Detection of sensor abrupt faults in aircraft control systems

A weak model based method for the detection of sensor abrupt faults in aircraft control systems is introduced. The method is characterized by simplicity and the capability of operating exclusively upon a single monitored signal. It is based upon the fact that abrupt faults are characterized by time constants much smaller than those of the aircraft, and employs signal non-stationarity removal, signal whitening, and statistical decision making for fault detection. Attention is paid to the identification of electronic spikes and glitches, and their distinction from actual sensor faults. The method is implemented within the synthetic environment of a small commercial aircraft, which provides for sensor noise, wind effects, turbulence, and aircraft maneuvering, and is successfully assessed via abrupt faults occurring in an angle-of-attack (AoA) sensor.