Optimal Motion Planning Motivated by Differential Flatness and Lyapunov-Based Model Predictive Control for 5-DOF Tower Cranes

The paper proposes a method to solve the time optimal problem, thereby building the time optimal trajectory, as input for Lyapunov-based model predictive control (LMPC) for the three-dimensional tower crane (3DTC) system. The 3DTC system is a flatness system, and the time optimal trajectory of the payload is determined by solving the time optimization problem. The states of the system and the reference control signal are calculated based on the flatness theory. The optimal trajectory and reference control signal are fed to the Lyapunov-based model predictive control. The LMPC takes advantage of the second-order sliding mode control stable conditions as a strict constraint to ensure the closed-loop system’s global stability. Finally, simulation results based on the semi-physical model are given to confirm the effectiveness and sustainability of the proposed method the proposed method.