Research on Network Delays of Networked Control Systems

In networked control systems (NCS), the main problem is time delays induced by communication network, which can deteriorate the performance of the systems, even cause the systems instability. If we know the exact network delays, we can compensate for their effect by modifying the parameters of the controller. Hence how to get the knowledge of these delays in the network is critical. This paper analyzed the different characteristics of network delays from sensor to controller and from controller to actuator and presented the methods of online evaluation of these delays. The experiment shows these methods are valid.