A Comprehensive Study on Modelling and Control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have become the de facto vehicle for remote operations involving oceanography, inspection, and monitoring tasks. These vehicles operate in different and often challenging environments; hence, the design and development of AUVs involving hydrodynamics and control systems need to be discussed in detail. This chapter presents a study on the modelling and robust control of a research vehicle in the presence of uncertainties. The vehicle’s dynamic behaviour is modelled using a 6-degree-of-freedom approach, considering the effect of ocean currents. The level flight requirements for different speeds are derived, and the resulting model is categorized into horizontal and vertical subsystems for linear analysis. The simulation results presented focus on the efficacy of linear controllers within three key subsystems: depth, yaw, and speed. Moreover, level-flight outcomes are demonstrated for a speed of four knots. The nonlinear control strategies employed in this study encompass conventional and sliding-mode control (SMC) methodologies. To ensure accurate tracking performance, the controller design considers the vehicle’s dynamics with various uncertainties such as ocean currents, parameter uncertainty, center of gravity (CG) deviation, and buoyancy variation. Both conventional and nonlinear SMC controllers’ outcomes are showcased with a lawn-mowing manoeuvre scenario. A systematic comparison is drawn between the robustness of SMC against disturbances and parameter fluctuations in contrast to conventional controllers. Importantly, these results underscore the trade-off that accompanies SMC’s robustness as it necessitates a higher level of complexity in terms of controller design, intricate implementation intricacies, and the management of chattering phenomena.