Distributed Finite-Time Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with External Disturbances

This study aims to address the distributed finite-time formation control for multiple homogeneous autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with model uncertainties and external disturbances. A novel distributed formation control is developed by the back-stepping technique incorporated with the adaptive control method. The proposed controller not only has robustness against the system uncertainties, but also guarantees the finite-time convergence of the distributed formation errors. The stability of the whole system and the boundedness of all closed-loop signals are thoroughly analyzed and proven by Lyapunov’s direct method. Some numerical simulation results are given to confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the designed formation control scheme.