Putting practice equipment, putting mat equipped with putting practice equipment, putting practice application, and putting analysis device

Abstract

To provide a putting practice implement whose installation and removal work is as easy as a flat mat, which prevents monotonous practice, can enhance a motivation for practice and can check improvement easily.SOLUTION: There is provided an analysis device equipped with a program capable of executing putting analysis by recognizing an image recognition marker, and measuring and gathering ball positions by taking images of a practice implement equipped with the image recognition marker with an application of a smartphone or a tablet terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf putting practice tool equipped with an image recognition marker and an application for a smartphone or tablet terminal.

Background Art

[0002] In golf, putting is emphasized as it is important for playing the game with fewer strokes. However, compared to practice using a driver or iron for strong and long shots, which is called shot practice (or hitting practice), putting involves small and quiet movements, making it monotonous and dull. Additionally, it is difficult to confirm progress during practice, and there is a lack of motivation to practice. Therefore, various golf equipment manufacturers and inventors have devised and invented various putting practice tools. For example, there are conventional inventions such as those that provide game play to improve the motivation to practice (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-246248) and those that can detect accurate putting data and achieve miniaturization of the device (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-596). Also, as a very common conventional practice tool, it should be noted that a putting mat made of flat artificial turf or a putting mat with a slope in the cup part and a ball return function can often be seen in the market.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The putting practice equipment described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 requires sensors and housings to function, which inevitably makes them larger and more complex than a flat mat, resulting in higher manufacturing and sales costs. In addition, the convenience in terms of installation space and work time is significantly reduced compared to a flat mat.

[0004] On the other hand, flat mats and mats with ball-returning functions are inexpensive and easy to set up and take down, but their use typically involves repeatedly hitting the ball towards a target, which can make practice monotonous. Therefore, it is difficult to continue practicing to improve one's skills. Furthermore, if one wants to check their putting skills, they must make their own preparations and decisions, such as "how many times they hit the same target in a row" or "recording the ball's position in a notebook or using a separate computer," which is time-consuming.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a putting practice tool that solves the aforementioned problems by being as easy to install and remove as a flat mat, preventing monotonous practice, and allowing for easy improvement of motivation and progress. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides the following in order to achieve the above objective. The practice equipment equipped with the image recognition marker is placed on a general flat surface such as a putting mat or carpet, which is suitable for rolling a golf ball, or the putting mat equipped with the image recognition marker of claim 5 is laid on the floor.

[0007] As will be described in detail in "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention," the user of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "user") performs putting in accordance with the guidance of a putting practice application (hereinafter referred to as "application"). For example, if there are five targets on the putting mat that serve as ball landing targets, the user will perform five putts, aiming at the five targets. The user launches the application, which has been pre-installed on an information device such as a smartphone or tablet (hereinafter referred to as "smartphone" for convenience), and photographs a typical putting mat or practice equipment with markers according to the application's guidance. The application captures the orientation of the putting mat or the inclination of the edges of the putting mat from the image, and corrects the tilt of the captured image as needed. If an image recognition marker is used, the correction is made based on the positional relationship of the image recognition marker. Subsequently, after a ball is recognized within the area where ball recognition and position measurement are possible, defined by the outline of a typical putting mat or by image recognition markers (hereinafter referred to as the ball position measurement area), the data converted into position information is processed by a data aggregation module and displayed on the data display screen as trial information. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of this series of processes, including photography by the smartphone's camera.

[0008] Conventional inventions required a putting practice environment including a housing equipped with sensors, but the present invention allows for the preparation of a practice environment simply by setting up a practice tool with a marker on a flat putting mat or a floor suitable for putting, or by laying down a putting mat equipped with a practice tool with a marker. Furthermore, while existing inventions require powering on the equipment and setting up information devices before practicing or playing a game, the present invention allows for simple preparation as described above, and enables putting analysis by performing predetermined operations after hitting the ball, significantly improving user convenience. Incidentally, the Cabinet Office's Consumer Trend Survey (2021) shows that the smartphone ownership rate among single-person households is 75.6%, and among households with two or more people it is 88.9%. These figures suggest that the present invention, which utilizes a smartphone application, can be expected to become widespread.

[0009] The application quantifies the degree of difference between the ball's stopping position after putting and the target position. For example, if we call the imaginary line connecting the putting start point to the target the target line, and the imaginary line connecting the putting start point to the point where the ball stops the target line the flight line, the application calculates the angle between the target line and the flight line, and how much more or less the ball rolled along the flight line relative to the target position. By displaying the specific and accurate measurement results as numerical information, users can more accurately understand whether the ball rolled more or less than the target position, and the angle of difference between the flight line and the target line, than they could by visual judgment alone. Furthermore, the present invention is highly effective because it can accumulate multiple numerical data points to understand the user's putting tendencies. Values ​​that could be attributed to chance when viewed as a single data point become less biased and can be treated as more accurate trends when data is accumulated over a period of time, such as multiple times a day or a week. For example, it becomes possible to more accurately identify if a user has a tendency to putt to the right of the target or tends to putt short. It's easy to imagine that many golfers who want to improve their skills would want to know about these tendencies.

[0010] When attempting to aggregate data and examine trends, for example, data that is already digital can be easily obtained using modern spreadsheet software or calculators. However, when physical activity such as putting is involved, the complexity of recording suddenly increases. Measuring the position of every ball with a ruler and meticulously recording it in a notebook or on a computer is extremely cumbersome. This invention is highly significant because it realizes the accurate response and repetitive tasks that computers excel at using current image processing technology. In other words, this invention allows users to quantify their putting results and understand trends simply by taking a picture with the application after putting on a general putting mat or practice equipment with markers. This provides an opportunity to check improvement in technique during practice, which can often be monotonous, and can lead to increased motivation to practice. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the practice equipment can be easily set up, and the user can easily check their own technique using a smartphone application that is owned by many people, making it a putting analysis device that also motivates practice. Furthermore, since the only equipment that the user needs to purchase is a general putting mat, putting practice equipment equipped with image recognition markers, or a putting mat equipped with putting practice equipment, it is an inexpensive product to manufacture and has excellent potential for widespread adoption. Incidentally, the golf balls used in the present invention can be any commonly available commercially. [Brief explanation of the drawing] [Figure 1] This figure shows the schematic configuration of the putting analysis device of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an example of an image recognition marker, a design with areas of high and low brightness within a triangle. [Figure 3] This is an example of an image recognition marker, a design with circular areas of high and low brightness. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of how the application captures images, viewed from the side in the direction of the putting stroke. [Figure 5]It is a diagram showing an example of a photographing method using a perspective expression along the putting shot direction. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of a target applied to the surface of a putting mat including the putting practice tool of claim 5. [Figure 7] It is an example of the arrangement of four image recognition markers. The hatched part with slashes is the ball position measurement area. [Figure 8] It is an example of the arrangement of three image recognition markers. The hatched part with slashes is the ball position measurement area. [Figure 9] A U-shaped image recognition marker along the edge of the mat, and the hatched part with slashes is the ball position measurement area. [Figure 10] It is an example of a putting practice tool equipped with an image recognition marker, and the hatched part with slashes is composed of a material suitable for artificial turf or felt putting. [Figure 11] It is an example of a putting practice tool equipped with an image recognition marker, and the hatched part with slashes is composed of a material suitable for artificial turf or felt putting, but it is characterized in that the central part is empty unlike "Figure 10". [Figure 12] It is an example of a putting mat equipped with an image recognition marker and a target. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart of the process flow of the work required for the trial. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of the relationship judgment. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing the on-line area. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing the test method. [Figure 17] It is a table of the hitting test results by five testers. [Figure 18] It is an example of the position where a target is arranged on the putting mat. [Figure 19] It is a diagram for explaining the automatic judgment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The putting analysis device of the present invention consists of a general putting mat and application, more preferably a putting practice tool 101 equipped with an image recognition marker and application.

[0013] First, the application of the present invention can recognize a general putting mat or, as an alternative embodiment, an image recognition marker 100. In the case of a general putting mat, the entire mat or its corners and edges are recognized as positional information, while in the case of an image recognition marker 100, any position on the image recognition marker 100 is recognized as positional information. Therefore, when using a general putting mat, for example, if a green general putting mat is laid on a green or similarly colored carpet, the difference in color and contrast in brightness are small, making it difficult to recognize the entire mat or its external shape. In such cases, the putting practice tool 101 equipped with an image recognition marker as described in claim 4 is effective. When implementing the present invention, the choice between using a general putting mat or the putting practice tool 101 equipped with an image recognition marker may be made depending on the usage environment. Below, we will mainly describe an embodiment that uses the image recognition marker 100. Before describing the overall putting analysis device, an embodiment of the practice tool 101 equipped with an image recognition marker will be described using the drawings. The image recognition marker 100 should preferably be a simple design consisting of a high contrast between light and dark areas (hereinafter referred to as "contrast") formed by areas with low brightness 111 and areas with high brightness 110, as shown in Figures 2, 3, or 9.

[0014] The environment in which the image recognition marker 100 is photographed is expected to be the user's living room, hallway, or inside a store, or on a putting green. However, when the camera takes pictures, surrounding objects and scenery will inevitably be captured in the image. The image recognition marker 100 in the captured image will serve as a reference when measuring the position of the ball 102. Therefore, if the surrounding objects or scenery have designs similar to the image recognition marker 100, the possibility of misrecognition increases. Thus, a design that is not commonly used in surrounding objects or scenery is suitable for the image recognition marker 100. It is possible to create an image recognition marker 100 using chromatic colors, but a chromatic image recognition marker 100 will inevitably have a lower contrast between light and dark, making it less suitable as an image recognition marker 100. Using an image recognition marker 100 with a simple design that can be easily recognized by the image recognition module and prevents misrecognition with surrounding objects and scenery is more effective than performing image recognition using only a typical putting mat.

[0015] In addition to the triangle in Figure 2 and the circle in Figure 3, other shapes such as rectangles are also suitable for drawing. The application can recognize the general outline of a putting mat using its internal image processing module, but preferably, from the viewpoint of improving recognition accuracy, an image recognition marker 100 consisting of a high-brightness part 110 and a low-brightness part 111 of the image recognition marker is used, as shown in Figure 9. As an example, the inside of the U-shaped image recognition marker 100 in Figure 9 is shown as the ball position measurement area 112, and it is desirable that the width of the putting mat be equivalent to the width of the ball position measurement area 112 so that the user can recognize it.

[0016] The processes within the image processing module shown in Figure 1 are explained below. Image acquisition is performed through the camera control module. At this time, the standard camera function installed in the smartphone 104 may be used, or a function that suits the shooting conditions may be developed and used independently.

[0017] As the next step, when the image acquired through the camera of the smartphone 104 is input into the marker recognition module, it is checked whether the image recognition marker 100 registered in the application matches the image recognition marker 100 in the captured image.

[0018] If a matching image recognition marker 100 is confirmed, using the triangular image recognition marker 100 in Figure 2 as an example, any point on the triangle can be registered in the marker position information conversion module to convert it into position information.

[0019] The ball position measurement area 112, whose aspect ratio has changed due to conditions such as the camera shooting angle and lens distortion of the smartphone 104, is corrected to the correct aspect ratio pre-registered in the image correction module.

[0020] The ball recognition module recognizes ball 102 from the acquired image, and the ball position information conversion module converts it into ball position information.

[0021] When the smartphone 104 and the image recognition marker 100 are parallel, the ball's center position in the acquired image coincides with the ball 102's contact point. However, when the smartphone 104 is tilted and the image recognition marker 100 is photographed, there is an error between the ball 102's center position in the acquired image and the ball 102's contact point. When there is a tilt, calculating the ball 102's contact point requires correction between the center of the acquired ball 102 image and the ball's contact point. The correction amount of the ball recognition module increases in stages as the angle at which the smartphone 104 is tilted for photography increases, in order to determine the contact point. The required correction amount may be calculated based on tilt detection by a sensor such as a gyroscope, or the tilt may be calculated from the acquired image based on the aspect ratio of the putting mat's outline.

[0022] As an example of a trial, if multiple targets 105 are set and balls 102 are hit at each target 105, and the state in which the multiple balls 102 stop is measured, it is necessary to determine the relationship between which ball 102 was aimed at which target 105, and this is called relationship determination. Relationship determination is performed by the relationship determination module, and the details of the determination will be described later. In addition, the processing contents of the image processing module can be changed to any order or executed in parallel. Furthermore, other processes may be added between each process.

[0023] Furthermore, the processing within the image processing module shown in Figure 1 may be replaced with the processing of the marker recognition module using an AR (Augmented Reality) camera and AR markers. As another example, the system may be trained to recognize a putting mat or image recognition marker 100 on an image. In that case, the marker recognition module, image correction module, and the aforementioned machine learning results can be replaced. Also, if the system is trained to recognize the relationship between the position of the ball 102 on the image and the position of the ball 102 on the actual mat, the ball recognition module and the ball position information conversion module can be replaced. When using a triangular image recognition marker 100, it is unsuitable if it is too small to be sharpened even with correction when photographed by a camera, or conversely, too large to be easily installed or removed. Preferably, the outermost diameter is 2 cm to 20 cm, and more preferably 4 cm to 15 cm.

[0024] The image recognition markers 100, in numbers of one or more, serve as a reference for the application to recognize the position measurement area 112. Preferably, the number of image recognition markers 100 to be placed is three or more, more preferably four, to make it easier to define their orientation on the floor plane on which they are placed. By placing four image recognition markers 100, the ball position measurement area 112 can be enclosed as shown in Figure 7. The ball position measurement area 112 is the target area for counting the number of stationary balls 102 and measuring the position of the balls 102. The boundary of the ball position measurement area 112 (hatched area in Figure 7) can be placed close to the image recognition markers 100 to make it easier for the user to understand. On the other hand, it is also possible to set three image recognition markers 100 and the ball position measurement area 112 outside of where the image recognition markers 100 are placed, as shown in Figure 8. Furthermore, if the number of image recognition markers 100 is increased to five, for example, even if one image recognition marker 100 is not recognized by the application, the other four image recognition markers 100 can be recognized, which has the advantage of forming the ball position measurement area 112. However, recognizing multiple image recognition markers 100 may result in a burden on the application and the user's device. Also, if the training equipment has too many image recognition markers 100, it may look unsightly.

[0025] The image recognition markers 100, represented by the triangle in Figure 2 or the circle in Figure 3, can be sold or distributed as a putting practice tool, for example, in sets of four. However, since the image recognition markers 100 are items that provide positional information to the application, if the image recognition markers 100 are independent items, they must be positioned accurately when placed on a putting mat, carpet, or floor. For example, it is desirable to measure the necessary distance for placement with a ruler, or to prepare a string of a certain length to ensure that the placement is the same each time.

[0026] Therefore, by printing, sewing, or attaching the required number of image recognition markers 100, as shown in Figure 10, to a putting-suitable material such as artificial turf or felt (hatched area in the figure), installation is made easy without any positional errors. The putting practice tool 101 equipped with the image recognition markers shown in Figure 10 can be laid on a putting mat or floor that the user already owns, thus preparing it for use in the present invention.

[0027] Furthermore, as a derivative of the embodiment shown in Figure 10, a form in which the central part of the artificial turf or felt is left open, allowing the user to utilize the surface of their existing putting mat as much as possible, is also preferable, as shown in Figure 11.

[0028] On the other hand, if the user does not own a putting mat, it is preferable to use a putting mat that is pre-equipped with image recognition markers 100 and targets 105, as shown in Figure 12. The putting mat 113, equipped with image recognition markers, comes pre-installed with markers and targets 105. Users can simply lay it on the floor and practice putting without worrying about any misalignment of the image recognition markers 100 or targets 105.

[0029] The putting mat 113 equipped with the image recognition marker of the present invention can be manufactured without depending on the length of the long and short sides of the putting mat. For example, if the long side is 400 cm and the short side is 70 cm, it is suitable for practicing slightly longer putting strokes, and if the long side is 250 cm and the short side is 50 cm, it is suitable for practicing shorter putting strokes.

[0030] This section describes the process of using a putting analysis device that utilizes a putting mat 113 equipped with the aforementioned image recognition markers. As preparation for using the putting analysis device, in one example, the user installs an application on a smartphone 104 beforehand and then lays out the putting mat 113 equipped with image recognition markers. The putting practice process is based on guidance provided by the application, such as the order of shots, but if the user understands the process, they can simply putt according to what they understand. This invention is characterized by taking pictures of the image recognition markers 100 and the stopped ball 102 with a camera, so the user tries to stop the ball 102 at the target 105. After hitting the ball 102, the user takes a picture with the camera so that all of the image recognition markers 100 are included, following the guidance of the application.

[0031] The shooting position is such that the user can stand while holding the smartphone 104. When using image recognition markers 100, a distance of approximately 50 cm to 3 m from the image recognition marker 100 closest to the user is desirable. If the user gets too close to the image recognition marker 100, the image recognition marker 100 and the ball position measurement area 112 necessary for image recognition may not fit within the camera's shooting range. On the other hand, if the user is too far away from the image recognition marker 100, the image recognition marker 100 will appear small in the image, reducing the number of pixels needed to represent the image recognition marker 100 and worsening the accuracy of image recognition. The approximate image of the shooting position is shown in Figures 4 and 5, which illustrate the same situation, differing only in their drawing direction.

[0032] The application displays the ball-hitting results, so you can check the results by following the application's guidance. The entire process of using the putting analysis device is represented in the flowchart in Figure 13. If you wish to repeat the trial, you can do so by following the trial procedure specified in the application, which is item 3 in Figure 13, and hitting ball 102.

[0033] The present invention involves taking photos of the trial results with a smartphone 104. If a photo is taken after each ball is hit, the tempo may become poor, whether in practice or a game. Therefore, it is thought that by hitting multiple balls 102 at a single target 105 and increasing the number of hits per photo, it is possible to practice at a good tempo.

[0034] However, if multiple balls 102 are hit at a single target 105, contact between the balls is likely to occur, resulting in inaccurate positional information. Therefore, it is preferable to hit one ball at a single target 105 to prevent contact between the balls 102.

[0035] While keeping in mind that one ball is hit towards each target 105, in order to improve the tempo of the practice, it is conceivable to place multiple targets 105 and hit balls 102 towards each target 105. In that case, the condition for placing multiple targets 105 is that balls 102 do not come into contact with each other.

[0036] When multiple targets 105 are arranged, the number of balls 102 that can be hit in a single trial can be increased to the same number as the targets 105. However, it is necessary to photograph the stationary balls 102 and determine which ball 102 was hit towards which target 105. This determination of the relationship between which target 105 a ball 102 was hit towards is called relationship determination, and Figure 14 will be used to explain the content of relationship determination. When the target is the upper leftmost target 105 in Figure 14, the ball 102 closest to the target 105 is the ball 102 to the left of the target 105 (the leftmost ball in the figure). The application automatically determines that the ball 102 with the shortest straight-line distance to this target 105 is the ball 102 that was aimed at the target 105.

[0037] However, the aforementioned automatic judgment system is susceptible to user mis-putting, where the balls 102 closest to the target 105 are swapped, causing the judgment target to change and resulting in an order different from the actual shots. Furthermore, in the example of five targets 105 shown in Figure 12, if shots are taken in a disordered order, the ball 102 that stops closer to the player and the ball 102 aimed at the target 105 further back are more likely to come into contact, making it impossible to obtain accurate positional information for the balls 102 when they stop.

[0038] Therefore, the following measures can be considered to prevent contact between balls 102. Here, we will explain an example of a trial (the guidance described above) defined by the application, using a case where there are five targets 105. The user putts from the starting point 103 at the bottom of Figure 12 towards the target 105 at the top where the image recognition marker 100 is located. The five targets 105 will be referred to as the upper target (the one at the top in the figure), the middle target (the one below it), and the lower target (the one below that). The application instructs the user to putt from the upper target. This is because if the ball 102 has already stopped at the middle target, aiming for the upper target is likely to interfere and make putting difficult. Therefore, the order of putting the five balls is upper target, middle target, and lower target to reduce contact between the balls 102. The trial is characterized by putting the ball from the furthest back towards the installed target 105.

[0039] Furthermore, by placing multiple targets 105 at different depths and requiring players to hit the ball from the furthest target, as well as by establishing a specific distance between targets 105, the system prevents balls 102 from switching places. For example, a ball 102 hit at a target 105 closer to the player may stop further back than a ball 102 hit at a target 105 further back. While it is possible to assign colors or patterns to the balls 102 and use the application to distinguish between them for more accurate shot order, the system is designed to allow users to use commercially available balls 102 as much as possible. In order to set the aforementioned specific distances, it is necessary to measure the frequency and magnitude of errors made by the golfer user.

[0040] As a premise, even professionals and advanced players (golf handicap 0-5) make major mistakes when putting, although the frequency differs from that of beginners. A major mistake refers to a result that deviates significantly from the target of approximately 105. There is a common understanding among golfers that these major mistakes occur, and the following is an example of this common understanding: In golf slang, a mistake where the result is significantly different from the intended distance is sometimes referred to as a "no-count putt." Thus, there are putting mistakes that occur with a certain frequency in golf, and the slang used to describe them is widespread enough for many golfers to understand each other. Furthermore, the aforementioned mistakes are recognized by many golfers as including mistakes not only in distance relative to the target of 105, but also in left-right directions relative to the target of 105. In this way, it can be said that there is a common understanding among golfers that major mistakes occur, although the frequency of occurrence may differ depending on the skill level of putting. Including the aforementioned major error, determining the relationship between targets 105 indefinitely in the present invention leads to an increase in installation space and is undesirable from the standpoint of practical use.

[0041] Therefore, we conducted a test as shown in Figure 16 to determine the necessary distance between targets 105 through relationship analysis. We thought that by targeting relatively inexperienced players from among the expected users, we could determine the necessary value between targets 105. So, we had five testers (A, B, C, D, E) with a golf handicap of around 30, who could be considered beginners, hit 100 balls from the starting point 103, aiming directly above target 105 at distances of 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, and 5 meters, respectively. The ground G was a flat surface made of a material suitable for putting. After each shot, the depth and lateral distance between target 105 and the struck ball 102 was measured, and the struck ball 102 was removed before moving on to the next shot. The test results are shown in Figure 17.

[0042] When the distance to target 105 was 1 meter, 95% of the balls hit by all testers landed within 10 cm, but at 2 meters, the dispersion increased to 20 cm. Furthermore, at 3 meters and 5 meters, it was confirmed that almost all balls landed within 30 cm and 50 cm, respectively, indicating that 95% of the targeted balls 102 landed within 10% of the hitting distance. In addition, regarding the lateral dispersion relative to target 105, when aiming at target 105 at 1 meter, 95% of the balls 102 landed within a 5 cm range from target 105, and when aiming at target 105 at 5 meters, 95% of the balls 102 landed within a 25 cm range from target 105. A proportional relationship was confirmed between the distance to target 105 and 5 meters. In other words, it was found that the lateral dispersion relative to target 105 was such that 95% of the targeted balls 102 landed within 5% of the hitting distance.

[0043] As described above, it was confirmed that when the variation in the distance direction and the left-right direction relative to the target 105 is combined, an elliptical shape 108 showing an approximate variation that is long in the distance direction can be drawn. Any variation other than the aforementioned elliptical shape 108 is a so-called major error, and in the present invention, a means other than automatic judgment will be used to determine the relationship.

[0044] If a major error (5%) occurs, the user manually inputs the relationship between the actual ball-hitting results on the application screen. For example, this involves a simple operation such as tapping the ball 102 displayed on the application screen. Manual input by the user eliminates the need to endlessly widen the distance between the targets 105, which is preferable in terms of cost and space for industrial use. From the test results in Figure 17, when the targets 105 are placed left and right at a distance of 1 meter, it is desirable to separate the targets 105 by 10 cm or more. If it is desired to place an additional target 105 closest to the far side in the direction of the ball-hitting from the 1-meter position, it is desirable to place the target 105 at a distance of 122 cm or more so that the ranges of the two targets 105 excluding major errors do not interfere with each other. From the viewpoint of smooth use of the present invention, it is desirable to place the targets 105 at intervals that are in accordance with the test results as the ball-hitting distance increases. In other words, for example, when efficiently arranging on a putting mat 109 that is 201 cm long and 20 cm wide, if the end of the 20 cm wide putting mat 109 is used as the starting point 103 and the ball 102 is struck, when the first target 105 is placed at a position of 1 meter, the center of the second target 105 will be at a position of 122 cm, and the elliptical shapes 108 indicating dispersion will be in contact with each other at a position of 110 cm. By arranging the targets 105 so that the aforementioned elliptical shapes 108 indicating dispersion are in contact, a maximum of four targets 105 can be arranged as shown in Figure 18. When calculating the relationship of contact of the elliptical shapes 108 indicating dispersion, an error of 1 cm or less is to be ignored.

[0045] Furthermore, we consider a more favorable automatic application determination when the target 105 and ball 102 are in the stopping positions shown in Figure 19. In the stopping position of ball 102 in Figure 19, although the balls 102 do not actually swap places, if the application simply selects the ball 102 closest to the target 105 on the near side (left side in the figure), it will be paired with the ball 102 on the far side (right side in the figure). This would result in the remaining target 105 on the far side (right side in the figure) being paired with the ball 102 on the near side (left side in the figure). Considering actual putting, the balls 102 are basically struck along the same target line, so assuming that the ball is struck from the far side, the above-mentioned combination is unlikely. In the present invention, the target 105 is positioned in a positional relationship that makes it difficult for the balls 102 to come into contact with each other based on ball striking tests, so the frequency of the balls 102 swapping places is also low. Therefore, assuming that no swapping occurs, the following relationship determination for combinations can be considered. When the ball 102 and target 105 are in the relative positions shown in Figure 19, the relationship is determined from either the near side or the far side as viewed from the starting point 103. Assuming that no swapping has occurred, the ball 102 on the near side and the target 105 on the near side are determined to be a pair. Naturally, performing the same relationship determination from the far side will result in the same pair. Furthermore, if there are two or more targets 105 on the left and right sides as viewed from the starting point 103, as shown in Figure 14, performing the relationship determination sequentially from either the left or right side is also valid, assuming that no swapping has occurred. The order in which these relationship determinations are performed from a fixed direction can be a combination of different directions, such as vertical and horizontal, and there are no restrictions on the order of combination. When multiple targets 105 are arranged, it is preferable to include the aforementioned processing from a fixed direction in the relationship determination in order to determine the most plausible relationship of the hit ball.

[0046] The test results in Figure 17 were performed by relatively less skilled individuals among the expected users. Therefore, most actual users are more technically proficient than the test participants, and the need for manual input gradually decreases as their skills improve. Consequently, most trials by actual users are automatically judged by the application. The present invention is characterized by its ability to process results that accurately represent skill with minimal interference between the balls 102, using either automatic judgment alone or a relationship judgment process that combines automatic judgment and manual input.

[0047] Based on the position information of ball 102 acquired by the application, users can also understand their putting tendencies, which allows them to do the following: Draw a circle 106 with the actual cup size of 10.8 cm centered on target 105, and then draw a figure where the starting point 103 and the 10.8 cm circle 106 are touching on two sides. The inner hatched area of ​​this figure will be called the on-the-line area 107 in Figure 15. When all balls 102 stop in the on-the-line area 107 through daily use of the application, the user can determine that they are hitting the ball 102 in the intended direction with a high probability. In addition, if 70% of the balls 102 stop in front of target 105 in Figure 15, and 30% stop behind the cup, the user can determine that they need to hit the ball 102 harder in order to hit it with the intended force. From this, it becomes easier to determine that since all balls 102 are in the on-the-line area 107, what is necessary for the user's improvement is the strength with which they hit the balls 102. Furthermore, the user can practice using the present invention to improve the strength with which they hit the balls 102, which is necessary for improvement, and can also confirm whether the improvement has actually occurred through numerical information.

[0048] By the way, the form of the present invention, which involves stopping the ball 102 at a target location and measuring its stopping position, is quite suitable for confirming and improving putting technique. As a simple example assuming an actual putting green, on a target line with a straight roll, even if there is some variation in strength, if the ball reaches the cup, it will almost always go in. However, on an actual putting green, there are few target lines with a straight roll, and in most cases there is a slope, causing the ball 102 to curve to the right or left. On a curving line, if you hit it too hard, the curve will be small and the ball will pass by the side of the cup. Conversely, if you hit it too weakly, it will not reach the cup. The degree to which this occurs requires even more delicate control as the slope becomes steeper. In other words, even in putting practice, it is necessary to practice using a means that allows for confirmation of delicate control. For example, with practice equipment that has holes or obstacles, if the ball goes into the cup or hits the practice equipment, it is not easy to determine whether the strength was as intended. Even when using only a flat putting mat, the stopping position can be roughly determined, but obtaining detailed position information is difficult without measuring it yourself using a ruler or similar tool. Furthermore, this is time-consuming and slows down the pace of practice. For the reasons stated above, the present invention can automatically acquire detailed position information of the ball 102 when it stops, making it a highly suitable analysis device for improving golf skills.

[0049] As part of the trial information, it is also preferable to assign points based on how close ball 102 is to target 105. To visualize this, imagine a shooting game where points are marked in designated areas. By displaying score information such as 5 or 10 points on the application's trial information screen, based on how close ball 102 is to target 105, users who are not familiar with numerical data can more easily use this as a benchmark for improving their skills, compared to displaying somewhat specialized numerical information such as distance information or angles representing the difference from the target line. For example, if a user's score for a particular trial averages 4 points over a certain period, and then rises to an average of 5 points over the same period, they can determine, based on the rules defined by the application, that their putting skills have improved.

[0050] Furthermore, displaying the score information graphically allows users to compare their previous and current skill levels over time, which is even more advantageous. Additionally, if there are two or more users, they can take turns every five tries and compare their scores to play a putting game, further enhancing motivation for practice. This score information can be exchanged among users of the present invention by saving screenshots of the screen, making it possible to compete with users located far away.

[0051] Furthermore, the putting mat 113 equipped with image recognition markers does not necessarily have to have scoring areas drawn on it. Since the relative positions of the target 105 and the ball 102 are known in detail within the application, it is easy to assign points according to the position of the ball 102 after putting and stopping. If a simple putting mat is desired, the target 105 can be printed as just a dot of about 1 cm that is visible to the user. Alternatively, a putting practice tool 101 equipped with image recognition markers may be used by setting it up on actual grass. [Explanation of Symbols] 100...Image recognition marker, 101...Putting practice equipment equipped with image recognition marker, 102...Ball, 103...Starting point, 104...Smartphone, 105...Target, 106...Circle, 107...On-the-line area, 108...Elliptical shape showing dispersion, 109...20cm wide putting mat, 110...High brightness area of ​​the image recognition marker's color, 111...Low brightness area of ​​the image recognition marker's color, 112...Ball position measurement area, 113...Putting mat equipped with image recognition marker, G...Ground, L...Distance from the starting point to the target in Figure 16

Claims

1. A putting practice application for a computer that provides a function to acquire camera images of a laid putting mat and a ball stopped on the putting mat via a camera of an information device, and to acquire ball position information from the acquired camera images, and to calculate the difference between the putting start point and the putting target on the putting mat, which is set in advance, as distance, and to calculate the angle between the target line and the flight line, where the imaginary line connecting the putting start point and the target is called the target line, and the imaginary line connecting the putting start point and the point where the ball is stopped is called the flight line.

2. A putting practice application according to Claim 1, which enables a computer to detect an image recognition marker as an aid in obtaining ball position information from an image acquired through the camera of an information device.

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