A Uniform Semiglobal Exponential Stable Adaptive Line-of-Sight (ALOS) Guidance Law for 3-D Path Following

Abstract

This paper presents a 3-D adaptive line-of-sight (ALOS) path-following algorithm for autonomous vehicles, marine craft, and aircraft. The origins of the cross- and vertical-track errors are proven to be uniform semiglobal exponential stable (USGES). The stability proof is based on a kinematic amplitude-phase representation of the North-East-Down (NED) positional rates instead of the classical Euler angle rotation matrix representation. Parameter adaption is used to obtain integral action such that the vehicle converges to the path in the presence of winds, waves, and ocean currents. Typical applications are guidance and path-following control systems for autonomous vehicles, marine craft, and aircraft, where the horizontal- and vertical-plane motions are strongly coupled.