Wireless Ski Timing System

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Wireless Ski Timing System

• Nick Hnatiw
• Mike Coughlin
• Philip Da Silva
• Dave Pomeroy

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Background

• Prevalence of Ski Racing
• 30,000 racers, coaches and officials in USA
• 350 organizations in USA each with several teams
• Timing System
• Accurate to one hundredth of a second
• Dependable
• Easy to use, deploy and maintain
• Main factor in scoring

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Conventional Timing SystemsWired vs. Wireless

• Wired Systems
• One clock
• No syncing needed
• Difficult to deploy/move
• Older approach

• Wireless Systems
• Two clocks
• Syncing issues
• Easy to deploy/move
• Newer approach

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Conventional Timing Systems

• Wireless systems are preferred
• Clocks must be synced to maintain accuracy
• Solution 1 Physically connect clocks (tedious)
• Solution 2 GPS (expensive)

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Proposed Wireless Solution

• One clock
• Wearable by skier
• Time wirelessly communicated to system
• Solution benefits
• Cheaper
• No syncing necessary
• Less power required
• Novel approach

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3 Part System Start, Wearable Timer, Finish
Start Racer starts by tripping start wand System
signals wearable timer to start
Timer Strapped to racer Controlled by start and
finish units
Finish Racer finishes by tripping IR beam System
stops the wearable timer Race time is transmitted
to the finish unit
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Deliverables

• Three units
• Start unit
• Functionality
• Triggered by the start gate
• Wirelessly sends start signal to the Timing Unit
• Specification
• Compatible with aftermarket gating systems
• Internal battery
• Wireless communication

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Deliverables (cont.)

• Timing (Watch) Unit
• Functionality
• Keeps total racing time
• Transmits race data
• Specifications
• Accurate to 2 ms per minute
• Wireless communication

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Deliverables (cont.)

• Finish Unit
• Functionality
• Disable the Watch unit
• Acquire race time from Watch unit
• Calculate total race time using time of day
• Displays total time of the race
• Specifications
• Compatible with aftermarket gating systems
• AC power source
• Wireless communication

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Start Unit Block Diagram
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Watch Unit Block Diagram
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Finish Unit Block Diagram
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Bill of Materials
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Summary

• Project develops system to time ski races
• Major challenges are wireless communication
• MDR goals
• Wireless communication
• Plans for spring
• Working prototype
• Outdoor field-test
• Demonstration of accuracy
• Successful implementation benefits