Method and apparatus for aircraft sensor and actuator failure protection using reconfigurable flight control laws

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183743-B2
Application number	US-201715646680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2008
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reconfiguring flight control of an aircraft during a failure while the aircraft is flying. The method and apparatus provide a control law that is software-implemented and configured to automatically send flight control data to a mixing/mapping matrix. The method and apparatus also provide a reconfiguration management tool configured to communicate with the mixing/mapping matrix in order to safely transfer authority from a failed actuator to a back-up actuator. The method and apparatus also provide a sensor management tool for providing input to the reconfiguration management tool in order to smooth any transient conditions that may occur during reconfiguration. The method and apparatus provide for a way of smoothing any possible transient situation that might otherwise occur by employment of a fader, the fader being used to gradually convert positioning of failed actuators and positioning of reconfigured actuators. An exemplary aircraft for using the method and apparatus of a reconfigurable flight control system is a quad tilt rotor. The quad tilt rotor provides a variety of redundant and back-actuators, as such, having a robust and highly qualified reconfigurable flight control system is very desirable.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of automatically reconfiguring flight control of an aircraft, the aircraft having flight control actuators and sensors, the method comprising:
sending flight control data to a mixing/mapping matrix;
communicating with the mixing/mapping matrix in order to safely transfer authority from a failed actuator to a back-up actuator; and
calculating a risk factor, the risk factor being used for determining whether reconfiguration is necessary;
wherein the risk factor is an empirical representation of a control authority of the aircraft, such that a degradation in the control authority effects the risk factor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
mixing the usage of the flight control actuators in response to a failing of the failed actuator by employing a first independent actuator system at a first percentage and employing a second independent actuator system at a second percentage, such that the combination of the first independent actuator system and the second independent actuator system produces a differential thrust.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
smoothing any transient conditions that may occur during the reconfiguring flight control of the aircraft in response to the failure.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the differential thrust is utilized for yaw control.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
filtering data from the flight control sensors on the aircraft by using a Kalman filter.

Assignees

• Bell Helicopter Textron Inc
• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Shue Shyhpyng Jack
• Corrigan John James
• Bird Eric Thomas
• Wood Tommie Lynn
• Ewing Alan Carl

Classifications

• G05B19/0428

  Safety, monitoring (G05B19/0423 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B64C27/54 Primary

  Mechanisms for controlling blade adjustment or movement relative to rotor head, e.g. lag-lead movement · CPC title

• B64C19/00

  Aircraft control not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G05B2219/24192

  Configurable redundancy · CPC title

• G05B2219/25069

  Pseudo redundance, eliminate failing element and reconfigure system · CPC title