System for positioning a pile driving rig or similar installation

• US 5,548,397 A
• Filed: 10/28/1994
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hollandsche Beton Groep N.V. (ACS Actividades de Construcción y Servicios SA)
• Original Assignee: Hollandsche Beton Groep N.V. (ACS Actividades de Construcción y Servicios SA)
• Inventors: Schepes, Gerardus N., de Bruin, Bas H., Lucieer, Willem J., Van de Griendt, Michiel A., Kool, Anthonie F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US08/331,172
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 172/4.5, 356/141.1
• US Class Current: 356/141.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips

Abstract

System for positioning a vehicle within a predetermined area, which system is provided with a laser transmitter/receiver and three or more laser reflectors which are located outside and/or inside the predetermined area, the position of the laser transmitter/receiver with respect to the laser reflectors being determined continuously with the aid of a method known per se. The position of a reference point on the vehicle with respect to the laser reflectors is determined continuously with the aid of the laser transmitter/receiver . The vehicle is provided with movable parts with which predetermined work can be carried out and is provided with sensors with which the position of a number of movable parts of the vehicle is measured continuously, which parts are determining for the relative position, with respect to the reference point, of the location where the said work is carried out. Furthermore, a processor is present, which is designed and/or programmed in such a way that said processor processes the output signals from the said sensors and from the laser transmitter/receiver and on the basis of said signals determines the position of the location where the work is being carried out, with respect to the laser reflectors.

Claims

1. System for positioning a vehicle within a predetermined area, which system is provided with a laser transmitter/receiver and three or more laser reflectors which are located outside and/or inside the predetermined area, the position of the laser transmitter/receiver with respect to the laser reflectors being determined continuously with the aid of a method known per se, characterised in that

the vehicle is provided with movable parts with which predetermined work can be carried out,

the position of a reference point on the vehicle with respect to the laser reflectors is determined continuously with the aid of the laser transmitter/receiver,

the vehicle is provided with sensors with which the position of a number of movable parts of the vehicle is measured continuously, which parts are determining for the relative position, with respect to the reference point, of the location where the said work is carried out,

a processor is present, which is designed and/or programmed in such a way that said processor processes the output signals from the said sensors and from the laser transmitter/receiver and on the basis of said signals determines the position of the location where the work is being carried out, with respect to the laser reflectors, and

there is a communication link between the sensors on the vehicle and the processor for the transfer of measured values from the sensors to the processor and in that there is a communication link between the laser transmitter/receiver and the processor for the transfer of measured values between the laser transmitter/receiver and the processor.

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the vehicle is provided, at the reference point, with a laser reflector, and in that the laser transmitter/receiver is located at a predetermined position from where it is able to direct radiation onto an adequate number of laser reflectors in order to be able to determining the position of the laser reflector at the reference point from the measured values obtained.

3. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the laser transmitter/receiver is located at the said reference point on the vehicle.

4. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the communication link between the sensors on the vehicle and the processor for the transfer of measured values from the sensors to the processor is formed by a cordless communication path.

5. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the communication link between laser transmitter/receiver and the processor is formed by a cordless communication path.

6. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the processor is located on the vehicle.

7. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the system is provided with an indicator or display panel which is connected to the processor via a communication link and on which information relating to the specific position of the location where the predetermined work is to be carried out can be displayed and, also, one or more specific positions can be indicated before the specific work is started.

8. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the communication link between the processor and the indicator unit is formed by a cordless communication path.

9. System according to claim 7, characterised in that the indicator panel is located on the vehicle.

10. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the processor also provides information relating to the position of the vehicle as a whole on the basis of the output signals from the laser transmitter/receiver.

11. System according to claim 7, characterised in that the vehicle constitutes a mobile pile driving rig, drilling rig or similar installation, intended for introducing elongated objects such as piles, sheet piling element, screw piles, pipes and the like, into the ground.

12. System according to claim 11, characterised in that the indicator panel is designed as a two-dimensional display panel on which the specific position of the location where the elongated object is to be introduced into the ground and/or the position of the vehicle as a whole is displayed as a marking which is superimposed on a plan of the predetermined area.

13. System according to claim 12, characterised in the means are present for marking at least one predetermined desired position on the plan which is shown on the display panel.

14. System according to claim 13, characterised in the means are present for zooming in on the plan on the display panel to such an extent that it becomes possible for the vehicle operators, by manipulating the vehicle and/or the said parts which are determining for the position where the elongated object is to be introduced into the ground, to cause a desired position to coincide with the said determined position within a predetermined tolerance.

15. System according to claim 1, characterised in that means are present in order, after an elongated object has been introduced into the ground, to display a marker on the screen which indicates that an elongated object has been introduced into the ground at the position concerned.

16. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the vehicle is provided with angular position detectors, with which the angular position or inclination of the vehicle with respect to the horizontal plane is determined in at least two mutually perpendicular horizontal directions.

17. Systems according to claim 1, characterised in that the laser transmitter/receiver is mounted on top of or on the vehicle a relatively large distance away from the guides for the elongated object, such that the laser transmitter/receiver has a field of view of at least 180 degrees and preferably at least about 270 degrees, and in that the number of laser reflectors and the location thereof is chosen such that the laser transmitter/receiver is capable of determining the position of the vehicle with sufficient accuracy in every location within the area and in every position of the vehicle.

18. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the vehicle is provided with detectors with which any angular position of the guides for the elongated object with respect to the vertical can be determined.

19. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the number of laser reflectors is at least one higher than the minimum number theoretically required in order to determine the position of the vehicle.

20. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the system is provided with a memory in which the data relating to a number of specific positions where an elongated object has been introduced into the ground can be stored.

21. System according to claim 19, characterised in that, following introduction of an elongated object, the position thereof is calculated once again and the data resulting from this calculation are stored in the memory.