Control of oscillations in a suspended payload transport system

This thesis addresses the design and testing of control systems to reduce and avoid oscillations in a suspended payload transport system, specifically the Integrated Product Development (IPD) crane located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Robotics and Process Systems Division. The IPD crane is an overhead gantry style industrial crane. The avoidance of payload oscillation was accomplished by operator input filtering using the Robust Notch Filter(RNF). The reduction or damping of payload oscillations was achieved with a closed-loop control system using inclinometers for each axis of motion as the feedback device. Both controllers were implemented using a Zilog Z180 based microcontroller board. The RNF provided avoidance of payload oscillation from operator input for changes in crane cable length of up to one half. The closed-loop oscillation damping system proved capable of damping oscillations within 2.5 to 3.0 cycles.