UAV Golf Ball Tracking Through Pixel-Based Location Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers require real-time feedback on the location and distance of their golf balls relative to reference points for improved practice, but existing systems lack efficient and accurate methods for providing such feedback.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball tracking system utilizing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a camera and processor to capture and analyze image frames, identify golf ball pixels, and determine location and distance relative to reference points, using various calibration markers and image processing techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional golf ball tracking systems are used, then golfers can receive feedback on ball location and distance, but the systems lack efficiency and accuracy in providing real-time feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or ground-based tracking systems with an aerial imaging system using a UAV (drone) equipped with a camera. The processor analyzes images captured from the air to determine golf ball position, eliminating the need for complex ground-based sensors and providing both high accuracy and real-time feedback capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from ground-level or close-range tracking to an aerial perspective. By capturing images from the air and processing them to identify golf ball pixels, the system achieves comprehensive coverage and precise measurement without requiring physical proximity to the golf ball, thereby improving both accuracy and real-time response.
2Measurement precision
If an aerial imaging system is used to track golf balls, then real-time feedback accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV serves multiple functions: it acts as both the imaging platform and the data collection device. The same aerial vehicle that captures images for analysis also provides the reference frame for location determination, consolidating what would otherwise require separate systems into a single integrated platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the golf ball's position through image capture and pixel identification. By representing the ball's location as pixel data that can be processed and mapped to real-world coordinates, the system achieves accurate measurement without direct physical contact or complex sensor arrays.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball tracking system identifies a first pixel at which a golf ball is located in a first image frame and a second pixel at which the golf ball is located in a second image frame. The system may determine that the first pixel represents a location where the golf ball impacts the golf surface based at least in part on a difference in location between the first pixel in the first image frame and the second pixel in the second image frame.