Automated Path Planning for Mobile Crane Lifts

Planning the lift path of a crane is an important subtask within the heavy–lift planning process. This paper reports the work done toward applying configuration space (C–space) and search concepts to develop a tool to identify lift paths that satisfies the planning requirements. The C–space is generated using an interference detection technique. Two levels of heuristic search are performed within the C–space. The first search is a heuristic depth search to determine the obstacle–free lift paths. The second search performs a more detailed optimization of the path within a constrained search space. The tool can be used within the AutoCad environment and is based on program modules developed using AutoLisp and external programs. The system was tested on a number of problems. It was found that the system was capable of generating good paths in complex situations.