JP2014236953A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head removing backlash at the time of hitting a ball, and enabling a user to get an excellent sense of unity at the time of hitting a ball.SOLUTION: A golf club head 1 is produced by a laser sintering method. A cavity 20 is provided at the backside of a face surface 10 in the inside of the golf club head 1. As a result of this, the golf club head 1 becomes a golf club head which removes backlash at the time of hitting a ball, and enables a user to get an excellent sense of unity at the time of hitting a ball. Furthermore, the golf club head 1 enables many users to select each own golf club head suitable for them, and consequently, a golf club using the golf club head, and the users to get enjoyment in selecting each own golf club suitable for them.

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, golf club heads manufactured by combining a member having a face surface (face member) and a main body member, in which a cavity is provided inside the golf club head (for example, patents) are known. Reference 1).
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional golf club head 900. A conventional golf club head 900 is a so-called putter head, and includes a face surface 910, a face member 912, a cavity 920, and a main body member 930 as shown in FIG.
According to the conventional golf club head 900, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in setting the center of gravity by changing the shape and size of the cavity 920.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-050671

  By the way, in the conventional golf club head 900, in order to fix the face member 912 to the main body member 930, methods such as screwing, press fitting, adhesion, and welding are used. However, in the golf club head manufactured by using such a method, the portion where the main body member and the face member are in contact cannot be fixed uniformly, so that the backlash at the time of hitting cannot be eliminated, and the hit ball There was a problem that a sense of unity could not be obtained.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a golf club head that eliminates rattling at the time of hitting and can obtain an excellent sense of unity at the time of hitting. To do.

[1] A golf club head according to the present invention is a golf club head manufactured by a laser sintering method, wherein a cavity is provided on the back side of the face surface inside the golf club head. To do.

  Since the golf club head of the present invention is a golf club head manufactured by a laser sintering method, it can be a golf club head consisting entirely of one member, and as a result, rattling at the time of hitting is eliminated. A golf club head capable of obtaining an excellent sense of unity at the time of hitting the ball is obtained.

  In addition, according to the golf club head of the present invention, since it is a golf club head manufactured by a laser sintering method, the range of selection of shape and material can be made wider than that of a conventional golf club head. In addition, it becomes easy for the user of the golf club head to specify the shape, material, etc. before manufacturing the golf club head. As a result, it becomes possible for many users to select a golf club head that is suitable for them, and hence a golf club that uses the golf club head, and users can enjoy selecting a “golf club that is suitable for them”. It is also possible.

  Further, according to the golf club head of the present invention, since the cavity is provided on the back side of the face surface, the deflection of the face surface at the time of hitting is promoted to increase the repulsive force of the face surface (that is, the same When the ball is hit with force, the ball can fly or roll far away).

  Further, according to the golf club head of the present invention, since the cavity is provided, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in setting the center of gravity by changing the shape and size of the cavity. That is, without changing the outer shape of the golf club head, the position of the center of gravity can be lowered, and the weight can be allocated to the heel side and the toe side.

  The present invention can be applied to golf club heads used for various golf clubs (putters, various wedges, various irons, various drivers), but is most preferably applied to golf club heads (putter heads) used for putters. be able to.

  The “laser sintering method” is sometimes called a laser powder sintering method or a powder lamination laser sintering method. The laser sintering method is a method in which a metal product is manufactured by stacking metal thin layers by repeatedly performing a step of spreading metal powder and a step of irradiating the metal powder with laser to form a thin layer of metal. . According to the laser sintering method, a metal product having a complicated three-dimensional shape can be manufactured with high accuracy.

  “Manufactured by laser sintering” means that the main shape and structure are formed by laser sintering. For this reason, the golf club head of the present invention may be subjected to auxiliary processing or the like (for example, polishing, grinding, plating, painting) in addition to the laser sintering method. In addition, the golf club head of the present invention can be manufactured by an auxiliary component manufactured by a method other than the laser sintering method (for example, a non-metallic component, casting, forging, etc.) unless the sense of unity at the time of hitting is lost. The manufactured metal part) may be embedded.

  The cavity has various shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a flat plate shape (a depth along one direction is sufficiently smaller than a depth along the other direction), a cylindrical shape, and a spherical shape. , Can be a free shape.

In the golf club head of the present invention, the distance between the face surface and the cavity is preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm. With such a configuration, it is possible to give the face surface sufficient strength, and it is possible to provide a golf club head with a sufficiently increased repulsive force upon hitting. From the above viewpoint, the distance between the face surface and the cavity is more preferably in the range of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm.
The “distance between the face surface and the cavity” means the shortest distance between the face surface and the cavity.

  The golf club head of the present invention may or may not have a neck for connecting the shaft. If the neck is not provided, the neck may be retrofitted. In addition, when the golf club head of the present invention includes a neck, the user can also select various elements of the neck, in particular, how the neck bends, by manufacturing the neck by a laser sintering method. Is possible.

[2] In the golf club head of the present invention, when the face surface side is the front side and the side opposite to the face surface is the rear side, the front part of the cavity and the rear side of the cavity It is preferable that the portion has a different longitudinal elastic modulus.

By adopting such a configuration, the user can select the configuration of the face surface that directly affects the feel at impact and the repulsive force separately from the configuration of the portion behind the cavity.
“Longitudinal elastic modulus (sometimes referred to as Young's modulus)” refers to a numerical value indicating the degree of strain of a material when stress is applied within the elastic range. In other words, it is a substance that is hard and difficult to deform.

  The longitudinal elastic modulus in the front part of the cavity and the rear part of the cavity is considered as the longitudinal elastic coefficient of each member when each part is an independent member. When each part has a configuration in which the type and density of the metal material differ depending on the location (for example, a configuration in which the metal material gradually changes from the front side to the rear side), the longitudinal elastic modulus in each part is Consider the longitudinal elastic modulus of each member when the portion is an independent member.

  In the above concept, the front part of the cavity corresponds to the face member of the conventional golf club head, and the rear part of the cavity corresponds to the main body member of the conventional golf club head. Hereinafter, the portion in front of the cavity may be referred to as “face portion”, and the portion in the rear of the cavity may be referred to as “main body portion”.

  The difference in longitudinal elastic modulus between the face portion and the main body portion is preferably, for example, 5 GPa or more, and more preferably 30 GPa or more. The upper limit of the difference in the longitudinal elastic modulus between the face portion and the main body portion is not limited as long as the production by the laser sintering method is successful, but can be, for example, 300 GPa or less.

  In the golf club head described in [2] above, it is preferable that the face portion and the main body portion are made of metal materials having different colors or textures. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a golf club head having an excellent aesthetic appearance by utilizing the difference in color tone or texture of the metal material.

[3] In the golf club head of the present invention, it is preferable that the golf club head has a high density portion and a low density portion whose density is lower than that of the high density portion.

  With such a configuration, the user can select the position of the center of gravity of the golf club head without changing the shape of the golf club head or the cavity.

In the golf club head described in [3] above, the difference in density between the high density portion and the low density portion is preferably 1.0 g / cm ³ or more. With such a configuration, it is possible to sufficiently change the center of gravity position of the golf club due to the user's selection.

The high density portion and the low density portion may be exposed on the surface of the golf club head or may not be exposed.
When both the high density portion and the low density portion are exposed on the surface of the golf club head, it is preferable that the high density portion and the low density portion are made of metal materials having different colors or textures. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a golf club head having an excellent aesthetic appearance by utilizing the difference in color tone or texture of the metal material.

  The high density portion and the low density portion may be made of different metal materials or may be made of the same metal material. Even when the high-density part and the low-density part are made of the same metal material, by changing the method of performing the laser sintering method (for example, changing the particle size of the metal powder, using a sintering aid, etc.) A difference in density between the two parts can be created.

The high density portion and the low density portion do not have to have a clear boundary. For example, there may be a portion where the density gradually decreases from the high density portion toward the low density portion between the high density portion and the low density portion.
In addition, the golf club head of the present invention may have a plurality of high density portions and a plurality of low density portions. In this case, the density of each high-density portion constituting the plurality of high-density portions and the density of each low-density portion constituting the plurality of low-density portions may be the same or different.

[4] In the golf club head of the present invention, it is preferable that the high-density portion is located below the low-density portion when the sole surface side is the lower side.

  With such a configuration, a golf club head having a low center of gravity and high stability can be obtained.

[5] In the golf club head of the present invention, the high-density portion is on the heel side and the toe side of the golf club head, and the low-density portion is on the high-density portion on the heel side and on the toe side. It is preferable to be between the high-density portions.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a highly stable golf club head in which weight is distributed to the heel side and the toe side.

[6] In the golf club head of the present invention, when the face surface side is the front side and the side opposite to the face surface is the rear side, the front portion of the cavity and the rear portion of the cavity Is preferably composed of the high-density portion, and the other is composed of the low-density portion.

  By adopting such a configuration, the user can select the configuration of the face surface that directly affects the feel at impact and the repulsive force separately from the configuration of the portion behind the cavity.

  In addition, when the part (face part) ahead of a cavity consists of a high-density part, it can be expected that the shot feeling becomes hard. Further, when the face portion is formed of a low density portion, it can be expected that the feel at impact is soft.

1 is a view of a golf club head 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram of a golf club head 2 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a view of a golf club head 3 according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 6 is a view of a golf club head 4 according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 6 is a view of a golf club head 5 according to Embodiment 5. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional golf club head 900. FIG.

The golf club head of the present invention will be described below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
Each drawing is a schematic diagram and does not necessarily accurately reflect actual dimensions. In each drawing, three directions orthogonal to each other are indicated by an x-axis direction, a y-axis direction, and a z-axis direction, respectively.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a view of a golf club head 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the golf club head 1, FIG. 1B is a front view of the golf club head 1, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. is there. In FIG. 1B, the position of the cavity 20 is indicated by a broken line. The same applies to each front view described later.

  The golf club head 1 according to Embodiment 1 is a golf club head manufactured by a laser sintering method. The golf club head 1 is a putter head. As shown in FIG. 1, a cavity 20 is provided on the back side of the face surface 10 inside the golf club head 1. The golf club head 1 also includes a neck 30 for connecting a shaft (not shown). Reference numeral 40 denotes a sole surface.

  The golf club head 1 is made of a uniform metal material except for the cavity 20. As the metal material, various metal materials that can be used in the laser sintering method can be used. Specifically, iron, titanium, copper, aluminum, magnesium, zirconium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, and alloys of these metals can be exemplified.

  The golf club head 1 can be manufactured by various currently known laser sintering methods. When the golf club head 1 is manufactured, for example, it may be manufactured from the face surface 10 side, may be manufactured from the sole surface 40 side, or may be manufactured from the heel side or the toe side. . Further, the golf club head 1 may be subjected to auxiliary processing (for example, polishing, grinding, plating, painting) in addition to the laser sintering method.

The cavity 20 can have various shapes. In the first embodiment, the case where the cavity 20 has a flat plate shape is illustrated.
In the golf club head 1, the distance d between the face surface 10 and the cavity 20 is in the range of 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm. The distance d is more preferably in the range of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm.

  The golf club head 1 according to the first embodiment has a corresponding effect among the effects described in the above [Means for Solving the Problems], particularly the effect described in [1].

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 2 is a view of the golf club head 2 according to the second embodiment. 2 (a) is a perspective view of the golf club head 2, FIG. 2 (b) is a front view of the golf club head 2, and FIG. 2 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 (b). is there.

  The golf club head 2 according to the second embodiment has basically the same structure as the golf club head 1 according to the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. When the opposite side is the rear side, the longitudinal elastic modulus is different between the front part of the cavity 20 (face part 52) and the rear part of the cavity 20 (main body part 54). Reference numeral 32 indicates a neck, and reference numeral 42 indicates a sole surface.

The golf club head 2 is a putter head.
The face portion 52 is made of a uniform metal material. The main body portion 54 is also made of a uniform metal material. In addition, the part immediately above and below the cavity 20 in the golf club head 2 is handled as the main body part 54. The difference in longitudinal elastic modulus between the face portion 52 and the main body portion 54 is preferably 5 GPa or more, and more preferably 30 GPa or more.

  The face portion 52 and the main body portion 54 are made of metal materials having different colors or textures. In addition, the pattern attached | subjected to each part in FIG. 2 shows typically that each part consists of a different metal material, and does not show the color and pattern of each part. The same applies to FIGS. 3 to 5 described later.

The neck 32 has two parts, a part made of a metal material similar to the face part 52 and a part made of a metal material similar to the main body part 54.
The golf club head 2 can be manufactured, for example, by forming the body portion 54 by laser sintering after forming the face portion 52 by laser sintering.

  The golf club head 2 according to the second embodiment has a corresponding effect among the effects described in the above [Means for Solving the Problems], particularly the effects described in [1] and [2].

[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 3 is a view of the golf club head 3 according to the third embodiment. 3 (a) is a perspective view of the golf club head 3, FIG. 3 (b) is a front view of the golf club head 3, and FIG. 3 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3 (b). is there.

The golf club head 3 according to the third embodiment basically has the same configuration as the golf club head 1 according to the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. It has a low density portion 64 of low density. When the sole surface 44 is on the lower side, the high density portion 62 is located below the low density portion 64. In the golf club head 3, the high density portion 62 includes the sole surface 44 of the golf club head 1. Reference numeral 14 indicates a face surface, and reference numeral 30 indicates a neck.
The golf club head 3 is a putter head.
In the golf club head 3, the density difference between the high density portion 62 and the low density portion 64 is 1.0 g / cm ³ or more.

The high density portion 62 and the low density portion 64 are exposed on the surface of the golf club head 3. The high density portion 62 and the low density portion 64 are made of metal materials having different colors or textures.
The golf club head 3 can be manufactured, for example, by forming the high density portion 62 by the laser sintering method and then forming the low density portion 64 by the laser sintering method.

  The golf club head 3 according to the third embodiment has a corresponding effect among the effects described in the above [Means for Solving the Problems], particularly the effects described in [1], [3], and [4].

[Embodiment 4]
FIG. 4 is a view of the golf club head 4 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the golf club head 4, and FIG. 4B is a front view of the golf club head 4.

  The golf club head 4 according to the fourth embodiment basically has the same configuration as the golf club head 3 according to the third embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 4 on the heel side and toe side, the low density portion 76 is between the high density portion 72 on the heel side and the high density portion 74 on the toe side. Reference numeral 16 denotes a face surface, reference numeral 34 denotes a neck, and reference numeral 46 denotes a sole surface.

The golf club head 4 is a putter head.
The neck 34 is formed by the laser sintering method together with the high density portion 72.
The golf club head 4 can be manufactured, for example, by forming the high density portion 72, the low density portion 76, and the high density portion 74 in this order by a laser sintering method.

  The golf club head 4 according to Embodiment 4 has the effects described in the above [Means for Solving the Problems], particularly the effects described in [1], [3] and [5].

[Embodiment 5]
FIG. 5 is a view of the golf club head 5 according to the fifth embodiment. 5 (a) is a perspective view of the golf club head 5, FIG. 5 (b) is a front view of the golf club head 5, and FIG. 5 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5 (b). is there.

  The golf club head 5 according to the fifth embodiment has basically the same configuration as the golf club head 3 according to the third embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 18, of the portion on the front side of the cavity 20 and the portion on the rear side of the cavity 20, the portion on the front side of the cavity 20 includes a high-density portion 82, and is on the rear side of the cavity 20. This portion consists of a low density portion 84. Reference numeral 36 indicates a neck, and reference numeral 48 indicates a sole surface.

The golf club head 5 is a putter head.
The neck 36 has two parts, a part made of a metal material similar to the high density part 82 and a part made of a metal material similar to the low density part 84.
The golf club head 5 can be manufactured, for example, by forming the high density portion 82 by the laser sintering method and then forming the low density portion 84 by the laser sintering method.

  The golf club head 4 according to Embodiment 5 has the effects described in [Means for Solving the Problems] described above, particularly the effects described in [1], [3], and [6].

  As mentioned above, although the golf club head of this invention was demonstrated based on said each embodiment, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit thereof, and for example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) The number, material, shape, position, size, etc. of the constituent elements described in the above embodiments are merely examples, and can be changed within a range not impairing the effects of the present invention. For example, the outer shape of a golf club head that is a putter head can be various shapes such as a T-shape, an L-shape, a pin shape, and a mallet shape.
(2) Although the cavity 20 in each of the above embodiments has a flat plate shape, in the golf club head of the present invention, the cavity can have various shapes. For example, the cavity may have a flat plate shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, or a free shape different from the cavity 20. Also, the position of the cavity may be a position different from the above embodiments.
(3) The golf club head of the present invention may not have a neck. If the neck is not provided, the neck may be retrofitted.
(4) In the case of the golf club head as described in each of the above embodiments, the metal material, density, etc. constituting each part may not be uniform. Within the same portion, there may be fluctuations in the metal material, density, etc., as long as the effects of the invention are not impaired.
(5) In the case of the golf club head as described in Embodiments 2 and 5 above, the portion directly above and below the cavity may be handled as a portion (face portion) on the front side of the cavity, or on the front side of the cavity. The part (face part) and the part behind the cavity (main body part) may be handled as different parts.
(6) In the case of the golf club head as described in the above embodiments 2 to 5, each portion may be made of a metal material having substantially the same color tone or texture.
(7) In the case of the golf club head as described in the third and fourth embodiments, the high density portion and the low density portion may not be exposed on the surface of the golf club head.
(8) In the case of the golf club head as described in the fifth embodiment, of the portion on the front side of the cavity and the portion on the rear side of the cavity, the portion on the rear side of the cavity is composed of a high density portion, and is on the front side of the cavity. This part may consist of a low density part.
(9) The present invention can be applied to golf club heads used for various golf clubs (various wedges, various irons, various drivers) in addition to the golf club head used for putters.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... golf club heads 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 ... face surface, 20 ... hollow, 30, 32, 34, 36 ... neck, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 ...: sole surface, 52 ... face portion, 54 ... main body portion, 62, 72, 74, 82 ... high density portion, 64, 76, 84 ... low density portion, d ... distance between face surface and cavity

Claims (6)

A golf club head manufactured by a laser sintering method,
A golf club head, wherein a cavity is provided on the back side of the face surface inside the golf club head. The golf club head according to claim 1,
When the side of the face surface is the front side and the side opposite to the face surface is the rear side,
2. A golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal elastic modulus is different between a front part of the cavity and a rear part of the cavity. The golf club head according to claim 1 or 2,
The golf club head has a high density portion and a low density portion having a density lower than that of the high density portion. The golf club head according to claim 3,
When the sole side is the bottom,
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the high density portion is located below the low density portion. The golf club head according to claim 3,
The high density portions are on the heel side and toe side of the golf club head;
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the low density portion is between the high density portion on the heel side and the high density portion on the toe side. The golf club head according to claim 3,
When the side of the face surface is the front side and the side opposite to the face surface is the rear side,
One of the front part from the cavity and the rear part from the cavity comprises the high-density part, and the other comprises the low-density part.

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