11-05-2011, 02:29 PM
[attachment=13543]
Speed Factory Automated Checkpoint Log System for Bike Races
Abstract
The idea of the project is to add an RFID on every bike participating in race/rally and to setup microcontroller based RFID readers at several checkpoints along the route. The microcontroller boards will be equipped with RTC (real time clock) to keep the log of time and EEPROM to maintain log of cross timings for all the bikes. Later the data from all such microcontroller units can be transferred to a centralized database via serial like provided with every microcontroller board. The computer software can then be used to generate lap records, time based maps, analysis reports, race results and more statistical/graphical results.
Sample race route and check points
The microcontroller based boards at the checkpoints will be equipped with a RFID reader (to read the information from RFID tags placed inside every bike participating in race), EEPROM to save a log of date/time of crossing, RTC to maintain date/time even in case of power loss, and a display to denote system status. There can be several such low cost checkpoint systems maintained at regular intervals. Information from all these check points can then be collected on a portable PC one by one (via serial link). A dedicated serial port connector is provided on all the microcontroller boards present at check posts to transmit this information to the PC. The EEPROM are spacious enough to store information about a complete race for several days (even weeks). Transmitting all this information on PC hardly takes few minutes. The PC software will then merge the results from all the EEPROM’s to provide graphical representation of each drivers route/laps.