AUV Rudder Angle Decoupling Method Based on Energy Optimization

During the steering of tail rudder linkage of an underactuated autonomous undersea vehicle(AUV), the rolling attitude will result in the coupling of controls in horizontal and vertical planes. Focusing on the navigation mission of the AUV with low restoring moment, single propeller and variable loads, this paper proposes a new rudder angle decoupling method with energy reuse based on the known roll angle, in which global optimal utilization of the energy generated by rolling attitude is taken into account. A neural network algorithm is used in the decoupling method to optimize the decoupling parameters, thus reducing the working stroke of the actuators and enhancing the utilization of global energy. Numerical simulation result coincides with the theory analysis, validating the feasibility of the proposed method. Results from sea trial indicate that the proposed method can effectively reduce the steering stroke of the actuators and power consumption.