Expanded adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller using expert knowledge and fuzzy basis function expansion for UFV depth control

Generally, the underwater flight vehicle (UFV) depth control system operates with the following problems: it is a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system, it requires robustness, a continuous control input, and further, it has the speed dependency of controller parameters. To solve these problems, an expanded adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller (EAFSMC), which is based on the decomposition method designed by using an expert knowledge and the decoupled sub-controllers and composition method designed by using the fuzzy basis function expansions (FBFEs), is proposed. To verify the performance of the EAFSMC, the depth control of UFV in various operating conditions is performed. Simulation results show that the EAFSMC solves all problems experienced in the UFV depth control system online.     

A simplified approach to design fuzzy logic controller for an underwater vehicle

Fuzzy logic controller (FLC) performance is greatly dependent on its inference rules. In most cases, the more rules being applied to an FLC, the accuracy of the control action is enhanced. Nevertheless, a large set of rules requires more computation time. As a result, an FLC implementation requires fast and high performance processors. This paper describes a simplified control scheme to design a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for an underwater vehicle namely, deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV). The proposed method, known as the single input fuzzy logic controller (SIFLC), reduces the conventional two-input FLC (CFLC) to a single input FLC. The SIFLC offers significant reduction in rule inferences and simplifies the tuning process of control parameters. The performance of the proposed controller is validated via simulation by using the marine systems simulator (MSS) on the Matlab/Simulink^® platform. During simulation, the DSRV is subjected to ocean wave disturbances. The results indicate that the SIFLC, Mamdani and Sugeno type CFLC give identical response to the same input sets. However, an SIFLC requires very minimum tuning effort and its execution time is in the orders of two magnitudes less than CFLC.     

Closed-loop randomized kinodynamic path planning for an autonomous underwater vehicle

A randomized kinodynamic path planning algorithm based on the incremental sampling-based method is proposed here as the state-of-the-art in this field applicable in an autonomous underwater vehicle. Designing a feasible path for this vehicle from an initial position and velocity to a target position and velocity in three-dimensional spaces by considering the kinematic constraints such as obstacles avoidance and dynamic constraints such as hard bounds and non-holonomic characteristic of AUV are the main motivation of this research. For this purpose, a closed-loop rapidly-exploring random tree (CL-RRT) algorithm is presented. This CL-RRT consists of three tightly coupled components: a RRT algorithm, three fuzzy proportional-derivative controllers for heading and diving control and a six degree-of-freedom nonlinear AUV model. The branches of CL-RRT are expanded in the configuration space by considering the kinodynamic constraints of AUV. The feasibility of each branch and random offspring vertex in the CL-RRT is checked against the mentioned constraints of AUV. Next, if the planned branch is feasible by the AUV, then the control signals and related vertex are recorded through the path planner to design the final path. This proposed algorithm is implemented on a single board computer (SBC) through the xPC Target and then four test-cases are designed in 3D space. The results of the processor-in-the-loop tests are compared by the conventional RRT and indicate that the proposed CL-RRT not only in a rapid manner plans an initial path, but also the planned path is feasible by the AUV.     

Robust sliding mode control of a mini unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with a new arrangement of water jet propulsions: Simulation and experimental study

This paper presents dynamical modeling and robust control of a Mini Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MUUV) equipped with a new arrangement of water jet propulsion. The water jet propulsion includes some advantages comparing with a propeller one, such as, reducing the number of required motors, desired number and arrangement of the propulsions, removing adverse torque and cavitation due to propeller rotation and etc. In order to model the proposed MUUV, the gray box method is used in such a way that the dynamical equation of motion is derived analytically by Euler-Lagrangian method, and then the hydrodynamic coefficients (such as added mass and drag coefficients) are derived by performing some tests in a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software. The dynamical model is used to simulate the MUUV system and also to design the proposed controllers, which are Feedback Linearization Controller (FLC) and Sliding Mode Controller (SMC). In order to investigate and compare the performance of the MUUV and the applied controllers, three types of tests including a desired signal tracking case and two desired path tracking cases are designed. To do so, a method is presented to obtain the desired signals from a desired path under predetermined conditions. Then, an MUUV prototype is designed and constructed in order to investigate the performance of the proposed water jet propulsions and controllers for regulation and tracking desired signal purpose, experimentally. As it is expected, the simulation and experimental results show better performance of the SMC compared to FLC. Furthermore, the experimental results reveal that the water jet propulsion is implementable to practical prototypes and also can be produced in an industrial level.     

A waypoint-tracking controller for a biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle

This work develops a control system for the waypoint-tracking of a biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle (BAUV). The BAUV swims forward by oscillating its body and caudal fin. It turns by bending its body and caudal fin toward the turning direction. The control algorithm uses the oscillating frequency to control the forward velocity, and applies a body-spline offset parameter to control the heading velocity. The motion of the BAUV is undulatory, so moving averages of swimming velocity and heading errors are used as feedback signals. The stability of the control system is discussed using a Lyapunov function. Finally, the effectiveness of the control algorithm is experimentally confirmed.     

Multivariable sliding mode control for autonomous diving andsteering of unmanned underwater vehicles

A six-degree-of-freedom model for the maneuvering of an underwater vehicle is used and a sliding-mode autopilot is designed for the combined steering, diving, and speed control functions. In flight control applications of this kind, difficulties arise because the system to be controlled is highly nonlinear and coupled, and there is a good deal of parameter uncertainty and variation with operational conditions. The development of variable-structure control in the form of sliding modes has been shown to provide robustness that is expected to be quite remarkable for AUV autopilot design. It is shown that a multivariable sliding-mode autopilot based on state feedback, designed assuming decoupled modeling, is quite satisfactory for the combined speed, steering, and diving response of a slow AUV. The influence of speed, modeling nonlinearity, uncertainty, and disturbances, can be effectively compensated, even for complex maneuvering. Waypoint acquisition based on line-of-sight guidance is used to achieve path tracking     

Model reference adaptive autopilot with anti-windup compensator for an autonomous underwater vehicle: Design and hardware in the loop implementation results

In this paper, a novel model reference adaptive controller with anti-windup compensator (MRAC_AW) is proposed for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Input saturations and parametric uncertainties are among the practical problems in the control of autonomous vehicles. Hence, utilizing a proper adaptive controller with the ability to handle actuator saturations is of a particular value. The proposed technique of this paper incorporates the well-posed model reference adaptive control with integral state feedback and a modern anti-windup scheme to present an appropriate performance in practical conditions of an AUV. Stability of the proposed method is analyzed by Lyapunov theory. Then, the proposed controller is implemented in the hardware in the loop simulation of AUV. For this purpose, the introduced method is implemented in an onboard computer to be checked in a real-time dynamic simulation environment. Obtained results in the presence of real hardware of system, actuators, computational delays and real-time execution verify the effectiveness of proposed scheme.     

Discrete time-delay control of an autonomous underwater vehicle: Theory and experimental results

A discrete time-delay control (DTDC) law for a general six degrees of freedom unsymmetric autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is presented. Hydrodynamic parameters like added mass coefficients and drag coefficients, which are generally uncertain, are not required by the controller. This control law cancels the uncertainties in the AUV dynamics by direct estimation of the uncertainties using time-delay estimation technique. The discrete-time version of the time-delay control does not require the derivative of the system state to be measured or estimated, which is required by the continuous-time version of the controller. This particularly provides an advantage over continuous-time controller in terms of computational effort or availability of sensors for measuring state derivatives, i.e., linear and angular accelerations. Implementation issues for practical realization of the controller are discussed. Experiments on a test-bed AUV were conducted in depth, pitch, and yaw degrees of freedom. Results show that the proposed control law performs well in the presence of uncertainties.     

Adaptive sliding mode control of autonomous underwater vehicles inthe dive plane

The problem of controlling an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in a diving maneuver is addressed. Having a simple controller which performs satisfactorily in the presence of dynamical uncertainties calls for a design using the sliding mode approach, based on a dominant linear model and bounds on the nonlinear perturbations of the dynamics. Nonadaptive and adaptive techniques are considered, leading to the design of robust controllers that can adjust to changing dynamics and operating conditions. The problem of using the observed state in the control design is addressed, leading to a sliding mode control system based on input-output signals in terms of drive-phase command and depth measurement. Numerical simulations using a full set of nonlinear equations of motion show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques     

Adaptive optimal control of an autonomous underwater vehicle in the dive plane using dorsal fins

In this paper, adaptive control of low speed bio-robotic autonomous underwater vehicles (BAUVs) in the dive plane using dorsal fins is considered. It is assumed that the model parameters are completely unknown and only the depth of the vehicle is measured for feedback. Two dorsal fins are mounted in the horizontal plane on either side of the BAUV. The normal force produced by the fins, when cambered, is used for the maneuvering. The BAUV model considered here is non-minimum phase. An indirect adaptive control system is designed for the depth control using the dorsal fins. The control system consists of a gradient based identifier for online parameter estimation, an observer for state estimation, and an optimal controller. Simulation results are presented which show that the adaptive control system accomplishes precise depth control of the BAUV using dorsal fins in spite of large uncertainties in the system parameters.     

Experiments on vision guided docking of an autonomous underwater vehicle using one camera

This paper introduces an underwater docking procedure for the test-bed autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platform called ISiMI using one charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The AUV is optically guided by lights mounted around the entrance of a docking station and a vision system consisting of a CCD camera and a frame grabber in the AUV. This paper presents an image processing procedure to identify the dock by discriminating between light images, and proposes a final approach algorithm based on the vision guidance. A signal processing technique to remove noise on the defused grabbed light images is introduced, and a two-stage final approach for stable docking at the terminal instant is suggested. A vision-guidance controller was designed with conventional PID controllers for the vertical plane and the horizontal plane. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the vision-guided docking system of the AUV.     

基于iSIGHT重于水的无人自治潜水器概念设计及优化方法

介绍一种新型重于水的无人自治潜水器的概念设计及主艇体优化方法,阐述了主艇体、机翼、尾翼等设计原理。以飞鱼Ⅱ设计过程为例,详细描述了重于水的无人自治潜水器概念设计流程,并通过iSIGHT优化设计软件对主艇体的设计参数进行优化。优化结果表明,优化后主艇体重量能够减小48%,阻力减小2.9%。     

Robust control for an autonomous underwater vehicle that suppresses pitch and yaw coupling

Attitude control systems for autonomous underwater vehicles are often implemented with separate controllers for pitch motion in the vertical plane and yaw motion in the horizontal plane. We propose a novel time-varying model for a streamlined autonomous underwater vehicle that explicitly displays the coupling between yaw and pitch motion due to nonzero roll angle and/or roll rate. The model facilitates the use of a multi-input multi-output H_∞ control design that is robust to yaw-pitch coupling. The efficacy of our approach is demonstrated with field trials.     

大深度载人潜水器低速大漂角模糊滑模航向控制研究

通过模型试验测量大深度载人潜水器低速大漂角运动时所受到的非线性水动力。基于一种新的模糊滑模控制策略,为潜水器设计了鲁棒航向控制器。在不同的漂角子区间内分别设计局部镇定的滑模控制器,然后通过Takagi-Sugeno模糊推理系统将它们光滑连接,得到模糊滑模控制。仿真计算结果充分显示了该控制策略的有效性。     

基于高阶滑模控制器的水下潜器运动控制

水下环境复杂多变,由于水流的不可预知性和多变性,潜器的水动力系数往往无法准确获取,使得依赖这种参数的潜器运动控制算法的应用受到了很大的局限。为了解决控制器对模型参数的依赖,设计了一种基于高阶滑模控制算法的模型无关控制器,并通过设置合理的过渡过程,解决了这种控制算法依赖初值的弊端。仿真结果表明,位置和姿态的控制能够快速的收敛,误差很小并且不依赖于初始条件,控制器需调节参数很少,并且算法简单,适用于工程的实际需要。     

Nonlinear adaptive control of an underwater towed vehicle

This paper addresses the problem of simultaneous depth tracking and attitude control of an underwater towed vehicle. The system proposed uses a two-stage towing arrangement that includes a long primary cable, a gravitic depressor, and a secondary cable. The towfish motion induced by wave driven disturbances in both the vertical and horizontal planes is described using an empirical model of the depressor motion and a spring-damper model of the secondary cable. A nonlinear, Lyapunov-based, adaptive output feedback control law is designed and shown to regulate pitch, yaw, and depth tracking errors to zero. The controller is designed to operate in the presence of plant parameter uncertainty. When subjected to bounded external disturbances, the tracking errors converge to a neighbourhood of the origin that can be made arbitrarily small. In the implementation proposed, a nonlinear observer is used to estimate the linear velocities used by the controller thus dispensing with the need for costly sensor suites. The results obtained with computer simulations show that the controlled system exhibits good performance about different operating conditions when subjected to sea-wave driven disturbances and in the presence of sensor noise. The system holds promise for application in oceanographic missions that require depth tracking or bottom-following combined with precise vehicle attitude control.     

自治水下机器人机械手系统协调运动研究

简单描述了自治水下机器人搭载的三功能水下电动机械手的设计,鉴于自治水下机器人-机械手系统运动学冗余、内部可能干涉以及载体圆筒式外形等特点,将惩罚调节因子引入系统运动学伪逆矩阵,保证了关节在允许范围内运动,避免载体大幅度姿态变化及载体与机械手之间的干涉,同时采用梯度投影法优化海流作用下的系统推力。仿真表明,该算法在解决系统冗余度的同时,有效地协调多任务下的系统动作。     

On the track keeping and roll reduction of the ship in random waves using different sliding mode controllers

In the paper, an autopilot system composed of sliding mode controller and line-of-sight guidance technique are adopted to navigate the ship in random waves by altering the rudder deflection. Two kinds of sliding mode controller are considered; one is the separate system including sway–yaw control and roll control, the other is the compact system considering sway–roll–yaw control altogether. Both track keeping and roll reduction are accomplished by rudder control and the design parameters of controller are optimized by genetic algorithm. The present simulation results show both the separate controller and the compact controller work quite well, either for track keeping or roll reduction while the ship is sailing in random waves. However, the separate controller is recommended due to its simplicity.