in the graph). As shown in these graphs, the inventors found that there is a tendency for extremely large acceleration to occur from the downswing to the follow-through compared to walking and running. In particular, the inventors found that the amplitude of acceleration tends to be smaller at address compared to walking and running, and that while the acceleration from the downswing to the follow-through varies depending on individual differences, swing strength, club number, etc., there is less variation in acceleration at address and take-back. Based on these trends, the control unit 115 recognizes that an address has been entered when the absolute value of the acceleration in each axial direction remains below a first threshold (e.g., 2G) for a certain period of time (e.g., 1 second) or longer, and recognizes that a downswing to follow-through has occurred immediately afterward (e.g., within 3 seconds) when the absolute value of the acceleration in each axial direction exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., 4G). By determining the swing based on the combination of address and the downswing to follow-through in this way, the accuracy of swing detection can be improved.

[0071] The recording device 10 performs the above-described ball detection process and executes various processes in response to the detection of a ball.

[0072] [Regeneration device of the first embodiment] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the playback device 20. In this embodiment, a general-purpose personal computer is used as the playback device 20. The playback device 20 includes a control unit 210 that controls other components within the playback device 20, a storage unit 220 that stores programs executed by the control unit 210 and data acquired from the recording device 10, an audio playback unit 230 for playing back audio data, an input / output interface 240 for sending and receiving data and commands to and from external devices, a display unit 250, and a keyboard 261 and mouse 262 as input means.

[0073] The storage unit 220 is a storage device such as a hard disk or SSD, and has a larger capacity than the storage unit 117 of the recording device 10. The storage unit 220 stores a program that defines the control performed by the control unit 210, data used in the program, golf course information including the location of the golf course and data about the course (for example, the course layout of each hole, the location of hazards on the course such as greens and bunkers), data files that store play scores and practice records, a scorebook which is a database that integrates and manages scores and practice records, and a swing comparison list which records swings to be compared.

[0074] The control unit 210 is equipped with a CPU, RAM and other memory, and various peripheral circuits, and executes the program recorded in the storage unit 220 to perform the various processes described below and realize various functions.

[0075] The audio playback unit 230 consists of a DA converter, a speaker, etc., and plays back audio data stored in the storage unit 220 under the control of the control unit 210. The input / output interface 240 is for connecting and communicating with various external devices by wired or wireless means, and is equipped with at least a USB terminal for connecting to the miniUSB terminal 150 of the recording device 10 via a cable.

[0076] The following describes how user U uses the playback application program executed on the playback device 20 to review gameplay records, referring to an example of the screen displayed on the display 250. The display on the display 250 is based on the control performed by the control unit 210. In the following description, processes that are not explicitly identified as being controlled by the control unit 210, including the display control of the display 250, are controlled by the control unit 210.

[0077] (Importing scores) The playback application program manages scores and practice records recorded on an actual golf course in a database called a scorebook. When the data files stored in the flash memory 117a of the recording device 10 are imported into the playback device and the scores and practice records are registered in the scorebook, the scores and practice records recorded by the recording device 10 can be displayed in the playback application program of the playback device 20.

[0078] To import data files stored in the flash memory 117a of the recording device 10 into the playback device 20, the input / output interface 240 of the playback device 20 and the miniUSB terminal 150 of the recording device 10 are connected with a USB cable. Then, with this connection, the data files are imported using a data acquisition application and stored in a predetermined score storage area within the storage unit 220.

[0079] Next, the scores and practice records recorded in the imported data file are registered in the scorebook using the following procedure so that they can be displayed in the playback application program. First, the playback application program is launched based on the user U's startup operation. The playback application program processes the data and displays the scorebook screen shown in Figure 10. The scorebook screen includes a registration list area R1 that displays a list of scores and practice records already registered in the scorebook, and a sidebar area R2 that displays operation buttons and score reports. The sidebar area R2 is an area for displaying the interface for operation and score reports that summarize statistical values ​​and trends of scores already registered in the scorebook. The sidebar area R2 includes a registration button B1 for registering new scores and practice records and a swing comparison button B2 for comparing swings.

[0080] The registration list area R1 on the scorebook screen displays a list of previously registered scores and practice records. Scores and practice records can be sorted by registration order, round order, score order, and course name order, based on user U's selection. The scores displayed in the registration list area R1 include the total score, golf course name, round date, weather, and wind information. The practice records displayed in the registration list area R1 include an icon to distinguish them from scores, the name of the practice range, round date, weather, and wind information. Each score in the list has a score viewing button B3, and each practice record has a practice result viewing button B4. Clicking the score viewing button B3 displays a scorecard screen for viewing and editing score details. Clicking the practice result viewing button B4 displays a practice results screen for viewing acceleration data recorded at the practice range. In this way, it is good practice to display scores recorded on actual golf courses and practice records together in a single list, and to display them in a way that makes them distinguishable from practice records.

[0081] When the registration button B1 on the scorebook screen is clicked, a file selection screen is displayed, allowing user U to select a data file stored in the score storage area. When user U selects a data file, the scores and practice records recorded in the selected data file are newly registered in the scorebook, and the contents recorded in the header and batting records of the selected data file are displayed on the scorebook screen.

[0082] (Displaying the score) Figure 11 shows an example of the scorecard screen displayed when the score viewing button B3 on the scorebook screen is clicked. The information displayed on the scorecard screen is read from the score data file corresponding to the score corresponding to the clicked score viewing button B3. The scorecard screen includes an overview area R3 and a hole list area R4. The overview area R3 and the hole list area R4 are displayed overlaid on the registration list area R1 on the scorebook screen. The scorebook tab T1 and scorecard tab T2 are displayed at the top of the overview area R3. The scorebook tab T1 is displayed in a different color from the background of the overview area R3, while the scorecard tab T2 is displayed in the same color as the background of the overview area R3. This makes it easy for user U to recognize that the scorecard screen is being displayed. When the scorebook tab T1 is clicked, the user returns from the scorecard screen to the scorebook screen. The overview area R3 displays the total score, golf course name, round date, weather, and wind information. The hole list area displays the par for each hole, the score (i.e., the total number of strokes for that hole), the number of putts, a memo that can be edited by the user U, and a track information display icon B5. The number of putts is displayed in parentheses below the score. The track information display icon B5 displays a thumbnail image of the course map for that hole. As shown in Figure 11, the scorecard screen includes an overview area R3, a hole list area R4, and a sidebar area R2 similar to that in the scorebook screen.

[0083] When the trajectory information display icon B5 is clicked, as shown in Figure 12, the course map area R5 is displayed superimposed on the sidebar area R2 to the right of the overview area R3 and the hole list area R4, and the acceleration data area R6 is displayed below the hole list area R4. The course map area R5 displays the course map of the hole, along with the recorded shot positions and straight lines connecting the shot positions in order of shots. Shot positions are displayed, for example, by drawing a leader line from the shot position on the score map and displaying the number of shots adjacent to the end of that leader line. In this way, user U can understand the shot positions along with the golf course layout, making it easy to review their play.

[0084] In the acceleration data area R6, waveforms showing the temporal changes in acceleration data corresponding to each ball hit position are displayed from left to right, starting with the first shot. In this example, the value used to show the temporal changes in acceleration data is the sum of the absolute differences in acceleration values ​​between each axis of the acceleration sensor (|XY|+|YZ|+|ZX|). With this configuration, user U can visually see the waveforms showing the temporal changes in acceleration data along with the ball hit position, making it easier to recall the details of individual swings when reviewing play. By analyzing the temporal changes in acceleration data, information about the content of the swing, such as swing speed, rhythm, and the time spent at the top of the swing, such as the quality of impact, including clean hits, duffs, and tops, can be obtained. Furthermore, the waveforms of the acceleration data can be used as a basis for judging whether the displayed ball hit position is correct or not. Also, by displaying the waveforms side by side, it becomes easier to review play while comparing multiple swings. Each waveform is displayed with a gap between them. In this way, user U can easily distinguish and visually identify the waveforms for each swing. Above each waveform display, a number indicating the number of hits and a checkbox BX1 for selecting the waveform to be compared with in the swing comparison function described later are displayed. Below each waveform, a delete button B6 is displayed for deleting a hit, and to the left and right of each waveform, an add button B7 is displayed for adding a hit. At the lower right corner of the acceleration data area R6, a register button B8 is displayed for recording the modified score and hit position (after additions, deletions, etc.) in the data file.

[0085] The ball trajectory displayed in the course map area R5 and the waveform of the acceleration data recorded at that trajectory are associated and displayed with a common number corresponding to the number of hits. Furthermore, when one of the waveforms displayed in the acceleration data area R6 is clicked, the ball trajectory corresponding to that acceleration data is displayed in the course map area R5 in a more prominent way than the other ball trajectory locations (for example, in bold and underlined, as shown in Figure 13). In this way, user U can visually see the waveform showing the temporal change of acceleration data and quickly find the position information corresponding to the part specified by clicking. Conversely, when one of the ball trajectory displays in the course map area R5 is clicked, the waveform of the acceleration data corresponding to that trajectory location is displayed in the acceleration data area R6 in a more prominent way than the other waveforms (for example, surrounded by a thick border, as shown in Figure 13). In this way, user U can quickly visually see the acceleration data at the specified ball trajectory location, making it easier to review the swing. Furthermore, in a configuration where estimated batted ball positions can be individually invalidated, users can quickly identify waveforms corresponding to candidate batted ball positions, thereby reducing the time required for decision-making.

[0086] Furthermore, when the waveform of the acceleration data or the display of the ball's trajectory is clicked, the corresponding audio data is played back and output by the audio playback unit 230. With this configuration, user U can not only see the waveform of the acceleration data during the swing but also hear the sound of the swing, making it even easier to review the swing. In addition, the presence or absence of a sound of the ball being hit can improve the accuracy of determining whether or not the ball was hit in the correct position.

[0087] Here, Figure 12 shows an example of the state before editing and correcting the data acquired from the recording device 10. The data recorded by the recording device 10 includes location information of the place where the batted ball was detected by the batted ball detection function described above, recorded as the batted ball position. In the recording device 10, there is a possibility of errors in batted ball detection, and it may occur that unnecessary batted ball positions are recorded or necessary batted ball positions are not recorded. For this reason, even if the data acquired from the recording device 10 is used as is and displayed, the displayed score may not necessarily be accurate. Therefore, the playback device 20 allows the score and batted ball positions to be corrected by manipulating the course map area R5 and the acceleration data area R6.

[0088] In the example shown in Figure 12, the score for the 2nd hole is 4, and the number of putts is 0. This means that the data recorded by the recording device 10 counted a total of 4 strokes for the 2nd hole, but none of the putts were counted. Below, we will explain using an example of how to correct the data recorded by the recording device 10 to match the actual score recorded on the paper scorecard during play, which was a total of 5 strokes and 2 putts.

[0089] First, in the example shown in Figure 12, the 3rd and 4th shots are hit at the same location. This 3rd shot is a practice swing that was mistakenly detected as a hit, so this shot is deleted. If it is unclear whether the 3rd or 4th shot is a practice swing, the audio associated with the 3rd and 4th shots should be played separately, and the one that produces a hit sound should be kept as the hit, while the other is deleted. In this case, user U clicks the delete button B6 located below the acceleration data of the 3rd shot displayed in the acceleration data area R6. When the click operation of the delete button B6 is detected, the 3rd shot is deleted. After deleting the 3rd shot, the original 4th shot is moved up to the 3rd shot and displayed as shown in Figure 14.

[0090] Next, after the third shot in Figure 14, we add the fourth and fifth shots, which are putts. To add a shot, in the acceleration data area R6, where the acceleration data is displayed from left to right starting with the first shot, click the add button B7 at the position where the shot should be added. To add a shot after the third shot, click the add button B7 displayed to the right of the acceleration data for the third shot. Once this operation is recognized, the fourth shot is added to the acceleration data area R6, as shown in Figure 15. At this stage, since there is no waveform or position information for the added fourth shot, the acceleration data area R6 displays the shot position registration button B9 instead of the waveform. Next, to register the shot position for the added fourth shot, click the shot position registration button B9. Once this operation is recognized, the system waits for the user to specify the shot position. In this state, the user clicks the position corresponding to the shot position of the fourth shot on the course map displayed in the course map area R5. Upon recognizing this operation, the clicked location is displayed in the course map area R5 as the position of the fourth shot, and the corresponding position information (e.g., latitude and longitude) within the course map is calculated. In the acceleration data area R6, the shot position registration button B9 is displayed instead of the waveform, and the shot position can be corrected by pressing this button and repeating the above operation.

[0091] The fifth shot is added in the same way as the fourth shot. After aligning the data with the actual play in this way, clicking the registration button B8 updates the data file with the corrected score and shot position. The scorecard screen also reflects the corrected score, displaying the results aligned with the play as shown in Figure 16.

[0092] Clicking the checkbox BX1 displayed above each waveform toggles between selected and deselected states. When the modifications shown in Figure 16 are completed, clicking the register button B8 records the modified scores and batted ball positions (including additions and deletions) into the data file corresponding to the currently displayed score. The swing comparison list is also updated according to the selection / deselection of checkbox BX1 when the register button B8 is clicked.

[0093] (Display of practice results) Figure 17 shows an example of the practice results screen displayed when the practice results viewing button B4 is clicked for practice records displayed in the registration list area R1 of the scorebook screen. The information displayed on the practice results screen is read and displayed from the practice results data file corresponding to the clicked practice results viewing button B4. On the practice results screen, waveforms showing the time change of acceleration data during a swing, recorded in the practice field mode of the recording device 10, are displayed in a list, and the registration button B10 is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. At this time, each waveform is displayed with a gap between them for ease of viewing. By displaying waveforms showing the time change of acceleration during a swing in this way, it becomes easy to compare the acceleration data during a swing recorded during practice, and it is possible to support the analysis of the swing during practice.

[0094] Above each waveform display, a number indicating the number of strokes and a checkbox BX2 for selecting the waveform to be compared in the swing comparison function described later are displayed. Clicking the checkbox BX2 toggles between selected and deselected states. Clicking the registration button B10 with the checkbox BX of the waveform to be compared selected updates the swing comparison list according to the selection / deselection of this checkbox BX2. In addition, a delete button B11 for deleting strokes is displayed below each waveform. When a click of the delete button B11 for a waveform is detected, that waveform is deleted.

[0095] (Swing comparison) When the swing comparison button B2 on the scorebook screen is clicked, the swing comparison screen shown in Figure 18 is displayed. The swing comparison screen displays the waveforms of multiple swings registered in the swing comparison list by selecting them using checkboxes (BX1, BX2) on the scorecard screen or practice results screen. Two methods of displaying the waveforms side by side or overlaid on top of each other are possible. The swing comparison screen has an information display area R7 on the left that displays information about the swing, a waveform display area R8 in the center that displays the waveform of the acceleration data, and a menu area R9 on the right that displays various menu buttons. The information display area R7 displays information about each swing registered in the swing comparison list (for example, date and time, golf course name or practice range name, hole, number of strokes, weather, wind, etc.). In addition, a scroll button B12 for moving the waveform in the horizontal axis (time axis) direction and a checkbox BX3 for selecting the waveforms to display overlaid are displayed below the various conditions. The menu area displays button B13 for selecting the comparison display method, button B14 for returning to the scorebook screen, and range change button B15 for changing the vertical axis of the displayed waveform.

[0096] Figure 18 shows an example of a swing comparison screen when the option to display side-by-side is selected. In the waveform display area R8 in the center of the screen, the waveforms of the swings registered in the swing comparison list are displayed vertically to the right of the information for each swing displayed in the information display area R7. The vertical and horizontal scales of the displayed waveforms are the same. This makes it easy to compare swings. User U can use the scroll button B12 or the range change button B15 to display multiple waveforms in a way that makes comparison easier. In addition, to compare waveforms overlaid on top of each other, click the checkbox BX3 corresponding to that waveform in the information display area to select it.

[0097] Figure 19 shows an example of a swing comparison screen when overlaying is selected. The waveform display area R8 in the center of the screen displays the waveform of the swing whose checkbox in the information display area R7 is selected, within the same drawing area. The vertical and horizontal axis scales of the overlaid waveforms are common. This makes it possible to compare the selected swings in more detail. The number of waveforms displayed overlaid can be increased or decreased by clicking the checkbox BX3 in the information display area R7 to switch the selection state. User U can use the scroll button B12 and the range change button B15 to display multiple waveforms in a way that makes comparison easier.

[0098] This comparative display allows user U to compare selected waveforms in detail, making it easier to review and analyze swings. For example, it becomes possible to compare shots with different distances using the same club, or to compare swings that resulted in the intended shot with those that seemed to miss the target. In addition, it is possible to compare swings under various conditions, such as on artificial turf (e.g., a driving range) versus natural grass (e.g., a golf course), on a slope versus flat ground, or with data from different days. Furthermore, the quality of the swing, such as duffs, divots, and clean hits, can be compared and analyzed by analyzing the waveform of the acceleration data.

[0099] According to the playback device 20 described above, with a display similar to that of a personal computer, user U can associate and recognize the recorded acceleration data and position information from the swing after the game, making it easier to review the game. However, displaying the position information and acceleration data in association with each other on the display unit 130 included in the recording device 10 is undesirable as it tends to interfere with the game.

[0100] [Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to the first embodiment, user U records data by wearing the recording device 10 while playing golf, and the data recorded by the recording device 10 is imported into the playback device 20 for display and playback. Below, the recording device 10 and playback device 20 in the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0101] [Recording device of the second embodiment] The appearance and configuration of the recording device 10 in the second embodiment are the same as those of the recording device 10 in the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 4, except for the configuration of the storage unit 117 and the control for storing data in the storage unit 117, which will be described below.

[0102] In the recording device 10 of the second embodiment, the control unit 115 controls the storage unit 117 to continuously store the position information output by the GPS receiver 111, the acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112, and the audio data output by the audio acquisition unit 113 from the start to the end of play, regardless of whether or not a ball has been detected by the acceleration data. The storage unit 117 needs to have sufficient capacity to store all the data from the start to the end of play, but it does not need to be configured with a mix of RAM or the like that has a high number of rewrite cycles. Although the recording of each data is performed continuously regardless of ball detection, the stroke count for each hole, which is performed using the ball detection process, is performed in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0103] The data file stored in the memory unit 117 as a record of play includes header information and hole records. The header information includes information such as the golf course name, round date and time, weather, and wind. The hole records include a number of records corresponding to the number of holes. Each hole record includes the score obtained by counting the number of strokes detected by the ball-hit detection process for that hole, a series of location information output by the GPS receiver 111 during play on that hole, a series of acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 during play on that hole, and a series of audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 113 during play on that hole.

[0104] Furthermore, the data file stored as a record of practice includes header information and practice records. The header information includes information such as the name of the practice field, the date and time of practice, the weather, and the wind. The practice records include a series of location information output by the GPS receiver 111 during practice, a series of acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 during practice, and a series of audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 113 during practice.

[0105] The following describes the control performed by the control unit 115 regarding the operation of the recording device 10 in golf course mode and practice range mode. Note that in the following description, processes where the primary entity is not explicitly stated are controlled by the control unit 115.

[0106] In golf course mode, data is stored in the storage unit 117 from the moment the operation to start play is recognized until the operation to end play is recognized, or until the player leaves the green of the final hole is recognized. At this time, the hole being played is determined based on the location information output by the GPS receiver 111 and the golf course information stored in the storage unit 117, and for each hole, a hole record including the score for that hole, a series of location information, a series of acceleration data, and a series of audio data is stored in the storage unit 117 as part of a data file.

[0107] In addition, in practice range mode, the practice record is stored in the storage unit 117 as part of the data file from the time the operation to start practice is recognized until the operation to end practice is recognized. In practice range mode, acceleration data is sampled at a higher sampling frequency (e.g., 100 Hz) than in golf course mode, and acceleration data that allows for detailed analysis of the swing is recorded. Increasing the sampling frequency of acceleration data increases the amount of data per unit time and shortens the recording time, but since practice time at the driving range is usually shorter than playing time at the golf course, sufficient recording time can be secured while recording detailed acceleration data.

[0108] As described above, by recording location information regardless of whether a ball is detected or not, location information during play on the golf course can be continuously recorded. If a ball is not detected, the recorded location information can be used to add or edit the ball's position. Furthermore, by recording acceleration data regardless of whether a ball is detected or not, even if the ball's position cannot be estimated by analyzing the acceleration data in the playback device of the second embodiment described later, the recorded acceleration data can be used to assist user U in manually adding or editing the ball's position. Additionally, by recording audio data regardless of whether a ball is detected or not, the recorded audio can be used to review situations and conversations other than when the ball was hit, or to add or edit the ball's position based on the audio if the ball cannot be detected due to inertia.

[0109] [Regeneration device of the second embodiment] The configuration of the playback device 20 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the playback device 20 in the first embodiment, except for the display and operation of the scorecard screen and practice record screen, which will be described below.

[0110] The method for importing data files stored in the recording device 10 into the playback device 20, and the method for registering scores and practice results are the same as in the first embodiment, so a description will be omitted. When the score viewing button B3 is clicked on the scorebook screen after registering the score, a scorecard screen is displayed for checking and editing the score details. Also, when the practice results viewing button B4 is clicked, a practice results screen is displayed for checking the acceleration data recorded at the practice field.

[0111] (Displaying the score) The scorecard screen of the second embodiment includes an overview area R3 and a hole list area R4, similar to the first embodiment. When the trajectory information display icon B5 displayed in the hole list area R4 is clicked, a course map area R5 is displayed to the right of the overview area R3 and the hole list area R4, as shown in Figure 20, and an acceleration data area R6 is displayed at the bottom. The initial score values ​​displayed in the overview area R3, hole list area R4, etc., are based on the scores of each hole recorded in the hole record of the data file.

[0112] In the course map area R5, along with the course map of the hole, a dashed line showing the progression of a series of positional information recorded in the hole record of the data file, the ball-hit position, and a straight line connecting the ball-hit positions in the order of the hits are displayed. In this embodiment, the data recorded by the recording device 10 is not recorded in a way that allows for the identification of the location where the ball was detected by the ball-hit detection function. Therefore, the control unit 210 of the playback device 20 estimates the ball-hit position as follows: First, it analyzes the acceleration data acquired from the recording device 10 to identify the change in acceleration when a swing occurs within the hole. Then, it records the time of the identified swing as the ball-hit time in the storage unit 220. If multiple swings are detected within a single hole, multiple ball-hit times are recorded. In addition, it identifies the positional information corresponding to the ball-hit time and estimates that position as the ball-hit position.

[0113] In the acceleration data area R6, a series of acceleration data included in the hole record for that hole is displayed as a waveform with the vertical axis representing the value based on the acceleration data and the horizontal axis representing time. In this embodiment, the recording device 10 records a series of acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor 112 during play on each hole, so only one waveform is displayed. This makes it easy to review the process of playing the course. At the top of the displayed waveform, a number indicating the number of strokes is displayed at the position corresponding to the estimated time when the ball was hit. At the bottom right of the waveform, an add button B16 for adding a shot, a delete button B17 for deleting a shot, and a register button B18 for recording the modified score and shot position (added or deleted) in the data file are displayed. Furthermore, when the waveform displayed in the acceleration data area R6 is clicked, the audio data recorded for that hole is played back from the time corresponding to the clicked position. This allows the user to listen to the audio recorded at the time corresponding to the clicked position.

[0114] When a click operation is detected at any point in the waveform of the acceleration data area R6, a vertical dashed line (hereinafter referred to as cursor C1) passing through the clicked position is displayed, as shown in Figure 21. Then, an icon IC is displayed on the course map displayed in the course map area R5 at the position output by the GPS receiver 111 at the time corresponding to cursor C1. This allows user U to easily confirm the position corresponding to a specified point in the waveform on the course map. When the left / right key on the keyboard is pressed, cursor C1 moves to the left or right according to the pressed key. The display position of the icon on the course map is updated in accordance with the movement of cursor C1.

[0115] Here, Figure 20 shows an example of the state before the control unit 210 of the playback device 20 analyzes the data acquired from the recording device 10 to estimate the batted ball position and edits / corrects it. In the analysis by the control unit 210, there is a possibility of errors in identifying the batted ball, and it may be possible that unnecessary batted ball positions are included or necessary batted ball positions are not identified. For this reason, even if the estimated batted ball position is used as is for display, the displayed score may not necessarily be accurate. Therefore, the playback device 20 allows the score and batted ball position to be corrected by manipulating the course map area R5 and the acceleration data area R6.

[0116] In the example shown in Figure 20, the score for the 2nd hole is 4, and the number of putts is 0. This means that the control unit 210 analyzed and estimated a total of 4 strokes for the 2nd hole, but did not estimate any putts. Below, we will explain using the example of correcting the data recorded by the recording device 10 to match the actual score of 5 strokes and 2 putts recorded on the paper scorecard during play.

[0117] First, in the example shown in Figure 20, the 3rd and 4th shots are hit at the same location. This 3rd shot is a practice swing that was mistakenly detected as a hit, so this shot is deleted. If it is unclear whether the 3rd or 4th shot is a practice swing, click near the 3rd and 4th shots on the waveform displayed in the acceleration data area R6 to play the audio recorded before and after the 3rd and 4th shots, respectively. Keep the one that produces a hit sound as the actual hit and delete the other. In this case, user U first clicks the delete button B17. Upon recognizing the click of the delete button B17, the system enters a state where it awaits the specification of which shot to delete. In this state, upon recognizing the click of the number for the 3rd shot displayed on the waveform in the acceleration data area, the system recognizes this as a specification to delete the 3rd shot and deletes it. After deleting the 3rd shot, the original 4th shot is moved up to the 3rd shot.

[0118] Next, after the corrected third shot, we add the fourth and fifth shots, which are putts. To add a shot, first click the add button B16, and then click the position on the waveform corresponding to the shot. When the click operation of the add button B16 is recognized, the system waits for the time at which the shot should be added. In this state, when the click operation at the location corresponding to the fourth shot on the waveform in the acceleration data area R6 is recognized, it is recognized that the addition of a shot at the time corresponding to the clicked position has been specified. Since the last shot before this specified time was the third shot, the shot to be added will be the fourth shot. In this example, no special processing is performed because there are no shots after the specified time, but if there are shots afterward, the number of subsequent shots will be increased by one each time. At the top of the waveform in the acceleration data area R6, a number indicating the number of shots will be displayed at the position corresponding to the corrected shot time. In addition, the position information associated with the specified time will be identified and displayed in the course map area R5 as the shot position of the added shot. The fifth shot will be added after the fourth shot using the same operation.

[0119] Furthermore, based on the golf course information stored in the memory unit 220, the system identifies the ball's position on the green and displays the number of strokes on the green as the number of putts. Subsequently, upon recognizing a click of the registration button B18, the system updates the data file with the corrected score and ball's position. In this way, the system displays results consistent with the play as shown in Figure 22.

[0120] (Display of practice results) Figure 23 shows an example of the practice results screen displayed when the practice results viewing button B4 is clicked for practice records displayed in the registration list area R1 of the scorebook screen. The practice results screen includes an overview display area R10 and a detailed display area R11. The overview display area R10 displays a waveform showing the time change of a series of acceleration data recorded in the practice field mode of the recording device 10. The overview display area R10 also displays a frame (hereinafter referred to as cursor C2) that encloses a part of the waveform. When a position within the waveform in the overview display area R10 is clicked, cursor C2 moves to the clicked position. The detailed display area R11 then displays an enlarged and detailed view of the waveform corresponding to the range enclosed by cursor C2 in the overview display area R10. In addition, the detailed display area R11 displays a button B19 to return to the scorebook screen, a scroll button B20 to move the waveform, and a range change button B21 to change the vertical axis of the waveform. User U can roughly specify the range of the waveform to be displayed in the detailed display area R11 by clicking on the waveform in the overview display area R10, and then use the scroll button B20 and range change button B21 to display the waveform in an easy-to-read format. In this way, it is possible to roughly grasp the time change of the swing acceleration recorded during practice, as well as to check the details, thereby supporting the analysis of the swing during practice. Furthermore, it is not just possible to analyze the swing, but to easily review the entire process of practice.

[0121] [Modification of the embodiment] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications, improvements, and the like are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0122] For example, in the above embodiment, an example of a mounting member for the recording device 10 was described as a band used to attach the recording device 10 to the wrist like a wristwatch. However, the mounting member can be anything that can be attached to a part that moves with the swing. For example, it could be a clip-shaped member that attaches by clamping onto a part of a glove or hat.

[0123] Furthermore, while the wrist was used as an example in the above embodiment to describe the "part that moves with the swing" to which the attachment member is attached, it is not limited to the wrist as long as it is a part that makes a fixed movement when swinging. For example, it could be the back of the hand, the head, the waist, etc. The wrist and the back of the hand are particularly preferred because the speed and amount of movement during the swing are greater than that of the vicinity of the shoulder, waist, head, etc., making it easier to detect inertial force.

[0124] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example where user U wears one recording device 10 on one wrist, the user may wear multiple devices on different body parts to detect and record the inertial forces of multiple body parts. In this case, it is preferable to detect and / or record the inertial forces of multiple body parts synchronously. It is also preferable to display the recorded inertial forces of multiple body parts as a graph showing the change over time on the playback device 20. By detecting and / or recording synchronously, it becomes possible to reliably identify the swing. Examples of multiple body parts include both wrists (or gloves worn on the hands), a hat, shoes, a belt, etc. For example, by attaching recording devices to the wrist and the brim of the hat and recording acceleration synchronously, it is possible to grasp the movement of the head during the swing and use this to correct the form.

[0125] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example where a GPS receiver is used as the location information detector, the location information detector is not limited to a GPS receiver; any device capable of determining a location within a golf course may be used.

[0126] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes the case where an acceleration sensor is used as the inertial sensor, the inertial sensor is not limited to this, as long as it is a sensor that can output the value of the inertial force associated with the swing, for example, a gyroscope sensor may also be used. It is preferable that the inertial sensor has two or more axes, and three axes are particularly preferable. The orientation of the three axes of the acceleration sensor is not limited to the orientation exemplified in the above embodiment. Changes in acceleration occur even when not swinging, such as when walking or running, but when swinging, all three axes react simultaneously, making it easy to distinguish between swings. It is particularly preferable to store the output value of the inertial sensor in the memory unit as a history of changes in a composite vector whose vector components are the output values ​​of multiple directions, and to identify the inertial force associated with the golf swing based on the pattern of changes in the composite vector. If the playback device enables three-dimensional display of the composite vector, it becomes even easier to determine whether or not the user has swung, and to obtain information such as the quality of the swing.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the axial direction of the acceleration sensor was set as shown in Figure 3, but the direction of the axis is not limited to this. When determining the take-back as in the "Second Example of Swing Detection and Ball Hit Detection," it is good to set the direction of each axis so that there are two axes that cross zero and reverse sign during the process from address to take-back, and it is good to set the direction of both axes so that the values ​​of those two axes are close to the values ​​at the time of take-back, and it is good to set the value of the other axis to be close to the value of the other two axes at the time of take-back.

[0128] In the first embodiment described above, the storage unit 117 is provided with a flash memory 117a that has a relatively small number of rewrite cycles but is easy to increase in capacity, and a RAM 117b that has a large number of rewrite cycles but is difficult to increase in capacity, and the case in which the RAM 117b is used as a temporary storage unit was described as an example, but the configuration of the storage unit 117 is not limited to this. For example, a storage medium with a large capacity and many rewrite cycles, such as an EEPROM, may be used as the storage unit 117, and a part of the area of ​​the storage medium may be used as a temporary storage unit.

[0129] The system may be configured to record additional information associated with each waveform (for example, notes, club number, golf course, hole, stroke number, swing quality (e.g., best shot, clean hit, duff, top, etc.), wind, weather, date, distance, etc.). It would be even better if this additional information were displayed on the playback device's scorecard screen or practice results screen. This would make it easier to review play and practice.

[0130] Furthermore, while the ball detection process in the above embodiment determined the swing based on a combination of the address position and the downswing to follow-through, the method of implementing the ball detection process is not limited to that described above.

[0131] One possible modification of the ball-hit detection process is to detect the swing by determining the acceleration during the backswing. While the acceleration tendencies at address vary considerably from player to player (for example, some players have a habit of stomping their feet and shaking during address), the variation in acceleration tendencies during the backswing is relatively small, so this can be used to improve the accuracy of swing detection.

[0132] As shown in Figure 8, the inventors have found that when the axial direction of the acceleration sensor 112 is set as described in the embodiment, all three-axis acceleration data become positive values ​​and tend to be close to each other during the backswing. This tendency is not observed during walking or running and is considered suitable for determining a swing. Based on this tendency, the control unit 115 calculates the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences in acceleration values ​​between each axis (|XY|+|YZ|+|ZX|), and recognizes that a backswing is occurring when the obtained value remains below a third threshold (e.g., 1G) for a certain period of time (e.g., 1 second) or longer.

[0133] The swing detection procedure involves estimating that a downswing followed by a follow-through occurred when the absolute value of the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., 4G), and then determining whether or not there was a backswing immediately before the downswing began. If there was no backswing, it is treated as not being a swing. If there was a backswing, it is further determined whether there was an address immediately before the backswing. If there was no address, it is treated as not being a swing, while if there was an address, it is treated as being a swing. In this way, the accuracy of swing detection can be increased by determining that a swing is occurring when the actions of address, backswing, downswing, and follow-through have occurred. After detecting the swing, the ball can be identified in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

[0134] When performing ball-hit detection processing using the first modified method, it is preferable to start recording acceleration data when an acceleration pattern corresponding to the address is detected. In this case, it is preferable to acquire the 3-axis acceleration data pattern at the time of address for each individual in advance, and configure the system to start recording when a pattern with a predetermined degree of agreement with that pattern is detected. The recording may end after a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) from the start of recording.

[0135] A second variation of the ball-hit detection process is to utilize the fact that the acceleration patterns of the three axes are relatively similar for each individual during the backswing, and to determine that a swing has occurred when this common backswing pattern is found for each person. For example, the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences in acceleration values ​​between each axis (|XY|+|YZ|+|ZX|) can be calculated, and a backswing can be recognized when the obtained value remains below a third threshold (e.g., 1G) for a certain period of time (e.g., 1 second) or longer.

[0136] In addition, regarding swing detection, patterns of acceleration changes may be pre-registered for each player for all or part of a series of movements including address, backswing, downswing, impact, and follow-through. When a movement matches a registered pattern (the three-axis values ​​and duration for each movement, or the waveform pattern) (for example, when the degree of match or correlation value is above a predetermined threshold), it may be determined that the movement corresponding to the registration has been performed.

[0137] Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the system so that multiple methods for detecting batted balls (for example, the above embodiment, the first and second modifications, etc.) can be selected from a menu screen, and the system can be configured to perform batted ball detection using the selected method.

[0138] Furthermore, the swings detected based on acceleration data by the above embodiments and the first and second modified methods may include those that do not actually involve hitting a ball, such as practice swings. It is preferable that the control unit 115 of the recording device 10 further processes these swings that do not actually involve hitting a ball to exclude them from ball estimation using audio data, position information, etc. For example, the control unit 115 may analyze the audio data acquired by the audio acquisition unit 113 for a time range that includes the timing when the swing was recognized, and recognize that a ball has been hit if the sound of a ball being hit is recorded.

[0139] Furthermore, taking advantage of the golf etiquette that one should not make noise immediately before hitting the ball, it may be assumed that a swing is imminent if the audio data is below a predetermined volume. Also, since user U is stationary during a swing, if the change in position information is large, it may be acceptable not to determine that a swing has occurred even if acceleration corresponding to a swing is detected. Note that even when stationary, the output position information may fluctuate due to GPS errors, etc. Therefore, when determining whether or not the user is stationary, it is best to determine that the user is stationary if the position is within a range that would not be noticeable when the course map is displayed on the playback device 20.

[0140] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in order to make it easier to determine that all three-axis acceleration data are positive values ​​and that the values ​​of the three axes tend to be close to each other when determining the take-back motion during a swing, the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences in acceleration values ​​between the axes (|XY|+|YZ|+|ZX|) was calculated, and the criterion for determination was that this value remained below a threshold for a certain period of time or longer. However, the value used for determination is not limited to this, and any value may be used as an indicator that can sensitively detect when the values ​​of the three axes are similar.

[0141] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when determining the motion from the downswing to the follow-through during a swing, a value that emphasizes large accelerations can be obtained from the values ​​of the three-axis accelerations, and this value can be used to determine the swing. For example, the sum of the absolute values ​​of each of the three-axis accelerations (|X|+|Y|+|Z|) can be used as such a value. By emphasizing large accelerations, the swing can be determined (even during practice swings) in isolation from noise.

[0142] In the above embodiment, in order to suppress power consumption, the sampling frequency of the acceleration sensor 112 is lowered during the standby state until it is recognized that an address has been entered, and the sampling frequency is increased for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) once it is recognized that an address has been entered. The sampling frequency after it is recognized that an address has been entered may be different depending on the operating mode. Specifically, the sampling frequency in the standby state is set to 15Hz, and once it is recognized that an address has been entered, the sampling frequency is set to 30Hz in golf course mode and 100Hz in practice range mode. With such control, acceleration data can be recorded at the necessary sampling frequency in each mode while suppressing power consumption.

[0143] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which no ball-hit position registration operation is performed during play on the golf course, it is also possible to manually register the current position output by the GPS receiver 111 as the ball-hit position by operating an operation button. In this case, the recording device 10 may be equipped with a speaker and a vibrator, and may be configured to prompt the user U to manually register the ball-hit position with sound or vibration when a swing or ball hit is detected.

[0144] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the method for detecting the ball's trajectory was such that the trajectory could only be determined at a point where a swing was detected based on acceleration data. However, the system may also be configured to consider points where there is no change corresponding to a swing in the acceleration data as candidates for the trajectory based on positional information and audio data. In the case of weak swings or putts, it may not be possible to detect a swing from the acceleration data. However, by utilizing the fact that players tend to stay in one place or that their voice tends to quiet down when hitting the ball, for example, the number of candidates for the trajectory can be increased.

[0145] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the recording device 10 does not record information regarding the position and time when the swing or batted ball is detected, but it may be configured to record one or both of these. In this way, the batted ball position can be displayed and reproduced without the playback device 20 having to analyze the acceleration data.

[0146] In the above embodiment, acceleration data was used to detect the occurrence of a swing and a ball hit. However, in addition to detecting the occurrence of a swing and a ball hit, the acceleration data may also be analyzed by a recording device or playback device to determine various information related to the swing (e.g., the quality of the swing, the club used, etc.). Furthermore, it is preferable to record and display the determined information in association with the acceleration data.

[0147] In the above embodiment, a personal computer was used as the playback device 20 as an example, but the playback device is not limited to a personal computer; it may also be a tablet, smartphone, or other device. Furthermore, instead of storing the data acquired from the recording device 10 in the storage unit 220 of the playback device 20, the device may be configured to store the data in an external device (for example, a so-called cloud) connected via a network such as the internet.

[0148] Furthermore, in the playback device of the above embodiment, the batted ball position was displayed in the course map area of ​​the scorecard screen using leader lines, but the method of displaying the batted ball position is not limited to this, and for example, an icon may be displayed at the batted ball position.

[0149] In the playback device of the above embodiment, the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences in acceleration values ​​between each axis of the acceleration sensor was displayed as a value indicating the temporal change in acceleration data. However, the value to be displayed as a waveform is not limited to this value. For example, the absolute value of an acceleration vector with the accelerations in the three axes as vector components may be calculated and this value may be displayed as a waveform. Furthermore, the temporal change in acceleration data may be displayed using a representation other than a waveform. For example, as shown in Figure 24, the temporal change in acceleration data may be displayed as the trajectory of a composite vector with the acceleration values ​​in the three axes as vector components. Figure 24 displays five swings superimposed three-dimensionally on a single graph. While this superimposed display allows for comparison of multiple swings, it can be difficult to read. Therefore, it is particularly good to display them side by side without superimposing, as shown in Figures 12 and 17. It is also particularly good to display them as a two-dimensional graph, as shown in Figures 12 and 17.

[0150] In the playback device of the first embodiment described above, acceleration data to be displayed for comparison on the swing comparison screen is selected using checkboxes, but the operation of selecting the comparison target is not limited to this. For example, the device may be configured to register the waveform as a comparison target in the swing comparison list by dragging and dropping it to a predetermined position on the screen.

[0151] Furthermore, the playback device of the second embodiment described above may also be configured to enable swing comparison processing. For example, the acceleration data for one hole displayed in the acceleration data area of ​​the scorecard screen may be configured to save a specified range, for example, in units of 1 to 3 seconds, and the saved acceleration data may be compared in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0152] In the playback device of the second embodiment described above, the entire waveform for one hole is displayed, and the cursor C1 is displayed as a vertical dashed line passing through the clicked position in the waveform. However, the waveform for one hole and the cursor may be displayed in other ways. For example, a range sufficient to display the waveform of one swing in detail within the waveform for one hole (e.g., 15 seconds) can be enlarged and displayed, and this enlarged range can be configured to be scrollable horizontally (in the time axis direction). In this way, the user U can visually confirm the details of the waveform during the swing. When a click operation is detected at any point in the displayed waveform, a frame surrounding the waveform for one second including the clicked position should be displayed as a cursor. The one-second time range enclosed by this cursor C1 corresponds to the data update cycle of the GPS receiver 111. Then, an icon IC is displayed at the position output by the GPS receiver 111 at the time corresponding to the cursor C1 on the course map displayed in the course map area R5. This allows the user U to easily confirm the position corresponding to a specified point in the waveform on the course map. When the left / right arrow keys on the keyboard are pressed, the cursor C1 should move left or right in one-second increments (i.e., in units corresponding to the position information update cycle by the GPS receiver 111), and the display position of the icon on the course map should be updated in accordance with the movement of the cursor C1.

[0153] Conventional devices can record scores (number of strokes), but require players to register the ball's position during play. However, during actual play, players often carry paper scorecards and primarily use them to record scores, and they frequently forget to register the ball's position due to their focus on the game, conversations with other players, and attention to their surroundings. Furthermore, players may register multiple times at the same location, or remember to register a forgotten location and then register it at a different location, resulting in unusable recorded data. Consequently, when reviewing score data later, only fragmented data remains, rendering it largely useless. Additionally, incomplete recording makes it difficult to recall details such as whether the ball went out of bounds, how far it traveled, or any mistakes made after the game. Players who make many mistakes, in particular, find it difficult to recall what they did on which hole, making it difficult to review, analyze, and reflect on their play afterward. This invention addresses, for example, the problems of conventional devices as described above.

[0154] Furthermore, in the playback device of the second embodiment described above, a graph display like that shown in Figure 25 may be displayed instead of, or in addition to, the graph displays shown in Figures 20 to 22. This graph is displayed by removing data other than the time domain in which a ball may be hit from the graphs in Figures 20 to 22 and expanding the time domain in which a ball may be hit. The user can easily determine whether or not a ball has been hit by visually checking whether this expanded waveform corresponds to the waveform of the series of movements during the swing shown in Figure 8.

[0155] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments above. The components of each embodiment described above may be arbitrarily selected and combined within the range of possible combinations. Furthermore, any component of each embodiment may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the means for solving the invention, or any component that embodies any component described in the means for solving the invention, within the range of possible combinations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0156] 10 Recording device 20 Playback device 110 cases 111 GPS receiver 112 Accelerometer 113 Voice acquisition unit 115 Control Unit 116 Batteries 117 Memory section 117a Flash Memory 117b RAM 120 Band Section 130 Display section 140 Operation Buttons 150 miniUSB terminals 210 Control Unit 220 Storage section 230 Audio playback unit 240 input / output interfaces 250 displays 261 keyboard 262 mice

Claims

1. A recording system for which a plurality of devices for detecting and / or recording inertial forces generated in moving parts of a user are attached to a plurality of parts of the user, Each of the aforementioned plurality of devices is equipped with an inertial sensor and a storage unit. A recording system for synchronously detecting and / or recording the inertial forces of the aforementioned multiple parts.

2. The plurality of parts include both wrists (or gloves worn on the hands), a hat, shoes, or a belt, The recording system according to claim 1.

3. The plurality of parts include the wrist and the brim of the hat, and the head movement during the swing is grasped based on the synchronously recorded inertial force, and the recording is made so that it can be used to correct the form. The recording system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The inertial forces of the recorded plurality of parts are displayed as a graph showing the change over time on a playback device. A recording system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A program for causing a computer to function as a recording system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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