System Overview#

Architecture#

Terna's guidance system consists of three main components working together to provide precise excavator positioning and visualization.

Core Components#

IMU Sensors#

The Terna Systems platform uses a distributed architecture with edge computing for real-time control. The Terna HUB manages all communications locally while maintaining cloud connectivity for fleet management, monitoring and communication with the user application.

Terna HUB#

The HUB is the brain of the system, processing sensor data and controlling machine movements with sub-millisecond precision using RTK-enhanced GNSS (GPS) and IMU inputs.

Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) mounted on excavator attachment points provide real-time position and orientation data for bucket, arm, and boom tracking.

Android Application#

Tablet-based guidance application running on Android, providing real-time visualization through the HMI, operator interface, and system configuration.

Communication#

Primary connectivity via 5G and LTE networks enables OTA updates and real-time telemetry streaming via MQTT protocols.

Software Stack#

Cloud Platform#

Cloud services provide API access for third-party integrations and SCADA systems.

Integration#

The system supports REST API, WebSocket streams, and standard industrial protocols for BIM and CAD integration.

This has an overview of the most commonly used abbreviations used in the documentation.