Dipolar field based 3-dimensional homing guidance algorithm for autonomous underwater vehicles

In this paper, a dipolar field-based 3-dimensional homing guidance method is presented to solve the intelligent docking problem of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The AUV obtains its coordinates in the global coordinate frame by using the measured locations of transponders fixed in the dock station. The desired yaw and pitch angles based on the dipolar field are calculated to guide the AUV to the dock station along the direction of the entrance central axis. The adaptive non-singular terminal sliding mode control is employed for the yaw control and the pitch control, which ensures the robustness and adaptability in the presence of the control system uncertainties. Simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed homing guidance strategy.