Trajectory tracking control of an ROV using model predictive control considering external disturbances *

This paper proposes a trajectory tracking method based on model predictive control (MPC) for a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) under external disturbances. Firstly, the kinematics model and dynamics model of the ROV are constructed to derive the discrete-time varying nonlinear prediction model of MPC. The external disturbance caused by ocean current is explicitly considered in the form of velocity variation instead of forces on the dynamics model. Secondly, an MPC based trajectory tracking method in the presence of external disturbances is formulated, and an objective function under LTI constraints is constructed to ensure the tracking accuracy and to prevent damage to propellers. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulations.