A self-organizing scheduling system and method for amateur table tennis tournaments

Abstract

This invention discloses a self-organizing scheduling system and method for amateur table tennis tournaments, belonging to the field of sports event information technology. The system includes an intelligent scoring terminal on the side frame of the table, an LED scoring screen next to the table, and a back-end server. These three components work together to achieve self-organizing scheduling of the tournament. The terminal can recognize single-click and long-press operations to complete actions such as confirming position, updating scores, and requesting to switch courts. The LED screen automatically switches between schedule and score modes, displaying the schedule, scores, and honor pages in real time. The server is responsible for schedule storage, data synchronization, schedule rescheduling, and generating and pushing dedicated pages. This invention enables on-site display of the schedule, self-service start of matches by players, automatic rescheduling of missed matches, and push of dedicated pages with advertisements at key points in the tournament. It completely frees up manpower for tournament organization, solves the problem of schedule delays, activates the commercial value of amateur tournaments, and can also be adapted to other amateur sports tournaments with rotating players.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of sports event information technology, specifically relating to an on-site self-organizing scheduling system and method for amateur table tennis events. Background Technology

[0002] As China's national sport, table tennis boasts a massive amateur enthusiast base, and the frequency of amateur table tennis tournaments has exploded under the national fitness policy. However, the organizational model of amateur tournaments has long been rudimentary, with several core pain points: First, the schedule relies on mobile phones, WeChat groups, or mini-programs for communication, which is inconvenient for players to carry during matches, making it easy for them to miss their turn. Organizers need to dedicate personnel to calling players throughout the venue, resulting in extremely low efficiency. Second, frequent instances of players being late or forfeiting require manual review of the program and adjustments to the schedule in the traditional model, leading to significant scheduling disruptions and a poor player experience. Third, tournaments lack a professional sense of ceremony and struggle to generate commercial value, failing to attract sustained sponsorship and hindering the improvement of tournament quality. Existing related patent technologies mostly focus on automatic scoring in table tennis or resource scheduling for large-scale professional tournaments, without designing solutions specifically for the characteristics of amateur tournaments. They fail to address the issue of players being able to access the schedule without their phones, provide a mechanism for players to independently trigger schedule rescheduling, or upgrade LED scoring screens from simple score display terminals into a core carrier for tournament scheduling, thus failing to meet the actual organizational needs of amateur table tennis tournaments. To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes an integrated hardware and software on-site self-organizing scheduling system and method, enabling unmanned operation and full-process automation of amateur table tennis events, freeing up manpower for event organization, enhancing the player experience, and simultaneously unlocking the commercial value of the events. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-organizing scheduling system and method for amateur table tennis events. By migrating the schedule information from mobile devices to on-site LED scoring screens, enabling players to start their own matches and trigger the rescheduling of missed matches, and automatically creating a sense of ceremony and embedding commercial advertisements at key points in the event, this invention completely solves the problems of schedule bottlenecks, reliance on manpower, and difficulty in commercial monetization in the organization of amateur table tennis events, and provides a feasible technical infrastructure for organizing and hosting events for all.

[0004] The technical solution used in this invention is: a self-organizing scheduling system for amateur table tennis tournaments, which consists of three core parts: an intelligent scoring terminal, an LED scoring screen, and a back-end server. These parts work together to achieve self-organizing scheduling of the tournament. The specific structure is as follows: Intelligent scoring terminal: Installed on both sides of the table tennis table, two units per table. Each terminal has a physical trigger button and built-in local communication modules (Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, serial port, etc.) and remote communication modules (Wi-Fi, 4G, etc.). It can recognize different striking operations: a single click is used for pre-match positioning confirmation and score updates during the match; a long press, double click, or triple click lasting more than one second is used to generate a match skip signal to handle player absences / late arrivals. The terminal can achieve direct local communication with the LED scoring screen and asynchronous data synchronization with the backend server.

[0005] LED Scoring Screen: Independently installed beside the table tennis table, it can be fixed to the referee's table crossbar or a dedicated bracket. It is a monochrome or full-color LED dot matrix screen, supporting automatic switching between schedule display and score display modes. In schedule display mode, it displays information on subsequent matches and operation instructions pushed by the backend server. In score display mode, it receives real-time scores from the intelligent scoring terminal via local communication, using colors or icons to distinguish the identities and scores of both players, achieving millisecond-level score updates. Simultaneously, the screen can receive welcome and honor moments pushed by the backend server, displaying player information, honor badges, and sponsor content.

[0006] Backend Server: Deployable in the cloud or locally, this server serves as the core data hub for event management, responsible for event schedule storage, event data synchronization, scheduling logic judgment, and the generation and push of various dedicated pages. The server receives asynchronously uploaded data such as scores, positions, and jumps from the intelligent scoring terminal via a remote network, updates the event database, and performs event schedule rescheduling. During non-match periods, it pushes event schedule information to the LED scoreboard, generates and pushes welcome pages and moments of glory pages at key event junctures, and maintains continuous data communication with the intelligent scoring terminal and LED scoreboard to achieve global event scheduling.

[0007] The on-site self-organizing scheduling method for amateur table tennis events provided by this invention is based on the above-mentioned system and specifically includes the following steps: Initial match schedule push: The backend server pushes the initial match information of the corresponding table to the LED score screen next to the table according to the pre-set match schedule. The LED score screen displays the player information and operation instructions for subsequent matches in the match schedule display mode. Players can see the match schedule by looking up.

[0008] Players can start the match independently: After the two players in the current match arrive at the table, they click the trigger button on their respective smart scoring terminals. The terminals generate and send a player's arrival signal. After the back-end server detects the arrival signals of both players on the same table, it instructs the LED scoring screen to switch from the match schedule display mode to the score display mode, and sets the initial score to 0:0. The match officially starts without any manual intervention.

[0009] Real-time score synchronization: During the match, each time a player scores a point, they tap the trigger button on their team's smart scoring terminal. The terminal then pushes the score update signal to the LED scoring screen via local communication within milliseconds. The screen displays the latest score in real time with a latency of less than 100ms. Simultaneously, the terminal asynchronously uploads the score data to the backend server with an upload latency of 500ms-2s, which does not affect the on-site experience and ensures the complete recording of backend data.

[0010] Automatic schedule switching: After a game ends, the intelligent scoring terminal detects the end of the game and instructs the LED score screen to automatically switch back to the schedule display mode; the back-end server marks the completed games as completed and removes them according to the received game results, reorders the subsequent schedule queue, and pushes the updated match information to the LED score screen during the game intervals.

[0011] Self-service skipping of a match when a player is absent or late: The other player who is already present can trigger the smart scoring terminal by long-pressing or double-clicking. The terminal generates a match skipping signal and synchronizes it to the LED scoring screen and the back-end server. After receiving the signal, the back-end server adjusts the absent match to the end of the table's schedule queue, reorders it, and pushes the new schedule information to the LED scoring screen. The whole process is completed within 1 second, realizing self-healing of the match schedule.

[0012] Dedicated page automatic push: When players complete the event check-in via their linked mobile devices, the backend server automatically generates a welcome page containing the player's name and sponsor information, which is then pushed to the LED scoreboards of all or designated tables for simultaneous display. At key moments in the event, such as group stage qualification, knockout stage advancement, and the determination of the champion and runner-up, the backend server automatically generates a "Moment of Glory" page containing player information, honor badges, and sponsor information, which is then pushed to the LED scoreboards of the corresponding tables for display, creating a sense of event ceremony and achieving commercial advertising exposure.

[0013] Furthermore, the data stream of this invention adopts a layered design, taking into account both real-time performance on-site and data integrity in the background: On-site layer: The intelligent scoring terminal and the LED scoring screen form a closed loop through local communication to ensure millisecond-level response for score updates.

[0014] Cloud layer: The intelligent scoring terminal asynchronously uploads the score data to the backend server, and the server performs global data processing and match scheduling.

[0015] Control layer: During breaks in the competition, the backend server automatically pushes the schedule information, glory moments page, etc. to the LED scoreboard, enabling remote control and content updates.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: (1) Achieve mobile phone-free schedule access at the event: The schedule information is transferred from the players' mobile phones to the LED scoring screen next to the table. Players can see their match number and opponent information just by looking up. According to actual tests, the frequency of players missing their match time has decreased by more than 90%, completely solving the pain points of inconvenience of carrying mobile phones and forgetting to check the schedule; (2) Significantly reduce the manpower input for organizing the event: By allowing players to start the game by clicking a button and trigger the absence of a player to skip the game, the traditional manual calling and manual adjustment of the schedule are replaced. For a single event with 32 players, the manpower input of the organizer can be reduced from an average of The number of people has been reduced from 3.5 to 0.5, achieving unmanned operation of the competition; (3) Solving the problem of schedule delays and improving the efficiency of the competition: the absence of a match can be rescheduled within 1 second by the player, compressing the minutes of manual intervention into an instant, avoiding the table spinning idly, greatly reducing the player's ineffective waiting time, and realizing the self-healing of the schedule delay; (4) Balancing on-site real-time performance and back-end data integrity: the local direct connection between the intelligent scoring terminal and the LED scoring screen realizes millisecond-level score updates, and the player has no delay perception; the score data is asynchronously uploaded to the back-end server, providing support for schedule scheduling and data statistics. Provide complete data support to form an efficient data interaction loop between the site and the back office; (5) Upgrade the LED score screen's functional positioning: upgrade the LED score screen from a traditional score display to a central hub for event scheduling, becoming a core node for event interaction. Its display content changes dynamically with the progress of the competition, and it has multiple functions such as event guidance, score display, and creating a sense of ceremony; (6) Achieve automated event ceremony and commercial monetization: automatically push exclusive pages at key nodes such as check-in, advancement, and championship, so that amateur events have a professional-level on-site atmosphere; at the same time, standardized advertising spaces are embedded in the exclusive pages, so that the organizers can monetize advertising without an additional investment promotion team, thus building a commercial closed loop for the sustainable operation of amateur events; (7) Strong system adaptability and controllable cost: the system can be configured with different hardware solutions such as basic version, standard version, and flagship version, adapting to different scenarios such as fixed events in stadiums, large-scale amateur events, and temporary outdoor events, achieving cost optimization while ensuring functionality; at the same time, after adaptive adjustments, the technical solution can be applied to amateur sports events such as badminton and tennis with clear field divisions and rotation system, and has strong scalability. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system architecture of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the interface layout of the LED scoring screen's race schedule display mode according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the self-service start-up process for contestants in their positions, as described in this invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the interface for the score display mode of the LED scoring screen of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the absence jump field processing of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 This is an example image of the "Glory Moment" page of this invention.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the synchronized display of the sign-in welcome page across the entire site in this invention.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a diagram of the data flow layered architecture of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] A self-organizing scheduling system for amateur table tennis tournaments, the core of which consists of three parts: an intelligent scoring terminal, an LED scoring screen, and a back-end server. These parts work together to achieve self-organizing scheduling of the tournament. The specific structure is as follows: Intelligent scoring terminal: Installed on both sides of the table tennis table, two units per table. Each terminal has a physical trigger button and built-in local communication modules (Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, serial port, etc.) and remote communication modules (Wi-Fi, 4G, etc.). It can recognize different striking operations: a single click is used for pre-match positioning confirmation and score updates during the match; a long press, double click, or triple click lasting more than one second is used to generate a match skip signal to handle player absences / late arrivals. The terminal can achieve direct local communication with the LED scoring screen and asynchronous data synchronization with the backend server.

[0027] LED Scoring Screen: Independently installed beside the table tennis table, it can be fixed to the referee's table crossbar or a dedicated bracket. It is a monochrome or full-color LED dot matrix screen, supporting automatic switching between schedule display and score display modes. In schedule display mode, it displays information on subsequent matches and operation instructions pushed by the backend server. In score display mode, it receives real-time scores from the intelligent scoring terminal via local communication, using colors or icons to distinguish the identities and scores of both players, achieving millisecond-level score updates. Simultaneously, the screen can receive welcome and honor moments pushed by the backend server, displaying player information, honor badges, and sponsor content.

[0028] Backend Server: Deployable in the cloud or locally, this server serves as the core data hub for event management, responsible for event schedule storage, event data synchronization, scheduling logic judgment, and the generation and push of various dedicated pages. The server receives asynchronously uploaded data such as scores, positions, and jumps from the intelligent scoring terminal via a remote network, updates the event database, and performs event schedule rescheduling. During non-match periods, it pushes event schedule information to the LED scoreboard, generates and pushes welcome pages and moments of glory pages at key event junctures, and maintains continuous data communication with the intelligent scoring terminal and LED scoreboard to achieve global event scheduling.

[0029] The on-site self-organizing scheduling method for amateur table tennis events provided by this invention is based on the above-mentioned system and specifically includes the following steps: Initial match schedule push: The backend server pushes the initial match information of the corresponding table to the LED score screen next to the table according to the pre-set match schedule. The LED score screen displays the player information and operation instructions for subsequent matches in the match schedule display mode. Players can see the match schedule by looking up.

[0030] Players can start the match independently: After the two players in the current match arrive at the table, they click the trigger button on their respective smart scoring terminals. The terminals generate and send a player's arrival signal. After the back-end server detects the arrival signals of both players on the same table, it instructs the LED scoring screen to switch from the match schedule display mode to the score display mode, and sets the initial score to 0:0. The match officially starts without any manual intervention.

[0031] Real-time score synchronization: During the match, each time a player scores a point, they tap the trigger button on their team's smart scoring terminal. The terminal then pushes the score update signal to the LED scoring screen via local communication within milliseconds. The screen displays the latest score in real time with a latency of less than 100ms. Simultaneously, the terminal asynchronously uploads the score data to the backend server with an upload latency of 500ms-2s, which does not affect the on-site experience and ensures the complete recording of backend data.

[0032] Automatic schedule switching: After a game ends, the intelligent scoring terminal detects the end of the game and instructs the LED score screen to automatically switch back to the schedule display mode; the back-end server marks the completed games as completed and removes them according to the received game results, reorders the subsequent schedule queue, and pushes the updated match information to the LED score screen during the game intervals.

[0033] Self-service skipping of a match when a player is absent or late: The other player who is already present can trigger the smart scoring terminal by long-pressing or double-clicking. The terminal generates a match skipping signal and synchronizes it to the LED scoring screen and the back-end server. After receiving the signal, the back-end server adjusts the absent match to the end of the table's schedule queue, reorders it, and pushes the new schedule information to the LED scoring screen. The whole process is completed within 1 second, realizing self-healing of the match schedule.

[0034] Dedicated page automatic push: When players complete the event check-in via their linked mobile devices, the backend server automatically generates a welcome page containing the player's name and sponsor information, which is then pushed to the LED scoreboards of all or designated tables for simultaneous display. At key moments in the event, such as group stage qualification, knockout stage advancement, and the determination of the champion and runner-up, the backend server automatically generates a "Moment of Glory" page containing player information, honor badges, and sponsor information, which is then pushed to the LED scoreboards of the corresponding tables for display, creating a sense of event ceremony and achieving commercial advertising exposure.

[0035] First embodiment: This embodiment is a monthly points tournament for 32 men's singles members held by a table tennis club in Hangzhou. The tournament is divided into 8 groups for round-robin matches followed by knockout matches. 8 tables are used, and each table is equipped with 1 set of intelligent scoring terminal and 1 full-color LED scoring screen. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system and method of this invention are deployed.

[0036] Pre-match preparation: The organizers imported the list of 32 participants and the group schedule through the back-end server; powered on the LED scoring screen of each table and connected it to the venue network to complete the long-term connection with the back-end server, and at the same time realized the local pairing of the smart scoring terminal and the LED scoring screen; the players completed real-name registration, event registration and pre-match check-in through WeChat mini program.

[0037] Running in the race Schedule push: Before the start of the first round of the group stage, the LED scoreboards of the 8 tables all displayed the match information of their subsequent matches in the schedule mode. Players did not need to look through the program book; they could know their playing order by checking the screen. The organizer did not provide any staff to announce the start of the match.

[0038] Self-service start of the match: After the players for the first round arrive at each table, they click the button on their respective intelligent scoring terminal. After the LED scoring screen detects the arrival of both players, it immediately switches to the score mode, distinguishing the scoring areas of both players with red and blue colors and displaying 0:0. The match starts automatically without any human intervention.

[0039] Real-time scoring: During the match, players press the button to update the score. The LED scoreboard updates with an average delay of 80ms, so players and spectators do not experience any delay. The score data is uploaded to the backend server asynchronously, with an average server synchronization delay of 1 second, and the update trajectory of each point is fully recorded.

[0040] Absent game skip: If a player is late for a game in a group due to traffic congestion, the opponent presses and holds the button on the smart scoring terminal for 1 second. The terminal immediately generates a skip signal, the LED scoring screen clears the current game display, the back-end server moves the game to the end of the schedule and pushes the new schedule. The whole process takes 1 second, and the subsequent games are seamlessly connected. The organizer only receives the back-end skip record push and does not need to do anything.

[0041] Exclusive page push: When players check in, all 8 LED scoring screens in the venue simultaneously display a welcome page containing the player's name and sponsor information, creating a sense of ceremony on site; after the group stage, the system automatically calculates the points and rankings, and the LED screens display the glorious moments of the players who advance from each group in turn; after the final, all LED screens in the venue simultaneously display the list of champions and runners-up and sponsor information, and players spontaneously take photos and spread them, achieving advertising exposure.

[0042] The first embodiment demonstrates that: only one organizer was responsible for equipment switching and emergency communication throughout the entire event, and no full-time referees were hired; there were no instances of players waiting for more than one minute due to being unaware of the schedule; the absence jump function was triggered multiple times, accumulating a significant amount of wasted waiting time; the Glory Moment page was exposed hundreds of times, and sponsors proactively offered to increase their sponsorship budget for the next event, achieving a dual improvement in event efficiency and commercial value.

[0043] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-organizing scheduling system for amateur table tennis tournaments, characterized in that, include: At least one intelligent scoring terminal is installed on the side frame of the table tennis table. The intelligent scoring terminal is equipped with a trigger button to respond to player's hitting operation to update the score, generate a positioning signal, or a match skip signal. At least one LED scoring screen is communicatively connected to the intelligent scoring terminal and is independently installed next to the table. It can automatically switch between a schedule display mode and a score display mode to display match information, real-time scores, and related pages for moments of glory. A backend server maintains data communication with the intelligent scoring terminal and the LED scoring screen. It is used to store the schedule, synchronize data, execute schedule scheduling logic, and generate and push various display pages. The intelligent scoring terminal and the LED scoring screen achieve millisecond-level data interaction through local communication. The intelligent scoring terminal asynchronously uploads data to the backend server, and the backend server pushes updated schedule information to the LED scoring screen during match breaks.

2. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent scoring terminal generates a player's ready signal in response to the click operation of the trigger button. When both intelligent scoring terminals of the two opposing teams on the same table send ready signals, the LED scoring screen switches from the schedule display mode to the score display mode, the initial score is reset to zero, and the match starts.

3. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent scoring terminal generates a session skip signal in response to a single trigger operation where the duration of the trigger button exceeds a preset threshold. The preset threshold is 1 second. The trigger operation includes any one of long press, double click, or triple click.

4. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving the match skip signal, the backend server will move the match for that table to the end of the table's schedule queue and push the reordered match information to the corresponding LED scoreboard.

5. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When a player completes the event check-in via their associated mobile device, the backend server generates a welcome page containing the player's name and sponsor information, and pushes it to the LED scoring screens of all or designated tables for simultaneous display.

6. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, At key junctures in the tournament, such as qualifying from the group stage, advancing to the knockout stage, determining the semifinals, and deciding the champion and runner-up, the backend server automatically generates a "Moment of Glory" page containing information on the advancing / winning players, honor badges, and sponsor information, and pushes it to the LED scoreboard of the corresponding table tennis table for display.

7. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The LED scoring screen is a monochrome or full-color LED dot matrix screen. In the score display mode, the identities and scores of the two players can be distinguished by color or symbols. In the schedule display mode, the player information for subsequent matches and operation instructions for pressing the button can be displayed.

8. The on-site self-organizing scheduling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent scoring terminal has a built-in local communication module and a remote communication module. The local communication module uses Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless or serial port to achieve direct connection with the LED scoring screen, and the remote communication module uses Wi-Fi or 4G to achieve asynchronous data synchronization with the back-end server.

9. A method for on-site self-organized scheduling of amateur table tennis tournaments, applied to the on-site self-organized scheduling system described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: The backend server pushes the initial match information of the corresponding table to the LED scoreboard of the table according to the preset schedule. The LED scoreboard displays the information in the schedule display mode. S2: The two players click the trigger button of their respective smart scoreboards to generate and send the player's ready signal. S3: After the backend server detects the ready signals of both players, it instructs the LED scoreboard to switch to the score display mode, sets the initial score to 0, and starts the game. S4: During the match, the player taps the trigger button to update the score. The intelligent scoring terminal pushes the score to the LED scoring screen in real time through local communication, and simultaneously uploads it to the backend server asynchronously. S5: After a match ends, the LED scoring screen automatically switches back to the schedule display mode. The backend server updates the schedule queue according to the match results and pushes new match information. S6: When a player is absent or late, the players present can trigger the intelligent scoring terminal to generate a match skip signal. The back-end server receives the signal, rearranges the schedule, and pushes it to the LED scoring screen. S7: At event check-in and key advancement / winning moments, the backend server automatically generates a corresponding exclusive page and pushes it to the LED scoring screen for display.

10. The on-site self-organizing scheduling method according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step S4, the delay in pushing the score from the intelligent scoring terminal to the LED scoring screen is less than 100ms, and the delay in uploading the score data to the backend server is 500ms-2s, balancing on-site real-time performance with backend data integrity.

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