Fault detection and isolation in robotic manipulators via neural networks: A comparison among three architectures for residual analysis

In this article we discuss artificial neural networks-based fault detection and isolation applications for robotic manipulators. The artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used for both residual generation and residual analysis. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) is employed to reproduce the dynamics of the robotic manipulator. Its outputs are compared with actual position and velocity measurements, generating the so-called residual vector. The residuals, when properly analyzed, provides an indication of the status of the robot (normal or faulty operation). Three ANNs architectures are employed in the residual analysis. The first is a radial basis function network (RBFN) which uses the residuals of position and velocity to perform fault identification. The second is again an RBFN, except that it uses only the velocity residuals. The third is an MLP which also performs fault identification utilizing only the velocity residuals. The MLP is trained with the classical back-propagation algorithm and the RBFN is trained with a Kohonen self-organizing map. We validate the concepts discussed in a thorough simulation study of a Puma 560 and with experimental results with a 3-joint planar manipulator.