JP2012095904A - Automatic tee-up apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic tee-up apparatus with which a user is allowed to concentrate on hitting a ball, and the turnover of users is increased.SOLUTION: The automatic tee-up apparatus includes: an apparatus body 1 including a card reader/writer 2, a control device 7, a club information reader 4, a display unit 17, and a manual switch 15; a tee-up height adjusting device 8 for changing the height of a tee 11 of the automatic tee-up apparatus 50; a ball supplying device 19 for supplying a golf ball 10 to the tee 11; and a standing position display portion 9 for displaying a modest user standing position on a standing position mat 9 for a user 13. The tee-up height adjusting device 8 and the ball supplying device 19 are installed under a floor, and the tee 11 is moved vertically through a hole formed in a floor. A hole is formed in a mat 12 so that the ball set on the tee is moved vertically through the hole, and in the standing position display device 9, a transparent mat 18 is installed at a position at which the user stands, and the display content of the standing position display portion 9 is transmitted from below the transparent mat.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic tee-up device, and more particularly to an automatic tee-up device that automatically sets the height of a tee based on a user's physical characteristics and information on a golf club used.

In recent years, equipment of golf driving ranges has been automated so as not to put a burden on users. For example, in the past, golf balls were rented from an automatic ball lending machine by the required number of prepaid cards or cash, but recently, the balls are automatically supplied and the balls are automatically used. Practice areas equipped with facilities to tease up are common. In addition, in order to automate user management, it has become common knowledge to create an IC card for each user and perform centralized management by a computer. However, with such an automatic tee-up device, the burden on the user is reduced by automatically teeing up the ball, but when changing the tee height depending on the golf club to be used, it is done manually. The operation was troublesome.
For example, in Patent Document 1 as a conventional technique related to an automatic tee-up device, a golf ball is guided onto a tee hole of a shot mat, and this ball is detected by an optical sensor to raise the tee and tee up the ball. An automatic tee-up device is disclosed.

JP-A-11-57101

However, in the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to move the ball to the tee hole, and when changing the height of the tee, it is necessary to adjust by pushing the switch plate. It was annoying.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and automatically determines the tee height of an automatic tee-up device to the optimum tee height for each physical feature of the user and the golf club used. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic tee-up device that allows the user to concentrate on hitting the ball and, as a result, can increase the customer turnover rate of the practice field.
Another object is to increase the practice effect by indicating an optimal standing position based on the physical characteristics of the user and the golf club used.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a tee that can be raised and lowered on a floor surface of a batting bat, a tee lifting and lowering means that lifts and lowers the tee, and a ball that supplies a golf ball onto the tee. Supply means, a user information recording medium that records the ID, number of remaining balls, and physical characteristics of each batting user, and recorded information of the user information recording medium when the user enters the batting A user information reader, a non-contact recording medium on which information including the type and length of the golf club attached to an appropriate position of the golf club used by the user at the bat is recorded, and the non-contact recording medium The club information reader for reading the recorded information, the user information reader, and the tee lifting means based on the information from the club information reader to control the height of the tee, A control device for adjusting to the optimal settings for the golf club to fine use, characterized by comprising a.
In the present invention, in order to use the practice field, a user information recording medium is created in advance for each user, and when starting the practice, the user information recording medium is set in the user information reader. Thereby, all the information recorded on the user information recording medium is temporarily stored in the control device. Further, when the user brings a golf club for hitting a golf ball close to the club information reader, information on the non-contact recording medium attached to the golf club is read. In this state, all the information of the user is gathered, and the optimum tee height for the club to be used is calculated and teeed up. Thereby, the user can concentrate on golf practice by optimal conditions only by setting a user information recording medium in a user information reader.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, at least a member number, a member name, sex, height, and the number of remaining balls are recorded on the user information recording medium.
A feature of the present invention is that an optimum tee height for the user is calculated based on information on the physical characteristics of the user and the type and length of the golf club possessed. Information on gender and height is important as physical characteristics. That is, since the head speed differs between men and women, men set the tee height higher than women. In addition, since the arm length differs depending on the height, the higher the tee, the higher the tee. Also, the tee height is set higher as the length of the golf club used is longer. For example, the optimal tee height for a driver should be at the center of the teeed-up ball when the driver is solesed on the ground. Thereby, the optimal tee height can be calculated immediately from information on the golf club used by the user.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the information including the type and length of the golf club is read by the club information reader, the control device is optimal based on the physical characteristics read by the user information recording medium. The tee lifting means is controlled by determining the height of the tee.
The user information recording medium records the physical characteristics of each user, and the information is temporarily stored in the memory. Each golf club is provided with a non-contact recording medium in which the member number, the type of golf club (driver, 5 iron, etc.), and the length are recorded. Therefore, when the golf club is brought close to the club information reader, the information on the non-contact recording medium is read and it is possible to recognize which golf club is used. Then, the length of the golf club recorded there is read, the height of the tee is determined based on the length and the physical characteristics of the user, and the tee lifting means is controlled. Thereby, the height of a tee is set to the optimal height for each golf club, and the user can concentrate on practice.

A fourth aspect of the present invention includes a standing position display unit that displays an optimum standing position of the user on the standing position mat of the user in the batting table, and the control device uses the club information reader to determine the type of golf club, When the information including the length is read, an optimum tee height is determined based on the physical characteristics read by the user information recording medium, and the tee lifting means is controlled. The person's standing position is calculated, and an optimum standing position is displayed on the standing position display unit based on the calculation result.
The present invention further includes a standing position display unit that displays the optimum standing position of the user on the standing position mat of the user. That is, depending on the golf club to be used, the standing position of the ball and the user, particularly the positions of the left and right feet, are slightly different. For example, when the golf club used is a driver, it is optimal to tee up the ball on the heel line of the left foot. In the case of a short wedge iron, it is said that it is optimal to tee up the ball approximately in the middle of both feet. In this case, the standing position is slightly different if the gender and physical characteristics are different. Therefore, in the present invention, the optimum standing position is calculated and displayed according to the physical characteristics of the user and the golf club to be used, thereby further enhancing the practice effect. This helps to correct the person's form and enhances the practice effect.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the user information reader has a reader / writer function, and the control device, when the ball is not teeed up on the tee, the user information 1 is subtracted from the number of remaining spheres recorded on the recording medium, and the information is recorded on the user information recording medium via the user information reader.
The timing for placing the ball on the tee is after confirming that there is no ball on the tee after teeing up. As a result, assuming that the ball has been hit, 1 is subtracted from the number of remaining balls. As a result, the remaining ball count and the tee-up timing can be automatically set accurately.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual switch that disables the control of the tee lifting means and the display on the standing position display unit.
Some users want to practice at their preferred tee height or standing position, without setting everything automatically. In such a case, the control of the tee-up adjusting device and the display on the standing position display unit can be invalidated by turning on the manual switch. Thereby, a user's favorite practice is realizable.

According to the present invention, in order to use the practice field, a user information recording medium is created in advance for each user, and when starting the practice, the user information recording medium is set in the user information reader, When a user places a golf club for hitting a golf ball close to the club information reader, the club information attached to the golf club is read, so the user only sets the user information recording medium in the user information reader. So, you can concentrate on golf practice under the optimal conditions.
In addition, since the optimum tee height for the user is calculated based on the physical characteristics of the user and the information on the type and length of the golf club that the user possesses, the information on the golf club used by the user can be immediately calculated. The optimal tee height can be calculated.
Also, the length of the recorded golf club is read, the height of the tee is determined based on the length and the physical characteristics of the user, and the tee lifting means is controlled. Each is set to an optimal height, and the user can concentrate on practice.
In addition, since the optimal standing position is displayed according to the physical characteristics of the user and the golf club to be used, and the practice effect is further enhanced, it is useful for correcting the form of the person himself and the practice effect can be enhanced.
Further, since it is confirmed that there is no ball on the tee after teeing up and 1 is subtracted from the number of remaining balls, the counting of the number of remaining balls and the timing of teeing up can be automatically set accurately.
Further, by turning on the manual switch, the control of the tee lifting means and the display on the standing position display unit can be invalidated, so that the user's favorite practice can be realized.

It is a figure which shows a mode that the user is practicing using the automatic tee-up apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic tee-up apparatus of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the information recorded on the IC card, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the information recorded on the club information tag. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the automatic tee-up apparatus of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like described in this embodiment are merely illustrative examples and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified. .

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how a user is practicing using the automatic tee-up device of the present invention. The automatic tee-up device 50 of the present invention includes a device body 1 including a card reader / writer (user information reader) 2, a control device 7, a club information reader 4, a display unit 17, and a manual switch 15, and an automatic tee-up device. The tee-up adjusting device (tee lifting / lowering means) 8 for changing the height of the 50 tees 11, the ball supply means 19 for supplying the golf ball 10 onto the tee 11, and the user 13 standing position mat 9 A standing position display unit 9 for displaying an optimum standing position, the tee-up adjusting device 8 and the ball supply means 19 are installed under the floor, and the tee 11 is structured to move up and down from a hole opened in the floor. Further, a hole is formed in the mat 12 so that the ball set on the tee moves up and down, and the standing position display unit 9 has a transparent mat 18 installed at a position where the user 13 stands. The display content of the standing position display unit 9 is transparent from the bottom.

Next, the general operation of the automatic tee-up device of the present invention will be described. First, in order to become a member of the practice field, the user 13 registers information that is a physical feature such as a member number, a member name, sex, and height in the IC card 3. Further, for example, the number of balls is selected from a quantity such as 100 balls, 200 balls, and 500 balls, and the remaining number of balls is prepaid. In addition, the membership number, the type of golf club, and the length are registered in the club information tag (IC tag) 6 and attached to each golf club. The club information tag 6 may be anywhere as long as it does not directly hit the golf club ball.
The user 13 who becomes a member by the above procedure sets the IC card 3 in the card reader / writer 2. At this time, the IC card 3 is set in the card reader / writer 2 until the practice is completed. The control device 7 reads all information recorded on the IC card 3. When the member is a regular member and there is a remaining number of balls, the automatic tee-up device 50 is operated. Next, when the user 13 takes out the golf club to be practiced and sets it on the mat 12, the club information reader 4 reads the contents of the club information tag 6 attached to the golf club 5. As a result, the golf club 5 is a driver, for example, and the length is read. Then, the optimal tee height is calculated based on the height and gender read from the IC card 3, the tee-up adjusting device 8 is driven, the ball 10 is set on the tee 11, and the calculated height is calculated. Set to. Further, the standing position of the user 13 is calculated, and the optimal standing position is displayed on the standing position display unit 9 based on the calculation result.

When the user 13 puts his / her foot on the optimum standing position displayed on the standing position display unit 9 and hits the tee-up ball 10 with the golf club 5, the ball 10 is no longer on the tee. It is detected and the remaining number of balls on the IC card 3 is updated by subtracting one from the number of remaining balls recorded on the IC card 3. The same operation is repeated again. When the golf club is changed, the club information reader 4 reads the information to automatically change the height of the tee 11 and change the standing position. When the manual switch 15 is turned on, the automatic teeing up and the display of the standing position are disabled, and the ball is teeed up at a constant tee height.
When the user 13 removes the IC card 3 from the card reader / writer 2 in order to finish the practice, the control device 7 recognizes that the practice is finished and notifies the center 14. Thereby, a series of operation | movement of the automatic tee-up apparatus 50 is complete | finished.

  That is, in this embodiment, in order to use the practice field, the IC card 3 is created for each user 13 in advance, and when starting the practice, the IC card 3 is set in the card reader / writer 2. Thereby, all the information recorded on the IC card 3 is temporarily stored in the control device 7. Further, when the user 13 brings the golf club 5 for hitting the golf ball 10 close to the club information reader 4, information on the club information tag 6 attached to the golf club 5 is read. In this state, all the information of the user 13 is obtained, and the tee height is calculated by calculating the optimum tee height for the club 5 to be used. Thereby, the user 13 can concentrate on golf practice only by setting the IC card 3 in the card reader / writer 2.

Further, a standing position display unit 9 for displaying the optimum standing position of the user on the user standing position mat 18 is further provided. That is, depending on the golf club to be used, the standing position of the ball and the user 13, particularly the positions of the left and right feet, are slightly different. For example, when the golf club used is a driver, it is optimal to tee up the ball on the heel line of the left foot. In the case of a short wedge iron, it is said that it is optimal to tee up the ball approximately in the middle of both feet. In this case, the standing position is slightly different if the gender and physical characteristics are different. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the optimal standing position is displayed according to the physical characteristics of the user 13 and the golf club to be used, thereby further enhancing the practice effect. This helps to correct the person's form and enhances the practice effect.
Also, some users may wish to practice at their preferred tee height or standing position without automatically setting all of them. In such a case, the control of the tee-up adjusting device 8 and the display on the standing position display unit 9 can be invalidated by turning on the manual switch 15. Thereby, a user's favorite practice is realizable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic tee-up device of the present invention.
The automatic tee-up device 50 according to the present invention includes a tee 11 that can be raised and lowered on a floor surface of a batting bat, a tee-up adjusting device 8 that raises and lowers the tee 11, and a ball supply unit that supplies a golf ball 10 onto the tee 11. 19, an IC card 3 that records the ID, number of remaining balls, and physical characteristics of each user at the bat, and a card reader / writer 2 that reads the recorded information of the IC card 3 when the user 13 enters the bat. A club information tag 6 that records information including the type and length of the golf club 5 attached to an appropriate position of the golf club 5 used by the user 13 at the bat, and a club information reader that reads the recorded information of the club information tag 6 4 and control and standing position of the standing position display unit 9 for displaying the optimum standing position of the user 13 on the standing position mat 9 of the user 13 and the tee-up adjusting device 8 A tee-up adjusting device based on the information from the manual switch 15 for invalidating the display on the display unit 9, the display unit 17 for displaying the number of remaining balls and error contents, the card reader / writer 2 and the club information reader 4. 8 and the standing position display unit 9 are controlled to adjust the tee height to an optimal value for the user 13 and the golf club 5 to be used, and the standing position of the user is calculated. Based on the calculation result And a control device 7 for displaying an optimum standing position on the standing position display unit 9. A plurality of automatic tee-up devices 50 are installed in the golf driving range, and each automatic tee-up device 50 is connected to a PC (not shown) installed in the center 14 of the driving range and managed collectively.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing an example of information recorded on the IC card, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing an example of information recorded on the club information tag. For example, information such as a member number “1234”, a member name “ΔΔxx”, a gender “male”, a height “175 cm”, and the number of remaining balls “150” is recorded on the IC card 3. The club information tag 6 records the member number, the type of golf club, and the length of the golf club for each golf club. For example, when the golf club is a driver, the membership number “1234”, the type “driver”, and the length “45 inches” are recorded, and when this information is read by the club information reader 4, it is recorded on the IC card. The membership number “1234” is searched to calculate the height of the tee and the standing position when a man with a height of 175 cm uses a 45 inch driver.
That is, a feature of the present embodiment is that an optimum tee height for the user 13 is calculated based on information on the physical characteristics of the user 13 and the type and length of the golf club possessed. Information on gender and height is particularly important as physical characteristics. That is, since the head speed is different between men and women, men set the tee height higher than women. In addition, since the arm length differs depending on the height, the higher the tee, the higher the tee. Also, the tee height is set higher as the length of the golf club used is longer. For example, the optimal tee height for a driver should be at the center of the teeed-up ball when the driver is solesed on the ground. Thereby, the optimal tee height can be calculated immediately from the information on the golf club used by the user 13.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the automatic tee-up device of the present invention. The user 13 who became a member sets the IC card 3 in the card reader / writer 2 (Y in S1). At this time, the IC card 3 is set in the card reader / writer 2 until the practice is completed. The control device 7 checks whether or not the member recorded in the IC card 3 is a regular member (S2). If the member is not a regular member (N in S2), the display unit 17 indicates that the member is not a member. (S12), and the process ends.
If it is a regular member in step S2 (Y in S2), all information recorded in the IC card 3 is read (S3). If the member is a regular member and there is a remaining number of balls (Y in S4), the automatic tee-up device 50 is operated. If there is no remaining ball number in step S4 (N in S4), the display unit 17 displays that the remaining ball number is zero (S14) and the process ends. Next, it is checked whether or not the manual switch 15 is ON (S5). If it is not manual operation (N in S5), the user 13 takes out the golf club to be practiced and sets it on the mat 12, and the club The information reader 4 reads the contents of the club information tag 6 attached to the golf club 5 (S6). As a result, if the golf club 5 is a driver, for example, and recognizes that the length is 45 inches, the optimum tee height is calculated based on the height and gender registered in the IC card 3, and the tee up adjustment is performed. The device 8 is driven to set the ball on the tee and to the calculated height (S7). Further, the standing position of the user 13 is calculated (S8), and the optimal standing position is displayed on the standing position display unit 9 based on the calculation result (S9).

When the user 13 puts his / her foot on the optimum standing position displayed on the standing position display unit 9 and hits the tee-up ball 10 with the golf club 5, it is confirmed that the ball 10 is no longer on the tee. Detected (N in S10), subtracts one from the number of remaining balls recorded on the IC card 3 (S13), and updates the number of remaining balls of the IC card 3. The same operation is repeated again. When the golf club is changed, the club information reader 4 reads the information to automatically change the height of the tee 11 and change the standing position. When the manual switch 15 is turned ON in step S5, the tee-up height adjustment and the standing position display are invalidated, and the ball is teeed up at a fixed tee height.
When the user 13 removes the IC card 3 from the card reader / writer 2 (S12) in order to finish the practice (Y in S11), the control device 7 recognizes that the practice is finished and contacts the center 14 (S13). ). Thereby, a series of operation | movement of the automatic tee-up apparatus 50 is complete | finished.

  That is, the physical characteristics of each user are recorded on the IC card 3, and the information is temporarily stored in the memory. Each golf club is attached with a club information tag 6 in which the member number, the type of golf club (driver, 5 iron, etc.), and the length are recorded. Accordingly, when the golf club 5 is brought close to the club information reader 4, the information of the club information tag 6 is read and it can be recognized which golf club is used. Then, the length of the golf club recorded there is read, the height of the tee is determined based on the length and the physical characteristics of the user, and the tee-up adjusting device 8 is controlled. Thereby, the height of a tee is set to the optimal height for each golf club, and the user can concentrate on practice. Even when the golf club is forgotten at the practice field, the owner can be immediately confirmed from the member number recorded in the club information tag 6.

  Also, the timing for setting the ball on the tee is after confirming that there is no ball on the tee after teeing up. As a result, assuming that the ball has been hit, 1 is subtracted from the number of remaining balls. As a result, the remaining ball count and the tee-up timing can be automatically set accurately. As a means for detecting the presence or absence of a ball on the tee, a method of detecting from the bottom of an air-core cylindrical tee with an optical sensor is common.

1 device body, 2 card reader / writer, 3 IC card, 4 club information reader, 5 golf club, 6 club information tag, 7 control device, 8 tee-up adjusting device, 9 standing position display unit, 10 balls, 11 tee, 12 Mat, 13 users, 14 center, 15 manual switch, 16 feet, 17 display, 18 standing position mat, 50 automatic tee-up device

Claims (6)

A tee that can be moved up and down on the floor of the batter,
Tea lifting and lowering means for lifting and lowering the tee;
Ball supply means for supplying a golf ball onto the tee;
A user information recording medium that records the ID, number of remaining balls, and physical characteristics of each user at the bat;
A user information reader for reading the recorded information of the user information recording medium when the user enters the at-bat,
A non-contact recording medium on which information including the type and length of the golf club attached to a proper position of the golf club used by the user at the bat is recorded;
A club information reader for reading the recording information of the non-contact recording medium;
A control device for controlling the tee lifting means based on the information from the user information reader and the club information reader to adjust the tee height to an optimum value for the user and the golf club to be used; An automatic tee-up device characterized by comprising:   The automatic tee-up device according to claim 1, wherein at least a member number, a member name, sex, height, and the number of remaining balls are recorded on the user information recording medium.   When the information including the type and length of the golf club is read by the club information reader, the control device determines the optimum tee height based on the physical characteristics read by the user information recording medium. The automatic tee-up device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tee lifting / lowering means is controlled by determining the tee. A standing position display unit for displaying the optimum standing position of the user on the standing position mat of the user in the at-bat;
When the information including the type and length of the golf club is read by the club information reader, the control device determines the optimum tee height based on the physical characteristics read by the user information recording medium. And controlling the tee elevating means, calculating the user's standing position, and displaying an optimum standing position on the standing position display unit based on the calculation result. The automatic tee-up device according to 2 or 3.   The user information reader has a reader / writer function, and the controller records the user information recording medium when the ball does not exist on the tee after the ball is teeed up on the tee. 5. The automatic recording according to claim 1, wherein 1 is subtracted from the number of remaining balls and the information is recorded on the user information recording medium via the user information reader. Tea-up device.   The automatic tee-up device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a manual switch for disabling control of the tee elevating unit and display on the standing position display unit.

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