Communications: electrical – Systems – Game reporting
Patent
1992-11-23
1994-11-22
Swarthout, Brent A.
Communications: electrical
Systems
Game reporting
348589, 364411, G08B 2300
Patent
active
053672860
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention relates to a system for instantaneously displaying the ranking of a competitor in a race with sequential starts. This system can be used in competitions such as, for example, an alpine ski race, an automobile rally, a bicycle race against the clock, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the following description the situation of an alpine ski race has been taken as an example, it being understood that the invention is in no way limited to this particular application.
During an alpine ski race, photoelectric detectors are set up on the piste to determine the instant each competitor passes a few specific points of the course. Two to three detectors are normally used, one of the detectors naturally being placed on the finishing line and the other detectors being distributed between the starting line and the finishing line to measure the times of intermediate passage of each competitor. These times of passage are sent to a timing installation where they are memorized and processed. By comparing the time the skier on the piste passes in front of a detector with the times of passage of preceding skiers it is possible to instantaneously determine the ranking of the skier on the piste at the moment he passes in front of this detector. The ranking, the time of passage and the difference from the best time are displayed in digital form on the one hand on a display board located near the finishing line and, on the other hand, blended into the image received by the television audience.
This display system makes it possible to give the public instantaneously some indication regarding the performance of the skier on the piste. However this information remains very limited because only one or two intermediate passage times are measured.
It would be possible to try to make the display system more attractive to the public by increasing the number of detectors placed on the piste since this would make it possible to follow the development of the ranking of the skier on the piste more precisely. However, it would not be easy for the public to follow this development because of the type of display used. What the public would, in fact, receive would be a series of digital items of information giving the development of the ranking of the skier on the piste with a frequency that would increase in proportion to the number of detectors. It may be imagined that presentation of this kind would be extremely impractical and of little informative value to the public.
There is therefore no point in trying to make the development in the ranking of the skier on the piste more accurate by using the display methods of the state of the art. It is, however, clear that to increase the public appeal of races in which competitors set off one behind the other, it is desirable to inform the public as accurately as possible of the development of the instantaneous ranking of each competitor.
It is an object of the invention to meet this need. In a very general manner, the invention consists in resorting to a display of the analog type in place of the digital display referred to hereinabove.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a system for instantaneously displaying the ranking of a competitor in a race with sequential starts comprising: 1.ltoreq.j.ltoreq.n, in front of a detector D.sub.k, 1.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.m, establish, for each detector, a list of competitors according to their times,
which comprises, inter alia; front of a detector D.sub.k : the detector D.sub.k by comparing his time of passage with the times of passage of a plurality of already classified competitors, competitor C.sub.i and the times of passage of the competitors with immediately adjacent rankings, function f, competitor C.sub.i and symbols representing each of the competitors of the immediately adjacent rankings by spacing their symbols out as a function of the distances calculated.
This display system has the advantage of informing the public of the position of a competitor in the race in relation
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patent: 3546696 (1970-12-01), Waters et al.
patent: 3946312 (1976-03-01), Oswald et al.
patent: 4523204 (1985-06-01), Bovay
patent: 4752764 (1988-06-01), Peterson et al.
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patent: 4843483 (1989-06-01), Bogner
patent: 5103433 (1992-04-01), Imhof
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Die Uhu--Uhren, Juwelen, Schmuch, No. 1, 20 Jan. 1981, Bielefeld BRD p. 42; `Das Zeitmessystem der alpinen Skiwettkampfe`.
Funkschau, No. 21, 6 Oct.1989, Munchen De pp. 53-55; Kusch: `Die nachste Generation`.
Swarthout Brent A.
Swiss Timing Ltd.
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