CPS–Based System for Enhanced Mobile Crane Safety

Abstract

Mobile cranes are widely applied in the construction industry all over the world. As a central component performing lifting operations and maneuvering heavy loads over long spans, mobile cranes account for a large number of accidents on construction sites. One of the main reasons behind these accidents is due to the operator’s lack of visibility of the crane itself and the surrounding environment. In this context, broadening the bandwidth of communications to the operator is an effective way in identifying and mitigating potential mobile crane-related hazards. With the aim of providing real-time safety assistance for mobile crane operations, this chapter presents a Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)-based approach to monitoring mobile crane operations in real-time and providing enriched information to the crane operator. Building on Chap. 10, a detailed implementation of CPS for mobile crane operations is presented in this chapter. A system architecture was developed and the detailed workflow in building the system for CPS integration was discussed. The developed CPS was validated on a full-scale construction site to demonstrate its practical functionality. In the concluding part of this chapter, challenges of the developed system were discussed, and suggestions were made on possible future research trajectories.