New Device Driver for Dredgepack®
The latest device driver for Dredgepack® was developed due to the
need for a device that can be used to reference a position relative to
a boat origin. This sounds confusing but it really is quite simple. In
dredging terms the new device allows you to reference the position of
the spud. By setting in the offsets from the boat reference point you
can create a separate mobile that will give you position and distance
from the center line of the spud. This is a critical piece of
information when positioning a cutter suction dredge on a planned cut.
By creating a center line the dredge operator can then use the spud XTE
to ensure that the dredge is positioned properly.
 Image 1 |
 Image 2 |
 Image 3 |
 Image 4 |
 Image 5 |
In Image 1 I have used the device to position 4 spuds, a crane pad
and a working trailer on a barge. As the barge moves and rotates the
objects onboard remain positioned properly. This should allow the user
to create complex shapes to be displayed for easy reference.
The nice advantage of this new device is that the XTE can be
displayed in the data display. On the shape I have a large dark blue
square positioned where the crane pad is located. I have also added a
smaller dark blue rectangle to show the location of the operators
trailer. The four small light blue squares are positioned where the
four spud holes are located.
In Image 2 I have captured the data display showing the reference
to the four XTE values. This can be done for the X and Y of the spud
also to allow exact positioning of an object for other applications
such as position monitoring of a barge once it has been anchored. I
believe that this new device driver will be very useful in the future
applications of Dredgepack®. If you have specific questions regarding
this device please e-mail me at jerry@coastalo.com.
Configuration of the GenOffsets driver.
The GenOffsets driver is a HYPACK® / Dredgepack® MAX device. This
driver is used to reference a position as described in the previous
document. The following description should allow you to add this driver
to your hardware and use the device.
In the Hardware program you should select the Devices menu item
and Add a Device. The Select Device Type window (Image3) will appear.
In the list of devices you will then select Coastal Oceanographics
Generic Offsets driver. This will load the device.
The next screen (Image 4) is the device setup. The only options
for this device are Position and Heading. The Heading box must be
checked to allow the device to steal its heading from the main vessel.
If you notice that the second shape does not rotate exactly with your
main shape but lags a small amount this box is most likely not checked.
I recommend setting the Update Frequency to the same rate as the
positioning device. In the Record menu I recommend selecting the record
option to never unless you are interested in recording the position of
the device. For a spud you might want to set the record option to a
predetermined number of seconds. This configuration will allow you plot
out the location of the spud as it traveled through the cut. Also this
will allow the plot to show the swing in relation to the spud position.
Under the Setup option the button there is a X Position Offset and
a Y Position Offset (Image 5). These offsets are used to locate the new
item in relation to the reference point of the main vessel shape. The
position referred to during this step is corresponding to the reference
point of the shape you have created for your spud or other object.
The other important item to be completed in the Hardware program
is to add this item as a Other Mobile. On the far right menu of the
Hardware program is a option for the Other Mobile. To explain, the
Other Mobile idea. A Other Mobile is a separate vessel displayed on the
Map in the Survey / Dredgepack® program. This also allows you to
display the parameters of the other mobile. Such as the X and Y of the
mobile. Below is an image of the Hardware program.
Harware Program
Once you have selected the Other Mobile the next option to choose is Add. This brings up the following menu. Name the new mobile and then select Ok.
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The next thing we want to do is to add our devices to the mobile.
The image to the right is the Mobile Configuration menu. To reach this
menu you need to select the Other Mobile button and then select the
mobile name you entered. Using this menu you can add the devices to
your mobile. This can include any device types that you would be using
on the main vessel. In our application this is going to be the device
we setup previously. I named my device Crane Pad. This refers to the
location of the Crane Pad on the barge. To add a device to a mobile you
first select the device in the box on the right labeled Available
Devices. Once you have selected the device you select the arrow button
sending the device to the list on the left labeled Installed Devices.
This moves the available device to the mobile. All of the devices
listed are then associated with the new mobile. If there is an echo
sounder or other device the position is calculated using the position
of the mobile and the offsets associated with the hardware.
In the Survey program you will now see two shapes. Using the new
device you should right click on the main vessel and de-select the
display shape. Once this is accomplished you can then right click on
the second shape to select shape. Select the shape you would like to
display. Once you have the new shape on the screen you should right
click on the main vessel and select display shape. This will redraw
your main vessel. As I showed in the original document there are many
uses for such a driver. I hope that you have as much success with this
driver as I have had.
