Development of Operator Support System for Rotary Crane with Simultaneous Control of Positioning and Sway Suppression

Rotary cranes are used widely in factories, construction sites and harbors. The fundamental motions of a rotary crane consist of rotation, boom hoisting and load hoisting. However, the rotary crane has a serious problem: namely, load sway generated by the influence of acceleration and centrifugal force. The purpose of this paper was to construct an operation support system that everyone can control easily. In this system, it becomes possible to operate a crane at whatever speed the operator desires; the system suppresses the vibration of a load automatically when the operator operates the joystick. Straight-line transfer can be performed on a rotary crane. The effectiveness of the control system is shown by simulations and experiments.