Second-order sliding-mode control of container cranes

Moving a suspended load along a pre-specified path is not an easy task when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Intuitively, minimizing the cycle time and the load swing are conflicting requirements, and their satisfaction requires proper control actions, especially if some uncertainties in the system dynamics are present. In this paper we propose a simple control scheme, based on second-order sliding modes, which guarantees a fast and precise load transfer and the swing suppression during the load movement, despite of model uncertainties and unmodeled dynamic actuators. Such controller has been tested on a laboratory-size model of the crane, and some experimental results are reported.