Detecting a failing actuator before control authority is lost.
A quadrotor has little room for hidden actuator degradation. The project asked whether analytical redundancy—comparing measured motion with model-based estimates—could expose a fault early without creating nuisance alarms during nominal uncertainty.
The Engineering Question
How do observer choice, model complexity and uncertainty change detection sensitivity for partial and total loss-of-effectiveness faults?
The Central Constraint
Residuals must react to real faults while remaining quiet enough under noise and model mismatch to avoid false positives.
From nonlinear vehicle model to comparable detection evidence.
Observer Implementation
Implemented Luenberger, Thau, extended Kalman and unscented Kalman observer schemes as residual generators.
Fault Modelling
Defined partial and complete actuator loss-of-effectiveness scenarios so every method saw the same controlled test cases.
Robustness Evaluation
Tested nominal, faulty and parametrically uncertain conditions to separate genuine sensitivity from model-dependent behaviour.
Comparative Analysis
Assessed detection behaviour, implementation complexity and false-alarm tendencies rather than selecting a method from one idealised run.
One test framework, four observer philosophies.
Model
Establish the quadrotor dynamics, actuator inputs and measurable states.
Estimate
Run deterministic and stochastic observers against a common plant model.
Inject
Introduce controlled effectiveness losses and parameter uncertainty.
Evaluate
Compare residual response, sensitivity, robustness and alarm behaviour.
Research developed within TUM’s flight-systems environment.
Aqib Habib
Observer implementation, simulation campaign, comparative evaluation and thesis documentation.
Z. Mbikayi
Supervisor to the semester-thesis work.
Institute of Flight System Dynamics
A validated comparison, not just four isolated implementations.
The completed study characterises how the four residual-generation methods respond to actuator degradation and uncertainty, creating a structured basis for selecting detection architecture in future fault-tolerant flight-control work.