Instead of using an internal/external GNSS receiver, a robotic total station can be used to provide data to the robot. The position can be transmitted using a direct Bluetooth connection or the total station controller.
1. Setting up the total station.
The total station must be set up with the following configuration:
- Output min. 8 Hz position data (every 0.125 sec), i.e. continuous data stream (10 Hz or more is recommended).
- The Position data format must be: Pseudo NMEA, GDM or CSV.
- Data output must be sent via Bluetooth or the COM (RS232) port on the total station controller.
The setup differs between different brands, please call the total station supplier for setup details.
Important!
If your total station has less than 8 Hz, then the accuracy of the system will be affected.
2. Set projection to None(m)/None(ft)/None(us-ft).
Go to Settings > Position > Projection, type and select e.g. None (m) in the input box, and
press Apply projection. The robot is now accepting X and Y positions, in meters/feet, from the
total station.
Note: The None projection will automatically disable the background map.
3. Accounting for the delay in position input.
The wireless communication might introduce a delay in the position output sent from the total station.
To have the robot account for this delay and drive more precisely:
- Go to Settings > Robot behavior > Calibration.
- Change Position time offset (sec) to an appropriate value.
To learn more about determining the Position Time Offset, press here.
From experience, this value has shown to be between -0.200 and -0.05 sec. For example, if the position output from the total station is delayed by 200 milliseconds, then the value will be -0,200.