Integrated high-temperature electronics and distributed architectures for turbofan engine monitoring and control

In this paper we overview the distributed engine control problem and some potential solutions. The challenges that control designers will encounter for a distributed engine control design process is threefold. The first one is the modeling and formulation of uncertainties and deficiencies that electronics have in high temperature conditions. The second one is a proper communication means designed to handle all or part of these deficiencies. The last one is a proper control structure designed to be integrated with the distributed communication system and the high temperature electronics (HTE) functioning as smart nodes (e.g. sensors, actuators and control processors) in this communication system. The tools that are needed to design a distributed engine control system include control theory (feedback systems), information theory (communication bus and network structure) and HTE technology. We believe, the algorithm/architecture co-design process is a necessary and efficient approach for designing reliable and robust distributed control systems using high temperature electronics, and it can combine control theory, communication theory and high temperature electronics technology to propose an optimal solution to the problem. © 2011 by ISA.