KR102836263B1 - Method for detecting the spin in motion, virtual golf device and virtual golf system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball, a virtual golf device using the same, and a virtual golf system. The method for detecting the spin of a moving ball includes an image acquiring step of acquiring a first image at a first point in time and a second image at a second point in time for a ball having an identification unit and moving with spin, an identification information acquiring step of acquiring first identification information of the identification unit from the first image and second identification information of the identification unit from the second image, and a spin determining step of selecting an expected spin using accumulated spin data and applying the expected spin to the first and second identification unit information to detect the spin of the moving ball. In addition, the ball is a golf ball, and the golf ball moves with spin when a user hits the golf ball with a golf club, and the method further includes a step of detecting a state change according to the movement of the golf ball between the first and second points in time, and the accumulated spin data can be formed by selecting spin data corresponding to the state change of the golf ball and using the selected spin data.

Description

{METHOD FOR DETECTING THE SPIN IN MOTION, VIRTUAL GOLF DEVICE AND VIRTUAL GOLF SYSTEM USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a method for determining the spin of a moving ball and a virtual golf device and virtual golf system using the same.

As golf has become more popular recently, the number of people who enjoy playing golf has increased. Golf is not only played on outdoor golf courses, but also on screen golf, which can be played using virtual golf devices. In screen golf, images of the golf course are displayed on the screen, so you can experience the realism of playing an actual golf game outdoors. In addition, since it saves time and money compared to playing on an outdoor golf course, screen golf is popular among busy modern people who have difficulty playing on the field due to time or financial reasons.

Comparing screen golf and real golf, screen golf has the advantage of being able to provide users with technical services that are difficult to provide in real golf, which is played in an open outdoor space, due to the nature of being played in a closed indoor space. For example, in real golf, when a user hits a golf ball, the physical state of the golf ball, such as the speed or launch angle of the hit ball, cannot be identified, but in screen golf, the physical state of the hit golf ball can be identified and provided to the user using various sensing means. Among the physical states of the golf ball that users are interested in is the 'spin' of the golf ball. Spin refers to the rotational state of a golf ball rotating in three-dimensional space, and expensive equipment such as radar sensors are required to detect this. However, since it is economically inefficient to use expensive equipment to detect spin, it is necessary to develop technology that can accurately identify spin at a low cost.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball by a simple method without expensive equipment.

In addition, the present invention aims to provide a virtual golf device capable of detecting the spin of a golf ball hit by a user in a simple manner without expensive equipment.

In addition, the present invention aims to provide a virtual golf system capable of detecting the spin of a golf ball hit by a user in a simple manner without expensive equipment.

Furthermore, other objects of the present invention can be clearly understood from the following description and the attached drawings.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image acquiring step of acquiring a first image at a first point in time and a second image at a second point in time for a ball having an identification unit and moving with spin, an identification information acquiring step of acquiring first identification information of the identification unit from the first image and second identification information of the identification unit from the second image, and a spin determining step of selecting an expected spin using accumulated spin data and applying the expected spin to the first and second identification unit information to detect the spin of the moving ball. In addition, the ball is a golf ball, and the golf ball moves with spin when a user hits the golf ball with a golf club, and the method further includes a step of detecting a state change according to the movement of the golf ball between the first and second points in time, and the accumulated spin data can be formed by selecting spin data corresponding to the state change of the golf ball and then using the selected spin data.

In the method for determining the spin of the above-mentioned moving ball, in the spin determining step, the application result of applying the expected spin to the first identification information is compared with the second identification information, and based on the comparison result with the second identification information, the expected spin is determined as the spin of the moving ball, or the spin determining step can be re-executed while selecting a new expected spin.

In the method for determining the spin of the above-mentioned moving ball, the accumulated spin data represents a Gaussian distribution, and the expected spin can be selected in multiple numbers by extracting a plurality of random spins that are differently positioned from the Gaussian distribution.

In the method for determining the spin of the above-mentioned moving ball, the accumulated spin data represents a Gaussian distribution, and the above-mentioned expected spin can be initially selected in a range between -standard deviation and +standard deviation centered on the mean in the above-mentioned Gaussian distribution.

In the method for determining the spin of the above-mentioned moving ball, the new expected spin may be selected such that the difference between the expected spin and the new expected spin increases as the result of applying the expected spin to the first identification information and comparing the result with the second identification information increases.

The method for determining the spin of the above-mentioned moving ball may further execute additional steps including the steps of acquiring a third image of the ball at a third point in time, the step of acquiring third identification information of the identification part from the third image, and the step of verifying the identified spin using the third identification information. In addition, the spins identified in the spin identification step are plural, and the application results of applying the plural spins to the first identification information or the second identification information are compared with the third identification information, and one of the plural spins is determined as the spin of the moving ball based on the comparison result with the third identification information, or a new expected spin is selected, while the spin identification step and the additional steps may be re-executed.

A virtual golf device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a calculation unit which performs a calculation process for calculating the movement of a virtual golf ball corresponding to an actual golf ball when a user hits the actual golf ball, and a display unit which displays a virtual golf course and the virtual golf ball moving as calculated in the calculation process on the virtual golf course, and a process of determining the spin of the actual golf ball can be performed according to the method for determining the spin of the moving ball after the user hits the actual golf ball. In addition, a result determined in the spin determination process can be reflected in the calculation process.

A virtual golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a service device and at least one virtual golf device that is communicatively connected to the service device, wherein the virtual golf device includes a calculation unit that performs a calculation process for calculating the movement of a virtual golf ball corresponding to an actual golf ball when a user hits the actual golf ball, and a display unit that displays the virtual golf ball moving as calculated in the calculation process on the virtual golf course, and further, in the virtual golf device, a process of determining the spin of the actual golf ball can be performed according to the method for determining the spin of a moving ball after the user hits the actual golf ball.

The above virtual golf system includes a storage unit for storing user information in the service device, and the user information can be used to form cumulative spin data in the process of determining spin.

According to the present invention, there is an effect of being able to accurately determine the spin of a ball in motion in a simple manner without expensive equipment.

Figure 1 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for determining the spin of a moving ball according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 2 to 7 are drawings specifically explaining each step of the operation process of the method for determining the spin of the moving ball of Figure 1.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for determining the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 9 to 13 are drawings specifically explaining each step of the operation process of the method for determining the spin of the moving ball of Figure 8.
Fig. 14 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for determining the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 15 to 18 are diagrams illustrating various methods for forming cumulative spin data used in the method of determining the spin of a moving ball of FIG. 14.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for determining the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a schematic structure of a virtual golf device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a drawing showing an example of a method for calculating the movement of a golf ball in the virtual golf device of FIG. 20.
FIG. 22 is a drawing showing an example of a screen screen that provides golf play information in the virtual golf device of FIG. 20.
FIG. 23 is a drawing schematically showing the structure of a virtual golf device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a drawing showing a schematic structure of a virtual golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail through examples. The purpose, features, and advantages of the present invention will be easily understood through the following examples. The present invention is not limited to the examples described herein, and may be embodied in other forms. The examples introduced herein are provided so that the disclosed content can be thorough and complete, and so that the idea of the present invention can be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited by the following examples.

Although the terms first, second, etc. are used in this specification to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the elements from each other. Also, when an element is said to be on another element, it means that it can be formed directly on the other element, or that a third element may be interposed between them.

The sizes of elements in the drawings, or the relative sizes between elements, may be somewhat exaggerated for a clearer understanding of the present invention. In addition, the shapes of elements depicted in the drawings may be somewhat changed due to variations in the manufacturing process, etc. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in this specification should not be limited to the shapes depicted in the drawings unless otherwise specified, and should be understood to include a certain degree of modification.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 7 are drawings specifically explaining each step of the operation process of the method for detecting the spin of a moving ball of FIG. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, the operation process for determining the spin of a ball includes steps 1 to 4 (S11-S14). In step 1 (S11), an image of a moving ball is acquired, in step 2 (S12), information is acquired from the image, in step 3 (S13), an expected spin is selected, and in step 4 (S14), the expected spin is applied to the information obtained in step 2 (S12) to determine the spin of the moving ball.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a ball in motion is moving in the direction of about 2 o'clock while rotating with spin, in the first step (S11), the ball is photographed at a first point in time (T1) to obtain a first image (I1), and the ball is photographed at a second point in time (T2) after the first point in time (T1) to obtain a second image (I2). The ball may include various types of balls used in various sports, such as golf balls, baseballs, and table tennis balls, and an identification portion (A) is formed on the surface of the ball. The identification portion (A) may be a mark formed on the surface of the ball that can be used to determine the spin state of the ball. For example, a baseball has a plurality of seams (threads) formed so that a pitcher can throw various types of balls, and the spin of the baseball can be determined by checking the change in the state of the seams in the baseball in motion, and the seams of the baseball can serve as the identification portion (A). In addition, most sports balls are marked with the name or brand of the manufacturer that manufactured the ball, and since the spin can be determined through changes in the status of the brand, etc., these brands, etc. can also serve as identifiers (A).

Referring to FIG. 3, in the second step (S12), first information about the identification part (A) is acquired from the first image (I1), and second information about the identification part (A) is acquired from the second image (I2). There may be various methods for acquiring ball information from the ball image. For example, the first image (I1) may include parts other than the ball (the place where the ball flies may be included as the background of the ball), and the image may be processed to remove these parts other than the ball and extract only the ball and the identification part (A) of the ball surface, and then the relationship between the ball and the identification part (A) may be analyzed to acquire information about the identification part (A), and the same method may be applied to the second image (I2). Here, the identification information (which may be simply named 'information' for convenience) which is information about the identification part (A) may be position information about the identification part (A) in the ball. When the ball has a shape of a sphere, each point on the surface of the ball may have different position information from the center of the sphere. Accordingly, the identification part (A) formed on the surface of the ball can also have specific location information from the center of the sphere, and by extracting the images of the ball and the identification part (A) and then analyzing the locational relationship between the center of the ball and the identification part (A), the location information of the identification part (A) can be determined.

The first and second identification information of the identification unit (A) may be represented as A1 (i1, j1, k1) and A2 (i2, j2, k2), respectively. Here, A1 (i1, j1, k1) and A2 (i2, j2, k2) may each be location information for one point or location information for multiple points. That is, when the identification unit (A) consists of one point, A1 (i1, j1, k1) and A2 (i2, j2, k2) become location information for a single point, and when the identification unit (A) consists of multiple points, A1 (i1, j1, k1) and A2 (i2, j2, k2) become location information for multiple points. Usually, the identification unit (A) consists of multiple points rather than a single point.

Since the ball and the identification unit (A) exist in a three-dimensional space, the position information of the identification unit (A) can be expressed as three independent components representing the three dimensions, and i, j, and k represent the three independent components. For example, i, j, and k can represent the x component, the y component, and the z component in a rectangular coordinate system. Alternatively, i, j, and k can represent the r component, the φ component, and the θ component in a spherical coordinate system. In order to determine the three-dimensional position information of the identification unit (A) from an image of the ball, a stereo camera or a depth camera can be used when shooting the ball, and multiple cameras capable of obtaining the three-dimensional information can also be used. Alternatively, a camera that generates a normal two-dimensional image can be used without using a stereo camera, and the two-dimensional position information of the identification unit (A) can be obtained from an image shot with a normal camera. Even if two-dimensional position information is obtained and only the position information for the i and j components among the i, j, and k components in the identification section (A) is obtained, if the ball is moving under specific conditions (for example, if the spin value of the ball related to the k component is zero or can be almost ignored), the spin of the ball can be determined using only the two-dimensional position information.

Referring to Fig. 4, it is assumed that a ball has spin and rotates around a specific axis in a three-dimensional space consisting of the i-axis, j-axis, and k-axis. Here, the spin can be specified as the amount of rotation indicating the degree of rotation with respect to the axis on which the ball rotates. For example, if the spin of the ball is 'S', this can be expressed as the spin Si of the i-axis component, the spin Sj of the j-axis component, and the spin Sk of the k-axis component, as follows.

S = Si i + Sj j + Sk k

(i , j , k represent the basic unit vectors of the i-axis, j-axis, and k-axis, respectively)

At this time, the rotation amount (S1) and rotation axis (S2) of the spin (S) can be calculated as follows by Si, Sj, and Sk.

If the spin of the ball currently in motion is named as the target spin (S ^* ), the identification part (A) is located at the first position with respect to the ball at the first time point (T1) and is located at the second position with respect to the ball at the second time point (T2) due to the target spin (S ^* ). In this way, the target spin (S ^* ) plays a role in converting the position of the identification part (A) with respect to the ball, and if ^{the rotation amount (S1 * )} and the rotation axis (S2 ^* ) of the target spin (S * ) are known, the position conversion factor by the target spin (S ^* ) can be mathematically derived in the form of a matrix, etc. Meanwhile, if the identification part (A) is expressed by multiple points (pixels), the first and second information (A1 (i1, j1, k1), (A2 (i2, j2, k2)) can be a set of position information for multiple points, respectively. Let these be called A1set and A2set, and if the position transformation matrix according to the target spin (S ^＊ ) of the ball is called Sm ^＊ , the following equation (1) can be established.

[Sm ^＊ ][A1set] = [A2set] ------- Equation (1)

According to equation (1), if the position conversion factor ([Sm ^* ]) according to the target spin (S ^* ) is applied to the first identification information ([A1set]) of the identification unit (1), the second identification information ([A2set]) can be obtained. Currently, the first and second identification information ([A1set], [A2set]) are known, and the unknown target spin (S ^* ) is to be identified. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the spin currently in motion can be identified by utilizing equation (1). Specifically, in this embodiment, a method is used in which an arbitrary spin is assumed, a position conversion factor by the arbitrary spin is applied to equation (1) to check whether equation (1) holds, and if equation (1) holds, the arbitrary spin is determined as the target spin (S ^* ), and if equation (1) does not hold, a new arbitrary spin is repeatedly assumed until equation (1) holds.

As mentioned above, according to the present embodiment, in order to utilize equation (1), an arbitrary spin is assumed, and in relation to this, in the third step (S3), an expected spin that can be a target spin (S ^* ) is selected. Referring to FIG. 5, when selecting an expected spin, accumulated spin data for spin can be used. The accumulated spin data can be data collected for all spins recorded when users played in the past when they made the ball move with spin through their play in the past. For example, assuming that the ball currently in motion is a golf ball used in a virtual golf play such as screen golf, a sensing means such as a laser sensor capable of measuring spin can be installed in the screen golf course, and by utilizing the sensing means, the spin of the golf ball hit whenever all users playing screen golf hit the golf ball can be measured. The measured spin can be stored in a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk installed in the screen golf course. Or, in the case where there are multiple screen golf courses and the multiple screen golf courses are managed by a central server, the measured spin can be stored in the storage device of the central server. In this way, when the spin according to the hit is stored every time a user hits a golf ball, the stored data can be accumulated to form cumulative spin data for all golf ball hits by all users. When a sufficient amount of data is accumulated, the cumulative spin data can take the form of a Gaussian distribution curve. As shown in Fig. 5, the Gaussian distribution curve has a shape that is symmetrical on both sides around the mean (m), and most of the data is concentrated in the range of m-σ (σ is the standard deviation) and m+σ around the mean. In the third step (S13), a random spin is selected as the expected spin (indicated as 'ES' in Fig. 5) from the Gaussian distribution of the accumulated spin data. For example, the initial expected spin can be selected around the mean (m) or the mean (m). Since the average (m) represents the case in which the spin is most likely to occur in the cumulative statistics, when selecting an expected spin near the average (m), there is a high possibility that the selected expected spin will be determined as the spin (target spin (S ^* )) that the golf ball in motion has.

In the fourth step (S14), the expected spin is applied to the first and second identification information for the identification unit (A) to determine the spin of the ball in motion. Specifically, the expected spin is first applied to the above equation (1) as follows.

[ESm][A1set] = [EA2set] ------- Equation (2)

Here, [ESm] represents a position transformation matrix by the expected spin, [A1set] is the first identification information about the identification part (A) at the first time point, and [EA2set] represents the result obtained by applying the expected spin to the first identification information (hereinafter referred to as 'preliminary information' for convenience). Once the preliminary information is obtained by Equation (2), it is compared with the second identification information. If there is a difference between the preliminary information and the second information as a result of comparing the preliminary information and the second information, it means that the expected spin is not the correct spin (target spin (S ^* )), and a new spin is selected. Here, the presence of a difference between the preliminary information and the second information means that, as shown in Fig. 6, when it is assumed that the expected spin is applied to the identification part (A) at the first time point (T1), the shape of the identification part (A) is different from the shape of the identification part (A) at the actual second time point (T2). If it is determined that the expected spin is not the correct spin, a new expected spin is selected, a position conversion factor according to the new expected spin is applied to the first information to calculate new preliminary information, and the new preliminary information is compared with the second information to determine whether the new expected spin is the correct spin. If the preliminary information and the second information are the same or very similar, the selected spin is confirmed as the target spin of the currently moving ball. Here, the meaning that the preliminary information and the second information are very similar may include a case where the difference between [EA2set] and [A2set] is less than a predetermined value (the position information may have + and -, and here, a small difference means a small absolute value).

Even when the initially selected expected spin is found to be incorrect and a new expected spin is selected, the accumulated spin data is continuously used. Referring to Fig. 7, when the initially selected expected spin is conveniently referred to as the initial expected spin (ES) and the second selected expected spin is referred to as the second expected spin (ES', ES"), the initial expected spin and the second expected spin (ES', ES") can be selected according to certain rules.

For example, the initial expected spin (ES) can be selected at or near the mean (m). Since the mean (m) represents the case in which the spin is most likely to occur in the cumulative statistics, if the expected spin (ES) is selected near the mean (m), there is a high possibility that the selected expected spin (ES) will be determined as the spin that the golf ball in motion has. If the initial expected spin (ES) is not the correct spin, the second expected spin (ES', ES") is selected, and as the second expected spin, the one having the first difference (Δ1) from the initial expected spin (ES) (ES') or the one having the second difference (Δ2) from the initial expected spin (ES) (ES") can be selected. As described above, when the initial expected spin (ES) is applied to the first information about the identification unit (A), the 'preliminary information' about the identification unit (A) at the second time point (T2) is obtained. If the difference between the 'preliminary information' and the second information about the identification unit (A) is small, it means that the initial expected spin (ES) is not very different from the correct spin. Therefore, it is desirable to select the second expected spin (ES') within a range in which the difference from the initial expected spin (ES) is relatively small. In addition, if the difference between the 'preliminary information' and the second information about the identification unit (A) is large, it means that the initial expected spin (ES) is very different from the correct spin. Therefore, it is desirable to select the second expected spin (ES") within a range in which the difference from the initial expected spin (ES) is relatively large.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 9 to 13 are drawings specifically explaining each step of the operation process of the method for detecting the spin of a moving ball of FIG. 8.

Referring to Fig. 8, the operation process for determining the spin of a ball includes steps 1 to 5 (S21-S25). In step 1 (S21), an image of a moving ball is acquired, in step 2 (S22), information is acquired from the image, in step 3 (S23), an expected spin is selected, in step 4 (S24), the expected spin is applied to the information obtained in step 2 (S22) to determine the spin of the moving ball, and in step 5 (S25), the determined spin is verified.

Referring to FIG. 9, when a ball in motion is rotating and moving in a predetermined direction with spin, in the first step (S21), the ball is photographed at a first point in time (T1) to obtain a first image (I1), the ball is photographed at a second point in time (T2) after the first point in time (T1) to obtain a second image (I2), and further, the ball is photographed at a third point in time (T3) after the second point in time (T2) to obtain a third image (I3). The ball includes various types of balls used in various sports, such as golf balls, baseball balls, and table tennis balls, and an identification portion (A), which is a mark that can be identified from the outside, is formed on the surface of the ball.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the second step (S22), first information about the identification part (A) is acquired from the first image (I1), second information about the identification part (A) is acquired from the second image (I2), and third information about the identification part (A) is acquired from the third image (I3). The ball information can be acquired by removing a portion other than the ball from the photographed image, processing it to extract only the ball and the identification part (A) of the ball surface, and then analyzing the relationship between the ball and the identification part (A). Here, the information about the identification part (A) can be position information of the identification part (A) on the ball, and specifically, the first to third information can be represented as A1 (i1, j1, k1), A2 (i2, j2, k2), and A3 (i3, j3, k3), respectively. Here, A1 (i1, j1, k1), A2 (i2, j2, k2), A3 (i3, j3, k3) can each be location information for one point or location information for multiple points.

In the third step (S23), an expected spin is arbitrarily selected. Referring to FIG. 11, in selecting an expected spin, accumulated spin data accumulated for the spin can be used, as in the previous embodiment. The accumulated spin data can be formed by accumulating past records for multiple spins, and when a sufficient amount of data is accumulated, the accumulated spin data can take the form of a Gaussian distribution curve. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the Gaussian distribution has a symmetrical shape centered on the mean (m), and most of the data is concentrated in the range of m-σ (σ is the standard deviation) and m+σ centered on the mean. In the third step (S23), a single or multiple spins are randomly selected from the Gaussian distribution of the accumulated spin data. In the case of a single spin, the subsequent steps (the fourth and fifth steps (S24, S25)) are executed for one expected spin at a time, and in the case of multiple spins, the subsequent steps (the fourth and fifth steps (S24, S25)) are executed for multiple expected spins at a time. If the number of times the expected spin is selected until the correct spin is found is very large, it is desirable to select multiple expected spins at a time and proceed with the subsequent steps for efficient procedure progress. When selecting multiple expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3), they can be selected at random positions or, when initially selected, can be selected in the vicinity of the mean (m) or standard deviation (σ). Since the mean (m) or standard deviation (σ) indicates a case in which the probability of the corresponding spin occurring is relatively high in the cumulative statistics, when the expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) are selected in the vicinity of the mean (m) or standard deviation (σ), there is a high possibility that the actual spin of the golf ball in motion will occur among the selected expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3).

In the fourth step (S24), the expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) are applied to the first and second information for the identification unit (A) to determine the spin of the ball in motion. To this end, the expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) are first applied to the following equations (3-1), (3-2), and (3-3).

[ES1m] [A1set] = [E1A2set] ------- Equation (3-1)

[ES2m] [A1set] = [E2A2set] ------- Equation (3-2)

[ES3m] [A1set] = [E3A2set] ------- Equation (3-3)

For convenience of explanation, if the expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) are named the first expected spin (ES1), the second expected spin (ES2), and the third expected spin (ES3), respectively, then in the above formula, [A1set] represents position information at the first time point (T1) of the identification unit (A), [ESm1], [ESm2], and [ESm3] represent position conversion factors by the first to third expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3), [E1A2set] is preliminary information obtained by applying the first expected spin (ES1) to the first information (named 'first preliminary information'), [E2A2set] is preliminary information obtained by applying the second expected spin (ES2) to the first information (named 'second preliminary information'), and [E3A2set] is preliminary information obtained by applying the third expected spin (ES3) to the first information (named 'third preliminary information'). When the first to third preliminary information is obtained, it is compared with the second information. If there is a difference between the first to third preliminary information and the second information as a result of comparing the first to third preliminary information and the second information, none of the first to third expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) can be correct spins, and the third step (S23) is re-executed. That is, in the third step (S23), a plurality of expected spins are selected, and at this time, an expected spin other than the first to third expected spins (ES1, ES2, ES3) previously selected is selected.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, if the first and second preliminary information to which the first and second expected spins (ES1, ES2) are applied are significantly different from the identification information (the second information ([A2set])) at the second time point (T2), and the third preliminary information to which the third expected spin (ES3) is applied is identical/similar to the identification information (the second information ([A2set])) at the second time point (T2), the third expected spin (ES3) is determined as the spin that the ball currently in motion has.

In the fifth step (S25), the spin identified in the fourth step (S24) is verified using the third information. As illustrated in Fig. 13, in the fifth step (S25), the third expected spin (ES3) is applied to the second information for the identification unit (A) (or the third expected spin (ES3) may be applied to the first information). To this end, the third expected spin (ES3) is applied to the following equation (4).

[ES3m] [A2set] = [E3A3set] ------- Equation (4)

In the above equation (4), [ESm3] represents a position conversion factor by the third expected spin (ES3), [A2set] represents position information at the second time point (T2) of the identification unit (A), and [E3A3set] is a result obtained by applying the third expected spin (ES3) to the second information (named 'verification information'). Once the verification information is obtained, it is compared with the third information ([A3set]). If there is a difference between the verification information and the third information as a result of comparing the verification information and the third information, the third expected spin cannot be a correct spin, and the process returns to the third step (S23) and the step of selecting the expected spin is re-executed. If the verification information and the third information are the same or very similar as a result of comparing the verification information and the third information, the third expected spin is determined as the spin of the currently moving ball, and the entire process of identifying the spin is terminated. Here, the verification information and the third information being very similar means that the difference between [E3A3set] and [A3set] is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The reason for adding the verification step is that there can be one or more spins that change the identifier (A) from the state at the first point in time (the state indicated by the first information) to the state at the second point in time (the state indicated by the second information) (for the convenience of explanation, a simple example in a two-dimensional state is given. If the identifier (A) is positioned at the 9 o'clock direction of the ball at the first point in time and then positioned at the 12 o'clock direction of the ball at the second point in time, the state change between the first and second points in time can occur by both a spin that rotates the ball 90 degrees clockwise and a spin that rotates the ball 270 degrees counterclockwise). Through the verification step, the spin of the ball currently in motion can be accurately confirmed among the various spins.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for detecting the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 15 to 18 are drawings for explaining various methods for forming accumulated spin data used in the method for detecting the spin of a moving ball of FIG. 14.

Referring to FIG. 14, the operation process for determining the spin of a ball includes steps 1 to 5 (S31-S35). In step 1 (S31), an image of a ball in motion and having an identification portion formed on a surface is acquired, in step 2 (S32), identification information of the identification portion is acquired from the image, in step 3 (S33), one of a plurality of accumulated spin distribution data is selected, in step 4 (S34), an expected spin is selected using the selected spin distribution data, and in step 5 (S35), the spin of the ball in motion is identified using the selected expected spin.

Looking at each step of steps 1 to 5 (S31-S35) in detail, in step 1 (S31), a ball having an identification portion formed on its surface is photographed at a first point in time to obtain a first image, and the ball is photographed at a second point in time after the first point in time to obtain a second image. In step 2 (S32), first information about the identification portion is obtained from the first image, and second information about the identification portion is obtained from the second image. The first and second information may be location information of a point on the ball where the identification portion is located. In step 3 (S33), a selection step of selecting one of a plurality of spin distribution data is performed, which will be described later. In step 4 (S34), an expected spin is arbitrarily selected using the spin distribution data selected in step 3 (S33). Here, a single or multiple expected spins may be selected. In step 5 (S35), the single or multiple expected spins selected in step 4 (S34) are applied to the first information to obtain preliminary information, and the preliminary information is then compared with the second information. If there is a difference between the preliminary information and the second information as a result of comparing the preliminary information and the second information, the expected spin cannot be the correct spin and the process returns to the fourth step (S34) and the fourth and fifth steps (S34, S35) are re-executed. Among the first to fifth steps (S31-S35) of the present embodiment, steps 1, 2, 4, and 5 (S31, S32, S34, S35) correspond to steps 1 to 4 (S11, S12, S13, S14) in the first embodiment (the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7), and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

With regard to the third step (S33), referring to FIG. 15, the accumulated spin data may be stored in a predetermined storage device. For example, assuming that the ball currently in motion is a golf ball used in a virtual golf play such as screen golf, a sensing means such as a laser sensor capable of measuring spin may be installed in the screen golf course, and by using the sensing means, the spin of the golf ball hit each time all users playing screen golf hit the golf ball can be measured. The measured spin may be stored in a storage device such as a memory or hard disk of a computer installed in the screen golf course. Alternatively, in the case where there are multiple screen golf courses and the multiple screen golf courses are managed by a central server, the measured spin may be stored in the storage device of the central server. In this way, when the spin according to the hit is stored each time the user hits the golf ball, the stored data may be accumulated to form accumulated spin data for all golf ball hits by the user. Here, the accumulated spin data stored in the storage device may be configured as a plurality of types classified according to the golf skills of the user. For example, the above cumulative spin data may be divided into cumulative spin data for ALL Users formed based on the spin information of a golf ball hit when all users hit a golf ball while playing on a screen golf course, cumulative spin data for 1 Level Users formed based on the spin information of a golf ball hit when a user with 1st level golf skill hits a golf ball while playing on a screen golf course, cumulative spin data for 2 Level Users formed based on the spin information of a golf ball hit when a user with 2nd level golf skill hits a golf ball while playing on a screen golf course, and cumulative spin data for 3 Level Users formed based on the spin information of a golf ball hit when a user with 3rd level golf skill hits a golf ball while playing on a screen golf course, etc. The above cumulative spin data for ALL Users, cumulative spin data for 1 Level Users, cumulative spin data for 2 Level Users, and cumulative spin data for 3 Level Users may exhibit different Gaussian distribution curves. In this way, if the cumulative spin data is classified according to the user's golf skill, the cumulative spin data for ALL Users can be used when selecting the expected spin, as in the above-described embodiment. Or, if the user who hit the golf ball whose spin is currently being sought has a level 2 golf skill, the expected spin can be selected using a Gaussian distribution curve based on the data of users with the same golf skill as the user (cumulative spin data for Level 2 Users). In this way, if multiple cumulative spin data classified according to the user's golf skill are provided, and the spin of a golf ball during movement is sought to be determined, the time required for the operation of determining the spin can be shortened if the cumulative spin data of users with the same or similar golf skill as the user who hit the golf ball is used.

Golf skills are determined by various factors, but accuracy of hitting is particularly important. If you hit the golf ball accurately, the golf ball will fly straight toward the target point, but if you do not, the golf ball will fly to the left or right of the target point, causing a hook or slice. A golf ball that hooks or slices will have a larger side spin than a non-hook. Therefore, when users with high hitting accuracy and good golf skills hit the golf ball, the golf ball will generally have a small side spin and fly straight ahead, while users with low hitting accuracy and low golf skills will generally have a large left side spin and cause a hook or a large right side spin and cause a slice. In addition to hitting accuracy, there are various factors that determine golf skills, such as distance and putting, and it cannot be said that low golf skills will necessarily cause a hook or slice, but when looking at the accumulated large amount of data from various users, there can clearly be some differences in the distribution of spin data depending on golf skills. It is assumed that the spin of all users has a range of (Sa, Sb) and the spin of a user belonging to a specific grade has a range of (Sa', Sb') which is within the range of (Sa, Sb). If the accumulated spin data for ALL Users is used to determine the spin of a golf ball hit by a user belonging to the specific grade, a spin which is within the range of (Sa, Sb) but out of the range of (Sa', Sb') may be selected as the expected spin, and this expected spin is likely not to be a correct spin. In this case, the time required for the entire operation may increase due to the time required to perform the 4th and 5th steps (S34, S35) for the expected spin. In comparison, when determining the spin of a golf ball hit by a user of the specific class, if the spin data of the user of the specific class is used instead of the accumulated spin data for ALL Users, a spin within the range of (Sa', Sb') can be selected as the expected spin, and this expected spin is more likely to be a correct spin than a spin outside the range of (Sa', Sb'), and accordingly, the overall operation time can be shortened compared to when the accumulated spin data for ALL Users is used.

In the above third step (S33), the process of selecting specific accumulated spin data from the entire accumulated spin data has been described. In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 15, the criterion for selecting specific data from the entire data is the 'user's golf skill'. By applying the same principle, in the third step (S33), only specific data can be selected from the entire data based on a 'criteria' other than the 'user's golf skill'. An example of the other 'criteria' may be the movement characteristics of the ball. As in the above, it is assumed that the ball currently in motion is a golf ball used in a virtual golf play such as screen golf, and further, it is assumed that whenever the user hits the golf ball in the virtual golf play, the spin according to the corresponding hit is stored in the storage device and the stored data is accumulated to form accumulated spin data for all of the user's golf ball hits. Here, the accumulated spin data stored in the storage device may be configured as a plurality of data classified according to the movement characteristics of the hit golf ball. For example, referring to FIG. 16, the accumulated spin data may be divided into ALL accumulated spin data based on spin information of all golf balls hit when all users hit golf balls while playing on a screen golf course, No Side Spin accumulated spin data based on spin information in cases where the hit golf ball has a movement characteristic of flying forward due to almost no side spin, Left Side Spin accumulated spin data based on spin information in cases where the hit golf ball has a movement characteristic of flying while curving to the left due to a left-side spin, Right Side Spin accumulated spin data based on spin information in cases where the hit golf ball has a movement characteristic of flying while curving to the right due to a right-side spin (here, depending on the size of the side spin, the No Side Spin accumulated spin data/Left Side Spin accumulated spin data/Right Side Spin accumulated spin data may be composed of a number of more subdivided items. For example, the Left Side Spin accumulated spin data may be divided into more items, such as the Left Side Spin accumulated spin data in a first range, the Left Side Spin accumulated spin data in a second range, etc.). As illustrated in FIG. 16, the cumulative spin data for No Side Spin/cumulative spin data for Left Side Spin/cumulative spin data for Right Side Spin may exhibit different Gaussian distribution curves. In this case, when the cumulative spin data is distinguished according to the movement characteristics of the hit golf ball, ALL cumulative spin data may be used when selecting the expected spin, as in the above-described embodiment. Alternatively, if the golf ball whose current spin is to be determined first undergoes any state change during its movement, and if the detection result shows that the golf ball exhibits a movement characteristic of flying while curving to the right, the expected spin may be selected using a Gaussian distribution curve based on the data (cumulative spin data for Right Side Spin) that matches the movement characteristics. In this way, when a plurality of accumulated spin data classified according to the movement characteristics of a golf ball are provided and the spin of a golf ball in motion is to be identified, there is an advantage in that the time required for the operation of identifying the spin can be shortened by using the accumulated spin data of the item matching the movement characteristics exhibited by the golf ball. The reason for this is similar to that explained in the case of using the accumulated spin data classified according to the user's golf skill (see the related description of FIG. 15).

Hereinafter, an example has been described in which the above cumulative spin data is divided into multiple groups according to the characteristics of the path along which the hit golf ball moves. However, there may be other criteria in addition to the above movement characteristics. For example, the cumulative spin data may be divided into multiple groups according to the launch speed or launch angle of the golf ball hit by the user. In addition, the above variables such as the movement characteristics, launch speed, and launch angle may be used to configure the cumulative spin data into multiple groups based on only one of these, or the cumulative spin data may be configured into multiple groups based on at least two of the above variables. When two or more composite variables are applied, the two or more composite variables of the hit golf ball are identified, the cumulative spin data of the corresponding items are selected, and then the expected spin is selected from the selected cumulative spin data.

In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, the accumulated spin data is composed of multiples classified according to specific criteria, but the multiple accumulated spin data do not necessarily have to be prepared separately in advance. The accumulated spin data that meets the 'specific criteria' used when selecting the expected spin can be generated immediately before selecting the expected spin, and this will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

Assuming a golf ball used in a virtual golf play such as screen golf as described above, a user's play record in screen golf can be stored in a storage device such as a computer memory or hard disk equipped in a screen golf device. Alternatively, in the case where there are multiple screen golf courses and the multiple screen golf courses are managed by a central server, the user's play record can be stored in the storage device of the central server. Referring to FIG. 17, the storage device is divided into multiple storage areas, and each of the multiple storage areas can store a different user's play record. The storage area can store information about the play score recorded by the user, the state of the golf ball such as spin or distance when the user hits it, and the user's personal records such as average number of strokes, average distance, fairway landing rate, etc., and can also store information about the user's golf skill level. Here, the user's golf skill can be determined using various play information when the user played in the past. For example, the user's golf skill can be determined using the 'average number of strokes'. The average score is the average of the total number of strokes when playing 18 holes on a golf course, which usually consists of 18 holes. In golf, the total number of strokes for 18 holes is 72, and the lower the number of strokes recorded by a user in 18 holes, the better the golf skill is. Professional golfers record strokes in the late 60s or early 70s, and ordinary people can be recognized as advanced players if they are within 80 strokes, and it can also be a standard for determining whether a user is a beginner depending on whether they record two-digit or three-digit strokes out of 100 strokes. In this way, the average score can be an example of an indicator for judging a user's golf skill, and if the user's average score is the same or slightly different by about a few strokes, they can all be judged to have the same level of golf skill.

Let us assume a case where the spin of a golf ball hit by a user with a level 2 golf skill is to be determined when the user is playing. According to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, a Gaussian distribution curve created with spin distribution data for users with the same golf skill as the user playing can be selected from a plurality of spin distribution data, and an expected spin can be selected from the Gaussian distribution curve. However, according to the present embodiment, a Gaussian distribution curve for users with the same golf skill as the user playing is not separately provided, and as illustrated in FIG. 17, spin information (S1, S3, S4) of users (User 1, User 3, User 4) with the same golf skill as the user currently playing, including the user playing, is extracted from an area where play records are stored, and then cumulative spin data having a Gaussian distribution curve can be generated based on the extracted spin information. In this way, the cumulative spin data of users with specific golf skills can be generated just before the step of selecting the expected spin, and in this case, there is no need to generate multiple cumulative spin data according to the user's golf skills in advance and store them separately.

In order to extract data that meet the 'specific criteria' and then collect them to generate cumulative spin data before selecting the expected spin, there may be other factors besides the user's golf skills as the 'specific criteria'. For example, there may be the ball's movement characteristics. Assuming a golf ball used in a virtual golf play such as screen golf as described above, a record of a user's play in screen golf may be stored in a storage device provided in a screen golf device or a central server that manages multiple screen golf courses. Referring to FIG. 18, the storage device may be divided into a plurality of storage areas, and each of the plurality of storage areas may store a record of the physical state of a golf ball hit by a user after hitting it. Specifically, the storage area may store information on the state of a golf ball, such as the moving speed, moving direction, spin, and launch angle of the hit golf ball, when the users hit the golf ball, for each hitting case of the users. The accumulated spin data for selecting the expected spin can be formed based on some information that matches the motion characteristics of the golf ball currently in motion, extracted from the information stored in the storage device, and then the extracted information. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 18, it is assumed that there are multiple storage areas that store the physical states of golf balls hit by users and that they are separated from each other, and that each of the multiple storage areas stores the motion characteristics of the golf ball (e.g., the golf ball does not curve and flies straight ahead, the golf ball flies while curving slightly to the right, the golf ball flies while curving greatly to the right, etc.) and the spin when the golf ball has the corresponding motion characteristics. It is also assumed that the golf ball currently hit by the user exhibits a movement characteristic of flying while curving to the right. At this time, if Motion 1, Motion 2, and Motion 5 in the storage device are cases in which the golf ball curves to the right in motion, and Motion 3 and Motion 4 are cases unrelated to the golf ball curves to the right in motion, then when the motion characteristics of Motion 1, Motion 2, and Motion 5 are exhibited, spin information (S1, S2, S5) can be extracted, and then cumulative spin data having a Gaussian distribution curve can be generated based on the extracted spin information. In this way, the cumulative spin data of a case exhibiting a specific motion characteristic can be generated immediately before the step of selecting the expected spin, and in this case, there is no need to prepare in advance and separately store each cumulative spin data according to the motion characteristic of the golf ball.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart exemplarily showing the operation process of a method for determining the spin of a moving ball according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 19, the operation process for determining the spin of a ball includes steps 1 to 6 (S41-S46). In step 1 (S41), an image of a moving ball is acquired, in step 2 (S42), identification information is acquired from the image, in step 3 (S43), one of a plurality of spin distribution data is selected, in step 4 (S44), an expected spin is selected using the selected spin distribution data, in step 5 (S45), the spin of the moving ball is identified by applying the expected spin to the information obtained in step 2 (S45), and in step 6 (S46), the identified spin is verified.

Comparing this embodiment with the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18, this embodiment differs in that the number of images and identification information acquired in the first and second steps is increased by one, and a step for verifying the spin is added in the sixth step (S46). That is, what is different in this embodiment from the previous embodiment is that a third image is additionally generated and used for verifying the spin, and this corresponds to steps 1, 2, and 5 (S21, S22, S25) in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13. As a result, this embodiment combines the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13 and the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18, and since each step constituting this embodiment can be sufficiently understood by the description of the corresponding step in the previous embodiments, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment as well, by using the storage information as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the accumulated spin data satisfying specific requirements (user's golf skills or golf ball's motion characteristics) related to the golf ball currently in motion can be selected and the expected spin can be selected using this. Or, in this embodiment as well, by using the storage information as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18, the spin data of a case satisfying specific requirements (user's golf skills or golf ball's motion characteristics) can be extracted, and the accumulated spin data can be generated using the extracted data, and the expected spin can be selected using the generated accumulated spin data.

Various methods for detecting the spin of a ball in abnormal motion have been described, and the spin detection method described above can be applied and used in various devices. Spin detection is necessary in sports devices such as golf, baseball, and soccer, and the need increases especially when users play virtual sports indoors. Below, a virtual golf device is described as an example of a sports device in which a spin detection operation is used.

FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a schematic structure of a virtual golf device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 21 is a drawing showing an example of a method for calculating a trajectory of a golf ball in the virtual golf device of FIG. 20, and FIG. 22 is a drawing showing an example of a screen screen that provides golf play information in the virtual golf device of FIG. 20.

Referring to FIG. 20, a virtual golf device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hitting plate (10), a control unit (20), a detection unit (30), an input unit (40), a sound unit (50), and a display unit (60).

The hitting plate (10) is an area where a user is positioned to hit a golf ball. The hitting plate (10) may be a plate-shaped object, or may simply be a floor surface of a place where a virtual golf device is installed, and may be a portion where a user is positioned, rather than a separate object. Although not shown in the drawing, the hitting plate (10) is equipped with a hitting mat on which a golf ball for hitting is placed, and an auto tee having a structure that can move up and down is installed on the hitting mat. A golf ball for hitting can be automatically provided to the user through the auto tee.

The control unit (20) controls the overall operation between each component of the virtual golf device. For example, the control unit (20) can control the auto tee installed on the hitting mat so that a golf ball for hitting is provided from the auto tee at the time when the user hits, and specifically, immediately after the user hits the golf ball placed on the hitting mat, the control unit (20) can detect that the hit has been made and provide a golf ball for the next hit from the auto tee.

The control unit (20) is equipped with a calculation unit (21), a spin calculation unit (22), and a storage unit (23). The calculation unit (21) performs a calculation process for calculating a trajectory when it is assumed that the golf ball moves on an actual golf course according to the physical state of the golf ball hit by the user. The spin calculation unit (22) calculates the spin of the golf ball hit by the user, and the method described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19 can be used for the spin calculation process. In this way, the spin calculation unit (22) can be configured separately from the calculation unit (21) that calculates the trajectory of the golf ball, but unlike what is shown in the drawing, the calculation unit (21) can also be configured to calculate the spin without the spin calculation unit (22). The storage unit (23) includes a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk, and stores various programs or data necessary for the operations of the control unit (20), the calculation unit (21), the spin calculation unit (22), etc. The user's play records or accumulated spin data used for spin calculation may be stored in the storage unit (23) or may be stored in a storage means owned by the spin calculation unit (22).

The detection unit (30) detects the movement of the golf club or the movement of the golf ball hit by the user, and obtains information necessary for the calculation process. As the detection unit (30), a detection means such as a camera or a detection sensor that can capture the movement of the golf club or the golf ball, etc. can be used. Various sensing methods such as image sensing, light-emitting/light-receiving sensing, and laser sensing can be applied to the detection means, and the status information of the golf club or the golf ball hit by the user can be obtained by these sensing methods. The camera or detection sensor, etc. can be used alone or together, and also only one or multiple units can be used. The information obtained through the detection unit (30) is transmitted to the control unit (20) and used in the calculation process. In addition, in order to calculate the spin of the golf ball hit by the spin calculation unit (22), an image captured by the golf ball hit by the user at a specific point in time is required. When a camera is used as the detection unit (30), the image can be generated by the detection unit (30). In this case, the operation of acquiring information for calculating the trajectory of the detection unit (30) and the operation of acquiring information for calculating spin are performed together. Here, the operation of acquiring information for calculating spin may also include an operation of detecting the motion characteristics of the golf ball, such as the translational motion of the golf ball or the movement path of the golf ball. The operation of detecting the motion characteristics of the golf ball is necessary when determining spin by applying the method according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 16 or FIG. 18. If the detection unit (30) cannot perform the operation of acquiring information for calculating spin, a separate camera may be provided for this purpose.

The input unit (40) is used to receive various types of information from the user, and a keyboard or mouse can be used. For example, the input unit (40) can be used when entering an ID or password for logging in, when selecting a golf course to play or a level of difficulty to play, etc.

The sound unit (50) may include audio devices such as speakers, and serves to guide the user through the game's progress and play various sound effects according to the game's progress.

The display unit (60) includes devices for display operations, such as a projector and a screen. The projector projects a golf-related image onto the screen so that images of a golf course and a golf ball are displayed on the screen, and the screen displays the projected golf-related image to show it to the user. Although not shown in the drawing, the display unit (60) may further include a display device, such as a kiosk, that serves as an auxiliary display in addition to the screen.

In this specification, there may be cases where the term 'virtual' is used for convenience in referring to some objects displayed on the screen. This is used to mean that they do not exist in the real world but are displayed as images on the screen. For example, a 'virtual golf course' means a golf course displayed on the screen, and a 'virtual golf ball' means a golf ball displayed on the screen.

A virtual golf device is a device that is installed in a screen golf course, etc., to enable playing screen golf, and when a user plays screen golf, the virtual golf device operates as follows. When a user hits a golf ball, a detection unit (30) detects the movement of the golf club or the state of the golf ball, such as the moving speed or moving direction of the golf ball hit by the user. The information detected by the detection unit (30) is transmitted to the control unit (20), and the calculation unit (21) of the control unit (20) performs a calculation process based on the transmitted information. The display unit (60) displays an image of a virtual golf ball moving along the trajectory calculated in the calculation process, and at this time, the virtual golf ball moves along the calculated trajectory and lands at a specific point on the virtual golf course on the screen, and the user continues the next hit from the point where the virtual golf ball landed.

When executing a calculation process for calculating the trajectory of a golf ball in the calculation unit (21), various methods can be used in the calculation process, and as one method, a parameter value representing the physical state of the golf ball after the hit can be detected and the trajectory can be calculated from this. Referring to FIG. 21, the parameters can include the speed (V) of the golf ball, the left-right direction angle (φ) representing the direction of the golf ball flying on the horizontal plane after the hit, the launch angle (θ) representing the angle at which the golf ball is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane, and the spin (S) representing the rotational state of the golf ball. If a calculation model using the laws of physics is applied based on parameters such as the speed (V), the direction angle (φ), the launch angle (θ), and the spin (S), the trajectory of the golf ball can be calculated. Among the physical parameters, the spin (S) can be identified by analyzing a plurality of golf ball images captured while the golf ball is flying after being hit by the spin calculating unit (22), and the process of calculating the trajectory of the golf ball can be performed by reflecting the identified spin after the spin is identified. Although not shown in the drawing, it is also possible to detect not only the physical state of the golf ball but also the movement of the golf club when the user hits the golf ball, and further utilize the detected information about the golf club to derive the trajectory of the golf ball.

After a user hits a golf ball, information detected about the physical state of the hit golf ball can be displayed on the screen. Referring to FIG. 22, while the user is playing golf, the screen may display the golf course the user is playing on, and information detected about the physical state of the hit golf ball may be displayed on one edge of the screen. For example, information detected about the speed, spin, launch angle, etc. of the golf ball hit by the user may be displayed on the screen. With respect to the spin, what the user is interested in is side spin and back spin that affect the trajectory of the golf ball, and the side spin and back spin may be displayed separately on the screen. Side spin roughly represents a spin component in the left/right direction with respect to the direction in which the golf ball flies among the spins of the golf ball, and side spin can affect the path along which the golf ball flies. In addition, back spin roughly represents a spin component in the opposite direction to the direction in which the golf ball flies among the spins of the golf ball, and back spin can affect the distance that the golf ball flies.

FIG. 23 is a drawing schematically showing the structure of a virtual golf device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 23, the virtual golf device according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of booths (101, 102, 103). Each of the booths (101, 102, 103) is configured identically. For example, the first booth (101) is equipped with a hitting plate (101a), a kiosk screen, a simulator device (101b) that can function as the aforementioned control unit, a screen (101c), etc., and the other booths (102, 103) also have the same components. Although not shown in the drawing, each of the booths (101, 102, 103) is further equipped with another device, such as a camera for detecting the movement of a golf club/golf ball when hitting. In each of the booths (101, 102, 103), multiple users can play golf in turns. Or, in each booth (101, 102, 103), a user can play solo while being separated from users in other booths. The virtual golf device according to the present embodiment may be equipped with a spin calculation unit in the above-described embodiment, and the spin calculation unit can determine the spin of a golf ball hit by a user using a method described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19, etc.

FIG. 24 is a drawing showing a schematic structure of a virtual golf system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 24, the virtual golf system includes a virtual golf device (100) and a service device (200). As the virtual golf device (100), a virtual golf device such as that illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 23 may be used. The virtual golf device (100) is installed in a screen golf course where screen golf can be played, and in the case where there are multiple screen golf courses, the virtual golf device (100) may be installed in each screen golf course, so that a total of multiple devices may be provided. The virtual golf device (100) may be provided with a spin calculation unit as in the above-described embodiment, and the spin calculation unit may determine the spin of a golf ball hit by a user by using a method described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19, etc.

The virtual golf device (100) is connected to the service device (200) via a wired or wireless communication network, etc. The service device (200) may include a central server used by a service provider operating multiple screen golf courses to manage the virtual golf devices (100) installed in multiple screen golf courses. The service device (200) includes a storage unit (210), and the storage unit (210) stores various information including user information. A user who wishes to use the screen golf service may be requested to first log in to receive the service, and the service device (200) may verify the user's identity when logging in and determine whether to approve the login. The storage unit (210) stores information necessary to verify the user's identity. In addition, the storage unit (210) may store the user's play record information, accumulated spin data used when calculating spin, and/or information for forming accumulated spin data (for example, the storage unit (210) may include a storage device illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18). In this way, by storing various user information, spin information, etc. in the storage unit (210), the virtual golf devices (100) connected to the service device (200) by wire and/or wirelessly can utilize the information stored in the storage unit (210), and each of the virtual golf devices (100) does not need to separately store user information, spin data information, etc.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be implemented in modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered from an illustrative rather than a restrictive perspective. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the present invention.

10: Hitting plate
20: Control Unit
30: Detection Unit
40: Input section
50: Sound Department
60: Display section
100: Virtual Golf Device
200: Service Device

Claims (11)

delete An image acquisition step for acquiring a first image at a first point in time and a second image at a second point in time for a ball having an identification section and moving with a spin;
An identification information acquisition step of acquiring first identification information of the identification part from the first image and acquiring second identification information of the identification part from the second image; and
A spin determination step for determining the spin of the ball in motion by selecting an expected spin using accumulated spin data and applying the expected spin to the first and second identification information;
Including,
The above ball is a golf ball, and when a user hits the golf ball with a golf club, the golf ball moves with spin.
Further comprising a step of detecting a change in state according to the movement of the golf ball between the first and second points in time,
The above accumulated spin data can be formed by selecting spin data that matches the change in the state of the golf ball and then using the selected spin data.
A method for determining the spin of a moving ball, wherein in the spin determination step, the application result of applying the expected spin to the first identification information is compared with the second identification information, and the expected spin is determined as the spin of the moving ball based on the comparison result with the second identification information, or a new expected spin is selected while re-executing the spin determination step. In the second paragraph,
A method for determining the spin of a moving ball, wherein the above accumulated spin data represents a Gaussian distribution, and the above expected spin can be selected in multiple ways by extracting a plurality of random spins that are differently positioned from the Gaussian distribution. In the second paragraph,
A method for determining the spin of a moving ball, wherein the above accumulated spin data represents a Gaussian distribution, and the above expected spin can be selected from a range between -standard deviation and +standard deviation centered on the mean in the initial Gaussian distribution. In the second paragraph,
A method for determining the spin of a moving ball, wherein the new expected spin is selected so that the difference between the expected spin and the new expected spin increases as the result of applying the expected spin to the first identification information and comparing the result with the second identification information increases. An image acquisition step for acquiring a first image at a first point in time and a second image at a second point in time for a ball having an identification section and moving with a spin;
An identification information acquisition step of acquiring first identification information of the identification part from the first image and acquiring second identification information of the identification part from the second image; and
A spin determination step for determining the spin of the ball in motion by selecting an expected spin using accumulated spin data and applying the expected spin to the first and second identification information;
Including,
The above ball is a golf ball, and when a user hits the golf ball with a golf club, the golf ball moves with spin.
Further comprising a step of detecting a change in state according to the movement of the golf ball between the first and second points in time,
The above accumulated spin data can be formed by selecting spin data that matches the change in the state of the golf ball and then using the selected spin data.
Further executing additional steps including the step of obtaining a third image of the ball at a third point in time, the step of obtaining third identification information of the identification part from the third image, and the step of verifying the identified spin using the third identification information,
The spins identified in the above spin identification step are plural.
A method for determining the spin of a moving ball, comprising: comparing the result of applying the plurality of spins to the first identification information or the second identification information with the third identification information; and determining one of the plurality of spins as the spin of the moving ball or selecting a new expected spin based on the result of the comparison with the third identification information; and re-executing the spin determining step and the additional steps. delete A calculation unit that performs a calculation process for calculating the movement of a virtual golf ball corresponding to an actual golf ball when a user hits the actual golf ball; and
A display unit that displays a virtual golf course and a virtual golf ball moving as calculated in the calculation process on the virtual golf course;
Including,
The process of determining the spin of the actual golf ball is carried out according to the method of determining the spin of a moving ball according to any one of claims 2 to 6 after the user hits the actual golf ball.
Virtual golf device. In Article 8,
A virtual golf device in which the results identified in the spin identification process can be reflected in the above calculation process. Service device; and
At least one virtual golf device communicatively connected to the above service device;
Including,
The virtual golf device includes a calculation unit that performs a calculation process for calculating the movement of a virtual golf ball corresponding to an actual golf ball when a user hits the actual golf ball, and a display unit that displays a virtual golf course and the virtual golf ball moving as calculated in the calculation process on the virtual golf course.
In addition, in the virtual golf device, after the user hits the actual golf ball, the process of determining the spin of the actual golf ball is carried out according to the method of determining the spin of the moving ball according to any one of claims 2 to 6.
Virtual golf system. In Article 10,
The above service device includes a storage unit that stores user information,
A virtual golf system in which the above user information can be used to form cumulative spin data in the process of determining spin.