EP0204279A1 - Starting gate for races - Google Patents

Abstract

A departure gate for sporting runs includes two riser members forming an outlet, each riser member bearing a device comprising a bar arranged to be angularly movable, the bar extending at least halfway over the width of the outlet. Each device includes an electrical contractor controlled by the bar and operated thereby as soon as the bar has traversed a predetermined angle ( alpha ). The contactors are coupled in a manner such that an electrical output signal is produced only when at least one of the bars has traversed the angle alpha . The gate minimized or eliminates the influence that the starting position of the contestant may have on his result.

Description

The invention relates to a starting gate for sports races comprising a doorway formed by two uprights arranged on either side of the path taken by a runner and placed on the starting line and contact means producing an electrical signal for start a chronograph when the runner crosses the said starting line.

Such a gate is well known in the art and commonly used in sports such as alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, river canoeing or even cross country. It then appears as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a known gate. It includes a recess formed by two uprights 1 and 2 arranged on either side of the path 3 taken by the runner and placed on the starting line 4. The gate is provided with contact means which will produce an electrical signal when the runner crosses line 4. For this purpose it includes a device 5 fixed on the upright 2. On the device 5 is articulated a bar 6. The bar 6 controls an electrical contactor (not shown) mounted in the device 5. On the thrust of the runner the bar 6 pivots in the direction of the arrow 7 which, when it has traversed an angle of approximately 30 degrees, activates a contact with which the contactor is provided. The activation of this contact triggers an electronic chronograph which counts the time elapsed between the moment the bar opens and the moment the runner crosses the finish line.

This simple system has a non-negligible drawback: that of making the engagement of the chronograph depend on the position of the runner at the start of where it will result in different times depending on the position adopted. To understand this, refer to Figure 2 which shows a top view of the gate according to the prior art and which uses the same references as those used for Figure 1. The bar is shown here in the closed position 6 where it is aligned on the starting line 4 and in the half-open position 6 'for which the opening angle a is 30 degrees. For this opening angle, the contactor controlled by the bar 6 is activated and the chronograph begins to count. To bring the bar from position 6 to position 6 'orr can act at 8 near its joint or at 9 at its opposite end. If we act at 8, the figure shows that a very small movement a is necessary to bring the bar from position 6 to position 6 'whereas if it is at 9 we will need a movement b much larger to get the same opening angle. This being the case, it is understood that the runner represented at 10 in FIG. 2 will have every advantage in moving as far as possible to the left of the figure and even in this position to advance his right knee since under these conditions he will be able to cross a distance b before the chronograph starts counting. Thus of two runners moving at the same speed over the same distance, one starting in 8 and the other in 9, it is the one who will start in 9 who will win the race.

If we designate by t the average time taken by a runner to cross a running distance designated by L, by b the space crossed before the chronograph is started, the time saved will be worth:

Depending on the type of race envisaged, this time saving is not negligible. To be convinced we will take an example from a ski race, slalom event. The competition is played over a length of around 600 meters and an average length of descent per skier of 86 seconds. The doorway has a width of 0.75 m between the uprights 1 and 2. Figure 2 being drawn on a 1/10 scale, we see that if the push takes place at 9, the space crossed b is on the order of 0.3 m (whereas this space would only be 0.04 m if the thrust had been given in a). We can therefore, by applying the formula given above, estimate the time saving t 'at

This value can be considered as a minimum because it does not take into account the fact that the skier starts from a stopped position. Various practical measurements have shown that the time saving considered can be between the values of 0.04 seconds and 0.1 seconds. However, when we know that currently the ranking of competitors is done to the hundredth of a second, we understand the need to remove or at least greatly minimize the advantage that a competitor can take on another based only on how to start, whether this advantage is intentionally sought or not.

It is understood that this advantage can vary in large proportions. It will depend essentially, as we have seen, on the position taken by the runner at the start, but will also depend on other factors such as for example the width of the opening between the uprights 1 and 2.

Also, in order to remedy in large proportions the drawback mentioned, the present invention is characterized in that each upright carries a device comprising a bar capable of moving angularly on the thrust of the runner from a closed position where it is aligned on the starting line in an open position in the direction of travel, the length of the bar extending at least over half the width of the opening, said device further comprising an electromechanical contactor controlled by the bar and activated as soon as said bar has traversed a predetermined angle.

• - La figure 1 est une vue en perspective et la figure 2 une vue de dessus d'un portillon exécuté selon l'art antérieur discuté précédemment.
• - La figure 3 est une vue en perspective et de principe du portillon selon une première forme d'exécution de l'invention.
• - La figure 4 est une vue de dessus expliquant le fonctionnement du portillon illustré en figure 3.
• - La figure 5 est une variante de la forme d'exécution présenté en figure 4.
• - La figure 6 montre un mode d'exécution de principe du contacteur électrique commandé par la barre du portillon.
• - La figure 7 est un schéma montrant les deux contacteurs électriques du portillon de la figure 3, reliés en série.
• - La figure 8 est un schéma montrant les deux contacteurs électriques du portillon de la figure 3, reliés en parallèle.
• - La figure 9 est une vue de dessus du portillon selon une seconde forme d'exécution de l'invention.
• - La figure 10 est un schéma montrant les deux contacteurs électriques et le contacteur photo-électrique du portillon de la figure 9, reliés en série.
• - La figure 11 est un schéma montrant les deux contacteurs électriques et le contacteur photo-électrique du portillon de la figure 9, reliés en parallèle.

The invention will now be explained using the following description and the drawing which illustrates, by way of example, several embodiments of the gate.

• - Figure 1 is a perspective view and Figure 2 a top view of a gate executed according to the prior art discussed above.
• - Figure 3 is a perspective view in principle of the gate according to a first embodiment of the invention.
• - Figure 4 is a top view explaining the operation of the gate illustrated in Figure 3.
• - Figure 5 is a variant of the embodiment presented in Figure 4.
• - Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the principle of the electrical contactor controlled by the bar of the gate.
• - Figure 7 is a diagram showing the two electrical contactors of the gate of Figure 3, connected in series.
• - Figure 8 is a diagram showing the two electrical contactors of the gate of Figure 3, connected in parallel.
• - Figure 9 is a top view of the gate according to a second embodiment of the invention.
• - Figure 10 is a diagram showing the two electrical contactors and the photoelectric contactor of the gate of Figure 9, connected in series.
• - Figure 11 is a diagram showing the two electrical contactors and the photoelectric contactor of the gate of Figure 9, connected in parallel.

Figure 3 shows a first embodiment of the gate according to the invention. This gate comprises two uprights 1 and 2 which each carry a device similar to that described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The device 20 therefore comprises a bar 21 capable of angularly moving from a closed position in which it is represented, a an open position in the direction of arrow 7. Here the length of the bar 21 extends at least over half the width of the embrasure defined by the distance existing between the uprights 1 and 2. The device 20 also includes an electrical contactor (not shown) controlled by the bar and activated when said bar has traversed a predetermined angle. A block diagram of this contactor will be given later. Similarly the upright 2 carries a device 30 on which is articulated a bar 31 coupled in turn to an electrical contactor. The bar 31 extends at least over half of the doorway. The path and direction of the runner are symbolized by the arrow 3 while the starting line is represented by the line 4.

Figure 4 is a top view of the gate illustrated in Figure 3 where the same reference numbers are used. The bars are shown in closed positions 21 and 31 where they are aligned with the starting line 4 and in half-open positions 21 'and 31' for which the respective contactors are activated. Between these two positions there is a predetermined angle, preferably chosen at 30 degrees.

According to an embodiment of the invention and as will appear in the diagrams explained below, the contactor mounted in the device 20 and that mounted in the device 30 are electrically connected together so that the electrical signal which will starting the chronograph is only produced when the bars 21 and 31 have each traversed said predetermined angle a. This arrangement is similar to an AND electronic gate where an output signal is only present if the two inputs are at logic level 1 (same reasoning but reversed for a NAND gate).

We immediately see the interest of the gate executed according to the description which has just been given. A runner 10 taking off along the path 3 will have to activate the two bars 21 and 31 at least by a predetermined angle to start the chronograph. Thanks to this, the starting position of the runner has much less influence on the result obtained than it had with a single bar gate. Indeed, if we refer again to Figure 4, we see that the gate according to the invention has a central axis of symmetry 3. There is shown in this figure two runners in different starting position. The first has its body axis 11 offset to the left of the axis of symmetry 3. The body axis 12 of the second is offset to the right of the same axis of symmetry. With equivalent offset, we understand that the space crossed by one or the other runner is equal to the moment when the chronograph is started. Similarly for a runner whose axis of the body 10 coincides with the axis of symmetry and who at the start once would advance the left knee and another time the right knee: the result obtained would be similar.

The gate shown in Figures 3 and 4 uses a double bar 21 and 31. Each of these bars has a length extending over half the length of the doorway. To operate correctly, this gate must have a door width that slightly exceeds the space required for the passage of the runner, otherwise one of the bars may not open sufficiently and not activate the corresponding contactor. It can be estimated that this width should not exceed 0.5 m. However, if one wishes to stick to a normal width which is of the order of 0.75 m while ensuring a functioning ment of the chronograph release system, we will use the gate shown in Figure 5. Here each of the devices 40 and 50, also similar to what has been described above, carries a bar 41 and 51 respectively, each of these bars extending over more than half the width of the doorway. It is then certain that each of the bars will open sufficiently (at least of the amplitude a) to activate the contactors of the devices 40 and 50.

FIG. 6 shows a possible embodiment of the electrical contactor contained in each of the devices 20, 30, 40 and 50. Here the bar 31 is pivotally mounted at 13 on the device 30. It is shown in the closed position 31 and in the position ajar 31 'for which the contactor is activated. The end of the bar carries a double cursor 32 and 33, the first making contact with a track 35. The tracks 34 and 35 can be conductive strips of a printed circuit. The double cursor 32 and 33 constitutes the common pole 36 of the contactor. The conductive strips 34 and 35 are connected respectively to the poles 37 and 38 of the contactor.

When the opening angle of the bar is less than a, the poles 36 and 38 are short-circuited. When this opening is greater than a, it is the poles 36 and 37 which are short-circuited. The angle a is that for which the contactor is said to be activated.

It is clear that many other contactor systems can be used to perform the same functions. For example, one could use a micro-switch with opening and closing contacts, as well as a system similar to that found in electromagnetic relays.

It has already been said that, according to one embodiment of the invention, the electrical contactors, one per device, are electrically connected together so that the electrical signal is produced only when the respective bars have each passed through the predetermined angle a. Two possible connection diagrams are shown in Figures 7 and 8 where the contactors 29 and 39 are those mounted respectively in the devices 20 and 30. In the two figures the poles 36, 37 and 38 are those which have been described in connection with Figure 6 and the contactors are all drawn in the activated position.

In Figure 7, the contactors 29 and 39 are arranged in series. When they are activated, they each have a closed contact 36, 37. A relay 22 is then excited by a DC voltage source 23, which has the effect of switching its armature to position 24. The terminals 25 and 26 are short -circuited which is exploited to produce an electrical signal used to start a chronograph. When the contactors are not activated, the terminals 36 and 38 of the contactors 29 and 39 are connected together and the armature of the relay 22 is in position 27. No electrical signal is produced on the terminals 25 and 26. The diagram also shows that the two contactors must be on terminal 37 for the armature to be positioned at 24.

In Figure 8, the contactors 29 and 39 are arranged in parallel. When they are activated, they each have an open contact 36, 38. The relay 22 is not energized by the source 23 and the released armature is in position 42. The terminals 43 and 44 are then short-circuited, which is used to generate an electrical signal to start a chronograph. Similarly, when the contactors are not activated, the terminals 36 and 38 of the contactors 29 and 39 are connected together and the armature of the relay 22 is in position 45. No electrical signal is produced on the terminals 43 and 44. The diagram also shows that the two contactors must be on terminal 37 for the armature to position at 42.

It will be mentioned in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8 that the circuit on which the contactors 29 and 39 act could comprise another switching system than that of the relay 22. A flip-flop of the bistable type could be used, for example. It will also be mentioned that in most cases, the generator 23 and the relay 22 will be located not at the gate location but in a control room which will also include the chronograph. This chronograph, of the electronic type, is classic and need not be described here. It is at zero at the start of the race and starts counting the time interval from the signal sent by relay 22, that is to say here as soon as terminals 25 and 26 are short-circuited _; terminals 43 and 44 respectively which are also the terminals of the chronograph.

In addition to the advantage already explained above of giving each of the competitors results which are substantially independent of their starting positions, the gate of the invention also prevents false information from being transmitted to the control room. Indeed, it sometimes happens that before the start proper, the runner inadvertently actuates one of the bars using one of his ski poles, for example. In the known single-bar gate, this movement very often leads to the chronograph being started. This will be less the case with the gate according to the invention since this unfortunate movement should activate two bars at the same time.

Figure 9 is a top view of the gate according to a second embodiment of the invention. It differs essentially from the first embodiment by the fact that it includes a light barrier in addition to the electrical contactors already mentioned. On the uprights 1 and 2 are fixed respectively the devices 60 and 70 which each contain an electrical contactor (not shown) controlled one by the bar 61 and the other by the bar 71. The upright 70 comprises a light source 72 and the upright 60 a photocell 62 to form the barrier 14. The barrier 14 is placed at the front of the bars 61 and 71 in the direction 3 of the stroke. The distance between the barrier and the bars is chosen so that the runner cuts the light beam only after having activated the contactors contained in the devices 60 and 70. The cell 62 actuates in a known manner a contactor which will be called a photo -electric and which is shown diagrammatically at 15 in FIG. 9. The contactor 15 can be a flip-flop of the monostable type which is activated when the barrier is cut, then deactivated as soon as a period of time fixed by a constant of time has passed.

This second embodiment appreciably improves the performance of the gate according to the first form, because it absolutely eliminates any advantage which could still remain according to said first mode and which would slightly benefit one runner compared to another. In the gate in Figure 9, it is the crossing of the barrier that ultimately causes the chronograph to start. Indeed, as seen in Figure 6, once the bar 31 open, that is to say when it has exceeded angle a, the contact remains activated. It is the same for the contactor activated by the bar 21. However, as will be seen in connection with FIGS. 10 and 11, the photoelectric contactor and the electrical contactors are connected together in such a way that the electrical signal for triggering the Chronograph is only produced when the electrical contactors and then the photoelectric contactor have been successively activated. It follows from this that the switch-on signal is that coming from crossing the barrier provided that the contactors linked to the bars have been activated beforehand.

One could ask the question why a simple light barrier would not be enough, whether it is the single bar gate according to the prior art or the double bar gate according to the invention and this to the exclusion of all electrical contact. Such a solution is however not satisfactory because it would frequently give rise to the emission of interlocking signals which would not correspond to the actual departure of a runner. Indeed, in ski competitions for example, the runner in the starting position has the habit of placing his sticks at the front of the bar which could interrupt the light beam without his wanting it. In the arrangement recommended in the second embodiment of the invention, the light barrier is potentially active only when the bars have exceeded the angle a, that is to say only when the runner has started. In other words, the barrier is only active in a narrow window located immediately after the opening of the bars.

In the same vein, we could be content to use the light barrier together with a contactor linked to the single bar of the gate according to the prior art. In this case, however, the barrier should be placed far in front of the gate, which would make it impossible to integrate it into the device attached to the upright. However, a barrier independent of the gate is not desirable, because it can fall, be hung by the runner and above all not be placed with precision relative to the gate.

Two possible connection diagrams of the second embodiment of the invention are shown in Figures 10 and 11. The contactors 69 and 79 are the electrical contactors mounted in the corresponding devices 60 and 70 in FIG. 9. They are of the type described in FIG. 6. The contactor 15 is the photoelectric contactor described in connection with said FIG. 9. When the light barrier is free, the contact is given between terminals 63 and 64. When this barrier is cut, contact takes place between terminals 63 and 65. All the contactors are drawn in the activated position.

In FIG. 10, the contactors 69, 79 and 15 are arranged in series. The operation of the circuit has been described with reference to FIG. 7. We will therefore not return to this in detail here. We will simply say that the two electrical contactors 69 and 79 must be positioned at 36 - 37 and that the electro-optical contactor must be positioned at 63 - 65 so that the armature occupies position 24 after which the chronograph is engaged.

In Figure 11, the contactors 69, 79 and 15 are arranged in parallel. We will also be content to say about this figure that the contactors 69 and 79 must provide the link 36 - 37 and that the contactor 15 must be at 63 - 64 so that the armature occupies the position 42 after which the chronograph is engaged.

In a diagram as in the other, it can be seen that if the light barrier is cut (contactor 15) without the contactors 69 and 79 being activated, absolutely nothing will happen. We are in the presence here of a logic gate system having three inputs and one output.

According to the preceding description, the electrical contactors 29 and 39 are connected together in such a way that the electrical signal activating the chronograph is produced only when the bars 21 and 31 have each traversed the angle a. Another embodiment is possible in which the electrical contactors are connected together so that the signal triggering the chronograph is produced as soon as one of the bars has traversed said angle a. This solution, which may be less good security, can however be considered since the gate always has a central axis of symmetry so that equivalent displacement of the runner on either side of this axis, the space crossed is equal to when the chronograph is started. Under these conditions the diagram of Figure 7 will be modified in that the contactors 29 and 39 will be arranged in parallel so that the first of the contactors to establish the link 36-37 excites the relay 22. Similarly the diagram of Figure 8 will modified in the sense that the contactors 29 and 39 will be arranged in series so that the first of the contactors to establish the link 36-37 cuts the relay circuit 22.

To the gate executed according to the variant just mentioned can be added a light barrier arranged according to what has already been described. In this case, FIG. 10 will be modified in the sense that the contactors 69 and 79 will be arranged in parallel, then the contactor 15 in series with said contactors 69 and 79. Similarly, in the execution of FIG. 11, the contactors 69 and 79 in series on which contactor 15 will be connected in parallel.

Finally, it should be noted that all the gates envisaged so far with light barrier only state one light barrier. It is obvious, however, that several light barriers could be envisaged one after the other where it would then be the passage through the barrier located furthest downstream which would be decisive for the engagement of the chronograph.

The predetermined angle a which is mentioned throughout this description and which is preferably chosen at .30 degrees is imposed by practice. It is a safety angle which prevents the signal triggering the chronograph from being emitted at the slightest movement of the bar, which frequently happens before the runner takes the start.

Claims (10)

1. Starting gate for sports races comprising a doorway formed by two uprights (1, 2) arranged on either side of the path (3) taken by a runner and placed on the starting line (4) and means of contact producing an electrical signal to start a chronograph when the runner crosses said starting line, characterized in that each upright carries a device (20, 30) comprising a bar (21, 31) capable of moving angularly on the thrust of the runner from a closed position where it is aligned with the starting line has an open position in the running direction, the length of the bar extending at least over half the width of the doorway, said device comprising furthermore an electrical contactor (29, 39) controlled by the bar and activated as soon as said bar has traversed a predetermined angle (a). 2. Gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the activation of each of the electrical contactors (29, 39) takes place for an angular excursion of 30 ° of the bar which controls it. 3. Gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical contactors (29, 39) are electrically connected together so that the electrical signal engaging the chronograph is produced only when the respective bars (21, 31) have each traversed said predetermined angle (a). 4. Gate according to claim 3, characterized in that each electrical contactor (29, 39) has a closed contact (36, 37) when it is activated and that said contactors are arranged in series. 5. Gate according to claim 3, characterized in that each electrical contactor (29, 39) has an open contact (36, 38) when it is activated and that said contactors are arranged in parallel. 6. Gate according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises at least one light barrier (14) located at the front of the bars in the direction of travel, said barrier comprising a light source (72) integral of one of the devices and a cell (62) integral with the other device for activating a photoelectric switch when the runner cuts the light barrier, the electrical switches and the photoelectric switch being connected together so that the electrical signal (15) n 'is produced only when the electro-mechanical contactors and then the photoelectric contactor have been activated successively. 7. Gate according to claim 6, characterized in that the electrical contactors (29, 39) and the photoelectric switch (15) each have a closed contact (36-37, 63-65) when they are activated and qu 'They are all arranged in series. 8. Gate according to claim 6, characterized in that the electrical contactors (29, 39) and the photoelectric switch (15) each have an open contact (36-38, 63-65) when they are activated and qu 'they are all arranged in parallel. 9. Gate according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical contactors (29, 39) are electrically connected together so that the electrical signal engaging the chronograph is produced as soon as one of the bars (21, 31) has traversed said predetermined angle (a). 10. Gate according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises at least one light barrier (14) located at the front of the bars in the direction of travel, said barrier comprising a light source (72) integral of one of the devices and a cell (62) integral with the other device for activating a photoelectric switch when the runner cuts the light barrier, the electrical switches and the photoelectric switch being connected together so that said signal Electricity is produced only when one of the electric contactors and then the photoelectric contactor have been activated successively.

Images