Robust trajectory control of a remotely operated vehicle for underwater inspection tasks

We present the design method of a robust tracking controller for our ROV. The controller has a structure of a proportional and derivative action with a non-linear compensating term. The stability of this control system is proved through the uses of a Lyapunov function. It was also shown that the tracking error is exponentially convergent. Simple relation between control parameters and the exponential factor was derived. The effectiveness of the method was verified by experiments. Tank tests and open sea experiments assure that the trajectory control method proposed herein yields satisfactory results.