A Real-time Embedded Data Acquisition System For Surface Measurements Using Multiple Line Lasers

Abstract

In the last few years there has been a significant increase in the number of hand held devices. These devices boast of delivering features such as high performance, low power consumption, high memory availability, serial and parallel interfacing capability, connectivity through the Ethernet, wireless, etc., at a very low cost. These embedded devices powered by open source software like Linux and Arduino have paved the way for the development of high efficiency, low cost portable products in a very short period of time.The objective of this thesis is to enhance the portability, efficiency, and other features of the existing Roline Laser profiling system used by the Texas Department of Transportation. The focus of this research is to replace the slow and bulky processing procedure of the Roline laser profiling system with new mobile technology. This includes the use of the Intel® Galileo which features the SoC Quark 1000. The improvements include extending the capabilities for multiple laser surface measurement methods and GPS tracking information.