JP2933668B2 - Caddy robot for golf course - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a caddy robot for a golf course.

(Prior Art) In recent years, the use of leisure time has increased the number of golf players who have both hobbies and health, which has spurred the shortage of caddy staff, and increasing the caddy fee for players has become inevitable. I have.

At public golf courses, golf players are asked to play without a caddy so that they can play golf at a low price, so that the golf bag is transported by a monorail cart running on the rail provided along the golf course. I have to.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When playing golf without a caddy, the most troublesome thing is that it is difficult to grasp the remaining distance to the pin when selecting a golf club according to the distance. Especially on golf courses that use large greens, the yardage of each course changes greatly with each change in the position of the pin, even if there is a fixed distance sign (often using trees). As such, only the approximate distance can be displayed, which affects the player's playing performance. In addition, it is necessary to give consideration to the safety of the players in the previous group with respect to the safety confirmation distance, and it is necessary to provide various information instead of the caddy.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and conveys a golf bag in place of a caddy and directly measures the distance from an arbitrary cart position on each course to a pin position on the day. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf course caddy robot having a function of displaying on a CRT and also providing various course information such as the weather of the day and the inclination of the green.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The means for achieving the above object will be described with reference to the drawings corresponding to the embodiments. A monorail type or free-running type golf bag transport cart 10 and a part thereof are mounted on the cart 10. Information providing unit 20, a CRT 21 incorporated on one outer surface of the unit 20, a distance measuring device 22 including an antenna, a non-contact IC card reading / writing unit 23, a function key 25 operated by the player P, and Golf consisting of a control unit 27, an IC card 40 storing information such as the weather and the type and inclination of the green lawn, and a transmitter 31 mounted on the pin 5 on the green and transmitting a distance measurement signal. It is a caddy robot for the course.

The information providing unit 20 is provided with a speaker 24 so that information can be transmitted more reliably by voice. The distance measuring device 22 is used for measuring the distance from the transmitter 35 with a scorecard notebook which is carried by the player P. It has a signal receiving function and can effectively prevent the ball from hitting the front group, and the IC card 40 can be made up of a master card 41 and a hole data card 42 to facilitate information selection operations. Becomes

(Operation) In the golf course caddy robot of the present invention having the above configuration, the golf bag transport cart 10 is moved by the golf player P together with the movement of the player group as in the conventional case. In addition to enabling the exchange, the information on the distance that is used for the exchange / selection of the golf club via the information providing unit 20 and information that can be used at the time of a shot or putting on the green are provided to the player P. provide.

That is, the distance information is obtained by receiving the distance measuring signal from the transmitter 31 attached to the pin 5 on the green by the distance measuring device 22 of the information providing unit 20, processing by the control unit 27, and displaying on the CRT 21. , And can be obtained by operating the function key 25. Other course-specific information
The IC card 40 storing the provided information is
By being inserted into the IC card reading / writing section 23, it is provided to the player P on the CRT 21 together with the operation of the function key 25.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of a golf course caddy robot of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, a golf course caddy robot 1 includes a golf bag transport cart 10, an information providing unit 20 mounted on the cart 10,
A control unit 27 including a color CRT 21, a distance measuring device 22, a non-contact IC card reading / writing unit 23, a speaker 24, a function key 25, and an interface 26,
A transmitter 31 attached to the pin 5 on the green and transmitting a distance measurement signal, a transmitter 35 with a score card notebook carried by the player P, and a remote control switch for starting and stopping the cart 10
39, and an IC card 40 storing the provided information.

A golf bag transport cart 10 is a monorail track type self-propelled monorail track-type battery that is engaged with one rail 2 provided along a golf course, and a geared motor with a brake that is rotated by the battery. And the remote control switch 39 possessed by the player P
The start and stop of the operation of the motor are controlled by this. The cart 10 includes a mounting table 11 on which a golf bag is placed at a front portion in a traveling direction, and an information providing unit 20 is incorporated at a rear portion.

The information providing unit 20 includes a CRT 21 of a color display provided with a protective mask on a rear outer surface, a distance measuring device 22 including an antenna 22a provided on the top end, a non-contact IC card reading / writing unit 23, and a speaker 24. And the function keys 25 juxtaposed to the CRT 21 and the interface 26
And a course discriminator 28, and uses the battery as a power source.

As the distance measuring device 22, for example, a device that measures the distance from the arrival time of the radio wave using a normal transmitter and a receiver that can identify the wavelength of the radio wave is used. Further, the IC card reading / writing unit 23 includes a companion name of the non-contact IC card 40 which plays in the same group, a frequency of the distance measuring transmitter 31 installed on the pin 5 of each hole, The frequency of the transmitter 35 with the scorecard notebook that the player possesses,
The set part 23a of the master card 41 that stores the information written on the day such as the position of the pin 5 on each green, the weather and the wind direction, and the outline of the OB line of each course, the slope of the green, the fairway, the rough, the bunker, the pond A set 23b of a hole data card 42 for each of the 18 holes, which stores information unique to the golf course such as layout information including trees, course information such as the fifth hole 382 yards per4, and the distance between the tee ground and the pin. The information is read from the IC cards 41 and 42 in a non-contact manner by electromagnetic induction.

The information stored in the IC card 40 is
It can be called easily with 25 operations. That is, by pressing the key 25 corresponding to the information to be called, the information is transmitted to the control unit 27 via the interface 26, and the information corresponding to the key 25 corresponding to the information is transmitted from the IC card 40 or the distance measuring device 22 in the control unit 27. The information is read from the IC card 40 and the received distance measurement signal is fetched, and the distance calculation is performed by the control unit 27.
From the CRT 21 or the speaker 24 as necessary.

Transmitter mounted on pin 5 for transmitting distance measurement signal
The transmitter 31 and the transmitter 35 of each player receive electric power from a battery and transmit radio waves of different frequencies for different courses and different players.

The course discriminator 28 receives the signal having the frequency of the course discrimination from the transmitter 51a incorporated in the tee mark 51 provided on the tee ground of each course, and transmits the signal of the pin 5 of the course to be played from now on. It instructs the control unit 27 so that the distance measuring device 22 operates only in response to the frequency of the signal from 31. This may be done manually by inputting the number of the hole that has been reached by inserting the hole data card 42 for each course, but in order to prevent forgetting to input the signal from the transmitter 51a as described above. It is better to be able to switch automatically.

An actual operation state of the caddy robot 1 of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described. Master Card 41
In the caddy house, the user of each cart 10 at the instruction of the caddy master, that is, the name and handy of the player P, the transmission frequency from the scorecard notebook possessed by each party going forward, the reception frequency, and the above Various information is written by the input device and set in the setting section 23a, and the hole data card 42 prepared in advance is prepared in the storage case 45 on the cart 10.

In the example from when approaching the first middle hole to when reaching the second short hole, first, the signal for the first hole from the transmitter 51a of the tee mark 51 is received and the distance measurement device 22 is used.
Are switched so that only the signal frequency from the transmitter 31 of the first pin 5 and the signal frequency from the transmitter 35 possessed by the previous set of players P can be received. Before performing the tee shot, insert the hole data card 42 for the 1st hole into the set section 23b.
, The layout of the 1st middle hole, 382 yards, par 4 etc. is displayed on CRT21. Pressing the function key 25 "Distance to the previous group" key will cause
When the shortest distance of the person is measured, and all four players reach a safe distance of, for example, 300 yards or more, the player P is instructed to “tee shot OK” by the CRT 21 and the speaker 24.

After finishing the tee shot, the player P moves to the second hitting point, and the cart 10 is moved to the position closest to the second hitting point along the rail 2 by operating the remote control switch 39. When the "distance to pin" key is pressed among the function keys 25, the distance from the pin 5 to the cart 10 is displayed on the CRT 21 by a number. Also, press the "Hazard" key as appropriate to call out and check the position of the bunker around the green, and use it as a reference for selecting an appropriate club. When the vehicle reaches the green, the information on the green is called from the master card 41 or the hole data card 42 and is used as a reference for putting.
The slopes of the greens and fairways are indicated by contour lines as shown in FIG. Player P has holed out and 2
Head to the tee ground of the short hall. When the cart 10 reaches the tee ground of the second hole, even if the cart 10 is closer to the pin 5 of the finished first hole than the pin 5 of the second hole, the receivable frequency of the distance measuring device 22 is 2 as described above.
It has been switched for the third hole. By repeating the above, the caddy robot 1 performs safety confirmation and information provision in place of the caddy over the 18 holes.

In addition to the above basic representative embodiment, when the distance to the previous set of players P cannot be directly measured due to a large undulation or a curve to the left and right, a predetermined distance from the tee mark 51 of the tee ground is An additional function for checking the safety of the tee shot or the second shot by providing a repeater at a relay position where the set of players P can be seen can also be provided according to the course conditions.

In addition, a hole-in-one confirmation function in a short hall can be provided. That is, an optical sensor is used to set a flat screen on the tee ground, and if an object (golf ball) at a certain speed or higher blocks the screen, a signal is generated and it is determined whether a pin is set on the green. At the same time, a screen is stretched with a light sensor in the horizontal direction at the height of about the radius of the ball from the bottom in the cup, and it is also configured to be able to identify whether the ball has entered, and the signal that the pin is set When the signal that the ball jumps out of the tee and the signal that the ball enters the cup within a predetermined time are all satisfied, a message indicating the possibility of a hole-in-one can be displayed.

In addition, a large display showing the whole view of the course is provided at the course management corner of the caddy house, and the progress of play is managed by grasping the position of all carts via the transmission and reception communication line provided along the rail. For example, it is also possible to instruct a cart which is delayed in progress to a cart via a speaker.

If an LSI card (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-8281) developed by one of the present applicants is adopted as the IC card 40, it is possible to provide a structure having high environmental resistance (vibration resistance, dust resistance, etc.). Also,
Swivel carts can be used instead of monorail carts. In this case, distance measurement using a three-point fixed-point transmitter can be adopted, and the cart can be used for course recognition by recognizing the exact position of the cart. It is possible to add a function to prevent the vehicle from going outside, into a bunker or other dangerous areas.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the golf course caddy robot of the present invention, the information providing unit mounted on the cart 10
Even if a cup is provided at the end of the large green, the distance measuring signal from the transmitter 31 provided on the pin 5 is received by the distance measuring device 22 of the 20 and the pin 5 and the cart 10 are directly received. The distance between the two can be measured and displayed on the CRT 21, which can assist the player P in selecting a golf love. Furthermore, operate the function keys 25 as appropriate to
The non-contact IC card reading / writing unit 23 and the control unit 27
The player P can know on the CRT 21 and the speaker 24 via the. Thus, the effect of supplementing the lack of service due to the absence of a caddy as a measure to alleviate the shortage of caddy staff, and calming the rising caddy fee to play golf at a low price is great.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a golf course using the golf course caddy robot of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cart modified by the caddy robot, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the caddy robot. FIG. (Explanation of reference numerals) 1... Golf course caddy robot, 5.
10 ... cart, 20 ... information providing unit, 21 ... CRT, 2
2 Distance meter, 23 Non-contact IC card read / write unit, 24 Speaker, 25 Function key, 31, 35 Transmitter, 40 Non-contact IC card, 41
Master card, 42: Hall data card, P: Player.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Takao Sugioka 1-5 Doyamacho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka High-pressure Gas Industry Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-60-49408 (JP, A) 1-69652 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A63B 55/08

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A golf bag transport cart (10) that moves between golf course courses, an information providing unit (20) mounted on the cart (10), and a pin (15) on the green of each course. Or a transmitter (31) for transmitting a distance measurement signal attached to the vicinity thereof, the distance measurement device (22) receiving a signal from the transmitter and measuring a distance to the green. An IC card read / write unit (23) for reading / writing an IC card (40) on which provided information is recorded, and processing a distance signal from the distance measuring device and an information signal from the read / write unit. A caddy robot for a golf course, comprising: a control section (27) for displaying a distance signal and an information signal from the control section. 2. The information providing unit (20) includes a speaker, and provides information from the control unit (27) by voice.
Caddy robot. 3. The player according to claim 1, wherein the distance measuring device (22) is a player (P).
2. The caddy robot according to claim 1, wherein the caddy robot has a function of receiving a distance measurement signal from a transmitter (35) with a scorecard notebook carried by a mobile phone. 4. The IC card (40) includes a master card (41) describing the frequency of the transmitter (31) on each green, the pin position of the day, the weather, etc., the layout of each course, course information, etc. 2. The caddy robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a hole data card (42) storing the data. 5. The caddy robot according to claim 1, wherein said IC card is recorded as a substitute for a locker key and a substitute for a slip.