Smooth Sliding Mode Control for Path Following of Underactuated Surface Vehicles Based on LOS Guidance

In this paper, a solution to the problem of following a curved path for underactuated unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with unknown sideslip angle and model uncertainties is studied. A novel smooth sliding mode control (SSMC) based on a finite-time extended state observer (FTESO) for heading control is proposed. Firstly, the model of a USV with rudderless double thrusters is established. Secondly, the path-following error dynamics of a USV is established in a path-tangential reference frame. Thirdly, a finite-time observer is introduced to estimate the unidentified sideslip angle, and the line-of-sight (LOS) guidance law is applied to produce the desired heading angle. Finally, an SSMC controller is proposed to force USV tracking at the desired heading angle and surge speed, in which FTESO is used to estimate and compensate the unknown disturbance in sliding mode dynamics. The theoretical analysis for FTESO-SSMC verifies that the controller can provide finite-time convergence to and stability on the sliding surface. Simulation studies and contrast test are conducted to demonstrate the robustness and rapidity of the proposed FTESO-SSMC controller.