Vögele expands digital road construction solutions

New functions in WITOS Paving Docu and WITOS Paving Plus increase both the simplicity and the accuracy of job site documentation and process optimization.

Paving temperatures in real time on the smartphone, automatically generated paving and logistics concepts and other supplementary functions: Joseph Vögele AG is now using numerous user-friendly new features to adapt its digital documentation and process optimization tools even more specifically to suit the requirements of planners, construction managers and paving crews.

Digital process optimization solutions significantly increase quality and efficiency in road construction, but are frequently also complex; this is why for some years, road paver manufacturer Vögele has been offering a three-tier modular system with different functional scopes. The three practical tools are designed precisely for the requirements of different construction projects and users and some of them can be combined or expanded: the RoadScan non-contacting measuring system enables users to monitor paving temperature across the whole paved area, the WITOS Paving Docu documentation tool records and analyses both machine and process data, whilst the WITOS Paving Plus high-end solution allows all paving processes to be planned and then optimized in real time. Vögele is now expanding these three solutions by adding numerous new features - practical functions which simultaneously increase ease of use. 

An important component in this is the new Jobsite Temp app: users of WITOS Paving Docu and WITOS Paving Plus who also use the RoadScan temperature measuring system can connect to the paver by QR code and activate the application. The Jobsite Temp app now gives others working on the job site, such as paving supervisors and roller operators, in addition to paver operators, access to all the relevant information. Apart from viewing paving temperatures in real time, the foreman, for example, can see other data such as current pave speed, screed width and paver position. In order to work out where a particular truck is unloading, he can also show positions of trucks including the associated delivery note information. Roller operators likewise have the facility to view their own position and distance from the paver and to define exclusion zones.

“The Jobsite Temp app gives paving crews a comprehensive real-time overview of all temperature data”, says Dr. Stephan Weller, Software Products Manager at Joseph Vögele AG. “This mobile solution with its clear icons and simple menu-based navigation is furthermore tailored exactly to the needs of users. After all, no-one on a job site wants to be held up by functions which require explanation.” The app and the paver are networked via WiFi, with the result that information can be exchanged between the RoadScan temperature measuring system and the smartphone even where there is no mobile phone connection. To achieve this, the paver sets up a WiFi network with a radius of around 50 to 80 m and acts as a server.

Vögele has also continued improving the temperature measuring system itself. RoadScan’s infrared camera measures paving temperatures across the whole area behind the screed in a width up to 10 m. In order to avoid faults in the thermal image due to moving objects, Vögele has now developed automatic correction: the RoadScan system compares up to four images for a position, enabling it to detect moving obstacles such as those caused by scanning moving rollers, for example. These faulty measurements are removed from the thermal image at once, giving construction managers and paving supervisors a true-to-life overview of paving temperatures.

Vögele has furthermore optimized odometer calibration: RoadScan’s GPS receiver and the odometer are now calibrated automatically every 2 m. “This prevents errors and saves additional effort,” says Dr. Weller. “As a result, operator and paving supervisor are able to concentrate even better on the paving process itself.”

The WITOS Paving Docu documentation tool, too, has new practical features which users can exploit to monitor paving data and progress even better: paving crews have the option of entering target project values such as target tonnages, paving sections or areas directly in the Jobsite app and of tracking progress. They can also have displayed in the relevant truck history delivery notes from trucks which have already unloaded. 

Vögele has furthermore expanded the WITOS Paving Plus process optimization solution and thus made it easier for planners and construction managers to issue calls to tender: once the relevant planning data has been entered in the control module, they can create a template for a paving and logistics concept and have it output in the form of a document which can be edited. This saves time and effort and yet still gives the individual responsible the option of adding his or her own information or comments. “All the new features and developments linked to our digital road construction solutions ultimately have the same objective: we want to make life easier for planners, construction managers and paving crews and to give them the best possible support by providing reliable, straightforward and transparent information,” says Dr. Weller.