Systems and methods for emergency aircraft brake operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259569-B2
Application number	US-201615295687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2016
Priority date	Oct 17, 2016
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A brake system for an aircraft is provided according to various embodiments. The system may include a left pedal arrangement comprising a left pedal, a first left sensor to generate a first left signal in response to translation of the left pedal. The system also includes a right pedal arrangement comprising a right pedal, a first right sensor to generate a first right signal in response to translation of the right pedal. Normal brake control logic controls the brake system in response to a normal condition being set. The normal brake control logic commands a left brake based on the left signal, and a right brake based on the first right signal. Emergency brake control logic controls the brake system in response to an emergency condition being set. The emergency brake control logic commands a same force to the left and right brakes based the left and right signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brake system for an aircraft, comprising:
a left pedal assembly comprising a left pedal, a first left sensor associated with the left pedal and configured to generate a first left signal in response to translation of the left pedal, a second left sensor associated with the left pedal and configured to generate a second left signal in response to translation of the left pedal;
a right pedal assembly comprising a right pedal, a first right sensor associated with the right pedal and configured to generate a first right signal in response to translation of the right pedal, a second right sensor associated with the right pedal and configured to generate a second right signal in response to translation of the left pedal;
a normal brake control logic configured to control the brake system in response to a normal condition being set, wherein the normal brake control logic commands a first left force to a left brake located on a left side of the aircraft based on the first left signal and the second left signal, wherein the normal brake control logic commands a first right force to a right brake located on a right side of the aircraft based on the first right signal and the second right signal; and
an emergency brake control logic configured to control the brake system in response to an emergency condition being set, wherein the emergency brake control logic is configured to command a same force to the left brake and the right brake based on one of the first left signal, the second left signal, the first right signal, or the second right signal.

2. The brake system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one of a third left sensor configured to generate a third left signal in response to translation of the left pedal or a third right sensor configured to generate a third right signal in response translation of the right pedal.

3. The brake system of claim 2 , wherein a sensor signal processing logic determines the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal are valid and generates an output signal for the right pedal.

4. The brake system of claim 3 , wherein the sensor signal processing logic determines the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal are valid by comparing the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal to determine whether a difference between the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal is within a predetermined threshold.

5. The brake system of claim 4 , wherein the sensor signal processing logic generates the output signal for the left pedal by averaging the first left signal, the second left signal, and the third left signal.

6. The brake system of claim 1 , wherein the normal brake control logic generates an excitation signal for the first left sensor and the first right sensor from a microprocessor.

7. The brake system of claim 6 , wherein the emergency brake control logic provides an analog excitation signal to the first left sensor and the first right sensor in response to the emergency condition being set.

8. The brake system of claim 7 , wherein the emergency brake control logic sends a signal to the normal brake control logic to shut off in response to the emergency condition being set.

9. The brake system of claim 1 , wherein the emergency brake control logic commands a same force to the left brake and the right brake based on a greatest value from the first left signal from the left pedal, the first right signal from the right pedal, the second left signal from the left pedal, the second right signal from the right pedal, a copilot left signal from a copilot left pedal, and a copilot right signal from a copilot right pedal.

10. The brake system of claim 1 , wherein the emergency brake control logic comprises a latch configured to maintain the emergency condition in response to the emergency condition being set.

11. The brake system of claim 1 , further comprising a switch operable to set the emergency condition.

12. The brake system of claim 1 , wherein the normal brake control logic is configured to detect the emergency condition and communicate the emergency condition to the emergency brake control logic.

13. A method of controlling a brake system in an aircraft, comprising:
setting an emergency condition in the brake system comprising a left brake and a right brake, wherein a left pedal is configured to control the left brake located on a left side of the aircraft and a right pedal is configured to control the right brake located on a right side of the aircraft under normal conditions;
receiving a first left signal from a first left sensor on the left pedal;
receiving a second left signal from a second left sensor on the left pedal;
receiving a third left signal from a third left sensor on the left pedal;
comparing the first left signal, the second left signal, and the third left signal to determine the first left signal, the second left signal, and the third left signal are valid;
generating a output value for the left pedal based on the first left signal, the second left signal, and the third left signal; and
commanding a same brake force at the left brake and the right brake based on the output value for the left pedal.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a first right signal from a fourth sensor on the right pedal;
receiving a second right signal from a fifth sensor on the right pedal;
receiving a third right signal from a sixth sensor on the right pedal; and
comparing the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal to determine at least one of the first right signal, the second right signal, or the third right signal is invalid.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining the first right signal, the second right signal, and the third right signal are invalid in response to a difference between the first right signal and the second right signal being greater than a predetermined value.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising selecting the output value for the left pedal in response to the output value for the left pedal being greater than the output value for a second pedal.

17. A brake control unit, comprising:
a processor;
a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the brake control unit to perform operations comprising:
setting, by the brake control unit, an emergency condition to switch control of an aircraft brake from a normal brake control logic to an emergency brake control logic;
comparing, by the emergency brake control logic, a first signal from a first sensor in operable communication with a first pedal, a second signal from a second sensor in operable communication with a second pedal, and a third signal from a third sensor in operable communication with a third pedal;
selecting, by the emergency brake control logic, a selected value from the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal, wherein the selected value is selected by taking a greatest value from the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal; and
commanding a same brake force at a left brake located on a left side of the aircraft and a right brake located on a right side of the aircraft based on the selected value.

18. The brake control unit of claim 17 , further comprising:
receiving a fourth signal from a fourth sensor on a fourth pedal;
receiving

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Cahill Eric
• Ayichew Efrem E

Classifications

• B64C25/42 Primary

  Arrangement or adaptation of brakes · CPC title

• B60T2220/04

  Pedal travel sensor, stroke sensor; Sensing brake request · CPC title

• B60T8/885

  using electrical circuitry · CPC title

• B60T2270/413

  Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy · CPC title

• B60T8/1703 Primary

  for aircrafts · CPC title