The Bioinspired Model-Based Hybrid Sliding-Mode Formation Control for Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Abstract

In this paper, a novel hybrid strategy is proposed for unmanned surface vehicle (USV) formation control. The strategy is divided into two subsystems: a virtual velocity controller based on the bioinspired model and a dynamic controller based on the sliding-mode model. The proposed control scheme solves the problem of a speed jump that occurs in the traditional backstepping method when the margin of error increases suddenly, and it also satisfies the actuator control constraint. Additionally, a dynamic controller is designed, combining the sliding mode with the proposed virtual controller, to avoid the traditional chattering problem. System stability is proven by the Lyapunov theory. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.