Optical pacing system and method
OwnerJoel R. Cessnainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for optically setting a pace for an athlete is presented. The method sequentially places a first group of lights and a second group along a path travelled by the athlete. The first group of lights are sequentially lit one after another one at a time with a first predetermined delay between the lighting of each of the lights. After all the first group of lights have been lit, the second group of lights are similarly sequentially lit in sequence with a second predetermined delay between each of the lights. The first and second predetermined delays can be the same if the athlete desires to run several consistent laps of the same speed. However, the athlete may desire to run one part of the laps fast and the another part slower by setting one predetermined delay longer than the other predetermined delay.
Claims25
A method for setting a pace for an athlete comprising:
- placing a plurality of lights, including a first light, a second light and a third light along a path to be traveled by the athlete, wherein the plurality of lights are housed in a plurality of independent lighting units with the first light in a first lighting unit, the second light in a second lighting unit and the third light in a third lighting unit, wherein no wires connect any of the plurality of lighting units;
- determining a pace to be traveled by the athlete;
- determining a series of time intervals at which the plurality of lights are to be sequentially lit;
- lighting the first light but not the second and third lights when the athlete begins to move along the path;
- detecting at the second light that the first light has been lit;
- a predetermined time after the detecting the first light has been lit, turning on the second light;
- turning off the first light a predetermined time after the first light has been lit;
- detecting at the third light that the second light has been lit;
- a predetermined time after the detecting the second light has been lit, turning on the third light;
- turning off the second light a predetermined time after the second light has been lit;
- and
- turning off the third light a predetermined time after the third light has been lit.
A system to pace an athlete about a path the athlete follows comprises:
- a plurality of lights including at least a first light, a second light and a third light;
- a first light housing to house the first light, a second light housing to house the second light and a third light housing to house the third light;
- a first base housing for mounting to the first light housing to form a first light unit, wherein the first light is in the first light housing;
- a second base housing for mounting to the second light housing to form a second light unit, wherein the second light is in the second light housing;
- a third base housing for mounting to the third light housing to form a third light unit, wherein the third light is in the third light housing;
- wherein the first light unit, second light unit and third light unit are portable;
- and a portable controller configured to sequentially light the first light, then the second light and then the third light.
A method of pacing along a path traveled by the athlete comprising:
- sequentially placing a first plurality of lights along a first portion of the path travelled by the athlete;
- sequentially placing a second plurality of lights along a second portion of the path travelled by the athlete;
- determining a pace to be traveled by the athlete;
- determining a series of time intervals at which the first plurality of lights and the second plurality of lights are to be sequentially lit;
- sequentially lighting the first plurality of lights one after each other one at a time with a first predetermined delay between the lighting of each of the first plurality of lights as athlete moves along the path;
- after all the first plurality of lights have been lit, sequentially lighting the second plurality of lights one after each other one at a time with a second predetermined delay between the lighting of each of the second plurality of lights as the athlete moves along the path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.