Zupt’s VertiCAM is an in-air, contactless LiDAR, camera, and inertial system designed to monitor the verticality of tubular structures such as monopiles, piles, conductors, and wind turbine foundations during installation. Installed on a vessel, the system uses two “nodes”, each including a LiDAR, HD camera, and an inertial measurement unit. Mounted up to 50 meters from the structure, VertiCAM captures pitch, roll, and heading data in real time, allowing teams to assess and adjust orientation without pausing hammering or attaching sensors to the monopile.

With its rugged design and intuitive interface, VertiCAM allows installation teams to view heading and inclination from the deck or bridge while recording each installation. It can be used alone or integrated with Zupt’s iRTS pile run monitoring system to provide immediate feedback and maintain project tolerances.

As offshore wind projects grow in scale and complexity, VertiCAM provides fast and reliable verticality feedback, reducing rework and improving outcomes. Its dual redundant sensors deliver consistent performance even in low visibility, making it a dependable solution for modern renewable energy operations.

VertiCAM Applications

VertiCAM is used to determine the verticality of tubular structures, with several applications in offshore renewables. These applications include:

• Offshore Wind Farm Installations:
  • Structure Piles
  • Wind Turbine Pile Foundations
  • Jackets

How VertiCAM Works

For monitoring the pitch and roll of the pile during installation, this is how VertiCAM works:

1. System Setup and Installation: Install two or three "stations" of the VertiCAM system on the vessel. Two of these systems are active for dual redundancy, and the third system may serve as a "hot" spare system for backup.
2. Sensor Configuration: Each "station" will be equipped with the following sensors:

• • LiDAR
  • Camera/Lens
  • Lights
  • Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
  • GNSS receiver and antenna
  • Processor

1. Pile Installation Process: VertiCAM monitors the pitch and roll of the pile as it is lowered into place and continuously tracks the pile's verticality. The LiDAR solution delivers the required accuracy/resolution without any specific targets being placed onto the pile. The camera solution requires targets to be installed and dimensionally controlled onto the structure.
2. Real-Time Data Processing: The structure is detected in real-time by the LiDAR-camera system at two different angles. The inertial data is then processed to compute the high update rate absolute attitude of the structure, independent of the motion of the installation vessel.

VertiCAM Key Features

• VertiCAM is a dual redundant solution, combining a LiDAR system, HD Imaging Sensor, and IMU at two different viewing locations for a structure being installed.
• VertiCAM is a contactless, in-air solution that positions a structure with no sensors or physical bracketry mounted to the structure.
• The verticality data is provided to the user in real-time.
• The LiDAR system will perform down to the onset of “zero” or “very low visibility” as defined by ICAO Annex 3 Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation.

Data Acquisition and Requirements

This system is connected to an NVIDIA GPU processor running real-time verticality calculations, also providing a remote human-machine interface (HMI) processor connected to the core processor via a network (Ethernet) connection to allow remote data viewing and interface to the system.

Product Specs

1. Exterior Sensor Housings - IP67/IP68 Housed
2. Pitch and Roll Required (Accuracy) - Target 0.05°, Minimum 0.1°
3. Pitch and Roll Required (Resolution) - Target 0.01°, Minimum 0.05°
4. Heading Accuracy - <1° *If structure Features Are Present
5. Pitch and Roll Range - +/- 20°
6. Maximum Vessel Motion - +/- 10° Pitch/Roll, +/- 3m Heave, 5°/s Rate of Rotation
7. Max Offset From Pile to Sensors - 20m Imagery, 50m LiDAR
8. Pile Dimensional Control Information - Diameter +/-3mm, Ovality 5%

Contact Zupt today to learn more about VertiCAM and how it can enhance your offshore operations.