GOLF CLUB APPARATUSES AND METHODS
First Claim
1. A system for collecting golf data, the system comprising:
- a set of golf club RFID tags each having an RF transmitter and at least one sensor;
a portable device comprising;
a mechanism configured to attach the portable device to a golfer'"'"'s arm or hand;
a processing system;
a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver coupled to the processing system;
a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to the processing system;
an RFID receiver coupled to the processing system and configured to receive one or more club identifiers and one or more club status indicators from the RF transmitters in the set of golf club RFID tags;
at least one of (a) an impact sensor coupled to the processing system or (b) a user activatable switch coupled to the processing system, wherein the impact sensor is configured to detect an impact of a golf club on a golf ball and to provide a signal to the processing system which indicates that a stroke has occurred; and
wherein the user activatable switch is configured, when activated by the golfer, to indicate to the processing system that a stroke has or will be taken and to mark the location of the stroke with the golf club that is determined to be in use based on the club identifier and the club status indicator received from an RFID tag in the set of golf club RFID tags.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for managing golf clubs and for collecting golf data, such as golf strokes, are described. In one embodiment, a golf data collection system includes a golf accessory worn on the golfer'"'"'s wrist, such as a watch, equipped with a GPS receiver, impact sensing and motion sensing means, and a transceiver to communicate with golf club tags (e.g. at 2.4 GHz such as Bluetooth). The golf accessory senses the motion of the golf club being swung by the golf and/or senses the impact of the golf club striking the golf ball. When swinging motion or impact is sensed the device uses the transceiver to communicate with golf club tags. The closest golf club (i.e. the club in the golfer'"'"'s hand during the swing) is captured as the club used by the swing based on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). Other embodiments are also described.
-
Citations
33 Claims
-
1. A system for collecting golf data, the system comprising:
a set of golf club RFID tags each having an RF transmitter and at least one sensor; a portable device comprising; a mechanism configured to attach the portable device to a golfer'"'"'s arm or hand; a processing system; a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver coupled to the processing system; a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to the processing system; an RFID receiver coupled to the processing system and configured to receive one or more club identifiers and one or more club status indicators from the RF transmitters in the set of golf club RFID tags; at least one of (a) an impact sensor coupled to the processing system or (b) a user activatable switch coupled to the processing system, wherein the impact sensor is configured to detect an impact of a golf club on a golf ball and to provide a signal to the processing system which indicates that a stroke has occurred; and wherein the user activatable switch is configured, when activated by the golfer, to indicate to the processing system that a stroke has or will be taken and to mark the location of the stroke with the golf club that is determined to be in use based on the club identifier and the club status indicator received from an RFID tag in the set of golf club RFID tags. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
6. A system for collecting golf data, the system comprising:
a set of golf club RFID tags each having an RF transmitter and at least one sensor; a portable device comprising; a mechanism configured to attach the portable device to a golfer'"'"'s arm or hand; a processing system; a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver coupled to the processing system; a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to the processing system; an RFID receiver coupled to the processing system and configured to receive one or more club identifiers and one or more club status indicators from the RF transmitters in the set of golf club RFID tags; at least one of (a) an impact sensor coupled to the processing system or (b) a motion sensor coupled to the processing system, wherein the impact sensor is configured to detect an impact of a golf club on a golf ball and/or the motion sensor is configured to detect a swinging motion; and
either the impact sensor or motion sensor or both are configured to provide a signal(s) to the processing system which indicates that a golf club swing or stroke has occurred; and
whereinsignal strength circuitry coupled to the processing system, the signal strength circuitry configured to measure one or more signal strengths or proximity profiles of signals received from one or more golf club RFID tags, the one or more signal strengths or proximity profiles representing one or more distances between the portable device and the one or more golf club RFID tags; and wherein the processing system is configured to determine, from the one or more signal strengths or proximity profiles, which golf club is being used to take a stroke, and the stroke detected when the impact sensor or motion sensor provides the signal, to the processing system, which indicates that the golf club swing or stroke has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
14. A method performed in a GPS golf accessory worn by a golfer on the arm or hand, the method comprising:
-
detecting motion or detecting an impact through the golfer'"'"'s hand when a golf club hits a golf ball; causing a Bluetooth transceiver in the GPS golf accessory to communicate with one or more Bluetooth transceivers in one or more golf club tags to determine one or more representations of distances between the GPS golf accessory and the one or more golf club tags; determining which golf club was used to make the impact based on the one or more representations of distances; receiving a golf club identifier from the golf club that was used; recording a stroke being taken with the golf club at a location determined by a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver in the GPS golf accessory. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. An apparatus for determining whether a golf club has been removed from a golf bag, the apparatus comprising:
-
a housing configured to be coupled to a golf club; a processing system coupled to the housing; at least one light sensor coupled to the processing system, the at least one light sensor being configured to activate the processing system from a sleep state and being configured to provide a current light meter value; an impact sensor coupled to the processing system, the impact sensor configured to detect an impact of the golf club hitting a golf ball; an RF transmitter coupled to the processing system, the processing system being configured to cause the RF transmitter to transmit an identifier of the golf club and an indicator of a status of the golf club relative to a golf club bag, wherein the status is one of;
(a) in-bag or (b) out-of-bag; andwherein the processing system is configured to determine a motion status of the golf club, the motion status determined, by the processing system, from light meter values measured over time by the at least one light sensor; and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the RF transmitter to transmit a signal, to a golf GPS rangefinder, indicating that the golf club was used to take a stroke, the processing system causing the RF transmitter to transmit the signal based upon the combination of (1) the motion status indicating that the golf club was in motion and (2) data from the impact sensor that indicates the impact occurred. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
24. A method for operating a golf GPS rangefinder which includes a GPS receiver and an RF receiver configured to receive RF signals from one or more golf club tags, the method comprising:
-
receiving, at the RF receiver, club status signals from one or more golf club tags; determining, by the GPS receiver, that the golf GPS rangefinder is in motion beyond a threshold motion amount; filtering the club status signals received while the golf GPS rangefinder is determined to be in motion, the filtering preventing those club status signals from changing a club status; determining, by the GPS receiver, that the golf GPS rangefinder is not in motion and processing club status signals received while the golf GPS rangefinder is determined to be not in motion. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A method for operating a golf club tag which includes at least one light sensor, an RF transmitter for transmitting RF signals to a golf GPS rangefinder, a motion sensor, and a processing system coupled to the at least one light sensor and coupled to the RF transmitter and coupled to the motion sensor, the method comprising:
-
determining, through first light measurements by the at least one light sensor, an in-bag or out-of-bag status of a golf club coupled to the golf club tag; determining, through second light measurements by the at least one light sensor, whether the golf club is in motion or not in motion; controlling power provided to the motion sensor based upon at least one of the first light measurements and the second light measurements. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
-
-
31. A method for operating a golf GPS rangefinder, the method comprising:
-
receiving, at an RF receiver of the golf GPS rangefinder, an out-of-bag status signal from a golf club tag coupled to a golf club, the out-of-bag status signal indicating that the golf club has been removed from a golf bag; receiving, at the RF receiver, an in-motion status signal from the golf club tag, the in-motion status signal indicating that the golf club is in motion; storing, in a memory of the golf GPS rangefinder, an in-motion indicator that indicates the motion status of the golf club is in-motion as a result of receiving the in-motion status signal; receiving, at the RF receiver, an impact signal from the golf club tag, the impact signal indicating that a sensor on the golf club has detected an impact of the golf club on a golf ball; recording a stroke taken by the golf club at a position determined by a GPS receiver in the golf GPS rangefinder, the recording being in response to determining, by a processing system in the golf GPS rangefinder, that the impact signal was received while the in-motion indicator was stored in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
-
Specification