Ball-hitting analysis device and ball-hitting analysis method

Abstract

In the ball-hitting analysis apparatus and method of the present invention, the determination control unit 103 uses left and right cameras to determine whether the ball is set in either a pre-defined left trigger area or a pre-defined right trigger area within the left detection area. The appearance determination control unit 104 uses an infrared sensor of the camera corresponding to the trigger area where the ball is set to determine whether an object appears in the detection area containing the trigger area. The disappearance determination control unit 105 uses an infrared sensor corresponding to the detection area to determine whether the ball disappears from the detection area. The reappearance determination control unit 106 uses an infrared sensor corresponding to a hit detection area adjacent to the detection area to determine whether the ball appears in the hit detection area. The signal transmission control unit 107 sends a trigger signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a ball-hitting analysis device and a ball-hitting analysis method. Prior Technology

[0002] In the past, various technologies have existed regarding analytical devices for analyzing the impact of golf clubs on objects such as golf balls. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-529339 (Patent Document 1) discloses a method for determining the parameters of a golf ball during motion. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-512660 (Patent Document 2) discloses a device for measuring the head of a golf club with a clubface. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-536064 (Patent Document 3) discloses a golf ball impact monitor used in conjunction with an alignment stick. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-071228 (Patent Document 4) discloses a method for calculating the trajectory of a photographed object. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-078069 (Patent Document 5) discloses a method for supporting the photographing of a golf swing. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-095019 (Patent Document 6) discloses a method for measuring the rotation of a ball. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-507426 (Patent Document 7) discloses a ball tracking system including a display, a sensor, a hit monitor, and a processor. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-520507 (Patent Document 8) discloses a method for measuring physical quantities related to a golf club. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-520681 (Patent Document 9) discloses a method for measuring ball rotation. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-548132 (Patent Document 10) discloses a method supporting virtual golf simulation.

[0003] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-66315 (Patent Document 11) discloses a method for scientifically measuring the club action that has a deep causal relationship with the ball's motion. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-153802 (Patent Document 12) discloses a golf club measuring device that reduces measurement errors and offers high convenience. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-52845 (Patent Document 13) discloses a measuring device that can more accurately measure the speed of both the club and the struck ball.

[0004] On the other hand, the applicant has filed and obtained rights to the inventions shown in the following patent documents. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-169950 (Patent Document 14) discloses a ball trajectory detection device and a ball trajectory detection method for detecting the trajectory of a ball. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-205074 (Patent Document 12) discloses a flight parameter measuring device and a flight parameter measuring method. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-071387 (Patent Document 13) discloses a ball tracking device and a ball tracking method. [Previous Technical Documents] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-529339 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-512660 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-536064 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-071228 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-078069 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-095019 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-507426 [Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-520507 [Patent Document 9] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-520681 [Patent Document 10] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-548132 [Patent Document 11] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-66315 [Patent Document 12] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-153802 [Patent Document 13] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-52845 [Patent Document 14] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-169950 [Patent Document 15] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-205074 [Patent Document 16] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-071387 Summary of the Invention

[0006] [The problem the invention aims to solve] In recent years, infrared sensors, cameras and other devices have become readily available, and with the help of these devices, it has begun to develop equipment that can perform high-precision analysis from the moment a player hits the ball until the ball's flight parameters are analyzed.

[0007] While infrared sensors can accurately detect the appearance of the cue stick and the disappearance of the ball at the moment of impact, they are sensitive to external noise and prone to false detections. On the other hand, cameras, with their wide field of view, can accurately capture the ball's position, but to capture the instant of impact, continuous filming is necessary after the ball is positioned. Furthermore, to properly capture the moment of impact, high-performance cameras capable of high-speed continuous filming are required, which increases costs. In addition, continuous filming requires a large amount of data; in reality, continuous filming is only needed at the instant of impact, but to capture that moment, the camera must continue filming even while the player is performing a backswing, resulting in inefficiency.

[0008] At this point, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1-12 and 15-16, which use cameras, suffer from the same problems as described above. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 14, which uses infrared sensors, also suffers from the same problems. Additionally, although Patent Document 13 uses a Doppler sensor, it also suffers from the same problem because the Doppler sensor needs to continuously monitor the scene during player practice.

[0009] Therefore, this invention is proposed to solve the aforementioned problems. By appropriately combining an infrared sensor and a camera, the analysis of the ball's flight parameters from its launch to its flight can be performed with high accuracy. The invention aims to provide a ball launch analysis device and a ball launch analysis method. [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0010] The ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention includes: left and right infrared sensors, left and right cameras, a setting judgment control unit, an appearance judgment control unit, a disappearance judgment control unit, a second appearance judgment control unit, a signal transmission control unit, a photography control unit, and a calculation control unit. The left and right infrared sensors are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device and respectively detect a left detection area and a right detection area, which are adjacent to each other but do not overlap. The left and right cameras are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device and respectively capture images of a left imaging area and a right imaging area including the left and right detection areas, which overlap. The setting judgment control unit uses the left and right cameras to determine whether a ball is disposed in one of a pre-defined left trigger area within the left detection area of ​​the left imaging area and a pre-defined right trigger area within the right detection area of ​​the right imaging area. The system includes a presence determination control unit, which determines that a ball is present in either the left or right trigger area when the presence determination control unit determines that an object has appeared in the trigger area containing the ball. A disappearance determination control unit, which determines that an object has appeared in the trigger area when the presence determination control unit determines that an object has appeared in the trigger area, uses the infrared sensor corresponding to the trigger area to determine whether the ball has disappeared from the trigger area. A subsequent presence determination control unit, which determines that the ball has disappeared from the trigger area when the disappearance determination control unit determines that the ball has disappeared from the trigger area, uses the infrared sensor corresponding to the adjacent ejection detection area to determine whether the ball has appeared in the ejection detection area. A signal transmission control unit, which sends a trigger signal when the subsequent presence determination control unit determines that the ball has appeared in the ejection detection area. A photography control unit, which, when the trigger signal is sent, uses the left and right cameras to continuously photograph the ball in the left and right photography areas. The control unit calculates the ball's flight parameters based on the continuous images of the ball captured by the cameras on the left and right.

[0011] Furthermore, the ball-hitting analysis method according to the present invention is a ball-hitting analysis method comprising a ball-hitting analysis device including left and right infrared sensors and left and right cameras. Each control step of the ball-hitting analysis method according to the present invention, such as a judgment control step, an appearance judgment control step, a disappearance judgment control step, a second appearance judgment control step, a signal transmission control step, a photography control step, and a calculation control step, corresponds to each control unit of the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention. [Comparison with the effectiveness of previous technologies]

[0012] According to the present invention, by appropriately combining an infrared sensor and a camera, it is possible to perform high-precision analysis from the moment the ball is hit until the analysis of the ball's flight parameters. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0013] [Fig. 1] is a schematic diagram showing an example of a player swinging in the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention (Fig. 1A), and a schematic diagram showing an example of a player swinging in the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention (Fig. 1B). [Figure 2] is a schematic diagram showing an example of the specific configuration of the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] is a functional block diagram showing the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] is a flowchart showing the execution flow of the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention. [Fig. 5] is a schematic diagram showing an example of the left and right cameras being activated in the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention (Fig. 5A), and an example of a specific ball-hitting image in the left-side and right-side images captured by the left and right cameras (Fig. 5B). [Figure 6] is a schematic diagram showing an example of a player placing the ball in the ball seat area in the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention (Figure 6A), and an example of a ball image entering the right trigger area in the right-side captured image (Figure 6B). [Figure 7] is a diagram showing an example of a conceptual diagram (Figure 7A) showing the relationship between the captured image of the pre-set ball hit prediction area and the camera coordinate system and the world coordinate system, and a schematic diagram (Figure 7B) showing an example of the ball hit analysis device according to the present invention entering the infrared detection state. [Figure 8] is a diagram showing an example of the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention before the cue stick appears in the right detection area (Figure 8A) and an example of the cue stick appearing in the right detection area (Figure 8B). [Figure 9] is a schematic diagram (Figure 9A) showing an example of a player making a backswing in the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention, and an example of the ball disappearing from the right detection area (Figure 9B). [Fig. 10] is a schematic diagram showing an example of the ball not flying in the firing direction in the ball firing analysis device according to the present invention (Fig. 10A), and an example of the ball flying in front of the firing direction (Fig. 10B). [Fig. 11] is a schematic diagram showing an example of continuous shooting in the ball hitting analysis device according to the present invention due to the transmission of a trigger signal (Fig. 11A), and an example of shooting the ball with the right camera at the first moment and shooting the ball with the left camera at the second moment (Fig. 11B). [Fig. 12] is an example of calculating the flight parameters from ball speed to lateral angle from ball images at two different times (Fig. 12A), and an example of calculating the flight parameters of anti-rotation and lateral rotation from ball images at two different times (Fig. 12B). [Fig. 13] is an example of capturing images at two different times with the same camera (Fig. 13A), and an example of using a ball to hit a prediction area, identifying the first ball image at the first time, and using the center coordinates of the ball at the set time point in the world coordinate system to calculate flight parameters (Fig. 13B). [Figure 14] is a diagram showing an example of the ball-hitting analysis device according to the present invention when displaying flight parameters and swing video. [Figure 15] is an example of an embodiment showing the image of the ball captured by the right camera at a first moment, the image of the ball captured by the left camera at a second moment, and the image captured when the ball hits the prediction area at a set time point. [Figure 16] is an example of an embodiment in which images of the sphere are captured by the left and right cameras at a set time, by the right camera at a first time, and by the left camera at a second time. Implementation

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the invention. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples to embody the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1A, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 according to the present invention is mounted on a flat hitting mat S. When the power is turned on, the left and right infrared sensors and the left and right cameras are activated to form their respective areas Z (detection area and imaging area). When the player P (user) places a ball B (e.g., a golf ball) in area Z, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 determines whether the ball B is placed in a pre-set trigger area in area Z.

[0016] Next, when ball B is set in the trigger area, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 will display a message indicating preparation is complete (e.g., "READY") on the display D (display unit), or display the ball image of ball B captured by the left and right cameras.

[0017] Then, as shown in Figure 1B, when player P hits ball B with cue stick C, ball hitting analysis device 1 detects the area Z from the appearance of cue stick C to the disappearance of ball B, and sends a trigger signal indicating that ball B has been hit.

[0018] In addition, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 analyzes the ball images of ball B captured by the left and right cameras based on the transmission of the trigger signal, calculates the flight parameters of ball B (such as flight distance, ball speed, takeoff angle, side angle, back spin, side spin, etc.), and displays the calculated flight parameters on the display D.

[0019] The following describes the specific configuration of the ball-hitting analysis device 1. First, as shown in Figure 2, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 includes left and right infrared sensors (left infrared sensor 10a and right infrared sensor 10b) and left and right cameras (left camera 11a and right camera 11b).

[0020] Here, the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the ball-hitting analysis device 1, and can detect the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b respectively. The left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b are adjacent to each other and do not overlap. As shown in Figure 2, the left infrared sensor 10a is disposed on the lower left side of the ball-hitting analysis device 1, and the right infrared sensor 10b is disposed on the lower right side of the ball-hitting analysis device 1. The left detection area Z10a of the left infrared sensor 10a and the right detection area Z10b of the right infrared sensor 10b are configured with a predetermined shape (e.g., rectangle) and are adjacent to each other without overlapping. The left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b detect the appearance of ball B, the appearance of stick C (object), and the disappearance of ball B in either the left detection area Z10a or the right detection area Z10b based on the change in the intensity of reflected light in the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b.

[0021] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b. For example, as shown in FIG2, rectangular slits can be provided on the left and right sides of the ball-hitting analysis device 1, and LEDs (light-emitting elements) using infrared light sources can be provided inside each slit. The infrared light irradiated by the LEDs passes through these slits, thereby forming the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b into the aforementioned predetermined shape (e.g., a rectangle). In this way, by providing slits on the left and right sides, the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b are formed into a predetermined shape as a whole, and the detection area Z is formed on the hitting mat S.

[0022] Furthermore, the widths of the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b in the direction of impact can be set as needed. For example, when ball B is placed in the left detection area Z10a or the right detection area Z10b, the dimensions of the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b can be set in such a way that ball B exists only in one of the left detection area Z10a or the right detection area Z10b.

[0023] Furthermore, a hole is provided directly below the left and right slits of the ball-firing analysis device 1, and a photodiode (light-receiving element) is installed inside the hole to receive infrared reflected light, so as to detect the intensity of reflected light in the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b. When ball B is placed in either the left detection area Z10a or the right detection area Z10b, the ball-firing analysis device 1 enters the infrared detection state, and the photodiode detects the intensity of reflected light in the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b through the hole.

[0024] Furthermore, the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b are respectively positioned on the left and right sides of the ball ejection analysis device 1. The left camera 11a is positioned on the upper left side of the ball ejection analysis device 1, and the right camera 11b is positioned on the upper right side of the ball ejection analysis device 1. The left camera 11a and the right camera 11b can respectively capture the left imaging area Z11a and the right imaging area Z11b, which contain the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b, and the left imaging area Z11a and the right imaging area Z11b overlap with each other. Since the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b have a certain field of view, the left imaging area Z11a of the left camera 11a contains the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b, and the right imaging area Z11b of the right camera 11b contains the left detection area Z10a and the right detection area Z10b. For example, the field of view angles of the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b are triangular in shape. Therefore, the left imaging region Z11a of the left camera 11a and the right imaging region Z11b of the right camera 11b together contain the left detection region Z10a and the right detection region Z10b, and they partially overlap.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, when player P hits ball B from right to left relative to the ball-hitting analysis device 1, the area in front of the hitting direction of the batter's seat S is the left side, and the area behind the hitting direction of the batter's seat S is the right side. In this case, the left infrared sensor 10a and the left camera 11a will detect and capture player P's hitting action first, while the right infrared sensor 10b and the right camera 11b will detect and capture it subsequently. On the other hand, when player P hits ball B from left to right relative to the ball-hitting analysis device 1, the area in front of the hitting direction of the batter's seat S is the right side, and the area behind the hitting direction of the batter's seat S is the left side. In this case, the right infrared sensor 10b and the right camera 11b will detect and capture player P's hitting action first, while the left infrared sensor 10a and the left camera 11a will detect and capture it subsequently.

[0026] Furthermore, in the left imaging area Z11a of the left camera 11a, a left trigger area Ta is pre-set within the left detection area Z10a of the corresponding left infrared sensor 10a for the ball B to be positioned. In the right imaging area Z11b of the right camera 11b, a right trigger area Tb is pre-set within the right detection area Z10b of the corresponding right infrared sensor 10b for the ball B to be positioned. The ball ejection analysis device 1 determines whether the ball B is positioned in either the left trigger area Ta or the right trigger area Tb.

[0027] Furthermore, the batting table S is pre-equipped with a ball seat area TE for setting the ball B. The ball-hitting analysis device 1 can be configured to overlap either the left trigger area Ta or the right trigger area Tb with the ball seat area TE of the batting table S, depending on the operation of the player P. As shown in Figure 2, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 is configured, for example, to overlap the right trigger area Tb in the right imaging area Z11b of the right camera 11b with the ball seat area TE.

[0028] Furthermore, in the ball-hitting analysis device 1, a swing camera 12 is installed near the center above the device. This swing camera 12 captures the swing area SR that overlaps with the left shooting area Z11a of the left camera 11a and the right shooting area Z11b of the right camera 11b. This allows the player P's swing motion to be captured.

[0029] Furthermore, in the ball-hitting analysis device 1, a left indicator light La and a right indicator light Lb, which can emit various colors of light, are provided on the upper left and right sides of the ball-hitting analysis device 1. Moreover, in the ball-hitting analysis device 1, a display D, which can display various messages, ball images, and analysis results, is provided on the upper side of the ball-hitting analysis device 1.

[0030] Furthermore, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 includes a power supply unit, a control circuit, and a communication circuit. The power supply circuit supplies power to various circuits, the left infrared sensor 10a, the right infrared sensor 10b, the left camera 11a, the right camera 11b, the swing camera 12, the left indicator light La, the right indicator light Lb, and the display D. The control circuit may have a built-in CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown). The CPU, for example, uses RAM as its working area and executes programs stored in ROM, etc. Furthermore, the various control units described later are also implemented by executing programs through the CPU. In addition, the communication circuit communicates with the player P's terminal device or portable terminal device, transmitting the analysis results of the ball-hitting analysis device 1, or receiving information from the player P's terminal device or portable terminal device.

[0031] Hereinafter, the configuration and execution sequence of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 14. First, when player P turns on the power to the ball-hitting analysis device 1 (FIG. 4: S101), the ball-hitting analysis device 1 performs a predetermined process, and the display control unit 101 of the ball-hitting analysis device 1 activates the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b (FIG. 4: S102). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the display control unit 101 enables the left camera 11a to capture the left camera area Z11a and enables the right camera 11b to capture the right camera area Z11b.

[0032] Next, the display control unit 101 begins to display on the monitor D (Figure 4: S103). Specifically, as shown in Figure 5A, the display control unit 101 displays a message indicating the detection status (e.g., "DETECTING") on the monitor D. This allows the player P to be notified of the detection status. Furthermore, if the information displayed on the monitor D is available at this stage, or if the monitor D is not present, the display control unit 101 can omit the display processing in S103.

[0033] Next, the ball strikes the analysis device 1, and the lighting control unit 102 starts lighting the left indicator light La and the right indicator light Lb (Fig. 4: S104). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lighting control unit 102 lights the left indicator light La and the right indicator light Lb in a color indicating the detection status (e.g., red). This allows the player P to be notified of the detection status. Furthermore, if the left indicator light La and the right indicator light Lb are not present, the processing in S104 can be omitted by the lighting control unit 102.

[0034] After the display control unit 101 activates the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b, the setting judgment control unit 103 then uses the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b to determine whether a ball B is set in either the left trigger area Ta of the left camera area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right camera area Z11b (Fig. 4: S105).

[0035] Here, there are no particular limitations on the judgment method of the judgment control unit 103. For example, as shown in FIG5B, after the judgment control unit 103 obtains the captured image 511a of the left photography area Z11a captured by the left camera 11a and the captured image 511b of the right photography area Z11b captured by the right camera 11b, it searches whether there is a ball image corresponding to ball B in the captured image 511a of the left photography area Z11a and the captured image 511b of the right photography area Z11b.

[0036] Furthermore, the search method of the judgment control unit 103 is not particularly limited. For example, the judgment control unit 103 can perform predetermined image processing (e.g., binarization) on the captured image 511a of the left imaging region Z11a and the captured image 511b of the right imaging region Z11b to filter out the outer edges (outlines) of objects in the captured image 511a of the left imaging region Z11a and the outer edges of objects in the captured image 511b of the right imaging region Z11b. Here, binarization refers to converting pixels whose pixel values ​​are greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold in the captured images 511a and 511b into "1" (white), and converting pixels whose pixel values ​​are lower than the threshold into "0" (black). This threshold is preset so that the outer edge of sphere B in the captured images 511a and 511b can be clearly displayed.

[0037] Next, the determination control unit 103 detects the image enclosed by the outer edge of the selected object as the object image. For example, as shown in FIG5A, when player P holds ball B with his right hand H and attempts to place it on the ball seat area TE, as shown in FIG5B, the outer edge of the right hand H, the outer edge of ball B, and the outer edge of the ball seat area TE are selected in the image 511a captured by the left camera area Z11a, and the right hand image 500, the ball image 501, and the ball seat image 502 are respectively selected from the outer edge of the right hand H. In addition, since the right camera area Z11b partially overlaps with the left camera area Z11a, the right hand image 500, the ball image 501, and the ball seat image 502 are also selected in the image 511b captured by the right camera area Z11b.

[0038] Furthermore, the determination control unit 103 identifies a circular image that is approximately circular from the detected object image. There are no particular limitations on the method by which the determination control unit 103 identifies the circular image. For example, the determination control unit 103 calculates the long side L of the object image 503, and uses this long side L as the diameter to calculate the area S1 of the circle 504, and then calculates the area S2 within the outer edge of the object image 503. Then, the determination control unit 103 calculates the area ratio S1 / S2 obtained by dividing the area S1 of the circle 504 by the area S2 within the outer edge of the object image 503. The determination control unit 103 calculates the area ratio S1 / S2 for all object images 503, and among these area ratios S1 / S2, identifies the object image 503 corresponding to the one closest to 1 (-) as a spherical image. For example, as shown in Figure 5B, the area ratio S1 / S2 of the right-hand image 500 is greater than 1, the area ratio S1 / S2 of the spherical image 502 is slightly closer to 1, and the area ratio S1 / S2 of the spherical image 501 is closest to 1. Therefore, the spherical image 501 is specifically designated as a circular image.

[0039] Here, if the setting determination control unit 103 cannot specify the sphere image as a circular image, it determines that sphere B is not set in either the left trigger area Ta of the left imaging area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right imaging area Z11b (Fig. 4: S105 NO). In this case, the setting determination control unit 103 returns to S105 and repeats the determination of setting sphere B.

[0040] On the other hand, when the setting determination control unit 103 can specify the sphere image 501 as a circular image, it then obtains the position information of the trigger area in the photographic area that specifies the circular image, and determines whether the specified sphere image 501 is contained within the trigger area. Here, as shown in FIG5B, when the sphere image 501 is specified as a circular image in the captured image 511a of the left photographic area Z11a, the setting determination control unit 103 obtains the position information of the left trigger area Ta of the left photographic area Z11a (for example, the camera coordinate system coordinate value representing the boundary of the left trigger area Ta), and determines whether the sphere image 501 is contained within the left trigger area Ta based on the positional relationship between the sphere image 501 and the left trigger area Ta. Similarly, for the captured image 511b of the right imaging region Z11b, when a specific ball image 501 is generated in the right imaging region Z11b, the determination control unit 103 obtains the position information of the right trigger region Tb of the right imaging region Z11b (the camera coordinate system coordinate value representing the boundary of the right trigger region Tb), and determines whether the ball image 501 is contained within the right trigger region Tb based on the positional relationship between the ball image 501 and the right trigger region Tb.

[0041] The judgment result shows that if the ball image is not contained within the trigger area, for example, as shown in Figure 5B, in the image 511a captured by the left camera area Z11a, the ball image 501 exists outside the left trigger area Ta, and in the image 511b captured by the right camera area Z11b, the ball image 501 exists outside the right trigger area Tb, the setting judgment control unit 103 determines that the ball B is not set in either the left trigger area Ta of the left camera area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right camera area Z11b (Figure 4: S105 NO). In this case, as described above, the setting judgment control unit 103 returns to S105 and repeats the judgment of setting the ball B. In addition, for example, the setting judgment control unit 103 may also display a message indicating that the ball is outside the detection range (e.g., "Out of zone") on the display D to prompt the player P to set the ball in an appropriate position.

[0042] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6A, when player P places ball B in the ball seat area TE and removes his hand from ball B, as shown in Figure 6B, the determination control unit 103 performs predetermined image processing on the captured image 611a of the left camera area Z11a and the captured image 611b of the right camera area Z11b, filtering out the outer edges of objects in the captured image 611a of the left camera area Z11a and the outer edges of objects in the captured image 611b of the right camera area Z11b. Next, the determination control unit 103 detects the image of the object surrounded by the outer edge from the filtered outer edges of the object, and then filters out the right hand image 600, the ball image 601, and the ball seat image 602 from the captured image 611a of the left camera area Z11a and the captured image 611b of the right camera area Z11b. Furthermore, when the determination control unit 103 identifies a circular image that is approximately circular in the detected object image, the sphere image 601 in both the captured image 611a of the left imaging region Z11a and the captured image 611b of the right imaging region Z11b is identified as a circular image. Furthermore, the determination control unit 103 acquires the position information of the left trigger region Ta of the identified sphere image 601 in the left imaging region Z11a, and determines whether the identified sphere image 601 in the left imaging region Z11a is contained within the left trigger region Ta. Additionally, the determination control unit 103 acquires the position information of the right trigger region Tb of the right imaging region Z11b, and determines whether the identified sphere image 601 in the right imaging region Z11b is contained within the right trigger region Tb.

[0043] As shown in Figure 6B, if the ball image 601 is not contained within the left trigger area Ta in the left imaging area Z11a, but is contained within the right trigger area Tb in the right imaging area Z11b, the determination control unit 103 determines that the ball B has been placed in either the left trigger area Ta of the left imaging area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right imaging area Z11b (Figure 4: S105 YES). This allows for high-precision determination of the ball B's placement status. Furthermore, if the ball B is detected by the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b in the left trigger area Ta of the left imaging area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right imaging area Z11b, it is determined that the ball B has been placed in either the left trigger area Ta or the right trigger area Tb.

[0044] Here, for example, if the setting of ball B is determined solely by the infrared sensor, the player P's hand or cue C may generate noise, causing the ball B to be mistakenly identified as set even if it is not. Furthermore, even if ball B is not set in the desired position, the infrared sensor may incorrectly detect it as set. This invention, by analyzing the images captured by the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b, can determine the setting of ball B with high accuracy without generating false detections.

[0045] Furthermore, this invention sets a trigger area in the captured image, and determines that ball B has been set only when a specific ball image is contained within the trigger area. That is, by utilizing the positional relationship between the trigger area and ball B, the setting of ball B is determined only when ball B enters the trigger area. Here, since the trigger area is a region that can be reliably detected by the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b, player P can be guided to correctly set ball B within the trigger area that can be detected by the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b.

[0046] Furthermore, the aforementioned determination by the setting judgment control unit 103 of whether ball B is positioned in either the left trigger area Ta of the left camera area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right camera area Z11b is not limited to this. For example, the setting judgment control unit 103 may also use one of the cameras, the left camera 11a or the right camera 11b, pre-set by player P, to determine whether ball B is positioned in the trigger area of ​​the camera area. For example, if player P's dominant hand (dominant right hand or dominant left hand) information is pre-set in the ball hitting analysis device 1, the setting judgment control unit 103 can use the corresponding camera to determine whether ball B is positioned in the trigger area of ​​the camera area based on player P's dominant hand. Specifically, if player P is right-handed, since player P hits ball B from right to left relative to the ball hitting analysis device 1, the setting judgment control unit 103 uses the right camera 11b to determine whether ball B is positioned in the right trigger area Tb of the right camera area Z11b. On the other hand, if player P is left-handed, since player P hits ball B from left to right relative to the ball-hitting analysis device 1, the judgment control unit 103 uses the left camera 11a to determine whether ball B is positioned in the left trigger area Ta of the left camera area Z11a. This reduces the processing load while providing high-precision judgment of ball B's position.

[0047] Furthermore, when the judgment control unit 103 determines that ball B is set in either the left trigger region Ta of the left imaging region Z11a or the right trigger region Tb of the right imaging region Z11b, the center coordinates of ball B in the world coordinate system (real coordinate system) can be calculated using the center coordinates of the ball image 601 in the camera coordinate system, the radius of the ball image 601, camera correction information, and the law of cosines. Here, the camera coordinate system is shown in Figure 7A, with the center CI of the captured image P corresponding to the focal length f of the camera (e.g., the left camera 11a) as the origin, the left-right direction xi of the captured image P as the x-axis direction, and the up-down direction yi of the captured image P as the y-axis direction. In addition, the world coordinate system has the center CR of the camera (left camera 11a) as the origin, the left-right direction xr of the camera as the x-axis direction, the up-down direction yr of the camera as the y-axis direction, and the front-back direction zr (towards depth) of the camera as the z-axis direction. The camera calibration information system assigns association information, such as the K matrix and P matrix, to any point in the camera coordinate system and its corresponding point in the world coordinate system. The captured image P is located at a position on the z-axis, only a distance of focal length f from the center CR of the camera (right camera 11a) and perpendicular to the z-axis. Furthermore, the camera calibration information system performs transformations between the x-axis and y-axis coordinates of the camera coordinate system and the x-axis and y-axis coordinates of the world coordinate system. Additionally, it utilizes the radius b0i of the spherical image and the law of cosines to perform transformations between the z-axis coordinates of the camera coordinate system and the z-axis coordinates of the world coordinate system. Here, using the center coordinates b0c (b0xi, b0yi) of the spherical image 601 in the camera coordinate system, the radius b0i of the spherical image 601, the camera correction information of the camera (right camera 11a), and the cosine theorem of the angle θ formed by the two ends of the spherical image 601 and the center CR of the camera (right camera 11a), the center coordinates b0c (b0xr, b0yr, b0zr) of the ball B in the world coordinate system are calculated. By combining this with the center coordinates of the ball B immediately after it is launched in the world coordinate system, the flight parameters of the ball B can be calculated with high precision.

[0048] Furthermore, when it is determined that ball B is located in either the left trigger area Ta of the left imaging area Z11a or the right trigger area Tb of the right imaging area Z11b, a ball-hitting prediction area PR containing ball image 601 and along the direction of ball B's impact can be set in the captured image used for determination. Here, as shown in Figure 7A, if the captured image used for determination is the right captured image 611b (a captured image in one direction), a ball-hitting prediction area PR of a specific shape (e.g., a rectangle) is set in the right direction (one direction) (left direction in the world coordinate system) of ball image 601 corresponding to the direction of ball B's impact. Furthermore, the shape of the ball-hitting prediction area PR can be appropriately designed. This makes it easier to identify the ball image when capturing ball B immediately after its impact, and reduces the processing load.

[0049] After the setting judgment control unit 103 completes its judgment (Fig. 4: S105 YES), the ball-hitting analysis device 1 then switches to the infrared detection state, and the appearance judgment control unit 104 of the ball-hitting analysis device 1 activates the infrared sensor (here, the right infrared sensor 10b) corresponding to the camera (here, the right camera 11b) in the setting trigger area (here, the right trigger area Tb) set for ball B (Fig. 4: S106). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, the appearance judgment control unit 104 enables the right infrared sensor 10b to detect the right detection area Z10b. Furthermore, not only can the right infrared sensor 10b be activated (ON), but both the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b can also be activated simultaneously.

[0050] Next, the display control unit 101 displays a message indicating the ready state (e.g., "READY") on the display D, as shown in FIG7B. This notifies the player P that he is currently ready.

[0051] Furthermore, the display control unit 101 uses a camera that captures an image indicating that ball B has been positioned to display the image on the monitor D. Here, as shown in FIG7B, since the positioning of ball B is determined in the right shooting area Z11b of the right camera 11b, the display control unit 101 displays the image 71b captured by the right shooting area Z11b of the right camera 11b on the monitor D. In this way, player P can confirm the image 71b showing that ball B has been positioned on the monitor D.

[0052] Furthermore, the display control unit 101 activates the swing camera 12 (Fig. 4: S107) to capture the swing motion of player P. This allows for the capture of a swing video from before the swing of player P until after the swing. Alternatively, if the swing camera 12 is not present, the activation of S107 in the display control unit 101 can be omitted.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7B, the lighting control unit 102 changes the colors of the left indicator light La and the right indicator light Lb to colors indicating the ready state (e.g., green) (Figure 4: S108). This allows the player P to be notified of the ready state for their swing. Alternatively, if the left indicator light La and the right indicator light Lb are not present, the change in S108 can be omitted from the lighting control unit 102.

[0054] Next, the judgment control unit 104 uses the right infrared sensor 10b to determine whether there is an object in the setting detection area (right detection area Z10b) that includes the setting trigger area (right trigger area Tb) where the ball B is set (Fig. 4: S109).

[0055] Here, the determination method of the occurrence determination control unit 104 is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG8A, the occurrence determination control unit 104 obtains the reflected light intensity of the right infrared sensor 10b in the right detection area Z10b. Then, the occurrence determination control unit 104 determines whether the change value of the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b exceeds a first occurrence threshold. In addition, the first occurrence threshold can be appropriately set, for example, based on the reflected light intensity from the cue stick C.

[0056] At this time, if the change in the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b exceeds the first occurrence threshold, the occurrence determination control unit 104 determines that an object has appeared in the right detection area Z10b. On the other hand, if the change in the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b does not exceed the first occurrence threshold, the occurrence determination control unit 104 determines that no object has appeared in the right detection area Z10b. In this case, the occurrence determination control unit 104 continues to acquire the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b and repeats the above determination.

[0057] For example, if player P leaves the batting box S and performs a no-show in another position, the intensity of the reflected light in the right detection area Z10b will not change, so the judgment control unit 104 determines that no object appears in the detection area (Fig. 4: S109 NO). At this time, the judgment control unit 104 returns to S109 and repeats the judgment of the appearance of an object.

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8B, when player P prepares to hit ball B with cue stick C, if cue stick C enters the right detection area Z10b, the judgment control unit 104 determines that the change in the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b exceeds the first occurrence threshold, thereby determining that an object has appeared in the detection area (Figure 4: S109 YES). In this way, the action of player P preparing to hit ball B with cue stick C can be detected with high precision without detecting player P's idle swing in other positions.

[0059] After the judgment control unit 104 completes the judgment (Fig. 4: S109 YES), the ball disappearance judgment control unit 105 of the ball hitting the analysis device 1 then uses the infrared sensor (right infrared sensor 10b) corresponding to the setting detection area (right detection area Z10b) to determine whether the ball B has disappeared from the setting detection area (right detection area Z10b) where the object appears (Fig. 4: S110).

[0060] Here, the method of determination by the disappearance determination control unit 105 is not particularly limited. For example, the disappearance determination control unit 105 obtains the reflected light intensity of the right infrared sensor 10b in the right detection area Z10b. Then, the disappearance determination control unit 105 determines whether the change value of the reflected light intensity in the right detection area Z10b exceeds a predetermined disappearance threshold. Furthermore, this disappearance threshold is appropriately set, for example, based on the reflected light intensity from sphere B.

[0061] Here, if the change in reflected light intensity in the right detection region Z10b exceeds the disappearance threshold, the disappearance determination control unit 105 determines that ball B has disappeared from the right detection region Z10b. On the other hand, if the change in reflected light intensity in the right detection region Z10b is within the disappearance threshold, the disappearance determination control unit 105 determines that ball B has not disappeared from the right detection region Z10b. In this case, the disappearance determination control unit 105 continues to acquire the reflected light intensity of the right detection region Z10b and repeats the above determination.

[0062] Here, as shown in Figure 9A, if player P uses cue C but does not hit ball B, and only performs a dry swing, cue C will pass through the set detection area Z10b and appear in the adjacent detection area Z10a, but ball B remains within the set detection area Z10b. At this time, although the reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b will temporarily change, since ball B still exists, the change in reflected light intensity of the right detection area Z10b will eventually fall within the disappearance threshold. Therefore, the disappearance judgment control unit 105 determines that ball B has not disappeared from the set detection area Z10b (Figure 4: S110 NO). In this case, the disappearance judgment control unit 105 returns to S110 and repeats the judgment of ball B disappearance.

[0063] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9B, when player P hits ball B with cue C, ball B passes through the detection area Z10b along with cue C, and moves forward. This causes a change in the intensity of reflected light in the right detection area Z10b, exceeding the disappearance threshold. Therefore, the disappearance judgment control unit 105 determines that ball B has disappeared from the detection area Z10b (Figure 4: S110 YES). This allows for accurate detection of whether ball B has actually been hit, without detecting a simple swing by player P.

[0064] After the disappearance judgment control unit 105 completes its judgment (Fig. 4: S110 YES), the next appearance judgment control unit 106 of the ball hit analysis device 1 uses an infrared sensor (here, the left infrared sensor 10a) corresponding to the adjacent hit detection area (here, the left detection area Z10a) of the set detection area Z10b to determine whether the ball B appears in the hit detection area (left detection area Z10a) (Fig. 4: S111).

[0065] Here, the determination method of the next occurrence determination control unit 106 is not particularly limited. For example, the next occurrence determination control unit 106 obtains the reflected light intensity of the left infrared sensor 10a in the left detection area Z10a. Then, the next occurrence determination control unit 106 determines whether the change value of the reflected light intensity in the left detection area Z10a exceeds the second occurrence threshold. Furthermore, the second occurrence threshold is appropriately set based on the reflected light intensity from the ball B.

[0066] At this time, if the change in reflected light intensity of the left detection area Z10a exceeds the second occurrence threshold, the next occurrence determination control unit 106 determines that an object has appeared in the left detection area Z10a. On the other hand, if the change in reflected light intensity of the left detection area Z10a is within the second occurrence threshold, the occurrence determination control unit 104 determines that no object has appeared in the left detection area Z10a. In this case, the next occurrence determination control unit 106 continues to acquire the reflected light intensity of the left detection area Z10a and repeats the above determination.

[0067] Here, as shown in Figure 10A, when player P uses cue C to hit ball B, if for some reason ball B does not fly forward in the direction of the hit, but instead flies to the left or right of the hit direction or bounces back, causing the ball to not fly in the direction of the hit, then ball B will not appear in the left detection area Z10a. At this time, the secondary occurrence judgment control unit 106 judges that the change value of the reflected light intensity in the left detection area Z10a is within the second occurrence threshold (Figure 4: S111 NO). In this case, since ball B has already disappeared once, the secondary occurrence judgment control unit 106 returns to S105, and the setting judgment control unit 103 judges the setting of ball B again. In addition, in this return step S105, the infrared sensors (for example, only the right infrared sensor 10b, or both the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b) will be stopped (OFF).

[0068] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10B, when player P uses cue C to strike ball B forward, ball B will appear in the left detection area Z10a. In this case, the first occurrence determination control unit 106 determines that the change in reflected light intensity in the left detection area Z10a has exceeded the second occurrence threshold, and determines that ball B has appeared in the left detection area Z10a (Figure 4: S111 YES). Therefore, without detecting abnormal striking of ball B, it is possible to accurately detect that ball B was indeed struck in the striking direction.

[0069] After the judgment control unit 106 completes its judgment (Fig. 4: S111 YES), the signal transmission control unit 107 of the ball hitting analysis device 1 then sends a trigger signal (Fig. 4: S112). Based on the timing of the trigger signal, the timing of the ball B being hit can be estimated.

[0070] Next, after the signal transmission control unit 107 completes the transmission (Fig. 4: S112), the camera control unit 108 of the ball-hitting analysis device 1 uses the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b to continuously photograph the ball B in the left camera area Z11a and the right camera area Z11b (Fig. 4: S113).

[0071] Here, there are no particular limitations on the continuous shooting method of the camera control unit 108. For example, when the camera control unit 108 receives a trigger signal, as shown in FIG11A, it uses the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b to perform continuous shooting at a predetermined shooting speed (e.g., 1000fps). Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the continuous shooting method. For example, when the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b are low-speed shooting cameras, high-speed shooting software can be applied to the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b, enabling them to perform high-speed shooting even when they are low-speed shooting cameras. Furthermore, when the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b are high-speed shooting cameras, the camera control unit 108 only needs to perform high-speed shooting using the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b.

[0072] Here, as shown in Figure 11B, at the first moment t1 after the trigger signal transmission time t0, the camera control unit 108 uses the right camera 11b, which corresponds to the infrared sensor (right infrared sensor 10b) of the detection area Z10b, to capture the ball B in the right imaging area Z11b, obtaining the right image 1111b. Then, at the second moment t2, after adding a predetermined time (Δt) to the first moment t1, the left camera 11a, which corresponds to the infrared sensor 10a of the launch detection area Z10a, captures the ball B in the left imaging area Z11a, obtaining the left image 1111a. The predetermined time (Δt) can be appropriately set according to the camera performance. By sequentially capturing images along the launch direction of the ball B using the right camera 11b and the left camera 11a, continuous shooting can be achieved even with a high-speed ball B.

[0073] When the camera control unit 108 completes continuous shooting (Fig. 4: S113), the ball is then shot out of the calculation control unit 109 of the analysis device 1, which calculates the flight parameters of the ball B based on the ball images of the ball B continuously shot by the left camera 11a and the right camera 11b (Fig. 4: S114).

[0074] Here, there is no particular limitation on the calculation method of the calculation control unit 109. For example, the calculation control unit 109 can perform the image processing of S105 described above on two consecutively captured images to select the ball image from the captured images at two different times. For example, as shown in FIG11B, the calculation control unit 109 performs image processing on the first captured image (here, the right captured image 1111b) at the first time t1 and the second captured image (here, the left captured image 1111a) at the second time t2. Then, the calculation control unit 109 selects the first ball image b1 from the first captured image (right captured image 1111b) at the first time t1 and selects the second ball image b2 from the second captured image (left captured image 1111a) at the second time t2.

[0075] Next, the calculation control unit 109 calculates the center coordinates of the world coordinate system of the spherical image by executing the image processing of S105YES described above, using the center coordinates of the camera coordinate system of the specific spherical image, the radius of the spherical image, camera correction information, and the law of cosines. Here, as shown in FIG12A, the calculation control unit 109 calculates the center coordinates of the world coordinate system of the first sphere B (sphere B at the first time t1) corresponding to the first sphere B1 of the first sphere B1 (sphere B at the first time t1) using the center coordinates b1c (b1xr, b1yr, b1zr) of the camera coordinate system of the first sphere B1 ... Next, the control unit 109 calculates the center coordinates b2c (b2xi, b2yi) of the world coordinate system of the second sphere image b2 using the center coordinates b2c (b2xr, b2yr, b2zr) of the camera coordinate system of the second sphere image b2, the radius b2i of the second sphere image b2, the camera correction information of the left camera 11a, and the law of cosines.

[0076] Next, the control unit 109 calculates the ball speed BS (m / s), launch angle LA (degrees), and lateral angle SA (degrees) in the flight parameters using the center coordinates of the world coordinate system of ball B at two different times. Here, the ball speed BS refers to the ball distance between the center coordinates b2c (b2xr, b2yr, b2zr) of the world coordinate system of the second ball B and the center coordinates b1c (b1xr, b1yr, b1zr) of the world coordinate system of the first ball B, calculated by dividing the distance by the time difference between the second time t2 and the first time t1. The launch angle LA refers to the angle formed by the ball distance and the horizontal plane. The lateral angle SA refers to the angle of the left-right curvature direction relative to the launch direction of ball B, for example, the angle of the left-right curvature direction relative to the x-axis direction of the launch direction. In addition, the control unit 109 can also calculate the hang time CA (m) using the ball speed BS and the parabolic formula of ball B. The hang time CA refers to the distance from the point of impact to the point of impact, which can be obtained by substituting the ball speed BS as the initial velocity into the parabolic formula for ball B. Furthermore, the hang time CA can be converted from meters (m) to yards (YDS), with 1 yard equal to 0.9144 m. Thus, the ball speed BS, launch angle LA, lateral angle SA, and hang time CA can be calculated from the center coordinates of the world coordinate system of two ball images at different times.

[0077] Furthermore, the calculation control unit 109 can also use the first sphere image b1 and the second sphere image b2 at two different times to calculate the rotation axis SX0 and rotation rate TS0 of sphere B. For example, as shown in FIG12B, the calculation control unit 109 can adjust the size of the first sphere image b1 at the first time t1 to be consistent with the size of the second sphere image b2 at the second time t2, and virtually rotate the first sphere image b1 after the size is consistent, so that the surface image of the first sphere image b1 after the virtual rotation is consistent with the surface image of the second sphere image b2. Based on this, the calculation control unit 109 calculates the rotation axis SX0 and rotation rate TS0 of the virtual rotation of the first sphere image b1 when the surface images are consistent. Then, the calculation control unit 109 uses the calculated rotation axis SX0 and rotation rate TS0 to calculate the back rotation BS (rpm) and side rotation SS (rpm). Backspin BS refers to the rotational speed in the opposite direction to the direction in which the ball B is hit, and sidespin SS refers to the rotational speed in the left-right bending direction relative to the direction in which the ball B is hit, for example, the rotational speed in the z-axis direction relative to the left-right bending direction of the x-axis direction of the hit direction. In this way, backspin BS and sidespin SS can be calculated from the ball images at two different times.

[0078] As mentioned above, flight parameters may include, for example, ball speed BS, launch angle LA, lateral angle SA, hang time CA, backspin BS, and lateral rotation SS, but other flight parameters may also be added.

[0079] However, the above describes the use of the right camera 11b to photograph ball B at the first time t1 and the left camera 11a to photograph it at the second time t2. It is not limited to this. For example, when the camera is a high-performance camera, as shown in FIG13A, the camera control unit 108 can use the right camera 11b to photograph ball B in the right photographing area Z11b at the first time t1 and obtain the right photographed image 1311b, and then use the same right camera 11b again to photograph ball B in the right photographing area Z11b at the second time t2 and obtain the right photographed image 1311b. In this case, the calculation control unit 109 only needs to use the two right photographed images 1311b from the first time t1 and the second time t2 to calculate the flight parameters of ball B.

[0080] Furthermore, while the aforementioned image processing in S105 performed by the calculation control unit 109 on all captured images to specify the ball image, it is not limited to this. For example, when the judgment control unit 103 sets the ball hit prediction region PR in the captured image, as shown in FIG13B, the calculation control unit 109 can set the ball hit prediction region PR in the captured image 1411b at the first time t1, and perform the aforementioned predetermined image processing on the ball hit prediction region PR to specify the first ball image b1 and calculate the flight parameters of ball B. This improves the ease of specifying the ball image and reduces the processing load.

[0081] Furthermore, as described above, as shown in Figure 12, the calculation control unit 109 calculates the flight parameters of ball B using the right-shot image 1111b at the first time t1 and the left-shot image 1111a at the second time t2. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the setting judgment control unit 103 can also incorporate the center coordinates b0c (b0xr, b0yr, b0zr) of ball B in the world coordinate system at the setting time (in other words, the time t0 when the trigger signal is sent, or the time t0 when ball B appears in the setting trigger area), the center coordinates b1c (b1xr, b1yr, b1zr) of the first ball B in the world coordinate system at the first time t1, and the center coordinates b2c (b2xr, b2yr, b2zr) of the second ball B in the world coordinate system to calculate the flight parameters of ball B. In this way, the flight parameters of ball B can be calculated with higher accuracy. Furthermore, time t0 corresponds to, for example, the center coordinates b0c in the world coordinate system of the pre-set sphere B; time t1 is the moment when the device captures the first image of the moving sphere B after receiving the trigger signal, and corresponds to the center coordinates b1c in the world coordinate system of the first sphere B; and time t2 is the moment when the second image of the moving sphere B is captured after a certain time elapsed from time t1 (e.g., 1 ms, equivalent to 1000 fps), and corresponds to the center coordinates b2c in the world coordinate system of the second sphere B.

[0082] Once the calculation control unit 109 has completed the calculation of the flight parameters (Figure 4: S114), the calculation control unit 109 then determines whether the calculated flight parameters are normal (Figure 4: S115).

[0083] Here, the judgment method of the calculation control unit 109 is not particularly limited. For example, the calculation control unit 109 can refer to the normal range of flight parameters preset in a specified memory to determine whether the calculated flight parameter is within the normal range. Specifically, when the flight parameter is ball speed BS, the normal range of flight parameters is set to, for example, 1 m / s or more. The calculation control unit 109 determines whether the calculated ball speed BS is 1 m / s or more within the normal range of flight parameters. If the ball speed BS is 1 m / s or more within the normal range of flight parameters, then ball B can be judged to be in normal flight. Furthermore, when the flight parameter is launch angle LA, the normal range of flight parameters is set to, for example, 70 degrees or less. The calculation control unit 109 determines whether the calculated launch angle LA is 70 degrees or less within the normal range of flight parameters. If the launch angle LA is 70 degrees or less within the normal range of flight parameters, then ball B can be judged to be in normal flight. This type of processing can be appropriately designed according to the type of flight parameter and can be performed on all flight parameters or only on specific flight parameters. In this way, by judging whether the flight parameters are normal, it is possible to make a judgment when a calculation error occurs for some reason.

[0084] If the calculated flight parameters are found to be abnormal, the calculation control unit 109 determines that player P's shot is a failure (Figure 4: S115 NO). In this case, the calculated flight parameters are not displayed, and the process is moved to S105, prompting player P to set ball B again.

[0085] On the other hand, if the calculated flight parameters are normal, the control unit 109 determines that player P's shot is successful (Figure 4: S115 YES). This allows only the appropriate flight parameters to be displayed. Furthermore, the judgment process in S115 can be omitted.

[0086] Next, when the calculation control unit 109 completes the calculation, the display control unit 101 displays the calculated flight parameters on the display D (Figure 4: S116).

[0087] Here, the display method of the display control unit 101 is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG14, the display control unit 101 displays the calculated hang time CA (YDS), ball speed BS (m / s), launch angle LA (DEG), lateral angle SA (DEG), backspin BS (RPM), and side spin SS (RPM) values ​​on the screen 1400 of the display D. In this way, player P can know the flight parameters of the ball B corresponding to his swing.

[0088] Furthermore, when the swing camera 12 is activated (Fig. 4: S107), if the display control unit 101 displays flight parameters (Fig. 4: S116), the video (or image) captured by the swing camera 12 is displayed (Fig. 4: S117). Here, as described above, the display control unit 101 can use the transmission time of the trigger signal indicating the ball B being hit to obtain the video before and after that transmission time as the swing video, and as shown in Fig. 14, display the swing video 1401 from before player P's swing to after the swing. In this way, player P can confirm his own swing through the video (or image). In addition, if the swing camera 12 is not present, the activation of S117 of the display control unit 101 can be omitted.

[0089] Then, after the display control unit 101 completes the display of flight parameters (Figure 4: S116) or the display of the video captured by the swing camera 12 (Figure 4: S117), the ball strike analysis device 1 ends the process. If player P swings again, the ball strike analysis device 1 can be operated to return to S101 or S102 and repeat the above process. When the process returns to allow player P to make a new swing, the ball strike analysis device 1 can also return to S103, S104 or S105 as needed. Specifically, the ball strike analysis device 1 will turn the LED red and switch the screen to a ball search display.

[0090] In this way, the present invention, by appropriately combining infrared sensors and cameras, can achieve high precision from the moment the ball is launched until the ball's flight parameters are analyzed. [Example]

[0091] The effects of the present invention will be specifically illustrated below through examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0092] First, a ball-hitting analysis device 1 was prototyped based on Figures 1 to 14, and this ball-hitting analysis device 1 was used as an example. Using the ball-hitting analysis device 1 of the example, when the player P hits the ball B, an image was captured, as shown in Figure 15, capturing image 1511b at the first time t1 and image 1511a at the second time t2. Using these two images, the normal flight parameters were successfully calculated.

[0093] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 15, at the set time t0, the ball hit prediction area PR is set in the captured image 1511b0, thereby reducing the amount of processing required to identify the first ball image b1 in the captured image 1511b at the first time t1, and making the identification of the first ball image b1 easier.

[0094] Next, the flight parameters are calculated using the images captured at setting time t0, the first time t1, and the second time t2. When the ball-hitting analysis device 1 of the embodiment determines that ball B has been set in the trigger area, as shown in FIG16, the left camera 11a acquires the first captured image 1611a0 at setting time t0, and the right camera 11b acquires the second captured image 1611b0 at setting time t0, thereby calculating the center coordinates of ball B in the world coordinate system. Next, when ball B is hit by player P, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 of the embodiment uses the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b to detect the hit of ball B, and uses the right camera 11b to acquire the third captured image 1611b1 at the first time t1, and uses the left camera 11a to acquire the fourth captured image 1611a2 at the second time t2. Then, the ball-hitting analysis device 1 of the embodiment calculates the flight parameters using the first captured image 1611a0, the second captured image 1611b0, the third captured image 1611b1, and the fourth captured image 1611a2. The ball speed BS is 28.4 (m / s), the launch angle LA is 22.4 (degrees), the lateral angle SA is 3.6 (degrees), the backspin BS is 3335.1 (rpm), and the side spin SS is 487.3 (rpm). Furthermore, from the backspin BS and the side spin SS, the rotation axis SX0 (SPIN AXIS) is 8.3 (rpm), and the rotation rate TS0 (TOTAL SPIN) is 3370.5 (rpm). These values ​​are comparable to those of commercially available flight parameter analysis devices and are considered normal flight parameters.

[0095] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, a ball-hitting analysis device 1 suitable for golf balls is used as an example for description, but it is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be widely applied to various ball sports that hit a stationary ball B, such as baseball, tennis, football, rugby, ice hockey, croquet, etc., as a device for analyzing the flight parameters of the ball from the moment it is hit.

[0096] Furthermore, while the embodiment of the present invention uses a slit in the infrared sensor to form a rectangular detection area as an example, it is not limited to this, and various other shapes of detection areas can be formed. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the infrared sensor of the camera corresponding to the set trigger area is first used to determine whether an object appears in the set detection area. After the object disappears, the infrared sensor corresponding to the firing detection area adjacent to the set detection area is used to determine whether a ball has appeared, but this is not limited to this. For example, when the ball is set in either the left or right trigger area, the infrared sensor of the camera corresponding to the set trigger area can be used to determine whether the ball has appeared, and the infrared sensor corresponding to the firing detection area adjacent to the set detection area can be activated in advance before determining whether the ball has appeared. That is, in this case, the left infrared sensor 10a and the right infrared sensor 10b can be activated.

[0097] Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, although the ball-hitting analysis device 1 is configured to include various control units, the computer program used to implement each control unit can also be stored in a storage medium and provided with that storage medium. In this configuration, the device reads the computer program, thereby implementing each control unit. In this case, the computer program read from the storage medium can perform the functions of the present invention. Furthermore, the steps executed by each control unit can also be stored on a hard drive as a method. [Industrial applicability]

[0098] As described above, the ball-hitting analysis device and method according to the present invention are effectively applicable to all ball sports involving hitting a stationary ball. Furthermore, by appropriately combining an infrared sensor and a camera, the analysis of the ball's flight parameters from the moment it is hit can be performed with high precision, thus effectively serving as a ball-hitting analysis device and method.

[0099] 1: Ball striking analysis device 101: Display Control Unit 102: Lighting Control Department 103: Set up a judgment control unit 104: Judgment and control unit appears 105: Disappearance Judgment Control Unit 106: The judgment control unit appears 106 times. 107: Signal Transmission Control Department 108: Photography Control Department 109: Calculate the control unit 10a: Left infrared sensor 10b: Right Infrared Sensor 1111a: Left-facing image 1111b: Right-side video capture 11a: Left camera 11b: Right camera 12: Swing Camera 1311b: Right-side image capture 1400:Screen 1401: Swing Video 1411b: Video recording 1511a: Video recording 1511b: Video recording 1511b0: Video recording 1611a0: First shot image 1611a2: Fourth shot image 1611b0: Second shot image 1611b1: Third-shot footage 500: Right Hand Image 501: Sphere Image 502: Ball-shaped image 503: Object Image 504: Circle 511a: Video recording 511b: Video recording 600: Right Hand Image 601: Sphere Image 602: Ball-shaped image 611a: Capture video 611b: Video recording 71b: Video recording B: Ball b0c: Central coordinates b0i: radius b1: First Ball Image b1c: Central coordinates b1i: radius b2: Second Sphere Image b2c: Central coordinates b2i: radius C: Cue stick CI: Center CR: Center D: Monitor f: focal length H: Right hand L: Long side La: Left indicator light Lb: Right indicator light P: Player PR: The ball was hit outside the predicted area S: Play a seat S1: Area S2: Area SR: Swing Zone SX0: Rotation axis t0: Set time t1: First moment t2: Second moment Ta: Left Trigger Area Tb: Right Trigger Zone TE: Ball seat area TS0: Rotation rate xi: left and right directions xr: Left and right directions yi: up and down direction yr: Up and down direction Z: Region Z10a: Left detection area Z10b: Right detection area Z11a: Left photography area Z11b: Right camera area zr: forward / backward direction

Claims

1. A ball-hitting analysis device, comprising: left and right infrared sensors respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device, and respectively detecting a left detection area and a right detection area, the left detection area and the right detection area being adjacent to each other and not overlapping; left and right cameras respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device, and respectively capturing a left imaging area and a right imaging area including the left detection area and the right detection area, the left imaging area and the right imaging area overlapping each other; a judgment control unit, using the left and right cameras to determine whether a ball is disposed in one of a pre-defined left trigger area in the left detection area of ​​the left imaging area and a pre-defined right trigger area in the right detection area of ​​the right imaging area; and a judgment control unit, wherein when the judgment control unit determines that a ball is disposed in one of the left trigger area and the right trigger area, the infrared sensor corresponding to the camera in the trigger area where the ball is disposed determines whether an object appears in the detection area including the trigger area. The system includes a disappearance determination control unit, which, when determined by the appearance determination control unit, determines that an object has appeared in the detection area, uses the infrared sensor corresponding to the detection area to determine whether the ball has disappeared from the detection area; a reappearance determination control unit, which, when determined by the disappearance determination control unit, determines that the ball has disappeared from the detection area, uses the infrared sensor corresponding to the launch detection area adjacent to the detection area to determine whether the ball has appeared in the launch detection area; a signal transmission control unit, which, when determined by the reappearance determination control unit, sends a trigger signal; a photography control unit, which, when the trigger signal is sent, uses the left and right cameras to continuously photograph the ball in the left and right photography areas; and a calculation control unit, which calculates the ball's flight parameters based on the ball images continuously photographed by the left and right cameras.

2. The ball-hitting analysis device as described in claim 1, wherein the photography control unit, at a first moment immediately following the transmission of the trigger signal, uses the camera corresponding to the infrared sensor of the detection area to capture an image of the ball in the photography area, and at a second moment, after a predetermined time, uses the camera corresponding to the infrared sensor of the hit detection area to capture an image of the ball in the photography area.

3. The ball-hitting analysis device as described in claim 1, wherein when the setting judgment control unit determines that a ball is set in either the left trigger area of ​​the left camera area or the right trigger area of ​​the right camera area, a ball-hitting prediction area including the ball image and along the ball's hitting direction is set in the captured image used for the judgment; the calculation control unit sets the ball-hitting prediction area in the captured image of the first moment immediately following the transmission time of the trigger signal, performs prescribed image processing on the ball-hitting prediction area, identifies the ball image, and calculates the ball's flight parameters.

4. A ball-hitting analysis method, which is a ball-hitting analysis device comprising: left and right infrared sensors respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device, and respectively detecting a left detection area and a right detection area, the left detection area and the right detection area being adjacent to each other and not overlapping; and left and right cameras respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the device, and respectively capturing a left imaging area and a right imaging area including the left detection area and the right detection area, the left imaging area and the right imaging area overlapping each other. The ball-hitting analysis method comprises: setting a judgment control step, using the left and right cameras to determine whether a ball is set in one of a pre-set left trigger area in the left detection area of ​​the left imaging area and a pre-set right trigger area in the right detection area of ​​the right imaging area; In the occurrence judgment control step, when the setting judgment control step determines that the ball is present in either the left trigger area or the right trigger area, the infrared sensor corresponding to the camera in the setting trigger area containing the ball is used to determine whether an object appears in the setting detection area including the setting trigger area; In the disappearance judgment control step, when the occurrence judgment control step determines that an object appears in the setting detection area, the infrared sensor corresponding to the setting detection area is used to determine whether the ball disappears from the setting detection area; In the next occurrence judgment control step, when the disappearance judgment control step determines that the ball has disappeared from the setting detection area, the infrared sensor corresponding to the ejection detection area adjacent to the setting detection area is used to determine whether the ball appears in the ejection detection area; In the signal transmission control step, when the next occurrence judgment control step determines that the ball appears in the ejection detection area, a trigger signal is sent; The photography control steps involve continuously capturing images of the ball in the left and right photography areas using the left and right cameras when the trigger signal is sent; and the calculation control steps involve calculating the ball's flight parameters based on the continuous images of the ball captured by the left and right cameras.

Images