Active Propeller Fault Detection and Isolation in Multirotors Via Vibration Model

TL;DR

This paper introduces an active, model-based vibration analysis method for detecting and isolating blade faults in multirotor aircraft, using only onboard vibration data and deliberate control input perturbations.

Contribution

It presents a novel active fault detection approach that exploits vibration models and input perturbations, specifically tailored for multirotor vehicles with high input redundancy.

Findings

Method tested in 9600 simulations showing promising accuracy.

Effective in isolating blade faults using vibration data alone.

Analysis includes both time-domain and frequency-domain features.

Abstract

In rotary-wing aircraft, rotating blades are exposed to collisions and subsequent damage. The detection and isolation of blade damage constitute the first step in fault mitigation; however, they are particularly challenging when considerable input redundancy is available, as in the case of multirotors. In this article, we propose an active model-based approach that deliberately perturbs the control inputs to isolate blade faults in multirotor vehicles. By exploiting a model that captures the vibrations caused by blade damage, the isolation method relies solely on vibration data from the onboard inertial measurement unit. The strategy is tested in simulation using an octarotor platform, and both time-domain and frequency-domain features are analyzed. Several accuracy-related metrics of the technique are evaluated on a set of 9600 simulations and compared with the most relevant variables.