Abstract
Facilitating communication via standardized interfaces is key to increase construction site collaboration and productivity. This paper firstly outlines different Machine-to-Machine (M2M) messaging protocols and their suitability for communication on construction sites. Secondly, a unified construction site communication and interface solution that allows for the seamless transfer of data in M2M, Machine-to-Server (M2S), and Server-to-Server (S2S) scenarios, encompassing all layers of an Internet-of-Things (IoT) infrastructure, is proposed. The findings show that predominantly Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) is suited for M2M communication at construction sites. Underscoring the value of frequent communication and collaboration at construction sites, different exemplary use cases are presented. Additionally, interoperability at all levels of exchange as well as a unified user frontend are emphasized as key requirements to increase application rates of automated communication and collaboration within the construction industry.
Zusammenfassung
Kommunikation über standardisierte Schnittstellen zu ermöglichen ist ein Schlüssel, um Kollaboration und Produktivität auf Baustellen zu steigern. In diesem Beitrag werden zunächst verschiedene Maschine-zu-Maschine (M2M) Kommunikationsprotokolle und ihre Eignung für die Kommunikation auf Baustellen beschrieben. Anschließend wird eine einheitliche Baustellenkommunikations- und Schnittstellenlösung vorgeschlagen, die eine nahtlose Übertragung von Daten in M2M, Maschine-zu-Server (M2S), und Server-zu-Server (S2S) Szenarien ermöglicht und alle Schichten einer Internet-of-Things (IoT) Infrastruktur umfasst. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich vor allem Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) als Übertragungsprotokoll für M2M-Kommunikation auf Baustellen eignet. Um den Mehrwert häufiger Kommunikation und Zusammenarbeit auf Baustellen zu unterstreichen, werden zudem beispielhafte Anwendungsfälle vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus wird vorgeschlagen, wie die Applikationsrate von automatisierter Kommunikation und Kooperation in der Branche verbessert werden kann. Hierbei werden Interoperabilität auf allen Ebenen des Austauschs sowie ein einheitliches Benutzer-Frontend als Schlüsselanforderungen hervorgehoben.
About the authors
Adrian Josef Huber is a researcher and PhD student at the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University of Munich, Germany. He earned his M.Sc. in Engineering and Management from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. His research interests include automation within construction equipment, IoT applications for civil engineering, and digital approaches for enabling sustainable construction practices. Focusing on data-driven product optimization and scalable and efficient data pipeline implementation within construction environments, his research contributes to leveraging the potential of emerging IoT technologies for construction.
Anne Fischer is a PhD student at the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University of Munich, Germany. She earned her M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. Her research interests are digital twins for construction process optimization. She uses stochastic simulation design and analysis, hybrid data-driven simulation modeling, and data analytics.
Maximilian Schöberl completed his master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) with a guest semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA. He has been a research assistant since 2019 and team leader at the TUM Chair of Materials Handling Material Flow Logistics (fml) of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fottner since 2022. He is working on digitalization in the construction industry with a focus on the automation of construction processes using machine technology and robotics.
Alexander Schock-Schmidtke is a PhD student at the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University of Munich, Germany. After having earned his M.Sc. in Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, his research interests gravitated towards the field of automation in construction with a focus on highly automated tower cranes. Thereby, focus areas include sensor data fusion as well as VR applications and the creation and optimization of simulation environments. Finally, the intelligent automation of processes utilizing machine learning and computer vision approaches completes his research profile.
Johannes Fottner's research work focuses on several central topics of technical logistics, especially new technical solutions and systems approaches to improve logistical processes, including the control and optimization of material flow processes using innovative identification technologies (RFID), the development of logistics planning based on digital tools, and the role of humans within logistics. Fottner places a special emphasis on practical applications of scientific knowledge, especially in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), for which the chair runs the Logistics Innovation Center (liz) and the RFID Application Center Munich (RFID-AZM) at TUM. Fottner holds the deputy national chair of the Society for Production and Logistics at the Association of German Engineers (VDI). In 2016, he was appointed professor of logistics engineering at TUM.
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Author contributions: The authors applied the SDC approach for the sequence of authors.
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Conflict of interest statement: Authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: Authors state no funding involved.
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