Heads-Up Display for Golf Green Topology Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers face challenges in accurately analyzing launch and trajectory information, and understanding the curvature of a green during gameplay, as existing technologies do not provide effective real-time, hands-free assistance for improving their skills.
Innovation Solution
A golf aid system featuring a user tracking system, a heads-up display, and a processor that determines the user's location on a golf course, identifies the closest green, and displays a representation of the green's topology within the user's field of view, along with tracking the golf ball's trajectory and providing launch and flight information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If golfers manually analyze launch and trajectory information, then they can understand ball flight characteristics, but it requires significant time and cognitive effort that distracts from gameplay
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically tracks and analyzes ball flight parameters without requiring golfer intervention. Sensors and cameras capture trajectory data, and the processor independently calculates launch angle, spin rate, and other metrics, freeing the golfer from manual analysis while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual visual analysis of ball flight is replaced by an automated electronic system using sensors, cameras, and computer processing. The mechanical/cognitive process of observing and calculating trajectory is substituted with electronic detection and automated computation, reducing time loss while preserving analytical accuracy.
2Loss of information
If golfers study green curvature manually, then they can understand putting conditions, but existing technologies do not provide effective real-time, hands-free assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The system presents green topology information in multiple dimensional formats including 2D contour maps, 3D visualizations, and augmented reality overlays. By displaying topographical data across different dimensional representations, the system provides comprehensive green information while maintaining hands-free operation through head-mounted or course-side displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary processing layer between the golfer and the green surface. Sensors and cameras capture green topography data, which is then processed and presented through displays or audio feedback, serving as a mediator that delivers green information without requiring direct manual inspection or complex golfer interaction.
3Loss of information
If a comprehensive tracking system is implemented, then detailed ball flight data is captured, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors and cameras that serve multiple purposes. The same optical sensors track ball flight while also capturing green topography and launch conditions. This universal approach captures comprehensive ball flight data without proportionally increasing device complexity, as single components perform multiple measurement functions.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple tracking functions are merged into integrated sensor packages and unified processing algorithms. Rather than separate systems for tracking ball position, spin, and launch angle, the system combines these functions into a cohesive tracking architecture that reduces overall complexity while maintaining data completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic golf aid system for assisting users with reading greens on golf courses includes a camera that captures images of the user's field of view, and an electronic display device with a display screen that displays captured images. A processor, which communicates with the camera and display device, is programmed to: receive signals from the camera indicative of images of a golf ball and a cup on the green; determine respective locations for the golf ball and cup; determine a perspective view of the topology of the green between the golf ball and cup from the user's point of view; determine, based on the green's topology, a proposed trajectory line from the golf ball's location to the cup's location; and direct the electronic display device to display the proposed trajectory line superimposed on the surface of the green as the green is shown in real-time on the display screen.