Unmarked Golf Ball Spin Rate Measurement via Doppler Radar
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf ball spin rate measurement systems require marking the ball, which is impractical in professional settings, and most systems only measure launch spin, not decay along the flight path, limiting their utility.
Innovation Solution
A Doppler radar system that transmits a microwave signal and receives the reflected signal to determine the spin rate of an unmarked golf ball by detecting phase variations caused by the ball's rotation, using the lens effect to magnify features on the ball's surface, allowing for accurate measurement of spin rate in flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If marks are applied to the golf ball surface for spin rate measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the effort required and incompatibility with professional tournament settings
Solution Approach 1:
The golf ball's own surface features (dimples, seams, or other manufacturing characteristics) are utilized as the reference for spin rate measurement. The system automatically detects these inherent features without requiring any external marking or preparation by the user, making the measurement process truly self-service and compatible with professional tournament settings where ball marking is prohibited.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking step is completely extracted from the measurement process. Instead of requiring users to apply marks to the ball, the system directly uses the ball's existing surface characteristics as the measurement reference, eliminating the problematic marking operation while maintaining measurement capability.
2Measurement precision
If conventional launch monitor systems are used, then spin rate at launch can be measured, but the ability to measure spin decay along the flight path is lost, limiting measurement versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The Doppler radar system continuously tracks the golf ball throughout its entire flight path, not just at launch. This continuous measurement capability captures the spin rate at multiple points along the trajectory, enabling the observation and analysis of spin decay from launch through descent, thereby providing comprehensive spin characterization.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system is designed to measure spin rate at any location along the ball's flight path, not only at launch. This multi-location measurement capability makes the system universally applicable for analyzing spin characteristics throughout the entire trajectory, including launch spin, peak spin, and spin at various descent points.
3Ease of operation
If Doppler radar is used to measure unmarked ball spin, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate without surface marks as reference
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects and utilizes the golf ball's inherent surface features (dimples, seams, or other manufacturing characteristics) as the reference for spin measurement. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external marking while maintaining measurement precision by leveraging the ball's own surface topology.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the measurement parameter from requiring external marks to detecting inherent surface features. By adjusting the detection algorithm to recognize the ball's natural surface characteristics, the system maintains precision while improving ease of operation and compatibility with professional settings.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable and accurate measurement of spin rate without marking the golf ball, capturing spin decay along the flight path, improving the precision of golf ball trajectory analysis.
Implementation Method 1
A Doppler radar system that transmits a microwave signal and receives the reflected signal to determine the spin rate of an unmarked golf ball by detecting phase variations caused by the ball's rotation
Implementation Method 2
using the lens effect to magnify features on the ball's surface
Implementation Method 3
The golf ball spin measurement system utilizes the ball's own surface features, such as the seam or manufacturing features, to modulate the Doppler signal. The dielectric properties of the ball's core material act to magnify the size and motion of any feature on the far side of the ball relative to the Doppler radar.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for ball spin rate measurement are described. Some embodiments provide a method whereby a phase-demodulated difference signal of a projectile in flight is received, such as from a Doppler radar system. A first periodic component of the phase-demodulated signal is detected, the first periodic component having a plurality of bipolar pulses, with each of the pulses having a first portion during which an apparent speed of the projectile is greater than a nominal speed of the projectile, and each of the pulses having a second portion during which the apparent speed of the projectile is less that the nominal speed of the projectile. A period of the first periodic component is detected, and the spin rate of the projectile in flight is determined based on the period of the first periodic component.