Research on depth control based on output disturbance observer for UUVs maneuvering near the surface

Frequent changes of depth caused by the ocean wave generate lots of problems in the motion control of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) when operated near the surface, such as wear and tear of the motors, consumption of energy and so on. In order to solve these problems, this paper have tried to eliminate the disturbance of depth signal through estimating it according to nonlinear output disturbance observer based on the model of ocean wave. Then the stability of the observer was proved by Lyapunov theory. At last, the observer was implemented in the simulation of the depth control system and the results show the effectiveness and practical significance of the method.