Robotics Company Chooses Duro & Piksi Multi for Centimeter-Level GNSS in Autonomous Snow Removal Vehicles
Overview
Yeti Snow Technology was founded as a 50/50 joint venture between Øveraasen and Semcon to develop autonomous snow removal vehicles that keep airport runways clear. Øveraasen is the world’s leading manufacturer of special machinery for airport snow clearing and is based in Norway. Semcon is an international technology company specialized in product development with its head office in Sweden. Together as Yeti Snow Technology, Øveraasen manufactures the machines for clearing snow from airport runways while Semcon develops the system for autonomous operation.
Photo Credit: Yeti Snow Technology
Challenge
Airports strive to be as efficient as possible, however even the most operationally efficient airports are impacted by extreme weather conditions. In such climates, snow and ice can cover runways, subsequently grounding planes and creating a ripple effect of canceled flights across airports regionally, nationally and globally. The need to have clear runways makes staffing for snow removal in these windows of inclement weather an expensive operational requirement due to changing, and often inaccurate, weather patterns.
Solution
To address this challenge, the snow removal machines were required to stay within their planned autonomous paths with centimeter-level accuracy. Two snow clearing vehicles (sweepers) drive in a coordinated manner to clear snow on a runway. For the coordinated operation, it is critical that the vehicles stay on their paths, otherwise important infrastructure may be damaged, such as airport lamps. The vehicles must clear the snow to the correct side and depending on the given conditions, the two vehicles must have overlap so that there is no snow left behind between the vehicles. Yeti discovered that real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS delivered the required position requirement with accuracy within the range of 1-2 centimeters.
During initial testing, Yeti implemented one GNSS module per vehicle using Swift Navigation’s Duro ruggedized receiver. Initially, one receiver delivered inaccurate heading control with the position fluctuation of more than 10 centimeters. This was attributed to pendulum movement of the driver’s cabin on the truck. These real physical movements on the antenna position were due to the placement of the antenna on top of the cabin that led to varying position measurement and difficulties calculating the right heading based on position history.
To solve the heading problem, Yeti implemented a second Swift receiver. Piksi Multi was added with antennas placed within approximately 2 meters distance on the cabin. As the general movement of the cabin is perpendicular to the direction of vehicle movement, the movement of the cabin still influenced the vehicle’s position measurement but the heading information became centimeter-accurate and stable from this point on.
“Swift Navigation’s RTK GNSS technology provided the centimeterlevel accurate positioning and heading control required for Yeti’s snow plows to drive together to autonomously clear airport runways.”
– Lars Lein, System Architect
Results
Two GNSS receivers have been implemented per vehicle; one Duro and one Piksi Multi, which are connected to provide heading feedback. Piksi Multi is also used as a base station. This solution was tested in Norway between December 2017 through March 2018 in temperatures that reached -15 degrees. The culmination of this test was a demonstration at a live snow clearing event in March 2018 at Fagernes Airport Leirin, Norway where autonomous plows 20 meters long and 5.5 meters wide were able to clear an area of 357,000 square meters every hour.
Yeti has the goal to develop an autonomous snow clearing service for use on future airports. The product will be introduced in steps, in parallel with the development of technology for self-driving vehicles. The first step will be a planning tool for airport winter operations. Next up will be a measurement and monitoring system that increases the know-how of operations being performed. Driver guidance will be a natural step along the way until the maturity of the vehicles has reached a level where the snow clearing may be made fully autonomous.
This case study was originally posted by Swift Navigation. Click here to see the full case study.
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About Swift Navigation
Swift Navigation provides precise positioning solutions for automotive, autonomous vehicle, mobile and mass market applications.
Since its founding in 2012, Swift has evolved from creating the industry’s first low-cost, high-accuracy, real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS receiver to delivering an ecosystem of GNSS positioning solutions for autonomous applications.
About Canal Geomatics
Canal Geomatics Inc. is the industry-leading distributor of high-precision positioning solutions in North America, specializing in automotive, airborne, rail, marine, UAS and robotics. Our mission is to find the best solution for each unique application and extend premium support to ensure the long-term success of our customers. Canal Geomatics is a proud supplier of precise positioning products from Swift Navigation.
Duro Rugged RTK GNSS Receiver
Piksi Multi is a multi-band, multi-constellation RTK GNSS receiver board that provides centimeter-level accurate positioning at a low cost. Being multi-band means fast convergence times measured in seconds, not minutes. Access to multiple satellite constellations improves availability, reliability and range between base and rover. With Piksi Multi, you’ll benefit from faster system start times and reacquisition, critical to robotic systems. It’s easy to get started with a comprehensive Piksi Multi Evaluation Kit.
Piksi Multi RTK GNSS Receiver
Duro is a ruggedized multi-band, multi-constellation centimeter-accurate GNSS receiver. It is an enclosed version of the Piksi Multi RTK GNSS receiver. Duro is ideal for agricultural, robotics, maritime, rail and outdoor industrial applications. The easy-to-deploy Duro is protected against weather, moisture, vibration, dust, water immersion and the unexpected that can occur in outdoor long-term deployments.