Modeling and control of an airship-mounted crane for freight transportation

Abstract

In this paper we present a study of the dynamics and control of a heavy-lift airship carrying a payload through an overhead crane. To the best of our knowledge, we are pioneer in this field. The airship carrying a payload is assimilated to a flying crane. Intrinsically more stable than other platforms, airships can fly at very low speeds or even hover, showing a slow degradation in case of a system’s failure. Unfortunately, the pendulum-like behaviour of suspended load alters the flight characteristics of the airship, especially when the load is heavy relative to the weight of the airship. These unfavorable factors bring about many challenges for the design of effective control schemes. In this work, the dynamic model of heavy lift airship is developed. Furthermore, a nonlinear control law is constructed to ensure system stability. Theoretical results are discussed in this paper and computer simulation are presented.