MAP SPOT PROJECTION SYSTEM FOR A GOLF GAME

• US 3,589,732 A
• Filed: 09/04/1969
• Issued: 06/29/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack A. Russell, James R. Feeney
• Original Assignee: Jack A. Russell, James R. Feeney
• Inventors: Russell, Jack A., Feeney, James R.
• Application Number:
  US04/855,150
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• US Class Current: 473/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

An improved plotting system for use in indoor golf games for indicating to a golfer, the point of termination of a shot as determined by a computer on a map of a golf hole. The map is projected on a screen along with a scene of the golf hole taken from the point at which the golfer is to hit a shot and a ball spot projector which illustrates the trajectory of the ball on the projected scene is also used to indicate the point of termination on the map. The position of the map on the screen is preoriented so that the location on the hole from which the golfer is to hit a shot and which is represented by the scene projected on the screen is always located at the same point on the screen.

Claims

1. An indoor golf game comprising:

a. an area defining a tee from which golf balls may be hit;

b. a screen located forwardly of said tee area and adapted to receive indicia depicting any one of a plurality of scenes of a golf hole;

c. means providing indicia depicting a map of said golf hole;

d. means for sensing the flight characteristics of a golf ball struck from the tee toward said screen for providing information relative thereto;

e. computing means responsive to said sensing means for receiving the information therefrom and for computing the theoretical free flight trajectory of the golf ball hit from the tee, said computing means including a first circuit for determining the distance the ball would travel in a first horizontal direction generally straight away from said tee, a second circuit for determining the distance that a ball would travel in a second horizontal direction transverse to said first direction and a third circuit for determining the distance a ball would travel in a third direction normal to both said first and second directions;

f. spot-projecting means responsive to said computing means 1. for moving a spot of light on said screen and thus on the one of the plurality of scenes of a golf hole on the screen to provide a visual simulation of the computed theoretical free flight trajectory and 2. for projecting a spot of light on the map of a golf hole to indicate the point of termination of the computed theoretical free flight trajectory of the golf ball on the map, said spot projecting means including first, second and third systems for changing the projection of the spot of light on the screen to indicate the distance of the ball from the tee, the distance of the ball to either side of the tee and the distance of the ball above the tee, respectively; and

g. means responsive to said computing means when the latter has determined that the theoretical free flight of the ball has terminated for thereafter causing said spot-projecting means to indicate said point of termination on the map, said means responsive to said computing means comprising, means for alternately connecting said first, second the third systems to said first, second and third circuits, respectively, to move the spot of light on the scene and for connecting said second and third systems to said second and first circuits, respectively, to indicate the point of termination of the theoretical free flight trajectory of the golf ball on the map.

2. An indoor golf game according to claim 1 wherein element (c) comprises a projector for projecting the imaGe of a map of a golf hole on said screen.

3. An indoor golf game according to claim 1 further including a plurality of scenes, each depicting the view from a different location on a hole on a golf course, means associated with each scene for providing a map of the golf hole, and means for projecting each said scene and the corresponding map on said screen.

4. A golf game according to claim 3 wherein each map is located with respect to its associated scene such that the point on the golf hole which the view for the particular scene represents on said map will be located at a predetermined position on said screen when projected thereon by said projection means.

5. A golf game according to claim 4 wherein said predetermined point includes an imaginary line extending therefrom and each said map is associated with its corresponding scene so that the location of the cup on the golf hole of the map will always be projected on said imaginary line.

6. In an indoor golf game including a screen, a projector for projecting on the screen any one of a plurality of scenes each depicting the view from a different location on a golf hole, a computer for utilizing input data to compute the theoretical free flight trajectory of a golf ball, a ball spot projector responsive to the computer for projecting and moving a spot of light on the projected scene to simulate the flight of a golf ball;

and means providing a map of the golf hole, the improvement comprising;

means connected to said computer and responsive to the termination of the theoretical free flight trajectory of a golf ball for causing said ball spot projector to cease projecting said spot of light on the projected scene and to project said spot of light on said map-providing means to indicate thereon the point of termination of said theoretical free flight trajectory.

7. An indoor golf game according to claim 6 including the further improvement wherein said map providing means includes means associated with said projector for projecting the image of a golf hole map on said screen.

8. An indoor golf game according to claim 6 including the further improvement wherein said map providing means comprises:

a plurality of map images, one for each of said scenes, and each having the point therein corresponding to the point of view of the corresponding scene locatable at a predetermined position with respect to said ball spot projector, and means responsive to the projection of a selected scene for locating said point at said position.

9. In an indoor golf game including a tee from which balls may be hit, data acquisition means for acquiring trajectory information relative to the balls hit from the tee, a computer responsive to the data acquisition means for computing the theoretical free flight trajectory of balls hit from the tee, means providing a map of a golf hole, and means responsive to the computer for indicating, along two coordinates, the point of termination of a ball flight trajectory on said map with respect to a predetermined reference point;

the improvement wherein said map-providing means comprise a plurality of map images, one for each of a plurality of possible starting points for a ball flight trajectory, each of said images being oriented so that the starting point corresponding to the image is locatable at said predetermined reference point, and means for selecting one of said images for disposition at a predetermined location with respect to said indication means and with said starting point at said predetermined reference point.

10. A golf game according to claim 9 where said images are on film, and further including means for projecting the selected one of said images to said predetermined location with said starting point at said predetermined reference point.

11. A golf game according to claim 10, further including a screen located forwardly of said tee, said projecting means further being operative to project said images on said screen along with scenes depicting the views on a golf hole from thE plurality of starting points, said scenes being correlated with said images so that the image and the scene projected at a given time relate to the same one of said starting points.

12. An indoor golf game according to claim 11 wherein said indicating means comprises a spot projector for alternately projecting a moving spot of light on said screen and on the scene projected thereon to simulate the flight of a golf ball, and for projecting a spot of light on the screen and on the map image projected thereon to indicate the point of termination of a shot.

13. An indoor golf game comprising:

a. an area defining a tee from which golf balls may be hit;

b. a screen located forwardly of said tee area;

c. means for projecting any one of a plurality of scenes of a golf hole and indicia depicting a map of said golf hole on said screen in side by side relation;

d. means for sensing the flight characteristics of a golf ball struck from the tee toward said screen for providing information relative thereto;

e. computing means responsive to said sensing means for receiving the information therefrom and for computing the theoretical free flight trajectory of the golf ball hit from the tee, said computing means including a first circuit for determining the location of the ball in a first direction with respect to said tee, a second circuit for determining the location of the ball in a second direction with respect to said tee and a third circuit for determining the location of the ball in a third direction with respect to said tee;

f. spot-projecting means responsive to said computing means

14. An indoor golf game according to claim 13 wherein said means responsive to said computing means further includes means operative after the computing means has determined that the theoretical free flight trajectory has terminated for providing said second system with an offset signal to cause said spot-projecting means to project toward said map indicia rather than toward the scene on the screen.

15. An indoor golf game according to claim 13 wherein said means responsive to said computing means further includes means operative after said computing means has determined that the theoretical free flight trajectory has terminated for providing said third system with an offset signal.

16. An indoor golf game according to claim 13 wherein said means responsive to said computing means further includes means operative after the computing means has determined that the theoretical free flight trajectory has terminated for providing both said second system and said third system with respective offset signals to cause said Spot-projecting means to project toward a predetermined location on said screen occupied by said map indicia rather than toward the scene on the screen.