BALL RECEIVING AND COLLECTING SYSTEM
FTELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a target like device at which balls e.g., golf balls, baseballs etc.
are hit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A traditional outdoor driving range will typically include different target zones. These target zones are usually in the form of a simulated putting green or the like.
A person hitting balls at a traditional driving range has to rely on his or her good eyesight to be able to determine exactly where a ball has landed relative to a target at which he or she has aimed the ball. However, this can often be very difficult to ascertain particularly if the target is at a long distance away from the person hitting the balls. Adding to the difficultly of seeing the balls may be the lighting conditions. For instance, a person using the range under cloudy conditions, dark conditions and even overly bright conditions, will not generally be able to see where a ball has landed.
Often times when a number of golfers practice together at a driving range a friendly rivalry develops.
The person hitting the ball will typically think that the ball landed relatively close to a target area whereas the people competing against that person will generally suggest otherwise. Usually there is real no way of determining where the ball actually landed.
In answer to all of the above problems, target systems have been developed which include some type of means for sensing where a ball has been hit relative to an intended target. For instance, the prior art discloses a driving range system which is divided across the surface into different landing zones at different distances from a hitting area. A sign like board is provided to show the distance at which the ball has landed on the driving range surface. Each landing area includes a pressure sensor which senses ball impact. The pressure sensor then feeds distance information to the board showing the distance that the ball has been hit in the air onto the surface.
The above system only provides distance feedback.
It does not provide accuracy feedback relative to an intended landing area. Furthermore, it does not include any ball collection properties i.e., once the balls land on the surface they simply roll until they come to a stop somewhere else on the surface.
Other target systems including ball collection have however been developed. These systems comprise open mouth targets into which balls are hit. The targets have different catch zones and each catch zone includes a sensor. The actual balls are provided with identifying characteristics that are sensed by the sensors. The sensors then feed scoring information back to the area from which the balls have been hit.
The immediately above systems do not include anything in the actual landing field to acknowledge that a target has been hit. Therefore in this regard, they are missing any type of an arcade effect that could otherwise be provided. In addition, they rely upon special expensive adaptations to the balls such as for example, the addition of magnets and the like for operating the system. This makes each ball very costly _ 3 _ relative to a conventional golf ball.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides a ball receiving and collecting system which provides highlighted feedback in the target area at which balls are hit. The feedback is operated in a very simple, efficient yet relatively inexpensive manner without having to rely on costly ball adaptations.
More particularly, a ball receiving and collecting system of the present invention includes a target at which balls are hit. The target has different landing zones. Each landing zone comprises a ball collection area which feeds to its own ball guide passage. Each ball guide passage includes a switch which is turned on by ball movement past the switch. The system further includes visual feedback means which is operated by the switches of the ball guide passages to show which landing zones have been hit by the balls.
According to a preferred aspect of the present invention the visual feedback means comprises a group of different coloured large lights in the area of the target. The colour of the light turned on by the switch indicates where the ball lands on the target. This not only creates a fun arcade effect for relatively inexperienced golfers but in addition provides very positive feedback for the more experienced golfer wanting to hone his or her golf skills.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above as well as other advantages and features of the present invention will be described in greater detail according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention in which;
Figure 1 is perspective view looking down a ball receiving and collecting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is side sectional view of the system of Figure 1 when used in a driving range environment for use with golf balls;
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the receipt and feeding of a golf ball through the system of Figure 2;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION IN WHICH;
Figure 1 shows a ball receiving and collecting system generally indicated at 1. In this particular set up, the system is arranged to receive golf balls hit at a target generally indicated at 3. This target is located on a driving range surface 5 which may be a natural grass or an artificial surface.
Target 3 may be only one of many targets located on surface 5. These many different targets can be located at different distances from the area from which the golf balls are hit.
In the preferred embodiment as shown, target 3 has a circular configuration divided into a plurality of concentric rings. These rings starting from the outer most to the inner most regions of the target comprise rings 7, 9, 11 and 15. Ring 15 surrounds a center opening 17 in the target. The rings are defined by circular frame parts 21, 23, 25, 29 and 31 of the target.
Netting material 33 is used to provide a soft landing surface interiorly of each of the rings.
Target 3 will preferably have a diameter typical of that of a regulation size putting greens.
Accordingly, the target may for example, have a diameter of 30 feet or more.
The target has an open front face directed at the ball hitting area to receive balls hit at the target.
The balls will land softly in the netting material to remain within rather than bouncing out of the open face of the target.
Each of the rings 7, 9, 11, 15 as well as the center circle 17 provides a landing zone of the target.
A person hitting the ball at the target optimally wishes to have the ball land in the center circle 17 which is the bulls eye of the target. For scoring purposes as to be described later in detail, circle 17 will be afforded the highest point Value on the target with surrounding ring 15 having the second highest point value. Ring 11 will have a point value lower than ring 15 and ring 9 will have a point value lower than ring 11. The outer ring 7 will have the lowest point value.
Preferably the target is set at an inclined angle relative to the hitting area as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Balls hit at the target will then settle into i.e., be collected in the landing zone of the target into which they are hit. These balls received by the target then feed by gravity to a plurality of ball guide passages. Each landing zone has its own passage with landing zone or ring 7 having a gravity feed passage 35.
Landing zone ring 9 has a gravity feed passage 37.
Landing zone ring 11 has a gravity feed passage 39.
Landing zone ring 15 has a gravity feed passage 41 and center circle 17 has a gravity feed passage 43. As will be seen, these gravity feed passages open from the lowest point of each of the landing zones of the target which is tilted to cause the balls to roll to the ball feed passages. In the embodiment shown the passages feed into a ball collection member 45. This ball collection member provides a controlled retrieval of the balls so that they can be delivered back to the hitting area. This can be done either manually i.e., by using a pickup device such as a pickup cart or the like or it can be done automatically by some type of a return line leading directly back to the hitting area.
Each of the ball guide passages from the different landing zones on the target is provided with a switch 51 operated by ball movement past the switch. The details of the preferred embodiment switch are best seen having reference to Figure 3 of the drawings.
Switch 51 which is the same for each of the ball guide passages includes a moveable lever switch part 53.
This switch part is biased to normally assume a position where it extends outwardly from the main switch body 51 into the ball guide passage. This is the open non-conducting position for the switch.
A ball moving down the passage impacts with and pushes the lever to a closed switch position. The switch when in its closed position closes an electrical circuit of the system to pass current to a visual feedback means wired to switch 51.
The visual feedback means referred to above can take many different forms. In its preferred form it comprises a bank of lights generally indicated at 55 mounted to or near target 3. As such, the bank of lights is located in the main landing range area of the system.
The bank of lights 55 includes individual lights 57, 59, 61, 63 and 65: Each of these lights preferably has a different colour from every other light. The lights are also preferably very large lights in the order of a foot or more in diameter. Each of the lights is covered by a screen mesh or some other type of protective cover which allows light to pass through the cover while protecting the actual light. As will be appreciated, these lights being in the landing area are also exposed to ball impact and need an extremely durable protective cover to prevent them from being broken by the balls hit into the range.
As noted immediately above, all of the lights are of different colours. This colour differentiation is used to show where on the target a ball has landed.
More particularly in the example shown, the switch 51 provided in ball guide passage 35 from the landing zone 7 is wired to light 57. This is a yellow light.
The switch in ball guide passage 37 from landing zone 9 is wired to green light 59. The switch in ball guide passage 39 from landing zone 11 is wired to red light 61.
The switch in ball guide passage 41 from landing zone 15 is wired to yellow light 63. The switch in ball guide passage 43 from center circle 17 is wired to blue light 65.
With the above arrangement, it becomes very apparent to a person who has hit the target where the golf ball landed in the target. If for example, the yellow light 57 is lit up the person will immediately know that the ball landed in landing zone 7. In the same manner i.e., through the lighting of lights 59, 61, 63 and 65 the person will know that they landed the ball in g _ zones 9, 11, 15 and 17 respectively.
As a preferred feature of the invention the switch in ball passage 43 from landing zone 17 may in fact be wired to all of the lights. This causes all of the lights to simultaneously light up when a person is able to hit a ball into the bulls eye landing zone of the target.
As will be appreciated from the description above, it will be seen how system 1 including one or more targets 3 with an associated bank of different coloured lights provides an extremely appealing automatic visual feedback for a ball hit at the target. This is particularly true under dark or nighttime conditions giving an arcade type feeling to the system. To add to the arcade effect the lights from lighting bank 55 are preferably set up to flash on and off for a timed interval when the target is hit. Under control of a timer they will flash for example, for a period of five to ten seconds after which they turn off and are reset for further operation.
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings show a further feature of the present invention in which system 1 includes a scorekeeper generally indicated at 71. This scorekeeper may be wired back to the target as shown in Figures 1 and 2 or it may be disconnected from the target.
In the first set up in which scorekeeper 71 is connected back to the target, the scorekeeper lights 95, 97, 99, 101 and 103 having the same colours as lights 57, 59, 61, 63 and 65 respectively will also be illuminated at the same time as the main bank of lights 55. In addition, scorekeeper 71 includes manual score enter controls 73, 75, 77, 79 and 81. These controls also have _ g _ the same colours as the lights 57, 59, 61, 63 and 65 respectively. This enables an accurate entry of the scoring points into scorekeeper 71.
More specifically, control 73 having the same colour as light 57 will be used to punch in a score when light 57 is illuminated. Control 75 having the same colour as light 59 will be used to enter a score when light 59 is illuminated. Control 77 will be used to enter a score when light 61 of the same colour is illuminated. Control 79 having the same colour as light 63 will be used to enter a score when light 63 is illuminated. Control 81 of the same colour as light 65 will be used to enter the score when light 65 is illuminated.
To add to the fun aspect of the system, each of the controls 73, 75, 77, 79 and 81 is relatively large.
The score entries into the scorekeeper can then made by a hard hitting hand action as is the case when people "high five" one another. This helps to bring out the enthusiasm associated with a good hit much the same as that found on the golf course.
Scorekeeper 71 preferably includes an additional control 82. This control is used to enter the information that a golf ball has missed the target. With this control a person hitting at the target will not only be able to record the accuracy of where the ball hits on the target, but in addition will be able to record hits versus misses of the target.
When the scorekeeper is not wired back to the target, the lights on the scorekeeper will only be illuminated when the scores are manually entered as described immediately above. They will not come on when the target is hit by a ball.
Earlier reference was made to the system as including an automatic ball return for returning balls hit into the target to the area from which they are hit.
This automatic ball return can also be used to provide an automatic means of producing scores at the scorekeeper.
According to the automatic scorekeeping concept, balls will be hit by different people from different hitting areas e.g., different hitting mats or even different hitting stalls from which people hit balls at the target or targets. Each one of the hitting areas will include its own group of balls. Each group of balls may have a colour different from that of any of the other groups of balls. Different colours will preferably be provided by paint coatings on the exterior surface of the balls. The paint coating themselves may be of different weights. This can be provided by thicker coatings on some of the balls and thinner coatings on other balls.
In addition, the actual paint can include ingredients which adds to the weight of the paint. The amount of weight increasing ingredient will vary from one paint colour to another.
In this system, ball weight sensors will be provided in the return path from each of the landing areas. These ball weight sensors could for example be part of the switches 51.
By way of example only, side by side hitting stalls may use green and yellow balls respectively. The green balls may be lighter in weight than the yellow balls. When a yellow ball is hit into the target the switch in the ball passage of the particular landing zone in which the ball is received will be used to record a score value. The weight sensor will then recognize the weight of the ball as being representative of a yellow ball and assign that score value to the hitting stall using the yellow balls.
When a green ball is hit into the target, the switch in the ball guide passage from the landing zone into which the ball is hit will automatically produce a score value. The ball weight sensor will then assign that value to the hitting area using the green balls.
In addition to providing automatic scoring through the different coloured, different weighted balls as described immediately above, each of the ball guide passages can feed selectively to a host of ball return paths. Each of these paths leads back to a different one of the hitting areas. Moveable blocking members may be provided at each of the return paths. The ball weight sensor in the ball guide path will then read the weight of the ball which is fed to a control system for selectively opening the appropriate return path. As such the balls will then be returned according to their colours to the appropriate hitting area from which they are hit.
Again, by way of example only if a yellow ball of a first specific weight is hit into the target the weight sensor will sense the weight of the yellow ball and open the blocking member across the ball return path. If on the other hand a green ball of a different specific weight is hit into the target the sensor will read the weight of the green ball and open the return path which feeds back to the hitting area using the green balls.
Although the description above relates to the use of the system for_ golf purposes it could equally as well be used for baseball practice or practice with any other sport in which a ball is aimed at a target. Therefore even though various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.