Detection Time Analysis of Propulsion System Fault Effects in a Hexacopter

The hexacopter propulsion system is composed of electronic speed controllers, motors and propellers. When severe damage happens in one of these components, critical impacts over the system's dynamics are witnessed. Changing the controller parameters or even adopting a different control strategy is useless once the system loses its controllability. To prevent significant damages, this work presents a case study about the detection time effects that total faults interfere with the aircraft dynamics, which is extremely necessary to be identified and perceived by the aircraft control board. The case study was built using nonintrusive indices, based on an error from angular dynamics responses. Once identified a failure situation, a future control device can provide some performance actions due to critical issues, without losing the aircraft controllability or leaving it to crash. The results were impressive, showing that it is possible to develop fault detection and identification technique in 0.1 seconds tops, keeping the aircraft safe in these scenarios. Longer detection time may lead to insert non-controllable cases.