Abstract
Feasible real-time swing angle measurement is significant to improve the efficiency and safety of industrial crane systems. This paper presents a wireless microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based swing angle measurement system. The system consists of two attitude heading reference system (AHRS) sensing units with a wireless communication function, which are mounted on the hook (or payload) and the jib (or base) of the crane, respectively. With a combination of a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis magnetometer, the standard extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate the desired orientation of the payload and the base. Wireless ZigBee communication is employed to transmit the orientation of the payload to the sensing unit mounted on the base, which measures the orientation of the base. Because several physical parameters from the payload to the base can be acquired from the original crane control system, the swing angles of the payload can be calculated based on the two measured orientation parameters together with the known physical parameters. Experiments were performed to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed swing angle measurement system.
Highlights
Industrial cranes are widely used in harbors, docks, warehouses, construction sites and other industrial sites
Accelerometer or inclinometer sensors are competitive for swing angle measurement, especially with the development of the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, which leads to low cost accelerometers or inclinometers
Once these accelerometers or inclinometers are attached to some special locations of the crane body, the swing angles can be calculated based on the geometry of the crane system
Summary
Industrial cranes are widely used in harbors, docks, warehouses, construction sites and other industrial sites. Accelerometer or inclinometer sensors are competitive for swing angle measurement, especially with the development of the MEMS technology, which leads to low cost accelerometers or inclinometers. Once these accelerometers or inclinometers are attached to some special locations (normally a hook or trolley) of the crane body, the swing angles can be calculated based on the geometry of the crane system. An aerial vehicle needs orientation information to stabilize its attitude [17] Such sensing systems are very expensive, because they use high resolution and low bias sensors, and they usually find applications in commercial airplanes. Two MEMS-based AHRS sensors will be used to calculate the swing angles of the crane system.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
