Nonlinear predictive control of a tower crane using reference shaping approach

In this paper nonlinear Model Predictive Control of a tower crane based on reference shaping is proposed. MPC controller is used to calculate optimal reference for the inner control loop of the tower crane. The main objectives that the MPC controller needs to fulfill are tracking the reference position, suppressing the payload oscillations while satisfying operational constraints of the crane. The inner loop consists of P position controller and PI velocity controller which is common in industrial applications and easily implementable in standard frequency converters used in the cranes. The proposed approach is verified through simulation and experimental test on laboratory model of a 3D tower crane.