Variable output model-free adaptive heading control method for unmanned surface vehicle
[Objective]Aiming at the uncertainty of model perturbation and external interference in un-manned surface vehicles(USVs),an improved model-free adaptive control(MFAC)method suitable for the heading control of USVs is proposed.[Methods]Based on the existence of non-self-balancing characterist-ics in the heading control subsystems of USVs,this study directly discusses the control problem of the head-ing control subsystems of USVs under uncertain influences using the compact form dynamic linearization-based MFAC(CFDL-MFAC).The historical input items are introduced into the standard control criteria,and a variable output CFDL-MFAC(VCFDL-MFAC)is proposed to weaken the integral effect existing in the head-ing control subsystems of USVs.Finally,the simulation of USV heading control using the proposed method is carried out and a field-test with regard to validity for operation on board a Dophin IB small USV is con-ducted.[Results]The results show that compared to the standard CFDL-MFAC method and PID method,the heading control of the VCFDL-MFAC method is more stable.[Conclusions]This study can provide a USV heading control algorithm with good adaptability and robustness that is insensitive to environmental dis-turbances and model perturbations.