AUTOMATIC MOBILE LAND TARGET ESPECIALLY FOR GOLF AND METHOD OF USING IT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a controllable mobile land target. More particularly, the invention relates to a method, apparatus and system for accurately positioning a land target in a field according to a user defined location data.

Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to an automatic mobile land target capable of being accurately positioned in a user defined location, in a game or training field. Mobile land targets are often required in different types of games and training requiring target tracking, target acquisition, and target interception. In a typical scenario such mobile land targets are positioned in training or gaming field (e.g., golf) at a location determined according to distance and/or azimuth relative to user's location. Said user is then required to hit the target with a ball, or in military training with means simulating army weapons such as gun bullet, canon shell, or the like (also referred to herein as launched objects) .

For example, nowadays golf driving ranges usually comprise a row of tee boxes and a large field into which the players hit the ball. Some driving ranges allow better practice by providing stationary targets (cut out greens, distance markers, baskets, etc) for the players to aim at, none of which are player-controlled. The prior art golf targeting methods suffer various disadvantages:

• The distances to the targets are usually not very accurate and differs from one Tee-box to another;

• The targets are usually positioned in pre fixed distances, usually providing about 5 to 10 fixed target locations to aim at, which may often be inappropriate to a practicing player;

• Ball tracking is usually conducted by eyesight or by means of non-standard balls adapted for indicating target hit or hit position in general, which is hardly found in golf driving range;

Most golf players find these methods of practicing very boring and a lot of them either give it up completely or spend very little time on the range.

When hitting an approach shot to the green (i.e., to the golf game/practice field) during a golf game the player knows fairly accurately the distance to the target i.e., hole. It is therefore a very important aspect of the golf game to have the ball land as close as possible to a selected target when the player knows the distance to the target. These distances usually vary from around 40 to 150 meters from the target hole. The inventors hereof are not aware of any automatic moving / mobile land target system capable of satisfying these aspects of field games suitable for practice in a driving range .

US 6,998,965 describes an apparatus for providing players at a golf range better ball placement feedback and providing golf gaming possibilities using a movable target comprising RFID readers and GPS means, wherein RFID tags are embedded within the golf balls being used.

A method and system using prediction of outcome for launched objects is described in US 2007/167247, wherein the outcome of successive strikes of a golf ball is analyzed by a central computer used for processing data received from targets equipped with sensing means for detecting ball impact in their vicinity.

An interactive golf driving range facility in described in US6,322,455. This patent describes a practice facility including an apparatus for detecting the down range impact of golf balls in target areas including golf ball impact sensing devices for sensing the location where a golf ball impacts in the target areas. The sensing apparatus comprises a mat-like structure installed in covering relation over the range surface .

The methods described above have not yet provided satisfactory automatic movable land targets capable of being automatically and accurately positioned in a game/practice field. Therefore there is a need for an automatic mobile land target that overcomes the above mentioned problems .

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for accurately and automatically positioning a land target in a game/practice field in a user defined distance and/or azimuth relative to said user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for accurately and automatically positioning a land target in a game/practice field for training golf players.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic mobile land target capable of being controllably and

- A - accurately positioned in desired locations in a game/practice field relative to user location.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automatic mobile land target capable of changing between deployed and folded states while being maneuvered in a game/practice field.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide new methods for carrying out field games and practice by means of an automatic mobile land target.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus method and system for training a user, or playing a field game, with an automatic mobile land target. In general, the system of the present invention comprises an automatic mobile land target and a computerized base station, said computerized base station (i.e., comprising computing means such as a PC, for example) is adapted to continuously or periodically receive location information (e.g., 'x' and 'y' Cartesian system coordinates) of said automatic mobile land target, to determine, and provide said automatic mobile land target with, movement instructions for directing said automatic mobile land target to a predetermined new location in said field according to said location information. Accordingly, the automatic mobile land target is adapted to receive the movement instructions and operate a driving system provided therein for moving the land target toward its new location.

The new location to which the automatic land target is to be moved is preferably determined according to distance and/or azimuth from the computerized base station. Most preferably, the distance and/or azimuth are defined by a user operating the computerized base station such that the computerized base station is adapted to determined a new location in the field for the automatic mobile land target satisfying the user's defined distance and/or azimuth requirements.

The automatic mobile land target is preferably equipped with location determining means capable of providing local location indications within the field, or capable of providing global location information (e.g., GPS). The location information may be in a form of azimuth and/or distance relative to the computerized base station, in a form of two dimensional Cartesian coordinates, or any other suitable coordinate system. Alternatively, the location of automatic mobile land target may be determined by means of a cable grid, or laser rangefinder means.

Communication between the computerized base station and the automatic mobile land target may be carried out over communication cables or optic fibers, or wirelessly by means of RF transceivers (e.g., WiFi, WiMAX) or Infrared or laser communication means.

The automatic mobile land target can be equipped with computation means allowing it to move autonomously in the field upon receipt of the new location information from the computerized base station. In this implementation the computerized base station is adapted to determine and transmit the new location to the automatic land target, and the automatic mobile land target is further adapted to determine

the movements instructions needed for operating its driving system for moving the target towards its new location according to location information received from its location determining means .

In a specific embodiment of the invention the computerized base station is a stationary station which location is stored in memory means provided therein, such that upon receipt of the location information of the automatic land target and of the distance and/or azimuth requirements defined by the user, it is able to compute a new location in the field which satisfies the user's defined distance and/or azimuth requirements. Advantageously, the computerized base station is preloaded with field definitions specifying field boundaries, locations of obstacles within the field, and locations of problematic or complex terrain conditions (terrain inclinations, curvatures, and potholes), thus allowing it to determine a suitable new location for the target according to its current location while preventing it from moving into such field locations having problematic or complex terrain conditions .

Preferably, the computerized base station also comprises location determining means, thus allowing it to be mobilized. In this embodiment the computerized base station is adapted to obtain its location information from its own location determining means and use it for carrying out the needed target new location and/or movement instructions computations.

The driving system of the automatic mobile land station may be adapted to mobilize the base station over rail tracks or by means of a pulling pushing cable. Alternatively, the driving system is implemented by utilizing continuous tracks (e.g., caterpillar tracks) or wheels. Preferably, automatic mobile

land target is implemented in a form of a cart having a driving system comprising two lateral wheels and a front (or rear) driving wheel mechanically linked to an electric motor capable of transferring rotary motion to said front (or rear) wheel, and to a linear actuator capable of changing the yaw- angle of said front (or rear) wheel by means of a moving shaft. In this preferred embodiment movement instructions provided to the driving system, or by the computerized base station, are comprised of the following instructions: move forward, move backward or stop, and turn to the right, turn to the left or move straight.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the automatic mobile land target comprises one or more hit surfaces (e.g., adapted to receive ball hit impacts) each of which having one or more hit sensing means capable of sensing the hit impact of a ball, or of any other launching object used in the training/gaming field, on said hit surfaces, thereby allowing automatic mobile land target to sense hits and transmit information regarding the hit surfaces being hit to said computerized base station for reporting the same to the user. The hit surfaces are preferably implemented by fabric sheets.

In one specific preferred embodiment of the invention the hit surfaces are attached to foldable arms provided in the automatic mobile land target. The foldable arms may be implemented by hinged beams, telescopic arms, in a form of a fan, or by a folding-collapsible construction mechanism. In this preferred embodiment the automatic mobile land target is also adapted to change its state between a folded state (i.e., wherein the arms are in a folded configuration) and a deployed state. The automatic mobile land target may further comprise one or more wind sensors for sensing wind strength and wind direction. The indications received from the wind sensors may

be used to determine the sate of the foldable arms (e.g., fully folded, semi-folded, fully deployed) during target movement in the filed.

The computerized base station may further comprise magnetic card reader for identifying a user operating the system by means of a personal magnetic card, display means (e.g., monitor screen), and input means (e.g., keyboard, mouse pointing device, touch screen) .

In one preferred embodiment the system of the invention is a golf training or gaming system. Typically, a player whishing to conduct golf practice or to play a golf game in the training/gaming field will first identify by means of a personal magnetic card, or user/password entered via the input means, and thereafter input a desirable distance for the target from the base station. The base station then computes a new location for the target based on the location information of the target and of the base station and transmits instructions to the target to move to the new location satisfying the user's defined distance. Once the new location of the target is reached the player shoots balls at the target and whenever the target senses ball hits, information regarding the specific hit surfaces receiving ball hits is transmitted to the base station and displayed to the user. As discussed in details herein, this system may be used for providing a wide range of practice and game modes.

In one aspect the present invention is directed to an automatic mobile land target system comprising a computerized base station having transceiver means, and a mobile land target comprising a power source and control means electrically linked to: location determining means; driving system; and transceiver means, all of which are provided in

said mobile land target, wherein said control means is adapted to continuously or periodically receive location information from said location determining means, and to operate said driving system to mobilize said mobile land target according to movement instructions or new location information received from said computerized base station.

The control means in the mobile land target is preferably adapted to continuously of periodically receive location information from the location determining means and transmit said location information to said computerized base station. In this case the computerized base station is adapted to continuously or periodically receive the location information transmitted from said mobile land target, determine movement instructions of said mobile land target towards a predetermined new location and transmit said movement instructions to said mobile land target. Advantageously, the new location is determined based on distance and/or azimuth requirements of the mobile land target relative to the computerized base station, and based on location information of said computerized base station.

According to one specific embodiment the computerized base station is a stationary station having a fixed location, and its location information is stored in memory means provided therein.

According to another preferred embodiment the system further comprises location determining means provided in the computerized base station, wherein said computerized base station is adapted to receive its location information from said location determining means.

The system may further comprise sensing means (e.g., electric inductance sensors, piezoelectric sensors, strain gauge sensors, acoustic sensing means, optical laser or IR sensing means, video image sensor, accelerometer sensors) provided in the mobile land target, said sensing means are adapted to sense impacts of balls, or other launched objects, hitting said mobile land target, wherein the control means of said mobile land target is adapted to receive such impact indications from said sensing means and transmit it to the computerized base station.

According to another embodiment the system further comprises one or more hit surfaces each of which mechanically, acoustically or optically coupled to one or more sensing means for sensing and providing hit impact indications.

According to yet another preferred embodiment the system further comprises foldable arms evenly arranged about a circumference of the mobile land target, wherein each of the one or more hit surfaces is attached between a pair said foldable arms. The foldable arms may be implemented by hinged beams, telescopic arms, or by a fan-like or folding- collapsible construction.

The computerized base station preferably comprises display means, user input means, and a magnetic card reader, wherein said computerized base station is further adapted to identify a user by means of a personal magnetic card or personal user and password information, receive distance and/or azimuth user defined requirements, and display indications regarding location of mobile land target and regarding sensed hit impacts .

The system may further comprise one or more wind sensors adapted to provide indications regarding wind strength and wind direction, wherein said system is adapted to change the state of the foldable arms between a folded or deployed states during movement of the target according to said wind strength indications .

Optionally, the system may further comprise a video camera or imager provided in the computerized base station, wherein said computerized base station is adapted to identify user ball shots by means of image processing tools.

According to another aspect the present invention is directed to a mobile land target capable of being accurately positioned in a field within a predetermined distance and/or azimuth relative to a computerized base station, comprising control means electrically coupled to: location determining means; a driving system; and transceiver means, all which are provided in said mobile land target, wherein said control means is adapted to continuously or periodically obtain location information from said location determining means ^' and transmit it to said computerized base station via said transceiver means, and to receive control signals transmitted from said computerized base station, said control signals comprising movement instructions, and wherein said control means is further adapted to operate said driving system according to said movement instructions.

The mobile land target may further comprise sensing means configured to sense, and provide the control means with indications of, impacts responsive to objects hitting said mobile land target. In addition, the mobile land target may further comprise hit surfaces each of which comprising one or more of the sensing means and adapted to receive hit impacts.

According to one preferred embodiment the mobile land target further comprises foldable arms evenly distributed about a circumference of said mobile land target, wherein each of the hit surfaces is attached between a pair of said foldable arms. The foldable arms may be implemented by hinged beams, telescopic arms, or by a fan-like or folding-collapsible construction .

Optionally, the mobile land target may further comprise one or more wind sensors adapted to provide indications regarding wind strength and direction, wherein said mobile land target is adapted to change the state of the foldable arms between a folded or deployed states during movement of the target according to said wind strength indications .

According to yet another aspect the present invention is directed to a method for conducting a target hitting field practice or game, the method comprising:

Providing an automatic mobile land target system as described hereinabove or hereinbelow;

Identifying a user operating the computerized base station by means of a personal magnetic card or user/password information;

Receiving from said user target distance and/or azimuth requirements for the target relative to said computerized base station;

Reading location information of said computerized base station and computing a new location for the target to be moved to relative to the location of said computerized base station;

Continuously or periodically receiving location information from the mobile land target and determining movement instructions for moving said mobile land target to

said new location, transmitting said movement instructions to said mobile land target and receiving the same by its control means, and operating the driving means in said mobile land target according to said movement instructions until said new location is reached.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which similar references consistently indicate similar elements and in which:

Figs. IA and IB schematically illustrate an automatically mobile land target system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein Fig. IA illustrates preferred embodiments of, and data flow between, the land target and of the base station of the invention, and Fig. IB illustrates possible target positioning situations; Figs. 2A and 2B schematically illustrates a possible structure for embodying the automatically mobile land target of the invention, wherein Fig. 2A shows an upper perspective view and Fig. 2B shows a bottom perspective view of the target without peripheral arms and ball hitting surfaces;

Figs. 3A to 3C schematically illustrate a preferred embodiment of the automatically mobile land target of the invention with foldable peripheral arms, wherein Fig. 3A shows a perspective view of the target in a folded state without peripheral ball hitting surfaces, Fig. 3B shows a perspective view of the target in a deployed state without peripheral ball hitting surfaces, and Fig. 3C shows a perspective view of the target in a deployed state with the peripheral ball hitting surfaces;

Figs. 4A to 4C schematically illustrate a preferred structure of a foldable arm of the land target of the invention, wherein Fig. 4A provides a perspective view

'showing the foldable arm in a deployed state and in a folded state (in dashed lines), Fig. 4B provides a side view showing the foldable arm in a deployed state and in a folded state (in dashed lines) , and Fig. 4C provides a perspective view showing the foldable arm in a deployed state with enlarged views of the arm folding hinge and of its swivel skid wheel;

Fig. 5 is a flowchart exemplifying a preferred process for positioning of the automatically mobile land target of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart exemplifying a preferred process for identifying ball hits in the automatically mobile land target of the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of various possible play/practice modes with the automatically mobile land target of the invention.

It should be noted that the embodiments exemplified in the Figs, are not intended to be in scale and are in diagram form to facilitate ease of understanding and description.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The present invention provides an automatic mobile land target system capable of receiving location information from a user, automatically and accurately move to a new location in a game/practice field according to the location information received from the user, and sense and report user hits therein. The invention is particularly useful in golf

practicing and gaming, and in such implementations the system may comprise one or more player stations and at least one automatic mobile land target of the invention. The player stations and the automatic mobile land target of the invention are adapted to communicate with each other location information and other information needed for conducting a game or a practice therewith.

Fig. 1. schematically illustrates a system 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprising a player station 11 and an automatic mobile land target 21 (also referred to herein as land target) of the invention placed in a gaming/training field 7. The player station 11 comprises a computer system 14 (e.g., any conventional Pentium based PC having standard volatile and non-volatile memories) electrically coupled to, input means 17 (e.g., keyboard or keypad), display means 15 (e.g., standard PC monitor or touch screen) , optional magnetic card reader 13, location determining means 19 (e.g., GPS module, such as, but not limited to, Locosys 2306), and transceiver means 16 (e.g., Digi XBee pro 802.15.4). Of course, if display means 15 is a type of touch screen then other input means (17) may be rendered redundant and thus omitted.

Data transferred between the user and the computer system 14 may include either player or maintenance commands from the input means 17 (or touch screen) to the computer system 14 or information concerning the system (placement, hits, statistics etc.) to be displayed by means of display means 15. In a typical application the practice session is initiated after the user (player) swipes a user card (e.g., club subscription card) . Once the card details are registered in the system the user is asked to enter a measuring distance unit (meters or yards) and to choose game/practice mode (random distance, user

defined, or predetermined distances) . After the user selects a desirable mode and selects/enters target distance the land target 21 is automatically located at the desired distance. The player than hits the ball, and if it hits the land target 21, an indication is provided in the display means 15 concerning the region of the land target receiving the ball hit.

Base station 11 may be assembled as a stationary covered booth, or alternatively in a form of a movable booth station having its own power source 18. However, since base station 11 is not intended to be moved substantially, its power supply may be provided directly from the local electricity power transmission network (standard urban AC power supply) via standard electrical wires.

Computer system 14 is adapted to communicate with mobile target 21 through transceiver means 16, in particular to receive and transmit location information, data related to the game or training, and control information which may be required for maneuvering land target 21 in the gaming/training field 7. Computer system 14 is further adapted to manage users gaming data (e.g., players' statistics, play time, and the like) , and for this purpose card reader 13 is particularly useful for identifying players by means of personal magnetic cards. As will be discussed hereinbelow, computer system 14 is preferably further adapted to calculate and display relevant data, such as but not limited to, distance to target, single hit placement, hit statistics, and provide the players with different game/practice modes and options, and allow the users to choose a mode of operation suitable for their needs by means of input means 17 (or touch screen) .

The automatic mobile land target 21 of the invention is preferably constructed from a mobile platform (23 in Figs. 2 and 3) comprising controller 25 (e.g., Drivesystems DSHF B) electrically coupled to transceiver means 26 (e.g., Digi XBee pro 802.15.4), location determining means 20, peripheral foldable arms system 22 (shown in Fig. 4), driving system 24, and various sensing means 27 and wind gauge 29. Controller 25 is adapted to receive target movement commands and transmit location information, and other needed data, to the bases station 11 by means of transceiver means 26. Automatic mobile land target 21 further comprises a power source 28 (e.g., Sunnyway SW12900 batteries) capable of providing the electrical requirements for operating the various components of land target 21. Though the communication between land target 21 and base station 11 is preferably a wireless communication (e.g., RF, laser, InfraRed, WiFi, WiMAX) carried out via transceiver means 26 and 16, of land target 21 and base station 11 respectively, it may as well be implemented by a type electrical or optical communication carried out over standard electrical wires or optical fibers.

Base station 11 may further comprise an optional video imager 12 (CCD or CMOS, indicated by a dash line in Fig. IA) configured in data communication with its computer system 14. In this implementation computer system 14 is further adapted to identify ball shots carried out by means of user's golf club, by utilizing image processing means. In this way system 10 is capable of determining that balls hitting land target 21 belongs to the specific player using base station 11, and do not belong to other players in the field 7. In addition, by using such a video imager 12 and image processing tools the system is capable of keeping track of the total number of balls the user had hit and which of these balls actually hit

land target 21 and scored points, thus allowing it to record and maintain user score ball hit statistics.

Driving system 24 preferably comprises an electric DC motors (21m in Fig. 2) and a linear actuator (21c in Fig. 2) electrically connected to a 24V battery (28) . Motion of land target 21 is preferably achieved by means of four basic commands: left, right, forward and backward, which are transmitted to land target 21 from base station 11 wirelessly by means of their transmitting means (26 and 16) . Driving system 24 is preferably designed to provide target velocities in the range of 4 to 8 Kitι/h, preferably about 7Km/h (around 4.5 Mi/h) , for facilitating its control under GPS location determining means.

Instead of using GPS modules, location determining 19 and 20 means may be implemented by other suitable means, for example, by means of RF or IR signaling units which may be used to determine location by triangulation. Alternatively, or additionally, tachometer means may be used in driving system 24 of land target 21 for monitoring its location in filed 7. In yet another possible embodiment the distance of land target 21 is determined by means of direct distance measuring means, for example, by employing a cable grid and/or laser rangefinder means. Of course, if land target is moved over rails or by a push-pull cable, distance measurement may be easily implemented by providing distance indications in the rails, or by measuring lengths of the pushed-pulled cable. In yet another possible embodiment the target distance may be measured by means of an inertial system, for example employing accelerometer means .

Fig. IB schematically illustrates moving of land target 21 of the invention from an initial location L2 to a new location L3

in field 7. In this example base station is not moved from its location Ll in field 7. In a typical scenario the user at the base station 11 (positioned at Ll) will choose a desirable distance for conducting a game or a practice by entering the distance information by means of input means 17 (or touch screen) . The land target then automatically moves to a new location which satisfies the distance requirements between it and the base station, as defined by the user.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, after the user entered the desired distance information, the computer system 14 at the base station 11 reads its location (Ll) as provided by its location determining means 19, and transmits via transceiver means 16 instructions to land target 21 to move to a new location L3 satisfying user defined distance requirements. This goal may be achieved in various ways, for example: the instructions transmitted by the base station 11 may simply comprise the base station current location (Ll) and the desirable distance defined by the user, and in this case the control means 25 receiving such instructions via transceiver 26 is adapted to calculate a new location L3 to which the land target 21 is to be moved based on the base station location information (Ll) transmitted by the base station and based on its own location (L2) as provided by its location determining means 20, and to provide its driving system 24 with corresponding instructions to move land target 21 to said new location, or alternatively; computer system 14 at the base station 11 may send a request for current location of land target 21 via transceiver 16 which will thereafter receive the requested location information (L2) from the land target

21 as provided by its location determining means 20, once the location (L2) of land target 21 is received computer system 14 calculates a new location L3 satisfying the user defined distance requirements to which land target 21 is to be moved and then transmits instructions to land target 21 to move to said new location (L3) , in which case the control means 25 receiving such instructions activates driving system 24 and provide it with corresponding instructions to move the target to said new location (L3) .

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the computation of a new location (L3) for land target 21 is carried out by computer system 14 of base station 11, such that the data transmitted from base station 11 to land target 21 mainly consists of requests for its current location (L2) and the following six control commands to be directed to driving system 24: forward movement, backward movement, right, left, straight and stop.

More particularly, the computer system 14 at the base station 11 is preferably adapted to receive user defined distance, receive from land target 21 information indicating its current location (L2) in field 7 as indicated by its location determining means 20, determine its own location (Ll) in field 7 as indicated by its location determining means 19, compute a new location (L3) satisfying the distance requirement as defined by the user, and continuously or periodically receive updates concerning land target location and transmit movement instructions (move forward, backward, left, right) to land target 21 until it reaches its new desired location (L3) „

In an alternative embodiment of the invention the system is implemented utilizing a single location determining unit

mounted in land target 21. In this case base station 11 is a stationary unit with fixed location coordinates, which are stored in memory of its computer system 14, for distance computations .

As exemplified in Fig. IB new location (L3) for land target 21 may be set to be on a straight line (indicated by numeral 8) drawn between the land target 21 and the base station 11. Alternatively, the user may desire to position the land target at another location in field 7 (L3 ¹ , not on line 8), for example by entering distance and azimuth information, such that both distance and azimuth corrections of target location are required. The azimuth and distance corrections can be easily computed using the location information provided by standard location determining means (e.g., GPS) and will not be discussed herein in details for the sake of brevity.

Control means 25 of automatic mobile land target 21 is preferably adapted to continuously or periodically sample the sensor means 27 and the location determining means 20 provided in land target 21, transmit the data obtained therefrom to base station 11, and to receive movement commands transmitted from base station 11 and send corresponding commands to the driving system 24 accordingly. Furthermore, control means 25 is further adapted to activate the foldable arms system 22 to change the state of the arms of the land target between folded and deployed states, whenever respective instructions are received from the base station. The state of foldable arms may be changed between various states, for example: semi-lifted arms for easy maintenance; arms strongly pressed against the ground to resist lift force induced by strong winds, etc.

Automatic mobile land target 21 is preferably equipped with 17 sensors, one for each separate segment (SO, Sl, S2,..., S16,

shown in Fig. 3C) . Each sensor is electrically linked to control means 14 and transmits constantly either "0" when idle or "1" when a golf ball or projectile hits the target.

Figs. 2A and 2B show top and bottom perspective views of the mobile platform 23 (the preferred embodiment of the automatic mobile land target 21 of the invention, without its arms and ball hitting surfaces). As shown, mobile platform 23 comprises a chassis 21f to which attached two rear wheels 21w, and a front wheel 21b mechanically linked to electric motor 21m by means of gear system 21r of the target's driving system 24. A linear actuator 21c (e.g., Hiwin LAS-3) is adapted to set a yaw-angle of front wheel 21b by pivoting the wheel while either extracting or retracting a moving shaft 21x during azimuth corrections of target movements, and the electric motor 21m is used for transferring rotary movements to front wheel 21b during target movement, according to instructions received from control means 25. Each of the wheels may comprise shields 21k for preventing golf balls from being run over by the wheels. Cases 21g comprising the power supply components of the land target 21 are preferably mounted at opposing sides of chassis 21f in a weight balancing manner.

Mobility of land target 21 may be achieved by means of one or more electric motors adapted to drive the mobile platform. Embodiments comprising more than one motor will require a different design of the driving system, which is within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art of mechanical engineering. Advantageously, land target 21 may further comprise light emitting means located about its circumference and/or along its arms (not shown) for illuminating its upper surface in order to allow night practice, and may be also used to provide additional ball hit visual feedback.

It is noted that other movement actuating means may be used instead of, or in addition to, wheels 21w and 21b. For example, land target may be moved by employing a type of continuous track (e.g., caterpillar tracks), or chains allowing wheel based platform mobility over snow. Alternatively, land target may be configured to move over rails, in which case it will be capable of moving only back and forth, and/or by means of an attached cable adapted to move the target by means of a push-pull mechanism. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the automatic mobile target is a floating target adapted to be placed in a water reservoir or a lake.

In general, data transmitted to base station 11 from land target 21 consists of two types, sensor data and location information. When a ball hits land target 21 identifying numbers of the sensors which sensed the ball hit are sent to the computer system 14 of the base station 11. Each number is used to uniquely identify a specific sensor provided in land target 21, said sensors are evenly distributed on the target surface. This information is then displayed to the user by means of display means 15 e.g., by lighting up the target segments (e.g., S7) from which sensor indications were received. Location information is preferably sent unaltered as received from the location determining means e.g., if implemented by GPS modules said location information may be sent in a form of a way-point (standard Cartesian coordinates in a two dimensional space) . Of course, other types of coordinate systems (e.g., polar/circular) may be alternatively used.

Chassis 21f, which may be manufactured from any suitable material (metal, plastic, wood) , is preferably made from welded Iron, and further comprises circumferential arms

constructed from Aluminum beams and hinges which are connected to the central circular plate (2Ip) of land target 21. Figs. 3A to 3C show land target 21 of the invention with foldable circumferential arms 22 in folded and deployed states. With reference to Fig. 3A, wherein there is shown a perspective view of land target 21 of the invention when its circumferential arms are in a folded state, without ball hitting surface. In this preferred embodiment the state of the foldable arms 22 are controllably changed according to control signals sent by control means 25 to arms system (22) comprised of linear actuators 22t (e.g., Hiwin LAS-I). As shown in Fig. 3A circumferential foldable arms 22 are attached to land target 21 such that they are folded upwardly by the changing the linear actuators 22t to their fully extended (opened) state.

With reference to Fig. 3B, showing land target 21 of the invention when in a deployed state without ball hitting surface, wherein the circumferential foldable arms 22 are fully opened by changing the linear actuator into a retracted state. In this state the wheels 22w provided at the leading

(distal) ends of the foldable arms 22 are lowered downwardly until they contact the land surface of the game/practice field

(7) . Fig. 3C shows land target 21 in a deployed state with its ball hitting surfaces 21s.

As illustrated in Fig. 3C the ball hitting surfaces of land target comprises a central circular surface 21p surrounded by two sets of trapezoidal shaped sheets made of fabric forming an octagonal shape, which facilitate easy folding and deploying of land target arms. This shape of the target requires a total of 16 ball hitting fabric sheets 21s which form inner (Sl, S2, S3,..., S8) and outer areas (S9, SlO, SIl,... , S16) around central circular surface 21p (SO) , forming the

target's center. The ball hitting surfaces 21s are preferably made from a strong and weather-proof fabric (e.g., Polyester PVC coated) , which may also hold the sensors (one or more sensors each) .

As illustrated in Fig. 3C, the automatic land target of the invention is preferably an octagon-shaped mobile land target capable of simulating a green, having a diameter of about 5 to 10 meters, preferably about 7.2 meters. In a preferred embodiment, the land target 21 of the invention is equipped with 17 sensors used for identifying target regions receiving ball hits. When a hit is identified the data is transmitted wirelessly (e.g., RF transmission) to base station 11 wherein the hits are displayed in the display means 15 provided therein.

Ball hitting sensing means used in land target 21 of the invention may be implemented by sensors capable of sensing deformations in the ball hitting surfaces (e.g., electric inductance sensors, piezoelectric sensors, strain gauge) , by a type of acoustic (audible) sensing means adapted to sense ball hitting audible vibrations, by means of optical sensing means capable of sensing ball presence (e.g., laser or IR sensors, video camera utilizing image processing means) or by employing in the ball hitting surfaces a material whose deformations caused by ball hits cause temporal color change which can be imaged by a suitable video imager. Most preferably, the sensors used in the ball hitting surfaces of the land target are implemented by a type of accelerometers capable of measuring inertial forces applied over the ball hitting surfaces 21s responsive to ball hits.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the beams and hinges form eight foldable arms 22 which serve as frames for

ball hitting surfaces 21s of the land target 21. As shown in Figs. 4A to 4C, each arm 22 is connected to chassis 21f by means of a support member 22f fixedly attached to the central plate 21p, wherein each arm 22 is preferably made of two beams, a first beam 22a attached to support member 22f by means of a first hinge 22i, and a second beam 22b attached to said first beam 22a by means of a second hinge 22c. This construction of foldable arm 22 allows it to assume either a deployed or folded configuration, as well as other semi-open states when needed. The first and second hinges, 22i and 22c respectively, allow arms 22 to adjust to the terrain without constrains. A swivel skid wheel 22w which serves as terrain follower is connected to the distant (remote - relative to central plate 2Ip) end of each arm 22, in order to allow land target 21 to easily transverse the field (7) while in a deployed state. Advantageously, the entire construction of land target 21 is made modular so that each part can be easily replaced if needed.

As further seen in Figs. 4A and 4B ball hits sensing means 22s may be attached to each of the beams, 22a and 22b, of foldable arms 22. In this way whenever a ball hits one of the trapezoidal ball hitting surfaces (21s, also referred to herein as target segments SO, Sl, S2, ... , S16) of land target 21 ball impact may be sensed by a pair of sensors 22s between which the trapezoidal ball hitting surfaces (21s) is placed

It is noted that other foldable configurations of land target may be used. For example, telescopic arms may be used instead of foldable arms 22. Additionally or alternatively, a fan- like, or folding-collapsible construction, mechanism may be implemented for folding the hit ball surfaces of the target.

In order to allow accurate positioning, the automatic mobile land target system of the invention is equipped with two location determining means (GPS) , one mounted in the base station, and the other is mounted in the mobile land target. Location information from the location determining means mounted in the land target is continuously or periodically, or upon request, transmitted (e.g., RF transmission) to the base station in order to close the guidance loop. In this way the base station is able to determine the distance of the target by using the location information from both locations determining means, mounted in the land target and in the base station.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart exemplifying target movement process according to one preferred embodiment of the invention. The process starts in step 2a, whereafter in step 2b the system determines the current location of land target 21 by sampling its location determining means (20) and transmitting the received information to base station 11. In step 2c a desired target distance is provided by the user, which is then used for determining a new location (L3) for the land target, if confirmed by the user in step 2d. If user does not provide distance confirmation the control is passed back to step 2c wherein a new user defined distance is received from the user.

In step 2e the system calculates direction (azimuth) and distance to the new location satisfying the user defined target distance requirements. Thereafter, a movement loop is entered in which the system reads in step 2g the land target location information and in step 2h checks whether the land target reached its new location. If the target did not reach its new location, in step 2i the system computes and set movement corrections which are transmitted to the land target 21 in the form of its basic movement commands, as discussed

hereinabove. If it is determined in step 2h that the land target reached its new location, in step 2j the system transmits instructions to the land target to stop its movement .

The automatic mobile land target of the invention may comprise wind sensing means (e.g., INSPEED VORTEX "POLE MOUNT" ANEMOMETER) adapted to provide indications regarding the wind strength and direction. Fig. 6 is a flowchart exemplifying a process for determining ball hits wherein such a wind sensor is employed. As the process is initiated in step 3a sensitivity settings are utilized to set thresholds for sensors hit indications according to the distance of land target 21 from base station 11. These sensitivity settings intend to adjust the sensors readings to the impact of ball hits expected as per target distance, such that the system is capable of preventing reading of sensor indications which are not related to user's ball hits (e.g., caused by the wind or by movement of the target's arms) .

In steps 3b and 3c the sensors are initialized and set according to the sensitivity settings and the measured land target distance from base station 11. Next, in step 3d the system measures the wind strength by means of wind sensing means provided in land target 21 (and/or in the base station 11) , and in step 3e it is determined whether sensor sensitivity should be adjusted according to the indications received from the wind sensing means. If it is determined in step 3e that sensor sensitivity needs to be adjusted, the control is passed to step 3g in which the needed adjustments are applied. Next, in step 3f the sensors are read and if there is no external disarm (e.g. when a user inputs a new distance reguirement) to stop the process in step 3h then in step 3j the system determines whether the sensor readings

included ball hit indications. If it is determined in step 3h that there was an external disarm, the process is terminated as the control is passed to step 3i.

If it is determined in step 3j that the target was hit by a ball, the respective ball hit surface is reported in step 3k. Thereafter the process of checking wind strength and balls is repeated as the control is returned to step 3d.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating various possible play/practice modes that can be configured in the automatically mobile land target system of the invention. In this example a game or practice is started in step 7a by providing the user(s) with several game/practice options: user-defined distance (71) , pre-set distances (72) , random distance (73) , or two players match (74) . In the user-defined distance option 71, in step 71a the player is asked to provide a desired target distance, and thereafter in step 71b the target automatically moves (if needed) to a new location satisfying player's defined distance requirements, and thereafter the system is operated in a ball hit sense mode for detecting and reporting ball hits.

If a pre-set mode 72 is selected, in step 72a the user is asked to provide a list of desirable target distances, and once confirmed, the system allow the user to play/practice in each of these distances by operating in its ball hit sense mode for detecting and reporting ball hits (steps 72c) in each of the user defined distances (steps 72b) . For example, the system may be configured to carry out movements 72b after a predefined period of time, and/or after a predefined number of hits is determined in steps 72c.

If a random distance mode 73 is selected, in step 73a the user is asked to provide maximal and minimal distance limitations, to define the minimal distance change allowed, and to select between two target movement triggers: i) changing target location after a predefined time elapses in one location, or ii) changing target location after a predefined number of ball hits are sensed. If the time-limit mode is selected, the game/practice is performed in steps 73d and 73e during which the target is randomly positioned in new locations determined according the users defined limitations (defined in step 73a) for a predefined period of time within ball hits are sensed and reported. If the ball hits-limit mode is selected, the game/practice is performed in steps 73b and 73c during which the target is randomly positioned in new locations determined according the user's defined limitations (defined in step 73a) until a predefined number of ball hits is sensed by the system.

If match mode 74 is selected, the users are asked in step 74a to select between random distance settings or user defined distances modes, after which the game/practice is performed in step 74c if random distance mode is selected, or in step 74b if a user-defined distance mode is selected. Step 74c may comprise setting distance limitations as in step 73a for the random target distances. Like wise, step 74b may comprise setting desirable fixed distances such as in step 71a or 72a. In both of these modes, 74b and 74c, the following game/practice sequence, exemplified in block 75, is carried out in each of the target locations: whenever a ball hit is sensed in step 75a, the system determines in step 75b to which of the players it belongs by means of video imager and image processing tools or by asking the players to indicate which of them shot the ball; in steps 75c or 75d the score of the

player which ball hit the target is incremented and this process is repeated as the control is returned to step 75a.

All of the abovementioned parameters are given by way of example only, and may be changed in accordance with the differing requirements of the various embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the abovementioned parameters should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way.

The above examples and description have of course been provided only for the purpose of illustration, and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the invention can be carried out in a great variety of ways, employing more than one technique from those described above, all without exceeding the scope of the invention.