Concept of a Highly Automated Tower Crane

Low productivity and efficiency, as well as a high proportion of manual activities, necessitate automating the construction industry. While some individual functions of construction machinery - especially earthmoving equipment - are already automated, there is a lack of a holistic concept for a highly automated tower crane. In a highly automated tower crane, humans serve only as a fallback in case of emergency. The machine executes individual load movements autonomously, with environmental perception used for monitoring and ensuring safety across the crane's workspace. This paper presents a three-layer framework for developing a highly automated tower crane consisting of the crane itself, a central control unit, and the user interface. This concept ensures a more efficient and safer coordination of lifting operations with cranes. Moreover, the required construction site personnel can be deployed more efficiently for planned tasks.