Output-constrained tracking control of an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle with uncertainties

This paper investigates the trajectory tracking control problem of an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle in the present of output constraints and environmental disturbances. The designed controller can ensure that the output errors will never violate constraint limitations and solve the singularity problem in the design process by employing Barrier Lyapunov function. Backstepping algorithm, combined with radial basis function neural network for solving external disturbances and the Dynamic Surface Control technique for handling the calculation of explosion problem, is introduced to design the control laws. Then, a stability analysis based on Lyapunov directly method proves that all signals are bounded and tracking errors converge to a neighborhood of the origin. At last, simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed controller.