Distance measurement device and program

Abstract

This distance measurement device comprises: a storage unit that stores a reference position in a hole of a golf course; a current position identification unit for identifying a current position of the distance measurement device; a measurement unit that emits measurement light to measure the distance from the current position to a measurement object irradiated with the measurement light, and a direction from the current position to the position of the measurement object, to thereby measure an object position, which is the position of the measurement object; and an output unit that causes a display unit to display a first distance, which is the distance between the reference position and the object position.

Description

Distance measuring device and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a distance measuring device and a program for use on a golf course.

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a device for measuring the distance to the pin position on a golf course green by irradiating it with a laser beam (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There is also known a device for measuring the distance from the ball to a target by measuring the distance from the cart position to the ball and then measuring the distance from the cart to the target (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] US Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0354858

[0004] "Distance measuring device with 3D measurement mode", [online], COLFZON Japan Co., Ltd., [Retrieved June 23, 2023], Internet,<URL:http: / / caddytalk.jp / caddytalk-cube-jp>

[0005] In the distance measurement device described in Non-Patent Document 1, in order to measure the distance from the ball to the target, it was necessary to measure the distance from the distance measurement device to the target. Therefore, if the distance measurement device is located in a position where the target is not visible, it was not possible to measure the distance from the ball to the target.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has as its object to make it possible to measure the distance from a ball to a target even if the distance measuring device is located in a position where the target cannot be seen.

[0007] A first aspect of the distance measuring device of the present invention is a distance measuring device used on a golf course, and includes: a memory unit that stores a reference position on a hole on the golf course; a current position determination unit that determines the current position of the distance measuring device; a measurement unit that measures the distance from the current position to the measurement object onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the measurement object by irradiating measurement light, thereby measuring the object position, which is the position of the measurement object; and an output unit that displays a first distance, which is the distance between the reference position and the object position, on a display unit.

[0008] The output unit may cause the display unit to display an object image indicating the object position superimposed on a layout diagram of the hole while causing the display unit to display the first distance.

[0009] The memory unit may further store green information indicating the range of the green of the hole, and the output unit may cause the display unit to display the first distance when the object position is not on the green, and cause the display unit to display the second distance, which is the distance between the current position and the object position, when the object position is on the green.

[0010] The output unit may cause the display unit to display a predetermined image indicating that the first distance is being displayed while the first distance is being displayed on the display unit, and may not cause the display unit to display the predetermined image while the display unit displays the second distance.

[0011] The output unit may operate in a first mode in which the first distance is displayed on the display unit when the target object position is closer than a predetermined distance from the green, and may operate in a third mode in which the distance between the current position and the reference position is displayed on the display unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since operating in the first mode.

[0012] The memory unit may store a plurality of reference positions associated with a plurality of the holes, and the output unit may cause the display unit to display the first distance, which is the distance between the reference position of the hole corresponding to the current position and the object position.

[0013] The distance measuring device may further have a wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving data between a communication terminal and an operation reception unit for receiving a measurement operation for measuring the position of the object, wherein the measurement unit measures a plurality of first distances each time the operation reception unit receives the measurement operation, the memory unit stores the plurality of first distances measured by the measurement unit, and the wireless communication unit transmits the plurality of first distances to at least one of the plurality of communication terminals.

[0014] A second aspect of the distance measuring device of the present invention is a distance measuring device used on a golf course, and includes: a memory unit that stores the altitude of each of multiple positions on the golf course; a current position identification unit that identifies the current position of the distance measuring device; a measurement unit that measures the distance from the current position to the measurement object onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the measurement object by irradiating measurement light, thereby measuring the object position, which is the position of the measurement object; and an output unit that displays on a display unit the difference in elevation between the altitude corresponding to a reference position stored in the memory unit and the altitude corresponding to the object position.

[0015] A third aspect of the program of the present invention causes a computer to function as a current position determination unit that determines the current position of the computer, a measurement unit that measures the distance from the current position to the object to be measured onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the object to be measured by irradiating measurement light, thereby measuring the object position, which is the position of the object to be measured, and an output unit that displays a first distance, which is the distance between a reference position on a hole in a golf course and the object position, on a display unit.

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to measure the distance from the ball to the target even if the distance measuring device is located in a position where the target cannot be seen.

[0017] 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the distance measurement device 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the distance measurement device 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a process of measuring the distance from the ball B to a reference position in the first mode. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen displayed on the display of the distance measurement device 1 when the user U measures the distance in the first mode. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen displayed on the display of the distance measurement device 1 when the user U measures the distance to the pin P in the second mode. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the distance measurement device 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining reference position information indicating the center position of the green G of each hole. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the concept of green information. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method by which the measurement unit 172 calculates the distance between the ball B and the pin P. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the distance measurement device 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the user U and other players V1 and V2 are playing together.

[0018] [Overview of Distance Measuring Device 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the distance measuring device 1. The distance measuring device 1 is a device for measuring distances on a golf course. The distance measuring device 1 is a device that allows, for example, a player or caddie (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "user U") using the distance measuring device 1 to play golf to measure the distance from the distance measuring device 1 to a reference position. The reference position is the position of the pin P, the center position of the green G, the edge position of the green G, or the position of a hazard. The distance measuring device 1 may be a dedicated device for measuring distances, or may be an information terminal (for example, a smartphone) that can measure distances by executing a program.

[0019] 1 shows a state in which a user U measures distance using a distance measurement device 1. The distance measurement device 1 can measure distance in any of a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode.

[0020] The first mode is a mode in which the distance measurement device 1 outputs a first distance, which is the distance from the position of the measurement object irradiated with laser light L used as measurement light to a reference position. As shown in Fig. 1A , in the first mode, for example, a user U can measure the distance from the ball B to the position of the pin P, the edge position of the green G from the ball B, or the position of a hazard from the ball B by irradiating the ball B with laser light L. The first mode is suitable for cases in which the user U wants to know the distance from the ball B to the pin P while being away from the ball B, such as when riding in a cart.

[0021] The second mode is a mode in which the second distance is output, which is the distance from the current position of the distance measurement device 1 to the position of the measurement object irradiated with the laser light L. As shown in Fig. 1B , in the second mode, for example, the user U can measure the distance from the user U's position to the pin P by irradiating the pin P with the laser light L. The second mode is suitable for a case in which the user U approaches the green G and wants to accurately measure the distance to the pin P.

[0022] The third mode is a mode in which a third distance calculated based on the relationship between the position of the distance measurement device 1 identified by a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver built into the distance measurement device 1 and the position of a pre-stored reference position is output. The distance measurement device 1 can display the third distance without receiving any operation from the user U, so the third mode is suitable for when the user U wants to know the approximate distance from the current position to the reference position.

[0023] The method of switching between the first mode and the second mode is arbitrary, but for example, the distance measurement device 1 operates in the first mode when the position of the object to be measured irradiated with the laser light L is in front of the green G, and operates in the second mode when the position of the object to be measured irradiated with the laser light L is on or behind the green G. The distance measurement device 1 may operate in the first mode when the laser light L is irradiated to a position a predetermined distance or more in front of the green G, and may operate in the third mode after a predetermined time has elapsed since operating in the first mode.

[0024] 2 is a diagram for explaining the process of measuring the distance from ball B to a reference position in the first mode. In Fig. 2, ball B is on a fairway F, and user U is on a cart path outside fairway F. Distance measurement device 1 measures its own latitude and longitude (Nu, Eu) based on radio waves received from GPS satellites.

[0025] Furthermore, the distance measurement device 1 irradiates ball B with laser light L in response to an operation by user U, and measures the distance D from the distance measurement device 1 to ball B. The distance measurement device 1 has a built-in orientation sensor that measures the orientation of the distance measurement device 1 at the time when laser light L is irradiated to ball B. The distance measurement device 1 calculates the latitude and longitude (Nb, Eb) of ball B at a position that is the distance D away in the direction of the distance measurement device 1, starting from the position of the distance measurement device 1.

[0026] The distance measurement device 1 stores the latitude and longitude (Np, Ep) of a reference position (for example, the position of pin P), and calculates the distance from ball B to the reference position based on the difference between the latitude and longitude of the reference position and the latitude and longitude of the position of ball B. By operating the distance measurement device 1 in this way, the user U can measure the distance from ball B to the reference position without using the distance measurement device 1 to measure the distance from the distance measurement device 1 to the reference position. By operating the distance measurement device 1 in this way, the user U can know the distance from ball B to pin P, for example, by measuring the distance to ball B while being in a position on a cart path where the pin P is not visible.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display of the distance measurement device 1 when the user U measures the distance to the pin P in the first mode. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display of the distance measurement device 1 when the user U measures the distance to the pin P in the second mode. A screen equivalent to Fig. 4 is also displayed in the third mode.

[0028] 3 shows an image (circle) indicating the position of user U and an image (trademark) indicating the position of ball B. When user U operates to irradiate ball B with laser light L, distance measurement device 1 displays the distance from the position of ball B to various reference positions. In FIG. 3, the distance from the position of ball B to the back edge of the green (B), the distance to the center of the green (C), the distance to the pin (P), and the distance to the front edge of the green (F) are displayed. It also shows that the distance from the position of ball B to hazard H is 163 yards.

[0029] 4 shows an image (●) indicating the position of the user U (i.e., the position of the distance measurement device 1), but does not show an image indicating the position of the ball B. When the user U operates to irradiate the laser light L onto the measurement object (e.g., the pin P), the distance measurement device 1 displays the distance from the position of the distance measurement device 1 to various reference positions. As in FIG. 3, FIG. 4 displays the distance from the position of the distance measurement device 1 to the back edge of the green (B), the distance to the center of the green (C), the distance to the pin (P), the distance to the front edge of the green (F), and the distance to the hazard H. FIG. 4 also displays the elevation difference (H) between the position of the distance measurement device 1 and the position of the pin P. When the distance measurement device 1 operates in the second mode, the screen shown in FIG. 4 may display the actual measured value of the distance between the distance measurement device 1 and the measurement object.

[0030] In this way, the distance measurement device 1 can switch between the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode to operate and display the distance from the ball B to the reference position or the distance from the distance measurement device 1 to the reference position. By operating the distance measurement device 1 in the first mode while the user U is in a cart away from the position of the ball B, the user U can know the distance between the ball B and the reference position, and can easily know which club number to use.

[0031] Furthermore, by operating the distance measurement device 1 in the second mode while the user U is near the ball B, the user U can measure the distance to the pin P with high accuracy. Furthermore, while the distance measurement device 1 is operating in the third mode, the user U can grasp the approximate distance between the distance measurement device 1 and the reference position without irradiating the measurement target with laser light L. The configuration and operation of the distance measurement device 1 will be described in detail below.

[0032] 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the distance measurement device 1. The distance measurement device 1 has a radio wave receiving unit 10, a laser unit 11, a sensor unit 12, a wireless communication unit 13, an operation accepting unit 14, a display unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17. The control unit 17 has a current position specifying unit 171, a measurement unit 172, and an output unit 173.

[0033] The radio wave receiving unit 10 receives radio waves from positioning satellites such as GPS or the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, etc. The radio wave receiving unit 10 inputs data included in the received radio waves to the current position identifying unit 171.

[0034] The laser unit 11 emits laser light L under the control of the measurement unit 172. The laser unit 11 also receives reflected laser light that is the emitted laser light L reflected by an object. The laser unit 11 calculates a delay time from when the laser light L is emitted until when the reflected laser light is received, based on, for example, the difference between the phase of the emitted laser light L and the phase of the received reflected laser light. The laser unit 11 inputs the calculated delay time to the measurement unit 172.

[0035] The sensor unit 12 has a direction sensor for detecting the attitude of the distance measurement device 1. The sensor unit 12 has, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor as the direction sensor. The sensor unit 12 may also have a geomagnetic sensor as the direction sensor for detecting a direction in a horizontal plane. The sensor unit 12 inputs direction data indicating the direction detected by the direction sensor to the measurement unit 172.

[0036] The wireless communication unit 13 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from a communication terminal (e.g., a smartphone) used by the user U or a communication terminal used by another player playing together with the user U. The wireless communication unit 13 can transmit and receive radio waves, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit 13 transmits the first distance or the second distance measured by the distance measuring device 1 to the communication terminal used by the user U or the other player.

[0037] The operation reception unit 14 has a device for receiving operations from the user U. The operation reception unit 14 has, for example, operation buttons or a touch panel. The operation reception unit 14 inputs operation data indicating the content of the input operation to the control unit 17.

[0038] The display unit 15 is a display that displays various information. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the display unit 15 displays information indicating a first distance from the ball B hit by the laser light L to a reference position or a second distance from the current position to the reference position.

[0039] The storage unit 16 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 16 stores a program executed by the control unit 17. The storage unit 16 also stores various types of information that the control unit 17 uses to calculate a first distance from the ball B to a reference position or a second distance from the current position of the distance measurement device 1 to the reference position. This information may be, for example, information stored when the distance measurement device 1 is manufactured, or information transmitted from an external device via the wireless communication unit 13.

[0040] As an example, the memory unit 16 stores a plurality of reference positions associated with a plurality of holes on a golf course. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing reference position information indicating the center position of the green G of each hole. The reference position information shown in Fig. 6 associates the hole number with latitude and longitude information indicating the center position of the green G of each hole.

[0041] The memory unit 16 may also store hole numbers in association with latitude and longitude information indicating the location of hazards such as ponds, bunkers, or large trees that exist on each hole. The memory unit 16 may also store hole numbers in association with latitude and longitude information indicating the location of the pin P on each hole. The memory unit 16 may further store hole area data indicating the latitude and longitude of the outer edge of each hole in association with the hole number.

[0042] The storage unit 16 may further store green information indicating the range of the green of each hole. The green information may, for example, associate the latitude and longitude of the center position of the green G with multiple distances from the center position of the green G to multiple edge positions on the edge of the green G (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "reference distances") and multiple reference angles, which are angles between the reference direction and the direction connecting the reference position and each of the multiple edge positions.

[0043] Fig. 7A is a diagram illustrating the concept of green information. In Fig. 7A, reference distances from a reference position C of the green G, indicated by a black rectangle, to the edge of the green G are shown at 30-degree intervals relative to a reference direction (e.g., northward). Fig. 7B shows an example of reference edge distance information stored in the memory unit 16, in which reference angles and reference distances are associated with each other in the green information. In Fig. 7B, the reference angles are set at 30-degree intervals, but the finer the intervals between the reference angles, the better; for example, the reference angles may be set at 1-degree intervals.

[0044] The form of the green information is arbitrary, and the green information may include the latitude and longitude of multiple positions on the green G. As an example, the green G may be divided into multiple quadrangles in a mesh pattern, and the green information may include the latitude and longitude of the center position of each quadrangle. The green information may also include the latitude and longitude of multiple edge positions on the outline of the green.

[0045] The control unit 17 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 17 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 16 to function as a current position identification unit 171, a measurement unit 172, and an output unit 173.

[0046] The current position specifying unit 171 specifies the current position of the distance measurement device 1 based on data obtained from the radio wave receiving unit 10. For example, the current position specifying unit 171 specifies the latitude and longitude of the current position of the distance measurement device 1 based on data obtained from the radio wave receiving unit 10 at the time when the operation receiving unit 14 receives an operation for measuring distance. The current position specifying unit 171 notifies the measurement unit 172 of the specified current position. The current position specifying unit 171 may specify the number of the hole that the user U is playing by comparing the latitude and longitude corresponding to the outer edge of each hole indicated by the hole range data with the latitude and longitude of the current position to specify the hole that includes the current position.

[0047] When the operation receiving unit 14 receives an operation for measuring a distance, the measurement unit 172 emits a laser beam L to measure the distance from the current position to the measurement object irradiated with the laser beam L and the direction from the current position to the position of the measurement object, thereby measuring the position of the measurement object. When the user U irradiates the ball B with the laser beam L as in the example shown in FIG. 2 , the measurement unit 172 calculates the distance D from the current position to the ball B based on the delay time notified by the laser unit 11. The measurement unit 172 also identifies the direction of the vector from the user U toward the ball B based on the orientation data input from the sensor unit 12. The measurement unit 172 measures the latitude and longitude (Nb, Eb) of the position of the ball B based on the latitude and longitude (Nu, Eu) of the current position, the distance D, and the direction of the vector.

[0048] The measurement unit 172 reads the latitude and longitude of the reference position stored in the memory unit 16 and compares the latitude and longitude of the reference position with the latitude and longitude of the position of the measurement object to calculate a first distance between the reference position and the position of the measurement object. The measurement unit 172 notifies the output unit 173 of the calculated first distance.

[0049] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method by which the measurement unit 172 calculates the distance between the ball B and the pin P. The measurement unit 172 calculates ΔN=(Nb-Np)×K1 and ΔE=(Eb-Ep)×K2 based on the latitude and longitude (Nb, Eb) of the measured position of the ball B and the latitude and longitude (Np, Ep) of the position of the pin P stored in the memory unit 16. K1 is a coefficient for converting the difference in latitude into distance, and K2 is a coefficient for converting the difference in longitude into distance. The measurement unit 172 calculates the first distance as √(ΔN ２ +ΔE ２ ) is calculated.

[0050] The output unit 173 outputs the results of the measurement by the measurement unit 172. For example, in the first mode, the output unit 173 causes the display unit 15 to display a first distance, which is the distance between the reference position and the object position. The output unit 173 refers to the hole range data to identify which hole the current position corresponds to, and causes the display unit 15 to display the first distance, which is the distance between the reference position and the object position of the hole corresponding to the current position (i.e., the hole on which the user U is playing).

[0051] 3 , while displaying the first distance on the display unit 15, the output unit 173 causes an object image indicating the object position (for example, an image indicating the position of ball B) to be superimposed on the layout diagram of the hole and displayed on the display unit 15. By causing the output unit 173 to display the object image on the display unit 15 in this manner, even if the user U is located far away from the ball B, it is easy for the user U to understand that the first distance displayed on the display unit 15 is the distance from the position of ball B to the reference position.

[0052] Meanwhile, the user U may irradiate the pin P with the laser light L to measure a second distance from the user U's position to the position of a desired measurement object, such as the pin P. Therefore, the output unit 173 operates in a first mode that refers to green information and causes the display unit 15 to display a first distance if it determines that the object position (e.g., the position indicated by the latitude and longitude of the ball B measured by the measurement unit 172) is not on the green G. The output unit 173 operates in a second mode that causes the display unit 15 to display a second distance, which is the distance between the current position and the object position, if it determines that the object position is on the green G. By operating the output unit 173 in this manner, a distance appropriate to the object to be measured, onto which the user U irradiates the laser light L, is displayed without the user U having to switch between the first mode and the second mode.

[0053] To make it easier for the user U to know whether the device is operating in the first mode or the second mode, the output unit 173 may display a predetermined image indicating that the first distance is being displayed on the display unit 15 while the first distance is being displayed on the display unit 15, and may not display the predetermined image on the display unit 15 while the second distance is being displayed on the display unit 15. The predetermined image is, for example, an image indicating the position of the ball B, such as the image indicated by ▼ in FIG. 3 . By the output unit 173 switching whether to display such a predetermined image depending on the first mode and the second mode, it becomes easier to determine whether the displayed distance is the distance from the ball B to the reference position or the distance from the current position of the user U to the reference position.

[0054] When the user U approaches the green G, the user U is not riding a cart and often wants to measure the exact position of the pin P by irradiating the laser beam L from the position of the ball B to the pin P. In such a case, even though the user U is trying to irradiate the laser beam L to the pin P, the laser beam L may hit an object (e.g., a tree) behind the pin P. In such a case, if the distance measuring device 1 operates in the first mode and displays the first distance from the object behind the pin P to the pin P, the user U may misunderstand the distance to the pin P.

[0055] Therefore, the output unit 173 operates in a first mode in which the first distance is displayed on the display unit 15 when the target object position is a predetermined distance or more in front of the green G, and operates in a second mode in which the second distance is displayed on the display unit 15 when the target object position is further back than the predetermined distance from the green G. The output unit 173 may operate in a third mode in which the third distance is displayed on the display unit 15 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output unit 173 operated in the first mode or the second mode. In other words, the output unit 173 may switch to a state in which the third distance is displayed on the display unit 15 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output unit 173 operated in the first mode or the second mode.

[0056] The predetermined distance is, for example, the maximum distance at which a wedge is likely to be used, and is, for example, 100 yards, but may also be 0 yards. The predetermined distance may be a different value depending on the position of the user U. For example, when the user U is located on the cart path, even if the target position is near the green G, there is a high probability that the target position is the ball B rather than the pin P. Therefore, the predetermined distance when the user U is located on the cart path may be smaller than when the user U is not located on the cart path.

[0057] The predetermined time is the time required for the user U to grasp the first distance, and may be, for example, three seconds. The predetermined time may be the time required for the user U to finish the operation of irradiating the ball B with the laser light L.

[0058] When the distance to the target position measured while operating in the first mode is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 150 yards or greater) that is determined based on the distance at which the position of ball B can be measured, output unit 173 may automatically operate in the second mode to display the second distance on display unit 15. By operating output unit 173 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the distance from a hazard to the reference position from being displayed when user U is not attempting to irradiate ball B with laser light L but is instead attempting to measure the distance to a distant hazard.

[0059] [Processing Flow in Distance Measurement Device 1] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in the distance measurement device 1. Fig. 9 starts from the point when the power of the distance measurement device 1 is turned on.

[0060] The measurement unit 172 monitors whether a measurement operation has been performed in the operation reception unit 14 (S1). When the user U performs a measurement operation, for example, by pressing the measurement button (YES in S1), the measurement unit 172 identifies the current position of the distance measurement device 1 based on the latitude and longitude identified by the current position identification unit 171 (S2). The measurement unit 172 refers to the hole range data stored in the memory unit 16 and searches for hole numbers whose range includes the current position, thereby identifying the current hole number that the user U is playing (S3).

[0061] While the measurement button is pressed, the measurement unit 172 measures the object position, which is the position of the object to be measured, by causing the laser unit 11 to emit laser light L (S4). If the object position is within a predetermined range (e.g., a range more than 100 yards in front of the pin P on the green G) (YES in S5), the measurement unit 172 calculates a first distance from the object position to a reference position corresponding to the identified hole number (S6). The output unit 173 displays the calculated first distance on the display unit 15 together with an object image showing the object (S7).

[0062] If the object position is not within the predetermined range (NO in S5), the measurement unit 172 calculates a second distance from the current position to the object position (S8), and the output unit 173 causes the display unit 15 to display the calculated second distance (S9).

[0063] When a predetermined time has elapsed since the output unit 173 caused the display unit 15 to display the first distance or the second distance (YES in S10), the output unit 173 causes the display unit 15 to display (S11) a third distance between the current position based on the radio waves received by the radio wave receiving unit 10 and a reference position previously stored in the storage unit 16. The control unit 17 repeats the processes from S1 to S12 until the power is turned off (NO in S12).

[0064] [Notification to Other Players] If another player V playing with the user U does not have the distance measurement device 1, the other player V may want to know the position from the ball B to the reference position. In this case, the distance measurement device 1 may transmit the first distance from the ball B of the other player V to the reference position, measured by the user U, to a communication terminal (e.g., a smartphone) used by the other player V.

[0065] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which a user U and two other players V1 and V2 are playing together. The distance measurement device 1 transmits a first distance to the communication terminals 2 used by the players V1 and V2 via a wireless channel W. The wireless channel W is, for example, Bluetooth. The distance measurement device 1 and the communication terminals 2 are paired before the user U, the players V1, and the players V2 start playing, and destination information used to transmit the first distance to each of the communication terminals 2 is stored in the storage unit 16.

[0066] In this case, measurement unit 172 measures a plurality of first distances each time operation acceptance unit 14 accepts a measurement operation, and storage unit 16 stores the plurality of first distances measured by measurement unit 172. Output unit 173 causes wireless communication unit 13 to transmit the plurality of first distances to at least one of the plurality of communication terminals 2. Each time operation acceptance unit 14 accepts a measurement operation, wireless communication unit 13 may sequentially transmit the first distances to the plurality of communication terminals 2 in an order stored in advance in storage unit 16. Operation acceptance unit 14 may accept an operation to designate a communication terminal 2 to which the first distances are to be transmitted, and wireless communication unit 13 may transmit the first distances to the designated communication terminal 2.

[0067] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow when the distance measurement device 1 transmits the first distance to the communication terminal 2. The flowchart shown in Fig. 11 starts from the point when the user U operates the distance measurement device 1 to operate in a mode for measuring the positions of the balls B of multiple players V.

[0068] When user U performs a measurement operation to irradiate ball B1 of player V1 with laser light L (YES in S11), measurement unit 172 causes laser unit 11 to irradiate laser light L and measure a first distance corresponding to ball B1 (S12). Measurement unit 172 stores the measured first distance in storage unit 16 in association with the measurement order (S13). After measuring the first distance, measurement unit 172 may display, via output unit 173, on display unit 15 a screen for selecting a communication device 2 to which the measured first distance should be transmitted, and store the first distance in storage unit 16 in association with the communication device 2 selected on the screen.

[0069] The measurement unit 172 displays a screen on the display unit 15 to confirm whether or not to end the measurement, and if an operation to end the measurement is not performed (NO in S14), the measurement unit 172 repeats the processes from S11 to S13. This allows the user U to repeatedly measure the first distances from the positions of the balls B of multiple players to the reference position.

[0070] When an operation to end measurement is performed (YES in S14), the measurement unit 172 acquires destination information from the storage unit 16 (S15) and causes the communication device 2 corresponding to the read destination information to transmit the first distance stored in the storage unit 16 in association with the communication device 2 to the wireless communication unit 13 (S16). The measurement unit 172 transmits the multiple first distances corresponding to the multiple players V stored in the storage unit 16 to the multiple communication devices 2. The measurement unit 172 may transmit only the first distance corresponding to each player V to the communication device 2 corresponding to each player V, or may transmit the multiple first distances corresponding to the multiple players V to the multiple communication devices 2.

[0071] The measurement unit 172 may transmit the first distance to the communication device 2 every time it measures the first distance corresponding to one ball B. Alternatively, the order in which the first distances are transmitted to the plurality of communication terminals 2 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 16, and the measurement unit 172 may transmit the first distance to the communication terminal 2 in accordance with the order every time it measures the first distance. By operating the measurement unit 172 in this manner, the user U does not need to set a transmission destination, and therefore the first distance can be quickly notified to each player V.

[0072] The user U can measure a plurality of first distances corresponding to the ball B of each of the plurality of players V while each player V is moving, for example, in a cart, toward the ball B. The distance measurement device 1 transmits the first distances to the communication terminal 2 until each player V gets off the cart, so that each player V can know which club to take when getting off the cart. As a result, it is possible to shorten the playing time.

[0073] [Modification] Although the screen shown in Fig. 3 does not display the difference in elevation between the position of ball B and the position of pin P, the output unit 173 may display the difference in elevation between the position of ball B and the position of pin P on the display unit 15. To achieve this, the memory unit 16 stores the altitude of each of a plurality of positions on the golf course. The memory unit 16 stores, for example, three-dimensional map data of the golf course. In the three-dimensional map data, latitude, longitude, and altitude are associated with each other.

[0074] When the measurement unit 172 identifies the latitude and longitude of the position of ball B, it identifies the altitude associated with the latitude and longitude. The measurement unit 172 calculates the altitude difference based on the difference between the altitude of the pin P stored in the storage unit 16 and the identified altitude. The output unit 173 displays the altitude difference calculated by the measurement unit 172 on the display unit 15. That is, the output unit 173 displays on the display unit 15 the altitude difference between the altitude corresponding to the reference position stored in the storage unit 16 and the altitude corresponding to the position of ball B, which is the target position. By the distance measurement device 1 displaying the altitude difference between the position of ball B and the position of pin P in this way, the user U can move to the position of ball B with the club selected in consideration of the altitude difference.

[0075] As described above, the measurement unit 172 measures the distance from the current position to the ball B irradiated with the laser light L and the direction from the current position to the position of the ball B, thereby measuring the position of the ball B, and calculates the first distance between the position of the ball B and a reference position (for example, the position of the pin P). Then, the output unit 173 causes the display unit 15 to display the first distance.

[0076] With the distance measurement device 1 configured in this way, the user U can know the distance from ball B to the pin P or hazard when he or she is away from ball B (for example, when he or she is riding in a cart), and can select an appropriate club and head towards the position of ball B. As a result, there is no need to return to the cart after going to the position of ball B and then select a club again, which makes it possible to shorten playing time.

[0077] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments.

[0078] For example, the above explanation illustrates a case where the distance measuring device 1 can operate in the first mode, second mode, and third mode, but the distance measuring device 1 only needs to have at least the first mode, and it is optional whether or not it has the second mode and the third mode.

[0079] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 distance measuring device 2 communication terminal 10 radio wave receiving unit 11 laser unit 12 sensor unit 13 wireless communication unit 14 operation receiving unit 15 display unit 16 storage unit 17 control unit 171 current position specifying unit 172 measurement unit 173 output unit

Claims

1. A distance measuring device for use on a golf course, comprising: a memory unit for storing a reference position on a hole on the golf course; a current position identification unit for identifying the current position of the distance measuring device; a measurement unit for measuring an object position, which is the position of the object, by irradiating a measurement light, by measuring the distance from the current position to an object to be measured onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the object to be measured; and an output unit for displaying a first distance, which is the distance between the reference position and the object position, on a display unit.

2. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit causes the display unit to display an object image indicating the object position superimposed on a layout diagram of the hole while displaying the first distance on the display unit.

3. The distance measuring device of claim 1, wherein the memory unit further stores green information indicating the extent of the green of the hole, and the output unit causes the display unit to display the first distance when the object position is not on the green, and causes the display unit to display the second distance, which is the distance between the current position and the object position, when the object position is on the green.

4. The distance measuring device of claim 3, wherein the output unit causes the display unit to display a specified image indicating that the first distance is being displayed while the display unit is displaying the first distance, and does not cause the display unit to display the specified image while the display unit is displaying the second distance.

5. A distance measuring device as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein the output unit operates in a first mode in which the first distance is displayed on the display unit when the object position is a predetermined distance or more in front of the green, and operates in a third mode in which the distance between the current position and the reference position is displayed on the display unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since operating in the first mode.

6. The distance measuring device of claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a plurality of the reference positions associated with a plurality of the holes, and the output unit causes the display unit to display the first distance, which is the distance between the reference position of the hole corresponding to the current position and the object position.

7. A distance measuring device as described in claim 1, further comprising: a wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving data between a communication terminal; and an operation receiving unit for receiving a measurement operation for measuring the position of the object, wherein the measurement unit measures a plurality of the first distances each time the operation receiving unit receives the measurement operation, the memory unit stores the plurality of the first distances measured by the measurement unit, and the wireless communication unit transmits the plurality of the first distances to at least one of the plurality of communication terminals.

8. A distance measuring device for use on a golf course, comprising: a memory unit for storing the altitude of each of a number of positions on the golf course; a current position identification unit for identifying the current position of the distance measuring device; a measurement unit for measuring the distance from the current position to a measurement object onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the measurement object by irradiating a measurement light, thereby measuring the object position, which is the position of the measurement object; and an output unit for displaying on a display unit the elevation difference between the altitude corresponding to a reference position stored in the memory unit and the altitude corresponding to the object position.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as: a current position determining unit that determines the current position of the computer; a measurement unit that measures the object position, which is the position of the object, by irradiating measurement light and measuring the distance from the current position to the object onto which the measurement light is irradiated and the direction from the current position to the position of the object; and an output unit that displays on a display unit a first distance, which is the distance between a reference position on a hole of a golf course and the object position.

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