Positioning system and positioning method

• US 10,143,889 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US15/600,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20170368411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0053 for locating an object, e.g. a lost ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/10 Positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0072 with a specified number of layers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/008 with means for improving visibility, e.g. special markings or colours illuminating or reflecting means A63B43/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/353 Golf ball position markers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

A positioning system includes a golf ball and a mobile terminal. The golf ball includes a battery and a transmitter configured to operate with electric power supplied from the battery and transmit a radio signal to outside of the golf ball. The mobile terminal includes a receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball and a processor configured to measure the position of the mobile terminal, and to measure the position of the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the receiver at two or more points at which the measured position of the mobile terminal differs.

Claims

1. A positioning system, comprising:

a golf ball including

a battery; and

a transmitter configured to operate with electric power supplied from the battery and transmit a radio signal to outside of the golf ball; and

a mobile terminal including

a receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball; and

a processor configured to measure a position of the mobile terminal, and to measure a position of the golf ball based on strength of the radio signal received by the receiver at two or more points at which the measured position of the mobile terminal differs,

wherein the processor of the mobile terminal is configured to determine a distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the receiver, and to measure the position of the golf ball based on the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at each of the two or more points and the position of the mobile terminal measured at each of the two or more points, and

wherein the processor of the mobile terminal is configured to measure the position of the golf ball based on at least one intersection point of a first circle and a second circle, the first circle being centered at the position of the mobile terminal measured at a first point included in the two or more points, and having a radius that is the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at the first point, the second circle being centered at the position of the mobile terminal measured at a second point included in the two or more points and different from the first point, and having a radius that is the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at the second point.

2. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor of the mobile terminal is configured to specify a travel direction of the golf ball, and to presume, when there are a plurality of intersection points of the first circle and the second circle, that one of the plurality of intersection points that is ahead in the specified travel direction of the mobile terminal with reference to the position of the mobile terminal measured at each of the first point and the second point is the position of the golf ball.

3. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor of the mobile terminal is configured to measure the position of the golf ball based on at least one intersection point of the first circle, the second circle, and a third circle, the third circle being centered at the position of the mobile terminal measured at a third point included in the two or more points and different from the first point and the second point, and having a radius that is the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at the third point.

4. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal includes a first mobile terminal carried by a user and a second mobile terminal attached to a golf cart, the first mobile terminal including a first receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball, and a first processor configured to measure a position of the first mobile terminal and to determine a distance from the first mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the first receiver, the second mobile terminal including a second receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball, and a second processor configured to measure a position of the second mobile terminal and to determine a distance from the second mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the second receiver,

the second mobile terminal further includes a transmitter configured to transmit information on the distance from the second mobile terminal to the golf ball determined by the second processor of the second mobile terminal,

the first receiver of the first mobile terminal is further configured to receive the information on the distance transmitted from the second mobile terminal, and

the first processor of the first mobile terminal is configured to measure the position of the golf ball based on the distance from the first mobile terminal to the golf ball determined by the first processor of the first mobile terminal and the information on the distance received by the first receiver of the first mobile terminal.

5. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal includes a first mobile terminal carried by a first user and a second mobile terminal carried by a second user, the first mobile terminal including a first receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball, and a first processor configured to measure a position of the first mobile terminal and to determine a distance from the first mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the first receiver, the second mobile terminal including a second receiver configured to receive the radio signal from the golf ball, and a second processor configured to measure a position of the second mobile terminal and to determine a distance from the second mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the second receiver,

the second mobile terminal further includes a transmitter configured to transmit information on the distance from the second mobile terminal to the golf ball determined by the second processor of the second mobile terminal,

the first receiver of the first mobile terminal is further configured to receive the information on the distance transmitted from the second mobile terminal, and

the first processor of the first mobile terminal is configured to measure the position of the golf ball based on the distance from the first mobile terminal to the golf ball determined by the first processor of the first mobile terminal and the information on the distance received by the first receiver of the first mobile terminal.

8. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further includes a global positioning system receiver configured to receive a global positioning system signal, and the processor is further configured to measure the position of the mobile terminal based on the global positioning system signal.

6. A positioning method executed in a mobile terminal including a receiver configured to receive a radio signal from a golf ball and a processor, the golf ball including a battery and a transmitter configured to operate with electric power supplied from the battery and transmit the radio signal to outside of the golf ball, the positioning method comprising:

measuring, by the processor of the mobile terminal, a position of the mobile terminal;

measuring, by the processor of the mobile terminal, a position of the golf ball based on strength of the radio signal received by the receiver at two or more points at which the measured position of the mobile terminal differs,

determining, by the processor of the mobile terminal, a distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball based on the strength of the radio signal received by the receiver, and measuring the position of the golf ball based on the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at each of the two or more points and the position of the mobile terminal measured at each of the two or more points, and

measuring the position of the golf ball based on at least one intersection point of a first circle and a second circle, the first circle being centered at the position of the mobile terminal measured at a first point included in the two or more points, and having a radius that is the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at the first point, the second circle being centered at the position of the mobile terminal measured at a second point included in the two or more points and different from the first point, and having a radius that is the distance from the mobile terminal to the golf ball determined at the second point.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute processes of the positioning method as set forth in claim 6.