Golf club head with external and internal ribs

Abstract

To provide a hollow golf club head comprising external and internal ribs.SOLUTION: There is provided a hollow golf club head 100 which comprises, when being arranged in a reference state: a striking wall 111; a sole part: a top part 160 comprising external and internal surfaces; a hosel 142 extending from a top part and defining a hosel axis; a plurality of external ribs 200 provided on the external surface of the top part, and extending in almost a front-back direction; and at least one internal rib 250 provided on the internal surface of the top part, and extending in almost the front-back direction, separated from the plurality of external ribs 200 by a distance 214 of 2 mm or greater when considered on a top view of a club head.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to the field of golf clubs, and more particularly to a hollow-type golf club head with external and internal ribs. [Background technology]

[0002] Hitting the ball farther is often considered one of the most difficult aspects of golf, and relatively small deviations in the orientation of the striking face at impact, due to their length associated with the distance traveled, can have a large effect on the effectiveness of the shot, whether on the fairway, in the rough, or outside the playing area. DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It is therefore the goal of club head manufacturers to reduce the tendency of the club head to pivot or twist during impact. One effective way to do so is to redistribute discretionary (i.e. non-structural) mass to increase the club head's moment of inertia ("MOI"), or, simply stated, to increase the club head's resistance to such twisting. In this approach, the MOI about a vertical axis passing through the club head's center of gravity ("Izz") is of primary importance. However, the club head's MOI about a heel-to-toe horizontal axis passing through said center of gravity ("Iyy") must also be considered, as well as the MOI about a front-to-back horizontal axis passing through said center of gravity ("Ixx").

[0004] Increasing the distance of balls hit with a driver is another goal of manufacturers, since the driver is intended to be the longest club in a golfer's bag. One way to do this is to lower the center of gravity of the club head. This increases the dynamic loft, or the loft of the club head at impact, and reduces spin, which may result in greater ball distance for a particular golfer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Thus, a hollow-type golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure may include, when oriented in a reference position, a striking wall, a sole portion, a top portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, a hosel extending from the top portion and defining a hosel axis, a plurality of external ribs disposed on the outer surface of the top portion, each of the external ribs extending generally in a front-to-rear direction, and at least one internal rib disposed on the inner surface of the top portion and extending generally in a front-to-rear direction, the at least one internal rib may be separated from the plurality of external ribs by a distance D1 of 2 mm or more when considered in a top view of the club head.

[0006] Furthermore, a hollow-type golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, when oriented in a standard position, may include a striking wall, a sole portion, an upper portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, a hosel extending from the upper portion and defining a hosel axis, a plurality of external ribs located on the outer surface of the upper portion, the plurality of external ribs extending generally in a front-to-rear direction and spaced apart from one another by a distance D2 of 8 mm or more, and at least one internal rib disposed on the inner surface of the upper portion and extending generally in a front-to-rear direction.

[0007] These and other features and advantages of golf club heads according to various aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent from a consideration of the following description, drawings, and appended claims.

[0008] The following description and drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

[0009] Also, for purposes of this application, any disclosed range is to be understood to include disclosure of all subranges thereof, for example, a range of 1 to 5 includes disclosure of at least 1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4, 1 to 5, 2 to 3, 2 to 4, 2 to 5, 3 to 4, 3 to 5, and 4 to 5.

[0010] Moreover, the endpoints of any disclosed ranges encompass not only the disclosure of those exact endpoints, but also disclosure of values ​​that are approximately or near those endpoints. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a top view of a golf club head in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. [Diagram 2] 2 shows another top view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 shows a heel side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013]

[13] Illustrated in Figure 1 is a golf club head 100 according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The club head 100 may be a hollow-type club head. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the club head 100 may be a wood-type club head, and more specifically, a driver. The club head 100 may generally be formed from metallic and / or non-metallic materials, such as any one or combination of aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, composite materials, polymeric materials, and any other suitable materials.

[0014]

[14] Unless otherwise indicated, all golf club head embodiments shown and described herein are assumed to be oriented in a reference position, and all aspects of such embodiments are described with respect to such reference position. As used herein, the term "reference position" refers to a club head position in which the hosel has a hosel axis disposed at a lie angle α of 60° relative to a horizontal imaginary ground plane, and the hosel axis lies within an imaginary vertical imaginary hosel plane that contains an imaginary horizontal line parallel to the striking face.

[0015]

[15] The club head 100 may include a front portion 118 having a striking wall 111 including a striking face 112 for contacting a golf ball, and a rear portion 120. The striking face 112 may include a face center 114, which is a point on the striking face 112 that is equidistant both horizontally and vertically from the periphery of the striking face as described in the United States Golf Association's Procedures for Measuring Golf Club Head Flexibility (Revision 2.0, March 25, 2005), which describes the "face center" as identifiable using a template designated for such purpose. The striking face 112 includes a central apex 116 that is directly above the face center 114 and coincides with the periphery of the striking face closest to the top of the club head. The club head 100 may further include a toe portion 130, a heel portion 140, a sole portion 150, and a top or crown 160. The heel portion 140 may include a hosel 142 configured to receive and secure a golf club shaft (not shown). Hosel 142 has a hosel axis 144. Club head 100 may also include a center of gravity at location 170, which will be described in more detail below.

[0016]

[16] Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper portion 160 may also include a step-down portion 162 where the crown moves closer to the sole portion 150. This step-down portion 162 moves mass toward the sole portion 150, enhancing the structural integrity of the upper portion 160 without significantly adding mass. As shown in FIG. 3, the contour of the upper portion 160 may generally match the contour of the sole portion 150. For example, the contours of both the upper and sole portions preferably have a high degree of visual symmetry, and therefore mass symmetry. In addition to forming a visually pleasing integrated pattern, this matching contour has various advantages. For example, similar airflow characteristics above and below the club head 100 may result in greater stability and stiffness of the club head through the impact of a golf ball. Also, upon impact, vibrations emanating from a more symmetrical structure are believed to be more consistent, resulting in a crisper sound and feel. This degree of symmetry can be quantified in part by considering the entire moment of inertia matrix corresponding to the center of gravity of the club head. For all purposes herein, the x, y and z directions correspond to an imaginary Cartesian coordinate system with its origin coinciding with the club head's centre of gravity: the x-axis extends in the front-to-back direction, the y-axis extends in the heel-to-toe direction and the z-axis extends vertically. Given this environment, the club head can be considered to have moments of inertia Ixx, Iyy and Izz, which correspond to the moments of inertia about the respective axes x, y and z. However, the club head can also be considered to exhibit conventional inertia matrices including products of inertia Ixy, Iyx, Ixz, Izx, Iyz and Izy. These products of inertia exhibit a degree of mass symmetry about the planes to which they correspond. Thus, following the above, Ixy is 540 g cm 2 Less than or equal to 500 g cm 2 The upper portion 160 may also include at least one decal to add texture. Decals are often easier to apply than paint, which may require an exposed or recessed appearance of the club head.

[0017]

[17] The upper portion 160 may further include at least one external rib 200 on its outer surface. For example, the external rib 200 may include a central external rib 210, a toe-side external rib 220, and a heel-side external rib 230. The upper portion 160 may also include at least one internal rib on its inner surface. One such internal rib 250 is shown in phantom in FIG. 1 and also in FIG. 4, which is a cross-sectional view taken along a virtual vertical plane IV that extends in the front-to-back direction and intersects the face center 114 and the central external rib 210. However, there may be more internal ribs. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the central external rib 210 may extend in a direction parallel to the front-to-back direction of the club head, while the ribs 220 and 230 may converge in the front-to-back direction, preferably to a point at the rear of the club head 100. The angles 222 and 232 at which the ribs 220 and 230 may converge with respect to the front-to-back direction may be, for example, 15°, respectively. Moving the mass of the club head 100 rearward in this manner advantageously increases Izz, but may also decrease Ixx because the mass is primarily moved to the center.

[0018]

[18] The ribs 210, 220, and 230 are spaced apart from one another by a distance 212 or "D2". The distance 212 may be 8 mm or more, more preferably 10 mm or more, even more preferably 10 mm to 20 mm, and most preferably 12 mm to 18 mm. The distance 212 is preferred to help prevent "ghosting" problems resulting from the formation of the internal ribs 250. The ghosting is a slight deformation of the wall of the upper portion 160 that is visible due to the internal ribs 250 hardening during the manufacture of the club head. To prevent this coasting, a narrow abrasive belt is attached between the ribs 210, 220, and 230 to sand down the deformation of the wall caused by the hardening of the internal ribs 250. The width of the abrasive belt cannot be less than 5 mm to 6 mm in practice, so the above value of the distance 212 ensures that the belt width is equivalent to the minimum spacing between the outer ribs 210, 220, and 230.

[0019]

[19] 2 and 4, the external ribs 200, and in particular the central external rib 210, may be spaced a distance 216 or "D3" from the central apex 116 of the striking face 112. This distance 216 may preferably be 10 mm or more, more preferably 20 mm or more, and even more preferably 25 mm to 45 mm. This distance 216 between the external ribs 200 and the central apex 116 moves the external ribs rearward, thereby adding structural rigidity primarily to the rear portion 120. Moving the external ribs 200 rearward by the distance 216 also moves the mass of the club head 100 rearward, thereby increasing Izz.

[0020]

[20] The internal rib 250, which is primarily included to alter the sound of the club head upon impact with a golf ball, may preferably be spaced heel-to-toe from the external ribs 210, 220, and 230 by a distance 214 or "D1". This offset allows for the removal of ghosting that may have been created during the formation of the internal rib 250 by grinding as described above. The distance 214 may preferably be 2 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm to 8 mm, and even more preferably 4 mm to 6 mm. While it is possible to manufacture the club head 100 such that the internal and external ribs are not offset, this is not preferred. Doing so may result in complications in which the shape of the upper portion 160 must be designed to take into account the shrinkage of the external ribs 210, 220, and 230. The internal rib 250 may be longer in length than the external rib 200. As shown in FIG. 4, the rib 250 may extend from the upper portion 160 to the sole portion 150. The rib 250 may extend in the approximately front-rear direction up to the interface between the upper portion 160 and the striking wall 111 .

[0021] [twenty one] A larger driver usually increases the MOI, but may not be accepted by golfers. The larger size increases the complexity of vibration wave dispersion at impact and may require more complex stiffening structures, reducing discretionary mass and adversely affecting the "feel" of the club head. Thus, the volume of the club head 100 may be greater than 360cc, more preferably 375cc to 470cc, and more preferably less than 460cc. Even more preferably, the club head 100 may be relatively compact, for example, 400cc to 445cc, and most preferably 430cc to 445cc. Its mass may be preferably 175g to 210g, more preferably 185g to 205g, even more preferably 190g to 200g, and most preferably less than 200g. The depth 180 of the club head 100, from the forward-most extent to the rearward-most extent of the club head, may be less than 5.0 inches, more preferably 4.5-4.75 inches, and even more preferably 4.5-4.65 inches. Similarly, the width 182 of the club head 100, from the heel-most to the toe-most extent of the club head, may be less than 5.0 inches, more preferably 4.75-5.0 inches, and even more preferably 4.9-5.0 inches. Preferably, the width 182 of the club head 100 is greater than its depth 180, such that the ratio of the depth 180 to the width 182 may be 0.94 or less, more preferably 0.90-0.94, and even more preferably 0.93-0.94.

[0022] [twenty two] Despite its relatively compact shape, the golf club head 100 can nevertheless achieve a relatively high MOI, particularly Izz. This can be done in part by moving mass from the side of the heel portion 140 to shift the center of gravity 170 of the club head 100 in a toe direction a distance 172 or "D5" from the face center 114, as shown in FIG. 2. This distance 172 is at least 0.5 mm, more preferably at least 1 mm, and even more preferably at least 1.25 mm. The increased discretionary weight allowed by the relatively compact size of the club head 100 also allows the center of gravity 170 to be located deeper in the club head and closer to the sole portion 150 than would otherwise be the case. For example, the depth 174 or "D4" of the center of gravity 170 in a direction rearward of and perpendicular to the striking wall 111 may be 30 mm or greater, more preferably 35 mm or greater, even more preferably 35 mm to 50 mm, and even more preferably 40 mm to 50 mm. Relative to the club head depth 180, the depth 174 may be at least 30% of the depth 180, more preferably at least 35% of the depth 180, and even more preferably 35% to 40% of the depth 180. Also, the height 176 of the center of gravity 170 relative to the lowest point of the sole portion 150 in contact with the virtual ground plane 300 may be less than 30 mm, more preferably less than 28 mm, even more preferably 22 mm to 28 mm, and most preferably equal to or about 26 mm. While the Izz of the club head 100 may not approach the new height by itself, this placement of the center of gravity 170 ensures that it is greater than it would otherwise be, especially for the compact size of the club head 100. Thus, Izz is 4600 g·cm 2 More preferably, 4800g·cm 2 It may be more than that.

[0023] [twenty three] In the foregoing discussion, the present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be apparent, however, that various modifications and changes can be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings should be considered as merely illustrative of the present invention, rather than limiting the scope of the present invention in any way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 100 Golf Club Heads 111 Striking Wall 112 hitting face 116 Central Vertex 142 Hosel 144 Hosel axis 150 Sole 160 Top 200 External Rib 250 Internal Rib

Claims

1. A hollow-type golf club head, the hollow-type golf club head including, when oriented in a reference position, a striking wall, a sole portion, an upper portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a hosel extending from the upper portion and defining a hosel axis; a plurality of external ribs disposed on the outer surface of the upper portion, each of the plurality of external ribs extending generally in a front-to-rear direction; at least one internal rib disposed on the interior surface of the upper portion and extending generally in a front-to-rear direction; the at least one internal rib being spaced from the plurality of external ribs by a distance D1 of 2 mm or more when considered in a top view of the golf club head; the inner rib is longer in length than the outer rib; the at least one internal rib extends continuously from an interface between the upper portion and the striking wall through the upper portion to the sole portion; The external ribs include a central external rib, a toe side external rib, and a heel side external rib; The internal rib is disposed between the central external rib and the toe side external rib and is spaced from the central external rib and the toe side external rib by a distance of at least 2 mm. Golf club head.

2. 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the distance D1 is equal to or greater than 4 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external ribs converge rearwardly.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of external ribs includes at least three ribs.

5. 2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of external ribs are spaced apart from one another by a distance D2 of 10 mm or greater.

6. the striking wall further includes a striking face configured to strike a golf ball, the striking face including a face center and a central apex directly above the face center and coincident with a perimeter of the striking face closest to the top of the golf club head; 2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said plurality of external ribs are spaced rearwardly from said central apex a distance D3 of 10 mm or greater.

7. The golf club head further includes a center of gravity and a moment of inertia Izz about an imaginary vertical axis passing through the center of gravity, the Izz being 4600 g cm ２ 2. The golf club head according to claim 1.

8. 2. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a center of gravity, a front-to-rear length of the golf club head from the forward-most area to the rear-most area of ​​the golf club head, and a length D4 from the striking wall to the center of gravity measured in a direction perpendicular to the striking wall, the length D4 being 30% or more of the front-to-rear length of the golf club head.

9. 10. The golf club head of claim 1, having a volume of 360 cc or greater.

10. A hollow-type golf club head, when oriented in a reference position, A striking wall and A sole portion, an upper portion having an outer surface and an inner surface; a hosel extending from the top defining a hosel axis; a plurality of external ribs located on the outer surface of the upper portion, the plurality of external ribs extending generally in a front-to-rear direction and spaced apart from one another by a distance D2 of 8 mm or more; at least one internal rib disposed on the interior surface of the upper portion and extending generally in a front-to-rear direction; the inner rib is longer in length than the outer rib; the at least one internal rib extends continuously from an interface between the upper portion and the striking wall through the upper portion to the sole portion; The external ribs include a central external rib, a toe side external rib, and a heel side external rib; The internal rib is disposed between the central external rib and the toe side external rib and is spaced from the central external rib and the toe side external rib by a distance of at least 2 mm. Golf club head.

11. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the distance D2 is equal to or greater than 10 mm.

12. 11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the at least one internal rib is spaced from the plurality of external ribs by a distance D1 of 2 mm or greater when considered in a top view of the golf club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of external ribs converge rearwardly.

14. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of external ribs includes at least three ribs.

15. the striking wall further includes a striking face configured to strike a golf ball, the striking face including a face center and a central apex directly above the face center and coincident with a perimeter of the striking face closest to the top of the golf club head; 11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the plurality of external ribs are spaced rearwardly from the central apex a distance D3 of 10 mm or greater.

16. The golf club head further includes a center of gravity and a moment of inertia Izz about an imaginary vertical axis passing through the center of gravity, the Izz being 4600 g cm ２ The golf club head according to claim 10.

17. 11. The golf club head of claim 10, further comprising a center of gravity, a front-to-rear length of the golf club head from the forward-most extent to the rear-most extent of the golf club head, and a length D4 from the striking wall to the center of gravity measured in a direction perpendicular to the striking wall, the length D4 being 30% or more of the front-to-rear length of the golf club head.

18. The golf club head of claim 10 having a volume of 360 cc or greater.

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