MOTION COMPENSATED CRANE
Client: OFFCO – VR Simulation
For OFFCO, a company that offers high-end offshore expertise, Controllab investigated the feasibility of an OPTS crane. The OPTS is a crane mounted on a ship’s deck that can transport passengers safely to and from the ship.
PURPOSE
The OPTS crane must be placed on a ship’s deck and have the ability to compensate for the ship’s motion. OFFCO asked us to investigate any major demands for the crane to operate successfully at sea. We investigated the initial crane design, and came up with suggestions for improvements.
IMPLEMENTATION
We developed a simulation model of the crane to analyze the mechanical construction, hydraulic actuators and motion compensation controller. We quickly discovered that successful operation at sea required a lightweight yet stiff crane.
RESULTS
Several iterations were verified. Controllab developed and implemented a motion compensation controller in a simulation model, which contained the complete crane and a ship model. The simulator’s output was coupled with a VR simulation to verify the crane’s operability. This resulted in a set of design guidelines that are now implemented in the first prototype of the crane.