Adaptive trajectory tracking control for underwater vehicle based on hierarchical compensation

• Published in: Ocean engineering Vol. 323; p. 120613
• Main Authors: Liu, Xing, Wang, Tong, Yin, Baoji, Yao, Feng, Zhang, Mingjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.04.2025
• Subjects: Hierarchical compensation; Measurement noise; Terminal sliding mode control; Trajectory tracking; Underwater vehicles; Hierarchical compensation; Terminal sliding mode control; Measurement noise; Trajectory tracking; Underwater vehicles
• ISSN: 0029-8018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.120613

This paper focuses on adaptive trajectory tracking control with less conservativeness for underwater vehicles subject to thruster faults and external disturbances. In general, the controller is designed in a single closed-loop system, but the control effort is always conservative for compensation. For this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive terminal sliding mode control scheme based on hierarchical compensation. The scheme consists of three closed-loop systems designed based on an improved terminal sliding mode surface. The obvious feature is that the vehicle does not directly track the desired trajectory, but two closed-loop systems are added for hierarchical compensation. Specifically, the compensation of thruster faults is mainly completed in the first closed-loop system by inputting the desired trajectory. Then the second closed-loop system is designed by introducing the measured ocean current to follow the state given by the first one. The control signal acting on the real vehicle is computed in the third closed-loop system to follow the state of the second one. The differences between the second and third one are counteracted by a fuzzy logic model. Finally, simulation-based studies on Falcon underwater vehicle are provided and the comparative results demonstrate the control conservativeness is obviously decreased. •An adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme is proposed based on hierarchical compensation.•Different uncertainties are hierarchically implemented in three closed-loop systems.•An improved terminal sliding mode surface is designed.