METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING POSITIONAL INFORMATION ON A GOLF COURSE

• US 20100160090A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NICE-ON CORP.
• Original Assignee: NICE-ON CORP.
• Inventors: Chen, Chi-Wen, Chen, Chien-Lung, Chang, Meng-Hsiang, Lin, Tzu-Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/339,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20100160090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/407
• 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 2220/14 Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/70 Measuring or simulating ambient conditions, e.g. weather, terrain or surface conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention sets forth a method, which includes receiving a first position on the golf course, searching for a first predetermined code representative of a first region on the golf course on a first image, and determining a first minimum distance and a first maximum distance between the first position and the first region after having identified the first predetermined code.

Claims

1. A method for determining positional information on a golf course having a plurality of regions, the method comprises:

receiving a first position on the golf course;

searching for a first predetermined code representative of a first region on the golf course on a first image; and

determining a first minimum distance and a first maximum distance between the first position and the first region after having identified the first predetermined code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first minimum distance and the first maximum distance is performed within an angular range based on the first position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the angular range is further dependent on a line connecting the first position and a target position on the golf course.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is encoded with the first predetermined code prior to the searching for the first predetermined code.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the searching for the first predetermined code is performed along a first line connecting the first position and a boundary of the first image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

searching for a second predetermined code representative of a second region on the golf course along the first line; and

determining a second minimum distance and a second maximum distance between the first position and the second region after having identified the second predetermined code.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising maintaining a record of a sequence of identifying the first predetermined code and the second predetermined code, the first minimum distance and the first maximum distance, and the second minimum distance and the second maximum distance.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing play on the golf course based on the record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the analyzing play further comprising determining fairway in regulation (FIR), green in regulation (GIR), or positional information of a golf ball relative to the regions.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying results from the analyzing play.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the results from the analyzing play are updated each time the first position changes.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the searching for the first predetermined code is performed along a second line with a predetermined angular increment apart from the first line.

13. A device for determining positional information on a golf course having a plurality of regions, the device comprises:

a memory unit; and

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to

receive a first position on the golf course,

search for a first predetermined code representative of a first region on the golf course on a first image, and

determine a first minimum distance and a first maximum distance between the first position and the first region after having identified the first predetermined code.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the first minimum distance and the first maximum distance within an angular range based on the first position.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the angular range is further dependent on a line connecting the first position and a target position on the golf course.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the first region is encoded with the first predetermined code prior to the processing unit searching for the first predetermined code.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further configured to search for the first predetermined code along a first line connecting the first position and a boundary of the first image.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

search for a second predetermined code representative of a second region on the golf course along the first line; and

determine a second minimum distance and a second maximum distance between the first position and the second region after having identified the second predetermined code.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the memory unit maintains a record of a sequence of identifying the first predetermined code and the second predetermined code, the first minimum distance and the first maximum distance, and the second minimum distance and the second maximum distance.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the processing unit is further configured to analyze play on the golf course based on the record.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the processing unit is further configured to analyze play by determining fairway in regulation (FIR), green in regulation (GIR), or positional information of a golf ball relative to the regions.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the processing unit is further configured to update results from analyzing play each time the first position changes.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured to search for the first predetermined code along a second line with a predetermined angular increment apart from the first line.

25. A device for determining positional information on a golf course having a plurality of regions, the device comprises:

a memory unit; and

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to

receive a first position on the golf course,

determine a golf hole on the golf course in which the first position belongs to based on coordinate information of a first image associated with the golf hole, and

determine the positional information after having identified the golf hole.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the processing unit further configured to:

search for a first predetermined code representative of a first region in the golf hole on the first image; and

determine a first minimum distance and a first maximum distance between the first position and the first region after having identified the first predetermined code.