Near Real-Time Motion Planning and Simulation of Cranes in Construction: Framework and System Architecture

Abstract

Motion planning of cranes is an important issue in construction projects, where rapid and accurate planning directly affects the safety and productivity of operations. The work presented in this paper is directed toward developing a framework for near real-time motion planning of cranes that satisfies safety requirements and efficiently considers the dynamic properties of construction sites. This framework is not aiming to full automation but rather for providing assistance to crane operators to replan safe paths in near real time. The proposed motion planning framework is designed in a way that makes it possible to be generalized over different types of equipment, and has the ability of visualizing and simulating motion planning results in near real-time. The framework is applied to develop a specialized motion planning system for construction equipment, Intelligent Construction Equipment Planner (ICE-Planner). This system is integrated into three-dimensional software to define, solve, and visualize motion planning in near real time.