Adaptive way-point tracking control for underactuated autonomous vehicles

This paper presents a control strategy for global k-exponential way-point tracking control of a class of underactuated mechanical systems with movement in six degrees of freedom. We use a cascaded approach and find sufficient conditions for global k-exponential convergence to the desired way-point. A backstepping-based method for synthesizing controllers that satisfy the developed dynamical constraints is presented, and it is shown how adaption can be included to counteract environmental disturbances in all six degrees of freedom while guaranteeing global asymptotic way-point tracking. A case study presenting simulation results for the method applied to a model of the HUGIN AUV is presented.