Fault Estimation Sliding-Mode Observer With Digital Communication Constraints

This paper addresses the actuator fault estimation sliding-mode observer (SMO) design problem of linear continuous-time systems over digital communication channels. This problem frequently occurred in a network environment where data has to be quantized before being transmitted via digital communication channels. Traditional observers (linear Luenberger observer, Walcott–ZaK SMO) are not effective to solve this design issue since the effects of signal quantization will degrade estimation performances evidently. In this paper, a new descriptor SMO method is presented to overcome this difficult problem. It is shown that, if the quantizer density is larger than
$\sqrt{2}-1$
, the designed observer can compensate quantization errors completely, and the fault vector can be reconstructed despite of signal quantization. Finally, a simulation example with the F-404 aircraft engine model is proposed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed robust digital observer design approach.