2. Description of the Prior Art [0002] Currently, a construction project, for example, for a people mover system, includes detailed designs for the construction of the elements of the project. However, during the construction phase of the project, the actual layout may vary from the detailed design. For example, a structure may impinge on the envelope necessary for the project. This impingement may require the construction to be torn down, redesigned, refabricated, and reconstructed, thereby adding significant cost and delay to the overall project.

[0003] In the specific case of a guideway for a people mover system, incursions on the safety envelope (i. e., the envelope required around the people mover vehicle for safety) are ) currently detected after the guide beam has been installed, when engineers measure the envelope from the center of the guide beam and compare it to the existing surroundings. If an incursion is detected, several guide beams and any associated surrounding structures must be removed to accommodate a new course that does not have the offending structure impinging on the safety envelope. A new course for the guideway is designed, new guide beams and structures are fabricated, and the new course that eliminates the incursion is installed.

[0004] For example, if a new building that connects with the guideway is built in an improper location, the guide beam will not line up with the building as designed. If the error in the building location is not detected until the guide beam is set in place, extra time and cost must be exerted to correct the situation. Likewise, if a deck is poured at an improper height, the entire area must be reworked. The rework typically occurs after the initial work on the guide beams, which meets specifications, has been performed.

[0005] Currently, there is no computer method to detect incursions automatically from the survey data collected. In the current system, the initial design typically is laid-out in several CAD drawings. Scanned images of the CAD drawings are stored in a"database", which is really a type of data acquisition and retrieval system. Survey data is acquired in the form of survey reports. These reports are typically hand-written, or typed, tables of data along with sketches.

CAD drawings may also provide survey data. CAD drawings are not interactively used to compare the designed system to the"as-built"system for the detection of intrusions into the safety envelope. The"as-built"drawings are compared to the design details after the job is completed. Incursions are detected by measuring from the installed guide beam to potential problem locations. Styrofoam bumpers are also attached to a vehicle that travels on the guide beam. The bumpers simulate the edge of the clearance envelope. The vehicle is then taken on a slow test drive. If a bumper contacts a surface, the fact is noted so that corrective actions may be taken. Formal reports are generated at the end of the construction phase after the final survey is completed. The survey reports are standard in the industry and include drawings of sections and locations of survey points. However, the format varies. Incursion detection reports are compiled from the data obtained by the Styrofoam bumper test.

[0006] Currently, although the survey information needed to potentially identify an incursion is available before installation of the guide beam, the information is in the form of separate,"as-built"reports from many contractors. The information is not in an integrated, coherent format. Additionally, contractor supplied"as-built"surveys may not include the entire scope of design information specific to the project. As such, an incursion into the safety envelope may go undetected until a later (or even the final) inspection, after the guide beam has been installed. Furthermore, it is possible that the report indicates that all of the survey points of a structure are outside or at the safety envelope boundary which would lead to a conclusion that no incursion exists. However, the case may be that the geometric shape of the structure containing the survey points would in fact cause an incursion. Therefore, a need exists for the detection of an incursion well before the installation of the guide beam.

[0007] Another problem with the current practice occurs because periodic"as-built" survevs are not integrated into a sinsle view. Therefore. after the construction is comnlete. a final SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] It is an object of this invention to provide an information system that will report on potential interference between construction elements prior to actual construction of the relevant parts of the system. Preferably, the information system is computer-assisted, is easy to understand and use, compares the"as-built"structure to the designed structure, detects incursions, provides timely reports on potential problems, and has search capabilities.

Furthermore, the data collected and entered into the system should be at least as reliable as conventional survey data.

[0011] Accordingly, we have developed a computer-assisted information and management system for use during a construction project, for example, for a guideway of a people mover system. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system stores electronic designs of the proposed system as an initial world model. As survey (field) data becomes available, the world model is updated to reflect the"as-built"system. Users may be able to annotate the information in the world model and interact with the system to model information that may not be readily available to the system. Reports that identify interference, or incursions into the safety envelope, may be generated automatically or on demand. The survey data may be available for use in redesigning the components of the construction project in order to eliminate the incursions identified. The redesigns may be integrated back into the world model.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] Fig. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the general process according to the present invention ; and [0013] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of subsystems according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0014] A method according to the present invention begins with gathering original design information (i. e., the design intent) for the construction project in step 10. The design information (e. g., drawings) is inputted into a computer system in step 12. The system generates an initial world model based on the design information in step 14. Field data is gathered, for example, through surveys, as actual construction progresses in step 16. The field data is entered into the computer system in step 18, and the world model is updated based on the field data in step 20. The world model is analyzed to detect incursions in step 22. Reports warning of the incursions are generated in step 24. The project (design information) is redesigned or reworked based upon the identified incursions in step 26. The redesign details are inputted into the computer system in step 28, and the world model is updated in step 30. While the construction of the project is ongoing, the method continually repeats itself starting with the step of gathering field data. Preferably, the world model emulates the actual construction as close to real-time as possible.

[0015] An apparatus of the present invention is a computer-assisted system capable of executing the above-described method. Preferably, the computer system is usable on networked systems running at least Microsoft Windows 2000@ software.

[0016] The present invention may be conveniently divided into three areas of functionality: architecture, engineering, and construction support ; management support; and security. Pertaining to architecture, engineering, and construction support, the computer- assisted system interprets design intent (i. e., initial design drawings or original design information) sufficiently to determine spatial properties and reconcile differences between designs and survey data received from the field (i. e., the field data). The system can receive field data as it becomes available and update the world model accordingly. Field data may be gathered using conventional surveying techniques. However, field data may also be gathered through robots or sensors and entered manually or automatically into the system. Incursions are detected and reported automatically."As-built"reports can be generated that include any data entered into the system. In addition to incursion detection, the system may also perform other types of spatial analyses.

[0017] Pertaining to management support, the computer system manages design intent, survey data, and incursion reports. The system integrates the designs and actual construction data from various contractors working on the project. Therefore, multiple designs are compiled and checked for interface consistency and incursions. The system may also incorporate other information corresponding to the construction project, for example, schdule, cost, or conformance information. Documentation of the method and the apparatus of the present invention may be provided in order to easily use and maintain the systems.

[0018] Pertaining to security, access to the computer system may be safeguarded by a security system, for example, one that requires a username and password before providing access. Different segments of the system may have different levels of security.

[0019] Referring to Fig. 2, in addition to the functional breakdowns, the present invention may also be organized into systems and subsystems. The systems of the invention include: design intent, onsite data, information management, and automated analysis. The design intent system includes a computer automated design (CAD) interface subsystem 110. The onsite data system includes a survey data acquisition subsystem 112. The information management system includes database 114, world modeling 116, report generation 118, and user interface subsystems 120. Finally, the automatic analysis system includes an automated incursion detection subsystem 122. The invention may include other systems or subsystems in addition to those listed above. Likewise, the invention may not include a listed system or subsystem or may have the systems and subsystems organized in a different manner.

[0020] The survey data acquisition subsystem 112 is an interface that defines the methods for inputting survey data into the computer system. The CAD interface subsystem 110 is an interface that defines methods for exchanging design information with CAD systems. The database subsystem 114 is a component that is responsible for safeguarding all non-volatile data in the system and to provide security to the data. The world modeling subsystem 116 is a component that is responsible for generating the world model from the CAD models and the survey data. The automatic incursion detection subsystem 122 is a component that evaluates the world model for incursions on the safety envelope. The report generation subsystem 118 is a component that watches the database and other subsystems for data to be reported to one or more users and generates the corresponding reports. The user interface subsystem 120 is an interface between all other subsystems and the users. This subsystem is responsible for managing all interactions with the users and integrating the computer system with other systems/models, as necessary.

[0021] Information flow through the system begins at the design intent and onsite data systems. The CAD interface and survey data acquisition subsystems 110 and 112, respectively, provide information to the information management system. Here, data is stored by the database subsystem 114, utilized by the world modeling subsystem 116, and flows to the users through the report generation and user interface subsystems 118 and 120, respectively. The automatic incursion detection subsystem 122 accesses data stored in the system to provide derivative information, such as a potential incursions to the safety envelope. All subsystems are capable of communicating between each other.

[0022] The survey data acquisition subsystem 112 collects survey information from the user before sending it to the database subsystem 114 for storage. Therefore, this subsystem communicates with the user interface and the database subsystems 120 and 114, respectively.

The user may collect the survey data manually, from robots and/or from sensors, for example, and manually input the data into the data acquisition subsystem 112. Alternatively, the data acquisition subsystem 112 may electronically receive survey information, for example, from robots or sensors. The data collected may be tabular in nature. This subsystem is always available to the users once the user interface subsystem 120 is activated and works in conjunction with the user interface subsystem 120 to collect data from the users. Users may be notified that entered data is being processed. Preferably, each user has a connection to the system through a terminal. Therefore, multiple simultaneous flow of data from different users is possible. The system may notify the users of any problems with the system to prevent the user from entering further data that may be lost or corrupted. Preferably, the data acquisition subsystem 112 processes the entered data within 30 seconds (i. e., there is no more than 30 seconds before the data acquisition subsystem 112 is again available for additional interface).

[0023] The CAD interface subsystem 110 provides a communications link between the input data and the final graphical presentation, for example, of any incursions that are detected.

The CAD interface subsystem 110 does not control the input to the system, but creates two-or three-dimensional drawing plans and/or sections for the construction from the input, so as to assess structural, aesthetic, and spatial requirements of the project. This interface provides the engineering drawings, for example, AutoCAD drawings, which detail the survey results on the guide beam. The drawings are also analyzed for possible intrusions into the safety envelope.

The CAD interface subsystem 110 is used to communicate the incursions graphically. Visual alerts and special programming may allow any member of the construction team to make an accurate determination of the level of intrusion. The drawings are stored in the database subsystem 114 and are editable.

[0024] The database subsystem 114 can be any conventional off-the-shelf database program, preferably a Structured Query Language (SQL) type database program. The database subsystem 114 maintains CAD drawings, report archives, and data points and is editable. The database subsystem 114 may be interactive with the user interface subsystem 120 to inform the users when problems with the database arise, for example, overload of the server. Access to the database subsystem 114 preferably is controlled with security measures, for example, password protection. Preferably, databases from each construction project are saved individually and are accessible by the database subsystem 114.

[0025] The world modeling subsystem 116 maintains the world model. Initially, the world model is comprised of the original design details from the CAD drawings. As construction progresses, the world modeling subsystem 116 receives new data entered into the database subsystem 114 and updates the world model (preferably, real-time) to be used by other subsystems. Preferably, if the data received is not spatially feasible, the world modeling subsystem 116 tries to coerce a solution in steps 32 and 34, for example, by applying standard geometric rules. If standard geometric rules are applied, they are documented by the world modeling subsystem 116 and reported, as necessary. If the standard geometric rules fail to provide a solution, the world modeling subsystem 116 may use other methods to achieve a solution, such as disregarding any data that appears more than two-sigma deviation from other datum or disregarding the most recent data. Preferably, the world modeling subsystem 116 aggregates polygon geometries into larger, logical structures and maintains these structures in order to appropriately move connected geometries with the acquisition of new survey data. The world modeling subsystem 116 preferably indexes the survey data received in a history file in step 36, so that the various updates of the world model can be identified at a later time. The world modeling subsystem 116 is available to other subsystems within the'system, such as the automatic incursion detection subsystem 122. Therefore, spatial models maybe inserted from and exported to other components of the system. Exported models are preferably in a format useful to visualization applications, for example, tables and CAD drawings. The world modeling subsystem 116 also may be able to integrate other information, such as cost or schedule data, related to the features of the construction site.

[0026] The automatic incursion detection subsystem 122 interacts with the world modeling and report generation subsystems 116 and 118, respectively, via the database subsystem 114. The automatic incursion detection subsystem 122 analyzes the world model to determine if any incursions are going to occur in the"as-built"system. Additionally, since the world model is updated with field data during the project, the system also may be used to detect any problems that are developing during the construction phase of the project. Results from the incursion detection subsystem 122 are preferably available within twelve hours of the world model being updated. Preferably, the results of the analysis indicate where problems are and are not present in the world model and where it is unknown whether a problem is present in the world model. If it is unknown whether a problem is present, the incursion detection subsystem 122 will communicate with the user interface subsystem 120 to prompt the users for additional data, for example, design information or field data, in step 38. If a structure is within a set distance from the safety envelope, the incursion detection subsystem 122 may initiate a report indicating that verification is necessary. Preferably, if the world model is improperly formatted, corrupted, or otherwise not available, the incursion detection subsystem 122 will abort and generate a report; if the database is not available, the incursion detection subsystem 122 will abort.

[0027] The report generation subsystem 118 is the main output generator of the system.

Information that is stored in the system and has been reconciled is displayed to the users through reports. The report generation subsystem 118 interacts with the user interface to receive report requests and to provide notice that a new report is available. The report generation subsystem 118 also interacts with the automatic incursion detection subsystem 122 to receive notification that new data regarding incursions is available in the database. Interaction with the database subsystem 114 also occurs in order to obtain the data required for a requested report. The report generation subsystem 118 may also be integrated with other subsystems. The users may control when and in what format particular reports will be generated. The various reports may be formatted based upon the intended audience. Reports may be generated on a recurring, event- driven, or demand basis. For example, a recurring report on incursions may be generated any time an incursion is detected or an"as-built"report may be generated weekly. Preferably, a report is generated in less than thirty seconds. The report may display the survey points identified as incursions by the automatic incursion detection subsystem 122. These points may be compared to the design (theoretical) points in tabular format. Generated reports display reconciled data to the user interface. Graphics may be included in the reports generated. There may also be a responsible person to sign-off that the incursion was reported. Security may be set up to provide access to the report generation subsystem 118 only to approved users. This system preferably utilizes Microsoft Windows compatible software.

[0028] The user interface subsystem 120 is the major communications link between the users and the system, both for input and output. The user interface subsystem 120 allows the users to interact with the system. Preferably, the users are connected to the system through terminals that communicate with the system. Preferably, the user interface subsystem, 120 permits continuous, and simultaneous, communication links with the system. Conventional computer equipment, for example, hard drive, disk drive, monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, etc., connected to a network may provide the necessary hardware and software to accomplish the interconnectivity. Specified commands may be provided to provide the user with choices for manipulating the system or areas may be provided for entering required information to manipulate the system. Preferably, detailed documentation, hard copy and on- line, is provided to aid the users in using and understanding the system. If any problems occur, the user interface subsystem 120 may stop receiving or sending information to the users and may inform the users about the situation. Preferably, the users are notified if there is a potential risk of information loss. The data acquisition subsystem 112 utilizes the user interface subsystem 120 to obtain information necessary to maintain (i. e., update) the world model. The user interface subsystem 120 interacts with the data acquisition subsystem 112 when the user enters security, survey, or preferential set-up data. Preference data provided by the user is used to control the performance of aspects of the system which can be set. The user interface subsystem 120 may be compatible with many means of data acquisition, for example, manual data entry, electronic entry from robots, sensors, or wearable computers. The report generation subsystem 118 utilizes the user interface subsystem 120 to provide a source of output for the reports.

When reports are generated, the user interface subsystem 120 receives the reports from the report generation subsystem 118 and presents them to the users. The user interface subsystem 120 may have sound capabilities as well. The user interface subsystem 120 is preferably only accessible by username and password, or some other security means, for security reasons.

[0029] While the above invention has been described with relation to people mover systems, the information and management system may be applied to a variety of construction projects.

[0030] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the foregoing description sets forth in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, modifications, additions, and changes might be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.