01334279

Component

Machine controlled construction equipment continues to garner support from the construction industry due to shortages of skilled labor, constant technological advances and the importance of construction to the overall economy. However, in order to achieve machine control, reliable geo-referencing/positioning of the equipment and end-effector must be achieved. This can also lead to several other benefits, including safety on the construction site, optimization of construction tasks, precision construction and real-time updating of construction records. A methodology for a reliable, stand-alone, real-time geo-referencing system for construction equipment is proposed in this paper. The method consists of a fully integrated Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS) to geo-reference the main body of the construction equipment. Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) attached to each operational joint will provide orientation information. This information is used in the Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) convention, describing the position of the equipment in 3D space, to create a link between the geo-referenced main body of the equipment and end-effector. There are distinct advantages to this type of approach. It is a more complicated, yet cost-effective, system because lower grade (less expensive) IMUs can be made to perform as more stable IMUs by constant re-calibration using DGPS measurements. It is an autonomous system, unaided by line-of-sight survey based equipment (i.e. total stations or laser levels). Finally, it creates a unified model approach for geo-referencing multi-sensor systems that can be applied without accounting for a different set of parameters for each sensor. This is especially advantageous when dealing with construction equipment with varying degrees of freedom.

01329018

11-1200

English

17p

2011

Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (2) ; References (12) ; Tables (1)

Automation; Construction equipment; Construction safety; Excavating equipment; Global Positioning System; Inertial navigation systems; Positioning

Differential Global Positioning System; Georeferencing; Inertial measurement units; Machine control

Construction; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2011 Paper #11-1200

TRIS, TRB

Feb 17 2011 5:43PM