A Study on Trajectory Tracking of an ROV for Underwater Glider Recovery Based on Adaptive Backstepping Control Using a Command Filter

This paper presents a path for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to retrieve an underwater glider and proposes a backstepping-based control method that utilizes a command filter and an adaptive term for trajectory tracking. The ROV path, which consists of diving, approaching, and ascending to reach the underwater glider while minimizing wave disturbances, is generated using a fifth-order polynomial trajectory generation method. To address the complexity of the backstepping method, the virtual control signal is replaced with a command filter signal. Additionally, a compensation mechanism is configured to suppress filter errors. An adaptive term based on Lyapunov stability is incorporated to compensate for lumped disturbances to enhance system control performance. The stability of the entire control system is proven through Lyapunov stability theory. To verify the performance of the proposed controller, simulations are conducted to track the configured path in a marine environment. This environment includes waves and ocean currents, with wave disturbances modeled based on the movement of water particles in waves. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed controller achieves superior tracking performance and resilience against disturbances compared with the proportional-integral-differential controller.