6DOF Crane Hook Tracking: XYZ+Orientation | Marvelmind

0:00 It's about cranes, particularly bridge cranes or similar cranes where you want to track the location of the hook—sometimes the relative location of the hook and the vehicle, or the relative location of the hook and the people. It's the same story: safety and productivity. But let's now define first what would be their task. As I said, sometimes it's just basic XYZ location of the hook. In order to measure what we usually suggest and recommend, we split this XYZ. So, for example, there is a stationary beacon. For example, there is another stationary beacon, and the mobile beacon which is placed on the bridge.

0:58 So it means that the X coordinate is measured against the walls of the building separately. Then you need X, Y, Z. So Y would be this one. So it means that either on this moving—whatever thing, cabin moving or something—you measure against this beacon or some other beacon. It depends again on multiple details. But for example, this beacon is used at the same time as a mobile beacon against those stationary beacons. But for this cabin, it would be as a stationary beacon. So, and if it's seen—okay, it's not seen—but for example, you have some sort of mast or something, and there's a mobile beacon placed on it. In this case, you track

1:54 this point. And you know the Y coordinate, and then of course there is a Z coordinate. How you do it: usually you place the beacons—sometimes not even one, but even two, three beacons. Let's say, sorry, three, four beacons, even more. Let's discuss: so they are placed on this moving thing. It could be once again—this beacon could be this moving beacon because it looks differently in different setups. But sometimes it's not convenient. So anyway, you have X against the ceiling and walls, then Y—the bridge or this thing—against the stationary beacon on the bridge, and then the hook itself against the stationary beacons which are

2:53 stationary to this moving thing, and the mobile beacon would be on the hook itself. The hook itself is pretty large, usually. So it means that if you want to track 3D, you're often not able to just place where you want to place. For example, here, no, because in this case this will not see because it will be behind the hook, or this will not be able to see it because it will be behind the hook. And you're also limited because you know this thing must do the job after all. So very often you place several mobile beacons on the hook in order to just provide line of sight. But very often customers want not only XYZ tracking—okay, XYZ—they also want swing, and swing in this direction

3:54 as well. So for this you need to place mobile beacons so that they may be paired in order to measure. They may be paired and need to be paired and seen at the same time. So before we place these mobile beacons in order to provide at least some visibility, so it meant that if you're able to measure this location, that's great. Then we're able to measure the location of the whole thing because we know that this beacon is placed on this part of the hook. And then the rest of the hook you can determine because it's not only a dot anymore—it's a kind of extended object. But for paired beacons, you must track the location of both this beacon and this beacon. So it means that either you would need to install more stationary beacons or mobile beacons—let's say installed like this—so it meant that they will not be obstructed by the hook itself.

4:54 Anyway, so as soon as you provide line of sight, you are quite easily measuring this point with high precision and this point with high precision. And since they're paired in this case, you know everything about this hook: the swing, the rotations, and now we know XYZ plus angular location of the hook. But as I mentioned, very often people want to track also this location against the mobile objects. It could be a vehicle from where the load is coming or to where the load is coming, or for people, for safety. In this case, the person must have—let's say—a jacket stashing a mobile beacon, and these beacons must track not only this but their mobile beacon on the person as well.

5:52 So it could be an option. Another option is more drastic: we do not track like this, split X, split from Y, split from that, and this is not tracked by this. So it could be completely different. Let me return everything back. And the system may be completely different architecture. It's not necessarily simpler or better. It also depends on the details. What could be—well, as usually: one stationary beacon, another stationary beacon, third stationary beacon, etc. Then you install the mobile beacons. Install them about—you can install, for example, whatever mobile beacons in order to provide coverage. And in this case you simply track this mobile beacon in the map of stationary beacons placed around. But there could be some drawbacks.

6:51 Which one? Oh, for example, you would have to track this. While the height would be maybe even above the stationary beacons, in this case you will not be able to track that. You will be able to track X, Y pretty precisely, but the Z will be imprecise. So you need that. So in this case, it could be still a combination: X, Y you always track against those stationary beacons, but the Z you are tracking just as you know, distance, meter of this line. Sometimes it's based on our system, but sometimes even mechanical, you know, height distance measurement due to this rope or whatever thing. And also the relative position of the person, you may track against this moving bridge or against their crane or against something. Or you can track against, and then they simply say okay, I know the

7:49 location of my person, I know the location of this, then I can calculate the distance. It's also possible. So the ultimate answer is that first of all, there are many cases like this. Yes, it's possible to provide the exact solution. The details do matter. So send us the details and we would be able to suggest you the optimal solution for all kinds of bridge cranes for safety and productivity. Thank you very much.