Straight-Line Trajectory Tracking Control of Surface-Towed Vehicles under Complex Disturbances

  • SONG Zihao ,
  • WEI Handi ,
  • XIAO Longfei ,
  • et al
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  • 1. School of Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; 2. Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya 572024, Hainan, China; 3. Guoneng Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd., Beijing 100080, China; 4. National Energy Group Shipping Co., Ltd., Beijing 100080, China

Online published: 2026-03-20

Abstract

Marine seismic surveys are fundamental to seabed topographic mapping and marine resource exploration. As critical components of marine streamer seismic surveys, surface-towed vehicles (STV) require precise straight-line trajectory tracking to ensure the reliability and validity of exploration data. To achieve high-precision tracking for STVs amidst complex marine disturbances, this paper proposes an adaptive super-twisting control (ASTC) method integrated with a novel adaptive law. Firstly, the dynamics of the surface towing system are modeled, where environmental disturbances, parameter uncertainties, and umbilical forces are aggregated into a lumped disturbance term. Subsequently, a trajectory tracking controller is designed based on the proposed ASTC, with the uniform ultimate boundedness of the closed-loop system proven via Lyapunov stability theory. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the method achieves high-precision tracking under various sea states, exhibiting superior robustness. Notably, the proposed strategy effectively mitigates the inherent trade-off between tracking accuracy and control chattering observed in traditional fixed-gain super-twisting control. By dynamically adjusting gains in response to varying disturbances, it ensures superior performance while significantly suppressing chattering.

Cite this article

SONG Zihao , WEI Handi , XIAO Longfei , et al . Straight-Line Trajectory Tracking Control of Surface-Towed Vehicles under Complex Disturbances[J]. Ocean Engineering Equipment and Technology, 2026 , 13(1) : 34 -45 . DOI: 10.12087/oeet.2095-7297.2026.01.05

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