Control of interval parameter overhead cranes via Monte Carlo simulation

Variations in system parameters because of changing operating conditions could result in deteriorated system performance. To ensure robustness, modelling of such systems requires uncertain parameters to be dealt with as interval quantities. An overhead crane is a type of system that has inherent variation in some of its parameters. These parameters include cable length, trolley mass and payload. Hence, the interval parameter concept plays an important role in the control of overhead cranes. This paper considers the control problem of an overhead crane system with interval parameters. The paper presents a new technique based on Monte Carlo simulation to select properly optimal controller parameters. The objective of the control is to minimize the overshoot of the swing angle response throughout the crane travel regardless of the variations of the cable length. The cable length is assumed known within lower and upper bounds. The presented results show the usefulness of the Monte Carlo simulation approach as applied to the control problem of overhead cranes. A scaled-down crane model has been built and used to validate the results of the numerical simulation.

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