Intelligent golf course

• US 9,661,453 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fairwayiq, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fairwayiq, Inc.
• Inventors: Langberg, Eric Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/217,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563, 4555561, 4554121, 4554141, 455 412, 455422, 455434, 455411, 709229, 473223, 473409, 473221
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An intelligent golf course system comprising at least a network comprised of nodes and deployed on a golf course, the golf course comprising a series of holes or playing areas; The golf course system includes a means for determining the physical location of a node on the golf course, a means for tracking a change in a physical location of a node on the golf course, and a portable display unit configured to display information to a user. At least some portion of the network communicates using a wireless communication means and wherein the information at least includes a distance from the display unit to a node on the golf course.

Claims

1. A communication and location system comprising:

at least one featured node physically located at a flagstick on each hole on a golf course;

at least one golfer interface device in direct communication with the at least one featured node;

wherein the at least one featured node and the at least one golfer interface device of the system are physically deployed on the golf course; and

wherein the system is configured such that a golfer utilizes the at least one golfer interface device to communicate directly with a feature node of the at least one featured node located at a particular hole to assist the golfer in determining a location of the golfer relative to the feature node located at the particular hole.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a support node configured to communicate with the at least one featured node and the at least one golfer interface device to improve reliability of messages sent by the at least one featured node, the at least one golfer interface device, or both.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a central command;

wherein the central command communicates with multiple featured nodes, multiple support nodes, and multiple golfer interface devices to determine a physical location of feature nodes, support nodes and golfer interface devices throughout the golf course.

4. An intelligent golf course system, comprising:

at least one network comprising a plurality of nodes deployed on a golf course, the golf course comprising a series of holes or playing areas;

a means for determining a physical location of a particular node of the plurality of nodes on the golf course;

a means for tracking a change in the physical location of the particular node on the golf course; and

a portable display unit configured to display information to a user;

wherein at least some portion of the network communicates using a wireless communication means;

wherein each of the plurality of nodes on the golf course includes an address;

wherein the information includes at least a distance from the portable display unit to the particular node on the golf course;

wherein at least a portion of the at least one network is configured as an ad-hoc network;

wherein individual nodes of the plurality of nodes establish individual data communication links with one or more other nodes of the plurality of nodes within communication range in such a way that a message originating with an origination node that is of direct communication range with an intended destination node is communicated between the individual nodes by passing the message along a series of the individual data communication links until the message reaches the destination node; and

the destination node is identified by a unique identifier associated therewith, the unique identifier being contained in the message.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a sensor contained in the particular node on the golf course configured to sense an environmental condition or movement of the particular node on the golf course.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising multiple local networks, each having independent nodes and communication means.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each hole in the series of holes or playing areas has at least one featured node.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each hole or area in the series of holes or playing areas has at least one support node.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a master network configured to communicate with the local networks and wherein the master network is configured to communicate with the particular node on the golf course using the address of the particular node on the golf course.

10. A networked communication system for deployment on a golf course comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a first featured node deployed on the golf course, the first featured node comprising a microprocessor, a transmitter, a receiver, and a unique identifier for identification of the first featured node on a network;

one or more support nodes deployed on the golf course, each of the one or more support nodes comprising a microprocessor, a transmitter, a receiver and a unique identifier for identification of the support node on a network;

a golfer interface device configured as a moving node on the network, the golfer interface device comprising a housing, a data display, an input interface, a power supply, a radio frequency transceiver and a microprocessor;

wherein the system is enabled to determine a location of the golfer interface device on the golf course;

wherein at least a portion of the network is configured as an ad-hoc network;

wherein individual support nodes of the one or more support nodes establish individual data communication links with one or more other support nodes of the one or more support nodes within communication range in such a way that a message originating with an origination support node that is of direct communication range with an intended destination support node is communicated between the individual support nodes by passing the message along a series of individual data communication links until the message reaches the destination support node; and

the destination support node is identified by a unique identifier associated therewith, the unique identifier being contained in the message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a localized distance measurement between the golfer interface device and at least one support node of the one or more support nodes is calculated and the localized distance measurement is used to improve accuracy of a distance between the first featured node and golfer interface device.

12. The system of claim 10, further configured to relay messages using multiple support nodes and wherein the system is configured as a mesh network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the golfer interface device comprises a cell phone or tablet computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is configured to:

transmit the calculated distance to the golfer interface device in a message; and

wherein the golfer interface device is configured to receive the message and indicate the distance on the data display.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a central command;

wherein the central command communicates with multiple featured nodes, multiple support nodes, and multiple golfer interface devices; and

wherein the central command is configured to track a physical location of one or more of the multiple featured nodes, the multiple support nodes, and the multiple golfer interface devices throughout the golf course.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the first featured node, the golfer interface device, and at least one of the one or more support nodes in combination are a data communication network for communication of data; and

the data communication network uses at least one distance measuring means to calculate a result which represents distance between the first featured node and the golfer interface device.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a means for determining a physical location of a particular node of the plurality of nodes on the golf course; and

a sensor contained in the particular node on the golf course configured to sense an environmental condition or movement of the particular node on the golf course.