EP0278150A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Golf game and course simulating apparatus and method
Assignee: Joytec Ltd
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Filing: 1987-06-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-06-29
Abstract
Abstract An electronic golf game has a simulated ball assembly (26,27) in which the ball rotates in a plane slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. Adjacent the ball (26) is a row of phototransistors (39,40) which senses the shadow of a golf club which interrupts an overhead light as it approaches the ball (26) for a hit. The row of phototransistors (39,40) is sampled approximately every 6 microseconds until the ball is hit, and the samples are stored in DMA buffer. The stored sampled representation is analyzed to determine club movement parameters for swing analysis and for computing the trajectory and lay of a hypothetical real golf ball. The closest stored video frame of the golf hole fairway is then retrieved and displayed on a video monitor screen (24) to the player, who then takes another shot from the presumed new location of the hypothetical ball.
Inventors
- 👤 Barry Allen
- 👤 Neil Johnson
- 👤 Mark Labbe
- 👤 Clint Lee
- 👤 Martin Wacker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 17:41
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/36; A63B69/3658; A63B24/00; A63B24/0021; A63B69/0073; A63B69/0091; A63B69/3614; A63B2024/0028; A63B2024/0031; A63B69/3667; A63B2069/367; A63B2220/00; A63B2220/80; A63B2220/802; A63B2220/805; A63B2225/00; A63B2225/70
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
Golf game simulation apparatus, comprising: simulated golf ball means; a first plurality of sensors arranged in a row on one side of and below said simulated golf ball for sensing a golf club head above; and means for sampling said first plurality of sensors periodically at a predetermined frequency to yield a sampled representation of golf club head movement until said simulated ball is struck by said golf club head.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
70 words
Golf game simulation apparatus, comprising: simulated golf ball means; a first plurality of sensors arranged in a row on one side of and below said simulated golf ball for sensing a golf club head above; and means for sampling said first plurality of sensors periodically at a predetermined frequency to yield a sampled representation of golf club head movement until said simulated ball is struck by said golf club head.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The golf game simulation apparatus of claim 1, said simulated golf ball means being an actual golf ball.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The golf game simulation apparatus of claim 1, said simulated golf ball means comprising a substantially horizontal shaft having a ball-like enlargement at its free end.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The golf game simulation apparatus of claim 3, said substantially horizontal shaft supported at its other end by means of, and rotatable around, a substantially vertical shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The golf game simulation apparatus of claim 4, said substantially vertical shaft being slightly inclined frontwards such that said simulated golf ball comes to rest adjacent the first plurality of sensors.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A golf game simulation apparatus having a simulated golf ball assembly, comprising a first shaft supported at one end thereof to freely rotate around a predetermined axis and having at its other end a golf ball-like attachment.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A golf game simulation apparatus having a simulated golf ball assembly, comprising a first shaft supported at one end thereof to freely rotate around a predetermined axis and having at its other end a golf ball-like attachment.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The golf game simulation apparatus as defined in claim 6, said first shaft being substantially horizontal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The golf game simulation apparatus as defined in claim 7, said first shaft freely rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
The golf game simulation apparatus as defined in claim 6, said first shaft supported at one end thereof by means of a second stationary shaft slightly inclined with respect to the vertical such that said golf ball-like attachment comes to rest always at a predetermined position by action of gravity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
The golf game simulation apparatus as defined in claim 9, said golf ball-like attachment being integral with said first shaft, and said first shaft rotating around said second shaft by having the second shaft inserted through a pivoting aperture in said first shaft.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
The golf game simulation apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising braking means adapted to engage a cooperating surface of a portion of said first shaft to brake its free rotation around said second shaft.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of recording still pictures or frames of a hole fairway in a golf course comprising the steps of: recording a plurality of still pictures or video frames from a plurality of radial points symmetrically disposed around the hole and lying on at least three concentric circles around the hole, each of said concentric circles having a predetermined diameter; assigning a retrieval address to each of said pictures or still frames; and storing said pictures or still frames each at its retrieval address in a random access storage medium.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of recording still pictures or frames of a hole fairway in a golf course comprising the steps of: recording a plurality of still pictures or video frames from a plurality of radial points symmetrically disposed around the hole and lying on at least three concentric circles around the hole, each of said concentric circles having a predetermined diameter; assigning a retrieval address to each of said pictures or still frames; and storing said pictures or still frames each at its retrieval address in a random access storage medium.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
Golf game simulation apparatus comprising, golf ball simulation means, means for sensing movement of a golf club head towards said golf ball simulation means, means for obtaining from said sensing means a digital representation of the movement of the golf club head, and means to simulate the golf game utilising said digital representations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
Golf game simulation apparatus comprising, golf ball simulation means, means for sensing movement of a golf club head towards said golf ball simulation means, means for obtaining from said sensing means a digital representation of the movement of the golf club head, and means to simulate the golf game utilising said digital representations.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sensing means comprises an array of photosensors.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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