Fault-Tolerant Model Predictive Control with Flight-Test Results

Abstract

This work presents a novel method of fault-tolerant model predictive control where the response of a reference closed-loop model is followed even in the presence of an actuator fault. This architecture is capable of redistributing the control efforts among healthy actuators in a stable manner, respecting their limitations. Also, a constrained guidance system that works in conjunction with the inner-loop fault-tolerant controller is proposed. The guidance law considers the calculated limitations of the inner-loop control system as input constraints in order to smooth the transition between two consecutive navigation legs defined by waypoints. A trajectory-tracking system composed of the constrained guidance and the fault-tolerant model predictive controller is demonstrated through numerical simulations and experimental results on an experimental midsize transport aircraft, showing adequate performance.