Disturbance observer based finite-time trajectory tracking control of unmanned surface vehicles

This paper addresses the finite-time trajectory tracking control problem of an unmanned surface vehicle with external disturbances. The salient features of the proposed control scheme are as follows: 1) A disturbance observer is designed firstly such that the external disturbances can be exactly observed in a finite time; 2) A disturbance observer based nonsingular terminal sliding mode control law is then developed to realize the finite-time stability of the closed-loop trajectory tracking system; 3) Tracking errors can be stabilized to zero in a finite time, whereby fast and accurate trajectory tracking can be obtained pertaining to the proposed control law. Simulation studies and comprehensive comparisons demonstrate the feasibility and remarkable performance of the proposed control scheme.