Research on coupled nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode adaptive tracking antisway control for bridge cranes

To address the positioning and antisway control problem of bridge crane operations under disturbances, this paper proposes a coupled nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode adaptive tracking antisway control method. This approach enables the trolley to reach the target position accurately and rapidly within a finite time while effectively suppressing the load swing angle. Specifically, a generalized error signal comprising the trolley displacement and the load swing angle is first constructed. Combined with system parameters, an S-curve is employed for trajectory tracking to ensure coordinated control of positioning and antisway. Subsequently, a coupled sliding surface is designed based on the nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control theory. Meanwhile, an adaptive law is introduced to estimate the upper bound of disturbances online, which is then incorporated into the control law to reduce system chattering. Finally, the Lyapunov method and LaSalle’s invariance principle are utilized to prove the finite-time asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system at the equilibrium point, and the effectiveness of the proposed controller is validated through extensive simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits excellent control performance, achieving remarkable positioning and antisway effects.