Actuator Fault Detection and Isolation for a Network of Unmanned Vehicles

This technical note investigates development, design and analysis of actuator fault detection and isolation (FDI) filters for a network of unmanned vehicles. It is shown that actuator fault signatures in a network of unmanned vehicles are dependent and the network can be considered as an over-actuated system. An isolability index mu is defined for a family of fault signatures and a new structured residual set is developed that is selectively capable of properly detecting and isolating mu multiple faults in linear systems with dependent fault signatures, such as over-actuated systems. Our proposed algorithm is then applied to the actuator FDI problem in a network of unmanned vehicles configured according to centralized, decentralized and semi-decentralized architectures. A comparative analysis in terms of the capabilities and limitations of these architectures is performed. Simulation results presented for the formation flight of multiple satellites demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed FDI algorithm.