Timing apparatus particularly for racing vehicles

Details Timing apparatus particularly for racing vehicles Timing apparatus particularly for racing vehicles

1991-11-13

1993-02-23

Hannaher, Constantine

Radiant energy

Invisible radiant energy responsive electric signalling

Infrared responsive

250341, 364569, 368 10, G01C 2200

Patent

active

051893053

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to timing apparatus, particularly although not exclusively for use in providing timing information for racing vehicles such as motor cars, go karts, speed boats.
2. Description of the Background Art
Most motor racing is carried at racing circuits where the vehicles must travel around a closed track a certain number of times. The provision of timing information, particularly lap times, to the driver can be most useful to enable the driver to improve or optimise performance. Lap times can be provided to a driver by displays provided at the side of the race track for reading as the driver passes, but this information is frequently delayed in being provided and also the driver may not be able to read the information at the time of passing if his attention is on other events. It has been proposed to display timing information within the vehicle e.g. by relaying timing information by radio to a display provided within the vehicle. However either manual input of data to be transmitted or relatively sophisticated apparatus for discriminating between vehicles may be required for this kind of apparatus.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a timing apparatus for providing timing information to a person moving past a datum line and which is simple and effective in operation.
It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide such a timing apparatus which is capable of automatically supplying timing information to the moving person as the datum line is passed.
According to the present invention there is provided timing apparatus for providing timing information to a moving person moving past a datum line, the timing apparatus including a radiation source for location at the datum line and for emitting radiation in a diverging radiation zone across a path along which the person moves so that the person crosses the radiation zone, the diverging radiation zone straddling the datum line which extends across the path; and timing means for moving with the person and for providing timing information, the timing means including a radiation sensor for receiving radiation emitted by the radiation source as the radiation zone is crossed and for generating a sensor signal in response to sensing of incident radiation, a radiation detector circuit connected to receive the sensor signal and operative to discriminate radiation from the radiation source and to generate a detector signal for as long as radiation from the radiation source is being received and detected, a calculator circuit coupled to the detector circuit to receive the detector signal and operative to calculate a predetermined proportion of the duration of the radiation zone crossing as represented by the duration of the detector signal so as to thereby determine the instant of crossing of the datum line located within the diverging radiation zone, and display means connected to the calculator circuit and operative to display timing information including the time of crossing of the datum line.
Preferably the radiation source is arranged and operative to emit electromagnetic radiation in a conical pattern across the path.
The radiation source may be arranged in relation to the path so that the datum line is located substantially centrally along a symmetry axis of the diverging radiation zone, the calculator circuit being operative to determine the mid-point of the duration of the detector signal by calculating:
The radiation source may include a modulator for modulating the emitted radiation, the radiation detector circuit including a receiver which is tuned so as to be responsive only to the characteristics of the modulated radiation.
The calculator circuit may be operative to calculate and the display means may be operative to display one or more of the following items of timing information: line so as to represent a lap time, time between at least two pairs of successive crossings of the datum line, interval between the latest two success

REFERENCES:
patent: 2978863 (1961-04-01), Strobel
patent: 4823367 (1989-04-01), Kreutzfeld
patent: 5090030 (1992-02-01), Jenkins

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