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Published in IET Control Theory and Applications
Received on 29th May 2013
Accepted on 16th December 2013
doi: 10.1049/iet-cta.2013.0986
ISSN 1751-8644
Model predictive control-based non-linear fault
tolerant control for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles
Xiaoxiang Hu
1
, Hamid Reza Karimi
2
, Ligang Wu
3
,Yang Guo
1
1
302 Unit, Xi’an Research Institute of High-tech, Xi’an 710025, People’s Republic of China
2
Department of Engineering, University of Agder, N-4898 Grimstad, Norway
3
Space Control and InertialTechnology Research Center, Harbin Institute ofTechnology, Harbin 150001,
People’s Republic of China
E-mail: huxiaoxiang2008@gmail.com
Abstract: In this study, a model predictive control (MPC)-based fault tolerant control (FTC) design method for air-breathing
hypersonic vehicles (AHVs) is proposed. The non-linear model of AHVs is recalled and the FTC problem is discussed.
The problem is challenging because the relationship between flight dynamics and the control input is not so clear. For the
purpose of non-linear FTC, an optimisation-based reference reconfiguration method is given. Through the reconfiguration, a
new reference command, which can be realised by the faulty system, is constructed. Actuator saturation has been take into
account when constructing the new reference command. An MPC-based controller reconfiguration method is proposed with
respect to the new command and system faults. Finally, simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed
control method.
1 Introduction
Air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (AHV) is a kind of vehi-
cle which can fly at a speed of five times the speed of
sound (Mach 5). With the utmost aim of feasible and afford-
able atmospheric flight, AHV has drove much attention
in recent years [1]. The design of guidance and control
systems for AHVs is a challenging task since the interac-
tions between the airframe, the propulsion system and the
structural dynamics are very strong, and AHVs are very sen-
sitive to changes in flight condition and the aerodynamic
characteristics [2–4].
Owing to the enormous complexity of the dynamics,
only longitudinal models have been developed and used
for control design. A lot of works have been done and
several results are available in literature which consider
control solutions for AHVs. A design strategy of a multi-
input/multi-output adaptive sliding mode controller for the
longitudinal dynamics of AHVs is reported in [5], in which
the vehicle model is non-linear, multi-variable and unsta-
ble, and includes uncertain parameters. In [6], the authors
consider the development of the control-oriented model
and also provide an example of control design based on
approximate feedback linearisation. In [7], the design prob-
lem of a non-linear robust adaptive controller for AHVs
is discussed. In [8], the authors consider the longitudi-
nal motion of a hypersonic aircraft containing inertial
and aerodynamic uncertain parameters. By using stochastic
robustness analysis approach, robust flight control systems
with non-linear dynamic inversion structure are synthesised.
In [9], the authors present an adaptive linear quadratic
altitude and velocity tracking control algorithm for the
longitudinal model of a generic air-breathing hypersonic
flight vehicle. In [10], the authors deal with the adap-
tive model reference sliding output tracking control for
AHVs. Although a lot of results have been obtained, the
complex and challenging control problem for AHVs has
not been fully investigated, especially when possible faults
exist.
Owing to the requirements of precise control and the com-
plexity of modern engineering systems, the reliability of the
designed controller becomes very important. Unfortunately,
similar to other airplanes and space vehicles, possible fail-
ures are unavoidable in AHVs. Hence, the stability of a
system in which a fault occurs is very important, which
motivates the research of fault tolerant control (FTC). The
FTC of AHVs has been studied in recent years. In [11], a ref-
erence output tracking controller design method is proposed
for AHVs with actuator delay and uncertainty, the existence
conditions of such controllers are proposed in terms of liner
matrix inequalities; in [12], a reliable control for AHVs with
both sensor and actuator failures is studied by utilising T–S
fuzzy modelling technology. Most of the proposed methods
are based on the linear model or the nominal linear model of
AHVs, which limits the applicability of these methods. For
a complex non-linear system, it is better to design a non-
linear fault tolerant controller directly, but to the best of our
knowledge, this problem has not been well discussed.
Non-linear tracking control methods have been widely
studied [13, 14], but non-linear fault tolerant control (NFTC)
IET Control Theory Appl., 2014, Vol. 8, Iss. 13, pp. 1147–1153 1147
doi: 10.1049/iet-cta.2013.0986 © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2014