A Novel Fixed-Time Trajectory Tracking Strategy of Unmanned Surface Vessel Based on the Fractional Sliding Mode Control Method

A novel sliding mode control method is proposed to achieve the trajectory tracking of the Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) and effectively deal with the unmodeled dynamics and external unknown disturbances. First, a fixed-time fractional-order sliding mode control (FTFOSMC) strategy is proposed, combined with the fixed-time control theory and fractional-order control theory based on the sliding mode control method. The FTFOSMC strategy can improve the convergence velocity of the system, and effectively track the desired path, weakening the “chattering” effect in sliding mode control systems. Second, a fixed-time fractional-order sliding mode control strategy combined with the radial basis function neural network (RBF-FTFOSMC) was designed, which can effectively estimate the lumped uncertainties, such as the disturbance of external wind, wave, and current, and the unmodeled dynamics of the USV model. Then, the stability and effectiveness of the designed control strategy are guaranteed by the Lyapunov theory and the corresponding lemmas. Finally, a rigorous simulation experiment is designed to validate the effectiveness and stability of the proposed control strategy. The simulation results show that the control strategy can effectively achieve trajectory tracking of the USV, reduce the “chattering” phenomenon of sliding mode, and effectively estimate the lumped uncertainties.