Autonomous Block Assembly for Boom Cranes with Passive Joint Dynamics: Integrated Vision MPC Control

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Ebmer, Gerald, Vu, Minh Nhat, Glück, Tobias, Kemmetmüller, Wolfgang
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Ebmer, Gerald
Vu, Minh Nhat
Glück, Tobias
Kemmetmüller, Wolfgang
author_facet Ebmer, Gerald
Vu, Minh Nhat
Glück, Tobias
Kemmetmüller, Wolfgang
contents This paper presents an autonomous control framework for articulated boom cranes performing prefabricated block assembly in construction environments. The key challenge addressed is precise placement control under passive joint dynamics that cause pendulum-like sway, complicating the accurate positioning of building components. Our integrated approach combines real-time vision-based pose estimation of building blocks, collision-aware B-spline path planning, and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) to achieve autonomous pickup, placement, and obstacle-avoidance assembly operations. The framework is validated on a laboratory-scale testbed that emulates crane kinematics and passive dynamics while enabling rapid experimentation. The collision-aware planner generates feasible B-spline references in real-time on CPU hardware with anytime performance, while the NMPC controller actively suppresses passive joint sway and tracks the planned trajectory under continuous vision feedback. Experimental results demonstrate autonomous block stacking and obstacle-avoidance assembly, with sway damping reducing settling times by more than an order of magnitude compared to uncontrolled passive dynamics, confirming the real-time feasibility of the integrated approach for construction automation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_00103
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Autonomous Block Assembly for Boom Cranes with Passive Joint Dynamics: Integrated Vision MPC Control
Ebmer, Gerald
Vu, Minh Nhat
Glück, Tobias
Kemmetmüller, Wolfgang
Robotics
Systems and Control
This paper presents an autonomous control framework for articulated boom cranes performing prefabricated block assembly in construction environments. The key challenge addressed is precise placement control under passive joint dynamics that cause pendulum-like sway, complicating the accurate positioning of building components. Our integrated approach combines real-time vision-based pose estimation of building blocks, collision-aware B-spline path planning, and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) to achieve autonomous pickup, placement, and obstacle-avoidance assembly operations. The framework is validated on a laboratory-scale testbed that emulates crane kinematics and passive dynamics while enabling rapid experimentation. The collision-aware planner generates feasible B-spline references in real-time on CPU hardware with anytime performance, while the NMPC controller actively suppresses passive joint sway and tracks the planned trajectory under continuous vision feedback. Experimental results demonstrate autonomous block stacking and obstacle-avoidance assembly, with sway damping reducing settling times by more than an order of magnitude compared to uncontrolled passive dynamics, confirming the real-time feasibility of the integrated approach for construction automation.
title Autonomous Block Assembly for Boom Cranes with Passive Joint Dynamics: Integrated Vision MPC Control
topic Robotics
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.00103