Ultrawideband for Automated Real-Time Three-Dimensional Location Sensing for Workforce, Equipment, and Material Positioning and Tracking

Abstract

Management of construction resources, such as workforce, equipment, and material, is critical to project success. Completion of work tasks on schedule, safely and within the proposed budget requires a coordinated planning effort that allocates adequate availability of project resources. Because this task alone can become a challenging and time-consuming effort for many field personnel, several existing technologies are reviewed for their benefits and limitations in keeping oversight of resource location and status at job sites. To ensure the optimal solution using the right resources, such knowledge becomes even more meaningful when optimizing construction logistics and safety at the same time. This paper introduces an emerging sensing technology called ultrawideband (UWB) that is capable of determining three-dimensional resource location information in object-cluttered construction environments in real time (up to 60 Hz). The use of UWB is explained in a variety of construction applications including simplifying on-site management, improving resource productivity and usage, reducing schedule and cost, and increasing work zone safety. UWB technology and its advantages and limitations are compared with the state of the art in positioning technologies. Results of preliminary UWB experiments in the laboratory and construction environment are presented using developed data processing algorithms and a method to determine the accuracy of UWB position measurements. The paper discusses the feasibility of using ultrawideband as a data collection and decision support tool for robotic (automated) infrastructure construction applications in the areas of real-time three-dimensional material flow and workforce location tracking, optimized machine positioning and automated navigation, and proactive work zone safety.

Fusing passive RFID and BIM for increased accuracy in indoor localization

“…Trilateration is commonly used in GPS navigation, tracking cell-phones via towers and location of an earthquake epicenter (Anumba and Aziz 2006). Similarly, Ultra Wideband (UWB), a wireless radio frequency based on a real-time locating system (RTLS), also provides context-aware information that can be implemented to track and determine the location of resources in a jobsite , Teizer et al 2008. The UWB utilizes multiple readers to identify the location of tags, but it requires careful installation of these readers at known locations.…”

“…The UWB utilizes multiple readers to identify the location of tags, but it requires careful installation of these readers at known locations. And although both GPS and UWB provide high precision locations, both of these technologies possess several drawbacks for use indoors (Teizer et al 2008, Khoury and Kamat 2009. UWB and Indoor GPS both require due to multi-path effects a line-of-sight between the receiver and transmitter or reference tag, respectively and require considerable time for deployment.…”

Magnetic Field Proximity Detection and Alert Technology for Safe Heavy Construction Equipment Operation

“…Researchers found that safety technologies implemented on construction sites can provide alerts to ground workers and equipment operators in real-time when hazardous proximity situations exists [2]. These technologies provide workers with a "second chance" by creating an additional layer of protection [3].…”

“…A multitude of movements of construction resources coupled with the densely populated nature of construction sites can account for safety concerns resulting from proximity issues [3]. The following review covers injury and fatality incidents associated with proximity issues in the construction industry, current industry safety practices, results to tests with state-of-the-art proximity detection and alert technology.…”

Tracking MEP Installation Works

“…Investigated technologies mainly include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) (Grau, 2009;Ergen, 2007;Li, 2011;Pradhan, 2009;Razavi, 2010;Razavi, 2012), Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) (Teizer, 2008;Cheng, 2011;Shahi, 2012;Saidi, 2011), Global Positioning System (GPS) (Grau, 2009), Photogrammetry (Golparvar-Fard, 2009Golparvar-Fard, 2013), and Three-dimensional Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) (Bosché and Haas, 2008;Kim, 2013;Stone, 2001;Tang, 2010;Tang, 2011).…”