A new backstepping control design method for autonomous underwater vehicle in diving and steering plane

In this paper a backstepping method has been designed for stabilization and control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). In order to design the backsteeping controller the equations governing the dynamics of AUV are represented in strict feedback form. A three degree of freedom structure of a prototype AUV is used to verify the diving control problem and steering control problem, to achieve the tracking of desired depth profile and desired yaw orientation profile respectively.