PID Based Path Following Algorithm for the MiddleAUV

The baseline path following algorithm based on PID controller for horizontal movement of the MiddleAUV is constructed. The MiddleAUV is small autonomous underwater vehicle designed to study the control algorithms. This article discusses the one case of PID controllers design and results of numerical simulations. The path is constructed using waypoints. The movement of the AUV between waypoints is accomplished by controlling the distance and yaw between the current position of the AUV and the waypoint. When the AUV approaches a waypoint, a special unit generates a new waypoint and the AUV continues moving. The main difficulty was configuring the controllers for the non-linear version of the AUV model. To solve this problem, we tuned the PID controller for the linear model and chose the best one for the nonlinear model. Numerical experiments were performed on the nonlinear mathematical model, which showed that the resulting PID controllers could be used as the basis for the robot's motion along the waypoints.