Adaptive formation control for obstacle avoidance of USVs with asymmetric input saturation

Abstract Due to the complex maritime navigation environment, Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) are influenced by unknown nonlinear dynamics arising from external disturbances and internal uncertainties. Achieving effective formation control while maintaining obstacle avoidance performance presents significant challenges. This article proposes a Neural Networks (NNs) adaptive formation Artificial Potential Field (APF) obstacle avoidance control method for multiple USVs. By employing online updates of Radial Basis Function (RBF) NNs technology, the unknown nonlinear dynamics are approximated, thus addressing complex nonlinear dynamics problems. In scenarios involving multiple USVs navigating under high wind and wave conditions, collisions with obstacles frequently occur. To tackle this issue, a leader-follower control strategy is designed that effectively addresses risk assessment and obstacle avoidance under such challenging conditions. Additionally, to account for saturation constraints or potential faults in the controller inputs commonly encountered in engineering applications, it implements an asymmetric auxiliary control system. Furthermore, the Lyapunov stability theorem is utilized to ensure the stability of both the formation control and obstacle avoidance algorithms for multiple USVs. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated through simulations.