GPR GroundSense System User Manual

GPR GroundSense System

Specifications

• Model: GPR
• Version: 1.4
• Operating Bands: 137-322 MHz and 335.4-400 MHz
• Compliance: UWB ground penetrating radar devices under Part 15, Subpart F
• Mounting: Under a vehicle, pointed at the ground

Product Usage Instructions

Mounting and Operation
The GPR device must be mounted under a vehicle and pointed at the ground for operation. Ensure the vehicle ignition is turned on for the device to operate.

Calibration
Calibration is a one-time process to set a baseline for the GPR system. It must be completed before using Mapping or Localization operations. If calibration data already exists, recalibration is not necessary.

Mapping
Mapping operation allows the GPR device to create a map of the scanned area. Initiate this operation through the SCAN GUI.

Localization
Localization operation helps pinpoint specific locations within the scanned area. Use this function through the SCAN GUI after calibration.

Data Offload and Upload
Data offload transfers stored information from the device, while data upload sends new data to the device. These functions are essential for managing data collected by the GPR system.

Introduction

The following user manual shall provide the necessary information to run standard operations with the GPR sensor in the vehicle and perform basic troubleshooting in the case of any issues.
Note: Definitions for various terms can be found at the end of the document in the Glossary section

System Diagram
Figure 1 outlines the devices and communication of information within the GPR system.

Each computer is used for a different purpose as detailed below:

• ECU: Runs the following containerized applications:
• LGPR: Localization application
• GPRmap: Mapping application
• Sensor Logger: Data logging application
• GUI: Laptop which runs the SCAN GUI and allows users to request operations such as calibration, mapping, map processing, localization, and offloading.

System Functions
In the vehicle, the GPR system can perform the following operations:

• Calibration
• Mapping
• Localization
• Offloading Data

Each operation listed above is requested through the SCAN GUI.

Calibration is the one-time process of setting a baseline for the GPR system. Calibration must be completed before operating such as Mapping or Localization. If calibration data already exists on the vehicle, it is not necessary to calibrate the sensor again.
Mapping is the process of collecting GPR and vehicle position data to generate a map. To complete a mapping operation, a calibration file is needed.

Localization is the process of positioning the vehicle using previously collected and processed map data. To complete a localization operation, a calibration file and map are needed.
Offloading Data is the process of transferring data from a GPR vehicle to an external drive. To complete an offloading operation, there must be calibration files, non-processed maps, or localization run files on the vehicle. During the offloading process, it is possible to delete all the data from the vehicle or retain post-processed maps. Note: External drives shall be provided by GPR for the duration of the program.

Uploading Data is the process of transferring map and/or localization data to the GPR cloud for analysis. This is performed automatically following an offload if internet connectivity is available.

Data Transfer Application
Data Transfer Application runs on the provided GUI Laptop that serves two purposes: uploading data and downloading processed map data. Both purposes intend to transfer data to/from the GPR vehicle. External drives shall be provided by GPR to transfer the data.

Vehicle Usage
Turning On GPR System

1. If the driver is taking the vehicle out of the garage, make sure to unplug the vehicle battery charger.
2. If a hotspot is being used for in-vehicle connectivity, turn on the hotspot. Ensure the network connection for the hotspot is good.
3. a. When the GPR system is powered on, the hotspot is charged via USB to the UI PC.
4. b. When the GPR system is powered off, the hotspot will remain on using battery power unless physically turned off by pressing the power button on the device. Due to the risk of running out of power when the GPR system is off, the hotspot should be turned on only when the GPR system is in use.
5. Turn on the Master switch first.
6. Turn on the Monitor switch.
7. Turn on the Computer switch.

Turning Off GPR System

1. Turn off the vehicle.
2. Turn off the Computer switch.
3. Wait until the computer shuts down (displayed on the front monitor).
   • a. Process should take about 1 minute.
4. Turn off the Monitor switch.
5. Turn off the Master switch.
6. If a hotspot is being used, turn off the hotspot.
7. If the vehicle is going to remain in the garage for an extended period, connect the vehicle to a 12V battery charger.

Operating GPR Software

System Startup

• Login to GUI (Refer to Navigating SCAN: Login instructions)
• After the GPR system has started up (powered on) for the first time, the GUI will take approximately a minute to automatically load the GUI screen. Do not launch the “scan” application manually unless restarting the GUI software.
• Ensure that the hotspot is turned on and has a good network connection before the system starts up.

Navigating SCAN (GPR GUI)
GUI will start up automatically when the computer turns on for the first time.

Login: When the GUI first loads, the login screen will appear.

1. The user must enter the username as listed below.
   • Username: Gpr
   • Password: GprGpr
2. Select “Submit”.After username and password are entered, the GUI will load and take about 3 minutes to initialize which can be seen by the “Initializing” state in the top right corner of the screen.When the state changes to “Ready”, the user can start following instructions for operations.

Calibration
If required, calibration has to be performed using the GoCal utility as follows:

1. From the GUI Laptop, use the GoCal application shortcut to start the GoCal application
2. In the GoCal application, select “Start Calibration”
3. Select “Verify Calibration” (password: GPR). If verification fails, see Troubleshooting Section
4. Select “Save Calibration” and enter the height of the sensor above ground in inches

Mapping
To create a map, use the “Map” tab of the SCAN GUI:

1. Select the “Mapping” tab. If the mapping operation was completed right before, switch to another tab and come back to “Mapping” back.
2. Select “Protobuf” as the GPS option.
3. Input ID number for associated test.
4. Select the route name from the list. If the route name is unavailable, select “Custom” and type in the route name.
5. Select “Start Mapping”.
6. Wait 30 seconds and drive along the route you want to map.
7. GThe PR sensor takes 20 meters to initialize before mapping begins.
8. Do not drive a route longer than 3 hours
9. Do not drive faster than 110 kph.
10. Select “Stop Mapping” when the driven route is complete.

Map Processing
Use the GUI Laptop to process a collected map:

1. Launch via the Map shortcut on the GUI Laptop
2. Use App Mode to identify the location of ground truth
3. Select the .raw (GPR data file format) to process
4. Select the vehicle
5. If using an external truth file, specify its location

Localization

1. If the map has not been collected, follow the Mapping instructions. If a map needs to be loaded, follow the Loading Maps instructions.
2. Select the “Localize” tab. If the localization operation was completed right before or the Localization option is greyed out, switch to another tab and come back to the “Localize” tab. This prevents accidentally starting undesired localizations.
3. Select the map from the dropdown list first.
4. Selecting the GPS option or inputting the ID number before selecting the map will not show a map option. Change tabs and come back to the Localization tab if the process is followed out of order.themthe ap is not available and needs to be loaded, refer to Loading Maps instructions.
5. Select “Protobuf” as the GPS option and input the ID number for the associated test.
6. Select “Start Localization”.
7. Wait 30 seconds and drive along the map to collect localization data.
8. The GPR sensor takes 20 meters to initialize before localization begins.
9. Select “Stop Localization: when the driven route is complete.

Offloading Data

1. Connect the removable drive to GUI Laptop
2. Select the “Offload” tab.
3. Select “Start Offloading”.
4. The default and recommended option is to Delete Unprocessed
5. Option to select: Delete Processed, Delete Unprocessed, Keep All Maps, Delete All
6. Delete Processed = Deletes localization runs and processed maps
7. Delete Unprocessed = Deletes localization runs and unprocessed maps
8. Keep All Maps = Deletes calibrations and localization runs
9. Delete All = Deletes localization runs, processed maps, and unprocessed maps
10. Once offloading is complete, remove the drive from the computer.
11. Offloading is complete when the status bar in the top right corner of the screen says “Ready”
12. The estimated time to offloa1-hourhour map or localization run is approximately 12.5 minutes.
13. Follow the Uploading Data instructions.

Uploading Data

1. If the GUI Laptop is connected to the internet during the Offload process, the upload will begin automatically
2. To manually start the upload process after internet connectivity is established, launch the Uploader shortcut from the GUI Laptop

Fault Codes
A fault code is a 10-digit alphanumeric ID that indicates to the user when there is a warning or fatal fault. The first digit indicates whether the code is a warninga or fatal fault.

Fault Display
Warnings display on the top right of the GUI for a short period shown in Figure X. Fatal faults display as pop-ups in the center of the screen. When a fatal fault occurs, the system is not expected to operate at peak performance until the fatal fault has been resolved.
A summary of all the faults encountered can be viewed in the Faults panel which is displayed after selecting the Faults button in the top right corner of the GUI.

Fault Code Resolution Table
The following fault codes may be resolved by Magna personnel. If a fault code occurs that is not covered in the table below, contact GPR support to resolve the issue.

2.       Turn off power to all devices

3.       Contact GPR support

F_CP_00_0A
F_CP_00_0B
F_CP_00_0C| Over Humidity recorded
F_CP_00_0D| Under temperature recorded
F_CP_00_0E
F_CP_00_0F
F_IT_00_11| No Ublox Packets in 60 seconds| 1.       Check that ublox has a blue light.

·         Ublox is located on the floor behind the center console

2.       If no light on the ublox, check the cable on both ends (connected to the ublox and middle PC in the stack)

3.       If the light is on and the fault still appears, contact GPR

support

F_IT_00_12| No RTK Packets in 60 seconds| 1.       Check that RTK is plugged into the ethernet switch.

2.       Check ethernet switch has a solid white light on the right of the ports.

| | ·         If blinking blue light, unplug and restart the power on the ethernet switch

3. If both conditions are met and no RTK connection, contact GPR

support

---|---|---
W_SH_00_04| The remaining Disk space is less than 15 GB| 1.       Continue with current route operations if the route takes less than 30 minutes.

2.       If the route takes more than 30 minutes, stop operations.

3.       Offload data from vehicles.

4.       Upload data through Data

Transfer Station.

Additional Errors
Fault codes are specifically software-related. The following errors are issues that may pop up related to the user interface. If an error occurs that is not covered in the table, contact GPR support for help.

The calibration file is unavailable. Perform calibration

to proceed

| ·         Contact GPR to coordinate calibration
Could not establish a connection with Logger PC. Raw data will not be collected for this run.| ·         Select “Exit” on GUI

·         Select “Ok” to close the GUI

·         Open the “scan” application on the Desktop

Offload Error| ·         Check that the removable drive is connected to the UI PC

·         If disconnected, connect the drive to the UI PC

·         Check that the letter for the removable drive is D:/

·         If a drive letter is incorrect, restart the UI PC, and check the drive letter

·         Check that any folder does not exist on the removable drive

·         If the folder exists, choose another drive that is empty and connect the drive to the upload station

·         Contact GPR support for more help

Please enter a map name to proceed| ·         Select map for localization operation
Please select a GPS device before proceeding| ·         Select the GPS device

·         Complete operation

Please select a route name to proceed.| ·         Select route name for mapping or localization operation
---|---
The test number field contains non-numbers.| ·         Enter ID for mapping or localization

operation

There is currently a system error. Check if all devices are plugged in & active. You can continue to try offloading, but there may be an error.| · User can try offload operation but for all other operations, follow the list below

·         Check that GPS devices are connected and are blinking red or solid green on the status panel in the bottom right corner of the screen

·         Contact GPR support for more help

There are currently no GPS devices. Please connect the GPS device before mapping| ·         If RTK device is, check the NavDisplay application to make sure that the RTK device is connected

·         If the device does not show in NavDisplay, check the device connection and power

·         Contact GPR support for more help

·         If ublox device, check the blue light on the device

·         If the blue light is on, check the device connection to the embedded software PC

·         Contact GPR support for more help

Ublox utility stopped unexpectedly| ·         If using ublox for localization, select “Stop Localization” and restart the localization operation

·         If the error appears during mapping, the error should not impact the mapping operation

Upload maps failed| ·         Check that the drive is plugged into the UI PC

·         Check that folder structure is correct (ProcessedMaps à à gmr and db.sql files with Run Name

·         Switch tabs to Calibrate, Map, or Localize, select the Offload tab, and retry the offload operation

·         Contact GPR support for more help

Vehicle moving at a speed greater than the limits defined 110 kph| · Slow down speed during mapping operation
You must upload 2 files, a .gmre file, and a .db.SQL

file.

| ·         Select correct .gmre and db.sql files

Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

SCAN GUI
Which GPS is connected to the GPR system?

• On the SCAN GUI, there is a device status section in the bottom right corner of the screen which displays each device and its status
• States for each device are as follows:
  • Grey means that the device is not communicating
  • Blinking red means that the device is communicating but is not in a good state
  • Solid green means that the device is communicating and is in a good state

Why do the GUI operations take a long time to respond?

• If the SCAN GUI initializes when the vehicle is in an area with a poor network connection, the SCAN GUI cannot load all the necessary files to ensure a smooth user experience
• In the event of slow response times, it is recommended to exit and restart the GUI in an area with a good network connection

Why is the line of the vehicle path thin on the GUI?

• The vehicle path line may appear thinner than usual on the GUI due to the visualization utility
• In the case that the vehicle path line is too thin, simply switch the view in the top left corner to a different view and back to the original setting

Why is the vehicle icon not displaying on the GUI?

• The vehicle icon may not appear on the GUI for the first 20 meters of the drive
• The vehicle icon may not appear on the GUI due to the visualization utility
• In the case that the vehicle icon is not displayed, simply switch the view in the top left corner to a different view and back to the original setting

Why does the offload operation keep failing?

• Make sure Transfer_Drive is connected
  • Make sure Transfer_Drive has the letter D as the path
• Make sure that the drive is empty
• Make sure that the connection is secure (does not disconnect intermittently)
• If the error continues to occur, contact GPR support for help

Why does the loading maps operation keep failing?

• Make sure both map files (GMR and db.sql) are selected with the same name
• Make sure that the folder structure of the files is as follows: ProcessedMaps  Map Name Map Name with db.sql & more file types
• If ethe rror continues to occur, contact GPR support for help

Why is the GPS I want not showing as a dropdown option?

• If the GPS is not showing as a dropdown option, first check the telemetry status of the desired GPS in the bottom right box of the screen
• If the GPS is green, switch tabs to another operation come back to the tab of operation, and check if the GPS is now available as an option
  • The GPS may not have been loaded on the user interface at that time
• If the GPS is RTK and solid red, refer to the Initializing RTK section for more information
• If the GPS is ublox and solid red, check the status of the interface and if it’s not Initializing, then contact GPR support for help
• If the GPS is grey, check the power and connection of the GPS device to the GPR system

How do I know when to calibrate?

• Calibration should occur when there is no calibration file on the vehicle

What does LLL##_## (fault code) mean?

• For faults that are displayed (only supported with the new GUI), refer to the Fault Codes section.

How do I exit the GUI if the exit button isn’t working?

• Click on the Windows key on the keyboard
• Right-click on the Firefox browser and close the window
• Close the command prompt that is open as well
• If restart to GUI is needed, double click on “scan” application located on the Desktop

How do I know what the state of the system is?

• n the top right corner of the screen, when the SCAN interface is open, the system state is displayed
  • Initializing = The system is in the process of connecting to devices and starting up
  • Ready = system is ready for operation
  • Calibrating = The system is in the process of calibrating the sensor
  • Mapping = The system is in the process of mapping data
  • Localizing = The system is in the process of localizing to a map
  • Offloading = The system is in the process of offloading data to a connected drive
  • System Error = system is in an error state.

What should I do when the Data Transfer Station fails to upload?

• If the upload process on the Data Transfer Station is interrupted, only some files will have been successfully uploaded to the cloud.
• The upload process is most likely interrupted when the WiFi connection is disrupted.
• When the upload process is interrupted, the Data Transfer Station will display an error that needs to be acknowledged by the user.
• To retry the upload process, acknowledge the pop-up error, check the WiFi connection to ensure that it is connected, close the application, and double-click on the UploadServer application icon on the Desktop.
• UpThe uploadrocess will automatically restart.

What should I do when the Data Transfer Station fails to download files?

• If the download process on the Data Transfer Station is interrupted,
• The download process is most likely interrupted due to a poor WiFi connection or an unplugged drive.
• Ensure that the removable drive is plugged into the Data Transfer Station and the WiFi connection is stable.
• If retrying the download process for a map that has partial files on the removable drive, delete the folder for the intended map before retrying the downloading process.

Glossary

• Calibration: Process of setting a baseline for the GPR system.
• Downloading Data : Process of downloading map data from a remote location to an external drive. Fatal Fault: An error that is critical to system performance. The error does not allow the user to proceed with any further operations.
• Fault Code: 10-digit alphanumeric ID to indicate a warning or fatal fault.
• GUI: Stands for Graphical User Interface. Generic term to refer to any interface that is interacted with by the user.
• Loading Maps : Process of transferring map data from an external drive to a GPR vehicle.
• Localization: Process of positioning the GPR vehicle using previously collected map data.
• Mapping: Process of collecting GPR and GPS data to generate a map.
• Offloading : Process of transferring data from a GPR vehicle to an external drive.
• OxTS: A Company that produces ground truth devices that are used in the GPR vehicles.
• Processed Map: Generated by the GPR team. Improves original map with lower precision data for better localization results.
• Removable Drive : Provided by GPR to Magna team to enable offloading operation on vehicle.
• RTK: Stands for Real-Time Kinematic Positioning. A term that is used in the company to refer to the ground truth device in the vehicle. May also be referred to as xNav550, Survey+, and OxTS.
• SCAN: Also known as System Controller And Navigator. A graphical user interface (GUI) is used to complete functions such as calibration, mapping, and localization.
• u-blox: Automotive-grade GPS that is used during GPR system localization.
• Warning: An error that is not critical to system performance. Error does not interfere with user operations.

FAQ

• Q: How often should calibration be performed?
  • A: Calibration is a one-time process unless there are significant changes to the setup or environment.
• Q: Can the GPR device operate without being mounted under a vehicle?
  • A: No, the device must be mounted under a vehicle and pointed at the ground for proper operation.
• Q: What should I do if I encounter interference while using the GPR device?
  • A: Report any incidents of interference promptly to the Commission and provide details as required.

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