US 5,846,139 A · Golf simulator

Abstract

A golf simulator has a housing and three arrays of IR receivers and emitters positioned in the housing. A launch area is established near one end of the housing, and a user can launch a golf ball located in the launch area and drive the ball into the housing through the planes defined by the arrays of emitters and against a screen positioned at one end of the housing. The planes established by the arrays are disposed vertically and perpendicular to the angle of travel of the ball. A computer is connected to the IR receivers, which detect the passage of the golf ball through each respective plane. Based upon the signals from the receivers the computer, using triangulation techniques, determines the horizontal and vertical position, as well as the velocity, of the ball for a range of shots including drives, steep chip shots and putts less than 4 feet. The computer can also determine the spin of the golf ball, and cause an image of the golf ball, as it would have appeared traveling away from the golfer had it not encountered the screen, to be displayed on the screen.

A golf simulator, comprising:

a launch area from which a ball is accelerated;
a screen spaced at a predetermined distance from the launch area in a direction of travel of the ball;
first, second and third emitters for transmitting electromagnetic radiation, the emitters each being spaced from the launch area in the direction of travel of the ball;
a first array of receivers spaced at a predetermined distance from the launch area in the direction of travel of the ball and interposed between the launch area and the screen, at least some of the receivers in the first array being positioned to receive radiation from the first emitter and generating respective first signals in response thereto, the first array of receivers being arranged in a first plane;
a second array of receivers arranged in a second plane and interposed between the screen and the first array of receivers, at least some of the receivers in the second array being positioned to receive radiation from the second emitter and generating respective second signals in response thereto;
a third array of receivers arranged in a third plane and interposed between said second array of receivers and the screen, at least some of the receivers in the third array being positioned to receive radiation from the third emitter and generating respective third signals in response thereto;
each array of receivers being vertically disposed and perpendicular to the travel of a ball such that each array detects both a horizontal and vertical position of a ball driven from a tee to the screen through the planes established by each array;
and
a computer electrically connected to each array of receivers for receiving said first, second, and third signals from said receivers and computing first, second, and third positions of the ball detected by the first, second and third arrays of receivers, respectively;
said computer including timer means for determining a first time delay between receipt of said first and second signal, respectively, a second time delay between receipt of said second and third signal, respectively, and a third time delay between receipt of said first and third signal, respectively, and processing means for computing a first translational velocity from said first and second positions and said first time delay, a second translational velocity from said second and third positions and said second time delay, and a third translational velocity from said first and third positions and said third time delay, and computing an average translational velocity from said first, second and third translational velocities:
said computer further including means for computing an estimate of a rotational velocity of the ball from said third and from a fourth signal indicative of a position of the ball relative to the third array of receivers after the ball has rebounded from the screen;
and
means for computing the projected position of the ball on the screen based on said computed translational and rotational velocities, wherein said first, second, and third signals are combined to provide an estimate of a curvature of the ball travel path.

10 more elements

Golf simulator

Life of this patent

Golf simulator

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21