Experimental Comparison of Manual and Automated Crane Control Through Obstacle Fields

Movement of bridge crane payloads through a crowded workspace requires small levels of payload swing for safe operation. The importance of limiting payload swing in such environments was evaluated by studying operator navigation through an obstacle field. Performance under manual operation with and without input shaping was compared with automated traversal using pre-programmed trajectories. These control strategies and test subjects’ design and navigation approaches were compared using a small-scale bridge crane. During the navigation tests investigated, the system begins as a single-pendulum and becomes a double-pendulum upon pick up of a payload introducing additional complexity to system control. While implementation of input shaping reduced collisions during manual operation, variance in path selection and shaper design yielded a range of completion times. Implementation of pre-programmed trajectories reduced completion times; however, the lack of human oversight introduced the risk of failing to deposit the payload at the correct location.