Description:TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a golf ball collection and identification system and methods relating to intelligent tracking of balls and scoring using image processing techniques, specifically to score based on location.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Golf is a club and ball sport popularly played in teams of two or four, in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. The course of play typically consists of nine or eighteen holes with each hole consisting of a length of course a few hundred yards long beginning with a “tee” and ending in a “green” which contains the “hole”. Whereas, a Golf driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It is used as a recreational activity or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range attached and they are also found as stand-alone facilities, especially in urban areas.
[0003] In urban areas driving range facilities are gaining popularity as it eliminates the vast area requirement of an original golf course and shorter time required for the game. A player purchases a bucket of golf balls that are then hit at targets in the golf driving range. The balls may be stored in buckets or dispensed into a bucket from an automatic golf ball dispensing machine. The player takes the balls to the tee area. The golf driving range has various markers for distance placed throughout the range. A player hits the ball and makes a visual estimate of the distance the ball travelled based on the landing location of the ball relative to the distance markers. Players would benefit from a system capable of accurately determining the distance of ball travel.
[0004] With commercial driving ranges gaining popularity the game of golf is not restricted to the professional golf player but to amateur golfers as well as people in general who want to enjoy the game which was not otherwise possible due to the expensive nature of the game and the time constraints. A Ball Collection And Identification System and a scoring method can be implemented to gamify the Driving Range activity to improve the whole experience for the player and also to benefit the players to improve their game.
[0005] Thus, there have been many attempts at developing a system and device or method for tracking and identifying golf balls. One such attempt is described in patent number US20120058835. In this patent a radio-frequency identification (RFID) golf ball range target system is described. The RFID golf ball range target system includes a RFID golf ball, a scanner, a client computer, a game selection module, a target, a target RFID reader and a target network communications module. The RFID golf ball that includes a RFID tag fixedly coupled to the surface of a spherical golf ball core corresponding to the RFID golf ball, wherein the RFID tag is disposed between the spherical golf ball core and a spherical golf ball shell. A unique RFID golf ball identifier is associated with the RFID golf ball. In the illustrative embodiment, the RFID tag includes an omnidirectional antenna that operates in the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) range. Additionally, the illustrative RFID tag can be encapsulated in a flexible substrate that is disposed between the spherical golf ball core and a spherical golf ball shell.
[0006] There have been many attempts at developing a system and device or method for retrieving balls scattered in the ground of a golf practice field, tennis court, baseball field, or the like without bending by a person. One such attempt is described in patent number JP2008253405A. .
[0007] The purpose of the instant invention is to create a golf Ball Collection And Identification System that is reliable and cost effective. Using mechanical methods along with advances in technology is implemented to collect and identify golf balls coming from a certain bay of a driving range and scoring them according to the relative location of the identifying system from the driving range.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0008] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of the collector unit of the Ball Collection And Identification System along with the ball exit in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of the placement pipe in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of the stage area in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of the top view of the Ball Collection And Identification System in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart for a method of ball identification for scoring based on the specific location of the ball in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the scoring system based on identification of the ball in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0015] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The various implementations of the present disclosure provide a system relating to collection of balls and intelligent identification of balls using image processing techniques and specifically location-based scoring method thereof.
[0017] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details. One skilled in the art will recognize that implementations of the present disclosure, some of which are described below, may be incorporated into a number of systems.
[0018] The systems and methods are not limited to the specific examples and/or implementations described herein. Further, structures and devices shown in the figures are illustrative of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure and are meant to avoid obscuring of the present disclosure.
[0019] Furthermore, connections between components and/or modules within the figures are not intended to be limited to direct connections. Rather, these components and modules may be modified, re-formatted or otherwise changed by intermediary components and modules.
[0020] References in the present disclosure to “an implementation” or “another implementation” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in an implementation” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. The phrase “implementation of the present disclosure” used in the present disclosure may refer to various implementations of the present disclosure.
[0021] The present disclosure provides a Ball Collection And Identification System and location-based scoring method thereof.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, a Ball Collection And Identification System is shown in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. A golf ball collecting and identifying unit includes a collector arrangement used to collect the balls, The collector arrangement has a collector unit (A) which collects balls, the collector unit consists of a collector funnel (1) which narrows down to a neck and the neck is connected to the placement pipe (4) which further connects to a staging area (5).The ball collection and identification system also includes an outlet (2) for the ball to fall out of the unit.
[0023] In an example, the collector funnel (1) has a broad opening and a narrower neck region. The width of the opening the collector funnel ranges between 10 to 100cm.
[0024] The collector funnel (1) is such that it can collect multiple golf balls, the funnel gradually narrows down and only a single ball can pass through the neck region of the collector funnel.
[0025] In an example the collector funnel (1) is rectangular in shape In some implementations, the collector funnel may be spherical, rectangular or any other suitable geometrical shape.
[0026] In an example, the ball collector arrangement is a single structure. In some implementations, several ball collector arrangements may be combined.
[0027] The ball collector unit (A) may be a detachable structure, where the collector funnel, the placement pipe (4) and the staging area (5) can be detached from each other.
[0028] In an example all parts of ball collector unit (A) is built using metal.
[0029] In another implementation, the ball collector unit (A) can be built using metal, plastic, or other materials, or a combination thereof.
[0030] Referring now to FIG.2, a placement pipe (4) is shown in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0031] In an example, the placement pipe (4) of the collector unit according to the present device includes a couple of joint designed in a certain angle less than 90 degree to be able to slow down the falling ball, either to a full halting position or slow down the speed of the ball to enable capturing the characteristics of the ball.
[0032] In some implementations, the inner surface of the placement pipe through which the ball passes may have a rough surface to introduce friction, to enable slowing the ball.
[0033] In some implementations, the inner surface of the placement pipe through which the ball passes may be perforated for water to drain out.
[0034] In some implementations, the placement pipe may be an open pipe.

[0035] In some implementations, the end placement pipe may have a dampening surface to reduce the ball from bouncing back.
[0036] Referring now to FIG.3, the staging area (5) of a placement pipe (4) is shown in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0037] In some implementations, the staging area (5) may be coupled with an automatic pushing device (7) to mechanically push the ball out.
[0038] In an example, the staging area (5) is so designed so that it is in line with the image capturing device.
[0039] In an example, staging area (5) is so designed that the ball lands on the staging area, it is exposed to the light source (8) and a digital camera (6).
[0040] Referring now to FIG.4, a top view of The Ball Collection And Identification Unit (B) is shown in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0041] In an example, the identifying unit (10) includes a image capturing device (6) with one or more camera attached and a light source.
[0042] In another implementation, the identifying unit (10) is equipped with one or more image capturing device (6) which is placed in straight line with the staging area (5). One or more light source (8) is attached in the identifying unit which enables capturing the colour and pattern of the ball. The image capturing device (6) enables clicking multiple images or video frame of the balls. In this embodiment a digital camera is used as an image capturing device.
[0043] The Ball Collection And Identification Unit (B) is also equipped with a processing unit (9).
[0044] In some implementations, the Ball Collector And Identification Unit (B) is placed within a enclosure/box in such a way that the collecting funnel only protrudes out of the enclosure/box. The Ball Collector And Identification Unit (B) and the enclosure/ box can be built using metal, plastic, or other materials, or a combination thereof, but note that the use of metallic materials helps to provide sturdiness, durability and protect it from different weather conditions.
[0045] In some implementations, the Ball Collection And Identification Unit may be placed in open i.e. without an enclosure.
[0046] In some implementations, the enclosure/box is made in such a way that it is detachable. In some implementations, the enclosure/box includes an access door forming a part of an area of at least one side of the body. The access door can be a solid metal sheet or be built from other material(s) as of the enclosure/box. In some implementations, the enclosure/box includes an access door forming a majority of an area of at least one side of the enclosure/box , which facilitates access to the interior of the enclosure/box for service. In some implementations, the access door is attached with the enclosure/box using a pivot at one or more locations. In some implementations, the access door is entirely removable from the enclosure/box .
[0047] In some implementations, the enclosure/box is coated with anti reflection coat from inside, to avail uniform light or prevent light from scattering. In an example, distance between the camera (6) and the staging area (5) varies based on the type of camera used.
[0048] In an example, the Ball Collection And Identification Unit (B) has an unique ID.
[0049] In accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure, multiple ball collection and identification unit (B) is used for the game.
[0050] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart for a method of ball identification for scoring based on the specific location of the ball in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0051] The image capturing device (6) clicks multiple images or video frame of ball when the ball is detected in the staging area (5) of the collector unit (A). Here, the obtained image may be in JPG, PNG, or RAW formats.
[0052] A processing unit (9) analyses the frame, and the image is recognized and classified based on colour and pattern , image processing unit (10) then transmits the data to the central server .
[0053] In an example, the image capturing device (6) continuously monitors the staging area, trying to find the presence of a ball, it determines if the staging area (5) is occupied with a ball

[0054] The processing unit (9) processes the received image. Here, the processing unit enhances the image and filters the noises. Enhancing includes, but is not limited to cropping the image, greying out the image, blurring out the background, detecting circular or closed loops in the image.
[0055] The enhanced image is thus used for object detection and classification. A Machine Learning algorithm is custom trained to detect colour and/or pattern of the detected ball.
[0056] The result of the classification is then transmitted to the central server.
[0057] Based on the classification the original location of the ball is determined before it had landed on the ball collection and identification unit (B). Referring to FIG. 6 -A schematic block diagram of the scoring unit is shown in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
[0058] The processing unit is in communication with the central server by way of the communication network. The communication network may be a wired network or a wireless network. Examples of the communication network include, but are not limited to, Local Area Network (LAN), Ethernet, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, Wi-Fi, optical fiber, etc.
[0059] The processing unit recognizes, classifies objects and transmits data to the central server which determines the information about the ball and its location based on the unique ID of the Ball Collection And Identification Unit (B).
[0060] The processing unit is configured to interface with the central server to perform the scoring and profiling.
[0061] In an implementation, when a golf game is played using the Ball Collection And Identification System, the player information is stored in distributed database, on collection and identification of the ball the player and the ball is mapped based on the color and pattern of the ball and the ID of the Ball Collection And Identification Unit
[0062] The scoring is based on the location from where the ball originated and on which Ball Collection And Identification Unit it landed. The identified colour and/ or pattern of the ball determined the balls origin and the user prior to it landed on a particular Ball Collection And Identification Unit with an unique ID.
[0063] In an implementation, the users’ score history is also maintained in the distributed database, thus improving the users’ profile. This information is also stored in the distributed database, for future reference.
[0064] A user-interface is further created to facilitate the users with their score history via a mobile/web application. This helps them analyze their performance trend.
[0065] In an implementation, scores along with the complete scoreboard, are then made available to the TV screen and the touchscreen tablets.
[0066] The foregoing description of the invention has been set merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting of what is being or may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. Since modifications of the disclosed implementations incorporating the substance of the invention may occur to person skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the invention.
[0067] Thus, particular embodiments of the invention have been described. Other embodiments are also possible and may be claimed and/or be within the scope of the following claims. For example, the structures can be scaled up and reinforced to handle balls other than golf balls, such as baseballs, softballs, or bowling balls. As another example, the apparatus can be designed to have two outlets or two Ball Collection And Identification Unit clubbed together, some part of the enclose box may be perforated in order to have ventilation, enable drainage of water and also reduce the overall weight and manufacturing costs of the Ball Collection And Identification Unit.
, Claims:We Claim

1. A ball collection and identification system, comprising:
a collector unit which further comprises of:
a collector funnel configured to collect multiple balls
a placement pipe configured to navigate and slow down a single ball directly into a staging area
a staging area positioned in line of sight of an identification unit
an identification unit comprising:
an image capturing device for clicking images
light sources to ensure adequate lighting in the staging area
a processing unit
an outlet positioned near the staging area for ball exit.
2. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ball is a golf ball;
3. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collector funnel narrows to a neck connected to the placement pipe, which leads to the staging area;
4. The collector funnel as claimed in claim 3, wherein only single ball is directed to the placement pipe;
5. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collector unit includes a couple of joint designed in a certain angle less than 90 degree to decelerate balls upon entry;
6. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the placement pipe of the collector unit is perforated to able to drain out water and dust particles;
7. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the staging area is directly in front of the image capturing device;
8. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the staging area comprises an additional mechanism configured to push the ball out of the staging area after identification;
9. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification unit includes one or more cameras and light sources;
10. The identification unit as claimed in claim 9, the camera is a digital camera;
11. The identification unit as claimed in claim 9, the light source is a LED light source;
12. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification unit is further configured to classify collected golf balls based on colors and/or patterns;
13. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, is enclosed in a box for portability and protection;
14. The enclosure as claimed in claim 13, may be perforated from the base for ventilation and draining of water;
15. The ball collection and identification system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit utilizes machine learning algorithms for identifying characteristics of the golf balls;
16. The system for collection and identification of balls as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet may comprise a chute for facilitating the exit of detected balls from the system;
17. A method for collecting golf balls, involving
hitting balls with identifying characteristics towards plurality of Ball Collection And Identification Systems that are strategically placed for collection and identification;
18. A method for scoring, comprising:
Identifying the ball's characteristics
Identifying the ID of the Ball Collection And Identification Unit where the ball was collected
19. The method of claim 18, determining the exact final ball location, and active player based on identified data;
20. The method of claim 18, accessible via multiple endpoints such as a mobile app or website;