Screen golf system, method of realizing image for screen golf, and computing-device-readable recording medium having the same recorded therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10799758-B2
Application number	US-201716085588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a screen golf system and a method of realizing an image for screen golf that are capable of outputting an image to a floor screen using an image output device that has a resolution different from the resolution of an image output device that outputs an image to a front screen, in a user golf play space, and of realizing the image output to the front screen and the image output to the floor screen as a single image in order to solve a problem whereby it is impossible to output images to the front screen and to the floor screen using a single image output device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A screen golf system for realizing an image simulating a virtual ball on a virtual golf course so that a user plays virtual golf through the image as the user hits a golf ball toward a front screen, comprising:
a first image output device for outputting a first image to a front screen provided in front of a location at which the user hits the golf ball on a shot plate, wherein the first image output device outputs the first image with a first resolution;
a second image output device for outputting a second image to a floor screen provided on a floor between the shot plate and the front screen, wherein the second image output device outputs the second image with a second resolution being lower than the first resolution; and
an image-processing device for generating the image simulating the virtual ball on the virtual golf course and transmitting the image to the first output device and the second output device so that the image is output to the front screen and the floor screen at the same time, wherein the image-processing device is configured:
to generate the image simulating the virtual ball on the virtual golf course based on the first resolution,
to divide the generated image into two parts so that one part corresponds to the first image and the other part corresponds to the second image,
to transmit the divided part corresponding to the first image to the first image output device so as to be output to the front screen as the first image having the first resolution,
to process the divided part corresponding to the second image to change from the first resolution to the second resolution, and
to transmit the processed image having the second resolution to the second image output device so as to be output to the floor screen as the second image having the second resolution, wherein the second image output device outputs the second image so that a horizontal length of the second image is substantially equal to a horizontal length of the first image.

2. The screen golf system according to claim 1 , wherein the image-processing device is configured:
to generate a two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional virtual golf course as the image simulating the virtual ball on the virtual golf course;
to transmit the first image of the three-dimensional virtual golf course to the first image output device so as to be output to the front screen; and
to process a portion of the second image of the three-dimensional virtual golf course that corresponds to a land portion of the three-dimensional virtual golf course as a two-dimensional image and to transmit the processed image to the second image output device such that the land portion, is output to the floor screen.

3. The screen golf system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second image output device is configured to output the second resolution lower than the first resolution output from the first image output device,
the image-processing device is configured to convert the second image so as to have an image size corresponding to the second resolution output from the second image output device, and to transmit the converted second image to the second image output device, and
the second image output device is set and installed to output the second image received from the image-processing device such that a horizontal length of the second image received from the image-processing device is substantially equal to a horizontal length of the first image output from the first image output device.

4. The screen golf system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera device for acquiring an image having an angle of view comprising the front screen and the floor screen, wherein
the image-processing device is configured to analyze the image acquired by the camera device in order to determine whether the image on the front screen and the image on the floor screen are offset from each other and, upon determining that the image on the front screen and the image on the floor screen are offset from each other, to control one of the first image output device and the second image output device in order to shift one of the image on the front screen and the image on the floor screen.

5. A method of realizing an image including a first image and a second image, the image simulating a virtual ball on a virtual golf course for screen golf in which the first image is output to a front screen provided in front of a location at which a user hits a golf ball and the second image is output to a floor screen provided on a floor between a shot plate on which the user hits the golf ball and the front screen, such that the first image on the front screen and the second image on the floor screen are output as a single image, the method comprising:
generating the image simulating the virtual ball on the virtual golf course based on a first resolution;
dividing the generated image into two parts so that one part corresponds to the first image and the other part corresponds to the second image, wherein the first image is to be output through a first image output device configured to output the first image to the front screen, the first image output device outputting the first image with the first resolution and the second image is to be output through a second image output device configured to output the second image to the floor screen, the second image output device outputting the second image with a second resolution which is lower than the first resolution;
transmitting the divided part corresponding to the first image to the first image output device so as to be output to the front screen as the first image having the first resolution;
processing the divided part corresponding to the second image to change from the first resolution to the second resolution; and
transmitting the processed image having the second resolution to the second image output device so as to be output to the floor screen as the second image having the second resolution, wherein the second image output device outputs the second image so that a horizontal length of the second image is substantially equal to a horizontal length of the first image.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein
the step of generating the image comprises generating a two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional virtual golf course as the single image to be output,
the step of transmitting the first image comprises transmitting the first image of the three-dimensional virtual golf course to the first image output device such that the first image output device outputs the first image to the front screen, and
processing a portion of the second image of the three-dimensional virtual golf course that corresponds to a land portion of the three-dimensional virtual golf course as a two-dimensional image and transmitting the processed image to the second image output device such that the second image output device outputs the image of the land portion, connected to the image that is output to the front screen, to the floor screen.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein
the second image output device is configured to output the second resolution lower than the first resolution output from the first image output device,
the second image is converted to have an image size corresponding to the second resolution output from the second image output device, and
the second image output device is set to output the converted second image to the floor screen such that a horizontal length of the converted second image is substantially equal to a horizontal length of the first image output from the first image output device.

Assignees

• Golfzon Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jung Ho
• Yoo Jea Ha

Classifications

• A63B67/02 Primary

  Special golf games, e.g. miniature golf {; Putting tracks therefor} · CPC title

• A63B69/3661

  Mats for golf practice, e.g. mats having a simulated turf, a practice tee or a green area · CPC title

• A63B2071/0636

  3D visualisation · CPC title

• A63B71/04

  for small-room or indoor sporting games · CPC title

• A63B24/00

  Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; {Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances} · CPC title