Trajectory Tracking of the Operational Movement of a Deep-Sea Collector Based on Virtual Target Vehicle Reference

In view of the requirements and characteristics of a deep-sea polymetallic nodule collector’s movements according to a planned path and speed during operation, a collector trajectory tracking system scheme based on virtual target vehicle reference is proposed. In this system, the virtual target vehicle moves according to the planned path and speed, thereby generating a dynamic target path and speed. A fuzzy controller calculates the collector’s angular-velocity command based on the lateral position deviation and the heading-angle deviation between the collector and the target vehicle, and a proportional controller calculates the collector’s body linear velocity control command based on the longitudinal position deviation between the collector and the target vehicle. By integrating these two commands, the collector tracks the target vehicle and thereby realizes trajectory tracking of the planned path and speed. A control system is designed, and simulation studies are carried out. The results show that the designed system enables the collector to track the planned path and speed well under operational conditions. The trajectory tracking method based on virtual target vehicle reference can also form an organic integration of path planning and trajectory tracking, generate dynamic planned paths and speeds for the entire mining area, and realize movement of the collector along the planned path and speed throughout the whole operation.