Optimal Load Positioning of a Rotary Crane with Slow and Safe Motion Considering Sway Reduction

This paper presents a trajectory generation method for slow and precise load transportation by rotary crane operation, aiming to suppress load-sway and improve positioning accuracy. The proposed method applies optimization to determine the maximum allowable velocities and accelerations of the boom motions, constrained by acceptable load-sway limits. A cycloidal velocity profile is applied to ensure smooth motion. The desired load position is selected through a user interface, and inverse kinematics is used to compute the joint trajectories. Simulations were conducted to confirm that the load follows a smooth trajectory while reducing sway. Experiments using a lab-scale crane were conducted to validate the simulation results, demonstrating that the proposed method maintains load-sway within an acceptable range. The results demonstrate the efficacy of this approach with regard to supporting precise positioning control in crane operations.