Improving Formation Maneuvering of Unmanned Surface Vehicles: A Finite-Time Distributed Approach with Velocity Constraints

This paper presents a novel approach for addressing the finite-time distributed formation maneuvering (FTDFM) of multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), which takes into account the challenges posed by velocity and error constraints. Each USV is subject to parameter uncertainty, ocean disturbance, actuator fault, and input saturation, making the task of achieving reliable and accurate formation particularly challenging. To overcome these challenges and meet practical requirements, a finite-time (FT) performance function is selected as the constraint function, which ensures that the velocity and error of each USV stay within a given bounded set within a known time. Using FT stability theory, a new framework is proposed that integrates a tangent-type barrier function and an improved backstepping approach to handle uncertainties and constraints. In this approach, a tracking differentiator (TD) is introduced to replace the virtual controller's derivative, and a smooth function is used to address the input saturation, effectively reducing the complexity and dynamic order of the algorithm. The proposed controller is capable of ensuring the realization of the desired formation within a finite time while maintaining the constraints without deviation. Additionally, by using the auxiliary variable technique, the proposed control method can also be applied to USVs with underactuated models. Simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control algorithm in achieving accurate and reliable formation maneuvering of multiple USVs under various constraints.