Counting laps on slot racing tracks with a webcam
and the Zone Trigger software

Increase the competition in racing games

Automate slot racing cars using motion detection and image matching.A great example of motion detection used for entertainment is the lap counter system. Having an automated scoring system on a racing game brings it to a whole new level of competition.
  • Automate electric car race scores, so you and the other competitors can keep your mind on the race
  • Link Zone Trigger with professional race software such as PC Lap Counter. Just set up the hot spots to trig a third party software that does all the statistics and billboard display.
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Manage race track statistics and pit stops

There are many ways of getting car position information out of a slot track. Most of these ways require that you fit special sensors and hardware on the tracks, and then connect them to a computer using a custom method. This may be expensive and complicated, so using a standard webcam instead makes a lot of sense.

To count lap, you'll need to put motion sensing hot spots on the tracks. One spot on each race slot.

To detect pit stops, you'll need to place an image-matching spot on each slot. This way, the software will know when a car is actually stopped, and for how long it stays in place.

Put the webcam over the race track to perform the motion detection.
1- Place the camera over the track.
Put the webcam over the race track to perform the motion detection.
Set it so that it looks directly at the track, top down. The camera needs to have a clear view of each car as they pass in front of it. For best results, make sure that the track is lit correctly. Make sure that a car's shadow does not overlap on the other tracks, as this may generate counting errors for the other cars. In order to minimize shadows, the best place to put the light is right next to the camera.

2- Put a motion detection hot spot on each track
The pattern matching hot spot is a feature exclusive to Zone TriggerWebcam Zone Trigger's motion hot spot is very simple to use. Just add on over each slot of the race track. It will trig each time a car passes under it. This can be used to count laps.

To detect pit stops, use Zone Trigger's Dual Pattern spots. Set the first reference image to the empty track, then bring a car under the spot and set the second reference image. Click on the arrow between the reference images to make it point toward the car. This way, the spot will compare what it sees with these images, and choose the one that is the closest match. When it latches towards a car detection, it will trig. Adjust the "continuous motion" timer of the spot to the minimum amount of time required for the pit spot, this way it will only trig if the car stopped for long enough.

Set the hot spot's action to "count" if you want to keep count. You can also set the action to play a sound.

3- Bind each spot to the race management software
Enter the command to tell the race management software that movement has been detected.This step might be different depending on which race management software you are using. In general, it should be something like this:

For each hot spots, click on the "Action" button and select "Run a command or a program". Enter the command that will be sent to the race management software every time this hot spot is triggered. Please read the user documentation of the race software for more details on this command.