Three-Dimensional Trajectory Tracking Control Strategy for Underactuated UUVs Based on Improved ADRC

To address the challenge of low trajectory tracking accuracy for underactuated unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) under external disturbances, this study proposes a method integrating backstepping control with improved active disturbance rejection control (IADRC), which enhances high-precision trajectory tracking performance for UUV systems. Firstly, a five-degree-of-freedom dynamic model is established according to the symmetrical structure characteristics of an underactuated UUV, and virtual control inputs are designed using the backstepping method to address the underactuated characteristics. To improve convergence speed and tracking accuracy, a nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) is incorporated into the ADRC framework. Additionally, a parameter-adaptive tracking differentiator (PATD) is developed to mitigate the “differential explosion” problem inherent in backstepping virtual control inputs. A model-assisted extended state observer (ESO) is also designed to accurately estimate system disturbances. Stability analysis, grounded in Lyapunov theory, rigorously proves that all tracking errors converge asymptotically to a small bounded neighborhood of the origin. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control strategy.