Fixed-Time Event-Triggered Fault-Tolerant Formation Control for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Swarms

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) swarms possess advantages such as efficiency, reliability, flexibility, and extensive coverage in underwater operations. However, their coordinated control is challenged by communication interruptions and actuator failures in complex marine environments. This paper proposes a fixed-time event-triggered fault-tolerant formation control method to address these challenges. First, the Prim algorithm and the Hungarian algorithm are employed to reconstruct the communication topology, mitigating AUV disconnections due to communication failures and ensuring formation stability. Second, a fixed-time extended state observer (ESO) is designed to estimate the lumped disturbance arising from model uncertainties, unknown ocean disturbances, and actuator failures. Finally, a performance function is introduced to reformulate error variables, and a fixed-time event-triggered formation control law is developed based on an auxiliary saturation system and an event-triggering mechanism. In addition, this paper demonstrates the stability of the entire closed-loop system, and no Zeno phenomenon will occur. Simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method in maintaining robust formation control of AUV systems under adverse conditions.