JP2875241B2 - Golf driving range system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf driving range system that incorporates playability and gambling into golf practice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the rise of women and young golfers, the golf population has been steadily increasing. Today, the number of golf driving range users exceeds 150 million a year. As a result, the number of golf driving ranges has increased to over 5,300 facilities nationwide. However, although there is still a sense of shortage in metropolitan areas, the practice range industry is entering a transitional period along with the diversification of user demographics. It is required to break out into a place of relaxation to provide services, and it is entering an era of competing with the aim of improving overall functions and differentiating itself from competitors.

[0003] Under such circumstances, the golf driving range has introduced a centralized management system using a computer and an automatic tee-up machine with the aim of improving management efficiency and improving services to users in order to win the competition. Equipment such as automatic collection and delivery equipment for a large amount of practice balls and a ball rental machine using a prepaid card system has been prepared. Furthermore, recently, a new equipment such as a system for remotely moving the position of the flagpole, which is the target of the striker's hitting ball, on a preset route by an induction motor system and displaying the distance from each bat to the flagpole to the trainee is provided. The introduction of systems and systems is emerging.

[0004]

However, in a conventional golf driving range, a practitioner pays a predetermined entrance fee to enter the golf driving range, and secures an empty practice bat.
Pay a prescribed fee or rent a practice ball using a prepaid card,
The player simply practiced hitting the ball aiming at a fixed sign such as 0 yards or 200 yards or a sign moving as described above. Therefore, for the trainee, it ends with repetition of hitting the ball indiscriminately, and mental aspects such as mental concentration and excitement and joy for the result of hitting the ball as if actually playing on the golf course and playing. It was far from strengthening and training.

On the other hand, when viewed from the driving range,
Unless it is a location that has gained ground, there is a problem that it must be operated without any differentiating factors that increase the visitor participation rate especially compared to other driving ranges. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and incorporates a system in which a certain reward is immediately returned to a trainee for a winning ball, such as a pachinko game at a golf driving range. In this way, the practicer can be used for training to further increase mental concentration, and by hitting the hit ball with a target, it becomes a winning ball, so that a predetermined reward ball can be returned or other prizes can be obtained. The purpose of the present invention is to significantly increase the enthusiasm, stimulus, and interest in the practice of the practitioner, thereby promoting more effective practice.

On the other hand, when viewed from the golf driving range management side, it is possible to provide a facility that can provide a practice effect to a practicer more than before, and to return a reward ball to a winning ball and to provide other prizes. By giving the award, the motivation of the trainees to visit will increase, which will lead to the further retention of fixed customers and the development of new customer bases, and the added value of the practice range system will make it easier to raise the rental fee for practice golf balls. The objective is to create an environment in which the business can be accommodated, resulting in increased sales and profits, and to enable differentiation and revitalization of the business.

That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a golf practice system that can provide both golf practicers and golf range managers with advantages not found in conventional golf practice ranges.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an artificial green or a long-distance hitting ball for short-distance hitting training in a yard of a driving range having a large number of hitting bats. Provided is a golf driving range system in which at least one of a standing target stand for practice is installed, a terminal device having a display unit and an operation unit is installed at each turn at bat, and a central information management device is provided as follows. Things.

[0010] The artificial green for short distance ball practice is
A plurality of prize holes and / or prize grooves as targets of the golf ball hit by the golf player from each bat are provided for each prize class, and the golf ball hit by the golf player hits the prize hole or the prize groove. When a hole or a groove is formed in the winning hole or the winning groove, a characteristic of a different at-bat is determined for each at-bat given in advance to the golf ball, and the golf ball is hit from which at-bat. It is possible to move on the orbit, which is provided with a winning ball identification signal transmitting device that converts the identification result into an electric signal together with the winning class and transmits the signal, for each winning hole and / or winning groove for each winning class. Artificial green.

The standing target stand for long-distance hit ball practice includes a plurality of grade-specific prize target sections partitioned into multiple circular shapes to be targets of golf balls hit by golf players from each at-bat. If a golf ball hit by a golf practitioner has a vertical target that is substantially vertical to the yard and hits a winning target of any grade of the vertical target,
At-bat characteristics given to the golf ball in advance are detected to identify from which at-bat the golf ball was hit, and the identification result is converted into an electrical signal together with a winning class and transmitted. A standing target stand which is movable on orbit and provided with a winning ball identification signal transmitting device for each of the above-mentioned winning target portions for each grade.

The central information management device receives and processes a signal transmitted from each of the winning ball identification signal transmitting devices of the artificial green or the standing target stand, and detects a turn at bat of a trainee who has hit the winning ball. The terminal device is notified of the prize class and displayed on the display unit, and the management of the trainee is focused on the operation of the terminal device so that a predetermined number of prize golf balls can be returned according to the prize class. Function.

[0013] Further, the artificial green or the standing target stand is equipped with wheels and a driving device therefor at the bottom of the artificial green or the standing target stand, and a track is laid in a yard in a distance direction from a turn at bat. By moving the specific section on the track by remote switch operation at any time, by moving the position of the artificial green or standing target stand away from or closer to the at-batting trainee,
It is possible to adjust the winning rate at which the golf ball hit by the golf practitioner from hitting the ball hits a winning hole and / or a winning groove of the artificial green or each winning target portion of the standing target stand.

Further, a ball collection means for collecting a golf ball having a characteristic of a turn at bat from each turn at bat into the yard to a ball collection and distribution center by means of an up-and-down in the yard and a sloping ball return groove provided in the valley. A device for washing and drying the collected golf balls and storing them in a storage, a device for transferring the golf balls stored in the storage to an upper part by a ball elevator, and a device installed on the upper part and passing through a loosely inclined gutter. A ball stock provided for each at-bat is provided by a sensor for identifying a characteristic of each at-bat of a golf ball flowing one by one and a ball distribution mechanism operated by a signal command transmitted in accordance with the identification result. And a return ball discriminating and distributing device which is selectively dropped into each inclined ball transport pipe directly connected to the ball.

In each of these golf driving range systems, the characteristic of each turn at bat of the golf ball is represented by a combination of a plurality of different graphic marks printed on a plurality of places on the surface of the golf ball, and each characteristic of the turn at bat is identified. When the sensor is configured by a sensor camera that captures an image of a golf ball, and an image processing device that identifies a graphic mark representing the at-batting characteristic from the captured image data, a large number of at-batting characteristics can be obtained by a set of sensors. This enables reliable identification.

[0016]

According to the golf driving range system of the present invention, a practice player stands on the bat of the driving range and has a characteristic of the bat exclusively for the bat which is preliminarily provided in the ball stock (storage box) of the bat. The golf ball is hit against the target artificial green or the prize hole of the standing target stand and / or the prize groove or each of the prize target portions of the vertical target, and the golf ball hits them and becomes a prize ball. If
The artificial green or a winning ball identification signal transmitting device mounted on the standing target stand identifies a ball characteristic of each ball at bat, and converts the identification result into an electrical signal together with the winning class to obtain information on the winning class. At the same time, it transmits to the central information management device.

Upon receiving the signal, the central information management device registers the turn at bat and the winning class, notifies the terminal device of the turn at bat, and displays the winning class on its display unit.
The trainee can check the winning class by looking at it, and operate the operation unit of the terminal device to receive a predetermined number of reward balls for each winning class.

As described above, when a golf ball hit by a golf practice hits a target according to a winning class provided on an artificial green or an upright target stand, the characteristics of the winning ball by at-bat are identified. Immediately notify the trainee of the prize grade and give a reward to the player, thereby improving the concentration and skill of the golf trainer more effectively, and moderately motivating the golf trainer to practice. Adding gambling can further increase your enthusiasm and interest in practice. As a result, the driving rate of the driving range will be increased, and the management will be improved and activated.

The practice golf ball used in this golf driving range system is dedicated to each at-bat, and a property unique to each at-bat, that is, a characteristic for each at-bat, is imparted by coloring or magnetizing the surface. Ball. On the other hand, as a sensor for identifying the characteristic of each hitting bat of the artificial green or the winning ball provided on the standing target stand side, a two-stage identification by a color identification sensor or a magnetic identification sensor or a combination of both is possible.

However, as described above, the at-bat characteristics of the golf ball are represented by a combination of a plurality of different graphic marks printed at a plurality of positions on the surface of the golf ball with a non-fading paint or ink. If each sensor for identifying the characteristic is constituted by a sensor camera that captures an image of a golf ball and an image processing device that identifies the graphic mark representing the characteristic for each turn at bat from the captured image data, the identification range is greatly expanded. It is possible to reliably identify a number of turn-by-bat characteristics with a single set of sensors.

For example, up to about 16 colors can currently be identified by color identification, and the identification of a golf ball characteristic that can be identified can be doubled by using the magnetic sensor in combination with the magnetic coating. By printing simple graphic combinations on the golf ball surface, the types of identifiable golf ball characteristics can be dramatically increased.

The prize holes and / or prize grooves of the artificial green and the standing target stand, or each of the prize target portions of the vertical target portion may be a first prize or a second prize according to the difficulty of hitting a golf ball hit by a trainee. , A third prize, etc., to enable the practice effect to further enhance the concentration on the practitioner, and that the golf ball hit by the prize is directed to a prize hole and / or a prize groove or a prize target portion of each grade. In the event that the golfer is in the middle, the number of practice balls (reward golf balls) according to the winning class can be immediately refunded, so that the appropriate gambling spirit can be stimulated more effectively and the trainee can be absorbed. Can be.

If the artificial green or the erected target stand with the prize hole and / or prize groove is fixed in the practice area, the practicer hits the same target every time and hits the ball every time. Interest and motivation may gradually decline.

Therefore, by moving the artificial green and the standing target stand on orbit in a perspective direction with respect to the at-bat, the distance from the at-bat of the stand is changed, thereby giving the practitioner new motivation and interest. To prevent rutness and loss of motivation and interest.

On the other hand, from the golf driving range side, by bringing the prize hole or prize groove of the target artificial green or the standing target stand or the position of the target closer to the practice player,
It is possible to reduce the number of prize balls to be released by giving out more prize balls and moving them away from each other, and there is an advantage that the prize rate (rollout rate) can be adjusted according to the management judgment.

In order to realize this, a track is laid in the driving range yard in the direction toward and away from the batting side, and the artificial green and the bottom of the standing target stand use wheels and a battery or a commercial power source. By equipping a driving device consisting of a transformer, a motor, a brake, a sensor, and the like, the artificial green or the standing target stand can be reciprocated at a low speed in a predetermined specific section of the orbit at any time by operating a remote switch, Thereby, the winning rate can be adjusted by moving closer to or farther from the trainee.

A large amount of practice golf balls hit from the practice at-bat in the practice area yard and scattered fall into the ball return groove along the terrain formed in the yard, and from the return branch to the main groove. And it is rotated and collected at the ball collection and delivery center. Then, after being washed and dried by the ball washing / drying machine installed therein, it is stored in a ball storage.

The golf balls are successively transferred from the storage to the upper part by a ball elevator, and the characteristics of the at-bat characteristics of the golf balls flowing one by one through a gentle slope are identified by a sensor installed on the upper part. In response, the ball dispensing machine is operated to drop into the inclined ball transport pipe directly connected to the ball stock (reservoir box) of the exclusive at-bat in accordance with the characteristics of each at-bat, and return to the exclusive at-bat to return to the preparation ball for hitting practice can do

In addition to the recirculation of a large number of non-prize balls hit into the practice area, the above-mentioned artificial green and the prize holes and / or prize grooves of the standing target stand or the prize target section of the vertical target are hit. The prize balls that have passed are also subjected to identification and detection of the characteristics of each turn at bat according to the prize class, and signal transmission processing.
The ball is discharged into the ball return groove formed just below the artificial green and the standing target stand, is collectively collected together with the non-winning ball by the above-mentioned return method at the ball collection and distribution center, and is stored in the ball storage through a washing and drying process. After that, the characteristic identification, classification, and distribution process for each at-bat is performed in the above-described manner, and the balls are dropped into the ball stock of each at-bat to become a practice preparation ball again.

In the work of dropping the ball at bats into the ball stock, the number of hit golf balls is increased in a large driving range with a large number of bats. It takes about 1-2 seconds for each ball to identify and sort different characteristics and drop it into the ball transport pipe that leads to each at-bat.
Although a considerable amount of time is required, a device for identifying, detecting, sorting, and automatically dropping the hitting characteristics of the recirculated golf ball into the ball transport pipe is used, for example, by an unattended 24 hours.
It can be dealt with by operating for hours or by increasing the number of installed devices.

For example, in a standard driving range having 60 at-bats, approximately 60,000 practice balls are provided, so that the characteristics of each ball at-bat are identified and sorted.
Assuming that it takes 1 second for each ball to drop, 60,
It takes about 17 hours to process 000 pieces. Therefore,
If the performance of the ball characteristic identification / distribution apparatus is insufficient, the capacity can be doubled by installing two sets of the same apparatus or installing one set at both ends on the at-bat side.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sketch drawing of a basic configuration of a driving range yard of a driving range system of the present invention, which is a bird's-eye view from a hollow side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the basic configuration of the driving range yard of the golf driving range system of the present invention as viewed from directly above, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the bat side,
FIG. 4 is a side view of a two-story bat, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion surrounded by a circle A in FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, a schematic configuration of the golf driving range system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The golf driving range system includes a two-story at-bat side facility 1 having 30 at-bats on each floor (total of 60 at-bats), and a width of the at-bat side of 84.
m, depth 180m (about 200 yards), depth 5
It consists of yard 2 of 0 meters.

An undulation is formed in the yard 2, an artificial turf is provided on almost the entire upper surface thereof, and a ball return groove 3 which is a U-shaped groove with a slope is formed between the undulation valleys. Ball circulation groove 3
Consists of a number of support grooves 3a inclined from the center of the yard 2 toward each side and three book grooves 3b formed along both sides and the center of the yard 2, and the three books The grooves are merged into one and guided to a ball collection and distribution center 4 provided at one end of the bat side facility 1.

The bat-side facility 1 is a two-story facility provided along the base end of the yard 2, and 30 bats 5 are arranged on each floor in a gentle arc along the passage 1a. As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3, a ball collection and distribution center 4 is provided at one end thereof, and an information management room 6 in which a central information management device 7 is installed at the center. 6a is front, 8 is 1
Stairs connecting the first and second floors are provided at two locations.

In the ball collection and distribution center 4, a collection tank 4a for collecting the golf balls recirculated by the ball recirculation groove 3, a ball washing / drying machine 9 for cleaning and drying the collected golf balls, and A ball storage 10 for storing golf balls, and a ball elevator 11 for transferring the golf balls stored therein to a ball storage box described later in the upper chamber 4b shown in FIG. 4 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a ball stock 12, a rented ball storage box 13 and an automatic teeing machine 14 are integrally disposed on each of the bats 5 on each floor.
A mat 15 provided with a tee is placed adjacent to the automatic tee-up machine 14. In addition, a terminal device 16 is also installed for each at-bat 5. The details will be described later. The ball stock 12 is connected to a ball transport pipe (ball-distributing pipe) 17 for each turn at bat, which is piped behind the ceiling above the passage 1a. In addition, 18 is a pillar of the bat side facility 1, and 19 is a wall.

At each turn at bat 5, a prepaid card is inserted into the terminal device 16 to borrow a specified number of balls by operating a button, or a prize golf ball of a number corresponding to the prize class at the time of a prize described later. Is sent from the ball stock 12 to the rental ball storage box 13 by an internal rotary ball sending mechanism (known mechanism), and is stored therein as rental balls. The golf balls are sent out one by one by the automatic teeing machine 14 and automatically teeed on the mat 15.
When the trainee hits the golf ball 20, the next golf ball is teeed up.

The golf ball 20 used in the driving range system needs to have different characteristics for each at-bat 5, that is, unique characteristics for each at-bat. Therefore, in the embodiment described below, in order to give a golf ball used at 30 at bats on each floor a different characteristic for each at bat, a ball with a colored coating for discrimination by a difference in color (the first at bat) Color) with magnetic paint to detect the presence or absence of magnetism under the colored paint.
An example of a system using a magnetic painted ball (for the second floor at-bat) will be described as a first embodiment. Second Embodiment An example in which a golf ball hardened by printing a combination of simple figures at several places on a ball spherical surface with a non-fading ink will be described as a second embodiment.

The configuration of the yard 2 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 again. The side protection net 21a is provided on both sides of the yard 2 and the back protection net 2 is provided on the back.
1b (part of which is shown in FIG. 1),
Although not shown, an upper surface protective net is also provided on the entire upper surface to prevent a golf ball hit from each bat 5 from jumping out of the yard 2.

At the center of the yard 2 in the width direction, four tracks 22a to 22
The artificial green 30 for practicing a short-distance hit ball and the standing target stand 50 for practicing a long-distance hit ball are laid on the track.
Are installed so that they can move to a specific section.

In this example, the artificial green 30 stands in a 40-yard section from 90 yards (at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2) to 130 yards (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the broken line in FIG. 2) from the bat 5. The target stand 50 is at bat 5 to 150
A section of 40 yards can be moved from a yard (a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 2) to a 190 yard (a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a broken line in FIG. 2). Also, a pair of left and right fixed greens 23a and 23b are provided at a position of 80 yards.

The artificial green 30 for short-distance ball practice is
As shown in FIG. 1, the winning holes 31a and the winning grooves 31b and 31c which are targets of the golf ball hit by the golf practice player M from each bat 5 and the golf balls hit by the golf practice player M are A1 and A2. , A3, the winning hole 31a
Alternatively, when the golf ball hits the prize grooves 31b and 31c and pierces or enters them, different characteristics (characteristics per bat) given to the golf ball in advance for each turn at bat are detected, and There is provided a winning ball identification signal transmitting device for discriminating whether or not the ball has been hit from a bat, converting the result into an electric signal and transmitting the signal. The details will be described later.

A standing target stand 50 for long distance ball practice
Are circular targets 51a-5 substantially perpendicular to the target yard of the golf ball hit by the golf practice player M from each at-bat 5.
1c, a stand 52 made of a metal frame supporting the same, and a golf ball hit by the golf practice player M are circular targets 51a to 51b as shown by B1, B2, and B3.
1c, when the golf ball hits one of the hits, a different characteristic (at-batting characteristic) is detected for each at-bat which is given to the golf ball in advance, and it is determined from which at-bat the golf ball has been hit. A winning ball identification signal transmitting device for identifying, converting the result into an electric signal and transmitting the signal is provided, and the details thereof will be described later.

6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c) show a plan view, a bottom view and a side view, respectively, of an embodiment of an artificial green for short-distance hitting practice, and FIG. Perspective view from above,
FIG. 8 is a front view, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of a first embodiment of a winning ball identification signal transmitting device and the like provided therein, and FIG. 10 is an example of a track running drive device provided at the bottom thereof. FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a specific example of the artificial green 30 with reference to FIGS.

The artificial green 30 is a circular multi-stage green, and the uppermost green 32 has a sign 35 such as a flag standing upright in the center (shown small in the figure, but actually a hole in a normal green). A first prize hole 31a having a diameter sufficient to allow a golf ball to easily penetrate is provided directly under the flag (similar to or slightly smaller than a standing flag), and the next green 33 has a donut shape around the outermost green 32. At the border of the uppermost green 32, a second-prize winning groove 31b having a width sufficient for a golf ball to enter is provided. A third winning prize groove 31c having a width sufficient for a golf ball to enter is provided at a boundary between the next green and the next green.

As described above, there are two or more steps, and
Outside the center first prize hole 31a, prize grooves 31b and 31c of each grade (the number of prize grooves further increases in the case of four or more steps) are also provided at each step portion.

The artificial turf is also provided on the upper surface of each of the steps 32 to 34 of the artificial green 30 to facilitate the rotational flow along the inclination of the golf ball. Further, the upper surface of each step 32 to 34 of the artificial green 30 has a winning ball in the winning hole 3.
As shown in FIG. 8, the groove is slightly inclined toward the center so as to easily roll into 1a or the winning grooves 31b and 31c. Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, the side closer to the turn at bat 5 is inclined low, and the side farther away is inclined slightly higher.

Then, each prize hole 31a or prize groove 31
The golf balls entering into the ball paths 31b and 31c rotate while rotating along the inclined ball paths, and fall into winning ball drop holes provided at the lowest points as shown in FIG. Ball guide 36
The ball rolls along the lines a to 36c, receives the identification processing by the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 during that time, and then falls from the ball discharge ports 39a to 39c into the ball return groove 3b.

[Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, the case of Embodiment 1 in which a golf ball using both a coating color and a color / magnetic coating is used will be described. Winning Ball Identification Signal Transmitting Device 3 of Embodiment 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes a device for blowing compressed air onto the golf ball 20 passing through the net n of the ball guides 36a to 36c as shown in FIG. 9 to clean dust, mud, rain water and the like attached to the ball. A ball cleaner a, a magnetic sensor unit b for discriminatingly detecting a characteristic of each hitting bat of the cleaned golf ball, an illuminator c, a color identification sensor camera d, and a color identification sensor unit e
Consists of

The magnetic sensor unit b detects whether or not the golf ball 20 is magnetized.
If it is not batted, it is identified as a bat on the first floor, if it is batted, it is identified as a bat on the second floor.
Send to

Further, the golf ball 20 is
When passing through the openings P of 6a to 36c, the lighting fixture c illuminates it, the color identification sensor camera d detects the color, and the color identification sensor unit e identifies the turn at bat from the detection result of the color. The result of the discrimination is converted into an electric signal together with the winning class, and transmitted to the central information management device 7 together with the result of the turn at bat of the first or second floor by the magnetic sensor unit b via a cable (not shown). .

[Configuration Common to Embodiments 1 and 2] The driving device 40 for the artificial green 30 is configured as shown in FIG. 10 and is mounted and fixed to the bottom of the artificial green 30. That is, two parallel axles 41a and 41b, wheels 42a to 42d fixed to both ends thereof, a motor 43 for rotating and driving one axle 41a, and a reduction gear 4
4. Brake mechanism 45 for braking each wheel 42a-42d
a to 45d, an optical sensor 46 for stopping (braking operation), optical sensors 47a and 47b for preventing runaway at both front and rear ends, and a control board 48.

The driving device 40 has four wheels 42a-42
42d rolls and moves on the two orbits 22b and 22c at the center. In order to stably support the heavy artificial green 30, the artificial green 3 is further moved as shown in FIG.
Four auxiliary wheels 49a to 49d are provided at positions near the outer circumference of 0, and are rolled on two outer tracks 22a and 22d.

When the driving power supply of the artificial green 30 is turned on by a remote control switch (not shown), the driving device 40 rotates the motor 43, and the rotation is reduced by the reduction gear 44.
The rotation speed is reduced via the
a and 42b are gently rotated, the vehicle slowly travels from one stop point of a preset section on the track, and when approaching the other stop point, the stop optical sensor 46 mounted on the driving device 40 is driven by the stop optical sensor 46. Upon detecting the above specific pattern, the power of the motor 43 is turned off, and the brake mechanism 45a is turned off.
５４54d are simultaneously operated, and the artificial green 40 is stopped.

In the case of a runaway in which the optical sensor 46 does not operate for some reason and continues to travel beyond the preset section, the runaway provided at the front and rear ends of the artificial green 30 is provided. Prevention optical sensors 47a and 47
b detects the sign provided immediately before the end point and
Is turned off, the brake mechanisms 45a to 45d are simultaneously operated, and the artificial green 30 is urgently stopped.

The driving devices of the artificial green 30 and the standing target stand 50 which will be described in detail hereinafter have a common structure, and the power source used for each of these driving devices and the winning ball processing device is 200 V AC (for power). ) And AC100
V (communication) general power is drawn from the information management room 6 to the location closest to the turn at bat in the moving section on the inner tracks 22b and 22c of the above facilities by underground buried cables. Electricity is supplied by connecting to a 50m long cable wound on an automatic winding reel installed in the facility. The low-voltage power supply for control, such as a computer (sensor unit) or a microcomputer, required at each facility is supplied with a reduced voltage by a small power supply device installed in each facility.

FIG. 11 is a front view of an embodiment of an upright target stand for long-distance ball practice, FIG. 12 is a side view thereof, and FIG.
Is a plan view thereof. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of the winning ball identification signal transmitting device provided in the lower protective case in the protective case according to the first embodiment. Referring to these figures,
A specific example of the standing target stand 50 will be described.

In the standing target stand 50, the circular target is set as a multi-circle target, the outer periphery of a small circular portion at the center is surrounded by a circular frame 53, and the inside of the circle is defined as a first-prize winning target portion 51a. The outer periphery of the middle circle portion which develops in a donut shape on the outer periphery of the portion is surrounded by a circular frame 54, and the inside of the middle circle is a second-prize-winning target portion 51
b, and the outer periphery of a large circle portion which develops in a donut shape around the middle circle portion is surrounded by a circular frame 55, and the inside of the great circle is a third-prize-winning target portion 51c. Are provided concentrically.

Each of the circular frames 53, 54, 55 is a metal frame, is concentrically held by a plurality of turnbuckles, and is vertically supported by a stand 52 composed of a main column, an auxiliary column, and the like. . A film 56 made of weather-resistant rubber is stretched over each of the target portions 51a to 51c, and both ends thereof are fixed to each circular frame, and a large number of slits are radially formed in the circular frames. On the rear side, a ball drop guide 57 made of a net made of synthetic fibers, which is divided according to each grade.
The golf ball that hits the winning target portions 51a to 51c of each grade and passes through the film 56 is dropped therein, and further dropped from the winning ball drop hole 58 into the protective case 59.

Example 1 As in the case of the artificial green described above, ball guides 60a to 60c for each grade are provided in the protective case 59 as shown in FIG. 1 winning ball identification signal transmitting device 6
1 is arranged. That is, the ball guides 60a to 60a
Compressed air ball cleaner a ', which is a device for blowing dust, mud, rain water, and the like adhering to the golf ball 20 by blowing compressed air to the golf ball 20 passing through the net n of 0c.
And a magnetic sensor unit b 'for discriminating and detecting the characteristic of each hitting bat unique to the cleaned golf ball.
, A lighting fixture c ', a color identification sensor camera d', and a color identification sensor unit e '.

The magnetic sensor unit b 'detects whether or not the golf ball 20 is magnetized. If the golf ball 20 is not tied, it is determined that the golf ball 20 is at bat on the first floor. The identification result is converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the above-mentioned central information management device 7 via a cable (not shown).

Further, the golf ball 20 is
When passing through the openings Pa of 0a to 60c, it is illuminated by the illuminator c ', the color is detected by the color identification sensor camera d', and the color identification sensor unit e 'detects the color. Identify the at-bat. The discrimination result is converted into an electric signal together with a winning class, and the magnetic sensor unit b 'is also connected via a cable (not shown).
Is transmitted to the central information management device 7 together with the turn at bat discrimination results on the first and second floors. And this ball guide 60a ~
The golf ball that has passed through 60c falls from ball discharge ports 62a to 62c into ball recirculation groove 3b.

On the lower surface of the bottom plate 63 of the standing target stand 50, the same driving device 40 as that for moving the artificial green shown in FIG.
Although 2a to 42d roll and move on the two tracks 22b and 22c at the center, four auxiliary wheels are further provided near the four corners of the bottom plate 63 to stably support the standing target stand 50. 64a to 64d are provided and the two outer tracks 2
It rolls on 2a and 22d so that the upright target stand 50 which is a heavy object can be stably supported. The moving operation by the driving device 40 is performed by the artificial green 30 described above.
Since this is the same as the case described above, the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 15 shows the state of the yard 2 which is collected from the yard 2 and cleaned.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the basic configuration of a device for detecting and identifying the characteristics of a dried golf ball at bat and at bat.
6 is a side view thereof, which will be described later together with the operation of this embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal device installed at each turn at bat. The terminal device 16 includes a prepaid card slot 160, a button for selecting the number of balls to be borrowed 161, a red lamp 162, a blue lamp 163, and a white lamp 16 which are turned on at the time of first prize, second prize, and third prize.
4. Winning grade display liquid crystal panel 165, remaining card and reward ball count display liquid crystal panel 166, point display liquid crystal panel 16
7. Reward ball return button 168 and point registration button 16
9 is provided.

FIG. 18 is a system configuration diagram of main equipment used in the golf driving range system. Reference numeral 7 denotes a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a "personal computer") serving as a main body of the central information processing apparatus installed in the information management room 6 described above.
An uninterruptible power supply 24, a printer 25, an input / output controller 26 as an extension board,
And a card reader 27 installed in the front 6a.

The input / output controller 26 includes a winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 for the artificial green 30 and a winning ball identification signal transmitting device 61 for the standing target stand 50.
Centralized control panel 28, 60 installed at front 6a
The terminal device 16 (60
Are connected. Each of the terminal devices 16 is connected to the ball stock 12 which is integrated with the above-mentioned rented ball storage box 13 and the automatic tee-up machine 14. In addition, a prepaid card vending machine 29 is independently installed near the front 6a.

In this golf driving range system, a customer (golf practitioner) purchases a prepaid card at a prepaid card vending machine 29 installed near the front 6a, and a receptionist at the front receives the card, and the card reader 2 receives the card.
7, the admission fee (for example, 500 yen) is deducted, and at the same time, if a variable fee is set by the password of the day and the day of the week, the rate is recorded by key operation.

This prevents unauthorized use of the card and, at the same time, gives the member's card presenter a membership privilege by key operation of the card reader 27 and inserts the card into the terminal device 16 to borrow the practice ball. ,
In addition, the preferential membership rate will be applied when purchasing items in the practice area. These data are transferred to the personal computer 7 online and stored as customer management data. There are four types of prepaid cards: 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 3,000 yen, and 1,000 yen.

The centralized control panel 28 has a display section in an array corresponding to the number of at-bats on the first floor and the second floor. The display section corresponding to the at-bat 5 in use is lit to manage the vacant seat status.
Therefore, according to the display on the central control panel 28, one of the bats at the front is vacant. When the trainee goes to the turn at bat and inserts the prepaid card into the prepaid card slot 160 of the terminal device 16, the remaining card balls (the total number of practice golf balls borrowed with the inserted prepaid card) are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 166. You.

When the trainee presses one of the loan ball selection buttons 161 to specify the number of balls to be rented (scheduled number of exercises), the signal is transmitted to the ball stock 12 and stored therein. For example, a ball counter of a pachinko ball lending machine is operated, and ten golf balls are discharged in one rotation, and a designated number of golf balls flow into the lent ball storage box 13.

As described above, this golf ball is colored differently for each at-bat, and the ball used for the at-bat at the second floor is further magnetized, thereby imparting a unique at-bat characteristic. . And lending ball storage box 1
Since the golf balls in 3 are teeed one by one on the mat 15 by the automatic teeing machine 14,
The trainer hits the ball at the club toward the target in Yard 2.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the hitting ball (golf ball) hit by the trainee M standing on the at-bat 5 toward the artificial green 30 for short-distance ball hitting practice is broken lines A1, A.
As shown by 2 or A3, the first winning hole 31a, the second winning groove 31b or the third winning groove 31c of the artificial green 30
Flying while drawing a parabola toward, and hitting a prize hole or a prize groove of any grade, it becomes a prize ball, and falls into the drop hole of each prize hole 31a, the prize groove 31b, 31c, as shown in FIG. Guide 36 having a wire mesh portion n having a gentle inclination and allowing rainwater to escape near the entrance
a to 36c.

Therefore, the ball guides 36a for the first prize ball, the second prize ball, and the third prize ball,
The winning balls entered into the guides 36b and 36c are processed as described above by the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 while rotating in the guide along the slope.

In the first embodiment, first, the dust adhering to the ball by the compressed air ball cleaner a,
Mud, rainwater, etc. are blown off, and then a magnetic sensor b fitted into the bottom of the guide discriminates and detects whether or not the ball is a color ball with a magnetic coating as a base, and further receives light from a lighting device c. In the meantime, the color identification sensor camera d and the color identification sensor unit e linked to the camera d,
The paint color of the ball representing the turn at bat characteristics of the winning ball is discriminated and detected, and the result is converted into an electric signal together with the winning class information from the color discrimination sensor unit e, and transmitted to the central information management device (PC) 7 shown in FIG. Make an outgoing call.

Further, an upright target stand 50 for practicing long-distance hitting is provided as another target behind the artificial green 30 in the yard 2. Therefore, the hit ball hit by the trainee M standing at the bat 5 toward the standing target stand 50 is a first-prize winning target of the standing target stand 50 as shown by broken lines B1, B2 or B3 in FIG. Part 51
a, second prize target section 51b or third prize target section 51
Flying while drawing a parabola toward c, hitting the prize target section of each grade results in a prize ball.

The winning prize balls are divided into the respective prize target sections 51a to 51a.
1c slides down through a synthetic fiber net ball drop guide 57 (separated for each grade) provided on the rear side of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the ball guides are guided to ball guides 60a to 60c each having a gentle inclination connected to the lower end of each ball drop guide 57 and having a wire mesh portion n at the entrance portion for allowing rainwater to escape.

Thereafter, similarly to the case of the artificial green 30 described with reference to FIG. 9, the ball is processed by the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 61, the ball is cleaned by the compressed air ball cleaner a ', and the magnetic painted ball is cleaned by the magnetic sensor b'. Of the ball, the color of the ball is detected by the color identification sensor camera d 'and the color identification sensor unit e' connected to the camera d ', and the result is referred to as the color identification sensor unit. At e ', the signal is converted into an electric signal together with the winning class information, and transmitted to the central information management device (personal computer) 7 via the input / output controller 26 shown in FIG.

When the personal computer 7 receives a signal from the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 of the artificial green 30 or the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 61 of the standing target stand 50 via the input / output controller 26, the personal computer 7 receives the signal. After the information is once registered in the internal memory, the information of the winning class and the number of returned balls is notified to the terminal device 16 of the identified at-bat 5.

In response to this, the terminal device 16 flashes one of the red, blue, and white lamps 162 to 164 in accordance with the prize class to inform the trainee of it, and displays the prize class on the prize class display liquid crystal panel 165. Display and display liquid crystal panel 16
The number of award balls is displayed at 6, and if there is an accumulated score, it is also displayed on the display liquid crystal panel 167.

Then, the trainee enters the reward ball return button 168
When the button is pressed, the signal is notified to the ball stock 12 of the bat 5 shown in FIG. 18, and the ball stock 12 rotates the internal rotary ball sending mechanism. For example, 50 pieces for the first prize and 30 pieces for the second prize. A practice golf ball having a predetermined number of reward balls is sent to the rented ball storage box 13, such as 10 pieces for winning a third or third place. The trainee knows that the reward ball has been returned by the sound of the ball.
By forming the upper portion of the lending ball storage box 13 with a transparent material or providing a transparent window, it is possible to more clearly feel that the reward ball has been returned.

Also, the trainee does not wish to return the prize ball,
If the user wishes to register the points displayed on the point display liquid crystal panel 167 of the terminal device 16 in accordance with the prize class at that time, the user presses a point registration button 169 and the command is read from the prepaid card. The information is notified to the personal computer 7 together with personal information such as a number and registered in the memory. If there is a point already registered for the same member, a new point is cumulatively added thereto. The data is transferred from the personal computer 7 to the terminal device 16, and the accumulated points are displayed on the point display liquid crystal panel 167 of the terminal device 16.

Further, the accumulated points may be written on a prepaid card inserted into the prepaid card slot 160. If the prize score is accumulated and registered as described above, when the trainee returns home after finishing the practice, or when a predetermined score is reached, a prize commensurate with the accumulated score is selected. You can receive it.

The artificial green 30 and the standing target stand 50 described above are respectively moved from the bat 5 by the remote control from the personal computer 7 of the central information management device by the driving device 40 having the same structure as shown in FIG. It is possible to move in a specific section in the direction of approaching and in the direction of moving away, and it is also possible to set in advance such that the moving and running are synchronized so that the vehicle automatically travels in the reverse direction at regular intervals (for example, every one hour). In this case, since the main bodies of the two facilities move back and forth while maintaining a certain distance, a situation in which the two bodies collide with each other due to an erroneous operation or the like is completely prevented, and safety is ensured.

However, as a matter of course, the artificial green 30 and the standing target stand 50 can be separately moved so as to approach or move away from the at-bat 5 separately by canceling the automatic operation setting and performing a manual operation. In this case, the collision accident is prevented by operating the automatic stop device when the sensors 47a and 47b for detecting an obstacle or the like in the moving direction detect the obstacle.

Next, a description will be given of the collection of the balls hit by the trainee into the yard 2 from each at-bat and the redistribution of the at-bats to the ball stock. A large amount of golf balls hit toward the artificial green 30 or the upright target stand 50 hit the prize holes and the prize grooves of both facilities or hit the target. The other large number of non-winning balls remain as they are in the yard 2 of the practice area.
As described above, the ball falls into the ball return groove 3 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. The ball collection tank 4 in the ball collection and distribution center 4 rotates and flows along the
a.

The collected golf balls are sequentially sent to a ball washer / dryer 9 installed adjacent to a ball collection tank 4 a in the ball collection and distribution center 4 to be washed and dried, and then stored in a ball storage 10. I do.

The subsequent process of processing the recirculation ball is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 16, the upper chamber 4b in which the golf balls 20 collected in the ball storage 10 are provided by the ball elevator (vertical conveyor) 11 behind the ceiling of the bat at the second floor.
(See FIG. 4).
From the ball storage box 70, a triangular ball guide path 71
First, the detection unit of the magnetic sensor unit 72 is arranged in an exit passage narrowed so that the golf balls 20 at the tip of the ball guide path 71 pass one by one, and passes thereover. At this time, a magnetically coated golf ball is detected.

Immediately after that, a forked branch 73 is provided, and as shown in FIG.
A ball separating plate 74 is provided in the branch path 73 so as to be rotatable by a motor M. Then, according to the result of magnetic detection by the magnetic sensor unit 72, the ball separation plate 74
Are switched so that the magnetically coated colored balls 20a can be separated and separated so as to be sent to the ball guide path 75a, and the mere color balls 20b not magnetically coated can be separated and sent to the ball guide path 75b. Is used to sort the course of the golf ball 20.

From the branch path 73, two ball guide paths 75a
And 75b, the magnetic ball is a ball guide path 75a provided behind the bat ceiling on the second floor.
When the ball rotates slowly along a gentle slope and passes slowly in front of a color identification sensor camera 76 installed beside the ball guide path 75a while receiving light from a lighting device 77, the coating of the ball is performed. The color is detected, and the drop H to the ball transport pipe 17 leading to the exclusive at-bat of the ball having the color is immediately issued by a command issued from the color sensor unit 78.
And let the ball fall into it. The dropped ball spins and flows along the slope in the ball transport pipe 17 and is stored in the ball stock 12 (see FIG. 4) on the second floor at bat dedicated to the color ball, and is used again as a practice ball for hitting. Ready to be done.

On the other hand, immediately after passing over the detection portion of the magnetic sensor unit 72 on the ball guide path 71, the non-magnetic colored ball is distributed by the separation plate 74 in the branch path 73, Taxiway 75b
Through a cloth hose 79 (see FIG. 16). The process of processing the non-magnetic colored ball from there is exactly the same as the processing of the magnetic colored ball for the second floor at-bat.

That is, the ball rotates along a gentle slope in the ball guide path 75b provided behind the bat at the ceiling on the first floor, and the illumination device 77 irradiates light in front of the color identification sensor camera 76 provided beside. When the ball passes slowly while receiving the color, the paint color of the ball is detected and the color sensor unit 7 is immediately detected.
In response to a command issued from the ball 8, the drop H to the ball transport pipe 17 leading to the exclusive at-bat of the ball having the color is
The portion surrounded by the circle B in FIG. 16 is opened as shown in an enlarged manner, and the ball is dropped therein.

The dropped ball spins and flows along the slope in the ball transport pipe 17 and is stored in the ball stock 12 (see FIG. 4) on the first floor at bat dedicated to the color ball, and again as a practice ball. The preparation for being hit is completed.

The above-described ball hitting characteristic discriminating method using the magnetic sensor and the color discriminating sensor for the recirculated / recovered ball has a limitation that the color discriminating sensor currently available on the market has a color classification processing capacity of up to 16 colors. After the ball group is divided into two by the magnetic sensor, two color sensor units having the ability to identify and classify up to 16 colors are installed in series, and the second color sensor unit differs from the first 16 colors. Color balls which do not correspond to the color processed by the first color sensor unit are stored in the color ball, and if the method of processing the color ball is processed by the second color sensor unit, up to 64 color balls in total are identified and classified. It will be possible to allocate to the exclusive at-bat ball stock.

[Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention using a golf ball on which a graphic mark is printed as the at-bat characteristics will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the system configuration of the driving range system and the structure of each part thereof are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, for example, graphic marks as shown in FIG. 25 are combined as shown in FIG. 26, and are formed at equal intervals on the ball spherical surface as shown in FIG.
A non-fading ink or paint is used to print a golf ball, and a protective coating or a UV-cured golf ball is used on the printed material. FIG. 19 shows the internal structure of the artificial green used in this embodiment, and FIG. FIGS. 21 and 22 show a front view and a side view of the figure mark identification unit.

In this artificial green 30 ', as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the winning holes 31a and the respective winning grooves 31 are formed.
b, 31c, the golf ball 20 is guided by the inclined ball guides 36a, 36b, 36c.
Merging into the two ball guides 36d, and when passing through the ball guides 36d, performing a process of identifying a graphic mark and performing ball recirculation grooves 3b.
It is made to fall inside.

The winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 '
Is the net n of the ball guides 36a to 36c according to each winning grade.
Compressed air ball cleaner a for blowing dust or dirt or rainwater on the golf ball 20 by blowing compressed air on the golf ball 20 passing therethrough, sensors k1, k2 and k3 for identifying a winning class, and cleaning. A graphic mark identifying section for identifying and detecting a graphic mark having a characteristic at-bat characteristic of a golf ball, that is, a graphic mark identifying sensor camera s such as a CCD camera, an illuminator c for illuminating the same, and an illumination power supply f. And an image processing apparatus h having a function of correcting (rotating (angle)) and correcting the position of the graphic mark of the test object, and a program controller (programmable
Controller) p.

In the case of the graphic mark identification, it is necessary to temporarily stop the golf ball 20 with the graphic mark, which is the test object, in front of the sensor camera s, and in order to carry out this smoothly, it is explicitly shown in FIG. In this way, not only the ball 20a in front of the camera but also the next succeeding ball 20b is stopped at a fixed interval, and the operation to wait until the identification of the preceding ball is completed is performed.
A ball suspension device g consisting of a and gb is provided.

In the two stop units ga and gb of the ball temporary stop device g, a pair of locking pieces are respectively held at intervals slightly wider than the diameter of the golf ball, and when they protrude, they sandwich the golf ball 20 in the front and rear directions in the transport direction. As described above, the presence or absence of the golf ball is detected by a light transmission type sensor, and the control unit (not shown) controls the appearance of each locking piece.

Further, in the second embodiment, a sensor for identifying a winning class is provided in the middle of the ball guides 36a to 36c before the first, second, and third winning balls reach the common ball guide 36d. k1, k2, and k3 are provided, and the ball temporary stop device in front of the sensor camera s described above is arranged so that each winning ball stops immediately below each of the sensors k1, k2, and k3 with a constant interval from the succeeding ball. A temporary stop device g1, g2, g3 of the same type as g is provided. Then, the sensors k1 to k3 detect the presence or absence of a ball that reaches and stops at the temporary stop devices g1, g2, and g3 directly below, and sends a signal of a winning class to the program control device p in the order of arrival. The sensors k1 to k3 may be any type that can detect the passage of the golf ball, such as a transmission type or reflection type optical sensor or a contact type sensor such as a microswitch.

After the detection by the sensors k1 to k3, the golf ball 20 is released from the temporary stop devices g1, g2, and g3 and guided from the ball guides 36a to 36c to the common ball guide 36d, where it is again stopped by the temporary stop device g. Can be stopped. The image of the stopped golf ball 20a is captured and imaged by the sensor camera s as it is,
The image processing device h loads the image data into the memory.
The image processing apparatus h performs rotation (angle) correction and position correction on the captured image data, positions the graphic mark at the center of the processing screen, identifies the graphic mark, and determines the identification result (for the turn at bat number). (Corresponding information) to the program controller p.

The program control device p converts the discrimination result into an electric signal together with the information of the winning class previously held by the detection signals from the sensors k1, k2, and k3 and transmits the signal to the central information management device 7. . With this method,
Among the winning ball identification signal transmitting devices 38 ', the lighting devices c and
It is not necessary to install a total of three units of the graphic mark identification unit including the illumination power supply f, the sensor camera s, and the image processing device h, and one unit for each winning path. It is possible to perform identification and signal transmission processing of each winning ball up to the third prize.

In this system, the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 shown in FIG. 9 of the artificial green 30 used in the first embodiment using the color / magnetic sensor and the winning target shown in FIG. Ball identification signal transmitter 6
The color / magnetic discrimination and signal transmission device which originally requires three units can be reduced to one unit.

Next, a winning ball identification signal transmitting device in a standing target stand used in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The winning ball identification signal transmitting device 61 'in the standing target stand 50' has the same configuration as the winning ball identifying signal transmitting device 38 'in the artificial green 30' described above. Therefore, one golf ball 20 that has entered each of the winning grade-specific ball guides 60a to 60c
After joining the two ball guides 60d and performing the process of identifying the graphic mark when passing through the ball guides 60d,
2 into the ball return groove 3b.

The winning ball identification signal transmitting device 61 '
Is the net n of the ball guides 60a to 60c according to each winning grade.
Compressed air ball cleaner a 'for blowing dust or dirt or rainwater on the golf ball 20 by blowing compressed air to the golf ball 20 passing therethrough, and sensors k1', k2 'and k3 for identifying a winning class. ′, A graphic mark identifying section for identifying and detecting a graphic mark having a characteristic of at-batting characteristic of the cleaned golf ball, that is, a graphic mark identifying sensor camera s ′ such as a CCD camera and an illuminator c for illuminating it. ′, An illumination power supply f ′, an image processing apparatus h ′ with a function of correcting (rotating (angle)) and correcting the position of a graphic mark of a test object, and a program control apparatus p ′. In addition, ball temporary stop devices g 'and g1', g2 ', g3' similar to the ball temporary stop devices g and g1, g2, g3 in the winning ball identification signal transmitting device 38 'in the artificial green 30' are provided. I have.

Then, a ball guide 60a for each winning class
Ｃ60c are detected by the sensors k1'〜k
3 ', and a signal of a winning class is sent to the program control device p' in the order of arrival. Thereafter, the golf ball 20 is guided to the common ball guide 60d, where it is stopped by the pause device g ', and the sensor camera s' captures an image of the golf ball. The image processing device h 'captures image data captured by the sensor camera s' into a memory, performs rotation (angle) correction and position correction on the image data, and positions the graphic mark at the center of the processing screen. A graphic mark representing the at-bat characteristics is identified, and the identification result (information corresponding to the at-bat number) is sent to the program control device p '.

The program control device p 'converts the identification result into an electric signal together with the information on the winning class previously held by the detection signals from the sensors k1', k2 'and k3', and converts the result into a central information management device 7 Send to

Next, the process of the recirculation ball processing in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Also in this embodiment, the recirculation ball processing process described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 with respect to the above-described first embodiment is performed through substantially the same process, although the ball discriminating apparatus and the sorting method are different.

That is, the turn at bat characteristic identification and turn at bat sorting device according to the second embodiment is configured as shown in FIG.
The ball 2 transferred to the ball storage box 70 installed in the upper chamber 4b (see FIG. 4) provided behind the ceiling of the bat at the 0th to 2nd floor
0 is a branch path 7 which is guided to the triangular ball guide path 71 using an inclination, and is narrowed so that balls pass one by one.
3 diverges into two ball guide paths 75a and 75b.

Each of the ball guide paths 75a and 75b has
In each case, a ball temporary stop device 80 is provided. Furthermore, above each ball temporary stop device 80, the lighting fixture 7 similar to the lighting fixture c and the sensor camera s shown in FIG.
7 'and a sensor camera 76' are provided, and FIGS.
An illumination power supply 81 and an image processing device 82 similar to the illumination power supply f and the image processing device h shown in FIG. 2 are also provided.

The ball temporary stop device 80 comprises stop units ga and gb which operate in conjunction with each other similarly to the ball temporary stop device g of the graphic mark identification unit shown in FIG. While the ball 20a is paused in front of the camera 76 ', the subsequent ball 20b is kept in a paused state by the upstream stop unit gb, the graphic mark identification of the preceding ball 20a is completed, and the stop is performed. When the ball is sent out from the unit ga, the control unit (not shown) controls the protrusion and retraction of each locking piece so that the subsequent ball 20b is transferred from the stop unit gb to the stop unit ga.

When the golf ball 20 guided to the ball guide path 75a or 75b is stopped by the temporary stop device 80 in front of the sensor camera 76 'as described above, the sensor camera 76' is moved to the golf ball 20a. An image is captured, and the image processing device 82 loads the image data into the memory. The image processing device 82 performs rotation (angle) correction and position correction on the captured image data, identifies a graphic mark representing the turn-by-bat characteristic, and identifies the graphic mark (corresponding to the turn-at-bat number). The ball transport tube 1 leading to the at-bat of the golf ball according to
The opening / closing valve of the drop H to the opening 7 is opened by selectively operating a solenoid (not shown) or the like, and the ball is dropped therein.

In the case of using the graphic mark printing ball as described above, a relatively large number of graphic marks are formed on the image processing device 82.
As in the case of the first embodiment using the color-painted balls, it is not necessary to use a method in which a magnetic paint is applied undercoating exclusively for the second floor at-bat. Therefore, there is no need for the two-stage sorting by the magnetic sensor and the color identification sensor.

However, the ball 2 is in front of the sensor camera 76 '.
Since the ball 0a needs to be temporarily stopped, the subsequent ball 20b must also be stopped and stopped just before the ball 20a. Therefore, the ball temporary stop devices 80, 80 are provided on the ball guide paths 75a, 75b. In addition, since it takes 1 to 2 seconds to identify a graphic mark of one golf ball, if the processing speed of the sensor camera 76 'and the image identification device 82 is insufficient, the number of units of such an identification device is reduced. It is necessary to increase. The other method of treating the balls is the same as the case of using colored balls.

FIG. 25 shows an example of a graphic mark printed on the golf ball used in the second embodiment as the at-bat characteristics. This figure mark is a figure in which a black circle, a white circle, and a white circle are divided into a plurality of white areas by radial lines, and the number of white areas (clusters of white pixels in image data) within the circle is 0 to 0. There are four types of graphic marks, four of which are shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, three are used in combination. The three figure marks represent the identification code of the turn at bat number, which is printed at six locations on the surface of the golf ball 20 at regular intervals with non-fading ink or paint as shown in FIG. 27 is also printed on the center of the back surface of the golf ball 20).

When identifying the golf ball 20,
The whole golf ball 20 is captured and captured in the field of view of the sensor camera s shown in FIG. 21 and the like, and the image data is sent to the image processing device h. The image processing apparatus h corrects the rotation (angle) so that a set of graphic marks closest to the center among a plurality of sets of graphic marks existing in the image data is positioned at a center of the screen in a predetermined arrangement direction. And position correction.
Then, a determination window is set for each of the three graphic marks, and the number of clusters of white pixels in each circle is determined. Therefore, no matter what rotational position the golf ball 20 is imaged by the sensor camera s, the turn at bat number can be identified by the graphic mark.

By combining the five types of graphic marks shown in FIG. 25 three by three, 125 types of combinations can be obtained, but the arrangement of the same graphic marks is opposite as shown in FIGS. These combinations are the same when inverted upside down, so they are regarded as the same identification code. However, like 1-0-1, 0-2-0, 3-4-3, etc.
Originally, there are 25 types of left-right symmetrical combinations, and the remaining 100 types are combinations of different graphic marks as shown in FIG. 26, and only 50 types can be substantially identified. Therefore, 75 combinations, that is, 75 bats, can be identified by the combination of these three graphic marks. Note that the graphic mark used in the second embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and various marks identifiable by image processing, characters, symbols, bar codes, combinations thereof, and the like can be used.

[0120]

As described above, the golf driving range system according to the present invention includes a plurality of prize holes and / or prize grooves each of which can be moved on a track within the yard of the driving range. At least one of an artificial green for short-range hitting practice provided with, and a vertical target stand for long-range hitting practice with a vertical target having a plurality of prize-winning target parts classified by multiple circles, A golf ball hit by a trainee from a turn at bat as a target hits the hit ball, and becomes a winning ball. The hit-at-bat characteristics of the winning ball are determined and notified to the central information management device.

As a result, the prize class is displayed on the terminal device at the turn at bat where the prize ball has been hit, and a number of prize balls according to the prize class can be refunded.
A game or game that resembles a pachinko game can be added to the golf practice. Can be
In addition, the practice of hitting balls in this system is expected to improve mental concentration and improve skills.

On the other hand, for the golf driving range manager,
From the equipment industry of taking the conventional entrance fee and renting at bats and taking out the rental fee according to the number of practice balls, by providing the practice field with additional services that give pachinko-like playability or game characteristics to the practice field, Since golf practice can be made more interesting and enjoyable, it can be easily linked to an increase in the customer entrance rate and an increase in the ball rental fee, and an improvement in management efficiency and profit can be expected.

In particular, according to the degree of difficulty of the golf ball, the grades such as the first prize, the second prize, and the third prize are given. Can be. In addition, since the position of the artificial green and the standing target stand can be moved on the track in the perspective direction with respect to the bat,
The difficulty of winning, that is, the winning rate can be arbitrarily changed by the movement.

As a result, the interest and motivation for the practice can be further increased, the appropriate ambition can be stimulated, the practice results can be improved, and the winning rate can also be adjusted for the manager. Further, all the operations of collecting a large amount of balls hit in the yard and redistributing them to the ball stock of each turn at bat according to the characteristics of each turn at bat can be automated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sketch view of the basic configuration of a driving range yard of a driving range system according to the present invention, which is a bird's-eye view from a hollow side.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the basic configuration of the driving range yard of the driving range system viewed from directly above.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a turn at bat side in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the two-story bat.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion surrounded by a circle A in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a plan view, a bottom view, and a side view of an embodiment of the artificial green for short-range hit ball practice in association with one another.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the artificial green as viewed from above the bat side.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of a winning ball identification signal transmitting device and the like according to the first embodiment provided therein.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of an orbiting drive device provided on the bottom of the artificial green and the standing target stand.

FIG. 11 is a front view of an embodiment of a standing target stand for long-distance hitting ball practice.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of a winning ball identification signal transmitting device and the like according to the first embodiment provided in the lower protective case.

FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating a basic configuration of a hitting characteristic discrimination device and a hitting turn sorting device of a golf ball collected from a practice yard and washed and dried according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a terminal device installed at each turn at bat.

FIG. 18 is a system configuration diagram of main equipment used in a golf course system according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of a winning ball identification signal transmitting device and the like provided inside an artificial green in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a main part of the same.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the figure mark identification unit.

FIG. 22 is a side view of the figure mark identification unit.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a configuration and a positional relationship of a winning ball identification signal transmitting device and the like provided in a protection case of a standing target stand according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a plan view illustrating a basic configuration of a hitting characteristic discrimination device and a hitting turn sorting device of a golf ball collected from a driving range yard and washed and dried according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a graphic mark indicating a turn-at-bat characteristic printed on a golf ball used in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of using the combination of the graphic marks.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of printing the combination of the graphic marks on the surface of the golf ball.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: At-bat side facilities 2: Yard 3: Ball return groove 4: Ball collection and distribution center 5: At-bat 6: Information management room 7: Central information processing device (PC etc.) 9: Ball washing / drying machine 10: Ball storage 11: Ball Elevator 12: Ball stock 13: Lending ball storage box 14: Automatic tee-up machine 15: Mat 16: Terminal device 17: Ball transport tube 20, 20a, 20b: Golf ball 22a to 22d: Track 23a, 23b: Fixed green 24: Uninterruptible power supply 25: Printer 26: I / O controller 27: Card reader 28: Centralized control panel 29: Prepaid card vending machine 30, 30 ': Artificial green 31a: First prize hole 31b: Second prize slot 31c: Third prize Groove 32: Top green 33: Next green 34: Third green 35: Flag, etc. 36a to 36d: ball guides 38, 38 ': winning ball identification signal transmitting device 40: drive device 41a, 41b: axle 42a to 42d: wheel 43: motor 44: reducer 45a, 45d: brake mechanism 46, 47a, 47b: Optical sensor 48: control board 50, 50 ': standing target stand 51a: first-prize target section 51b: second-prize target section 51c: third-prize target section 52: stand 53, 54, 55: circular frame 56: film 57: ball drop guide 58: winning ball drop hole 59: protective case 60a-60d: ball guide 61, 61 ': winning ball identification signal transmitting device 63: bottom plate 64a-64d: auxiliary wheel 70: ball storage box 71: ball guidance Path 72: Magnetic sensor unit 73: Branch path 74: Ball separation plate 75a, 75b: Ball guide path 76 Color identification sensor camera 76 ': Graphic mark identification sensor camera 77, 77': Illumination device 78: Color sensor unit 80: Ball temporary stop device 81: Illumination power source 82: Image processing device 160: Prepaid card slot 161: Lending Buttons for selecting the number of balls 162, 163, 164: Lamps for informing of prize information 165: Liquid crystal panel for displaying prize class 166: Liquid crystal panel for displaying remaining balls and number of prize balls 167: Liquid crystal panel for displaying points 168: Reward ball return button 169: Points Registration button a, a ': Compressed air ball cleaner b, b': Magnetic sensor unit c, c ': Illumination tool d, d': Color identification sensor camera s, s ': Graphic mark identification sensor camera e, e' : Color identification sensor unit f, f ': Illumination power supply g, g', g1, g1 ', g2, g2', g3, g
3 ': ball temporary stop device h, h': image processing device k1, k1 ', k2, k2', k3, k3 ': sensor p, p': program control device

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A golf course having a plurality of prize holes and / or prize grooves, each of which is a target of a golf ball hit by a golf player from the bat, is provided in a yard of a driving range having a number of bats. When a golf ball hit by a trainee hits the prize hole or the prize groove and enters or enters the prize hole or the prize groove, a different turn at bat for each of the bats given in advance to the golf ball. The winning ball identification signal transmitting device that detects characteristics and identifies from which bat the golf ball is hit and converts the identification result into an electric signal together with the winning class and transmits the signal is used as the winning class. A terminal device having an artificial green for short-distance ball practice that is movable in orbit, provided for each of the other winning holes and / or winning grooves, and having a display unit and an operation unit at each of the plurality of at-bats. Install At the same time, it receives and processes the signal transmitted from each of the winning ball identification signal transmitting devices, notifies the terminal device at the turn at bat of the trainee who has hit the winning ball, displays the winning class on the display unit, and displays the class on the display unit. A central information management device for centrally managing a player to receive a refund of a predetermined number of rewarded golf balls according to a winning class by operating an operation unit of the terminal device. Golf driving range system. 2. In a yard of a driving range with a number of bats, a plurality of prize-winning target sections divided into multiple circles which are targets of golf balls hit by golf players from the bats. A vertical target substantially vertical to the yard is provided, and when a golf ball hit by a golf practitioner hits a winning target portion of any grade of the vertical target,
At-bat characteristics different for each at-bat batted in advance to the golf ball are detected to identify from which at-bat the golf ball was hit, and the identification result is converted into an electrical signal together with a winning class. With a winning ball identification signal transmitting device for each of the prize target units for each grade, to transmit, a standing target stand for long-distance ball practice that can be moved on orbit is installed. A terminal device having a display unit and an operation unit is installed, and a signal transmitted from the winning ball identification signal transmitting device is received and processed, and a winning class is given to the terminal device at the turn of the trainee who has hit the winning ball. Is displayed on the display unit, and the trainee can receive a refund of a predetermined number of reward golf balls according to a winning class by operating the operation unit of the terminal device. Golf range system, characterized in that a central information management unit performing to concentrate sense. 3. The driving range system according to claim 1, wherein a wheel and a driving device thereof are provided at a bottom portion of the artificial green, and a track is laid in a yard in a distance direction with respect to the at-bat. The artificial green is configured to be able to move at any time in a specific section on the track by operating a remote switch, and the artificial green is moved away from or closer to the at-batting trainee so that the golf player can A golf driving range system wherein a golf ball hit by the golf ball can adjust a winning rate at which the artificial green hits the winning hole and / or the winning groove of the artificial green. 4. The golf driving range system according to claim 2, wherein a wheel and a driving device thereof are provided at a bottom portion of the standing target stand, and a track is laid in a yard in a distance direction with respect to the at-bat. By configuring the standing target stand to be able to move a specific section on the track at any time by operating a remote switch, by moving the position of the standing target stand away from or closer to the at-batting trainer, A golf driving range system, wherein a golf ball hit by a golf player from the bat can adjust a winning rate at which the golf ball hits each winning target portion of the vertical target of the standing target stand. 5. The golf driving range system according to claim 1, wherein the golf ball having the at-bat bat-by-bat characteristic, which is hit into the yard from each at-bat, is used to move the golf ball up and down in the yard. A ball collecting means for collecting the collected golf balls in a storage by washing and drying the collected golf balls in a storage, and a ball for collecting the golf balls stored in the storages; A device for moving the elevator to the upper part, a sensor installed on the upper part, which identifies the hitting characteristic of each golf ball that flows one by one through a gentle slope gutter, and a ball distribution mechanism which operates according to the identification result. A return ball which selectively drops each golf ball into each inclined ball transport pipe directly connected to a ball stock provided for each at-bat. Golf range system, characterized in that a and Le identification distributor. 6. The driving range system according to claim 1, wherein the at-batting characteristic of the golf ball is a combination of a plurality of different graphic marks printed at a plurality of locations on the surface of the golf ball. Wherein each of the sensors for identifying the turn-at-bat characteristics comprises a sensor camera that captures an image of a golf ball, and an image processing device that identifies a graphic mark representing the at-bat characteristics at the time of the captured image data. Golf driving range system characterized by the following.