A Paradigm for Path Following Control of a Ribbon-Fin Propelled Biomimetic Underwater Vehicle

This paper addresses the problem of path following for biomimetic underwater vehicles (BUVs) propelled by undulatory ribbon-fins. First, the general kinematics and dynamics models of underwater vehicles are presented, followed by a fuzzy logic model for dealing with a nonlinear relationship between the propulsive force/torque and the control parameters of the undulatory fins of the BUV. Then the path following problem of the BUV is formulated. A path following control paradigm integrating the line-of-sight guidance system with backstepping (BP) technique is proposed to maneuver the BUV to follow a predefined parameterized curve without time constraints. The stability of the BP controller is analyzed and guaranteed by Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, simulations and experimental results illustrate the performance of the proposed path following control paradigm.