Fault detection for linear distributed-parameter systems using finite-dimensional functional observers

In this article, finite-dimensional residual generators are directly designed for Riesz-spectral systems with bounded input and output operators to detect faults. This is achieved by using finite-dimensional observers, that can estimate linear functionals of the state without spillover. These observers allow for a decoupling of the unknown disturbances from the estimation error dynamics under mild assumptions. Then, a finite-dimensional residual generator is obtained by approximately decoupling the state from the residual, that is generated by the observer states and the outputs. It is shown that the resulting approximation error can be made small by increasing the observer order. Then, fault detection with the finite-dimensional residual generator can be assured by introducing a time-varying threshold. A faulty Euler–Bernoulli beam with structural damping illustrates the proposed finite-dimensional fault detection approach.