GOLF SHOT TRACKING SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS OF USE
A golf shot tracking system including an identification tag coupled to a golf club and a tag reader including a position-determination component and a tag identification component are disclosed. The tag reader may receive identification information relating to the golf club, and may determine its position, in response to the identification tag being within a reception range of the tag identification component. The tag reader may transmit a signal representative of the golf club identification information in association with the position information to a communication device. The communication device may be a portable handheld device having a display for displaying a representation of the golf club identity in association with the determined position. The communication device may be configured to upload the golf club identity in association with the determined position to a remote server.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/645,263, filed Oct. 4, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/544,776, filed Oct. 7, 2011. The contents of each of these applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to golf. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to golf shot tracking systems, devices, and methods of use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDuring or after a round of golf, it may be desirable to track information about the shots taken during the round of golf. For example, it may be desirable to record the locations from which shots have been taken, and the clubs used to take the shots.
Traditional methods of tracking shot information, such as recording shot information with a pencil and paper and tabulating results after a round, require significant time and effort and are prone to error. Technology has resulted in the development of portable electronic devices that are capable of providing information to golfers during a round of golf. However, many of these devices suffer from cumbersome, non-intuitive user interfaces and data collection or processing limitations.
What is needed are improved golf shot tracking systems, devices, and methods of use that will allow a user to, among other things, interact with their golf shot tracking system in a more intuitive, user-friendly manner, more accurately track their performance during a past or present round of golf, and use the data generated to improve their play in future rounds of golf.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the present invention provide a golf shot tracking system. The golf shot tracking system may include an identification tag coupled to a golf club and a tag reader. The tag reader may include a position-determination component and a tag identification component. The tag reader may be configured to receive data including identification information relating to the golf club in response to the identification tag being within a reception range of the tag identification component (which may be, for example, about 3 inches). The tag reader may be configured to determine its position in response to the identification tag being within a reception range of the tag identification component. The tag reader may be configured to transmit (e.g., wirelessly) a signal representative of the golf club identification information in association with the determined position to a communication device.
The communication device may be, for example, a portable handheld device having a display for displaying a representation of the golf club identity in association with the determined position. The communication device may be configured to upload the golf club identity in association with the determined position to a remote server.
In one embodiment, the identification tag may be a radio-frequency identification microchip storing data including an identification number, and may be disposed at an end of a shaft of the golf club, under a grip of the golf club, or may be disposed on a side of a shaft of the golf club, coupled to the golf club with an adhesive tape. The identification tag may be a passive radio-frequency identification microchip that does not include a battery. The identification tag may be spaced apart from the shaft of the golf club by an insulating layer. The insulating layer may be an electrically insulating layer.
In an embodiment, the position-determination component may be a global navigation satellite system receiver (e.g., a GPS receiver) disposed within the tag reader. The global navigation satellite system receiver may communicate with satellites of the GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, COMPASS, IRNSS, or other similar systems. Position may be determined relative to Earth, or relative to a portion of a golf course. The tag identification component may be a radio-frequency identification reader.
The identification information may include the golf club identity, or may include an identification number usable by the communication device to identify the golf club by comparing the identification number to a database of corresponding golf club identities.
Embodiments of the present invention may also provide a golf club tag reader. The golf club tag reader may include a tag identification component configured to receive data including identification information relating to a golf club in response to an identification tag of the golf club being within a reception range of the tag identification component, and a position-determination component configured to determine a position of the tag reader in response to the identification tag of the golf club being within the reception range of the tag identification component.
The golf club tag reader may also include a processor and a memory. The processor may be configured to cause the memory to store the identification information in association with determined position information by storing each in association with a timestamp corresponding to the time the identification tag of the golf club entered into the reception range of the tag identification component.
The tag identification component may be configured to receive second data including second identification information relating to a second golf club in response to a second identification tag of the second golf club being within the reception range of the tag identification component, and the position-determination component may be configured to determine a second position of the tag reader in response to the second identification tag of the second golf club being within the reception range of the tag identification component. In such a case, the processor may be configured to cause the memory to store the first identification information in association with the first determined position information, and to store the second identification information in association with the second determined position information. The second golf club and second identification tag may be the same as the first golf club and first identification tag, or may be different from the first golf club and first identification tag.
The golf club tag reader may also include a transmitter component configured to transmit (e.g., wirelessly) a signal representative of the identification information in association with determined position information to a communication device. The transmitter component may be configured to transmit the signal in response to the communication device being within a wireless transmission range of the transmitter component.
Embodiments of the present invention may further provide a golf club identification tag assembly. The assembly may include an identification tag carrier and an identification tag coupled to the identification tag carrier. The identification tag carrier may include a disc-shaped proximal portion having the identification tag coupled to a proximal side thereof, and a cylindrical or frustoconical neck portion extending distally from the disc-shaped proximal portion. The golf club identification tag assembly may include a golf club, and the cylindrical neck portion of the identification tag carrier may extend within a shaft of the golf club, such that the disc-shaped proximal portion protrudes from a proximal end of the shaft. The identification tag carrier may include flexible wings extending radially around the cylindrical neck portion. In such a case, the cylindrical neck portion of the identification tag carrier may extend within a shaft of the golf club such that the flexible wings are compressed by an interior of the shaft.
The identification tag carrier may include an insulating layer, such as an electrically insulating layer, and may be coupled to an exterior side of the electrically insulating layer. An interior side of the electrically insulating layer may coupled to an exterior surface of a shaft of the golf club. The identification tag carrier and the identification tag may be held in place relative to the golf club by an adhesive tape. The electrically insulating layer may include iron, which may take the form of an iron alloy.
Embodiments of the present invention may also provide a method for golf club registration. The method may include detecting a golf club identification tag within a detection range of a tag reader, reading identification information for the golf club identification tag, transmitting a signal representative of the identification information for the golf club identification tag from the tag reader identification component to a communication device, receiving input of the signal at the communication device, receiving input of golf club information for the golf club at the communication device, and storing the identification information for the golf club identification tag in association with the golf club information.
Embodiments of the present invention may further provide a method for golf shot tracking. The method may include detecting a golf club identification tag within a detection range of a tag identification reader component of a tag reader, reading identification information for the golf club identification tag, storing the identification information for the golf club identification tag in association with timestamp information representative of the time that the golf club identification tag was detected, determining the position of the tag reader using a position-determination component of the tag reader, and transmitting a signal representative of the identification information for the golf club identification tag, the timestamp information, and the position to a communication device.
Embodiments of the present invention may also provide a method for updating location data for a putting stroke in a golf stroke log. The method may include the steps of displaying a representation of a green on a display screen, displaying an icon representing a first putting stroke at a first location with respect to the representation of the green on the display screen, determining that a user input indicates that the icon representing the first putting stroke should be moved to a second location with respect to the representation of the green on the display screen, and updating the location data for the first putting stroke in the golf stroke log based on the determining with respect the first putting stroke.
Embodiments of the present invention may further provide a method for determining a golf course hole number to associate with a golf stroke. The method may include the steps of determining geographical position data associated with the golf stroke taken at a golf course, accessing map data associated with the golf course, and determining a golf course hole number to associate with the golf stroke based on both the geographical position data and the map data.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further serve to explain the principles of and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention described herein. In the drawings like reference characters indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying figures, which illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible and may fall within the scope of the present invention. Modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not meant to be limiting. The operation and behavior of the embodiments presented are described with the understanding that various modifications and variations of the embodiments may be within the scope of the present invention.
A golf shot location system 100 is a mobile golf monitoring system 100 that may include one or more of the following elements: (1) electronic golf club identification tags 200; (2) a reader module 300; (3) a receiver module 400; and (4) a server computer system 500.
The golf club tags 200 (also referred to as identification tags, tags, club tags, RFID tags, NFC tags, and the like) may be passive radio-frequency identification (RFID), near field communication (NFC), or other suitable tags 200 that are each physically coupled to one golf club 600 (“passive” tags do not include a battery). In other embodiments, active tags 200 (i.e., tags that include a battery) may be employed. Each tag 200 includes a unique (or effectively unique, given production volume and deployment) serial number readable by a reader module 300.
The reader module 300 may include a global positioning system (GPS) receiver 310, an RFID/NFC reader 320, and a wireless transmitter 350. When the golf club tag 200 of a particular golf club 600 is brought sufficiently close to the reader module 300 (i.e., within its reception range), the RFID/NFC reader 320 reads the serial number stored in the tag 200, and the GPS receiver 310 receives position data indicating the position of the reader module 300. The reader module 300 stores the serial number, the position data, and a time-stamp in association with one another. A golfer may use the reader module 300 in conjunction with a set of tagged golf clubs 600 during a round of golf to store data relating to where and when he took each shot, and with which club. A registration procedure allows for specific club identification (e.g., make, model, and/or type of club) via communication with a receiver module 400, which is described below.
The wireless transmitter 350 of the reader module 300 may transmit the stored serial numbers and position data to a receiver module 400 over a wireless link (e.g., according to the Bluetooth® wireless technology standard (Bluetooth)). In some embodiments, the reader module 300 transmits this data via a wired connection. The receiver module 400 can be any device capable of storage and display of information, including a personal computer or smartphone. If the receiver module 400 is not portable, transmission of the serial number and position data can occur after a round of golf. If the receiver module 400 is portable, transmission can occur after the round of golf or during the round of golf, for example, intermittently or continuously, whenever the receiver module 400 is within range of the wireless transmitter 350 of the reader module 300. The receiver module 400 may include software that will run on the receiver module 400 to affect its functions.
In the case where the receiver module 400 is a smartphone or similar device, the display 410 and user interface of the device 400 can be used by the golfer to perform various functions during or after a round of golf. For example, the golfer can review his or her past performance (e.g., location and club used for shots previously taken), or can be provided information regarding the layout and position of a golf course and its features. Such information may include the position of the reader module 300 or receiver module 400 on the golf course (or relative to Earth), as well as the position of and distance to various features of the golf course, such as a sand trap or the green. Certain features of the receiver module 400 may only be functional when the receiver module 400 is in communication with a server computer system 500, which is described below.
Though the following description will primarily focus on mobile golf monitoring systems 100 having a reader module 300 and a receiver module 400 that are physically distinct and separate from one another, in some embodiments of the present invention, the functions of the reader module 300 and the receiver module 400 may be combined in a single piece of hardware such as, for example, a mobile phone including GPS and RFID/NFC capabilities.
The server computer system 500 may communicate with the receiver module 400 via the Internet. A wide variety of information may be communicated between the receiver module 400 and the server computer system 500 including stroke location, timing, and club information, information regarding the layout and position of a golf course and its features, and historical golfer performance information and statistics. The server computer system 500 may be capable of providing various graphical displays viewable via mobile applications or web browsers running on a user's receiver module 400. The server computer system 500 may include software that will run on the server computer system 500 to affect its functions. The server computer system 500 may include one or more discrete computers that may be centrally or remotely located with respect to one another. The server computer system 500 may further include or be in communication with one or more databases.
The reader module 300 (also referred to as a widget, golf widget, tag reader, dongle, and the like) provides golfers the ability to read tagged golf clubs 600 and store geo-location information upon each successful tag 200 read from the golf club 600. A unique identification (UID) for the club 600 along with GPS coordinates may be stored within the widget 300 and can be transferred to a paired smartphone 400 (also referred to as a mobile device, communication device, and the like) wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE)) running an application to process the data. If a wireless connection is not immediately available, data transfer can take place over a USB (universal serial bus) connection to a PC 400 (personal computer) for processing at a later time. The widget 300 is powered by a rechargeable battery 364 and may use the USB port 376 for charging. In some embodiments, the widget 300 has no visual display screen. In some embodiments, the widget has a visual display screen (for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen). Instead of or in addition to a display screen, audio beeps, vibrations, and LEDs can provide user feedback and status information. The widget 300 may adhere to government wireless regulations and certifications within the United States and other countries, as would be understood by one of skill in the art.
The widget 300 may include a variety of components. A diagrammatic view of an exemplary widget 300 is shown in
The widget 300 provides golfers the ability to read tagged golf clubs 600 and store geo-location information upon each successful tag 200 read. This data may be stored by the widget 300 until requested by a smartphone or PC/Mac application for further analysis by the end user.
The widget 300 may be worn on a belt clip 378, or stored in a golfer's pocket or golf bag. The widget 300 may communicate with GPS satellites, read tags 200, and interact with devices such as smartphones 400 and PCs 400 via Bluetooth and USB.
The widget 300 may have an RFID/NFC interface 320. The widget 300 may provide the ability to read tags 200 embedded in golf clubs 600. The widget software may be able to read the UID from a compatible 200. In one embodiment, the widget software may be able to complete a tag 200 read within a range of 0.25-0.5 seconds of the tag 200 being within range. In another embodiment, the widget software may be able to complete a tag 200 read within 0.5 seconds of the tag 200 being within range. In another embodiment, the widget software may be able to complete a tag 200 read within 0.25 seconds of the tag 200 being within range. The widget software may blink the RFID/NFC indication LED for 3-5 seconds after a successful RFID/NFC tag 200 read.
The widget 300 may have a GPS interface 310. The widget 300 may provide the ability to gather geo-location data via GPS. The widget software may provide the ability to read geo-location data including latitude, longitude, and altitude from the GPS chipset 310.
The widget software may provide the ability to read the date/time stamp from the GPS chipset 310. The widget software may provide the ability to read GSA and GSV data.
The widget software may power on the GPS chipset at least every 30 minutes to download current ephemeris data. The widget software may turn on the GPS indication LED when a satellite fix is acquired. The widget software may turn off the GPS indication LED when a satellite fix is lost.
The widget 300 may provide for data and event logging. The widget 300 may correlate golf club information from tags 200 with GPS locations. This may be achieved by reading a unique identifier from a tag 200 embedded in the golf club 600 and capturing the location data from a GPS chipset 310 and storing this data to a flash chip 340 for subsequent retrieval. The widget 300 may also record miscellaneous events, such as button presses indicating manual shot addition or removal.
The widget 300 may provide for log record collection. The widget software may initiate a record data storage sequence after a successful tag 200 read. The widget software may include a hysteresis period of 2 seconds after a tag 200 has been read before additional tag reads will be recorded. The widget software may initiate a record data storage sequence when the user presses the “add stroke” button. The widget software may initiate a record data storage sequence when the user presses the “tag shot” button. The widget software may initiate a record data storage sequence when the user presses the “mark flag” button. The widget software may include a debounce period of 0.5 seconds after any press of a button 372 before registering subsequent presses of the same button 372. When a tag 200 has been successfully read or a button 372 has been pressed, the widget software may enable the vibration motor 368 for 1 second. When a tag 200 has been successfully read or a button 372 has been pressed and the alert mode is set to audible, the widget software may enable the buzzer 366 at the currently selected volume for 1 second.
The log record data contents may be stored to a flash chip 340 of the widget 300. The widget software may include a date/time stamp in UTC (coordinated universal time) to reflect the current date (month, day, year) and time (hours, minutes, seconds) in the record data saved in NV (non-volatile) storage. The widget software may include the GPS geo-location data in the record data saved in NV storage. If a GPS fix is unavailable for a time (e.g., 20 seconds) after an event, the widget software may include notification of the lack of GPS data in the record data saved in NV storage. If initiated from a successful tag 200 read, the widget software may include the UID in the record data saved in NV storage. If initiated from a button press, the widget software may include an event code corresponding to the button 372 that initiated the event in the record data saved in NV storage. The widget software may overwrite the oldest data records if the flash chip 340 is full.
The widget 300 may be configured to interact with a smartphone 400 or other device 400 application to manage the record data that has been logged. Data may be transferred from the widget 300 to the smartphone application via a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth).
The widget 300 may support a variety of modes to manage power use. The widget software may implement clock scaling and sleep/power-down schemes to maximize battery life. The widget software may support an “off” mode where the microcontroller 360 and all external sub-systems are powered down. The widget software may support a “charging” mode where battery 364 charging is active and the battery level indication is being updated. In this mode, Bluetooth may be available to connect to a smartphone or other device 400. GPS and RFID/NFC sub-systems may be powered down unless required by the communication protocol. The widget software may support a “normal” mode where all peripheral devices and wireless sub-systems are operational. Devices and sub-systems may enter/exit different power states in an attempt to conserve power, while meeting required performance. The widget software may transition from “off” mode to “normal” mode when the user presses and holds the power button for a time, for example, 3 seconds. The widget software may transition from “normal” mode to “off” mode when the user presses and holds the power button for a time, for example, 3 seconds. The widget software may transition to “off” mode after a time, for example, 45 minutes, of inactivity (no button presses, RFID/NFC, or communications activity). Regardless of current power mode, the widget software may transition to “charging” mode when the device is connected to a powered USB port or AC USB power adaptor. When the USB cable is unplugged, the widget software may return to the mode it was in prior to entering “charging” mode.
The widget 300 may provide feedback to a user. The widget software may provide user feedback via LEDs 370, audio, and vibration. The exact feedback (blink rate, buzzer tone and duration, vibration pattern, etc.) can be varied to suit a particular purpose or desire, as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art. The widget software may display the battery level via an LED bar graph when the power button is pressed and released within a time, for example, 1 second. The widget software may provide the same audible and/or haptic feedback for a tag read and an “add stroke” button press. The widget software may provide different audible and/or haptic feedback for an “add stroke,” “tag stroke,” or “mark flag” button press. The widget software may provide the same audible and/or haptic feedback for an “add stroke,” “tag stroke,” or “mark flag” button press.
The widget 300 may include, and the widget software may support, a variety of hardware interfaces. The widget software may interface with the GPS chipset 310 using 2-wire UART (universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter). The widget software may interface with the RFID/NFC transceiver 320 using SPI (serial peripheral interface). The widget software may interface with the Bluetooth chipset 350 using 4-wire UART. The widget software may interface with the flash chip 340 using SPI. The widget software may interface with the Apple® authentication chip using I2C (inter-integrated circuit). The widget software may interface with the battery gas gauge 382 using I2C. The widget software may interface with the buzzer 366 using a PWM (pulse-width modulation) pin. The widget software may interface with the vibrator motor 368 using a GPIO (general purpose input/output) pin. The widget software may interface with the buttons 372 using GPIO pins. The widget software may interface with the LEDs 370 using GPIO pins.
The widget 300 may include, and the widget software may support, a variety of inputs. The widget software may support a power (on/off) button. The widget software may support an “add stroke” button. The widget software may support a “tag stroke” button. The widget software may support a “mark flag” button. These buttons 372 may be of any suitable type, for example, momentary switches. The widget software may support a slider switch 374 to select between audible or muted alert modes. This slider switch 374 may be of any suitable type, for example, a two-position switch. For simplicity, buttons are labeled in the Figures with reference character 372. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, any button 372 referenced herein can be positioned anywhere on widget 300, including, for example, those positions illustrated in the Figures.
The widget 300 may include, and the widget software may support, a variety of outputs. The widget software may support a vibrator motor 368 to provide haptic feedback to the user. The widget software may support a buzzer or speaker 366 to provide audible feedback to the user. The widget software may support low, medium, and high volume levels for the audible alerts. The widget software may support LED indication for GPS lock status. The widget software may support LED indication for Bluetooth pairing status. The widget software may support LED indication for tag read status. The widget software may support LED indication for battery level status. For simplicity, LEDs are labeled in the Figures with reference character 370. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, any LED 370 referenced herein can be positioned anywhere on widget 300, including, for example, those positions illustrated in the Figures.
The widget 300 may have a number of status indicators. For example: the widget may have a status indicator showing battery levels; the widget may have a status indicator showing whether power to the device is on; the widget may have a status indicator showing the device is being charged; the widget may have a status indictor for GPS connectivity and/or signal strength; and the widget may have a status indictor for Bluetooth connectivity and/or signal strength. These status indicators can take a variety of forms, such as, for example, LEDs 370, a representation on a display, haptic (vibratory) feedback, audio announcements, and other forms that would be apparent to one of skill in the art. In some embodiments, the status indicators are LED back-lit icons such as those shown in
For example, the power/battery/charge icon can convey the following information: (a) if off, widget is powered off; (b) if green fade on/off, then widget power on, full battery; (c) if yellow fade on/off, then widget power on, low battery; (d) if red fade on/off, then widget power on, very low battery/recharge required (e) if green solid, then widget attached to power source, battery fully charged; (f) if red solid, then widget attached to power source, battery charging; (g) if green or red solid with flicker, then widget attached to PC, flicker with USB data transfer, color corresponds to battery charge level; (h) if green rapid flashing, then widget connected to mobile application and in registration mode.
For example, the GPS icon can convey the following information: (a) if off, then no GPS position information or widget powered off; (b) if green rapid flashing, then widget looking for GPS lock after power on or following add stroke or mark flag; (c) if green brief solid following search for GPS lock, lock is completed successfully; (d) if green fade on/off, then GPS functioning normally.
For example, the Bluetooth (wireless) icon can convey the following information: (a) if off, then no Bluetooth connection or widget powered off; (b) if blue solid, then Bluetooth pairing mode; (c) if blue fade on/off, then active Bluetooth connection.
The widget 300 may have a number of alerts. For example: the widget may have an audible alert (e.g., a single tone, a sequence of tones, polyphonic audio); and the widget may have haptic feedback (e.g., a vibrating alert motor).
The widget 300 may have a number of controls. For example: the widget may have buttons 372 including a power button, an add stroke button, a tag stroke button, and a mark flag button; and the widget may have a 2-position switch 374 to disable audible feedback.
For use with golf clubs 600, it may be necessary to initially register individual clubs via the widget 300. In some embodiments, club registration need only take place once. In some embodiments, clubs 600 need not be initially registered. In some embodiments, club registration may take place periodically at determined or desired intervals, which need not be regular. The widget 300 may work in conjunction with the communication device 400 application to register golf clubs 600.
The widget 300 may have a variety of additional or alternative capabilities. The widget 300 may have battery 364 recharge capabilities, for example, via a USB port 376. The widget 300 may have a way to mute audible alerts and feedback, for example, by actuation of a switch 374 or button 372 on the widget 300. The widget 300 may have a way to provide audible alerts and feedback to the user, for example, via a speaker or buzzer 366 on the widget. The widget 300 may have a way to power the device to an ON state, for example, by actuation of a switch 374 or button 372 on the widget. The widget 300 may have a way to power the device to an OFF state, for example, by actuating of a switch 374 or button 372 on the widget 300, which may be the same switch or button used to power the device to an ON state. The widget 300 may be configured to enter a low, power savings mode (e.g., a suspended mode) automatically when the widget 300 has not been used for a determined period of time.
The widget 300 may provide Bluetooth pairing capabilities to mobile devices 400. The widget 300 may provide a method to read and record a tagged golf club 600 along with and in association with GPS position data where the tag read took place. The widget 300 may provide a method to manually acquire and record the current GPS position data, for example by pressing a button 372 on the widget 300 that causes current GPS position data to be recorded. The widget 300 may provide a method that allows the user to flag the last recorded action for later review in the mobile application, for example, by actuation of a switch 374 or button 372 (such as a “tag shot” button). The widget 300 may provide a method that allows the user to mark the location of the flag/cup and indicate completion of the hole. The widget may provide a USB interface 376 for internal and external communications.
The widget 300 may have a variety of physical characteristics. The widget may be any suitable size, including, for example, a width of 40-45 mm, a length of 80-85 mm, and a depth (thickness) of 10-15 mm. The widget 300 may have any suitable weight, including, for example, 85-90 grams. The widget 300 may have a modular belt clip 378, for example, the belt clip 378 may be removable and/or rotatable. In one embodiment, the belt clip 378 may not be rotatable. The widget 300 may be shaped so as to fit comfortably in a front or back pant pocket of the user. The widget 300 may have ingress protection, for example, an ingress protection rating of IP53, which may provide protection against dust and water (e.g., silicon rubber membrane keypad buttons, panel gaskets, rubber door plug for data port). In some embodiments, the widget 300 may be waterproof (e.g., for use in the rain). The widget 300 may be sufficiently durable to withstand being dropped on a hard surface, for example, a drop up to 4 feet, 3 times, on all sides, onto a concrete surface. The widget 300 may be sufficiently durable to withstand substantial incident forces, for example, those applied by being stepped on by a person weighing up to 200 lbs. wearing golf cleats on a concrete surface.
The widget 300 may have a variety of electrical characteristics. The widget 300 may utilize a processor 330, including, for example, a low-power processor suitable for handheld applications. The widget 300 may support data transfer, including, for example, USB 2.0 device functionality capable of transferring at least 1 Mbit per second. The widget 300 may support memory 340, including, for example, a non-volatile RAM (random access memory) that can store, for example, up to 1024 event log entries, (assuming 64 bytes per log entry are required). The non-volatile RAM 340 may be capable of extended data retention, for example, at least 5 years of data retention. The non-volatile RAM 340 may support, for example, at least 100,000 write cycles. The non-volatile RAM interface may be fast enough to avoid latencies for data transfer, including, for example, USB or Bluetooth transfers.
The widget 300 may include a tag identification system/component 320 (which may be RFID/NFC-based, also referred to as an RFID/NFC sub-system, reader, tag identification component, reader module, RFID/NFC antenna and the like) that may use any suitable operational frequency, such as, for example, 13.56 MHz. The RFID/NFC sub-system 320 may use any suitable technique for data and/or power transfer to the RFID/NFC tag 200, including, for example, inductive coupling for data and power transfer with the RFID/NFC tag 200. The RFID/NFC sub-system 320 may read the tag 200 from any suitable distance, for example, the RFID/NFC sub-system 320 may read the tag 200 where the tag 200 is at a distance of from 2 cm to 6 cm from the center point of an RFID/NFC reader antenna of the RFID/NFC sub-system 320 and within any suitable angle; for example, the RFID/NFC sub-system 320 may read the tag 200 where the tag 200 is within at least a 45 degree angle from the Z-axis (indicated by θ in
The widget 300 may include a position-determination component 310 (also referred to as a locator, global navigation satellite system receiver, GPS sub-system, GPS receiver, GPS sub-system, and the like). The GPS sub-system 310 may include 3D (three dimensional) receiver capabilities to include altitude information. The GPS sub-system 310 may be able to achieve altitude accuracy within any suitable time, for example, 8 meters after 10 seconds. The GPS sub-system 310 may be able to achieve a cold acquisition (no ephemeris or almanac data) TTFF (time to first fix) in any suitable time, for example, in less than 45 seconds assuming an outdoors, non-obstructed view of the sky for the widget. The GPS sub-system 310 may be able to achieve a warm acquisition within any suitable time, for example, 3 meters accuracy after 10 seconds, or 8 meters accuracy after 2 seconds. The GPS sub-system 310 may be capable of acquiring satellite almanac data from the GPS satellites at any suitable interval, for example, every 30 minutes. The GPS sub-system 310 may provide longitude, latitude and altitude information. The GPS sub-system 310 may provide time and date information.
The widget 300 may include a communication sub-system 350, which may be wireless (also referred to as a Bluetooth sub-system). The communication sub-system 350 may support any suitable communications protocol, including, for example, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR (enhanced data rate) or later. The communication sub-system 350 may support any suitable data rate, including, for example, at least a 1 Mb/s data rate. The communication sub-system 350 may support Class 2 (+4 dBm or 2.5 mW transmission) rating with a range of at least 5 meters. The Bluetooth sub-system 350 may operate normally as a slave device when paired. The Bluetooth sub-system 350 may use a low-power mode when paired to retain the link and minimize power during non-transmission states. The Bluetooth sub-system 350 may attempt to pair again with the last known device when pairing has been lost. The Bluetooth sub-system 350 may automatically enter discovery mode when no known paired devices have been registered using SSP (secure simple pairing). The Bluetooth sub-system 350 may be configured to enter discovery mode to initiate pairing to a new master device.
The widget 300 may include a variety of user inputs. For example, the widget may have four SPST (single pole, single throw), tactile push buttons 372: power, add event, delete event, and mark flag. The widget 300 may support a 2-position slider switch 374. The widget 300 may include a touch-screen having virtual inputs in place of any physical inputs described herein.
The widget 300 may include a variety of outputs. The widget 300 may support, for example, a buzzer or speaker 366 to provide audible status and feedback to the user. The buzzer or speaker 366 may support an adjustable volume. The buzzer or speaker 366 may support any suitable frequencies, for example, audible frequencies from 100 Hz to 4000 Hz. The widget 300 may support LED (light emitting diode) indication for GPS lock status. The widget 300 may support LED indication for Bluetooth pairing status. The widget 300 may support LED indication for battery level statuses. The widget 300 may support LED indication for power on condition. The widget 300 may support LED indication for tag read status. The widget 300 may include a vibrator motor 368 to provide haptic feedback (for example, to indicate button press, or successful club identification or registration).
The widget 300 may include a power source 364, for example, a rechargeable battery 364. The widget battery 364 may have a variety of characteristics. The widget battery 364 may endure at least 200 recharge cycles while maintaining at least 80% of original battery capacity when in a fully charged state. The widget battery 364 may endure at least 350 recharge cycles while maintaining at least 60% of original battery capacity when in a fully charged state. The widget 300 may operate 9 hours continuously or up to 150 log entries on a fully charged battery 364. The widget 300 may support a back-up battery 364. The widget 300 may retain at least 10% battery capacity after a 6 month shelf-life while in the off mode starting with a fully charged battery 364. The widget battery 364 may support integrated overcharge protection. The widget battery 364 may support over discharge protection. The widget battery 364 may support over current protection. The widget battery 364 may support a 10K resistive thermistor output. The widget battery 364 may support short-circuit and incorrect polarity protection.
The widget battery 364 may be able to achieve a full charge within 2 hours using a USB wall charger or USB host capable of 500 mA. The battery management IC may be able to detect the type of charging interface (host or charger) capabilities for either 100 mA or 500 mA charge current supply. The battery management IC may provide thermal monitoring of the battery using a resistive thermistor. The battery management IC may provide preconditioning for deeply discharged battery levels. The widget 300 may provide a method of charge status indicating different capacity levels and when currently charging. The battery management IC may provide a timer to disable charging after a specified amount of time has elapsed as a back-up method to thermally monitoring the battery charge level. The battery management IC may prevent frequent charge cycling when the device enters a charge mode and remains inoperable for several weeks.
The widget 300 may include a USB VBUS (virtual BUS) power interface capable of accepting both 100 mA and 500 mA charge currents with auto source detection (wall adapter or USB port) on the USB differential data lines. The USB interface may be ESD (electrostatic discharge) protected up to 15 kV.
The widget 300 may support any suitable interface connector, such as, for example, an industry standard, USB Micro-B receptacle. The widget USB connector may support at least 1.0 A on the power pins.
The widget 300 may include any suitable software and/or firmware. The widget 300 may include an operating system, including, for example, an embeddable, royalty-free operating system that meets all system-timing requirements. The widget system software may be upgradeable through the USB interface.
The widget 300 may include any suitable device drivers, including, for example, a GPS chipset driver, an RFID/NFC chipset driver, a Bluetooth chipset driver, a USB driver (which may be a limited function USB driver for communication with a PC or Mac), a serial flash driver, a vibrator motor driver, a buzzer (and/or speaker) driver, a battery gauge driver (may provide status indication for different charge levels), a push-button driver (capable of detecting extended button presses and double taps), a slider switch driver, an LED driver (may support multiple LEDs), and a power management driver.
The widget 300 may have a variety of operational capabilities. The widget processor 330 may save the tag UID to non-volatile storage 340 when a tag 200 has been successfully read. The widget processor 330 may save the date and time to non-volatile storage when an event has been logged. The widget processor 330 may save the GPS geo-location data (longitude, latitude and altitude) to non-volatile storage 340 when an event has been logged. The widget processor 330 may save the type of the event logged. Characteristics and data relating to a single event may be stored in association with each other, or may be stored having characteristics that facilitate later association (e.g., a timestamp).
The widget 300 may be operable in a variety of modes. The widget processor 330 may support an off mode, which minimizes battery consumption for optimal shelf life. The widget processor 330 may support a normal mode, which meets all feature set requirements while dynamically optimizing battery usage during device subsystem inactivity. The widget processor 330 may support a charging mode, which minimizes battery replenishment time and limits feature set usage. Manual intervention during the charging mode may put the device into a normal mode of operation.
The widget 300 may include button input 372 support. The widget 300 may support an add button to create a new log entry in non-volatile memory when pressed. The widget 300 may support a delete button to create a new log entry in non-volatile memory when pressed. The widget 300 may support a mark flag push button to create a new log entry in non-volatile memory when pressed. The widget 300 may support powering on and off the device using a push button. The widget power push-button may, in response to being held down a determined time period, for example, at least 5 seconds, be configured to initiate a power down operation into off mode. The widget power push-button may, in response to being held down a determined time period, for example, at least 5 seconds, be configured to power the system back up from an off mode. The widget processor may support Bluetooth pairing setup using a push button(s).
The widget 300 may include slider switch 374 position support. The widget 300 may support enabling and disabling of the audio feedback using a 2-position slider switch. The widget 300 may always provide haptic feedback regardless of the switch position, or may only provide haptic feedback in a determined switch position.
The widget 300 may include communications support. The widget 300 may normally perform as a target/slave device over the USB interface 376. The widget 300 may use the USB interface 376 for internal communications other than to upgrade the firmware. The widget 300 may normally perform as a slave/target device over the Bluetooth interface. The widget 300 may use a communications protocol over the USB and Bluetooth links. The widget 300 may use a secure method of communications over the USB and Bluetooth links.
The golf widget 300 is a wireless device including an tag reader 320, a GPS receiver 310, and Bluetooth capability. The tag reader 320 in the golf widget 300 may be capable of reading information from passive tags 200 coupled to golf clubs 600. The golf widget 300 may also record GPS waypoint information. The widget 300 may or may not include a display, and may rely on other mobile devices (e.g., communications device 400) to display data. The widget 300 may have a USB device interface 376 for charging and communicating to personal computers or other devices 400. The golf widget 300 may have an on/off switch. The widget 300 may provide both audio and visual feedback to users via, for example, indicator LEDs 370 (see, e.g., indicator LEDs for Bluetooth, GPS, and Power/Battery/Charge shown in
The widget 300 may be an appropriate size and weight to be carried by a golfer, for example, by being clipped to a golfer's belt or waistband, or by being carried in the pocket of a golfer. The widget 300 may also be clipped to or carried in a golfer's golf bag or golf cart. The size and location of inputs and outputs of the widget may facilitate ease of use by a golfer wearing or otherwise carrying or traveling with the widget 300. The widget 300 can be donned or doffed by a golfer, and may power up, pair with other devices, scan tagged clubs, add a stroke, tag a stroke, mark a flag, mute audio, and check yardage. The widget 300 can work in conjunction with a communication device (e.g., smartphone). The widget 300 can be used to track all golf shots taken or attempted by a golfer in all scenarios, including, for example, drives, approach shots, chips, putts, rough shots, missed shots, double shots, sand shots, hazards, and provisionals.
Swinging a golf club 600 is a complicated body movement. The golfer must concentrate on a vast amount of muscle movement and club control. The positions and movements required during a typical round of golf vary substantially. Bending and twisting of the body may occur. Swinging, teeing up a ball, judging a green, walking the course, getting in and out of a cart and high-flying after an eagle are some common positions. The golfer may desire to position the widget 300 so as not to interfere with this movement. For example, the golfer may position the widget 300 slightly behind either the left or right hip (see, e.g.,
The widget 300 may be configured to provide feedback (e.g., aural, haptic, visual, and/or tactile) to a golfer, for example, to indicate the widget 300 is on and/or working, that a club has been successfully scanned, that the widget has a GPS connection, and that the widget 300 is paired with a golfer's smartphone.
Inputs and outputs may be included on any face of the widget 300. Exemplary widget 300 configurations are shown in
The widget 300 can have a variety of alternative configurations and/or shapes, for example, those shown in
As shown in
For the widget 300 to read an tagged golf club 600, the club 600 must be brought within a reception range of a tag antenna 320 of the widget 300. A club's tag 200 may be in the butt of the club 600 (i.e., at a proximal end of the shaft 610), or may be positioned along the side of the shaft 610, for example.
A golf club tag 200 is coupled to an individual golf club 600. In some embodiments, the golf club tags 200 are RFID/NFC tags that are each physically attached to one golf club 600. In some embodiments, the identification tags 200 are “passive” RFID/NFC tags, meaning they do not include a battery (but are powered inductively when brought into range of the tag reader of the widget). Each identification tag 200 includes a unique (or effectively unique, given production volume and deployment) serial number readable by a tag reader 320 (e.g., tag reader of the widget 300). In some embodiments, this serial number is correlated with data stored in the widget 300 or a linked device (e.g., communication device 400/smartphone 400) to identify the club. In some embodiments, the identification tags 200 are formed of silicone.
In some embodiments, the identification tag 200 is coupled to the club 600 at the proximal end of the club shaft 610. The identification tag 200 may be coupled to the club 600 underneath the grip 620 of the club 600 (which may extend over a proximal portion of the club shaft). To ensure desired positioning of the identification tag 200, and to minimize potential damage to the tag 200 from direct contact with the proximal end of the shaft 610 (which, depending on manufacturing and material, may have sharp edges that could otherwise press against the identification tag by, for example, clubs 600 bouncing on their ends while being carried in a golf bag), an identification tag carrier 210 may be disposed between the shaft 610 and the identification tag 200. In an exemplary embodiment, a distal portion of a generally cylindrical tag carrier 210 extends within the proximal end of a golf club shaft 610, and an identification tag 200 is coupled to the proximal portion of the tag carrier 210, see
In some embodiments, the identification tag 200 is disc-shaped to correspond to a proximal surface of the tag carrier 210. The tag carrier 210 can be coupled to the shaft 610 and to the identification tag 200 via any suitable technique, including adhesive, tape (including double-sided tape), friction, or simply by being held in place by a grip 620 (including grip tape) disposed over these elements together. The identification tag 200 may be coupled to the tag carrier 210 by an element having sufficient thickness to compensate for lack of flatness or surface imperfections of the tag carrier. For example, the identification tag 200 may be coupled to the tag carrier 210 via a double-sided adhesive tape having a thickness of 0.6 mm (such as, for example, tapes sold by 3M™ as VHB™ tape, including product numbers RP25 and 5925).
In some embodiments, an electrically insulating layer 220 may be interposed between the identification tag 200 and the club shaft 620 (particularly in the case of a steel club shaft), to prevent signals generated by the identification tag 200 from propagating through the club shaft 620. The electrically insulating layer 220 may be or include any suitable material to prevent such signal propagation, including, for example, iron (e.g., ferrite). In some embodiments, the tag carrier 210 is a suitable electrical insulator, and acts as the electrically insulating layer 220.
As one of skill in the art would understand, the tag carrier 210 of
In some embodiments, the identification tag 200 and the tag carrier 210 are formed of a single piece.
In some embodiments, the identification tag 200 is coupled to the club 600 at a proximal portion of the club shaft 610, spaced distally from the proximal end of the club 600. The identification tag 200 may be coupled to the club 600 distal to the grip 620 of the club 600 (as shown in, for example,
In an embodiment, an adhesive sticker-tag assembly may include the following layers: (1) a cosmetic layer 240 that may include branding, a “target” indicating the approximate portion of the sticker-tag assembly including the identification tag 200 itself, or other text or indicia, (2) the identification tag 200 embedded in or coupled to a tag carrier 210, (3) an electrically insulating layer 220, and (4) an adhesive film layer 230. In some embodiments these elements will be arranged in a “sandwich” in the above specified order, while in other embodiments the elements may be arranged differently. Alignment of a target of the cosmetic layer 240 with the identification tag 200 may allow a user to align the proper portion of a tagged club 600 with the reader's 300 tag reader antenna 320, which may result in an improved user experience involving quick, accurate golf club 600 tagging.
The widget 300 can perform a variety of functions when used by a golfer. For example, the widget 300 can register clubs 600, charge its battery 364, mute alerts, provide audible alerts, power on, power off, sleep/suspend/power down, pair with a mobile device 400, add a stroke in conjunction with an identification tagged golf club 600, add a stroke without an identification tagged golf club, tag a stroke, mark a flag, and connect to a PC 400.
Registering a golf club 600 may include associating tags 200 on personal clubs to additional descriptive information in a mobile device 400 (e.g., a smartphone running a complementary golf application) in order to provide richer and more relevant information when reviewing rounds of golf A typical golfer may register his full set of golf clubs 600 (e.g., 14 clubs), but the widget is not limited to registration of only 14 clubs. New clubs 600 may be registered as acquired.
To register a club 600, the golfer opens the golf application on the mobile device 400 and selects a club registration option (e.g., setup/register clubs). The golf application acknowledges the request and prompts the golfer to place the end of a club grip 620 (or other tagged portion) against the target area on the widget 300. The widget 300 may show rapid green flashing of its power indicator to indicate that the widget 300 is in registration mode. The golfer may then place the end of a club grip 620 against the widget 300 (within range of its tag reader 320). The widget 300 may provide audible and/or haptic feedback (dependent on alert mute setting) to confirm the club's tag 200 has been read. The mobile device application may provide feedback that the club tag 200 has been read, and may provide options to define the club 600 (e.g., a dropdown list of preset clubs, or custom text entry “my favorite driver”, etc.). The golfer may enter information for the club 600 in the mobile device application. When entry is complete, the mobile device application may prompt the golfer to save or cancel. The golfer may save the information for the club 600 on the mobile device, through the mobile device application. The mobile device application may prompt the golfer to register another club 600 or to be done with club registration.
If the golfer places the grip 620 (containing the identification tag 200) of a previously-registered club 600 against the widget 300 (within range of its tag reader) while the widget 300 is in registration mode, the widget 300 may provide audible and/or haptic feedback (dependent on alert mute setting) to confirm the tag 200 has been read, and the mobile device application may provide feedback that the club tag 200 is already registered, and may show current settings and allow editing.
Adding a stroke may include a golfer, prior to (or after) taking a shot, using the widget to record the identification tagged club 600 he is using and his current location. To add a stroke using the identification tagged club 600, the golfer may select a club 600 and place the end of the club grip 620 (or other location of the tag 200) against the target area on the widget 300 (which may show a visual indication of the location of the tag antenna 320). The widget 300 may read the tag 200, store tag information, store a timestamp, and provide confirming feedback (e.g., audible and haptic alert if selected, or haptic alert only if the widget 300 is set to mute). The widget 300 may work in the background to get a GPS fix following tag read feedback. The GPS status indicator may blink green while the widget 300 goes through normal GPS fix processes, and may be solid green for a brief time (e.g., 2 seconds) when a fix is achieved. The widget 300 may then transmit tag information, GPS information, and the timestamp to the mobile device 400 application (if a wireless link, e.g., Bluetooth, is active).
To add a stroke without using an identification tagged club, the golfer may press the add stroke button 372 on the widget 300. The widget 300 may store GPS position information, store timestamp information, and provide confirming feedback (audible and haptic alert if selected, or haptic alert only if the widget 300 is set to mute). The widget 300 may record as “tag information” an indication that a club without an identification tag was used. The widget 300 may transmit tag information, GPS information, and the timestamp to the mobile device 400 application (if a wireless link, e.g., Bluetooth, is active).
Tagging a stroke can include a notation or “tag stroke” record associated with a stroke record, or can otherwise highlight a stroke record for later review. A golfer may desire to “tag” a stroke that was inadvertently entered (e.g., for later deletion), or that was an especially good shot (e.g., for later review, or to better recall the nature of the shot). To tag a shot, the golfer may press the tag stroke button 372. The widget 300 may create and store a tag stroke record. All data may be preserved so that the mobile device 400 application can allow this record to be displayed and/or edited by the golfer. The widget 300 may provide confirming feedback (e.g., audible and haptic alert if selected, or haptic alert only if widget is set to mute).
Marking a flag can include recording the location of the flag/cup (typically, once the golfer has putt or otherwise hit the ball into the hole) to record completion of the hole. To mark a flag, the golfer may press the mark flag button 372. The widget 300 may store a mark flag record (including, for example, location). All data may be preserved so that the mobile device 400 application can allow this record to be displayed and/or edited by the golfer. The widget 300 may provide confirming feedback (audible and haptic alert if selected, or haptic alert only if widget is set to mute).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing pin location records based on data received from the widget's 300 “mark flag” records. The receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing default center of the green geo-location data (e.g., latitude/longitude) for a pin location record. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of storing and/or processing geo-location data for a touch screen “mark flag” method of user data entry described in further detail below. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of storing and/or processing hole/pin location status data that can indicate that the marked flag location corresponds to either (1) the default location, (2) a location marked using the widget 300, or (3) a location set by the user using the receiver module 400.
In an embodiment, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the user may select and move the pin marker 704 and/or one or more putt location markers 708 to locations that more accurately reflect the user's putting strokes taken to complete the hole. This may be necessary due to inherent inaccuracies with location based technologies, such as GPS, with respect to the small-scale measurements that are required, for example, on a golf course green. In an embodiment where the receiver module 400 is a mobile phone having a touch screen display interface, the user may use their finger (or other suitable stylus) to select and hold (i.e., depress their finger upon) the pin marker 704 and/or one or more putt location markers 708, drag the marker(s) to the correct location(s), and release the marker(s) (i.e., lift their finger off of the touch screen display interface).
In the embodiment illustrated in
The receiver module 400 may include software that will enable various other functions. In one embodiment, the receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing a wide variety of data and/or transmitting such data for storing and/or processing by a server computer system 500. Though the following description will primarily focus on software running on a receiver module 400 to enable various functions, in some embodiments, software running in a server computer system 500 may additionally or alternatively enable one or more of these functions.
In one embodiment, the receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing a hole record within each separable round record. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of storing and/or processing the course hole number, hole handicap, and the par of the hole in the hole record. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of storing and/or processing a date/time stamp in UTC (coordinated universal time) to reflect the current date (month, day, year) and time (hours, minutes, seconds) in the hole record.
In an embodiment, the receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing statistical round data such as, for example, score, greens hit in regulation, fairways hit in regulation, number of putts, number of sand shots, number of chips, and number of penalty strokes in the hole record.
In an embodiment, the receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing a date/time stamp in UTC to reflect the current date (month, day, year) and time (hours, minutes, seconds) in the shot record data saved in storage. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of storing and/or processing the club type in the shot record data saved in storage. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of storing and/or processing the GPS geo-location data in the shot record data saved in storage. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of storing and/or processing a “user modified shot status” field in the shot record that is set to either “yes” or “no”. The receiver module 400 may be capable of storing and/or processing a calculated shot distance field for each shot. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of storing and/or processing a shot type (full, chip, recovery, sand) field for each shot. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of storing and/or processing the lie condition (fairway, rough, sand, waste, fringe, green) field in the shot record. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of storing and/or processing a distance to the hole field record in the shot record.
In some embodiments, a golfer may connect directly to a PC 400 via the wired data link 376 to register clubs 600 and/or download/upload information/records created during a round of golf, to enable use of the widget 300 without a mobile device. In such a case, the PC 400 may include a software application with functionality similar to that described herein with respect to the mobile device 400.
In some embodiments, the widget 300 includes or is coupled to physiological sensors. If the sensors are external to the widget 300, the sensors may communicate with the widget via wire leads or wirelessly. Alternatively, the sensors may communicate directly with the communication device 400. Such sensors may include, for example, accelerometers, electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, and electrocardiography (ECG) sensors. In some embodiments, EEG sensors may be positioned at a golfer's head (for example, integrated into a hat or visor) to measure physiological characteristics such as electrical brain activity. In some embodiments ECG sensors may be positioned at a golfer's chest or arm (for example, integrated into a chest band or watch) to measure physiological characteristics such as electrical heart activity.
Signals representative of these measured physiological characteristics can be logged (with timestamp, in some embodiments) before and/or during a swing, and can be recorded and stored in association (e.g., associated by or through similar timestamps) with the position and club information described herein. Such signals can be interpreted (e.g., by the communication device 400) to provide an indication of the golfer's physiological state at or around the time of each shot. For example, the signals can provide an indication of the golfer's mood, mental state, nervousness, focus, tension, anxiety, attention, emotion, and the like. Such information can be helpful to a golfer in analyzing performance during and after a golf game. For example, the information can be processed to provide a “handicap” based on mental/physiological characteristics (e.g., a “focus handicap”.
Golf shot tracking systems, devices, and methods of use of the present invention may utilize information regarding the layout of one or more holes of a golf course. Golf courses may be mapped to create the golf course data using any suitable method. The mapping process may produce golf course data which may be used by one or more components of the present invention to determine the coordinates of golf course features of interest, such as the greens, bunkers, hazards, tees, pin positions, other landmarks, and the like. The perimeter of the golf course features may be mapped so that distance to the front and back of the feature may be determined. The captured data may be used to create a data set comprising the coordinates for a plurality of points on the perimeter of the feature, or a vector-map of the perimeter, or other data, which may be used to calculate the distance to such feature from the location of the reader module of the present invention. The golf course data may also include golf hole data such as par, handicap, daily tee and hole locations, etc. Golf shot tracking data may be used to generate displays of information over maps, photographs, or other visual images depicting holes of golf courses.
Golf courses may be mapped to create the golf course data using any suitable method. In one embodiment, golf course images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography, or other suitable sources may be used. For example, images derived from the Google Earth virtual map and geographical information program developed by Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., may be used. Google Earth and similar information sources may create virtual maps based on the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography, or other suitable sources.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a person or program interested in mapping a course (i.e., a “course mapper”) may obtain relevant course map imagery by, for example, navigating through Google Earth to a virtual map location corresponding to the geographical location of the golf course and holes of interest.
In addition to the map data itself, a course mapper building a course map informational database in accordance with the present invention may also desire to factor in information for each course and/or hole such as the ratings or slopes for various tees, hole numbers, hole distances for various tees, and par numbers for various holes. Much of this information may be derived, for example, from course score cards, such as the exemplary course score card showing scores for nine holes of a golf course in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the course mapper may create vectorized images of golf holes for various operational courses by marking the boundaries of the various features of interest, such as the fairways, greens, bunkers, hazards, tees, pin positions, tree lines, or outer hole boundaries. The resulting map information may be stored, for example, in a map database accessible by the server computer system 500 of the present invention.
The data captured and/or created as a result of the course mapping described above may be used to create a data set including the coordinates for a plurality of points of features of individual golf course holes, as well as other data. This data set may be used, among other things, to determine the precise locations of shots taken during a round of golf with respect to map images and to calculate the distances to and from course features or individual shot locations. Golf shot tracking data may be used to generate displays of information over maps, photographs, or other visual images depicting holes of golf courses.
Map data may be stored in a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file. KML is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotations and visualizations within Internet-based, two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers (e.g., Google Earth). In an embodiment of the present invention, map data may be supplemented by the inclusion of elevation data available from SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) topography datasets that are freely available via the Internet.
In one embodiment, once the appropriate satellite/aerial image files are obtained for each hole, these images are further processed to proportionally scale them and, if necessary, rotate them so that the green is “up” and the tee box is “down” by default on a GUI screen displayed to a user. In an embodiment of the present invention, the scaling and rotation process may be automated by using suitable image processing to (1) find the center of each hole's tee box and the center of each hole's green, (2) draw a vector between these points, and (3) rotate the vector to face in the “up” direction. In some embodiments where the user is viewing the image of the hole in real time on the golf course, the GUI image may be able to rotate based on the user's location and viewpoint (i.e., whether they are facing the green or looking to the left or right).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver module 400 may be capable of processing and/or displaying available tee boxes with corresponding slope and rating values in the course record. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of processing and/or displaying vectorized images of golf holes for various operational courses. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of processing and/or displaying update/correct hole mapping inaccuracies based on tracking manual user shot adjustment metrics and/or user feedback. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of processing and/or displaying distance to front, back, center of greens from the current location of the device running the software. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of processing and/or displaying display distances to hazards, bunkers, doglegs, and other features of interest from the current location of the device running the software. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of calculating and/or displaying the center of green based on the geometric center of the green. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of processing and/or displaying the current location of the device running the software on the hole map of interest during motion.
In an embodiment, the receiver module 400 may be capable of processing and/or displaying if a shot record lies within a region of interest (fairway, green, bunker, hazard) and assigning a lie condition based on the region of interest information. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of supporting touch screen zooming/panning of hole imagery, which may include automatic zooming that dynamically adjusts the hole image as progress is made from tee to green to optimize course feature visualization and data manipulation. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of processing and/or plotting shots on hole imagery. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of processing and/or plotting the centerline of the hole/fairway.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver module 400 may be capable of processing and/or displaying various golf-related 2-dimensional screens and design elements. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of calculating and/or displaying net handicap score for a round. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of regularly wirelessly synching (or attempting to synch) new current round data to the server computer system 500. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of processing and/or displaying a scorecard view that displays par, score (with icon-based eagle, birdie, bogey, double bogey representations), and score relative to par. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of processing and/or displaying a dynamically zoomable hole summary view which graphically displays shot record data for the hole, and provides the means to edit these data for position (via touching icons) and also shot insertion/deletion. The receiver module 400 may also be capable of uploading all round data to a remote server computer system 500 at the completion of a round. The receiver module 400 may further be capable of sharing round/hole/shot record information via email, text message, or social media platforms.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the receiver module 400 and/or the server computer system 500 may be capable of processing and/or displaying golf course hole map data in a variety of different ways to allow a user to interact with their golf shot tracking system in a more intuitive, user-friendly manner, more accurately track their performance during a past or present round of golf, and use the data generated to improve their play in future rounds of golf
In one embodiment of the present invention, the determination of where on the course each individual golf shot was taken (i.e., which hole and/or precisely which location on the hole) may be made exclusively or primarily based on (1) the course hole map data derived from the course image mapping processes described above and (2) the individual shot data collected via the golf widget 300. Such a determination may be made by the receiver module 400, the server computer system 500, or both, in various embodiments.
However, in other embodiments, because of device and/or user errors, it may be desirable to apply additional analysis to the course hole map data and individual shot data to remedy any errors prior to finally saving the relevant data and generating displays for users. For example, shot sequence, distance, angle, time, putt distance, and/or green proximity filtering may be employed alternatively or in combination with one another.
First, at step 802, an initial hole determination is made based on processed course hole map data and individual shot data (e.g., shot data derived from the golf widget 300). For example, the individual shot data, in combination with the relevant course hole map data, may suggest that a golfer hit a particular shot somewhere on the first hole. More specifically, the data may suggest that the golfer hit the particular shot as his second shot of the first hole with a five iron from the right side of the fairway when the golfer was one hundred and fifty yards from the center of the green. As described in further detail above, the individual shot data may have been obtained, for example, when the golfer swiped a golf club 600 tagged with a club tag 200 against a golf widget 300 during game play, which transmitted the relevant club and position data to the receiver module 400 and/or the server computer system 500. As also described in further detail above, the relevant course hole map data may have been derived from publicly available satellite/aerial imagery data that has been processed to create vectorized images of golf holes.
Next, at step 804, a hole sequence filter may be run on the relevant data. In an embodiment, a hole sequence filter may analyze a plurality of consecutive shot records in an attempt to identify likely outliers. To illustrate an example, it is noted that it is common for the individual holes of a golf course to run parallel to or otherwise have boundaries that abut one another. In a scenario where the fairway of Hole 1 is parallel to the fairway of Hole 9, for example, a golfer playing Hole 1 may hit an errant shot that requires him to hit a subsequent shot from the area corresponding to Hole 9 while still technically playing Hole 1. Alternatively, the golfer may actually still hit his shot from the area of Hole 1, but may stray just over the boundary line into the area corresponding to Hole 9 while making the necessary swipe to tag the club 600. In either scenario, assuming the golfer continues to effectively play out Hole 1 in five total strokes without straying from its geographical bounds again, the golfers stroke hole locations may be consecutively logged as: 1, 1, 9, 1, 1. By applying “hole sequence filtering” to such a data set, the anomaly of one stroke from a completely different hole appearing in the middle of several strokes associated with the same hole can be easily remedied. In other words, in an embodiment, the software of the present invention may replace the Hole 9 shot record with a Hole 1 stroke record as the larger series of data suggests that this is the appropriate.
Next, at step 806, a shot distance and/or angle filter may be run on the relevant data. Using the example outlined above involving adjacent Hole 1 and Hole 9, in the scenario where a golfer has hit an errant shot outside of the geographical bounds of Hole 1 and into Hole 9, the errant shot may be able to be identified, in part, based on the distance and angle (with respect to the center line for the hole) of the subsequent shot returning to the Hole 1 field of play. A hole's center line may be determined as described in further detail above. In alternative embodiments, distance and angle threshold pairs could include 200 yards-30 degrees, 100 yards-40 degrees, and/or 40 yards-90 degrees. In other words, if any shot is logged that travels over 200 yards with more than a 30 degree angle with respect to the hole's center line (or over 100 yards with more than a 40 degree angle, or over 40 yards with more than a 90 degree angle), the software of the present invention may determine that the relevant shot may have improperly been logged with an incorrect adjacent hole number, as these figures suggest a shot that likely occurred from outside the geographical bounds of the correct hole. An example employing such a shot distance and angle filter will be described below in further detail. In some alternative embodiments, only shot distance or only shot angle may be considered in isolation to perform the desired filtering.
Next, at step 808, a shot time filter may be run on the relevant data. In an embodiment, the shot time filter may analyze the time elapsed between consecutive logged shots. Relatively long periods of time between consecutive strokes could indicate that the consecutive strokes should be associated with different holes (even if other data suggests otherwise), or could indicate that a particular stroke was initially improperly not logged but then later logged by the golfer from an incorrect geographic location (e.g., the golfer forgets to swipe a putter on the green, but then does so on the tee box for the next hole). In one embodiment, the time threshold may be 10 minutes. An example employing such a shot time filter will be described below in further detail.
At step 810, a putt distance filter may be run on the relevant data. In an embodiment, if two consecutive logged shots appear to be putts, the putt distance filter may analyze the distance associated with the first of the two putts to see if the distance exceeds a threshold. In one embodiment, the threshold may be 25 yards. If the first putt exceeds the putt distance threshold, it is possible that the second shot may in fact have not been a putt and may not have occurred on the same hole as the first putt. An example employing such a putt distance filter will be described below in further detail.
Finally, at step 812, a green proximity filter may be run on the relevant data. In an embodiment, the green proximity filter may analyze the distance that a particular logged shot occurs from a portion of a nearby green (e.g., a boundary line of the green, a center point of the green, or the pin location). A putting stroke that is logged on or near the green is clearly likely to have actually occurred on or near that green, though in certain circumstances a putting stroke that is logged far from a green, such as at the tee box for the next hole, may have actually occurred at the previous hole's green, not the tee box. In one embodiment, the green proximity distance threshold may be 10 yards from the green. An example employing such a green proximity filter will be described below in further detail.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned filters may be run on the relevant data alone or in combination with one another, and in the order shown above or a different order entirely. Ordering the filters in different ways may have certain advantages, depending on the types of errors that are most likely to be encountered. Also, in some embodiments, the one or more filters may be run until the relevant data converges. In other words, the one or more filters may re run recursively until the data remains stable through consecutive passes. In some embodiments, converged data may be found to be the most reliable data. In some embodiments, each individual step may be run to convergence while in other embodiments each step may be run in order and then the entire process may be rerun to convergence.
First, at step 822, the system determines if the particular shot record being analyzed appears to be a putt shot. If the particular shot record being analyzed does appear to be a putt shot, the method 820 ends at step 824 as this method 820 may only be used to process non-putt shots.
If the particular shot record being analyzed does not appear to be a putt shot, the method 820 proceeds to step 826. At step 826, the system determines if the particular shot record being analyzed exceeds one or more distance and/or angle thresholds. An exemplary method for analyzing distance and/or angle thresholds was previously described above with respect to step 806 of
If the particular shot record being analyzed does exceed the one or more distance and/or angle thresholds (e.g., with reference to step 806 of
If the particular shot record being analyzed does not exceed the time threshold (e.g., with reference to step 808 of
If the particular shot record being analyzed and the next shot in the shot log record are not currently associated with the same hole, the method 820 proceeds to step 838 as it now appears that the particular shot record is associated with the incorrect hole. At step 838, the system updates the particular shot record being analyzed so that the particular shot record being analyzed is now associated with the same hole that is associated with the prior shot in the shot log record.
First, at step 842, the system determines if the particular shot record being analyzed appears to be a putt shot. If the particular shot record being analyzed does not appear to be a putt shot, the method 840 ends at step 844 as this method 840 may only be used to process putt shots.
If the particular shot record being analyzed does appear to be a putt shot, the method 840 proceeds to step 846. At step 846, the system determines if the previous shot record appears to be a putt shot. If the previous shot record does not appear to be a putt shot, the method 840 ends at step 848 as this method 840 may only be used to process putt shots preceded by putt shots.
If the previous shot record does appear to be a putt shot, the method 840 proceeds to step 850. At step 850, the system determines if the previous shot record exceeds a distance threshold. An exemplary method for analyzing distance thresholds was previously described above with respect to step 806 of
If the previous shot record does exceed the distance threshold (e.g., the previous shot travels over 25 yards), the method 840 proceeds to step 854 as it is now possible that the particular shot record may be associated with the incorrect hole. At step 854, the system determines if the previous shot record exceeds the time threshold. An exemplary method for analyzing a time threshold was previously described above with respect to step 808 of
If the previous shot record does not exceed the time threshold (e.g., with reference to step 808 of
If the previous shot record does exceed the time threshold (e.g., with reference to step 808 of
If the hole associated with the next shot record is two holes ahead of the hole associated with the particular shot record being analyzed, the method 840 proceeds to step 862 as it now appears that the particular shot record is associated with the incorrect hole. At step 862, the system updates the particular shot record being analyzed so that the hole number associated with the particular shot record being analyzed is increased by one.
First, at step 872, the system determines if the particular shot record being analyzed appears to be a putt shot. If the particular shot record being analyzed does not appear to be a putt shot, the method 870 ends at step 874 as, in some embodiments, this method 870 may only be used to process putt shots.
If the particular shot record being analyzed does appear to be a putt shot, the method 870 proceeds to step 876. At step 876, the system determines if the particular shot record being analyzed exceeds the time threshold. An exemplary method for analyzing a time threshold was previously described above with respect to step 808 of
If the particular shot record being analyzed does exceed the time threshold (e.g., with reference to step 808 of
If the particular shot record being analyzed does exceed the green proximity threshold (e.g., with reference to step 812 of
Though various mobile golf monitoring systems 100 have been described above that utilize a reader module 300 and a receiver module 400 that are physically distinct and separate from one another, in some embodiments of the present invention, the functions of the reader module 300 and the receiver module 400 may be combined in a single piece of hardware, such as, for example, a mobile phone including GPS and RFID/NFC capabilities.
Various aspects of the present invention, or any parts or functions thereof, may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, tangible computer readable or computer usable storage media having instructions stored thereon, or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems.
Golf shot tracking systems, devices, and methods of use of the present invention can include software applications executed by one or more computing devices. A computing device can be any type of computing device having one or more processors.
For example, a computing device can be a workstation, mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, or laptop), computer, server, compute cluster, server farm, game console, set-top box, kiosk, embedded system, a gym machine, a retail system or other device having at least one processor and memory. Embodiments of the present invention may be software executed by a processor, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof in a computing device.
In this document, terms such as “computer program medium” and “computer-usable medium” may be used to generally refer to media such as a removable storage unit or a hard disk installed in hard disk drive. Computer program medium and computer-usable medium may also refer to memories, such as a main memory or a secondary memory, which can be memory semiconductors (e.g., DRAMs, etc.). These computer program products provide software to computer systems of the present invention.
Computer programs (also called computer control logic) may be stored on main memory and/or secondary memory. Computer programs may also be received via a communications interface. Such computer programs, when executed, may enable computer systems of the present invention to implement embodiments described herein. Where embodiments are implemented using software, the software can be stored on a computer program product and loaded into a computer system using, for example, a removable storage drive, an interface, a hard drive, and/or communications interface.
Based on the description herein, a person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the computer programs, when executed, can enable one or more processors to implement processes described above, such as the steps in the methods illustrated by the figures. In an embodiment, the one or more processors can be part of a computing device incorporated in a clustered computing environment or server farm. Further, in an embodiment, the computing process performed by the clustered computing environment may be carried out across multiple processors located at the same or different locations.
Software of the present invention may be stored on any computer-usable medium. Such software, when executed in one or more data processing device, causes the data processing device to operate as described herein. Embodiments of the invention employ any computer-usable or -readable medium, known now or in the future. Examples of computer-usable mediums include, but are not limited to, primary storage devices (e.g., any type of random access or read only memory), secondary storage devices (e.g., hard drives, floppy disks, CD ROMS, ZIP disks, tapes, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, MEMS, nanotechnological storage devices, memory cards or other removable storage devices, etc.), and communication mediums (e.g., wired and wireless communications networks, local area networks, wide area networks, intranets, etc.).
Embodiments have been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. The elements of the embodiments presented above are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but may be interchanged to meet various needs as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art.
It therefore will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail can be made to the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The phraseology or terminology herein is used for description and not for limitation. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A golf location system, comprising:
- a module including: a memory, a wireless transceiver, a global positioning satellite system receiver to determine a position, a processor to generate electronic position data representative of the position, and a near field communication reader to identify a golf club used at the position and generate electronic club data representative of the golf club identified at the position; and
- a physiological sensor including a heart activity sensor and an accelerometer, the physiological sensor measuring a physiological characteristic at the position and generating electronic physiological data representative of the physiological characteristic,
- wherein the physiological sensor is wirelessly connected to the module and wirelessly transmits the electronic physiological data to the module;
- wherein the physiological characteristic includes heart activity, and
- wherein the processor stores the electronic position data in the memory in association with the electronic club data, the electronic physiological data, and a time stamp to form linked data to present to a user.
2. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the electronic physiological data can provide an indication of the golfer's physiological state at the position.
3. The golf location system of claim 1, electronic physiological data can provide an indication of at least one of the golfer's mood, mental state, nervousness, focus, tension, anxiety, attention, and emotion at the position.
4. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the physiological sensor is positioned on an arm of a golfer.
5. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the physiological sensor is an electrocardiography sensor.
6. The golf location system of claim 5, wherein the physiological characteristic is electrical heart activity.
7. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the physiological sensor is an electroencephalography sensor.
8. The golf location system of claim 7, wherein the physiological characteristic is electrical brain activity.
9. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated before a golf swing, and
- wherein the module is a smartphone.
10. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated during a golf swing.
11. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated before and during a golf swing.
12. The golf location system of claim 1, wherein the near field communication reader identifies the golf club using an identification tag positioned on an exterior surface of the golf club.
13. The golf club identification tag assembly of claim 12, wherein the identification tag is positioned on an exterior surface of a shaft of the golf club.
14. A golf location system, comprising:
- a module including: a memory, a wireless transceiver, a global positioning satellite system receiver to determine a position, and a processor to generate electronic position data representative of the position; and
- a physiological sensor including a heart activity sensor and an accelerometer, the physiological sensor measuring a physiological characteristic at the position and generating electronic physiological data representative of the physiological characteristic,
- wherein the physiological sensor is wirelessly connected to the module and wirelessly transmits the electronic physiological data to the module;
- wherein the physiological characteristic includes heart activity, and
- wherein the processor stores the electronic position data in the memory in association with the electronic physiological data and a time stamp.
15. The golf location system of claim 14, wherein the module includes a near field communication reader to identify a golf club used at the position and generate electronic club data representative of the golf club identified at the position, and
- wherein the processor stores the electronic club data in the memory in association with the electronic position data, the electronic physiological data, and the time stamp.
16. The golf location system of claim 14, wherein the physiological sensor is positioned on an arm of a golfer.
17. The golf location system of claim 16, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated before a golf swing.
18. The golf location system of claim 16, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated during a golf swing.
19. The golf location system of claim 16, wherein the electronic position data, the electronic club data, and the electronic physiological data are generated before and during a golf swing.
20. The golf location system of claim 15, wherein the near field communication reader identifies the golf club using an identification tag positioned on an exterior surface of the golf club.
Type: Application
Filed: May 25, 2016
Publication Date: Jan 26, 2017
Inventors: Kraig WILLETT (Fallbrook, CA), Thomas Kroll (Encinitas, CA)
Application Number: 15/164,424
