Error detection and correction in switched linear controllers via periodic and non-concurrent checks

Abstract

Control systems that utilize switched linear controllers have proven to be useful (and, in some cases, essential) for accomplishing certain control objectives in particular classes of plants. These controllers are often digital in nature and, as such, are subject to internal hardware malfunctions (faults). In this paper, we present a systematic methodology for constructing embeddings to protect switched linear controllers against hardware faults that corrupt their internal state. Our methodology is based on replacing the original controller with a redundant (higher dimensional) controller that preserves the functionality of the original controller while enabling error detection and correction. More importantly, this methodology allows an external mechanism to detect and identify transient state-transition faults through non-concurrent (e.g. periodic) parity checks. The resulting error detection and correction procedures can then be performed periodically, thereby relaxing the reliability requirements and overhead associated with the checking mechanism. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.