Fujita Corporation Press Release
Released:05 Sep 2017

IoT enables visualization of earthwork using heavy construction machinery Utilization of cloud services increases the work productivity by 15%.

Fujita Corporation (Headquarter: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. President: Yoji Okumura), a member of the Daiwa House Group, has developed a system to realize "visualization of earthwork" by integrating all the information from construction machines, operators, workers and surveying data at construction sites. The system has been successfully applied to "the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway Hiromi Section West Road Construction Project"1) in Gifu Prefecture in Japan. By utilizing this system, productivity of earthworks was increased by 15 % compared to conventional method (see earth work volume management graph).

Recently, the use of ICT (information and communication technology) in earthwork construction sites has begun to include 3D surveying using drones and ICT construction machines (operated by using numerical design data), leading to improvement of work efficiency and labor saving. As a result, the use of ICT construction machines is going to achieve high finishing accuracy in finishing process and solve the skilled-operators shortage problem. However, the ICT construction machines are only used for limited number of processes in earthworks such as trimming of slopes and embankment rolling process in finishing works. Therefore, the use of ICT construction machines has not contributed to improved total work efficiency in earthworks.

To solve the problem, FUJITA Corporation has developed a system that uses all the construction information from machines used in earthwork sites (ICT construction machines and dump tracks), workers (site managers, chief of workers and operators) and surveying data and which can be linked to cloud services, so that information on construction progress and finished shape can be shared between all the staff in real time.

From this, each operator can visually understand their mutual positions, work progress and operation status of dump tracks on a map. So, it can be confirmed that cooperation works are made smooth, waiting times for construction machines are greatly shortened and operation rates are greatly improved. As a result, effective and well planned positioning of construction machineries and dump tracks become possible. In addition, daily work planning is gradually improved and optimized day by day, and operators can propose position changes of construction machines depending on work progress and weather, leading to improvement of work efficiency in cutting and filling works. Other notable effects are that related persons in each process come to actively use cloud services, and use of this system as a tool for safety management (such as visualization of start-up inspections results on the website signboard) is becoming common.

Applied technologies Name of technologies Details and results
Cloud service for visualization ICT construction machines VISIONLINK 2 / TCC Each construction machine mounts 3D guidance system, and positions/path trace/ finished shape/soil volume are shared in real time.
Loadrite The weight of dump tracks is controlled by a load cell mounted on backhoes for prevention of over loading.
Vehicle operation management system The information on dump track positions is monitored by operators, eliminating waste time and improving the efficiency of muck loading.
Web camera for monitoring Each operator monitors the progress of muck loading to improve efficiency of cooperative works.
Remote access for information sharing Team viewer for Machineries position information The positions of construction machines are immediately shown to optimize work plans for changing positions of machines.
Web signboard for machines start-up inspections Operators input results of start-up inspections into PC from their operator seats for reporting of results to the site office.
Delivery of safety instructions Safety instructions and weather information are simultaneously delivered to related persons for strengthening safety.

1) The Tokai-Kanjo Expressway Hiromi Section West Road Construction Project
Outline: Road construction for the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway
Length: 300 m
Earthwork volume : 95,000 m2 (excavation of soft and hard rock)
Client: Chubu Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transportation and Tourism
Construction time: From February 26, 2016 to March 31, 2018

2) VISIONLINK: Registered trademark of "Trimple Navigation Limited" in USA

---
ENDS
---
Fujita Corporation
Public Relations Office
Tel. +81-3-3402-1911
Fax. +81-3-3404-8477
Email. info@fujita.co.jp