Construction management system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876307-B2
Application number	US-201815875986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A construction management system for constructing a building including at least one heavy lifting machine for moving a one building element to a mounting position on the building, a central computing unit providing a building information model comprising at least a construction plan comprising a target state of the construction of the building, a three-dimensional model of an actual construction state of the building, and a three-dimensional model of the element, wherein the central computing unit is adapted to determine the mounting position for the element based on the construction plan, the model of the current construction state and on the model of the element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A construction management system for constructing a building by using at least one heavy lifting machine for moving at least one building element to a mounting position on the building, the system comprising:
a central computing unit with a calculation means and a data storage, the central computing unit providing a building information model including:
a construction plan comprising a target state of the construction of the building,
a three-dimensional model of an actual construction state of the building, and
a three-dimensional model of the building element,
wherein the central computing unit is adapted to:
determine the mounting position for the building element based on the construction plan, on the model of the current construction state and on the model of the building element, and
define a threshold distance value, wherein the threshold distance value is also depending on the size of the element;

a machine controlling unit adapted to generate movement information to move the building element to the mounting position by means of the at least one lifting machine; and
a pose determining unit adapted to:
monitor a distance of the element to the mounting position only when the distance is below the pre-defined threshold distance value,
determine, in real time and in six degrees of freedom, a position and orientation of the building element while it is lifted by the lifting machine,
generate pose data based on the determined position and orientation of the building element, and
provide the pose data to the machine controlling unit in real time, wherein the machine controlling unit is adapted to generate the movement information in real time based on the pose data.

2. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the central computing unit is adapted to determine a mounting pose of the building element based on the construction plan, on the model of the current construction state and on the model of the building element, the mounting pose comprising the mounting position and a mounting orientation.

3. The construction management system according to claim 2 , wherein the pose determining unit comprises at least one articulated arm coordinate measuring machine adapted to determine, at the mounting position:
a position of the building element relative to the mounting position and
an orientation of the building element relative to the mounting orientation.

4. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the central computing unit is adapted to determine a movement path from a determined position of the building element to the mounting position, and the movement information comprises movement instructions for moving the building element along the movement path, wherein the machine controlling unit:
is adapted to automatically control the lifting machine based on the movement instructions, or
comprises a display and is adapted to visually provide the movement instructions to an operator of the lifting machine.

5. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the machine controlling unit is adapted to provide the movement information to a user at the mounting position.

6. The construction management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
survey instruments adapted to provide:
the three-dimensional model of the actual construction state of the building, or

the three-dimensional model of the building element.

7. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the pose determining unit comprises:
at least one movable GNSS device attachable to the building element or to a first part of the lifting machine to which the building element is fixed during lifting providing first GNSS data indicating a position of the respective GNSS device.

8. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the pose determining unit:
comprises at least one stationary GNSS device providing stationary GNSS data, and
is adapted to determine at least the position of the building element based on the first GNSS data and on the stationary GNSS data.

9. The construction management system according to claim 1 , wherein the pose determining unit comprises:
at least one surveying device being adapted to determine, in three positional degrees of freedom, a position of a retroreflector that is attached to the building element or to a first part of the lifting machine to which the building element is fixed during craning, providing surveying data indicating the position and orientation of the building element.

10. A method for positioning a building element at a mounting position of a building by means of a heavy lifting machine, the method comprising:
providing a building information model comprising at least:
a construction plan comprising a target state of the construction of the building,
a three-dimensional model of a current construction state of the building,

and
a three-dimensional model of the building element;
determining the mounting position for the building element based on the construction plan, on the model of the current construction state, and on the model of the building element;
defining a threshold distance value, wherein the threshold distance value also depends on the size of the element;
lifting the building element by means of the lifting machine;
monitoring a distance of the element to the mounting position;
determining, only when the distance is below the pre-defined threshold distance value, in real time while the building element is being lifted and in six degrees of freedom, a position and orientation of the building element;
generating pose data based on the determined position and orientation of the building element;
generating movement information in real time based on the pose data; and
moving, by means of the lifting machine, the building element to the mounting position according to the movement information.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein determining the mounting position comprises predicting dimensional changes of the element or of fittings for connecting the building element to the building, said changes occurring during moving the building element or after mounting the building element.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the position and orientation of the building element is determined with increasing accuracy as the element approaches the mounting position.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein determining the position and orientation of the building element comprises determining by means of at least one surveying device a position of a retroreflector that is attached to the building element or to a first part of the lifting machine to which the building element is fixed during lifting.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one surveying device has a surveying area in which the position and orientation of the element is determinable, wherein the method comprises moving the building element into the surveying area.

15. A computer programme product comprising programme code which is stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and having computer-executable instructions for performing:
monitoring a distance of the element to the mounting position;
determining, only when the distance is below a pre-defined threshold distance value, the threshold distance value also depending on the size of the element, in real time and in six degrees of freedom, a position and orientation of a building element while it is lifted;
generating pose data based on the determined position

Assignees

• Hexagon Technology Ct Gmbh

Inventors

• Pettersson Bo

Classifications

• E04B1/35 Primary

  Extraordinary methods of construction, e.g. lift-slab, jack-block (E04B1/34 takes precedence; falsework, shuttering for shaping walls, floors, ceilings or roofs in situ E04G11/04; conveying or assembling of building materials E04G21/00; working measures on existing buildings E04G23/00) · CPC title

• G01B21/04

  by measuring coordinates of points · CPC title

• G01B11/285

  using photoelectric detection means · CPC title

• G06Q50/08

  Construction · CPC title

• G06F30/13 Primary

  Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads · CPC title