Implementation of the Crane Vessel Interactive Control Using the Constraint-Based Flexible Cable with a Variable Length

The development of numerical models of floating cranes and hoisting systems with the possibility of interactive control is a relevant trend in marine engineering. This paper considers the approach for modeling the dynamics of cargo and floating crane with interactive control of numerical model in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The authors developed a custom block in Simscape programming language to implement a flexible cable with the ability to control its length in real-time. The numerical model was synchronized with the hardware which was controlled by the operator. The block algorithm, as well as the mechanics of the interaction between the cargo and the ship's deck are described in this paper. As a result, it became possible to achieve correct modeling of the contact force and tension force in the cable keeping the calculation speed higher than real-time.