Leader-follower formation control of USVs using APF-based adaptive fuzzy logic nonsingular terminal sliding mode control method

This paper addresses the formation motion control method of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Combining the leader-follower formation control strategy with the path planning strategy based on the artificial potential field method, the control law is designed for a group of under-actuated USVs using an adaptive fuzzy nonsingular terminal sliding mode control method. The control goal is to make the followers start from their initial positions and finally form a specific formation shape with the leader and reach a stable state. The adaptive reaching law is proposed to reduce the system chattering. In order to reduce the formation integration time, a fuzzy logic reaching law is proposed to reduce the convergence time. Meanwhile, an adaptive tuning algorithm is used to tune the controller parameters, and the Lyapunov stability theorem is used to prove the finite-time stability. Simulation results show that the proposed approach attains a satisfactory performance, comparative simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach presented.