Design of a non-homogeneous differentiator for actuator oscillatory failure case reconstruction in noisy environment

This work addresses the problem of oscillatory failure case detection in the electrical flight control system of a generic commercial airplane. A non-homogeneous differentiator is first used to provide accurate derivatives in noisy environment and fast convergence time. In this study case, fault detection is addressed in the unknown input estimation issue for fault reconstruction with the same evaluation techniques currently employed in Airbus A380 airplanes. Based on the non-homogeneous differentiator theory, an algorithm for differentiator tuning is provided to manage a trade-off between the accuracy of fault reconstruction and the convergence time that is compliant with specified detection time requirements. Performance and robustness of the developed monitoring strategy are assessed using a high-fidelity Airbus benchmark and a parametric test campaign for the flight scenarios defined in the EU-FP7 ADDSAFE project.