JP2024054212A - Golf practice and support devices and programs - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a device suitable for portability, with dimensions that can be adjusted according to the place of use, without becoming unnecessarily large. [Solution] The device comprises a detachable first case body 21 and a second case body 22, and the second case body is equipped with a Doppler sensor 31. The first case body comprises a position measurement unit 11 that determines the current position, a golf course data storage unit 12 that stores and holds golf course layout information, and a control unit 13 that reads out the layout of the course being played from the golf course data storage unit based on the current position determined by the position measurement unit, and outputs it to a display device 14. The control unit also has a function of measuring the club swing speed based on the output of the Doppler sensor, and calculating an estimated flight distance. When the first case body operates alone, a navigation function that displays the course layout is activated, and when the second case body is connected, a practice function that calculates the swing speed, etc. is activated. [Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a golf practice and support device and program that has a function for providing golf information to golf players and a function for helping with golf practice.

For example, there is a golf support device that uses a GPS receiver to display the distance from the current position to the green, bunkers, etc., and the course layout at a golf course, and allows the ball's hit position to be recorded accurately and easily during a golf play (Patent Document 1, etc.). The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a position information acquisition means that communicates with a GPS satellite to acquire its own position information, a position information recording means that records the position information, a layout information recording means that records information on a layout image that allows the layout of the holes on the golf course to be visually recognized, together with the latitude and longitude information, and a hit trajectory display processing means that plots the position information on the layout image and displays the hit trajectory.

According to the invention of Patent Document 1, by checking the hit trajectory after playing, you can review and reflect on the play, check the course layout before or during play, and check the distance from your current position to the green, bunker, etc. while playing to develop a strategy for your play.

JP2003-339929

Improvements to conventional golf support devices have focused on increasing the variety of golf-related information provided and adding golf-related functions. As the number of functions increases, the number of antennas and sensors used also increases, making the device larger overall. Furthermore, the device may include functions that are not used at the location where it is taken, which, combined with the device's larger size, creates issues with portability.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the golf practice and support device of the present invention includes (1) a speed measurement sensor for measuring the speed of a moving object, a position measurement unit for determining the current position, a first control unit for accessing a golf course data storage means that stores and holds golf course layout information based on the current position determined by the position measurement unit, reading out the course layout and outputting it to a first display unit, and a second control unit for determining the speed of a golf ball or club head that moves with the swing of a golf club based on the output of the speed measurement sensor, and outputting information based on the determined speed to a second display unit. The "based on speed" may be the speed (swing speed, ball speed) itself, or information determined based on it (estimated flight distance, etc.).

In the embodiment, the speed measurement sensor corresponds to the Doppler sensor 31. The speed measurement sensor is only required to detect and output information for measuring speed, as in the Doppler sensor of this embodiment, and does not necessarily have to be able to detect and calculate the actual speed. In the embodiment, the golf course data storage means corresponds to the golf course data storage unit 12. In the embodiment, it is implemented integrally within the case, but as explained in the modified example, it may also be configured separately in a server or the like.

In the present invention, a golf support mode (in an embodiment, a golf navigation mode) is executed in which the first control unit is operated to display course layout information on the first display unit based on the current position, and a golf practice mode is executed in which the second control unit acquires the output from the speed measurement sensor, calculates the swing speed and ball speed, and outputs the results, etc., to the second display unit.

(2) It is preferable to have a first case body and a second case body that are separable, the second case body having the speed measurement sensor and a communication interface that transmits the output of the speed measurement sensor to the first case body, and the first case body having a communication interface that receives the output of the speed measurement sensor sent from the second main case, the position measurement unit, the first control unit, and the second control unit.

When the golf support mode (golf navigation mode in this embodiment) is being executed, in which the first control unit is operated to display course layout information on the first display unit based on the current position, the speed measurement sensor is not essential, so the second case body and the first case body are separated. This allows the first case body to be used alone, making it compact and convenient to carry. In particular, when this golf support mode is being operated, since the player is moving around the golf course, it is preferable for the case to be small and lightweight, as this makes it easy to carry.

On the other hand, during practice, both the first case body and the second case body are used, and the second control unit acquires the output from the speed measurement sensor, calculates the swing speed and ball speed, and activates a golf practice mode that outputs the results to the second display unit. Normally, golf practice involves actually hitting a golf ball at a driving range or taking practice swings in the garden of one's home or other places, but it does not involve moving around over a wide area, and using both by connecting the second case body to the first case body, etc., does not pose much of a problem even if the entire device becomes a little larger. In addition, by incorporating the control unit and man-machine interface (input means such as switches and output means for the display unit) for executing the golf practice mode into the first case body and using them also for executing the golf support mode, the entire device can be made even smaller.

When the second control unit operates, the second control unit obtains the output of the speed measurement sensor, so that both the second case body and the first case body are operating and capable of communicating. Therefore, the installation position of the second display unit may be on the second case body side, or on the first case body side as in the embodiment. When the second display unit is installed on the first case body, the first display unit and the second display unit may be shared or common as actual hardware components. Furthermore, each display unit may be provided separately from each case body, and each control unit may output necessary information to that display unit.

(3) The first case body may be provided with a determination unit that determines whether the second case body is connected, and may be configured so that the first control unit operates when the second case body is not connected to the first case body, and the second control unit operates when the second case body is connected to the first case body. By automatically switching the operating mode (control unit that operates) depending on the presence or absence of the second case body, it is convenient because it operates in a mode suitable for each connection situation without the user having to perform a special mode switch. Of course, even if the device is provided with a function for switching the automatically operating control unit, such switching may be performed as a priority, and execution in another mode may be performed by manual operation, etc.

(4) The first display unit and the second display unit may be provided on the first case body. By arranging the first display unit and the second display unit together, the display units can be set in a location that is easy to see throughout the case. In other words, even if the two display units are installed separately, the two display units are arranged in easy-to-see locations, so that the user can be assured of easy viewing no matter which mode is executed and which display unit is displayed. (5) Furthermore, the first display unit and the second display unit may be configured in common. This is preferable because not only can the number of parts be reduced, which reduces costs, but also makes the entire case more compact.

(6) The first control unit and the second control unit may be configured with the same CPU. By configuring the control units that realize the respective functions with the same CPU, not only can the device configuration, including the interface with the input/output unit, be simplified and made smaller, but it is also easy to switch between programs to be executed.

(7) A club type input unit is provided for specifying the type of club to be used, and the second control unit is provided with a distance calculation function for calculating an estimated flight distance using the determined speed and a coefficient associated with the club type specified by the club type input unit, and the estimated flight distance determined by the distance calculation function is stored in the memory unit in association with the club type. In the embodiment, the club type input unit is realized by a switch 19. The memory unit is preferably provided in the first case body as in the embodiment. The estimated flight distance measured in the golf practice mode is stored in the memory unit of the first case body, so that the data stored in the memory unit can be read and written even after the second case body is removed.

(8) The first control unit may have a function of drawing a mark at a position on the course layout displayed on the first display unit that corresponds to the current position determined by the position measurement unit, and reading the acquired estimated flight distance for the club type to be used from the storage unit and displaying it on the first display unit. The mark corresponds to the player's own icon I in the embodiment. By displaying the current position and the estimated flight distance, it is easy to understand whether the target location can be reached with the selected club type.

(9) The estimated flight distance may be displayed by drawing a circle with the mark as its center and the estimated flight distance as its radius. By drawing a circle, it is possible to intuitively recognize the distance visually, and it is also possible to predict the location where the ball will fly if the ball is hit at an angle due to a miss or other reason.

(10) The estimated flight distance displayed on the first display unit may be at least one of an average value, a maximum value, and a minimum value. By displaying the average value, it is possible to predict the location where the ball will land if it flies normally, and by displaying the maximum value or minimum value, it is possible to predict the location where the ball will land if the hit is too good or if the hit is missed, which is preferable.

(11) The second control unit has a function of displaying a hole layout of a golf course on the first display unit or the second display unit, and a ball stop point candidate display function of drawing a circle with a radius equal to the estimated flight distance calculated by the distance calculation unit and centered on a specified point on the hole layout, and the specified point may be a specified point within a tee ground on the hole layout or a point specified on the circumference of the circle drawn by the ball stop point candidate display function. The hole layout may be that of a virtual golf course or that of a real golf course. In either case, practice can be performed that is closer to playing actual golf.

(12) The hole layout may be for an actual golf course stored in the golf course data storage unit. This is preferable because it allows a simulation to be performed using the hole layout of an actual golf course.

(13) The second control unit may have a function to display the actual golf course layout stored in the golf course data storage means on the first display unit or the second display unit, and a function to calculate an intersection between a circumference of a circle having a radius equal to the estimated flight distance calculated by the distance calculation unit and a reference line set on the course layout, centered on a specified point on the course layout, determine a ball stopping point based on the calculated intersection, and display the determined point. In this way, the ball stopping position can be determined automatically, which is convenient as the user does not have to specify a stopping position for each shot.

(14) The reference line may indicate a route to a hole on the course layout. In this case, the intersection of the route and the circumference may be set as a stopping point, and the position may be easily determined.

(15) The attack route is a line connecting a specific position on the tee ground to a specific position on the green, and if the line is non-linear, it is preferable to specify it using one or more reference points that indicate the position where the direction changes. In this way, the attack route can be set based on a small amount of information.

(16) The reference line may be the boundary line of the fairway and/or the boundary line of the course layout. In this case, the intersection points of the two paired boundary lines and the circumference are found, and a predetermined position (e.g., the midpoint) on the line (chord/arc) connecting the two intersection points can be set as the stopping position.

(17) It is preferable to have a function of displaying the course layout of the golf course on the first display unit or the second display unit, and a function of, when receiving a designation of a target point on the displayed course layout, calculating the distance from the current position to the target point, accessing an estimated distance storage means that stores an estimated distance for each club type, determining a club type suitable for use when hitting the ball toward the target point based on the calculated distance and the estimated distance for each club type, and notifying information about the determined club type. In this way, it is easy to select a club type.

(18) The device may be further configured to include a function for notifying the estimated flight distance of the determined club type and the calculated distance. In this way, it is easy to determine whether the club type determined by the device is correct.

(19) The program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the golf practice and support device described in any one of (1) to (18) above.

In the present invention, it is possible to execute both a golf support mode in which course layout information is displayed on the first display unit based on the current position, and a golf practice mode in which the second control unit acquires the output from the speed measurement sensor, calculates the swing speed and ball speed, and outputs the results, etc., to the second display unit. In particular, by making the first case body and the second case body separable, the dimensions can be adjusted according to the place of use, and the device is suitable for portability without becoming unnecessarily large.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode. FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hole layout in a virtual golf course and holes on software stored in a device. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The golf practice and support device of this embodiment has golf support functions such as golf navigation that displays the course layout of an actual golf course, locates the current position, and notifies the player of the current position and the remaining distance to the green in real time as the player moves, and a golf practice function that calculates and outputs the head speed of a golf club, the ball speed of the ball actually hit, and the estimated flight distance, etc.

1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of the usage state of the golf practice and support device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2(a), the golf practice and support device 10 is installed at a predetermined position behind the golfer 1 who swings the golf club 2. The specific installation position is a position where the detection range of the golf practice and support device 10 includes the point where the head 2a of the golf club 2 moves at the maximum speed during the swing. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, the vicinity of the lowest point of the movement trajectory 3 of the head 2a of the golf club 2 is the impact position with the ball 4, and the movement speed of the head 2a is usually maximum near this position, so the installation position is on the tangent 5 of the lowest point of the movement trajectory 3 and behind the golfer 1. In this case, the distance between the ball 4 and the golf practice and support device 10 is about 1 m. As will be described later, the golf practice and support device 10 has a built-in Doppler sensor, so the opening surface 11a of the antenna of the Doppler sensor is installed so as to face the ball 4 (facing on the tangent 5).

This installation position corresponds to the case where the club used is a club other than a putter, and the ball 4 does not have to be present. In other words, when the ball 4 is placed and actually hit, the golf practice and support device 10 simultaneously measures both the head speed and the ball speed with each swing, but when a practice swing is made without the ball 4 placed (or without actually hitting the ball even if it is placed), only the head speed is measured.

On the other hand, when the club used is a putter, the installation position is as shown in FIG. 2(b). In other words, the golf practice/support device 10 is placed diagonally in front of the golfer 1, more specifically, about 20 cm forward of the ball 4 as viewed from the golfer 1, and about 20 cm further ahead in the direction of the ball 4's launch. The antenna aperture 11a of the golf practice/support device 10 is then made to face about 1 m from the destination of the ball 4's roll. In this mode of use, in order to measure the ball speed, it is essential that the golfer 1 actually hits the ball 4 after placing it. The speed measurement area of the golf practice/support device 10 is set to a certain area where the ball B rolls, and the movement trajectory of the head 2'a of the putter 2' does not exist within that measurement area, so the head speed cannot be measured. Therefore, only the ball speed is measured.

Figure 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the golf practice and support device 10 according to the present invention. This golf practice and support device 10 comprises a first case body 21 and a second case body 22, and these two case bodies 21, 22 are detachable. A connecting mechanism is provided on the sides of both case bodies 21, 22, and these sides are aligned and brought into contact with each other to connect them. When connected, they form a single housing. With this connection, the first connector 23 and the second connector 36 arranged on each side are connected and electrically connected, allowing data to be transmitted and received as well as power to be supplied. In addition, the first and second case bodies 21, 22 may also be mechanically connected by connecting these first and second connectors 23, 36.

The first case body 21 incorporates elements that constitute golf support functions such as golf navigation. That is, the first case body 21 includes a position measurement unit 11 that receives a GPS signal and determines the current position, a golf course data storage unit 12 that stores golf information such as the course layout of the golf course in advance, a control unit 13 that accesses the golf course data storage unit 12 based on the current position information from the position measurement unit 11, acquires information about the golf course, and outputs it to an output device, a display device 14 and a speaker 15 that constitute the output device, a connection status detection unit 16 that detects whether the second case body 22 is connected, and a battery 17 that serves as a power source when carried. The first case body 21 also includes a storage device 18, various switches 19, and a communication interface 20.

The golf course data storage unit 12 is composed of recording media such as an internal memory or a removable external recording medium (such as a micro SD memory card). The golf information stored in this golf course data storage unit 12 includes data about the actual golf course (course layout of each hole, positions of objects on the course such as golf course greens and bunkers), etc. This information can be similar to that disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-57189 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-339929.

The control unit 13 is equipped with a microcomputer that includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, various peripheral circuits, interfaces, etc. When the power switch is turned on, the control unit 13 receives power from the battery 17 and starts operating. The control unit 13 uses a boot loader recorded in the ROM to expand the OS and application programs recorded in the flash memory onto the RAM, and executes the OS and application programs on the RAM, thereby performing the various processes described below and realizing various functions.

The storage device 18 records the results of the calculations and may be a non-removable internal storage device or a slot (including a read/write function) for inserting a removable recording medium such as an SD memory card. The recording medium and device that constitutes the storage device 18 may be shared with the golf course data storage unit 12 in the actual device.

The connection state detection unit 16 detects whether the second case body 22 is attached to the first case body 21. For example, a pressure-sensitive/contact switch (sensor) such as a limit switch is arranged on the side of the first case body 21 (the connection surface with the second case body 22), and the switch is set to be ON (or OFF) when the two case bodies 21 and 22 are connected, and to be switched to OFF (or ON) when the two case bodies 21 and 22 are separated (the second case body 22 is removed from the first case body 21). In this case, the switch is preferably flush with the surface of the first case body 21 or slightly recessed inward, and the switch is pressed with a protrusion or the like provided on the second case body 22. In this way, when the first case body 21 is carried alone, it is possible to prevent the switch from being pressed by mistake and the second case body 22 being erroneously determined to be connected. In addition, the switch is not limited to a direct contact type, and a non-contact type such as a proximity sensor can also be used. The detection result of this connection status detection unit 16 is provided to the control unit 13.

The display device 14 is formed from an LCD, an organic EL display, or the like. The battery 17 may be a primary battery such as a dry cell, or a rechargeable secondary battery such as a rechargeable battery. The switch 19 includes a power switch for turning the power on and off, and an operation switch for issuing various instructions. A touch panel may also be provided on the surface of the display device 14, and the touch panel may be used as the operation switch.

The control unit 13 determines the operation mode based on the detection result from the connection status detection unit 16. That is, the control unit 13 has an application program for implementing a golf support function (golf navigation mode) such as golf navigation, and an application program for implementing a golf practice function (golf practice mode) that calculates and outputs the head speed of a golf club, the ball speed of an actually hit ball, an estimated flight distance, etc., and switches between and executes them. In this embodiment, when the second case body 22 is not connected and the first case body 21 is used alone, the control unit 13 executes the golf navigation mode, and when the second case body 22 is connected to the first case body 21, the control unit 13 executes the golf practice mode.

In this way, the control unit 13 automatically switches between the golf navigation mode and the golf practice mode based on the detection result of the connection state detection unit 16, but a manually operated mode changeover switch may be provided as the switch 19 so that the mode can be changed based on the user's instruction. In this case, the manual mode changeover function based on the user's instruction and the automatic changeover function can coexist. That is, for example, when the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 are connected, if the control unit 13 automatically switches to the golf practice mode based on the detection result from the connection state detection unit 16, and the golf navigation mode is selected by the mode changeover switch, the control unit 13 switches the program to be executed to the golf navigation mode. As a result, for example, when the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 are brought to a golf course, and the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 are connected before playing, and the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 are connected before playing, the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 can be switched to the golf navigation mode and carried to the course. That is, the user can prevent the second case body 22 from being left behind by removing it to use it in the golf navigation mode.

The control unit 13, which is executing the golf navigation mode, accesses the golf course data storage unit 12 based on the position information (longitude and latitude) from the position measurement unit 11, and reads out information on the golf course currently being played. Then, from the current position information, the corresponding course is read out and drawn on the display device 14. An example of a display screen drawn on the display device 14 is as shown in FIG. 4. In this figure, a self-icon I indicating the user's current location is drawn in the center of the display screen, and the layout of the hole currently being played is drawn with the green at the top. This allows the user to know the direction toward the green as well as the position, size, and shape of ponds and bunkers around the green. In addition, concentric lines L are drawn superimposed on the layout of the hole, centered on the self-icon I. This allows the user to understand the approximate distance to the pond or bunker. By displaying the course layout in this way, the user can check how to attack each hole, even if it is his/her first course.

A remaining distance display area R1 is set in the bottom right of the screen. That is, the positions of the green edge and the center of the green are registered as information about the green in the golf course data storage unit 12. The control unit 13 then finds the distance between the current position and the center of the green, and displays the remaining distance to the center of the green ("149" in the figure). It also finds the intersection point between the line connecting the current position and the center of the green and the green edge, finds the distance between the intersection point and the current position, and displays the remaining distance to the green edge ("132" in the figure). It also draws a directional arrow Y pointing from the current position to the center of the green.

In addition, an arbitrary point can be registered based on a switch operation or the like. Specifically, the control unit 13 obtains the current position when a point registration process is accepted by a switch operation or the like from the position measurement unit 11, and registers the point. This arbitrary point can be used, for example, to register a point where a ball was actually hit. If such a registered arbitrary point exists in the hole layout displayed on the display screen, a point registration icon I0 is drawn at the corresponding position. Furthermore, the distance from the registered point to the current position of the player's icon I is calculated and displayed in the flying distance display area R2 prepared at the bottom left of the display screen (in the figure, "138"). In addition, multiple points can be registered, and the position information of each registered point is recorded in the storage device 18 in the order of registration for each hole. As a result, by registering the position where the ball was hit each time, the track of play on an actual golf course can be recorded, and by drawing each hole layout together with the point registration icon I0 on the display device 14, the track of actual play can be confirmed on the display screen.

The upper area of the display screen of the display device 14 displays an icon I1 indicating the remaining battery level, an icon I2 indicating the hole number currently being played, an icon I3 (L (left)/R (right)) specifying the green being used on a two-green hole, and an icon I4 (yd (yards)/m (meters)) indicating the units of distance display. Furthermore, the time is displayed on the right edge of the information area.

As described later, this embodiment also includes a golf practice mode, in which the estimated flight distance for each club type can be recorded. When used in the golf navigation mode, the control unit 13 recognizes the designation of a club type (number) and reads out the estimated flight distance for the designated club type from the storage device 18 and displays it superimposed on the display screen of the course layout. At this time, the estimated flight distance may be displayed as a text as a number, or a circle with a radius of a length equivalent to the estimated flight distance on the display screen may be drawn with the self-icon I at its center. In particular, when the estimated flight distance is displayed as a circle, it is preferable because it allows visual and intuitive understanding of whether the selected club type is appropriate in relation to the remaining distance, and whether the ball may be caught in a hazard such as a bunker or a pond or in the rough if the launch direction deviates from the desired direction.

The club type can be specified by operating a club selection switch for selecting and specifying a club type, which is provided as one type of switch 19. The control unit 13 then calculates an estimated flight distance based on the selected club type and information such as head speed and ball speed. Specifically, when the control unit 13 recognizes a press (e.g., a "short press") of the club selection switch, it cycles through the club types in the following order:
"1W → 3W → 5W → 3I → 4I → 5I → 6I → 7I → 8I → 9I → W (wedge) → Pt (putter)"

In addition, the control unit 13 displays the currently selected club type in a club type display area set at a predetermined position on the display screen of the display device 14 by appropriately using "W, I, t and 7 segments" in accordance with this rotation of club types. In other words, if a wood (1W, 3W, 5W) is selected, "W" and the selected number are displayed, if an iron (3I, 4I, 5I, 6I, 7I, 8I, 9I) is selected, "I" and the selected number are displayed, if a wedge (W) is selected, only "W" is displayed, and if a putter (Pt) is selected, only "t" is displayed (P can also be displayed using 7 segments).

Furthermore, as described below, if the device is equipped with a function for calculating the maximum and minimum estimated flight distances measured in the golf practice mode, the control unit 13 may display the maximum and minimum values in addition to the estimated flight distance (average value). As an example of a display layout in such a case, as shown in FIG. 5, concentric circles (S0: average value, SH: maximum value, SL: minimum value) are drawn with the user's icon I at the center. This allows for more accurate prediction of the range of the ball's arrival point when the ball is hit too well and flies too far (maximum value) or when the ball is missed (minimum value), allowing for appropriate selection of the club type.

As described above, in golf navigation mode, the control unit 13 draws the course layout of the hole currently being played on the display screen of the display device 14, and draws a self-icon I at a point on the course layout that corresponds to the current position. Then, when an arbitrary point on the displayed course layout is designated as the point to be hit (target point), the control unit 13 is preferably provided with a function to calculate the distance from the current position to the designated point, determine the club type suitable for hitting that distance, and display information about the determined club type. At this time, it is also preferable to display the distance to the point.

That is, as described below, information regarding the estimated flight distance for each club type (average value, maximum value, minimum value, etc.) is recorded in the storage device 18, etc. Then, the distance to the point thus determined is compared with the estimated flight distance (for example, the average value) of each club type to determine the club type that is closest. Also, the determination of the club type is not limited to this, and it may be the club type with the closest estimated flight distance among those with longer estimated flight distances.

The control unit 13 may then display the type of club and the estimated flight distance as information about the determined club type. By displaying the average value, maximum value, minimum value, and distance to the point, the estimated flight distance can be displayed together, making it easy to determine whether the club type is appropriate.

Furthermore, in the golf navigation mode, the above-mentioned location registration function and club type designation function can be used to record actual play. When hitting a ball, the user operates the switch 19 to register the location of the hit and the club type used. The control unit 13 registers the location where the ball was hit and the club type used at that time in the storage device 18 in order from the first hit. Since the flight distance of the ball hit this time is the distance between the location registered this time and the location registered next, the control unit 13 calculates the actual flight distance and registers the location where the ball was hit, the club type, and the actual flight distance in association with each other. As a result, the control unit 13 obtains the average flight distance, maximum flight distance, and minimum flight distance for each club type and displays them on the display device 14. At this time, for example, the actual flight distance and the estimated flight distance are displayed together (simultaneously/alternately), so that the difference between the estimated flight distance and the actual flight distance can be recognized. By successively displaying the estimated distance and the actual distance while playing and checking the discrepancy, the user can recognize whether the ball is flying well or not and the extent of the difference compared to the normal estimated distance on that day, and during subsequent plays on that day, the user can appropriately select the type of club to actually use based on the displayed estimated distance + club type.

In addition, the distance to be displayed when the club type is selected may be the actual distance instead of the estimated distance obtained during the golf practice mode as described above. The estimated distance is calculated simply and conveniently based on the swing speed, ball speed, etc., and does not necessarily represent the actual distance due to the coefficients used during the calculation. Therefore, as the distance to be displayed when the club type is selected, the control unit 13 has a function to display information based on the user's past actual distance for the same club type. The information based on the actual distance in this case may be the average value of the actual distance, or the maximum or minimum actual distance as in the case of the estimated distance. In addition, whether the actual distance or the estimated distance is to be output may be selected alternatively based on a switch operation, or both may be displayed.

In addition, by registering the actual distance history data in association with date (date and time) information, the control unit 13 can, for example, display information based on the actual distance based on today's play. In this way, an actual distance that is closer to the playing environment, such as the player's condition and the course condition, on that day is displayed, making it easier to formulate a strategy. In particular, in the case of a club type that is used multiple times, such as a driver on the tee or a favorite club used on the fairway, being able to check the actual distance of that day can provide useful information for selecting the appropriate direction of launch and club number.

Furthermore, since the control unit 13 knows which golf course is currently being played at, it is advisable to register the information based on the actual play described above (hit position, club type, distance, etc.) in association with information specifying the golf course where the ball was played (golf course name, identification code, etc.). In this way, if the same golf course has been played multiple times, it is advisable to display information based on the actual distances traveled at that golf course (average distance, maximum distance, minimum distance, etc. for each club type).

Even if a mode that displays the actual flight distance is selected, there may be cases where actual flight distance data is not available for the selected club type, so the control unit 13 should have a function to read out and display the estimated flight distance in such cases. In particular, when the actual flight distance limited to the play on that day or the actual flight distance limited to that golf course is selected as described above, the club type selected for the next shot may be used for the first time, so it is good to display the estimated flight distance as reference information. In such cases, the display should make it clear that it is an estimated flight distance.

Furthermore, by using a removable recording medium such as a memory card as the storage device 18, or by using a USB or other communications interface with a specified wired or wireless external device, the information collected and recorded based on actual play and stored in the storage device 18 can be transferred to an external device such as a personal computer for management or display on a large screen.

Inside the second case body 22, there are components used only in the golf practice mode, such as a microwave Doppler sensor 31 with an output frequency of 24.15 GHz, an amplifier 32 that amplifies the output signal of the Doppler sensor 31 (one wave corresponds to a movement of the golf club head of 6 mm), a comparator 33 that compares the signal amplified by the amplifier 32 with a reference value and outputs a Doppler pulse (a high level signal if the signal is equal to or greater than the reference value, and a low level signal if the signal is less than the reference value), a communication interface 34 required for sending and receiving data to and from the first case body 21, and a second connector 36. In addition, the side of the second case body 22 is also provided with a protrusion 35 for causing the connection state detection unit 16 in the first case body 21 to detect the connection. And the control unit such as a CPU that performs calculation processing and control to execute the golf practice mode, the switch as a man-machine interface, and the output device (display device) are also mounted on the first case body 21 and are used for both purposes.

As a result, when using the golf navigation mode, the second case body housing the Doppler sensor and other components not required for that mode can be removed, and the first case body 21 operates on its own, making it compact and easy to carry to the golf course and carry around while playing. On the other hand, when using the golf practice mode, the second case body 22 and the first case body 21 can be connected, allowing the control unit and man-machine interface to be implemented in the first case body 21, so that the overall device combining the two case bodies does not become significantly larger, and while the device can execute two modes, many devices and components can be shared, leading to reduced costs through a reduced number of components.

The sensors and various electronic circuits in the second case body 22 operate based on the battery 17 in the first case body 21. In other words, by connecting the first case body 21 and the second case body 22, power is supplied from the first connector 23 to the second case body 22 via the second connector 36.

The analog signal amplified by the amplifier 32 and the pulse signal output from the comparator 33 are sent to the control unit 13 via the communication interface 34 → second connector 36 → first connector 23 → communication interface 20. The analog signal amplified by the amplifier 32 is converted to a digital signal by an A/D converter built into the control unit 13.

When the second case body 22 is connected to the first case body 21, the control unit 13 executes the golf practice mode. Therefore, the control unit 13 calculates the swing speed based on these signals. That is, as described above, when the power is turned on, the Doppler sensor 31 output is amplified by the amplifier 32, and the analog waveform is threshold-processed by the comparator 33 to generate a coded Doppler pulse, which is input from the comparator 33 to the control unit 13. The control unit 13 then uses a built-in counter to calculate the period of the Doppler pulse and calculates the speed of the moving object. If the moving object is the head of a golf club, the head speed is calculated, and if the moving object is a ball, the ball speed (initial speed) is calculated. This specific calculation algorithm can be, for example, the technology disclosed in JP Patent Publication No. 6-86845, as well as various other calculation algorithms.

Furthermore, since this device is specialized for measuring the head speed when swinging a golf club, it is advisable to first accumulate speed data from the start to the end of the swing, and then calculate the maximum swing speed from the accumulated data.

In addition, when only a practice swing is made without placing a ball, the control unit 13 can easily obtain the head speed using the above-mentioned known algorithm. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the ball is actually hit, the control unit 13 obtains the ball speed and the head speed at the same time. This is because the moving speed of the head accompanying the swing of the golf club gradually increases from the start of the swing, reaches a maximum speed around the time of hitting the ball, and then gradually slows down. On the other hand, the ball remains stationary at the beginning of the swing of the golf club, so the moving speed is 0, and when the head hits and is hit, the ball moves, so the speed increases. There is a difference between the peak of the speed change of the head speed and the peak of the speed change of the ball speed (the peak of the ball speed occurs later). Therefore, since two speed peaks occur, each speed can be obtained. Specifically, for example, both speeds can be obtained using technology such as JP Patent Publication No. 6-86845.

The ball speed is not limited to being calculated based on the Doppler pulse as described above. For example, the signal output from the amplifier 32 (the amplified Doppler signal output by the Doppler sensor 31) may be A/D converted and stored in a separate memory, and the A/D converted data stored in the memory may be subjected to frequency spectrum analysis (e.g., fast Fourier transform (FFT) or the like) to calculate the ball speed. The golf ball is smaller than the head and is positioned farther away. Even with an input signal with an unfavorable S/N ratio due to a small level Doppler signal caused by such a small reflected wave, the FFT frequency decomposes the noise components to the entire frequency range and extracts the signal components as a line spectrum, ensuring a sufficient S/N ratio for analysis.

It is also advisable to start storing data in memory when a swing is detected. In this way, there is no need for constant storage, and the load required for memory update processing is reduced. In this case, the swing determination function may determine that a swing has occurred when the period of the Doppler signal based on the Doppler signal output by the Doppler sensor 31 becomes a periodic pattern corresponding to the swing of a golf club. The control unit 13 displays the determined speed on the display device 14 and stores it in the storage device 18.

Furthermore, the device is provided with a club selection switch as switch 19 for selecting and specifying the club type according to the club to be used. The button elements constituting switch 19 are the same as those used in the golf navigation mode, and the control unit 13 recognizes the operation of the same switch as a different instruction depending on the active mode. The control unit 13 then calculates an estimated flight distance from the selected club type and information such as head speed and ball speed. Specifically, when the control unit 13 recognizes the pressing of the club selection switch (e.g., a "short press"), it cycles through the club types in the following order:
"1W → 3W → 5W → 3I → 4I → 5I → 6I → 7I → 8I → 9I → W (wedge) → Pt (putter)"

In addition, the control unit 13 displays the currently selected club type in a club type display area set at a predetermined position on the display screen of the display device 14 by appropriately using "W, I, t and 7 segments" in accordance with this rotation of club types. In other words, if a wood (1W, 3W, 5W) is selected, "W" and the selected number are displayed, if an iron (3I, 4I, 5I, 6I, 7I, 8I, 9I) is selected, "I" and the selected number are displayed, if a wedge (W) is selected, only "W" is displayed, and if a putter (Pt) is selected, only "t" is displayed (P can also be displayed using 7 segments).

The control unit 13 has an estimated flight distance calculation function. This estimated flight distance calculation function is a function that calculates an estimated flight distance from the ball speed and the type of club used when the ball is actually hit, and calculates an estimated flight distance from the head speed and the type of club used when a practice swing is made. Specifically, a coefficient for the ball speed and a coefficient for the bed speed are set in advance for each type of club (a club type-coefficient table or the like is provided), and the estimated flight distance is calculated by multiplying the ball speed or head speed by the coefficient corresponding to the club type. Note that the presence or absence of a ball may be specified manually by manual operation, or various sensors may be provided so that the device automatically recognizes it.

The measurement results are stored in the storage device 18. The control unit 13 has the function of reading out past history stored in this storage device 18 and displaying it on the display device 14 in accordance with instructions based on the operation of the switch 19, as well as calculating the average value of the past measurement results and displaying it on the display device 14. The average value is the average value for the selected club type from the history (maximum of 500 items) recorded in the storage device 18. Furthermore, the control unit 13 extracts the highest and lowest values for each club type and displays these as well.

Also, as explained in the golf navigation mode, when the actual flight distance is calculated by registering the location and recorded together with the type of club used, the control unit 13 may read the actual flight distance for the same club type stored in the storage device 18, calculate a correction value from the difference/ratio with the estimated flight distance, and correct the estimated flight distance with the correction value. In addition, for example, the actual flight distance is often a full shot in actual play with a driver, but with a large iron, a half shot is often taken based on the remaining distance. Therefore, in the golf navigation mode, information on whether or not to use it as data when calculating the average value of the actual flight distance (whether or not a full shot was made) may be recorded as additional information, and when calculating this correction value, the average value of the actual flight distance when a full shot is made may be used from the additional information. In this way, the actual flight distance displayed in the golf navigation mode may be calculated from a full shot or other shots that meet certain conditions.

Next, we will explain the "training mode," which is one of the golf practice modes. The training mode is based on a virtual golf course, and the player plays the virtual course in a game-like manner. There are two modes: a "full round," in which holes 1 to 18 are played in one set, and a "hole designation," in which the course is completed at a hole designated by the player. The player selects between a "full round" and a "hole designation" play style by operating a hole designation switch provided as switch 18. In this embodiment, 18 holes are provided, so for example, each time the hole designation switch is pressed, the selection changes as follows: "full round" → "hole designation (1st)" → "hole designation (2nd)" → ... "hole designation (18th)" → "full round" → ... Of course, the designation can be made easier by increasing the number of switches.

The course layout of the virtual course (all 18 holes) used in the training mode is stored in the memory device 18 of the first case body 21 or in the golf course data storage unit 12, and is displayed on the display device 14.

An example of the layout of a certain hole is the hole layout shown in FIG. 6. The user then plays the game based on the layout diagram of the hole to be played. In addition, the hole in the software executed by the control unit 13 is simply divided into zones according to distance, as shown in FIG. 6.

In this training mode, the system reads out stored map data of the virtual golf course (distance from the tee ground to the cup, locations of penalty zones such as OB and water hazards, etc.), calculates an estimated flight distance from the head speed or ball speed associated with the swing of the golf club, finds the remaining distance to the cup, and displays the remaining distance and the number of strokes up to that point on the display device 14, repeating this process until the ball is finally in the cup (remaining distance is below a threshold value).

That is, the control unit 13 calculates the estimated flight distance based on the head speed or ball speed, subtracts the calculated estimated flight distance from the remaining distance at the shot position of the ball, obtains the remaining distance at the stop point of the ball (the shot position of the next ball), and adds "one stroke" to the number of strokes. The control unit 13 displays the obtained remaining distance and number of strokes on the display device 14. If the stop point of the ball (the shot position of the next ball) to which the estimated flight distance is added to the current position is a penalty area such as a water hazard or OB, the control unit 13 blinks the remaining distance for a few seconds, adds the penalty to the number of strokes, corrects the remaining distance, and displays the corrected number of strokes and remaining distance. If the ball enters a water hazard, the boundary position on the tee ground side of the water hazard is set as the shot position of the next ball, and the distance from there to the cup is calculated to obtain the remaining distance. If the ball enters an OB zone, the previous shot position is set as the next shot position, and the distance from there to the cup is set as the corrected remaining distance. In other words, the remaining distance after the previous shot (the current remaining distance plus the estimated distance from the previous shot) becomes the revised remaining distance.

When the ball stops in the green area (on the green), the microcontroller 14 lights up the "NICE ON" logo on the display device 14. Also, the unit of distance on the green changes from "yards" to "m" (meters).

Furthermore, if the remaining distance is 1m or less, it is deemed to be a cup-in, and the control unit 13 displays a message indicating that the ball is in the cup on the display device 14 for a few seconds. If the remaining distance is within the range of 1-3m, it is deemed to be "OK" (hole-out with one stroke plus), and the control unit 13 displays a message indicating that the ball is OK on the display device 14 for a few seconds.

In addition, the course layout used in this training mode has the function of using the course layout of an actual golf course stored in the golf course data storage unit 12. This allows you to enjoy a simulation as if you were playing on an actual golf course, for example at a golf driving range, or use it for pre-practice before actual play.

In practice, the user selects the golf course to be used from a menu screen (not shown). As described above, the golf course data storage unit 12 stores data on the actual golf course (course layout of each hole, positions of objects on the course such as greens and bunkers) as one piece of golf information, so the control unit 13 accesses the golf course data storage unit 12, reads out the course layout of the specified golf course, and draws the course layout of the specified hole on the display device 14. At this time, the specified hole to be drawn is the first hole to be drawn when "full round" is selected in which all holes are played in order from the first hole, as in the virtual golf course in the training mode described above, and thereafter, when the play of that hole is completed, the next hole becomes the specified hole. Also, when "hole designation" is selected to play a specified hole, the specified hole becomes the specified hole to be drawn.

The user specifies the location (shot position) where the ball will be hit on the hole to be played, which is depicted on the display device 14. This can be done, for example, by providing a touch panel on the display screen of the display device 14 and touching any point on the course layout depicted on the display device 14. The control unit 13 designates the point on the course layout touched by the touch panel as the shot position, and draws a specified icon (mark) at that shot position. The user can check whether the shot position is correct by looking at the icon. If the position of the drawn icon is different from what the user expected, the user touches the display device 14 (touch panel) again to reset the shot position.

In an actual game of golf, the first shot is a tee shot from the tee ground. Therefore, the user can specify the location of the tee shot by touching any point within the tee ground on the course layout depicted on the display device 14. Furthermore, if the user touches an area outside the tee ground, the user can practice the second and subsequent shots in an actual game on a golf course. In other words, by specifying various points near the green, the user can practice aiming at the green from various such points, or practice strategies for the second and subsequent shots assuming a missed tee shot.

Furthermore, since the first shot in an actual play is a tee shot from the tee ground, a predetermined position within the tee ground (a pre-set position such as the center of the area or the center of the front end) may be registered in advance in the golf course data storage unit 12, and the control unit 13 may read out the registered predetermined position within the tee ground and determine it as the shot position. In this way, the shot position is automatically determined, eliminating the need for the user to manually specify it.

The control unit 13 recognizes the type of club specified via the club selection switch, and calculates the estimated flight distance from the swing speed or ball speed using an estimated flight distance calculation function, and draws concentric circles of the estimated flight distance on the course layout display with the shot position determined above as the center.

The user specifies a specific position on the concentric circle of the estimated flight distance. If the user actually hits the ball, the user estimates the direction of the ball's actual flight and specifies the intersection of that flight direction with the concentric circle. If the user is only practicing, the user specifies an arbitrary point. This specification is performed by touching the corresponding position on the displayed concentric circle when a touch panel is placed over the display device 14. If there is no touch panel, the control unit 13 draws a mark (cursor) indicating a possible stopping position of the ball at an arbitrary point on the displayed concentric circle. The user can then operate a cursor key provided as a switch 19 to move the mark indicating the possible stopping position along the concentric circle of the estimated flight distance and select the arbitrary position to specify the position.

This specified point will be the point where the next ball will be hit (shot position). Also, just like in the golf navigation mode and golf practice mode, the flight distance and remaining distance to the hole are displayed. This process is repeated until the player finishes the hole. Also, if the ball lands on the green, it can be considered as a cup-in if it is a specified distance from the cup position, or one stroke can be added to make it an OK putt, just like in the training mode above.

This simulation data is recorded in the storage device 18 and can be imported into an external device such as a personal computer, where it can also be displayed, stored, and processed. Furthermore, if performance data from actual play is stored for the course being simulated, the control unit 13 reads out the average value, maximum value, minimum value, etc. of that data, and displays and compares these values during the simulation.

The results of this simulation using the course layout of an actual golf course are stored in the storage device 18, and when running in golf navigation mode at an actual golf course, the control unit 13 can read out the simulation results stored in the storage device 18 and output them to the display device 14. This allows the simulation results to be checked during actual play and used as a reference when attacking holes.

Figure 7 and subsequent figures show another algorithm for executing a training mode (simulation) using the course layout of an actual golf course. In the above embodiment, the ball's stopping position is determined by the user specifying any point on a concentric circle corresponding to the estimated flight distance centered on the shot position. This is because, although the device can calculate the estimated flight distance of the shot ball, it cannot detect the direction in which the ball flew. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the user is allowed to specify the position manually. By having the user specify the position in this way, when the ball is actually hit, the stopping position can be determined according to the flight direction, so that a simulation closer to actual play can be performed. On the other hand, it is cumbersome in that the ball's stopping position must be specified each time a shot is made. Therefore, in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 and subsequent figures, the golf practice and support device 10 (control unit 13) is provided with a function for automatically determining the ball's stopping position.

In order to realize the function of automatically determining the stopping position of the ball, in addition to the data of the above embodiment, position information for specifying the boundary line position between the fairway and the rough is also registered as data on the actual golf course stored in the golf course data storage unit 12 in relation to the course layout of each hole. The position information for specifying the boundary line position is information indicating the absolute position of any point on the boundary line and the order of each point. In this way, the boundary line between the fairway and the rough can be reproduced by connecting the absolute positions of adjacent points with a straight line or the like. The more points on the boundary line are registered, the closer the shape of the actual fairway can be reproduced. In addition, position information for specifying the boundary line of a pond or other water hazard, the outer periphery of the green, and position information for specifying the position of the outer periphery of the hole to specify the area of each hole are also registered. The position information for specifying the boundary line of these water hazards, the outer periphery of the green, and the outer periphery of the hole are information indicating the absolute position of any point on each boundary line and the order of each point, similar to the position information for specifying the boundary line between the fairway and the rough. Furthermore, the golf course data storage unit 12 also registers the position information (absolute position information) of the cup.
The algorithm for implementing this function of automatically determining the ball's stopping position is as follows:

[Determining the tee shot position]
7A, the control unit 13 determines the tee shot position P. This determination may be made in response to a user's designation as in the above-described embodiment, or may be automatically set to a predetermined position in the tee ground registered in the golf course data storage unit 12 (a preset position such as the center of the area or the center of the front end).

[Determining ball stopping position: Based on both sides of the fairway]
Next, the control unit 13 recognizes the type of club designated via the club selection switch, and calculates the estimated flight distance from the swing speed or ball speed using an estimated flight distance calculation function. The control unit 13 calculates intersections A and B between a concentric circle S of the estimated flight distance r centered on the shot position P and both sides of the fairway F (boundary lines with the rough), and calculates the midpoint Q of a virtual line KS connecting the intersections A and B. That is, the control unit 13 extracts points registered as position information to specify a boundary line with a fairway trough existing near the circumference of the concentric circle S, calculates two consecutive points existing across the circumference of the concentric circle S from information indicating the order of each point, and calculates the intersection of the line segment connecting the two points with the concentric circle S. The control unit 13 executes the above process on both sides of the fairway F, thereby calculating the intersections A and B.

The control unit 13 determines the ball's stopping position based on the determined midpoint Q. Specifically, the position of the midpoint Q is set as the stopping position. The control unit 13 then draws an icon indicating the stopping position (in the figure, it is an "X", but it can be an icon resembling a ball or various other icons) at a position on the course layout display corresponding to the determined stopping position. The reason why the midpoint of the imaginary line KS consisting of the straight line connecting the two intersection points A and B is determined as the ball stopping position in this way is because it simplifies the calculation process. Note that the concentric circles S and imaginary lines KS shown in the figure are intended to explain the algorithm of the calculation process of the control unit 13, and the concentric circles S and imaginary lines KS are not actually displayed on the display device 14.

[Second shot and subsequent shots]
In the case of the second or subsequent shot, the control unit 13 sets the stop position of the ball, which was automatically determined in accordance with the previous shot, as the current shot position. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 13 obtains an estimated flight distance from the swing speed or ball speed using the estimated flight distance calculation function in the same manner as described above, obtains intersections A1 and B1 between a concentric circle S1 of the estimated flight distance r1 centered on the point of hitting (current shot position) and both sides of the fairway F (boundaries with the rough), and obtains a midpoint Q1 of a virtual line KS1 connecting the intersections A1 and B1. Then, the control unit 13 determines the stop position of the ball based on the obtained midpoint Q1. Here, the position of the midpoint Q1 is determined as the stop position of the ball. Then, the control unit 13 draws an icon (in the figure, it is shown as "x", but it may be an icon resembling a ball or various other icons) indicating the stop position at a position on the course layout display corresponding to the obtained stop position.

[Green on processing]
8, when the concentric circles based on the estimated flying distance intersect with the green G as in the case of concentric circle S3, the control unit 13 determines that the ball has landed on the green. The determination of whether or not the ball has intersected with the green G is made based on whether or not there is an intersection between the outer periphery of the green registered in the golf course data storage unit 12 and the concentric circles based on the estimated flying distance. When such an intersection exists, the control unit 13 determines that the ball has landed on the green.

If the ball is on the green, the control unit 13 determines the stopping position of the ball on the green. That is, the control unit 13 finds the intersection of the concentric circle S3 and the boundary line of the green G, finds the midpoint of the imaginary line connecting the intersection, and determines the position of the ball on the green based on the midpoint. This process can be performed by replacing the sides of the fairway in the process of finding the intersection of the concentric circles S and S1 with the sides of the fairway (boundaries with the rough) with the boundary lines of the green.

[Hole-out process]
The control unit 13 reads the position information of the cup position registered in the golf course data storage unit 12, and calculates the distance (remaining distance) from the position where the ball landed on the green to the cup position. If the calculated remaining distance is less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 1 m), it is considered to be a chip-in, the processing of the hole is terminated, and the play of the next hole is started.

The golf practice and support device of this embodiment can also estimate the putt distance. Therefore, if the remaining distance to the cup exceeds a predetermined distance, the control unit 13 subtracts the estimated flight distance obtained by putting from the remaining distance from the position on the green to the cup to obtain the remaining distance after putting. If the remaining distance after the putt falls below a predetermined distance (e.g., 1 m), it is considered to be in the cup, and the control unit 13 displays a message indicating that the ball is in the cup on the display device 14 for several seconds. If the remaining distance is within a range of 1 to 3 m, it is deemed to be "OK" (hole out with one stroke plus), and the control unit 13 displays a message indicating that the ball is OK on the display device 14 for several seconds.

In addition, the processing based on the putt may be omitted, and the position where the ball landed on the green may be found, and if the distance between that position and the cup is within a predetermined distance (for example, 1 m), it may be determined that the ball has chipped in, and if the distance is greater than the predetermined distance, one stroke may be added to the number of putts and the ball may be deemed to have been holed out.In addition, the number of putts may not simply be increased by one stroke when the ball landed on the green, but may be increased by a predetermined number depending on the distance to the cup.

[Procedure when both sides of the fairway are unavailable]
As shown in Fig. 7, for example, the estimated flight distance r4 of a ball hit from a tee ground may be too short to reach the fairway. In this case, the intersections between the concentric circle S4 of the estimated flight distance r4 and both sides of the fairway F cannot be found. In such a case, the control unit 13 uses both sides of the hole instead of both sides of the fairway. That is, since the golf course data storage unit 12 also has registered therein position information for identifying the position of the outer periphery of the hole, the control unit 13 performs the same process as the above-mentioned both sides of the fairway, that is, replaces the position information for identifying the position of the boundary line between the fairway and the rough with position information for identifying the position of the outer periphery of the hole.

That is, the control unit 13 extracts points registered as position information to identify the outer edge of the hole near the circumference of the concentric circle S4, finds two consecutive points that straddle the circumference of the concentric circle S4 from the information indicating the order of each point, and finds the intersection of the line segment connecting the two points with the concentric circle S4. The control unit 13 executes the above process on both sides of the hole to find the intersections A″ and B″. The control unit 13 then finds the midpoint Q4 of the virtual line KS″ connecting the intersections A″ and B″, and determines the stopping position of the ball based on the found midpoint Q. Specifically, the position of the midpoint Q4 is set as the stopping position. The control unit 13 then draws an icon indicating the stopping position (shown as an “x” in the figure, but it can be a ball or any other icon) at the position on the course layout display that corresponds to the found stopping position.

In addition, the estimated flight distance of a ball hit toward the green may be short, causing the ball to stop between the fairway and the green (see concentric circle S2 in FIG. 8). In such cases, the points of intersection between the concentric circle S2 and both sides of the fairway cannot be found, so the control unit 13 finds points of intersection A2, B2 between both sides of the hole and the concentric circle S2, and determines the stopping position of the ball based on the midpoint of the imaginary line KS2 connecting these points of intersection.

[Determining Ball Stop Position (Variation 1): Based on Hole Side]
In the embodiment for automatically determining the stopping position of the ball described above, the stopping position is determined based on the midpoint Q between both sides A and B of the fairway, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 13 determines the stopping position based on the midpoint A', B' of the intersection points A' and B' of both sides of the hole and the concentric circle S. That is, since the golf course data storage unit 12 also registers position information for identifying the position of the outer periphery of the hole, the same processing as that for both sides of the fairway described above, that is, the position information for identifying the position of the boundary line between the fairway and the rough is replaced with position information for identifying the position of the outer periphery of the hole, is processed. That is, even if there are intersection points between the concentric circle and both sides of the fairway, the above-mentioned "processing when both sides of the fairway are not available" is executed. In this way, the stopping position of the ball can be determined using the same algorithm regardless of the presence or absence of an intersection point between the fairway and the concentric circle.

However, depending on the hole, there may be a large forest on either the left or right side, making one side of the fairway extremely wide. In such a case, if the midpoint between the two sides of the hole is taken, the ball may stop off the fairway or even into the forest. In this case, it is advisable to provide a function for determining a predetermined position within the fairway as the ball's stop position. For example, this function finds the midpoint of a virtual line connecting the intersections with both sides of the hole, and judges whether the midpoint position is within the fairway. If it is within the fairway, the midpoint position is determined as the ball's stop position. On the other hand, if it is outside the fairway, a predetermined position within the fairway, for example, the intersection point with the side of the fairway closest to the midpoint position is found on the virtual line KS, and the ball's stop position is determined based on that position. If no such intersection exists, such as when the ball has not reached the fairway, the midpoint of the virtual line is determined as the ball's stop position.

[Determination of Ball Stop Position (Modification 2)]
In the above-mentioned embodiment and modification 1, a virtual line is obtained that connects the intersections of a concentric circle with a radius of the estimated flight distance centered on the shot position with both sides of the fairway, green, or course, and the midpoint of the virtual line is set as the ball's stopping position. This virtual line is also a chord between two intersections on the circumference of the concentric circle, and if the position of the midpoint of the virtual line is set as the ball's stopping position, it will be shorter than the estimated flight distance.

Therefore, it is advisable to set the stopping position of the ball at a predetermined position on the circumference of the concentric circle. Specifically, the control unit 13 obtains the midpoint of the arc AB when the intersection points of the concentric circle and both sides of the fairway are A and B, and determines the position as the stopping position of the ball. For example, if the midpoint Q of the straight virtual line KS connecting the above-mentioned intersection points A and B is used for the midpoint of this arc AB, a point on the circumference of the concentric circle S that intersects with the radius passing through the midpoint Q from the center P (shot position) of the concentric circle S is obtained, and that point is set as the stopping position of the ball. In this way, it is not limited to being determined based on the midpoint Q of the virtual line KS, but a calculation process may be performed to obtain the midpoint of the arc AB. By determining the stopping position of the ball on the circumference of the concentric circle S in this way, the stopping position of the ball comes to a position according to the estimated flight distance, which is preferable in that an accurate simulation can be performed.

The predetermined position on the circumference of the above concentric circles is determined as the stopping position of the ball, not limited to the midpoint of the arc between both sides of the fairway, but may be determined as the position on the green using the midpoint of the arc between the intersections of the concentric circles with both sides of the green, or as the stopping position of the ball using the midpoint of the arc between the intersections of the concentric circles with both sides of the hole.

For example, in Figure 7, when the ball is hit from the tee and the estimated flight distance r2 is short and does not reach the fairway, the width of both sides of the hole is longer than the width of the fairway. Therefore, the difference in flight distance will be large if the ball stops at the midpoint Q4 of the string A"B" and the midpoint Q4' of the arc A"B". Therefore, the simulation can be performed more accurately by setting the ball to stop at the midpoint Q4' of the arc A"B".

Taking the second shot in Figure 8 as an example, if the estimated flight distance is between the fairway and the green, as in the concentric circle "S2" of the estimated flight distance, if the ball's stopping position is the midpoint of the imaginary line (chord) KS2 connecting the intersections A2 and B2 on both sides of the hole, a contradiction will arise in that even though the estimated flight distance exceeds the fairway, the midpoint of the imaginary line KS2 falls within the fairway. However, as in this modified example, if the ball's stopping position is determined to be on the circumference of the concentric circle S2 of the estimated flight distance, no such contradiction will arise.

In particular, when the course layout of a hole is doglegged or the hole is wide, and the distance between the two intersections of the concentric circles on either side of the hole is long, the difference becomes larger when the ball's stopping position is determined on an imaginary line (chord) connecting the intersections with a straight line, and when the ball's stopping position is determined on a concentric circle (arc).

Therefore, all ball stopping positions may be set on concentric circles as in this modified example, or the midpoint of a virtual line, which is usually easier to calculate, may be used, and if the distance between two intersections on the concentric circles exceeds a reference value, the ball stopping position may be set on the concentric circle (the midpoint of the arc between the two intersections).

[Ball stop position correction function]
The control unit 13 may have a function of correcting the automatically determined stopping position of the ball. That is, for example, when a touch panel is placed over the display device 14, the control unit 13 detects that the user has dragged the icon indicating the stopping position of the ball, and moves the stopping position in response to the drag. The movement at this time may be on a virtual line or on a concentric circle. Also, when there is no touch panel, the control unit 13 receives an instruction of a movement direction from a cursor key prepared as a switch 19, and moves the icon indicating the stopping position on a virtual line or on a concentric circle in the indicated movement direction.

[Handling water hazards, etc.]
The golf course data storage unit 12 also stores position information (boundary lines) for identifying areas such as water hazards. The control unit 13 then determines whether the stopping position of the ball determined by the above-mentioned various algorithms is within the water hazard, and if it is within the water hazard, determines a predetermined position on the near side of the water hazard as the stopping position of the ball and adds one stroke. The predetermined position on the near side of the water hazard is determined, for example, by determining the intersection point between the first-determined stopping position of the ball in the water hazard and the cup position and the boundary line of the water hazard (opposite the green), and determines the intersection point as the predetermined position.

[Visualization of arithmetic processing]
In the above-described embodiment, the concentric circles S and virtual lines KS are not drawn, and an icon indicating the stopping position is drawn. However, the control unit 13 may also have a function of drawing the concentric circles S of the estimated flight distance r, or drawing the virtual lines KS in addition to the concentric circles S.

[Embodiment using a strategy route]
The algorithm for automatically determining the ball's stopping position is not limited to the above examples. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, a strategy route RT is registered for each hole, and the ball is determined to stop on the strategy route RT.

That is, position information for specifying the attack route RT is registered in the golf course data storage unit 12 in association with each hole. This attack route RT connects a specific position on the tee ground (for example, the center) to the green (cup). The position information for specifying this attack route RT is information indicating the absolute position of any point on the attack route RT and the order of each point, similar to position information for specifying the position of the boundary line between the fairway and the rough. By registering position information for many positions on the line that indicates the attack route RT, even complex curves can be reproduced and a more accurate attack route can be created.

As shown in FIG. 9, on a dogleg course, the attack route RT is specified by a curve or broken line. When the attack route is curved like this, the position information for specifying the attack route RT is registered as a specified position on the tee ground, a specified position on the green (cup position), and the position information of the inflection point where the curve occurs. The more inflection points registered, the smoother the attack route that follows the course layout can be set. On the other hand, the fewer the number registered, the more the recreated attack route RT will be a straight broken line, and although it will not be possible to recreate a smooth curve, memory usage can be reduced.

For short holes and other holes with a linear course layout, the attack route RT may be specified as a straight line connecting the teeing ground and the cup. In such a case, the position information for specifying the attack route RT will register the absolute positions of at least two points: a specified position on the teeing ground and the green (cup). Of course, position information for multiple points on the straight line may also be registered.

The actual cup position varies from day to day, so it is a good idea to set the attack route RT with the center of the green as a virtual cup position. Also, the attack route RT will actually vary depending on the influence of trees and other obstacles planted on the course, and the player's driving distance, but if there is a route recommended or shown as an example at a golf course, for example, it is a good idea to use that.

[Stop position determination process]
The process of determining the actual ball stop position is as follows. The control unit 13 recognizes the type of club specified via the club selection switch, and calculates an estimated flight distance from the swing speed or ball speed. It calculates an intersection Q' between a concentric circle S with an estimated flight distance r centered on the point P where the ball was hit and the attack route RT, and determines the position of the intersection Q' as the ball stop position. The intersection Q' between the concentric circle S and the attack route RT is determined by, for example, acquiring position information of two adjacent positions registered on the front and back sides of the circumference of the concentric circle S from among the position information registered to specify the attack route RT, and calculating the intersection between the line connecting the two positions and the circumference of the concentric circle S. Then, an icon indicating the stop position is drawn at a position on the course layout display corresponding to the determined ball stop position. The ball stop position is calculated in the same manner for the second shot and thereafter, and is repeated until the ball is holed out. Other processes can be the same as those described above. By setting the attack route RT in this way, the process of determining the ball stop position for each shot can be easily performed.

[User registration process for strategy routes]
The attack route RT is registered in the golf course data storage unit 12 at the time of shipment or by updating data after purchase, but it is preferable to have a function for the user to register it. That is, the control unit 13 displays the course layout of the hole to be registered on the display unit 14 according to instructions from the user. The user touches any point in the displayed course layout to specify it. At this time, the user touches the route from the tee ground to the green in order. The control unit 13 draws the specified points with circles or other marks, and draws straight lines connecting adjacent points. As a result, the attack route consisting of broken lines is drawn superimposed on the course layout. If the user is satisfied with the displayed attack route, he or she presses the Confirm button or the like. When the control unit 13 detects the pressing of the Confirm button, it registers the currently displayed attack route (the point touched by the user) as information about the attack route in the user data.

It is also advisable to provide a function for moving the location of each point that specifies the attack route of the user data in an edit mode, deleting already set points, and adding new ones. This allows the attack route to be set according to the improvement of the user's technical ability, etc. In this way, the user can set an appropriate attack route according to the balls they have and the distance they can cast, allowing for simulation and practice that is more suited to the real game.

It would also be good to have a function to edit the strategy route registered as standard. In other words, if the strategy route is reproduced by connecting multiple registered points (inflection points), each point should be able to be moved. After editing, the strategy route can be updated by overwriting, or it can be saved separately as user data.

In addition, in the embodiment, one attack route is prepared as standard for each hole, but multiple attack routes may be set and the user may select one when using the system. Examples of multiple attack routes include "average male," "female" (attack route from the ladies' tee), "long-distance hitter," and "beginner" (for players with shorter driving distances).

When using the system, the control unit 13 determines the stopping point of the ball based on either the attack route in the user data or the attack route set as standard. Which one to use may be determined based on an instruction from the user each time, or, if user data is available, the user data may be used with priority.

In each of the above modes, the control unit 13 may have a function of calculating the meet rate when the ball is actually hit. The meet rate can be calculated based on the head speed and the speed (initial velocity) of the hit ball. In other words, when the ball is hit cleanly (high meet rate), the head 2a of the golf club 2 pushes the ball 4 while crushing it, and the ball speed (initial velocity) becomes fast due to the repulsive force of the ball 4's own elastic restoring force and the moment of inertia received from the head 2a. On the other hand, when the ball cannot be hit cleanly (poor hit: low meet rate), the repulsive force is small and the moment of inertia received from the head 2a is also small, so the ball speed becomes slow. Therefore, the control unit 13
Meet rate is calculated by dividing ball speed by head speed.

The control unit 13 tally up the contact rate for each club type, calculates the average, maximum and minimum values, and records them in the storage device 20 or displays them on the display device 14. By looking at the average value for each club type, the user can objectively recognize which clubs have high contact rates and which clubs have low contact rates and which are not, which can be useful in creating a training plan for the user. Also, by looking at the maximum and minimum values, the difference between them can tell which club types have stable contact rates and which do not. For club types with stable contact rates, the variation in flight distance is small if the head speed is constant, but if the contact rate is not stable, the variation in flight distance is large even if the head speed is constant. The actual predicted flight distance may be calculated by multiplying the estimated flight distance calculated from the head speed by a coefficient based on the contact rate.

This coefficient can be simply the meet rate as is, or a table of multipliers for meet rates can be prepared and the multiplier for the meet rate can be used. The higher the meet rate, the larger the multiplier value.

In the golf practice mode, as described above, the contact rate is output to the display device 14 as a measurement result, allowing the user to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each club type. The contact rate may be displayed simply as text, or may be displayed graphically, such as a bar graph or concentric circles, showing the average, maximum, and minimum values, allowing the user to intuitively understand the range of variation for each club type.

In addition, when operating in golf navigation mode, the estimated flight distance (average value) and the range of variation (maximum and minimum) when selecting a club type from the current position are calculated and displayed, and a predicted flight distance that takes into account the meet rate may be calculated and displayed.

Furthermore, in the training mode using the course layout of an actual golf course, if the meet rate is taken into account, the processing becomes more realistic. That is, when the meet rate is low, the estimated flight distance decreases, but the ball often does not fly straight due to a missed shot (slice/hook). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, when the meet rate is below a reference value, the control unit 13 determines the ball's stopping position to be a position shifted by a predetermined angle θ from the attack route RT. That is, the control unit 13 determines the intersection Q'' between the concentric circle S', whose estimated flight distance has been shortened due to the decrease in meet rate, and the correction line rotated by an angle θ from the attack route RT, and determines this as the ball's stopping position. By using the angle, if the flight distance is short, the deviation from the attack route RT is small, but if the flight distance is long, the deviation from the attack route RT is large, so that the ball is more in line with actual play.

The angle θ may be a fixed value, or may be increased as the contact rate decreases so that the ball curves more (deviation from the attacking route). The direction of the deviation may be determined randomly each time, or may be a predetermined direction, or, if the contact rate is below a reference value, the user may be asked whether to the right or left and the deviation may be in the indicated direction after waiting for the user's instruction. The predetermined direction may be such that the device always deviates to one side, or may be specified by the user. If it is already determined to some extent whether the ball will curve to the right or left when the user makes a bad shot, using the latter method will be closer to the actual situation.

For the next shot, the stopping position of the ball that deviated from the attacking route is used as the shot position and processing is performed. In other words, once the estimated flight distance is calculated based on the swing, etc., the intersection of the concentric circle centered on the stopping position of the deviated ball and the attacking route RT is calculated, and this is set as the stopping position of the next ball.

In addition, if the ball deviates from the attack route RT in this way, or if the flight distance is too short or too long, the ball may stop in the rough or other places off the fairway. In this case, if the ball is actually hit from such a position, it is easy to make a mis-shot. Therefore, if the ball is hit from somewhere other than the fairway, it would be more interesting to have a function that shortens the flight distance by multiplying the estimated flight distance by a specified coefficient, or randomly deviates the ball from the attack route RT by a specified angle θ.

The results stored in the storage device 14 in each mode can be transferred to a PC and stored in the PC's storage device, allowing large amounts of data to be saved and managed for long periods of time. Also, by displaying the recorded data on a PC screen, it becomes easier to view, and more complex calculations and statistical processing can be used to perform more detailed analysis.

In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, golf information such as the course layout of a golf course is registered in the golf course data storage unit 12, and the control unit 13 accesses the golf course data storage unit 12 to read the necessary data and perform various processes, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, some or all of the information to be registered in the golf course data storage unit 12 is registered in a server. The golf practice and support device has a function for communicating with the server, and the control unit 13 accesses the server as appropriate, obtains the necessary information, and executes the processes.

In this case, the information registered on the server can be information common to multiple users, such as the layout of the golf course, as well as user-specific information, such as the attack route set by the user for use in training mode. Each person can access and obtain the common information, while user-specific information is identified by an ID or the like so that only that user can access it. Furthermore, each result stored in the memory device 14 in each mode can be registered on the server as user-specific information, and when using the average flying distance or the like later, the server can be accessed to obtain the information, and then each of the above-mentioned processes can be executed.

In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 are integrated by directly connecting the first connector 23 and the second connector 36 provided on the side of the first case body 21 and the second case body 22, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the two connectors 23, 36 may be connected by a connection cable. In this case, a connection cable that can transmit not only signals but also power may be used, and power may be supplied from the first case body 21 to the second case body 22, or a separate battery or the like may be provided on the second case body 22 side so that the second case body 22 side can operate independently.

Furthermore, data communication between the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 is not limited to being performed by a wired connection cable, but may be performed by using infrared or other wireless communication. In that case, the first case body 21 and the second case body 22 become separate units, and each can be installed and used in an appropriate position.

When data communication is performed between the two case bodies using a connection cable or wireless communication, the determination of whether the second case body 22 is connected or not may be made, for example, based on a switch provided on the first case body 21, or based on whether a signal is being sent from the second case body 22.

10 Golf practice/support device 11 Position measurement unit 12 Golf course data storage unit 13 Control unit 14 Display device 15 Speaker 16 Connection status detection unit (determination means)
17 Battery 21 First case body 22 Second case body 31 Doppler sensor (speed measurement sensor)

Claims (3)

displaying an image of the golf course based on the golf course information;
a function of displaying an attack route of the golf course based on position information for identifying the attack route of the golf course;
A function for editing the attack route;
having
The function of displaying the strategy route of the golf course is
displaying a specified attack route using a curved or broken line that bends at a predetermined position on the golf course and reaches a predetermined position within the green;
The function of editing the attack route is
A device that allows the inflection point that is bent at the predetermined position on the golf course to be moved. displaying an image of the golf course based on the golf course information;
a function of displaying an attack route based on position information for identifying the attack route of the golf course;
A function for editing the attack route;
having
The function of displaying the attack route is
If the golf course is a dogleg course, displaying a specified attack route as a curved or broken line that bends at a predetermined position within the teeing ground and reaches a predetermined position within the green;
The function of editing the attack route enables a player to move an inflection point that bends at a predetermined position within the tee ground of the golf course that is a dogleg course. 3. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the device according to claim 1 or 2.

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