Fault-tolerant control systems - A holistic view

Fault-tolerant control is used in systems that need to be able to detect faults and prevent simple faults related to control loops from developing into production stoppages or failures at a plant level. This is obtained by combining fault detection with supervisory control and re-configuration to accommodate faults, Much attention has been focused on fault detection in its own right. This paper deals with fault tolerant control from a much wider point of view, covering the entire design process from the engineering of the interface to structural implementation. Experience ranging from a simple temperature control to a complex satellite control system demonstrates significant improvements in plant availability using simple means. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.