System and method for actuator control

摘要

Information from a real sensor and a virtual sensor are fused to form a hybrid sensor. Control signals (and/or the absolute value of the control signals) applied to an actuator are accumulated and converted to a position the actuator should be in based on the accumulated control signals to form the virtual sensor. The actuator position from the virtual sensor is fused with an actuator position from a real sensor to form the hybrid sensor. Small periodic corrections can be made to the accumulating control signals to maintain or achieve, if possible, correlation between the virtual sensor and the real sensor over time. The corrections slowly decrement errors in the actuator position indicated by the virtual sensor. Accumulating numerical errors in the accumulating control signals are reduced and the significance of long past events is de-emphasized by a forgetting factor (kff) used at defined periods of time (tff).

主权项

1. A system for actuator sensor fusion comprising:
at least one real sensor coupled to an actuator and generating real sensor signals; at least one virtual sensor generating virtual sensor signals which define an estimated position of the actuator by continuously tracking signals used to control the actuator; and a processor for fusing said real sensor signals and said virtual sensor signals to detect failure of the actuator and/or said at least one real sensor, said processor being configured to use said virtual sensor signals for continued operation of the actuator upon sensed failure of said at least one real sensor.