Programmable interface for flight control devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12249254-B2
Application number	US-202217647245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2022
Priority date	Jan 6, 2022
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

A rotorcraft flight simulator system includes physical flight control devices for a rotorcraft vehicle. Each of the flight control devices is configured to generate, when actuated, one or more control signals via an output connector of that flight control device. The system includes a programmable interface with multiple input pins, and each of the output connectors is coupled to a respective input pin. The programmable interface includes a controller configured to attribute particular control signals received at a particular input pin to a specific flight control device. The system includes a flight simulator computer configured to receive output signals from the controller via an Ethernet port. The output signals include, for the specific flight control device, header information indicating the specific flight control device and flight control data corresponding to a particular control signal received at the particular input pin that is associated with the specific flight control device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotorcraft flight simulator system, comprising:
physical flight control devices for a rotorcraft vehicle, each of the physical flight control devices including a respective output connector and configured to generate, when actuated, one or more control signals via the output connector of that flight control device;
a programmable interface including:
multiple input pins, each of the output connectors of the flight control devices coupled to a respective input pin of the multiple input pins to communicate the respective control signals from the flight control devices to the respective input pins; and
a controller configured to attribute particular control signals received at a particular input pin of the multiple input pins to a specific flight control device of the flight control devices; and

a flight simulator computer configured to receive output signals from the controller via an Ethernet port, wherein the output signals include one or more sets of information associated with the control signals, the one or more sets of information including, for the specific flight control device:
header information indicating the specific flight control device; and
flight control data corresponding to a particular control signal received at the particular input pin, of the multiple input pins, that is associated with the specific flight control device.

2. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , wherein the flight control devices include at least one of a cyclic control device, a collective control device, a throttle control device, or a side stick control device.

3. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , wherein the control signals include digital signals from a first flight control device and analog signals from a second flight control device.

4. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , wherein the output signals further include a timestamp of the particular control signal received at the particular input pin.

5. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to output a packet that includes the one or more sets of information, the one or more sets of information including at least a first set of header information and flight control data associated with a first flight control device and a second set of header information and flight control data associated with a second flight control device.

6. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , further comprising avionics hardware configured to receive the output signals via a second Ethernet port.

7. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 6 , wherein the avionics hardware includes a mission computer.

8. The rotorcraft flight simulator system of claim 1 , wherein the programmable interface comprises a programmable microcontroller device.

9. A microcontroller device comprising:
multiple input pins configured to be coupled to respective output connectors, of multiple physical flight control devices for a particular rotorcraft vehicle, to receive one or more control signals from the flight control devices at respective input pins;
an Ethernet port; and
a controller configured to:
attribute particular control signals received at a particular input pin of the multiple input pins to a specific flight control device of the flight control devices;
generate output signals including one or more sets of information associated with the one or more control signals, the one or more sets of information including, for the particular control signals associated with the specific flight control device:
header information indicating the specific flight control device; and
flight control data corresponding to a particular control signal received at the particular input pin, of the multiple input pins, that is associated with the specific flight control device; and

output the output signals via the Ethernet port.

10. The microcontroller device of claim 9 , wherein the flight control devices include at least one of a cyclic control device, a collective control device, a throttle control device, or a side stick control device.

11. The microcontroller device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more control signals include digital signals from a first flight control device and analog signals from a second flight control device.

12. The microcontroller device of claim 9 , wherein the output signals further include a timestamp of the particular control signal received at the particular input pin.

13. The microcontroller device of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to output, via the Ethernet port, a packet that includes the one or more sets of information, the one or more sets of information including at least a first set of header information and flight control data associated with a first flight control device and a second set of header information and flight control data associated with a second flight control device.

14. A method of using a rotorcraft flight simulator system, comprising:
receiving, at multiple input pins of a microcontroller device that are coupled to respective output connectors of multiple physical flight control devices for a particular rotorcraft vehicle, one or more control signals from the flight control devices;
attributing, at the microcontroller device, a particular control signal received at a particular input pin of the multiple input pins to a specific flight control device of the flight control devices;
generating output signals including one or more sets of information associated with the one or more control signals, the one or more sets of information including, for the particular control signal associated with the specific flight control device:
header information indicating the specific flight control device; and
flight control data corresponding to the particular control signal received at the particular input pin associated with the specific flight control device; and

sending the output signals, via an Ethernet port of the microcontroller device, to a flight simulator computer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the flight control devices include at least one of a cyclic control device, a collective control device, a throttle control device, or a side stick control device.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more control signals include digital signals from a first flight control device and analog signals from a second flight control device.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the output signals further include a timestamp of the particular control signal received at the particular input pin.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein generating the output signals includes generating a packet that includes at least a first set of header information and flight control data associated with a first flight control device and a second set of header information and flight control data associated with a second flight control device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein sending the output signals includes transmitting the packet.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sending the output signals, via the Ethernet port, to a mission computer.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Scandle Joseph J
• Redkoles Paul Lee
• Senoyuit Iv Michael

Classifications

• G09B9/46 Primary

  the aircraft being a helicopter · CPC title

• G09B9/28

  Simulation of stick forces or the like · CPC title

• G05B2219/25257

  Microcontroller · CPC title

• G09B9/302 Primary

  the image being transformed by computer processing, e.g. updating the image to correspond to the changing point of view · CPC title

• G05B19/0423 Primary

  Input/output · CPC title