Constraint Control of a Boom Crane System
This addresses control challenges for boom cranes used in heavy lifting, offering a computationally efficient solution for constraint handling, but it appears incremental as it applies an existing method to a specific domain.
The paper tackled the problem of controlling a nonlinear underactuated boom crane system under constraints, proposing an Explicit Reference Governor-based approach that steers the crane to a desired position while respecting joint ranges, oscillation limits, and obstacle avoidance without online optimization.
Boom cranes are among the most used cranes to lift heavy loads. Although fairly simple mechanically, from the control viewpoint this kind of crane is a nonlinear underactuated system which presents several challenges, especially when con-trolled in the presence of constraints. To solve this problem, we propose an approach based on the Explicit Reference Governor (ERG), which does not require any online optimization, thus making it computationally inexpensive. The proposed control scheme is able to steer the crane to a desired position ensuring the respect of limited joint ranges, maximum oscillation angle, and the avoidance of static obstacles.