Selection of the Depth Controller for the Biomimetic Underwater Vehicle

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to select a depth controller for innovative biomimetic underwater vehicle drives. In the process of optimizing depth controller settings, two classical controllers were used, i.e., the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) and the sliding mode controllers (SM). The parameters of the regulators’ settings were obtained as a result of optimization by three methods of the selected quality indicators in terms of the properties of the control signal. The starting point for the analysis was simulations conducted in the MATLAB environment for the three optimization methods on three types of indicators for three different desired depth values. The article describes the methods and quality indicators in detail. The paper presents the results of the fitness function obtained during the optimization. Moreover, the time courses of the vehicle position relative to the desired depth, the side fin deflection angles, the calculated parameters of the control signals, and the observations and conclusions formulated in the research were presented.