Advanced Golf Monitoring System, Method and Components
First Claim
1. In a system for characterizing the movement of a golf ball assembly on a golf range having lateral extents, a method comprising:
- configuring the golf ball assembly for transmitting a ball signal at least from a landing impact location on the golf range based on a detected proximity of the golf ball assembly to a surface of the ground;
distributing a plurality of at least four ground transceivers across the lateral extents of the golf range;
determining positional coordinates of at least the four ground transceivers such that the four ground transceivers form a group of ground transceivers that are at known locations;
receiving the ball signal at each one of the ground transceivers in timed relation to one another;
identifying a selected one of the ground transceivers as a reference transceiver such that the arrival time of the ball signal at the selected ground transceiver serves as a reference arrival time;
establishing a set of arrival time differences including a difference in arrival time of the ball signal at each of the other three ground transceivers as compared to the reference arrival time at the reference ground transceiver; and
determining a landing position of the golf ball assembly in two dimensions with respect to the lateral extents of the golf range based on the set of arrival time differences.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Monitoring of a golf ball and apparatus for doing so is described using differential time locating. Launch parameters of a golf ball can be characterized independent of any specific positional measurement on the basis of a ball signal that is transmitted from the ball. These parameters include initial spin, initial velocity, and initial trajectory. Ground proximity detection is described as well as a landing position and rollout position detection technique and associated apparatus. Calibration techniques are described for various kinds of range receivers that subsequently receive the ball signal.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. In a system for characterizing the movement of a golf ball assembly on a golf range having lateral extents, a method comprising:
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configuring the golf ball assembly for transmitting a ball signal at least from a landing impact location on the golf range based on a detected proximity of the golf ball assembly to a surface of the ground; distributing a plurality of at least four ground transceivers across the lateral extents of the golf range; determining positional coordinates of at least the four ground transceivers such that the four ground transceivers form a group of ground transceivers that are at known locations; receiving the ball signal at each one of the ground transceivers in timed relation to one another; identifying a selected one of the ground transceivers as a reference transceiver such that the arrival time of the ball signal at the selected ground transceiver serves as a reference arrival time; establishing a set of arrival time differences including a difference in arrival time of the ball signal at each of the other three ground transceivers as compared to the reference arrival time at the reference ground transceiver; and determining a landing position of the golf ball assembly in two dimensions with respect to the lateral extents of the golf range based on the set of arrival time differences. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. In a system for monitoring a golf ball at least for a period of time following a launch of the golf ball after being hit, a method comprising:
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transmitting a radio frequency signal from said golf ball during said period of time; and receiving said radio frequency signal from the golf ball during said period of time, exclusive of any specific position of the golf ball during said period of time, to establish one or more parameters that characterize the launch of the golf ball, based solely on the received radio frequency signal. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. In a system for monitoring a golf ball, a method comprising:
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transmitting a radio frequency signal from said golf ball prior to and at least for a given period of time following said hit; receiving said radio frequency signal from the golf ball prior to said hit and during said given period of time; and monitoring the received radio frequency signal to establish at least one characteristic of the received radio frequency signal that is indicative of the ball having been hit, independent of establishing an in-flight position of the ball. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. In a system for monitoring a golf ball assembly, a method comprising:
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configuring an oscillator in said ball assembly to oscillate at an oscillation frequency that is dependent upon a proximity of the oscillator to the Earth such that the oscillation frequency changes responsive to the ball traveling with a vertical component of movement; monitoring the change in said oscillation frequency; and responsive to a predetermined change in the oscillator frequency, generating an output indication based on said vertical component of movement of the ball assembly. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 16)
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12. In a system for monitoring a golf ball assembly subsequent to the ball being hit, a method comprising:
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configuring the ball assembly for transmitting an electromagnetic signal to provide for said monitoring after being hit, which electromagnetic signal is based on a frequency that is generated by an oscillator that is carried by the ball assembly; further configuring said ball assembly to detect an external oscillator frequency when the ball assembly is exposed to the external oscillator frequency; and responsive to said detecting, initiating a sequence in said ball assembly that causes the ball assembly to synchronize the frequency of the oscillator that is carried by the ball to the external oscillator frequency such that said electromagnetic signal is adjusted prior to the ball being hit.
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13. A golf ball assembly for use as part of a system, said golf ball assembly, comprising:
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a golf ball; and an electronics assembly that is carried by said golf ball including a proximity detector for detecting a flight status of the golf ball assembly based on a capacitance that changes responsive to a current distance between the golf ball assembly and a surface of the ground and for providing an indication of the flight status for subsequent use.
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14. The golf ball assembly of claim 14 wherein said indication is responsive to one or both of the golf ball assembly landing on the surface of the ground and a vertical component of movement of the golf ball assembly away from the surface of the ground.
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15. A system for characterizing the movement of a golf ball assembly on a golf range having lateral extents, said system comprising:
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a plurality of at least four ground transceivers distributed across the lateral extents of the golf range with determined positional coordinates of at least the four ground transceivers such that the four ground transceivers form a group of ground transceivers that are at known locations; a golf ball assembly including (i) a transmitter for transmitting a ball signal from an unknown location on the golf range for reception by the group of ground transceivers such that each one of the ground transceivers receives the ball signal in timed relation to one another and (ii) a ground proximity detector for detecting that the golf ball assembly has contacted a surface of the ground and providing an indication of the contact to initiate transmission of the ball signal from a landing position; and a processing arrangement for identifying a selected one of the ground transceivers as a reference transceiver such that the arrival time of the ball signal at the selected ground transceiver serves as a reference arrival time responsive to the contact with the ground, establishing a set of arrival time differences including a difference in arrival time of the ball signal at each of the other three ground transceivers as compared to the reference arrival time at the reference ground transceiver, and determining a landing position of the golf ball assembly in two dimensions within the lateral extents of the golf range based on the set of arrival time differences.
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17. In a system for characterizing movement of a golf ball assembly on a golf range, a method comprising:
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electronically detecting that the ball assembly has been hit and launched; responsive to detection of the hit, transmitting an electromagnetic ball signal from the ball assembly for a duration of a launch interval which duration is less than a flight time of the ball assembly following the hit and receiving the ball signal during said launch interval to characterize a set of launch parameters that correspond to the hit; responsive to a timeout of the launch interval, temporarily terminating the transmission of the ball signal while the ball assembly is in-flight such that the ball signal is not transmitted for a remainder of the in-flight time of the ball assembly; electronically detecting a landing of the ball assembly on the ground; and responsive to detection of the landing, initiating a landing interval by temporarily resuming transmission of the ball signal for at least approximately detecting a landing position of the ball assembly by transmitting the ball signal as a ball ID transmission in a plurality of discrete and randomly spaced apart periods during the landing interval; and receiving at least one ball ID transmission as the ball signal, during the landing interval, to identify a landing position of the ball assembly. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. In a system for characterizing the movement of a plurality of golf ball assemblies that are simultaneously in play on a golf range, a method comprising:
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configuring each ball assembly for transmitting a ball signal including a ball ID that is unique for each ball on the golf range; for a given one of the ball assemblies that has been previously hit and is in-flight, electronically detecting a landing of the ball assembly on the ground using an electronics package in the given ball assembly; responsive to detection of the landing by the given ball assembly, causing the electronics package to initiate a landing interval by transmitting a plurality of ball ID transmissions from the given ball assembly in a plurality of discrete and randomly spaced apart periods during the landing interval; and receiving at least one ball ID transmission from the given ball assembly, during the landing interval, to at least approximately identify a landing position of the given ball such that the landing position of the given ball is distinguishable from landing positions of other ones of the ball assemblies based on said plurality of random ball ID transmissions and a probability that at least one of the random ball ID transmissions from the given ball does not collide with another ball ID transmission from a different ball assembly.
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20. In a system for characterizing the movement of a golf ball on a golf range having lateral extents, a method comprising:
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(a) distributing a plurality of more than three ground transceivers across the lateral extents of the golf range; (b) measuring positional coordinates of at least three initial ones of said ground transceivers such that the initial ground transceivers form a group of transmitters that are at known locations; (c) transmitting a beacon signal from another one of the ground transceivers that is at an unknown location; and (d) using at least three ground transceivers that are selected from the group of ground transceivers to receive the beacon signal and to identify a location of the other ground transceiver based on a time of arrival reception of the beacon signal by the selected ground transceivers such that the other ground transceiver then becomes part of said group of ground transceivers at known locations. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification