Velocity tracking control of AUVs in horizontal motion

Abstract

In the paper the problem of velocity tracking control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in horizontal plane is considered. The proposed approach is based on transformed equations of motion and it allows one to apply the dynamical couplings in the control gain matrix. As a result, the dynamics of the vehicle is included into the control process what leads to fast system response. The stability of the system with the controller is done using the Lyapunov method. Effectiveness of the control algorithm is validated via simulations on a 3 DOF underwater marine vehicle model.