Ball and monitoring system for miniature golf course

Abstract

A ball and a monitoring system for a miniature golf course are disclosed. An electronic golf ball for a miniature golf facility includes a wireless transceiver configured to broadcast a ball identification signal, an accelerometer configured to collect acceleration data, a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field when the electronic golf ball is placed on a teeing area of a miniature golf hole, a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field, and a non-rechargeable battery. The non-rechargeable battery is configured to continuously power the Hall-effect sensor and power the wireless transceiver and the accelerometer only when the processor is in the active state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 781,676, filed April 1, 2025, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to miniature golf courses and, more specifically, to balls and monitoring systems for miniature golf courses.BACKGROUND

[0003] Miniature golf (also referred to as “minigolf”) is a game that is typically played on a miniature golf course with a series of holes. Each player is to putt a respective ball into each of the series of holes. Oftentimes, each hole in a miniature golf course includes one or more artificial obstacles and / or unusual geometric arrangements to make putting a ball into the hole more difficult and entertaining. Example obstacles may include ramps, tubes, curved or angled walls, windmills, etc.

[0004] Relatively recently, some miniature golf courses have entered the digital world. Instead of relying on players to keep score on a scorecard via pen and paper, some recent miniature golf courses use sensors (e.g., cameras, global positioning system (GPS) units, accelerometers, magnetic sensors, gyroscopes, etc.) to detect when a player has performed a stroke and / or track motion of a golf ball along a hole.

[0005] For instance, some courses use golf balls in which one or more such sensors are incorporated to detect strokes and / or track motion of the golf balls. Some such golf balls also incorporate one or more batteries to power the use of the sensors. The sensors in the golf balls can have relatively high energy usages, which may result in draining the charge levels of the corresponding batteries more quickly. As a result, the battery of each golf ball may potentially be drained by the corresponding sensor(s) both (i) while the golf ball is being used by a player during a round of miniature golf and (ii) in between rounds while the golf ball is in storage waiting to be dispensed to another player.

[0006] The batteries of some such golf balls may be rechargeable to account for the power usage of the sensor(s) while the golf ball(s) are in use on a course and / or being stored for subsequent usage. However, some such charging cycles may be time intensive and, as a result, may (1) require more balls to be stored at any given time to account for the lengthy charging cycle and / or (2) result in a delay of a dispensing of the ball to a player upon request.SUMMARY

[0007] The present document discloses aspects of embodiments and should not be used to limit the scope of the claims. Other embodiments are contemplated in accordance with the techniques described herein, as will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description, and these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.

[0008] Example embodiments are shown for a ball and a monitoring system for a miniature golf course.

[0009] An example miniature golf facility includes a plurality of holes each of which includes, a teeing area from which an electronic golf ball is putt, a cup into which the electronic golf ball is putt, a magnet configured to activate electronics of the electronic golf ball when the electronic golf ball is placed on the teeing area, one or more sensors configured to detect when the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup, and a wireless transceiver. The wireless transceiver is configured to receive an identification signal from the electronic golf ball upon the electronic golf ball being activated via the magnet and transmit a sleep signal to deactivate the electronics of the electronic golf in response to the one or more sensors detecting that the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup.

[0010] An example electronic golf ball for a miniature golf facility includes a wireless transceiver configured to transmit a ball identification signal, one or more sensors configured to collect data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball, a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field when the electronic golf ball is placed on a teeing area of a miniature golf hole, a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field, and a non-rechargeable battery. The non-rechargeable battery is configured to continuously power the Hall-effect sensor and power the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors only when the processor is in the active state.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to embodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and related elements may be omitted, or in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated, to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. In addition, system components can be variously arranged, as known in the art. Further, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0012] FIG. 1 depicts an example miniature golf course.

[0013] FIG. 2 depicts an example golf ball for the miniature golf course of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of electronic components of the golf ball of FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 depicts an example teeing area of a hole of the miniature golf course of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 5 depicts an example cup of a hole of the miniature golf course of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of electronic components of the miniature golf course of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 7 depicts an example monitoring system identifying at which hole of the miniature golf course of FIG. 1 the golf ball of FIG. 2 is located.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for monitoring a golf ball on a miniature golf course.

[0020] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for identifying at which hole a golf ball is located on a miniature golf course.

[0021] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for counting a number of strokes performed on a golf ball at a hole of a miniature golf course.

[0022] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for monitoring a path along which a golf ball travels at a hole of a miniature golf course.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] While the invention may be embodied in various forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will hereinafter be described, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

[0024] Example balls disclosed herein each include a processor, memory, a non-rechargeable battery, a low-energy Hall-effect sensor, a wireless transceiver, and an energy-efficient accelerometer. The combination of the low-energy Hall-effect sensor and the accelerometer enables each golf ball to be monitored and / or tracked without a magnetic sensor (e.g., a magnetostrictive sensor, a magnetoresistive sensor, an inductive sensor, etc.) that consumes a relatively great amount of energy.

[0025] Each hole of an example miniature golf course disclosed herein includes a teeing area, a magnet positioned under the teeing area, a cup, a wireless transceiver near the teeing area, and sensor(s) monitoring the cup. The wireless transceiver and the sensor(s) are communicatively connected (e.g., via wired connections) to the local computer. Further, each local computer of the respective hole is connected (e.g., via a wired connection) to a remote computer of the miniature golf course.

[0026] Each time a ball is played on a hole of the course, a ball activation sequence, a hole identification sequence, a stroke counting sequence, and a ball deactivation sequence are performed.

[0027] Initially, prior to being played on a hole, each ball is in a sleep state to reduce its battery usage when not being used by a player. The ball is activated when the ball is placed on the teeing surface. Specifically, the Hall-effect sensor of the ball detects the magnetic field of the magnet located below the teeing area. The other electrical components of the golf ball are then activated while the golf ball is being played on the hole. For example, while activated, the wireless transceiver of the golf ball broadcasts signals with a ball identification code at a predefined interval.

[0028] The monitoring system of the miniature golf course then identifies at which hole the ball is currently located. For example, each wireless transceiver of a respective hole that is in communicative range of the golf ball receives the signals broadcasted by the ball. The respective local computer of each wireless transceiver that receives the broadcasted signal identifies the ball identification code of the ball, determines a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and / or an angle-of-arrival (AOA) for the received signal, and relays such information to the remote computer. The remote computer then uses a known layout of the course and the RSSI and / or AOA of each relayed signal to (1) identify which hole is closest to the ball and (2) assigns that hole as the hole at which the ball is currently located. The remote computer may then designate the local computer of the current hole for subsequent communication with the ball while the ball remains at the current hole.

[0029] Upon identifying the current hole, the monitoring system then counts the strokes that the player performs on the ball at the current hole. For example, while the ball is on the hole, the accelerometer of the ball collects acceleration data. The processor of the ball detects a stroke when a change in the acceleration data corresponds with a predefined acceleration pattern that corresponds with the ball being struck by a putter. The wireless transceiver of the ball then transmits a stroke signal upon detection of a stroke, and the local computer of the current hole processes the stroke signal. That local computer and / or the remote computer count the number of detected strokes as the ball is putt along the hole.

[0030] Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring system may also track a path of the ball on the current hole. For example, while the ball is being putt along the current hole, the wireless transceiver of each hole that is in communicative range of the golf ball receives and processes the broadcasted signals of the ball. The respective local computers of those holes determine the RSSIs and / or AOAs of those received signals and relays such information to the remote computer, which then determines the location of the ball using trilateration and / or triangulation with those RSSIs and / or AOAs. In some examples, the tracking information may be used to create a digital recreation of the travel path of the current hole, which may be displayed on a screen for the player.

[0031] The sensor(s) of the cup are then used to initiate the deactivation sequence of the ball at the current hole. For example, the sensor(s) of the cup detect when the ball has been putt into the cup. The local computer of that hole then causes the respective wireless transceiver to send a deactivation signal to the ball to cause the ball to temporarily return to its sleep state.

[0032] The ball activation, hole identification, stroke counting and / or ball tracking, and ball deactivation sequences are then again performed for each hole on the course. Because a low-energy Hall sensor is used to activate and deactivate the other electronics of the ball for each hole, the charge of the battery is conserved over time. The battery can remain charged for years (not hours) and, thus, does not need to be recharged after each round on the course and can eventually be thrown away after years of use. The corresponding monitoring system requires less wall-mounted antennas throughout the course for ball monitoring, which along with no longer needing a docking station, reduces installation costs. Further, the configuration of the balls and corresponding monitoring system may result in the balls being shutdown less and / or significantly reduce the number of faults.

[0033] Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an example course 10 (also referred to as a “golf course,” a “miniature golf course,” and a “minigolf course”) of a miniature golf facility. In some examples, the miniature golf facility may include a single course (e.g., the course 10). In other examples, the miniature golf facility may may include a plurality of courses.

[0034] The course 10 of the illustrated example includes a plurality of holes 100 with each hole 100 including a respective teeing area 200 and a respective cup 300. In the illustrated example, the course 10 includes holes 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, 100H, 100I; which include respective teeing areas 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D, 200E, 200F, 200G, 200H, 200I and respective cups 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, 300E, 300F, 300G, 300H, 300I.

[0035] Each player has an assigned ball (e.g., a ball 400 of FIG. 2) that they use to play on each hole 100 of the course 10. For each hole 100, the player is to putt the ball 400 from the respective teeing area 200 and into the respective cup 300. As disclosed below in greater detail, a monitoring system of the course 10 tracks the performance of each ball and / or player on each hole 100 of the course 10 in an automated manner without additional user input. For example, the monitoring system is configured to count the number of strokes performed for each ball and / or track the travel path of each ball on each hole 100.

[0036] FIG. 2 depicts an example ball 400 (also referred to as a “golf ball,” an “electronic ball,” and an “electronic golf ball”) that is configured to be used on the course 10.

[0037] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of electronics 450 of the ball 400. In the illustrated example, the electronics 450 of the ball 400 include a controller 460, a battery 470, a Hall-effect sensor 475, an accelerometer 480, and a wireless transceiver 485. The controller 460 (also referred to as a “ball controller”) includes a processor 462 and memory 464. One or more of the electronics 450, such as the controller 460, the processor 462, the memory 464, the battery 470, the Hall-effect sensor 475, the accelerometer 480, and / or the wireless transceiver 485, may be housed on a printed circuit board (PCB) located in the core of the ball 400. That is, the ball 400 may include a PCB on which the controller 460, the processor 462, the memory 464, the battery 470, the Hall-effect sensor 475, the accelerometer 480, and / or the wireless transceiver 485 are mounted.

[0038] The processor 462 may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, etc. For example, the processor 462 may include a Nordic® semiconductor chip that incorporates the wireless transceiver 485 (e.g., for Bluetooth® communication). The memory 464 may include one or more of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, read-only memory, etc. In some examples, the memory 464 may include a combination of multiple kinds of memory, such as volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 464 is computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the instant disclosure, can be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory 464, the computer readable medium, and / or within the processor 462 during execution of the instructions.

[0039] The terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. Further, the terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term “computer readable medium” is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and / or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals.

[0040] The battery 470 is configured to provide power other electrical devices of the ball 400, such as the controller 460, the Hall-effect sensor 475, the accelerometer 480, and the wireless transceiver 485. For example, the battery 470 is a non-rechargeable battery (i.e., a single-use battery) such that the battery 470 is not recharged between uses (e.g., between rounds on the course 10, between rounds on different courses, being between dispensed to different players). In some examples, the battery 470 is a coin battery to reduce the footprint of the battery 470 within the core of the ball 400. The battery 470 may be a 3-Volt coin battery, such as a 3-Volt lithium-coin battery (e.g., a CR2032 battery, a CR3032 battery, etc.).

[0041] The Hall-effect sensor 475 is configured to detect a magnetic field of a magnet of a teeing area of one of the holes 100 (e.g., the magnet 210 of the teeing area 200 of FIG. 4) when the ball 400 is placed on the teeing area of the hole 100. Compared to magnetic sensors, such as magnetostrictive sensors, magnetoresistive sensors, and inductive sensors, the Hall-effect sensor 475 is configured to consume less power, thereby extending the life of the battery 470 over time. In other examples, the ball 400 may include any other low-energy sensor capable of detecting the presence of a magnetic field.

[0042] The accelerometer 480 is configured to collect acceleration data indicative of movement of the ball 400. For example, a change in acceleration identified in the acceleration data can indicate when the ball 400 has been struck by a putter. That is, the acceleration data collected by the accelerometer 480 can indicate when a stroke has been performed on the ball 400.

[0043] The wireless transceiver 485 includes network interfaces to enable wireless communication with the network(s) and / or other computing device(s), such as wireless transceivers at the holes 100 of the course 10 (e.g., wireless transceivers 220 of FIGS. 5-6). The wireless transceiver 485 also includes hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, antenna, etc.) and software to control the wireless network interfaces. In the illustrated example, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver configured to communicate with the wireless transceivers 220 of the holes 100 via WPAN communication, such as Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, etc. For example, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 100 and the wireless transceivers 220 of the holes 100 are configured to implement Bluetooth® Core Specification, version 5.3 and / or Bluetooth® Core Specification, version 6.0. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 may be configured to via other network types, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) (e.g., Wi-Fi®), cellular network(s) (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE)), etc.

[0044] In operation, the electronics 450 of the ball 400 activate and deactivate for each hole 100. When the ball is placed on a teeing area 200 of a hole 100, the Hall-effect sensor 475 causes the controller 460, the accelerometer 480, and the wireless transceiver 485 to awaken from a sleep state. Upon being awakened, the accelerometer 480 collects data associated with movement of the ball, the controller 460 detects strokes performed on the ball 400 based on the acceleration data, and the wireless transceiver 485 communicates with a wireless transceiver of the hole 100 (e.g., a wireless transceiver 220 of FIGS. 5-6). When the ball 400 is putt into a cup 300 of the hole 100, the wireless transceiver 485 receives a sleep signal from the wireless transceiver of the hole 100, which instructs the ball 400 to return to sleep mode until the ball 400 is placed on the teeing area 200 of another hole 100. In turn, the wake and sleep sequence ensures that the ball 400 is only in the active state when being putt on a hole 100, thereby reducing the amount energy consumed while the ball 400 is not being used on a hole 100 and extending the life of the battery 470 (e.g., up to 3 years) without needing to incorporate a rechargeable battery and / or charging sequence between each use.

[0045] For example, the ball 400 is configured to be in (1) a sleep state when not being used on any of the holes 100 and (2) an active state when being used on any of the holes 100. The Hall-effect sensor 475 is configured to detect a magnetic field of a magnet of a teeing area of one of the holes 100 (e.g., the magnet 210 of the teeing area 200 of FIG. 4) when the ball 400 is placed on the teeing area of the hole 100. In response to the Hall-effect sensor 475 detecting the magnetic field, the controller 460, including the processor 462 and the memory 464, is configured to awaken from the sleep state to the active state.

[0046] The battery 470 is configured to continuously power the Hall-effect sensor 475, both when in the sleep state and the active state, to enable the Hall-effect sensor 475 to awaken the other electronics 450 of the ball 400 from the sleep state to the active state when the ball 400 is ready to be played at a hole 100. Compared to magnetic sensors (e.g., magnetostrictive sensors, magnetoresistive sensors, inductive sensors, etc.), the Hall-effect sensor 475 consumes less power when monitoring for the magnetic field of the magnet at each teeing surface, thereby extending the life of the battery 470 over time.

[0047] Additionally, the battery 470 is configured to power the controller 460, the accelerometer 480, and the wireless transceiver 485 only when the controller 460 has been awakened to the active state to further conserve energy usage and, thereby, extend the life of the battery 470. For example, the controller 460 is configured to activate the accelerometer 480 and the wireless transceiver 485 upon transitioning to the active state.

[0048] Upon being awoken, the wireless transceiver 485 is configured to transmit and receive signals and the accelerometer 480 is configured to collect acceleration data. For example, the wireless transceiver 485 is configured to broadcast signals at a predefined interval (e.g., once every 250 milliseconds). Each signal transmitted by the wireless transceiver 485 may include an identification code of the ball 400, first to facilitate locating the ball 400 at a particular hole and then to track the ball 400 on the that hole 100. Upon being awoken and as disclosed below in greater detail, the wireless transceiver 485 broadcasts an identification signal with the identification code to enable a remote controller (e.g., a course controller 20 of FIG. 6) to identify at which hole 100 of the course 10 the ball 400 is currently located. The wireless transceiver 485 then broadcasts subsequent signals (e.g., at the predefined interval) as the ball 400 is putt along the current hole 100.

[0049] Some such signals are stroke signals that indicate when another stroke has been performed on the ball 400. For example, the accelerometer 480 is configured to collect acceleration data as the ball 400 is putt along the hole 100. The controller 460 of the ball 400 is configured to detect when a stroke has been performed on the ball 400 based on the acceleration data. In response to the controller 460 detecting that a new stroke has been performed, the wireless transceiver 485 is configured to broadcast a stroke signal that includes identification code of the ball 400 and a stroke indicator.

[0050] The wireless transceiver 485 also is configured to receive a sleep signal from a remote controller (e.g., the course controller 20 of the course 10 and / or a hole controller 120 of the hole 100, as shown in FIG. 6) upon the ball 400 entering the cup 300 of the hole 100. In response to the wireless transceiver 485 receiving the sleep signal, the controller 46 of the ball 400 is configured to transition to the sleep state and temporarily deactivate the accelerometer 480 and the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400. The ball 400 is in the sleep state when not being putt along a hole to reduce the amount energy consumed and, in turn, extend the life of the battery 470 of the ball 400.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a cross-section of the teeing area 200 for each respective hole 100. In the illustrated example, the teeing area 200 is a surface that is flush with a playing surface 110 of the hole 100. To play on the hole 100, the player is to place the ball 400 on the teeing area 200 and then putt the ball 400 from the teeing area 200, along the playing surface 110, and into the corresponding cup 300.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 4, the hole 100 includes a magnet 210 adjacent the teeing area 200. The magnet 210 is positioned relative to the teeing area 200 such that the magnet 210 activates the electronics 450 of the ball 400 (e.g., via the Hall-effect sensor 475) when the ball 400 is placed on the teeing area 200. In the illustrated example, the magnet 210 is positioned below the teeing area 200 to enable the Hall-effect sensor 475 of the ball 400 to detect the presence of the magnetic field of the magnet 210. For example, the magnet 210 is mounted to a frame 115 of the hole 100 to be positioned directly below the teeing area 200. In some examples, the magnet 210 is a permanent magnet that constantly produces a magnetic field. In other examples, the magnet 210 may be an electromagnet that produces a magnetic field when a current is provided to it (e.g., by a respective hole controller 120 of FIG. 6, a course controller 20 of FIG. 6, etc.).

[0053] The hole 100 of the illustrated example also includes a wireless transceiver 220 adjacent the teeing area. As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless transceiver 220 is mounted to the frame 115 to be positioned adjacent the teeing area 200. Further, as disclosed below in further detail, the wireless transceiver 220 may be a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver, such as a Bluetooth® transceiver.

[0054] In operation, the magnet 210 actives the electronics 450 of the ball 400, via the Hall-effect sensor 475, when the ball 400 is placed on the teeing area 200. The wireless transceiver 220 of the hole 100 is then able to communicate with the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 while the ball 400 is played on the hole 100. For example, as disclosed below in greater detail, the wireless communication between the wireless transceivers 220, 485 is used first to detect at which hole 100 the ball 400 is located and then to monitor subsequent movement of the ball 400 on hole 100.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a top view of the cup 300 for each respective hole 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the cup 300 includes a side wall 310 and a floor 315 that define an opening 305 into which the ball 400 is putt.

[0056] The cup 300 includes one or more sensors 320 (also referred to as “cup sensors”) that are configured to detect when the ball 400 has been putt into the cup 300. As shown in FIG. 5, the cup 300 includes three sensors 320. Each of the three sensors 320 are arranged in a manner to monitor a different portion of the cup 300 to ensure that the ball 400 is detected upon entering the cup 300. In other examples, the cup 300 may include fewer or more sensors 320.

[0057] In the illustrated example, each of the sensor(s) 320 is a light sensor that includes a transmitter 322 and a receiver 324. The transmitter 322 is configured to transmit a light beam to the receiver 324, and the receiver 324 is configured to receive the light beam from the transmitter 322. The corresponding sensor 320 detects the presence of an object, such as the ball 400, when the receiver 324 does not receive the light beam emitted by the transmitter 322.

[0058] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of electronic components of the course 10. In the illustrated example, the electronic components of the course 10 include a course controller 20 and a display screen 60. Additionally, the electronic components of the course 10 include a respective hole controller 120, wireless transceiver 220, and sensor(s) 320 for each of the holes 100A-100I of the course 10.

[0059] The course controller 20 includes a processor 30 and memory 40. The processor 30 may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, etc. The memory 40 may include one or more of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, read-only memory, etc. In some examples, the memory 40 may include a combination of multiple kinds of memory, such as volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 40 is computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the instant disclosure, can be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory 40, the computer readable medium, and / or within the processor 30 during execution of the instructions.

[0060] The course controller 20 of the illustrated example also includes one or more databases 50. The database(s) 50 are configured to store data associated with the ball 400 and / or a player assigned to the ball. For example, the database(s) 50 are configured to store a ball identifier for each ball 400, a player identifier for each player currently assigned to a ball 400, a current and / or most recent hole location of each ball 400 currently in use, hole and / or course score(s) for each player, etc.

[0061] In the illustrated example, the course controller 20 is communicatively coupled, via wires and / or wirelessly, to the display screen 60. For example, the display screen 60 is a digital display. The display screen 60 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flat panel display, a projector, etc. The display screen 60 is configured to present various information about the events occurring on the course 10. For example, the display screen 60 may present information indicative of which player(s) are on which hole(s), the current hole and / or course score(s) of those player(s), etc. Additionally or alternatively, as disclosed below in current detail, the display screen 60 is configured to present a digital recreation of a path of a ball 400 that was just performed on a hole 100.

[0062] The course controller 20 of the illustrated example also is communicatively coupled, via a wired connection and / or a wireless connection, to each hole controller 120 of the course 10. Each hole controller 120 includes a processor 122 and memory 124. The processor 122 may be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, etc. The memory 124 may include one or more of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, read-only memory, etc. In some examples, the memory 124 may include a combination of multiple kinds of memory, such as volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 124 is computer readable media on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for operating the methods of the instant disclosure, can be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions reside completely, or at least partially, within any one or more of the memory 124, the computer readable medium, and / or within the processor 122 during execution of the instructions.

[0063] In the illustrated example, the course 10 includes the course controller 20 that is separate from and communicatively coupled to each of the hole controllers 120. In other examples, the course 10 may not include a separate course controller 20. In such examples, one of the hole controllers 120 is communicatively coupled to the other hole controllers 120 and is further configured to also function as the course controller 20.

[0064] Additionally, each hole controller 120 is communicatively coupled, via wires and / or wirelessly, to the wireless transceiver 220 and the sensor(s) 320 of the respective hole 100 of the course 10. That is, each hole controller 120 is configured to relay information between the course controller 20 and the wireless transceiver 220 and the sensor(s) 320 of the respective hole 100.

[0065] Each wireless transceiver 220 includes network interfaces to enable wireless communication with the network(s) and / or other computing device(s), such as wireless transceivers 485 of respective balls 400. The wireless transceiver 485 also includes hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, antenna, etc.) and software to control the wireless network interfaces. In the illustrated example, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver configured to communicate with the wireless transceivers 220 of the holes 100 via WPAN communication, such as Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, etc. For example, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 100 and the wireless transceivers 220 of the holes 100 are configured to implement Bluetooth® Core Specification, version 5.3 and / or Bluetooth® Core Specification, version 6.0. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 may be configured to via other network types, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) (e.g., Wi-Fi®), cellular network(s) (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE)), etc.

[0066] FIG. 7 depicts the monitoring system monitoring the location and scoring of two balls 400A, 400B on the course 10. In the illustrated example, the ball 400A is placed on the teeing area 200C of the hole 100C. The ball 400B is on a playing surface of the hole 100E between its teeing area 200E and cup 300E.

[0067] For each ball 400 being played on the course 10, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 are configured to (1) identify at which hole 100 the ball 400 is currently located, (2) the strokes performed on the ball 400 at the current hole 100, (3) track a travel path of the ball 400 on the current hole 100, and / or (4) create a digital recreation of that travel path. The course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 are configured to identify at which hole 100 the ball 400 is positioned when the ball 400 is placed on the respective teeing area 200 of that hole 100.

[0068] In FIG. 7, the ball 400A is an example ball for which the current hole is being identified. For example, the ball 400A is located on the teeing area 200C of the hole 100C. The ball 400A is in its sleep state prior to being placed on the teeing area 200C. When the ball 400A is placed on the teeing area 200C, the magnet 210C of the hole 100C is configured to cause the ball 400A to transition to its active state. For example, the Hall-effect sensor 475 of the ball 400A is configured to detect the presence of the magnetic field of the magnet 210C, which, in turn, is configured to cause the electronics 450 of the ball 400A, including the wireless transceiver 485, to awaken.

[0069] In the active state, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400A is configured to broadcast an identification signal. For example, the identification signal includes identification information associated with the ball 400A and / or the designated player, such as a ball code, a player code, a player name, etc. Each of the wireless transceivers 220 in communicative range of the ball 400A is configured to receive the identification signal of the ball 400A. For example, the wireless transceivers 220 nearest to the ball 400A (e.g., the wireless transceiver 220B of the hole 100B, the wireless transceiver 220C of the hole 100C, the wireless transceiver 220G of the hole 100G) may receive the identification signal of the ball 400A when the ball 400A is placed on the teeing area 200C of the hole 100C.

[0070] The respective hole controller 120 (e.g., the hole controller 120B of the hole 100B, the hole controller 120C of the hole 100C, the hole controller 120G of the hole 100G) for each wireless transceiver 220 that receives the identification signal from the ball 400A is configured to determine a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and / or angle-of-arrival (AOA) of the received identification signal. Each of those hole controller(s) 120 are then configured to relay the identification information included in the identification signal, the corresponding RSSI and / or AOA, the identification signal itself, and / or a corresponding hole identification code to the course controller 20.

[0071] The course controller 20 is then configured to identify at which of the holes 100 the ball 400A is currently located based on the respective RSSIs and / or AOAs of the received identification signals and / or the corresponding hole identification codes. As shown in FIG. 7, the course controller 20 is configured to identify that the ball 400A is at the teeing area 200C of the hole 100C. In some examples, the course controller 20 waits a predefined duration of time (e.g., 2 seconds) upon receiving the first relayed identification signal of the ball 400A. The course controller 20 may wait for the predefined duration of time to ensure that the identification signal(s) are relayed from any of the hole controller(s) 120 that received an identification signal prior to determining at which hole 100 the ball 400 is located based on the relayed identification signal(s).

[0072] Upon identifying the hole 100C at which the ball 400A is currently located, the course controller 20 is configured to designate the hole controller 120C of the hole 100C for subsequent communication with the ball 400A. The designated hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 is configured to process stroke signals of the ball 400 that are received by the wireless transceiver 220 of that hole 100. In FIG. 7, the ball 400B is an example of a ball for which strokes are currently being count, specifically, on the hole 100E. For example, the ball 400B has already been awakened for and identified as being located on the hole 100E. The hole controller 120E of the hole 100E is configured to process stroke signals of the ball 400B that are received by the wireless transceiver 220E of that hole 100E.

[0073] For example, upon being awakened to the active state for the hole 100E, the accelerometer 480 of the ball 400B is configured to collect acceleration data. The controller 460 of the ball 400B is configured to identify when a stroke has been performed on the ball 400B, for example, by identifying a change in the collected acceleration data that has been predetermined to correspond with a stroke. In response to identifying that a stroke has been performed on the ball 400B, the controller 460 is configured to cause the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400B to broadcast a stroke signal. In some examples, each stroke signal includes ball identification information to facilitate the hole controller 120E of the hole 100E in determining that the received signal corresponds with the ball 400B currently being played on the hole 100E. The designated hole controller 120E and / or the course controller 20 are configured count a number of strokes performed on the ball 400B at the current hole 100E until the ball 400B completes the current hole 100E.

[0074] Additionally or alternatively, the course controller 20 is configured to track a travel path of the ball 400B on the current hole 100E and subsequently generate a digital recreation of the travel path for presentation via the display screen 60. To enable the course controller 20 to track the travel path of the ball 400B while on the current hole 100E, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400B is configured to continue to broadcast signals at the predefined interval (e.g., once every 250 milliseconds) as the ball 400B travels along the current hole 100E. Each of the wireless transceivers 220 (e.g., the wireless transceiver 220D of the hole 100D, the wireless transceiver 220E of the current hole 100E, the wireless transceiver 220F of the hole 100F) in communicative range of the ball 400B is configured to receive each of those subsequent signals of the ball 400B. Further, the respective hole controller 120 for each of those wireless transceivers 220 is configured to (1) determine an RSSI and / or an AOA for each subsequent signal; (2) identify a timestamp of each subsequent signal; and (3) relay each subsequent signal, RSSI and / or AOA, timestamp, and / or corresponding hole identification code to the course controller 20.

[0075] For each time associated with an identified timestamp, the course controller 20 is configured to determine a location of the ball 400B associated with that timestamp. For example, the course controller 20 is configured to group together information of received signals (e.g., the signals themselves, RSSIs and / or AOAs, corresponding hole identification codes, etc.) that have a matching and / or substantially similar timestamps. For each received signal that has a shared timestamp, the course controller 20 (1) determines the location of the corresponding wireless transceiver 220 based on the corresponding hole identification code and (2) identifies the RSSI and / or AOA of the signal that was received by that wireless transceiver 220. The course controller 20 is then configured to use trilateration and / or triangulation to determine a location of the ball 400B at that timestamp based on the locations of those wireless transceivers 220 and the RSSIs and / or AOAs of the corresponding received signals. By determining the location of the ball 400B for each timestamp associated that corresponds with the ball 400B being on the current hole 100E, the course controller 20 is configured to track a travel path of the ball 400B on the current hole 100E. That is, the course controller 20 is configured to track the travel path of the ball 400B on the current hole 100E using trilateration and / or triangulation of the RSSIs and / or AOAs of received signals as the ball 400B is putt along and completes the current hole 100E.

[0076] The sensor(s) 320E of the cup 300E are configured to detect when the ball 400B has completed the current hole 100E. For example, the hole 100E is completed by the ball 400B when the ball 400B has been putt into the cup 300E of the hole 100E. When the ball 400B has been putt into the hole 100E, one or more of the sensor(s) 320E detects the presence of the ball 400B in the cup 300E. Those sensor(s) 320E are configured to then send a ball-detection signal to the hole controller 120E of the current hole 100E, which, in turn, is configured to cause the wireless transceiver 220E of the current hole 100E to broadcast a sleep signal.

[0077] The controller 460 of the ball 400B is configured to transition the electronics 450 of the ball 400B, except for the Hall-effect sensor 475, back to the sleep state in response to the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400B receiving the sleep signal. For example, the ball 400B is configured to remain in its sleep state when not in use (e.g., in between holes during a round on the course 10, in between rounds on the course 10, etc.) to preserve the life of the battery 470 that is a non-rechargeable battery, thereby extending the life of the ball 400 before needing to be replaced.

[0078] In some examples, the sleep signal may include the identification code for the ball 400B to indicate which of any currently active balls in range of the wireless transceiver 220E is to be deactivated by the sleep signal broadcasted by the wireless transceiver 220E. Further, in some examples, only one ball 400 plays on each hole 100 at a time to ensure that each ball 400 is accurately monitored by the respective hole controller 120 and / or the course controller 20.

[0079] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 500 for monitoring a ball 400 on the course 10. The method 500 can be performed to simultaneously monitor a plurality of different balls on the course 10 at the same time. The flowchart of FIG. 8 is representative of machine readable instructions that are stored in memory (such as the memory 464 of each ball 400, the memory 124 of each hole controller 120, and / or the memory 40 of the course controller 20) and include one or more programs which, when executed by one or more processors (such as the processor 462 of each ball 400, the processor 122 of each hole controller 120, and / or the processor 30 of the course controller 20), cause the monitoring system to monitor each ball 400 on the course 10. Because the method 500 is disclosed in connection with the components of FIGS. 1-7, some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0080] Initially, at block 510, the course controller 20 assigns and dispenses the ball 400 to a player. For example, the ball 400 is dispensed to the player in a sleep state. The ball 400 may be dispensed to the player at a kiosk upon the course controller 20 assigning the player to the ball 400. For example, based on information provided by the player, the course controller 20 assigns a player identification code to the player. The course controller 20 then associates the player identification code of the player with the ball identification code of the ball 400 in the database(s) 50. In some examples, the player identification code of the player may be temporarily stored in the memory 464 of the ball 400.

[0081] At block 520, the course controller 20 and / or the one or more of the hole controllers 120 determine whether a ball 400 has been activated at the teeing area 200 of any of the respective holes 100 of the course 10. For example, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 detect activation of that ball 400 in response to receiving an identification signal of the ball 400.

[0082] For example, the ball 400 awakens upon being placed on a teeing area 200 of a respective hole 100. When the ball 400 is located on the teeing area 200, the Hall-effect sensor 475 of the ball 400 detects the magnetic field of the magnet 210 that is positioned near the teeing area 200 of the hole 100. In response to detecting the magnetic field, the Hall-effect sensor 475 causes the battery 470 to power the controller 360, which, in turn, awakens the other of the electronics 450 of the ball 400, including the wireless transceiver 485.

[0083] Upon being awoken, the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 broadcasts an identification signal of the ball 400. The identification signal is received by one or more wireless transceivers 220 of respective nearby holes 100 that are within communicative range of the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400. Those wireless transceiver(s) 220 then relay the respective received identification signal(s) of the ball 400 to respective hole controller(s) 120, which then relay those respective received identification signal(s) to the course controller 20. Upon receiving the identification signal of the ball 400, those hole controller(s) 120 and / or the course controller 20 detect that the ball 400 has been activated at the teeing area 200 of one of the holes 100 of the course 10.

[0084] In response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 not detecting activation of the ball 400, the method 500 remains at block 520 until activation of the ball 400 is detected. Otherwise, upon the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 detecting activation of the ball 400, the method 500 proceeds to block 600 at which the course controller 20 identifies at which of the holes 100 the ball 400 has currently been activated.

[0085] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example method 600 for executing block 600 of FIG. 8 to identify at which of the holes 100 the ball 400 has currently been activated. The flowchart of FIG. 9 is representative of machine readable instructions that are stored in memory (such as the memory 464 of each ball 400, the memory 124 of each hole controller 120, and / or the memory 40 of the course controller 20) and include one or more programs which, when executed by one or more processors (such as the processor 462 of each ball 400, the processor 122 of each hole controller 120, and / or the processor 30 of the course controller 20), cause the monitoring system to identify for which of the holes 100 the ball 400 has been activated. Because the method 600 is disclosed in connection with the components of FIGS. 1-7, some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0086] Initially, at block 610, the course controller 20 and / or one or more of the hole controllers 120 identify the ball 400 based on the received identification signal(s). For example, the identification signal includes an identification code assigned to the ball 400, and the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 that receive an identification signal identify the ball 400 based on the corresponding identification code. In examples in which the hole controller(s) 120 identify the ball 400, those hole controller(s) 120 may relay identification information of the ball 400 to the course controller 20.

[0087] At block 620 of the illustrative example, the course controller 20 waits a predefined duration of time (e.g., 2 seconds) upon receiving the first relayed identification signal of the ball 400A. For example, the course controller 20 may wait for the predefined duration of time to ensure that any received identification signal is relayed from the respective hole controller(s) 120 and to the course controller 20 for use in identifying at which hole 100 the ball 400 is located.

[0088] At block 630, the course controller 20 determines the respective RSSI and / or the AOA of each relayed identification signal. For example, for each wireless transceiver 220 that receives the identification signal from the ball 400A, the respective hole controller 120 determines an RSSI and / or an AOA of the received identification signal. Each of those hole controller(s) 120 then relays that RSSI and / or AOA to the course controller 20. In some examples, a hole controller(s) 120 may relay a RSSI and / or AOA with the relayed identification signal itself. For example, block 630 may be executed before blocks 610, 620. In other examples, the hole controller(s) 120 may relay the RSSI and / or AOA separately from (e.g., after) relaying the identification signal to the course controller 20.

[0089] At block 640, the course controller 20 calculates the distance between the ball 400 and each of the wireless transceiver(s) 220 that received the identification signal from the ball. For example, the course controller 20 calculates those distance(s) based on the RSSI(s) and / or AOA(s) of the corresponding relayed identification signal(s). At block 650, the course controller 20 identifies at which of the holes 100 the ball 400 is located based on the distances calculated at block 640. For example, the course controller 20 identifies the hole 100 with the shortest corresponding distance as the current hole 100 at which the ball 400 is positioned. At block 660, the course controller 20 then temporarily designates the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 for processing of subsequent signals of the ball 400 while the ball is played on the current hole 100.

[0090] Upon completing block 660, the method 600 for identifying at which hole 100 the ball 400 has been activated ends. Returning to FIG. 8, the method 500 for monitoring the ball 400 proceeds to block 700 upon completion of block 600.

[0091] At block 700, the course controller 20, the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100, and / or the controller 460 of the ball 400 count the number of strokes performed with the ball 400 at the current hole 100 and / or tracks movement of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 until the corresponding player completes the current hole 100 with the ball 400.

[0092] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example method 700 for executing block 700 of FIG. 8 to count stroke(s) and / or track movement of the ball 400 at the current hole 100. The flowchart of FIG. 10 is representative of machine readable instructions that are stored in memory (such as the memory 464 of each ball 400, the memory 124 of each hole controller 120, and / or the memory 40 of the course controller 20) and include one or more programs which, when executed by one or more processors (such as the processor 462 of each ball 400, the processor 122 of each hole controller 120, and / or the processor 30 of the course controller 20), cause the monitoring system to count stroke(s) and / or track movement of the ball 400 at the current hole 100. Because the method 700 is disclosed in connection with the components of FIGS. 1-7, some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0093] Initially, at block 710, the wireless transceiver 220 of the current hole 100 receives and the corresponding hole controller 120 processes subsequent signals broadcasted by the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400. The wireless transceiver 485 may broadcast subsequent signals at a predefined interval (e.g., once every 250 milliseconds) until the ball 400 is returned to its sleep state. Each subsequent signal may include identification information of the ball 400 and / or the corresponding player. Some subsequent signals, such as stroke signals, may indicate when a stroke has been performed on the ball 400. The hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 is designated to process each subsequent signal, for example, to identify identification information, a stroke indication, an RSSI, and / or AOA of the subsequent signal.

[0094] At block 720, the course controller 20 determines identifies whether the travel path of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 is to be digitally recreated for subsequent presentation to the player. Whether the travel path is to be digitally recreated may depend on the whether the course 10 and / or the corresponding miniature golf facility is capable of presenting such a recreation (e.g., whether the miniature golf facility has the display screen 60 along and / or next to the course 10). The option to digitally recreate the travel path of the ball 400 may also be user selectable, for example, at a kiosk.

[0095] In response to the course controller 20 identifying that the travel path of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 is not to be digitally recreated for the current hole 100, the method 700 proceeds to block 730. Otherwise, in response to the course controller 20 identifying that the travel path of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 is to be digitally recreated, the method 700 proceeds to block 800 at which the course controller 20, the hole controller(s) 120, and / or the controller 460 of the ball 400 tracks the location of the ball 400 at the current hole 100.

[0096] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example method 800 for executing block 800 of FIG. 10 to track the location of the ball 400 at the current hole 100. The flowchart of FIG. 11 is representative of machine readable instructions that are stored in memory (such as the memory 124 of each hole controller 120 and / or the memory 40 of the course controller 20) and include one or more programs which, when executed by one or more processors (such as the processor 122 of each hole controller 120 and / or the processor 30 of the course controller 20), cause the monitoring system to track the location of the ball 400 at the current hole 100. Because the method 800 is disclosed in connection with the components of FIGS. 1-7, some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0097] Initially, at block 810, the respective wireless transceivers 220 of a plurality of the holes 100 receive the signal that was broadcasted by the ball 400. For example, this includes receipt of the signal by the wireless transceiver 220 of the current hole 100 at block 610. Additionally, this includes the receipt of the signal by the respective wireless transceivers 220 of two or more other holes 100 that are within communicative range of the ball 400.

[0098] At block 820, the respective hole controllers 120 of the wireless transceivers 220 that received the broadcasted signal subsequently process the received signals. For example, for each wireless transceiver 220 that received the same signal broadcasted by the ball 400, the respective hole controller 120 processes the respective signal to identify identification information included in the signal, a timestamp of the signal, an RSSI of the signal, and / or AOA of the signal. The corresponding hole controllers 120 may then relay the received signals and / or corresponding information to the course controller 20.

[0099] At block 830, the course controller 20 determines a location of the ball 400 for the latest timestamp associated with the received signals. For example, the course controller 20 groups together information of received signals (e.g., the signals themselves, RSSIs and / or AOAs, corresponding hole identification codes, etc.) that have a matching and / or substantially similar timestamps. For each received signal that is grouped together based on the timestamp, the course controller 20 (1) determines the location of the corresponding wireless transceiver 220 based on the corresponding hole identification code and (2) identifies the RSSI and / or AOA of the signal that was received by that wireless transceiver 220. The course controller 20 then sues trilateration and / or triangulation to determine a location of the ball 400 for that timestamp. The course controller 20 may then store the determined location of the ball 400 for that timestamp, for example, in the database(s) 50.

[0100] At block 840, the course controller 20 determines whether that current location of the ball 400 is new. That is, the course controller 20 determines whether the ball 400 is stationary (i.e., has not moved) or moving (i.e., has moved). To make such a determination, the course controller 20 compares the current location of the ball that was determined at block 830 to the immediately preceding location. For example, the course controller 20 retrieves the preceding location of the ball 400 from the database(s) 50 and compares that location to the current location determined at block 830.

[0101] In response to the course controller 20 determining that the current location of the ball 400 is not new (i.e., that the ball 400 is stationary), this round of the method 800 is completed and the method of FIG. 10 then proceeds to block 730.

[0102] Otherwise, in response to the course controller 20 determining that the current location of the ball 400 is new (i.e., that the ball 400 is moving), the method 800 proceeds to block 850 at which the course controller updates the digital recreation of the path of the ball 400 on the current hole 100, for example, by saving the identification information, the timestamp, and the corresponding location of the ball 400 in a portion of the database(s) 50 used for storing data for the digital recreation. Upon completing block 850, this round of the method 800 is completed. Returning to FIG. 10, the method 700 then proceeds to block 730.

[0103] At block 730, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 of the ball 400 is configured determine whether the player has just performed a stroke on the ball 400 at the current hole 100. Each stroke is detected based on acceleration data collected by the accelerometer 480 of the ball 400. For example, predefined change(s) in acceleration in the acceleration data may be indicative of when the ball 400 has been struck by a putter for a stroke.

[0104] In some examples, the controller 460 of the ball 400 detects when a stroke has been performed based on the acceleration data. The wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 then broadcasts a stroke signal with information indicating that a stroke has been detected. The wireless transceiver 220 of the current hole 100 then receives the stroke signal, and the corresponding hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 then sends a stroke signal to the course controller 20 to indicate that a stroke has been detected.

[0105] In other examples, the controller 460 of the ball 400 includes the collected acceleration data into the subsequent signal broadcasted by the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400. Upon the wireless transceiver 220 of the current hole 100 receiving that signal, the corresponding hole controller 120 detects whether (and when) a stroke has been performed based on the acceleration data. The hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 then sends a stroke signal to the course controller 20 to indicate that a stroke has been detected.

[0106] In yet other examples, the controller 460 of the ball 400 includes the collected acceleration data into the subsequent signal broadcasted by the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400. Upon the wireless transceiver 220 of the current hole 100 receiving that signal, the corresponding hole controller 120 relays that signal to the course controller 20. The course controller 20 then detects whether (and when) a stroke has been performed based on the acceleration data.

[0107] In response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 not detecting a performed stroke, the method 700 proceeds to block 750. Otherwise, in response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 detected a performed stroke, the method 700 proceeds to block 740 at which the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 adds a stroke to the stroke count of the corresponding player for the current hole. Upon completing block 740, the method 700 proceeds to block 750.

[0108] At block 750, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 determines whether the ball 400 has been putt into the cup 300 of the current hole 100. For example, one or more of the sensors 320 of the cup 300 of the current hole 100 detect when the ball 400 is in the hole 300. Those sensor(s) 320 then send a ball-detection signal to the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100, which, in turn, may relay the ball-detection signal to the course controller 20.

[0109] In response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 determining that the ball 400 has not been putt into the cup 300 of the current hole 100, the method 700 returns to block 710 to continue to track the location of the ball 400 and / or monitor for additional strokes performed on the ball 400. Otherwise, in response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 determining that the ball 400 has been putt into the cup 300 of the current hole 100, the method 700 proceeds to block 760.

[0110] At block 760, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 determine a total score of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 and / or cause the display screen 60 to present the digital recreation of the travel path of the ball 400 at the current hole 100. In some examples, the total score equals the total number of strokes performed by the player on the ball 400 at the current hole 100.

[0111] At block 770, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of the current hole 100 causes the ball 400 to transition back to its sleep state and un-designates the just-completed hole as the current hole of the ball 400. For example, upon completion of the hole 100 by the ball 400, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller 120 of that hole 100 causes the wireless transceiver 220 of that hole to broadcast a sleep signal for the ball 400. In response to the wireless transceiver 485 of the ball 400 receiving the sleep signal, the controller 460 of the ball 400 transitions the electronics 450 of the ball 400, except for the Hall-effect sensor 475, back to the sleep state, for example, to preserve the life of the battery 470 and extends the life of the ball 400. In some examples, the sleep signal may include the identification code for the ball 400 to indicate which of the currently active balls on the course 10 is to return to its sleep state.

[0112] Upon completing block 770, the method 700 for counting stroke(s) and / or tracking movement of the ball 400 at the current hole 100 ends. Returning to FIG. 8, the method 500 proceeds to block 530 upon completion of block 700.

[0113] At block 530, the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 determine whether the ball has completed the last hole 100I of the course 10. In some examples, the course controller 20 recognizes that the hole 100 most recently completed by the ball 400 is the last hole 100I of the course 10. Additionally or alternatively, the hole controller 120I of the last hole 100I transmits a course-completion signal to the course controller 20 upon deactivating the ball 400 at block 780.

[0114] In response to the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 determining that the hole 100 most recently completed by the ball 400 is not the last hole 100I of the course 10, the method 500 returns to block 520 to enable the ball 400 to be played on the next hole 100 of the course 10.

[0115] Otherwise, in response the course controller 20 and / or the hole controller(s) 120 determining that the ball 400 has completed the last hole 100I of the course 10, the method 500 proceeds to block 540 at which the course controller 20 unassigns the corresponding player from the ball 400. For example, the course controller 20 causes the player identification code of the player to be unassociated with the ball identification code of the ball 400 in the database(s) 50 and / or the memory 464 of the ball 400. Upon completing block 540, the method 500 ends.

[0116] The ball 400 may then be kept in storage, in a sleep state and without needing to be recharged, until the ball 400 is assigned to a new player for a subsequent round on the course 10. The sequence in which the ball 400 is activated for each hole 100 and then subsequently returned to its sleep state between each hole 100 enables the life of the battery 470 of the ball to be extended, without recharging, in a manner that extends the life of the ball 400 (e.g., for up to 3 years).

[0117] Exemplary embodiments in accordance with the teachings herein are disclosed below.

[0118] Embodiment 1. A golf facility includes a plurality of holes each of which includes a teeing area from which an electronic golf ball is putt, a cup into which the electronic golf ball is putt, a magnet configured to activate electronics of the electronic golf ball when the electronic golf ball is placed on the teeing area, one or more sensors configured to detect when the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup, and a wireless transceiver. The wireless transceiver is configured to receive an identification signal from the electronic golf ball upon the electronic golf ball being activated via the magnet and transmit a sleep signal to deactivate the electronics of the electronic golf ball in response to the one or more sensors detecting that the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup.

[0119] Embodiment 2. The golf facility of Embodiment 1, wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet.

[0120] Embodiment 3. The golf facility of Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the magnet is positioned below the teeing area.

[0121] Embodiment 4. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-3, wherein the wireless transceiver is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver.

[0122] Embodiment 5. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-4, wherein the wireless transceiver is positioned adjacent the teeing area.

[0123] Embodiment 6. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-5, wherein the one or more sensors include at least three sensors arranged in the cup.

[0124] Embodiment 7. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-6, wherein each of the one or more sensors is a light sensor.

[0125] Embodiment 8. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-7, further including a course controller configured to identify a current hole from the plurality of holes at which the electronic golf ball is positioned on the teeing area.

[0126] Embodiment 9. The golf facility of Embodiment 8, wherein each of the plurality of holes includes a hole controller that is communicatively coupled to the course controller.

[0127] Embodiment 10. The golf facility of Embodiment 9, wherein the hole controller of each of the plurality of holes is communicatively coupled to the course controller via a wired connection.

[0128] Embodiment 11. The golf facility of Embodiment 9 or 10, wherein the wireless transceiver of one or more of the plurality of holes is configured to receive the identification signal from the electronic golf ball upon activation of the electronics of the electronic golf ball.

[0129] Embodiment 12. The golf facility of Embodiment 11, wherein the hole controller of each wireless transceiver that receives the identification signal is configured to relay the identification signal and send a corresponding received signal strength indicator (RSSI) to the course controller. The course controller is configured to identify the current hole based on each RSSI associated with the identification signal.

[0130] Embodiment 13. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 9-12, wherein the course controller is configured to designate the hole controller of the current hole for subsequent communication with the electronic golf ball.

[0131] Embodiment 14. The golf facility of Embodiment 13, wherein the wireless transceiver of the current hole is configured to receive and the hole controller of the current hole is configured to process a stroke signal each time a stroke is performed on the electronic golf ball.

[0132] Embodiment 15. The golf facility of Embodiment 14, wherein at least one of the course controller or the hole controller is configured to count a number of strokes performed on the electronic golf ball at the current hole.

[0133] Embodiment 16. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 9-15, wherein the wireless transceiver of one or more of the plurality of holes is configured to continue to receive subsequent signals from the electronic golf ball as the electronic golf ball travels along the current hole.

[0134] Embodiment 17. The golf facility of Embodiment 16, wherein the hole controller of each wireless transceiver that receives the subsequent signals is configured to relay the subsequent signals and send at least one of corresponding received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) or angles-of-arrival (AOAs) to the course controller.

[0135] Embodiment 18. The golf facility of Embodiment 17, wherein the course controller is configured to track a travel path of the electronic golf ball on the current hole using at least one of trilateration or triangulation of the at least one of corresponding RSSIs or AOAs of the subsequent signals.

[0136] Embodiment 19. The golf facility of Embodiment 18, wherein the course controller is configured to generate a digital recreation of the travel path of the electronic golf ball on the current hole.

[0137] Embodiment 20. The golf facility of Embodiment 19, further including a digital display configured to present the digital recreation.

[0138] Embodiment 21. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 1-20, further including the electronic golf ball.

[0139] Embodiment 22. The golf facility of Embodiment 21, wherein the electronics of the electronic golf ball include a wireless transceiver configured to broadcast a ball identification signal, one or more sensors configured to collect data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball, a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnet of one of the plurality of holes when the electronic golf ball is placed on the corresponding teeing area, a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field, and a non-rechargeable battery. The non-rechargeable battery is configured to continuously power the Hall-effect sensor and power the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors only when the processor is in the active state.

[0140] Embodiment 23. The golf facility of Embodiment 22, wherein the processor is configured to activate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors upon transitioning to the active state.

[0141] Embodiment 24. The golf facility of Embodiment 22 or 23, wherein the processor is configured to transition to the sleep state and deactivate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors in response to the wireless transceiver receiving the sleep signal.

[0142] Embodiment 25. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-24, wherein the processor is configured to detect a stroke based on the data collected by the one or more sensors.

[0143] Embodiment 26. The golf facility of Embodiment 25, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to broadcast a stroke signal in response to the processor detecting the stroke.

[0144] Embodiment 27. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-26, further including a printed circuit board on which the wireless transceiver, the one or more sensors, the Hall-effect sensor, the processor, and the non-rechargeable battery are mounted.

[0145] Embodiment 28. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-27, wherein the non-rechargeable battery is a 3-Volt coin battery.

[0146] Embodiment 29. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-28, wherein the wireless transceiver is a wireless local area network (WPAN) transceiver.

[0147] Embodiment 30. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-29, wherein the one or more sensors includes an accelerometer. The data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball includes acceleration data.

[0148] Embodiment 31. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 22-30, wherein the electronic golf ball does not include a magnetic sensor for collecting the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball.

[0149] Embodiment 32. An electronic golf ball for a golf facility includes a wireless transceiver configured to broadcast a ball identification signal, one or more sensors configured to collect data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball, a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field when the electronic golf ball is placed on a teeing area of a golf hole, a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field, and a non-rechargeable battery. The non-rechargeable battery is configured to continuously power the Hall-effect sensor and power the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors only when the processor is in the active state.

[0150] Embodiment 33. The electronic golf ball of Embodiment 32, wherein the processor is configured to activate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors upon transitioning to the active state.

[0151] Embodiment 34. The electronic golf ball of Embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the processor is configured to transition to the sleep state and deactivate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors in response to the wireless transceiver receiving a sleep signal.

[0152] Embodiment 35. The electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-34, wherein the processor is configured to detect a stroke based on the data collected by the one or more sensors.

[0153] Embodiment 36. The electronic golf ball of Embodiment 35, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to broadcast a stroke signal in response to the processor detecting the stroke.

[0154] Embodiment 37. The electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-36, further including a printed circuit board on which the wireless transceiver, the one or more sensors, the Hall-effect sensor, the processor, and the non-rechargeable battery are mounted.

[0155] Embodiment 38. The electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-37, wherein the non-rechargeable battery is a 3-Volt coin battery.

[0156] Embodiment 39. The electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-38, wherein the wireless transceiver is a wireless local area network (WPAN) transceiver.

[0157] Embodiment 40. The golf facility of any of Embodiments 32-39, wherein the one or more sensors includes an accelerometer. The data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball includes acceleration data.

[0158] Embodiment 41. The electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-40, wherein the electronic golf ball does not include a magnetic sensor for collecting the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball.

[0159] Embodiment 42. A golf facility with a plurality of holes and including the electronic golf ball of any of Embodiments 32-41.

[0160] The above-described embodiments, and particularly any “preferred” embodiments, are examples of possible implementations and merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the techniques described herein. All modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

Claims

1. A golf facility, comprising:a plurality of holes each of which includes:a teeing area from which an electronic golf ball is putt;a cup into which the electronic golf ball is putt;a magnet configured to activate electronics of the electronic golf ball when the electronic golf ball is placed on the teeing area;one or more sensors configured to detect when the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup; anda wireless transceiver configured to:receive an identification signal from the electronic golf ball upon the electronic golf ball being activated via the magnet; andtransmit a sleep signal to deactivate the electronics of the electronic golf ball in response to the one or more sensors detecting that the electronic golf ball has been putted into the cup.

2. The golf facility of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet.

3. The golf facility of claim 1, wherein the magnet is positioned below the teeing area.

4. The golf facility of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) transceiver.

5. The golf facility of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is positioned adjacent the teeing area.

6. The golf facility of claim 1, further comprising a course controller configured to identify a current hole from the plurality of holes at which the electronic golf ball is positioned on the teeing area, and wherein each of the plurality of holes includes a hole controller that is communicatively coupled to the course controller.

7. The golf facility of claim 6, wherein the wireless transceiver of one or more of the plurality of holes is configured to receive the identification signal from the electronic golf ball upon activation of the electronics of the electronic golf ball.

8. The golf facility of claim 7, wherein:the hole controller of each wireless transceiver that receives the identification signal is configured to relay the identification signal and send a corresponding received signal strength indicator (RSSI) to the course controller; andthe course controller is configured to identify the current hole based on each RSSI associated with the identification signal.

9. The golf facility of claim 6, wherein the course controller is configured to designate the hole controller of the current hole for subsequent communication with the electronic golf ball.

10. The golf facility of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver of the current hole is configured to receive and the hole controller of the current hole is configured to process a stroke signal each time a stroke is performed on the electronic golf ball.

11. The golf facility of claim 10, wherein at least one of the course controller or the hole controller is configured to count a number of strokes performed on the electronic golf ball at the current hole.

12. The golf facility of claim 6, wherein the wireless transceiver of one or more of the plurality of holes is configured to continue to receive subsequent signals from the electronic golf ball as the electronic golf ball travels along the current hole.

13. The golf facility of claim 1, further comprising the electronic golf ball, and wherein the electronics of the electronic golf ball comprise:a wireless transceiver configured to broadcast a ball identification signal;one or more sensors configured to collect data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball;a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnet of one of the plurality of holes when the electronic golf ball is placed on the corresponding teeing area;a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field; anda non-rechargeable battery configured to:continuously power the Hall-effect sensor; andpower the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors only when the processor is in the active state.

14. The golf facility of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors includes an accelerometer, and wherein the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball includes acceleration data.

15. The golf facility of claim 13, wherein the electronic golf ball does not include a magnetic sensor for collecting the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball.

16. An electronic golf ball for a golf facility, comprising:a wireless transceiver configured to broadcast a ball identification signal;one or more sensors configured to collect data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball;a Hall-effect sensor configured to detect a magnetic field when the electronic golf ball is placed on a teeing area of a golf hole;a processor configured to awaken from a sleep state to an active state in response to the Hall-effect sensor detecting the magnetic field; anda non-rechargeable battery configured to:continuously power the Hall-effect sensor; andpower the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors only when the processor is in the active state.

17. The electronic golf ball of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to:activate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors upon transitioning to the active state; andtransition to the sleep state and deactivate the wireless transceiver and the one or more sensors in response to the wireless transceiver receiving a sleep signal.

18. The electronic golf ball of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to detect a stroke based on the data collected by the one or more sensors.

19. The golf facility of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors includes an accelerometer, and wherein the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball includes acceleration data.

20. The electronic golf ball of claim 16, wherein the electronic golf ball does not include a magnetic sensor for collecting the data indicative of movement of the electronic golf ball.

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