Path-Planning Method Based on Reinforcement Learning for Cooperative Two-Crane Lift Considering Load Constraint

In a two-crane cooperative lift process, unreasonable load distribution on the two cranes may cause one of the cranes to overload, which may cause a dangerous overturn accident. Therefore, the load distribution should be taken as a constraint to yield a safe path for a cooperative lift. Besides, the load distribution on the two cranes varies with the changing postures of the cranes. However, the explicit relationship between the load distribution and the postures has not been reported. Therefore, this article first presents a relationship model between the postures of the two cranes and the load distribution on them. Next, a new path-planning method based on reinforcement learning is explained, which utilizes the load constraint as the optimization object in the cooperative two-crane lift. Simulation results show that the new method yields a short lift path with reasonable load distribution.