IPTAtime
The IPTAtime system was the first to use running chips to measure time at major sporting events .
With this method, the time of identification is adopted as the time measurement value.
development
The IPTAtime system is a development from Germany. It was developed in 1991 by the Private Institute for Physical and Technical Contract Research GmbH ( IPTA GmbH ) in Ober-Ramstadt as a process for "recording intermediate and end times at sporting events by means of a transponder" . The international PCT application was filed on November 14, 1992 and was published on July 8, 1993 under the number WO 93/13500. In the United States, the patent was granted on December 9, 1997 under number 5,696,481. The IPTAtime system was the world's first transponder time measurement at major events.
First international deployment
The transponder time measurement process was first used under the name IPTAtime system within the framework of major national events at the Duathlon World Championship on June 7, 1992 in Frankfurt am Main and at the Triathlon World Championship for students on August 23, 1992 in Darmstadt . The system was used at other international events, including the IRONMAN EUROPE Roth 1993–1996. The process is now used worldwide in a more or less modified form for all major and all-round events such as marathons, triathlons, duathlons, cycling races, etc. Well-known manufacturers are bibchip and ChampionChip .
principle
In general, the transponder can be used to automatically identify people. For this purpose, each person who takes part in an event is assigned the unique ID of a transponder (sequence of digits that the transponder sends to a receiving unit). The participant must wear the transponder on their body during the event. The function of the transponder is therefore primarily used for identification. If the time of identification is recorded in a suitable manner at the same time, a time measurement (competition time) is obtained for the identified person at the respective antenna location (start time, intermediate times or finish time). The advantage of the transponder time measurement is that the time results can be assigned to the participants immediately, especially in large and multi-combat events. This reduces the time for creating the overall result lists to a fraction of the processing time that is necessary for conventional methods.
IPTAtime box with green transponder bracelet
A transponder that can be used for the time measurement process must be as small and light as possible so that the athlete is not hindered. It must be easy to use and easy to attach to the body (e.g. wrist, ankle, race number). At the same time, the transmission range must be sufficiently large and the transmission speed (reaction time in the area of the antenna) sufficiently fast. For cost reasons, the transponder should also be as “maintenance-free” as possible. Initially, these boundary conditions were only met by the passive transponders . In the meantime (2007), however, transponder technology has advanced so far that active transponders are also being built small and light. Due to their own power supply from batteries or accumulators, they have a significantly higher transmission power than passive transponders and are therefore particularly suitable for fast measurements (e.g. bike races). The necessary maintenance by renewing or charging the power supply is disadvantageous.