Method and system for detecting an event on a sports track

• US 10,026,235 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mylaps B.V.
• Original Assignee: AMB i.t. Holding B.V. (Sports Timing Holding BV)
• Inventors: Van Rens, Bas Jan Emile
• Primary Examiner(s): Liddle, Jay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US13/989,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20140052279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,443 Days
• Field of Search: 463 59
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/18 Skating
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0028 for running, jogging or speed-walking movable endless bands A63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/00 Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people registering or indicating the working of machines or vehicles G07C3/00, G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 in connection with sports or games
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method and system for detecting an event on a sports track. By applying one or more track segments across the width of the sports track and detecting passage of participants for the track segments, a comparison can be made between detected passage results and known passage results that may e.g. be available from a storage internal or external to the system. A deviation between the detection results and the known results that exceeds a particular deviation margin may be used as an immediate sign of an irregularity occurring during the sports event. The irregularity may e.g. relate to malfunctioning of one or more components of the time monitoring system or to deviating behavior by a participant to the sports event.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an irregularity on a sports track during a race, comprising:

providing a first set of at least two track segments, each of the track segments of the first set being adjacent to at least another one of the track segments of the first set such that the first set of at least two track segments extends completely across a width of the sports track;

providing a second set of at least two track segments, each of the track segments of the second set being adjacent to at least another one of the track segments of the second set such that the second set of at least two track segments extends completely across a width of the sports track, the second set of at least two track segments occurring at a different position along the sports track than the first set of at least two track segments;

starting the race after providing the first set of at least two track segments and the second set of at least two track segments;

monitoring the race using monitoring equipment used for time monitoring a race after starting the race and before an end of the race;

detecting with a processor that is coupled to the monitoring equipment, after starting the race and before the end of the race, passage of participants of the race for each of the track segments of the first set of at least two track segments and the second set of at least two track segments to obtain corresponding first track segment passage results and second track segment passage results, the passage of participants of the race being detected for each of the track segments separately for each of the first set of at least two track segments and the second set of at least two track segments, and the first track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the first set of at least two track segments within a first particular time interval, and the second track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the second set of at least two track segments within a second particular time interval;

comparing with the processor, after starting the race and before the end of the race, the first track segment passage results with the second track segment passage results,

the first track segment passage results including a first distribution profile comprising a distribution in location across the width of the sports track for the track segments of the first set of at least two track segments,

the second track segment passage results including a second distribution profile comprising a distribution in location across the width of the sports track for the track segments of the second set of at least two track segments, and

the first distribution profile representing a number of expected participants for each track segment of the second set of at least two track segments;

detecting and outputting with the processor, after starting the race and before the end of the race, an irregularity on the sports track when the first track segment passage results deviate by at least a deviation margin from the second track segment passage results; and

generating, after starting the race and before the end of the race, an alert signal in response to detecting the irregularity; and

ending the race.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deviation margin of the first track segment passage results from the second track segment passage results comprises a time deviation by at least a time deviation margin.

3. The method according to claim 2 and further comprising:

detecting the irregularity when the first track segment passage results deviate from the second track segment passage results by the time deviation margin.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deviation margin comprises a location deviation margin.

5. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising selecting a width of each track segment based on a width of a participant.

6. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising performing at least said comparing at a remote analysis device.

7. The method accordingly to claim 1 wherein the comparison with the second track segment passage results includes a comparison against a distribution curve of the second track segment passage results.

8. The method accordingly to claim 1 wherein the comparison with the second track segment passage results includes a comparison against a discreet Gaussian distribution of the second track segment passage results.

9. The method accordingly to claim 1 wherein the second track segment passage results is constant after starting the race and before ending the race.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring equipment includes a plurality of mats, each of the plurality of mats comprising a detector which includes an antenna configured to detect electromagnetically passage of a participant in the race separately from other participants in the race.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the detection of a participant of the race occurs by electromagnetic communication between the antenna and a tag worn by the participant when the tag is near the antenna.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the tag continuously communicating to the antenna, messages having a unique ID associated with the tag as a result of activation of the communication by the antenna when the tag is near the antenna.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

the antenna transferring the messages to a decoder, wherein the decoder is connected to a mat of the plurality of mats; and

the decoder detecting a passage result having a period of time, when a tag with the unique ID passes the mat by using signal strength of the messages, wherein the signal strength of the messages is greatest when the participant passes the center of the mat due to an electromagnetic field produced by the antenna being the strongest above the center of the mat.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the decoder communicating the passage result over a data link to the processor, wherein the processor uses the passage result in the detection of the passage of participants of the race for each of the first set of at least two track segments and second set of at least two track segments to obtain the first track segment passage results and the second track segment passage results.

15. A system for detecting an irregularity on a sports track during a race, wherein the sports track is segmented across a width of the sports track by track segments, the system comprising:

monitoring equipment used for time monitoring a race occurring on the sports track after starting the race and before an end of the race;

a first detector configured to detect, after a start of a race and before an end of the race, passage of participants of the race for each track segment of a first set of at least two track segments to obtain first track segment passage results for the first set of at least two track segments, each track segment of the first set of at least two track segments being adjacent to at least another track segment such that the first set of at least two track segments extends completely across a width of the sports track, the passage of participants of the race being detected for each track segment of the first set of at least two track segments separately, the first track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the first set of at least two track segments within a first particular time interval;

a second detector configured to detect, after a start of a race and before an end of the race, passage of participants of the race for each track segment of a second set of at least two track segments to obtain second track segment passage results for the second set of at least two track segments, each track segment of the second set of at least two track segments being adjacent to at least another track segment such that the second set of at least two track segments extends completely across a width of the sports track, the passage of participants of the race being detected for each track segment of the second set of at least two track segments separately, the second track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the second set of at least two track segments within a second particular time interval;

a comparator configured to compare, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, the first track segment passage results with the second track segment passage results, the second track segment passage results being a distribution profile comprising a distribution in location across the width of the sports track for the second set of at least two track segments, the distribution profile representing a number of expected participants for each track segment of the second set of the at least two track segments;

an analyser configured to determine and output, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, whether the first track segment passage results deviate from the second track segment passage results by a deviation margin in order to detect an irregularity on the sports track; and

a generator configured to generate, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, an alert signal in response to detecting the irregularity.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the deviation margin of the first track segment passage results from the second track segment passage results comprises a time deviation by at least a time deviation margin.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein:

the analyser is configured to detect the irregularity when the first track segment passage results deviate from the second track segment passage results by the time deviation margin.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the deviation margin comprises a location deviation margin.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein a width of each track segment is selected based on a width of a participant.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the first set of at least two track segments comprise mats, each of the mats containing a detector configured to detect the passage of the participants of the race, and wherein the second set of at least two track segments comprise mats, each of the mats containing a detector configured to detect the passage of the participants of the race.

21. The system according to claim 15, wherein at least the comparator and the analyser are contained in a remote analysis device.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor instruct the processor to:

detect, after a start of a race and before an end of the race, on a sports track, passage of participants of the race for each of at least two track segments for each of a first set of track segments and a second set of track segments of the sports track to obtain corresponding first track segment passage results and second track segment passage results,

each of the at least two track segments of the first set of track segments being adjacent to at least another one of the at least two track segments of the first set of track segments such that the first set of track segments extends completely across a width of the sports track,

each of the at least two track segments of the second set of track segments being adjacent to at least another one of the at least two track segments of the second set of track segments such that the second set of track segments extends completely across the width of the sports track,

the second set of track segments occurring at a different position along the sports track than the first set of track segments,

the passage of participants of the race being detected for each of the at least two track segments separately for each of the first set of track segments and the second set of track segments,

passage of the first set of track segments being monitored by monitoring equipment used for time monitoring the race, and the first track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the at least two track segments of the first set of track segments within a first particular time interval, and

passage of the second set of track segments being monitored by the monitoring equipment used for time monitoring the race, and the second track segment passage results including a number of participants having passed each track segment of the at least two track segments of the second set of track segments within a second particular time interval;

compare, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, the first track segment passage results with the second track segment passage results,

the first track segment passage results including a first distribution profile comprising a distribution in location across the width of the sports track for the at least two track segments of the first set of track segments,

the second track segment passage results including a second distribution profile comprising a distribution in location across the width of the sports track for the at least two track segments of the second set of track segments, and

the first distribution profile representing a number of expected participants for each track segment of the at least two track segments of the second set of track segments;

detect and output, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, an irregularity on the sports track when the first track segment passage results deviate by at least a deviation margin from the second track segment passage results; and

generate, after the start of a race and before the end of the race, an alert signal in response to detecting the irregularity.