Golf Simulator with Computer Vision
When inspecting the angles and movement in a golf swing, it’s important to implement a high-quality golf simulator vision system which is critical in detecting small movement patterns which can affect the performance of a single swing. We understand that it can be difficult to determine the correct machine vision set-up and software needed to promote the standard best to achieve optimal performance in golf swinging.
Our machine vision products and pricing are available and easily accessible to provide direct access to information about this golf simulator vision system.
In this application, the customer who reached out about their golf simulator needed to capture his athletes swinging golf with a camera that had enough frames per second (FPS). With a higher FPS, this customer will be able to detect small, or big, swing variation in the different types of athletes. With this information, the customer will be able to teach his athletes how to better improve their golf swing and golf game overall.
Table of contents
Machine Vision Camera Selection
In this vision system for golf simulator, we first want to choose which camera will be the best fit for the customer. We must keep in mind that a high frame rate is needed for golf simulators and that we comply with our customers’ recommendations as well.
Our advice was to use the MER2-041-528U3M camera as it is currently our highest FPS camera and outperformed the FPS needed from the customer. Furthermore, our customer did not know if they needed a USB3 Camera or a GigE Camera. Since the distance between the camera to the computer was shorter than 4.6 meters, we advised the USB3 camera because the bandwidth is 4 times higher than the GigE cameras. With this option the customer also only needs one USB3 Cable for both power and transmission of data.
The customer did not have any requirement for a color or monochrome (black and white) camera, we advised a monochrome camera as they are 3x more light sensitive than color cameras. Since this application involves the athletes to be moving the golf club while an image is taken, we also needed to select a global shutter camera to ensure the images were not distorted. You can read more about global shutter and rolling shutter cameras in our Knowledge Center Rolling Shutter vs. Global Shutter.
To determine the required resolution needed for this customer, we quickly calculated the smallest detail needed to be seen, as well as the field of view (FOV).
With the smallest detail not determined by the customer yet, an agreed 1,5mm (roughly a little over 0.05 inches) was established and a FOV of 90 in x 70 in (228,6 x 177,8 cm) had been set by the customer previously. Based on 3 pixels per smallest detail, at least 457x356 pixels were required for this application. The MER2-041-528U3M which has a resolution of 720x540 pixels, fits the needs of this application.
Lens Selection for Golf Simulator Vision System
After knowing the required resolution, we still need to find out the correct lens that is required for this application, which we base on our Online Lens Calculator. As you can see in the figure, the sensor size of the MER2-041-528U3M is 1/2.9”. Following our previous calculations and the requirements set by the customer, with a FOV of 90in x 70in, a 6mm focal length lens is required. The final FOV will be approximately 90.06 x 67.54 in (229 x 171 cm), which when discussed with the customer was more than enough for their application.
Our VA-LCM-5MP-06MM-F1.4-015, is a great solution for the 0.41MP camera.
Lens Calculator
Camera Set Up
The customer in this specific golf simulator vision system application wanted a 2-camera set up. One of the cameras was needed for a back view of the golfer and one camera for a front facing view. Both cameras are the same as the ones mentioned in this article as well as the same lens in the previous section.
This will give the customer a great understanding of the movements performed and ways to perfect each golf stroke. Each camera was in need of a 3-meter USB3.0 cable but if your vision system is in need of various tweaks, we can easily make adjustments to fit your vision application need.
Lighting For Golf Simulators
For this vision system, there was enough ambient lighting needed to produce clear and concise images that we advised.
If your application is in a low light scenario there may be a need for 2-4 LED Spotlights or other machine vision lighting in which you can get in touch with us at the bottom of the page using our customer support form.
Image Processing Software for Golf Simulators
In some cases, a camera, lens, and lighting solution are not enough for a golf simulator vision system. Our cameras are GenIcam compatible, which means that they can be used with a variety of 3rd party software including MvTec Halcon, NI Labview, Cognex Vision Pro, Matlab, OpenCV and Arm Boards software. For first programming, our free SDK can be used to acquire images and set the camera parameters.
The software development kit is compatible with regular and industrial PCs and ARM platforms, including NVIDIA TX series and Raspberry Pi. Supported operating systems include Windows, Linux, and Android.
For the golf simulator vision system above, working with Kinovea Software was required. Kinovea software is an open-source software package designed around four core missions related to studying human motion: capture, observation, annotation and measurement. It is high-speed recording software in which you can do sport recording and tracking (among other features), which can further break down angles and sport specific movement patterns.
The customer was able to show the athlete's small adjustments to their golf swing while in Kinovea, to help better promote their overall golf game.
Support for Golf Simulator Vision Systems
Would you like assistance from one of our machine vision specialists in building your own golf simulator vision system? Feel free to reach out using the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
