Wireless Ski Timing System Nick Hnatiw Mike Coughlin Philip Da Silva Dave Pomeroy

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

Conventional Timing Systems Wired 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

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

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

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

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

Deliverables (cont.) Timing (“Watch”) Unit: Functionality Keeps total racing time Transmits race data Specifications Accurate to 2 ms per minute Wireless communication

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

Start Unit Block Diagram

“Watch” Unit Block Diagram

Finish Unit Block Diagram

Bill of Materials

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…