Nonlinear Predictive Control of the Continuum and Hybrid Dynamics of a Suspended Deformable Cable for Aerial Pick and Place

TL;DR

This paper develops a real-time nonlinear predictive control framework for managing the complex dynamics of a suspended deformable cable in aerial manipulation, combining high-fidelity PDE models with reduced-order modeling for efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel reduced-order model derived from PDE discretization and proper orthogonal decomposition, enabling stable and robust control of cable dynamics in UAV applications.

Findings

The ROM accurately captures dominant deformation modes.

The control scheme stabilizes cable oscillations effectively.

Simulations demonstrate robustness across various conditions.

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for aerial manipulation of an extensible cable that combines a high-fidelity model based on partial differential equations (PDEs) with a reduced-order representation suitable for real-time control. The PDEs are discretised using a finite-difference method, and proper orthogonal decomposition is employed to extract a reduced-order model (ROM) that retains the dominant deformation modes while significantly reducing computational complexity. Based on this ROM, a nonlinear model predictive control scheme is formulated, capable of stabilizing cable oscillations and handling hybrid transitions such as payload attachment and detachment. Simulation results confirm the stability, efficiency, and robustness of the ROM, as well as the effectiveness of the controller in regulating cable dynamics under a range of operating conditions. Additional simulations illustrate the application of the ROM for trajectory planning in constrained environments, demonstrating the versatility of the proposed approach. Overall, the framework enables real-time, dynamics-aware control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carrying suspended flexible cables.