Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/148063
happen," Robson says. Instead, the automated machine control will keep moving forward without tearing up the ground or the undercarriage. In order for the D61i-23 to produce as accurate a finish grade as possible, Komatsu implemented an enhanced Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU+) along with stroke-sensing hydraulic cylinders. The IMU+ does away with the need for blade-mounted sensors and the strokesensing cylinders allow the system to know the angle of the blade. In the end it amounts not only to easier operation but a big savings in time. Furthering the "intelligence" moniker attached to the D61i-23 is the fact the machine can transmit real time location and grade progress data wirelessly to the office through Komatsu's Komtrax tracking technology and project partner Topcon's construction management system Sitelink3D. Thanks to that connectivity, staking the ground is no longer needed, since information is wirelessly transmitted from the office to the D61i-23. From there, intelligent machine control can be engaged and raises and lowers the blade as the dozer moves forward according to the plans developed in the office. Meanwhile, the GNSS antenna located on the roof of the machine transmits location and grade data back to the office where a real time 3D map is created by Sitelink. So will this lead to robot dozers roaming the jobsite autonomously? That's still in the future, says Robson, who also makes the point that intelligent machine control in no way removes the value of having an experienced operator. Robson says experienced operators are becoming "multi-taskers," becoming more proficient with BIM, design software and the planning stages that allow machine control to do its job on the site. Integration The dozer's integrated Komtrax telematics system, combined with Topcon's construction management Sitelink 3D system, will allow access to real-time machine data and give users the ability to track work progress, including the amount of soil moved. EquipmentWorld.com | August 2013 31