Adaptive Sensor-Fault Tolerant Control of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles With Input Saturation

This paper investigates the tracking control problem for unmanned underwater vehicles(UUVs)systems with sensor faults,input saturation,and external disturbance caused by waves and ocean currents.An active sensor fault-tolerant control scheme is proposed.First,the developed method only requires the inertia matrix of the UUV,without other dynamic information,and can handle both additive and multiplicative sensor faults.Subsequently,an adaptive fault-tolerant controller is designed to achieve asymptotic tracking control of the UUV by employing robust integral of the sign of error feedback method.It is shown that the effect of sensor faults is online estimated and compensated by an adaptive estimator.With the proposed controller,the tracking error and estimation error can asymptotically converge to zero.Finally,simulation results are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Application of A* Algorithm for Real-time Path Re-planning of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle Avoiding Underwater Obstacles

This paper describes path re-planning techniques and underwater obstacle avoidance for unmanned surface vehicle(USV) based on multi-beam forward looking sonar(FLS). Near-optimal paths in static and dynamic environments with underwater obstacles are computed using a numerical solution procedure based on an A* algorithm. The USV is modeled with a circular shape in 2 degrees of freedom(surge and yaw). In this paper, two-dimensional(2-D) underwater obstacle avoidance and the robust real-time path re-planning technique for actual USV using multi-beam FLS are developed. Our real-time path re-planning algorithm has been tested to regenerate the optimal path for several updated frames in the field of view of the sonar with a proper update frequency of the FLS. The performance of the proposed method was verified through simulations, and sea experiments. For simulations, the USV model can avoid both a single stationary obstacle, multiple stationary obstacles and moving obstacles with the near-optimal trajectory that are performed both in the vehicle and the world reference frame. For sea experiments, the proposed method for an underwater obstacle avoidance system is implemented with a USV test platform. The actual USV is automatically controlled and succeeded in its real-time avoidance against the stationary undersea obstacle in the field of view of the FLS together with the Global Positioning System(GPS) of the USV.

Consensus of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles with double independent Markovian switching topologies and timevarying delays

A new method in which the consensus algorithm is used to solve the coordinate control problems of leaderless multiple autonomous underwater vehicles(multi-AUVs) with double independent Markovian switching communication topologies and time-varying delays among the underwater sensors is investigated.This is accomplished by first dividing the communication topology into two different switching parts,i.e.,velocity and position,to reduce the data capacity per data package sent between the multi-AUVs in the ocean.Then,the state feedback linearization is used to simplify and rewrite the complex nonlinear and coupled mathematical model of the AUVs into a double-integrator dynamic model.Consequently,coordinate control of the multi-AUVs is regarded as an approximating consensus problem with various time-varying delays and velocity and position topologies.Considering these factors,sufficient conditions of consensus control are proposed and analyzed and the stability of the multi-AUVs is proven by Lyapunov-Krasovskii theorem.Finally,simulation results that validate the theoretical results are presented.

Model Based Adaptive Control and Disturbance Compensation for Underwater Vehicles

Underwater vehicles are being emphasized as highly integrated and intelligent devices for a significant number of oceanic operations. However, their precise operation is usually hindered by disturbances from a tether or manipulator because their propellers are unable to realize a stable suspension. A dynamic multi-body model-based adaptive controller was designed to allow the controller of the vehicle to observe and compensate for disturbances from a tether or manipulator. Disturbances, including those from a tether or manipulator, are deduced for the observation of the controller. An analysis of a tether disturbance covers the conditions of the surface, the underwater area, and the vehicle end point. Interactions between the vehicle and manipulator are mainly composed of coupling forces and restoring moments.To verify the robustness of the controller, path-following experiments on a streamlined autonomous underwater vehicle experiencing various disturbances were conducted in Song Hua Lake in China. Furthermore,path-following experiments for a tethered open frame remote operated vehicle were verified for accurate cruising with a controller and an observer, and vehicle and manipulator coordinate motion control during the simulation and experiments verified the effectiveness of the controller and observer for underwater operation. This study provides instructions for the control of an underwater vehicle experiencing disturbances from a tether or manipulator.

Bio-inspired geomagnetic navigation method for autonomous underwater vehicle

This paper presents a bio-inspired geomagnetic navigation method for autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV) without using any a priori geomagnetic information. Firstly, the multi-objective search problem is raised. Secondly, the geomagnetic navigation model is established by constructing a cost function. Then, by taking into consideration the biological magneto-taxis movement behavior for the geomagnetic environment stimulus, the multiobjective evolutionary search algorithm is derived to describe the search process. Finally, compared to the state-of-the-art, the proposed method presents better robustness. The simulation results demonstrate the reliability and feasibility of the proposed method.

Multi-Fault Diagnosis for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Based on Fuzzy Weighted Support Vector Domain Description

This paper addresses the multi-fault diagnosis problem of thrusters and sensors for autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs). Traditional support vector domain description(SVDD) has low classification accuracy in the process of AUV multi-fault pattern classification because of the effect of sample sparse density and the uneven distribution of samples, and so on. Thus, a fuzzy weighted support vector domain description(FWSVDD) method based on positive and negative class samples is proposed. In this method, the negative class sample is introduced during classifier training, and the local density and the class weight are introduced for each sample. To improve the multi-fault pattern classifier training speed and fault diagnosis accuracy of FWSVDD, a multi-fault mode classification method based on a hierarchical strategy is proposed. This method adds fault contain detection surface for each thruster and sensor to isolate fault components during fault diagnosis. By considering the problem of pattern classification for a fuzzy sample, which may be located in the overlapping area of hyper-spheres or may not belong to any hyper-sphere in the process of multi-fault classification based on FWSVDD, a relative distance judgment method is given. The effectiveness of the proposed multi-fault diagnosis approach is demonstrated through water tank experiments with an experimental AUV prototype.

Motion Control of Underwater Vehicle Based on Least Disturbance BP Algorithm

Up to now, some technology of neural networks are developed to solve the non-linearity of researched objects and toimplement the adaptive control in many engineering fields, and some good results were achieved. Though it puts some questionsover to design application structure with neural networks, it is really unknowable about the study mechanism of those.But, theimportance of study ratio is widely realized by many scientists now, and some methods on the modification of that are provided.

A hydrothermal investigation system for the Qianlong-Ⅱ autonomous underwater vehicle

Qianlong-Ⅱ is a fully autonomous underwater vehicle designed for the investigation of submarine resources,particularly polymetallic sulfides. It was used to successfully explore hydrothermal fields on the Southwest Indian Ridge. Here, we summarized the exploration of hydrothermal systems using Qianlong-Ⅱ, including detailed descriptions of its implementation along with the systems used for data management and fast mapping. We also introduced a method to remove platform magnetic interference using magnetic data while Qianlong-Ⅱ is spinning. Based on hydrothermal anomalies collected by Qianlong-Ⅱ, we developed a rapid method for locating hydrothermal vents. Taking one dive as an example, we systemically demonstrated the process for analyzing hydrothermal survey data to locate hydrothermal vents.

Adaptive Backstepping Terminal Sliding Mode Control Method Based on Recurrent Neural Networks for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The trajectory tracking control problem is addressed for autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV) in marine environ?ment, with presence of the influence of the uncertain factors including ocean current disturbance, dynamic modeling uncertainty, and thrust model errors. To improve the trajectory tracking accuracy of AUV, an adaptive backstepping terminal sliding mode control based on recurrent neural networks(RNN) is proposed. Firstly, considering the inaccu?rate of thrust model of thruster, a Taylor's polynomial is used to obtain the thrust model errors. And then, the dynamic modeling uncertainty and thrust model errors are combined into the system model uncertainty(SMU) of AUV; through the RNN, the SMU and ocean current disturbance are classified, approximated online. Finally, the weights of RNN and other control parameters are adjusted online based on the backstepping terminal sliding mode controller. In addition, a chattering?reduction method is proposed based on sigmoid function. In chattering?reduction method, the sigmoid function is used to realize the continuity of the sliding mode switching function, and the sliding mode switching gain is adjusted online based on the exponential form of the sliding mode function. Based on the Lyapu?nov theory and Barbalat's lemma, it is theoretically proved that the AUV trajectory tracking error can quickly converge to zero in the finite time. This research proposes a trajectory tracking control method of AUV, which can e ectively achieve high?precision trajectory tracking control of AUV under the influence of the uncertain factors. The feasibility and e ectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with trajectory tracking simulations and pool?experi?ments of AUV.

Technology Development of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs)

In recent years, the weapon systems have been changing drastically because of the advancement of science technology and the change of military concept of combat. There is an unmanned system at the center of all those changes. Especially, in case of maritime environment, as the center stage of combat has changed from ocean to coastal areas, it is difficult for the existing naval forces to effectively operate in shallow waters. Therefore, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are being required at an increasing pace. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of already developed UUVs, which are the key unmanned system of the marine battlefield environment in the future. Through the analysis of development cases and the investigation of the essential technologies, the critical design issues of UUVs are elaborated. We also suggest the future directions of the UUV technologies based on the case analysis.

Application of unmanned underwater vehicles in polar research

The importance of polar ice as vital components of the global ocean-climate system is widely recognized.In this paper,we demonstrate the importance and urgency of polar research,describe the primary characteristics of sea ice and ice shelves,and outline the current status and difficulties associated with sub-ice research.We highlight the importance of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles(UUVs)as important tools for oceanographic research.We present recent progress in UUV deployment in sub-ice research in the Arctic and the Antarctic,and review the latest international developments in UUV structure,navigation,payload,and field operation.Moreover,Chinese polar UUVs and their deployments in the polar regions are presented in detail.Key technologies and solutions regarding polar application of UUVs(e.g.,sub-ice navigation and positioning,energy supply and data transmission,and sub-ice guidance and recovery)are discussed.Given the current worldwide attention on polar science,the potential future directions of UUV-related polar research(e.g.,observations under Antarctic ice shelves,long-range surveys beneath Arctic sea ice and application of intelligent technology)are discussed.

A Numerical and Experimental Study on the Hull-Propeller Interaction of A Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Range is an important factor to the design of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), while drag reduction efforts are pursued, the investigation of body-propeller interaction is another vital consideration. We present a numerical and experimental study of the hull-propeller interaction for deeply submerged underwater vehicles, using a proportional-integral- derivative (PID) controller method to estimate self-propulsion point in CFD environment. The hydrodynamic performance of hull and propeller at the balance state when the AUV sails at a fixed depth is investigated, using steady RANS solver of Star-CCM+. The proposed steady RANS solver takes only hours to reach a reasonable solution. It is more time efficient than unsteady simulations which takes days or weeks, as well as huge consumption of computing resources. Explorer 1000, a long range AUV developed by Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was studied as an object, and self-propulsion point, thrust deduction, wake fraction and hull efficiency were analyzed by using the proposed RANS method. Behind-hull performance of the selected propeller MAU4-40, as well as the hull-propeller interaction, was obtained from the computed hydrodynamic forces. The numerical results are in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental results obtained in the Qiandao Lake of Zhejiang province, China.

Innovative design and motion mechanism analysis for a multi-moving state autonomous underwater vehicles

In order to achieve the functional requirements of multi-moving state, a new autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV) provided with the functions such as the submarine vectorial thrust, landing on the sea bottom, wheel driving on the ground and crawling on the ground was designed. Then five new theories and methods were proposed about the motion mechanism of the AUV such as vectorial thruster technology, design of a new wheel propeller, kinematics and dynamics, navigation control and the ambient flow field in complex sea conditions, which can all conquer conventional technique shortages and predict the multi-moving state performance under wave disturbance. The theoretical research can realize the results such as a vectorial transmission shaft with the characteristics of spatial deflexion and continual circumgyratetion, parameterized design of the new wheel propeller with preferable open-water performance and intensity characteristics satisfying multi-moving state requirements, motion computation and kinetic analysis of AUV's arbitrary postures under wave disturbance, a second-order sliding mode controller with double-loop structure based on dynamic boundary layer that ensures AUV's trajectory high-precision tracking performance under wave disturbance, fast and exact prediction of the ambient flow field characteristics and the interaction mechanism between AUV hull and wheel propellers. The elaborate data obtained from the theoretical research can provide an important theoretical guidance and technical support for the manufacture of experimental prototype.

Transfigured Loop Shaping Controller and its Application to Underwater Vehicle

A kind of transfigured loop shaping controller is presented in this paper. A transfigured loop shaping system puts a controller K in a feedback loop, while putting the dc gain of the controller K on the reference signal line. It is shown through frequency domain analysis and simulation that a transfigured controller can improve the dynamic behavior of a system. The transfigured loop shaping controller method is simple and e?ective and corresponds to the mixed sensitivity method of robust control theory, which improves the behavior of a system by iterative tuning of weighting functions. Satisfactory control results are obtained when it is applied to the design of an underwater vehicle.

Identification of Pitch Dynamics of An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Using Sensor Fusion

This paper presents a method for identification of the hydrodynamic coefficients of the dive plane of an autonomous underwater vehicle. The proposed identification method uses the governing equations of motion to estimate the coefficients of the linear damping, added mass and inertia, cross flow drag and control. Parts of data required by the proposed identification method are not measured by the onboard instruments. Hence, an optimal fusion algorithm is devised which estimates the required data accurately with a high sampling rate. To excite the dive plane dynamics and obtain the required measurements, diving maneuvers should be performed. Hence, a reliable controller with satisfactory performance and stability is needed. A cascaded controller is designed based on the coefficients obtained using a semi-empirical method and its robustness to the uncertainties is verified by the μ-analysis method. The performance and accuracy of the identification and fusion algorithms are investigated through 6-DOF numerical simulations of a realistic autonomous underwater vehicle.

Application of ML to System Identification for Underwater Vehicle

In this paper, maximum-likelihood (ML) and its relaxation algorithm, which are used to identify the mathematicsmodel of an underwater vehicle(UV), arc discussed. With the trial data of zigzag tests, the hydrodynamic derivatives of theUV were estimated, and the relaxation algorithm is confirmed to have better astringency from the contrast between the twomethods.Then a simulation environment based on these parameters is established to verify the validity and effect of these meth-ods. The result shows the model is credible and the methods are very useful for the research of maneuverability and adaptivecontrol of underwater vehicles.

Maneuverability simulation of a mini autonomous underwater vehicle

In order to simulate the under water motion of a mini autonomous underwater vehicle( AUV) and an- alyze its maneuverability,the dynamical characteristic of the mini AUV was researched. The 6-DOF motion equations were founded. Through model experiment with accessory bodies,the hydrodynamics of AUV body including resistance,main inertial and viscous hydrodynamic coefficients was obtained. The hydrodynamics of rudders was gained through theoretical calculation. Simulation computation of the vehicle was carried out through numerical integration of the motion equations. A motion simulation system was constructed. Four typical maneuvers in horizontal and vertical planes were simulated and the maneuverability of the mini AUV was forecasted. The simulation results reflect the basic motion characteristic of mini AUV and validate the feasibility and correctness of the whole system. The simulation system can be a testing platform for the design and debugging of motion controller and an effective tool for the development of AUV.

Cooperative Navigation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Based on Estimation of Motion Radius Vectors

A cooperative navigation algorithm for a group of autonomous underwater vehicles is proposed on the basis of motion radius vector estimation.Combined the dead reckoning data with the mutual range data through an acoustic communication network among the group members, the relative positioning problem can be solved. A novel approach for solving the relative positioning is presented by using a recursive trigonometry technique and extended Kalman filter(EKF). Simulation results verify the correctness and effectiveness of this navigation method.

Tracking Control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Internal Moving Mass

追踪轨道的控制问题被调查为一自治在水下作为致动器用一个内部点团和一个后面的推进器搬到垂直飞机的车辆(AUV ) 。与点团的动力学结合了， AUV 作为一个 underactuated 系统被建模。一个基于 Lyapunov 的追踪控制器被使用 backstepping 途径稳定错误动力学并且强迫位置错误到起源的一位小邻居建议。模拟结果验证建议追踪的途径。

Design of Novel S-plane Controller of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Established on Sliding Mode Control

Based on the deep analysis of the mathematical model of an autonomous underwater vehicle( AUV),comprehensive considerations are given to the coupling effect of AUV's longitudinal velocity on the other degrees of freedom. In the meantime,discussions are made on the influence of residual buoyancy and restoring moment.A novel S-plane controller established on sliding mode control( SMC) is hereby proposed in this study. The strengths of traditional S-plane controller including simple structure and easily adjustable parameters are maintained in the improved design while the weakness of unsatisfactory control effect at the time of high-speed operation is also overcome. Lyapunov function is introduced to make the stability analysis of the controller before it is successfully applied to the basic motion control of AUV-X. Then the comparative experiment test is carried out between the traditional S-plane controller and the novel S-plane controller. The effectiveness and feasibility of the novel S-plane controller established on sliding mode control in the AUV basic motion control is verified by the comparative analysis of experiment results.