JAMES ALLMAN KNAPP
Pilots at Pebble Bch Dr, Casa Grande, AZ

2005028, Dec 22, 2005

Jun 16, 2004

10/868983

Allen Lehman - Payson AZ, US
James Knapp - Casa Grande AZ, US
Evan Hansen - Calgary, CA

G06F019/00

701050000, 701023000

A method and apparatus for providing machine guidance of all types of earthmoving machinery, other heavy equipment, and work site vehicles. The method and apparatus is applicable to any industrial work site such as a construction site, open pit mine, quarry operation, or landfill. The machinery, equipment, or vehicle is not required to be equipped with a positional receiver of any kind. The position of all machinery, equipment, and vehicles is performed by employing an array of 3D laser scanners (or any 3D digital imaging devices) positioned throughout the work site. 3D images of the work site are transmitted from the laser scanners to a remote processing unit via a data link or network. The processing unit analyzes the images and determines the position of the machinery, equipment and vehicles. The positions are transmitted to the machinery, equipment, and vehicles via the data link or network. The current Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the work site is captured and stored in real time in the form of a 3-D digital image, as a by-product of scanning the work site and determining the position of the work site machinery, equipment, and vehicles. The remote processing unit compares the current DTM to the work site's design DTM and transmits the difference to the required machinery, equipment, and vehicles for feedback to their operators in real time.