Model-based fault detection and isolation in steer-by-wire vehicle using sliding mode observer

Steer-by-Wire system (SbW), in which the conventional mechanical linkages between the steering wheel and the front wheel are removed, is suited to active steering control, improving vehicle stability, dynamics and maneuverability. And SbW is implemented to autonomous steering control to assist the driver. However, the SbW vehicle contains unsolved important problems about fault tolerant function. For example, it is the detection of sensor fault and multiplicative fault simultaneously. Fault detection and isolation (FDI) is essential in fault-tolerant problems, and conventional FDI for SbW was based on Kalman filter. But this method has weak robustness and cannot detect sensor fault and multiplicative fault simultaneously. We propose a novel model-based fault detection and isolation method using sliding mode observer in the SbW vehicle, which contains measurement of sensor fault and multiplicative fault. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulations.