Hybrid golf system and control method for the same

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a hybrid golf system and a control method thereof that enables multiple users to play virtual golf and subsequent field golf inside a hybrid golf booth, thereby allowing golf play without being affected by ambient temperature or weather, and effectively transmits the ball positions of all users and related information to users when playing field golf inside the hybrid golf booth.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hybrid golf system and a control method thereof, which combines virtual golf, in which golf play is conducted based on virtual golf course images such as so-called screen golf, with field golf, in which golf play is conducted in the same manner as playing on an actual golf course, thereby enabling hybrid golf play in which part of the golf play on a hole is conducted in a virtual golf manner and the remainder is conducted in a field golf manner. Background Technology

[0002] With the recent increase in the golf population, so-called screen golf systems have emerged, allowing users to practice golf and enjoy virtual rounds using virtual golf simulation systems.

[0003] Such screen golf systems install a screen capable of displaying a virtual golf course indoors and detect the speed and direction of a golf ball when a golfer strikes it toward the screen, displaying the ball's trajectory on the screen. These systems are undergoing continuous technological evolution to go beyond the level of a simple indoor golf game and provide users with a sense of realism akin to playing a round of golf on a real course.

[0004] Conventional screen golf systems have limitations in providing a sense of realism similar to playing a round of golf at an actual golf course because they only display a virtual golf course and a simulated video of the ball's trajectory on the virtual golf course through a screen installed in front of where the user hits the ball.

[0005] To overcome these limitations, a so-called hybrid golf system has emerged that goes beyond conventional screen golf systems and provides the same realism as playing a round of golf at an actual golf course, while also being implementable in a much smaller space than an actual golf course.

[0006] A hybrid golf system is a system that combines a real golf course where actual golf play can be performed with a screen golf system, allowing part of the golf play on a hole to be carried out on a virtual golf course implemented in the screen golf system, while the remaining play can be carried out by playing actual golf on the actual field.

[0007] For example, in the case of a par 4 hole, the tee shot and second shot are performed through a virtual golf simulation on a virtual golf course via a screen golf system, while the third shot and putting are performed in the same way as if the user were moving to an actual field and playing on a real golf course.

[0008] However, since such a hybrid golf system is played on an indoor screen golf system and an outdoor field, there is a problem that it is difficult to play, especially when playing on the field, if it is cold or hot, or if it is raining or snowing due to the influence of weather or temperature.

[0009] Furthermore, the most critical aspect of a hybrid golf system is to accurately specify the actual ball position on the field corresponding to the location where the user's virtual ball lands on the virtual golf course during gameplay, thereby enabling the user to take a golf shot from that specific ball position on the field.

[0010] Conventionally, laser pointers were primarily used to specify the ball position on the actual field corresponding to the ball position on a virtual golf course.

[0011] In other words, the method involved a laser pointer installed around the actual field projecting a laser beam to mark the ball's position on the actual field that corresponded to the user's ball position on the virtual golf course, allowing the user to place their golf ball at the marked location and take a shot.

[0012] However, this method of designating ball positions using a laser pointer has several problems, such as reduced realism and the inability to verify the ball positions of all users on the actual green.

[0013] Prior art documents related to the present invention include Korean Published Patent Application No. 2013-0030536, Korean Registered Patent Application No. 10-1194268, Korean Published Patent Application No. 2012-0036155, and Korean Registered Patent Application No. 10-1868584. The problem to be solved

[0014] The present invention aims to provide a hybrid golf system and a control method thereof that enables multiple users to play virtual golf and subsequent field golf inside a hybrid golf booth, thereby allowing golf play without being affected by ambient temperature or weather, and effectively transmits the ball positions of all users and related information to users when playing field golf inside the hybrid golf booth. means of solving the problem

[0015] A hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a hybrid golf booth in which hybrid golf play combining virtual golf and field golf by a plurality of users takes place in an internal space; a virtual golf device provided on one side inside the hybrid golf booth, which performs virtual golf by projecting an image of a virtual golf course onto a screen and simulating the movement of a ball as the plurality of users each take a golf shot on the screen; a real green provided on the other side inside the hybrid golf booth, which is configured to allow the plurality of users to perform field golf following the virtual golf performed through the virtual golf device; and a green projector installed inside the hybrid golf booth to project an image onto the real green in conjunction with the virtual golf device.

[0016] Additionally, preferably, the invention further includes a control unit that determines whether to switch from the virtual golf to the field golf, and if switched to the field golf, allows the play status of the virtual golf performed on the virtual golf device to be projected as an image onto the real green through the green projector, thereby enabling the plurality of users to continue playing on the real green following the virtual golf.

[0017] Additionally, preferably, the system further includes a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when a virtual ball of each of the plurality of users lands on a virtual green on a virtual golf course projected on the screen, and when switched to field golf, allows the play status of the virtual golf performed by the virtual golf device to be projected as an image onto the real green through the green projector; and a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth that monitors the user's shot on the real green as the field golf progresses, wherein the control unit transmits information regarding the play status of each of the plurality of users from the virtual golf device to the green projector according to the shot sequence on the real green so that it is projected onto the real green by the green projector, and is configured to stop the image projection by the green projector when a shot by one user is performed according to the detection result of the shot monitoring device, and to control the green projector to project information regarding the play status of the next user after the shot by one user is performed.

[0018] Additionally, preferably, the invention further comprises a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the plurality of users' virtual balls land on the virtual green on the virtual golf course projected on the screen, and controls the green projector to project an image of each of the plurality of users' virtual balls placed on the virtual green onto the real green from the virtual golf device.

[0019] Additionally, preferably, the invention further includes a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the plurality of users' virtual balls land on a virtual green on a virtual golf course projected onto the screen, and according to the judgment of the control unit, an image of each of the plurality of users' virtual balls placed on the virtual green is transmitted from the virtual golf device to the green projector, and the green projector is configured to project the image of each of the plurality of users' virtual balls onto the real green by scaling it to the size of the real green.

[0020] Additionally, preferably, the virtual golf device transmits an image formed so that a plurality of virtual balls placed on the virtual green are visually distinguishable from one another to the green projector, and is characterized in that each of the plurality of users can identify their own virtual ball according to the visual distinction of the plurality of virtual balls projected onto the real green by the green projector, and can proceed with golf play on the real green at the location of each of their own virtual balls.

[0021] Additionally, preferably, the invention further includes a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the plurality of users' virtual balls land on the virtual green on the virtual golf course projected onto the screen, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot sequence of each of the plurality of users on the real green following the virtual golf, and causes an image guiding each user's play on the real green according to the shot sequence in the virtual golf play state performed by the virtual golf device to be projected onto the real green by the green projector.

[0022] Additionally, preferably, the invention further includes a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the plurality of users' virtual balls land on a virtual green on a virtual golf course projected onto a screen, and a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth that monitors the user's shot on the real green as the field golf proceeds, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot order of each of the plurality of users on the real green following the virtual golf, and guides the user's ball position by projecting the virtual ball image of the user who is next to take a shot on the real green onto the real green by the green projector according to the shot order, and stops the image projection by the green projector when the user takes a shot according to the detection of the shot monitoring device, and guides the user's ball position by projecting the virtual ball image of the user who is next to take a shot onto the real green by the green projector when the user's shot is completed as a result of the detection of the shot monitoring device, thereby enabling each user to proceed with golf play on the real green from the position of their virtual ball.

[0023] Additionally, preferably, the system further includes a control unit that switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the plurality of users' virtual balls lands on a virtual green on a virtual golf course projected onto the screen, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot order of each of the plurality of users on the real green following the virtual golf, and recognizes position information of each of the plurality of users' virtual balls placed on the virtual green from the virtual golf device, and wherein an image including a virtual ball image of the user whose turn it is to take a shot on the real green according to the shot order and a ball marker image formed at each virtual ball position of the remaining users other than the user whose turn it is to take a shot is projected onto the real green by the green projector.

[0024] Meanwhile, a control method for a hybrid golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a control method for a hybrid golf system that enables hybrid golf play by fusing virtual golf and field golf by a plurality of users within a space inside a hybrid golf booth, comprising: a step of conducting virtual golf by projecting an image of a virtual golf course onto a screen by a virtual golf device provided on one side inside the hybrid golf booth, and conducting a simulation of ball movement as the plurality of users each take a golf shot on the screen; a step of transitioning from virtual golf to field golf conducted by the plurality of users on a real green provided on the other side inside the hybrid golf booth; and a step of enabling the play state of virtual golf performed by the virtual golf device to be projected as an image onto the real green through a green projector installed inside the hybrid golf booth and linked with the virtual golf device to project an image onto the real green, thereby enabling the plurality of users to continue playing on the real green following the virtual golf.

[0025] Additionally, preferably, the step of enabling play on the real green comprises: a step of transmitting an image formed so that each of the virtual balls of the plurality of users placed on the virtual green of the virtual golf course projected on the screen is visually distinguishable from the virtual golf device to the green projector; and a step of the green projector scaling the received image to the size of the real green and projecting it onto the real green.

[0026] Additionally, preferably, the step of enabling play on the real green comprises: a step of projecting a virtual ball image of a user who is next in line to take a shot on the real green onto the real green by the green projector according to the shot order on the real green of each of the plurality of users following the virtual golf; a step of stopping the projection of the image by the green projector when the user takes a shot according to detection by a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth that monitors the user's shot on the real green as the field golf proceeds; and a step of projecting a virtual ball image of the user who is next in line to take a shot onto the real green by the green projector when the user's shot is completed as a result of detection by the shot monitoring device. Effects of the invention

[0027] The hybrid golf system and control method according to the present invention enable multiple users to play virtual golf and subsequent field golf inside a hybrid golf booth, thereby allowing golf play without being affected by ambient temperature or weather, and has the effect of effectively transmitting the ball positions of all users and related information to users when playing field golf inside the hybrid golf booth. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the hybrid golf system illustrated in Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a hybrid golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 and 5 are drawings illustrating a case where field golf is played on a real green following the transition to field golf after virtual golf play by multiple users as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing examples of displaying the ball position through a projected image according to the shot order of multiple users during field golf play on a real green in a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the process in which each of a plurality of users plays field golf on a real green according to the shot order in a hybrid golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a case in which a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention projects various information that can guide a user's putting onto a real green through a green projector. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0029] Specific details regarding the hybrid golf system and the control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0030] First, the configuration of a hybrid golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the hybrid golf system illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention enables a plurality of users (U1, U2, U3, U4) to perform both virtual golf and field golf within the space inside the hybrid golf booth (100).

[0033] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a virtual golf area (102) in which virtual golf play is performed is provided inside a hybrid golf booth (100) equipped with a virtual golf device (200) and a field golf area (104) in which field golf play is performed is provided with a real green (400). It may be implemented as a building structure enclosed by walls and a roof, or as a structure in which at least a portion of the walls and roof are open.

[0034] In conventional hybrid golf systems, virtual golf play takes place inside a building or structure, while a green of a certain size is provided outside the building or structure, so users would exit after completing the virtual golf play and proceed with field play on the outdoor green.

[0035] However, in the case of conventional hybrid golf systems, there was a problem where playing on the outdoor greens became very difficult or impossible if the ambient temperature was too high or too low, or if it rained or snowed.

[0036] A hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of allowing golf play without being affected by ambient temperature or weather, because both virtual golf play by a virtual golf device and field golf play on a real green can be performed inside a hybrid golf booth (100).

[0037] In a virtual golf area (102) provided on one side inside a hybrid golf booth (100) of a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention, a screen (204) is provided in front, and a stage (202) and a hitting table (206) may be provided so that users can take golf shots toward the screen (204) one by one.

[0038] The simulator (210) is a device that implements various images and performs simulations so that users can play virtual golf, and uses an image processing unit (212) to implement an image of a virtual golf course and an image that simulates the movement of a ball on the virtual golf course.

[0039] When a user hits a golf shot toward the screen (204) from the batting cage (206), the sensing device (250) senses the movement of the struck golf ball and transmits the sensing data to the simulator (210), and the simulator (210) implements a simulation video of the ball moving on a virtual golf course using the image processing unit (212) based on the sensing data.

[0040] The image information implemented by the above simulator (210) is transmitted to the image output unit (230) and outputs an image of a virtual golf course and a simulation of a ball moving on the virtual golf course on the screen (204).

[0041] The above-mentioned 'virtual golf play' means that golf play is performed in a manner in which multiple users use a virtual golf device (200) to take golf shots one by one from a hitting bay (206) toward a screen (204) on which a virtual golf course image (201) is projected, and a simulation of the ball's movement on the virtual golf course is performed based on sensing information regarding the movement of the golf ball.

[0042] In this way, as virtual golf play by multiple users proceeds through the virtual golf device, if certain conditions are met, the virtual golf play ends, and field golf play proceeds on the real green (400) following the virtual golf play.

[0043] Here, the case in which the aforementioned specific requirements are satisfied may be, for example, when all users' balls are on the green of the virtual golf course during the virtual golf play process.

[0044] And, field golf means that users play golf on the field in the same way as playing golf on an actual golf course, for example, on a real green (400), users place a real golf ball at their ball position and putt toward the hole cup (410).

[0045] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a control unit (500), and the control unit (500) determines whether a predetermined requirement is satisfied during the process in which a plurality of users play virtual golf through a virtual golf device (200), and if the predetermined requirement is satisfied, terminates the golf play in the virtual golf device and allows the plurality of users to play field golf on the real green (400) in the same state.

[0046] The control unit (500) described above may be implemented as a separate control device, or the simulator (210) of the virtual golf device described above may be configured to function as the control unit described above.

[0047] Meanwhile, the real green (400) can be configured to form part of the terrain of an entire hole of a real golf course, and can be formed identically to the real green that forms the hole cup (410) as shown in FIG. 1, and can be equipped to allow users to actually take approach shots and putts by including surrounding areas such as fairways, rough, and bunkers around the green.

[0048] A hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention allows users to play some golf through a virtual golf course in a virtual golf device (200) and play the rest of the golf on a real green (400).

[0049] For example, when playing golf on a par 4 hole, the user can play a tee shot, a second shot, and an approach shot on a virtual golf course of the par 4 hole in the virtual golf device (200) (a golf play performed by the user hitting a golf shot from the tee box toward the screen and the sensing device sensing the struck ball to simulate it), and the user can move to the real green (400) and play on the real green (400) for putting on the par 4 hole.

[0050] At this time, a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention uses a green projector (300) installed inside a hybrid golf booth (100) to transfer the play state that has been played through a virtual golf device (200) onto the real green (400) as is, so that play can continue on the real green (400).

[0051] The control unit (500) determines whether to switch from virtual golf using the virtual golf device (200) to field golf, and if switched to field golf, the play status of the virtual golf performed in the virtual golf device (200) can be projected as an image onto the real green (400) through the green projector (300), so that multiple users can continue playing on the real green (400) following the virtual golf.

[0052] For example, the control unit (500) switches from virtual golf to field golf when each of the virtual balls of multiple users is placed on the virtual green on the virtual golf course projected on the screen (204), and can control the green projector (300) to receive an image of each of the virtual balls of multiple users placed on the virtual green from the virtual golf device (200) and project it onto the real green (400).

[0053] The above-described green projector (300) is configured to project an image downward from a certain distance above the real green (400) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may be installed on the ceiling inside the hybrid golf booth (100), or may be configured to project an image onto the real green (400) by being installed on a certain frame or a separately made structure provided inside the hybrid golf booth (100).

[0054] Meanwhile, a control method for a hybrid golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0055] A hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention allows play on at least one hole to proceed by a plurality of users inside a hybrid golf booth, and FIG. 3 illustrates the process of hybrid golf play proceeding on one hole (hole n).

[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 3, as golf play begins on the nth hole, an image of a virtual golf course for the nth hole is implemented using a virtual golf device, and virtual golf is played by multiple users based on this (S100).

[0057] As virtual golf play progresses, for example, when each of the multiple users' balls lands on the virtual green of the nth hole, the control unit switches to field golf (S110), and accordingly, virtual golf play on the hole ends and field golf on the real green proceeds (S120).

[0058] When field golf starts, the control unit transmits video information regarding the play status of virtual golf performed by multiple users in the virtual golf device to the green projector (S130), and the video transmitted to the green projector is scaled to fit the size of the real green and projected onto the real green (S140).

[0059] For example, when playing virtual golf, images of the positions of each user's ball placed on the virtual green can be scaled as they are and projected onto the real green (400) by the green projector (300), and accordingly, each user can easily identify their own ball on the real green (400) and each can place a golf ball at their own ball position and putt toward the hole cup (410).

[0060] More specific details regarding the case where field golf play proceeds based on an image projected onto a real green by such a green projector are explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0061] Previously, as illustrated in FIG. 1, it was shown that multiple users play virtual golf in a virtual golf area within a hybrid golf booth. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate the case where, following the virtual golf play of multiple users as shown in FIG. 1, field golf is played on a real green as a result of transitioning to field golf.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 4, as the game is played by a plurality of users (U1, U2, U3, U4) by the virtual golf device, for example, an image (IM) of each user's ball placed on a virtual green implemented on the screen image (201) by the virtual golf device can be extracted by the simulator and transmitted to the green projector (300).

[0063] The video of the users' play status (IM) extracted from the virtual golf device may be a video in which each user's ball is placed based on a virtual green (iVG) and a hole cup (iHC) formed on one side thereof, and as shown in FIG. 4, the ball video (iVB1) of the first user (U1), the ball video (iVB2) of the second user (U2), the ball video (iVB3) of the third user (U3), and the ball video (iVB4) of the fourth user (U4) may be distinguished visually, for example, by having different colors, or the user's play name (ID or nickname, etc.) may be displayed together next to each virtual ball.

[0064] In this way, the video (IM) of the users' play status is transmitted to the green projector (300), and the green projector (300) can project it by scaling it to the size of the real green (400). At this time, it is desirable to project it by matching the position of the hole cup (410) with the position of the hole cup (iHC) in the video (IM). At this time, only the video of the virtual ball can be extracted and transmitted to the green projector, and it is also possible for the green projector to omit the virtual green and hole cup and project only the virtual ball as is.

[0065] Figure 5 shows an example of a case where the green projector (300) projects an image of the users' play status onto the real green (400) in this manner.

[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the green projector (300) can project an image of the state in which users played in the virtual golf device, that is, the ball position on each user's virtual green, onto the real green (400), and since each user can identify their virtual ball while looking at the image of the virtual ball projected onto the real green (400), each user can continue playing on the real green in the same state as the golf play by the virtual golf device by placing a golf ball at their virtual ball position and proceeding with putting.

[0067] As illustrated in FIG. 5, each virtual ball image (VB1 to VB4) on the image (310) projected onto the real green (400) by the green projector (300) corresponds to the virtual ball images (iVB1 to iVB4) on the image (IM) extracted from the virtual golf device shown in FIG. 4. That is, the first virtual ball (VB1) of the first user (U1), the second virtual ball (VB2) of the second user (U2), the third virtual ball (VB3) of the third user (U3), and the fourth virtual ball (VB4) of the fourth user (U4) on the image (310) projected onto the real green (400) can be projected in different colors so that they can be visually distinguished from each other.

[0068] According to the position of each virtual ball on the image (310) projected onto the real green (400) in FIG. 5, the shot sequence proceeds in the order of the first user (U1), second user (U2), third user (U3), and fourth user (U4), and each user can place a golf ball on the real green (400) at the position of their virtual ball (VB1 ~ VB4) according to the shot sequence and proceed with putting toward the hole cup (410).

[0069] As described above, the image (310) projected onto the real green (400) through the green projector (300) may be projected with all users' virtual ball images at once as shown in FIG. 5, but as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the virtual ball (VB1) image may be displayed at the ball position of the user currently in the shot order, and ball marker (VM2, VM3, VM4) images may be displayed at the ball positions of the remaining users, respectively. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), only the virtual ball (VB1) image may be displayed at the ball position of the user currently in the shot order, and no ball or ball marker may be displayed at the ball positions of the remaining users, thereby allowing the projected image of the green projector (300) to be modified and displayed according to the control of the control unit to guide the ball position only to the user currently in the shot order.

[0070] A hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a shot monitoring device (220) installed inside a hybrid golf booth to monitor the user's shots on the real green as field golf progresses.

[0071] Figure 6 illustrates the case where a shot monitoring device (220) is installed in a location adjacent to the green projector (300).

[0072] The above-described shot monitoring device (220) may be configured to include a single or stereoscopic camera device to detect and monitor whether a user is taking a shot or has completed a shot on the real green (400).

[0073] For example, as virtual golf play ends and field golf play on the real green begins, the control unit can extract an image (IM) regarding the play state as shown in FIG. 4, recognize the shot order in the image (IM), display only the virtual ball of the first user who is next in line to take a shot, and transform the balls of the remaining users into ball markers so that the image is projected onto the real green (400) through the green projector (300) as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and accordingly, the first user can see the image of the first virtual ball (VB1) displayed at their ball position, place the golf ball at that position, and putt, and at that time, the shot monitoring device (220) can recognize the position of the first virtual ball (VB1) and detect whether the first user is taking a shot at that position.

[0074] The shot monitoring device (220) can detect whether the user is taking a shot from the position of the first virtual ball, can detect the position of the golf ball that has moved according to the first user's putting, and can also detect whether the first user's putting has resulted in a hole-in-one.

[0075] Meanwhile, a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention can enable a control unit to control a virtual golf device and a green projector so that multiple users can effectively perform putting according to the shot order on a real green, and this is explained with reference to FIG. 7.

[0076] Figure 7 illustrates the process of multiple users putting one by one on a real green according to the shot order, and proceeds in the order of (a) → (b) → (c) → (d) of Figure 7.

[0077] FIG. 7(a) illustrates the case where a first user putts from a first virtual ball position according to the shot sequence in the state as illustrated in FIG. 6(a); FIG. 7(b) illustrates guiding the shot position of a second user to a second virtual ball image projected by a green projector after the first user's putt and before the second user putts; FIG. 7(c) illustrates the case where a second user putts from a second virtual ball position in the state as illustrated in FIG. 7(b); and FIG. 7(d) illustrates guiding the shot position of a third user to a third virtual ball image projected by a green projector after the second user's putt and before the third user putts.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 6(a), when looking at the image (310) projected onto the real green (400), it can be seen that the shot order according to each user's ball position is first user (U1) → second user (U2) → third user (U3) → fourth user (U4), and the first user can prepare to putt at the location where their virtual ball (VB1) image is displayed.

[0079] At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 7(a), the first user (U1) can place a golf ball (B1) at their ball position and putt. The shot monitoring device (220) can detect that the user is preparing to putt, and accordingly, the control unit can cause the green projector (300) to stop projecting an image so that the first user (U1) can putt while looking at the hole cup (410) on the real green (400). That is, it is desirable to stop the image projection of the green projector so that the projected image does not interfere with the user's putting.

[0080] When the first user (U1) hits the golf ball (B1) to make a putt, the shot monitoring device (220) can detect this and detect that the first user's putting shot is completed, and then, so that the next user, the second user (U2), can make a putt, a projection image (310) including an image of the second virtual ball (VB2), which is the second user's ball, can be projected onto the real green (400) by the green projector (300) as shown in FIG. 7 (b). At this time, the virtual ball images of the respective users may or may not be displayed at the ball positions of the third user and the fourth user other than the second user, and images of ball markers (VM3, VM4) may be displayed at the ball positions of the third user and the fourth user, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7 (b).

[0081] Additionally, if the first user fails to putt the golf ball into the hole cup (410) in the previous putting, the shot monitoring device (220) can detect the position of the golf ball moved by the first user's putting and can display a virtual ball image or a ball marker image at the position of the golf ball.

[0082] As illustrated in FIG. 7(c), the second user (U2) can place a golf ball (B2) at their ball position and putt. The shot monitoring device (220) can detect that the user is preparing to putt, and accordingly, the control unit can cause the green projector (300) to stop projecting an image so that the second user (U2) can putt while looking at the hole cup (410) on the real green (400). That is, it is desirable to stop the image projection of the green projector so that the projected image does not interfere with the user's putting.

[0083] When the second user (U2) hits the golf ball (B2) to make a putt, the shot monitoring device (220) can detect this and detect that the second user's putting shot is completed, and then, so that the next user, the third user (U3), can make a putt, a projection image (310) including an image of the third virtual ball (VB3), which is the third user's ball, can be projected onto the real green (400) by the green projector (300) as shown in FIG. 7 (d). At this time, the virtual ball image of each corresponding user may or may not be displayed at the ball position of the fourth user other than the third user, and an image of the ball marker (VM4) may be displayed at the ball position of the fourth user as shown in FIG. 7 (d).

[0084] Additionally, if the second user fails to putt the golf ball into the hole cup (410) in the previous putt, the shot monitoring device (220) can detect the position of the golf ball moved by the second user's putt and can display a virtual ball image or a ball marker image at the position of the golf ball.

[0085] In this way, a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention can enable a control unit to control a virtual golf device and a green projector so that multiple users can effectively putt on a real green according to the shot order.

[0086] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention not only provides an image based on the play state performed in the virtual golf device by projecting it onto the real green through a green projector, but also additionally provides an image to guide each user to make effective putts.

[0087] FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the control unit of a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention projects various information that can guide a user's putting onto a real green through a green projector.

[0088] As illustrated in FIG. 8(a), a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention can project a projection image (310) regarding the user's virtual ball (VB) and distance information (330) from thereto to the hole cup (410) onto a real green (400) through a green projector (300), and the user can make a strategic putt to the hole cup by referring to the distance information (330) from their virtual ball (VB) position.

[0089] Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 8(b), a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention can project a projection image (310) of terrain grid information (340) representing information regarding the green lie between the user's virtual ball (VB) and the hole cup (410) onto the real green (400) through a green projector (300), and the user can identify the green lie through the terrain grid information (340) at the position of their virtual ball (VB) and make a strategic putt based on this.

[0090] Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 8(c), a hybrid golf system according to one embodiment of the present invention can project a projection image (310) regarding the user's virtual ball (VB) and correct putting path information (350) according to the green terrain from the virtual ball (VB) to the hole cup (410) onto a real green (400) through a green projector (300), and the user can determine the putting direction, etc. through the putting path information (350) from the position of the virtual ball (VB) and make a strategic putt based on this.

[0091] As explained above, the hybrid golf system and control method according to the present invention enable multiple users to play golf inside a hybrid golf booth without being affected by ambient temperature or weather, and can display status information related to virtual golf play, such as ball position information of each user, on a real green through a green projector, and further display putting paths or green lie information that enable strategic putting at each displayed ball position, thereby having the advantage that users can effectively play field golf on a real green following virtual golf. Explanation of the symbols

[0092] 100: Hybrid Golf Booth, 102: Virtual Golf Area 104: Field golf area, 200: Virtual golf device 204: Screen, 206: Batting Crew 210: Simulator, 220: Shot monitoring device 300: Green projector, 310: Projected image 400: Real Green, 410: Hole Cup

Claims

Claim 1 A hybrid golf booth in which hybrid golf play fusing virtual golf and field golf by multiple users takes place within an internal space; a virtual golf device provided on one side inside the hybrid golf booth that projects an image of a virtual golf course onto a screen and simulates the movement of a ball as the multiple users each take a golf shot on the screen to proceed with the virtual golf; a real green provided on the other side inside the hybrid golf booth that allows the multiple users to proceed with field golf following the virtual golf played through the virtual golf device; and a green projector installed inside the hybrid golf booth that projects an image onto the real green in conjunction with the virtual golf device. A hybrid golf system comprising a control unit for switching from virtual golf to field golf, wherein the control unit transmits an image of each of the virtual balls of each of the plurality of users placed on the virtual green from the virtual golf device to the green projector, and the green projector is configured to project the image of each of the virtual balls of each of the plurality of users onto the real green by scaling it to the size of the real green, so as to enable the plurality of users to move from playing on a virtual green on a virtual golf course projected on the screen of the virtual golf device to proceed as field golf. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A hybrid golf system according to claim 1, further comprising a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth for monitoring a user's shot on the real green as the field golf progresses, wherein the control unit transmits information regarding the play status of each of the plurality of users from the virtual golf device to the green projector according to the shot order on the real green so that it is projected onto the real green by the green projector, and is configured to stop the image projection by the green projector when a user's shot is performed according to the detection result of the shot monitoring device, and to control the green projector to project information regarding the play status of the next user after the user's shot is performed. Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A hybrid golf system according to claim 1, wherein the virtual golf device transmits an image formed such that a plurality of virtual balls placed on the virtual green are visually distinguishable from one another to the green projector, and wherein each of the plurality of users can identify their own virtual ball according to the visual distinction of the plurality of virtual balls projected onto the real green by the green projector, and can proceed with golf play on the real green at the location of each of their own virtual balls. Claim 7 A hybrid golf system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot order on the real green of each of the plurality of users following the virtual golf, and causes an image guiding each user's play on the real green according to the shot order in the virtual golf play state performed by the virtual golf device to be projected onto the real green by the green projector. Claim 8 A hybrid golf system according to claim 1, further comprising a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth to monitor a user's shot on the real green as the field golf proceeds, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot order of each of the plurality of users on the real green following the virtual golf, and guides the position of the user's ball by projecting a virtual ball image of the user who is next in line to take a shot on the real green onto the real green by the green projector according to the shot order, and stops the image projection by the green projector when the user takes a shot according to the detection of the shot monitoring device, and when the user's shot is completed as a result of the detection of the shot monitoring device, guides the position of the user's ball by projecting a virtual ball image of the user who is next in line to take a shot onto the real green by the green projector, thereby enabling each user to proceed with golf play on the real green from the position of their virtual ball. Claim 9 A hybrid golf system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes the shot order of each of the plurality of users on the real green following the virtual golf, and recognizes the position information of each of the plurality of users' virtual balls placed on the virtual green from the virtual golf device, and wherein an image including a virtual ball image of the user whose turn it is to take a shot on the real green according to the shot order and ball marker images formed at each virtual ball position of the remaining users other than the user whose turn it is to take a shot is projected onto the real green by the green projector. Claim 10 A control method for a hybrid golf system that enables hybrid golf play combining virtual golf and field golf by multiple users within the interior space of a hybrid golf booth, comprising: a step of conducting virtual golf by projecting an image of a virtual golf course onto a screen by a virtual golf device provided on one side of the interior of the hybrid golf booth, and conducting a simulation of ball movement as the multiple users each take a golf shot on the screen; and a step of transitioning from virtual golf to field golf conducted by the multiple users on a real green provided on the other side of the interior of the hybrid golf booth. A control method for a hybrid golf system comprising the step of enabling a plurality of users to proceed with play on the real green following the virtual golf by projecting an image onto the real green through a green projector installed inside the hybrid golf booth and linked with the virtual golf device, wherein the play state of virtual golf performed by the virtual golf device is projected as an image onto the real green, and the step of enabling play on the real green comprises the step of transmitting an image formed so that the virtual balls of each of the plurality of users placed on the virtual green of the virtual golf course projected on the screen are visually distinguishable from the virtual golf device to the green projector, and the step of the green projector scaling the received image to fit the size of the real green and projecting it onto the real green. Claim 11 delete Claim 12 A control method for a hybrid golf system that enables hybrid golf play combining virtual golf and field golf by multiple users within the interior space of a hybrid golf booth, comprising: a step of conducting virtual golf by projecting an image of a virtual golf course onto a screen by a virtual golf device provided on one side of the interior of the hybrid golf booth, and conducting a simulation of ball movement as the multiple users each take a golf shot on the screen; and a step of transitioning from virtual golf to field golf conducted by the multiple users on a real green provided on the other side of the interior of the hybrid golf booth. A control method for a hybrid golf system, comprising the step of enabling a plurality of users to proceed with play on the real green following virtual golf by projecting an image onto the real green through a green projector installed inside the hybrid golf booth and linked with the virtual golf device, wherein the play status of virtual golf performed by the virtual golf device is projected as an image onto the real green; wherein the step of enabling play on the real green includes: a step of projecting an image of the virtual ball of the user whose turn it is to take a shot on the real green onto the real green by the green projector according to the shot order on the real green of each of the plurality of users following virtual golf; a step of stopping the image projection by the green projector when the user takes a shot according to the detection of a shot monitoring device installed inside the hybrid golf booth that monitors the user's shot on the real green as field golf proceeds; and a step of projecting an image of the virtual ball of the user whose turn it is to take a shot onto the real green by the green projector when the user's shot is completed as a result of the detection of the shot monitoring device.

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