GOLF GAME COMPUTER INCLUDING MEANS FOR APPROXIMATING THE EFFECTS OF BACKSPIN ON RANGE

• US 3,671,724 A
• Filed: 12/30/1969
• Issued: 06/20/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James W. Sanders
• Original Assignee: James W. Sanders
• Inventors: James, W. Sanders
• Primary Examiner(s): Eugene G. Botz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jerry Smith
• Application Number:
  US04/889,067
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 235/151,151.3,151.32 73/379 273/183
• US Class Current: 473/155
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A computing system for calculating the free flight trajectory of a golf ball struck from a tee having backspin imparted thereon including a backspin corrector therein for modifying the calculated distance of the golf ball so as to simulate the effects of backspin. A signal modifier alters the magnitude of a signal related to the distance the golf ball would travel proportionally according to a characteristic of the flight trajectory.

Claims

1. A golf game computing system comprising:

means for acquiring data relative to the initial trajectory of a ball hit from a tee and including means for determining the initial angle of elevation of the ball;

means responsive to said data acquisition means for providing a first signal having a characteristic proportional to the instantaneous velocity of a ball hit from a tee at any point during its theoretical time of flight;

means for receiving said signal and computing therefrom the theoretical distance that the ball would travel and providing a second signal having a characteristic representative of the theoretical distance;

means responsive to said elevation angle determining means and interposed between said instantaneous velocity determining means and said theoretical distance computing means for changing the characteristic of said first signal generally proportionally to the initial angle of elevation determined by said elevAtion angle determining means to thereby effect a change in the computed theoretical distance proportional to the amount of backspin imparted to a ball hit from the tee;

said data acquisition means further including means for determining the initial angle with respect to the azimuth of a ball hit from the tee, and first and second matrices respectively responsive to said elevation angle determining means and said azimuth angle determining means operative to receive said first signal and to provide third and fourth signals with said third signal having a characteristic representing the theoretical instantaneous velocity of the golf ball in a direction straightaway from the tee and said fourth signal representing the theoretical instantaneous velocity of the golf ball in a direction transverse to said first direction;

said changing means being operatively associated with said matrices;

said theoretical distance computing means being operative to receive said third and fourth signals to compute the distance the ball would travel in both of said directions;

said first matrix being connected to receive said first signal and provide a fifth signal that is a function of the instantaneous velocity and the initial angle of elevation to said second matrix;

said second matrix in turn being operative to receive said fifth signal and provide said third signal as a function of the instantaneous velocity, the elevation angle and one function of the azimuth angle and said fourth signal as a function of the instantaneous velocity, the elevation angle and a different function of the azimuth angle; and

said changing means comprising a plurality of parallel circuits each including respective impedances interposed between said first matrix and said second matrix, and means for selectively directing said fifth signal through a predetermined impedance, said directing means being operable to select an impedance in response to elevation angle information provided by said elevation angle determining means.