Fault Detection and Control of Time-Delay Systems: A Disturbance Observer Approach

This paper deals with the fault detection, diagnosis and control problems of time delay systems by designing a disturbance observer (DOB). In proposed method, the DOB estimates the changes occurred as an input disturbance. In fact, the DOB is implemented as a residual generator for the system. Subsequently, the estimated changes can be used to compensate the effect of faults and plant alterations directly. In this method, the estimated disturbances can be used for the FDI purpose and the final system would be fault tolerant, without the need to have all other faults isolable and identifiable. It provides a simple, low cost and effective fault detection and isolation method which can be applied to more practical systems. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by the simulations provided for an industrial water pressure control system which is supposed to be subject to faults.