Method of and apparatus for golf driving range distancing using focal plane array
US5798519A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 25, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63B2225/74
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The invention monitors the driving range and tracks golf balls from users at the driving range and informs those users of characteristics such as driving distance. A solid state camera images the range, and preferably one or more tee-off positions, and collects frames of image data to track a ball's motion through space. Simulation routines augment that track and assist in isolating the start location as well as where the ball lands, or would have landed had it not been obstructed (e.g., by a net). Preferably, the invention also determines the ball's position in 3-D to increase the accuracy. In one technique, two or more solid state cameras are used, and synchronized, to specify stereoscopic imaging. In another technique, the ball's energy or physical extent is used to determine an absolute distance between the camera and the ball. A computer at the club house monitors the entire system and further manages a network including an array of displays at the several tee off positions. The computer thus sends information such as distance to the several users via the network.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.