Container Gantry Crane Simulator for Operator Training

Real-time simulators have become more popular in the field of user training. This is due to the possibility to give basic training and knowledge of machines and their operation environment to the operator even when the machine is not actually present. The use of simulators instead of actual machines has several advantages. First of all, the available machine capacity is not tied to training and can be used in productive work. Secondly, using a simulator helps to avoid accidents that may occur using real machines. Using a simulator also enables different environmental aspects, such as lighting conditions, fog, wind, and so on, to be taken into account in the training of all operators alike. Real-time training simulators are complicated machine systems, which consist of a user interface, an I/O-system, a real-time simulation model describing the dynamics of the machine in question and its connections to the environment, a visualization of the operational environment, and a possible motion platform. The user interface is usually taken directly from the simulated machine. Consequently, the user has the possibility to become familiar with the operating interface in an early phase of training. In this article, the development of a gantry crane operator-training simulator, including all the earlier mentioned components, is presented. The aim of this article is to present an example of methods used in the development of the separate areas of a training simulator.