EP0291627B1 - Method and device for determining the time between the start and finish of competitors and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

When a competitor or a group of competitors passes the finishing line, a video camera (6), two time generators (8), a video recorder (9) and a display in the form of a monitor (11) and/or of a video picture printer (12), and a light barrier are able to produce, in a very inexpensive way, finishing-line pictures with at least two times faded in, namely the true finishing time of a first competitor triggered by the light barrier and the precise time which has elapsed from the start at the time said picture was taken. From the time difference, distance sections each corresponding to one hundredth of a second can be determined from which the finishing times of the runners arriving immediately after the winner can be exactly established. In practice one finishing-line picture is sufficient to be able to measure precisely to one hundredth of a second the finishing times of runners arriving almost simultaneously with the winner. Competitors arriving after a fairly large interval can in turn obtain their exact finishing time by means of the light barrier in a further still picture. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining the time between the start and finish of competitors, vehicles or the like. In particular of runners, riders, racing cars or the like. A recording camera with a playback device for still images and preferably with a monitor, a timer that the running time during camera operation in the jumps corresponding to the individual images is faded into these individual images and displays the respective time of the individual recording from still image to still image, and a light barrier or the like. sensors are provided in accordance with a target line and the recording camera still images in delivers a fixed time interval of preferably four hundredths of a second and is set up in alignment with the finish line.

Such a method is already known per se from DE-C 2 535 539 and from FUNKSCHAU, volume 44, no. 14, July 1972, p.510 "television picture recording supplements the time measurement", but has the sensitive disadvantage that it is either very it is expensive to take a target photo with the time at the moment of touching the finish line 5 of the winner or the exact time of the winner may not appear on the still image that corresponds to the finish of the competitor or the like. comes closest in time because at the time of this recording the respective competitor may not yet have reached the finish line at the one time shown, while he may already have crossed it at the next individual recording.

From LA SUISSE HOLOGERE ET REVUE INTERNATIONALE DE L'HORLOGERIE, Volume 83, No. 3, Sept. 1968, pp. 51 to 56 "OBJEKTIF MEXICO", it is already known to use a slit camera with which a film is shown, in which a time is imprinted by a quartz clock according to the film progress. It is therefore necessary that a picture is always taken at exactly the moment with the time printed in the film, in which a competitor coincides exactly with the finish line. This results in problems, in particular, with competitors partially hiding one another and reaching the goal very shortly in succession. In addition, only the developed film shows a result, so that the evaluation takes a correspondingly long time, and the slit camera required is very expensive.

Since the front edge of the finish line in the direction of movement of the objects is decisive for timekeeping, a slot camera with its slot opening must be aligned precisely at this point, i.e. the actual finish line is not recognizable in the slit camera and on the target images created by it. This results in the danger and the disadvantage that if the unwanted adjustments of the slit camera are slight and contrary to the direction of movement of the competitors or objects to be measured, a too short distance and accordingly an incorrect, too short time can be measured. Such unwanted adjustments of the camera can easily occur if e.g. the film is changed or the frame carrying the camera is accidentally pushed or e.g. if it suddenly starts raining, its support feet will sink unevenly into the ground.

On the other hand, in the case of known slit cameras with running time, the intervals of the time information correspond to an estimated average speed of the competitors, in order to be able to determine the times of the competitors arriving behind the winner. However, only an estimated average speed of the competitors is used, not the real time, especially in the area of the finish line, so that the accuracy of the times of the competitors coming behind the winner naturally suffers. However, especially for leaderboards, the time of the second or third of a competition can still be considerable, especially on short running routes such times should be accurate to a hundredth of a second.

E.g. In the case of a fast run, the usual average speed is used, but if the specific competition is particularly fast, the second, third and subsequent runners in particular could be disadvantaged and, for example, judged too slowly by a hundredth of a second and thereby get an incorrect position within a leaderboard or no longer be included in a leaderboard, although in reality a correspondingly fast time was reached.

At large international competitions such as the Olympic Games or World Championships, precise timekeeping is possible for the individual competition participants, but this requires very complex recording devices, computers and playback devices, which are too expensive for competitions at club level.

It is therefore the task of creating a method of the type mentioned at the outset, which can be carried out with relatively inexpensive devices, thereby enabling the winner of a competition to be given a precise time precisely in accordance with his passing of the goal, and in addition such a precise determination of the transit times of the competitors by the Target allows these times to be accurate to a hundredth of a second.

The solution to this apparently contradictory task for a method of the type mentioned at the outset is that at least a second time is faded into the camera images, which occurs simultaneously with the first, and that the fading in of this second time by interrupting the light barrier when a competitor touches the line of sight, Vehicle or the like. locked - to a certain extent "frozen" - and the display of this finish time at least over a change of image - from one still image to the next - also recorded, i.e. at least faded in at a next still image, so that this image at least following the finish of a process that triggers the light barrier two different time displays and the competitor triggering the light barrier, the vehicle or the like. beyond the finish line shows the difference between the two times is proportional to the distance of the competitor, vehicle or the like beyond the finish line. From this difference it is also possible to determine the speed of this competitor or vehicle triggering the light barrier, which he actually had directly behind the target.

If necessary, this can still be checked by means of the still picture taken immediately beforehand, which then shows the distance of this competitor to the goal.

This procedure thus results in a very precise and precise target time, for example of the winner of a competition, and also allows us to produce a corresponding document from the still image, i.e. to record this victory process. In addition, this results in the actual speed of such a competition in the finish area, so that just behind the first competitor arriving, who due to a certain overlap with the winner cannot trigger the light barrier at the finish, due to the distance difference with respect to their finish time to one hundredth Can be determined exactly second, which is explained in more detail below.

For example, the method for determining the target time of a competitor, vehicle or the like that partially overlaps with a competitor that triggers the light barrier. located second or further competitor, vehicle or the like, for which the direct target time triggered by the light barrier does not coincide with the already displayed fade-in of this time, so that the between the change of two camera images at the time of the finish of the triggering the light barrier Runner, competitor, vehicle or the like. by the competitor whose target time is to be determined, the distance traveled before and / or after the finish line and the time known from one frame change to the next frame change and the corresponding distance in relation to that in the first still picture before the finish line and / or in the second still picture after divided the section of the finish line and the time portion corresponding to the distance before the finish is added to the target time then faded in by the light barrier and / or the time portion behind the finish line is subtracted from the faded target time (of the first runner or competitor) assigned to the second still image. In the case of very close successive competitors, the target time of the following competitors can also be determined to the nearest hundredth of a second based on the two displayed times and the knowledge of the true target time of the first competitor, without the need for very complex technical, visual and arithmetical measures.

In order to allow precise time determination even for slower competitors in such a competition, the method according to the invention can be designed in such a way that for each competitor, every vehicle or the like, which has at least one picture sequence time compared to a previous competitor or vehicle triggering the light barrier appropriate distance and also has a clear distance from a previous competitor or vehicle, again the light barrier or the like. and triggering the fade-in of the second time over at least one image sequence is triggered while crossing the target line. As a result, the previously described method for determining the target times of several closely spaced competitors can be used again for a somewhat slower group of competitors, a group of runners or a group of vehicles. It is advantageous that the actual speed of these competitors, which is now lower than that of a first victory group, is used as a basis.

The method according to the invention can be implemented and carried out in a particularly simple manner by the fact that the respective moving object - competitor, vehicle or the like. - From a still picture to a following, preferably the next following, distance is divided into equal fractions corresponding to one hundredth of a second, with a picture sequence of four hundredths of a second between two successive pictures is divided into four equal sections, this division for each Object that triggers the light barrier is carried out. In this way, the lower speed of a competitor or a group of competitors arriving later than a competitor arriving earlier is taken into account, which is much more just and precise than the average speed previously assumed for all participants in a competition, according to which the arrival time of the competitors arriving after the winner has so far been all was estimated.

A further simplification of the implementation of the method is obtained if the distance corresponding to one hundredth of a second in each case with the aid of the two times shown in a still picture, their difference and the distance traveled by the object triggering the light barrier from the finish line to the moment the still picture was taken determined and / or made visible as the resulting speed of the object in the target and this scale or the like. is adapted to the respective speed of the object.

With the help of such a scale, the target time of the second runner or competitor can be read off immediately. This is possible to an accuracy of one hundredth of a second if the scale divided into sections corresponding to one hundredth of a second, which is used to precisely determine the target time of the object, for example a runner, is electronically determined or calculated and at least superimposed on the target images. This is possible very inexpensively with today's modern electronic means.

It can also be part of the method according to the invention that a calibration located in front of the finish line for calibration and creation of the scale Marking of a fixed distance, for example from a distance of 1 m to the finish line, is used and the resulting scale is used for four hundredths of a second, so that one hundredth of a second corresponds to a distance of 25 cm and this corresponds to a speed of 90 km / h, and that for all further measurements the scale is electronically determined anew and calculated and adjusted in each case taking into account a set average distance and the target time, the camera receiving and maintaining the location and lens setting of the subsequent timing for this calibration and the computer for the determination the respective true average speed the length of the competition course is entered before the start. Although such a method is based on the average speed determined over the entire distance for the determination of the target times of the second and further competitors, that is not necessarily the speed during the crossing of the finish line and may be somewhat less accurate in this respect, it is nevertheless more accurate in that it is not one fictitious average speed, but at least that of the actual competition is used.

The invention and above all to solve the problem of being able to determine the target times as inexpensively as possible and also to be able to document them in the image also include a device for carrying out the above-described method, which is essentially characterized in that a video camera is used as the camera a video recorder, a monitor and preferably a printer are also provided, the camera having shutter speeds of less than a hundredth of a second, preferably five hundredths of a second (1/500) or thousandths (1/1000) of a second, and that the video recorder allows the switching back and forth of still pictures at the moment of a full picture together with superimposed time information and such a time picture provided with a time picture can be printed out by the printer and that at least two synchronously running time generators are provided, which are between the camera and the Video recorders are arranged. The monitor mentioned can be provided in the camera itself or else separately and is used to search for the still image (s) of interest and / or to evaluate the target times directly on the screen itself.

Video cameras, video recorders, monitors and printers are relatively inexpensive devices, with only the camera having to take appropriate shutter speeds of the lens into account so that the rapid sequence of images in each case delivers sufficiently sharp images. Printers are also on the market, which can take enough shades of gray into account in order to be able to print out a video camera image with sufficient clarity.

The device may also include a scale which, depending on the speed of an object, is divided into uniform sections which are covered by the object in one hundredth of a second, and this scale, seen from the camera, can be cut from the projection of the finish line. It is located in the area of the finish line in such a way that it is also being projected with a first runner or competitor who has slightly exceeded the finish line at the time of the corresponding still image. It then allows the fraction by which this winner is to cross the finish line to be determined immediately, in order to then be able to draw conclusions about the immediately following runners or competitors in the same picture, taking into account the two displayed times.

It is particularly expedient if the scale can be adjusted with respect to its sections corresponding to a distance covered in a hundredth of a second in order to adapt to different speeds of objects to be measured. It can then be adjusted in accordance with the target image with the first competitor, so that the corresponding target times of other competitors can then be read off immediately. Such an adjustable scale can be designed, for example, as an adjustable parallelogram, one side having three further parallels at regular intervals. If this parallelogram is adjusted, these distances of the parallels of the one parallelogram side also change proportionally, so that they form a total of four three spaces which can be set to hundredths of a second. There could also be one more parallel to be able to represent exactly the four hundredths of a second in the form of distances traveled from one still picture to the next, but three such spaces can suffice in all cases in which the recorded target time differs from the displayed still image time, since this difference can then amount to a maximum of three hundredths of a second for time jumps of one hundredth of a second. These parallel sides are expediently made from parts that are as thin as possible, for example from wire.

It is also possible to facilitate the method according to the invention and its implementation by arranging the scale on the center of the path used by the moving objects or on the edge of this path and recording it with the respective target image. Such a fixed scale, which belongs to the device and is included in the target image, in turn makes it easier to determine the spatial and thus also the temporal distance of the second, third, etc. competitor from the winner.

The ease of use of the entire device can be significantly improved without any significant financial outlay if the device has a computing circuit, preferably a microprocessor or the like. has, in which the length of competitors, vehicles or the like. distance traveled is entered and which is based on the target time determined via the light barrier the speed of the respective against the competitor or vehicle, and the speed-adjusted scale is electronically calculated and displayed in the image. To operate, the actual competition route only has to be entered before the time measurement.

Appropriately, the device and in particular its associated time value transmitters for the time displays have a reset to zero and are to switch on the running times with a pulse generator, preferably a starting pistol or the like. connectable or connected. This ensures that the at least two synchronously running times are triggered by the starting shot.

To stop the fade-in of one of the second times, namely the target time triggered by a moving object immediately when the target line is crossed, and preferably to trigger a target image, at least two light barriers, preferably working on an infrared basis, can be provided, spaced one above the other and above the target line are arranged that a pulse triggering to stop the fade-in of the target time takes place only when both light barriers are interrupted. This ensures that a competitor who is actually behind the first competitor does not trigger the finish time prematurely by an outstretched hand or arm.

A further embodiment of the device can consist in that at least one further light barrier or the like. is provided at a distance from the target for starting the recording process of the camera shortly before the first competitor arrives at the target. This saves the camera running during the entire race and having to take a correspondingly large number of pictures, which also makes evaluation more difficult after the competition.

Furthermore, a preferably adjustable time delay element can be provided for the automatic shutdown of the camera, so that not too many pictures are taken beyond the end of the competition.

Further embodiments of the invention and in particular the evaluation scale are the subject of claims 19 to 26.

The features and measures of claim 19 allow the scale to be adapted to the perspective reproduction of the target image, and the sections corresponding to 1/100 sec. Can therefore be shortened according to the perspective shortening depending on the distance of the career from the camera.

Claim 20 specifies a possibility to set the scale in the simplest possible way to the different speeds of different competitions, so to take into account that the distance corresponding to 1/100 sec. Depends on the respective speed of a competitor or moving object.

Claim 21 contains measures that simplify the evaluation and thus accelerate it.

In the claims 22 to 26 design features and measures are given which relate to the arrangement and handling of the scale relative to a screen and / or a printed target image.

Overall, there is a method and a device which allows a precise target time of a winner as well as later, each triggering the light barrier competitor extremely inexpensive and also provides an image document about it, without the need for high-quality special cameras, computers and the like. In addition, there is a very precise determination of the target times of those competitors who arrive at the competitor who triggered the light barrier at intervals of one hundredths of a second.

This means that even medium-sized or smaller clubs or organizers can determine the target times of such competitions and competitors very quickly and very precisely, which should be accurate to a hundredth of a second.

• Fig. 1 eine Draufsicht einer sechs Einzelbahnen aufweisenden Wettkampfbahn im Zielbereich mit der Vorrichtung zur Ermittlung der Zielzeiten und einem Blockschaltbild der der Vorrichtung zugehörenden wesentlichen Einzelteile, wobei sechs Wettkämpfer in verschiedenen Positionen relativ zur Ziellinie dargestellt sind,
• Fig. 2 eine mechanische verstellbare Skala zur Auswertung eines Zielbildes und zur Ermittlung jeweils einer Hundertstel Sekunde,
• Fig. 3 in schematisierter Darstellung eine Skala mit auf einen Fluchtpunkt ausgerichteten Linien zur Unterteilung der einer Hundertstel Sekunde entsprechenden Wegabschnitte, wobei diese Skala zusammen mit Geschwindigkeitseinblendungen auf ein Zielbild projeziert oder aufgelegt ist,
• Fig. 4 eine praktische Ausführungsform der in Fig. 3 schematisch dargestellten Skala auf einer Folie, die auf parallele Rollen aufgewickelt ist und den Bildschirm eines Monitors überdeckt,
• Fig. 5 einen Querschnitt der Skala und ihrer Lagerung in Relation zu einem Monitor gemäß der Linie A-A in Fig. 4,
• Fig. 6 eine abgewandelte Ausführungsform, bei welcher die Skala nach Fig. 3 auf einer durchsichtigen Platte od.dgl. angeordnet ist, die einen Schieber zum Einschieben von Zielbildern überdeckt, wobei die Führung für die Zielbilder relativ zu der Skala verschiebbar und festklemmbar ist,
• Fig. 7 eine Seitenansicht und
• Fig. 8 eine Draufsicht der Anordnung zum Auswerten von Zielbildern mit Hilfe einer die Perspektive berücksichtigenden Skala nach Fig. 6.

The invention is described below with reference to the drawing, above all with regard to its mode of operation. It shows in a schematic representation:

• 1 is a top view of a six-lane competition track in the finish area with the device for determining the finish times and a block diagram of the essential individual parts belonging to the device, six competitors being shown in different positions relative to the finish line,
• 2 shows a mechanically adjustable scale for evaluating a target image and for determining one hundredth of a second,
• 3 shows a schematic representation of a scale with lines aligned at a vanishing point for dividing the path sections corresponding to one hundredth of a second, this scale being projected or superimposed on a target image together with speed insertions,
• 4 shows a practical embodiment of the scale shown schematically in FIG. 3 on a film which is wound on parallel rolls and covers the screen of a monitor,
• 5 shows a cross section of the scale and its positioning in relation to a monitor according to the line AA in FIG. 4,
• Fig. 6 shows a modified embodiment in which the scale of FIG. 3 or the like on a transparent plate. is arranged, which covers a slide for inserting target images, the guide for the target images being displaceable and clampable relative to the scale,
• Fig. 7 is a side view and
• 8 shows a top view of the arrangement for evaluating target images with the aid of a scale according to FIG. 6 taking into account the perspective.

In the target area of a race track 1 with six individual tracks 2 in the exemplary embodiment, in alignment with the finish line 3, a light barrier transmitter 4 and a light barrier receiver 5 opposite can be seen.

With a little more distance than the light barriers Receiver 5 is in turn aligned with the finish line a video camera 6.

This video camera 6 is connected to a video recorder 9 via a line 7 and two time generators 8. At the same time, the light barrier receiver 5 is also connected to these time generators 8. In addition, a time measuring device 10 can also be seen, which is also connected to the time generators 8 and is used for checking.

A monitor 11 is connected to the video recorder 9, to which a video image printer 12 connects.

Finally, one can still see schematically a starting pistol 13 and a connection 14 from this starting pistol 13 to the time generators 8 and the time measuring device 10 in order to trigger their start synchronously with the start of a competition.

Since two time generators are provided, two times are also superimposed on the image on the monitor 11.

According to the invention, it is now provided that by triggering the light barrier between the light barrier transmitter 4 and the light barrier receiver 5 by a first runner 15, the fading in of one time into the image on the monitor 11 and thus also later the corresponding printed image is frozen while the second Time continues to run normally and, in the case of a corresponding still image, specifies exactly the time at which this still image was taken after the start.

In Fig. 1 it can now be seen that a total of four runners have reached or crossed the finish line 3 so close that the light barrier could only be triggered once. If the still picture is selected which was created closest to the true target time of the first runner 15, this is already a certain path difference beyond the target, whereby it is indicated in the exemplary embodiment that his target time was three hundredths of a second before the corresponding still picture time , because the fourth runner 16 on the uppermost path in FIG. 1 has exactly line of sight contact at the moment of the still image, ie for the sake of clarity, it is shown for the case in which the freeze frame time coincides exactly with the target time of the fourth runner. It can now be seen that there are three equally large distances between the first runner 15 and a foremost line 17 indicated there and the fourth runner 16 and the finish line 3, which correspond exactly to the three hundredths of a second between the true target time of the first runner 15 and the still picture time has passed.

In reality, of course, these lines were subsequently entered, for example, in a target image on the monitor 11 or a corresponding image supplied by the printer 12, the time difference between the first runner 15 and the fourth runner 16 which was displayed at the same time giving the measure of these distances. It is also important that the time between two full still images is four hundredths of a second.

From this arrangement it can now be immediately determined that the second runner 18 was one hundredth of a second slower than the first runner 15 or two hundredths of a second faster than the last runner 16. The third rotor 19 lies exactly between the second and the fourth rotor 16 in order to clarify the principle. A closer arrival than at intervals of one hundredth of a second can hardly be distinguished by normal recordings, so that this results in very high accuracy, for example for a sprint competition.

This first group of runners 15, 16, 18 and 19 did not allow the light barrier to be triggered again, so that their times could and had to be determined from the target time of the first runner and the still image time.

In the example shown, a fifth runner 20 is so far apart from the fourth runner that it triggers the light barrier again when it reaches the finish line 3 and therefore receives its own target time due to this light barrier, which is also shown in the next still image. The same applies to the sixth runner 21. If the sixth runner 21 were so close behind the runner 20 that there was no space in between, its time could in turn be determined in an analogous manner from the target image of the fifth runner 20 and the two time blinds in this image will.

In summary, Fig. 1 shows how for a very first runner 15 a very precise target time can be derived from a picture and a still picture, although this was only taken after the finish. It also becomes clear that the target times of the two next runners 18 and 19 can be determined using a type of scale that results from the ratio of the distance of the first runner beyond the finish line 3 and the corresponding time difference between his target time and the picture time, while a fourth runner happened to reach the finish line 3 exactly at the time of the still picture, so that its target time corresponds to the still picture time. Furthermore, for competitors arriving later, who were at least four hundredths of a second slower than the first target group and have a clear distance between themselves and the previous competitor, new target times result from the light barrier.

2 shows a mechanical aid that facilitates the corresponding evaluation. This is practically a mechanical scale 22 which can be adjusted with respect to its sections 23, each corresponding to a distance covered in a hundredth of a second, to adapt to different speeds of objects to be measured. For this purpose, it is designed as an adjustable parallelogram with four joints 24, one side 25 of this parallelogram having three or even four further parallels 26 at regular intervals. If the joints 24 are now actuated, the end points of these sides 25 and 26 move on the arcs 27, from which the apparent change in the distances 23 takes place. These parallel sides of the parallelogram are expediently formed from wires or tensioned threads.

This device can easily be placed with one of the parallel wires 26 on the finish line 3 of a printed image or the monitor 11, after which one of the closest parallels is then aligned with the winner's chest in accordance with the time difference between the image time and the target time. which then results in the distances that each correspond to one hundredth of a second in this competition. This practically gives the target times of the competitors 18 and 19 who arrived immediately behind the winner 15.

However, it would also be possible to insert a microprocessor into the circuit between the camera 6 and the printer 12, which, after inputting corresponding competition routes and determining corresponding average speeds, electronically incorporates a corresponding scale into a target image. This would still be more accurate, in spite of the fact that the entire competition route is based on the speeds of the runners instead of their target speed, than if the times of the runners arriving behind the winner were determined on the basis of an average speed in relation to the winning time.

A variant is also made possible that allows a new competition to be started before a previous competition is completely completed, which can be particularly advantageous for elimination runs and numerous participants in order to handle such elimination and preliminary runs in the shortest possible total time to be able to.

Such an embodiment can consist in that at least one further timer unit 8 is provided for at least two times to be faded in, which can be triggered after the first times of the timer 8 have been triggered and are still running. For example, after the start of a 400 m run and a certain short running time, which is shorter than the entire running time of this competition, another field of participants could already be sent on this 400 m route and would then be via such a destination and finish times evaluated further timer unit 8, which is not shown in the drawing for the sake of simplicity, but could be arranged parallel to the timer unit 8 shown.

In other cases of competitions as well, the times of a competition could already be partially used in order to start and overlap another competition and still allow a precise evaluation of this next competition. The second or further competition in each case would then have the target times from this further timer unit in the target images caused by the light barrier at the time of crossing the target.

Modified configurations of the aids with a scale 22 for evaluating the corresponding target images, also using the image perspective, are shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 in two different exemplary embodiments. Here again, sections corresponding to one hundredth of a second are provided as sections 23 between evaluation lines 17.

In these cases, the corresponding evaluation scale 22 can be projected or placed on the target image 28 or the screen of the monitor 11 displaying this target image. Fig. 3 illustrates in principle that the evaluation scale 22 in this case a mark 29 which can be made to overlap with the target line 3 (cf. also FIGS. 4 and 6) and is preferably oriented on both sides thereof and preferably on both sides thereof Markings 30 at a distance 23 corresponding to one hundredth of a second, in the exemplary embodiment each having four such lines 30 on both sides, which are inclined at an angle to one another and to the middle marking line 29 and all meet at one vanishing point 31, which vanishing point 31 the parallax or perspective on the lines 30 effects or takes into account that results from the location of the camera 4 for recording the target image 28.

Compared to the scale according to FIG. 2, an even greater accuracy is achieved for all competition participants, since the competition tracks located further away from the viewer and the sections 23 assigned to them are correspondingly shortened between the marking lines 30 indicating the hundredths of a second.

This scale gladly. Fig. 3 can be easily adapted to different speeds, like. The above explanations during the evaluation are determined by the scale 22 being adjustable with the oblique marking lines 30 in the orientation direction of the marking 29 corresponding to the target line 3 and areas of smaller distances 23 corresponding to a lower speed or areas of larger distances 23 corresponding to a larger determined speed Competitors 15 to 21 can be brought into overlap with the target image 28. 3 also along the marking lines 29 u. 30 of the scale 22 in its adjustment direction, a subdivision 32, which corresponds in each case to fixed speeds corresponding to the distance 23 of the scale lines 29 given at this point, the speed determined during each crossing of a competitor being able to be faded into the target image 28, in particular at variable heights can. Such a superimposed speed is indicated in FIG. 3 with a marking 33, the subdivision 32 also being set to this marking 33 with the corresponding speed. As a result of this displacement of the subdivision 32 with the speed information to the determined speed 33, the scale 22 and the corresponding distance range are also automatically set such that the distances 23 now correspond to one hundredth of a second. In the example in FIG. 3, a speed of 30 km / h has been determined for the competitor 15 just reaching the goal. The evaluation scale 22 is now set with respect to the speed division so that 30 km / h from the division 32 with the speed overlay in Coverage is. As a result, the marking lines 30 are already in the correct relation to the competitor to be evaluated, so that in the event of a nearly simultaneous crossing of a number of competitors, analogously to FIG already described above - can be determined.

A practical embodiment of this scale 22 like. FIG. 3 is for evaluating target images 28 on the screen of a monitor 11 in FIGS. 5 shown. Another embodiment, which is also particularly suitable for evaluating printed target images 28 or photographs, is shown in FIGS. 6 to 8.

In both cases it can be seen that the marking lines 29 u with the scale 22 with starting from a common vanishing point 31. 30 is arranged on a transparent support, which is arranged in front of a screen of the monitor 11 and / or above a printed target image 28.

Gladly. 4 and 5, the evaluation scale 22 is arranged on a transparent film 34a as a carrier, which is wound on both sides of the image or screen area to be evaluated on two parallel winding spools 34, the distance of which corresponds to the height of the evaluable image area visible between them. By turning the two winding coils 34 with the aid of the rotary knobs 35, the respectively applicable range of the scale 22 can be set to the speed determined in each case, as was described with reference to FIG. 3.

In order to be able to compensate for slight inaccuracies in the formation and to be able to bring the line 29 and thus also the lines 30 into the exactly correct position, the coils 34 can also be axially adjustable and adjustable, so that the entire scale 22 also in the direction of movement of the competitors can be set very precisely, so that the base line 29 can be set exactly in accordance with the front edge of the finish line 3, as can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 6.

6 to 8 show a laterally open sliding guide 36 for inserting target images 28, above which the transparent, in this case rigid evaluation part 37 having the evaluation scale 22 is arranged. This evaluation part 37 can be pivoted about an axis 38 relative to the image guide 36 in order to facilitate the insertion of the images 28.

The sliding guide 36 for the images 28 can be adjusted and fixed relative to the evaluation part 37 on an edge holder 39 (see FIG. 8) in the direction of the line 29, in the exemplary embodiment it can be clamped by means of a clamping screw 40. In this case, too, the scale range assigned to a specific speed can be set and fixed in a simple manner relative to the competition tracks 2 shown on the target image 28 in accordance with the determined speed.

Claims (26)

1. A method for determining the time between the start and finish of competitors, vehicles or the like, particularly of runners, riders, racing cars or the like, provision being made for a recording camera with a reproducing apparatus for still pictures and preferably with a monitor, a timer which enters the running time during camera operation into the single pictures in increments corresponding to the latter and indicates the respective time of the single shot from still picture to still picture, and a light barrier or like sensor in congruence with a finishing line, and the recording camera supplyino still pictures at a fixed interval of preferably four hundredths of a second and being set up in alignment with the finish- ingline,characterized in thatatleastone second time running simultaneously and in synchronism with the first time is entered into the camera pictures and that the entry of said second time is arrested through interruption ol the light barrier when a competitor, vehicle or the like touches the finishing line and the display of said time of passage through the finish is held at least beyond one frame change, hence is also entered into at least one next following still picture, so that said picture which comes next after the finish has been passed actuating the light barrier shows at least two time data entries differing from each other and the competitor, vehicle or the like as being beyond the finishing line, the difference of the two times being proportional to the distance of the competitor, vehicle or the like beyond the finishing line.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 for determining the finishing time of a second or further competitor, vehicle or the like who or which is positioned so as to partly overlap with a competitor, vehicle or the like actuating the light barrier and for whom or which the direct finishing time prcmpted by the light barrier does not conform with the already arrested entry of said time, characterized in that the distance which the competitor whose finishing time is to be ascertained has covered in front of and/or behind the finishing line between the change of two camera pictures at the time when the finish is passed by the runner, competitor, vehicle or the like actuating the light barrier and the known time from one frame change to the next frame change and the corresponding distance is subdivided in the ratio of the portion which in the first still picture is situated in front of the fin shing line and/or in the next still picture is situated behind the finishing line, and the time share corresponding to the distance in front of the finishing line is added to the then entered finisning time produced by the light barrier and/or the time share behind the finishing line is subtracted from the finishing time associated with the second still picture.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that for each competitor, vehicle or the like who or which is at a distance corresponding to at least one frame rate from a preceding competitor or vehicle actuating the light barrier as well as at a clear distance from a preceding competitor or vehicle, the lignt barrier or the like is re-actuated and the second time data entry is arrested over at least one sequence of frames during crossing of the finishing line.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the distance covered by the respective moving object from one still picture to a following one, preferably to the next one, is divided into equal fractions corresponding in each case to one hundredth of a second, hence in the case of a frame rate of four hundredths of a second between two consecutive pictures into four equal portions, said division being made for each object actuating the light barrier.

5. A method as claimed in anv one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the distance corresponding in each case to one hundredth of a second is determined with the aid of the two time data entries in a still picture, the difference thereof and with the aid of the distance covered bv the object actuating the light barrier from the finishing line until the instant the still picture is talken and/or is rendered visible as a scale allowing for the resultant approximate speed of the object at the finish and said scale or the like is adapted to the respective speed of the object.

6. A method as claimed in anv one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the scale which is subdivided into sections corresponding in each case to one hundredth of a second and serves to exactly determine the finishing time of the object, for example of a runner, is determined or calculated electronically and is entered at least into the pictures of the finish.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that for calibrating and creating the scale use is made of a marking situated in front of the the camera (6) said scale is intersected by the projection of the finishing line, the marking having a fixed path e.g. of 1 metre distance to the finishing line and the resultant measure is taken as the basis for four hundredths of a second, so that one hundredth of a second corresponds to a distance of 25cms and this to a speed of 90 kmph, and that for all further measurements the scale is electronically determined anew and calculated and adapted taking into account a set average distance and the finishing times, wherein for said calibration the camera (6) obtains and retains the location and lens setting of the subsequent timekeeping and for the determination of the respective true average speed the length of the course is fed into the computer before the start.

8. An apparatus for performing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that provision is made for 2 video camera (6) as the camera, further a video recorder (9), a monitor (11) and preferablv a printer (12), the camera (6) having at the lens thereof shutter speeds of less than one hundredth (1/100) of a second, preferably of one five hundredth (1/500) of a second or one thousandth (1/1000) of a second, and that the video recorder (9) permits still pictures together with time data entries to be switched back and forth at the instant or a frame and the printer is adapted to print out such a still picture bearing time data, and that at least two timing generators (8) running in synchronism disposed between the camera (6) and recorder (9) are provided. 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized by including a scale which, according to the speed of an object, is subdivided into equal sections which in each case are covered by the object in one hundredth of a second, and seen from the camera (6) said scale is intersected by the projection of the finishing line.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that for the purpose of being adapted to different speeds of objects to be measured the scale (22) is adjustable with respect to sections thereof in each case corresponding to a distance covered in one hundredth of a second.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the scale (22) takes the form of an adjustable parallelogram, one side (25) having three or four further equispaced parallels (26), said spacing (23) being adjusted proportionally and uniformly as the sides of the parallelogram are swivelled.

12. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the scale is arranged on the centre or at the edge of the lane used by the moving object and is recorded together with the respective picture of the finish.

13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized by having a computing circuit, preferably a microprocessor or the like, into which the length of the distances covered by competitors, venicles or the like is fed and which determines the speed of the recpective competitor or vehicle by means of the finishing time determined by way of the light barrier and electronically computes the scale adapted to the speed and enters the same in the reproduction of the picture.

14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the apparatus and particularly the accessory timers thereof for the time data entries have a means resetting to zero and are linked or adapted to be linked to a pulser, preferably a starter's pistol (13) or the like, to start the running times.

15. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that to arrest one of the two time data entries, namely the finishing time triggered by a moving object directly when crossing the finishing line (3) and preferably to actuate a picture of the finish, at least two light barriers - preferably operating on infrared basis - are provided in spaced relationship one above the other and above the finishing line(3) in such a way that a pulse is released to arrest the entrv of finishing time data only when both light barriers are interrupted.

16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that at least one further light barrier or the like spaced before the finishing line (3) is provided for initiating camera (6) operation shortly before the first competitor (15) arrives at the finish.

17. An apparatus as claimed in anv one of claims 3 to 16, characterized in that a preferably adjustable time-delay member for automatically switching off the camera (6) is provided.

18. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one further timing unit (8) is provided for at least two times to be entered, said times being startable after the times of the first timer (8) have started and preferably are still running.

19. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 18, characterized in that the evaluation scale (22) is adapted to be projected or placed on the picture (28) of the finish or screen and has a marking (29) which is adapted to be brought into a position of congruency with the finishing line and particularly the edge thereof to the fore in the direction of movement of the competitors or the like and is oriented at right angles to the direction of movement, and further, preferablv on either side of marking (29), additional markings (30) at a distance (23) corresponding in each case to 1/100 sec., preferably four such lines (30) or the like on either side, said lines being inclined at an angle to one another and to the centre marking (29) and all meeting at a vanishing point (31), which vanishing point (31) produces or takes into account the parallax at lines (30) resulting from the location of the camera (4) for taking the picture (28) of the finish.

20. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 19, characterized in that the scale (22) along with the marking lines (30) at a slant to one another is adjustable in the direction of orientation of the marking (29) corresponding to the finishing line (3) and areas of smaller distances (23) corresponding to a lower speed or areas of larger distances (23) corresponding to a higher determined speed of competitors (15 to 21) are adapted to be brought into a position of congruency with the picture (28) of the finish.

21. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 20, characterized in that a graduation (32) along marking lines (29, 30) of scale (22) in the direction of adjustment thereof is provided, said graduation corresponding to fixed speeds commensurate with the distance (23) of lines (29) of the scale at this point, and that the speed determined as a competitor passes the finish is enterable preferably into the picture of the finish, particularly at variable height.

22. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 21, characterized in that the scale (22) with marking lines (29, 30) departing from a common vanishing point (31) is arranged on a transparent carrier disposed in front of a screen and/or over a printed out picture (28) of the finish, photograph of the finish or the like.

23. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 22, characterized in that a slideway (36) preferably open at the side is provided for inserting pictures of the finish, the transparent evaluation member which presents the evaluation scaie (22) being arranged above said slideway.

24. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 23, characterized in that the slidewav (36) for the pictures (28) is adapted to be adjusted and fixed, preferably to be clamped, at a holder (39) or the like situated preferably at the edge, said adjustment, fixation and clamping being effected relative to the evaluation member (37) and in the direction of line (29).

25. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 24, characterized in that the evaluation scale (22) is arranged on a transparent foil (33) as the- carrier, said foil being wound onto two parallel spools on either side of that area of the picture or screen to be evaluated or analysed, the spacing of said spools corresponding to the height of the ana- lysable picture area visible therebetween.

26. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 25, characterized in that the spools (34) are axially adjustable.

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