Field of electric actuating systems aboard aircrafts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023303-B2
Application number	US-201615365144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2015
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

An actuating system for an aircraft having an electromechanical actuator (25) comprising a non-volatile memory (60) wherein stored data (61) including configuration data (62) specific to the electromechanical actuator is stored. The system also includes a control unit (22) using the configuration data to implement a servo-control loop, the output signal of which is a digital signal controlling the electric motor of the electromechanical actuator and at least one digital transmission channel (50) connecting the control unit and the electromechanical actuator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuating system for an aircraft comprising:
an electromechanical actuator ( 25 ) comprising:
an electric motor ( 55 ),
a power module ( 54 ) operative to generate a current supplied to the electric motor,
measuring means ( 59 ) adapted for measuring a servo-control magnitude of the electromechanical actuator and for generating a digital measurement signal representative of the servo-control magnitude, and
a non-volatile memory ( 60 ), said memory being operative to store data ( 61 ) including configuration data ( 62 ) specific to the electromechanical actuator;

a control unit ( 22 ) connected to the electromechanical actuator and operative to execute a servo-control algorithm by acquiring and using said configuration data to adapt the servo-control algorithm to the electromechanical actuator, wherein the servo-control algorithm implements a servo-control loop having a feedback signal comprising the digital measurement signal and an output signal comprising a digital signal ( 55 ) for controlling the electric motor of the electromechanical actuator and sent to the power module;
at least one digital transmission channel ( 50 ) connecting the control unit and the electromechanical actuator and enabling the routing between the control unit and the electromechanical actuator of the digital measurement signal, the stored data and the digital control signal.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration data comprises parameters ( 63 ) of the servo-control algorithm.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the parameters ( 63 ) comprise at least one of: a proportional coefficient, an integral coefficient, a derived coefficient of the servo-control loop, a position limitation, a speed limitation, and a power limitation of the electromechanical actuator.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration data ( 62 ) comprises parameters ( 63 ) of another algorithm.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the other algorithm comprises at least one of: a failure detection algorithm, a trend following algorithm, and a cycle counting algorithm.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration data ( 62 ) comprises an identifier ( 80 ) enabling the control unit to select the servo-control algorithm to be used among a list of servo-control algorithms stored in the control unit.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration data comprises a native code of the servo-control algorithm.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration data comprises electromechanical actuator calibration data.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the calibration data comprises a native code of a calibration algorithm.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the calibration algorithm is at least one of: a gradient correction, an offset correction, and a correction according to a parameter measured in the electromechanical actuator.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the stored data further comprises data transmitted by the control unit.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the data transmitted by the control unit comprises information on the utilization of the electromechanical actuator.

13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the stored data is protected by a checking tool of the cyclic redundancy check type.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electromechanical actuator comprises two redundant channels which different configuration data is associated with, in order to implement different servo-control algorithms.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one digital transmission channel comprises two digital transmission channels connect the control unit and the electromechanical actuator.

16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the two digital transmission channels comprise a fast channel for exchanging the digital measurement signal and the digital control signal, and a slow channel for transmitting the stored data.

17. The system according to claim 1 , wherein some of the stored data is read-accessible and/or write-accessible by a wireless interrogation device using RIFD-type technology.

Assignees

• Safran Landing Systems
• Safran Helicopter Engines

Inventors

• Moutaux Antoine
• Nierlich Florent

Classifications

• G05D3/12

  using feedback · CPC title

• G05B11/42

  for obtaining a characteristic which is both proportional and time-dependent, e.g. P. I., P. I. D. · CPC title

• H02P5/74

  controlling two or more AC dynamo-electric motors (H02P5/46, H02P5/60 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B13/024

  in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance · CPC title

• H02P5/00 Primary

  Arrangements specially adapted for regulating or controlling the speed or torque of two or more electric motors (H02P6/04, H02P8/40 take precedence) · CPC title