Adaptive model-parameter-free fault-tolerant trajectory tracking control for autonomous underwater vehicles

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Control Systems
• Ocean Engineering

Background:

• Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) require robust control for trajectory tracking.
• External disturbances and actuator failures pose significant challenges to AUV navigation.
• Existing control strategies often rely on precise system models, limiting applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a model-parameter-free control strategy for AUV trajectory tracking.
• To enhance AUV system reliability and performance under actuator failures.
• To address the nonlinear dynamics of AUVs without requiring explicit model parameters.

Main Methods:

• Sliding Mode Control (SMC) combined with an adaptive algorithm for healthy actuator scenarios.
• Passive fault-tolerant technology integrated for control under actuator failure conditions.
• Leveraging Euler-Lagrange system properties for model-parameter-free controller design.

Main Results:

• Two distinct control architectures were successfully designed and validated.
• The proposed controllers effectively forced system states to desired trajectories with acceptable performance.
• The fault-tolerant controller significantly improved system reliability during actuator failures.

Conclusions:

• The developed model-parameter-free control strategy is effective for AUV trajectory tracking.
• The controllers demonstrate robustness against external disturbances and actuator failures.
• The approach offers a practical solution for AUV control without model parameter dependency.