A nonlinear bottom-following controller for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles

The bottom-following problem for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles （AUV） was addressed by a new type of nonlinear decoupling control law. The vertical bottom-following error and pitch angle error are stabilized by means of the stem plane, and the thruster is left to stabilize the longitudinal bottom-following error and forward speed. In order to better meet the need of engineering applications, working characteristics of the actuators were sufficiently considered to design the proposed controller. Different from the traditional method, the methodology used to solve the problem is generated by AUV model without a reference orientation, and it deals explicitly with vehicle dynamics and the geometric characteristics of the desired tracking bottom curve. The estimation of systemic uncertainties and disturbances and the pitch velocity PE （persistent excitation） conditions are not required. The stability analysis is given by Lyapunov theorem. Simulation results of a full nonlinear hydrodynamic AUV model are provided to validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller.

Numerical computation and analysis of high-speed autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) moving in head sea based on dynamic mesh

Autonomous underwater vehicles （AUVs） navigating on the sea surface are usually required to complete the communication tasks in complex sea conditions. The movement forms and flow field characteristics of a multi-moving state AUV navigating in head sea at high speed were studied. The mathematical model on longitudinal motion of the high-speed AUV in head sea was established with considering the hydrodynamic lift based on strip theory, which was solved to get the heave and pitch of the AUV by Gaussian elimination method. Based on this, computational fluid dynamics （CFD） method was used to establish the mathematical model of the unsteady viscous flow around the AUV with considering free surface effort by using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations, shear-stress transport （SST） k-w model and volume of fluid （VOF） model. The three-dimensional numerical wave in the computational field was realized through defining the unsteady inlet boundary condition. The motion forms of the AUV navigating in head sea at high speed were carried out by the program source code of user-defined function （UDF） based on dynamic mesh. The hydrodynamic parameters of the AUV such as drag, lift, pitch torque, velocity, pressure and wave profile were got, which reflect well the real ambient flow field of the AUV navigating in head sea at high speed. The computational wave profile agrees well with the experimental phenomenon of a wave-piercing surface vehicle. The force law of the AUV under the impacts of waves was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, which provides an effective theoretical guidance and technical support for the dynamics research and shape design of the AUV in real complex environnaent.

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.

Parallel Neural Network-Based Motion Controller for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

A parallel neural network-based controller （PNNC） is presented for the motion control of underwater vehicles in this paper. It consists of a real-time part, a self-learning part and a desired-state programmer, and it is different from normal adaptive neural network controller in structure. Owing to the introduction of the self-learning part, on-line learning can be performed without sample data in several sample periods, resulting in high learning speed of the controller and good control performance. The desired-state programmer is utilized to obtain better learning samples of the neural network to keep the stability of the controller. The developed controller is applied to the 4-degree of freedom control of the AUV “IUV- IV” and is successful on the simulation platform. The control performance is also compared with that of neural network controller with different structures such as normal adaptive neural network and different learning methods. Current effects and surge velocity control are also included to demonstrate the controller＇ s performance. It is shown that the PNNC has a great possibility to solve the problems in the control system design of underwater vehicles.

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.

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。

Nonlinear trajectory tracking control of a new autonomous underwater vehicle in complex sea conditions

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) navigating in complex sea conditions usually require a strong control system to keep the fastness and stability. The nonlinear trajectory tracking control system of a new AUV in complex sea conditions was presented. According to the theory of submarines,the six-DOF kinematic and dynamic models were decomposed into two mutually non-coupled vertical and horizontal plane subsystems. Then,different sliding mode control algorithms were used to study the trajectory tracking control. Because the yaw angle and yaw angle rate rather than the displacement of the new AUV can be measured directly on the horizontal plane,the sliding mode control algorithm combining cross track error method and line of sight method was used to fulfill its high-precision trajectory tracking control in the complex sea conditions. As the vertical displacement of the new AUV can be measured,in order to achieve the tracking of time-varying depth signal,a stable sliding mode controller was designed based on the single-input multi-state system,which took into account the characteristic of the hydroplane and the amplitude and rate constraints of the hydroplane angle. Moreover,the application of dynamic boundary layer can improve the robustness and control accuracy of the system. The computational results show that the designed sliding mode control systems of the horizontal and vertical planes can ensure the trajectory tracking performance and accuracy of the new AUV in complex sea conditions. The impacts of currents and waves on the sliding mode controller of the new AUV were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by comparing the trajectory tracking performance of the new AUV in different sea conditions,which provides an effective theoretical guidance and technical support for the control system design of the new AUV in real complex environment.

Analysis and innovation of key technologies for autonomous underwater vehicles

As the mission needs of the autonomous underwater vehicles(AUV) have become increasingly varied and complex,the AUVs are developing in the direction of systematism, multifunction, and clustering technology, which promotes the progress of key technologies and proposes a series of technical problems. Therefore, it is necessary to make systemic analysis and in-depth study for the progress of AUV's key technologies and innovative applications. The multi-functional mission needs and its key technologies involved in complex sea conditions are pointed out through analyzing the domestic and foreign technical programs, functional characteristics and future development plans. Furthermore, the overall design of a multi-moving state AUV is proposed. Then, technical innovations of the key technologies, such as thrust vector, propeller design, kinematics and dynamics, navigation control, and ambient flow field characteristics, are made, combining with the structural characteristics and motion characteristics of the new multi-moving state AUV. The results verify the good performance of the multi-moving state AUV and provide a theoretical guidance and technical support for the design of new AUV in real complex sea conditions.

Adaptive PID control system for an autonomous underwater vehicle

The control system of an autonomous underwater vehicle （AUV） is introduced. According to control requirements of the AUV, a simple but practical adaptive PID control method is designed The semi-physical simulation is done to test the feasibility of the control system. The neural network idea and the structure of PID controller are referred to design the adaptive PID controller. An intelligent integral is introduced to improve control precision. Compaed with traditional PID con- trollers, the adaptive PID controller has simple structure, good online adjusting ability, fast convergence and good robustness. The simulation experiments also show that the adaptive PID control system has high precision and fine antijamming ability.

Stability Analysis on Speed Control System of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The stability of the motion control system is one of the decisive factors of the control quality for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle（AUV）.The divergence of control,which the unstable system may be brought about,is fatal to the operation of AUV.The stability analysis of the PD and S-surface speed controllers based on the Lyapunov＇s direct method is proposed in this paper.After decoupling the six degree-of-freedom（DOF）motions of the AUV,the axial dynamic behavior is discussed and the condition is deduced,in which the parameters selection within stability domain can guarantee the system asymptotically stable.The experimental results in a tank and on the sea have successfully verified the algorithm reliability,which can be served as a good reference for analyzing other AUV nonlinear control systems.

Reinforcement learning based parameter optimization of active disturbance rejection control for autonomous underwater vehicle

This paper proposes a liner active disturbance rejection control(LADRC) method based on the Q-Learning algorithm of reinforcement learning(RL) to control the six-degree-of-freedom motion of an autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV).The number of controllers is increased to realize AUV motion decoupling.At the same time, in order to avoid the oversize of the algorithm, combined with the controlled content, a simplified Q-learning algorithm is constructed to realize the parameter adaptation of the LADRC controller.Finally, through the simulation experiment of the controller with fixed parameters and the controller based on the Q-learning algorithm, the rationality of the simplified algorithm, the effectiveness of parameter adaptation, and the unique advantages of the LADRC controller are verified.

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Appendages

To provide a simulation system platform for designing and debugging a small autonomous underwater vehicle＇s （AUV） motion controller, a six-degree of freedom （6-DOF） dynamic model for AUV controlled by thruster and fins with appendages is examined. Based on the dynamic model, a simulation system for the AUV＇s motion is established. The different kinds of typical motions are simulated to analyze the motion performance and the maneuverability of the AUV. In order to evaluate the influences of appendages on the motion performance of the AUV, simulations of the AUV with and without appendages are performed and compared. The results demonstrate the AUV has good maneuverability with and without appendages.

Development of A Three-Dimensional Guidance System for Long-Range Maneuvering of A Miniature Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The present paper introduces a three-dimensional guidance system developed for a miniature Autonomous Underwater Vehicle（AUV）. The guidance system determines the best trajectory for the vehicle based on target behavior and vehicle capabilities. The dynamic model of this novel AUV is derived based on its special characteristics such as the horizontal posture and the independent diving mechanism. To design the guidance strategy, the main idea is to select the desired depth, presumed proportional to the horizontal distance of the AUV and the target. By connecting the two with a straight line, this strategy helps the AUV move in a trajectory sufficiently close to this line. The adjacency of the trajectory to the line leads to reasonably short travelling distances and avoids unsafe areas. Autopilots are designed using sliding mode controller. Two different engagement geometries are considered to evaluate the strategy＇s performance： stationary target and moving target. The simulation results show that the strategy can provide sufficiently fast and smooth trajectories in both target situations.

Using Unmanned Underwater Vehicles as Research Platforms in Coastal Ocean Studies

The advantages of using unmanned underwater vehicles in coastal ocean studies are emphasized. Two types of representative vehicles, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from University of South Florida, are discussed. Two individual modular sensor packages designed and tested for these platforms and field measurement results are also presented. The bottom classification and albedo package, BCAP, provides fast and accurate estimates of bottom albedos, along with other parameters such as in-water remote sensing reflectance. The real-time ocean bottom optical topographer, ROBOT, reveals high-resolution 3-dimentional bottom topography for target identification. Field data and results from recent Coastal Benthic Optical Properties field campaign, 1999 and 2000, are presented. Advantages and limitations of these vehicles and applications of modular sensor packages are compared and discussed.

L^(*)—An index for evaluating long range performance of autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)

Autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)have various applications in both military and civilian fields.A wider operation area and more complex tasks require better overall range performance of AUVs.However,until recently,there have been few unified criteria for evaluating the range performance of AUVs.In the present work,a unified range index,i.e.,L^(*),considering the cruising speed,the sailing distance,and the volume of an AUV,is proposed for the first time,which can overcome the shortcomings of previous criteria using merely one single parameter,and provide a uniform criterion for the overall range performance of various AUVs.After constructing the expression of the L^(*)index,the relevant data of 49 AUVs from 12 countries worldwide have been collected,and the characteristics of the L^(*)range index in different countries and different categories were compared and discussed.Furthermore,by analyzing the complex factors affecting the range index,methods to enhance the L^(*)range index value,such as efficiency enhancement and drag reduction,have been introduced and discussed.Under this condition,the work proposes a unified and scientific criterion for evaluating the range performance of AUVs for the first time,provides valuable theoretical insight for the development of AUVs with higher performance,and then arouses more attention to the application of the cutting-edge superlubricity technology to the field of underwater vehicles,which might greatly help to accelerate the coming of the era of the superlubricitive engineering.

Three-Dimensional Trajectory Tracking Control of Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Input Saturation

This paper addresses a three-dimensional(3D)trajectory tracking problem of underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)subjected to input saturation and external disturbances.The proposed controller can achieve practical convergence of tracking errors for general reference trajectories,including persistently exciting(PE)time varying trajectories and fixed points.At first,a modified error state formulation is introduced to tackle the situation that desired velocities do not satisfy PE condition.Then,on the basis of the backstepping technique and a Nussbaum-type even function,a saturated controller is designed so that the tracking errors can converge to a bounded neighborhood of the origin.The stability analysis based on Lyapunov theory shows that the tracking errors are globally ultimately uniformly bounded.Finally,some simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control strategy.

Stability Analysis of an Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Using Extended-Routh's Stability Method

In this paper, a new approach to stability analysis of nonlinear dynamics of an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle（AUV） is presented. AUV is a highly nonlinear robotic system whose dynamic model includes coupled terms due to the hydrodynamic damping factors. It is difficult to analyze the stability of a nonlinear dynamical system through Routh＇s stability approach because it contains nonlinear dynamic parameters owing to hydrodynamic damping coefficients. It is also difficult to analyze the stability of AUVs using Lyapunov＇s criterion and LaSalle＇s invariance principle. In this paper, we proposed the extended-Routh＇s stability approach to verify the stability of such nonlinear dynamic systems. This extended-Routh＇s stability approach is much easier as compared to the other existing methods. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed stability verification of the nonlinear dynamic systems, e.g., an AUV system dynamics.

Switched Three-Dimensional Decoupling Stabilization of Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

A three-dimensional stabilization problem for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)is addressed in this paper.A novel coordinate transformation form consisting of state modifications and input transformations is introduced such that the whole system is divided into two decoupled one-order subsystems.Some switching functions are presented to further decouple the underactuated dynamics and to produce persistently exciting(PE)signals for those underactuated states.Based on the aforementioned results,a quite simple control law is designed to achieve global three-dimensional asymptotic convergence of all states of underactuated AUVs.Comparative simulations are carried out to validate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed control scheme.

面向海流扰动和通信时延的欠驱动AUV编队跟踪控制

由欠驱动自主水下航行器(Autonomous Underwater Vehicle,AUV)编队组成的水下探测阵列具有响应快、机动性好、智能化程度高的特点。针对无速度信息传输的多AUV在海流和时延复合扰动下的编队控制问题,提出一种虚拟轨迹、轨迹预测、自适应反演滑模控制技术相结合的编队控制方法。使用领航者的位置信息和期望队形得到跟随者的参考轨迹,并引入虚拟轨迹使其与跟随者参考轨迹有限时间重合,从而得到跟随者的期望位置和速度。在此基础上,使用最小二乘法拟合轨迹曲线进行时延补偿,并通过自适应反演滑模控制技术完成海流干扰下的编队轨迹跟踪。理论分析和仿真结果表明,新方法具有可行性和有效性。