Applying cascaded systems theory to ensuring globally uniformly asymptotical stability of trajectory tracking controller of underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

Sections 1 and 2 of the full paper explain how we apply the cascaded systems theory. Their core is: ″the tracking error system is divided into two subsystems (the position error and the orientation error), then we design the controllers for the two subsystems independently. Next we use the backstepping method to obtain the globally uniformly asymptotical stability of the trajectory tracking controller, and derive the sufficient conditions of the control parameters to ensure the AUV to track a reference AUV with constant yaw rate.″ Section 3 simulates the trajectory tracking controller designed by us. The simulation results, given in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and their analysis demonstrate preliminarily that the tracking errors of our trajectory tracking controller can converge to zero asymptotically; thus it is effective for controlling the underactuated AUV to track the desired trajectory.