Robust Sliding Mode Control-Based Trajectory Tracking Control for an Underactuated Surface Vessel With Prescribed Performance

This paper addresses the robust tracking control problem of an underactuated surface vessel (USV) with external disturbances. To guarantee the transient tracking performance of the USV, a trajectory tracking controller is proposed based on sliding mode control and prescribed performance technique. The original constrained position error model of USV was transformed into an equivalent unconstrained one by using the designed performance function. Based on the transformed error model obtained, the desired surge and sway velocities are proposed to stabilize the position errors. Then, the speed error model of the USV is transformed into the equivalent error model, and the robust sliding mode-based tracking controller is proposed to suppress the effects of the external disturbances. Meanwhile, the position and velocity errors can converge to zero with prescribed performance. Finally, a numerical simulation is provided to verify the effectiveness of the designed controller and its robustness to external disturbances.