Sliding Mode Observers for Fault Detection in a Network of Linear Dynamical Systems*

In this paper, a novel methodology is proposed for the detection of faults in the individual nodes of a network of dynamical systems at a supervisory level. The scheme is based on sliding mode observers and the faults are reconstructed by appropriate processing of the equivalent output error injection signal required to maintain sliding. The proposed fault detection scheme is inherently robust, nonlinear and can accommodate time varying coupling strengths. Stability conditions for the sliding mode observer are derived and depend solely on the dynamics of an individual node of the network.