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.