Patent Abstract:
An automated lane surface measuring device comprising a controller for operating a drive mechanism for propelling the measuring apparatus and one or more sensors operated by the controller to measure topographical parameters of the bowling lane surface. In one embodiment the apparatus measures bowling lane surface elevation by measuring bowling lane height with respect to the measuring apparatus in selectable increments along the surface of the bowling lane. The measuring apparatus may also measure crosswise tilt along the width of a bowling lane in selectable increments. The measuring apparatus may also measure lengthwise tilt of the length of the lane surface in selectable increments.

Full Description:
COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX  
         [0001]    A computer program listing appendix containing the source codes of two computer programs that may be used in conjunction with the present invention is incorporated herein by reference and appended hereto as one (1) original compact disk, and an identical copy thereof, containing a total of fifteen (15) files as follows:  
           [0002]    Directory of D:\Laptop  
                                       Filename   Size/Type   Modified                   Anamolil.txt    2KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       Chart3D.txt   37KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormChart2D.txt    8KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormChartHistory.txt   16KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormDiffFrame.txt    1KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormGenericPass.txt    1KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormMainMap.txt   43KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormManual.txt   15KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormPerReadPerLane.txt   22KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormStart.txt    4KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       FormWholeLane.txt    4KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       ModuelUtilities.txt    4KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       ReportAnamoli.txt    2KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document       WaveClass.txt   12KB   Feb. 20, 2002 9:32 AM           Text Document                  
 
           [0003]    Directory of D:\PLC  
                                           Size/           Filename   Type   Modified                   KegMapManualHX44_13_08_31_2001.opt   4KB   Feb. 20, 2002           OPT   9:33 AM           File                  
 
         TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0004]    The present invention relates to the field of bowling lane maintenance machines. More particularly, the invention relates to a computer driven apparatus to measure topographical parameters of a bowling lane surface for later use in bowling lane maintenance applications.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0005]    In the prior art, automated machines for measuring relatively precise topographical parameters of a bowling lane surface are unknown. There are automated machines for measuring the profile of lane conditioning oil which has been laid down on top of the surface of a bowling lane. One such prior art reference is U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,220, which discloses a machine for automatically measuring the profile of lane dressing on a bowling lane. In the &#39;220 patent, a sample of lane dressing taken from the lane is optically analyzed to determine the thickness of the application of the lane dressing from end board to end board. However, this analysis provides no information regarding the actual surface of the bowling lane itself, which sits beneath the dressing fluid.  
           [0006]    While machines such as those disclosed in the &#39;220 patent can provide information regarding the profile and pattern of dressing fluid that has been deposited on a lane, they provide no information regarding the bowling lane surface and hence the oil pattern that should be applied to the lane to ensure a fair application of lane dressing for a single lane or for an entire facility. Moreover, the apparatus disclosed in the &#39;220 patent does not provide information that may be later used while repairing or resurfacing a lane.  
           [0007]    In the prior art lane topographical measurements have been taken using a manual apparatus that employs a feeler gauge to display lane height. This machine was not automated. It is desirable then to provide a machine that will automatically measure one or more parameters of lane topography to provide information for lane maintenance procedures and applications.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The bowling lane measuring apparatus of the present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. More particularly, the invention allows the automated measurement of topographical features of a bowling lane surface that may be used in bowling lane maintenance for applications such as applying conditioning oil to a bowling lane, resurfacing a bowling lane, and others. The invention measures one or more of a plurality of parameters describing bowling lane surface topography including lane surface elevation, cross-wise tilt, and lengthwise tilt of the lane.  
           [0009]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a controller for operating a drive mechanism that propels the measuring apparatus, and one or more sensors operated by the controller to measure topographical parameters of the bowling lane surface. In one preferred aspect, the apparatus measures bowling lane surface elevation by measuring bowling lane height with respect to the measuring apparatus in selectable increments along the surface of the bowling lane. In another preferred aspect of the invention, the measuring apparatus measures crosswise tilt along the width of a bowling lane in selectable increments. In another preferred aspect of the invention, the measuring apparatus measures lengthwise tilt of the length of the lane surface in selectable increments. These and other aspects of the invention are described more fully in the detailed description below. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of one embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention sitting on a bowling lane with the near side wall of the machine removed to reveal internal details;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention sitting on a bowling lane with the wall removed;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of one embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention including the lane height detection sensor and crosswise tilt sensor;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross sectional side view of the lane height detection sensor assembly;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the lane height sensor assembly;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the lane height sensor assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, top plan view of a portion of one embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing one embodiment of a computer program for driving the preferred embodiment of the lane mapper of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is an example graphical display capable of being produced by one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is an example three-dimensional graphical display capable of being produced by one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0022]    A preferred embodiment of the bowling lane measurement apparatus of the present invention, referred to as a lane mapper, is indicated to by the numeral  10  in FIG. 1. Apparatus  10  broadly includes housing  12 , drive assembly  14 , lane height measurement assembly  16 , crosswise tilt measurement assembly  18 , lengthwise tilt measurement assembly  20 , and controller assembly  22 .  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 1, housing  12  includes rear wall  24 , front wall  26 , side wall  28 , side wall  30 , and a top door that is not shown. Rear wall  24  has four caster wheels  32  mounted at the four corners thereof for rollably supporting apparatus  10  in the storage position with apparatus  10  tipped on its rear end. Rear wall  24  also has a centrally disposed, rearwardly projecting mounting bracket  34  (FIG. 2) for receiving a rearwardly projecting lengthwise tilt assembly mounting arm  68 . Also attached to rear wall  24  internally of housing  12  is power distribution assembly  36  including a power switch  38  mounted thereon. Between rear wall  24  and front wall  26  and mounted to side walls  28  and  30  is a transverse dividing wall  40 . Mounted between dividing wall  40  and rear wall  24  is a single speed drive motor  44 , and, a controller assembly  22 .  
         [0024]    Drive assembly  14  includes drive motor  44  with drive sprocket  46  mounted on the output shaft  48  of motor  44 . (FIG. 2) Drive assembly  14  further includes a long drive shaft  50  extending transversely between and journalled by left and right walls  28 , 30  with two drive wheels  52  mounted adjacent the opposite ends thereof. A driven sprocket  54  fixed to drive shaft  50  in alignment with drive sprocket  46  receives driving power from drive sprocket  46  via an endless chain  56 . A notched counter wheel  58  (FIG. 2) is operably coupled with the left end of drive shaft  50  by means of a chain  57  that is turned by a sprocket  59  fixed to shaft  50 . A photoelectric sensor  60  (FIG. 2) senses the rotation of notched wheel  58  and is used for indicating the distance of travel of apparatus  10 . Sensor  60  is in electrical communication with controller assembly  22 .  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 2, lengthwise tilt measurement assembly  20  includes a fore-and-aft mounting beam  62  with two skid pads  64  affixed to the bottom thereof. Mounted to the top of beam  62  is a sensor in the form of digital level  66 , which is in electrical communication with controller assembly  22 . Mounting beam  62  is attached to bracket  34  by arm  68 . A transverse pivot  67  secures arm  68  to bracket  34  and allows for vertical displacement of lengthwise tilt measurement assembly  20 . Likewise, a transverse pivot  70  secures the opposite end of arm  68  to mounting beam  62  and allows for vertical displacement of the assembly.  
         [0026]    Lane height measurement assembly  16 , as best seen in FIG. 4, includes a wheel housing  72  and a wheel housing  74 . Rotatably mounted within housing  70  are two fore-and-aft aligned wheels  76  and  78 . Rotatably mounted in wheel housing  74  is a single wheel  80 . Horizontal supports  82  and  84  rigidly fix wheel housings ( 72 ,  74 )  41  inches apart so that the rollers will be engaged with the bowling lane surface  86  just inboard of the lane edges on opposite sides of the lane as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0027]    As is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, mounted to the back wall of wheel housings  72  and  74  is an I-shaped track beam  88 . Slidably carried on track beam  88  for reciprocal travel therealong is a laser support guide  90 . Support guide  90  has an I-shaped cavity formed therein to receive track beam  88  and maintain the guide in a constant horizontal plane while allowing the guide to move freely in the horizontal direction. Mounted to laser support guide  90  is a laser mounting bracket  92 . Mounted to the top of laser mounting bracket  92  is a sensor in the form of a laser mounted within a laser housing  94 , and mounted to the bottom of laser support bracket  92  is a plunger assembly  96 . Also mounted on the top of laser support bracket  92  is a belt clasp  106 .  
         [0028]    As illustrated best in FIGS. 4, 5 and  6 , plunger assembly  96  includes an upright plunger  98 , a coil spring  100  encircling plunger  98 , a plunger block and receiving tube  102 , and a transverse plunger arresting pin  104  passing through the upper end of plunger  98 . Plunger  98  is slidably received withing plunger block and receiving tube  102 . Plunger arresting pin  104  prevents plunger  98  from dropping out of plunger block and receiving tube  102 . At its upper end spring  100  bears against block and receiving tube  102  to yieldably bias plunger  98  in the downward direction so that when the apparatus is positioned for operation the plunger head will be in contact with the top surface of bowling lane  86 . The laser (not shown) within laser housing  94  shines its beam  105  down onto the top face of plunger  98  and is capable of measuring any relative change in plunger height with respect to the laser to an accuracy of  3  microns or 0.0000118 inches. Laser sensor assembly  18  preferably includes an Omron Z4M-W40RA laser displacement sensor.  
         [0029]    Mounted to wheel housing  72  adjacent its upper end is an H-shaped in plan mounting member  108 . Mounted to and extending leftwardly from member  108  are two vertically spaced, threaded bolts  110  upon which are mounted a sheave support block  112 . Rotatably mounted to block  112  is a freely rotating driven cog sheave  114 . Mounted to right wheel housing  74  adjacent its upper end is an H-shaped in plan support member  116 . Mounted to member  116  is a laser sensor drive motor assembly  118  including a motor  120 , a drive shaft  122 , and a drive cog sheavel 24  (FIG. 4). Laser motor drive assembly  118  is in electrical communication with controller assembly  22 .  
         [0030]    Wall  28  and wall  30  each have two slots  126  formed therein. The rearward slots  126  receive H-shaped mounting members  108  and  116  within them respectively. Forward slots  126  each allow the passage of an endless cog belt  128  therethrough. Cog belt  128  is entrained around wheel  114  and drive wheel  124  and is connected to belt clasp  106  on guide  90  associated with plunger assembly  96 . When laser motor drive  120  turns drive wheel  124 , belt  128  is driven linearly, causing laser support guide  90  to move the laser assembly and plunger assembly  96  horizontally across the bowling lane. Displacement of the laser assembly and plunger assembly horizontally across the bowling lane is measured by a photoelectric sensor of the same type as photoelectric sensor  60  described above detecting the rotation of a notched wheel similar to notched wheel  58  described above. Front wall  26  has a pair of wheel supports  130  and  132  attached thereto with lane-engaging wheels  134  and  136  rotatably mounted therein respectively. Also attached to front wall  26  is a handle  138 .  
         [0031]    Crosswise tilt measurement assembly  18  is disposed between divider wall  40  and front wall  26 . Assembly  18  includes a transverse mounting beam  140 , which is attached to the top at its opposite ends of wheel housings  72  and  74 . Mounted to the top of beam  140  is a sensor in the form of digital level  142 , which is in electrical communication with controller assembly  22 . Digital levels  66  and  142  are preferably Wyler model Clino 2000 digital levels which are accurate to 0.0001 inches.  
         [0032]    As best seen in FIG. 3, an outboard, inwardly extending and spring-biased, conically shaped, guide wheel  144  is provided. Similarly, wheel housing  74  includes an outboard, inwardly extending and spring-biased, conically shaped, guide wheel  146 . Guide wheels  144  and  146  are positioned to engage the respective lane edge surfaces of a bowling lane in order to keep apparatus  10  centered on the lane.  
         [0033]    Controller assembly  22  includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls the operation of the lane mapper. The PLC controls the motors and receives signals from each of the sensors. The sensory information received by the PLC includes the distance the lane mapper has traveled down the bowling lane and the bowling lane surface information sensed by the lane mapper, including the lengthwise and crosswise tilt and the lane surface height with respect to the laser. The distance traveled information is used both in controlling the motion of the lane mapper and as a reference when recording lane surface characteristic information. In addition to the PLC, the controller assembly includes an on-board memory for temporarily storing the measurements made by the lane mapper. The controller assembly is connected by an interface to a laptop computer (not shown) that may be placed on top of the lane mapper. In a preferred embodiment the laptop computer has a software program based on the Windows Operating System that provides an interface between a user and the lane mapper. The PLC receives instructions from the laptop over the interface and controls the uploading of the result information from the lane mapper to the laptop computer. The software running on the laptop can then present the results in various formats as described further below.  
         [0034]    Operation of the lane mapper will now be described in conjunction with FIG. 9, a flow diagram of one embodiment of the control logic employed in the present invention. Although the preferred embodiment employs a programmed PLC, this flow logic maybe embodied in a computer program, in a programable logic chip, in custom designed hardware, or in some combination of the above.  
         [0035]    The flow diagram starts at step  200  where default values and user selected values are loaded into the controller, and the sensors on the machine are calibrated and checked for proper operation. The user selected values are entered into a software program in the laptop that is in communication with the PLC. The user can set the number of steps or locations where the lane mapper will take readings. The user can also set the distance between lane-surface height measurements within each step, the distance between steps, the distance between crosswise tilt measurements, and the distance between lengthwise tilt measurements. At step  202  the jam detection algorithm is activated. The jam detection algorithm will run continuously in the background throughout operation of the lane mapper to check that the laser sensor and machine are operating correctly. At step  204  the machine checks for a sensor carriage jam which will have occurred if the laser support guide  90  is not moving properly. At step  206  the controller checks for lane travel jam by checking for certain patterns in the motor sensor data or photoelectric sensor  60  data which indicate a jam has occurred.  
         [0036]    Once the sensors have been calibrated and the jam detection algorithm has been activated, measurements may begin at step  208 . This process starts with the controller aligning the laser sensor at the first position on the left at step  210 . Once the laser sensor is aligned, a reading of the lane height is taken and stored at step  212 . At step  214  the laser sensor is incremented to the right by the programed increment amount. The default value in the preferred embodiment is ½″ increments, but this may be changed. When the measurement process begins the lane height measurements are made by incrementing the laser and plunger from left to right. After the laser sensor has been incremented, the controller will check at step  216  to determine if the laser sensor has reached the end of its run. If the laser sensor has not yet traversed the width of the lane, control returns to step  212  where another laser reading is taken and the process repeats. If the laser sensor has reached the end of its run, control proceeds to step  218  where the crosswise tilt of the lane is measured by reading the crosswise tilt digital level. “Control then proceeds” to step  220  where lengthwise tilt is read by reading the lengthwise tilt digital level.  
         [0037]    Once a step measurement has been completed and the crosswise and lengthwise tilt have also been recorded, the controller moves the recorded data from the memory into a transfer buffer at step  222 . At step  224 , the data is transferred to an attached computer, which in the preferred embodiment is a laptop computer. The controller then determines whether the data transfer is complete at step  226  before proceeding to step  228  where the lane mapper is incremented lengthwise down the lane to the next step for the next set of measurements. At step  229  the program checks to determine if the lane mapper has reached the end of its measurement run down the lane. If yes, the program proceeds to step  231  where the controller causes the lane mapper to return to the foul line. If the lane mapper has not reached the end of its run, the controller proceeds to step  230 . Because the laser sensor is all the way to the right, the second step lane height measurements will be made from right to left. As the lane mapper increments down the lane from step to step, the laser sensor runs alternate so that runs on odd increments are from left to right and runs on even increments are from right to left. After the lane mapper has been incremented one step down the lane, the laser sensor is aligned at the first position on the right at step  230 . This process is identical to that described for step  210 , except that it is performed on the right. Program flow then returns to step  212 , the beginning of the laser reading loop where the laser measurements are taken until the entire lane width has been measured as previously described.  
         [0038]    Resident in the laptop computer is a user interface program that provides a graphical user interface that allows the user to programmably select measurement settings including the distance between steps down the bowling lane, the distance between lane height measurements within each step, and the distance between and frequency of lengthwise and crosswise tilt measurements. The program also stores measurement data transferred by the PLC to the laptop in a database. The database records the lane measurements and also records the facility and lane number to which the measurements refer. The software allows the user to view the lane measurements either as numerical outputs or in a graphical format. The graphical format can take the form of a two-dimensional graph showing the cross section of lane height measurements for a particular step and also may be displayed as a three-dimensional graph showing lane height measurements for an entire bowling lane.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 10 shows an example graphical display of the data recorded by the lane mapper generated by the user interface program. In FIG. 10 the user can select the bowling lane center he wishes to view data from by using the drop down menu  240 . Menu  246  allows the user to select from each step of data taken for a particular lane on a given date. The user may select the step to be displayed by highlighting the entry desired. Once the center and lane have been selected, the user interface program populates the chart with the relevant data. This data includes a numeric presentation  242  and  244  of the crosswise and lengthwise tilt respectively. Graph  248  displays the data for a cross section of the lane surface height at one step in graphical format. Sliding scale control  249  allows the user to select the particular reading within a step to be displayed on the screen. Graph  250  shows the crosswise tilt for the selected step and graph  252  shows the overall lengthwise tilt for the entire lane from front to back. Button  254  causes the user interface program to create a three dimensional graph of the entire selected bowling lane such as is shown in FIG. 11. Over box  251  and under box  253  allow the user to enter the values that filter the report to exclude measured values between the limits set by the over value and under value. Thus any single read that is over or under the user entered values will be displayed on the report. These values are typically the American Bowling Congress maximum tolerance specifications for crowns and depressions. Thus, this report shows any reads that are not within the tolerance range. The report is displayed by setting the over and under values and then clicking on the over under report button  255 . Difference button  243  activates the generation of a report that will identify holes or hills on the lane for an area of 10 reads within a single step, which is approximately equivalent to the width of 5 boards in the lane. The user can input values into Val 1 Box  247  and Val 2 Box  245 . The difference report will show any values within the 5 board area outside of the ranges entered in the Val 1 and Val 2 boxes.  
         [0040]    In FIG. 11 the three dimensional display  256  gives a view of the lane surface for the entire lane based on the data that was stored from a lane mapper run. The graph may be displayed in color and key  258  shows the elevation associated with each region on the three dimensional graph  256 . The bottom of FIG. 11 includes a region  260  in which the user may make selections regarding the display, printing, and saving of the three dimensional map.  
         [0041]    Although the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.  
         [0042]    Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

Technology Classification (CPC): 0