The present invention relates to a refereeing device and particularly to a refereeing device for soccer referees and more particularly to a refereeing device for facilitating the measurement of predetermined distances.

Various rules in a variety of sports require a distance to be measured. For example, in soccer, in accordance with the rules of the game,, a referee must ensure that members of an opposing team are a distance of 10 yards away from the ball when a free kick is being taken. Soccer referees currently measure this distance by pacing 10 strides out. Also, even after the referee has paced out the distance, the defending team tend to move towards the ball and thereby reduce the distance between themselves and the ball. Accordingly, the method of pacing the distance out is well known to be inaccurate as different referees have different lengths of strides. The current method of measurement of such a distance, which is required by the rules of the game, is considered inadequate in today' s modern soccer game. Giving a team an inappropriate advantage is costly both in terms of reputation of the sport and in lost games which can result in a loss in financial rewards and revenues.

It is therefore desirable in sport for there to be a device which facilitates accurate implementation of the rules of the. game. Moire specifically, it is desirable in the sport of soccer for there to means for accurately measuring a set predetermined distance according to the rules of the game.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a refereeing device comprising a transmitter operable to transmit a first signal at a predetermined surface and a receiver operable to receive a reflected signal from the said surface, and electronic signal processing means operable to determine the distance between the device and the surface, as a function of the transmitted and reflected signals, and display the distance or confirm a predetermined distance to a user.

The electronic signal processing means is advantageously operable to determine the time taken for the signal to travel from the transmitter to the transmitter and thereby calculate the distance between the device and the said surface. Alternatively, the electronic signal processing means is advantageously operable to determine the distance by determining the phase shift between the transmitted signal and the received signal.

The transmitter is preferably an optical transmitter and the receiver is preferably an optical receiver.

The optical transmitter advantageously comprises a laser.

Alternatively, the transmitter may comprise an ultrasonic transmitter and the receiver may comprise a transceiver.

The refereeing device advantageously further comprises a display for displaying the distance calculated.

The refereeing device may further comprise optical scanning means operable to scan a code.

The refereeing deyiee may further comprise data memory means operable to record data associated with the scanned code.

The refereeing device may further comprise wireless radio frequency transmitting means. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a refereeing whistle comprising a refereeing device according to the first aspect of the present invention.

The refereeing device is advantageously hingedly connected to the whistle.

The present invention will now be described in more, detail in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a first embodiment of a refereeing device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a second embodiment of a refereeing device according to the present invention; and Figures 3a to 3e are schematic drawings from different aspects of a refereeing whistle comprising the refereeing device of Figure 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a refereeing device 10 comprises a housing 12, an activation button 14 and a display screen 16. Within the housing there is an optical transmitter, which may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED) or a laser, and an optical receiver. The optical transmitter is positioned such that it can transmit an optical signal 18 out of a front edge portion 20 of the housing. The optical receiver is positioned in the same front edge portion such that it is operable to receive a reflected optical signal.

As an alternative, the optical transmitter may be replaced with an ultrasonic transmitted and, the opticai receiver may be replaced by a transceiver, whereby the same principles of operation apply.

The housing 12 is of a moulded plastics material and also has attachment means 22 in the form of a raised portion 24 having an attachment aperture 26, through which an attachment ring, or the like, may be attached.

The embodiments of the device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 differs only the shape of the housing in that the device of Figure 1 is ergonomically formed to fit in a users hand and wherein the device of Figure 2 is formed into a shape which facilitates storage in a pocket.

In use, in the case of, for example, a free kick in soccer, a referee first determines the localised area on the ground at which a foul was committed. The referee then places the ball on the localised area, depresses the activation button 14 to enable the opticai transmitter, such that the light beam transmitted therefrom is incident' on the ball. The referee then walks backwards whilst maintaining the light beam on the ball. The light is reflected off the ball and the continually received by the optical receiver. The signal processing means continually monitors the time taken for the light signal to be transmitted and received and thereby calculates the distance between the ball and the referee continually and displays the distance on the display screen 16. Once the correct distance has been established (e.g. 10 yards) the referee can indicate to the defending team where they are able to stand. The referee Can then return to the ball where he can then re-check the distance of any player of the defending team at any time by directing: the light beam onto the player. In an alternative embodiment, the device may not have a display screen but instead preprogrammed distances may be stored in the signal processing means, whereby an audible signal and/or a small LED light lights up upon reaching a pre-programmed distance. This would allow a referee to determine the distance of, for example, 10 yards, from a less expensive device.

The device 10 may also have an optical scanner operable to scan a data code such as, for example, a bar-code on a player's shirt. Scanned data is stored in an internal data memory and additionally, or alternatively, the device may have a wireless radio frequency transmitter to transmit the scanned data to a remote data system. This would enable the referee to keep track of any cautions he had given players in the game _^

Referring to Figure 3, a referee whistle device 28 according to the present invention has a referee device 10 as described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The device TO operates as described above.

The referee whistle device 28 has a hinge portion 30 which attaches a whistle 32 to the device 10 and allows for the device 10 to fold relative to the whistle into a closed storage configuration, wherein the mouth piece 34 of the. whistle is stored in a recess 36 in the device 10, and open. into an operational configuration.for use, as shown in Figures 3a to 3e.