Analysis of the impact of time delays on the operation of the chassis control system of an unmanned aerial vehicle

The relevance of this research stems from the need to improve the reliability and safety of unmanned aerial vehicle landing gear control systems operating under conditions of time delays in control signal transmission. Such delays, which occur during the measurement, processing, and execution of commands, significantly impact the system's response time and can lead to failures during landing. Therefore, this study aims to model the behavior of the electronic component of an unmanned aerial vehicle landing gear control system, taking into account the cumulative time delays that determine the overall response time. The primary research method is numerical simulation in the time domain, performed in the Simintech software environment, which enabled the implementation of a structural block model of signal transmission from the position sensor to the actuator. The results showed that the total system delay is approximately two seconds for an acceptable body tilt angle of no more than fifteen degrees. If this value is exceeded, the control signal is not generated, providing additional protection against emergency conditions. The obtained results confirm the need to optimize the control system architecture and select faster-responding components. The research materials are of practical value for the design and analysis of control systems for aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

1. Chudnov A.M., Gubskaya O.A., Kichko Ya.V. Methodology for Analyzing the Probabilistic-Temporal Characteristics of Messaging in a Complex of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. News of the Tula State University. Technical Sciences. 2021;(11):117–124. (In Russ.).

2. Ronzhin A., Nguen V., Solenaya O. Analysis of the Problems of Unmanned Flying Manipulators Development and UAV Physical Interaction with Ground Objects. Trudy MAI. 2018;(98). (In Russ.). URL: https://trudymai.ru/eng/published.php?ID=90439

3. Tikhonov R., Bubehshchikov Yu. The Practice of Testing Units with Unmanned Flying Vehicles Exposed to Information-Technical Influence. Military Thought. 2019;(6):118–124. (In Russ.).

4. Saveleva M.V., Smushkin A.B. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as a Special Technical and Forensic Tool and an Object of Forensic Investigation. Tomsk State University Journal. 2020;(461):235–241. (In Russ.).

5. Nikiforov V.O., Paramonov A.V., Gerasimov D.N. Adaptive Control Algorithms in MIMO Linear Systems with Control Delay. Automation and Remote Control. 2020;81(6):1091–1106. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0005117920060107

6. Humais M.A., Chehadeh M., Boiko I., Zweiri Ya. Analysis of the Effect of Time Delay for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Applications to Vision Based Navigation. arXiv. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.01933 [Accessed 17th September 2025].

7. Muskardin T., Coelho A., Della Noce E.R., Ollero A., Kondak K. Energy-Based Cooperative Control for Landing Fixed-Wing UAVs on Mobile Platforms Under Communication Delays. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2020;5(4):5081–5088. https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2020.3005374

8. Dagal I., Mbasso W.F., Ambe H., Erol B., Jangir P. Adaptive Fuzzy Logic Control Framework for Aircraft Landing Gear Automation: Optimized Design, Real-Time Response, and Enhanced Safety. International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences. 2025;26:2135–2163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42405-025-00922-w

9. Sun Z., Wu L., You Ya. Automatic Landing System Design for Unmanned Fixed-Wing Vehicles via Multivariable Active Disturbance Rejection Control. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering. 2023;2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/9395447

10. Liang J., Zheng H., Zhang Yu., Gao Y., Dong W., Lyu X. Predictor-Based Time Delay Control of a Hex-Jet Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2025;10(4):3940–3947. https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3544062