Nonlinear adaptive control of a 3D overhead crane

In this paper, a nonlinear adaptive control of a 3D overhead crane is investigated. A dynamic model of the overhead crane is developed, where the crane system is assumed as a lumped mass model. Under the mutual effects of the sway motions of the payload and the hoisting motion, the nonlinear behavior of the crane system is considered. A nonlinear control model-based scheme is designed to achieve the three objectives: (i) drive the crane system to the desired positions, (ii) suppresses the vibrations of the payload, and (iii) velocity tracking of hoisting motion. The nonlinear control scheme employs adaptation laws that estimate unknown system parameters, friction forces and the mass of the payload. The estimated values are used to compute control forces applied to the trolley of the crane. The asymptotic stability of the crane system is investigated by using the Lyapunov method. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified by numerical simulation results.