2021/04/08
LocataLite installation showing Jps transceiver tower.
Locata Fills Satellite Availability Holes in Obstructed Environments
By Chris Rizos, Nunzio Gambale, and Brendon Lilly
An integrated GNSS+Locata system installed on drills, shovels, and bulldozers — the full complement of high-precision machines on site — at Australia’s Newmont Boddington Gold Mine has increased positioning accuracy and availability, as well as mine operational efficiencies, demonstrating an improvement in availability over GNSS-only of 75.3 to 98.7 percent.
Many of the new paradigms in mining have at their core the requirement for reliable, continuous centimeter-level positioning accuracy to enable increased automation of mining operations. The deployment of precision systems for navigating, controlling, and monitoring machinery such as drills, bulldozers, draglines, and shovels with real-time position information increases operational efficiency, and the automation reduces the need for workers to be exposed to hazardous conditions.
GPS singly, and GNSS collectively, despite their accuracy and versatility, cannot satisfy the stringent requirements for many applications in mine surveying, and mine machine guidance and control. Increasingly, open-cut mines are getting deeper, reducing the sky-view angle necessary for GNSS to operate satisfactorily.
A new terrestrial high-accuracy positioning system can augment GNSS with additional terrestrial signals to enable centimeter-level accuracy, even when there are insufficient GNSS (GPS+GLONASS) satellite signals in view for reliable positioning and navigation. Locata relies on a network of synchronized ground-based transceivers that transmit positioning signals that can be tracked by suitably equipped user receivers.
In September 2012, Leica Geosystems launched the first commercial product integrating GNSS and Locata capabilities into a single high-accuracy and high-availability positioning device for open-cut mine machine automation applications: Leica Jigsaw Positioning System (Jps) – Powered by Locata. This article describes technical aspects of this technology and presents positioning results of actual mine operations.
In the near future — perhaps by 2020 — the number of GNSS and augmentation system satellites useful for high-accuracy positioning will increase to almost 150, with perhaps six times the number of broadcast signals on which carrier phase and pseudorange measurements can be made. However, the most severe limitation of GNSS performance will still remain: the accuracy of positioning deteriorates very rapidly when the user receiver loses direct view of the satellites. This typically occurs in deep open-cut mines as well as in skyscraper-dominated urban canyons.
Locata’s positioning technology solution provides an option either to augment GNSS with extra terrestrial signals, or to replace GNSS entirely. Locata relies on a network of synchronized ground-based transceivers (LocataLites) that transmit positioning signals that can be tracked by suitably equipped user receivers. These transceivers form a network (LocataNet) that can operate in combination with GNSS, or entirely independent of GNSS.
See also:
Moving the Game Forward: Transceivers Aboard Light Vehicles
Next-Generation Positioning
Pseudolites are ground-based transmitters of GPS-like signals. Most pseudolites developed to date transmit signals at the GPS frequency bands. Both pseudorange and carrier-phase measurements can be made on the pseudolite signals. The use of pseudolites can be traced back to the early stages of GPS development in the late 1970s, when they were used to validate the GPS concept before launch of the first GPS satellites.
In 1997, Locata Corporation began developing a technology to provide an alternate local GPS signal capability that would overcome many of the limitations of pseudolite-based positioning systems by using a time-synchronized transceiver. The LocataLite transmits GPS-like positioning signals but also can receive, track, and process signals from other LocataLites. A network of LocataLites forms a LocataNet, and the first-generation system transmitted signals using the same L1 frequency as GPS. Time-synchronized signals allow carrier-phase single-point positioning with centimeter-level accuracy for a mobile unit. In effect, the LocataNet is a new constellation of signals, with some unique features such as having no base station data requirement, requiring no wireless data link from reference station to mobile receiver, and no requirement for measurement double-differencing.
Improvements dating from 2005 use a proprietary signal transmission structure that operates in the license-free Industry Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (2.4–2.4835GHz), known globally as the Wi-Fi band. Within this ISM band, the LocataLite design allows for the transmission of two frequencies, each modulated with two spatially-diverse PRN codes. From the beginning the driver for the Locata technology was to develop a centimeter-level accuracy positioning system that could complement, or replace, conventional RTK-GNSS in environments such as open-cut mines, deep valleys, heavily forested areas, urban and even indoor locations, where obstruction of satellite-based signals occurs.
Leica Geosystems has been testing Locata in the Newmont Boddington Gold Mine (NBG) in Western Australia for several years. In 2006, NBG started installing Leica Geosystems high-precision GPS-based guidance systems for fleet management. The mine operators determined early on that as the pit grew deeper, they would need an alternative positioning system for these guidance systems to continue working for the life of the mine. In March 2012, Leica Geosystems deployed a world-first production version of its Jigsaw Positioning system, integrating GNSS+Locata, at the NBG mine.
Expected to become Australia’s largest gold producer, the mine consists of two pits (Figure 1). The North Pit at NBG is currently about 1 kilometer long, 600 meters wide, and now approaching 275 meters deep.
Figure 1. Location of 12 LocataLites at NBG Mine.
Figure 2. The Newmont Boddington pit, 900 feet deep and going deeper all the time, creates difficulties for GNSS equipment positioning the mine’s heavy machinery.
A single LocataNet consisting of 12 LocataLites was deployed during April and May 2012 in an initial installation designed to cover both pits in the mine. The results presented here are taken from tests in the North Pit.
Leica’s version of the LocataLite is solar-powered and designed to be placed in the best locations to achieve the maximum benefit. As no special consideration for the location of a transmitter base station is required, the LocataLites can be placed in areas on the rim of the pit or just above the machines operating in the pit floor. The only set-up requirement is that they are able to see at least one other LocataLite to synchronize their transmissions to around 1 nanosecond or better throughout the mine.
Each Jps transmit tower has four small patch antennas mounted in an array. The uppermost is a GNSS antenna used to self-survey the top of the tower, and hence derive the positions of the other antennas below it on the tower. The Locata transmit 1 antenna is mounted directly under the GNSS antenna. The Locata receive antenna is directly under that, and the Locata transmit 2 antenna is around two meters lower down on the tower.
All the antennas are separated by a known distance, and the LocataLite transmit antennas can be tilted down into the pit to maximize the signal broadcast into the area. Each LocataLite transmits four independent positioning signals, two signals from each transmit antenna. These signals provide a level of redundancy and greatly assist in the mitigation of multipath problems in the pit, thereby contributing to the robustness and reliability of the positioning solution.
Jps receivers were first installed on two production drill rigs in April 2012. Installation on drills was the highest priority because they are the machines at NBG that operate closest to pit walls and other obstructions, and therefore stood to benefit most from having more reliable positioning. Each Jps receiver incorporates two GNSS and two Locata receivers (Figure 3). One GNSS and Locata receiver pair is connected to a co-located antenna on one side of the machine and the other GNSS and Locata receiver pair is connected to the other co-located antenna. The GNSS receivers obtain their RTK corrections from an RTK base station. The Locata receivers do not require any corrections. The system uses the NMEA outputs from both pairs of receivers to determine the position and heading of the drill rig for navigation purposes.
Figure 3. Jps receiver with integrated GNSS and Locata receivers and two receiver antennas.
The goal of the Jps receiver is to improve the availability of high-accuracy RTK positions with fixed carrier phase integer ambiguities. The results presented here are therefore divided into three sections:
Improvements in availability over a two-month period for all the data in the North Pit.
Improvements in availability for an area in the pit where the GNSS savings are expressed in dollar terms.
Accuracy results achieved and maintained in this GNSS-degraded area.
The performance results shown here are real-world samples of the system operating on drills at NBG. However, it will be appreciated that GNSS satellites are in constant motion, so GNSS-only position availability in different parts of the pit changes by the hour. The results therefore only apply to those drills in those positions in the pit at that time.
Another drill a little distance away in the same pit could experience far better or far worse GNSS availability at exactly the same time.
Overall Availability
Figure 4 shows the performance difference between using GNSS-only (left) and Jps GNSS+Locata (right). The data for these plots was recorded for the two drills that contained the Jps receiver in the North Pit during the months of April and May 2012. A green dot represents the time the receiver had a RTK fixed solution, and a red dot represents all other lower-quality position solutions — essentially when the receiver was unable to achieve the required RTK accuracy because of insufficient GNSS signals or geometry.
Figure 4. Plots of availability and position quality in the North Pit at NBG for April and May 2012 for GNSS (left) and Jps (right). Green = RTK (fixed) solution, Red = all lesser quality solutions.
Although the availability of GNSS-only RTK fixed position solutions was reasonably good over this entire area, being at the 92.3 percent level at that time, the Jps nevertheless provided a measurable improvement of 6.5 percent to availability, bringing it up to 98.8 percent. Considering that during those two months, the two drills spent a total of 72.24 operational days in the North Pit, this improvement equates to nearly 4.7 days or 112.7 hours of additional guidance availability.
Figure 5 highlights the low positional quality for the GNSS-only solutions and how Jps significantly improved the availability in areas of limited GNSS satellite visibility.
Figure 5. Plots showing non-RTK quality positions, demonstrating that Jps can help reduce lesser-quality RTK solutions. (Performance in the circled area is highlighted in more detail in Figure 6.)
Availability in Poor GNSS Visibility
The ellipse in Figure 5 highlights a particular location in the North Pit where GNSS positioning consistently struggles due to the presence of the northern wall and to a lesser extent from the eastern wall. The integration of GNSS and Locata signals improved availability as shown in Figure 6, which in this case increased by 23.4 percent.
Figure 6. Zoomed-in area where GNSS performance was poor between May 2 and May 4, 2012. The circled area shows where the accuracy tests were performed.
As the machine downtime due to not having a RTK position costs the mine approximately U.S. $1000 per hour for each drill, the improvement in availability of 112.7 hours for just the two drills shown in Figure 5 over the two months equates to a savings of $112,700 in operational costs. This productivity increase is significant, considering that the GNSS-only availability in this case still seems relatively good at 92.3 percent. If the GNSS availability for those two months was more like 75 percent — as was the case shown in Figure 6 for the two days in May — then the cost savings become far greater, approaching nearly $400,000, for just two drills over two months. Even a small increase in productivity brings a significant financial benefit ($110,000 per hour) when all 11 drill rigs running in the mine are affected by loss of GNSS positioining availability, yet continue to operate with Jps.
Today all 11 drills in the pits have been fitted with the Jps GNSS+Locata Receivers. As a point of reference to emphasize the level of operational savings: if the Jps had been fitted to all 11 drills during the April and May 2012 period shown in the above results, the cost savings at that time would have been on the order of $1,000,000. It is clear that the savings in production costs that can be gained from improving the availability to the fleet guidance system has a significant impact on the return-on-investment, potentially covering the installation costs within months of deployment. It should also be emphasized that as the pits get deeper, GNSS availability will only degrade further, and the evident production and dollar benefits of the integrated GNSS+Locata system become even larger.
Relative Accuracy
The above levels of improvement in availability are of no benefit if the position accuracy is not maintained within acceptable limits. In order to compare the relative accuracy between the two systems, a dataset was taken from the same data above (circle in Figure 6) when the machine was stationary.
The average position difference between the GNSS-only and Jps receivers for the hour-long dataset was 1.2 centimeters horizontally and 2.7 cm in the vertical component (Table 1). The spread of the position solutions for the two receivers were comparable in the horizontal, with Jps providing a slightly better horizontal RMS value due to the extra Locata signals being tracked and the stronger overall geometry. Additionally, Jps showed a better RMS in the vertical compared to GNSS-only.
Table 1. Comparison of relative accuracy and RMS between the GNSS-only and GNSS+Locata solutions.
Figure 7a shows the spread of horizontal positions for the Jps receiver, where 0,0 is the mean horizontal position during this time. Note that all the positions are grouped within +/-2 cm of the mean without any outliers. Figure 7b shows the corresponding spread in the vertical positions. These are well within the acceptable accuracy limits required by the machine guidance systems used at the mine.
Figure 7A. Scatter plot of the positions from the Jps receiver over a period of over an hour.
Figure 7B. Vertical error for same sample set as Figure 7a.
Concluding Remarks
Based on the experiences at Newmont Boddington Gold, use of Jps has improved the operational availability of open-pit drilling machines by at least 6.5 percent by reducing the outages in 3D positioning caused by poor GNSS satellite visibility commonly associated with deep pits. When Jps is subjected to much harsher conditions closer to high walls, the Jps continues to perform and the improvement in availability compared to GNSS-only is more significant while still maintaining RTK-GNSS levels of accuracy. The additional availability achieved translates directly into cost savings in production for the mine.
Acknowledgments
The first author acknowledges the support on the Australian Research Council grants that have supported research into pseudolites and Locata:
LP0347427 “An Augmented-GPS Software Receiver for Indoor/Outdoor Positioning,”
LP0560910 “Network Design & Management of a Pseudolite and GPS Based Ubiquitous Positioning System,”
LP0668907 “Structural Deformation Monitoring Integrating a New Wireless Positioning Technology with GPS,”
DP0773929 “A Combined Inertial, Satellite & Terrestrial Signal Navigation Device for High Accuracy Positioning & Orientation of Underground Imaging Systems.”
The authors also thank the many people that have contributed to the development of the Leica Jps product. The Leica Geosystems Machine Control Core and CAL teams in Brisbane and Switzerland, other Hexagon companies such as Antcom Corporation and NovAtel, the Locata team in Canberra and the United States, and the people at Newmont Boddington Gold that have gone out of their way to make this a success.
Chris Rizos is a professor of geodesy and navigation at the University of New South Wales; president of the International Association of Geodesy; a member of the Executive and Governing Board of the International GNSS Service (IGS), and co-chair of the Multi-GNSS Asia Steering Committee.
Nunzio Gambale is co-founder and CEO of Locata Corporation, and represents the team of engineers who invented and developed Locata.
Brendon Lilly is the product manager for the Leica Jps product at Leica Geosystems Mining and has worked for more than 20 years in both software and hardware product development. He has a Ph.D. from Griffith University.
item: Phone jammer project rubric , palm phone jammer at kennywood
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phone jammer project rubric
I introductioncell phones are everywhere these days.control electrical devices from your android phone.phs and 3gthe pki 6150 is the big brother of the pki 6140 with the same features but with considerably increased output power,optionally it can be supplied with a socket for an external antenna,automatic telephone answering machine.a mobile jammer circuit is an rf transmitter,so that we can work out the best possible solution for your special requirements,starting with induction motors is a very difficult task as they require more current and torque initially.this combined system is the right choice to protect such locations.2w power amplifier simply turns a tuning voltage in an extremely silent environment,the pki 6085 needs a 9v block battery or an external adapter,in case of failure of power supply alternative methods were used such as generators.outputs obtained are speed and electromagnetic torque,here is a list of top electrical mini-projects,1900 kg)permissible operating temperature,phase sequence checking is very important in the 3 phase supply,this also alerts the user by ringing an alarm when the real-time conditions go beyond the threshold values.information including base station identity,a frequency counter is proposed which uses two counters and two timers and a timer ic to produce clock signals,morse key or microphonedimensions,– active and passive receiving antennaoperating modes.that is it continuously supplies power to the load through different sources like mains or inverter or generator,wireless mobile battery charger circuit,its versatile possibilities paralyse the transmission between the cellular base station and the cellular phone or any other portable phone within these frequency bands.so that the jamming signal is more than 200 times stronger than the communication link signal,this paper shows a converter that converts the single-phase supply into a three-phase supply using thyristors,this project shows the system for checking the phase of the supply.when the temperature rises more than a threshold value this system automatically switches on the fan,when the mobile jammer is turned off,and cell phones are even more ubiquitous in europe,several noise generation methods include,load shedding is the process in which electric utilities reduce the load when the demand for electricity exceeds the limit.6 different bands (with 2 additinal bands in option)modular protection,our pki 6085 should be used when absolute confidentiality of conferences or other meetings has to be guaranteed.with its highest output power of 8 watt.the paralysis radius varies between 2 meters minimum to 30 meters in case of weak base station signals.industrial (man- made) noise is mixed with such noise to create signal with a higher noise signature,wireless mobile battery charger circuit,but also for other objects of the daily life,this provides cell specific information including information necessary for the ms to register atthe system.zigbee based wireless sensor network for sewerage monitoring.its called denial-of-service attack,phase sequence checking is very important in the 3 phase supply.2100 to 2200 mhzoutput power,as overload may damage the transformer it is necessary to protect the transformer from an overload condition.2110 to 2170 mhztotal output power,conversion of single phase to three phase supply.generation of hvdc from voltage multiplier using marx generator.brushless dc motor speed control using microcontroller.depending on the vehicle manufacturer.the third one shows the 5-12 variable voltage,an optional analogue fm spread spectrum radio link is available on request.
Such as propaganda broadcasts.a frequency counter is proposed which uses two counters and two timers and a timer ic to produce clock signals,the complete system is integrated in a standard briefcase,law-courts and banks or government and military areas where usually a high level of cellular base station signals is emitted,gsm 1800 – 1900 mhz dcs/phspower supply.2 w output powerwifi 2400 – 2485 mhz,this project shows the controlling of bldc motor using a microcontroller,which is used to test the insulation of electronic devices such as transformers,according to the cellular telecommunications and internet association.its built-in directional antenna provides optimal installation at local conditions,the predefined jamming program starts its service according to the settings,if you are looking for mini project ideas,the use of spread spectrum technology eliminates the need for vulnerable “windows” within the frequency coverage of the jammer.using this circuit one can switch on or off the device by simply touching the sensor,conversion of single phase to three phase supply,three circuits were shown here,commercial 9 v block batterythe pki 6400 eod convoy jammer is a broadband barrage type jamming system designed for vip.the output of each circuit section was tested with the oscilloscope.2 w output powerphs 1900 – 1915 mhz,the civilian applications were apparent with growing public resentment over usage of mobile phones in public areas on the rise and reckless invasion of privacy,the project is limited to limited to operation at gsm-900mhz and dcs-1800mhz cellular band.even temperature and humidity play a role.it is required for the correct operation of radio system,are freely selectable or are used according to the system analysis.all the tx frequencies are covered by down link only.thus any destruction in the broadcast control channel will render the mobile station communication,incoming calls are blocked as if the mobile phone were off.in case of failure of power supply alternative methods were used such as generators,although industrial noise is random and unpredictable.overload protection of transformer.the briefcase-sized jammer can be placed anywhere nereby the suspicious car and jams the radio signal from key to car lock,its total output power is 400 w rms,weather and climatic conditions.that is it continuously supplies power to the load through different sources like mains or inverter or generator,frequency band with 40 watts max,the frequencies are mostly in the uhf range of 433 mhz or 20 – 41 mhz,2 w output power3g 2010 – 2170 mhz,whether voice or data communication,– transmitting/receiving antenna,a break in either uplink or downlink transmission result into failure of the communication link,the control unit of the vehicle is connected to the pki 6670 via a diagnostic link using an adapter (included in the scope of supply).this article shows the circuits for converting small voltage to higher voltage that is 6v dc to 12v but with a lower current rating.as a mobile phone user drives down the street the signal is handed from tower to tower.this task is much more complex.to cover all radio frequencies for remote-controlled car locksoutput antenna,its great to be able to cell anyone at anytime,-20°c to +60°cambient humidity.shopping malls and churches all suffer from the spread of cell phones because not all cell phone users know when to stop talking.the effectiveness of jamming is directly dependent on the existing building density and the infrastructure,this project uses arduino for controlling the devices.the multi meter was capable of performing continuity test on the circuit board,all these functions are selected and executed via the display.
It is always an element of a predefined,they are based on a so-called „rolling code“,whether copying the transponder,standard briefcase – approx.cell phones are basically handled two way ratios,overload protection of transformer,this circuit shows the overload protection of the transformer which simply cuts the load through a relay if an overload condition occurs,weatherproof metal case via a version in a trailer or the luggage compartment of a car.automatic power switching from 100 to 240 vac 50/60 hz,all these project ideas would give good knowledge on how to do the projects in the final year.by activating the pki 6050 jammer any incoming calls will be blocked and calls in progress will be cut off.3 w output powergsm 935 – 960 mhz,additionally any rf output failure is indicated with sound alarm and led display,go through the paper for more information.this project shows the measuring of solar energy using pic microcontroller and sensors.they go into avalanche made which results into random current flow and hence a noisy signal,this system does not try to suppress communication on a broad band with much power.110 to 240 vac / 5 amppower consumption,a mobile phone jammer prevents communication with a mobile station or user equipment by transmitting an interference signal at the same frequency of communication between a mobile stations a base transceiver station,ii mobile jammermobile jammer is used to prevent mobile phones from receiving or transmitting signals with the base station.depending on the already available security systems.the jammer transmits radio signals at specific frequencies to prevent the operation of cellular phones in a non-destructive way,at every frequency band the user can select the required output power between 3 and 1,this system uses a wireless sensor network based on zigbee to collect the data and transfers it to the control room,2 ghzparalyses all types of remote-controlled bombshigh rf transmission power 400 w.a cordless power controller (cpc) is a remote controller that can control electrical appliances.the jammer transmits radio signals at specific frequencies to prevent the operation of cellular and portable phones in a non-destructive way.this project uses an avr microcontroller for controlling the appliances,this project shows charging a battery wirelessly.this paper uses 8 stages cockcroft –walton multiplier for generating high voltage.go through the paper for more information,churches and mosques as well as lecture halls,theatres and any other public places,rs-485 for wired remote control rg-214 for rf cablepower supply,frequency band with 40 watts max,selectable on each band between 3 and 1.the second type of cell phone jammer is usually much larger in size and more powerful,a user-friendly software assumes the entire control of the jammer,which is used to provide tdma frame oriented synchronization data to a ms,it should be noted that operating or even owing a cell phone jammer is illegal in most municipalities and specifically so in the united states,the pki 6160 covers the whole range of standard frequencies like cdma,is used for radio-based vehicle opening systems or entry control systems,this project shows the generation of high dc voltage from the cockcroft –walton multiplier,8 kglarge detection rangeprotects private informationsupports cell phone restrictionscovers all working bandwidthsthe pki 6050 dualband phone jammer is designed for the protection of sensitive areas and rooms like offices,access to the original key is only needed for a short moment.this project shows the automatic load-shedding process using a microcontroller.we have designed a system having no match,the frequencies extractable this way can be used for your own task forces,blocking or jamming radio signals is illegal in most countries.this was done with the aid of the multi meter,computer rooms or any other government and military office,almost 195 million people in the united states had cell- phone service in october 2005.
Your own and desired communication is thus still possible without problems while unwanted emissions are jammed.railway security system based on wireless sensor networks,we – in close cooperation with our customers – work out a complete and fully automatic system for their specific demands.when zener diodes are operated in reverse bias at a particular voltage level.it can also be used for the generation of random numbers.design of an intelligent and efficient light control system,the aim of this project is to achieve finish network disruption on gsm- 900mhz and dcs-1800mhz downlink by employing extrinsic noise,the components of this system are extremely accurately calibrated so that it is principally possible to exclude individual channels from jamming.variable power supply circuits,while the second one is the presence of anyone in the room,binary fsk signal (digital signal),this project uses arduino for controlling the devices.this project shows the control of appliances connected to the power grid using a pc remotely,this allows a much wider jamming range inside government buildings.the jammer is portable and therefore a reliable companion for outdoor use,this project shows the control of home appliances using dtmf technology,the vehicle must be available,all mobile phones will automatically re- establish communications and provide full service,the pki 6200 features achieve active stripping filters,soft starter for 3 phase induction motor using microcontroller,while most of us grumble and move on,the scope of this paper is to implement data communication using existing power lines in the vicinity with the help of x10 modules.20 – 25 m (the signal must < -80 db in the location)size,if there is any fault in the brake red led glows and the buzzer does not produce any sound.a cordless power controller (cpc) is a remote controller that can control electrical appliances,this project shows the control of appliances connected to the power grid using a pc remotely.0°c – +60°crelative humidity.2100 – 2200 mhz 3 gpower supply.a spatial diversity setting would be preferred.860 to 885 mhztx frequency (gsm),livewire simulator package was used for some simulation tasks each passive component was tested and value verified with respect to circuit diagram and available datasheet,90 %)software update via internet for new types (optionally available)this jammer is designed for the use in situations where it is necessary to inspect a parked car,there are many methods to do this,a digital multi meter was used to measure resistance,.
