Command filtered finite‐time formation tracking control of AUVs with unknown control directions

Abstract

This study investigates a formation control problem of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with unknown control directions. By employing the Nussbaum gain technique to deal with the unknown control directions, a finite‐time formation control approach is proposed. To deal with the so‐called ‘explosion of complexity’ issue in backstepping control, a compensator‐based command filter technique is introduced to realise the derivative of virtual control signals. With the proposed method, the formation can be achieved within a finite settling time and all signals in the closed‐loop system are uniformly bounded. The effectiveness and performance is demonstrated by numerical simulations.

Topics & Concepts