System for improved positioning of road construction machines

A system for positioning of a road construction machine of the type paver, or milling machine, surface miner, recycler or soil stabilizer, the system comprises:

• a first measuring unit configured for continuously generating first measuring data in a first detection range during a movement of the road construction machine and comprising at least a first camera and a first LiDAR sensor module, wherein camera and LiDAR data are recorded covering the first detection range with minimum repetition rate and minimum resolution,
• several markers,
• a data memory, wherein the data memory has stored:
• a 3D design model referenced with respect to a 3D construction site coordinate system, and
• information about a known absolute reference of the several markers in the 3D construction site coordinate system,
• a computing unit, wherein the computing unit is configured for:
• identification of the several markers within the first measuring data and determination of relative positions of the several markers within the first detection range within the first measuring data,
• determination of a pose of the first measuring unit and therewith the pose, particularly in six degrees of freedom, of the road construction machine in the 3D construction site coordinate system based on the determined relative positions of the several markers and the stored information about the known absolute reference of the several markers, and
• deriving steering commands for the road construction machine so as to work in accordance with the 3D design model,
• wherein, as the road construction machine and thus also the first detection range moves forward in accordance with the 3D design model, several further markers, which have not been identified within the first measuring data so far, appear in the first detection range, wherein the computing unit is configured for:
• identification of the several further markers and some still identified markers of the several markers within the first measuring data and determination of relative positions of the several further markers within the moved first detection range within the first measuring data,
• deriving information about a known absolute reference of the several further markers in the 3D construction site coordinate system as new absolute reference in the 3D construction site coordinate system and storing the new absolute reference as new information in the data memory,
• wherein the step of determination of the pose of the first measuring unit and therewith the pose of the road construction machine in the 3D construction site coordinate system is further based on the determined relative positions of the several further markers and the stored new information about the known new absolute reference.

A system for positioning of a road construction machine of the type paver, or milling machine, surface miner, recycler or soil stabilizer, the system comprises:

• a first measuring unit configured for continuously generating first measuring data in a first detection range during a movement of the road construction machine and comprising at least a first camera and a first LiDAR sensor module, wherein camera and LiDAR data are recorded covering the first detection range with minimum repetition rate and minimum resolution,
• several markers,
• a data memory, wherein the data memory has stored:
• a 3D design model referenced with respect to a 3D construction site coordinate system, and
• information about a known absolute reference of the several markers in the 3D construction site coordinate system,
• a computing unit, wherein the computing unit is configured for:
• identification of the several markers within the first measuring data and determination of relative positions of the several markers within the first detection range within the first measuring data,
• determination of a pose of the first measuring unit and therewith the pose, particularly in six degrees of freedom, of the road construction machine in the 3D construction site coordinate system based on the determined relative positions of the several markers and the stored information about the known absolute reference of the several markers, and
• deriving steering commands for the road construction machine so as to work in accordance with the 3D design model, and
• two GNSS receivers for receiving signals from navigation satellites positioned on the road construction machine fixed and in known relationship with respect to one another,
• wherein the first measuring unit is arranged on the road construction machine in a predefined position with respect to the GNSS receivers, and the computing unit is configured for using the signals to generate direction vectors and for deriving the steering commands for the road construction machine so as to work in accordance with the 3D design model based on the direction vectors.

A system for positioning of a road construction machine of the type paver, or milling machine, surface miner, recycler or soil stabilizer, the system comprises:

• a first measuring unit configured for continuously generating first measuring data in a first detection range during a movement of the road construction machine and comprising at least a first camera and a first LiDAR sensor module, wherein camera and LiDAR data are recorded covering the first detection range with minimum repetition rate and minimum resolution,
• several markers,
• a data memory, wherein the data memory has stored:
• a 3D design model referenced with respect to a 3D construction site coordinate system, and
• information about a known absolute reference of the several markers in the 3D construction site coordinate system,
• a computing unit, wherein the computing unit is configured for:
• identification of the several markers within the first measuring data and determination of relative positions of the several markers within the first detection range within the first measuring data,
• determination of a pose of the first measuring unit and therewith the pose, particularly in six degrees of freedom, of the road construction machine in the 3D construction site coordinate system based on the determined relative positions of the several markers and the stored information about the known absolute reference of the several markers, and
• deriving steering commands for the road construction machine so as to work in accordance with the 3D design model,
• the system further comprising several mobile markers configured to be attached to at least one vehicle at known positions, wherein the at least one vehicle is moving ahead and/or behind the road construction machine, such that the several mobile markers are within one of the first or further detection ranges of the first or further measuring units, and a sending unit configured to send steering commands to the at least one vehicle such that the road construction machine and the at least one vehicle being capable of travelling in formation, wherein the computing unit is configured for:
• identification of the several mobile markers within one of the first or further measuring data and determination of relative positions of the several mobile markers within one of the first or further detection ranges within the first or further measuring data,
• determination of a pose, particularly in six degrees of freedom, of the at least one vehicle in the 3D construction site coordinate system based on the determined relative positions of the several mobile markers and the pose of one of the first or further measuring units,
• deriving further steering commands for the at least one vehicle so as to work in accordance with the 3D design model,
• transmitting the further steering commands to the sending unit.