Point-to-point control of a gantry crane: A combined flatness and IDA-PBC strategy

A prevalent approach to control in the gantry crane industry is to track a trajectory using an open-loop strategy based on notions of differential flatness. Point-to-point control is achieved by selecting a suitable trajectory to be followed. To cope with disturbances and uncertainties, a nominal feedback controller is added to the loop. We have approached the objective of point-to-point transfer with swing suppression along the trajectory by combining notions of flatness and the IDA-PBC technique. The applications like handling liquid filled container demand such kind of quasistatic trajectories. Initially, a flatness based control law is used to follow a desired trajectory that transfers the system to a neighbourhood of the final state. Then the IDA-PBC control law is switched on for robust stabilization of the system.