Leica SmartGUIDE Marine Block Positioning System

Introduction

Leica SmartGUIDE is a guidance positioning solution for offshore concrete block placement, designed to assist the crane operator to precisely place concrete blocks in underwater, or poor visibility situations.

SmartGUIDE greatly reduces the need for divers to oversee the block placement process, offering the follwing benefits to the project:

! increased accuracy of block placement

! reduced installation costs & time

! reduced site safety risks

SmartGUIDE is designed to work with a wide range of applications, and is not specific to a brand of machinery,

therefore special adaptations, including mounting hardware and sensors may be necessary to install on some

brands of crane.

Breakwater Block prepared for transfer to crane,

for final placement with Leica SmartGUIDE

Data Preparation

SmartGUIDE requires a 3D design model of the intended project. SmartDESIGN is an office-based software

specifically designed to manage the block coordinate design process.

The project surveyor imports the proposed design coordinates of each block, and the bathymetric elevation of the

sea floor.into SmartDESIGN, which then creates a final 3D working design model for the machine computer,

mounted on the crane, to manage the placement process in real-time.

Using SmartDESIGN, it is also possible to check and simulate the position of each Block, and to produce a

complete report about the number of blocks required to create, for example, a Breakwater design.

SmartDESIGN creates a “node net” project in 3D, optionally including multiple Layers for each Block type.

SmartDESIGN can be used also to produce the final as-built Reports.

Equipment & Working Method

The crane is equipped with a Leica PowerBox GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) receiver and ruggedized antenna, and a

Leica MPC1310 machine computer. Power for the system is supplied by the crane.

A dual-axis inclinometer (slope sensor) is installed on the crane’s boom, which, together with the GPS

coordinates of the top-of-boom, and a rotary encoder to measure the cable extension, provides

accurate coordinates of the block attached to the crane’s lifting mechanism.

The coordinates are displayed in real-time, on the ruggedised Leica Geosystems MPC1310 machine computer,

together with information on boom slope, cable length and correct tensioning of the cable for finalising block

placement.

The operator manually guides the block into position, assisted by a “Radial distance” indicator and cross-hair, until

a “Green” status indicator advises the block is within the defined placement coordinates.

SmartGUIDE Operator Interface

System Hardware

General Arrangement on the Crane

Leica MNS1202 GNSS Antenna

mounted over rotation point of cable

windlass, with self-plumbing bracket

Dual-axis

Slope Sensor

Rotary Encoder for cable

length measurement

(n.b. not required for

certain Liebherr cranes)Leica MPC1310

Machine Computer

with SmartGUIDE

application