This paper proposes a data-based approach for a robust fault detection (FD) of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors of an aircraft. Fuzzy interval models (FIMs) have been introduced for coping with the significant modeling uncertainties caused by poorly modeled aerodynamics. The proposed FIMs are used to compute robust prediction intervals for the measurements provided by the IMU sensors. Specifically, a nonlinear neural network (NN) model is used as central prediction of the sensor response while the uncertainty around the central estimation is captured by the FIM model. The uncertainty has been also modelled using a conventional linear Interval Model (IM) approach; this allows a quantitative evaluation of the benefits provided by the FIM approach. The identification of the IMs and of the FIMs was formalized as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization problem using as cost function the (mean) amplitude of the prediction interval and as optimization variables the parameters defining the amplitudes of the intervals of the IMs and FIMs. Based on the identified models, FD validation tests have been successfully conducted using actual flight data of a P92 Tecnam aircraft by artificially injecting additive fault signals on the fault free IMU readings.

Linear dependence of variables is a commonly used assumption in most diagnostic systems for which many robust methodologies have been developed over the years. In case the system nonlinearities are relevant, fault diagnosis methods, relying on the assumption of linearity, might potentially provide unsatisfactory results in terms of false alarms and missed detections. In recent years, many authors have proposed machine learning (ML) techniques to improve fault diagnosis performance to mitigate this problem. Although very powerful, these techniques require faulty data samples that are representative of any fault scenario. Additionally, ML techniques suffer from issues related to overfitting and unpredictable performance in regions which are not fully explored in the training phase. This paper proposes a non-linear additive model to characterize the non-linear redundancy relationships among the system signals. Using the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) algorithm, these relationships are identified directly from the data. Next, the non-linear redundancy relationships are linearized to derive a local time-dependent fault signature matrix. The faulty sensor can then be isolated by measuring the angular distance between the column vectors of the fault signature matrix and the primary residual vector. A quantitative analysis of fault isolation and fault estimation performance is performed by exploiting real data from multiple flights of a semi-autonomous aircraft, thus allowing a detailed quantitative comparison with state-of-the-art machine-learning-based fault diagnosis algorithms.

This paper describes the results of an attempt to develop a modelling and simulation environment for the closed-loop dynamics of the NASA Intelligent Flight Control System F-15 aircraft. Emphasis was placed on the modelling of fault tolerance capabilities for the aircraft flight control system. Failures of the primary control surfaces are simulated for the most common failure scenarios, which are actuator blockage with and without a missing portion of the control surface. The controller featured in the flight control system has an optimal “feedforward and feedback” architecture to provide desirable handling qualities at nominal flight conditions while retaining good performance at post-failure conditions. The parameters within the control laws are updated using an online real-time parameter identification scheme based on the Fourier Transform Regression method. The desirable performance and utility of the entire scheme are illustrated through numerical simulations in the event of stabilator failure.