Golf club head with embedded tracking markers

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a golf club head that includes a forward portion, including a strike face, a crown portion, a rear portion, an interior cavity, and a trihedral corner reflector permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to at least one of the crown portion or the rear portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club head, comprising:
 a forward portion, comprising a strike face;   a crown portion;   a rear portion;   an interior cavity; and   a trihedral corner reflector permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to at least one of the crown portion or the rear portion.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the trihedral corner reflector is permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to the crown portion; and   the trihedral corner reflector is configured to be tracked by an overhead launch monitor.   
     
     
         3 . The golf club head according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the crown portion comprises a crown insert; and   the trihedral corner reflector is integrally formed in the crown insert.   
     
     
         4 . The golf club head according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 the crown insert is made of a fiber-reinforced polymeric material;   the trihedral corner reflector comprises a coating or paint on the fiber-reinforced polymeric material; and   the coating or the paint is made of an electrically-conductive metallic material.   
     
     
         5 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the trihedral corner reflector is permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to the rear portion; and   the trihedral corner reflector is configured to be tracked by a rear launch monitor.   
     
     
         6 . The golf club head according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the rear portion of the golf club head is made of an electrically-conductive metallic material;   the trihedral corner reflector is integrally formed in the rear portion; and   the trihedral corner reflector is defined by the electrically-conductive metallic material.   
     
     
         7 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the trihedral corner reflector comprises a plurality of retroreflective surfaces that are more retroreflective than a surrounding portion of the crown portion or the rear portion that at least partially surrounds the trihedral corner reflector. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the trihedral corner reflector comprises a plurality of retroreflective surfaces coated with an electrically-conductive coating or paint. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head according to  claim 8 , wherein the electrically-conductive coating or paint comprises silver, aluminum, gold, or copper. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the trihedral corner reflector is covered by a radar-transparent material. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head according to  claim 10 , wherein the radar-transparent material comprises at least one of glass fiber, glass, epoxy, thermoplastic, or polyurethane. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club head according to  claim 11 , wherein the radar-transparent material is transparent to visible light. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head according to  claim 11 , wherein the radar-transparent material is opaque to visible light. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the trihedral corner reflector is a first trihedral corner reflector and is permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to the crown portion; and   the golf club head further comprises a second trihedral corner reflector permanently embedded, integrally formed in, or attached to the rear portion.   
     
     
         15 . The golf club head according to  claim 14 , further comprising a third trihedral corner reflector permanently embedded, integrally formed in, or attached to the rear portion and spaced apart from the second trihedral corner reflector. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head according to  claim 14 , wherein:
 the first trihedral corner reflector is configured to reflect a first radar signal having a first radar frequency or a first radar wavelength;   the second trihedral corner reflector is configured to reflect a second radar signal having a second radar frequency or a second radar wavelength; and   at least one of:
 the first radar frequency is different than the second radar frequency; or 
 the first radar wavelength is different than the second radar wavelength. 
   
     
     
         17 . The golf club head according to  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first trihedral corner reflector comprises a first edge length;   the second trihedral corner reflector comprises a second edge length; and   the first edge length is different than the second edge length.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the golf club head comprises at least one of an injection molded component, a cast component, a metal injection-molded component, a machined component, or a 3d-printed component; and   the trihedral corner reflector is integrally formed in one of the at least one of the injection molded component, the cast component, the metal injection-molded component, the machined component, or the 3d-printed component.   
     
     
         19 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the trihedral corner reflector is within the interior cavity. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , further comprising a tracking marker permanently embedded in at least one of the strike face, the crown portion, or the rear portion, wherein:
 the tracking marker comprises a retroreflective surface configured to retroreflect visible or infrared light; and   the trihedral corner reflector is configured to retroreflect radar waves.   
     
     
         21 . The golf club head according to  claim 20 , wherein:
 the trihedral corner reflector is permanently embedded in, integrally formed in, or attached to one of the crown portion or the rear portion; and   the tracking marker is permanently embedded in an other one of the crown portion or the rear portion.