Training and aiming device for cue sports

Abstract

The present invention is a training device that helps the players of cue sports to realize their mistakes and improve their skills. The device comprises of a laser module that can be placed onto the cue to emit a line laser on the cue ball, the target ball and the playing surface or ground as an aiming guide. The device comprises of a self-balancing system to automatically hold the laser on top of the cue for a proper beam. The device further comprises of a control board to program different duty cycles and coaching scenarios of the device.

Claims

1. A training device for cue sports to attach to a cue having a length, a butt with a large diameter, and a tip with a small diameter, the training device comprising: a. a laser module comprising: i. a laser to generate a laser beam; ii. a cylindrical lens placed in front of the laser beam to form a planar laser fan having a fan angle, , or a cross shaped laser beam with a predefined width on a playing surface; b. a control board to control the laser; c. a holder to hold the laser module at a predefined height, H, and at a predefined angle, , with respect to the cue, comprising: i. a body having a front portion, a rear portion, a top portion and a bottom portion; ii. a cavity on the front portion designed to receive the laser module; iii. a ring on the bottom portion having an inner surface with an inner diameter, an outer surface with an outer diameter, a top part and a bottom part; iv. an opening on the rear portion to receive the control board and a power source; v. a self-balancing system comprising: a suspension unit that is installed on the inner surface of the ring to hold the cue inside the ring while allowing its free rotation and a counterweight unit installed on the bottom part of the ring to keep the device upright on the cue and automatically balance the laser on a top portion of the cue, wherein the planar laser fan is always aligned along the length of the cue; whereby the training device is set on the cue by sliding the ring of the holder onto the cue from the tip of the cue, and in operation the counterweight unit keeps the laser module in an upright position as the suspension unit allows the training device to freely rotate around the cue, and the laser module emits a line laser both on a cue ball, a target ball and a playing surface as an aiming guide.

2. The training device of claim 1, wherein the suspension unit comprises of a bearing or a ball bearing for a free rotation of the training device around the cue.

3. The training of claim 1, wherein the counterweight unit is a single weight attached to the bottom part of the ring.

4. The training device of claim 1, wherein the counterweight unit is a two-weight unit positioned symmetrically on the outer surface of the ring of the holder.

5. The training device of claim 1, wherein the control board having a multipurpose button for on-off, for selecting between a set of pre-programmed states of the control board, for a set of programming instructions programmed into the control board, and for selecting a laser duty cycle; whereby the laser duty cycle can be pre-programmed with instructions or synchronized with movements of the cue, movements of a user and coaching scenarios.

6. The training device of claim 1, further having a tilt sensor to turn the laser off when the cue is not in a playing position.

7. The training device of claim 6, wherein the tilt sensor is an inertial measurement unit (IMU) programmable to be coordinated with the laser in such a way that the laser turns on when the cue is moving forward and is turned off when the cue is withdrawn (back swing) or vice versa.

8. The training device of claim 1, wherein the control board comprising a computer-readable medium comprising of a set of computer-executable instructions to perform a software application programmable to implement different functions of the device.

9. The training device of claim 1, wherein the power source is a rechargeable battery.

10. The training device for cue sports of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical lens being selected from a group consisting of a biconvex, biconcave, plano convex, plano concave and PMMA patterned lens that generates a line or cross pattern exposure.

11. The training device of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the ring is configured to let the ring tightly locate at a distance of or of the length of the cue from the tip of the cue, to allow regular bridge formation and cueing.

12. The training device for cue sports of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the ring is 16 mm to 22 mm to hold the ring in a position that does not interfere with a play.

13. The training device for cue sports of claim 1, wherein the counterweight unit is made of stainless steel or tungsten.

14. The training device of claim 1, wherein said counterweight unit is attached to the ring by using metal or plastic fastening means comprising of glue, screw, nut, or permanent rivets.

15. The training device of claim 1, wherein said suspension unit is selected from the group consisting of stainless-steel bearing, chrome bearing or ceramic bearings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments hereinafter will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claims, wherein like designations denote like elements, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the training device for cue sports of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the laser line generator holder of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 2B is an exploded view showing the major parts of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 3B is an exploded view showing the self-balancing system of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 4A shows a dot pattern laser without the line generator lens;

(8) FIG. 4B shows a line pattern laser with the line generator lens;

(9) FIG. 5A illustrates the positioning of the laser line generator of the present invention;

(10) FIG. 5B illustrates the laser line generated on the playing field;

(11) FIG. 6 illustrates using the present invention as a guideline for cue sports;

(12) FIG. 7 illustrates using the present invention as a guideline for aiming practice in hockey or golf;

(13) FIG. 8A shows the placement of the present invention on the cue;

(14) FIG. 8B shows the present invention in use by a player;

(15) FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the control board of the present invention;

(16) FIG. 10A shows the position of the laser line before the impact;

(17) FIG. 10B shows the position of the laser line after playing the shot;

(18) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, and

(19) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(20) FIGS. 1 to 3 show the removeable training and aiming device of the present invention 100 to be mounted on a cue. A cue usually has a length, a butt and a tip. The device 100 comprises a holder 10 to allow the cue to be placed in any orientation along its vertical axis and components of the device to be mounted thereon.

(21) The holder 10 can be an injected moulded plastic part, 3D printed, or a machined light weight metal like aluminium with cavities to receive various components of the device 100. The holder 10 has a ring 11 at the bottom part that has a 16-22 mm diameter for installation on the cue. The ring can also have a gasket inside the inner diameter of the pivot mechanism for better attachment to the cue. The holder 10 slides in to position from the tip of the cue or can be tightened over the cue by using a clamping mechanism. In the simplest form, since the cue usually has a conical shape with smallest diameter at the tip and largest diameter at its butt, the holder can be slid into the place from the tip of the cue.

(22) FIG. 2B shows different essential components of the device, which comprise of a laser module 20 which is inserted into a cavity 12 of the holder. The body of the laser module 20 may have 2 guiding features 21 (shown only on one side) provided on either sides of the laser module 20 to slide into the holder 10 in a precise way so that it remains vertical. Alternatively, the laser module 20 can have adjustment knobs to rotate and align the laser with the body of the holder 10. The laser module 20 has a laser installed at its distal end. The laser is preferable red (600-650 nm) or green (500-600 nm) but it can be of other colours as well.

(23) A cylindrical lens 22 is inserted into an aperture 23 in front of the laser beam to form a planar laser fan which has a fan angle or a cross shaped laser beam with a predefined width on a playing surface. The angle of the laser module 20 inside the holder 10 and the laser fan angle is in such a combination that when the player is on the shot and is striking the balls, the laser does not shine above the table level which is a safety feature to not allow unwanted illumination onto other people that are walking or standing around the tables or other observers.

(24) The lens 22 can be a glass cylindrical lens, a biconvex, biconcave, plano convex, plano concave or any PMMA patterned lens (line pattern, cross pattern, circular pattern), or other lenses that generate a laser sheet, a line or a cross pattern. Optionally, guiding features 21 extend to the line generator lens 22, so that when the lens 22 is inserted into the laser module 20, the linear exposure profile remain perfectly vertical, which helps with the assembly without the need to use alignment knobs and make sure that the line remains precisely vertical with respect to the body of the laser module 20. The cavity of the holder 12 at its top front part provides cavities that matches the guiding features 21 on the laser for easy installation by sliding in position.

(25) Referring to FIG. 2B again the holder 10 further has an opening on its rear portion to receive a battery 30 to provide power to the device and a PCB control board 40. The battery 30 can be a rechargeable battery that is charged by connecting to an outlet with a USB cable. The PCB control board 40 is programmed to implement different functions of the device 100 and automatically balance the laser on the top of the cue, so that the planar laser fan is always aligned along the length of the cue. The control board 40 provide an on and off button; a multimode button that controls different programming duty cycles of the laser, a tilt sensor with different applications to find the orientation of the cue, and connects or disconnects the laser power based on the sensor input. This feature provide safety to avoid exposure of the laser when the cue is not held horizontally (on the shot). It also helps to save battery power by disconnecting the laser when the cue is not held horizontally (the cue is not on the shot). Moreover, with different duty cycles, the control board 40 is programmed to offer different on and off periods to establish a pre-shot routine for the player.

(26) As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B the training device of the present invention 100 provide a self-balancing system which is achieved by a suspension unit and a counterweight unit. The suspension unit is a bearing 50 provided on the inner portion of the ring 11 of the holder 10 to allow the cue to be placed in the ring and rotate therein and the counterweight unit comprises of a weight or weights 60 attached to the bottom of the ring 11 in a manner to enhance a self-balancing system to the device 100. The bearing 50 is selected from stainless steel, chrome or ceramic bearings which is press-fitted, glued or attached by any other attaching means to the inner portion of the ring 11. The bearing has the inner diameter to hold the cue tight (preferably 16 mm to 22 mm inner diameter, that corresponds to to of the cues length) and has an outer diameter that is preferably as thin as possible. The outer diameter of the bearing 50 is chosen to be fitted inside the ring 11 of the holder. The holder 10 slides into position from the tip of the cue. The draft on the cue helps to get a tight fit and precise fit on the holder 10.

(27) The self-balancing system enables the device to remain upright on the cue. This orientation will be maintained no matter how the cue is initially held, because the counterweight 60 always pulls onto the holder 10 and the laser module 20 which is placed oppositely from the counterweight 60 will go to the top of the rotation and stays there. Placing the laser module 20 in such a way that is perpendicular to the table at the upper most position is critically important. If the laser module 20 is not at the top, the line that is illuminated on the table is not in the same direction as the line from the centre axis of the cue, so it does not represent the direction of force that the cue is applying to the cue ball when striking it.

(28) The weight 60 is made out of a material which is much heavier than the rest of the holder 10, such as stainless steel, or even tungsten to have higher compactness. The weight 60 is chosen such that the centre of the mass of the holder 10, laser 20 and weight 60 combination falls lower than the centre of the bearing 50 so that the laser 20 stays in an upright position. Moreover, it is designed in such a way that it does not hang much lower than the holder 10 (maximum 5 cm) to avoid colliding with the playing table when cueing. The weight 60 is attached to the holder 10 by using metal or plastic fastening methods such as press-fit, gluing, screw, nut, or permanent rivets.

(29) The self-balancing system of the holder orients the laser properly and effortlessly before every shot. This will be achieved by the design parameters of the bearing 50 and the weight 60. If the bearing inner diameter is denoted by r, and the centre of the mass of the weight is at a distance R from the centre axis of the cue, the ratio R/r is important for the dynamic rotation of the laser 20 to counter any rotation of the cue. Another important factors include the friction of the bearing 50, and the ratio of the masses of everything above the bearing 50, including the laser 20, the holder 10, the battery 30 and the PCB control board 40 denoted by m and the mass of the weight 60 denoted by M. The requirement for the balance to work is M>m. In one embodiment, the total mass of the laser, the holder, the battery and the PCM control board is around 207 g, and the counter weight 4514 g. The radius r was 16-22 mm and R was 26-45 mm, with optimal playability and rotation dynamics achieved with r=17 and R=34 mm.

(30) Moreover, the ratio, coupled with the friction coefficient of the bearing 50, and the R/r ratio, determines the speed with which the correction to rotation takes place. A very large R, a low friction bearing 50, and a relatively large M, results in high stability of the laser module 20 and any rotation of the cue along its axis will not affect the laser 20. However, a high friction, a smaller M, or a smaller R, results in some rotation of the laser 20 along the axis. Depending on the purpose of the device 100, these values can be tuned. If the rotations are preferred to be detected to show flaws in the movement of the player, one set of variables are chosen. However, if stability is required and only the line of shot is important or a camera is placed instead of the laser, another set of parameters, which gives more stability is used. Without the self-balancing holder, the illuminated line will not coincide with the line shot or the trajectory of the cue ball after being hit by the cue. Manually orienting the laser can be flawed, tedious, and inaccurate because of misjudgment of the player, and impossible due to player's wrist rotation during delivery.

(31) FIG. 4A shows a laser without line generator lens 25 which generated a dot pattern 27. FIG. 4B illustrates laser with line generator lens 26 that forms a laser sheet and a line pattern 28. The y-x plane represents the playing surface or field. The line generator lens may be, but not restricted, to PMMA lens, glass cylindrical lens, or Powell lens. By shining a vertical sheet onto the cue ball, a line pattern 28 is formed that helps the player to find the center of the cue ball where the line is longest. The laser sheet passing through the center of the ball will always have the longest length since it is passing through the whole diameter of the ball. This helps with another common mistake of players when they put side spin when hitting the ball. If the ball is struck at the center, there will not be any side spin on the cue ball and the cue ball trajectory will be straight.

(32) FIGS. 5A and 5B show important design aspects of the laser module 20 and its positioning. Referring to FIG. 5A is the angle of holding the laser 20 with respect to the playing field 200. is the fan angle or emission angle of the laser 20 which is governed by the line generator lens used. H is the distance of the laser 20 with respect to the playing ground 200. FIG. 5B shows an illustration of the laser generated line shining on the playing field 200. The length L of the line depends on the angle of holding the laser generator 20 with respect to the playing field 200 and width w of the line, depends on the intensity of the laser and the type of lens used. The laser 20 can be placed onto the holder 10 in such a way that in the normal striking position, it shines the line onto the ground or playing field 200. The holder 10 is placed onto the cue and the player is required to hold the cue in such a way that the holder 10 remains at the top of the cue so that the line that shines on the table is perpendicular to the table and is in the direction straight from the cue.

(33) FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 illustrate application of the present invention in the sports of snooker and golf, respectively. The laser generator holder 10 is placed on a cue 16 for aiming guide in snooker or other cue sports as shown in FIG. 6 or in a golf club on a hockey stick for aiming practice in hockey or golf as shown in FIG. 7. The laser generator holder 10 is placed in such a way that it shines a light on to the playing field 200 for example snooker table. The laser generator holder 10 is also aligned with the cue 16 in such a way that the force that the cue 16 exerts on the cue ball 17 is exactly in the same direction as the direction of laser exposure 300. In this scenario, after striking the cue ball 17 it moves on the direction that the line 300 is showing. The aiming direction is visible by simultaneously shining the line 300 on the cue's central axis 16, the cue ball 17, and the target ball 18, and shows that the aim coincides with the centre of the cue ball 17 and the target ball 18 or pocket 19.

(34) FIGS. 8A and 8B show the holder's placement. The laser holder 10 is designed in such a way that when it resides on to the cue 16, it places the laser line generator 20 or cross pattern generator at slightly higher height than the tip of the cue itself. When the cue 16 is held, for striking, usually it is held at a slight degree with respect to the table playing surface 200, with the tilt angle ranging from a few degrees to tens of degrees. Since the laser line generator 20 is placed at slightly higher place as the tip and it is tilted downward, it will shine the line pattern both on to the cue ball and the target ball.

(35) The laser holder 10 is placed in a place that does not interfere with regular play. For most cue sports, this place is around to of the cue length from its tip. This place is chosen such that it is far enough from the tip to allow regular bridge formation and cueing, but not too far to interfere with the placement of the head on to the cue for sighting. For example, on a snooker cue, it is positioned around the centre point of the cue length. In this manner, it does not interfere with the bridge hand and follow-through, nor it interfere with the rest of the body that is trying to hold the cue on all the stages of cueing. For each sport such a place should be found so that the placement of the module does not impede the regular usage of the device 100 in the absence of the laser module.

(36) FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the functionality of the control board 40 of the present invention. The control board 40 is programmed to implement different functions of the device 100 and is connected to a power source 30 which can be a rechargeable battery to provide power to the system. A USB and a charging chip are provided for charging the device. The control board further provide an on-off module 41. A multimode button 42 controls different programming of the duty cycles. The multi-mode button controls a set of pre-programmed duty cycles 44 or a set of new duty cycles 43.

(37) The control board 40 is further equipped with tilt sensors and orientation sensors 45 to detect the tilt angle and orientation of the device 46 and connect or disconnect the laser power based on the sensor input. If the cue is held horizontally the laser generator will continue to generate laser 47. If the cue is not held in the right position 48 the laser will be disconnected 49. It also helps to save battery power for example in Snooker, this feature is useful in prolonging the battery life by disconnecting the laser when the cue is not held horizontally.

(38) The control board 40 is programmed to offer different on and off periods to establish a pre-shot routine for the player and can be programmed in such a way that turns on the laser and turn it back based on the sensor input. The control board 40 is further intended to be programmable in such a way that enables different duty cycles based on pre-programmed software or based on the players movement. By tuning the duty cycles or on-and-off periods of the laser, the control board enables using different coaching scenarios.

(39) The control board 40 further provide an inertial measurement sensor (IMU) 70 to synchronize the laser power and the cue movement 71. By tuning the duty cycles or on-and-off periods of the laser module 20, the control board 40 enables using different coaching scenarios. In each coaching scenario, the player is advised to coordinate their movement of hand and thus movement of the cue to match the laser module 20 by on and off periods. For example, when the laser module 20 is on, the cue should go forward and when the laser module 20 is off the cue should be drawn backward. This not only helps the player to keep the cue on the line of shot and deliver the cue in a straight line, but also it helps the player to build up a rhythm and get a reproducible timing for their pre shot routine. Selecting different programmed sensor interpretation data for various duty cycles can be as below: always on; on when the player demands it; on only when the player is on the shot; the sensor data can detect the position of the player and cue and can determine when is the time that the player is on the shot; or by input data from the on-board IMU sensor which can be coordinated with the laser in such a way that the laser turns on when the cue is moving forward and is turned off when the cue is withdrawn (back swing) or vice versa. customized duty cycles, with x amount of on time, and y amount of off time, or different x1, x2, x3, . . . on times and y1, y2, y3, . . . off times. The duty cycles can be tuned and pre-programmed based on timing of advanced players or coaches or manually programmed into the device using an app by the player or by pressing the on-board input button; or any combination of the above and mentioned methods or similar methods.

(40) FIGS. 10A and 10B show the position of the laser line before the impact and after playing the shot. When the cue ball 17 remains on the line it shows that the quality of the delivery was good. The player can follow the position of the laser line 300 after playing the shot and see if the ball is following the guiding line or has put unintentional side on the ball. The cue 16 has a semi conical or cylindrical shape. Theoretically, it is possible to hold the cue 16 in any rotation along its longest axis. However, it is always advisable to hold the cue in such a way that the cue's rotation along its main axis is the same.

(41) Most cue 16 have a flat indent at the butt of the cue. Experienced players hold their cue in such a way that the flat indent is facing upward towards the ceiling. However, it is common to unwantedly rotate the cue 16 along its central axis while preparing for the shot or during the execution of the shot. This unwanted rotation is very hard to realize and pinpoint for novice players and they fail to correct their mistake. However, with the laser module 20 placed on top of the cue 16, the laser light is only vertical if it is held in one way as intended. Any other type of holding the cue 16 with rotations along its central axis will cause the laser line not to be vertical anymore. Since the laser line is in front of the player and they always see it while playing the shot, they can easily detect when they have made the unwanted error of rotating the cue and they can make adjustments to make to vertical again.

(42) FIGS. 11 and 12 show another embodiment of the present invention 100 with different suspension systems. The device 100 has the same components with differences in the weight design. The weight as shown in FIG. 11 is a single weight 61 attached below the holder 10. The advantage of this design is its faster respond to the tilt. FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the present invention 100 with two weights 62, 63 positioned symmetrically on the either sides of the ring 11 of the holder 10. Since the weights 62, 63 are mounted in an elevation in respect to the holder 10 they can eliminate the chance of collision between the weights 62, 63 and the playing field 200. Any other passive counterweight can also be used. Alternatively, instead of the passive suspension system, a stepper motor controlled with a sensor on the control board 40 can be used to counter the rotations of the cue along its axial direction.

(43) In another embodiment instead of the line laser 20, a camera or any other optical sensor can be used. For example, instead of the laser 20 a small camera can be used which is able to record videos. The suspension system can counter any rotational movements of the cue and dump vibrations of the cue so that the camera recordings become very smooth.

(44) In another embodiment a cue camera can be installed on the holder to record the cueing from the point of view of the cue without vibrations and miss orientations. The shot is recorded on the camera and another player can see what is the exact intention of the player that was playing the shot, and can be a great learning tool for illustrations not only from one player to the other, but from a coach to a player, or from a TV host to the audience.

(45) The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

(46) With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum relationships for the parts of the invention in regard to size, shape, form, materials, function and manner of operation, assembly and use are deemed readily apparent and obvious to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.