JPH0769741B2 - Golf cart control system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf cart control system for controlling a golf cart that carries a golf bag or the like and is automatically driven.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, golf carts that travel automatically include (1) those that automatically travel along a predetermined travel route, and (2) that the travel route is not predetermined.
Some automatically track the player. As a golf cart of the type (1), one using a monorail as in JP-B-59-29457 and JP-A-55-19154.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-6418 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-164816, in which magnetic pins and permanent magnets are buried in the ground, Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-28552 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-7944.
No. 7, in which a guide wire is buried in the ground, and running map information is stored in advance as in JP-A-63-236107, JP-A-63-263163 and JP-A-64-80379. There is something to keep. Also, (2)
As a type of golf cart
7, JP-B-51-24170, JP-A-48-235.
26, JP-A-50-44032, and JP-A-50-11.
6294 and JP-A-62-38910, in which a player carries a transmitter and receives a radio wave or a near electromagnetic field transmitted from the transmitter to track the player, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 36403/1992. As described above, there is one that detects and tracks a player using ultrasonic waves.

Specifically, in JP-B-51-6418, a magnetic material pin is driven into the ground along the route, and the magnetic material pin is automatically run while detecting the position of the magnetic material pin. Use to measure the distance to the player,
Tracking the player along the route is shown. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-164816 discloses that a cart is automatically controlled by a polar pattern of permanent magnets provided along a traveling path. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 52-79447 discloses an electric wire which is buried in the ground and is supplied with a low-frequency current to detect a radio wave (magnetic field) generated from the electric wire and automatically travels along the buried ground wire. Has been done. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication Sho 5
No. 4-28552 receives a signal from a transmitter carried by the player, tracks the player, detects a magnetic field generated from a guide wire buried in the ground, and automatically runs along the guide wire. What to do is shown. JP-A-6
No. 3-236107 discloses a vehicle in which travel map information is stored in a memory in advance and a cart sensor and a wheel rotation sensor are used to measure a cart position to automatically travel on the travel map. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-263163 discloses that the direction of radio waves transmitted from a fixed position is detected, the cart position is measured by a triangulation method, and information is traveled on a travel map. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-80379, a prescribed traveling route of a golf course is stored in advance, the vehicle automatically travels while detecting a course and a traveling distance, and ball position information and traveling route information of each player in each hole are also stored. In the figure, ones that sequentially run in the vicinity of each golf ball position of each player are shown. In addition, Japanese Patent Publication Sho 51-1
No. 3637, Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-24170, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-
No. 23526, JP-A-50-44032, JP-A-50
No. 116,294 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-38910 disclose a device which automatically detects the direction of a transmitter carried by a player by receiving signals from two antennas and automatically tracks the player. Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 36403/1992 discloses an ultrasonic sonar method for detecting the direction of the player and automatically tracking the direction.

[0004]

However, in the method of burying the above-mentioned guide wire or magnet or the monorail method,
It is necessary to bury the guide wires and magnets over long distances or to install auxiliary equipment such as rails. Moreover, in this case, the cart will run outside the fairway, and the caddy or player must reach the cart position in order to replace the golf club.
As a result, play is interrupted, and the caddy's original work (such as bunker training, distance advice, club polishing, etc.) cannot be performed. In the method of storing the travel map information in the memory in advance, the preparatory work for creating the information to be written (measurement of each hole, work for positioning the traveling path at XY coordinates of the entire golf course, and coordinate data of each point) It is necessary to perform the work for making a table), and the work is complicated, and it is not easy to change the traveling path. On the other hand, in the case where the player is automatically tracked, the distance between the player and the cart is shorter than other methods, which is more convenient for the player, but even if the player climbs up and down a steep slope, the cart is not played by the player. Even if the player enters the bunker, the player may follow the lane, which may cause the cart to malfunction or fall due to overload. Moreover, there is a risk that the turf will be damaged if the kart enters the green by following the player. As a result, the caddy may have to steer the cart.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for burying guide wires and magnets over a long distance, to eliminate the complexity of creating and writing route information in the map system, and to have the advantage of the player tracking system. To provide a control system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf cart control system that allows a caddy to perform its original job or to be completely caddyless.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf cart control system in which a wheel rotation amount detecting means, a course direction detecting means, a wheel rotation amount and a course in a minute section are detected. In the learning mode, when the golf cart is manually operated in the learning mode, the navigation means including the position calculation means for obtaining the position data on the plane based on the starting point by the cumulative calculation of the bearing, Driving route information storage means for creating and storing traveling route information for each hole from the position data of the golf cart obtained by the navigation means, and deviation of the position of the golf cart itself with respect to the traveling route in the automatic traveling mode. Is corrected and the automatic traveling control means for automatically traveling along the traveling route and the transmitter transmitted by the player are transmitted. A player tracking control unit that receives a radio wave and moves to a position close to the player on the traveling route according to the intensity of the radio wave, and automatically stops traveling when the golf cart reaches the end of the traveling route. , Warning notification means for issuing a warning.

A golf cart control system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the golf cart control system according to the first aspect, wherein obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction and a steep slope state and / or a rough road state are provided. The dangerous state detection means to detect and when an obstacle is detected or a dangerous state is detected,
It is characterized in that a forced stop control means for forcibly stopping traveling is provided.

A golf cart control system according to a third aspect is the golf cart control system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the player tracking control means is a radio wave transmitted from each transmitter carried by a plurality of players. Means for detecting the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from each transmitter by detecting the position near the maximum of the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from any one of the transmitters to detect the position on the travel route. It is characterized in that it is constituted by a golf cart waiting means which waits at.

A golf cart control system according to a fourth aspect is the golf cart control system according to the first to third aspects, in which a beacon station that issues a beacon signal for hole number identification is provided at a predetermined position of each hole in the golf course. Along with providing the golf cart, beacon signal receiving means for receiving the beacon signal, hole number identifying means for identifying hole number by extracting hole number information from the received beacon signal, and when receiving the beacon signal ,
A driving route start position automatic setting means for automatically setting that position as the starting position of the driving route is provided.

A golf cart control system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the golf cart control system according to the first to fourth aspects, in which radio waves transmitted from the golf cart are received and positioning data for the golf cart is obtained. A plurality of positioning stations including a desired positioning data extraction unit and a positioning data wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the extracted positioning data, and positioning data is received from each of the positioning stations and Positioning calculation means for obtaining the position of the golf cart from the data, and a master station having a position data transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the obtained position data of the golf cart to the golf cart are respectively installed in the golf course, and the positioning station is used as the positioning station. In front of the radio wave transmission means for transmitting radio waves and the current position correction means for correcting the current position data based on the position data received from the master station. Characterized in that provided in the golf cart.

A golf cart control system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a player side terminal station carried by a player, golf cart position data transmitted from a master station, and position data receiving means for receiving player position data. A terminal station, a means for storing traveling route information, an automatic traveling control means for correcting the deviation of the golf cart position with respect to the traveling route and automatically traveling along the traveling route, and a relative position of the player position with respect to the golf cart position. Due to the relationship, a golf cart control device provided on the golf cart side with player tracking control means that moves to a position close to the player on the traveling route, and a radio wave transmitted from the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station Positioning data extraction that receives and obtains positioning data for each terminal station A plurality of positioning stations having a positioning data wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the extracted positioning data, and positioning data from each of the terminal stations, and the player side terminal station from each of the positioning data. And a master station having a positioning calculation means for obtaining the position of the golf cart side terminal station and a position data transmission means for transmitting the golf cart position data and the player position data to the golf cart side terminal station.

A golf cart control system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is a player side terminal station carried by a player, and a golf cart side terminal station provided with operation control data receiving means for receiving operation control data transmitted from a master station. A golf cart having a traveling control means for controlling the traveling of the golf cart in accordance with the operation control data, and a radio wave transmitted from the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station for positioning the position of each terminal station. Positioning data extracting means for obtaining data, a plurality of positioning stations equipped with positioning data wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the extracted positioning data, and positioning data received from each of the terminal stations. Positioning calculation means for obtaining the positions of the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station from the positioning data, a means for storing traveling route information, The deviation of the golf cart position with respect to the route is corrected and the golf cart is automatically run along the running route, and the golf cart is moved to a position on the running route and close to the player based on the relative positional relationship of the player position with respect to the golf cart position. The master station comprises a golf cart operation control data generation means for generating golf cart operation control data and a golf cart operation control data wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the golf cart operation control data to the golf cart.

The golf cart control system according to claim 8 is the golf cart control system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the positioning station receives radio waves transmitted from the player side terminal station or the golf cart side terminal station. Activates when the strength exceeds a certain value.

A golf cart control system according to a ninth aspect is the golf cart control system according to the first to eighth aspects, in which the magnetic force line generator is embedded in the ground along the guide route and the magnetic force line is detected. And automatic guide traveling control means for controlling traveling along the guide route, and in the automatic traveling mode, when the golf cart reaches the guide route, the automatic guide traveling control means is activated to switch to the guide traveling mode. The driving mode automatic switching means is provided on the golf cart.

[0016]

In the golf cart control system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the navigation means detects the rotation amount of the wheel and the heading direction, respectively, and based on the cumulative calculation of the rotation amount of the wheel and the heading direction in a minute section, the start point is set as a reference. The position data on the plane is calculated. The travel route storage means creates and stores a travel route for each hole from position data of the golf cart obtained at a constant time or at a constant distance when the golf cart is manually operated in the learning mode. The automatic traveling control means corrects the displacement of the golf cart itself with respect to the traveling route in the automatic traveling mode to perform automatic traveling along the traveling route. On the other hand, the player tracking control means receives a radio wave transmitted from a transmitter carried by the player, and moves to a position on the travel route and close to the player according to the intensity of the radio wave. Then, the warning notification means, when the golf cart reaches the end of the traveling route,
Stops driving and issues a warning.

With the above operation, by setting the learning mode and manually manipulating the golf cart, the traveling route for each hole can be automatically stored (learned). It becomes possible to drive. Moreover, the player is automatically tracked by moving to a position close to the player on the traveling route, and a special remote controller operation of the transmitter is unnecessary. Furthermore, when the golf cart reaches the end of the traveling route, a warning is given to that effect, so that it is possible to immediately switch to the manual mode and perform manual control.

In the golf cart control system according to the second aspect, the obstacle detection means detects an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction, the dangerous state detection means detects a steep slope state and / or a rough road state, and forced stop control is performed. The means forcibly stops the running of the cart when an obstacle is detected or when a dangerous state is detected. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cart from breaking down or falling due to overload.

In the golf cart control system according to the third aspect, the radio waves transmitted from the respective transmitters carried by a plurality of players are received, the respective reception intensities are detected, and the signals are transmitted from any one of the transmitters. It detects that the received signal strength of the radio wave has reached the maximum and stands by at the position on the driving route. In this way, when tracking a plurality of players, each carrying a transmitter, when automatically traveling along the maximum of each received signal, that is, along the traveling route, it automatically stops at the position closest to the rearmost player. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the golf cart from leading.

In the golf cart control system according to the fourth aspect, the beacon station emits a beacon signal for identifying the hole number at a predetermined position of each hole in the golf course. The beacon signal receiving means provided in the golf cart receives the beacon signal, and the hole number identifying means identifies the hole number by extracting the hole number information from the received beacon signal. Further, when the beacon signal is received, the travel route start position automatic setting means automatically sets the position as the start position of the travel route. As a result, when the golf cart approaches the beacon station, the next hole number is automatically set and the start position of the new running route in that hole is automatically set, eliminating the need to enter the hole number and set the start position. Becomes

In the golf cart control system according to the fifth aspect, the positioning station and the master station are installed in the golf course, and the positioning station receives the radio waves transmitted from the golf cart to obtain the positioning data of the golf cart. , Wirelessly transmit it to the master station. The master station obtains the position of the golf cart based on the positioning data received from the positioning station, and wirelessly transmits the position data to the golf cart. The electric wave transmitting means on the golf cart side transmits electric waves to the positioning station, and the current position correcting means corrects the current golf cart position data based on the position data received from the master station. As a result, the accumulated error of the golf cart position is corrected.

In the golf cart control system according to the sixth aspect, the player carries the player side terminal station, and the position data receiving means of the golf cart side terminal station receives the golf cart position data and the player position data transmitted from the master station. To receive. The automatic running control means of the golf cart control device corrects the deviation of the golf cart position from the running route and automatically runs along the running route. The player tracking control means moves the cart to a position on the traveling route and close to the player based on the relative positional relationship between the player position and the golf cart position. The position measurement data extraction means of the position measurement station receives the radio waves transmitted from the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station to obtain the position measurement data of each terminal station, and the position measurement data wireless transmission means extracts the data. The determined positioning data is wirelessly transmitted. The positioning calculation means of the master station receives the positioning data from each terminal station, obtains the positions of the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station from each positioning data, and the position data transmission means uses the golf cart position data and the player. The position data is transmitted to the golf cart side terminal station.

With the above operation, the golf cart automatically tracks the player along a predetermined traveling route.

In the golf cart control system according to the seventh aspect, the player carries the player side terminal station, and the operation control data receiving means of the golf cart side terminal station receives the operation control data transmitted from the master station. The driving control means of the golf cart controls the driving of the golf cart according to the control data. The position measurement data extraction means of the position measurement station receives the radio waves transmitted from the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station to obtain the position measurement data of each terminal station, and the position measurement data wireless transmission means extracts the data. The determined positioning data is wirelessly transmitted. The positioning calculation means of the master station receives the positioning data from each terminal station, obtains the positions of the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station from each positioning data, and the golf cart operation control data generation means determines the golf cart operation control data generation means. From the relative positional relationship of the player position to the position, steering control data for moving the cart to a position on the traveling route and close to the player is generated, and the golf cart steering control data wireless transmission means transmits the golf cart steering control data to the golf cart side terminal. Send to the station.

With the above operation, the golf cart automatically tracks the player along a predetermined traveling route.

In the golf cart control system according to claim 8, in the golf cart control system according to claims 5 to 7, the positioning station receives radio waves transmitted from the player side terminal station or the golf cart side terminal station. When the intensity exceeds a certain value and is saturated, the operation is performed to detect that the golf cart or the player approaches the positioning station. This determines the position of the golf cart or player.

In the golf cart control system according to the ninth aspect, the automatic guide travel control means detects the magnetic force lines of the magnetic field line generator buried in the ground, controls the travel along the guide route, and automatically switches the travel mode. When the golf cart reaches the guide route in the automatic driving mode,
It automatically switches to the guided driving mode. As a result, the automatic traveling along the traveling route is automatically and smoothly switched to the guiding traveling mode along the guiding route. For example, at a place where two carts cross each other such as a narrow road, a stepped place or a bridge over a pond, if a magnetic field generator is embedded in the ground beforehand, it will be possible to automatically guide and run at that place. .

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an example of running a golf cart in the golf cart control system of the present invention. In FIG. 1, T2, T3 and T4 are tee ground, F2 and F, respectively.
3 and F4 are fairways respectively, and G2, G3 and G4 are green respectively.

In the figure, B is a bunker, WD is a forest, and WH
Is a pond and BG is a bridge. Furthermore, the other areas are rough. In the figure, the second to fourth holes are shown, and the golf cart runs along the route indicated by R in the figure. On this route R, the point (S2) near the tee ground T2 of the second hole is the start position of the automatic route in the second hole, (E
2) is the end position of the traveling route in the second hall during automatic traveling. (S3) is the start position of the travel route in the third hole, E3 is its end position, and (S4) is the start position of the travel route in the fourth hole. When starting play in the second hole, the golf cart is driven to the position (S2) by, for example, manual operation, the hole number is set to "2" and the start switch is operated as described later, and the golf cart is operated. Automatically travels from (S2) to (E2) along the route shown in the figure. This route is learned in advance along the route along which the player moves. At that time, in order to prevent the golf cart from entering the bunker or traveling on the green, learn the route to avoid these in advance. As a result, the golf cart will not be incapable of self-driving and will not damage the green grass. Note that the golf cart can carry, for example, golf bags for two players, and the transmitters carried by the two players are automatically tracked along the travel route. The player who follows is tracked so as not to interfere with the play of the preceding player.

In FIG. 1, from (E2) to (S3).
A guidance route is provided up to the vicinity, and if the golf cart automatically travels to (E2), then it automatically switches to the guidance mode and travels on the bridge BG by the guidance travel.
The broken line indicated by R'is a cart road. As will be described later, by arranging permanent magnets at predetermined intervals to form a guide route, the guide route travels along the route. When the golf cart has guided to the point of (S3), the driving is automatically stopped, the mode is switched to the manual mode, and a warning that the manual control is required is issued. However, in this example (S3)
Is the start position of the traveling route during automatic traveling in the third hall, and the automatic traveling is started again by operating the start switch in the automatic mode.
When the golf cart reaches the end position (E3) of the traveling route in the third hole, the golf cart automatically stops and warns that manual operation is required. This is (E3) and the fourth
This is because there is a step portion that cannot automatically travel with the tee ground T4 in the hall.

After the player or caddy runs to the vicinity of the tee ground T4 in the fourth hole by manual operation, if the hole number "4" is set and the mode is switched to the automatic mode and the start switch is operated, the fourth switch continues.
Automatic driving of the driving route in the hall is started.

By allowing the golf cart to run automatically as described above, the convenience of the player and the caddy is increased, and by learning in advance a route that does not damage grass or the like, automatic running along that route is possible. In addition, it is possible to manually steer narrow roads where there is no automatic driving, steps or points where crossing is required, and guided traveling is also possible if necessary. When the vehicle automatically travels along the learned traveling route, the actual traveling route may deviate due to an error of various sensors described later, but this is rather convenient because it does not damage the grass on the fairway. (If the vehicle automatically travels on the completely same route every time, a rut occurs.) Next, a method of tracking a player along the traveling route will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, R is a learned travel route, and the golf cart automatically travels along this travel route R.
In the figure, C is the position of the golf cart, and C (t) is time t.
, C (t + 1) indicates the position at time t + 1. This golf cart carries golf bags for two players. In the figure, P1 is the position of the first player, P2 is the position of the second player, and P1 (t),
P2 (t) is the position of the two players at time t, P
1 (t + 1) and P2 (t + 1) indicate the positions of the two players at time t + 1. The golf cart receives the radio waves of the transmitters carried by the two players, and tracks the two players along the traveling route R as long as the reception intensity tends to increase. When the reception strength from the player has turned to a decreasing tendency, the golf cart suspends its automatic running. For example, at time t, the first player is P1 (t) and the second player is P2.
When the golf cart exists at the position (t), the golf cart is C (t).
When attempting to travel further in the direction of the arrow in the figure from the position indicated by, the distance with the second player tends to be further shortened, so that the reception intensity from the transmitter of the second player still increases, but The reception strength from the player's transmitter will start to decrease. Therefore, at time t, the golf cart stops at the position C (t). After that, when the first player moves from the position P1 (t) in the arrow direction, the golf cart starts tracking along the traveling route R in the arrow direction along with the movement. When the first player moves to P1 (t + 1) and the second player moves to P2 (t + 1) in the next stroke, the golf cart C
It exists at the position of (t + 1). In this way, the golf cart tracks the player closest to the rear of the two players so that the golf cart automatically travels along the traveling route. This enhances the convenience of the golf cart for two players and the caddy without interfering with the preceding player.

Next, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the golf cart. In FIG. 3, the CPU 10 executes a program written in advance in the memory 11 to control each part of the control unit and realize various functions described later. The memory 11 includes a ROM in which a program to be executed by the CPU 10 is written in advance and a RAM used as a working area when the program is executed. The IC card 13 is a storage medium that stores information relating to the traveling route during automatic traveling, and the CPU 10 writes and reads the traveling route information via the buffer 12. In addition, when creating the traveling route information in the learning mode, data is written in the IC card 13, but it is not necessary to individually learn a plurality of golf carts, and one of the golf carts is used. After learning, the created data of the IC card 13 may be copied to another IC card, and the copied IC card may be mounted on another golf cart. The sonar 15 detects the distance or the presence or absence of an obstacle in front of the running of the golf cart based on the time difference from the transmission / reception of the ultrasonic pulse to the return of the reflected wave or the presence / absence of the reflected wave. . The CPU 10 reads the detection signal via the interface 14. The flux gate 17 has, for example, a magnetic sensor formed by winding an exciting coil around a high-permeability saturated annular core and further winding a detecting coil outside the core in three axial directions, and detecting signals in the three axial directions. It incorporates a circuit that generates digital data that represents the direction from
It acts as a heading sensor based on geomagnetism. CPU1
0 reads the azimuth data via the interface 16. The alarm light 19 is a so-called patrol light, and emits light when manual driving is required, such as when the golf cart finishes automatic driving.

The CPU 10 drives the alarm light 19 via the interface 18 at the required time. Receiver circuit 2
Reference numeral 1 receives a radio wave from a transmitter carried by the player, detects the strength of the received signal, and extracts an identification code or the like contained in the received signal. 22 is the receiving antenna. The CPU 10 reads the received code and received signal strength via the interface 20. The key switch 24 is composed of various switches such as a mode switch and a start switch, and the CPU 10 is an interface 23.
Read the operation status of the switch via. Display panel 2
Reference numeral 6 denotes a display unit for displaying the status of the golf cart and various guidance displays, and the CPU 10 has an interface 25.
The predetermined content is displayed via. Reference numerals 28 and 29 are a front wheel rotary encoder and a rear wheel rotary encoder, respectively. The front wheel rotary encoder 28 detects the rotation amount of the front wheel of the golf cart, and the rear wheel rotary encoder 29 detects the rotation amount of the rear wheel of the golf cart. Interface 2
7 is a CPU 1 each time a detection pulse of the front wheel rotary encoder 28 and the rear wheel rotary encoder 29 is generated.
Interrupt 0. As a result, interrupt processing is performed each time the front wheels and the rear wheels rotate by a predetermined amount, and the cart position is calculated by cumulative calculation described later. The traveling motor 31 is a motor that drives the rear wheels of the golf cart,
The CPU 10 controls the control circuit 30 to drive the traveling motor 31.
To control. The steering motor 33 is a motor that controls the steering of the front wheels of the golf cart, and the CPU 10 controls the control circuit 3.
Steering control is performed via 2. The magnetic detection sensor 35 detects the permanent magnets embedded along the guide route, and is composed of magnetic detection coils provided on the left and right sides of the golf cart, for example. CPU 10 is an interface 34
Read the polarity and intensity of the detected signal via.

Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the receiving circuit 21 shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the receiving circuit 2
1 is a high frequency amplifier circuit 211, a mixing circuit 213, a local oscillation circuit 212, an intermediate frequency amplifier circuit 214, a demodulation circuit 21.
5, a waveform shaping circuit 216 and an AD converter 217. Here, the waveform shaping circuit 216 converts the demodulated signal into a binary signal of logical level. The AD converter 217 also converts a signal representing the received signal strength into digital data. The output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 216 is read as serial data, and the CPU determines from which oscillator the received signal is transmitted. At the same time, the received signal strength is read, and the change in the relative distance from the transmitter carried by the player is detected from the change.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transmitter carried by the player. In FIG. 5, the control circuit 1
Is composed of a circuit that generates a predetermined transmitter-specific identification code and a circuit that activates transmission at fixed time intervals or at random time intervals.

The transmission signal generating circuit 2, when activated by the control circuit 1, generates a transmission signal including a preamble and an identification code. The modulation circuit 3 modulates the transmission signal. The transmission circuit 4 amplifies this and transmits it from the antenna 5. The transmitters carried by the respective players have the same frequency, but the identification codes are different, which allows the cart side to identify which transmitter transmitted the signal.

Next, the processing procedure of the CPU of the golf cart will be shown as flow charts in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 6, first, there are a manual mode, an automatic mode, a guidance mode and a learning mode as a mode for reading the operation state of the key switch. If the key operation for selecting these is performed, the corresponding mode is selected. Move to processing.

If the manual mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the operation state of the key switch is read, and if the start switch is operated, a running command is output to start the running of the golf cart. If the stop switch is operated, a stop command is output to stop the golf cart.

When the learning mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 8, first, guidance is displayed to the effect that the driver should stop at the starting point of the traveling route and that the hall number should be entered, and the key operation is performed. Read the hall number. Then, in order to start learning, a guidance display indicating that the start switch should be operated is displayed and the key is read.

If the start switch is operated, a running command is output, and if the stop switch is operated, a stop command is output. The steering of the golf cart is performed by a manual steering operation. As described below,
As the golf cart runs, the current position of the golf cart is sequentially updated by cumulative calculation of the course direction of the golf cart and the amount of rotation of the wheels, and the running locus is stored. If the learning mode key is operated again at the end position of each route, the traveling route data is created from the already accumulated traveling loci of the golf cart (set of cart position data). Specifically, the data string of the coordinate data representing the position of the golf cart stored for each predetermined rotation amount of the front wheel or the rear wheel of the golf cart is used as the traveling route data as it is, or the data is interpolated or thinned as necessary. go,
Normalize to a predetermined amount of data. Alternatively, the data string of vector data based on the previous position is used as it is as the traveling route data without being converted into the coordinate data of the plane.

If the automatic mode is selected, first, as shown in FIG. 9, the traveling route data is read from the IC card. At that time, if there is no route data, a guidance display indicating that the route data has not been learned is displayed, and The manual mode shown in FIG. 7. If the route data has already been written, it is next determined whether or not the hole number has already been designated. If the hole number indicating the hole to be automatically driven is not set yet, a guidance display indicating that the hole number should be keyed is displayed and the hole number is read from the key. Then, the route data of the hole corresponding to the input hole number is read from the IC card, and guidance display that the start switch should be operated at the start position of the hole (usually near the ground of the hole) is displayed. Then read the operation of the start switch. As will be described later, when the golf cart reaches the vicinity of the start position of the hole to be automatically driven next, the hole number of the hole can be automatically set, and if the hole number has already been set, The route data of the corresponding hole is read out, the guidance display indicating that the start switch should be operated is displayed, the guidance display indicating that the start switch should be operated is displayed, and the operation of the start switch is waited. If the start switch is operated, a running command is output, and then the process shown in FIG. 10 is performed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the presence or absence of the guiding signal is subsequently detected. This guidance signal is the detection signal of the magnetic detection sensor that detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet buried in the ground, and when the golf cart approaches the guidance route, it detects this guidance signal and automatically Move to induction mode. Also, if it detects that the golf cart has reached the end of the running route, it will drive an alarm light to notify that effect, output a stop command to stop the golf cart, and then automatically switch to manual mode. Switch to.
If the guidance signal is not detected and the end of the route is not reached, from the current cart position and traveling route data,
The positional deviation XTE (cross track error) of the golf cart with respect to the traveling route is calculated, and further the course data to be a target for automatically traveling along the traveling route is calculated. Subsequently, the steering amount (the steering rotation direction and the rotation amount) is calculated from the difference between the current golf course (forward direction) and the target course and the cross track error.
Then, this is output as steering data.

When the guidance mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 11, first, the signals of the magnetic detection sensors provided on the left and right are read and output as guidance steering data based on the magnitude and polarity of the signals.

If it is detected from the signals of the left and right magnetic detection sensors that the end of the guiding route has been reached, the mode automatically shifts to the manual mode.

Now, when the detection pulse is generated from the front wheel rotary encoder, the interrupt processing shown in FIG. 12 is executed. That is, the front wheel counter that counts the rotation amount of the front wheels is incremented. The front wheel counter is used to detect slip of the rear wheel, which is a driving wheel, as described later.

When a detection pulse is generated from the rear wheel rotary encoder, the interrupt process shown in FIG. 13 is executed. First, the value of the front wheel counter is substituted for C, and the value is compared with the previous value C0 of the front wheel counter. When the golf cart runs normally without slipping, the cycle of detection pulses generated by the front wheel rotary encoder is designed to be shorter than the cycle of detection pulses generated by the rear wheel rotary encoder. Therefore, in a normal state, when an interrupt is generated by the rear wheel rotary encoder, the value of the front wheel counter changes from the previous front wheel counter C0. C ≠
If it is C0, C0 is updated to the value of C. Then, the course data is read from the flux gate and the position of the golf cart is updated. Specifically, since the traveling distance of the golf cart is constant each time a detection pulse is generated from the front wheel rotary encoder, the position of the golf cart is updated by vector summing the vectors with a constant scalar amount in the course direction. Then, in the learning mode, the updated cart position data is stored. If there is no change as a result of the comparison between the current front wheel counter value C and the previous front wheel counter value C0, the rear wheels, which are the driving wheels, are slipping, and in that case, a stop command is issued. Output and drive the alarm light to notify the rear wheel slip condition,
Switch to manual mode automatically.

When the receiving circuit 21 shown in FIG. 3 receives a signal from the transmitter carried by the player, the interrupt processing shown in FIG. 14 is executed. First, the data string extracted from the received signal is read to determine whether the identification code is the identification code of the first transmitter or the identification code of the second transmitter, and the data of the received signal strength is read. To remember. The received signal strength data is used for tracking the player in the automatic mode or the guidance mode described later. When the received signal is a beacon signal,
That is, when the radio wave from the beacon station is received, the hole number data included in the beacon signal is read and stored. Beacon stations are usually provided near the tee ground of each hole, and when the golf cart approaches this beacon station, it receives the beacon signal and automatically sets the hole number of the hole to be automatically run from now on. Become.

When the sonar 15 shown in FIG. 3 detects an obstacle such as a player in front of the golf cart, the interruption process shown in FIG. 15 is executed. First, the stop command is output to stop the golf cart, and the output signal of the sonar 15 is read to wait until the obstacle is removed and the vehicle is ready to run. When the vehicle is in the travel-enabled state, a travel command is output to restart the travel in the automatic mode or the guidance mode in the automatic mode or the guidance mode.

The running control of the golf cart is performed by the processing shown in FIG. First, when the traveling command is issued, the traveling motor is driven, and when the stop command is issued, the traveling motor is stopped. When steering data is given, the steering motor is controlled according to the steering data.

The tracking control of the player is performed by the processing shown in FIG. First, it is determined whether two players are in front of or behind the cart by a procedure described later (n1
0). As a result, if the first player is in front, the flag F
1 = 0, flag F1 = 1 if the first player is behind,
If the second player is ahead, the flag F2 = 0, and if the second player is behind, the flag F2 = 1. F1, F2
If = 0, a travel command is output (n11 → n12
→ n13), and then waits for the received signal strength L1 of the first oscillator or the received signal strength L2 of the second oscillator to decrease (n14 → n15 → n14). If L1 drops, it is considered that the cart has overtaken the first player carrying the first oscillator, and a stop command is output (n1
6). Then, it waits until L1 changes while the cart is stopped (n17). If L1 changes, the process returns to step n10 to determine again whether the two players are in front of or behind the cart, and performs processing according to the result. If the decrease in L1 is detected in step n15, it is considered that the cart has overtaken the second player carrying the second oscillator, and a stop command is output (n1).
8). Then, it waits for L2 to change while the cart is stopped (n19). If L2 changes, the process returns to step n10 to determine again whether the two players are in front of or behind the cart, and performs processing according to the result.

If F1 = 1, that is, if the first player is considered to be behind the cart, a stop command is output (n20). Then, while the cart is stopped, the first player approaches from behind and waits for L1 to rise (n21). If L1 rises, then
The first player advances to the front of the cart and waits for L1 to decrease (n22). If it is assumed that the first player has come out of the front of the cart, then the process returns to step n10,
It is again determined whether the two players are in front of or behind the cart, and processing is performed according to the result. If it is determined in step n10 that F2 = 1, that is, the second
When it is determined that the player is behind the cart, a stop command is output (n23). Then, while the cart is stopped, the second player approaches from behind and waits for L2 to rise (n24). If L2 rises, then the second player advances to the front of the cart and waits for L2 to fall (n25). If it is considered that the second player has come out in front of the cart, then the process returns to step n10 to determine again whether the two players are in front of or behind the cart, and the processing according to the result is performed.

Through the above-described processing, the golf cart performs automatic traveling along the traveling route or guided traveling along the guiding route, and as shown in FIG. Tracking is performed while maintaining the closest positional relationship.

Next, the procedure for determining whether two players are in front of or behind the cart will be described with reference to the state examples shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 and the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 18 and 19, a long straight line indicates the running route of the cart, a square mark indicates the cart position, a circle mark indicates the player position, an arrow indicates the moving direction, and the length of the arrow indicates the moving speed. As shown in FIG. 18, if the strength of the received signal of the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter carried by the player does not change while the cart is stopped, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), it is not known whether the player is in front or behind the stopped cart. Therefore, if the cart starts to move forward, and as a result, the received signal strength decreases, it is considered that the player is behind,
If the received signal strength increases, the player is considered to be ahead. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, when the received signal strength rises in the state where the cart is moving forward, the distance between the cart and the player is relatively approaching, but as shown in (A). It is not known whether the cart is catching up with the player as described above or whether the player is catching up with the cart as shown in (D). Therefore, if the cart is stopped once and the received signal strength suddenly rises as a result, it is regarded as the state shown in (D), and if not, it is regarded as the state shown in (A). . Further, if the received signal strength decreases in the state where the cart is moving forward, the distance between the cart and the player is relatively increasing. However, as shown in (B), the player is escaping from the cart. It is not known whether the cart is running away from the player, as shown in (C). Therefore,
If the cart is temporarily stopped and the received signal strength drops sharply as a result, the state shown in (B) is assumed, and if not, the state shown in (C) is assumed. Note that FIG. 19 shows an example in which the player moves in parallel with the running route of the cart, but the same applies when the player does not move in parallel with the running route, which does not affect the forward / backward direction determination of the player. .

FIG. 20 shows a procedure for making the above-mentioned judgment. First, a traveling command is output and the received signal strength L1 of the first oscillator decreases, or the received signal strength L2 of the second oscillator decreases.
It is determined whether 2 is decreased (n31, n33). If L1 drops, flag FF is set, and if L2 drops, reset (n32, n34). After that, output a stop command to stop the cart once, and when FF = 1, L
It is determined whether 1 rapidly drops or L2 rapidly drops when FF = 0 (n36, n37, n38). If L1 drops sharply, the state shown in FIG.
Assuming that the player is in front of the cart, reset the flag F1 (n39), and if L1 does not drop sharply, the state shown in FIG. 19C, that is, the first player is behind the cart. Then, the flag F1 is set (n40). Also, if L2 drops sharply,
In the state shown in FIG. 19B, that is, assuming that the second player is in front of the cart, the flag F2 is reset (n41), and if L2 does not drop sharply, FIG.
In the state shown in (C), that is, assuming that the second player is behind the cart, the flag F1 is set (n42). Further, if the running command is output and neither L1 nor L2 is lowered, then a stop command is output, the cart is once stopped, and it is determined whether or not L1 suddenly rises (n43 → n44). If L1 rises sharply, the state shown in FIG. 19D, that is, assuming that the first player is behind the cart, sets flag F1 (n45), and if L1 does not rise sharply, FIG.
In the state shown in (A), that is, assuming that the first player is in front of the cart, the flag F1 is reset (n46).

Similarly, if L2 suddenly rises, as shown in FIG.
9 (D), that is, assuming that the second player is behind the cart, set the flag F2 (n48), and if L2 does not rise sharply, the state shown in FIG. 19 (A), That is, assuming that the second player is in front of the cart, the flag F2 is reset (n4
9).

By the processing of the CPU described above, the golf cart automatically travels along the running route in each hole as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and automatically runs on the guiding route. At the time when manual operation should be performed, the fact is notified. As a result, it is possible to travel on a step or a rough road by manual operation. In addition, even on a narrow road, it is possible to make a mistake with other golf carts by guiding.
Further, at the point where the beacon station is provided, it is not necessary to set the hall number.

Next, a second embodiment in which the absolute position of the golf cart is given by another method without using the beacon station or in combination with the beacon station will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 30.

First, FIGS. 21 and 22 show the overall structure of the golf cart management system.

FIG. 21 shows a system mainly provided in the club house, and FIG. 22 shows a system provided on the course side. A unit shown as a PC in FIG. 21 is a personal computer, and is connected to the LAN via the network 24.
Configure (local area network). The personal computer 1 is used as a file server that manages various data necessary for the golf cart management system by using the external storage device 2 including a hard disk. Also P
RT is a printer. The personal computer 3 and the printer 4 connected to the personal computer 3 are provided in the office and perform reservation work, member management, salary management, financial management, office work, and the like. The personal computer 5 and the printer 6 connected to the personal computer 5 are provided in a caddy room and are used for caddy work. The personal computer 7 and the printer 8 connected to the personal computer 7 are provided at the front desk to perform front office work. A POS terminal 10 is connected to the personal computer 9. These are set up in the pro shop and are used for sales operations.

In the master room shown in FIG. 21, reference numeral 12 is an audio matrix switcher for switching input / output connections between multiple inputs and multiple outputs of audio signals. The personal computer 11 controls the matrix switcher 12 and a master unit described later, and acts as a transponder. A speaker 25 for audio output to the master room is provided in the housing of the matrix switcher 12, and a microphone 26 for audio input from the master room is connected. The telephone 13 is connected to the voice matrix switcher 12 and is used for making an outside line call between the master room and the public line, or for making an outside line call between the master terminal and the player side terminal to be described later via the master. This phone is a personal computer 1
Controlled by 1, the mixed voice is sent to the other party of the outside line call as described later. A graphic monitor 16 is connected to the other personal computer 15 in the master room. C of the personal computer 15
The RT is mainly used as a text monitor and displays various management information described later. The entire view of 18 holes is displayed on the graphic monitor 16, and the progress of the game on the entire golf course is displayed graphically. Normally, the operator in the master room gives appropriate instructions to a caddy carrying the player side terminal while monitoring the display contents of the personal computer 15 and the graphic monitor 16. 34a,
34b ... 34n are master units, and perform wireless communication with a player-side terminal or the like. These are composed of a plurality of transmitting / receiving units so that a plurality of channels can be used at the same time. These master units 34 are installed on the roof of the master room.

In the restaurant shown in FIG. 21, a so-called ordering controller 18 for restaurants is connected to the personal computer 17. The personal computer 17 uses this to perform sales operations in a restaurant. The wireless transfer station 19 is a transceiver that performs wireless communication with a handy terminal carried by a customer service person. The printer 20 is provided in the kitchen, for example,
The cooking instruction slip is issued, and the printer 21 is provided for accounting and issues the bill. Personal computer 22
Is connected to a public line via a modem 23.

In FIG. 22, 34 is the master unit 34 shown in FIG. Since the diagram showing the configuration of the golf cart management system is separated into FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, the configuration on the clubhouse side in FIG. 22 shows only the master unit 34 which is a part thereof.

In FIG. 22, reference numerals 35a and 35b are player side terminals mainly carried by the player, and perform wireless communication with the master unit 34. Numerals 36a and 36b are positioning stations, which receive radio waves transmitted from the player terminals 35a and 35b and the like, and indicate the transmitting station number indicating from which player side the radio waves are transmitted and the direction in which the radio waves were received. Data such as the intensity of the received radio wave is obtained and transmitted to the master unit 34.

The personal computer 11 in the master room shown in FIG. 21 receives signals from the positioning stations 36a and 36b and detects the positions of the player terminals 35a and 35b. The positioning stations 36a and 36b operate using the solar systems 37a and 37b as power sources. In FIG. 22, reference numeral 38 denotes a repeater, which relays between the player-side terminal 35 and the master unit 34. For example, receiving radio waves from the player-side terminal 35c from a relatively distant place such as the other side of the hill,
This is retransmitted to the master unit 34 on a different channel, and the signal received from the master unit 34 is transmitted to the player side terminal 35c on a different channel. This repeater 38 also operates using the solar system 39 as a power source. Further, in FIG. 22, 40 is a golf cart,
A cart side terminal 41 is provided. This cart side terminal 41
Has the same function as the player-side terminal 35,
The traveling of the cart 40 is also controlled by operating the player-side terminals 35a, 35b. Further, a personal computer 32 is connected to the POS terminal 31 in the course shop shown in FIG. This personal computer 32
Performs sales business processing by the POS terminal 31 and also performs data transmission with the personal computer 22 shown in FIG. 21 connected to the public line via the modem 33. In addition, a course shop terminal 30 is provided on the roof of the course shop, and a speaker 28 is provided in a housing of the control section 27 of the course shop terminal 30 and a microphone 29 is connected thereto. The control unit 27 uses the terminal 30 for the course shop to control the master unit 3
4 or wireless communication with the player-side terminal 35.

Next, the configuration of the player side terminal device is shown in FIG.
Shown in. In FIG. 23, 42 is a housing, and 43 is an antenna protruding above the housing 42. A display unit 44, a key input unit 45, a speaker 46, and a microphone 47 are provided on the front surface of the housing 42. The display unit 44 displays scores, course information, messages, rankings, player information and the like. The key input unit 45 is used when a score is input, a message is read, a message is transmitted, various other information is read, or a voice call is made. The speaker 46 is used during a voice call and for voice notification such as synthetic voice and warning sound.

The microphone 47 is used during a voice call. When viewed from the front of the housing 42, an input / output terminal for audio signals and the like is provided on the right side surface. In the example shown in FIG. 23, a waterproof cover 48 for waterproofing those terminals is covered.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing only the display section and the key input section of the player side terminal device shown in FIG.
In FIG. 24, the numeric keypad in the key input unit 45 is used for inputting various numerical values, and the arrow mark cursor movement key is used for moving the cursor displayed in the display unit 44 in that direction. Further, F1, F2, F3, and F4 are function keys, respectively, and have a key function displayed at the bottom of the display unit 44. In this example, operating the F1 key enters the score input mode, operating the F2 key displays the course information, and operating the F3 key displays the received message and sends the message. By operating the F4 key, the display of the OUT / IN score can be switched. In the key input section, "cart" is used for remote control of the cart, and "MENU" is used for switching the function key display and returning from various processing states to the main menu.
"Call" key is used when making a voice call, "End call"
The key is used to end the voice call.

Next, the configuration of the positioning station 36 is shown in FIG. 25 as an external view. In FIG. 25, reference numeral 50 is a positioning station station side transmitting / receiving unit, and 53 is its transmitting / receiving antenna.
A radiator 51 of a receiving antenna for positioning is attached to the transmitting / receiving unit 50 by using the case thereof. The reflectors 52a, 52b, 5 are arranged around the radiator 51 in four directions.
2c and 52d are arranged. In addition, in FIG.
Is a control box that performs automatic radio wave direction detection control using the antennas 51 and 52a to 52d and control of the transmission / reception unit 50. These are provided on one mast.

Next, a positioning method using the positioning station shown in FIG. 25 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 26, 36a, 36b and 36c respectively indicate the position of the positioning station, and 35 indicates the position of the player side terminal. (In this example, the player side terminal is shown, but the same applies to the cart side terminal.) Player side terminal 35
When the radio wave of the control channel (the radio wave of the frequency transmitted from the player side terminal among the two frequencies forming the control channel) is transmitted from the positioning station 36a from the θa direction with the reference azimuth (for example, north) as a reference. The positioning station 36b detects that the radio wave is received, detects that the radio wave is received from the θb direction, and the positioning station 36c further detects −.
It is detected that a radio wave is received from the θc direction. At the same time, each positioning station reads the transmission station number transmitted from the player-side terminal 35. Each positioning station stores the received transmission station number, reception direction, and its radio field intensity data together with time data, and transmits the stored contents to the master in response to a call from the master. Based on these data, the personal computer 11 in the master room determines the intersection point of the straight lines extending from each positioning station in the receiving direction based on the known position data of each positioning station and the reception direction data of each terminal station. Obtained as the position of the player side terminal. At that time, when positioning data is received from three or more positioning stations, the one with higher radio field intensity is given priority, and the weighting or averaging process is performed according to the radio field intensity to determine the positioning accuracy (accuracy). Increase. Since the positioning station receives the radio wave transmitted from the player-side terminal and detects the direction of the radio wave, the position of the player-side terminal can be determined if there is no communication between the player-side terminal and the master. It cannot be detected. Therefore, the master requests a dummy signal transmission to the player-side terminal that has not transmitted radio waves for a certain period of time. As a result, the master can detect the position of the player-side terminal, which is not in communication, at regular intervals. Further, in the above example, each positioning station stores the received transmitting station number, the receiving direction and the data of the radio field intensity together with the time data, and transmits the stored content to the master in response to the call from the master. However, as another method, each positioning station may transmit the data of the received transmission station number, reception direction, and its radio field intensity to the master each time. However, in that case,
In order to avoid collision of positioning data transmitted from multiple positioning stations, each positioning station generates a random number based on the terminal number, time, etc., and after receiving radio waves from the player side terminal,
The delay time by the random number is individually provided before the positioning data is transmitted.

Further, the positioning station receives a signal regardless of the intensity change of the received signal, and uses a Log amplifier in the input section of the receiving circuit to detect the received intensity. Alternatively, if the player-side terminal is in close proximity, the received signal is saturated. If this state is detected, it is possible to detect that the cart or the player is within a certain small range around the positioning station by using only the data from the one positioning station.

Next, FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of the positioning station. In FIG. 27, the switching signal generation circuit 5
Reference numeral 5 repeatedly switches the pointing direction of the positioning antenna by the radiator 51 and the reflectors 52a to 52d shown in FIG. The receiving circuit 56 is shown in FIG.
The signal received by the radiator 51 shown in FIG. The bandpass filter 57 extracts a signal component having a center frequency of 60 Hz, for example, corresponding to the frequency of the switching signal of the switching signal generation circuit 55. The phase comparison circuit 58 compares the phase of the switching signal and the signal component of 60 Hz included in the received signal. A /
The D converter 59 converts the comparison result into digital data. The microprocessor 61 reads the A / D converted value and converts it into azimuth data of the received signal. The modem 60 demodulates the received signal and converts it into a serial data string. The microprocessor 61 reads the signal of the modem 60 and extracts the transmitting station number from the data included in the data string. The transmission / reception unit 50 has the same basic configuration as the player-side terminal (however, the display unit,
The key input section, speaker and microphone are not required. ). The transmission / reception unit 50 receives a call from the master unit, performs response control under the control of the positioning control unit 61, and transmits the data given from the positioning control unit 61 to the master unit as positioning data.

As described above, if the absolute position data of the cart can be obtained, the cumulative error that occurs when the cart accumulates the rotation amount of the wheel in the course direction and measures the position can be corrected. . Therefore, even if the start position is not necessarily set for each hole, it is possible to automatically travel over a longer distance.

FIG. 28 shows a part of the processing procedure in the automatic mode. First, the golf cart inquires the master station of position data. The master station obtains the current position of the inquired golf cart and sends it to the golf cart. The golf cart receives the position data from the master station and updates the position data. After that, the same processing as in the previous embodiment is performed. However, in the case of that system, the absolute position of the start position is also stored when learning the traveling route.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the positioning station. First, it waits for a signal from the golf cart, detects the direction of reception, and transmits this as positioning data to the master station.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of the master station. First, a signal from the positioning station or the golf cart is awaited, and when positioning data is received from the positioning station, positioning calculation is performed to update the current position data of the golf cart. When the inquiry about the position data is received from the golf cart, the current position data of the golf cart is transmitted to the golf cart.

In the second embodiment described above, the absolute position of the golf cart is determined by the positioning station and the master station,
Although the cumulative error generated as the golf cart runs is corrected at a predetermined position, it may be used to automate the setting of the hole number.

Next, as a third embodiment, an example in which the player position data is also obtained from the master station and the player is automatically tracked will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

FIG. 31 shows the processing contents on the cart side, and shows the processing contents when receiving from the master station. If the cart position data is received from the master station, the cart position data is updated, and if the player position data is received, the player position data is updated.

FIG. 32 shows the processing contents of automatic tracking by the player in the processing on the cart side. If the first and second players are both in front of the cart, the run command is output,
Otherwise, output a stop command.

FIG. 33 shows the processing contents on the master station side. If the positioning data is received from the positioning station, the positioning calculation is performed and the position data of the cart side terminal or the player side terminal is updated. After that, the data is updated to the corresponding cart side terminal. Then, the cart position data or the player position data is transmitted to the corresponding cart side terminal.

Next, as a fourth embodiment, an example of controlling the cart from the master station will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 34 and 35.

FIG. 34 shows the processing contents of the master station. If the positioning data is received from the positioning station, the positioning calculation is performed and the position data of the cart side terminal or the player side terminal is updated. After that, the corresponding cart creates control data for tracking the player, and transmits the control data to the cart.

FIG. 35 shows the processing contents of the steering control according to the contents received from the master station in the processing on the cart side. If a run command is received from the master station, the run command is output to the cart control unit. When the stop command is received, the stop command is output to the cart control unit. When the right steering command is received, the right steering command is output to the steering control unit of the cart, and when the left steering command is received, the left steering command is output to the steering control unit of the cart. In this way, according to an instruction from the master station, the cart can be automatically steered along the traveling route set in advance on the master station side, and can track the player.

In the embodiment, the running mode is switched to the automatic mode, and when the trailing end of the guidance route is reached, the vehicle is automatically stopped and switched to the manual mode. If the course is detected and the cart position is updated, it is possible to return to the automatic mode again and continue the automatic traveling at the time when the end of the guide route is reached.

[0089]

According to the golf cart control system of the first aspect of the present invention, the route to be automatically traveled is
It can be learned by driving manually in advance, and after learning once, it can be automatically run along the running route, so it does not compete with automatic running of golf carts such as steep slopes and bunker It is possible to easily set a route that avoids a spot or a route that does not damage the green grass. Moreover, since the player is automatically tracked, it is possible for the player to automatically travel along a predetermined route without performing a special remote control operation.

According to the golf cart control system of the second aspect, when an obstacle such as a player approaches the front of the golf cart in the traveling direction, or when the vehicle is traveling on a steep slope or a rough road, the automatic operation is automatically performed. Since the vehicle is forcibly stopped, it is possible to avoid a collision with an obstacle and a dangerous state, and it is possible to prevent a large route deviation during automatic traveling.

According to the golf cart control system of the third aspect, a plurality of players can be automatically tracked,
Moreover, since the player positioned behind is tracked, it is possible to enhance convenience for a plurality of players and caddies without interfering with the preceding player.

According to the golf cart control system of the fourth aspect, since the hole number is automatically identified when the golf cart approaches the beacon station, the setting of the hole number is automated.

According to the golf cart control system of the fifth aspect, since the absolute position of the golf cart can be obtained over a relatively wide range, it becomes possible to correct the accumulated error of the golf cart position, if necessary. There is no need to set the hole number at the start point of each hole.

According to the golf cart control system of the sixth aspect, the vehicle is automatically driven along the route to be automatically driven based on the golf cart position and the player position obtained from the master station, and the player is automatically tracked. .

According to the golf cart control system of the seventh aspect, under the control of the master station, the golf cart can be automatically piloted and can be automatically driven along the route to be automatically driven. Similar to the above, the problem of accumulated error does not occur.

According to the golf cart control system of the eighth aspect, the position of the golf cart or the player is obtained only when the golf cart or the player comes very close to one of the plurality of positioning stations. Will be able to.

According to the golf cart control system of the ninth aspect, when the guide route is approached in the automatic mode, the mode is automatically switched to the guide mode and the traveling is continued. Therefore, for example, another golf cart on a narrow road. It will be possible to automate the difference between and.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling route of a golf cart in a golf cart control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating tracking control of a player.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the golf cart.

4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a receiving circuit 21 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a transmitter carried by a player.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a CPU in the control unit of the golf cart.

FIG. 7 is a part of a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a CPU in a control unit of the golf cart, showing a processing procedure in a manual mode.

FIG. 8 is a part of a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU in the control unit of the golf cart, showing the processing procedure in the learning mode.

FIG. 9 is a part of a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU in the control unit of the golf cart, showing the processing procedure in the automatic mode.

FIG. 10 is a part of a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU in the control unit of the golf cart, showing the processing procedure in the automatic mode.

FIG. 11 is a part of a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU in the control unit of the golf cart, showing the processing procedure in the guidance mode.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of interrupt processing by a front wheel rotary encoder.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of interrupt processing by a rear wheel rotary encoder.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure of interrupt processing by reception of a receiving circuit.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure of interrupt processing by sonar.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure relating to steering control.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure relating to tracking control.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a cart and a player and a determination method therefor.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a cart and a player and a determination method therefor.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining the positional relationship between the cart and the player.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a configuration on the clubhouse side of the golf cart management system according to the second, third and fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a golf cart management system on the course side.

FIG. 23 is an external perspective view of a player-side terminal.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing the configurations of a key input unit and a display unit of the player side terminal.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a positioning station.

FIG. 26 is a plan view showing a positioning method.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a positioning station.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a part of a processing procedure in an automatic mode of the golf cart according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the positioning station according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a master station according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the cart side according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the cart side according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the master station side according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the master station side according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the cart side according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

T2, T3, T4-Tigrand F2, F3, F4-Fairway G2, G3, G4-Green B-Bunker WD-Hayashi WH-Pond BG-Bridge (S2), (S3), (S4) -Automatic driving route Start position (E2), (E3) -End position of the automatic travel route

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location A63B 55/08 D (56) References JP-A-3-109611 (JP, A) JP-A-50 -57661 (JP, A) JP 62-162112 (JP, A) JP 4-38972 (JP, A) JP 4-218810 (JP, A)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A position data on a plane with a start point as a reference by means for detecting a rotation amount of a wheel, means for detecting a heading, and cumulative calculation of a rotation amount of a wheel and a heading in a minute section. In the learning mode, when the golf cart is manually operated in the learning mode, the travel route information for each hole is calculated from the position data of the golf cart obtained by the navigation means in the learning mode. A travel route information storage unit that is created and stored, and an automatic travel control unit that, in the automatic travel mode, corrects the deviation of the position of the golf cart itself required by the navigation unit with respect to the travel route and automatically travels along the travel route. And a radio wave transmitted from a transmitter carried by the player is received, and according to the intensity of the radio wave, the radio wave is transmitted along the traveling route and the player. A player tracking control means for moving the approaching position, when the golf cart has reached the end of the travel route, thereby automatically stopping the travel, golf cart control system comprising a warning notification means for issuing a warning. 2. An obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction, a dangerous state detecting means for detecting a steeply inclined state and / or a bad road state, and an obstacle detected or a dangerous state detected. 2. The golf cart is provided with a forced stop control means for forcibly stopping traveling.
The golf cart control system described. 3. The player tracking control means for receiving radio waves transmitted from respective transmitters carried by a plurality of players and detecting the reception intensity of the radio waves transmitted from each transmitter, and any one of them. 3. A golf cart waiting means that waits at a position on the running route by detecting the vicinity of the maximum of the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from one of the transmitters. The golf cart control system described. 4. A beacon station for emitting a beacon signal for identifying a hole number is provided at a predetermined position of each hole in a golf course, and the golf cart has beacon signal receiving means for receiving the beacon signal and the received beacon signal. Hall number identifying means for identifying the hole number by extracting the hole number information from, when receiving the beacon signal,
The golf cart control system according to claim 1, further comprising: a travel route start position automatic setting means for automatically setting the position as a start position of the travel route. 5. A positioning data extraction means for receiving radio waves transmitted from the golf cart to obtain positioning data of the golf cart, and a positioning data wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the extracted positioning data. A plurality of positioning stations, positioning data that receives positioning data from each positioning station, and determines the position of the golf cart from each positioning data, and the obtained golf cart position data. A master station equipped with position data transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting to each of the golf courses is installed in the golf course, and the current position data is corrected by the radio wave transmitting means for transmitting radio waves to the positioning station and the position data received from the master station. The golf cart control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the present position correction means is provided on the golf cart. 6. A player side terminal station carried by a player, a golf cart side terminal station having position data receiving means for receiving golf cart position data and player position data transmitted from a master station, and running route information stored therein. Means for adjusting the deviation of the golf cart position with respect to the running route and automatically running along the running route, and the relative positional relationship between the player position and the golf cart position on the running route and the player. A golf cart control device provided on the golf cart side with player tracking control means that moves to a position close to the position of each of the terminal stations by receiving radio waves transmitted from the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station. Positioning data extraction means for obtaining data for positioning, and wireless transmission of the extracted positioning data A plurality of positioning stations having positioning data wireless transmission means, and positioning calculation for receiving positioning data from each of the terminal stations and obtaining the positions of the player side terminal station and the golf cart side terminal station from each positioning data. A golf cart control system comprising: a master station; and a master station including a golf ball position data and a player position data to the golf cart side terminal station. 7. A player-side terminal station carried by a player, a golf cart-side terminal station provided with steering control data receiving means for receiving steering control data transmitted from a master station, and a golf cart terminal station according to the steering control data. A golf cart equipped with a travel control means for performing travel control, and a positioning data extraction means for receiving radio waves transmitted from the player-side terminal station and the golf cart-side terminal station to obtain positioning data for each terminal station. A plurality of positioning stations including positioning data wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the extracted positioning data; positioning data received from each of the terminal stations; Positioning calculation means for obtaining the position of the golf cart side terminal station, means for storing traveling route information, and deviation of the golf cart position with respect to the traveling route. Golf cart operation control data is generated for correcting and automatically traveling along the traveling route, and moving the golf cart to a position on the traveling route and close to the player based on the relative positional relationship of the player position to the golf cart position. A golf cart control system comprising: a golf cart operation control data generation means; and a master station including a golf cart operation control data wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the golf cart operation control data to the golf cart. 8. The golf cart control system according to claim 5, wherein the positioning station operates when the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the player side terminal station or the golf cart side terminal station exceeds a certain value. 9. An automatic guidance travel control means for embedding a magnetic force line generator in the ground along a guidance route, detecting the magnetic field lines to control traveling along the guidance route, and the golf in the automatic traveling mode. 9. The golf cart is provided with a traveling mode automatic switching means for activating the automatic guidance traveling control means to switch to the guidance traveling mode when the cart reaches the guidance route. The golf cart control system described.