Finite-time disturbance observer based non-singular integral terminal sliding mode trajectory tracking control of unmanned surface vehicles

In this paper, a finite-time disturbance observer based non-singular integral terminal sliding mode tracking control scheme for trajectory tracking of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is proposed. The salient features of the proposed scheme are as follows: 1) The proposed control scheme contributes to precise trajectory tracking control of an USV. 2) Under the proposed control law, tracking errors can be stabilized to zero with a faster convergence rate than conventional backstepping-based approaches. 3) It ensures that external disturbances can be identified exactly in a finite time, thereby leading to better robustness to complex disturbances. Simulation studies and comprehensive comparisons demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed control scheme for tracking an USV.