THE ROAD MODEL - ROADROBOT’S EXPERIENCE IN APPLYING STANDARDS TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROCESS’ MODELS

Abstract

This paper starts by presenting, in short, the architecture developed within European Project ESPRIT III 6660 RoadRobot (Operator Assisted Mobile Road Robot For Heavy Duty Civil Engineering Applications), that aimed towards the full automation of road construction sites. The purpose of the architecture was to lay the basis for the development of a system capable of integrating a set of applications in a common architecture based on the use of a standard (ISO 10303-STEP). The presented architecture has demonstrated the full integration of information and control, starting by loading the information from the selected CAE system (InRoads from Intergraph), down, through the intermediate steps, to the automatic control of a Road Paver from German manufacturer VÖGELE. The main focus of the paper is on the standard-based information models that have been developed to represent project information throughout the road construction cycle. The initial Road Model Kernel created by TNO has been extended to support road specifications that include an update on the specification of asphalt layers for road paving, but also the addition of geological information for the specification of excavation activities. A set of models has been developed for the maintenance of information regarding planning and scheduling of activities, which takes into account the project information. A model for resources is used form maintaining resource information for allocation during planning and scheduling. Finally a control model has been developed for control of execution of activities. The RoadRobot has demonstrated the use of this architecture, and its underlying information models on a demonstration where information downloaded from the CAE system has made its way to a road paver who paved a road segment without on-site human intervention.