EP0580828A1 - Systeme de surveillance de ligne d'arrivee - Google Patents

Systeme de surveillance de ligne d'arrivee

Info

Publication number
EP0580828A1
EP0580828A1 EP93901976A EP93901976A EP0580828A1 EP 0580828 A1 EP0580828 A1 EP 0580828A1 EP 93901976 A EP93901976 A EP 93901976A EP 93901976 A EP93901976 A EP 93901976A EP 0580828 A1 EP0580828 A1 EP 0580828A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
line
monitoring system
image
images
space
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP93901976A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0580828A4 (fr
Inventor
Peter John Alexandrovics
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0580828A1 publication Critical patent/EP0580828A1/fr
Publication of EP0580828A4 publication Critical patent/EP0580828A4/xx
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63K—RACING; RIDING SPORTS; EQUIPMENT OR ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • A63K3/00—Equipment or accessories for racing or riding sports
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/18—Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
    • H04N7/183—Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast for receiving images from a single remote source

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring a line.
  • the present invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring a finishing line and producing a photo finish image.
  • the present invention seeks to provide an improved line monitoring system.
  • a line monitoring system for monitoring a plane in space, comprising: a line image capture means for capturing a plurality of line images of the plane in space over an interval of time, and an image storage means for storing the line images, wherein a image representing a time history of the plane in space is capable of being constructed from the line images stored in the storage means and displayed on a display means by placing the line images adjacent to each other.
  • the present invention further provides a method of monitoring a plane in space comprising the steps of: positioning a line image capture means for capturing a plurality of line images over an interval of time of the plane in space, capturing the plurality of line images over the interval of time and storing the line images in a digital storage means, constructing time history image representing a time history of the plane in space over the interval of time and displaying the time history image on a display means by placing the line images adjacent to each other.
  • a method of obtaining a photo finish image of a finish line comprising the steps of: positioning a line image sensor to capture a plurality of line images over an interval of time of the finish line, capturing the plurality of line images over the interval of time and storing the line images in a digital storage means, constructing the photo finish image representing a time history of the finish line over the interval of time and displaying the photo finish image on a display device by placing the line images adjacent to each other.
  • Figure 1 is a block diagram of the main components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 2(a) is a top view of a finish line at a running track having a photo finish camera and Figure 2(b) is a front view of the finish line,
  • FIG 3 is a more detailed block diagram of the preferred embodiment of Figure 1,
  • Figure 4(a) is a rear view of the photo finish camera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and Figure 4(b) is a side view of the photo finish camera of Figure 4(a), and
  • Figure 5 shows a perspective compensated line sensor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • a line monitor system has applications where events in one plane in space is to be recorded over a period in time.
  • a side view of such a plane is a line in space and if the line in space is observed over a period of time, it is possible to create a time history of the plane, as seen from its edge.
  • the line monitor system is a photo finish camera at a winning line.
  • the line monitor system of Figure 1 is a photo finish system 1 having a line image capture means comprising a CCD (charge coupled device) line camera having line image sensor 2, storage means comprising solid state memory 3, and display means comprising computer 7 having a screen (not shown) .
  • CCD charge coupled device
  • storage means comprising solid state memory 3
  • display means comprising computer 7 having a screen (not shown) .
  • SRAM Static Random Access Memory
  • the CCD line image sensor 2 is a one dimensional array of photo sensitive diodes capable of capturing line images.
  • the solid state memory 3 is capable of storing images captured by the sensor 2.
  • the computer 7 may be used to interact with the sensor 2 and the solid state memory 3 so as to capture images and to view the images captured by the sensor 2.
  • the sensor 2 is controlled by sensor controller 6 and the solid state memory 3 is controlled by memory controller 5.
  • the photo finish system 1 in use, is placed at the winning line 50 inside a winning post viewing box 51 so that the line images taken by the sensor 2 of the photo finish system 1 correspond to the side view of the plane perpendicular to the ground through with the winning line 50 passes. Competitors passing over the winning line 50 are recorded by the photo finish system 1 as a line image of the winning line plane.
  • computer 7 readies the sensor controller 6 and the memory controller 5.
  • the memory controller 5 resets the solid state memory 3 to prepare it for receiving line images of the finish line from the sensor 2.
  • Sensor controller 6 initialises the sensor 2 and synchronises the communication of the line images from the sensor 2 to the solid state memory 3.
  • the sensor 2 When capturing a photo finish image, the sensor 2 detects a line image of the plane in which the winning line is located by a row of photo sensitive diode sensors within the line sensor 2. A series of voltage levels corresponding to the intensity of the light received by each of the photo sensitive diodes is produced. These analog voltage signals from the sensor 2 are sent to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 4 which quantises the voltage output of each diode to a digital value representing one pixel of information in the line image.
  • A/D analog-to-digital
  • the sensor controller 6 indicates to the memory controller 5 that an image is ready to be stored in solid state memory 3, and under control of memory controller 5, the pixels of the line image are stored in the solid state memory 3.
  • the sensor 2 and the solid state memory 3 operate synchronously so that line images are continually received by the sensor 2 and stored to the solid state memory 3. This increases the rate at which line images can be captured so that the line images can be captured and stored in real-time. Furthermore, by simply changing the clock rate, it is possible to change the rate of capturing images.
  • the line image capturing process is stopped by the computer 7 when enough line images have been received to construct a photo finish image, or if the memory controller 5 stops the process when the solid state memory 3 becomes full.
  • the computer 7 extracts the line images from the solid state memory 3 by instructing the memory controller 5 that it is ready to receive the line images.
  • the memory controller 5 prepares solid state memory 3 for sending the data, and the solid state memory 3 sends the line images pixel by pixel to the computer 7.
  • the computer 7 is able to address the solid state memory 3 directly as a memory mapped address.
  • the computer 7 Once the computer 7 has received all the line images it constructs a photo finish image which is a time history of the finish line. This is done by placing the individual line images side by side on a display, such as on a computer screen, or by printing to a hard copy medium. Once the photo finish image is constructed it is possible to zoom in on specific areas of the photo finish image using the computer 7 to enlarge areas of interest in the photo finish image. It is also possible to improve the image quality using electronic filtering and image processing to improve, for example, the shading and contrast of the image.
  • FIG 3 is a block diagram showing the components of the photo finish camera system of Figure 1 in greater detail.
  • the sensor 2 of the photo finish camera system has a lens 21 which focuses an image of the finish line onto a linear array of photo sensitive diodes 22 which are sensitive to varying light intensities.
  • the photo sensitive diodes are particularly advantageous due to their compactness, ruggedness, low power drain, high resolution, and high sensitivity. Other optical sensors may be used to achieve similar results.
  • the computer 7 may be a computer dedicated to controlling the camera and capturing the line images, or it may be a conventional personal computer which runs appropriate software and which has an interface card fitted to the computer to communicate with the solid state memory and sensor.
  • the operator of the photo finish camera system 1 may instruct the computer 7 to control the sensor 2 and solid state memory (in this embodiment being SRAM 27) to capture images of the finishing line.
  • solid state memory in this embodiment being SRAM 27
  • an approach sensor 35 may be used. This sensor 35 is typically connected across the track some short distance before the finishing line and to the computer, so that when the competitors pass the approach sensor 35, the computer 7 commences the image capturing sequence.
  • control port 32 Upon instruction to proceed with capturing line images, the computer 7 writes a command to control port 32 that the photo finish capturing sequence is to commence.
  • the control port 32 communicates with memory address controller 28 which resets the static random access memory (SRAM) 27, resets the memory address generation part of the memory address controller 28 and informs frame controller 25 to initialise and instruct the sensor 2 to commence capturing line images.
  • SRAM static random access memory
  • the frame controller 25 initialises the camera by instructing the sensor timing and synchronisation controller 24 to operate the sensor.
  • the sensor timing and synchronisation controller 24 communicates with the photo diodes 22 by sending appropriate timing sequences to synchronise the capturing and storage of line images.
  • the sensor 2 is an analog device which outputs voltage levels corresponding to the light intensity reading of each of the diodes within the photo diode array 22.
  • the analog voltage signals are sent to a black reference controller 23 where the voltage signals are compared with dark references to calibrate the image in a grey scale, and also to compensate captured data for temperature variations, thereby ensuring fidelity. After compensation the voltage levels are communicated to A/D converter 4.
  • the sensor timing and synchronisation controller 24 indicates to the frame controller 25 when the end of one line image has been reached and the frame controller 25 communicates this to the A/D converter 4.
  • the A/D converter 4 digitises the analog information so that the light intensity output of each diode is converted to a digital value corresponding to one pixel in the line image. Each of the pixel values is then made available to the SRAM
  • the frame controller 25 informs the memory address controller 28 that the pixel is ready for sending to memory.
  • the memory address controller 28 generates an address for the SRAM 27 corresponding to where the pixel information from the A/D converter 4 can be stored.
  • SRAM 27 controls the SRAM 27 to behave like an auto-incrementing FIFO stack so that captured pixels of the line images are stored sequentially within SRAM 27. Each pixel of each line image is thus stored into solid state memory for retrieval at a later point in time.
  • the SRAM 27 may be constructed of a number of individual SRAM chips, with the number of chips depending on the amount of memory required to store the captured images. The more memories available, the more line images that can be stored.
  • the SRAM chips within the memory are activated by the chip select 29 under control of the memory controller 28.
  • the frame controller 25 informs write controller 30, which enables the information of buffer 26 to be written to the memory location in SRAM 27 corresponding to the chip and memory location selected by memory address controller 28 and chip select 29.
  • the sensor 2 Whilst storing the captured line image to memory on a pixel by pixel basis, the sensor 2 would have commenced detecting the next line image of information under control of frame controller 25. The captured images would have been referenced and converted to digital pixel values and made available on buffer 26 ready for storing in memory. This process continues until computer 7 instructs control port 32 to cease capturing images, or when memory 27 is filled.
  • control port 32 which is in communication with frame controller 25 and memory address controller 28.
  • Frame controller 25 stops the sensor 2 and memory address controller 28 stops the solid state memory 27 from receiving information from buffer 26.
  • the line images are read back to computer 7 for further processing.
  • the computer 7 indicates to the control port 32 to proceed with a read image procedure.
  • Control port 32 resets the memory address controller 28, disabling further writing to solid state memory 27, and commences a procedure to sequentially communicate each pixel of the line images captured by sensor 2 and stored in SRAM 27 to the computer 7 for processing.
  • the pixel data is communicated to data port 33 which is read by the computer 7.
  • Port 33 may also be designed as a memory mapped address in order to improve the speed of the system.
  • Each of the pixel values of the line images is then. read in the correct sequence into the computer's memory from the SRAM 27.
  • the computer 7 is able to reconstruct a time history of the finish line by placing each of the lines of pixels next to each other from right to left. Between each line of the image there is a discrete time difference due to sampling effects, and it is therefore possible to accurately determine the time difference between events which occur at the finish line.
  • the image is displayed on display 36, and the operator can zoom into specific areas of the time history image by simply enlarging the captured pixels in the area of interest.
  • the computer 7 is made aware of the status of the solid state memory 27 and the sensor 2 through status port 34 which is connected to both the frame controller 25 and the memory address controller 28.
  • FIGS 4(a), (b) and (c) illustrate the mounting of the sensor 2 and the method of aligning the sensor 2.
  • the photo diode array 22 of the CCD line scan sensor 2 is mounted on a carriage 41 on a body 40 of the photo finish system 1 which allows the photo diode array 22 to be moved with respect to the lens by sliding the carriage 41 left and right with respect to the body 40.
  • ground glass 42 Also mounted on the carrier spaced from the photo diode array 22 is an opaque ground glass 42.
  • the ground glass acts as a screen onto which an image of the winning line is projected. This allows a direct visual verification of the alignment of the sensor 2 with the winning line.
  • the carriage 41 When aligning the sensor 2 with the finishing line, the carriage 41 is slid to the right so that the ground glass 42 is at the focal point of the lens 21.
  • the photo finish system 1 is then aligned so that an image of the finish line is projected onto the ground glass.
  • the carriage 41 is then slid to the left so that the sensor 2 is in the position where the ground glass 42 was. By fixing the distance between the ground glass and the sensor 2 and moving the carriage 42 by that amount only, it is possible to ensure that the sensor 2 is perfectly aligned with the winning line.
  • the image seen on the ground glass is the image which the sensor 2 sees, rather than a derived image, such as one created with prisms.
  • the present invention it is possible to compensate for the perspective distortion by altering the surface area of the light sensitive diodes in the sensor. This is done by distributing exposure over the sensor elements according to a radial exposure technique. One method of doing this is to place an exposure edge partially over the elements of the sensor, such that all of one element of the sensor at one end is uncovered, but subsequent elements are all covered to a greater extent so that each element appears progressively smaller and smaller. This creates a sensor with a "wedge" appearance.
  • the sensor can be manufactured such that each element's surface area is smaller than its preceding neighbouring element. Such a sensor is illustrated in Figure 5, in which a sensor 2 has and end 61 where the elements 62 are smaller than the elements 62 towards the other end 63.
  • the preferred embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous in that it is possible to capture a time history of the winning line in real time and store into memory. This provides a picture resolution far greater than that of other known technologies, such as still frame photography and video images. This speed is particularly achievable due to the development of static solid state memory which is much faster than conventional dynamic memory, and does not require complicated circuits to refresh the memory.
  • Another advantage is that the above embodiment overcomes many of the problems of the conventional time history photograph described above which required development and fixing.
  • Using the preferred embodiment of the present invention it is possible to obtain a picture virtually instantaneously and allows a person with very little knowledge of the system to obtain a photo finish photograph and to enlarge areas of interest. It is also possible to produce colour images with a colour sensor, which is not possible with known systems.
  • a greater number of grey shades are available using the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Conventional photo finish cameras have less than 10 grey shades, whilst the present preferred embodiment can distinguish between more than 64 grey shades.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)

Abstract

Dispositif et procédé permettant de surveiller un plan dans l'espace sur un intervalle de temps afin de créer une image représentant la chronologie du plan dans l'espace. Un capteur (2) d'images de ligne capte une série d'images de ligne se rapportant au plan dans l'espace, ces images étant converties en données numériques par un convertisseur analogique/numérique (4) afin d'être stockées dans une mémoire à semi-conducteurs (3). Pour produire une image représentant la chronologie du plan dans l'espace, les images de ligne peuvent être extraites de la mémoire à semi-conducteurs (3) par un ordinateur (7). L'ordinateur (7) affiche la série d'images de ligne de manière adjacente les unes par rapport aux autres pour créer l'image représentant la chronologie. La présente invention s'applique à plusieurs domaines, y compris à des caméras de photo-finish.
EP93901976A 1992-01-20 1993-01-20 Systeme de surveillance de ligne d'arrivee Withdrawn EP0580828A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AUPL049192 1992-01-20
AU4/91 1992-01-20

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0580828A1 true EP0580828A1 (fr) 1994-02-02
EP0580828A4 EP0580828A4 (fr) 1994-02-16

Family

ID=3775938

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP93901976A Withdrawn EP0580828A1 (fr) 1992-01-20 1993-01-20 Systeme de surveillance de ligne d'arrivee

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0580828A1 (fr)
NZ (1) NZ246525A (fr)
WO (1) WO1993014598A1 (fr)

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3303868A1 (de) * 1983-02-05 1984-08-09 Roland 6751 Waldleiningen Hauck Schaltungsanordnung zur digitalisierung und speicherung von videobildern zur digitalen weiterverarbeitung
JPS6150546A (ja) * 1984-08-20 1986-03-12 富士写真光機株式会社 内視鏡
FR2589604B1 (fr) * 1985-11-04 1988-01-22 Longines Francillon Sa Cie Mon Appareil pour le chronometrage de courses sportives
FR2648594B1 (fr) * 1989-06-15 1993-03-05 Omega Electronics Sa Appareil pour le chronometrage de courses

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
No further relevant documents disclosed *
See also references of WO9314598A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NZ246525A (en) 1996-03-26
WO1993014598A1 (fr) 1993-07-22
EP0580828A4 (fr) 1994-02-16

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