Crane pose estimation using UWB real-time location system

Operating a crane is a complex job, which requires not only the experience of the operator, but also sufficient and appropriate real-time support to conceive and react to the environment. To help the crane operator, crane pose estimation is necessary to predict potential collisions. Environment perception technologies are essential to update environment information. Location data of the components of the cranes should be used to calculate the pose of the crane that can be used for collision avoidance. This paper aims to investigate how to collect and efficiently process the location data in near real time using ultra wideband (UWB) technology for providing intelligent support to crane operators. First, the requirements of using UWB technology in construction sites to track crane movements are defined. Then, the details of the UWB system setting method are investigated to decide the location of sensors and the number and location of tags attached to different components of a crane. A location data processing method is proposed to improve data quality by filtering noisy data and filling in missing data in near real time. An outdoor test is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of applying the proposed approach. Location data of a crane boom are collected and processed in near real time. The results of the test show a good potential to calculate the poses of crane booms using UWB real-time location system (RTLS).