Vehicle-Based Golf Course Topography Mapping During Mowing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor equipment, such as mowers and golf cars, lack the capability to efficiently survey and map the topography of golf courses, which is crucial for maintaining vegetation and ensuring optimal operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Equipping vehicles with sensors and processing circuits to acquire location and topographic data, enabling the generation of detailed topographic maps of the terrain in real-time, which can be used to create precise surveying systems for golf courses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional surveying methods are used for golf course topography mapping, then measurement precision can be achieved, but productivity is reduced due to time-consuming manual processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical surveying equipment (total stations, level instruments) with an automated vehicle-based system that integrates GPS receivers, inertial measurement units (IMU), and digital elevation sensors. This substitution enables continuous automated data collection as the vehicle traverses the golf course, eliminating manual measurement processes while maintaining high precision through sensor fusion algorithms that process location, orientation, and elevation data simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous topography data collection as the vehicle moves throughout the golf course during normal operations. Rather than requiring separate surveying expeditions, the vehicle continuously acquires location, elevation, and terrain data during routine mowing or transport tasks, transforming discrete manual measurements into an ongoing automated process that accumulates comprehensive topographic information efficiently.
2Device complexity
If manual surveying processes are employed, then device complexity remains low, but loss of time increases due to labor-intensive operations
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it maintains the golf course through mowing or transport operations while concurrently collecting topography data. The integrated system includes GPS receivers for location tracking, IMU for orientation and tilt measurement, elevation sensors for terrain height detection, and processors that fuse this data to generate digital topographic maps. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated surveying equipment and personnel, reducing overall system complexity while dramatically cutting surveying time.
3Manufacturing precision
If detailed topographic data is collected using traditional methods, then manufacturing precision of the map is improved, but loss of substance increases due to extensive human resources and materials
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle system is self-sufficient in collecting, processing, and storing topographic data. The integrated sensors automatically capture location, elevation, and terrain information as the vehicle moves, the onboard processors continuously compute digital elevation models and generate topographic maps, and the system stores this data in memory or transmits it wirelessly. This self-service capability eliminates the need for multiple surveyors, manual data recording, and extensive paper-based documentation, significantly reducing human resource requirements while maintaining high map accuracy through automated sensor fusion and processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf course surveying system includes a mower and one or more processing circuits. The mower includes a chassis, a tractive element coupled to the chassis, and a cutting unit coupled to the chassis. The cutting unit includes a cutting element. The one or more processing circuits are configured to acquire location data indicating a current location of the mower, acquire topographic data indicating at least one characteristic of a terrain at the current location of the mower, and generate a topographic map of the terrain based on the location data and the topographic data.