Floor Cable Channel Element With Bypass Routing for Race Timing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current sports timing systems for passive RFID tags are inflexible, complex to set up, and vulnerable to environmental impacts and mechanical stress, particularly when deployed at unknown locations with limited setup time and unskilled personnel.
Innovation Solution
A channel element for a floor cable channel that protects antennas and includes a center protection area for the antenna, first and second protection areas for cables, and a bypass protection area for connecting neighboring elements, allowing decentralized calculation units connected via cables in two independent chains, reducing cabling and enabling flexible setup and reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional suitcase-sized decoder with integrated RFID reader and antenna is used, then the timing system is compact and simple to deploy, but the system lacks flexibility for different track widths and locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular channel elements, each containing an antenna and calculation unit. These elements can be independently configured and connected in series to create detection zones of varying lengths, directly addressing the need for flexibility in different track widths and locations while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single integrated decoder unit to a distributed linear array of channel elements arranged along the race track. This spatial dimensionality change allows the system to adapt to different track configurations by simply adjusting the number and arrangement of modular elements rather than redesigning the entire system.
2Reliability
If multiple cables are routed through the floor cable channel for connecting calculation units, then reliable data transmission is achieved, but the cabling becomes complex and difficult to install
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional cables (data and power transmission) are merged into a single integrated cable that runs through the bypass protection area. This consolidation maintains reliable communication between calculation units while dramatically simplifying installation by reducing the number of separate cable routing operations required.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass protection area serves as an intermediary pathway that facilitates cable routing between channel elements. This dedicated intermediate structure provides a predefined route for cables, making installation easier while ensuring reliable physical protection and electrical connectivity.
3Device complexity
If calculation units are connected in a single chain, then the system is simple to configure, but the system lacks redundancy and is vulnerable to single points of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates redundant cable pathways and dual connection options (first and second protection areas) before failures occur. If one cable or connection fails, alternative pathways are already in place to maintain system operation, providing fault tolerance without complicating the normal configuration process.
4Length of stationary object
If channel elements are connected end-to-end along longitudinal axes, then the system can cover long distances, but the system becomes vulnerable to mechanical stress and environmental impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The channel elements incorporate protective enclosures with flexible or resilient characteristics that can absorb mechanical stress from foot traffic and environmental factors. These protective shells shield the internal electronics and cables while allowing the system to maintain its linear configuration for covering long distances.
Solution Approach 2:
Protective structures and stress-absorbing elements are built into the channel element design beforehand to cushion against mechanical stress and environmental impacts before they can damage the internal components, enabling long-distance deployment in demanding race track environments.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a channel element (22) for a floor cable channel (20) for positioning an antenna (106) on an underlying surface and for protecting the antenna from external forces, comprising: a first connection portion (154) for connecting the channel element to a preceding channel element (108) and a second connection portion (156) for connecting the channel element to a following channel element (110); a center protection area (160) for receiving the antenna; a first protection area (162) for receiving a first cable (114), wherein the first protection area is designed to connect the center protection area to the first connection portion, and a second protection area (166) for receiving a second cable (118), wherein the second protection area is designed to connect the center protection area to the second connection portion; and a bypass protection area (170, 170a, 170b) for receiving a cable, wherein the bypass protection area is designed to connect the first connection portion to the second connection portion, wherein the first connection portion is designed to connect the first protection area to a bypass protection area of the preceding channel element and the bypass protection area to a first protection area of the preceding channel element; and/or the second connection portion is designed to connect the second protection area to a bypass protection area of the following channel element and the bypass protection area to a second protection area of the following channel element. The present invention further relates to a detection assembly (102), a floor cable channel (20) and a race timing system (16).