Other

Nortron Corporation

Virtual Golf, Inc.

Dynabal Corporation

Amfit, Inc.

Autotron Equipment Corporation

American Fitness, Inc.

Donald B Curchod

Donald R Sherman

Victor B Van Blerk

Hoyt H Nelson

Arthur K Arnold

Albert L Mitchell

Wilhelm Borner

An apparatus for measuring and visually displaying a user's body movement while performing a motion. Sensing means such as, for example, potentiometers are coupled to the joints of a user in order quantitatively detect movement of the user's body while performing a motion. The sensors generate signals indicative of the movement of the user's body while the user performed the motion. The apparatus also includes processing means for receiving and processing the signals which generated by the sensing means. Display means are coupled to the processing means for receiving the processed signals from the processing means and for graphically displaying at least one image representing the movement of the user's body which occurred while the user performed said motion. In so doing, the present invention allows for real time or delayed observation by a user of the user's body movements while performing a motion. The apparatus also includes memory means for receiving and storing sample signals corresponding to sample movement of a sample user's body when performing the motion. The display means is then able to graphically display concurrently an image representing the movement of the user's body and a second image representing the sample movement of a sample body's performance of the motion. In so doing, the movement of the user's body can be compared with the sample movement of the sample body's performance of said motion. In one embodiment, the motion is performed is a golf swing.

Motion measurement apparatus

This invention is an apparatus for measuring and visually displaying a user's body movement while performing a motion. Sensing means (22) such as potentiometers, are coupled to the joints of a user in order to quantitatively detect movement of the user's body while performing a motion. The sensors (22) generate signals indicative of the motion and are received by processor means (30) which in turn connects to a display means (32) for graphically displaying at least one image representing the movement. A second image may be displayed with the first image for comparison purposes.

Roll-forming apparatus and method for more precisely shaping an extruded-plastic Fresnel lens. A drive/support roller is rotatably mounted to the support frame and the surface of which engages and rotates to support the smooth outer surface of an extruded arcuate, elongated linear Fresnel lens. A tooth-forming roller is rotatably mounted to the support frame and has an external profile with tooth-forming projections formed thereon for engagement with the grooves on the inner surface of the extruded sheet, said tooth-forming roller being positioned on the inner surface of the Fresnel lens opposite the drive/support roller and being loosely mounted on the support frame to track the grooves formed in the Fresnel lens to improve the profile of the lens section by sharpening the root radius and flattening the optical face of each lens section. The tooth-forming roller is rotatably mounted to a biased floating yoke assembly for rotation of the tooth-forming roller about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the movement of the arcuate, elongated linear Fresnel lens and wherein the yoke assembly provides for movement of the tooth forming roller about a longitudinal axis which is aligned in the longitudinal direction of the movement of the arcuate, elongated linear Fresnel lens. A pressure piston applies force to the yoke frame through the second ball-and-socket joint member. The tooth-forming roller is formed as two separate independent roller segments which are mounted coaxially for separate side-by-side movement. To cover the entire width of the lens, rows of tooth-forming rollers and corresponding drive/support rollers are provided.

Roll former for an extruded fresnel lens

A golf simulator is provided with an improved trajectory sensing and spin detector. The trajectory sending system includes a first row of light sensors located adjacent to a tee and receiving light from a first light source directly above the tee. Second and third rows of light sensors are positioned away from the tee. The second row receives light from a second source directly overhead. The third row receives light from the first light source where a plane of light is defined between the first light source and the third row of sensors. The time intervals between a golf ball passing from the tee to the first plane of light and to the second plane of light, where the second plane of light is defined by the second light source and the second row of sensors are detected by the first, second, and third rows of light sensors. The angle of elevation of a golf ball is determined as a function of the ratio of the first and second time intervals. A special golf ball has permanent magnets imbedded therein and a first and a second pickup coil and are positioned on opposite sides of the tee to provide output signals corresponding to the spin of the golf ball. Means are provided for combining the output signals of the pickup coils to determine the spin of the golf ball around respective horizontal and vertical axis.

Golf ball trajectory and spin sensing system

An improved golf simulation system for two players is contained in a single booth, which has a single screen on which are projected various views of simulated golf holes and into which two golfers independently but concurrently hit golf balls from within the single booth, a dual-player golf simulator system. Each player uses a portion of a golf tee area. Ball flight sensors sense the flight of the two independently, concurrently hit golf balls. A computer concurrently computes the flight and landing location of the first golf ball on the simulated hole and the flight and landing location of the second golf ball on the simulated hole as a function of the sensed velocity, trajectory, and spin of each of the respective golf balls. The simulated golf hole can be viewed as a single view of as a split view when each player has a different viewing location.

Double position golf simulator

A storable cover for covering the cabin portion of a variety of vehicles, such as sedans, vans, and hatchbacks, carries storage means secured thereto to be disposed in a suitable compartment of the vehicle. The trailing edge of the cover is anchored inside the vehicle when the cover is disposed onto the vehicle. The storage means is affixed firmly inside the trunk or other rear compartment of the various vehicles, such as for example, sedans, hatchbacks, and vans so as to locate part of the over assembly within a locked compartment. The cover is deployed by being taken out of the storage means and fed from the trunk through the opening which is created between the raised closure member for the compartment and the body of the vehicle.

Car cover and anchoring assembly

A solar electric conversion unit and system includes substantially increased efficiency with reduced losses and increased acceptance angles. The system employs a short focal length fresnel lens extruded to further include depending side walls. The free edges of the sides carry a heat sink supporting a photovoltaic cell. The extruded side walls function as light pipes for carrying light directly to the photovoltaic cell. The walls are reflective inwardly of the unit to further avoid loss of stray light.

Solar electric conversion unit and system

A golf simulating apparatus having a driving simulator and an actual green area adjacent thereto for simulating a complete game of golf, comprising apparatus for generating signals indicative of the velocity, trajectory and spin of a hit golf ball. A computer apparatus connected to the generating apparatus is provided for receipt of the signals and for processing the signals to determine the distance and location of the hit golf ball would have travelled on a golf course, the computer apparatus calculating the lie of the ball on a simulated hole. Also, display apparatus controlled by the computer apparatus is provided for projecting the simulated hole of golf so that as a golfer moves down the fairway the view of the hole from the golfers vantage point is displayed.

Golf simulator apparatus

A storable cover for covering the cabin portion of a vehicle carries storage means secured thereto to be disposed in the trunk of the vehicle or other suitable compartment in a manner anchoring the trailing edge of the cover when the cover is disposed onto the vehicle. The storage means is affixed firmly inside the trunk of the vehicle so as to locate part of the cover assembly within a locked compartment. The cover is deployed by being taken out of the storage means and fed from the trunk through the opening which is created between the raised trunk lid and the rear windshield or body of the vehicle.

Disclosed is a system and method for accurately balancing a wheel/tire assembly. The assembly is mounted onto a shaft of a dynamic wheel balancer to rotate therewith. The shaft and wheel/tire assembly are spun while the balancer senses and stores a first set of information (readings) indicating imbalance. Next, the wheel/tire assembly is released and reoriented at a different angle, for example 180 degrees, on the shaft of the balancer, followed by respinning the wheel/tire assembly while the balancer takes a second set of readings indicating imbalance under these changed conditions. The values of both sets of readings are stored and then compared to note the difference therebetween. The difference represents a measure of the aggregate actual and 'apparent' imbalance. For example, if the reorientation is 180 degrees, then the difference will be twice the actual imbalance. If the reorientation is less than 180 degrees, then the difference will be proportionately less than twice the actual imbalance. Apparent imbalance may be cauased by (i) an unbalanced shaft, (ii) axial vibrations of the shaft caused by face plate run-out, (iii) bearing and belt noise under load, (iv) motor noise under load, etc. Any such difference is stored and later subtracted from future balancing readings in order to more accurately determine the correct amount of counterbalancing weight to be added to a wheel/tire assembly, so that the wheel will remain balanced after removal from the shaft.

Dynamic balancing system and method

A light weight, low speed, low cost dynamic balancing machine useful for wheel balancing includes a light weight base, sensors for detecting unbalanced signals and attendant noise, and a low energy drive employing a small electric motor driving elastic belts for rotating the body to be balanced.

Light weight dynamic wheel balancing machine

A wheel alignment and ball joint wear monitoring system employs a diagrammatic pictorial video display of the chassis of the vehicle being aligned and pictorial diagrams of alignment parameters associated with each of the wheels of the chassis. The region of each wheel when separately enlarged carries a chassis diagram indicating which wheel portion of the diagram has been enlarged. The system permits successive measurements of camber and of toe to be used to determine ball joint wear in the vertical and horizontal planes.

Wheel alignment system with ball joint wear monitor and method

A system and method for forming a custom-made resilient insert for a given person's shoe in which the contour of the support surface of the insert conforms to the contour of the undersurface of a person's foot.

System and method for forming custom-made shoe insert

A drive shaft mounting assembly for dynamic wheel balancing machines includes force sensors supporting bearings at axially spaced positions of the shaft. The assembly further includes rods extending between the bearings in a manner absorbing the forces of run-out created at each bearing.

Drive shaft mounting assembly for dynamic wheel balancing machine

A relatively lightweight base assembly for a dynamic wheel balancing machine is stabilized by filling a pliant plastic bag carried by the base assembly with a sufficient volume of pourable material, such as water, to provide a free form body of ballast. Also, a plurality of bags of a type to receive pourable sand can be filled with sand, as desired, for supplying ballast and for damping machine movements.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Donald B Curchod