Design of a Switching Controller for Tracking AUVs With an ASV

Operations of multiagent systems consisting of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) offer a cost-effective solution to a wide range of marine applications, such as mapping and monitoring of the oceans. This article proposes a switching controller for tracking one or multiple AUVs with an ASV. Using three control modes, the controller ensures that: 1) each AUV eventually gets tracked and aided; 2) collisions with the AUVs are avoided; and 3) the ASV stops active propulsion whenever practical in order to conserve energy and reduce acoustic noise caused by the propulsion system. The switching of modes is based on the relative geometry between the ASV and the AUVs and backward reachable sets (BRSs). The switching controller is experimentally demonstrated with satisfying results in a series of field experiments in the Trondheim Fjord, where up to three AUVs executing missions simultaneously are tracked and aided by one ASV.