ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the depth control of the gliding underwater robot with multiple modes. In the gliding motion, a model predictive control (MPC) system is proposed. An injector-based buoyancy-driven mechanism is employed to achieve more precise control of net buoyancy. In the system, a novel framework of depth control is proposed on a basis of a simplified model, including a depth controller with improved MPC, a heading controller with velocity-based proportional-integral-derivative, and a sliding mode observer. In dolphin-like motion, a depth control system that combines the line-of-sight method with an adaptive control approach to deal with uncertainties in the model parameters is proposed. Finally, the authors perform a simulation, and the experimental results demonstrate that the robot’s depth can be successfully controlled, offering promising prospects for bio-inspired gliding robots playing a key role in ocean exploration.
