This description of a Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”)-based timing system is based on observing the start and finish of one of the stages of The Dr. Evil MTB race.
1. Set-up
Details of all entrants are captured using database software (name, surname, gender, age, category, etc).
Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) tags with unique codes are issued to each entrant in the form of stickers that are stuck to the back of plastic race number plates on the handlebars of each bike.
Each tag’s unique code is linked to the details of each entrant in the database.
2. Race Day
The RFID sensors are set up on either side of the starting chute through which all the cyclists must pass. The sensors create a magnetic field forming a bubble through which the competitors must pass. The magnetic field activates the chip in the RFID tag and is then detected and read by the RFID sensors. This process happens as many as 60 times per second; the strongest read is then recorded on the assumption that that was when the contestant was closest to the sensors on the finishing line.
The time the rider crosses the start line is subtracted from the time at which he crosses the finish line to calculate the elapsed time.