Importance

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Abstract

A system for surveying the contour of land and for automatically determining the most efficient movement of dirt in order to obtain a desired grade utilizes a stationary transmitter which generates a rotating laser beam plane across the field to be surveyed. A receiver and a control circuit are mounted on a vehicle which is adapted to drive across the field. After providing the control circuit with certain initialization data, an operator drives the vehicle over the field in a predetermined manner to enable the control circuit to take elevational readings at selected points. After the survey has been completed, the operator can use the control circuit to display graphical information relating to the surveyed field. The operator can also utilize the control to calculate the amount of dirt which must be moved in order to obtain a desired grade on the field. The initialization and calculation routines are performed by the operator in response to prompting questions and statements displayed by the control circuit. One feature of the control circuit is the interchangeability of language modules which determine the language of the prompts. Another feature of the control circuit is a removable memory unit for the storage of the elevational data which can be connected to a remotely located computer for further processing of the elevational data.

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First Claim