Closed Loop Fuzzy/Lyapunov Control System for Planar Motion of Multiple Autonomous ROVs

This paper deal with planar motion control of multiple underactuated Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) based on merging of Fuzzy/Lyapunov and kinetic controllers. A cooperative algorithm based on a decentralized planning algorithm which considers the underwater vehicles in an initial open chain configuration is developed. All the planned trajectories are intersections-free, and each trajectory is planned independently of the others. The fuzzy controller generates the surge speeds and the yaw rates of each ROV, to achieve the objective of the planar motion planned by the decentralized algorithm, and it ensures robustness with respect to perturbations of the marine environment, forward surge speed control and saturation of the control signals, while the kinetic controller generates the thruster surge forces and the yaw torques of all the ROVs. The Lyapunov’s stability of the equilibrium state of the closed loop motion control system is proved based on the properties of the Fuzzy maps for all the underwater vehicles, so that the stabilization of each vehicle in the planned trajectory is ensured. The validity of this control algorithm is supported by simulation experiments. KeywordsAutonomous ROVs; Decentralized Trajectory Planning; Fuzzy Control; Lyapunov’s Stability; Motion Control