CH711957A2 - System and method of measurement with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a race. - Google Patents

Abstract

The measuring system according to the invention makes it possible to correct an arrival time of an athlete (20) in a foot race. The system includes a transponder module (1) customized and placed on an upper part of the athlete's body and a base station (10). The transponder module comprises a signal receiving unit (3), a processing unit (4) of data, measurements or commands, a transmission unit (5) of data signals and / or measurements and / or of commands, and a motion sensor (7) for supplying measurement signals to the processing unit. The motion sensor may be a gyro (7) connected to the processing unit in the transponder module and configured to determine an angle of inclination of the athlete's body relative to a vertical direction when passing the line. of arrival (30) for a correction of the race arrival time. The invention also relates to a measurement method using a system as described above.

Description

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to a measuring system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race by means of a transponder module adapted to the athlete and preferably worn on an upper part of the athlete's body during the race.

The invention also relates to a measuring method with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race for the actuation of the measuring system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In a sporting event such as a sprint race in athletics, each athlete starts from a star-ting-block. Each athlete is often equipped with a transponder module, which is integrated into the numbered bib. The athlete's unofficial timing or race time is taken from the reading of the transponder module, which appears when said transponder module crosses the finish line. After that, the official time is judged following the photo-finish taken taking into account the rules IAAF 165.2.

It should be noted that this time must be taken when any part of the torso reaches the vertical plane near the edge of the finish line. This official time is normally available between 10 and 20 seconds after unofficial time, which is a long time for spectators viewing the race.

If an athlete crosses the finish line by being in a straight position, the transponder module is in a position, which corresponds quite to the position to judge the time on the photofinish image. Thus, the error between the unofficial time of the transponder module and the official time taken from the photofinish image differs only according to the inaccuracy of the detection of the transponder module. However, many athletes bend forward, as they cross the finish line to gain an advantage in the picture-by-picture judgment. In this case, the athlete is judged on the shoulders forward with the photo-finish image, while the transponder module crosses the finish line more than 10 cm behind this finish point. Thus, the difference between unofficial transponder and official module times can be quite large. In addition, in the case of a tight arrival of several athletes, the ranking of each may also be wrong.

According to the state of the art, and according to the above-mentioned time difference between the transponder time and the time of the photofinish image, the unofficial classification is published only when the time difference of the transponder module of two athletes is greater than 0.1 s. If the difference is smaller, no ranking is shown to viewers until the official times of the photofinish image are available. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The object of the invention is therefore to overcome the drawbacks of the above-mentioned state of the art by proposing a measurement system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a running race at the means of a transponder module adapted to the athlete and worn on an upper part of the body of the athlete during the race.

To this end, the invention relates to a measuring system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a race, which comprises the characteristics defined in the independent claim 1.

[0009] Particular embodiments of the measuring system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a track race are defined in the dependent claims 2 to 9.

An advantage of the measuring system with correction of the arrival time lies in the fact that with the transponder module placed on an upper part of the body of the athlete, it is possible to correct the arrival time of the athlete. an athlete following the passage of the transponder module on the finish line. The transponder module includes at least one motion sensor capable of providing information on an angle of inclination of the upper body of the athlete when crossing the finish line. With the information provided by the transponder module on the arrival time of the finish line and the determined angle of inclination, this makes it possible to estimate the arrival time of the transponder module. A correction of the unofficial arrival time based on the passage of the transponder module on the finish line can thus be calculated.

Advantageously, the transponder module comprises at least one motion sensor for measuring the angle of inclination of the upper part of the athlete's body. This motion sensor can be an inertial motion sensor. It may be a gyroscope connected to a processing unit capable of performing calculations based on the gyro measurements to transmit the tilt angle information to the crossing of the finish line. In principle, the gyroscope must initially be calibrated in order to be able to determine an orientation difference, that is to say an angle of inclination with respect to a vertical or horizontal direction.

The transponder module is placed on an upper part of the body of the athlete especially in the numbered bib. Once calibrated and activated, the gyroscope determines the inclination of the athlete at the time of crossing the finish line to correct the unofficial arrival time determined and provided by the transponder module in relation to the official time determined with the photofinish image. Thanks to the data signal transmitted by the transponder module, an unofficial correct classification of the athletes at the end of their race can be immediately provided at the arrival of a track race, for example a sprint race.

To this end, the invention also relates to a measuring method with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race for the activation of the measuring system, and which includes the characteristics defined in the independent claim 10.

Particular steps of the measurement method are defined in the dependent claims 11 to 14. Short description of the drawings [0015] The aims, advantages and characteristics of the measurement system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a running, and the method of actuating the measuring system will appear better in the following description of at least one non-limiting embodiment illustrated by the drawings in which: FIG. 1 schematically represents the main elements of a measurement system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race according to the invention, FIGS. 2a to 2c schematically represent an athlete, who is provided with a transponder module showing a view of his passage of a finish line in the upright position and two views with the upper part of the folded body at the passage of the line finish, and FIG. 3 schematically shows an athlete, who is provided with a transponder module in starting position on a starting block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0016] In the following description, all the elements of the measurement system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race, which are well known to those skilled in the art in this field. technical field, will be reported only in a simplified way. Running can be done on the track or on the road or in the forest or in the mountains.

FIG. 1 schematically represents the main elements, which make up a measurement system with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a race on track or road. To do this, the system comprises one or more transponder modules 1 and at least one base station 10 for the communication of data and / or measurements and / or commands between the transponder modules 1 and the base station 10. Each transponder module 1 for the competition is placed on a part of the body of an athlete, for example in a bib number, and is therefore personalized or adapted to the athlete, who wears it. Preferably, the transponder module 1 is disposed on an upper part of the body of the athlete, such as the thorax. As explained below, said transponder module is disposed at the center of gravity, such as the thorax. This makes it possible to detect the rotation of the athlete's upper body, especially when crossing the finish line to correct the unofficial race time of the athlete.

Preferably at the finish line, there is provided an antenna loop on the ground or a side antenna aligned with the finish line to be able to transmit a magnetic field signal. This magnetic field signal may be stationary or with synchronization modulation by determined period. The transponder module 1 of each athlete in the race can detect the crossing of the finish line by measuring one or more intensities of the magnetic field near the arrival antenna. A prediction of the arrival time by the transponder module 1 can also be determined on this basis. A measurement of the time can also be performed in the transponder module 1 or by transmitting signals for measuring intensities of the field picked up at the base station 10. It is also possible for the transponder module 1 to be awake and / or synchronized. by another antenna at the start or at different points of the race track.

The transponder module 1 can be of the active type with a battery or solar cell or other energy source integrated in the module or the passive type being powered by the reception of a conventional interrogation signal or wake-up signal. . However with the use of one or more motion sensors in the transponder module, it is necessary to have a transponder module of the active type.

The transponder module 1 comprises a wireless signal receiving unit 3 for receiving by an antenna 2 data signals or commands from a base station 10 or a transmitter arranged in a starting block of the measuring system or along a track or race track or also at the finish of the race. Preferably, the signals received by the antenna 2 linked to the reception unit 3 are signals allowing the awakening or the synchronization of the transponder module 1, which can be in a state of rest before the reception of such signals. These synchronization signals are generated, as indicated above, by the base station 10 or by a starting block transmitter or along the race track, after the start preparation signal of an athletics race. especially or directly at the time of the starting pistol shot.

It should be noted that the transponder module 1 may also not include a reception unit 3, in order to make only measurements by at least one motion sensor and transmit the information to the base station for the correction of an arrival time.

The transponder module 1 also comprises a processing unit 4, which may be a state machine, a processor or a microcontroller, for the management of all the data or commands or measurements to be received or transmitted. A synchronization of said processing unit can also be operated from the start of the race, if it includes a time base to allow the determination of a race time. The synchronization of the transponder module 1 can also be performed at different points of the race or near the finish line. The processing unit 4 receives the data or commands formatted in the reception unit 3 so as also to wake up all the components that make up the transponder module 1. The processing unit 4 is still connected to a unit The base station 10 may be a race timing system and comprises an antenna 11 for transmitting or receiving signals.

The transponder module 1 further comprises at least one motion sensor 7 connected to the processing unit 4 to provide measurement signals continuously or intermittently to the processing unit 4 once the transponder module is awake and / or synchronized. The transponder module 1 can comprise, as motion sensor, at least one gyro or gyroscope 7. Preferably, the gyroscope 7 makes it possible to determine a rotational speed and an angle of rotation of the upper part of the athlete's body to determine a angle a of the upper part of the body for example with respect to a vertical direction or perpendicular to the track. This determination of the gyroscope is obviously possible only if the initial orientation is known. The measurement signals are supplied directly to the processing unit 4. The angle of inclination can also be determined with respect to a horizontal direction.

It should be noted that the motion sensor of the transponder module 1 may also be an assembly, which comprises a triaxial accelerometer 8, a triaxial gyroscope 7 and a triaxial magnetic sensor not shown. This set defines an inertial sensor with 9 axes.

The transponder module 1 may also include another motion sensor, which is an accelerometer 8 also linked to the treatment unit 4. This accelerometer 8 can measure the acceleration of an athlete at the time of departure of the race and stride rates throughout the race and up to the finish. In addition, the gyroscope 7 may be triaxial, as well as the accelerometer 8 so as to make measurements in the three directions x, y, z.

In the transponder module 1, the measurement signals of the gyroscope 7 and the accelerometer 8 or other types of sensors are sampled by the processing unit 4 or directly by the sensor itself before transmission. to the processing unit 4. The measurement signals can be transmitted directly to the base station 10 using the wireless transmission unit 5. However, the measurement signals can be improved notably after filtering and then stored and / or sent subsequently to the base station 10. It may also be planned to process the data of the different sensors and any detection event. It can also be expected to process extracted motion characteristics, such as the step frequency and transmit this information to the base station 10 in addition to the actual data of the accelerometer 8 and the gyroscope 7.

It should also be noted that the signals received by the antenna 2 linked to the reception unit 3 may be low frequency signals of the order of 125 kHz, whereas the signals transmitted by the antenna 6 linked to the transmission unit 5 may be relatively high frequency signals, for example HF or UHF signals with a frequency greater than 300 MHz. However, it may be conceivable to have a transponder module 1 with a single switchable reception and transmission antenna for receiving or transmitting data signals. In this case, it is preferred to have a reception of at least one wake-up signal and a transmission of data signals at a similar carrier frequency with a modulation of the transmitted data FSK, BPSK, QPSK or ON-OFF Keying.

As it is possible to see in Figures 2a to 2c, an athlete 20 can cross the finish line 30 in the upright position, that is to say with a low angle of inclination of the upper part. of the body in relation to the vertical. The transponder module 1 therefore passes at the same time as the upper part of the body as shown in FIG. 2a. If an athlete 20 bends forward, as he passes the finish line 30, the transponder module 1 is still set back a distance Δχ from the finish line 30 as shown in FIG. 2b. Finally, when the transponder module 1 passes on the finish line as shown in FIG. 2c and is detected by the base station of the timing measuring system, it obtains a time stamp. This time stamp is aAx / v too late compared to the final official time of athlete 20, where v is the speed of the athlete. For example for a sprint race on 100 m, the speed of the athlete 20 is close to 12 m / s passing the finish line 30.

By having an estimate of the inclination α of the upper body of the athlete 20, the speed v and the average position of the transponder module 1 on the upper part of the body, it is possible to provide an approximation the detection error and correct it. For example, if the transponder module 1 is placed at a distance d, for example 25 cm below the shoulders of the athlete 20, it can be measured the inclination a by the gyro of the transponder module 1 of the upper part of the body at an angle of 66 ° as shown in Figures 2b and 2c, with a speed of a sprint stroke at 12 m / s. This travel speed can be calculated preferably in the transponder module 1, or even in the base station 10, at the time of the passage of the finish line 30 by the measurements of the motion sensors 7, 8.

Claims (14)

The distance d can also be estimated on the basis of anthropometric parameters of each athlete. This distance d can thus be a function of the height of the athlete. The estimated distance can also be directly provided with the manufacturer of each race number. The race time taken by the transponder module 1 of an athlete may be equal to 9.598 s. The error on the distance becomes Δχ = (25 cm) sin (a) = 22.8 cm and the time error Al = Δχ / ν = 0.019 s. Thus the correct arrival time would then be 9.579 s, which is rounded according to the rules of athletics at 9.58 s. This corresponds to the official race time to communicate for example to the spectators of said race more quickly than the correct determination by the photofinish image of the official race time of each athlete 20. As represented in FIG. 3 at the time of departure, an athlete 20, which is provided with a transponder module 1, is squatted and supported by its two feet against two support pads 41 of a starting block 40, which is arranged and fixed on the floor of the track. Preferably, the motion sensor may be an 9-axis inertial sensor. To make an estimate of the inclination a of the upper part of the body on the basis of the signals of the gyroscope, it is necessary to know the initial angle for example at the beginning of the race. This angle can be obtained by measuring the center of gravity vector g via a triaxial accelerometer. This initial angle is stored in the transponder module, which must be activated for this measurement at least just before departure. The initial angle is thus memorized during the phase after the announcement of preparation at the start and before the stroke of the starting pistol of the race. Once the initial angle is known, the inclination of the upper part of the body can be calculated by rotating operations on the basis of the gyroscope signals during the race and mainly on arrival. It should be noted that it is necessary to have an initial condition to determine the angle of inclination a. The transponder module with the motion sensor must be calibrated to perform this measurement of the angle of inclination when crossing the finish line. This initial condition can be defined preferably before the start of the race, when the athlete remains ready as shown in fig. 3, but can also be estimated during the race before crossing the finish line. For the method of measuring a race time for the actuation of the measurement system, it can be expected to measure the angle of the upper body of an athlete running in the transponder module. . This module can be activated from the start or in intermediate positions between the start and the finish line, or on arrival. Preferably the transponder module is activated from the start of the race. The motion sensor, which may include at least the gyroscope, is provided to determine an angle of inclination of the athlete's upper body, which carries the transponder module. An initial orientation of the transponder module can be defined and stored just before the start of the race. Thus once the transponder module approaches the finish line and for example by detecting low frequency interrogation signals of an arrival antenna, a determination of the inclination angle and the Time difference can be calculated directly in said transponder module. Once calculated, there may be a transmission of data signals or commands to the base station to set a corrected race time. However, it can also be provided that only the angle of inclination measured in the transponder module is transmitted with a calculation of the time difference made directly after the arrival of the finish line by the base station. It should be noted that the activated transponder module can also transmit all the measurement data made by its sensors to the base station, which in this case determines and calculates the time difference and the correction of the unofficial time of each athlete. From the description that has just been made, several variants of the system and measuring method with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a race can be designed by the skilled person without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims. It may be expected to have several transponder modules on one part of the athlete's body for determining the angle of inclination at the crossing of the finish line and the correction of the unofficial arrival time. claims 1. Measurement system with correction of an arrival time of at least one athlete (20) in a foot race, the measurement system comprising at least one transponder module (1) customized and placed on an athlete and a base station (10), said transponder module (1) comprising a processing unit (4) for data, measurements or commands, a transmission unit (5) for data signals and / or measurements and / or controllers, and at least one motion sensor (7) for providing measurement signals to the processing unit (4), characterized in that the motion sensor is configured in such a manner as to determine an inclination angle a of the athlete's body relative to a vertical or horizontal direction when crossing the finish line (30) for correction of a race arrival time. Measuring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the motion sensor is a gyroscope (7) connected to the processing unit (4) in the transponder module (1). 3. Measuring system according to claim 2, characterized in that the transponder module (1) further comprises another motion sensor, which is an accelerometer (8) connected to the processing unit (4) for the detection of a variation of movement of said module or of a vibration level of said module. 4. Measuring system according to claim 3, characterized in that the gyroscope (7) is a triaxial gyroscope, and in that the accelerometer (8) is a triaxial accelerometer. 5. Measuring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the motion sensor is an inertial sensor with 9 axes, which comprises an assembly with a triaxial accelerometer (8), a triaxial gyroscope (7) and a triaxial magnetic sensor. Measuring system according to Claim 2, in which the transponder module (1) is arranged on an upper part of the athlete's body (20), characterized in that the gyroscope (7) is configured to be calibrated at the start of a race and to be able to determine an angle of inclination a of the athlete's body at the crossing of the finish line, in order to calculate the athlete's running time. Measuring system according to claim 6, characterized in that the processing unit (4) calculates a time error At of a running time of the athlete (20) on the basis of the angle of inclination. with respect to a vertical direction, of the position d of the transponder module (1) with respect to the athlete's shoulders and the speed of the athlete V at the finish, the temporal error being At = Ax / v, where Ax = d sin (a). Measuring system according to claim 7, characterized in that the processing unit (4) determines a race time of the athlete corrected in the transponder module (1) for a transmission of the correct stroke time of the athlete. athlete at the base station (10). 9. Measuring system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transponder module further comprises a wireless signal receiving unit (3) for receiving by an antenna (2) data signals or commands from of the base station (10) or of a transmitter arranged at the start of the race or along a race path. 10. Measuring method with correction of the arrival time of an athlete in a foot race for the actuation of the measuring system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring system comprises at least one module to transponder (1) personalized and placed on an athlete and a base station (10), said transponder module (1) comprising a processing unit (4) of data, measurements or commands, a transmission unit (5) of data signals and / or measurements and / or commands, and at least one motion sensor (7) for supplying measurement signals to the processing unit (4), characterized in that the method comprises the steps to: - measure an angle of inclination a of the athlete (20) by means of a motion sensor of the transponder module (1) activated when crossing the finish line (30), - correct a time of the athlete's race finish based on the angle measurement inclination angle a in the transponder module (1) or in the base station (10). Measuring method according to claim 10, for which the motion sensor is a gyroscope (7) connected to the processing unit (4) in the transponder module (1), characterized in that once activated, an acceleration measurement of the athlete is performed by another motion sensor, which is an accelerometer (8) of the transponder module (1) so as to detect a variation of movement of said module or a level of vibrations of said module. Measuring method according to one of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the transponder module (1) is synchronized from the start of the race or at different points of the race or near the finish line. by an interrogation or alarm signal. Measuring method according to Claim 12, characterized in that once activated and synchronized, the transponder module (1) determines a corrected travel time at the crossing of the finish line on the basis of intensity measurements. a magnetic field signal of an antenna near the finish line (30) and picked up by a reception unit (3), and in that the corrected race arrival time is transmitted from the module to transponder (1) at the base station (10). 14. Measuring method according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that a calculation of a time error At of a race arrival time of the athlete (20) is performed in the unit. for processing (4) the transponder module based on the angle of inclination α relative to a vertical direction, of the position d of the transponder module (1) with respect to the athlete's shoulders and the speed athlete v on arrival, the temporal error being At = Ax / v, where Ax = Sin (a).