A Survey on Fault Diagnosis Methods for UAVs

Abstract

The continuous evolution of modern technology has led to the creation of increasingly complex and advanced systems. The growing demands for more reliable performance on such systems as the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have made it imperative to develop sophisticated techniques that provide fault diagnosis in a timely and accurate manner. It is emphasized that the issues of safe operation of such systems are of utmost importance and their continuous monitoring is required in order to manage emergencies as quickly as possible when faults have occurred. In fault diagnosis, an automated system can be consisted of three main types of subsystems: actuators, main structure and sensors. Typically, a fault monitoring system is specifically designed to supervise and debug each of these subsystems. Successful execution of UAVs missions, is associated with the timely detection and isolation of serious faults occurring to their sensors and actuators. Therefore, it is crucial for the UAV to track its reliable operation so that any faults can be addressed before they lead to disastrous consequences. In this survey article we provide a detailed overview of recent advances and studies regarding fault diagnosis methodologies for UAVs, focusing primarily on sensor and actuator faults.