Crane operation using hand-motion and radio frequency identification tags

Payload oscillation inherent to all cranes makes it challenging for human operators to manipulate payloads quickly, accurately, and safely. Manipulation difficulty is also increased by non-intuitive crane control interfaces. A new type of crane control interface that allows an operator to drive a crane by moving his or her hand freely in space has been implemented on an industrial bridge crane. Real-time-location technology based on radio frequency sensors tracks the 3D movements of a small tag held in the operator's hand. The tag's position is then used to drive the crane. Simulations of the crane dynamics and hand-motion control were compared with actual experimental data. The results show that a combination of aggressive PD feedback control gains and an input shaper is able to generate the desired characteristics of fast crane response and low residual oscillations.