QPSO-model predictive control-based approach to dynamic trajectory tracking control for unmanned underwater vehicles

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) method based on quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO), combining with sliding mode control (SMC), is studied to solve the dynamic trajectory tracking problem of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) in three-dimensional underwater environment. First, the kinematic controller based on QPSO-MPC is designed to obtain the velocity signal. QPSO limits the velocity of UUV within a specified range to handle the speed jump problem when compared with backstepping control. Then kinematic control is extended to dynamic control for verifying the feasibility of QPSO-MPC in the realistic dynamical UUV system. Here SMC is adopted in dynamic control because of its good robustness and anti-interference performance. The combination of kinematic and dynamic controllers can efficiently realize the trajectory tracking of UUV. The experimental simulation results prove that the algorithm proposed in this paper can solve the speed jump and the driven saturation caused by speed jump, and also can satisfy the propeller constraints of UUV.