Mobile Device Video Timing with Frame-by-Frame Pin Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing timing systems, such as portable stopwatches and advanced video/laser systems, face issues with accuracy, cost, and portability, and lack the ability to easily review and prove event times using video footage.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device-based system that generates, stores, and plays back video recordings frame by frame, allowing users to input start and finish pins to calculate event times, providing accurate, portable, and cost-effective timing solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If basic portable stopwatches are used for timing events, then portability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to lack of video review capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a stopwatch function with video recording and playback capabilities into a single mobile device. The video recording unit captures the event, and the playback unit allows frame-by-frame review to precisely determine timing moments, merging timing and video evidence functions in one device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces video footage as an intermediary medium between the event and the timing measurement. By recording the event on video and reviewing it frame-by-frame, the system enables precise timing determination that overcomes the limitations of direct stopwatch reading, using video as a mediating reference.
2Measurement precision
If advanced video/laser timing systems are used for accurate timing, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity worsens due to setup requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential timing function from complex video/laser timing systems and implements it using a simple mobile device with video recording capability. By using a commercially available mobile device instead of specialized timing equipment, the system eliminates complex setup requirements while maintaining timing accuracy through video review.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses video recording to create a copy of the event that can be reviewed multiple times. This video copy serves as a permanent record that allows precise timing measurement to be repeated and verified, replacing the need for complex real-time timing systems with a simple recording and review process.
3Reliability
If video recording is used to prove event timing, then reliability is improved through empirical evidence, but loss of time increases due to frame-by-frame review process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the video recording action in advance during the event, capturing all necessary visual information. The frame-by-frame playback and timing determination are then performed on this pre-recorded video, allowing reliable timing measurement without requiring real-time analysis during the event itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for timing an event utilizing video playback on a mobile device is disclosed. The mobile device includes a processor, a touch panel, and a camera. The mobile device is configured to: generate a video recording of an event with the camera; store the video recording of the event in the memory; play back the video recording of the event, frame by frame, via the touch panel; receive a first input via the touch panel, the first input associated with placing a start pin at a first frame or sub-frame of the video recording; receive a second input via the touch panel, the second input associated with placing a finish pin at a second frame or sub-frame of the video recording; and determine a time period between the first frame or sub-frame associated with the start pin and the second frame or sub-frame associated with the finish pin.