Path Following Control for Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Output Constraints

This paper proposes a control system structure with output constraints and quantized communication for the containment maneuvering problem of multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). First, an asymmetric ln-type Lyapunov function is used to replace the symmetric Lyapunov function, ensuring that the system's tracking error remains constrained within a specific range at all times. Second, a quantized communication protocol is designed to significantly reduce the communication burden among the AUVs while ensuring a faster dynamic response during path tracking updates. Third, a neural network is introduced to approximate the unknown dynamics present in underactuated AUVs. Finally, simulations are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.