Robust Self-Adjustable Path-Tracking Control for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The purpose of this study is to design a supervisory two-level controller for an autonomous underwater vehicle path following problem despite the underwater uncertain operation conditions and external measurement noises. For the controller description, the surge degree of freedom dynamic model is linearized using feedback linearization technique and then a fuzzy PID tracking control law is sketched. To illustrate the robust tracking performance of the controller, the proposed control law is compared with a conventional PID controller. The results show improvement in the tracking error in the presence of noise and dynamic model parameter perturbation. The main reason behind the ability of the supervisory controller in handling the uncertainties is the auto-adjustment ability of PID gains when faced with real-time situations.