Double position golf simulator

• US 5,354,063 A
• Filed: 12/04/1992
• Issued: 10/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bay Virtual Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Virtual Golf, Inc.
• Inventors: Curchod, Donald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoll, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/984,948
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 273/185 B, 273/185 A, 273/185 R, 273/184 R
• US Class Current: 473/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0031 at the starting point
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0037 on a target surface or at impact on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/35 Spin
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3623 for driving A63B69/3608, A63B69/3658, A63B69/3661, A63B69/3667 and A63B69/3691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3694 for driving only

Abstract

An improved golf simulation system for two players is contained in a single booth, which has a single screen on which are projected various views of simulated golf holes and into which two golfers independently but concurrently hit golf balls from within the single booth, a dual-player golf simulator system. Each player uses a portion of a golf tee area. Ball flight sensors sense the flight of the two independently, concurrently hit golf balls. A computer concurrently computes the flight and landing location of the first golf ball on the simulated hole and the flight and landing location of the second golf ball on the simulated hole as a function of the sensed velocity, trajectory, and spin of each of the respective golf balls. The simulated golf hole can be viewed as a single view of as a split view when each player has a different viewing location.

Claims

1. A multi-user golf simulation system, comprising:

a booth having a first portion of a tee area for use by a first golfer and a second portion of the tee area for use by a second golfer;

means for determining the flight parameters of a first golf ball hit by a first golfer using a first golf club from the first portion of the tee area and of a second golf ball hit by a second golfer using a second golf club from the second portion of the tee area;

computer means for computing the distance and location of the first golf ball from a first simulated golf hole and of the second golf ball from a second simulated golf hole as a function of the determined flight parameters of each of said first and second golf balls.

2. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the simulated golf holes represent the same or different golf holes.

3. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 2 including imaging means, controlled by said computer means, for simultaneously imaging the first simulated golf hole from the location of the first ball and the second simulated golf hole from the location of the second golf ball.

4. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 3 wherein the imaging means includes means for imaging a different view of the golf hole for each respective player.

5. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 3 wherein the imaging means includes a display means for presenting an image.

6. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 5 wherein the display means includes a screen on which is projected an image.

7. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 5 wherein the display means includes means for projecting respective images of the first simulated golf hole from the location of the first golf ball and the second simulated golf hole from the location of the second golf ball.

8. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 7 wherein the display means includes a screen on which is projected an image of the first and second simulated golf holes.

9. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 7 wherein the display means includes a split screen and wherein on one portion of the split screen is displayed the first simulated golf hole from the location of the first golf ball and wherein on another portion of the screen is displayed the second simulated golf hole from the location of the second golf ball such that said first and second golfers may independently and concurrently view the respective simulated golf holes from their respective positions thereon.

10. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 2 including imaging means, controlled by said computer means, for imaging said first simulated golf hole from the location of the first ball and said second simulated golf hole from the location of the second golf ball.

11. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls includes a single sensor means.

12. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls includes a separate sensor means for each of said first and second golf balls.

13. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls includes a sensor means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls when struck by said golf club.

14. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls includes a sensor means for sensing the parameters of said golf club used to strike said first and second golf balls.

15. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 including user input means.

16. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 15 wherein the user data input means includes user data input means and display means for the user data input.

17. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 16 wherein the user data input means includes a user keyboard and the display means includes a screen for displaying the user data input.

18. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 including means for prompting another player to setup on a portion of the tee area.

19. The multi-user golf simulation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the flight parameters of said first and second golf balls includes a sensor means for determining characteristics of the club head of said first and second golf clubs when swung by said respective first and second golfers.

25. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 18 including means for prompting another player to setup on a portion of the tee area.

20. In a golf simulator booth having screen display means on which are projected various views of simulated golf holes and into which two golfers independently hit golf balls from within the same booth, a dual-player golf simulator system able to be played concurrently by two golfers, said system comprising:

a first portion of a golf tee area to be occupied by a first golfer;

a second portion of the golf tee area to be occupied by a second golfer, playing with the first golfer;

sensing means for determining the flight parameters of two independently hit golf balls, a first ball having been hit by the first golfer using a first golf club and a second ball having been hit by the second golfer using a second golf club;

computer means for computing the flight and landing location of the first golf ball on a first simulated golf hole and the landing location of the second golf ball on a second simulated golf hole, after they have been hit by the respective first and second golfers using said respective first and second golf clubs;

imaging means, controlled by said computer means, for imaging the location of the first golf ball on said first simulated golf hole and the location of the second golf ball on said second simulated golf hole.

21. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 20 wherein the ball flight sensing means includes separate ball flight sensors for the first portion of the tee area and for the second portion of the tee area.

22. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 20 wherein the imaging means includes screen means and means for projecting the view of the first simulated golf hole from the location of the first golf ball onto said screen means and for projecting the view of the second simulated golf hole from the location of the second golf ball onto the screen means.

23. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 20 including computer interface means for permitting each of said golfers to selectably play either singly, independently, or concurrently various simulated golf holes.

24. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 20 wherein the imaging means selectably provides either an identical view of the same simulated golf hole for both golfers or different views of the same simulated golf hole to each of the respective first and second golfers.

26. The dual-player golf simulator system of claim 20 wherein said first and second simulated golf holes are the same golf hole.