Dimple patterns for golf balls
The present invention provides a method for arranging dimples on a golf ball surface in which the dimples are arranged in a pattern derived from at least one irregular domain generated from a regular or non-regular polyhedron. The method includes choosing control points of a polyhedron, generating an irregular domain based on those control points, packing the irregular domain with dimples, and tessellating the irregular domain to cover the surface of the golf ball. The control points include the center of a polyhedral face, a vertex of the polyhedron, a midpoint or other point on an edge of the polyhedron and others. The method ensures that the symmetry of the underlying polyhedron is preserved while minimizing or eliminating great circles due to parting lines.
1. A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon, wherein the dimples are arranged in multiple copies of a first domain and a second domain, the first domain and the second domain being tessellated to cover the outer surface of the golf ball in a uniform pattern having no great circles and consisting of eight first domains and six second domains, and wherein:
the dimple pattern within the first domain is different from the dimple pattern within the second domain;
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least two different diameters including a minimum dimple diameter, a maximum dimple diameter, and, optionally, one or more additional dimple diameters;
for the minimum dimple diameter,
SD 1 min ≥2( SD 2 min ),
where SD1 min is the number of dimples positioned within the first domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD2 min is the number of dimples positioned within the second domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD1 min >0, and SD2 min >0; and
for the maximum dimple diameter,
SD 1 max ≥ 3/2( SD 2 max ),
where SD1 max is the number of dimples positioned within the first domain having the maximum dimple diameter, SD2 max is the number of dimples positioned within the second domain having the maximum dimple diameter, SD1 max >0, and SD2 max >0.
2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the first domain has three-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the first domain, and the second domain has four-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the second domain.
3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the number of different dimple diameters in the first domain is the same as the number of different dimple diameters in the second domain.
4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the number of different dimple diameters in the first domain is different from the number of different dimple diameters in the second domain.
5. A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon, wherein the dimples are arranged in multiple copies of a first domain and a second domain, the first domain and the second domain being tessellated to cover the outer surface of the golf ball in a uniform pattern having no great circles and consisting of eight first domains and six second domains, and wherein:
the dimple pattern within the first domain is different from the dimple pattern within the second domain;
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least five different diameters including a minimum dimple diameter, a maximum dimple diameter, and three or more additional dimple diameters; and
for the minimum dimple diameter,
SD 1 min ≥2( SD 2 min ),
where SD1 min is the number of dimples positioned within the first domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD2 min is the number of dimples positioned within the second domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD1 min >0, and SD2 min >0.
6. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least seven different diameters.
7. The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the first domain comprises dimples having at least four different diameters, and the second domain comprises dimples having at least four different diameters.
8. The golf ball of claim 7 , wherein the total number of dimples on the outer surface is 342.
9. The golf ball of claim 7 , wherein the first domain consists of dimples having four different diameters, and the second domain consists of dimples having six different diameters.
10. A golf ball having an outer surface comprising a plurality of dimples disposed thereon, wherein the dimples are arranged in multiple copies of a first domain and a second domain, the first domain and the second domain being tessellated to cover the outer surface of the golf ball in a uniform pattern having no great circles and consisting of eight first domains and six second domains, and wherein:
the dimple pattern within the first domain is different from the dimple pattern within the second domain;
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least two different diameters including a minimum dimple diameter, a maximum dimple diameter, and, optionally, one or more additional dimple diameters; and
for the maximum dimple diameter,
SD 1 max ≥ 3/2( SD 2 max ),
where SD1 max is the number of dimples positioned within the first domain having the maximum dimple diameter, SD2 max is the number of dimples positioned within the second domain having the maximum dimple diameter, SD1 max >0, and SD2 max >0.
11. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the first domain has three-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the first domain, and the second domain has four-way rotational symmetry about the central point of the second domain.
12. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein for the minimum dimple diameter,
SD 1 min ≥3( SD 2 min ),
where SD1 min is the number of dimples positioned within the first domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD2 min is the number of dimples positioned within the second domain having the minimum dimple diameter, SD1 min >0, and SD2 min >0.
13. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the number of different dimple diameters in the first domain is the same as the number of different dimple diameters in the second domain.
14. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the number of different dimple diameters in the first domain is different from the number of different dimple diameters in the second domain.
15. The golf ball of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least five different diameters.
16. The golf ball of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having at least seven different diameters.
17. The golf ball of claim 16 , wherein the first domain comprises dimples having at least four different diameters, and the second domain comprises dimples having at least four different diameters.
18. The golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the first domain consists of dimples having four different diameters, and the second domain consists of dimples having six different diameters.
19. The golf ball of claim 18 , wherein the total number of dimples on the outer surface is 342.