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

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.

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 takeoff and landing aircraft. Technical Field

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

[0003] In order 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 the rotor, fixed wing, and the transition stage between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design methods of the fixed wing and the rotor for the control equipment are different, so the control methods for the fixed wing and the rotor are different. To achieve the control of eVTOL aircraft, the pilot needs to master two different control methods simultaneously and perform cognitive conversion according to the configuration of the aircraft, which increases the pilot's operation burden 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 purpose of this application is to provide a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, aiming to solve the technical problems that the control method of the control equipment of the existing eVTOL aircraft has high control complexity and heavy operation burden on the pilot.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, this application proposes a flight control device, including:

[0008] A processor;

[0009] 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;

[0010] 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;

[0011] Wherein, 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;

[0012] Wherein, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is configured to, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement and a second manipulation displacement. Wherein, the first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, and the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions.

[0014] In one embodiment, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction, and 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. Wherein, the first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction, and according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control instruction corresponding to the manipulation switch control information is the aircraft heading control instruction.

[0015] 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;

[0016] The processor is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when receiving the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch.

[0017] 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;

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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;

[0020] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the processor is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration;

[0021] When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration.

[0022] 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;

[0023] When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to use the ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick to control the aircraft to switch to the ground control mode;

[0024] 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, and steering movements according to the vector control instruction.

[0025] 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 movement through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0026] When the aircraft is in a transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw movement through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0027] 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; and / or

[0028] 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 movement.

[0029] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes a method for controlling an aircraft. The method is applied to a flight control device, and the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The method includes:

[0030] Receiving first control information of a pilot through the first joystick and receiving second control information of the pilot through the second joystick;

[0031] 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;

[0032] Generating a second vector control command mapped to the second control information according to the second control information received by the second joystick and the preset control mapping relationship;

[0033] Controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command;

[0034] When the second vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, controlling the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0035] In an 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 lift 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 the preset control mapping relationship includes:

[0036] Determining 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 generating an aircraft lateral control command mapped to the lateral channel, where the third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first joystick;

[0037] Determining 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 generating an aircraft lift control command mapped to the lift channel, where the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first joystick.

[0038] 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 instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction. The second manipulation information includes a fifth manipulation displacement and a sixth manipulation displacement. The step of generating a second vector control instruction mapped to the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second joystick and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes:

[0039] 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;

[0040] 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 lateral direction.

[0041] In one embodiment, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction. A manipulation switch is provided on the second joystick. The second vector control instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction. The second manipulation information includes a seventh manipulation displacement and manipulation switch control information. The step of generating a second vector control instruction mapped to the second manipulation information according to the second manipulation information received by the second joystick and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes:

[0042] 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 instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the seventh manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction;

[0043] 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 instruction mapped to the heading channel.

[0044] In one embodiment, the vector motion includes aircraft ascending / descending, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motions. 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:

[0045] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is activated, and when the lateral control command of the aircraft is received, the lateral control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding lateral velocity command, and according to the lateral velocity command, the aircraft is controlled to perform lateral movement through differential control of rotor speeds; and / or

[0046] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is activated, and when the longitudinal control command of the aircraft is received, the longitudinal control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal velocity command, and according to the longitudinal velocity command, the aircraft is controlled to perform longitudinal movement through differential control of rotor speeds and / or tilt angle control.

[0047] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector movement according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes:

[0048] When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and the lift control command of the aircraft is received, the lift control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding vertical velocity command, and according to the vertical velocity command, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform pitch movement through deflection of the lift rudder and / or control of rotor speed; and / or

[0049] When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and the lift control command of the aircraft is received, the lift control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding vertical velocity command or pitch angle rate command, and according to the vertical velocity command or pitch angle rate command, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform pitch movement through deflection of the lift rudder.

[0050] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector movement according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes:

[0051] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the heading control command of the aircraft is received, the heading control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate command, and according to the yaw angle rate command, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform yaw movement through differential control of tilt angles and / or differential control of rotor speeds; and / or

[0052] When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and the heading control command of the aircraft is received, the heading control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate command, and according to the yaw angle rate command, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform yaw movement through differential control of rotor speeds and / or deflection of the lift rudder; and / or

[0053] When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft heading control command, the aircraft heading control command is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and according to the yaw rate command, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw movement by deflecting the elevators.

[0054] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the aircraft to perform a vector movement according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes:

[0055] When the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft longitudinal control command, the aircraft longitudinal control command is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command, and the speed of the aircraft is controlled according to the ground speed control command to maneuver the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration movements; and / or

[0056] When the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control command, the aircraft heading control command is resolved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control command, and according to the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to maneuver the aircraft to perform ground turning movements.

[0057] In one embodiment, the first joystick or the second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the method further includes:

[0058] Receiving 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;

[0059] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, controlling the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration;

[0060] When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward tilt control information, controlling the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration.

[0061] In one embodiment, the first joystick or the second joystick is provided with a switching gear position at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction, and the method further includes:

[0062] Receiving switching gear position information through the flight control device, where the switching gear position information includes forward switching gear position information and backward switching gear position information;

[0063] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration;

[0064] When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0065] In addition, to achieve the above object, the present application also proposes a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and the aircraft includes the flight control device as described above.

[0066] One or more technical solutions proposed by the present application have at least the following technical effects:

[0067] 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 joystick in the flight control device and provide corresponding signals to the processor; the second joystick 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 joystick and / or the second joystick, and combines the 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 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.

[0068] In the above solution, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information through the first joystick and the second joystick, and then the processor generates a vector control instruction mapped to the control information according to the pilot's control information, in combination with the 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 joystick and the second joystick, 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. Description of the Drawings

[0069] The drawings here 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.

[0070] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0071] Figure 1 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0072] Figure 2 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0073] Figure 3 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the third embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0074] Figure 4 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the fourth embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0075] Figure 5 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the fifth embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0076] Figure 6 It is a schematic flow chart provided for the seventh embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0077] Figure 7 (a) It is an example diagram of the first joystick in a flight control device related to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Figure 7 (b) It is an example diagram of the second joystick in a flight control device related to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 8 It is a simple schematic diagram of the aircraft vector motion related to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 9 It is an example diagram of an aircraft with a rotor configuration of an evTOL aircraft related to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Figure 10 It is an example diagram of an aircraft with a fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft related to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 11 It is an example diagram of the change in the rotor tilting angle during the flight of the aircraft related to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 12 (a) It is an example diagram of the rotor tilting angle in the forward flight stage of the fixed wing of the aircraft related to the fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 12 (b) is an example diagram of the tilting angle of the lower rotor during the tilting stage of the aircraft involved in the fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 12 (c) is an example diagram of the tilting angle of the lower rotor during the rotor stage of the aircraft involved in the fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 13 It is an example diagram of an aircraft in the fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft involved in the embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 14 It is an example diagram of a flight control device in the cockpit of an evTOL aircraft involved in the embodiment of the present application.

[0088] The realization of the purpose, functional characteristics and advantages of the present application will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed implementation manners

[0089] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0090] In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the following will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific implementation manners.

[0091] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application are applied to a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The aircraft configuration of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is referred to as Figure 13 , including a fixed rotor, a tilting rotor, and an elevator rudder. 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 rotor and the tilting rotor 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.

[0092] The main solution of the embodiments of the present application is: a flight control device, comprising: 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; wherein the processor is configured to use the signal corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control 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, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0093] Technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application:

[0094] 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 at the same time. eVTOL adopts a design of multiple batteries, multiple motors driving multiple rotors, with safety redundancy. Even if some rotors of the eVTOL fail, it can still land normally, and the safety is greatly improved compared with 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.

[0095] Tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously achieve the rotor, fixed wing and the transition stage between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design methods of the control devices for the fixed wing and the rotor 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 lifting motion of the aircraft, while the throttle lever of a fixed-wing aircraft is used to control the forward acceleration and deceleration motion of the aircraft. If the traditional control concept is adopted, the pilot needs to master two different control methods at the same time and perform cognitive conversion according to the configuration of the aircraft, thus increasing the operation burden of the pilot and also raising the driving threshold of the eVTOL aircraft.

[0096] 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.

[0097] The present application provides a solution. The flight control device receives the pilot's control information through the first joystick and the second joystick, 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 flight vehicle is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction, so as to realize simple control only through the first joystick and the second joystick, enabling the flight vehicle to perform corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the control mode of the flight vehicle. 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, effectively reducing the complexity of flight vehicle control, lowering the driving threshold of the flight vehicle, and at the same time reducing the pilot's operation burden.

[0098] 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 implementing 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 the present application can be supported. Hereinafter, a flight control device will be taken as an example to illustrate this embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0099] 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 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; wherein, the processor is configured to use the signal corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in combination with a preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and control the flight vehicle to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; wherein, when the vector control instruction is a flight vehicle heading control instruction, the processor is configured to manipulate the flight vehicle to perform yaw motion according to the flight vehicle heading control instruction, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0100] It should be noted that in order to further simplify the control method of the aircraft and achieve the lightweight design of the flight control device of the eVTOL aircraft, the above flight control device will discard the control components such as the foot pedals, turning handwheels, and brake handles of traditional aircraft, and highly integrate the functions of the yaw control command and ground control command of the aircraft in the control stick, effectively simplifying the number of control rods in the cockpit of the eVTOL aircraft, reducing the training difficulty of pilots, and also effectively saving the cockpit space.

[0101] Referring 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 control stick is the left control stick, the second control stick is the right control stick, and the first control stick and the second control stick 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 this application, the first control stick can also be the right control stick, and the second control stick can be the left control stick. The position of the flight control device in this application is not specifically limited.

[0102] Based on the above-mentioned proposed flight control device, this application proposes an aircraft control method, which is applied to the flight control device. The flight control device includes a first control stick and a second control stick. Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0103] In this embodiment, the method is applied to the flight control device. The flight control device includes a first control stick and a second control stick. The aircraft control method includes steps S110 to S150:

[0104] Step S110, receiving the first control information of the pilot through the first control stick, and receiving the second control information of the pilot through the second control stick;

[0105] It should be noted that a control stick refers to a device that receives the control information of the pilot, converts the control information into instructions recognizable by the flight control device, and then controls the attitude, position, and trajectory of the aircraft.

[0106] For example, the pilot can change the attitude, position, or direction of the control stick to make the control stick output a signal, which is then converted into a corresponding control instruction by the processor.

[0107] First, the flight control device synchronously receives the pilot's control information through the first joystick and the second joystick. Among them, the control 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 control information refers to the pilot's control information received through the first joystick, and the second control information refers to the pilot's control information received through the second joystick.

[0108] Step S120: Generate a first vector control command mapped to the first control information according to the first control information received by the first joystick and the preset control mapping relationship.

[0109] Step S130: Generate a second vector control command mapped to the second control information according to the second control information received by the second joystick and the preset control mapping relationship.

[0110] It should be noted that the preset control 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 control requirements of the aircraft.

[0111] Specifically, the aircraft control system combines the first control information received through the first joystick and the second control 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 command corresponding to the first control information and a second vector control command corresponding to the second control information. For example, the displacement information of the first joystick and the second joystick in different directions is mapped to generate control commands for different vector motions of the aircraft, so that the subsequent flight control device can automatically perform flight control according to the vector control commands, greatly reducing the pilot's operation burden.

[0112] In the 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 horizontal and vertical directions. Among them, in this application, the swing of the joystick refers to swinging 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.

[0113] 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 either the first joystick or the second joystick can receive the displacements of the pilot in both the lateral and longitudinal directions to achieve the combined control of the joystick; or receive the displacements of each joystick in the lateral or longitudinal direction to achieve the decoupled control of the joystick in the lateral or longitudinal direction, thereby realizing the independent control of each operating lever. It should be noted that in this application, the control displacement may refer to the linear displacement of the top point of the joystick in the lateral 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.

[0114] 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 step 120 may include steps A01 to A02:

[0115] 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;

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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 step 130 may include steps B01 to B02:

[0118] Step B01, 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 instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the fifth control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction;

[0119] 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 lateral direction.

[0120] 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 (a) shows, the first joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, that is, swing left and right or forward and backward; as Figure 7 (b) shows, the second joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral 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.

[0121] Since the pilot manipulates the joystick at the same time, causing the joystick to generate displacement information in the lateral or longitudinal direction, the manipulation information received through the first joystick includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement, and the manipulation information received through the second joystick includes a fifth manipulation displacement and a sixth manipulation displacement. The third manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral 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 lateral direction caused by the pilot manipulating the second joystick.

[0122] 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.

[0123] Table 1 A joystick vector control mapping table

[0124]

[0125] 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 horizontal axis of the first joystick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick 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.

[0126] 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 vertical axis of the first joystick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick 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.

[0127] 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 vertical 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 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 horizontal 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 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.

[0128] It should be understood that considering that the flight habits of different pilots are different, 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 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 lift channel.

[0129] In this embodiment, by designing the joystick as a two-axis joystick, the flight control logic of the aircraft can be simplified, making it more convenient for the pilot to control the flight of the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0130] Step S140, controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction;

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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.

[0133] Specifically, based on the preset flight control law, according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction, controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion.

[0134] 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 calculates the aircraft vector control instruction, and by controlling the movement of the aircraft's actuation system, further realizes controlling the aircraft 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 rudders, etc. Among them, the lift / thrust components are composed of electric motors, 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.

[0135] Further, when the second vector control instruction is the aircraft heading control instruction, the preset flight control law is used to solve the aircraft heading control instruction, and the aircraft is maneuvered to perform yaw movement by at least one of the following maneuvering methods: tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0136] 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 vector motion according to the first vector control instruction and / or the second vector control instruction.

[0137] This application receives the pilot's maneuvering information through the first joystick and the second joystick of the flight control device, 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 vector motion according to the vector control instruction, realizing simple maneuvering only through the first joystick and the second joystick, so that the aircraft can achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the maneuvering method of the aircraft, and realizing the 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 operation burden of the pilot.

[0138] 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.

[0139] 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.

[0140] 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 manipulation information includes a seventh manipulation displacement and manipulation switch control information. Please refer to Figure 2 wherein step S130 includes steps S210 to S220:

[0141] In step S210, 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 instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel, where the seventh manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction;

[0142] In step S220, 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 instruction mapped to the heading channel.

[0143] To further reduce the pilot's manipulation burden, any manipulation control channel corresponding to the aircraft vector control channel is simplified to the control signal of the manipulation switch. Therefore, the first joystick is set as a two-axis joystick, and the second joystick is set as a single-axis joystick. Among them, the two axes corresponding to the two-axis joystick can be the combination of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the joystick, and the axis corresponding to the single-axis joystick can be any one of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the joystick.

[0144] In this embodiment, the manipulation information received through the first joystick includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement, the manipulation information received through the second joystick includes a seventh manipulation displacement, and the manipulation information received through the manipulation switch includes a manipulation switch control signal. The third manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the transverse direction caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the fourth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the seventh manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second joystick, and the manipulation switch control information refers to the digital signal or analog signal generated by the pilot's manipulation of the manipulation switch, causing the manipulation switch to change in angle or displacement.

[0145] In this embodiment, the manipulation switch can be a two-way switch, and the aircraft is manipulated by receiving the discrete quantity signal of the two-way switch, or the manipulation switch is in the form of a roller, and the aircraft is manipulated by receiving the analog quantity signal of the roller.

[0146] 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.

[0147] Table 2 A joystick vector control mapping table including a manipulation switch

[0148]

[0149] In this embodiment, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the seventh manipulation displacement, it is confirmed 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 is confirmed that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Further, according to the specific seventh manipulation displacement information, an aircraft longitudinal control command is generated.

[0150] Then, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the manipulation switch control information, it is confirmed 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 is confirmed that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Further, according to the specific switch control signal information, an aircraft heading control command is generated. 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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, thus reducing the pilot's manipulation burden.

[0153] Based on Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2 of the present application, in Embodiment 3 of the present application, for the same or similar content as that in Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2 above, reference may be made to the above introduction and will not be elaborated hereinafter.

[0154] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, when the vector control instruction is an aircraft heading control instruction, the processor is further configured such that when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, through differential tilt angle control and / or differential rotor speed control, to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion; and / or

[0155] when the aircraft is in the transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection, to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion; and / or

[0156] when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, through elevator rudder deflection, to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0157] Based on the above flight control device, the vector motion includes the aircraft's ascending, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motions. Please refer to Figure 3 , Step 140 further includes steps S310 to S320:

[0158] Step S310, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft lateral control instruction is received, through a preset flight control law, to resolve the aircraft lateral control instruction to obtain a corresponding lateral speed command, and according to the lateral speed command, through differential rotor speed control to control the aircraft to perform lateral motion; and / or

[0159] Step S320, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and when the aircraft longitudinal control instruction is received, through a preset flight control law, to resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and according to the longitudinal speed command, through differential rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control to control the aircraft to perform longitudinal motion.

[0160] The tiltrotor 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.

[0161] 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 the aircraft lateral control command and the aircraft ascending / descending control command; the second vector control command includes the aircraft longitudinal control command and the aircraft heading control command.

[0162] 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).

[0163] 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 operate 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 also reduce the pilot's control burden to a certain extent.

[0164] 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 the elevator and the rudder, and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft.

[0165] Specifically, in combination with Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, refer to Table 3 below:

[0166] Table 3 Mapping Table between Vector Control Channels and Control Commands in Different Configurations

[0167]

[0168] 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.

[0169] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in the 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 the off state, the received lateral control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a roll angle command.

[0170] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is in the 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 the off state, the received longitudinal control command of the aircraft is resolved through a preset flight control law to correspondingly obtain a pitch angle command.

[0171] Among them, the pitch angle in the above table refers to the rotation angle of the aircraft around its transverse axis (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 (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.

[0172] 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.

[0173] 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.

[0174] According to the roll angle command in the TRC off 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 based on 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.

[0175] 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 according to 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 pitch moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding pitch motion.

[0176] 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 according to 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 roll moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral motion.

[0177] 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 keeping 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 controls the speed of the tilt rotor differentially to keep the aircraft at a constant altitude, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding longitudinal motion.

[0178] Furthermore, step S140 above further includes steps S330 to 370:

[0179] Step S330, when the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and receives the aircraft lift control command, calculate the corresponding vertical speed command through a preset flight control law, and according to the vertical speed command, manipulate the aircraft to perform pitch motion through elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed control; and / or

[0180] Step S340, when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft lift control command, calculate the corresponding vertical speed command or pitch angle rate command through a preset flight control law, and according to the vertical speed command or pitch angle rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform pitch motion through elevator rudder deflection.

[0181] Step S350, when the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the aircraft heading control command, calculate the corresponding yaw angle rate command through a preset flight control law, and according to the yaw angle rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0182] Step S360: When the aircraft is in the transitional configuration and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, 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, manipulate the aircraft to perform a yaw movement through differential control of the rotor speed and / or deflection of the elevator rudder; and / or

[0183] Step S370: When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, 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, manipulate the aircraft to perform a yaw movement through deflection of the elevator rudder.

[0184] 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 the deflection of the aileron and / or differential control of the rotor speed. The aircraft controls the corresponding elevation movement of the aircraft by controlling the deflection of the elevator rudder of the aircraft and / or rotor speed control according to the vertical speed instruction. According to the yaw rate instruction, control the yaw movement of the aircraft through differential control of the rotor speed and / or deflection of the elevator rudder.

[0185] 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.

[0186] 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 pull force 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.

[0187] 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:

[0188] Step S300: Confirm the flight phase of the aircraft through a preset flight control law and the flight state information of the aircraft. Among them, the flight phase includes the rotor phase, the tilt transition phase, and the fixed-wing phase;

[0189] 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 performs transitional 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.

[0190] 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.

[0191] 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), INS (Inertial Navigation System), radio navigation system, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, etc.

[0192] Refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11It shows the change in the tilt angle of the rotor during the flight phase of the aircraft. Among them, Figure 11 The vertical takeoff phase and the vertical landing phase in Figure 11 correspond to the rotor phase of the aircraft, the forward tilt phase and the backward tilt phase correspond to the tilt transition phase of the aircraft, and the fixed-wing forward flight phase corresponds to the fixed-wing phase of the aircraft.

[0193] According to Figure 11 As shown, by inputting the tilt angle of the rotor of the aircraft into the preset flight control law, the flight phase 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 phase; when the tilt rotor is in the vertical takeoff and landing position (for example, 90° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the rotor phase; when the tilt angle of the rotor is between the cruise position and the vertical takeoff and landing position (for example, 0-90°), the aircraft is in the tilt transition phase.

[0194] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. In any configuration of the aircraft, an aircraft vector control command corresponding to the control information can be generated, 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 method of the aircraft. Combining the preset flight control law to implement the 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.

[0195] Based on Embodiment 3 of the present application, in Embodiment 4 of the present application, the same or similar content as that in the above Embodiment 3 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0196] 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;

[0197] When the aircraft is in the ground phase, 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;

[0198] 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 combine the preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration motion and turning motion according to the vector control command;

[0199] 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 turning motion.

[0200] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 4 , the vector motion further includes ground acceleration / deceleration motion and ground steering 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:

[0201] Step S410, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft longitudinal control instruction, according to the 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 to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration motion; and / or

[0202] Step S420, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, according to the 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 to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground steering motion.

[0203] 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 switching 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 switching switch can be a key switch, and the ground mode control information will be generated after the ground mode switching switch is pressed.

[0204] 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, the functions of ground control need to be mapped 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 steering control through the lateral displacement on the first joystick.

[0205] 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.

[0206] Therefore, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground stage and receives the longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft, the longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft is input into the preset flight control law for calculation, and the ground speed control instruction is correspondingly obtained.

[0207] Or when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground stage and receives the heading control instruction of the aircraft, the heading control instruction of the aircraft is input into the preset flight control law for calculation, and the ground direction control instruction is correspondingly obtained.

[0208] Then, according to the ground speed control instruction, by controlling the power system of the aircraft, the thrust of the thrust assembly of the aircraft is adjusted, so as to control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration or deceleration motion.

[0209] According to the ground direction control instruction, the thrust of the thrust assemblies on both sides of the aircraft is adjusted, so as to use the torque generated by the thrust difference between the thrust assemblies on both sides to achieve steering, that is, differential power control. It is also possible to achieve steering 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.

[0210] This embodiment provides a method for operating an aircraft. By setting the aircraft vector control instruction that can be responded to during the ground stage of the aircraft and combining the preset flight control law, the ground acceleration / deceleration control and turning control of the aircraft during the ground stage are further carried out. The ground control logic of the aircraft is combined with the in-air flight operation logic to simplify the operation mode of the aircraft. Combining the preset flight control law to realize the flight control automation technology can reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduce the complexity of the aircraft operation, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0211] Based on Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 of the present application, in Embodiment 5 of the present application, the same or similar content as that in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0212] In this embodiment, in the first flight control device, the first joystick or the second joystick 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; when receiving the backward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition from the fixed-wing configuration to the rotor configuration; or

[0213] In the second flight control device, the first joystick or the second joystick 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.

[0214] Based on the first flight control device described above, please refer to Figure 5 , the method includes steps S510 to S530:

[0215] Step S510, receiving tilt switch control information according to the flight control device, wherein the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information;

[0216] Specifically, the flight control device receives the pilot's tilt switch control information through the tilt switch. The tilt switch control information is motion information and related state change information generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, including the tilt angle or position change of the tilt switch, and state change information. It should be noted that the forward tilt control information and the backward tilt control information are manipulation 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 rotor configuration. In this embodiment, the forward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by the forward toggling of the tilt switch, and the backward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by the backward toggling of the tilt switch. It should be noted that the tilt switch in this application can have an automatic centering function, that is, in the absence of external input or operation, the tilt switch can automatically return to the initial center position.

[0217] Additionally, based on the second flight control device described above, the tilt switch is used to control tilt enable. The tilt enable signal is a switch state signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, and is used to indicate that the aircraft is allowed to perform tilt transition.

[0218] 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 of the tiltrotor, 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.

[0219] It should be noted that for the second flight control device described above, 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 operating 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 due to 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.

[0220] Step S520, when the aircraft is in the rotary-wing configuration and receives the forward tilting control information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration;

[0221] Refer to Figure 12 (a), the tilting power propeller is the tilting rotor, the fixed-wing forward flight stage is the fixed-wing stage, and the preset tilting angle of the rotor in the cruise position in the fixed-wing configuration is an angle set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, usually defaulting to, for example, 0 degrees. Refer to Figure 12 (c), the preset tilting angle of the tilting rotor in the vertical takeoff and landing position in the rotary-wing configuration is also an angle 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 in a certain period in the future. Refer to Figure 12 (b), the tilting stage is the tilting transition stage, and the tilting angle of the tilting rotor in the transition configuration is between the preset tilting angle in the cruise position and the preset tilting angle in the vertical takeoff and landing position, usually defaulting to, for example, 0 - 90 degrees.

[0222] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in the rotary-wing configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing stage, and after receiving the forward tilting control information, the forward tilting control information is resolved in combination with the preset flight control law. Through the resolution, relevant control instructions for the rotor system are obtained, and then the tilting angle of the tilting rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, gradually transitioning the tilting angle of the tilting rotor from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilting angle of the fixed-wing configuration aircraft.

[0223] Step S530, when the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward tilting control information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotary-wing configuration.

[0224] 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 tilting control information, the backward tilting control information is resolved by the preset flight control law. Through the resolution, relevant control instructions for the rotor system are obtained, and then the tilting angle of the tilting rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, gradually transitioning the tilting angle of the rotor from the cruise position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilting angle of the rotary-wing configuration aircraft.

[0225] This embodiment provides a method for operating an aircraft. By setting a tilting switch, it is convenient for the pilot to switch the configuration of the aircraft, realizing a simplified operation method of the aircraft. Combining with 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 operation, lower the driving threshold of the aircraft, and at the same time reduce the operation burden of the pilot.

[0226] Based on Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 5 of this application, in Embodiment 6 of this application, the same or similar content as in the above-mentioned Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 5 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter. On this basis, the flight state information includes the rotor tilting angle and the flight longitudinal speed, and the step S300 includes steps S3001 to S3004:

[0227] Step S3001, based on a preset flight control law, confirm the magnitude relationship between the rotor tilting angle of the aircraft and the first tilting angle and the second tilting angle;

[0228] Specifically, it should be noted that the first tilting angle and the second tilting angle are the rotor tilting angles in the rotor stage and the rotor tilting 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 the aircraft may have angle deviations during actual flight, the aircraft does not fully meet the Figure 12 tilting angles in different flight stages in

[0229] Specifically, first, the flight control device inputs the real-time obtained rotor tilting angle of the aircraft into the preset flight control law to obtain the magnitude relationship between the rotor tilting angle of the aircraft and the first tilting angle and the second tilting angle, so as to confirm the flight stage of the aircraft subsequently.

[0230] Step S3002, when the flight tilting angle is less than or equal to the first tilting angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage;

[0231] Step S3003, when the flight tilting angle is greater than the first tilting angle and less than the second tilting angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the tilting transition stage;

[0232] Step S3004, when the flight tilting angle is greater than or equal to the second tilting angle, confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage.

[0233] Specifically, when the rotor tilting angle is less than or equal to the first tilting angle, it means that the rotor tilting angle of the aircraft is close to 0 at this time, so as to confirm that the flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage.

[0234] When the rotor tilting angle is greater than the first tilting angle and less than the second tilting angle, it means that the tilting angle of the aircraft is greater than 0 at this time, but has not reached the tilting angle of the rotor stage, so it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the tilting transition stage.

[0235] When the rotor tilting angle is greater than or equal to the second tilting angle, it means that the tilting angle of the aircraft has reached the tilting angle in the rotor stage at this time. The aircraft is taking off or landing vertically, and it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage.

[0236] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of identifying the flight stage of the aircraft, the identification of the flight stage of the aircraft can be comprehensively judged by combining the rotor tilting angle and the flight longitudinal speed.

[0237] Similarly, the longitudinal airspeed in the rotor stage and the longitudinal airspeed in the fixed-wing stage usually belong to different speed ranges. Therefore, relevant personnel can obtain the first longitudinal speed and the second longitudinal speed through the optimized 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 stage of the aircraft can be further identified. 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 in the fixed-wing stage.

[0238] For example, specifically, when the rotor tilting angle is less than or equal to the first tilting angle and the flight longitudinal speed is greater than or equal to the second longitudinal speed, it is confirmed that the flight stage of the aircraft is the fixed-wing stage.

[0239] When the flight tilting angle is greater than the first tilting angle and less than the second tilting 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 stage of the aircraft is the tilting transition stage.

[0240] When the flight tilting angle is greater than or equal to the second tilting 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 stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage.

[0241] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By presetting a flight control law and combining the longitudinal speed and / or tilting angle of the aircraft, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically identified, which is convenient for the pilot to control according to the flight stage of the aircraft, and is also beneficial to the realization of flight control automation, further reducing the complexity of aircraft control and alleviating the operation burden of the pilot.

[0242] 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 above can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0243] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, a shift gear is provided at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the first joystick or the second joystick. The manipulation information received by the first joystick or the second joystick 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 a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick 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 a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration; and / or

[0244] When the aircraft is in the ground stage, the processor is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick 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 a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick 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.

[0245] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 6 , the method further includes steps S610 to S630:

[0246] 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;

[0247] It should be noted that a shift gear is provided at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of either the first joystick or the second joystick. When the pilot longitudinally manipulates the joystick until the manipulation displacement reaches the preset manipulation displacement threshold, shift gear information will be generated. Among them, the preset manipulation displacement threshold is a manipulation displacement threshold preset by relevant personnel considering various factors such as the characteristics of the joystick, actual manipulation requirements, and the pilot's manipulation habits; the forward shift gear information refers to the signal generated when the forward displacement of the joystick in the longitudinal direction reaches the preset manipulation 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 joystick in the longitudinal direction reaches the preset manipulation displacement threshold. It should be understood that in order to prevent the pilot from mismanipulating, the shift gear provided at the preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the joystick should have a stepped manipulation force feeling for reminder.

[0248] Specifically, the flight control device needs to receive the gear shifting signal from the pilot through the joystick, so as to subsequently switch the flight configuration of the aircraft according to the gear shifting signal.

[0249] Step S620: When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and the forward gear shifting information is received, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0250] Step S630: When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration and the backward gear shifting information is received, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0251] 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 gear shifting information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained by solving 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.

[0252] 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 gear shifting information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained by solving 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.

[0253] Furthermore, in order to reduce the complexity of aircraft operation and lower the pilot's operating 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 further included:

[0254] Step S640: When the aircraft is in the ground stage and the forward gear shifting information is received, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0255] Step S650: When the aircraft is in the ground stage and the backward gear shifting information is received, generate a brake command mapped to the backward gear shifting information, and control the aircraft to brake on the ground according to the brake command.

[0256] Specifically, when the aircraft is in the ground stage, when the flight control device receives the forward shift gear information, it adjusts the tilt-rotor from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the cruise position. At this time, the aircraft can perform acceleration, deceleration and steering movements on the ground. To further reduce the operation burden of the operator, the backward shift gear information in the ground stage can be preset as a ground brake control signal. After receiving the backward shift gear information, the flight control device generates a brake command mapped to the backward shift gear information, resolves the brake command in combination with the preset flight control law, obtains relevant control commands for the power system through the resolution, and then shuts down the engine in the power system, thereby realizing ground braking of the aircraft.

[0257] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting shift gears on the joystick, it is convenient for the pilot to switch the flight configuration 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 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.

[0258] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which 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 joystick that can receive the pilot's control information and a processor communicatively coupled thereto.

[0259] The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft provided by this application can solve the technical problems that the control method of the control equipment of the existing eVTOL aircraft has relatively high control complexity and the operation burden of the pilot is relatively heavy. 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 flight control device and 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 above embodiment method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0260] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which 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 so that the at least one processor can execute the aircraft control method in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0261] The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in the embodiments of the present application may include, but are not 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-mounted terminal (such as vehicle-mounted navigation terminal), etc. The above devices can be used alone or in combination to ensure that the aircraft control method disclosed in the present application can be realized.

[0262] The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft provided by the present application adopts the aircraft control method in the above embodiments, and can solve the technical problems that the control methods of the control devices of the existing eVTOL aircraft have relatively high control complexity and heavy operation burden on pilots. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft provided by the present application are the same as those of the aircraft control method provided by the above embodiments, and other technical features in the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the method of the previous embodiment, and will not be elaborated here.

[0263] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A flight control device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor; A first joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the first joystick being configured to receive pilot input manipulation information and provide a corresponding signal to the processor; A second joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the second joystick being configured to receive pilot input manipulation information and provide a corresponding signal 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; Wherein, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal 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, wherein, the first manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, the second manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction, and wherein, according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control instruction corresponding to the manipulation switch control information is an aircraft heading control instruction.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vector control instruction includes an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft longitudinal control instruction, and the first manipulation displacement includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement; The processor is configured to determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third manipulation displacement is the lateral channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lateral control instruction mapped to the lateral channel, wherein, the third manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction; The processor is configured to determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth 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, wherein, the fourth manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vector control instruction includes an aircraft lateral control instruction and an aircraft elevation control instruction, and the first manipulation displacement includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement; The processor is configured to determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third manipulation displacement is the lateral channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lateral control instruction mapped to the lateral channel, wherein, the third manipulation displacement refers to the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction; The processor is configured to determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth manipulation displacement is the lift channel according to the preset manipulation mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft lift control instruction mapped to the lift channel, where the fourth manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the first joystick.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving the manipulation information, the first joystick and / or the second joystick can automatically return to the initial position; 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 tilted when receiving the tilt enable signal sent by the tilt switch.

5. 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 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.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A switching 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 switching gear information, where the switching gear information includes forward switching gear information and backward switching gear information; When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the forward switching gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in the fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the backward switching gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A ground mode switching 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 use the ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick 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 manipulation information received from the first joystick or the second joystick, and combine it with the preset manipulation mapping relationship to 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.

8. 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 the 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 the transition configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through rotor speed differential control and / or lift rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a yaw motion by deflecting the elevating rudder; and / or When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, according to the aircraft heading control instruction, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking, and the aircraft is maneuvered to perform a ground turning motion.

9. A method for aircraft control, characterized in that, The method is applied to a flight control device, and the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The method includes: Receiving first control information of a pilot through the first joystick and receiving second control information of the pilot through the second joystick; Generating a first vector control instruction mapped to the first control information according to the first control information received by the first joystick and a preset control mapping relationship; Generating a second vector control instruction mapped to the second control information according to the second control information received by the second joystick and a preset control mapping relationship; Controlling the aircraft to perform a 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 maneuvered to perform a yaw motion at least by tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevating rudder deflection; The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction, and a control switch is provided on the second joystick.

10. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, characterized in that, The aircraft includes the flight control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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