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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to golf cart computers, and more particularly, to a
computer attached to a golf cart for keeping scores and for displaying
graphics and data relating to the golf course, and for producing a score
card for each player.
BACKGROUND
Golf players playing on a course consisting of typically nine or eighteen
holes, in the course of playing a hole, often would like to know details
in regard to distances between various features of the course and their
mutual location, in particular, features such as sand traps, trees, water
holes, and slope of the terrain are desirable, in order to be able to play
a better game.
PRIOR ART
Inventors have in the past sought ways to help golf players improve their
score.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,437 shows a golf cart with a built-in yardage indicator
to show the player the approximate distance travelled from the tee-off
point.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,526 shows a hand-held golf calculator on which a player
can keep scores and which may contain data on the course, the players and
contest arrangements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,655 shows a display device which contains pictorial
presentations of each hole with electric indicators showing special
features that are of interest to the players.
The inventor of the instant invention believes that none of the prior art
provides a golf player with an adequate diversity of information that
would be desirable under many different playing conditions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf cart
computer that provides a wide range of information for a golf player
during the game.
It is a further object to provide a golf cart computer that has a keyboard
and memory on which each player in a team can keep his scores for each
hole and a display screen on which he can recall scores from previously
played holes.
Further, it is an object to provide a golf cart computer that has stored in
memory, data and distances and locations of various features of the course
such as locatin of traps, water holes, putting green, the hole and so
forth, that can be displayed in graphic form on the screen.
It is still another object to provide a golf cart computer that can
interact with a printout device located at the end of the course on which
the total scores of each player can be summed up and printed out on a
score card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The golf cart computer according to the teachings of the instant invention
comprises a self-contained golf cart computer with a keyboard and a
display screen which can be mounted on the cart's dashboard, preferably on
the right hand side of the steering wheel. The computer is preferably
powered from the golf cart's electric storage batteries with additional
back-up power. It contains electronic memory including a plug-in memory
cartridge which has stored therein a wide range of information, pictorial
presentations, and data which the golf player can display on demand on the
screen during the game. In particular, the player can call out pictorial
presentations of any hole with sand traps, water, trees, etc. around the
hole. Also, distances between the features may be displayed and optionally
terrain slopes may be displayed. Also, graphical presentations of the
fairways and location of the obstructions may be displayed.
It is recognized that graphic presentations require a considerable amount
of storage memory, that may not be conveniently stored in a small
dashboard mounted computer. In order to overcome this problem, the instant
invention teaches a method for economically storing the graphics
presentations by means of a catalog of symbols such as trees, traps,
greens etc. in vector graphic form that can be called from the catalog and
displayed with proper coordinates and orientations on the screen. By that
means, a common catalog of symbols can be used for many holes and
considerable memory size can be saved.
The computer also contains memory locations for containing each player's
score for each hole and the players can, on demand, recall the scores for
previously played holes, and at the end of the game, the computer may
compute each player's total score, and include handicaps and other
information as desired.
In an especially advantageous embodiment of the invention, the player, when
returning to the clubhouse, may stop at a printout location where a
stationary apparatus with a printer with a slot for receiving the memory
cartridge receives the scores and prints out a score card for each player
and, if desired, his standing and/or handicaps.
In the preferred embodiment, the golf computer includes a receiver for the
storage cartridge for storing data related to the played round of golf for
each player. The storage cartridge includes electronic memory of
sufficient capacity to store temporarily data relating to the played round
of golf, a battery of sufficient capacity to maintain the storage memory
and the control circuits therefor for a sufficient length of time to allow
the cartridge to be moved from the golf computer to a receiving slot at
the printing station for printing out the data. Further still the
cartridge memory may be controlled, through its connector, by the cart
computer or the printing station computer, depending upon the computer
with which it is connected, or it may include internal memory control and
fault-monitoring circuits for communicating with the computer in the golf
cart and in the printing location.
The cartridge may advantageously include a solid-state memory of the type
known as "non-volatile", i.e. the memory cells are capable of being
electrically erasable and re-written, and is capable of retaining the
stored information indefinitely without an external power supply. Memories
of this type are also known as "EPROM" (for Electrically Programmable Read
Only Memory).
Another type of suitable memory is of the known type that is capable of
retaining the stored information with the help of a standby battery for
supplying a small amount of standby current, just adequate for retaining
the stored information.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the
following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which
is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a golf cart with a dashboard mounted computer adjacent the
printout station, and a printing station with a cartridge receiver.
FIG. 2 shows the face of the golf cart computer with a graphic display of a
hole on the display screen and a keyboard and a cartridge being inserted
thereinto.
FIG. 3 shows a more detailed view of the display screen showing a fairway
with a hole surrounded by traps and trees;
FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of the golf cart computer with the
major function blocks and their interconnections;
FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of the printing station's computer
with the major function blocks and their interconnections;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the major software modules of the control
program of the golf cart computer;
FIGS. 7a and b are flow charts of the major steps in the operation of the
golf cart computer and its interaction with the printing computer;
FIG. 8 is an all alpha-numeric display of data for two fairways;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a combined graphic display of a fairway with
putting green and an alpha-numeric display;
FIG. 10 shows typical examples of graphic presentations of golf course
features on a picture screen;
FIG. 11a shows a typical data table of coordinates for graphic presentation
in polar coordinates;
FIG. 11b shows a typical data table of coordinates for graphic presentation
in cartesian coordinates;
FIG. 12 is a power supply for the printing station;
FIG. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram of the cartridge interconnection
with a computer.
FIG. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of the memory cartridge.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a keyboard with keys.
FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the cart computer, the memory cartridge, the
plug-in connection therebetween, and other details.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the central computer, the memory cartridge,
the plug-in connector therebetween, and other details.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in
detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the
invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used
herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
FIG. 1 is an illustration showing generally a golf cart 10 having a golf
cart computer 12 installed e.g. on the dashboard of the golf cart. A
printer station 11 contains electronic computing and printer control
apparatus installed in a housing mounted on a pedestal 14 and conveniently
located where the golfers return with the golf carts after a game.
The golf cart computer 12 includes a receiving slot 15 for a removable
memory cartridge 13 (FIG. 2) which serves to store electronic data
relating to scores played by one or several players in a round of golf.
The cartridge 13 also advantageously includes data specifically
representing the features of the respective golf course that has been
played by the golfers. The cartridge 13 is detachably connected to the
golf cart computer by means of a plug-in connection between pins 13a and
mating pins in the golf cart computer.
FIG. 2 also shows the face of the golf cart computer 12, including a
viewing screen 19, a keyboard 24 and various tuning and adjustment buttons
22 which also include an on-off switch 24a. The viewing screen 19 shows as
an example a graphic presentation of a hole of the golf course shown in
more detail in FIG. 3, e.g. hole "01" showing sand traps 24, a green 26, a
waterhole 25, a flag 27, etc. A light pen 95 is connected by a cord 95a
and a plug 96 to the computer 12.
The light pen 95 per se is a conventional input device used inter-actively
with computer screens to identify a certain location on the screen and to
mark the point of the location by its coordinates x, y (FIG. 10) on the
screen. It can be used to point to areas of the screen and thus indicate a
selection from a displayed list, or it can be used to draw shapes. The
light pen has a photosensor at the tip that responds to the peak
illumination that occurs when the CRT scanning spot passes its point of
focus. The display system correlates the timing of the pulse from the
photosensor with the timing of the display scan to determine the position
of the light pen.
When the light pen is used to identify points, the difficulties of
parallax--due to thickness of the screen--and the lack of a fine point at
the tip of the pen are overcome by use of a tracking cross. The display
system generates a fine-line tracking cross and positions it so that its
intersection is central in the field of view of the light pen. As the
light pen is moved across the screen the tracking cross follows it closely
and the path of the intersection point is stored in the display file. A
switch 97--usually on the pen--is used to indicate the intended point of
the screen, which is then marked, e.g. with an asterisk which stays at
that point of the screen until the screen display is erased. Since the
coordinates of the asterisk stay in the computer's memory, e.g. the Video
RAM 40 (FIG. 4), it is accessible to the computer's control program and
the computer is capable of computing and displaying the physical distance
from the asterisk to any other feature of the golf course, or the
particular hole, which is defined in the computer's graphics memory 42.
FIG. 3 shows, as an example, a graphic presentation of the details of a
section of the golf course that may be of interest to a golfer. In FIG. 3
it is assumed that the golf cart is located at the asterisk * at the lower
left hand corner of the graphic screen display. A waterhole 25 is shown,
as well as the green 26, the flag 27, three sand traps 24, and trees 23.
It follows that other graphic information may be presented at the
selection of the player such as distances, terrain, slopes and so forth by
calling out codes for the desired presentations at the keyboard 24.
The screen display 19 also shows at its left hand side alpha numerical
information that is of interest to the players. The information shown as
an example covers the hole number (01), the distance to the flag from tee
blue, white and red, the hole par value (5), handicap (3) and the
cumulative scores for two players A and B, as the scores are being entered
during the game. It follows that other alpha numerical information, as it
may be found desirable, may be added to the display.
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the golf cart computer showing its
major function blocks. The heart of the computer is the central processing
unit (CPU) 27 which may be any one of many types commercially available.
In an operational realization of the invention, a CPU of the type Z-80
manufactured by the Zilog Corporation was used, but the exact choice of
the type of CPU used is immaterial to the scope of the invention.
The CPU 27 is drive by a clock pulse generator 28, which is in turn
controlled by a crystal 29 of any suitable frequency which may typically
be 10,180 MHz. The clock generator 28 generates a number of clock
frequencies as required for the operation of the computer.
The CPU communicates with the various function blocks via a computer bus 32
of the latter. A read-only-memory (ROM) 39 contains the control programs
that control all functions of the computer. The programs consist, as is
conventional, of listings of binary encoded instructions and commands
which are read and executed by the CPU one at a time. The construction of
such computer programs is a well known art and is described in numerous
textbooks such as Microcomputer-Based Design by John B. Peatman published
by McGraw Hill and others.
A random access memory (RAM) 41 stores all transient data such as the
players' scores, transient computations by the computer and so forth. The
keyboard 24 with a keyboard interface 31 serves to receive commands, data
and other inputs from the players during the use of the computer. A
graphics memory 42 contains all the graphics data required to present the
graphic presentations of the features of the particular golf course. The
graphics memory 42 is advantageously included in the memory cartridge 13
with a plug-in connection 48 so that the features of various courses and
various classes of features or changes thereto can be stored in the
cartridge 13, which can be conveniently inserted into the computer
cartridge receiver 15 at the start of a game.
It should be understood that storing all the topographical details of a
golf course in pictorial form may require a considerable amount of memory
capability that it may not normally be economical to provide in a memory
cartridge. It is, therefore, contemplated that a type of abbreviated
graphics which comprises a library of standard pictograms representing
various repetitively encountered features of the golf course be stored in
a pictogram memory 46 which may be a part of the ROM memory 39. Examples
of such standard pictograms may be trees, sand traps and water holes in
various forms which can be recalled repeatedly and modified as required.
A special information memory 45 may optionally be provided as part of the
memory cartridge for providing information about the golf course that may
vary from time to time, such as the conditions of the fairways, temporary
changes and so forth.
At the end of a game, when a player returns the golf cart, he removes the
cartridge 13 from the cart computer 12 and takes it to the aforesaid
printing station 11.
The display screen 19 is advantageously formed by a cathode ray tube (CRT)
37, of the type well known from TV sets and the like, but it may
alternatively be a flat screen display such as an LCD or plasma display or
any other suitable display device. In the case of using a CRT, it is
controlled by a CRT control circuit (CRT CONTR) 38 which provides the
control potentials for steering the electron beam, including horizontal
and vertical controls and others, as is well known from the art of CRT
displays. A video random access memory (VIDEO RAM) 40 stores temporarily
all the picture elements of the picture presented on the CRT screen. It
contains at least as many memory bits as there are picture elements in the
picture. A RAM memory containing 256.times.256 bits, and consisting of
four (4) 5516 memory chips has been found to work well.
The VIDEO RAM memory 40 is connected to the computer bus 32 via a display
interface (DISPL IF) 36, consisting essentially of a commercially
available electronic chip 6845 which interacts with the CPU 27, to enter a
new picture from the graphic memory, whenever a new picture is called for.
Once a picture is entered into the video memory 40, the memory keeps
refreshing the picture on the screen under control of the CRT CONTR 38,
until a new picture is entered.
A hardware monitor 81 is a monitor circuit that continuously monitors all
the functions of the golf cart computer 12 for proper performance under
control of the computer control program designated as the function monitor
module 79, shown in FIG. 6. Such function monitor systems are well known
in most computer systems and provide an alarm or other suitable indication
to the user of the system. Electric power for the golf cart computer 12 is
drawn primarily from the battery (BAT) for the golf cart, and a standby
power circuit 30 may be provided which contains a separate battery that
insures that the information stored in the RAM is not lost in case the
golf cart battery should fail.
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the printer control apparatus 17 of
the printing station 11 of FIG. 1.
In FIG. 5, a CPU 53 is the central processing unit of the printer control
17, connected to a clock circuit 54, controlled by a crystal 56. A central
bus 52 connects the CPU 53 with the other parts of the control, which
include: a clock calendar 63 connected to a clock calendar bus interface
62, a printer bus interface 64; a keyboard 57 with keyboard bus interface
58, RAM 59 and ROM 61 memories for storing data; a hardware monitor 65
with an alarm 60 and a memory cartridge control 51 having a plug-in
connection 33 to the memory cartridge 13.
The printer 66 may be any suitable computer controllable printer suited for
printing a score card.
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the control program stored in the
golf cart computer's ROM 39. In accordance with known principles, the
control programs consist of a plurality of program modules that each serve
an identifiable function which is part of the total control program. In a
typical organization of the control program, a main program module 71
maintains overall control of the entire program and calls into operation
every subordinate module whenever needed. The subordinate program modules
include: memory cartridge control module 85 that controls all functions of
the cartridge and checks that it is functional, e.g. has operating power
and so forth; a score memory control module 72 that stores each players'
scores as they are entered during the game; it may also have provision for
storing separate bets between players as may be desired. The actual
storing of the numbers takes place in the RAM 41, under control of the
score memory control module 72; a display control module 73 for
controlling the functions of the display screen, e.g. the CRT 37; a vector
graphics generator 74 produces the graphic and feature symbols, and
information to be displayed on the CRT 37, a read keyboard module 76
continuously scans the keyboard 24 in order to read manual inputs; an
optional cart identity module 77 may be provided in case the cart identity
such as the cart number is needed for printout on the score card or for
other purposes. A function monitor module 79 checks all the elements of
the golf cart computer to ensure that all its elements, e.g. the keyboard
24, the power supply 43, the CRT 37, the memory cartridge 45 and so forth
are operational. It is closely associated with a hardware monitor 81, and
any functional disorder detected will be indicated on the CRT 37 or
presented on an indicator lamp ALM or the like; an optional clock calendar
module 82 continuously maintains time and date in software for each
transaction for later printout if desired by the players; a graphic
symbols catalog memory module 84 contains all the basic symbols and
characters required by the vector graphics module 74. A light pen control
module 80 controls the operation of the light pen 95.
It should be understood that the control program may be organized in other
ways according to the preferences of the designer of the programs and the
details of the tasks to be performed.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart program that forms the basis for constructing the
control programs, and shows, step-by-step the operation of the golf cart
computer and its interaction with the printing station. Some of the steps
are operational and may not be used in certain types of operation.
The program begins at Start 100. As the golf cart is checked out from the
parking area, a maintenance person may peform a check out in step 101 in
which he enters his name or initials or personal code at the keyboard 57.
The cart may pass a check-out station in step 102, and the cart is O.K.'d
to leave in step 103. The players are next to identify themselves to the
golf cart computer in step 104, in which a start dialogue is presented on
the screen which guides the player | | |
