This invention relates to equipment used in the sport of fencing, and more particularly to electrically conductive fencing strips used to record scores in competition.
Fencing is an ancient and highly regarded art form. It is a highly competitive and strenuous sport for two contestants (fencers). As shown, by way of example in
In competition, fencers are judged by a referee 131 who monitors the fencer's activities as each competitor attempts to score touches on key areas of the other one's body with his or her blade. In competition, and in various types of fencing, the fencers employ blades having electrical contacts on their tips that respond to a touch (for example, epee and foil). Other blades, such as saber, may employ a conductive blade surface. The fencer may also employ special garments 112, 122 that include an electrically conductive material (for use in saber, for example). The material is electrically connected to a body cord (not shown). This body cord is also connected to the fencer's weapon.
The body cord extends inside the fencer's sleeve to a connection point inside the guard of the weapon. The body cord extends down the fencer's back to a connection with wires 118, 128, which extend from each respective fencer as shown. Touches by each fencer 110, 120 on various parts of the opponent's body transmit signals through respective wires 118, 128. The wires 118, 128 are each connected to a respective spring-wound reel (not shown) located at each opposing end of the strip, beyond the boundary lines of competition. These reels take up and pay out each wire 118, 128 while maintaining tautness as the fencers move up and down an elongated platform knows as a fencing strip 130, and are connected to the main electronic scoring device/console (described below).
When constructed from aluminum (or another metallic) sheet, the fencing strip 130 includes an exposed top surface 132 that is electrically conductive. It is often constructed from aluminum sheet that may or may not include perforations or other structures thereon. The fencing strip is constructed in segments that are joined at joint lines 134 for easy storage and subsequent assembly during a match. Appropriate mechanical fasteners and connectors can be used to join the segments together. Sometimes, the segments are elevated on a set of lengthwise stringers 136.
The touch signals from each fencer are transmitted through the reel wires 118, 128 via a connecting cable system 150 to a central scoring console 160. The scoring console 160 may include a time clock 162 and a pair of score pylons 164 and 166. The pylons 164, 166 correspond to each fencer's scoring activities. In one embodiment, each pylon includes a discrete colored light 170 (for example, a red light on one pylon and a green light on the other pylon) to make it easier for the referee 131 and audience to identify which contestant scored a touch. An alphanumeric score window 172 may also be displayed on each pylon 164, 166, indicating each fencer's current score.
The top plate surface 132 is conductive because the strip generally represents an area in which no score is given in response to a touch. Thus, the entire surface of the strip is conductive and provides a ground plane connected to the reels. When a blade conductively contacts the strip surface during competition, the control system in the console 160 recognizes the touch as one with the strip and registers no score. Thus, it is important to be able to differentiate touches that simply contact the strip. The conductive surface in combination with an interconnection to scoring console enables such differentiation.
Because the rules of fencing are fairly sophisticated, the referee cannot simply rely upon the scoring console 160 to determine the outcome of a match. Rather, he or she must also pay constant attention to the fencer's movements to ensure that all touches have been properly scored and that the fencer has stayed with the bounds of the strip at all times.
Since a fully constructed fencing strip may extend at least 17 meters, the referee must move constantly with the back and forth over a reasonably long distance to closely track the movement of the (often quickly moving) fencers. As the fencers move to either respective end of the strip 130, the referee is now faced with a fairly long-distance view of the console 160. As such the referee must continually divide his or her attention between the fencers in front of him or her, and the more-distant, and off-angle, scoring console 160. In short, the referee must constantly turn his or her head back-and-forth, and simultaneously readjust his or her focus to keep up with the match. Only through this constant head-turning can the referee keep an eye on the score, while at the same time continually returning his or her attention to the fencers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that enables a referee (and audience) to keep his or her eyes generally on both the fencers and the score at the same time, regardless of where the fencers are positioned along the fencing strip. It is also desirable to provide improvements to a fencing strip that better utilize the available space and possibly smooth the transition between the raised stringers (that may be needed in the strip's design) and the floor.
This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a fencing strip that includes a plurality of light assemblies, in communication with the scoring controller and console. The light assemblies are embedded at predetermined locations within the fencing strip so as to project at least two different types of light through the perforations, thereby indicating which fencer has made a score. The light assemblies are located at spaced-apart positions along the overall length of the strip so that a referee need not constantly shift his or her gaze excessively away from the fencers'activity while attempting to read the current score on the console. In an illustrative embodiment, the strip includes an electrically conductive top surface that completes a circuit when a fencer's conductive blade contacts the strip surface (a non-scoring touch). The conductive top surface is perforated so as to maintain a continuous contact surface that can differentiate a non-scoring touch from a fencer's blade, via an interconnection between the top surface and the scoring console. The perforations allow for transmission of light therethrough without disrupting continuous contact.
In an illustrative embodiment, each of the light assemblies is provided in a respective enclosure or bucket that is mounted below the subsurface and the conductive perforated top surface. The subsurface (often comprising a fibrous material, such as melamine or fiberboard) can be mounted on stringers so as to be suspended above the floor, thereby providing clearance for the light assembly buckets. The buckets are mounted in slots formed through the subsurface. The dimensions of the slots are sized and arranged so that they do not excessively weaken the conductive top surface. Thus, they can be stood-upon without risk of damage. The light assemblies are located at key positions along the length of the strip, and are positioned at each of opposing widthwise edges for easy viewing on either side of the strip. The widthwise edges of the subsurface and conductive top surface tends to overhang the adjacent stringers slightly. This enables the placement of a plurality of ramped placards/panels that extend outwardly from the overhang of the elevated subsurface and the adjacent floor in a downwardly angled direction. Each of the placards/panels can include advertisements, logos or other information. The central fencing strip and the surrounding placards/panels are provided as segments that maybe locked together using a variety of different, conventional locking mechanisms. In one example, locks are provided between each subsurface panel on the outer edges of each adjacent subsurface edge. The conductive top surface can be electrically tied together between segments using a variety of conventional connecting devices.
The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, of which:
A fencing strip according to an embodiment invention is shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, the top surface comprises a sheet of perforated aluminum alloy having a thickness of approximately 3 millimeters. These perforations are shown in further detail in the magnified window 240 of
As further described in
Note that the use of stringers in then illustrative embodiment is at least in part to facilitate the mounting of light assemblies beneath the subsurface as described herein. Where light assemblies are constructed with particularly low-profile light elements (such as certain types of LED panels), then the height of the stringers can be minimized, or they can be omitted entirely. However, as described below, the use of raised stringers facilitates the inclusion of downwardly, angles, information-containing placards, which may be beneficial for sponsorship and advertising purposes in certain embodiments to be described below.
Referring to
It should be clear, the lights are designed to report the prevailing score with each light in a pair (350, 352, for example) representing a particular fencer. In this embodiment, and as shown in
It should also be clear that the number and placement of light pairs is highly variable. In this example similar lights are provided on each widthwise edge to afford a good view from either side of the strip. In alternate embodiments, lights can be centered on the strip or placed on only one side thereof. Likewise, a larger or greater number of lights can be mounted on the strip. For example, in one alternate embodiment, every segment may include a light assembly for standardization of components. Some may or may not be activated, depending upon the user's preferences. The light elements themselves are highly variable, as well. In an alternate embodiment, the light assemblies can take up less area on the strip by combining two colors in one light source. This can be achieved using a multi-color LED panel that can be controlled to project each of a plurality of different light colors. In addition, as shown in the magnified view of
Control of the embedded scoring lights is relatively straightforward. As shown in
Having described the novel embedded scoring light arrangement for the illustrative fencing strip 200, reference is now made again generally to
As shown more particularly in
The foregoing has been a detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the invention. Various modifications and additions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope if this invention. Each of the various embodiments described above may be combined with other described embodiments in order to provide multiple features. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number of separate embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention, what has been described herein is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. For example, the size, shape and elevation the fencing strip of this invention is highly variable. In alternate embodiments, the strip may not need to be conductive, and light assemblies can be embedded therein using transparent windows that sit flush with the surrounding strip top surface. Likewise, in any of the embodiments herein, additional light colors or effects (e.g. flashing lights) can be used in conjunction with the embedded light assemblies described herein. In one example, lights can be made to flash for certain types of fouls, or additional lights in additional colors can be used to indicate fouls, certain types of touches or timeout. Using multi-color light arrays, these various colors can be accommodated without increasing the size of the light assembly's footprint within the strip. Accordingly, this description is meant to be taken only by way of example, and not to otherwise limit the scope of this invention.
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