January 21, Lakshman One Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6. RE: ENSC440 Slalom Race Organizer. Dear Mr.

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1 January 21, 2007 Lakshman One Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 RE: ENSC440 Slalom Race Organizer Dear Mr. One, Enclosed please find our ENSC440 Capstone Project Proposal. Our objective is to design and build an automated kayak race timing system which can be installed on existing kayak race courses to eliminate the need for judges at each gate. In the attached proposal, we outline our proposed product and specify possible design solutions compared to the current solutions. Also detailed are funding and budgeting, timeline scheduling, sources of information, and finally team organization. ImuTime Systems is comprised of four innovative and driven engineering students Ashley Penna, Chris Munshaw, Kevin Lockwood, and John So. Refer to Team Organization and Company Profile section of the proposal to learn more about the ImuTime Systems team. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the attached document please feel free contact us by at Sincerely, Kevin Lockwood President & Project Manager ImuTime Systems Enclosed: Proposal for Slalom Race Organizer

2 Proposal for Slalom Race Organizer Project Team: Contact Person: Kevin Lockwood Chris Munshaw John So Ashley Penna Chris Munshaw Submitted to: Steve Whitmore ENSC 305 Lucky One ENSC 440 School of Engineering Science Simon Fraser University Issued Date: January 22, 2007 Revision: 1.1

3 1 Executive Summary Whitewater kayak slalom racing began shortly before World War II as a branch of traditional whitewater canoe racing. This Olympic sport involves racers paddling down a natural or man-made river through hanging pairs of gates in a kayak, usually made of fiberglass or plastic. The racer must proceed through green gates in the down-river direction (see Figure 1-1), and red gates in the up-river direction. The overall time of the racer from start to finish is recorded, and time penalties are added for gates touched by the racer as well as missed gates. A judge watches each set of gates from the shoreline, recording time penalties for each racer that goes by. Human judging is an inefficient method that introduces a huge potential for human error. Figure 1-1: Slalom Kayak Racer Source: IOC Currently, each of the gates is individually manned. A judge determines if the kayaker passes through the each set of gates, as well as determining the time at the beginning and the end of the race. Using humans for this task is cumbersome, potentially inaccurate and expensive. This document proposes a product which will automate the kayak race time keeping as well as determine if contact was made with the gate. This device will be designed to be interfaced with any laptop or computer to keep track of a kayaker s progress throughout the race course. Furthermore, since many race courses are permanently setup on river sections, our product will be portable and attachable to existing gates. ImuTime Systems (ITS) consists of four engineering students whose collective experience and knowledge in hardware and software design combine to create a truly unique product. As a result of this project, ITS members will have a wide scope of knowledge in wireless communication and sensors controlled systems. We propose that the research, design, and construction of this project to a completed engineering prototype will encompass a 13-week period from January 8 th to April 6 th, The entire project is tentatively budgeted at $ CAD.

4 2 Table of Contents 1 Introduction System Overview Possible Design Solutions Current Solution Physical Motion Detection IR Sensor Motion Detection Proposed Design Solution Sources of Information Budget and Funding Budget Funding Schedule Team Organization Company Profile Conclusion Sources and References...13 List of Figures Figure 1-1: Slalom Kayak Racer Source: IOC...1 Figure 2-1: Slalom Race Organizer...4 Figure 2-2: Functional Block Diagram...5 Figure 3-1: Thin Bar Design...6 Figure 3-2: IR Sensor Design...6 Figure 6-1: Budget Estimates...8 Figure 7-1: Gantt Chart...9 Figure 7-2: Milestone Chart...9 Figure 8-1: Team Organization...10

5 3 1 Introduction As technology advances, it enters all aspects of daily life. This technology has been increasing the accuracy and credibility in all fields, especially that of sports. Currently, whitewater kayak racing has fallen behind other sport (such as the similar downhill ski slaloming). Currently, there are products available on the markets for ski timing that could be modified for kayaking, however these are expensive and not tailored specifically to this sport (such as the casing for water resistance versus temperature). The objective of this project is to propose a specific solution for the kayaking industry. This system will consist of a number of sensors that will determine the starting time, ending time, time intervals between gates, and whether the kayaker has passed through each set of gates. There will also be a computer at a judging station that will compile this information in a user-friendly format. This system will increase the accuracy and credibility of the race results, while reducing the human error currently introduced. This document includes an overview of our system, while discussing possible solutions to the problem of inefficient race organization. The sources of our information are also noted, as well as a breakdown of our budget and funding. The schedule, team organization, and company profile will also give the reader and idea of how our company will complete this goal. 2 System Overview Our project, a kayak slalom race organizer system, will remove the need for judges at each gate. The goal of the system is to provide a central processing station, or computer, that will create a communication network of gate modules. Each module will inform the system when the gate is cleared, and whether or not there was a touch at the gate. The computer will track each racer s overall time, the time intervals between gates, as well as the number of time penalties to be awarded and where on the course they occurred. Figure 2-1 shows the general system overview with the layout of a typical race course.

6 4 river gate modules race organizer Figure 2-1: Slalom Race Organizer Using this type of network allows race officials to replace gate modules at any time, without disruption of the network. The race organizer software will create the network and update it as modules are added or removed. Communication between the gates and the race organizer will be made wireless in an effort to make the system more robust. Finally, a unique start and end module will be created to form the start and finish lines of the race. These modules will signal the start and stop of the elapsed race time for each racer. Figure 2-2 shows the block diagram of the overall system behaviour.

7 5 System activated N Racer cleared gate? N Gate touched? Y Y Wait 3 seconds N Racer cleared gate in last 6 seconds? Y Update display Figure 2-2: Functional Block Diagram 3 Possible Design Solutions Three main aspects to our project include detecting the kayaker s motion, detecting any contact on the poles, and transmitting that data. To detect when or if the kayaker makes contact with the gate poles, we will use an accelerometer circuit which monitors forces on the pole. Filtering ambient and environment forces, we must be able to distinguish contact from the kayaker. Transmission of data will simply be a transmitter/receiver system that we will purchase and integrate with our sensor systems. The Receiver will be connectable with any laptop. The software will be provided with our product to configure, organize and monitor the gates. Therefore, a few methods for detecting the kayaker s motion through the gate exist. 3.1 Current Solution Presently people are stationed at each gate to monitor whether the kayaker passes through the gates without touching. These people are often several tens of feet away from the actual gate, at the river shore. As a result, there is a great deal of uncertainty and inaccuracy due to human error. This method is also inconvenient and expensive for race organizers.

8 6 3.2 Physical Motion Detection One possible automated solution is to use thin bar gates between the hanging gates. Thin bar gates would detect when the kayaker passes through the pole gate and the correct trajectory by monitoring the thin bar gates motion. Problems with this design are that the thin bar gate could interfere with the accelerometer s collision detection function. The bars could also get caught on the kayak s vest or get in the way of paddling. This design is not the most rigid either, because the bars should pose no resistance to the kayaker and as a result would be flimsy and weak mechanically. Whitewater kayak races take place in environments that have potential to experience harsh conditions, therefore mechanical sensors would be a bad choice. Finally, the design would mostly likely require that the hinge/bars system be built into the poles of the gate, causing the poles to be included in the system and increases cost on the product. Ideally, our system could be portable and attached and removed on poles. Figure 3-1 shows a simplified diagram of the physical motion detection system. Figure 3-1: Thin Bar Design 3.3 IR Sensor Motion Detection Another possible solution is to use IR sensors on each pole to monitor the area between them. Under ideal conditions, IR sensors would be one of the best solutions. IR sensors are very reliable, moderately inexpensive, and can be made rigid. However, the conditions that they will be operating in are far from ideal. It is very possible that the sun could reflect on the sensors, possibly damaging them or affecting accuracy. Furthermore, it is assumed that water will splash on the sensors, which will refract light on the sensors and affect accuracy. Figure 3-2 shows the ideal layout for our IR Sensor design. Figure 3-2: IR Sensor Design

9 7 4 Proposed Design Solution Our proposed design solution is to use non-optical spatial sensors to map and track motion in the area between the poles. Whitewater kayak racing takes place in cold and damp environments. As a result, our sensor system must be immune to cold temperatures, water spray, and the sun reflecting off the water. This sensor system will be used in conjunction with accelerometers, which will detect whether the kayaker makes contact with the poles. When the kayaker passes through the gates, data is wirelessly transmitted, detailing that the kayaker passed that gate in the correct/incorrect trajectory and whether the kayaker made any contact with the pole. The Receiver will be connected to a laptop where our software will track the kayaker s progress Figure 4-1: Spatial Sensor Design A key feature of our system is to be able to make it portable and easily attachable to a pole. Many kayak courses are permanently setup on remote river sections. It would be very convenient for the race organizers to be able to install our product on each (already placed) gate. Our software could then automatically configure gate data and track the progress and timing of the kayaker. The main constraint on this project is the environment in which it will be operating in. It must withstand cold and wet environments while still maintaining better than human accuracy. Also, under the worst case scenario, the gates will be swinging independently, making timing accuracy an issue. Integrating our sensor systems with the wireless system will be another challenge. 5 Sources of Information Various part prices were looked up on John Bird, Professor of Engineering Sciences, SFU. Related Research Field Underwater Sonar Mapping Various Kayak Sport and Industry Personnel SFU Library Internet

10 8 6 Budget and Funding 6.1 Budget Figure 6-1 outlines an estimate for the kayak timing system. Components are listed based on the category that they fit in (sensors or wireless). There should be no cost for the software components (it will all be developed by our group). However, more specific pieces of the casing are not grouped individually, but as their larger description. Unit Price (CAD) Total Price # Units Sensor System IR Sensor Pair $20 20 $400 Sensor Battery $5 40 $200 Sensor Cases $10 40 $400 Sub Total $1,000 Wireless Transmission Transmitter $ $50.00 Receiver $10 1 $10.00 Sub Total $60.00 Grand Total $1, Figure 6-1: Budget Estimates 6.2 Funding Most of our funding will come from a private investor, who is interested in this idea. He intends to pay for the cost of manufacturing an initial working prototype. However, if this idea proves to be plausible, then we will need to pursue other sources of funding such as other investor or investor companies. We intend to set up an entire working system, so the capital will be minimal. 7 Schedule Figure 7-1 shows the Gantt chart of the expected timeline of various tasks in our project. Figure 7-2 shows the Milestone chart of the completion time for the tasks listed in Figure 7-1.

11 9 1-Jan Jan Jan Feb-07 2-Mar Mar-07 1-Apr Apr-07 Research Proposal Functional Specification Design Specification Assembly of Modules Integration/Prototype Testing Debugging/Prototype Modification Documentation Progress Report Figure 7-1: Gantt Chart Figure 7-2: Milestone Chart

12 10 8 Team Organization Our team is broken down into three main groups: communication network, gate modules, and software development. The first two groups, communication network and gate modules will operate during the first two months of the semester, while the software development will occur in the third month. In addition to these technical areas, group members will also have non-technical roles such as Project Manager, PR Manager, Financing, and Quality Assurance. Figure 8-1 shows the breakdown of our group organization. Communication Network Gate Modules Software Development John Quality Assurance Kevin Project Manager Kevin Project Manager Ashley Financing Ashley Financing John Quality Assurance Chris PR Manager Chris PR Manager Figure 8-1: Team Organization 9 Company Profile Kevin Lockwood Project Manager I am a fifth year Systems Engineering student at Simon Fraser University with a previous co-op term placements at Xantrex Technologies (Burnaby, BC), and DeltaQ Technologies (Burnaby, BC). I bring a wealth of project experience to the group. Each co-op term was equally divided in its requirement for hardware and software skills. At DeltaQ, I was in charge of designing and building test jigs for strenuous operation of industrial battery chargers. Similarly, at Xantrex, I designed and built a lifetime test jig for optocouplers. The purpose was to be able to determine approximate FIT rates of the optos used in Xantrex products. My main technologies interests are autonomous control systems and vacuum tube audio amplifiers. While not in school, I enjoy snowboarding, and playing guitar and hockey. Chris Munshaw PR Manager I am a fifth year Systems Engineering student at Simon Fraser University with previous co-op terms at Omnex Control Systems (Coquitlam, BC), Mobile Operandi (Vancouver, BC), and Fortinet Technologies (Burnaby, BC). From these companies, I am bringing experience in wireless communications, hardware design including user interface design, software development, and computer systems engineering. In

13 11 addition to these skills, I have interests in web development and control systems. I also have extensive community involvement and public relations experience including recruitment initiatives for SFU through local high-schools. When I m not studying and working on engineering related projects, I enjoy hockey, snowboarding, and golf, and compete on teams at various levels. John So Quality Assurance I am a fourth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. I worked under supervision of Dr. Payandeh and Dr. Scratchley in previous co-op terms. In the first term with Dr. Payandeh, I participated in the MIROHOT project to develop hockey-playing robots. My task involved both hardware development and software coding. With Dr. Scratchley, I debugged a new robotic arm, coding the control software and fixing the hardware. I am experienced in software engineering, objectoriented and real-time programming. Besides software engineering, my main interest also includes telecommunication. Ashley Penna Financials I am a fourth year Systems Engineering student at Simon Fraser University with previous co-op terms at Canada Safeway Ltd. and Tekion Canada. These co-op terms have been vastly different. At Canada Safeway, I worked on a Palm Handheld, coding software and dealing with wireless technologies to communicate between the handhelds and wi-fi. I instructed a course then in Tuscon, AZ training 50 users. Also while at Safeway, I worked on a large migration of the ISP from Unix (using an Informix database) to Linux (using a DB2 database). On the converse, I completely followed a hardware development project from beginning to end at Tekion. From the initial schematic, I did the PCB design, programmed the microcontroller, debugged and tested, as well as completed a load module (varied the amount of current pulled from test circuits). Also, while on the Engineering Science Student Society, I am the VP Finance, so I have working with fundraising and account management. All of these experiences have prepared me for the challenges of this project. 10 Conclusion The goal of ImuTime Systems is to advance the otherwise slow progression of technology in sport. While other industries have embraced technology and found new applications, many sports have been slow to accept and trust new technology. We see this as an opportunity to enter a market which has yet to catch up to leading sports such as NASCAR racing. Our proposed kayak timing system would increase the accuracy of the results of the race, eliminating the human error. Additionally, our system will automatically compile data from each of the races, minimizing paperwork, mistakes, and communication between multitudes of judges. Also, because information about times through each of the gate intervals is now available, racers will now have additional information about their performance. The Gantt and milestone charts in the schedule section show that this project is already well planned, and will be completed as scheduled. We have sufficient research material and source of information. We have a reliable source of funding, and, able to gather extra sources. We have proposed the solution and have a good approach to complete it.

14 We are confident that our product will have the accuracy of a commercial model, demonstrating its usefulness in the competitive sporting industry. 12

15 13 11 Sources and References Canoe/Kayak Slalom: History (2006, April 16). Retrieved January 2007 from Example Proposal (1999, January 19). Retrieved January 2007 from