Trajectory tracking control for unmanned surface vehicle subject to unmeasurable disturbance and input saturation

Abstract

This paper presents a trajectory tracking control controller for an unmanned surface vehicle in the presence of unmeasurable disturbance and input saturation. An adaptive trajectory tracking control strategy is developed with the aid of disturbance observer, neural shunting model, adaptive technology, and auxiliary design system. Disturbance observer is used to estimate unmeasurable disturbances in order to compensate for them. The functions of neural shunting model and adaptive technology are respectively used to deal with the ''computational explosion'' caused by derivation of virtual control law and to enhance the robustness of the controlled system. Besides, to avoid the potential input saturation issue, auxiliary design system is employed in the design of control strategy. By Lyapunov stability theory, it is proved that all the error signals in the trajectory tracking control system are uniform ultimate bounded. The simulation results are given to prove the correctness of the proposed control scheme.