Detection of sensor failures in automotive engines

The real-time application of detection filters to the diagnosis of sensor failures in automotive engine control systems is presented. The detection filter is the embodiment of a model-based failure detection and isolation (FDI) methodology, which utilizes analytical redundancy within a dynamical system to isolate the cause and location of abnormal behavior. The philosophy and essential features of FDI theory are presented, and the practical application of the method to the diagnosis of faults in some key sensors in an electronically controlled internal combustion engine is described. The experimental results presented here have been obtained on a production vehicle, and demonstrate that the real-time implementation of such detection filters is feasible, opening the way to a new generation of diagnostic strategies.<
>