A differential geometric approach to path planning and control design for autonomous underwater vehicles

This work focuses on the automatic generation of control inputs for the thrusters of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, given a path to follow in six dimensions. The control strategy applied is model-driven and designed in a open-loop fashion, as most AUVs do not have reliable localization systems. This approach can be also extended in a closed-loop control scheme to improve robustness. The inputs generating framework is designed using differential geometric control theory, which provides a singularity free description of the vehicle model. This approach has been tested in simulations, using both a fully actuated vehicle model and an underactuated one. The latter configuration could be the result of a thrusters failure, which the differential geometric approach is able to overcome. Experimental trials have been carried out in a controlled environment using a fully actuated vehicle