Finite-Time Velocity-Free Rendezvous Control of Multiple AUV Systems With Intermittent Communication

In this study, a finite-time velocity-free rendezvous control method is considered for multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systems with intermittent undirected communication. First, we develop a distributed finite-time observer for each AUV to estimate its own state information. Second, we design a rendezvous control algorithm that utilizes the estimated state information intermittently through a communication network in the absence of velocity measurement. A homogeneous method is used to prove that all AUVs in the group can achieve rendezvous in finite time for a network with intermittent communication, even without velocity measurements. The proposed method is shown to reduce the communication load of the system. More importantly, the control algorithm achieves the control goal of the system and is proven to be viable for many practical applications of multiple AUV systems from both economic and security perspectives. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control protocol is demonstrated via numerical simulations.