Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Sensor Integrated Putter for Putting Stroke Analysis |
Kyle Smith Mithesh Ballae Ganesh Nathan Hwang |
Abdullah Alawad | proposal1.pdf |
|
| Team Members: - Nathan Hwang (njhwang2) - Kyle Smith (kfsmith2) - Mithesh Ballae (mballae2) # Problem Putting requires a high degree of repeatability and consistency, where small variations in club speed, face angle, and tempo can significantly affect the direction and distance of the ball. That is why the average golfer loses the most strokes in a round on the green. Anyone can hit a ball far, not everyone can consistently get the ball in the hole within par. It is very difficult for golfers to perceive small mechanical differences during practice, which makes it challenging to understand why certain putts hit while others miss. Since putting depends on subtle physical motions, players often rely on subjective feel rather than measurable evidence, which can lead to inconsistency and difficulty identifying the root cause of errors. # Solution We want to design a sensor integrated putter that measures and analyzes putting stroke mechanics in real time to provide feedback on individual strokes, consistency, and improvement. By embedding sensing and processing hardware into a putter, the system will focus on capturing physical characteristics of the stroke, regardless of if the putt goes in or not. A Motion sensor will track club speed, acceleration and tempo, face orientation, and rotational behavior of the club throughout the stroke. An impact sensing mechanism will then determine the characteristics of the contact between the ball and club. Additional optical sensing at the club face will watch ball behavior, most notably ball wobble. These measurements will be processed to quantify repeatability and identify stroke variability. The hardware system will connect with a mobile app via bluetooth that will show putt metrics, store sessions, visualize trends, and provide users with potential sources of error in their game. # Solution Components ## Subsystem 1 - Club Motion Sensing This subsystem measures the dynamics of the stroke mechanics. An IMU mounted into the main PCB, located on the backend of the clubhead, is perfect for this piece because it integrates an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer which will provide measurements for club speed, acceleration and deceleration, tempo, and rotational motion throughout the stroke. By continuously tracking the putter’s movement before, during, and after impact, this subsystem will capture the physical characteristics of the user’s stroke so that we can later provide numbers and feedback with the ultimate goal of correction, repeatability and consistency. Component (for breadboarding) - Adafruit 9-DOF Orientation IMU Fusion Breakout - BNO085 Component (for PCB) - CEVA BNO085 IMU ACCEL/GYRO/MAG I2C 32BIT ## Subsystem 2 - Impact Sensing This subsystem is meant to detect the time and characteristics of contact between the putter and ball. This will use vibration sensors positioned near the heel and toe of the club head. These sensors generate a voltage signal in response to ball impact, allowing us to determine the timestamp and relative location of contact across the club face (heel, center, or toe). The goal when putting is to hit the ball at the center as this will allow the ball to go straight. Any deviation provides a source of error. The impact timestamp will allow for synchronization of motion data from the IMU as well. This subsystem enables evaluation of impact consistency and quality. Components: 2x Piezo film strip: TE Connectivity Measurement Specialties LDT0-028K (1002794) ## Subsystem 3 - Ball Behavior Sensing We will track distance as well as dimple position utilizing a camera module and corresponding infrared LEDs, which will allow us to observe the rotation and wobble of the ball. Our thought is to drill a small hole in the center of the club face so that the camera can be positioned safely in the back end of the head looking toward the face. Our balls will have a line across the equator, which will allow our camera module to measure the changes of the roll over time. A good putt goes end over end, so it is important to measure roll stability, wobble, and catch any off-axis rotation. This along with our other measurements will capture all important aspects of the putt. Components: IR LEDs: Vishay TSAL6400 OV2640 camera module ## Subsystem 4 - MCU and Bluetooth Communication This subsystem will be the central processing and control unit of the broader system. Our chosen microcontroller has built in Bluetooth capability and can interface with our camera module. It is also able to collect data from the IMU through I2C and read analog inputs from the piezo impact sensors. Here, we will take in all of our signals, process them, compute stroke and ball mechanics, and then send it to our application over Bluetooth. Components: ESP32-S3 Microcontroller ## Subsystem 5 - Phone App Piggybacking off of our bluetooth connection, we will create a phone app, which will gather data from our back end, and structure it in an interactive and user friendly format. Using a database, the phone app will not only allow live feedback from the last putt, but additionally will allow the user to examine trends, and observe their growth through time. This makes it so a player can try different approaches to improving their putting consistency, as well as learn how to make different kinds of putts. Components: Phone ## Subsystem 6 - Battery and Power We will need to power our microcontroller so that we can gather and process data as well as send it to our app component. To power our system, we will use a lipo battery, likely around 4V, approximately 200 maH, which we will regulate via a regulator to 3.3V. We will have to allocate space in our physical putter design for this, so the smaller the battery, the better. Components: 3.3 V regulator Lipo Battery ## Subsystem 7 - Club Mounting/Club To mount our PCB/battery and other components, we will need to create a machined fixture that mounts flush to a mallet head putter. We chose a mallet head for several reasons, the first of which being that they generally offer more control and are the most commonly used design on the PGA tour, but secondly due to the larger real estate offered on a mallet head for component mounting. Ideally, we would be able to make an aesthetically pleasing lodging for our components that fits flush on top of the putter, but I could also see potential to mount the battery components near the grip if that helps with balance. Components: Machine Shop molded attachment Putter # Criterion For Success Describe high-level goals that your project needs to achieve to be effective. These goals need to be clearly testable and not subjective. In order for our project to be successful, there are several things we need to be sure to perfect. First and honestly most importantly, we need to ensure that the weight and balance of the putter with all components mounted is spot on. A good putter has a fluid feel, and by adding these components we will be altering the pre-existing balance, so it is crucial we account for maintaining this in our design so the putter itself feels good. To test this, we can go to a local golf course and approach golfers warming up. As stated before, golf is a feel game. We will ask if the putter feels well balanced and if they would be satisfied using the putter with the attachment as their everyday club. To get a consistent result, we can sample with 20 different golfers and look for 90% satisfaction. Second, it is crucial we are able to get accurate readings on club acceleration and club angle of each putting stroke. These readings are the most fundamental to understanding the way that a player putts the ball, and likewise it is paramount that these are consistently accurate so that the player can use this information to improve. To satisfy this we need to see sensor readings every stroke, with accurate measurements and accurate data processing. To do this, we can set up fixed putting and sensing calibration tests. Further, using the club face sensor, one must be able to determine the area of impact, which alongside angle and speed will complete what is necessary for a player to understand how they are putting. We also need to establish a reliable bluetooth connection to pair with our app. A successful project will without fail display each stroke's data on the app, and record it in the database for historical logging. For testing, we can make sure that every putt, sends data over bluetooth to our app, providing a strong connection. We also must make sure that our data between hardware and software is the same. Lastly, our database should store everything being transmitted from the hardware. While it is not apparent yet that it will be completely necessary, we ideally will have a functioning IR/Camera Module that tracks wobble and our balls rolling. This could allow us to better understand the exact link between ball trajectory and our swing factors, however our sensor positioning should be enough without this. Regardless it would be cool if we implemented this module additionally. |
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