Abstract:
A vehicle toy that can work with common construction blocks provides connector surfaces covering the top and bottom of the toy housing for full integration into construction projects. Interface and control with the vehicle are provided by mesh wireless connectivity to a cell phone or the like greatly simplifying its construction. Mesh interconnections between vehicles and controllers allow greater interaction of the devices including allowing one device to be nominated as a referee permitting automatically refereed interactive contests.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional 62/076,925 filed Nov. 7, 2014, and hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a remote control vehicular toy and in particular to a toy platform that fully integrates with standard stud and tube type construction blocks and which may be controlled wirelessly by a smart phone, tablet or similar device. 
         [0003]    Construction blocks such as those commercially available from Lego®, Mega Bloks® and others, provide for a stud and tube connection system that releasably holds the blocks together when attached upper face to lower face, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282 hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0004]    It is known to animate constructions assembled from such blocks, for example, by providing blocks incorporating motors, switches, or the like. Complex control of such animated constructions can be provided through the use of a computer controller also incorporated into a housing allowing it to be integrated with block constructions. 
         [0005]    In this latter case, the controller is typically bulky and has a surface interrupted with manual buttons and visual displays that make it difficult to integrate into many designs and which can cause it to dominate any construction into which it is incorporated. 
         [0006]    While playing with animated construction block assemblies can provide multiple dimensions for creative interaction, the creative options with current controller systems are limited, particularly with respect to interactions between other players. Fundamentally, it can be difficult to incorporate basic remote control devices into absorbing gameplay. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides a vehicle element for popular construction block systems that eliminates control inputs and outputs on the vehicle element in favor of wireless communication with a smart phone or the like. As a result, a small form factor package may be created that better integrates with construction block constructions providing block-like upper and lower surfaces fully populated with studs or tubes. 
         [0008]    The present invention facilitates interactive play with multiple vehicles by providing a mesh network that allows for the designation of a “referee” device overseeing automatic rules for playing games such as racing, tag or the like. In this use, the communication protocol used to provide the mesh network may also provide for proximity sensing between vehicles for more sophisticated interactive play. 
         [0009]    Specifically then, in one embodiment, the invention provides a remote-control vehicle having a housing with an upper and lower surface each providing tube and stud-type mechanical interface elements for standard construction blocks. At least one electric motor is positioned within the housing and provides an axle extending from the housing to a wheel. The housing holds an electronic circuit including a computer processor and a radio transceiver for establishing communication with remote wireless control devices for control of the at least one electric motor using the remote wireless control device. 
         [0010]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a motor controller for construction blocks that may be tightly integrated into block constructions. 
         [0011]    The remote-control vehicle may include a second electric motor providing a second axle extending from the housing for driving a second wheel, the second electrical motor independently controlled by the electronic circuit. 
         [0012]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a simple mechanism for steering the device by the selective control of the motors. 
         [0013]    The upper and lower surfaces maybe substantially parallel and may each provide only a single uninterrupted rectangular array of mechanical interface elements over substantially the entire upper and lower surfaces. 
         [0014]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide an element that is substantially a large construction brick to permit full and versatile incorporation into a construction block construction. 
         [0015]    The axle may extend from the housing parallel to the upper and lower surfaces on a side surface so that the wheel extends beyond planes defined by the upper and lower surfaces. 
         [0016]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a vehicle that can operate in either of two orientations of right side up or upside down. 
         [0017]    The radio transceiver may operate to provide communication with at least two remote control devices including a referee device and a control device and the computer may execute a stored program to receive commands from both the referee device and the control device for control of the electric motor and to provide priority to commands from the referee device when there is a conflict between commands from the referee device in the control device. 
         [0018]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to permit competitive gameplay between multiple vehicles moderated by an automated referee according to defined game rules. 
         [0019]    The radio transceiver may operate to provide signals to the remote wireless control device and referee control device indicating a proximity of the radio transceiver to radio transceivers of other remote control vehicles. 
         [0020]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to make use of the wireless communication protocol for determining proximity of the vehicles to each other that is useful for many game formats. 
         [0021]    The remote-control vehicle may further include at least one sensor communicating with the computer processor for providing a signal to the wireless control device and referee control device. 
         [0022]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to permit sensors to be provided allowing remote conditions to be reported from the vehicles to the referee device and control device with respect to control of gameplay. 
         [0023]    The sensor may be a bumper positioned on a side wall between the upper and lower surfaces for detecting a contact between the bumper and another surface to provide a signal to the remote wireless control device and the wireless referee device. 
         [0024]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to permit control of contact between the vehicle and a stationary or moving structure as part of gameplay. 
         [0025]    More generally, the invention ma provide a game system having multiple smart phone-type devices, for example, including a first wireless device including an interconnected wireless transceiver, electronic processor, and player interface for receiving commands from a player and a second wireless device, including an interconnected wireless transceiver, electronic processor, and player interface for receiving commands from a player. The system may include two remote control vehicles as described above and a program executing in portions on the wireless control device, the wireless referee device and the at least two remote-control vehicles to: (a) receive commands at each of the remote-control vehicles from a corresponding first and second wireless device operating as a control device allowing the player to input commands to the player interface to control the corresponding remote-control vehicle; (b) provide sense condition signals from each remote-control vehicle to one of the first and second wireless devices operating as a referee device; and (c) receive commands from the referee device to control at least one of the remote-control vehicles according to the sensed condition signals and a rule set defining game rules of the game conducted with the first and second wireless devices. 
         [0026]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to make use of multiway wireless interconnectivity to provide for automatic refereeing of a variety of games using the extensive processing power of the wireless smart phone-type devices and their ability to download applications that may define gameplay. 
         [0027]    In one example, the sensed signal may indicate an out-of-bounds vehicle position and the program may execute so that a command from the referee device causes a pause in operation of the remote-control vehicle providing the out-of-bounds signal for a predetermined period of time. 
         [0028]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide more sophisticated results from violation of game rules related to boundaries, for example, better simulating the results of a crash or the like. 
         [0029]    In another example, the sensed signal may provide an indication of proximity between the first and second remote-control vehicles and wherein the program executes to provides for an “it” token transfer between one remote-control vehicle currently having the “it” token and another remote-control vehicle not currently having the “it” and to output a relative score to the first and second remote-control vehicles associated with that transfer. 
         [0030]    It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to permit an automatically moderated and scored tag game. 
         [0031]    These particular objects and advantages may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the vehicle platform of the present invention next to a smart phone that may be used as a controller for the vehicle; 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the vehicle platform and smart phone showing the principal functional elements of each; 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of a mesh network implemented by the present invention allowing communication among multiple controllers and vehicles; 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a program executed by the interconnected controllers and vehicles of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary view of manipulables that may be placed in the environment of the vehicles for added gameplay features; 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary block diagram of a bumper activating a switch for signaling contact between the vehicle and a stationary surface; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a simplified perspective view of the manipulable serving as fiducials for virtual reality augmentation; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a figure of a design for a golf ball or other retrievable item employing a Bluetooth transceiver establishing a connection to a smart phone or similar device for location purposes; 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a simplified plan view of a process of determining a bearing of the golf ball of  FIG. 8  using a smart phone; and 
           [0041]      FIG. 10  is a plot of acceleration versus time from an internal accelerometer in the golf ball of  FIG. 8  that may be used to determine approximate range and make other flight measurements. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Construction Block Vehicle System 
       [0042]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  10  may provide for a generally rectangular block (parallelepiped) shaped housing  12  having front and rear parallel axles  14   a  and  14   b  extending from inside the housing  12  outward therefrom. Each distal end of the axles  14  may terminate at a rubber wheel  16 , the wheels  16  arrayed to simultaneously contact a planar surface beneath the housing  12  to propel the vehicle  10  along that surface. 
         [0043]    An upper surface  13  of the housing  12  may provide for construction block studs  18 , for example, over substantially the entire upper surface  13  as a single uninterrupted rectangular array of equal columns and rows of studs  18 . The studs  18  may be integrally molded to the housing  12  as an injection molded part. Each of the studs  18  of this uninterrupted rectangular array is regularly spaced along vertices of a square grid that allow connection to other similar dimension construction block such as Mega Bloks manufactured by MEGA Brands Inc. or LEGOS® manufactured by the LEGO Group and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282 hereby incorporated by reference. Generally the upper surfaces of the studs  18  will lie in a common plane. 
         [0044]    A lower surface  15  of the housing  12  may provide for corresponding construction block tubes  20 , for example, over substantially the entire lower surface  15  as a single uninterrupted rectangular array of equal size columns and rows of tubes  20 . Again the tubes  20  may be integrally molded to the housing  12  as an injection molded part and may be spaced along vertices of a square grid that allow connection to other similar dimension construction block elements as described above. 
         [0045]    The upper surface  13  and lower surface  15  will be generally parallel and separated by a distance  21  that is smaller than a diameter  23  of the smallest of the wheels  16  so that the wheels  16  may extend at once both above a plane of the upper surface  13  and below a plane of the lower surface  15 . For this purpose the axles  14  may be positioned approximately midway between the upper surface  13  and lower surface  15 . These relative dimensions allow the housing  12  to roll on the wheels  16  with either the upper surface  13  above the axles  14  or below the axles  14  with the vehicle  10  inverted. 
         [0046]    Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , axles  14   a  may be independent so that each attaches independently to a different electric motor  22 , for example, a DC permanent magnet motor. Electric motors  22  may communicate through a planetary, gear-down gearbox  24  with the respective wheel  16 . The electric motors  22  may be controlled by solid-state switches  26 , such as transistors, metering power from a battery  28  contained in the housing  12  to the electric motors  22 . 
         [0047]    Each of the solid-state switches  26  may be controlled independently by a microcontroller  30  having a processor  32  and electronic memory  34  holding a stored program. The microcontroller  30  may also receive power from the battery  28 . In addition, power from the battery  28  may be provided to a low energy Bluetooth (BLE), also known as Bluetooth Smart, transceiver  36  that may communicate with the microcontroller  30 . The transceiver  36  may receive commands via Bluetooth signals and transmit the signals to the microcontroller  30  which uses its stored program to control the motors  22  independently. This independent control may provide for simultaneous forward rotation of each motor  22 , simultaneous reverse rotation of each motor  22  or single reverse or forward rotation of only one of the two motors  22 . These control states allow the vehicle  10  to move forward or backwards in a straight line or curve so as to turn left or right. It will be appreciated that different motor speeds may also be implemented by controlling the voltage or current received by the motors  22 , for example, by providing suitable control signals to the solid-state switches  26 , for example, a current signal, or to a bipolar transistor which may then act as a current source. 
         [0048]    Microcontroller  30  may also communicate with one or more sensors  37  such as light sensors or push button switches or the like and one or more output devices  39  such as an LED or piezoelectric transducer that can be incorporated into the housing  12  without interfering with the block connector surfaces. The transceiver  36  may receive these sensor values from the microcontroller  30  and transmit those as Bluetooth signals. 
         [0049]    The Bluetooth transceiver  36  may transmit and receive Bluetooth signals  38  to or from a smart wireless controller  40  such as a smart phone or tablet or the like containing a Bluetooth transceiver  42 . This Bluetooth transceiver  42  may communicate with an internal processor system  44  incorporating a processor  46  and electronic memory  48  holding a stored program. Typically, the processor system  11  will also communicate with a touchscreen  50  providing for graphic display output as well as a touch sensitive surface. In this way the touchscreen  50  provides a general-purpose human machine interface. 
         [0050]    The wireless controller  40  will be powered by a battery system  52  so as to provide portability in the manner of an ideal remote control unit. Generally the smart wireless controller  40  may also include a variety of additional sensors including a camera  58 , a three-axis accelerometer and/or gyro  60 , a microphone  62 , a compass  64 , and a GPS receiver  65 . 
         [0051]    The program in the memory  48  of the smart wireless controller  40  may execute to provide on the touchscreen  50  a set of direction arrows  56  that may be touched to control the operation of the motors  22  either in tandem forward, tandem reverse, or one forward at a time as described above. Alternatively or in addition to this control mechanism, the smart wireless controller  40  may sense tipping, shaking, or rotation of the smart wireless controller  40  using the internal accelerometer or gyroscope  60 , or the compass may be used to effect control of the vehicle  10 , and these inputs may be used to control the operation of the motors  22 . 
         [0052]    It will be appreciated that the hardware and processing power of the smart wireless controller  40  allows for extremely sophisticated control strategies including, for example, controlling sequences of moves of the vehicle  10  according to a program, for example, prepared in the manner of the Logo computer program which allows children and adults to learn basic programming skills using movement of the vehicle  10 . It will also be appreciated that the camera  58 , for example, may be used to track the location of the vehicle  10  and to provide control signals to the vehicle  10  based on camera observation based on that tracking, for example, to move the vehicle  10  automatically through a maze or the like under automated visual feedback. 
         [0053]    Equally important, the additional processing capability of the smart wireless controller  40  allows, for example, the smart wireless controller  40  to control multiple vehicles at the same time, for example, using commands from players entered into four different quadrants of the touch display. In this way interference among multiple controllers is eliminated, the need for multiple controllers is eliminated and the single communication channel may be used, significantly reducing costs. Each different vehicle  10  may be given a unique identification code, for example, like a MAC address so as to sort out the commands intended for that particular vehicle  10 . 
         [0054]    The ability of the vehicle  10  to work with standard construction blocks allows not only classic vehicles to be constructed on top of the vehicle  10  but also, for example, permits robots or similar fighting engines to be constructed which may be collided against each other in the manner of battling robots or may play in competitive activities, for example, as soccer players. In this case, the height of the structures added to the housing  12  using construction bricks may be substantial and many levels high, for example, exceeding 10 to 20 construction blocks. In addition, other motorized elements such as rotating arms or the like may be added. 
         [0055]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the present invention can provide a multiperson play system  66  using multiple controllers  40 , for example, controllers  40   a  and  40   b  and multiple vehicles  10   a ,  10   b  in a mesh network  67  in which each vehicle  10  is in bidirectional communication with each controller  40  and the controllers  40  are in bidirectional communication with each other and the vehicles  10  are in bidirectional communication with each other. In this mesh network  67 , the various processors of the controllers  40  and vehicles  10  may jointly execute a program  70  (shown generally in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0056]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , particular control assignment, for example, of controller  40   a  to control vehicle  10   a  and for controller  40   b  to control vehicle  10   b  may be enforced through the use of unique addresses for the different devices so that an individual player having a given controller  40  may control only vehicles  10  assigned to that controller  40 . This linking of controllers  40  to vehicles  10  may be accomplished by a commissioning process per process block  68  in which all vehicles are identified, for example, on the touchscreen  50  of the controllers  40  and the player taps those images to make the necessary control assignments. At the conclusion of process block  68 , each vehicle  10  will have a single unique controller  40  for the purpose of providing a control device receiving commands from the player. 
         [0057]    Per succeeding process block  72 , the players may then nominate one of the controllers  40  to provide a referee device. The nominated control controller  40  may provide for dual functionality in this capacity both as a controller device and as a referee device. Alternatively a separate controller  40  may be used for the referee device. Generally the referee device will enforce game rules in the manner of a referee and will keep score and provide outputs of the score as appropriate for that game. The particular rules of a desired game may be implemented in the form of an application program downloaded, for example, from the Internet onto the controller  40  providing the referee device. 
         [0058]    As indicated by process block  74 , after a referee device is selected, the particular rule set may be selected from a variety of different applications listed on the controller  40  providing for the referee device functionality. The rule set will provide for different rule functions having arguments based on signals received from the players of the controllers  40  and signals sensed by the vehicles  10  together with additional data such as from timers and the like, and having arguments in the form of commands sent to the vehicles  10  as will be apparent from the following examples. 
         [0059]    The program  70  may then allow for operation of the vehicles  10  by the controllers  40  operating as control devices through repetition of a series of process blocks  76  and  78 . At process block  78 , the vehicles  10  report sensed activity in the vicinity of the vehicles  10  to their associated controller  40  and to the referee device, in the simplest case, the sensed activity will be a proximity of a vehicle  10  to other vehicles  10  or objects being part of the mesh network  67 . Here, proximity to another device having a Bluetooth transceiver may be readily determined as a feature of Bluetooth communication. In other eases, various sensors  37  may provide the signals communicated from the vehicles  10 . 
         [0060]    At process block  78 , vehicles  10  may receive commands from the controllers  40  acting as control, devices from inputs on the controllers  40  by the players. These commands provide direct control of the vehicles  10 , for example, steering them and directing them forward and backward at different speeds. These commands may also execute prestored sequences of commands to the same effect. 
         [0061]    At process block  80 , the vehicles  10  may also receive commands from the referee device. At decision block  82 , these commands from the referee device are compared to commands from the control devices to determine if these different commands conflict based on the rule set. If so, at process block  84 , referee device commands override or modify those of the control device (either or both as implemented by a controller  40 ). 
         [0062]    At process block  86  the prevailing instructions are executed and outputs may be provided, for example, indicating scoring or game progress. 
       Example I 
       [0063]    Referring also to  FIG. 5 , in one example, the system may implement an obstacle course or racecar-type game in which multiple vehicles  10  race or maneuver over an area  88 . In one embodiment the area may be to delineated by a mat  90  having optical or other indicia  92  printed on its upper surface such as may be sensed by a sensor  37  of the vehicle  10  for example, an LED photosensor array). The indicia  92  may, for example, provide for a boundary of a playing field that must not be exited or edges of a racecourse track that must not be passed through during racing. In this game, a signal sent from the vehicles  10  indicating a crossing of that boundary may be received by the referee device which may then provide a command to the vehicle  10  crossing the boundary to stop for a given period of time, for example, 5 seconds, providing an implicit penalty for crossing the boundary. This command from the referee device overrides any commands from the player per decision block  82  of  FIG. 4  that might otherwise instruct the vehicle  10  to continue moving. 
         [0064]    Alternatively, the indicia  92  may indicate, for example, waypoints or goals that the vehicles  10  must “touch” by sensing the indicia  92  with the sensor  37 . Here the referee device may provide for a score for how many goals were attained by each vehicle  10  and/or may measure a time required to reach each goal. Goals indicated by the indicia  92  may also represent the finish line of a racecourse and the time may provide an indication of the winner of the race, for example, as displayed on one of the controllers  40 . It will be appreciated that the referee device may also provide for a starting “gun” or signal for the beginning of the race. In this regard, the referee device may monitor whether driving commands are sent by the players to the vehicles before the clock indicates that the race should start, and may penalize those players appropriately, for example, with respect to points, time, or by pausing motion of the vehicle  10 . 
       Example II 
       [0065]    Referring no to  FIG. 6 , each vehicle  10  may provide a bumper  94  positioned, for example, at a front edge of the housing  12  connected to a switch  96  or the like communicating with the microcontroller  30  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) to indicate contact between the bumper  94  and some external structure. Alternatively, a virtual bumper may be created by establishing a boundary  98  related to Bluetooth proximity. These features allow a game rule set related to a game of tag to be implemented in which a given vehicle  10  is randomly assigned an it token (being a virtual token implemented in the program rather than a physical token). This token may then be passed to another vehicle  10  by maneuvering vehicle  10  with the token to touch its bumper  94  to another vehicle or to be within the virtual boundary  98  of another vehicle  10 . Once this point of proximity is attained, the token is transferred to the other vehicle  10  by the referee device monitoring these proximity signals and keeping an accounting of the location of the token. Passing of the token may be signaled, for example, by a tone or visual display on the referee controller  40  which may also keep track of statistics such as the time the token is held and may enforce rules such as “no touch backs” which prevent the token from being returned to the individual most recently releasing the token. A visual indication may be provided on one of the vehicles  10  that it has the token, for example, by illuminating an LED. It will be appreciated that this sensed contact feature may also be implemented without the referee device either by programming in the vehicle  10  or in its corresponding control device controller  40 . 
         [0066]    Referring again to  FIG. 5 , other manipulable elements beyond the mat  90  or instead of the mat  90  may be provided in the region through which the vehicles  10  move including, for example, pylons  100 , for example, for implementing a slalom type race, or a ball or puck  102 , for example, such as may be used for playing a soccer or hockey type game. These manipulables  100  and  102  may include radio transmitters for being part of the mesh network  67  of  FIG. 3 , for example, to receive commands causing the illumination of internal lights or the like and provide proximity signals. The manipulables  100 ,  102  may alternatively have other proximity sensing elements in them for detection of the location of the vehicles  10  and communication of this location to the controllers  40 . 
         [0067]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , the pylons  100  may provide for a unique visual appearance or other identifying feature, for example, synchronized light beam signals allowing them to be uniquely identified by a camera in a virtual reality headset  104  implementing the controller  40 . In this case, the pylons  100  may also serve as fiducials for anchoring virtual elements  112  created visually by the virtual reality headset  104  positioned with respect to the pylons  100  providing, for example, a fanciful landscape through which the vehicles  10  may move, in this case, collisions between the vehicles  10  and the virtual elements  112  may be prevented by proximity sensing between the pylons  100  and the vehicles  10 , and the signal sent from the vehicles  10  to the referee device which turns off the vehicles  10  when they collide with the perimeter of the virtual element  112  allowing only operation of the vehicle  10  backwards away from the virtual element  112 . 
         [0068]    It will be appreciated that the vehicles  10  may make use of control “macros” programmed into or executed on the controllers  40 , for example, executing a set of prestored moves or the like. Because a single controller  40  may control and communicate with multiple vehicles  10 , it is possible to provide all of the vehicles  10  the same commands allowing them to move in a synchronized fashion. 
       Retrievable Golf Ball 
       [0069]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a golf ball  200 , or any device whose location, height, speed, or trajectory may need to be determined, may be constructed to include a battery  202  providing power to a processor system  204  having a processor  206  and memory  208  holding a stored program. The processor system  204  may communicate with an accelerometer/gyro  210  and may further communicate with a low-energy Bluetooth transceiver  212  also powered by the battery  202 . The processor system  204  may operate in a low-power mode until high accelerations trigger a wake state in which the golf ball  200  transmits a Bluetooth signal  214  to a smart wireless device  216  of the type described above with respect to smart wireless controller  40 . 
         [0070]    Referring now to  FIG. 9 , location of the golf ball  200  may be obtained by a direction finding process in which a player  218  walks along a circular path  220  moving through iso-strength lines  222  related to the strength of the signal from the golf ball&#39;s  200  internal Bluetooth transceiver  212 . Alternatively, the player may rotate in place using the player&#39;s body as a signal absorber that periodically occludes the signal from the golf ball. Through use of the compass or an internal OPS and the measurement of signal strength along the path  220  or with rotation, a direction  224  of maximum signal strength may be determined which, when coupled with the position of the player, will indicate a direction between the player and the golf ball  200 . 
         [0071]    Referring also to  FIG. 10 , measurements  226  of acceleration as a function of time may be made by the golf ball  200  using the contained accelerometer/gyro  210  and transmitted to the smart wireless device  216  to provide additional information about the range of the golf ball  200 . A peak acceleration  128  may be identified at the time the golf ball  200  is struck with the golf club and integration of this peak over time t 1  may provide a force that may be used to calculate an approximate acceleration of the golf ball. After the golf ball  200  leaves the club, a period of zero acceleration  130  will be experienced as the golf ball  200  moves in free flight through the air during a period of time t 2 . This time of zero acceleration defines the limit of time t 1  which begins as soon as acceleration rises above the normal gravitational constant value. 
         [0072]    With acceleration and flight time, a rough range may be determined assuming normal golf ball angle of flight. This estimate may be refined through knowledge of the type of club being used to strike the golf ball  200 . When the golf ball is ultimately recovered, an actual distance to the golf ball  200  (measured with GPS as the player walks to the golf ball  200 ) can be determined and the time of flight and maximum acceleration may be used to determine qualities of the golf swing including, for example, the loft, angle and the like. 
         [0073]    It will be appreciated that other radio communication protocols than Bluetooth LE may be used in these applications. 
         [0074]    Certain terminology is used herein for purposes of reference only, and thus is not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, “bottom” and “side”, describe the orientation of portions of the component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the component under discussion. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Similarly, the terms “first”, “second” and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. 
         [0075]    When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
         [0076]    References to “a microprocessor” and “a processor” or “the microprocessor” and “the processor,” can be understood to include one or more microprocessors that can communicate in a stand-alone and/or a distributed environment(s), and can thus be configured to communicate via wired or wireless communications with other processors, where such one or more processor can be configured to operate on one or more processor-controlled devices that can be similar or different devices. Furthermore, references to memory, unless otherwise specified, can include one or more processor-readable and accessible memory elements and/or components that can be internal to the processor-controlled device, external to the processor-controlled device, and can be accessed via a wired or wireless network. 
         [0077]    It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein and the claims should be understood to include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. All of the publications described herein, including patents and non-patent publications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.