SSI’s offers construction machine control solutions in partnership with the AMW Group, experts in GPS surveying and precision machine control applications for over twenty years.  The SSI-AMW Dirt® and Road® machine control products are available in numerous configurations that allow varying degrees of control of many types of road construction equipment used for subsurface preparation and riding surface placement or correction.  The core competencies of the machine control systems are derived from (1) a high resolution, differential GPS system (with L1/L2 RTK corrections), (2) properly configured and maintained hydraulic and valve hardware, and (3) patented software capabilities for utilization of GPS modeled project design data for dynamic control of road construction machinery. An Overview of the Dirt® and Road® machine control products is below, along with information about the systems’ attributes for Precision Machine Control, Hardware Features, Software Features, and the Operator Interface Computer.  The machine control systems’ core components can also be used as a Mobile Surveying and Design Tool.

Dozer Control with Blade Tilt	Dynamic Adjustment for Graders	Trimmer Steering and Slope Control
Paver Control Without String Lines	Computer Moves Among Machines	Automated Pavement Grinding

 

OVERVIEW

The SSI-AMW Dirt® and Road® machine control products deliver precise, cost saving solutions for road construction sub-grade and riding surface preparation. The systems rely on a dual differential GPS system with high resolution (L1/L2) RTK corrections and The AMW Group’s decades of experience with GPS machine control.  The Dirt® and Road® systems install onto most models of earth work equipment (bulldozers, scrapers, and graders). Higher precision configurations are available for finer machine control of surface preparation or correction equipment (grade trimmers, milling machines, asphalt and concrete pavers, and pavement grinding machines).  Compatible hydraulic and valve control hardware is available as necessary to enable each make and model of machine to achieve the highest degree of precision control.  With the proper hardware, the SSI-AMW Works® software applications can delivery automatic grade control on-board various machines, which are driven from the same rugged computer that can be used for survey and design functions. 

With the SSI-AMW Works® programs, operators can perform field-based grade checking in real-time from the cab of various earthwork machines.  With a data file comprising a surface model, the system computer displays the blade offset from grade and the equipment's current position on the site. The equipment operator is able can cut closer to grade as compared to than with stakes.  With SSI-AMW Works ® operating compatible equipment, the need to stake is eliminated. 

The SSI-AMW Control® software routine automates and enhances control of machine valve and hydraulic components (compatible hardware and electronics interface required).  The SSI-AMW Control® program enables automatic tracking and blade control.  The system can import project site plan data for use in executing real time machine control adjustments.  The SSI-AMW Control® software’s capabilities increase according to the level of sophistication of the valve hardware being controlled.  To enable smoothest corrections, conversion kits are available to install compatible hydraulic and proportional (or pulsing) valve controls on existing equipment.  Retrofit valve and hydraulic hardware is available to replace existing components as necessary to enhance the capabilities of the SSI-AMW Control® program.  Contact SSI to review existing equipment controls and their degree of compatibility with the SSI-AMW Control® application.

Figure 1 presents a summary of the Dirt® and Road® machine control products according to the type of machine and degree of the available control solutions:

PRODUCT		MACHINE	CONTROL
DIRT I		SCRAPERS	ELEVATION, ONE VALVE
DIRT II		DOZERS	ELEVATION, CROSS SLOPE, TWO VALVES
DIRT III		GRADERS, PAVERS	ELEVATION, CROSS SLOPE, LONG SLOPE, TWO VALVES
ROAD I		SCRAPERS	ELEVATION, ONE VALVE
ROAD II		DOZERS	ELEVATION, CROSS SLOPE, TWO VALVES
ROAD III		GRADERS, PAVERS	ELEVATION, CROSS SLOPE, LONG SLOPE, TWO VALVES
ROAD IIII		TRIMMERS, MILLS, PROFILERS, GRINDERS, CONCRETE PAVERS	ELEVATION, CROSS SLOPE, LONG SLOPE, STEERING, FOUR VALVES

Figure 1:  Machine Control Products Summarized by Machine Type and Degree of Available Control

The SSI-AMW machine control systems are significantly different from other commercially available GPS control systems. Some of the key advantages are:

	Setup the base anywhere—no monument required.
	Guide from the plans, or mix grade, slope, or line.
	Modify cross sectional data with design features.
	Visualize cross-sectional data from anywhere on the project.
	Controls super elevations by cross-section.
	Eliminates need for grade “stakes and hubs.
	Versatile—portable, modular components are usable on multiple equipment platforms.
	Mapping feature allows operator to work without plans.

For further information, pricing and availability of the Dirt® and Road® machine control products, or the related mobile surveying and design tools, Contact SSI.

 

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PRECISION MACHINE CONTROL

For dirt equipment applications, Dirt® and Road® machine control products can be installed on most models of scrapers, dozers or graders.  The SSI-AMW Control® software has a real-time display of the current system status, including digital depictions of cut/fill areas, NEZ positioning coordinates, speed, percent slope, GPS quality, overhead cut/rill, or “heads-up blade position” profile view.  System operators can quickly generate supers, horizontal and vertical curvatures, transitional and independent grades.  Figure 2 is a sample screen from the Control® software while working in a blade control application.

Figure 2:  Sample of Screen During Site Preparation Grade Work

The SSI-AMW Station® subroutine allows for station based grade checking.  In this mode, the system is used to stake, grade or check lineally referenced projects (such as roads, airfield runways, ditches and trenches.  The system operator observes current position based on longitudinal station and cross-section position with cut and fill information displayed simultaneously.  The software calculates the grade anywhere on the road surface and also determines surface areas that exceed cross-section limitations.  Accurate information is generated for locating and placing slope stakes, shoulder points, centerline and ditch stakes.  In addition, the SSI-AMW Station® program accurately assists with such events as transitions, atypical cross-sections, super elevations, and vertical curves.  

The SSI-AMW Field® software routine allows fast stake placement.  Using the SSI-AMW Field module, the system operator is not limited to pre-selected points or lines.  The operator can stake surface geometry based on randomly or regularly spaced points.  From anywhere on the project site, the visual and coordinate position is displayed on the interface computer’s screen, along with a color-coded grid of cut and fill indications.  Stake positioning is displayed on an on-screen map.  Displaced stakes can be quickly replaced by simply instructing the same software and GPS components mounted to a vehicle (such as the SSI CSX50 System to return to the correct stake location.  The SSI-AMW Field® software is ideal for projects such projects as shopping centers, landfills, subdivisions, mitigation areas, industrial parks and golf courses.  Finish grade plans can be designed with the SSI-AMW Dirt Pro software or from data files imported from other software formats (supported formats include NEZ, TXT, CSV, and DXF).  Background drawings can be added to overlay and display additional site and project information.

For finer, higher resolution machine control applications, the Dirt® and Road® machine control systems can be configured on grade trimmers, milling machines, profilers, pavement grinding machines, as well as asphalt and concrete pavers.  The system capabilities increase in relation to the sophistication of the valve hardware on the machine being controlled.  For maximum effectiveness, customized hardware retrofit kits are available to install compatible hydraulic or proportional/pulsing) valve controls onto the customer’s existing machines.  The retrofit valve and hydraulic hardware replaces existing components as necessary to enhance the capabilities of the SSI-AMW Control® program. 

The AMW Control® routine enables dynamic control of multiple valves and controls.  For example on a grade trimming machine, the system simultaneously controls planes in the fore and aft, left and right directions, as well as the steering.  The precision machine control applications utilize high resolution data from the differential RTK corrected system as processed by the proprietary SSI-AMW software applications.  The software programs are easy to use, cross section based applications.  Figure 3 is a sample of the working screen from the Control® software while working on a grade trimmer.

Figure 3:  Sample of Working Screen During Grade Trimming Operation

The SSI-AMW Dirt® and Road® machine control products offer significant, proven benefits.  Contractors using the technology will attest to its many advantages, including: 

	Work from plans without string-lines.
	Get on and off the job quicker.
	Avoid mistakes from bad grade stakes.
	Improved accuracy, allowing better a better job to be built with fewer mistakes.
	One setup for multiple passes, slopes, and lanes.
	Award winning projects for construction quality and pavement smoothness.

For contractor testimonials or further information, Contact SSI.

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MOBILE SURVEYING PRODUCTS

SSI’s Mobile Surveying & Design Products are fully compatible with all machine control systems.  The same high resolution, differentially corrected GPS hardware can be used on a lightweight or standard vehicle to create a mobile surveying platform.  With this configuration, the high speed profiler’s data collection system adds an embedded (board level) GPS receiver with a paired base unit for collecting high accuracy, corrected GPS data.  As a mobile surveying vehicle, the system generates a higher resolution surface topography map than conventional surveying methods in a fraction of the time.  The high resolution surface data file can be used in standard engineering software for design applications.  The same GPS components can be detached and used on other devices for site preparation and machine control applications.  Click here for more details. 

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PICTURES (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Dozer/Grader
Trimmer/Mills
Paving Machines

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HARDWARE FEATURES

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SOFTWARE FEATURES

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OPERATOR INTERFACE COMPUTER

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