Detection of collisions for a flexible beam subject to random disturbance

This paper presents an approach to detection of collisions for a flexible cantilever-beam subject to random disturbance by using model-based fault diagnosis method. The mathematical model of the flexible cantilever-beam is assumed to be described by the Euler-Bernoulli type partial differential equation. The collision detection filter is constructed based on the Kalman filter with respect to the finite-dimensional model corresponding to the mathematical model of the flexible beam. If collisions of the flexible beam and with environmental objects occur, the statistics of the residual signal (innovation process) are change. To detect such statistical change of the residual signal due to the collision, the chi-squared like test is introduced. In this paper, numerical and experimental results are presented.