INTEGRATED MOTION AND FORCE ACQUISITION SYSTEM FOR TRACKING (IMFAST) - Thesis Report - Danushka Marasinghe

INTEGRATED MOTION AND FORCE
ACQUISITION
SYSTEM FOR TRACKING (IMFAST)
M.M.DANUSHKA RANJANA MARASINGHE
Supervisor: Dr. S.M.N. Arosha Senanayake
A Thesis
submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree in Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics)
Faculty of Engineering
Monash University
October 2008
Integrated Motion and Force Acquisition System for Tracking (IMFAST)
I. Abstract
During sprinting several factors decide the winning or losing of the race. Among them, speed of the
athlete is fundamental. On the other hand proficiency of starting has a significant influence on the
performance. The report presents the procedure of implementing an integrated system to analyze both
speed and stat parameters in sprinting. The final program is known as the “IMFAST” – “Integrated
Motion and Force Acquisition System for tracking”.
The integrated system uses a SignalTEC™ timing lights system to acquire timing data and a MLP500 load
cell to acquire force data. LabVIEW™ has been used to develop the software to acquire relevant data in
real‐time and analyze in a user friendly GUI. The system consists of a maximum of six timing lights and a
load cell attached to a foot block. IMFAST system can also generate a sound of a ‘Gun shot’ as the
starting signal to the sprinter.
The integrated system initiates by clicking a single button. Having the real‐time data acquisition, the
system displays the acquired force values, Maximum force, Time, Distance, Average velocity and
Average acceleration in a user friendly GUI. All the acquired data are saved in a file under a folder
created by the athlete name. The software also provides the user to compare and analyze two
previously saved sessions.
The timing lights and the load cell equipped with two different softwares that operated individually. The
values obtained from both time and force systems were compared with the existing software to validate
the real readings. The average error occurred in the time acquisition system when compared to the
existing software is 4.30% and the average time difference is 0.06s. This system is capable of acquiring
data with a precision of 0.001s. Load cell is calibrated in order to convert the voltage values into force
values. The system is then compared with the applied load values and the displayed values. It shows a
linear relationship with a non‐linearity error of 1.4%. The report also discusses about several
recommendations that can be used to enhance the functionality and user friendliness of the system.
Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | i

II. Acknowledgements
Although final year project is known as an individual work, it is not possible to complete such project
without the help, cooperation, advice and support of other persons. There are several parties that I
would like to mention and express my sincere gratitude.
First of all I would like to pay me deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr. S.M.N.A.Senanayake for
providing me the opportunity to successfully complete this thesis. The advices and the support given by
Dr.Arosha have made a huge positive impact on the thesis.
I would also like to pay me sincere gratitude to Mr. Khoo Boon How. He is simply the mastermind on all
the knowledge I have gained from the thesis. I admire his willingness to help to any reason at any time.
He would not mind to leave his work aside for a moment to help us. Without him the completion of the
thesis would not have been possible.
I would also like to thank Mr. Edin Swarganda (from ISN) for supervising me throughout the duration of
the project. His support, feedback and advices have helped me immensely to improve the user
friendliness of my project.
I also like to remind the lab technicians in Monash university engineering faculty specially Mr.
Paneerselvam Arjuna for the helping hand given to me whenever I need one.
Also I would take this opportunity to thank my research lab mates; Indra, Monhun, Jolene and Mervin
for supporting me all the time by clearing my doubts and keeping me entertained. They have created a
stress free environment inside the lab that enabled me to concentrate well on the project.
Finally I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to Ramesha and all my colleagues, lecturers and
friends who some way or another helped me to complete this project successfully.
Thank you very much!

Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | ii

Table of Contents
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Literature Review .......................................................................................................................... 2
2. Objectives.............................................................................................................................................. 5
3. Concepts and Overview of the System. ................................................................................................ 6
3.1 Time acquisition system ................................................................................................................ 6
3.1.1 Timing Lights ......................................................................................................................... 6
3.1.2 Bluetooth™ ............................................................................................................................ 6
3.1.3 SMARTiming Software .......................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Force Acquisition system .............................................................................................................. 8
3.2.1 Load cell ................................................................................................................................ 8
3.2.2 Signal Conditioning ............................................................................................................... 8
3.2.3 Data Acquisition .................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.4 WinDAQ Waveform browser ................................................................................................ 9
3.3 Difficulties encountered and solutions ....................................................................................... 10
3.3.1 Time Acquisition system ..................................................................................................... 10
3.3.2 Force Acquisition System .................................................................................................... 11
4. IMFAST – The integrated system ........................................................................................................ 12
Features .............................................................................................................................................. 12
4.1 User Level Functionality of the Integrated System ..................................................................... 14
5. Hardware Used ................................................................................................................................... 15
5.1 Time Acquisition system ............................................................................................................. 15
SignalTEC™ Timing lights ..................................................................................................................... 15
5.2 Force Acquisition System ............................................................................................................ 18
5.2.1 MLP500 Load Cell ................................................................................................................ 18
5.2.2 TMO1 Signal Conditioner .................................................................................................... 20
5.2.3 DI‐148 Data acquisition device ........................................................................................... 20
5.2.4 Starting Block ...................................................................................................................... 21
6. Software used ..................................................................................................................................... 22
6.1 LabVIEW™ 8.5 ............................................................................................................................. 22
6.2 Bluesoleil ™ ................................................................................................................................. 22
Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | iii

6.3 WINDAQ DI148 driver ................................................................................................................. 22
7. Block Diagram Explanation ................................................................................................................. 23
7.1 Time Acquisition System ............................................................................................................. 23
7.1.1 Serial Ports .......................................................................................................................... 23
7.1.2 Serial Port open ................................................................................................................... 24
7.1.3 Serial port Read and Write .................................................................................................. 24
7.1.4 Serial Port Close .................................................................................................................. 25
7.1.5 Time Calculation .................................................................................................................. 26
7.1.6 Controls ............................................................................................................................... 26
7.1.7 Stopping Criteria ................................................................................................................. 27
7.1.8 Acceleration & Velocity Calculations .................................................................................. 27
7.2 Force Acquisition System ............................................................................................................ 28
7.2.1 Configuration ...................................................................................................................... 28
7.2.2 Data Acquisition .................................................................................................................. 28
7.2.3 Gunshot Sound .................................................................................................................... 30
7.3 File Creation ................................................................................................................................ 30
7.4 File Read & Comparison .............................................................................................................. 31
7.5 Variables ...................................................................................................................................... 32
8. Results ................................................................................................................................................. 33
8.1 Explanation of the front panel .................................................................................................... 33
8.1.1 Main tab .............................................................................................................................. 33
8.1.2 Settings Tab ......................................................................................................................... 34
8.1.3 Real‐Time Tab ..................................................................................................................... 35
8.1.4 Offline Tab ........................................................................................................................... 36
8.1.5 Comparison Tab .................................................................................................................. 38
8.1.6 Other Pop‐Up Menus .......................................................................................................... 41
9. Comparison and Justification .............................................................................................................. 43
9.1 Comparison with the Existing Software. ..................................................................................... 43
9.1.1 IMFAST and SMARTiming ................................................................................................. 43
9.1.2 IMFAST and WinDAQ .......................................................................................................... 43
9.2 Time justification ......................................................................................................................... 44
9.3 Force Justification ....................................................................................................................... 45
Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | iv

10. Future Work & Recommendations ................................................................................................. 46
11. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 47
12. References ...................................................................................................................................... 48

List of Appendices
1. Datasheets
1.1. SignalTEC™ Timing Light data sheet
1.2. MLP500 Load Cell Data sheet
1.3. TM0‐1 Signal Conditioner Data Sheet
1.4. DI148 Data Acquisition Data sheet
2. Block Diagram
3. Generated Excel File
4. Other Appendices
4.1. DI148 COM port identification procedure
4.2. Data Acquisition in LabVIEW using ActiveX controls
4.3. IAAF Standards

Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | v

List of Figures
Figure 1 ‐ Overview of the Time Acquisition System .................................................................................... 6
Figure 2 ‐ SMARTiming Main Window .......................................................................................................... 7
Figure 3 ‐ Overview of the Force Acquisition System ................................................................................... 8
Figure 4 ‐ Signal Conditioning ....................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 5 ‐ WinDAQ Waveform Browser ........................................................................................................ 9
Figure 6 ‐ Serial Port monitor ...................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 7 ‐ Integrated System Overview ....................................................................................................... 12
Figure 8 ‐ Sensor unit ‐ SignalTEC timing system ........................................................................................ 15
Figure 9 ‐ LED & the sensor – Timing Lights ................................................................................................ 16
Figure 10 ‐ Reflectors ‐ SignalTEC timing system ........................................................................................ 16
Figure 11 ‐ Tripod for SignalTEC timing lights ............................................................................................. 17
Figure 12 ‐ Bluetooth Dongle ...................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 13 ‐ Power Adapter for the timing lights ......................................................................................... 17
Figure 14 ‐ MLP500 Load Cell & attachment to the starting block ............................................................. 18
Figure 15 ‐ Load Cell calibration .................................................................................................................. 19
Figure 16 ‐ TMO‐1 Signal Conditioner external view .................................................................................. 20
Figure 17 ‐ TMO‐1 Signal Conditioner internal View .................................................................................. 20
Figure 18 ‐ DI148 DAQ Device ..................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 19 ‐ Starting Block ............................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 20 ‐ BlueSoleil Main Window ........................................................................................................... 22
Figure 21 ‐ Serial Port OPEN ........................................................................................................................ 24
Figure 22 ‐ Serial port read and Write ........................................................................................................ 25
Figure 23 ‐ Check Scenario .......................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 24 ‐ Serial Port Close ........................................................................................................................ 25
Figure 25 ‐ store the time ........................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 26 ‐ Gate Control & Check ............................................................................................................... 26
Figure 27 ‐ Stopping Criteria ....................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 28 ‐ Acceleration & Velocity Calculations ........................................................................................ 27
Figure 29 ‐ ActiveX Control for DI‐148 ........................................................................................................ 28
Figure 30 ‐ DI148 Configuration .................................................................................................................. 28
Figure 31 ‐ Force Acquisition System .......................................................................................................... 29
Figure 32 ‐ Iteration to time conversion & Delay ....................................................................................... 29
Figure 33 ‐ Gun shot sound ......................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 34 ‐ Folder creation .......................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 35 ‐ File Read .................................................................................................................................... 31
Figure 36 – Comparison of Attributes ......................................................................................................... 31
Figure 37 ‐ Variables to as Controls and Displays ....................................................................................... 32
Figure 38 ‐ Tab Control ............................................................................................................................... 32
Figure 39 ‐ Main tab .................................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 40‐ Settings Tab................................................................................................................................ 34
Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | vi

Figure 41 ‐ Real‐time Data Acquisition tab ................................................................................................. 35
Figure 42 ‐ Offline View Tab ‐ Force data ................................................................................................... 36
Figure 43 ‐ Offline View Tab ‐ Velocity and Acceleration ........................................................................... 37
Figure 44 ‐ Graphical Representation of the graphs ................................................................................... 37
Figure 45 ‐ Comparison Tab ‐ Force Data .................................................................................................... 38
Figure 46 ‐ Comparison tab ‐ Velocity Data ................................................................................................ 39
Figure 47 ‐ Graphical Representation of the Graphs .................................................................................. 39
Figure 48 ‐ Comparison Tab ‐ Acceleration Data ........................................................................................ 40
Figure 49 ‐ User Prompt .............................................................................................................................. 41
Figure 50 ‐ Invalid Distance Error ................................................................................................................ 41
Figure 51 ‐ COM port errors ........................................................................................................................ 41
Figure 52 ‐ File Save prompt ....................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 53 ‐ Load cell comparison graph ...................................................................................................... 45

List of Tables
Table 1‐ Serial port Readings ...................................................................................................................... 11
Table 2 ‐ User Level Functionality of the Integrated System ...................................................................... 14
Table 3 ‐ Load cell calibration (Voltage Vs Force) ....................................................................................... 19
Table 4 ‐ Time Comparison ......................................................................................................................... 44
Table 5 ‐ Load Cell Comparison Data .......................................................................................................... 45

Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | vii

1. Introduction
“On you Marks.... Get Set”.... is the standard pre starting sequence of sprinting. The start of a sprint
race is that part of the race from the firing of the gun in order to depart athlete from the starting
blocks[1]. During sprinting several factors decide the winning or losing of the race. During sprinting
several factors decide the winning or losing of the race. Among them, speed of the athlete is
fundamental. On the other hand proficiency of starting has a significant influence on the performance
[2] . Based on prior research work carried out in sprinting, it is observed that the faster starts apply more
force than the slower stat by pushing off the starting blocks[1]. The athlete should apply the maximum
force at the optimal time in order to increase the efficiency of a start [1].
The force asserted at the start point has a significant impact on the performance of the sprinter. It is
known that high leg stiffness is needed for the faster running speeds[3]. The acceleration in the start
takes place over the first 30m of the distance, during which the athlete reaches around 90 – 95% of the
maximum speed[2]
The best athlete can be defined as the one who has an uniform performance during the entire
competition maintaining his high level[4]. Therefore it is important for the athletes and coaches to
perform evaluations on both sprint starting forces and acquired initial speeds.
The impact of technology on sports has produced several products that help the coaches and athletes to
analyze each technique. For example, RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) Sports Timing System[5] is a
system capable of collecting timing data using Ti‐RFID™ technology, eTIMER40 Professional Sports
Timing System[6] uses wireless timing gates to provide precise timing data. FinishLynx[[7] is a system
that uses RFID system to measure the reaction time and with an add‐on it can be modified to record
time. Starting blocks with a force transducer is the system mostly used to analyze starting force. These
systems provide individual data and do not offer the relationship between starting forces and speed.
Another shortcoming is the high investment on the equipments. The co‐partner of this project, the
Sports Biomechanics centre at National Sports Institute (NSI) in Malaysia also uses separate systems to
analyze these parameters.
The prospective solution is to develop a low cost integrated system. This initiative influenced to the birth
of ‘IMFAST’ – ‘Integrated Motion and Force Acquisition System for Tracking’ the presented as the end
product in this thesis.
The Integrated system uses an Instrumented Starting block with a Load cell to analyze the starting
forces. Since the use of optical timing gates may provide a convenient and quick accessible source of
information on running speed[8], the SignalTEC™ timing light system is used to measure the time taken
to travel a specified distance. This time measurement is later converted to velocity and acceleration by
taking the derivatives.
LabVIEW™ is the main software used to program and to operate the system. The integration, creation
of the GUI with maximum user friendliness, displaying useful data, setting performance parameters are
some of the features that controlled using the LabVIEW software.
Mechatronics Final Year Project | M.M.Danushka R Marasinghe 19778252 P a g e | 1

1.1 Literature Review
Various researchers in the world have studied and developed various methods to track sprinting
movements. Following literature review briefly outlines the methods used by key publications related
to this work.
Sprint Start Instrumentation[9]
R.E.Gander, Senior Member IEEE, J.D.McClements, L.K.Sanderson, B.A.Rostad, K.E.Josephson, and

A.J.Pratt
The research paper discusses about a prototype instrument that has been developed to measure the
forces generated on the starting blocks and the speed of a sprinter. The integrated system uses a
specially designed strain gauge, force transducer to measure the force. The measured force data is then
resolved into horizontal and vertical components for analysis purposes.
The speed was measured using a Doppler microwave technique (Commonly known as the Radar Gun).
As indicated in the research paper, four different strategies were adopted since the performance of the
Doppler microwave system was more difficult to verify with the complicated nature of the signal
received from a sprinting athlete.
The advantage of the system is that the both speed and force profiles can be displayed immediately on
the screen of a computer for feedback to the coach and athlete.
SpeedMed: Device for measuring velocity in Track Sports[4]
Natalia Sanchez Aldana, JulianaVelasquez Gomez, Juliana Villa Bedoya, Juan Manuel Marin Correa
The publication is about a development of an inexpensive and portable device capable of measuring
times and speeds in track sports that provide useful information to study performance.
The timing system was implemented using photocells. A PIC microcontroller was programmed to
measure the time between the interruptions of two laser beams which lighten the surfaces of
photocells. The microcontroller was programmed to compute the velocities for given distances. The
values were then displayed on a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

Jump Kinetic Determinants of Sprint Acceleration Performance from Starting Blocks in Male
Sprinters[10]
Peter S Maulder, Elizabeth J Bradshaw and Justin Keogh
The publication tries to identify the jump kinetic determinants of sprint acceleration performance from a
block start. Ten national level sprinters were used to the experiment. For the sprint session each athlete
completed their own individual warm‐up and performed 10m sprints from a block start. For jumping
session five types of jump assessments were performed. They are Squat Jump (SJ), Countermovement
Jump (CMJ), Continuous Straight legged Jump (SLJ), single leg hop for distance and single leg triple hop
for distance.
Swift timing lights (Swift Performance, University of Southern Cross, Australia) were used to record the
time an athlete takes from start to the 10m line. A microphone attached to a wooden start clapper was
connected to the timing light handset, which triggered when the required sound threshold broken.
Finishing time was taken when the double beam of lights were broken. A portable Kistler Quattro force
plate (Kristler, Switzerland) operating at 500Hz was used to assess the force. Both data were collected
individually and used for calculations.
Lap Counter System for Multiple Runners[11]
Patent no US2006/0217232 A1, Inventers: Kondrat, James Walter; Miars, Chad Lewis
The above patent publication consists of a system that uses RIFD tags to count the lap times of multiple
runners. This system automatically counts and times one or more runners during a session. The system
contains a passive or active RFID transponder tag that is worn by the runner. An antenna incorporated
to a receiver located adjacent to the track picks up the signals emitted from the tag. Tags are encoded
with information unique to the runners for easy identification.
The system can be used both indoor and outdoor and the investment is less compared to other similar
methods. The RFID tag will provide minimal hassle to the runner as the device is very small and it does
not need power.
Comparison of Laser Video Techniques for determining Displacement and Velocity during running. [8]
Andrew J Harrison, Randall L Jensen
The purpose of the research was to compare the reliability of a laser system with the reliability of a
video based kinematic analysis in measuring displacement and velocity during running. Ten participants
completed the test.
A laser measurement device (LAVeg, Jenoptik) was used to obtain all the static and running trials. The
laser provides a linear distance measurement at a sampling frequency of 100Hz. Two fixed video
cameras (Panasonic DPH800 at 50Hz, Panasonic DVGRL9000 at 100Hz) were used to obtain the data.
LabVIEW program was used to analyze the video data.

In conclusion the research indicates that the laser distant measurement device produces valid and
reliable estimates of distance. The laser system is subject to high frequency noise but will be able to
obtain better results by using optimal data filtering or smoothing techniques.
Leg strength and stiffness as ability in 100m sprint running [12]
C. Bret, A.Rahmani, A.B.Dufour, I. Messonnier, J.R.Lacour
The purpose of the study was to determine the importance of leg strength and stiffness relative to 100m
sprint performance, mean speed on the three phases of the 100m race (30‐60‐100m) and the speed
difference between these phases. 19 national level sprinters were used as test subjects.
The performance on 100m was measured with an electronic timer (accuracy ±0.001sec) and
corresponding mean velocity was determined. All races were video recorded with two cameras (25Hz)
and positioned exactly at 30m and 60m. The cameras recorded the smoke from the starter’s shot and
then adjusted perpendicularly to the 30m and 60m lines. Marks placed on the floor and on the opposite
side of the track allowed locating the moment when the sprinter crossed the lines.
The force was calculated from the double time derivation of the load displacement signal recorded by
an optical encoder. The displacement signal was measured every 0.75mm and sampled at 200Hz. It was
stored on a PC (486DX2, 66MHz) via an electronic interface card equipped with a 12 bit counter (HP
HCTL‐2000, Palo Alto, California, USA) and digitally filtered with a 12Hz low‐pass Butterworth filter with
0 phase lag. This allowed determining the heaviest load lifted by the subject.
The paper suggests that more cameras would be needed for further investigations in order to determine
accurately the distance within which the maximal velocity would be reached.
The Biomechanics of Running [13]
Tom F. Novacheck
The paper discussed an overall analysis about the running gait and compared with walking and sprinting.
It states that the introduction of faster cameras and marker systems eliminated the need to manually
digitize frame after frame of video. The gait cycle is the basic unit of measurement in gait analysis, and it
defines as one foot comes in contact with the ground and ends when the same foot contacts the ground
again. Generally as speed increases further, initial contact changes from being on the hind foot to the
forefoot. This typically marks the distinction between running and sprinting.
The paper points out that advancement of facilities with the combination of adequate testing space,
three dimensional computerized data gathering and reduction, data acquisition speeds in the range of
150–240 Hz testing speeds, and the breadth of technical, engineering, and clinical knowledge to utilize
the equipment will contribute for the advancement of the biomechanics field. Further it indicates that
once new biomechanical knowledge such as electronic communication will augment the use of
animation, video, and live action to display data is gained, it is the responsibility of the research
community to present it to clinicians in an understandable manner.

2. Objectives

This Mechatronics Final Year Project is proposed in collaboration with Monash University and the
National Sports Institute of Malaysia (NSI). Therefore it is required to meet the common objectives of
both partners. The objectives are as follows.

 Integrate both instrumented starting block and wireless timing lights to a single system.
 Develop the user friendly GUI using LabVIEW™ to acquire data in real time.
 To provide a single system able to determine the sprinters forces on the starting blocks and
subsequent displacement down the sprint lane.
 To provide such a system with a computer interface which allows a user to set up performance
parameters for individual training or for use of new training programs.
 To provide inputs to training of sprinters by setting up performance parameters of a sprinter, in
order to guide the sprinter through the training session.
 Provide the ability to compare two different sessions.


3. Concepts and Overview of the System.
The IMFAST system consists of wireless timing lights and an instrumented starting block with a load cell.
The functionality and the theories behind each system are discussed in this section.
3.1 Time acquisition system
Bluetooth
• Photoelectric • LabVIEW
Sensor • Virtual Serial
• Reflector Port
Timing Lights PC

Figure 1 ‐ Overview of the Time Acquisition System
3.1.1 Timing Lights
The retro‐reflective photoelectric sensor inside the timing lights activate when the sprinter passes
between the gate and the reflector unit.
3.1.1.1 Retroreflective photoelectric sensor
Photoelectric sensor is a type of sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver and it uses infrared
signals to detect the presence of an object. Retro‐reflective means that the receiver and the transmitter
are in a single sensor and a reflector will bounce the infrared signal from the transmitter to the receiver.
The presence of an object is detected when the signal is failed to reflect back to the receiver. This type
has a considerably high level of range compared to other types of photoelectric sensors.
3.1.2 Bluetooth™
Bluetooth is used as the communication medium between the PC and the timing lights. Bluetooth™ is a
wireless communication medium that creates a short range PAN (Personal Area Network) with more
than two devices. The power consumption is low compared to other wireless methods. Bluetooth™ has
two standards. The first one which is called Bluetooth 1.0, has a maximum transfer rate of 1Mbps while
the second version, Bluetooth 2.0 has up to 3Mbps.

Bluetooth can connect up to 8 devices simultaneously. In order to avoid conflicts it uses a method
known as Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping. In this technique, the Bluetooth enabled device will
transmit the signal in 79 individual, randomly chosen frequencies within a designated range that change
from one to another in a fraction of a second.
The project uses virtual serial port service available in Bluetooth™. The service uses RFCOMM protocol
and it is based on ETSI1 TS 07.10 specification[14]. The service imitates a common RS232 serial
communication profile. When connected the Bluetooth application provides a COM port for serial
communication.
3.1.3 SMARTiming Software
SMARTiming is the software recommended by the manufacturer for the timing lights. This software is
capable of measuring precise timing information and the accuracy is certified by the manufacturer. It
can connect up to six timing gates for each run and has the ability to save obtained data.

Figure 2 ‐ SMARTiming Main Window
Figure 2 shows the main window of the software. This software has been used to compare with the
values obtained from the developed system. The comparison procedure is explained in section 9.1.1.

1
European Telecommunications Standards Institute

3.2 Force Acquisition system
Signal
PC
• Vary to the Conditioner • Acquire
force • Amplify the Data to PC • LabVIEWTM
magnitude Signal
Load Cell DAQ

Figure 3 ‐ Overview of the Force Acquisition System
3.2.1 Load cell
Load cell is a transducer that coverts force into a measurable voltage values and being used to acquire
force data from the foot of the sprinter. The load cells normally sense the change in force using four
strain gauges in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. They can be used to measure both compression
and tension.
3.2.2 Signal Conditioning
Signal conditioning can be defined as “To process the form or mode of a signal so as to make it
intelligible to, or compatible with, a given device, including such manipulation as pulse shaping, pulse
clipping, compensating, digitizing, and linearizing”[15].
Amplified Signal

Figure 4 ‐ Signal Conditioning

The output from the load cell is typically in milivolts. As shown in Figure 4, signal conditioning is used to
amplify this signal to a readable voltage value.
3.2.3 Data Acquisition
Data acquisition can be defined as “the sampling of the real world to generate data that can be
manipulated by a computer”[16]. Data acquisition, commonly known as DAQ is essential to convert the
data to computer readable format. A computer is used to display, analyze and store the converted data.
DAQ is usually a hardware component that can be connected to the computer via a communication port
such as USB, serial, Ethernet or wireless. The output from the sensor or the signal conditioner is
connected to the input of the DAQ device. The DAQ devices provide flexibility to the users as they
consist of multiplexers, timers, DACs, TTL and the parameters of these attributes can be controlled using
the computer.
3.2.4 WinDAQ Waveform browser
WinDAQ waveform browser is the manufacturer recommended software for the Data Acquisition
device.

Figure 5 ‐ WinDAQ Waveform Browser
As shown in Figure 5, the values are displayed in volts. A calibration has been used to convert these
voltage values to corresponding force values. This procedure is explained in section 0.


3.3 Difficulties encountered and solutions
This section is focused on the difficulties encountered during the integration of two sub systems.
3.3.1 Time Acquisition system
There have been several drawbacks incurred during the integration of the time acquisition system. They
are as follows,
1. LabVIEW™ software communicates only with the Microsoft™ Bluetooth driver and does
not read the Bluetooth driver of the timing lights.
2. A method is not available to read the data received from the timing lights.
3. There are no technical details available for the timing lights.
Solutions
1. Possibilities have been investigated since the Microsoft™ Bluetooth driver is not compatible
with the timing lights. The solution is to use the BlueSoleil™ software to create the bridge
between hardware and LabVIEW™. The functionality of the software is explained in section
6.2 below.
2. The “Advanced Serial Port Monitor” software is used to investigate the type of data
transferred through the Bluetooth serial ports.
Sent Signal
Received Signal

Figure 6 ‐ Serial Port monitor
After several investigations two scenarios have been identified that later used to
communicate with the timing lights. The Table 1 explains the information sent, information
received and the purpose of the two methods.

Sent Received Purpose

Character “Z” is sent through Character ‘Z” is received if This scenario is used to check
the serial port the gate is connected the connectivity of the
properly. timing lights
Character “S” is sent through Random Characters are The time of reading the
the serial port received when the gates are received character is used to
activated by an object. calculate the elapsed time.
Table 1‐ Serial port Readings
3.3.2 Force Acquisition System
The force acquisition system also had several drawbacks when trying to integrate with LabVIEW.
1. The Load Cell does not have proper Calibration data.
2. The Data Acquisition device does not directly programmable in LabVIEW.
Solutions
1. A manual calibration procedure has been used to obtain the relationship between the voltage
values and the corresponding force data. Further explained in section 0.
2. The WinDAQ™ driver and ActiveX controls for LabVIEW™ are used to build a platform on
LabVIEW™ to communicate with the Data Acquisition device. Further explanation has done in
section 7.2.


4. IMFAST – The integrated system
The integrated system is known as the “Integrated Motion and Force Acquisition System for Tracking”
(IMFAST).
Features
Features available in the IMFAST are as follows,
 The system is capable of acquiring data in real‐time from the force acquisition system and the
time acquisition system.
 The operator has the freedom to select the number of timing lights the can be used for each
session.
 Both systems can begin data collection by pressing a single START button.
 The operator has the ability to generate a Gun‐Shot sound by press of a button.
 The parameters are displayed in graphs and on a graphical representation on the GUI for user
friendly analysis.
 The collected data can be saved in an “.xls 2” file. The file is stored inside a Folder created under
the Athlete name.
 The comparison feature enables to analyze all the attributes of two different saved sessions.

Figure 7 ‐ Integrated System Overview
As illustrated in Figure 7, Force and time are measured from the sprinter. These two parameters are
then processed in two parallel routes. In the Force measuring process initially force applied on the
starting block is measured using the Load Cell, and then the signal is amplified using a signal conditioner
followed by the conversation of the amplified signal to computer readable data to feed into the
computer using the Data acquisition device. In the other process, time taken by the sprinter to pass a
specified distance is measured using the timing lights and the collected data is sent to the computer
through Bluetooth. The distance of the timing lights depend on the placement and the number of timing
lights used for the session.

2
.xls ‐ Most commonly used spreadsheet file format invented by Microsoft Excel™

The information from the above explained two routes are acquired using the developed GUI in LabVIEW.
All the collected attributes of can be analyzed and saved to a ;xls file. These saved sessions can be
reloaded to compare all the parameters.
The integrated system works as a soft real‐time system. A soft real‐time system are typically used where
there is some issue of concurrent access and the need to keep a number of connected systems up to
date with changing situations.

4.1 User Level Functionality of the Integrated System

Table 2 ‐ User Level Functionality of the Integrated System

5. Hardware Used
The section below explains about the finalized hardware components of the project. The hardware can
be divided into two main categories.
 Time acquisition system.
 Force acquisition system.

5.1 Time Acquisition system
SignalTEC™ Timing lights
Main component used in this category is the SignalTEC™ Wireless timing system with the model
number OGTS‐WLS. Datasheet is attached in appendix 1.1. The system works wirelessly using
Bluetooth™ as the communication medium. The default system consists of six timing light sets. Each set
contains a Sensor unit and a reflector.
Sensor unit
The sensor unit is the main component in the timing light system. It is responsible to send the data via
Bluetooth™ when the sensors are activated
Antenna
Optical Sensors

Figure 8 ‐ Sensor unit ‐ SignalTEC timing system
As shown in the Figure 8, the unit has two optical photoelectric retro reflective sensors and an antenna
to maintain the connectivity via Bluetooth™. Sensors activate when the reflected wave is obstructed by
an object. The unit is programmed in such a way that both the sensors must be activated at the same
time in order to process a signal. Processing of unnecessary signals can be avoided by this feature. An
LED turns on when a sensor is activated. Figure 9 illustrates this scenario.

LED Switched on
Sensor

Figure 9 ‐ LED & the sensor – Timing Lights
The antenna ensures a clear and a strong signal at long ranges .The unit is powered by a rechargeable
battery. The battery can be charged by plugging in the power adaptor to the socket at the back of the
unit.
According to the manufacture specifications the unit has a maximum range of 200m at an accuracy of
0.001sec.
Reflector
The reflectors are placed in line with the sensor unit to ensure that the signal from the transmitter
sensor if reelected to reach the receiver sensor.
Reflector
Figure 10 ‐ Reflectors ‐ SignalTEC timing system
The material of the reflectors allows the sensor unit to successfully operate at a range of 2m which is
more than the IAAF3 approved width of a track of 0.90m. (Official dimensions are attached in appendix
4.3).

3
IAAF – International Association of Athletics Federation

Tripod
Tripods are used to stabilize the sensor unit and the reflector in position.

Figure 11 ‐ Tripod for SignalTEC timing lights
These are equipped with horizontal and vertical alignment adjustments.
Bluetooth Dongle
The Bluetooth dongle is used to communicate with the sensor unit. The dongle has a long range
capability and connect to the computer via USB 2.0 port.

Figure 12 ‐ Bluetooth Dongle
Power Adapter
The power adapter is used to recharge the batteries of the sensor unit.

Figure 13 ‐ Power Adapter for the timing lights
The unit is a regulated power supply with an output of 12V and 1000mA.

5.2 Force Acquisition System
The force acquisition system consists of several hardware components that are used to acquire and
display the force data.
5.2.1 MLP500 Load Cell
MLP500 Load cell is used to obtain the values related to the force exerted by the foot of the athlete. It is
manufactured by Transducer Techniques and designed to withstand high amount of tension and
compression. Capacity of the unit is 500lbs (~2500N), that is more than the maximum force expected
from the foot of the sprinter. The data sheet is attached in appendix 1.2 for further reference.

Special Starting
Bracket Block
MLP500
Load Cell

Figure 14 ‐ MLP500 Load Cell & attachment to the starting block
As shown in Figure 14, a special bracket has been mounted to the load cell in order to attach to the
starting block. The output of the load cell is in voltage values, and a calibration procedure has been
implemented to convert them to relevant force values.
Load Cell Calibration
The load cell converts the force values applied on it to applicable voltage values. It is essential to convert
these voltage values back to corresponding force values to obtain useful data to coaches and athletes.
The manufacturer of the MLP500 Load cell usually provides a calibration sheet specially configured for
the each load cell. Unfortunately the documentation is not available. Therefore, it is necessary to
manually perform a calibration procedure.
The calibration process is focused on the compression forces applying on the load cell. A study on the
forces revealed that the largest forces are applied on the rear block, reaching up to 100kg in a maximal
effort, compared with up to 70kg maximum forces applied to the front block[2]. Therefore, a simple
calibration process has been used to obtain the relationship between voltage and force.

The load cell is dismantled from the foot block and reoriented at 90⁰ as shown in Figure 15. This setting
is used to make certain that the total force applied is acting on the load cell. In other words it is used to
increase the accuracy. The corresponding voltage values have been noted for increasing and decreasing
instances of loads from 0N – 170N in 20N increments.
Loads
Load Cell

Figure 15 ‐ Load Cell calibration
The data is recorded in both WinDAQ™ and LabVIEW for better accuracy. The Voltage vs. Force graph
has been plotted from the average values.
Voltage vs Force
0
0 50 100 150 200
‐0.5
Voltage(V)
‐1 Voltage
Linear (Voltage)
‐1.5
‐2
Force (N)

Table 3 ‐ Load cell calibration (Voltage Vs Force)
As shown in Table 3 the relationship between Voltage and Force is,
26.188 631.19
Rearranging the Equation
. .
This relationship is implemented in LabVIEW™ to convert the values in real time. Procedure is further

explained in Section 7.2.2.

5.2.2 TMO1 Signal Conditioner
The primary use of the signal conditioner is to convert a signal that may be difficult to read conventional
instrumentation into a more easily readable format4. In other words the purpose of using the signal
conditioner is to amplify the voltage signal from the load cell to more readable values.
TM0‐1 load cell signal conditioner is manufactured by the Transducer Techniques (same manufacturer of
the load cell) and designed to provide dedicated conditioning for load sensor. Data sheet is attached in
appendix 1.3.
Connection
from the Load
Coaxial Cable to
Cell
the DAQ
Power
Input 12V

Figure 17 ‐ TMO‐1 Signal Conditioner internal
Figure 16 ‐ TMO‐1 Signal Conditioner external view
View
The signal conditioner has to be powered with a 12V power supply. The coaxial Cable is used to connect
the signal conditioner to the Data acquisition device.
5.2.3 DI148 Data acquisition device
The purpose of the Data acquisition device is to convert and process the analog voltage data to
computer readable digital data. The apparatus used is DI‐148 Data acquisition device from the DataQ
instruments with the features such as 10bit resolution and a sampling rate up to 14,400 Hz. The
datasheet is attached in appendix 1.4

4
http://www.omega.com/SignalConditioners.html

Channel DI148 DAQ
Selectors
USB to the

PC
Coaxial Cable
from the Signal
Conditioning

Figure 18 ‐ DI148 DAQ Device
The DAQ device is packed in an external casing. It has two channel inputs with Coaxial cable input and
the slot to connect the USB cable. The power for the DAQ is provided with the USB cable. Channel 1 has
been configured as the communication channel for the program.
There are several post procedures that needed to be done in order to use the device in LabVIEW™. The
detailed explanation is in section 7.2.
5.2.4 Starting Block
An instrumented starting block is used to provide the starting action of the athlete. The load cell is
attached to one block of the unit.
Foot Block
Load Cell

Figure 19 ‐ Starting Block


6. Software used
6.1 LabVIEW™ 8.5
LabVIEW 8.5 is the main software that is used to integrate both force acquisition system and time
acquisition system to build the motion tracking system with the GUI5.
LabVIEW stands for Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench. It is a platform and a
development environment for a visual programming language from National Instruments. It is a
graphical programming environment that allows users to obtain information from the outside world and
manipulate data, and display results through a user friendly interface. The easy programming capability
and the flexibility in virtual instrumentation is the main reason to choose this software for the project.
The programming code section is known as the VI.
6.2 Bluesoleil ™6
Bluesoleil is software developed by IVT cooperation that has the capability to use the Bluetooth™
connectivity of a Personal Computer/Laptop to wirelessly communicate with certain services of the
Bluetooth enabled devices. The user friendly GUI provides the user to easily select and connect to the
desired services.

Figure 20 ‐ BlueSoleil Main Window
As shown in Figure 20, the window displays the connected hardware. The COM port numbers can be
obtained by viewing the properties of the desired device.
6.3 WINDAQ DI148 driver
WindaQ DI148 driver is used to create the working platform for LabVIEW to communicate with the DAQ
device. This is installed with the WinDAQ data acquisition software provided with the device.
The driver will provide a COM port number depending on the USB port DAQ is connected. The step by
step description of the procedure to identify to correct COM port number is attached in appendix 4.1

5
GUI – Graphical User Interface
6
http://www.bluesoleil.com/products/

7. Block Diagram Explanation

The block diagram is the heart of the system that contains the programming codes created using NI
LabVIEW 8.5. Following section explains the key settings and methods followed in programming to
enable the system works flawlessly. Complete prints of these block diagrams are attached in appendix 2.
The program is divided into five main processes. These processes run concurrently in order to minimize
the processing time and resources.
1. Time Acquisition System.
2. Force Acquisition System.
3. File creation.
4. File Read & Comparison.
5. Variables.
There are two pre‐requisite softwares that need to be installed on the computer in order to run the
program smoothly.
1. BlueSoleil™ ‐ used to obtain the serial port numbers to run the Time Acquisition system.
2. WinDAQ™ ‐ provides the drivers for the DI148 DAQ device to run in LabVIEW™.
7.1 Time Acquisition System
Time acquisition system deals with the wireless timing gates. Created program is in such a way that the
user has the freedom to select minimum of 2 timing gates up to a maximum of 6 gates.
7.1.1 Serial Ports
Timings lights connect to LabVIEW using virtual serial ports. LabVIEW uses VISA7 architecture to connect
and communicate with the gates. The serial ports are created using the BlueSoleil™ software and a
separate Serial Port (Known as COM port) is assigned to each timing gate. In other words, there are six
different port numbers for six gates.

7
VISA is a standard I/O API for instrumentation programming

7.1.2 Serial Port open
The first step of communicating with serial port is to configure and open the port.
4 8
1
5
6

Figure 21 ‐ Serial Port OPEN
Figure 21 illustrates the serial port open VI and the explanation of each component is as below.
1. VISA Configure Serial port. This initializes the serial port specified by VISA resource name
to the specified settings.
2. Timeout is set to 50 seconds in order to provide maximum connected time.
3. VISA resource name is the port number where the Virtual serial port is connected to.
The number begins with COM**.
4. Baud Rate – The timing gates connect only at the baud rate of 4800 bps.
5. Parity is set to None.
6. Stop bits is set to 1.0
7. Flow control is set to None.
8. VISA set I/O buffer size – A receive and transmit buffer size of 48 bytes is set in order to
avoid the VISA flush error[17].
7.1.3 Serial port Read and Write
The second step of communicating with serial port is the Write and Read VI. It also follows the VISA
architecture. A delay of 5ms has been included in between write and read commands in order to avoid
data loss.

Tick Count

Figure 22 ‐ Serial port read and Write
Read and write are used in two scenarios. The First scenario is to calculate time. The program is
illustrated in the Figure 22. In this case, character “S” is sent using the Write to port VI. Timing gates
send a response whenever the reflected signal from the sensors in the timing gates is blocked. The Read
from Port VI reads 3 bytes.

Figure 23 ‐ Check Scenario
The second scenario is used to check the connectivity of the gates. As shown in Figure 23, the program
sends Character “Z” through the serial port. If the receiving signal includes character “Z” it means that
the gate is connected. This situation is used to turn on a LED to indicate the user that the gate is active.
7.1.4 Serial Port Close
The last step of serial communication is the Serial port close.

Figure 24 ‐ Serial Port Close
The serial port close is a must for every port open to avoid data conflicts that can result in incorrect
timing information.

7.1.5 Time Calculation
Tick Count VI is used to compute the time calculation. This VI returns the run time in milliseconds. It is
activated when the serial port reads a value more than 2 bytes. Same method is used to calculate the
time value in the next gate. Finally the difference of the two timer value is used to calculate the elapsed
time between adjacent gates.

Figure 25 ‐ store the time
As shown in Figure 25 the calculated time values are fed through a shift register to avoid loss of data.
The output value from the shift register is then converted to seconds before storing to the variable.
7.1.6 Controls

Figure 26 ‐ Gate Control & Check
Figure 26 illustrates two user controls namely ‘No of Gates’ and ‘Check’ that control the execution of
time acquisition section.
‘No of Gates’ Controller is connected to a case structure. A case structure is activated depending on the
user’s selection of the number of gates, so that only the required serial ports are open. For example,
there are 3 serial port connections if the value of the controller is three. This method is implemented to
avoid unnecessary use of program resources.
‘Check’ is a slide switch situated in the front panel that is used to verify the connectivity of the lights.
The ‘check Scenario’ of Figure 23 is activated with the switch.

7.1.7 Stopping Criteria
A stopping criteria is created in order to stop the acquisition after all the timing data is captured.
For loop stop
control
True
Constant
LED

Figure 27 ‐ Stopping Criteria

As shown in Figure 27, a true constant is activated when the last gate reads data. Last gate is the
maximum gate number selected by the user. For example if the user selected 4 gates to be used the last
gate is fourth. This true constant is wired to the for loop stop control. A LED is used to indicate the user
that the data is acquired.
7.1.8 Acceleration & Velocity Calculations
Acceleration and Velocity calculations are processed outside the acquisition program to make sure that
the time acquisition runs smoothly. Time and the Distance are the only values obtained from the main
time acquisition section.

Figure 28 ‐ Acceleration & Velocity Calculations
As shown in Figure 28. The Acceleration & Velocity calculations have been done based on the time and
distance parameters obtained from each gate pair. These calculations are then displayed in separate
graphs for further analysis. The Graphs are displayed in the front panel as shown in Figure 43.

7.2 Force Acquisition System
The force acquisition system deals with the Load cell. DI‐148 is used as the data acquisition device.
Further details are explained in section 5.2.3 in this report.
.
Figure 29 ‐ ActiveX Control for DI‐148
The DI‐148 does not provide a driver for LabVIEW™. The alternative to communicate with LabVIEW™ is
to use ActiveX controls. This procedure uses the WindaQ control which allows data acquired by
WINDAQ® Acquisition software to be simultaneously made available to LabVIEW[18]. The step‐by‐
step procedure provided by DataQ Instrument is attached in the appendix 4.2.
7.2.1 Configuration

Figure 30 ‐ DI148 Configuration
‘Property nodes’ have been used to select and assign property values to the ActiveX control. The main
configuration is to select the ‘DeviceID’. It should be written in a specified format. For example, the
correct device ID for a DI‐148U connected to COM port 4 with a baud rate of 9600 is “COM4 148 9600”.
The’ EventPoint’ Property is set to acquire data points at when 20 data points have been gathered.
7.2.2 Data Acquisition
‘GetData’ Property value has been used to acquire data from the ActiveX control. The values are in
Variant data type. Variant data do not conform to a specific data type and can contain attributes[19]

Convert to
Calibration
LabVIEW data adjustment

Obtain
Variant Data

Figure 31 ‐ Force Acquisition System
As illustrated in Figure 31, The Variant data are converted to LabVIEW™ Data type. There is a possible
error that can occur if the COM port has not properly configured. The system is programmed to notify
the user the above miss‐configuration by means of an error message.
Obtained data are the voltage values acquired from the load cell. These data is then converted to useful
force data using the values obtained from the load cell calibration. The load Cell calibration procedure
will be explained in section 5.2.1 of the report. Two graphs have been plotted each for real‐time
acquisition and offline mode as further explained in section 8.1
The acquisition program runs inside a for loop that will terminate after 100 iterations.

Figure 32 ‐ Iteration to time conversion & Delay
The iteration scale is multiplied by a scalar value (as shown in Figure 32) in order to convert the
iterations to corresponding time values. After the conversion the force acquisition system runs for 13
seconds. This duration is sufficient for a single sprint start procedure.
A delay of 120ms has been introduced for each iteration. This is required to synchronize the Variant data
acquisition and Variant to LabVIEW™ data conversion.

7.2.3 Gunshot Sound
A sound of the ‘Gunshot’ has been introduced to the system in order to allow the coaches or the users
to initiate the sound to sprinters to start running. By this means the operator can analyze the time of the
sound and the instance of the maximum force.

Figure 33 ‐ Gun shot sound
As shown in Figure 33, the section is activated with the press of the button on the front panel. The
sound file is in .wav format. The file path for the sound file is auto generated as long as the file is in the
same folder as the main VI.
7.3 File Creation
Acceleration, Distance, Force, Time, Velocity and Athletic Details are saved to a Microsoft Excel file in .xls
format. The saved files are very useful for post analysis of the athlete training as it contains all the useful
information acquired from each session.
First of all the data that needed to be written is converted to strings and stored in an Array. It is
arranged in such a way that all the data is in a proper order. A sample file is attached in the appendix 3.

Figure 34 ‐ Folder creation
Figure 34 shows the block diagram of creating a folder under player’s name. The program is created to
check for duplicate names before creating a folder. Further explanation of File save is in section 0 below.

7.4 File Read & Comparison
Another feature in the software is that two sets of saved files can be read and then compare each
attributes.

Figure 35 ‐ File Read
Figure 35 shows the VI that has used to read and display the contents in the excel file. All the values are
converted from strings to relevant formats. For example acceleration data is converted to array to
display in a graph.
Curser
movement Fix
Attributes set on

Figure 36 – Comparison of Attributes the graphical view

The Figure 36 corresponds to the parameters used to compare two saved sessions. Left side property

nodes at the left explain the code used to fix the cursors of the comparison graphs to move at the same
time. Rights side code explains the attributes that displayed on the graphical representation (Refer to
Figure 47 in Section 8.1.5 for front panel view). These values change with the movement of the cursor.
7.5 Variables

Figure 37 ‐ Variables to as Controls and Displays
Figure 37 illustrates the variables used as controls and indicators of the various acquired and processed
data. Property nodes and local variables of the above variables have been used to change the properties
and also to pass the values all over the program.

Figure 38 ‐ Tab Control
A Tab Control is generated when Tabs are used on the front panel. The process of the each Tab can be
individually programmed by wiring a case structure to the tab control.

8. Results
8.1 Explanation of the front panel
8.1.1 Main tab

Figure 39 ‐ Main tab

8.1.2 Settings Tab
Selector of COM

port number for
force system
Gate selection
knob
Gate status
indicators
Selectors of COM

port number for
Timing Gates
Distance selection
between gates

Figure 40‐ Settings Tab
The Settings Tab has several settings that required to be selected before starting the data acquisition.
 The user can select the number of timing gates to be used for the session by turning the knob.
 The next step is to select the COM port numbers for the timing gates. This number can be
obtained from the Bluesoleil™ software window. The tabs are highlighted depending on the
number of gates selected.
 The COM port number for the force acquisition system has to be entered. This number can be
obtained from the device manager in windows. Step by Step procedure to identify the COM port
number for DAQ device is attached in appendix 4.1.
 The user should enter the distance between each gate into the controls. The measurement is in
meters. The minimum entry value is 0.2m.
 The window on the right is to check whether the selected gates are triggered and connected. A
green LED will turn on if the gates are successfully configured.


8.1.3 RealTime Tab

Button to
provide Gun‐
Shot Sound
Force Data
in N
Velocity Data
Time
between
each gate

Acceleration
Figure 41 ‐ Real‐time Data Acquisition tab
Data

When switching from the Settings Tab to the Real‐time Tab the user will be prompted to enter the
Player details. The popup menu is shown in Figure 49.
The Real‐time Tab is used to acquire data. Once the start button is pressed, the Force Acquisition system
initiates obtaining data followed by the time acquisition system. The force, velocity and acceleration
data are displayed graphically in real‐time.
This panel also has the capability of providing a Gun‐Shot sound by pressing the gunshot‐sound button.
The Green LED turns on when the system completes capturing both force and timing data.

8.1.4 Offline Tab
The Offline tab is used to display and analyze data acquired during the previous process.
The player details and the file path are displayed on the top of the Tab.
This Tab is divided into two sub parts namely, Force and Motion for the viewing convenience.
Force
File path
Player Details Max force

& the time
Force value
Cursor position
Cursor

Figure 42 ‐ Offline View Tab ‐ Force data
Force tab displays the acquired force data in Newton. The values on the graphs can be analyzed using a
cursor.
Maximum force incurred, corresponding time and force value of the cursor position are the information
displayed on the right side of the window

Motion

Figure 43 ‐ Offline View Tab ‐ Velocity and Acceleration
The Motion tab indicates the average velocity and the acceleration of the sprinter.
Gate Number

Figure 44 ‐ Graphical Representation of the graphs
Data in the Figure 44 changes with the cursor movement of the graph.

8.1.5 Comparison Tab
In this section, the user can load two different files in order to analyze and compare each attribute of
the player. This tab is also divided into three sub categories for viewing convenience.
Force
Player info
session 1
Player info
session 2

Figure 45 ‐ Comparison Tab ‐ Force Data
Tab in Figure 45 displays the force data of the two saved sessions. In addition, it is possible to analyze
each graph independently using the cursors.

Velocity

Figure 46 ‐ Comparison tab ‐ Velocity Data
The velocity Tab displays the velocity data of the two sessions that are loaded. The cursor of the first

graph can be moved and the cursor on the second graph moves accordingly so that the displayed values
are of the same gate position.

Figure 47 ‐ Graphical Representation of the Graphs
All the values displayed in the figure correspond to the position of the cursor. The higher velocity value
is indicated in “Green” color while the lower in “Red”.

Acceleration

Figure 48 ‐ Comparison Tab ‐ Acceleration Data
The acceleration tab provides a similar functionality to the velocity tab. It displays the acceleration data
of the two loaded sessions to be compared.

8.1.6 Other PopUp Menus
Athelete Details Menu

Figure 49 ‐ User Prompt
If there are no errors, above menu pops up when the user click the real‐time tab. The information
entered are saved into the excel file.
Error Codes

Figure 50 ‐ Invalid Distance Error
This error id displayed if the user has not entered the distances between timing gates.

Figure 51 ‐ COM port errors
These errors pop up if the user enterers the wrong COM port values


File save

Figure 52 ‐ File Save prompt
The user is prompted to choose whether to save the data to an .xls file. If selected Yes, the data is saved
and the file path is displayed. The file name consists of the date and the session number and it is saved
in a folder created with the name of the athlete.
C:\IMFAST\Data\Danushka\Session_13Sep08.xls

Folder name under Session ID and the
Date
athlete name

The default file path is set to ‘C:\IMFAST\Data\Athelete_Name\’. This purpose is to reduce any conflicts
in file saving since all the computers contain the C drive.


9. Comparison and Justification
9.1 Comparison with the Existing Software.
Both Time acquisition system and Force acquisition system initially included with manufacturer provided
software. These are compared with the integrated software for the pros and cons.
9.1.1 IMFAST and SMARTiming
The SMARTiming software is the default software for the timing gates. It is capable of acquiring data for
Sectional Test Setup, Multiple Lane Setup and Shuttle Run Setup. A graphical illustration of the above
setups is attached in appendix 1.1. As for the cons, the software does not have the feature to enter and
save athlete information. Also it provides only time information, thus the user has to calculate velocity
and acceleration separately. The distance setting of the timing lights is limited to multiples of 5. The
collected data is saved in files with an extension of .ST1 format. This format has to be manually opened
by Microsoft Excel™. The existing software does not provide any feature to analyze and compare saved
data. Another drawback is that the software is unstable and tends to close by itself in any case of error.
All the limitations of SMARTiming software are considered in IMFAST system to increase the user
friendliness. The system automatically prompts the user to enter the Athlete information. The useful
information such as the time, average velocity and the average acceleration are displayed in a single
window. The distance setting is enhanced for a range of 0.2m to 200m. The data is saved in “.xls”
format file under a folder in the name of the player. In addition, IMFAST software includes a separate
tab to analyze and compare previously obtained data sets. The system is optimized to use in Shuttle run
setup.
9.1.2 IMFAST and WinDAQ
WinDAQ is the software used in the force acquisition device. The main incompatibility is that it is only
capable of displaying voltage variance. Due to this the user has to manually calibrate to convert the
values to useful force data.
The calibration for the IMFAST system has been completed as explained in Section 5.2.1 and hard coded
into the program. As a result the user can view the corresponding force values directly on the graph.
Maximum force is determined and displayed on the GUI and the scroll feature is enabled to further
analyze each segment of the force acquisition. Sound of a Gunshot is added as an extra feature so that
the user can generate the start sound from the program itself.


9.2 Time justification
The time values acquired from the IMFAST program has to be validated with the real values. The existing
SMARTiming software is used to for this purpose under the assumption that the commercially available
software provides accurate readings.
 The timing lights are placed with 2m distance between each other.
 The same test subject is used for the entire session.
 The running is conducted and values were obtained using both IMFAST software and the
SMARTiming software.
 Five sets of data are collected for each software and the average value is calculated for better
accuracy.
The setup has few limitations. Since the data collection is conducted in two different sessions it is
assumed that test subject performs equally in all 10 running activities.
Session Distance Gate 1&2 Gate 2 &3

No SMARTiming IMFAST Difference Error % SMARTiming IMFAST Difference Error %
1 3 1.03 1.02 ‐0.01 0.87 0.78 0.95 0.17 21.58
2 3 1.10 1.05 ‐0.06 5.34 0.83 0.89 0.06 7.26
3 3 1.01 1.14 0.13 13.29 0.83 0.82 ‐0.01 1.69
4 3 1.26 1.17 ‐0.09 7.14 0.95 0.90 ‐0.04 4.44
5 3 1.11 1.04 ‐0.07 6.32 0.87 0.83 ‐0.05 5.28
Average 3 1.10 1.05 ‐0.06 6.59 0.85 0.88 0.03 3.49
Table 4 ‐ Time Comparison
As shown in Table 4, the Average error between Gate 1 and 2 is 6.59% and between Gate 2 and 3 is
3.40%. The time difference between the values obtained from each software is less than 0.06 seconds.
The comparison above has sufficient evidence to conclude that the time values obtained from the
IMFAST system correspond to the real world values.

9.3 Force Justification

The forces applied to the load cell are assessed in order to confirm whether the values represent the
real force values. The load cell is set up similar to the calibration setup explained in section 5.2.1. The
loads are applied with 20N increments over the range of 0N to 170N.
Actual Load Cell
Force (N) Reading (N) Load Cell Reading vs Actual Load
0 0.000
180.000
20 21.052 Actual Load (N) 160.000
40 41.960 140.000
120.000
60 61.803
100.000
80 81.539 80.000
100 101.631 60.000
120 119.631 40.000
20.000
150 152.117 0.000
170 169.611 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 150 170
Table 5 ‐ Load Cell Comparison Data
Load Cell Reading (N)

Figure 53 ‐ Load cell comparison graph

Data in Table 5 and Figure 53 clearly shows the linear relationship between load cell and actual load.
The non linearity error for this data is 1.4%

10. Future Work & Recommendations

The Integrated Motion tracking system developed satisfies the objectives imposed by this final year
project. However, there are several improvements that can be implemented to the system that would
increase the user friendliness as well as the accuracy of the data.
1. The program can be enhanced to show the time of the gun shot sound on the force acquisition
graph. This can be useful to evaluate the reaction time of the player.
2. Presently the system is bound to a maximum of 6 timing lights. The program can be improved to
increase the number of lights. Which is in turn will increase the resolution of the data resulting
more accurate information of the activity.
3. The performance of the timing light system can be analyzed more deeply using different
methods to validate the result with real values. Methods such as constant velocity, constant
acceleration, comparison with other systems[9] etc.
4. It is also possible to investigate the possibility of using other wireless mediums that has more
connectivity range to communicate with the timing lights instead of Bluetooth™.
5. Presently the force transducer and the data acquisition system have a wired connection to the
PC. It can be programmed to acquire data wirelessly through the Wi‐Fi data acquisition in
LabVIEW 8.6[20].
6. It is possible to design a foot block that could be adjusted for position and angle. Presently the
angle adjustment of the foot block is restricted with the attachment of the force transducer. The
angle adjustment will provide more convenient starting position for the sprinters.
7. The current force system is calibrated to measure the horizontal forces acting on the foot block.
It is also possible to investigate about the vertical forces acting on the transducer. This
measurement can be used to obtain more precise force profile with the resultant angle of the
acting force[9] etc.
8. Another Load cell can be attached to the remaining foot block so force exerted by both feet can
be analyzed.


11. Conclusion

The integrated system uses a SignalTEC™ timing lights system to acquire time data and a MLP500 load
cell to acquire force data. LabVIEW™ has been used to develop the software to acquire corresponding
data in real‐time and analyze in a user friendly GUI. The system can operate with maximum of six timing
lights and one load cell attached to a foot block. IMFAST system can generate a sound of a ‘Gun shot’ to
indicate the starting signal to the sprinter.
The integrated system is initiated by a click of a single button. After the real‐time data acquisition, the
system displays the acquired force values, Max force, Time, Distance, Average velocity and Average
acceleration in the GUI. All acquired data are saved in a file under a folder created by the athlete name.
Another feature in the software is the user can compare and analyze data from two previously saved
sessions.
The values obtained from both time and force systems were compared with the existing software to
validate with the real readings. The average error in the time acquisition system when compared to the
existing software is 4.30% and the average time difference is 0.06s. This system is capable of acquiring
data with a precision of 0.001s. Load cell has been calibrated to convert the voltage values to force
values. It is then compared with the applied load values and the displayed values. the data shows a
linear relationship with a non‐linearity error of 1.4%. The report also discusses several
recommendations that could enhance the functionality and user friendliness of the system.
In conclusion, it is feasible to conclude that the Integrated Motion and Force Acquisition System for
Tracking (IMFAST) has been successfully developed to satisfy the objectives of the project.


12. References
[1] M. Lynch (2003), "Sprint Starting " [Online]. Available:
http://www.lollylegs.com/training/Starting.aspx Last accessed:
[2] E. Ozolin, "The Technique of the Sprint Start."
[3] S. Chelly and C. Denis, "Leg Power and Hoping stiffness: relationships with Sprint running
Performance," Med Sci Sports Exerc, vol. 33, pp. 326‐333, 2001.
[4] N. S. Aldana, J. Gomez, J. V. Bedoya, and J. M. M. Correa, "SpeedMed: Device for measuring
velocity in Track Sports," Revista Engenieria Biomedica, vol. Mayo 2007, pp. 33‐37.
[5] (2008), "Electro‐Com RFID solutions of SPORTS TIMING," [Online]. Available:
http://www.electrocom.com.au/rfid_sportstiming1.htm. Last accessed: 9th April 2008
[6] ATHNETIX (2001), "eTIMER40 ‐ Professional Sports Timing System," [Online]. Available:
http://www.athnetix.com/Forms/etimer40.htm. Last accessed:
[7] L. S. Developers "FinishLynx," [Online]. Available: http://www.finishlynx.com/. Last accessed:
25th May
[8] A. Harrison, Jensen, Randall, "A Comparison of Laser and Video Techniques for Determining
Displacement and Velocity During Running " Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise
Science, vol. 9, p. 12, 2005.
[9] R.E.Gander, J.D.McClements, L.K.Sanderson, B.A.Rostad, K.E.Josephson, and A.J.Pratt, "Sprint
Start Instrumentation," IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 43, Aug
1994 1994.
[10] E. J. B. a. J. K. Peter S Maulder, "Jump Kinetic Determinants of Sprint Acceleration Performance
from Starting Blocks in Male Sprinters," Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, vol. 5, 01 June
2006 2006.
[11] C. L. M. James Walter Kondrat, "Lap Counter System for Multiple Runners." vol. US
2006/0217232 A1, P. A. Publication, Ed. United Stated, 2006.
[12] A. R. C. Bret, A.B.Dufour, I. Messonnier, J.R.Lacour, "Leg strength and stiffness as ability in 100m
sprint running," Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, vol. 42, 2002.
[13] T. F. Novacheck, "The biomechanics of running," Gait and Posture vol. 7, p. 19, 1998.
[14] Wikipedia "Bluetooth Serial Port Profile," [Online]. Available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile#Serial_Port_Profile_.28SPP.29. Last accessed: 19
Sep 2008
[15] "Weed Instrument Co. Inc Glossary of Terms ‐ Signal conditioning," [Online]. Available:
http://weedinstrument.com/info_central/glossary/s.html. Last accessed: 18 Sep 2008
[16] "Nation Master Encyclopedia ‐ Data acquisition," [Online]. Available:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Data‐acquisition. Last accessed: 18 Sep 2008
[17] N. Instruments "Error BFFF003E Occurs after a VISA Read/Write," [Online]. Available:
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/60DDFED7EFEFE7188625705700750821?OpenDocument.
Last accessed: 14th September
[18] I. S. Popescu, "Data Acquisition Using LabVIEW and DATAQ Instruments’ ActiveX Controls,"
DataQ instruments.
[19] "LabVIEW™ Help," National Instruments, 2007.
[20] N. Instruments "NI LabVIEW 8.6," [Online]. Available: http://www.ni.com/labview86/. Last
accessed: 25th Sep 2008


Appendix 1.1
SignalTEC™ Timing Light data sheet

SignalTEC™ Wireless Optical Gate Timing System
Optical Gate Timing System uses the

optical-electronic and computer
technologies to easily capture timings
automatically.
It is widely applies in physical fitness
tests, sport researches and trainings, such
as short distance dashes, hurdle races,
broad jumps and triple jumps which
compute precise timing of the athletes.
Furthermore, it can be setup and use indoor
as well as outdoor environment.
sectional test setup
With the wireless technology system, setup
time for acquisition is greatly reduced.
Features
Computerized data acquisition

Random placement of gates
Single-lane mode up to 7 segment timings
Simultaneously capture up to 7 test lanes
Shuttle run mode : up to 3 lanes
Wireless interface
Real time display of capture data multiple lane setup
External trigger
Selectable test lane
Portable
Shuttle run setup
General Specifications
Model OGTS-WLS
Accuracy 0.001 sec
Max acquisition range 200 m
Max number of gates 7
Max number of lane acquire simultaneous 7
Interface Wireless
Wireless technology Bluetooth
Acquisition device Laptop/Desktop
Weight 1.5kg
Dimensions 428x64x32mm
Laptop requirement
Windows XP Home RAM > 128MB
SVGA resolution 1280x768 USB2.0

Appendix 1.2
MLP500 Load Cell Data sheet

Appendix 1.3
TM0‐1 Signal Conditioner Data Sheet

TM0-1
AMPLIFIER / CONDITIONER
MODULE
OPERATORS MANUAL
Transducer
Techniques R
42480 RIO NEDO, TEMECULA, CA 92590

(909) 719-3965 FAX (909) 719-3900
URL: http://www.ttloadcells.com
E-mail: tti@ttloadcells.com
DESCRIPTION
The TM0-1 Module provides low cost dedicated conditioning for one bridge type load
or pressure sensor. The unit can be placed near the sensor for high level signal
transmission. Several units can be powered from a common supply. Balance
and span potentiometers are low tempco metal film for long term stability and good
resolution.
SET UP PROCEDURE
METHOD 1 Shunt calibration with TTI transducers
1. Connect transducer to the 5 pin terminal block as shown in Fig. 2.

2. Connect a digital voltmeter to the 4 pin terminal block as shown in Fig. 2.
3. Connect 12 VDC power supply to the 4 pin terminal block on pins 1 and 2 as shown
in Fig.2.
4. Allow 15 minutes warm up.
5. With zero load applied to the transducer, rotate balance potent iometer towards + or -
in order to obtain 0.000 on the digital voltmeter.
6. Refer to the sample calib ration certificate Fig.1 , Example 1 (typical to the calibration
certificate supplied with TTI transducers. Multiply the percent of load value (PCT LOAD)
for a 87.325 Kohms resistor by the desire d full scale voltage output. Note that
+/- 8 VDC is the maximum output voltage range.
Example: 8 VDC x 50.2% = 4.016 VDC.
7. Depress calibration button (calibration button to remain depressed throug h out step
7). Adjust the gain potentiometer to display the engine ering units calculated in step 6,
Example 1 (4.016 VDC). Release calibration button.
8. Repeat step 5 and 7 if necessary.
METHOD 2 Using a known load (Dead weight calibration)
1. Follow method 1, steps 1 thru 4.

2. Apply a known load (dead weight) to the transducer.
3. Adjust the gain potentiometer to display enginee ring unit equivalent to known load
(dead weight).
4. Remove known load (dead weight) and readjust balance potentiometer, if necessary.
1
Fig. 1
<<< CERTIFICATE OF CALIBRATION >>>
SERIAL NUMBER: SAMPLE CERTIFICATE DATE OF CALIBRATION: 11/11/1993

SENSOR MODEL: HSW-20K DATE OF RECALIBRATION: 11/11/1994
JOB NUMBER: 0
TECHNICIAN: AE
TENSION MV/V MV/V

LOAD INC. DEC.
LBS.
0 0 0
10000 1.0026 1.0031
20000 2.0051
NON-LINEARITY .03 PCT FS

NON-REPEATABILITY .02 PCT FS
HYSTERESIS .03 PCT FS
<< SHUNT CALIBRATION >>

PCT LOAD SIGNAL SHUNT SHUNT
LOAD LBS MV/V K OHMS PINS
50.2 10034.4 1.0060 87.325 (-E,-S)
100.3 20068.8 2.0120 43.575 (-E,-S)
Example 1
<< DIGITAL PANEL METER MODEL DPM-2 SCALE FACTOR >>
DPM-2 SCALE FACTOR .0000
* CALIBRATION COMPUTED FROM THREE (3) RUNS INCREASING AND DECREASING.

* TRACEABLE TO NIST TEST # 57914
* CALIBRATION PERFORMED AT 10 VDC
* MAXIMUM BRIDGE EXCITATION 12 VDC WIRING
COLOR CODE
===================
RED +EXCITATION
BLK -EXCITATION
GRN +SIGNAL
WHT -SIGN
2
Fig. 2
Power Supply / Analog Output

4 Pin Terminal Block
1: + 12 VDC
2: Power Ground
3: Analog Ground
4: Analog Output Bench Top V.O.M.
Analog Output
0- +/- 8 VDC Millivolt Meter
X-Y Plotter
Chart Recorder
A/D - Computer
12 VDC Power In
Gain Pot
5
1 2 3 4
Full Wheatstone Bridge
Transducer
Push Button
Shunt Cal Load Cell
Force Sensor
Torque Sensor
Balance Pot Pressure Transducer
Transducer Input
5 Pin Terminal Block
TM0-1 Transducer
1 + Excitation (Red)
2 - Signal (White)
3 + Signal (Green)
4 - Excitation (Black)
5 + Shield
3
III. TROUBLESHOOTING
SYMPTOM / PROBLEM ACTION
Negative analog output voltage Switch wire position 2 and 3

OR 1 and 4 on 5 pin terminal.
Analog output is saturated One (or more) of the transducer wires
is (are) disconnected. Check wire
continuity. Check 5 pins terminal
connections. Refer to Fig. 2
4
IV. SPECIFICATIONS
Amplifier Section
Gain: 75 to 1000
Input Sensitivity:1mV/V minimum for 8V output
Output Voltage: 0 to +/-8VDC (linear to 9.5VDC)
Output Current: 0 to 10mA
Nonlinearity: 0.01% maximum
Compliance: 0.1% plus vs. minus full scale
Stability: +/-1% for 24 hours
Tempco: 0.01% full scale/C
Noise and Ripple: Less than 5mV P-P
at gain = 1000
Filter Type: 2 Poles Butterworth
Frequency Response: DC to 220 Hz
(2.2, 22, 2200 Hz available
in lots of 10, no charge)
Bridge Section
Excitation Voltage: 8VDC +/-0.25V
Sensor Resistance: 120 Ohms minimum
1000 Ohms maximum
Balance Range: +/-30% of output
(350 Ohms bridge)
General
Weight: Approx. 2 ounces
Size: 2.25 x 2.50 x .80 inches
Mounting: Corner standoffs, 4-40 thread
Input / Output: Via screw terminals
Operating Temp: 0 to 70 C
Power Required: 12 VDC +/-0.5 VDC at 65mA
5
WARRANTY / REPAIR POLICY
Limited Warranty on Products

Any of our products which, under normal operating conditions, proves defective in material or
in workmanship within one (1) year from the date of shipment by Transducer Techniques, will
be repaired or replaced free of charge provided that you obtain a return material
authorization from Transducer Techniques and send the defective product, transportation
charges prepaid with notice of the defect, and establish that the product has been properly
installed, maintained, and operated within the limits of rated and normal usage.
Replacement product will be shipped F.O.B. our plant. The terms of this warranty do not
extend to any product or part thereof which, under normal usage, has an inherently shorter
useful life than one year. The replacement warranty detailed here is the Buyer's exclusive
remedy, and will satisfy all obligations of Transducer Techniques, whether based on contract,
negligence, or otherwise. Transducer Techniques is not responsible for any incidental or
consequential loss or damage which might result from a failure of any Transducer
Techniques product. This express warranty is made in lieu of any and all other warranties,
express or implied, including implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for particular
purpose. Any unauthorized disassembly or attempt to repair voids this warranty.
Obtaining Service Under Warranty

Advance authorization is required prior to the return to Transducer Techniques. Before
returning the items either write to the Repair Department c/o Transducer Techniques, 42480
Rio Nedo, Temecula, CA 92590, or call (909) 719-3965 with: 1) a part number; 2) a serial
number for the defective product; 3) a technical description of the defect; 4) a no-charge
purchase order number (so products can be returned to you correctly); and, 5) ship to and bill
to addresses. Shipment to Transducer Techniques shall be at Buyer's expense and
repaired, or replacement items will be shipped F.O.B. our plant in Temecula, CA. Non-
verified problems or defects may be subject to a $75 evaluation charge. Please return the
original calibration data with the unit.
Obtaining Non-Warranty Service

Advance authorization is required prior to the return to Transducer Techniques. Before
returning the items, either write to the Repair Department c/o Transducer Techniques, 42480
Rio Nedo, Temecula, CA 92590, or call (909) 719-3965 with: 1) a model number; 2) a serial
number for the defective product; 3) a technical description of the malfunction; 4) a purchase
order number to cover Transducer Techniques' repair cost; and, 5) ship to and bill to
addresses. After the product is evaluated by Transducer Techniques, we will contact you to
provide the estimated repair costs before proceeding. The minimum evaluation charge is
$75. Shipment to Transducer Techniques shall be at Buyer's expense and repaired items
will be shipped to you F.O.B. our plant in Temecula, CA. Please return the original
calibration data with the unit.
Repair Warranty
All repairs of Transducer Techniques' products are warranted for a period of 90 days from
the date of shipment. This warranty applies only to those items which were found defective
and repaired; it does not apply to products in which no defect was found and returned as is,
or merely recalibrated. Out of warranty products may not be capable of being returned to the
exact original specifications or dimensions.
FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT, CALL

(909)719-3965 / FAX (909)719-3900
6
Load Cells
Force/Torque
Sensors TM
(800) 344-3965
(909) 719-3965 FAX (909) 719-3900
MADE IN U.S.A. SEP/01

Appendix 1.4
DI148 Data Acquisition Data sheet

DI-148U-SP
Low Cost, Compact Data
Acquisition Starter Kit
Designed Specifically for
use with String Pots
Convenient USB Interface
2 String Pot Inputs plus 2
±10V Analog inputs
Six Bi-directional TTL
Ports for General Purpose
Control
10 Bit Resolution
Features
Up to 14,400 Hz Sample Easy to Connect and Use Built-In, Bidirectional Port
Rate Connects to any local laptop or desktop A built-in bidirectional port allows pro-
PC. Built-in excitation for up to two grammable discrete inputs and outputs
string pots. Two, built-in, 8 position for control.
screw terminal connectors allow easy Free Data Acquisition Software
and secure access to all signal I/O Our WINDAQ/Lite data acquisition
Model DI-148U-SP is similar to the
connections without the need for extra
software offers real time display and
general purpose model DI-148U, but is
options. disk streaming for the Windows envi-
designed to connect directly to as many
as two string pots for displacement Wide Sample Throughput ronment. Their real time display can
measurements. Two general purpose Range operate in a smooth scroll or triggered
inputs are also supported. When used Throughput ranges from sub-Hertz to sweep mode of operation, and can be
with string pots, model DI-148U-SP over 14,400 Hertz allow the DI-148 toscaled into any unit of measure. Event
provides a complete solution, with a markers with comments allow you to
connect to a wide range of both static
built-in, stable excitation supply that is and dynamic signals. annotate your data acquisition session
exposed for each string pot channel. with descriptive information as you’re
Compact recording to disk.
Like the DI-148U, the DI-148U-SP Small size—66L × 66W × 28H mm
supports a channel scan list, high Raise your productivity to new heights
(2.6L × 2.6W × 1.1H inches)—allows with WINDAQ’s unique multitask-
sample rate throughput, and a USB the DI-148 to fit comfortably in crowd- ing feature. Record waveform data to
interface. These features combine to ed instrumentation cabinets, desktops, disk in the background while running
produce a robust instrument that can be and other tight locations.
applied to nearly any data acquisition any combination of programs in the
situation where pre amplified signals Self Powered Advantage foreground — even WINDAQ Playback
need to be acquired to a PC, and where All DI-148 instruments derive their software to review and analyze the
displacement measurements using power directly from the host PC waveform data as it’s being stored!
string pots need to be made. Rounding eliminating the need for an external WINDAQ/Lite recording and play-
out the products are six bidirectional power adaptor and connections— back software is provided free with
TTL ports that may be used for gen- perfect for use in automotive and other every DI-148 purchase. WINDAQ/Lite
eral purpose control Sample rates may portable environments where power is recording software is limited to 240
range from sub Hertz, to 14,400 Hz. unavailable. Hz sample rate when recording to disk.
The extra cost WINDAQ/Pro High
Speed option allows you to record at
rates up to the speed of the instrument.
DATAQ Instruments, Inc. • 241 Springside Drive • Akron, Ohio 44333 • Tel: 330-668-1444 • Email: support@dataq.com • www.dataq.com
Specifications
Analog Inputs Scanning Characteristics
Number of Channels: 2 String Pot; 2 General Purpose Max. throughput sample rate: 14,400
Channel Configuration: Single-Ended Min. throughput sample rate: 0.0137334 Hz
Measurement range: String Pot Channels: 2.4VFS Max. scan list size: 6 entries
General Purpose Channels: ±10V Sample buffer size: 2kb
Accuracy: 0.25% of FSR
Digital I/O
Resolution: String Pot Channels: ±7.4mV
General Purpose Channels: ±19.5mV Channels: 6 bi-directional ports
Input Impedance: 200KΩ Output voltage levels: Min. “1” 3V @ 2.5mA sourcing
Max. “0” 0.4V @ 2.5mA sinking
Input bias current: 50µA for a 10V input, single channel
Output current: Max. source, -2.5 mA
Max. normal mode voltage: 40 Volts peak to peak
Max. sink, 2.5mA
Channel-to-channel crosstalk
Input voltage levels: Min. required “1” 2V
rejection: -60db
Max allowed “0” 0.8V
Gain temperature coefficient: 100ppm/°C
Offset temperature coefficient: .5µV/°C Calibration
Digital filtering: Over-sampling, average Calibration cycle: One year
Output Voltage (SP): 2.43 typical Calibration method: Digital calibration with scale and offset
constant.
A/D Characteristics
Type: Successive approximation
General
Resolution: 10-bit Input connectors: Two eight position terminal blocks
Monotonicity: ±2LSB Operating Environment: 0°C to 70°C
Conversion Time: 70µs Enclosure: Molded ABS plastic.
Dimensions: 2.6L × 2.6W × 1.1D inches
Calibration 66L × 66W × 28D mm.
Calibration cycle: One year Weight: 3 oz. (85 gr.)
Calibration method: Digital calibration with scale and offset Power Requirements: 80mA max. @ 5 VDC. No external power
constant.
required. Power derived from communica-
tions cable.
DI-148U-SP Analog Input Diagram

Screw
Field Side Terminal 2.4 Vref
SP1
SP2 2.4 Vref

To ADC
46.4K
General CH3
Purpose 200K
330pf
Analog In CH4 60.4K
2.4 Vref
46.4K
200K
String Pot (SP) Resistance ≥ 5KΩ 60.4K 330pf
Excitation = 2.43 Nom.
General Purpose Analog In = 10VFS
Ordering Guide
241 Springside Drive Description Order Number
Akron, Ohio 44333
Phone: 330-668-1444 DI-148U-SP Starter Kit
Fax: 330-666-5434 Modified DI-148U designed to accept two
www.dataq.com DI-148U-SP
string pot inputs and two general purpose
inputs.
Data Acquisition Product Links

(click on text to jump to page)
Data Acquisition | Data Logger | Chart Recorder | Thermocouple | Oscilloscope
DATAQ, the DATAQ logo, and WinDaq are registered trademarks of DATAQ Instruments, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2005 DATAQ Instruments, Inc.
The information on this data sheet is subject to change without notice.

Appendix 2.0
Block Diagram

IMFAST LabVIEW™ Block Diagram Mechatronics Final Year Project 2008
1 Overview of the Vi

2 Variables and Initial Settings

3 Time Acquisition System
Same procedure is implemented for different timing light configurations
3.1 Six Timing Gates to calculate the time

3.2 Six Timing Gates to calculate the time (Continued)

3.3 Six Timing Gates to Check the Connectivity of the gates

3.4 Six Timing Gates to Check the Connectivity of the gates (Continued)

4 Force Acquisition System
4.1 Hold the program in until the start key is pressed

4.2 Initialization

4.3 Acquisition Start

4.4 Data Acquisition, Sound Generation and Plot

4.5 Acquisition Stop

4.6 Port Close

5 Parameter Calculation

6 User Prompt
User prompt to enter user information

6.1 System Time

6.2 Save the user details to a String

6.3 Error notification menus
Error Notifications menus if the user didn’t enter the COM port values and the distances between timing lights.
7 File Save
7.1 Build a string of the data to be saved

7.2 Open the folder under Player Name

7.3 Save the array of data to the file
File is Name is created under the session name and the data with “.xls” format

8 File Read
The same Vi is used to read two separate files
9 Tab Controls
9.1 Settings Tab

9.2 RealTime Tab

9.3 Offline Tab

9.4 Comparison Tab
Set the color &
Values with the
cursor movement
of the Vel/Acc
graphs

Appendix 3.0
Generated Excel File

User Details Name:Mervin Date:9/25/2008 5:28:47 PM
Height:180.000000 Weight:65.000000
Session:Reun 1
Notes:Run 1
Force Values in N 51 51 51 47 49 10 13 10
Time between each gate 0.28 0.43 0 0 0
Distance between each gate 2 2 0 0 0
Acceleration 0 25.5102 10.81666 NaN NaN NaN
Velocity 0 7.142857 4.651163 NaN NaN NaN

11 133 136 142 201 201 196 4 6 6 6 197 208

Appendix 4.1
DI148 COM port identification procedure

IMFAST Report Appendix 4.1 DI148 COM port identification procedure
DI148 COM port identification procedure

Step 1
Right click on the My Computer Icon to access the System Properties.
Step 2
Select Device Manager in the Hardware sub tab
Step 3
Select the Ports (COM & LPT) menu to identify the COM port number in DATAQ DI148-U

Appendix 4.2
Data Acquisition in LabVIEW using
ActiveX controls

Data Acquisition Using LabVIEW and DATAQ
Instruments’ ActiveX Controls
By Ioan S. Popescu
DATAQ Instruments
LabVIEW is a popular programming environment for many data acquisition applications.

DATAQ Instruments hardware products may be programmed under LabVIEW by applying our
ActiveX software tools. This application note describes a step-by-step procedure you can use to
access any DATAQ Instruments ActiveX control from LabVIEW. This procedure uses the
WinDaq control which allows data acquired by WINDAQ® Acquisition software to be
simultaneously made available to LabVIEW.
1. Open a new LabVIEW project (this is usually the default when LabVIEW starts up).
2. Select the Sequence Structure:
The sequence structure forces the diagrams to execute in a particular order and separate the
diagram into logical execution blocks. In this example, the sequence structure will be used to
“start” the WinDaq control before it is used.
Product Links: Data Acquisition | Data Logger | Chart Recorder | Thermocouple | Oscilloscope 1
Data Acquisition Using LabVIEW and ActiveX Controls
3. Insert the selected sequence structure into the Diagram window:
The Diagram window is the source code of the project. The diagram drawn in this window will
determine what gets executed, in what order, etc. This is the “behind-the-scenes” work that runs
the Front Panel.
2 Product Links: Data Acquisition | Data Logger | Chart Recorder | Thermocouple | Oscilloscope
4. Insert an ActiveX Container into the Front Panel:
The Front Panel is what will become the User Interface. The ActiveX container is necessary to
insert an ActiveX control into LabVIEW. ActiveX controls work on the basis of server-client
relationships. Refer to the “Introduction to ActiveX” secondary topic in the LabVIEW online help
documentation for a description of how LabVIEW works with ActiveX controls. This section can
be found by searching for “ActiveX, introduction” in the index.
5. Right-click the container and select Insert ActiveX Object….
6. Scroll to find WinDaq Control select it, and click OK.
This will give you a list of all currently available ActiveX controls on the system.
7. In the Diagram window, right-click the newly created control, select Show then Label to dis-
play what it is.
This will make it easier to identify what the object/picture represents.
8. Click the Wiring tool in the Tools toolbox.
The wiring tool can be used to create “paths” that are to be followed during the execution of the
program. These paths tell LabVIEW to take information from one object and send it to another
object.
9. Connect the WinDaq Control to the Sequence.
This will make the WinDaq control available to all frames within the sequence.
10. In the Front Panel, insert a Horizontal Slide from the Controls toolbox.
The horizontal slide will be used to select the channel to “watch” (i.e., the channel from which
data will be read and displayed onscreen).
11. In the Tools toolbox, click on the Operate Value tool.
This tool allows you to change some of the object’s properties. This tool is used at runtime to
operate the controls in the Front Panel.
12. Now change the slider’s values from 1 to 2. Then, right-click and change the Representation
to I16 (Word).
To change the values, click on them and type in new values. The representation is changed to
I16(Word) because that is the underlying integer type that most closely matches the WinDaq
control’s property that will be used to determine the channel. The data types used by a specific
property or method can be found in the ActiveX Controls Help file provided on the DATAQ
website.
13. Insert a Digital Indicator.
This indicator will only display information to the user, not allow them to change it. This indicator
will display the total number of channels.
14. Insert another Digital Indicator. This indicator will display the actual data coming from the
WinDaq control.
15. Right-click on each control and label them as follows:
After clicking Label, start typing to set the label.
16. In the Diagram window on the Functions toolbox, click Communication then ActiveX then
Invoke Node.
An Invoke Node is an object that calls a method from an ActiveX control. It allows you to give it
any data it may need to pass to the method as well as return the results of the method call.
17. Insert the object inside the sequence and connect a wire from the WinDaq Control (connected
to the sequence using the black square on the sequence) to the Reference point of the Invoke
Node.
This will allow the Invoke Node to “know” what methods are available, what data needs to be
sent, and what data will be returned.
18. Right-click the Invoke Node and select the Start method.
The Start method tells the WinDaq control to start acquiring data.
19. Right-click the Sequence, then click Add Frame After.
This will add a separate “block” to draw diagrams which will execute after the previous frame.
20. Insert a Property Node inside the Sequence and connect it to the WinDaq Control with a
wire.
21. Use the Arrow tool to move the Channel Count object inside the Sequence frame.
22. Right-click the Property Node and select the ChannelCount property.
The ChannelCount property returns the total number of channels available to read data from.
23. Right-click the Channel Count object and change its Representation to I16.
24. Right-click the Channel Selected object and create an Attribute Node.
An Attribute Node is “connected” to its parent object and allows you to change the parent’s
properties when the program is running.
25. Move this node inside the sequence. Right-click it and change its property to Maximum.
26. Using the Wiring tool, create wires to connect the objects inside the sequence as follows:
The Attribute Node sets the maximum value of the Channel Selected object. This in turn will
prevent the user from trying to read data from a channel that is out-of-bounds. The Channel Count
indicator will also display the total number of channels.
27. Add another frame after this one to the sequence.
28. Insert a While Loop inside the sequence.
Since events are not supported in the version of LabVIEW this example was created with, a while
loop will be used to continuously ask for data from the WinDaq ActiveX control.
29. Insert an Invoke Node object into the while loop. Move the Channel Selected object and
Data object into the while loop.
By moving the objects inside the while loop, they will be executed (along with any other steps
inside) with every “round” of the while loop.
30. Create a wire to connect the Invoke Node to the WinDaq Control. Then, right-click it and
select the GetScaledData method.
The GetScaledData method will be used to get the data from WinDaq in calibrated engineering
units as specified in the software. Refer to the ActiveX Controls Help file for further information
on properties and methods of the ActiveX controls.
31. Insert a Decrement object to decrement the signal from the Channel Selected object to the
Data object and connect it as follows:
The Channel Selected object will allow the user to select a channel (1 through Maximum). The
object will return the user’s selection, but the actual channel is one less because the WinDaq
control enumerates the channels zero-based (starting with zero rather than 1).
32. Connect the Channel Selected object and the Data object as follows:
This will allow the Channel Selected to select which channel to get data from and the data
returned by GetScaledData will be displayed in the Data indicator.
33. Insert a Boolean Constant, set it to true using the Operate Value tool by clicking on the
object after it is inserted, and connect it to the Conditional Terminal of the while loop.
This will cause the while loop to run forever or until the program is forcefully stopped by clicking
the Stop button. Normally, a Boolean control is used here so that the program may finish properly.
34. Add another frame, after this one, to the Sequence.
35. Insert an Invoke Node object in the sequence and connect it to the WinDaq Control. Change
its method to Stop.
This method tells the WinDaq control to stop acquiring data. This will not be executed as it should
because the while loop will never terminate to get to this step. When the program is forcefully
stopped, it doesn’t go on to this frame.
36. Start WinDaq as usual, then go back to LabVIEW, in the Front Panel, and run the project.
You should see the Data indicator displaying the same data as the WinDaq acquisition software.
Changing the channel using the Channel Selected object will show the data for that channel.

Appendix 4.3
IAAF Standards

SCALE - 1:250
200m STANDARD INDOOR TRACK

KEY
ST Start
ZE End of take-over zone (10m after ZM)
ZM Middle of take-over zone
ZS Start of take-over zone (10m before ZM)
CONSTRUCTION MEASUREMENTS* m TRACK MARKINGS

Construction radius of curve (including the raised kerb on inside of track) 17.200 Width of all marks: 0.05m
Radius of measurement line (line of running) in lane 1 (0.30m outside raised kerb) 17.496 Marking
Colour Symbol Size m, Position Stage Event Plan Area
Inclination angle of banking 10.000°
Distance between centres of constant banked bends 44.990 OVAL TRACK
Length of each straight section 35.688 White Full track width Finish All events A
Length of each ascending / descending section on construction line (kerb line) 19.750 Full lane width ST 200m A
Length of each ascending / descending section along line of running 20.012 Curve (full track width) ST 1000m, 3000m, 5000m A
Length of each quarter of constant banked bend on construction line (kerb line) 11.939 1 mile A
1500m C
Length of each quarter of constant banked bend along line of running 12.144
White with green inset Full lane width, 0.30 in the middle ST 800m, 4x800m=ZM 4x200m 2nd athletes A
Length of track on construction line (kerb line) 198.132
White with blue* inset Full lane width, 0.30 in the middle ST 400m, 4x400m A
Length of track along line of running 200.000
White with yellow inset Full lane width, 0.30 in the middle ST 4x200m A
Width of lanes - oval (including 0.05m on outside) 0.900
Blue* 0.60 in the middle ZE For Relay races or parts of races not run in lanes
Width of lanes - infield straight (including 0.05m on the right side) 1.220
10m after finish line, parallel to finish line e.g. 4x400m 2nd, 3rd, 4th athletes A
With the exception of lane 1, all lanes are measured 0.20m out from the outer edge of the inner line. in lanes 2 to 5 A
All race distances are measured in a clockwise direction from the edge of the finish line nearer 10m before finish line in lanes 2 to 6 ZS
to the start to the edge of the appropriate line farther from the finish.
Yellow** 0.80 from inner line, hook in 45°, outside 0.15 ZE 4x200m 2nd athletes
Marking of start, relay and hurdle positions:
With measuring tape on straights and, ascending & descending parts of the track only; Yellow** 0.80 from inner line, hook in 45°, outside 0.15 ZS 4x200m 2nd athletes
with theodolite on the constant inclination bends according to the Green Curve, lanes 2 to 6 Breakline 400m, 4x400m B
centre angles of the nominal arc segments. 800m, 4x200m, 4x800m D
Marking with measuring tape on bends only as a backup method: STRAIGHT TRACK
E.g. checking, correcting and supplementing. White Full track width Finish All events
In each lane, always measure from the start (A,C) or end (B,D) of the arc.
1.17 (full lane width) ST 50m
* See full details in 8.2 and 8.3
60m
* For blue coloured tracks, red should be used
** Blue in lane 1
Lane staggers in m, measurement line distance 0.20m from lane line (Width of lanes 0.90)
Distance Marking Bends HURDLE POSITIONS

on Line of Plan Run in Lane 2 Lane 3 Lane 4 Lane 5 Lane 6
Running Area Lanes Distance from Distance
Distance
Number of Start Line from Last
Colour Symbol Size m, Position Event between
200 A 2 4,983 10,589 16,198 21,809 27,423 Hurdles to First Hurdles to
Hurdles m
Hurdles m Finish Line m
400, 4x400 A 1 4,992 10.630 16,293 21,981 27,695
Yellow 0.05x0.10 both sides 60m H Women 5 13.00 8.50 13.00
800 A 1 2.500 5,335 8,194 11,077 13,984 Blue* 0.05x0.10 both sides 60m H Men 5 13.72 9.14 9.72
4x200 A 3 7.483 15.924 24.392 32.885 41.406 Orange 0.05x0.10 both sides 50m H Women 4 13.00 8.50 11.50
Green 0.05x0.10 both sides 50m H Men 4 13.72 9.14 8.86
* For blue coloured tracks, red should be used
Figure 8.3.6c - Marking plan for the IAAF 200m Standard Indoor Track
© IAAF 2008

INTEGRATED MOTION AND FORCE ACQUISITION SYSTEM FOR TRACKING (IMFAST) - Thesis Report - Danushka Marasinghe

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

INTEGRATED MOTION AND FORCE ACQUISITION SYSTEM FOR TRACKING (IMFAST) - Thesis Report - Danushka Marasinghe

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

INTEGRATED MOTION AND FORCE

M.M.DANUSHKA RANJANA MARASINGHE

Supervisor: Dr. S.M.N. Arosha Senanayake

R.E.Gander, Senior Member IEEE, J.D.McClements, L.K.Sanderson, B.A.Rostad, K.E.Josephson, and

Sent Received Purpose

This relationship is implemented in LabVIEW™ to convert the values in real time. Procedure is further

USB to the

Attributes set on

The Figure 36 corresponds to the parameters used to compare two saved sessions. Left side property

Selector of COM

Selectors of COM

Player Details Max force

The velocity Tab displays the velocity data of the two sessions that are loaded. The cursor of the first

Session Distance Gate 1&2 Gate 2 &3

Optical Gate Timing System uses the

Computerized data acquisition

Shuttle run setup

42480 RIO NEDO, TEMECULA, CA 92590

METHOD 1 Shunt calibration with TTI transducers

1. Connect transducer to the 5 pin terminal block as shown in Fig. 2.

Example: 8 VDC x 50.2% = 4.016 VDC.

METHOD 2 Using a known load (Dead weight calibration)

1. Follow method 1, steps 1 thru 4.

<<< CERTIFICATE OF CALIBRATION >>>

SERIAL NUMBER: SAMPLE CERTIFICATE DATE OF CALIBRATION: 11/11/1993

TENSION MV/V MV/V

NON-LINEARITY .03 PCT FS

<< SHUNT CALIBRATION >>

* CALIBRATION COMPUTED FROM THREE (3) RUNS INCREASING AND DECREASING.

Power Supply / Analog Output

SYMPTOM / PROBLEM ACTION

Negative analog output voltage Switch wire position 2 and 3

Limited Warranty on Products

Obtaining Service Under Warranty

Obtaining Non-Warranty Service

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT, CALL

MADE IN U.S.A. SEP/01

DI-148U-SP Analog Input Diagram

SP2 2.4 Vref

Data Acquisition Product Links

Time between each gate 0.28 0.43 0 0 0

Acceleration 0 25.5102 10.81666 NaN NaN NaN

Velocity 0 7.142857 4.651163 NaN NaN NaN

DI148 COM port identification procedure

LabVIEW is a popular programming environment for many data acquisition applications.

This will make it easier to identify what the object/picture represents.

After clicking Label, start typing to set the label.

200m STANDARD INDOOR TRACK

CONSTRUCTION MEASUREMENTS* m TRACK MARKINGS

Distance Marking Bends HURDLE POSITIONS

You might also like