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Golf simulation system with reflective projectile marking

  • US 9,199,153 B2
  • Filed: 10/07/2009
  • Issued: 12/01/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A sports simulation system comprising:

  • a projectile tracking apparatus comprising at least two imaging devices configured to capture images of a projectile tracking region disposed in front of a display surface from different vantages to detect a launched, spinning projectile traveling from a projectile launch area and through said projectile tracking region towards said display surface;

    an overhead projectile spin sensing unit positioned intermediate said projectile launch area and said display surface and configured to capture images of a region adjacent said projectile launch area that at least partially overlaps with said projectile tracking region, each captured image comprising a projectile trail that comprises spaced apart high intensity regions resulting from an illuminated discrete elongate reflective marking on said projectile and representing a travel path of said projectile when a projectile is present in said region during image capture; and

    at least one processing stage configured to receive image data from the imaging devices and said projectile spin sensing unit and to process the received image data to determine the three-dimensional positions, velocity, acceleration and spin rate and tilt of a detected launched, spinning projectile traveling through said projectile tracking region, the three-dimensional positions, velocity, acceleration and spin rate and tilt being used by said at least one processing stage to calculate a trajectory of said launched projectile into a sports scene presented on said display surface, wherein during processing of image data from said projectile spin sensing unit, said at least one processing stage is configured to generate a profile of the projectile trail over a plurality of images, determine the projectile trail length per image of said plurality of images, threshold each image to identify the high intensity regions corresponding to the elongate marking on said projectile, determine the distance between the high intensity regions in each image, calculate the spin rate of the projectile using the determined distance, the projectile trail length and the projectile spin sensing unit image frame rate and estimate a spin tilt axis of the projectile using the orientation of the high intensity regions in each image and the relative angle between the longitudinal axis of the high intensity regions and the longitudinal axis of the projectile trail.

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