Flight control device, aircraft control method and vertical take-off and landing aircraft

By designing a flight control device including a processor, a first joystick and a second joystick, the problems of the complexity of the eVTOL aircraft's maneuver and the large operating burden are solved, and simple control and automated control of the aircraft are realized.

CN120171753APending Publication Date: 2025-06-20SICHUAN AEROFUGIA TECH DEV CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510463940.2
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-16
Publication Date
2025-06-20

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing eVTOL aircraft control equipment has the problem of high maneuvering complexity and heavy pilot operation burden.

Method used

A flight control device is designed, including a processor, a first joystick and a second joystick. The processor receives the control information and combines a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control instructions, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion.

Benefits of technology

It realizes simple control of the aircraft, reduces the driving threshold of the aircraft, reduces the operating burden of the pilot, and reduces the skills that pilots must possess through flight control automation technology.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a flight control device, an aircraft control method and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and relates to the technical field of aircraft control. The first joystick is configured to receive manipulation information input by a pilot; the second joystick is configured to receive manipulation information input by a pilot; and the processor is configured to generate a vector control instruction by using a signal corresponding to the control information received from the first control rod and / or the second control rod and combining a preset control mapping relation, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction. And when the vector control instruction is an aircraft course control instruction, controlling the aircraft to perform yawing motion at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or lifting rudder deflection. According to the scheme, the control complexity of the aircraft can be effectively reduced, and then the operation burden of a pilot is relieved.
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Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application with the application number 202411846233.3. The filing date of the parent application is December 16, 2024; the name of the invention-creation of the parent application is: Flight control device, aircraft control method, and vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the technical field of aircraft control, and particularly to a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Background Art

[0003] To solve urban traffic problems and develop green transportation, achieve energy conservation and emission reduction, and alleviate traffic congestion, the use of eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft has become one of the options for the next-generation urban transportation solutions.

[0004] Tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously achieve rotor, fixed wing, and the transition stage between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design methods of the control devices for fixed wings and rotors are different, so the control methods for fixed wings and rotors are different. To achieve the control of eVTOL aircraft, pilots need to master two different control methods simultaneously and perform cognitive conversion according to the configuration of the aircraft, which increases the operation burden of the pilots and also raises the driving threshold of eVTOL aircraft.

[0005] The above content is only used to assist in understanding the technical solution of this application, and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main objective of this application is to provide a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, aiming to solve the technical problems that the control method of the control device of the existing eVTOL aircraft has relatively high control complexity and a heavy operation burden on the pilot.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, this application proposes a flight control device, including: A processor; A first joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the first joystick being configured to receive the control information input by the pilot and provide a corresponding signal to the processor; A second joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the second joystick being configured to receive the control information input by the pilot and provide a corresponding signal to the processor; The processor is configured to use a signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; Wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control instruction, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions. The manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement and a second manipulation displacement. The first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions, and the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the vertical direction. A manipulation switch is provided on the second joystick. The manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement, a second manipulation displacement, and manipulation switch control information. The first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions, and the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the vertical direction. According to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control instruction corresponding to the manipulation switch control information is the aircraft heading control instruction.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the manipulation information includes a tilt enable signal corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when receiving the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the manipulation information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when receiving the forward tilt control information; and control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when receiving the backward tilt control information.

[0012] In one embodiment, a shift gear is provided at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the first joystick or the second joystick, and the manipulation information includes shift gear information, wherein the shift gear information includes forward shift gear information and backward shift gear information; When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration using a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick; When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration using a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick.

[0013] In one embodiment, a ground mode switch is provided on the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and the manipulation information includes ground mode control information; When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode using the ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick; When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, the processor is further configured to use the manipulation information received from the first joystick or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration motion and steering motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0014] In one embodiment, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is further configured to, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in a transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power control and / or differential braking, and manipulate the aircraft to perform ground steering motion.

[0015] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes an aircraft manipulation method, which is applied to a flight manipulation device, and the flight manipulation device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The method includes: Receive the first control information of the pilot through the first joystick, and receive the second control information of the pilot through the second joystick; Generate a first vector control command mapped to the first control information according to the first control information received by the first joystick and a preset control mapping relationship; Generate a second vector control command mapped to the second control information according to the second control information received by the second joystick and a preset control mapping relationship; Control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command; When the second vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, according to the aircraft heading control command, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The first vector control command includes an aircraft lateral control command and an aircraft elevation control command. The first control information includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement. The step of generating a first vector control command mapped to the first control information according to the first control information received by the first joystick and a preset control mapping relationship includes: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lateral control command mapped to the lateral channel, where the third control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction; Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is the elevation channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft elevation control command mapped to the elevation channel, where the fourth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction.

[0017] In one embodiment, the second joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The second vector control command includes an aircraft longitudinal control command and an aircraft heading control command. The second control information includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement. The step of generating a second vector control command mapped to the second control information according to the second control information received by the second joystick and a preset control mapping relationship includes: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth control displacement is the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft longitudinal control command mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the fifth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction; Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth manipulation displacement is the heading channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel, where the sixth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the lateral direction.

[0018] In one embodiment, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing longitudinally, a manipulation switch is provided on the second joystick, the second vector control command includes an aircraft longitudinal control command and an aircraft heading control command, the second manipulation information includes a seventh manipulation displacement and manipulation switch control information, and the step of generating a second vector control command mapped to the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second joystick and the preset manipulation mapping relationship includes: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the seventh manipulation displacement is the longitudinal channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft longitudinal control command mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the seventh manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction; Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the manipulation switch control information is the heading channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel.

[0019] In one embodiment, the vector motion includes aircraft ascending and descending, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motions, and the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command includes: When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft lateral control command is received, resolve the aircraft lateral control command through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding lateral speed command, and control the aircraft to perform lateral motion through differential control of the rotor speed according to the lateral speed command; and / or When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft longitudinal control command is received, resolve the aircraft longitudinal control command through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and control the aircraft to perform longitudinal motion through differential control of the rotor speed and / or tilt angle control according to the longitudinal speed command.

[0020] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes: When the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and receives the aircraft's lift control instruction, the lift control instruction of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding vertical velocity instruction, and according to the vertical velocity instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a pitching motion through elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed control; and / or When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft's lift control instruction, the lift control instruction of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding vertical velocity instruction or pitch angle rate instruction, and according to the vertical velocity instruction or pitch angle rate instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a pitching motion through elevator rudder deflection.

[0021] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform a vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction further includes: When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the aircraft's heading control instruction, the heading control instruction of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate instruction, and according to the yaw angle rate instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and receives the aircraft's heading control instruction, the heading control instruction of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate instruction, and according to the yaw angle rate instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw motion through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft's heading control instruction, the heading control instruction of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate instruction, and according to the yaw angle rate instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw motion through elevator rudder deflection.

[0022] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform a vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction further includes: When the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft's longitudinal control instruction, the longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft is resolved according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control instruction, and according to the ground speed control instruction, the speed of the aircraft is controlled to maneuver the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration motion; and / or When the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, according to the preset flight control law, the aircraft heading control instruction is resolved to obtain the corresponding ground direction control instruction, and according to the ground direction control instruction, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground steering motion.

[0023] In one embodiment, the first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the method further includes: Receiving tilt switch control information through the flight control device, where the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information; When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, controlling the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward tilt control information, controlling the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0024] In one embodiment, a shift gear is provided at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the first joystick or the second joystick, and the method further includes: Receiving shift gear information through the flight control device, where the shift gear information includes forward shift gear information and backward shift gear information; When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, controlling the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward shift gear information, controlling the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0025] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also provides a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and the aircraft includes the flight control device as described above.

[0026] One or more technical solutions proposed by the present application have at least the following technical effects: The flight control device, aircraft control method, and vertical takeoff and landing aircraft proposed in the embodiments of the present application specifically receive the control information input by the pilot through the first control stick in the flight control device and provide corresponding signals to the processor; the second control stick receives the control information input by the pilot and provides corresponding signals to the processor; the processor uses the signals corresponding to the control information received from the first control stick and / or the second control stick, and combines a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and controls the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to control the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control instruction, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0027] In the above solution, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information through the first control stick and the second control stick, and then the processor generates a vector control instruction mapped to the control information according to the pilot's control information, in combination with a preset control mapping relationship, and controls the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction, realizing simple control only through the first control stick and the second control stick, so that the aircraft can achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the control method of the aircraft, reducing the skills that the pilot must possess to safely control the aircraft through flight control automation technology, enabling the pilot to focus on aviation decision-making rather than skill decision-making during the driving process, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reducing the operation burden of the pilot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application.

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application; Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application; Figure 3 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the third embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application; Figure 4It is a schematic flowchart provided for the fourth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application; Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the fifth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application; Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart provided for the seventh embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application; Figure 7 (a) is an exemplary diagram of the first joystick in a flight control device related to the first embodiment of this application; Figure 7 (b) is an exemplary diagram of the second joystick in a flight control device related to the first embodiment of this application; Figure 8 It is a simple schematic diagram of the vector motion of the aircraft related to the first embodiment of this application; Figure 9 It is an exemplary diagram of an aircraft with a rotor configuration of an evTOL aircraft related to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 10 It is an exemplary diagram of an aircraft with a fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft related to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 11 It is an exemplary diagram of the change in the tilt angle of the rotor during the flight of the aircraft related to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 12 (a) is an exemplary diagram of the tilt angle of the rotor during the forward flight of the fixed wing of the aircraft related to the fourth embodiment of this application; Figure 12 (b) is an exemplary diagram of the tilt angle of the rotor during the tilting stage of the aircraft related to the fourth embodiment of this application; Figure 12 (c) is an exemplary diagram of the tilt angle of the rotor during the rotor stage of the aircraft related to the fourth embodiment of this application; Figure 13 It is an exemplary diagram of an aircraft with a fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft related to the embodiment of this application; Figure 14 It is an exemplary diagram of a flight control device in the cockpit of an evTOL aircraft related to the embodiment of this application.

[0031] The realization of the purpose, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the technical solutions of this application and are not used to limit this application.

[0033] For a better understanding of the technical solutions of this application, the following will be described in detail in combination with the drawings in the specification and the specific implementation manners.

[0034] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application are applied to a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The aircraft configuration of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft refers to, for example, Figure 13 , including fixed rotors, tilt rotors, and elevator rudders. The elevator rudder is a control surface on the V-shaped tail of a V-tail aircraft, combining the functions of an elevator and a rudder, and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft. It should be noted that in the present application, the number and position of the fixed rotors and tilt rotors in the aircraft are not specifically limited. The number of fixed rotors can be 0, and the position of the elevator rudder is not specifically limited.

[0035] The main solution of the embodiments of the present application is: a flight control device, including: a processor; a first joystick communicatively coupled to the processor, the first joystick being configured to receive manipulation information input by a pilot and provide a corresponding signal to the processor; a second joystick communicatively coupled to the processor, the second joystick being configured to receive manipulation information input by a pilot and provide a corresponding signal to the processor; wherein, the processor is configured to use the signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0036] Technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application: eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing): eVTOL is generally used to refer to a novel and unique designed aircraft that uses energy storage batteries, motors, and propellers for propulsion and has the ability to take off and land vertically. eVTOL adopts a design of multiple batteries, multiple motors driving multiple rotors, and has safety redundancy. Even if some rotors of the eVTOL fail, it can still land normally, and its safety is greatly improved compared to traditional helicopters. At the same time, eVTOL is powered by electricity, and the electricity cost is much lower than the fuel cost, and the flight speed of eVTOL is fast, so its operating cost is relatively low. eVTOL can generally be applied to scenarios such as urban air transportation, emergency medical services, freight logistics, and sightseeing tourism.

[0037] Tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously achieve rotor, fixed-wing, and the transition phase between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design methods of the control devices for fixed wings and rotors are different. For example, the throttle lever of a multi-rotor aircraft (or the collective pitch lever of a helicopter) is used to control the ascending and descending movements of the aircraft, while the throttle lever of a fixed-wing aircraft is used to control the forward acceleration and deceleration movements of the aircraft. If the traditional control concept is adopted, the pilot needs to master two different control methods simultaneously and perform cognitive switching according to the configuration of the aircraft, which increases the pilot's operation burden and also raises the driving threshold of the eVTOL aircraft.

[0038] Therefore, if the existing control method is adopted for eVTOL aircraft, there are technical problems of relatively high control complexity and heavy operation burden on the pilot.

[0039] This application provides a solution. The flight control device receives the pilot's control information through the first control lever and the second control lever, and then the processor generates a vector control instruction mapped to the control information according to the pilot's control information in combination with a preset control mapping relationship. The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction, realizing simple control only through the first control lever and the second control lever, so that the aircraft can achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the control method of the aircraft. By means of flight control automation technology, the skills that the pilot must possess to safely control the aircraft are reduced, enabling the pilot to focus on aviation decision-making rather than skill decision-making during the driving process, which can effectively reduce the control complexity of the aircraft, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the operation burden on the pilot.

[0040] It should be noted that the execution subject of this embodiment can be a computing service device with data processing, network communication, and program running functions, such as a personal computer, a flight control computer, an avionics computer, a server, and an embedded computing device, etc., or a flight control device capable of realizing the above functions. For certain specific requirements during the flight control process, the execution subject can also be a high-performance data processing device or an industrial control device to ensure that all functions and requirements of this application can be supported. Hereinafter, the flight control device is taken as an example to illustrate this embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0041] First, an embodiment of the present application provides a flight control device, including: a processor; a first joystick communicatively coupled to the processor, the first joystick being configured to receive manipulation information input by a pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; a second joystick communicatively coupled to the processor, the second joystick being configured to receive manipulation information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; wherein, the processor is configured to use the signals corresponding to the manipulation information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0042] It should be noted that, in order to further simplify the aircraft's manipulation method and achieve the lightweight design of the flight control device of the eVTOL aircraft, the above flight control device will discard the manipulation components such as the foot pedals, turning handwheels, and brake handles of traditional aircraft, and highly integrate the functions of the aircraft yaw control instruction and the ground control instruction in the joystick, effectively simplifying the number of manipulation rods in the cockpit of the eVTOL aircraft, reducing the pilot's training difficulty, and at the same time, effectively saving the cockpit space.

[0043] Refer to Figure 14 , Figure 14 shows a schematic position diagram of a flight control device in the cockpit of an eVTOL aircraft. In Figure 14 , the first joystick is the left joystick, the second joystick is the right joystick, and the first joystick and the second joystick are arranged on both sides of the same driver's seat (pilot's seat) and the front display screen in the cockpit of the eVTOL aircraft. It should be noted that in the present application, the first joystick can also be the right joystick, and the second joystick can be the left joystick. The position of the flight control device in the present application is not specifically limited.

[0044] Based on the above proposed flight control device, the present application proposes an aircraft manipulation method, the method is applied to the flight control device, the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of the first embodiment of the aircraft manipulation method of the present application.

[0045] In this embodiment, the method is applied to the flight control device, the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick, and the aircraft manipulation method includes steps S110 to S150: Step S110, receive the first manipulation information of the pilot through the first joystick and receive the second manipulation information of the pilot through the second joystick; It should be noted that a joystick is a device used to receive the manipulation information of the pilot, convert the manipulation information into instructions recognizable by the flight control device, and then control the attitude, position, and trajectory of the aircraft.

[0046] For example, the pilot can change the attitude, position, or direction of the joystick to make the joystick output a signal, which is then converted into a corresponding manipulation instruction by the processor.

[0047] First, the flight control device synchronously receives the manipulation information of the pilot through the first joystick and the second joystick. Among them, the manipulation information refers to the motion information and related signal change information generated by the pilot's operation of the joystick, such as displacement information, rotation angle, attitude information, switch state signal, etc. Among them, the first manipulation information refers to the manipulation information of the pilot received through the first joystick, and the second manipulation information refers to the manipulation information of the pilot received through the second joystick.

[0048] Step S120, generate a first vector control instruction mapped to the first manipulation information according to the first manipulation information received by the first joystick and the preset manipulation mapping relationship; Step S130, generate a second vector control instruction mapped to the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second joystick and the preset manipulation mapping relationship; It should be noted that the preset manipulation mapping relationship refers to the control mapping relationship between the motion and state changes of the first joystick and the second joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft. This mapping relationship is pre-set by relevant developers according to the actual flight requirements and manipulation requirements of the aircraft.

[0049] Specifically, the aircraft control system combines the first manipulation information received through the first joystick and the second manipulation information received through the second joystick with the pre-set control mapping relationship between the motion and state changes of the joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, and maps and generates a first vector control instruction corresponding to the first manipulation information and a second vector control instruction corresponding to the second manipulation information. For example, the displacement information of the first joystick and the second joystick in different directions is mapped to generate control instructions for different vector motions of the aircraft, so that the subsequent flight control device can automatically perform flight control according to the vector control instructions, greatly reducing the operation burden of the pilot.

[0050] In a first feasible implementation, in the flight control device, the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. Herein, the swinging of the joystick in this application refers to rocking around the fixed point of the joystick or reciprocating within a certain angle range around a certain axis. It should be noted that the joystick in this application can have an automatic centering function, that is, the joystick can automatically return to the initial center position without external input or operation.

[0051] Among them, the first control information received by the first joystick includes the control displacements of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second control information received by the second joystick includes the control displacements of the second joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions. It should be understood that whether the first joystick or the second joystick can receive the displacements of the pilot in the transverse and longitudinal directions to achieve the composite control of the joystick; or receive the displacements of each joystick in the lateral or longitudinal directions to achieve the decoupled control of the joystick in the lateral or longitudinal direction, so as to achieve the independent control of each joystick. It should be noted that the control displacement in this application can refer to the linear displacement of the top point of the joystick in the transverse and longitudinal directions due to the swinging movement of the joystick, or the angular displacement generated by the angular change of the top point of the joystick relative to the fixed point of the joystick, or the angular displacement generated by the angular change of the top point of the joystick relative to the axis of the joystick.

[0052] Based on the above flight control device, the first vector control instruction includes an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft lift control instruction, the first control information includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement, and the step 120 may include steps A01 to A02: Step A01, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lateral control instruction mapped to the lateral channel, where the third control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction; Step A02, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is the lift channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lift control instruction mapped to the lift channel, where the fourth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction.

[0053] Based on the above flight control device, the second vector control instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction, the second control information includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement, and the step 130 may include steps B01 to B02: Step B01: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth manipulation displacement is the longitudinal channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the fifth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction. Step B02: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth manipulation displacement is the heading channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel, where the sixth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the transverse direction.

[0054] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 7 , the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. Among them, as Figure 7 shown in (a), the first joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing in the transverse and longitudinal directions, that is, swing left and right or forward and backward; as Figure 7 shown in (b), the second joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing in the transverse and longitudinal directions, that is, swing left and right or forward and backward. Both the first joystick and the second joystick can swing forward and backward or left and right, thereby generating manipulation displacements.

[0055] Since the pilot manipulates the joystick at the same time, causing the joystick to generate displacement information in the transverse or longitudinal direction, the manipulation information received through the first joystick includes the third manipulation displacement and the fourth manipulation displacement, and the manipulation information received through the second joystick includes the fifth manipulation displacement and the sixth manipulation displacement. The third manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the transverse direction caused by the pilot manipulating the first joystick; the fourth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction caused by the pilot manipulating the first joystick; the fifth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction caused by the pilot manipulating the second joystick; the sixth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the transverse direction caused by the pilot manipulating the second joystick.

[0056] In this embodiment, the preset manipulation mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft. Exemplarily, the control mapping logic of the vector movement of the aircraft corresponding to the axial movement of the first joystick and the second joystick is shown in Table 1 below.

[0057] Table 1 A Joystick Vector Control Mapping Table

[0058] Specifically, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the third control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the third control displacement is the transverse axis of the first control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the lateral channel. Further, according to the specific third control displacement information, it maps and generates the aircraft lateral control command. Among them, the aircraft lateral control command includes the magnitude and direction of the third control displacement, the information of the corresponding aircraft vector control channel, etc. Among them, the vector control channel of the aircraft refers to controlling the aircraft to perform different vector movements during flight. Refer to Figure 8 , the vector movements of the aircraft include pitching, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw movements. Among them, the pitching movement refers to the aircraft moving up and down in the vertical direction relative to the ground, thereby changing the altitude of the aircraft. The longitudinal movement refers to the aircraft moving forward and backward along the direction pointed by the nose. The yaw movement refers to the aircraft turning in the horizontal direction parallel to the ground, and the yaw movement includes the yaw motion. The lateral movement refers to the aircraft moving in the horizontal direction and along the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aircraft.

[0059] Similarly, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the fourth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the fourth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the first control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the pitching channel. Further, according to the specific fourth control displacement information, it maps and generates the aircraft pitching control command. Among them, the aircraft pitching control command includes the magnitude and direction of the fourth control displacement, the information of the corresponding aircraft vector control channel, etc.

[0060] Then, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the fifth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel of the fifth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the longitudinal channel. Further, according to the specific fifth control displacement information, it generates the aircraft longitudinal control command. Similarly, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the sixth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the sixth control displacement is the transverse axis of the second control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the yaw channel. Further, according to the specific sixth control displacement information, it generates the aircraft yaw control command. Among them, the aircraft yaw control command and the aircraft longitudinal control command include the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, the information of the corresponding aircraft vector control channel, etc.

[0061] It should be understood that considering the different flight habits among different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the first joystick and the second joystick in different axial directions can be interchanged. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first joystick and the longitudinal axis of the second joystick can be interchanged, so that the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first joystick is the longitudinal channel, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the second joystick is the lift channel.

[0062] In this embodiment, by designing the joystick as a two-axis joystick, the flight control logic of the aircraft can be simplified, which is more convenient for the pilot to control the flight of the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0063] Step S140, controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction; Step S150, when the second vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, controlling the aircraft to perform yaw motion at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or lift rudder deflection.

[0064] It should be noted that the preset flight control law refers to the algorithm used to generate flight control instructions in the flight control system of the aircraft. The flight control law usually describes the functional relationship between the controlled state variables and the input signals of the flight control devices. The preset flight control law can be designed according to the dynamic characteristics and flight requirements of the aircraft to ensure that the aircraft can maintain a stable attitude, heading and altitude under various flight conditions and respond to the pilot's control information. The preset flight control law includes but is not limited to attitude control law, heading control law and altitude control law, etc. Vector motion includes lift, longitudinal, lateral and heading motions.

[0065] Specifically, based on the preset flight control law, the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction.

[0066] The flight control device inputs the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction into the preset flight control law. The preset flight control law resolves the aircraft vector control instruction, and by controlling the motion of the aircraft's actuation system, the aircraft is further controlled to perform lift, longitudinal, lateral and heading motions. Among them, the actuation system of the aircraft usually includes lift / thrust components, control surface systems, tilt actuators, etc. Among them, the lift / thrust components are composed of electric engines, propellers, etc. and their accessories. The control surface system is a component on the aircraft used to generate control forces and torques, including ailerons, elevators, rudders or lift rudders, etc.

[0067] Further, when the second vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the preset flight control law is used to calculate the aircraft heading control instruction, and the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw movement by at least one of the following maneuvering methods: roll angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0068] This embodiment provides an aircraft maneuvering method, which receives the first maneuvering information of the pilot through the first joystick and the second maneuvering information of the pilot through the second joystick; generates a first vector control instruction mapped to the first maneuvering information according to the first maneuvering information received by the first joystick and the preset maneuvering mapping relationship; generates a second vector control instruction mapped to the second maneuvering information according to the second maneuvering information received by the second joystick and the preset maneuvering mapping relationship; and controls the aircraft to perform a vector movement according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction.

[0069] In this application, the flight control device receives the pilot's maneuvering information through the first joystick and the second joystick, and then the processor generates a vector control instruction mapped to the maneuvering information according to the pilot's maneuvering information in combination with the preset maneuvering mapping relationship, and controls the aircraft to perform a vector movement according to the vector control instruction, so as to realize simple maneuvering only through the first joystick and the second joystick, enabling the aircraft to achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the aircraft's maneuvering method, and realizing flight control automation technology in combination with the preset flight control law to reduce the skills that the pilot must possess to safely control the aircraft, enabling the pilot to focus on aviation decision-making rather than skill decision-making during the driving process, which can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft maneuvering, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the pilot's operation burden.

[0070] Based on Embodiment 1 of this application, in Embodiment 2 of this application, the same or similar content as that in the above Embodiment 1 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0071] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the vertical direction, and a maneuvering switch is further provided on the second joystick. Among them, the first maneuvering information received by the first joystick includes the maneuvering displacement of the first joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions; the second maneuvering information received by the second joystick includes the maneuvering displacement of the second joystick in the vertical direction and the maneuvering switch control information. Among them, according to the preset maneuvering mapping relationship, the vector control instruction corresponding to the maneuvering switch control information is the aircraft heading control instruction.

[0072] Based on the above flight control device, the second vector control instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction, and the second control information includes a seventh control displacement and control switch control information. Please refer to Figure 2 , step S130 includes steps S210 to S220: Step S210: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the seventh control displacement is the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the seventh control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second control stick in the longitudinal direction; Step S220: Determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch control information is the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel.

[0073] To further reduce the pilot's control burden, any control channel corresponding to the aircraft vector control channel is simplified to the control signal of the control switch. Therefore, the first control stick is set as a two-axis control stick, and the second control stick is set as a single-axis control stick. Among them, the two axes corresponding to the two-axis control stick can be the combination of the longitudinal axis and the horizontal axis of the control stick, and the axis corresponding to the single-axis control stick can be any one of the longitudinal axis and the horizontal axis of the control stick.

[0074] In this embodiment, the control information received through the first control stick includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement, the control information received through the second control stick includes a seventh control displacement, and the control information received through the control switch includes a control switch control signal. The third control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first control stick in the horizontal direction when the pilot manipulates the first control stick; the fourth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first control stick in the longitudinal direction when the pilot manipulates the first control stick; the seventh control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second control stick in the longitudinal direction when the pilot manipulates the second control stick, and the control switch control information refers to the digital signal or analog signal generated by the pilot manipulating the control switch to cause an angle or displacement change of the control switch.

[0075] In this embodiment, the control switch can be a two-way switch, and the aircraft is controlled by receiving the discrete quantity signal of the two-way switch, or the control switch is in the form of a roller, and the aircraft is controlled by receiving the analog quantity signal of the roller.

[0076] The preset manipulation mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the change of the manipulation switch and the vector movement of the aircraft. Exemplarily, the control mapping logic of the vector movement of the aircraft corresponding to the axial movement of the first joystick and the second joystick and the change of the manipulation switch is shown in Table 2 below.

[0077] Table 2 A joystick vector control mapping table including a manipulation switch

[0078] In this embodiment, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the seventh manipulation displacement, it confirms that the manipulation control channel that generates the seventh manipulation displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second joystick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Further, according to the specific seventh manipulation displacement information, it generates an aircraft longitudinal control command.

[0079] Then, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the manipulation switch control information, it confirms that the manipulation control channel that generates the manipulation switch control information is the manipulation switch. Combining the control mapping relationship between the change of the manipulation switch and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Further, according to the specific switch control signal information, it generates an aircraft heading control command. Among them, the aircraft heading control command includes the high and low levels, pulse time, etc. in the switch control signal, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0080] It should be understood that considering that the flight habits of different pilots are different, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by different axes of the first joystick and the second joystick can be interchanged. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the longitudinal axes of the first joystick and the second joystick can be interchanged, so that the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first joystick is the longitudinal channel, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the second joystick is the elevator channel.

[0081] This embodiment provides a flight control device and an aircraft control method. By designing the first joystick as a two-axis joystick and the second joystick as a single-axis joystick, and using the manipulation switch to realize the mapping function of the aircraft control channel, the manipulation logic of the aircraft can be further simplified, which is more convenient for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's manipulation burden.

[0082] Based on Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2 of the present application, in Embodiment 3 of the present application, the content that is the same as or similar to the above Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0083] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is further configured to, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw movement through differential tilt angle control and / or differential rotor speed control; and / or when the aircraft is in a transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw movement through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or when the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw movement through elevator rudder deflection.

[0084] Based on the above flight control device, the vector motion includes aircraft ascending, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motions. Please refer to Figure 3 , the step 140 further includes steps S310 to S320: Step S310, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft lateral control instruction is received, resolve the aircraft lateral control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding lateral speed command, and according to the lateral speed command, control the aircraft to perform lateral movement through differential rotor speed control; and / or Step S320, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft longitudinal control instruction is received, resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and according to the longitudinal speed command, control the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through differential rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control.

[0085] The tilt-rotor aircraft has a rotor configuration, a transition configuration, and a fixed-wing configuration. Specifically, the rotor configuration refers to the configuration in which the aircraft climbs from a stationary ground relying on vector power / or descends relying on power vector when landing. The transition configuration refers to the transition mode for conversion between the rotor mode and the fixed-wing mode. The fixed-wing configuration refers to the configuration in which part / all of the rotors are fully tilted to the cruise position as the power system of the aircraft.

[0086] It should be understood that when the aircraft is in any one of the rotor configuration, transitional configuration, and fixed-wing configuration, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information through the first control stick and the second control stick, and generates corresponding first vector control commands and second vector control commands, and controls the aircraft to perform ascending, descending, longitudinal, lateral, and heading movements according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command. Among them, the first vector control command includes an aircraft lateral control command and an aircraft ascending / descending control command; the second vector control command includes an aircraft longitudinal control command and an aircraft heading control command.

[0087] It should be noted that the vector motion of the aircraft also includes pitching motion. Pitching motion refers to the rotational motion of the aircraft around the transverse axis of the aircraft (pointing from one side of the wing to the other side).

[0088] It should be noted that in the Translational Rate Command (TRC) mode, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, the TRC mode can be selected to be activated. The pilot can directly map and control the longitudinal speed and lateral speed of the aircraft through the flight control device. In addition, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, the pilot can confirm whether to activate the TRC mode by confirming information such as whether the tilting mechanism of the aircraft is normal and whether the GPS is normal. An activation switch corresponding to the TRC mode is provided on the first control stick and / or the second control stick. Furthermore, on the basis that the GPS of the aircraft operates normally and the relevant structures of the aircraft during the normal flight in the rotor stage act normally, by triggering the activation switch to act, the TRC mode is activated, that is, while adjusting parameters such as the pitch angle or roll angle of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the horizontal speed is controlled, which can further refine the speed control, ensure the stability and maneuverability of the aircraft, and can also reduce the pilot's control burden to a certain extent.

[0089] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 13 , the aircraft has an elevator rudder. The elevator rudder is a control surface on the V-shaped tail of the V-tail aircraft, which combines the functions of an elevator and a rudder, and is mainly used to control the pitching and yaw of the aircraft.

[0090] Specifically, in combination with Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, refer to Table 3 below: Table 3 Mapping Table between Vector Control Channels and Control Commands of Different Configurations

[0091] When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, through a preset flight control law, the received aircraft ascending / descending control command is resolved to correspondingly obtain a vertical speed command; the received aircraft heading control command is resolved to correspondingly obtain a yaw rate command.

[0092] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in an active state, the received lateral control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a lateral speed command; when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in a closed state, the received lateral control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a roll angle command.

[0093] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in an active state, the received longitudinal control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a longitudinal speed command; when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in a closed state, the received longitudinal control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a pitch angle command.

[0094] Among them, the pitch angle in the above table refers to the rotation angle of the aircraft around its transverse axis (pointing from one side of the wing to the other side). The roll angle refers to the rotation angle of the aircraft around its longitudinal axis (pointing from the nose to the tail). The yaw angle refers to the rotation angle of the aircraft around its vertical axis (perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the aircraft). The pitch angle rate refers to the rotation rate of the aircraft around the transverse axis. The roll angle rate refers to the rotation rate of the aircraft around the longitudinal axis. The yaw angle rate refers to the rotation rate of the aircraft around the vertical axis.

[0095] According to the vertical speed command, a corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is further resolved through a preset control law, so that the flight control system of the aircraft controls the speed of the rotor of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding ascending and descending movements.

[0096] According to the yaw angle rate command, a corresponding rotor speed adjustment command and / or a tilt angle adjustment command of the tilt-rotor are further resolved through a preset control law. Through the speed adjustment command and / or the tilt angle adjustment command, the speed of the rotor and / or the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor are adjusted to differentially generate a yaw moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding yaw movements.

[0097] According to the roll angle command in the TRC closed mode, a corresponding roll angle rate command is further resolved through a preset control law, and then a corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is resolved according to the roll angle rate command, so that the flight control system of the aircraft performs speed differential control on the rotor of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, causing the aircraft to generate a roll moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lateral movements.

[0098] According to the pitch angle command in the TRC closed mode, further calculate the corresponding pitch angle rate command through a preset control law, and then calculate the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command based on the pitch angle rate command, so that the flight control system of the aircraft performs differential speed control on the rotors of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, causing the aircraft to generate a pitching moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding pitching motion.

[0099] According to the lateral speed command in the TRC activation mode, further calculate the corresponding roll angle rate command through a preset control law, and then calculate the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command based on the roll angle rate command, so that the flight control system of the aircraft performs differential speed control on the rotors of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, causing the aircraft to generate a rolling moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral motion.

[0100] According to the longitudinal speed command in the TRC activation mode, further calculate the corresponding tilt angle adjustment command of the tilt rotor and the rotor speed adjustment command through a preset control law. While maintaining the pitch angle stable, through the tilt angle adjustment command and the speed adjustment command, the aircraft adjusts the tilt angle of the tilt rotor and differentially controls the speed of the tilt rotor to keep the aircraft at a constant altitude, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding longitudinal motion.

[0101] Furthermore, the above step S140 further includes steps S330 to 370: Step S330, when the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and receives the aircraft's lift control command, calculate the corresponding vertical speed command by resolving the aircraft's lift control command through a preset flight control law, and according to the vertical speed command, manipulate the aircraft to perform a pitching motion through elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed control; and / or Step S340, when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft's lift control command, calculate the corresponding vertical speed command or pitch angle rate command by resolving the aircraft's lift control command through a preset flight control law, and according to the vertical speed command or pitch angle rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform a pitching motion through elevator rudder deflection.

[0102] Step S350, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the aircraft's heading control command, calculate the corresponding yaw angle rate command by resolving the aircraft's heading control command through a preset flight control law, and according to the yaw angle rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform a yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or Step S360, when the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and the aircraft heading control instruction is received, resolve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and according to the yaw rate instruction, control the aircraft to perform yaw movement by means of differential control of rotor speeds and / or deflection of the elevator rudder; and / or Step S370, when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and the aircraft heading control instruction is received, resolve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and according to the yaw rate instruction, control the aircraft to perform yaw movement by means of deflection of the elevator rudder.

[0103] Combined with the foregoing table, when the aircraft is in the transitional configuration, resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction, lateral control instruction, aircraft elevation control instruction, and aircraft heading control instruction generated according to the pilot's manipulation information through a preset flight control law, and respectively obtain a longitudinal acceleration instruction, roll rate instruction, vertical speed instruction, and yaw rate instruction. The aircraft controls the corresponding longitudinal movement of the aircraft through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control according to the longitudinal acceleration instruction. According to the roll rate instruction, control the corresponding lateral movement of the aircraft by controlling aileron deflection and / or differential control of rotor speeds. The aircraft controls the corresponding elevation movement of the aircraft by controlling the deflection of the aircraft's elevator rudder and / or rotor speed control according to the vertical speed instruction. According to the yaw rate instruction, control the aircraft to perform yaw movement by means of differential control of rotor speeds and / or deflection of the elevator rudder.

[0104] When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, resolve the aircraft lateral control instruction, aircraft elevation control instruction, aircraft longitudinal control instruction, and aircraft heading control instruction generated according to the pilot's manipulation information through a preset flight control law, and respectively obtain a roll rate instruction, vertical speed instruction or pitch rate instruction, longitudinal speed instruction, and yaw rate instruction.

[0105] According to the roll rate command, the ailerons of the aircraft are deflected to control the corresponding lateral movement of the aircraft. According to the vertical speed command or pitch angular velocity command calculated from the aircraft's lift control command, the elevator rudder of the aircraft is deflected to control the corresponding lift movement of the aircraft. According to the yaw rate command calculated from the aircraft's heading control command, the elevator rudder of the aircraft is deflected to control the corresponding yaw movement of the aircraft. According to the longitudinal acceleration command, the rotors of the aircraft perform variable speed movement, that is, the speed of the rotors is adjusted to adjust the thrust of the aircraft, or through collective pitch control, the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane is adjusted and controlled, so as to change the lift and drag generated by the rotors, and further control the corresponding longitudinal movement of the aircraft. Among them, the collective pitch usually refers to the total pitch of the rotor blades, that is, the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane.

[0106] In order to realize the automatic recognition of the aircraft configuration, the current configuration of the aircraft can be further confirmed according to the flight phase in which the aircraft is located. Therefore, before the above step S310, there is also a step S300: Step S300: Confirm the flight phase of the aircraft through a preset flight control law and the flight state information of the aircraft, where the flight phase includes the rotor phase, the tilt transition phase, and the fixed-wing phase; In this embodiment, the flight phase of the aircraft is first divided into the rotor phase, the tilt transition phase, and the fixed-wing phase. Among them, the rotor phase means that the aircraft flies using the rotor configuration; the tilt transition phase means that the aircraft makes a transition flight between the rotor configuration and the fixed-wing configuration; the fixed-wing phase means that the aircraft flies using the fixed-wing configuration. Refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , which respectively show the flight configuration diagrams of the rotor configuration and the fixed-wing configuration of an eVTOL aircraft.

[0107] Specifically, the flight state information of the aircraft, such as the flight altitude, airspeed, rotor tilt angle, etc. of the aircraft, is input into the preset flight control law, so as to automatically judge that the flight phase of the aircraft belongs to a specific phase among the rotor phase, the tilt transition phase, and the fixed-wing phase.

[0108] It should be understood that the flight state information can be obtained through the aircraft's avionics system and sensor system, such as sensors such as GPS (Global Positioning System), inertial navigation system (INS), radio navigation system, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, etc.

[0109] Refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 shows the change in the tilt angle of the rotor during the flight phase of the aircraft. Among them,Figure 11 The vertical takeoff stage and the vertical landing stage in Figure 11 correspond to the rotor stage of the aircraft, the forward tilt stage and the backward tilt stage correspond to the tilt transition stage of the aircraft, and the fixed-wing forward flight stage corresponds to the fixed-wing stage of the aircraft.

[0110] According to Figure 11 As shown in Figure 11 , by inputting the tilt angle of the rotor of the aircraft into the preset flight control law, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically determined. Exemplarily, when the tilt rotor is in the cruise position (for example, 0° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the fixed-wing stage; when the tilt rotor is in the vertical takeoff and landing position (for example, 90° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the rotor stage; when the tilt angle of the rotor is between the cruise position and the vertical takeoff and landing position (for example, 0 to 90°), the aircraft is in the tilt transition stage.

[0111] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. In any configuration of the aircraft, an aircraft vector control command can be generated according to the control information, and the aircraft can be controlled to perform automated vector motion in combination with the preset flight control law, so as to simplify the control mode of the aircraft, and realize flight control automation technology in combination with the preset flight control law to reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0112] Based on Embodiment 3 of this application, in Embodiment 4 of this application, the same or similar content as that in Embodiment 3 above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0113] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, a ground mode switch is provided on the first control lever and / or the second control lever, and the control information includes ground mode control information; When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to use the ground mode control information received from the first control lever and / or the second control lever to control the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode; When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, the processor is further configured to use the control information received from the first control lever or the second control lever, and in combination with the preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration motion and steering motion according to the vector control command; When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, according to the aircraft heading control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to control the aircraft to perform ground steering motion.

[0114] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 4, the vector motion further includes ground acceleration / deceleration motion and ground turning motion, the second vector control instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction, and the step S140 further includes steps S410 to S420: Step S410, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft longitudinal control instruction, according to a preset flight control law, resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction to obtain a corresponding ground speed control instruction, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control instruction, and manipulate the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration motion; and / or Step S420, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, according to a preset flight control law, resolve the aircraft heading control instruction to obtain a corresponding ground direction control instruction, and according to the ground direction control instruction, control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power control and / or differential braking, and manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

[0115] First, when the aircraft is in the ground stage, at this time, the ground mode control information input by the pilot can be received through the ground mode switch provided on the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and then the flight control device controls the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode according to the ground mode control information, for example, changing the aircraft configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, etc., so that the pilot can perform ground control operations on the aircraft on the ground, such as taxiing. Among them, the ground mode switch can be a key switch, and the ground mode control information will be generated after the ground mode switch is pressed.

[0116] After the flight control device controls the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode, that is, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode, it is necessary to map the functions of ground control to multiple control channels of the joystick. For example, the longitudinal axis and the horizontal axis control channels of the first joystick are used to achieve ground speed control through the longitudinal displacement on the first joystick, and ground turning control through the lateral displacement on the first joystick.

[0117] In this embodiment, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground stage, the functions of ground control are mapped to the manipulation control channels of the joystick corresponding to controlling the longitudinal and heading motions of the aircraft, while the manipulation control channels of the joystick corresponding to controlling the lateral and lifting motions of the aircraft should be in a failure state, and no matter how the pilot operates, it cannot respond to the pilot's manipulation information to generate an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft lifting control instruction.

[0118] Therefore, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground stage and receives the aircraft longitudinal control instruction, input the aircraft longitudinal control instruction into the preset flight control law for resolution to correspondingly obtain the ground speed control instruction.

[0119] Or when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground stage and receives an aircraft heading control instruction, input the aircraft heading control instruction into a preset flight control law for calculation to correspondingly obtain a ground direction control instruction.

[0120] Then, according to the ground speed control instruction, by controlling the power system of the aircraft, adjust the thrust of the thrust assembly of the aircraft, so as to control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration or deceleration movement.

[0121] According to the ground direction control instruction, adjust the thrust of the thrust assemblies on both sides of the aircraft, so as to use the torque generated by the thrust difference between the thrust assemblies on both sides to achieve turning, that is, perform differential power control, or can also achieve turning by adjusting the braking force difference between the brake assemblies on the left and right sides of the aircraft, so as to control the aircraft to make a left turn or a right turn.

[0122] This embodiment provides a method for operating an aircraft. By setting the aircraft vector control instructions that can be responded to during the ground stage of the aircraft and combining with a preset flight control law, further perform ground acceleration / deceleration control and turning control on the aircraft during the ground stage, combine the ground control logic of the aircraft with the aerial flight operation logic, simplify the operation mode of the aircraft, and combine with the preset flight control law to realize the flight control automation technology to reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft operation, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time can also reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0123] Based on Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 of the present application, in Embodiment 5 of the present application, the content that is the same as or similar to that in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be elaborated hereinafter.

[0124] In this embodiment, in the first flight control device, the first control lever or the second control lever includes a tilt switch, and the control information may further include forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from the rotor configuration to the fixed-wing configuration when receiving the forward tilt control information; and control the aircraft to transition from the fixed-wing configuration to the rotor configuration when receiving the backward tilt control information; or In the second flight control device, the first control lever or the second control lever includes a tilt switch, and the control information includes a tilt enable signal corresponding to the tilt switch; the processor is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when receiving the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch.

[0125] Based on the above first flight control device, please refer to Figure 5 , the method includes steps S510 to S530: Step S510: Receive tilt switch control information according to the flight control device, where the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information; Specifically, the flight control device receives the tilt switch control information of the pilot through the tilt switch. The tilt switch control information is the motion information and related state change information generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, including the tilt angle or position change of the tilt switch, and the state change information. It should be noted that the forward tilt control information and the backward tilt control information are the control information generated by the toggling motion of the tilt switch. Among them, the forward tilt control information is used to instruct the aircraft to switch the flight configuration to the fixed-wing configuration, and the backward tilt control information is used to instruct the aircraft to switch the flight configuration to the rotary-wing configuration. In this embodiment, the forward tilt control information is the control command generated by toggling the tilt switch forward, and the backward tilt control information is the control command generated by toggling the tilt switch backward. It should be noted that the tilt switch in this application can have an automatic centering function, that is, the tilt switch can automatically return to the initial center position without external input or operation.

[0126] In addition, based on the above second flight control device, the tilt switch is used to control tilt enable. The tilt enable signal is a switch state signal generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, and is used to indicate that the aircraft is allowed to perform tilt transition.

[0127] When the flight control device receives the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch, it allows the flight control system to automatically control the tilt rotor to tilt, or maps the function of tilt control to a certain control channel of the joystick, such as the longitudinal axis control channel of the first joystick, and realizes tilt control through the longitudinal displacement on the first joystick.

[0128] It should be noted that for the above second flight control device, the signal corresponding to the tilt switch also includes a tilt prohibition signal. The tilt prohibition signal is a switch state signal generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, and is used to indicate that the aircraft is prohibited from performing tilt transition. Among them, the generation of the tilt enable signal and the tilt prohibition signal can be caused by different operations on the tilt switch. For example, when the tilt switch is pressed, the tilt enable signal is generated, allowing the aircraft to perform tilt transition. When the tilt switch is pressed again, the tilt prohibition signal is generated, prohibiting the aircraft from performing tilt transition.

[0129] Step S520: When the aircraft is in the rotary-wing configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; Refer to Figure 12(a), the tilt-rotor propeller, i.e., the tilt-rotor, and the fixed-wing forward flight stage, i.e., the fixed-wing stage. The preset tilt angle of the rotor in the cruise position under the fixed-wing configuration is set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, usually defaulting to, for example, 0 degrees. Refer to Figure 12 (c), the preset tilt angle of the tilt-rotor in the vertical takeoff and landing position under the rotor configuration is also set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, usually defaulting to, for example, 90 degrees. The target flight configuration refers to the aircraft configuration that the aircraft needs to switch to within a certain period in the future. Refer to Figure 12 (b), the tilt stage, i.e., the tilt transition stage. The tilt angle of the tilt-rotor in the transition configuration is between the preset tilt angle in the cruise position and the preset tilt angle in the vertical takeoff and landing position, usually defaulting to, for example, 0 - 90 degrees.

[0130] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing stage, and after receiving the forward tilt control information, the preset flight control law is used to solve the forward tilt control information. Through the solution, relevant control commands for the rotor system are obtained, and then the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, gradually transitioning the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilt angle of the fixed-wing configuration aircraft.

[0131] Step S530, when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0132] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the fixed-wing forward flight stage, and after receiving the backward tilt control information, the preset flight control law is used to solve the backward tilt control information. Through the solution, relevant control commands for the rotor system are obtained, and then the tilt angle of the tilt-rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, gradually transitioning the tilt angle of the rotor from the cruise position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilt angle of the rotor configuration aircraft.

[0133] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a tilt switch, it is convenient for the pilot to switch the configuration of the aircraft, realizing a simplified aircraft control method. Combining the preset flight control law to achieve flight control automation technology can reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0134] Based on Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 5 of the present application, in Embodiment 6 of the present application, the same or similar content as that in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 5 above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be elaborated hereinafter. On this basis, the flight state information includes the rotor tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed, and the step S300 includes steps S3001 to S3004: Step S3001, based on a preset flight control law, confirm the magnitude relationship between the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle; Specifically, it should be noted that the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle are the rotor tilt angles in the rotor stage and the rotor tilt angles in the fixed-wing stage obtained by relevant personnel through optimizing the entire flight process of the aircraft according to actual flight needs, and can be pre-configured in the flight control law. It should be understood that because there may be angle deviations during the actual flight of the aircraft, the aircraft does not fully meet the Figure 12 tilt angles in different flight stages in

[0135] Specifically, first, the flight control device inputs the real-time obtained rotor tilt angle of the aircraft into the preset flight control law to obtain the magnitude relationship between the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle, so as to confirm the flight stage of the aircraft subsequently.

[0136] Step S3002, when the flight tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage; Step S3003, when the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the tilt transition stage; Step S3004, when the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage.

[0137] Specifically, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, it means that the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft is close to 0 at this time, so it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage.

[0138] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, it means that the tilt angle of the aircraft is greater than 0 at this time, but has not reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage, so it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the tilt transition stage.

[0139] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, it means that the tilt angle of the aircraft has reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage, and the aircraft is taking off or landing vertically, so it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage.

[0140] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of identifying the flight phase of the aircraft, the flight phase identification of the aircraft can be comprehensively judged by combining the rotor tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed.

[0141] Similarly, the longitudinal speed in the air during the rotor phase and the longitudinal speed in the air during the fixed-wing phase usually belong to different speed ranges. Therefore, relevant personnel can obtain the first longitudinal speed and the second longitudinal speed through the optimal design of the entire flight process of the aircraft according to actual flight needs. Through the first longitudinal speed and the second longitudinal speed, the flight phase of the aircraft can be further identified. Among them, the first longitudinal speed and the second longitudinal speed can be pre-configured in the flight control law. Among them, the first longitudinal speed is close to 0. The second longitudinal speed can be used to characterize the cruise flight speed of the aircraft during the fixed-wing phase.

[0142] For example, specifically, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed is greater than or equal to the second longitudinal speed, it is confirmed that the flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase.

[0143] When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal speed is greater than the first longitudinal speed and less than the second longitudinal speed, it is confirmed that the flight phase of the aircraft is the tilt transition phase.

[0144] When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed is less than or equal to the first longitudinal speed, it means that the aircraft is taking off or landing vertically, and it is confirmed that the flight phase of the aircraft is the rotor phase.

[0145] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By presetting the flight control law and combining the longitudinal speed and / or tilt angle of the aircraft, the flight phase of the aircraft can be automatically identified, which is convenient for the pilot to control according to the flight phase of the aircraft, and is also beneficial to the realization of flight control automation, further reducing the complexity of aircraft operation and reducing the operation burden of the pilot.

[0146] Based on Embodiment 4 and / or Embodiment 5 of the present application, in Embodiment 7 of the present application, the same or similar content as that in Embodiment 4 and / or Embodiment 5 of the above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0147] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, a shift gear is provided at a preset control displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the first control lever or the second control lever. The control information received by the first control lever or the second control lever further includes shift gear information, where the shift gear information includes forward shift gear information and backward shift gear information. When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first control lever or the second control lever to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration. When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first control lever or the second control lever to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration; and / or When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first control lever or the second control lever to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration. When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first control lever or the second control lever and generate a brake command mapped to the backward shift gear information, and control the aircraft to perform ground braking according to the brake command.

[0148] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 6 , the method further includes steps S610 to S630: Step S610, receiving shift gear information through the flight control device, where the shift gear information includes forward shift gear information and backward shift gear information; It should be noted that a shift gear is provided at a preset control displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of either the first control lever or the second control lever. When the pilot longitudinally controls the control lever until the control displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold, shift gear information will be generated. Among them, the preset control displacement threshold is a control displacement threshold preset by relevant personnel considering various factors such as the characteristics of the control lever, actual control requirements, and the pilot's control habits. The forward shift gear information refers to the signal generated when the forward displacement of the control lever in the longitudinal direction reaches the preset control displacement threshold, which is used to indicate that the aircraft will switch the flight configuration to a fixed-wing configuration. The backward shift gear information refers to the signal generated when the backward displacement of the control lever in the longitudinal direction reaches the preset control displacement threshold. It should be understood that in order to prevent the pilot from misoperation, the shift gear provided at the preset control displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the control lever should have a stepped control force feeling for reminder.

[0149] Specifically, the flight control device needs to receive the pilot's shift gear signal through the control lever so as to subsequently switch the flight configuration of the aircraft according to the shift gear signal.

[0150] Step S620: When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; Step S630: When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0151] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing stage. At this time, the current flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage. After receiving the forward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is calculated through the preset control law, and the tilt-rotor is gradually adjusted from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the cruise position, so as to transition to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0152] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, the current flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage. After receiving the backward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is calculated through the preset control law, and the tilt-rotor is gradually adjusted from the cruise position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0153] Furthermore, in order to reduce the complexity of aircraft operation and lower the pilot's threshold, the functions of the ground control command can be highly integrated in the joystick, reducing the number of operating rods in the cockpit. After step S630, steps S640 to S650 are also included: Step S640: When the aircraft is in the ground stage and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; Step S650: When the aircraft is in the ground stage and receives the backward shift gear information, generate a brake command mapped to the backward shift gear information, and control the aircraft to brake on the ground according to the brake command.

[0154] Specifically, when the aircraft is in the ground stage, after the flight control device receives the forward shift gear information, the tilt-rotor is adjusted from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the cruise position. At this time, the aircraft can perform acceleration, deceleration and turning movements on the ground. To further reduce the operator's operation burden, the backward shift gear information in the ground stage can be preset as the ground brake control signal in advance. After the flight control device receives the backward shift gear information, a brake command mapped to the backward shift gear information is generated, and the brake command is calculated in combination with the preset flight control law. The relevant control commands of the power system are obtained through the calculation, and then the engine in the power system is shut down, so as to realize the ground braking of the aircraft.

[0155] This embodiment provides a flight vehicle control method. By setting shift gears on the control stick, it is convenient for the pilot to switch flight configurations during flight. At the same time, setting the backward shift gear information as a ground brake control signal is more in line with the logic of controlling the movement of an object on the ground, realizing a simplified flight vehicle control method. Combining with a preset flight control law to achieve flight control automation technology can reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduce the complexity of flight vehicle control, lower the driving threshold of the flight vehicle, and at the same time reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0156] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. The VTOL vehicle includes: at least one flight control device, including but not limited to the flight control device in the above embodiment. Among them, the flight control device has a control stick that can receive pilot control information, and a processor communicatively coupled thereto.

[0157] The VTOL vehicle provided by this application can solve the technical problems that the control methods of the control devices of existing eVTOL vehicles have relatively high control complexity and the operation burden on the pilot is relatively heavy. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the VTOL vehicle provided by this application are the same as those of the flight control device and the flight vehicle control method provided by the above embodiment, and other technical features in the VTOL vehicle are the same as the features disclosed in the above embodiment method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0158] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. The VTOL vehicle includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the flight vehicle control method in the above-mentioned first embodiment.

[0159] The VTOL vehicle in the embodiment of this application may include but not be limited to the following professional devices: flight control computer, avionics computer, embedded computing device, ground control station, automatic landing system, lidar system, inertial navigation system (INS), global positioning system receiver, vision navigation system, infrared imaging device, radar altimeter, ultrasonic sensor, and vehicle terminal (such as vehicle navigation terminal), etc. The above devices can be used alone or in combination to ensure that the flight vehicle control method disclosed in this application can be realized.

[0160] The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft provided by this application adopts the aircraft control method in the above embodiment, which can solve the technical problems that the control method of the control equipment of the existing eVTOL aircraft has relatively high control complexity and heavy operation burden on the pilot. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft provided by this application are the same as those of the aircraft control method provided by the above embodiment, and other technical features in the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the method of the previous embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0161] The above is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claimed rights.

Claims

1. A flight control device, characterized in that: include: processor; A first joystick, coupled to the processor for communication, the first joystick being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; A second joystick, coupled to the processor for communication, the second joystick being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; The processor is configured to use the signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; Wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control instruction at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement, wherein the first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions; The vector control instruction includes an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft longitudinal control instruction, and the first control displacement includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement; The processor is configured to determine, according to the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is a lateral channel, and generate a lateral control instruction of the aircraft mapped with the lateral channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction; The processor is configured to determine, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is a longitudinal channel, and generate an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The second joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the manipulation information includes a second manipulation displacement, wherein the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions; and / or The first joystick and / or the second joystick may automatically return to an initial position after receiving the manipulation information; and / or The first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the manipulation information includes a tilt enable signal corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be manipulated to tilt when receiving the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the manipulation information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is also configured to control the aircraft to transition from the rotor configuration to the fixed-wing configuration when forward tilt control information is received; and to control the aircraft to transition from the fixed-wing configuration to the rotor configuration when backward tilt control information is received.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first joystick or the second joystick is provided with a shift gear at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction, and the manipulation information includes shift gear information, wherein the shift gear information includes forward shift gear information and backward shift gear information; When the aircraft is in a rotary-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration using a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick; When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration using a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first joystick and / or the second joystick is provided with a ground mode switching switch, and the manipulation information includes ground mode control information; When the aircraft is in the ground phase, the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode using ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick; When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the processor is also configured to use the control information received from the first joystick or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset control mapping relationship, generate vector control instructions mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration, deceleration and turning movements according to the vector control instructions.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that When the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is further configured to, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control instruction through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in the transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion by rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the aircraft heading control instruction; and / or When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking according to the aircraft heading control instruction, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform ground turning movement.

7. A method for controlling an aircraft, characterized in that: The method is applied to a flight control device, the flight control device comprising a first joystick and a second joystick, and the method comprises: receiving first manipulation information from a pilot through the first manipulation stick, and receiving second manipulation information from the pilot through the second manipulation stick; generating a first vector control instruction mapped with the first manipulation information according to the first manipulation information received by the first manipulation lever and a preset manipulation mapping relationship; generating a second vector control instruction mapped with the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second manipulation stick and a preset manipulation mapping relationship; Controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction; When the second vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, the aircraft is controlled to perform yaw motion at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, the first vector control instruction includes an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft longitudinal control instruction, the first manipulation information includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement, and the step of generating a first vector control instruction mapped with the first manipulation information according to the first manipulation information received by the first joystick and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes: Determining, according to the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is a lateral channel, and generating an aircraft lateral control instruction mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first joystick; According to the preset control mapping relationship, it is determined that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is the longitudinal channel, and an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, the second vector control instruction includes an aircraft lift control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction, the second manipulation information includes a fifth manipulation displacement and a sixth manipulation displacement, and the step of generating a second vector control instruction mapped with the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second joystick and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes: Determining, according to the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth control displacement is an elevation channel, and generating an aircraft elevation control instruction mapped to the elevation channel, wherein the fifth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction; According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth control displacement is determined as the heading channel, and an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel is generated, wherein the sixth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the second joystick.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The vector motion includes the lifting, longitudinal, lateral and heading motion of the aircraft. The step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction includes: When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is activated, and when a lateral control command of the aircraft is received, the lateral control command of the aircraft is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding lateral speed command, and according to the lateral speed command, the aircraft is controlled to move laterally by a rotor speed differential; and / or When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is activated, and when a longitudinal control command of the aircraft is received, the longitudinal control command of the aircraft is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and based on the longitudinal speed command, the aircraft is controlled to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control.

10. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft comprises a flight control device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6.

Citation Information

Cited By

  • Flight control device, aircraft control method, and vertical take-off and landing aircraft

    WO2026130348A1