An Output Feedback Based Adaptive Robust Fault Tolerant Control Scheme for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

In this paper we present an output feedback based Adaptive Robust Fault Tolerant Control (ARFTC) strategy to solve the problem of output tracking in presence of actuator failures, disturbances and modeling uncertainties for a class of nonlinear systems. The class of faults addressed here include stuck actuators, actuator loss of efficiency or a combination of the two. We assume no a priori information regarding the instant of failure, failure pattern or fault size. The ARFTC combines the robustness of sliding mode controllers with the online learning capabilities of adaptive control to accommodate sudden changes in system parameters due to actuator faults. Comparative simulation studies are carried out on a nonlinear hypersonic aircraft model, which shows the effectiveness of the proposed scheme over back-stepping based robust adaptive fault-tolerant control.