RIEGL | Ultimate LR Laser Scanner

With a measurement range of up to 4,600 meters, RIEGL‘s latest generation of long-range professional laser scanners enhances productivity, ensures reliable performance, and offers extreme versatility and new connectivity options. These features make it ideal for large-scale applications in mining, topography, monitoring, and the documentation of cultural and natural heritage.

Original Source - REIGL

Powerful hardware, innovative software packages, specialised tools, and useful apps streamline your workflows by enabling data acquisition, processing, and analysis with a single click.

Watch this video to experience the new RIEGL VZ-4000i and view impressive sample data of a massive mountain range, scanned from just four positions.

In response to customer feedback, RIEGL has developed the Monitor+ App, which builds on the already existing monitoring applications, including the Monitoring App, the DesignCompare App, and the SlopeAngle App (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Overview of RIEGL’s monitoring applications

Enhanced Flexibility with the RIEGL V-Line Monitor+ App

The RIEGL V-Line Monitor+ App offers enhanced flexibility for monitoring projects. Users can now temporarily interrupt the monitoring process to utilise the scanner for other tasks, such as surveying different mine areas, and then easily resume monitoring at their convenience. The application has also been expanded to include prism monitoring capabilities. This flexibility provides a cost-effective and highly productive solution, allowing users to maximise the utilisation of their 3D laser scanner while ensuring accurate monitoring of the entire mining area.

Real-Time Monitoring and Data Access

The acquired data is processed directly on-board the scanner in real-time, and the results are displayed promptly through a web viewer. This eliminates the need for additional software or computers to view the results, as data evaluation is fully automated on the laser scanner itself.

Adaptable Monitoring Solutions

The ability to adapt monitoring systems is crucial for efficient and cost-effective operations. In developing the RIEGL V-Line Monitor+ App, close attention was paid to customer feedback, resulting in a highly flexible solution. Users can choose between sporadic and periodic monitoring schedules, allowing them to utilise the scanner for other projects between monitoring scans. For continuous monitoring applications, the scanner can be configured for 24/7 operation.

Ensuring Uninterrupted 24/7 Operation

For uninterrupted 24/7 monitoring, the RIEGL V-Line CB23 communication box is essential. This robust box features an integrated LTE router with a pre-installed VPN connection, enabling secure remote access to the laser scanner and all hardware components. This secure connection allows the mine control center to monitor the processed results remotely, enabling prompt action in any situation. A hardware watchdog monitors the box's components to ensure continuous scanner operation. Additionally, external sensors integrated into the communication box measure environmental factors such as temperature, air pressure, and humidity, ensuring highly accurate laser measurements, especially over long distances. The RIEGL V-Line UB23 is also integrated into the communication box, enabling the use of all RIEGL monitoring applications with older RIEGL VZ series scanners.

Figure 3. Coloured pixels show the surface change in the web viewer. The activated cluster analysis groups spatially connected pixels into larger clusters

Figure 4. The web viewer’s display of the panorama image allows for a more effective interpretation of the monitored area. The activated selection analysis shows the surface change of the selected area

Comprehensive Monitoring Capabilities with the Monitor+ App

Opencast mine monitoring demands a multifaceted approach, encompassing surface change detection, comparison to design models, and slope angle analysis. The Monitor+ App integrates the functionalities of the DesignCompare App and SlopeAngle App into a single, user-friendly application. This comprehensive solution enables the detection of overcut and undercut areas by comparing the actual mine surface with the pre-defined design model. Furthermore, the app automatically calculates slope angles within the scanned area, highlighting critical slopes to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Flexible Configuration and Intuitive Workflow

To ensure maximum flexibility, the monitoring project is configured using the intuitive wizard within RiSCAN PRO. This guided process allows users to define monitoring areas, target prisms/reflectors, schedule scan intervals, and configure scan resolution, threshold settings, and alignment settings. Mandatory automatic scan position alignment is implemented to maintain accuracy even after temporary scanner removal.

Real-time Data Processing and Visualisation

Data is processed directly on the scanner, transforming the 3D point cloud into a standard image representation. Range values are encoded in the RGB channels, while the local normal vector of the terrain is encoded in the alpha channel. The results are presented in a user-friendly Web Viewer, accessible locally on the scanner or remotely via a web server for collaborative viewing.

Advanced Visualisation and Analysis

The Web Viewer enables users to navigate through different monitoring epochs, with changes compared to a reference scan visualised using color-coded displays and customisable threshold values. The viewer also provides features such as shaded relief visualisation utilising the local surface normal vector, cluster analysis to group spatially connected pixels, and the ability to access detailed change information for selected clusters, including area and volume changes. Additionally, users can select specific areas of interest for detailed analysis, and the viewer integrates captured images alongside scan data for enhanced interpretation.

Conclusion

The Monitor+ App, the latest advancement in RIEGL's monitoring solutions, provides users with unparalleled flexibility in utilising RIEGL's terrestrial 3D laser scanners across diverse monitoring scenarios. Monitoring projects can be seamlessly interrupted and resumed at any time, accommodating both sporadic and continuous monitoring needs. The integration of the RIEGL V-Line CB23 communication box facilitates uninterrupted 24/7 monitoring and enables secure remote access to the scanner, ensuring continuous operation and remote monitoring from the control center.

The Monitor+ App incorporates all the familiar analysis functions of previous monitoring apps, including the ability to compare the scanned surface with a design model and analyse slope angles. Furthermore, the intuitive configuration wizard within RiSCAN PRO simplifies the definition of complex monitoring schemes involving multiple areas and prisms with varying schedules.

Data processing is efficiently handled directly on the scanner, and the results are presented in a user-friendly web viewer, eliminating the need for complex software installations. This comprehensive solution enables efficient surface monitoring, facilitating timely interventions and ensuring the safety of mining operations.