Golf course yardage and information system with zone detection
DCFirst Claim
1. A system for determining the location of each of a plurality of mobile position-detection stations on a golf course, to assist golfers using the mobile stations in playing the course, comprising said plurality of mobile stations;
- a base station for managing play of the course, adapted to communicate with each of the mobile stations;
each of the base station and the mobile stations being adapted to operate with a satellite-based navigation system for use in determining the relative position of and distance between a respective mobile station and designated surveyed features of each hole on the course including tee box, fairway, hazards, green and cup;
the surveyed features being generally denoted by their respective form, extent and position on the course relative to a demarcation point, and with a set of predetermined virtual zones representing selected regions including at least tee box area and green area, respectively, on each hole of the course;
said designated surveyed features being stored as (GPS data points collected for each of the designated surveyed features along the respective boundary thereof relative to a preselected reference point so that all of the survey data points for each of the designated surveyed features arc uniquely identified with respect to said reference point and apparatus using zone detection algorithms to initiate the occurrence of a selected event at each mobile station when the location of the respective mobile station is detected to be in predetermined relation to a given one of said zones on a hole.
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Abstract
A player position determining and course management system for a golf course having a plurality of roving units for use by players in playing the course is disclosed. Each roving unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) including a data processor for executing various tasks ranging from fastest-execution of a task to slowest execution of a task on a schedule of priorities of task completion, a real-time means for controlling the processor to give the tasks priority ranging from fastest execution of a task with highest priority to slowest execution of a task with lowest priority, and a means for precisely timing functions of the system including modulating means utilizing a common digital modulation technique for digitally modulating data transmitted to and from all of the roving units. Each of the roving units include a monitor for displaying the golf course including each of the holes with its tee box, fairway, green, cup and hazards, as well as the position of the roving unit on the course in real time. Additionally, the system includes a course management base station for transmitting and receiving information to the roving units and a monitor for displaying the location of each roving unit on the golf course in real time.
113 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A system for determining the location of each of a plurality of mobile position-detection stations on a golf course, to assist golfers using the mobile stations in playing the course, comprising said plurality of mobile stations;
- a base station for managing play of the course, adapted to communicate with each of the mobile stations;
each of the base station and the mobile stations being adapted to operate with a satellite-based navigation system for use in determining the relative position of and distance between a respective mobile station and designated surveyed features of each hole on the course including tee box, fairway, hazards, green and cup;
the surveyed features being generally denoted by their respective form, extent and position on the course relative to a demarcation point, and with a set of predetermined virtual zones representing selected regions including at least tee box area and green area, respectively, on each hole of the course;
said designated surveyed features being stored as (GPS data points collected for each of the designated surveyed features along the respective boundary thereof relative to a preselected reference point so that all of the survey data points for each of the designated surveyed features arc uniquely identified with respect to said reference point and apparatus using zone detection algorithms to initiate the occurrence of a selected event at each mobile station when the location of the respective mobile station is detected to be in predetermined relation to a given one of said zones on a hole. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a base station for managing play of the course, adapted to communicate with each of the mobile stations;
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21. A system for determining the location of each of a plurality of mobile position-detection stations on a golf course, to assist golfers using the mobile stations in playing the course, comprising said plurality of mobile stations;
- a base station for managing play of the course, adapted to communicate with each of the mobile stations;
each of the base station and the mobile stations being adapted to operate with a satellite- based navigation system for use in determining the relative position of and distance between a respective mobile station and designated surveyed features of each hole on the course including tee box, fairway, hazards, green and cup;
the surveyed features being generally denoted by their respective form, extent and position on the course relative to a demarcation point, and with a set of predetermined virtual zones representing selected regions including at least tee box area and green area, respectively, on each hole of the course;
each mobile station including a timer; and
apparatus using zone detection algorithms to initiate the start of said timer for measuring pace of play by golfers using the mobile station in play of the course when the location of the respective mobile station is detected to be in predetermined relation to the tee box area zone of the hole;
wherein said start of the timer is inhibited unless the mobile station was present in the green area of the immediately preceding hole for a predetermined period of time in play of the course.
- a base station for managing play of the course, adapted to communicate with each of the mobile stations;
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22. A method of initiating display of a selected image on a monitor of a golf cart equipped with a distance measuring and information system for play of a golf course having an administrative base station and a multiplicity of such golf carts, each cart adapted to display on its monitor a map of the entire course or selected holes or portions of holes of the course and of the location of the respective cart on the course, said method comprising the steps of:
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maintaining a daily updated store of survey data including form, extent and position of designated features including at least daily tee box location, daily cup location, and green of each hole, wherein the survey data in said daily updated store comprises GPS data points collected along the boundary of each of the designated features relative to a preselected reference point so that all of the survey data points for each of the designated features are uniquely identified with respect to said reference point;
designating a plurality of artificial geometric zones each having a boundary that encompasses an area occupied by a selected feature including a tee box zone and a green zone on each hole of the course;
detecting ingress and egress of the respective golf cart into and from the tee box zone and the green zone of a hole; and
in response to detecting one of ingress into the tee box zone or egress from the green zone of a hole, displaying said selected image on the respective cart monitor. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method of initiating display of a selected image on a monitor of a golf cart equipped with a distance measuring and information system for play of a golf course having an administrative base station and a multiplicity of such golf carts, each cart adapted to display on its monitor a map of the entire course or selected holes or portions of holes of the course and of the location of the respective cart on the course, said method comprising the steps of:
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maintaining a daily updated store of survey data including form, extent and position of designated features including at least daily tee box location, daily cup location, and green of each hole;
designating a plurality or artificial geometric zones each having a boundary that encompasses an area occupied by a selected feature including a tee box zone and a green zone on each hole of the course;
detecting ingress and egress of the respective golf cart into and from the tee box zone and the green zone of a hole; and
in response to detecting one of ingress into the tee box zone or egress from the green zone of a hole, displaying said selected image on the respective cart monitor including displaying elapsed time measured from commencement of play of a hole upon detecting ingress of the cart into the tee box zone of the hole, and restarting the elapsed time displayed on the cart monitor upon commencement of play of the next hole indicated by detecting ingress of the cart into the tee box zone of said next hole if a predetermined period of time elapsed between ingress and egress of the cart into and from the green zone of the previous hole before ingress of the cart into the tee box zone of said next hole is detected.
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34. Apparatus for detecting the real-time position of a golf cart equipped with a navigation system on a surveyed golf course, comprising an overlay of predetermined plural zones on each hole of a stored map of the course, wherein the survey data for each hole of said stored max is a collection of GPS data points along the boundary of selected features of the respective hole relative to a predetermined reference point so that all of the survey data points for each of the selected features are uniquely identified with respect to said reference point, each zone representing a virtual fixed two-dimensional geometric expansive area of play of the respective hole encompassing at least one of the selected features of the hole, at least two zones of each hole depicting, respectively, a pattern for capturing entry of the cart onto the hole to commence play thereof and a pattern for capturing departure of the cart from the hole on completing play thereof, and a trigger responsive to presence of the cart in one of said at least two zones of a hole as indicated by the navigation system of the cart, for initiating a pre-programmed visual display in the cart.
Specification