Leader-follower fixed-time formation control of unmanned surface vehicles

  Objectives   To solve the formation control problem of leader-follower unmanned surface vehicles (USV) under complex environmental disturbances, a fixed-time control (FTC) approach is proposed in this paper.

  Methods  Fixed-time tracking control based on the integral sliding mode (ISM-FTC) approach is designed for the tracking control subsystem, and a finite-time disturbance observer-based fixed-time formation control (FDO-FFC) approach is developed for the formation control subsystem. The overall feasibility of the designed methods is verified via the Lyapunov function.

  Results  The simulation results of a prototype CyberShip II model indicate that the designed scheme can improve the accuracy and robustness of the leader-follower USV formation system.

  Conclusions  The results of this study can provide advanced technical means for USV formation control systems.