Actuator Fault Diagnosis, State Detection and Fault Tolerant Control for Ground and Rail Vehicles

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825). This special issue belongs to the section "Actuators for Land Transport".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3897

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: intelligent connected vehicles; vehicle system dynamic; active safety control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Rail Autonomous Operation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
Interests: intelligent perception and fault diagnosis; risk analysis and emergency command; image intelligent analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Automotive Engineering Research Institute, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
Interests: path planning; autonomous vehicle; cooperative adaptive cruise control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Interests: vehicle dynamics and control; intelligent and connected vehicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: advance control theory; navigation; multi-robot system distributed consensus control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Actuators serve as pivotal components, which are responsible for ensuring the precise control and maneuverability in both ground and rail vehicles, directly impacting their operational safety and reliability. The efficient diagnosis of actuator faults allows for the early detection of abnormalities or malfunctions, thus facilitating timely maintenance and repair actions. State detection systems enable the early detection of any deviations from normal operating conditions, which may indicate potential actuator failures or degradations. This proactive approach to monitoring helps prevent catastrophic failures, ensuring that corrective actions can be taken prior to any safety-critical situations arising. The implementation of fault-tolerant control strategies further enhances safety through enabling vehicles to maintain stable and controllable operation, even in the presence of actuator failures or malfunctions.

Currently, one of the main issues faced in this domain is the limited effectiveness of existing diagnostic and control systems in the identification and mitigation of actuator faults in real time. Despite advancements in sensor technology and fault detection algorithms, there remains a gap in achieving robust and reliable fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control, particularly under varying environmental conditions. Currently, studies that combine advanced sensor fusion techniques, artificial intelligence technology, and distributed control techniques demonstrate great potential. In this background, the purpose of this Special Issue is to establish a platform for researchers and practitioners to share their latest findings, thereby contributing to the advancement of ground and rail vehicles. The topics of interest within the scope of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Actuator Fault Diagnosis under Multi-Sensor Fusion;
  • Data-driven fault diagnosis and failure prediction;
  • Real-time detection and dynamic warning;
  • Trajectory tracking and collision avoidance control considering actuator failure;
  • Control of multi-vehicle platooning systems considering actuator failure;
  • Fault-tolerant control of vehicle chassis under actuator failure;
  • Active control of vehicle actuators (braking, drive, steering systems, etc.);
  • Analysis of vehicle passive safety (e.g., actuator failure analysis, etc.)
  • Data-driven state estimation of ground and rail vehicles;
  • Data-driven fault-tolerant control of ground and rail vehicles.

Dr. Yan Wang
Prof. Dr. Yong Qin
Dr. Qingchao Liu
Dr. Liwei Xu
Dr. Bin-Bin Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ground and rail vehicles
  • actuator fault diagnosis
  • state detection
  • fault tolerant control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 8566 KiB  
Article
A Fault-Tolerant Control Strategy for Distributed Drive Electric Vehicles Based on Model Reference Adaptive Control
by Zhigang Zhou, Guanghua Zhang and Meizhong Chen
Actuators 2024, 13(12), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13120486 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 292
Abstract
This study addresses the issue of compromised performance and stability in distributed drive electric vehicles during high-speed operation in the event of motor failure. A fault-tolerant control strategy for distributed drive electric vehicles is proposed, based on model reference adaptive control (MRAC). First, [...] Read more.
This study addresses the issue of compromised performance and stability in distributed drive electric vehicles during high-speed operation in the event of motor failure. A fault-tolerant control strategy for distributed drive electric vehicles is proposed, based on model reference adaptive control (MRAC). First, a seven-degree-of-freedom vehicle dynamics reference model is established, from which the output torque of each wheel during stable operation is determined. Secondly, based on the compensation principle that maintains constant longitudinal speed and total torque before and after the fault, the output torque of the remaining wheels is determined to ensure normal vehicle operation in the event of a single motor failure. To improve torque distribution accuracy, an MRAC controller that takes into account the output hysteresis of the motor is designed. The transfer functions of both the reference model and the actual model are derived. Using Lyapunov’s second method, the adaptation rate of the MRAC system is formulated, ensuring that the state of the actual model converges to that of the reference model, thereby achieving adaptive regulation of system parameters and global stability. Finally, simulation experiments are conducted under high-speed dual-lane conditions. The results indicate that, in the case of a single motor failure with constant vehicle speed, the yaw rate and lateral displacement of the vehicle’s center of mass decrease, thereby validating the effectiveness of the proposed fault-tolerant control strategy. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 15195 KiB  
Article
Redundancy Control Strategy for a Dual-Redundancy Steer-by-Wire System
by Ke Wang, Baojun Qu and Mingwang Gao
Actuators 2024, 13(9), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13090378 - 23 Sep 2024
Viewed by 704
Abstract
Currently, key factors hindering application of steer-by-wire systems are their inadequate safety and reliability, which are significant criteria for evaluating automotive active safety. Based on the steer-by-wire platform, a dual-redundant steering motor control system is proposed, featuring dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors [...] Read more.
Currently, key factors hindering application of steer-by-wire systems are their inadequate safety and reliability, which are significant criteria for evaluating automotive active safety. Based on the steer-by-wire platform, a dual-redundant steering motor control system is proposed, featuring dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors as execution motors, achieving redundancy from hardware. A torque vector-space-decoupling control method is introduced for these motors to ensure balanced and stable torque output. Upon a fault, fault-tolerant measures are taken by disconnecting power supply to the affected motor, which, despite reducing system functionality, allows for normal steering control. This research starts with modeling the dual three-phase motors to construct a simulation model. It then proceeds with hardware-in-the-loop testing integrated with the dual-redundancy steer-by-wire control system, conducting tests under dual-lane-change trajectory conditions. Finally, a steering system fault is simulated to assess fault handling and functional degradation. These experiments confirmed that the proposed method enabled balanced torque output from the dual three-phase motors in the redundant steering control and facilitated fault-tolerant processing post fault, ensuring the vehicle’s steering functions were maintained. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 9354 KiB  
Article
Research on Active Trailer Steering Control Strategy of Tractor Semitrailer under Medium-/High-Speed Conditions
by Yuxi Tang, Yingfeng Cai, Ze Liu, Xiaoqiang Sun, Long Chen, Hai Wang and Zhaozhi Dong
Actuators 2024, 13(9), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13090360 - 16 Sep 2024
Viewed by 537
Abstract
The study proposes an active trailer steering control method for tractor semitrailers to promote the path tracking effect of the trailer portion as well as lateral stability during lane changing. Firstly, a simplified model of a tractor semitrailer is constructed, and the MAP [...] Read more.
The study proposes an active trailer steering control method for tractor semitrailers to promote the path tracking effect of the trailer portion as well as lateral stability during lane changing. Firstly, a simplified model of a tractor semitrailer is constructed, and the MAP map is formed based on the genetic algorithm for the identification of the key parameters, which improves the model’s accuracy. Then the tractor and trailer’s yaw rate and sideslip angle at CG are tracked as the control objective and the trailer angle distribution strategy is given. Then the LQR-based corner controller is designed to control the steering actuators of each axle of the trailer. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed control strategy is verified based on the Trucksim/Simulink joint simulation platform and the semi-physical HiL test platform. The simulation results show that the designed controller can effectively improve the path tracking effect of the tractor and the trailer, and at the same time, the lateral stability parameters of the tractor and the trailer are also significantly improved, which improves the driving stability of the tractor semitrailer. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 5933 KiB  
Article
Leveraging Cooperative Intent and Actuator Constraints for Safe Trajectory Planning of Autonomous Vehicles in Uncertain Traffic Scenarios
by Yuquan Zhu, Juntong Lv and Qingchao Liu
Actuators 2024, 13(7), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13070260 - 10 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 937
Abstract
This study explores the integration of dynamic vehicle trajectories, vehicle safety factors, static traffic environments, and actuator constraints to improve cooperative intent modeling for autonomous vehicles (AVs) navigating uncertain traffic scenarios. Existing models often focus solely on interactions between dynamic trajectories, limiting their [...] Read more.
This study explores the integration of dynamic vehicle trajectories, vehicle safety factors, static traffic environments, and actuator constraints to improve cooperative intent modeling for autonomous vehicles (AVs) navigating uncertain traffic scenarios. Existing models often focus solely on interactions between dynamic trajectories, limiting their ability to fully interpret the intentions of surrounding vehicles. To address this limitation, we present a more comprehensive approach using the Cooperative Intent Multi-Layer Graph Neural Network (CMGNN) model. The CMGNN analyzes not only the dynamic trajectories but also the lane position relationships, vehicle angle changes, and actuator constraints and performs group interaction analysis. This richer information allows the CMGNN to more accurately capture the cooperative intent and better understand the surrounding vehicle behavior. This study investigated the impact of the CMGNN in the Carla simulator on surrounding vehicle trajectory prediction and AV safe trajectory planning. An innovative mechanism for dynamic trajectory risk assessment is introduced, which takes into account the constraints of the actuators when evaluating trajectory planning metrics. The results show that incorporating cooperative intent and considering the actuator limitations enhanced the CMGNN’s safety and driving efficiency in uncertain scenarios, significantly reducing the probability of AVs colliding. This is achieved as the model dynamically adapts its driving strategy based on the real-time traffic conditions, the perceived intentions of the surrounding vehicles, and the physical constraints of the vehicle actuators. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 5770 KiB  
Article
Incorporating Human–Machine Transition into CACC Platoon Guidance Strategy for Actuator Failure
by Qingchao Liu and Ling Gong
Actuators 2024, 13(7), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13070235 - 24 Jun 2024
Viewed by 931
Abstract
This study proposes a guidance strategy based on human–machine transition (HMT) for cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) truck platoon actuator failures. Existing research on the CACC platoon mainly focuses on upper-level planning and rarely considers platoon planning failures caused by actuator failures. This [...] Read more.
This study proposes a guidance strategy based on human–machine transition (HMT) for cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) truck platoon actuator failures. Existing research on the CACC platoon mainly focuses on upper-level planning and rarely considers platoon planning failures caused by actuator failures. This study proposes that the truck in the platoon creates sufficient space on the target lane through HMT when the actuator fails, thereby promoting lane changes for the entire team. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is evaluated using the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) simulation. The results demonstrate that under conditions ensuring the normal operation of traffic flow, this guidance strategy enhances the platoon’s lane-changing capability. In addition, this strategy exhibits stronger robustness and efficiency in different traffic densities. This guidance strategy provides valuable insights into improving the driving efficiency of CACC truck platoons in complex road environments. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop