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Virtual golf system and methods

  • US 10,357,686 B2
  • Filed: 11/30/2017
  • Issued: 07/23/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A virtual golf system for use at a facility, the system comprising:

  • a) a plurality of trackable golf balls, wherein each golf ball comprises;

    i) a radio frequency transmitter coupled to an antenna;

    ii) a micro-controller coupled to said transmitter;

    iii) a power source for powering said transmitter and said micro-controller;

    iv) each golf ball characterized in that said transmitter, said antenna, said micro-controller and said power source are encapsulated so that each of said golf balls has the appearance, size, weight and mechanical characteristics of a standard golf ball;

    v) each golf ball further characterized in that each of said golf balls has an activated state, said activated state characterized in that said micro-controller in cooperation with said transmitter are operative to periodically transmit golf ball identification data, wherein a portion of said golf ball identification data is unique to each of said plurality of trackable golf balls;

    b) a plurality of at least two direction finding receivers, each of said direction finding receivers disposed in a known location about said facility;

    each direction finding receiver operative to receive via radio frequency reception said golf ball identification data and to measure a time of arrival of the incoming radio frequency reception;

    c) each of said direction finding receivers operative to transmit said golf ball identification data and said time of arrival via a communications network to a computing unit;

    d) said computing unit operative to receive from each of said plurality of direction finding receivers;

    i) said golf ball identification data;

    ii) said time of arrival; and

    ,iii) said location data for each of the plurality of direction finding receivers,iv) and in response, said computing unit is further operative to compute a sequence of calculated positions for each of said plurality of trackable golf balls;

    e) said computing unit operative to communicate said sequence of calculated positions to a display, the display operative to update a visual representation of at least one of said calculated positions pertaining to at least one of said plurality of trackable golf balls.

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