Crane maneuvering assistance

• US 9,238,570 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Schoonmaker, Stephen J., Maynard, Kurtis L., Fidler, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Feliciano, Eliseo Ramos
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US13/541,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 702/34, 702/150, 702/152, 702/179, 702/183, 702/186, 212/274, 212/330
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/18 Control systems or devices exclusively for rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms B66D1/40
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/46 Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 15/04 for preventing collisions, e.g. between cranes or trolleys operating on the same track

Abstract

A system for tracking movable crane components to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite includes a computing device having a processor which calculates a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for an upperworks that has an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and a lowerworks. The processor calculates a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates and transforms the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from first and second positioning sensors attached to the crane (for instance on the upperworks and the hook, respectively) and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located. The upperworks 3D coordinate system is useable to determine line segments in the upperworks 3D coordinate system for various movable components.

Claims

1. A system for determining a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system for a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the crane comprising movable components including an upperworks rotatably attached to a lowerworks, a boom attached to the upperworks, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the boom, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is rotatably attached to the lowerworks; and

a second positioning sensor located on the hook;

the processor operable to calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and lowerworks, the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates; and

transform the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from the first and second positioning sensors and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located, the upperworks 3D coordinate system being useable to track the at least one moveable component for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

2. The system of claim 1, the processor further operable to:

calculate a first distance between locations of the first and second positioning sensors in global 3D coordinates;

calculate a second distance and a direction between a location of the first positioning sensor toward a mid-plane of the crane in 3D global coordinates based on the location of the first positioning sensor, the first distance, and an intersection point with the mid-plane of the crane, where the mid-plane of the crane is determined based on a heading of the boom and the location of the second positioning sensor; and

offset a distance to the origin in the global 3D coordinates in at least one of the three dimensions based on a vector created from the second distance and corresponding direction to the mid-plane of the crane.

3. The system of claim 1, the processor further operable to:

calculate a 3D geospatial location of a boom hinge point where the boom is attached to the upperworks based on the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks; and

generate a 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the boom based on a combination of the location of the boom hinge point and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segment useable to generate an exclusion zone in absolute space surrounding the boom to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on the jobsite.

4. The system of claim 3, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display of the 3D line segment and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system for real-time viewing by a crane operator.

5. The system of claim 3, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display for viewing by a crane operator of planned motions of at least the boom in relation to the 3D line segment and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate to the crane operator motions to take with the crane and the boom to avoid the crane from contacting the other tracked objects.

6. The system of claim 3, the processor further operable to:

vary a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing device, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of;

speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

7. The system of claim 3, where the other tracked objects also include 3D line segments, the processor further operable to project the upperworks 3D coordinate system to a 2D coordinate system and to track the exclusion zone with reference to the other tracked objects in the 2D coordinate system by removing the z-axis component of the 3D line segments corresponding thereto.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

9. The system of claim 1, where the second positioning sensor is attached to a second location of the upperworks, the processor further operable to:

determine a local vector and a unit vector between the first and second locations of the upperworks;

calculate an angle between the unit vector and an x-axis of the local coordinates;

calculate an angle of angular rotation useable to rotate the unit vector about a local z-axis to produce an x-axis direction of the upperworks 3D coordinate system; and

determine a direction of the y-axis of the upperworks 3D coordinate system based on the x-axis direction.

10. The system of claim 9, the processor further operable to:

determine a second local vector that originates from the first location and points to the origin of the 3D coordinate system; and

determine a global position vector of the UW coordinate system by transforming the second local vector from local to global 3D coordinates using the x-axis and y-axis directions.

11. The system of claim 1, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks.

12. A system for determining a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system for a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the crane comprising movable components including an upperworks rotatably attached to a lowerworks, and a boom attached to the upperworks, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

a first positioning sensor attached to a first location on the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is rotatably attached to the lowerworks;

a second positioning sensor attached to a second location on the upperworks different than the first location; and

a third positioning sensor attached to a third location on the upperworks different than the first and second locations;

the processor operable to calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and lowerworks, the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates; and

transform the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from the first, the second, and the third positioning sensors and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located, the upperworks 3D coordinate system being useable to track the at least one moveable component for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

13. The system of claim 12, the processor further operable to:

determine a first local vector between the first and second positioning sensors;

determine a second local vector between the first and third positioning sensors;

calculate a plane spanned between the first and second local vectors;

determine a third local vector as a vector normal to the plane; and

determine a set of unit vectors to model a preliminary 3D coordinate system aligned with the plane.

14. The system of claim 13, the processor further operable to:

determine a third local vector pointing from the first positioning sensor to the origin of the 3D coordinate system; and

transform the third local vector into the preliminary 3D coordinate system.

15. The system of claim 14, the processor further operable to:

determine a first global position vector pointing from the first location to the second location;

determine a second global position vector pointing from the first location to the third location;

calculate a third global position vector normal to a second plane formed between the first and second global position vectors;

determine a set of unit vectors that models global 3D coordinates that are aligned with the second plane; and

determine an orientation of the global 3D coordinate system by transforming the first, second, and third local units vectors into, respectively, x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis components of the origin of the 3D coordinate system using the preliminary 3D coordinate system and the first, second, and third global position vectors.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

17. The system of claim 12, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks.

18. A system for tracking movable crane components of a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the movable crane components including an upperworks attached to a lowerworks, a boom rotatably attached to the upperworks, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the boom, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

at least a first positioning sensor attached to a location on the upperworks, wherein the upperworks attached to the lowerworks and the boom is rotatably attached to the upperworks; and

a second positioning sensor located on the hook;

the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks using absolute position sensing data from at least the first positioning sensor, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and the lowerworks; and

track a location of a boom tip and a boom angle of the boom during operation of the crane according to the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks based on absolute position sensing data from the at least the first and the second positioning sensors and a known length of the boom, the boom tip and boom angle being useable to track movement of the boom for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

19. The system of claim 18, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks, the processor further operable to:

offset the length of the boom along a boom axis with a radius of the sheave to form a revised boom length;

calculate a second length of the boom from a boom hinge point to an axis of the sheave; and

calculate a rotation angle from the boom axis to a vector formed between the boom hinge point and the sheave axis point using the revised boom length and the second length of the boom.

20. The system of claim 19, where the at least first positioning sensor includes two positioning sensors located at two different locations of the upperworks, the processor further operable to:

project a location for the hook during operation to a mid-plane of the crane;

determine a first global position vector for the hook location projected to the crane mid-plane in a horizontal plane at an elevation of the boom hinge point;

determine a second global position vector from the sheave axis to a location vertically below the sheave axis in the horizontal plane using the absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor;

determine a third global position vector from the boom hinge point to an end point of the second global position vector;

determine a fourth global position vector to the sheave axis;

determine a fifth global position vector and corresponding unit vector between the fourth global position vector and the boom axis hinge point;

determine a sixth global position vector to the boom tip by;

rotating the unit vector corresponding to the fifth global position vector by the rotation angle and taking the inner product thereof with the boom length to generate a revised fifth global position vector and length of the boom along the boom axis for adding to the location of the boom hinge point in the 3D coordinate system; and

determine the boom angle as the arc-cosine of;

the x-axis component of the first global position vector taken as an inner product with the unit vector corresponding to the fifth global position vector.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

22. A system for tracking movable crane components of a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the movable crane components including an upperworks attached to a lowerworks, a telescopic boom rotatably attached to the upperworks, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the boom, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

at least a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks, wherein the upperworks attached to the lowerworks, the telescopic boom rotatably attached to the upperworks; and

a second positioning sensor located on the hook;

a boom angle sensor operable to send a boom angle to the processor, the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks using absolute position sensing data from at least the first positioning sensor, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and the lowerworks; and

track a location of a boom tip and a boom length during operation of the crane according to the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks based on absolute position sensing data from the at least the first and the second positioning sensors and the boom angle, the boom tip and boom length being useable to track movement of the boom for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

23. The system of claim 22, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks, the processor further operable to:

offset the length of the boom along a boom axis with a radius of the sheave to form a revised boom length;

calculate a second length of the boom from a boom hinge point to an axis of the sheave; and

calculate a rotation angle from the boom axis to a vector formed between the boom hinge point and the sheave axis point using the revised boom length and the second length of the boom.

24. The system of claim 23, where the at least first positioning sensor includes two positioning sensors located at two different locations of the upperworks, the processor further operable to:

project a location for the hook during operation to a mid-plane of the crane;

determine a first global position vector for the hook location projected to the crane mid-plane in a horizontal plane at an elevation of the boom hinge point;

determine a second global position vector from the sheave axis to a location vertically below the sheave axis in the horizontal plane using the absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor;

determine a third global position vector from the boom hinge point to an end point of the second global position vector;

determine a first unit vector for the boom axis by rotating the boom axis line about a y-axis component of the first global position vector by the rotation angle;

determine a second unit vector normal to the boom axis;

determine a fourth global position vector to a point along the second unit vector at a distance of an offset of the sheave axis;

determine a fifth global position vector as a projection from the sheave axis to the boom axis;

calculate a position in the 3D coordinate system to a tip of the boom based at least in part on the fifth global position vector;

determine a sixth global position vector between the boom hinge point to the boom tip based at least in part on the fifth global position; and

determine the length of the boom as the absolute magnitude of the sixth global position vector.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

26. A system for tracking movable crane components of a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the movable crane components including an upperworks rotatably attached to a lowerworks, a boom attached to the upperworks, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the boom, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component from other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is rotatably attached to the lowerworks; and

a second positioning sensor located on the hook;

the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks using absolute position sensing data from at least the first positioning sensor, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and the lowerworks;

calculate a 3D geospatial location of a boom hinge point based on the upperworks 3D coordinate system; and

generate a 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the boom based on a combination of the location of the boom hinge point and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segment useable to generate an exclusion zone surrounding the boom to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on the jobsite.

27. The system of claim 26, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks, and where the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks is located and oriented based on global coordinates derived from a 3D coordinate system for a jobsite where the crane is located.

28. The system of claim 26, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display of the 3D line segment and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system for real-time viewing by a crane operator.

29. The system of claim 26, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display for viewing by a crane operator of planned motions of at least the boom in relation to the 3D line segment and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate to the crane operator motions to take with the crane and the boom to avoid the other tracked objects.

30. The system of claim 26, the processor further operable to:

vary a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing device, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of;

speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

31. The system of claim 26, where the other tracked objects also include 3D line segments, the processor further operable to project the upperworks 3D coordinate system to a 2D coordinate system and to track the exclusion zone with reference to the other tracked objects in the 2D coordinate system by removing the z-axis component of the 3D line segments corresponding thereto.

32. The system of claim 26, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

33. The system of claim 26, where the other tracked objects are either static or in motion and include respective second exclusion zones, further comprising the processor operable to:

send a warning to a crane operator through a display or audio device coupled with the computing device when the second exclusion zone of one of the other tracked objects approaches the exclusion zone of the crane.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a controller controllable by the processor to control the motion of the boom to prevent a collision between the other object and the crane when the second exclusion zone of the other object approaches the exclusion zone of the crane.

35. The system of claim 26, the processor further operable to:

vary a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing device, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of;

speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

36. A system for tracking a location of a trolley of a tower crane trolley to assist maneuvering the tower crane within a jobsite, the tower crane including a tower, an upperworks attached to the top of the tower, a jib attached to the upperworks, where the trolley is attached to the jib, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the trolley, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;

a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is attached to the top of the tower; and

a second positioning sensor located on the hook;

the processor operable to;

calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks using absolute position sensing data from at least the first positioning sensor, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and the tower; and

calculate a location of the trolley according to the 3D coordinate system based on absolute position sensing data from at least the second positioning sensor, the trolley location being useable to track movement of the hook and the hoist line for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

37. The system of claim 36, the processor further operable to:

determine a vector from a jib start point to the location of the second positioning sensor;

determine a distance from the location of the second positioning sensor to a mid-plane of the crane, the mid-plane of the crane cutting through a center of the jib;

determine a first global position vector for the location of the second positioning sensor to the crane mid-plane based on the distance and the absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor;

determine a difference in elevation between the location of the second positioning sensor and the jib start point; and

determine a second global position vector for the trolley location as the first global position vector plus the difference in elevation taken along the crane mid-plane.

38. The system of claim 36, the processor further operable to:

generate a first 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the jib and a second 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the hoist line, the 3D line segments based on a combination of the location of the trolley and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segments useable to generate exclusion zones surrounding the jib and the hoist line to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on the jobsite.

39. The system of claim 38, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display of the 3D line segments and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system for real-time viewing by a crane operator.

40. The system of claim 38, where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display for viewing by a crane operator of planned motions of at least the jib in relation to the 3D line segments and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate to the crane operator motions to take with the crane and the jib to avoid the other tracked objects.

41. The system of claim 36, further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

42. The system of claim 36, where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the tower.

43. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method of crane maneuvering assistance, the method comprising:

calculating a three-dimensional (3D) position of an origin of a 3D upperworks coordinate system for a crane based on local coordinates of the crane, the origin being located along an axis of rotation between an upperworks of the crane and a lowerworks of the crane that is rotatably coupled with the upperworks;

transforming the 3D position of the origin from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from a first positioning sensor coupled with the upperworks and a second positioning sensor located on a hook of the crane and global 3D coordinates specific to a jobsite where the crane is located;

computing positions of at least one movable component of the crane with respect to a tracked object on the jobsite, wherein the tracked object is not a portion of the crane; and

utilizing the computed positions to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to the tracked object.

44. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, further comprising instructions for:

varying a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing system, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of;

speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

45. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the computing positions of at least one movable component of the crane with respect to a tracked object on the jobsite further comprises:

calculating a 3D geospatial location of a boom hinge point where the boom is attached to the upperworks based on the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks;

generating a 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the boom based on a combination of the location of the boom hinge point and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor; and

using the 3D line segment to generate an exclusion zone in absolute space surrounding the boom for comparison with locations of the tracked object on the jobsite.

46. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein utilizing the computed positions to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to the tracked object comprises:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane of the 3D line segment and one or more line segments corresponding tracked object.

47. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein utilizing the computed positions to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to the tracked object comprises:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane, the image comprising planned motions of at least the boom in relation to the 3D line segment and the one or more line segments of the tracked object to the crane operator motions to take with the crane and the boom to avoid the crane contacting the tracked object.

48. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein utilizing the computed positions to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to the tracked object comprises:

projecting the upperworks 3D coordinate system to a 2D coordinate system by removing a z-axis component of 3D line segments corresponding thereto; and

generating, for real-time viewing, on a display in a cab of the crane an image of the exclusion zone with reference the tracked object in the 2D coordinate system.

49. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium 44, further comprising instructions for:

utilizing information from a portable validation device to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

50. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method of crane maneuvering assistance, the method comprising:

calculating a three-dimensional (3D) position of an origin of a 3D upperworks coordinate system for a crane based on local coordinates of the crane, the origin being located along an axis of rotation between an upperworks of the crane and a lowerworks of the crane that is rotatably coupled with the upperworks, the crane including a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks and a second positioning sensor located on a hook of the crane;

tracking a boom angle of a boom of the crane and a location of a boom tip of the boom during operation of the crane according to the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks based on absolute position sensing data from the at least the first and the second positioning sensors and a known length of the boom; and

utilizing the boom tip location and boom angle to track movement of the boom to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to a tracked object on the job site, wherein the tracked object is not a portion of the crane.

51. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method of crane maneuvering assistance, the method comprising:

calculating a three-dimensional (3D) position of an origin of a 3D upperworks coordinate system for a crane based on local coordinates of the crane, the origin being located along an axis of rotation between an upperworks of the crane and a lowerworks of the crane that is rotatably coupled with the upperworks, the crane including a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks and a second positioning sensor located on a hook of the crane;

calculating a 3D geospatial location of a hinge point of a boom of the crane based on the upperworks 3D coordinate system;

generating a 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the boom based on a combination of the location of the boom hinge point and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segment useable to generate an exclusion zone surrounding the boom to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on a jobsite on which the crane is located; and

providing the 3D line segment and exclusion zone surrounding the boom for assistance in maneuvering the crane with respect to other tracked objects on a jobsite.

52. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 51, further comprising instructions for:

varying a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing system, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of;

speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

53. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 51, wherein providing the 3D line segment and exclusion zone surrounding the boom for assistance in maneuvering the crane comprises:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane, the image comprising the 3D line segment and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

54. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 51, wherein providing the 3D line segment and exclusion zone surrounding the boom for assistance in maneuvering the crane comprises:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane, the image comprising planned motions of at least the boom in relation to the 3D line segment and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate motions to take with the crane and the boom to avoid the other tracked objects.

55. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 51, wherein providing the 3D line segment and exclusion zone surrounding the boom for assistance in maneuvering the crane:

projecting the upperworks 3D coordinate system to a 2D coordinate system by removing a z-axis component of 3D line segments corresponding thereto; and

generating, for real-time viewing, on a display in a cab of the crane an image of the exclusion zone with reference the other tracked objects in the 2D coordinate system.

56. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 51, wherein providing the 3D line segment and exclusion zone surrounding the boom for assistance in maneuvering the crane comprises:

sending a warning to a crane operator when a second exclusion zone associated with one of the other tracked objects approaches the exclusion zone of the crane.

57. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 56, further comprising instructions for:

controlling motion of the boom to prevent a collision between the other object and the crane when the second exclusion zone of the other object approaches the exclusion zone of the crane.

58. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method of crane maneuvering assistance, the method comprising:

calculating a three-dimensional (3D) position of an origin of a 3D upperworks coordinate system for a crane based on local coordinates of the crane, the origin being located along an axis of rotation between an upperworks of the crane and a lowerworks of the crane that is rotatably coupled with the upperworks, the crane including a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks and a second positioning sensor located on a hook of the crane;

calculating a location of a trolley of the crane according to the 3D coordinate system based on absolute position sensing data from at least the second positioning sensor; and

utilizing the trolley location to track movement of the hook and a hoist line coupled between the hook and the trolley in order to provide assistance in maneuvering the crane with reference to other tracked objects on a jobsite.

59. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 58, further comprising instructions for:

generating a first 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the jib and a second 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the hoist line, the 3D line segments based on a combination of the location of the trolley and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segments useable to generate exclusion zones surrounding the jib and the hoist line to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on the jobsite.

60. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 59, further comprising instructions for:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane, the image comprising the 3D line segments and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

61. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 59, further comprising instructions for:

generating, for real-time viewing, an image on a display in a cab of the crane, the image comprising planned motions of at least the jib in relation to the 3D line segments and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate motions to take with the crane and the jib to avoid the other tracked objects.