Radio frequency identification system for identifying and locating golf balls in driving ranges and golf courses

• US 20020177490A1
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Joseph R. Stencel, Kenneth Yukou Lee, Yook-Kong Yong
• Original Assignee: Joseph R. Stencel, Kenneth Yukou Lee, Yook-Kong Yong
• Inventors: Yong, Yook-Kong, Stencel, Joseph R., Lee, Kenneth Yukou
• Application Number:
  US09/863,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/353
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0053 for locating an object, e.g. a lost ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0056 for statistical or strategic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0691 Maps, e.g. yardage maps or electronic maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/14 Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0055 with non-spherical insert(s)
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0669 Score-keepers or score display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag

Abstract

A new radio frequency identification (RFID) system identifying and locating golf balls in golf courses and driving ranges is described. The inventive device includes (1) golf balls each containing a passive RFID transponder with electronic bits of data (serial number) to uniquely identify said ball, (2) a wireless and/or wired grid of strategically located transceivers to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals to and from the passive transponder from said ball, (3) a computer server and/or database management system that maintains communication with the grid of transceivers and a database of the locations of golf balls and along with the number of golf strokes, and (4) hand held personal data assistant (PDA) for wireless communication with the computer server and/or database management system. The passive transponder, which has a very small mass and volume, is embedded in a golf ball. The passive transponder has negligible influence on the flight dynamics of a golf ball and can withstand the extreme acceleration and impact of the golf ball. The PDA sends an electromagnetic signal which is picked up by the transceivers which in turn transmit an electromagnetic signal to the golf balls. The passive RFID transponder in said golf balls uses the energy of the electromagnetic signal via electromagnetic coupling (backscatter) to transmit its serial number to a local grid of transceivers. The location of the ball within this local grid of the transceivers is calculated by triangulation. Information on the identity and location of the ball along with the location of the transceivers are transmitted to a computer server and/or database management system, and to the PDA. The inventive device can also be used to find the distance of golf ball to the cup on the green and to the PDA.

Claims

1. a system for locating and identifying golf balls in a golf course or driving range comprising a passive transponder that can be embeded anywhere within a golf ball, a wireless and/or wired grid of transceivers, and computer/data management system for data processing;

2. a system for finding the distance of a certain golf ball from a cup on the green and to the PDA by calculating the length of the said golf to the various said objects using the grid map that contains the location and identification of all transceivers on a particular golf course or driving range;

3. a database management system for tracking all the golf balls, the associated number of golf strokes and golfer statistics;

4. a database management system useful for golfers to find, locate and identify golf balls, count golf strokes, keep golf scores and find distance of golf balls to cups on the greens and to the PDAs by keeping records of information on the location of the golf balls and PDAs as a function of time;

5. a database management system useful for golfers to find, locate and identify their golf balls amongst the multitude of golf balls in a typical driving range by keeping records of information on the serial number and location of the golf balls and the golfer who played said balls;

6. a system for finding the distance of a particular golf ball from a cup on the green and to the PDA. The cup will be found either by using the data base management system where the hole is specified on a computer layout and/or by having an passive RFID transponder on the cup which relays its location back to the PDA;

and

7. a database management system for tracking all the golf balls, the associated number of golf strokes and golfer statistics. The data base management system will expand the usefulness of the passive RFID transponder system by allowing not only tracking the location of a ball, but accumulating the number of times the ball is moved hence automatically counting the strokes and entering this data into a system which can determine handicaps, etc.