Golf Course Position Correction Using Master-Slave GNSS Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining a position on a golf course, such as satellite navigation systems, often result in significant errors, which can be unsafe for autonomous vehicles and inaccurate for golf players, especially when the position of holes changes frequently.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a master unit and slave units, where the master unit is configured with a fixed position and processes displacement data from its satellite navigation receiver, making it accessible to slave units through a telecommunications network, allowing them to filter and improve their position determinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a satellite navigation receiver is used to determine position on a golf course, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the position determination accuracy deteriorates with errors of 5-15 meters
Solution Approach 1:
A master unit is introduced as an intermediary component that receives satellite navigation signals at a known fixed position, calculates the displacement error, and provides correction data to slave units. This intermediary master unit enables slave units to achieve high-precision positioning without directly processing complex satellite signals themselves, maintaining ease of operation while dramatically improving accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the master unit continuously monitors the displacement between the known fixed position and the satellite-determined position, processes this error information, and feeds back corrected displacement data to slave units. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically compensate for satellite navigation errors and maintain high positioning accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the position of holes changes frequently on a golf course, then the system is adaptable to different playing conditions, but the position determination accuracy deteriorates because satellite navigation cannot track moving targets precisely
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the golf course layout with hole positions stored in the master unit's memory. When holes are relocated, the master unit receives new position data and updates the stored map. Slave units then query this updated virtual copy to obtain accurate hole positions, allowing the system to adapt to changing course layouts while maintaining precision through the correction mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If autonomous vehicles navigate on narrow paths (3 meters wide) using standard satellite navigation, then the system is simple to implement, but the reliability deteriorates due to 5-15 meter positioning errors making safe navigation impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The master unit serves as a dedicated intermediary that processes satellite navigation data and generates high-precision correction information. Autonomous vehicles (slave units) receive this corrected positioning data, enabling them to navigate narrow 3-meter paths with the required precision while keeping their own hardware simple and easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The master unit continuously provides feedback correction data to autonomous vehicles, allowing them to maintain accurate position awareness on narrow paths. This feedback mechanism ensures that even small positioning errors are corrected in real-time, guaranteeing the reliability and safety needed for autonomous navigation on constrained paths.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is for determining a position on a golf course. The system has a master unit and at least one slave unit. The master unit and the at least one slave unit are adapted to communicate through a telecommunications network. The master unit comprises a receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being operable at a fixed position on the golf course. The master unit is configured to: obtain a position determined by the receiver; process the displacement between the obtained position and the fixed position; and make the processed displacement available to the at least one slave unit through the telecommunications network. A slave unit then makes use of the processed displacement to improve positions determined by itself.