Abstract:
A table tennis robot sends a ball towards a player, so as to simulate a realistic situation in a game, where the device comprises a firing unit, a receiving unit and a collection unit. A damping plate (1) is located on the table-tennis table, on the opposite side of the table from the player. The damping plate (1) slows and controls balls from the player. A trigger mechanism ensures that the player receives a return ball when the player hits a ball correctly. The device may embody more than one firing unit with associated trigger mechanisms, so that return balls come from the same area that the player has hit the ball to.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for conveying golf balls (1) from a treatment machine, for example a golf ball washing machine, or a store, magazine or the like to one or more automatic golf ball dispensing machines or to another store, magazine or the like on the same level or storey or one or more levels or storeys, in which the golf balls (1) are conveyed in a tube (2, 3) or hoses, drive means (4, 8) being connected in the conveyor tube or conveyor hose (2, 6) and including a vacuum source (4) for sucking the golf balls (1) through the conveyor tube (2) or the conveyor hose (2) to a discharge device (8) for discharging the golf balls (1) in a discharge conveyor tube (6) or a discharge conveyor hose (6).
Abstract:
An interactive play system (100) and structure are provided in which a plurality of interactive play elements (200, 203, 220, 230, 240, 250, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320) are provided for creating various desired effects utilizing soft foam balls (104) or other suitable "dry" play media. In one embodiment the interactive play system (100) comprises a multi-level support structure (102) on which the interactive play elements are disposed. These allow play participants to create desired play effects using a fun and familiar dry play media. Some of the play elements (240) may be multi-order play elements in that they receive play media from a first effect (246) to create yet another effect. Various automated and/or play-participant-operated conveyers and play media collection and return mechanisms (330, 332, 350, 360, 370, 380, 400, 420, 600, 630, 670, 720, 749, 799, 800) are provided throughout the structure (100) for collecting and transporting play media (104) from a source, such as a collection basin (750), to the various interactive play elements.
Abstract:
A golf ball washer (12) feeds wet balls into an air moving transport mechanism that dries the balls as they are carried to one of a number of dispensers (10). The wet balls move by gravity down an inclined infeed chute (20) to a load station where each ball is supported on a flow disrupting ramp (25), and the transport conduit includes a necked down area (20) at the load station which cooperates with the ramp (25) to disrupt the air flow thereby avoiding the tendency of a spherical golf ball to remain suspended in the column of air rather than being moved downstream through the conduit (22). Each dispenser (10) has an intermittently driven drum (50) with radially outwardly open pockets (50a) to provide predetermined numbers of balls to a basket (60) at the discharge station of the dispenser (10).
Abstract:
A golf simulator has a flooring system (103) comprising a tee area (81), a green area (102), a green side area (101) and a ball feed system (400) adjacent the flooring system (103). From measurements taken when the ball is hit, the computer control system (26) computes the next shot position of the ball after it is hit, and the corresponding location on the flooring system (103). A ball feed system (103) collects the ball into a ball feed chute (31) and moves the ball toward a return gutter (40). When the ball contacts a gutter sensor (115), the sensor signals a gutter door (72) to open, corresponding to a feed tube. The ball is sent down the return gutter (40) and drops, at the position where the gutter door (72) opened, into a feeding tube and a ball lifting mechanism (271) positions a ball at the appropriate location on the flooring system (103). This process continues until a player finishes the hole. Accordingly, a player need not touch the golf ball, except when under penalty, more similar to an actual round of golf.
Abstract:
An apparatus for washing balls (B) in a cleaning fluid includes a container (22) for storing soiled balls (B), a cleaning unit (24) for washing and rinsing the balls (B), and a clean ball hopper (26) for storing washed balls (B). A soiled ball conveyor (28) conveys the balls (B) from the soiled ball hopper (22) to the cleaning unit (24), while a pneumatic conveyor (30) conveys clean balls (B) from the cleaning nuit (24) to the clean ball hopper (26). A fluid supply system (32) provides recirculated cleaning and rinsing fluids to the cleaning unit (24) and helps prevent the balls (B) from becoming clogged in foam. The cleaning unit (24) includes three vertical substantially transparent cylindrical housings (38, 34, 36). Upper and lower enclosures (40, 42) are opaque and removed from sight.
Abstract:
In an installation for the transport of tennis balls (17) from a collector gutter to a collector container by passing through a pipe, there is provided a blower installed close to the gutter inlet end to produce a compressed air difference in the gutter; the mechanical transport installation comprises a bucket wheel (14) acting in the cross section of the gutter, and the bucket wheel (14) together with a shaft (27) parallel to the gutter (15) is arranged in a casing (23), at least two buckets preventing each time the air flow produced by the blower to come out of the casing (23).
Abstract:
A golf simulator has a flooring system (103) comprising a tee area (81), a green area (102), a green side area (101) and a ball feed system (400) adjacent the flooring system (103). From measurements taken when the ball is hit, the computer control system (26) computes the next shot position of the ball after it is hit, and the corresponding location on the flooring system (103). A ball feed system (103) collects the ball into a ball feed chute (31) and moves the ball toward a return gutter (40). When the ball contacts a gutter sensor (115), the sensor signals a gutter door (72) to open, corresponding to a feed tube. The ball is sent down the return gutter (40) and drops, at the position where the gutter door (72) opened, into a feeding tube and a ball lifting mechanism (271) positions a ball at the appropriate location on the flooring system (103). This process continues until a player finishes the hole. Accordingly, a player need not touch the golf ball, except when under penalty, more similar to an actual round of golf.
Abstract:
The subject of the invention is a process to realise the golf ball teeing simply, automatically and quickly. The functioning steps based on the process can be described as follows: The ball hit on the server tee (3) will struck in the capturing net (14) that is attached to net (12) where the larges part of its kinetic energy will be absorbed and it is falling down to the sloping stretched bottom part of the net (12). The sloping part of the net is pull down to the conveyor unit (9) at the in-roll aperture (8) and since that is the lowest part of the net the balls are rolling through the in-roll aperture (8) in the conveyor unit (9). Then the blower (10) being in the conveyor unit (9) is blowing the balls in the transit ball magazine (17) from which the ball feeder (7) releases a ball on the lifting spoon (5). The spoon rotator (6) together with the lifting spoon (5) raises the ball over the server tee (3) and drops it on its top. Then the tee elevator (4) starts to move upwards and the ball will be lifted in the pre-programmed and desired height. From that position the golfer can hit the ball again and the process can start one more. Further more the subjects of the invention are the apparatus realising the process and the special net arrangement that damps the golf ball hit.
Abstract:
A golf simulator has a flooring system comprising a tee area, a green area, a green-side area and a ball feed system adjacent the flooring system. From measurements taken when the ball is hit, the computer control system computes the next shot position of the ball after it is hit and the corresponding location on the flooring system. A ball feed system collects the ball into a ball feed chute and moves the ball toward a return gutter. When the ball contacts a gutter sensor, the sensor signals a gutter door to open, corresponding to a feed tube. The ball is sent down the return gutter and drops, at the position where the gutter door opened, into a feeding tube and a ball lifting mechanism positions a ball at the appropriate location on the flooring system. This process continues until a player finishes the hole. Accordingly, a player need not touch the golf ball, except when under penalty, more similar to an actual round of golf.