Finite-Time Disturbance Observer-Based Adaptive Course Control for Surface Ships

In this paper, a finite-time disturbance observer-based adaptive control strategy is proposed for the ship course control system subject to input saturation and external disturbances. Based on the Gaussian error function, a smooth saturation model is designed to avoid the input saturation of the system and reduce steering engine vibrations, and an auxiliary dynamic system is introduced to compensate for the effect of the rudder angle input inconsistency on the system. By constructing an auxiliary dynamic, a finite-time disturbance observer is designed to approximate the external disturbance of the system; an adaptive updating law is also constructed to estimate the upper bound of the derivative of the external disturbance. Combining the finite-time disturbance observer with the auxiliary dynamic system, a novel adaptive ship course control law is proposed by using the hyperbolic tangent function. Moreover, according to LaSalle’s Invariance Principle, a system stability analysis method with loose stability conditions and easy realizations is designed, while the stability of the closed-loop system and the ultimately uniformly boundedness of all its signals are proven. Finally, the course control simulation analysis of a surface ship is carried out. The results show that the proposed control law has a strong resistance to external disturbances and a strong non-fragility to system parameter perturbations, which ensure that the course control system has great control performance.