Method and system for sensor fault detection

• US 6,831,466 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Down, John Harry, Mathews, Harry Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Deb, Anjan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Teresinski, John
• Application Number:
  US09/874,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 324/555, 324/520, 324/537, 318/636, 318/767, 361/88
• US Class Current: 324/555
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems

Abstract

A system and method for controlling operation of a component include using at least two sensors arranged to sense an operating condition of the component. The system further includes a controller that controls the component in response to feedback signals output by one or more of the sensors. The controller also determines how the sensor feedback signals are to be used in controlling the component. To this end, the controller includes a model-based statistical filter for each one of the second sensors.

Claims

1. A system for controlling operation of a component, said system comprising:

at least two sensors arranged to sense an operating condition of said component, wherein each one of said at least two sensors produces a feedback signal representative of said component operating condition;

means for generating a command signal for controlling said component in response to output from one or more of said at least two sensors; and

a selection module connected to receive output from said at least two sensors and to receive said command signal, said selection module using said command signal and said output from said at least two sensors to produce a selection signal that is fed to said means for generating for determining how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component, and wherein said selection module includes means for selecting a weighted combination of said feedback signals to use for controlling said component.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said selection module includes a model-based statistical filter for each one of said at least two sensors.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each filter generates residual error measurements between expected values of said component operating condition and corresponding measured values of said component operating condition.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said selection module uses said residual error measurements to determine how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said selection module includes means for selecting one of said feedback signals to use for controlling said component.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said means for selecting uses a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said one feedback signal.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting uses a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said weighted combination of said feedback signals.

8. A system for controlling operation of a component, said system comprising:

a first sensor for providing a first feedback signal representative of an operating condition of said component;

a second sensor for providing a second feedback signal representative of said component operating condition;

a control module connected to receive said first and second feedback signals, said control module generating a command signal for controlling said component in response to one or both of said first and second feedback signals;

end

a selection module connected to receive said feedback signals and said command signal, said selection module using said feedback signals and said command signal to determine how said first and second feedback signals are to be used in controlling said component, said selection module including a model-based statistical filter for each one of said first and second sensors, wherein each filter generates state estimates of expected values of said component operating condition and residual error measurements between said expected values and corresponding measured values of said component operating condition and wherein said selection module includes means for selecting a weighted combination of said first and second feedback signals to use for controlling said component.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said selection module uses said residual error measurements to determine how said first and second sensors are to be used in controlling said component.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said selection module includes means for selecting one of said first and second feedback signals to use for controlling said component.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said means for selecting uses a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said one feedback signal.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said means for selecting uses a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said weighted combination of said first and second feedback signals.

13. A method for controlling operation of a component, said method comprising the steps of:

using at least two sensors to redundantly sense an operating condition of said component, wherein each one of said at least two sensors produces a feedback signal representative of said component operating condition;

generating a command signal for controlling said component in response to output from one or more of said at least two sensors;

using output from said at least two sensors and said command signal to produce a selection signal that determines how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component, wherein determining component includes selecting a weighted combination of said feedback signals to use for controlling said component; and

using said command signal to control said component.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a model-based statistical filter for each one of said at least two sensors is used to determine how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each filter generates residual error measurements between expected values of said component operating condition and corresponding measured values of said component operating condition.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said residual error measurements are used to determine how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein determining how output from said at least two sensors is to be used in controlling said component includes selecting one of said feedback signals to use for controlling said component.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising using a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said one feedback signal.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising using a sliding window of residual error measurements in selecting said weighted combination of said feedback signals.