GNSS Technology for Digpilot Machine Control Systems

Altus Positioning Systems, USA, is supplying high-precision GNSS RTK receivers to the Norwegian machine control company DigPilot for use in its line of three-dimensional machine control packages for excavators.

The DigPilot 3D excavator control system uses an onboard Altus APS-3 receiver that attaches to the excavator arm. The APS-3 transmits position data in real time via a proprietary wireless format to a display monitor in the machine’s cab, permitting the operator to position the shovel to cut and fill the earth to meet a computerized model of the design specifications for the project.

The Altus APS-3 is a compact, lightweight, portable 136-channel RTK receiver, which is based on the Septentrio AsteRx2e GNSS engine. The unit is completely configurable from the data collector via Bluetooth to operate with the internal UHF radio or for network rover operation with the internal quad-band GSM/GPRS modem. Its removable 2GB SD memory card enables plug-and-play of raw data transfer for post processing.