A Next-Generation Machine Guidance and Control System

Janet A. Flinn

Abstract:	"Over the last few decades, machine guidance and control systems have become more pervasive in the mining and construction industries. Dozers, motor-graders, excavators, shovels, drills and haul trucks are just a few examples of the increasing types of heavy machinery that are now equipped with GPS-aided guidance systems. While equipment manufacturers are offering their own software, many only supply solutions for the machines they produce. Furthermore, the proliferation of GPS equipment manufacturers entering the machine guidance and control arena has resulted in a multitude of makes and models of GPS receivers. Some of these companies also produce their own guidance software but typically just specialize in a narrow range of heavy machinery. Consequently, customers are forced to use multiple systems and face new challenges in implementation, training, reporting, and inter-system communication. A next-generation solution has recently been brought to market that can alleviate the predicaments faced by operations using multiple systems. In addition to supporting a mixture of GPS and heavy equipment brands, this new solution can be implemented on a variety of heavy equipment types. The benefits of integrating all GPS-equipped machinery within a single operation can be realized from design and modeling through to analysis and reporting, making machine guidance and control practical for even a small company. This paper provides an overview of the difficulties encountered by multiplesystem operations as well as a detailed discussion of the elements comprising the next-generation solution and its implications on these operations. Lastly, a review of the current progress of this solution in the field is presented."
Published in:	Proceedings of the 61st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2005) June 27 - 29, 2005 Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge, MA
Pages:	392 - 396
Cite this article:	Flinn, Janet A., "A Next-Generation Machine Guidance and Control System," Proceedings of the 61st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2005), Cambridge, MA, June 2005, pp. 392-396.
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