Abstract
Six different types of velocity profiles of trolley movement of a container crane are investigated for the minimal sway angle at the target trolley position. Three velocity patterns which include trapezoidal, stepped and notched-type velocity patterns are obtained assuming constant rope length. The notched type velocity pattern is shown to be derived from the time-optimal bang-bang control. The stepped type velocity pattern can be shown to be derived as bang-off bang control as well. Considering the damping effect due to hoist motion a double stage acceleration pattern is also analyzed. The main objective of the paper is to show how much time-reduction can be obtained among several velocity patterns appearing in the literature.