Finite-time velocity-free observer-based consensus tracking for heterogeneous uncertain AUVs via adaptive sliding mode control

In this study, a finite-time velocity-free position consensus tracking control method is investigated for multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systems with heterogeneous uncertain dynamics. First, two distributed finite-time observers are developed for each follower AUV to estimate the state information of the leader and follower-AUVs’ own. Subsequently, via the sliding mode control technique, a consensus tracking control algorithm based on the estimated information is designed, such that each follower AUV can track the leader's position trajectory within a finite-time, even in the absence of velocity measurement. Second, for the situation involving uncertain model parameters, a parameter adaptive sliding mode-based control algorithm is proposed to improve the performance of the closed-loop AUV system. The two controllers only require the position information of the AUVs. Finally, two numerical simulations are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the two proposed control protocols.