Suppression of Structural Vibrations of an Overhead Crane Using Takagi-Sugeno-Kang Fuzzy Controller

The article describes the design of an automated gantry motion control system for an overhead crane in terms of trolley motion along main girders. Using the finite element simulation in Comsol Multiphysics environment a linear plant model in form of a three-mass elastically coupled system is derived. It is shown that trolley motion leads to change of model parameters, which significantly deteriorates the vibrations suppression quality in a closed-loop system. An approach using multiple state-feedback controllers and a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy inference system is proposed, enabling soft switching between designed controllers as a function of trolley position.