System Design and Underwater Trajectory Tracking Control of Dual-Rotor Unmanned Aerial-Aquatic Vehicle

Aerial-aquatic vehicles are an innovative technology that has attracted significant research attention due to their wide potential applications. In this paper, we introduce a tandem dual-rotor unmanned aerial-aquatic vehicle (UAAV) that includes an aerial power system and an underwater power system. This configuration allows the UAAV to move flexibly underwater, especially through narrow spaces. Based on this configuration, we studied underwater trajectory tracking control of UAAV. The dynamic model of the vehicle’s underwater operation mode is established. Then, a boundary layer sliding mode control method is adopted for underwater trajectory tracking control of UAAV to overcome the influence of external disturbances and system uncertainties. In addition, the pseudo-inverse method and virtual control variables were used to achieve control allocation for the underactuated system. Finally, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed controller considering external disturbances and measurement errors.