Formation control of multiple UUVs based on virtual leader

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of coordinated trajectory tracking control of multiple UUVs. In the proposed scheme, the leader-follower formation strategy which has a virtual global leader is adopted, and the formation task is achieved when the follower converges to the reference trajectory which generated by the position of the leader and the predefined formation. Then, a virtual guidance vehicle whose trajectory will approach to the reference trajectory is constructed to eliminate the requirement of the measurements of the leader's velocity and dynamics. Subsequently, by incorporating the Lyapunov direct design technique into the integral nonlinear sliding mode control, the trajectory tracking controller is designed for the follower to track the virtual vehicle. In addition, besides detailed controller design processes and rigorous theoretical analysis, numerical simulation results are also exhibited to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed control scheme.