Aircraft and flight control system therefor

Abstract

A flight control system for an aircraft includes a flight control computer system connected via an electronic or optoelectronic bus system to a plurality of bus nodes, each of the plurality of bus nodes configured to perform at least one of controlling an associated aircraft device based on command messages received from the flight control computer system via the bus system and transmitting information messages to the flight control computer system via the bus system. According to one aspect of the invention, the electronic or optoelectronic bus system is a redundant electronic or optoelectronic bus system including a plurality of independent bus subsystems, each bus node configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via two different ones of the plurality of independent bus subsystems, each bus node further configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via a first one of the respective two different bus subsystems based on an associated predetermined bus communication protocol and via a second one of the respective two different bus subsystems based on the associated predetermined bus communication protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to a flight control system for an aircraft and an aircraft that may have such a flight control system. Specifically, this invention relates to a canard aircraft having a plurality of lift / thrust units distributed along the front wing or canard wing and along the rear wing or main wing. Background Technology

[0002] Aircraft can generally be classified into fixed-wing and rotary-wing types. Fixed-wing aircraft typically include multiple flight control surfaces that guide the aircraft from one destination to another when it is controlled and positioned. The number and type of flight control surfaces included in an aircraft can vary. Primary flight control surfaces are typically those used to control the aircraft's movement in relation to pitch, yaw, and roll axes. Secondary flight control surfaces are typically those used to affect the aircraft's lift or drag (or both). Typical primary flight control surfaces include elevators, ailerons, and rudders, while typical secondary flight control surfaces include multiple flaps, slat speed brakes, and spoilers.

[0003] Rotary-wing aircraft, such as helicopters, typically do not have flight control surfaces separate from the wing surfaces that generate lift, but the wing surfaces that make up the rotary wing have cyclic control of pitch and roll as well as collective control of lift.

[0004] Furthermore, aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities based on propulsion engines are known, wherein the propulsion engines are rotatably mounted relative to the aircraft's lateral or pitch axis. The propulsion engines can be controllably moved between a cruise flight position and a takeoff / landing position. In the cruise position, the engines provide forward thrust, and the aircraft's movement in the air is controlled by means of appropriate flight control surfaces. In the takeoff / landing position, the propulsion engines tilt downwards to allow vertical takeoff and landing based on the thrust provided by the engines.

[0005] According to publications US 2016 / 0023754 A1 and US 2016 / 0311522 A1, as well as other publications in the same patent family, the applicant, Lilium GmbH, has proposed an aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability and an electrically driven ducted propeller as its propulsion engine. The applicant has also developed an aircraft called the Lilium jet, a canard aircraft with multiple left front engines, multiple right front engines, multiple left rear engines, and multiple right rear engines in the form of electrically operated ducted propellers, which are respectively mounted to the left and right front canard wings and the corresponding flaps of the left and right rear or main wings of the canard aircraft. The first test flight of this Lilium jet was conducted on October 1, 2019.

[0006] For any such aircraft, and any other type of aircraft, the ability to withstand technical failures is one of the most important aspects. The flight control system is a critical system that must be provided with redundancy, while also taking into account regulatory requirements that must be met.

[0007] According to conventional methods, the well-known (traditional) triple architecture with three independent flight control computers and three independent networks is typically used.

[0008] However, traditional triple architectures are typically quite heavy due to the large number of buses, connectors, and necessary physical path isolations.

[0009] Existing solutions for bus communication typically have the following drawbacks: slow communication speed (e.g., ARINC-429), the need for a critical bus controller or router (e.g., MIL-STD-1553, AFDX), high cost (e.g., MIL-STD-1554, AFDX), proprietary single vendor (monopoly leading to high costs and unnecessary dependence on a single source) or use of complex technologies (e.g., TTE, TTP, etc.), relatively heavy due to numerous wires (e.g., RS-422 full-duplex), and limitations in network configurations, such as not allowing N-to-N communication.

[0010] Based on conventional methods, the use of other communication buses, specifically the use of the CAN bus architecture in fly-by-wire flight control systems, is limited to unmanned operation.

[0011] Generally, known conventional flight control systems for aircraft include a flight computer system connected to multiple bus nodes via an electronic or optoelectronic bus system. Each bus node is configured to perform at least one of the following operations: controlling associated aircraft devices based on command messages received from the flight control computer system via the bus system; and sending information messages to the flight control computer system via the bus system.

[0012] In view of the above, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide a flight control system for an aircraft, based on which full reversibility for technical failures can be achieved in an efficient manner.

[0013] According to a second aspect, the present invention will provide an aircraft having such a flight control system configured to achieve this resilience.

[0014] According to a third aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a canard aircraft that achieves technical advantages over prior art aircraft and provides the advantages of a flight control system according to the present invention. Summary of the Invention

[0015] To achieve the above objectives, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a flight control system for an aircraft is provided, comprising a flight control computer system connected to a plurality of bus nodes via an electronic or optoelectronic bus system, each of the plurality of bus nodes being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: controlling associated aircraft devices based on command messages received from the flight control computer system via the bus system; and transmitting information messages to the flight control computer system via the bus system.

[0016] According to the invention (first aspect), the electronic or optoelectronic bus system is a redundant electronic or optoelectronic bus system comprising multiple independent bus subsystems, wherein each bus node is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system through two different bus subsystems in the multiple independent bus subsystems, wherein each bus node is further configured to communicate with the flight control computer system through a first bus subsystem in the corresponding two different bus subsystems based on an associated predetermined bus communication protocol and through a second bus subsystem in the corresponding two different bus subsystems based on an associated predetermined bus communication protocol.

[0017] Providing two distinct bus subsystems is fundamental to achieving integrity, availability, and differentiation, which is applicable to critical systems such as flight control systems. Therefore, fault tolerance for bus communication failures can be achieved with minimal impact on flight missions.

[0018] According to advantageous methods, different bus communication protocols can be used. In this regard, it is proposed that each bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system through the first bus subsystem based on a first bus communication protocol, which is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the bus nodes in the first group for the first bus subsystem, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system through the second bus subsystem based on a second bus communication protocol, which is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the bus nodes in the first group for the second bus subsystem and is different from the first bus communication protocol.

[0019] Furthermore, it is proposed that each bus node in the second group of bus nodes be configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the first bus subsystem based on the second bus communication protocol, wherein the second bus communication protocol is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the first bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the second group, and be configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the second bus subsystem based on the first bus communication protocol, wherein the first bus communication protocol is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the second bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the second group.

[0020] Therefore, advantageous differences have also been achieved in the bus communication protocol, resulting in particularly good resilience to faults.

[0021] According to another advantageous method, each of the multiple independent bus subsystems may consist of multiple independent communication buses. In this regard, it is further proposed that each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus of the first bus subsystem and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that communication bus of the first bus subsystem based on the associated predetermined bus communication protocol; and each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus of the second bus subsystem and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that communication bus of the second bus subsystem based on the associated predetermined bus communication protocol.

[0022] Providing multiple independent communication buses within each bus subsystem allows for a high degree of redundancy and therefore good fault resilience, particularly when various aircraft devices and their bus nodes are intelligently associated with the independent communication buses. In this context, it is assumed and suggested that multiple bus nodes are associated with each of several or most or all of the independent communication buses of the first bus subsystem, wherein bus nodes associated with the same independent communication bus of the first bus subsystem are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that common independent communication bus, and that multiple bus nodes are associated with each of several or most or all of the independent communication buses of the second bus subsystem, wherein bus nodes associated with the same independent communication bus of the second bus subsystem are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that common independent communication bus.

[0023] A particularly preferred embodiment of the flight control system of the present invention is based on a CAN bus system. For this purpose, it is proposed that the bus node is a CAN bus node, the plurality of independent bus subsystems are implemented as independent CAN bus subsystems, and the predetermined bus communication protocol is each one of a plurality of different CAN bus protocols according to a corresponding CAN standard, including a first CAN bus protocol according to a first CAN standard and a second CAN bus protocol according to a second CAN standard different from the first CAN standard.

[0024] According to the second advantageous method mentioned above, each of the independent CAN bus subsystems may consist of multiple independent CAN buses implementing the multiple independent communication buses, such that each CAN bus node is connected to the flight control computer system through an associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem, and each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system through an associated CAN bus of the second bus CAN subsystem.

[0025] In this regard, it is further proposed that each of the plurality or most or all of the CAN buses of the first CAN bus subsystem is connected to a plurality of associated CAN bus nodes, and each of the plurality or most or all of the CAN buses of the second CAN bus subsystem is connected to a plurality of associated CAN bus nodes, wherein the CAN bus nodes connected to the same CAN bus are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the common CAN bus.

[0026] According to the advantageous method of using multiple bus communication protocols mentioned above, each CAN bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via an associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem based on the first CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via an associated CAN bus of the second CAN bus subsystem based on the second CAN bus protocol. Furthermore, each CAN bus node in the second group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via an associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem based on the second CAN bus protocol, and is also configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the second CAN bus subsystem based on the first CAN bus protocol.

[0027] Advantageously, one of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol can follow one of the ISO 11888 standard known as CANSTANDARD and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD.

[0028] Furthermore, it is proposed that the other of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol may follow either the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD or the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD.

[0029] Both protocols are traditionally known and possess advantageous characteristics. Typically, high-speed CAN according to ISO 11898-2 (CANSTANDARD) allows bus communication speeds up to 1 Mbit / s. High-speed CAN according to SAE J2284-5:2016 (CAN FD) typically allows speeds up to 5 Mbit / s. Therefore, in addition to the usual transmission of command and information messages for controlling aircraft, bus communication according to the CAN FD standard can also be advantageously used for other bus communications. For example, firmware or software updates for various bus nodes and other components connected to the bus system can be accomplished very efficiently using the CAN FD standard.

[0030] Preferably, the flight control computer system is a redundant flight control computer system, comprising multiple independent flight control computers. Preferably, three independent flight control computers are provided. The multiple independent flight control computers can be different flight control computers that differ in at least one aspect of flight control computer hardware and flight control computer software, preferably differing in both aspects.

[0031] Each flight control computer can be connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via one of the independent bus subsystems or independent CAN bus subsystems. Preferably, at least one flight control computer is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the first bus subsystem or first CAN bus subsystem, and at least another flight control computer is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the second bus subsystem or second CAN bus subsystem. This significantly contributes to the desired fault resilience.

[0032] In this regard, it is further proposed that at least one of the flight control computers is configured to communicate with bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol, and to communicate with bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and at least another of the flight control computers is configured to communicate with bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and to communicate with bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol.

[0033] As already mentioned, a particularly preferred embodiment has three flight control computers. In this regard, it is further proposed that the first and second flight control computers are connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem, and that the third flight control computer is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem.

[0034] Referring to the aforementioned bus communication protocol and CAN bus protocol, it is further proposed that the first flight control computer and the second flight control computer are configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol, and are configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol. Furthermore, the third flight control computer is configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol.

[0035] If three flight control computers are provided, a majority voting or negotiation among the flight control computers can be achieved. In this regard, it is further proposed that the flight control computers be configured to select one as the controlling flight control computer, thereby selecting the other two as supervisory flight control computers. Each flight control computer can be configured to act as the controlling flight control computer and control the aircraft based on command messages sent to the bus node or CAN bus node via a respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem, and possibly based on information messages received from the bus node or CAN bus node via the respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem. At least two, preferably all three, flight control computers can be configured to act as supervisory flight control computers and monitor at least one of the following: the operation of the flight control computer currently acting as the controlling flight control computer; and messages sent via the respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem.

[0036] Advantageously, the flight control computer, or at least the flight control computer configured to supervise the flight control computer, can be configured to select a new flight control computer with control, which is different from the flight control computer currently used as the flight control computer with control, based on the supervision performed by the flight control computer used as the supervising flight control computer.

[0037] According to a second aspect of the invention, an aircraft is provided, comprising the flight control system according to the invention as described above. For example, the aircraft may be at least one of a single-pilot aircraft, an aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability, and a canard aircraft. A particularly preferred embodiment is a canard aircraft with VTOL capability. However, the flight control system of the invention can be advantageously implemented in any other type of aircraft, including all types of aircraft mentioned in the foregoing background description.

[0038] An aircraft may have multiple aircraft devices belonging to a common type, each of which has an associated corresponding bus node or CAN bus node of a flight control system. In this regard, it is proposed that the aircraft devices be arranged in a certain number and configuration in one or both of the aircraft's fuselage and wings to achieve fault resilience, such that each subgroup of multiple aircraft devices, each comprising at least two aircraft devices belonging to a common type, may fail without jeopardizing the aircraft's flight capability and controllability.

[0039] Regarding the preferred implementation of the flight control system having an independent communication bus or CAN bus, it is proposed that bus nodes or CAN bus nodes belonging to a common type of aircraft device be associated with the corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem in a certain number and manner, and with the corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem in a certain number and manner, such that any combination of the two independent communication buses or CAN buses of the flight control system may fail without significantly affecting the flight capability and controllability of the aircraft.

[0040] Aircraft devices belonging to the common type or first common type can be flaps with aerodynamic control surfaces. The flaps can be movably, for example, pivotally mounted to the wing of the aircraft, and each flap can have at least one associated flap actuator and a bus node or CAN bus node configured to control the flap deflection angle by controlling at least one flap actuator based on command messages received from a flight control computer system.

[0041] Aircraft devices belonging to the common type or second common type can be propulsion engines. Each propulsion engine has an associated bus node or CAN bus node, which is configured to control the operation of the propulsion engine based on command messages received from the flight control computer system.

[0042] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, flaps and a propulsion engine are provided, which are associated with each other. In this regard, it is proposed that the propulsion engine be mounted to or integrated into an associated flap, so that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by means of at least one corresponding flap actuator and a corresponding bus node or CAN bus node associated therewith, controlling the deflection angle of the corresponding flap.

[0043] According to one method, multiple or all flaps for controlling thrust direction each have only one associated propulsion engine, which is mounted to or integrated into the respective flap.

[0044] According to another method, multiple or all flaps used to control the thrust direction each have a plurality of associated propulsion engines, which are mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps. In this regard, it is further proposed that propulsion modules comprising multiple propulsion engines be mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps.

[0045] According to an advantageous implementation, the flap actuator and its associated propulsion engine have an associated common bus node or CAN bus node. In this regard, it is proposed that for each flap having one or more associated propulsion engines, at least one flap actuator of the flap and one or more associated propulsion engines have an associated common bus node or CAN bus node, which is configured to control one or more propulsion engines and at least one flap actuator based on command messages received from a flight control computer system.

[0046] According to a third aspect of the invention as an independent aspect (independent of the first and second aspects), a canard aircraft is provided, comprising: a fuselage; two main wings extending laterally from the fuselage; two canard wings extending laterally from the fuselage and located in front of the main wings; flaps mounted to the wings; a flight control system; and associated aircraft apparatus including flap actuators and propulsion engines controllable by the flight control system. Each of the main wings and canard wings is provided with a flap having an aerodynamic control surface, wherein each flap has an associated at least one flap actuator for adjusting the deflection angle of the flap according to a command from the flight control system. Each of the main wings and canard wings is provided with a plurality of propulsion engines capable of operating with variable thrust according to a command from the flight control system, and each is mounted to or integrated into an associated flap, such that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by controlling the deflection angle of the respective flap by means of the respective at least one flap actuator. The flight control system includes a flight control computer system, an electronic or optoelectronic transmission system, and multiple control nodes. The multiple control nodes are connected to the flight control computer system via the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system and are each associated with at least one aircraft device in the aircraft apparatus. The control nodes are configured to control the associated at least one aircraft device based on commands received from the flight control computer system via the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system.

[0047] According to an advantageous method, multiple or all flaps used to control the thrust direction may each have only one associated propulsion engine, which is mounted to or integrated into the respective flap.

[0048] According to another advantageous method, multiple or all flaps used to control the thrust direction each have a plurality of associated propulsion engines, which are mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps. To achieve this mounting or integration in a cost-effective manner, a propulsion module comprising the plurality of propulsion engines may be mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps.

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment, a common control node for controlling one or more propulsion engines and one or more flap actuators may be provided. In this regard, it is proposed that for each flap having one or more associated propulsion engines, at least one flap actuator of the flap and the associated one or more propulsion engines have an associated common control node, which is configured to control one or more propulsion engines and at least one flap actuator based on commands received from a flight control computer system via an electronic or optoelectronic transmission system.

[0050] The flight control system of an aircraft may be characterized by the features of the flight control system according to the first aspect of the invention. For this purpose, the control node may be implemented as a bus node or a CAN bus node, and the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system may be implemented as a redundant electronic or optoelectronic bus system or a CAN bus system as proposed in the first aspect of the invention.

[0051] The features of the aircraft according to the third aspect may also be found in the features of the aircraft proposed according to the second aspect of the invention.

[0052] According to a first and second aspect of the invention, a flight control system architecture with three different flight control computers is provided, and an aircraft having a flight control system according to this architecture is provided. Each flight control computer (FCC) may be implemented by a different CPU and can communicate with other FCCs via a dedicated bus. During operation, based on the I / O (input / output) capabilities of each FCC, one FCC is selected to effectively control the aircraft (referred to as the "controlling FCC"), while the other FCCs monitor the operation of the "controlling FCC" and the messages propagated by it via the dedicated bus. If the monitoring FCC deems the behavior of the "controlling FCC" faulty, one of them will be selected as the "new controlling FCC," and this decision will be propagated to the other systems of the flight control system.

[0053] The FCC can be connected to the aircraft's actuators and other aircraft devices via a dual fly-by-wire distribution system of CAN type, referred to as CAN A and CAN B. FCC1 and FCC2 can be connected to CAN A, while FCC3 can be connected to CAN B. Each CAN network A / B can consist of multiple independent full-duplex CAN buses that connect the FCC to all flap actuators of multiple flaps and all propulsion engines of the aircraft. The flap actuators are preferably implemented as electromechanical actuators, and the propulsion engines are preferably implemented as electrically driven propulsion engines. The propulsion engines can be advantageously integrated into a lift / thrust unit comprising one or more electrically driven propulsion engines, flaps, and at least one corresponding electromechanical flap actuator. Multiple independent full-duplex CAN buses provide direct control of all lift / thrust units for each individual FCC.

[0054] For example, the canard aircraft of the present invention may have thirty-six (36) lift / thrust units, preferably six (6) lift / thrust units per canard wing and twelve (12) lift / thrust units per main wing. Each lift / thrust unit includes a flap and a propulsion engine mounted to or integrated into said flap. The lift / thrust units can be connected to the FCC via six (6) independent full-duplex CAN buses of CAN network A and six (6) independent full-duplex CAN buses of CAN network B. Each network provides sufficient throughput for high update rate commands (up to 200 Hz) while still meeting the 50% bus utilization throughput limit of ARINC-825.

[0055] Each lift / thrust unit may have two interfaces, one connected to CAN A and the other to CAN B. Each of the two interfaces may implement a different type of CAN protocol: for example, one follows ISO 11898, known as CAN STANDARD, and the other follows SAE J2284-5:2016, known as CAN FD, thus providing a degree of differentiation in the lift / thrust unit.

[0056] Advantageously, the connections between each lift / thrust unit and the individual CAN bus in each network can be arranged to achieve full fault tolerance to a single failure and minimize the impact of a dual-bus failure. In a particularly preferred arrangement, a dual-CAN failure, in the worst case, would result in the loss of two lift / thrust units: one in the canard wing and one in the wing on the opposite side; or two lift / thrust units in the same wing near the fuselage. In both cases, there is only a minor impact on the lateral balance of the aircraft, which the pilot can easily handle if necessary. According to a preferred embodiment, the imbalance caused by the failure is handled by the flight control system itself, redistributing some of the commands that would have been executed by the failed unit to the remaining healthy units. In this case, no pilot action is required to compensate for the imbalance.

[0057] Some advantages of the flight control system architecture of the present invention are as follows:

[0058] - The flight control system architecture allows the FCC to communicate with a large number of lift / thrust units (e.g., 36 lift / thrust units with individual flaps and engine commands) in a redundant configuration.

[0059] - The flight control system architecture allows commands to be delivered at a high update rate (e.g., at least 200 Hz).

[0060] - The flight control system architecture provides the integrity, availability, and differentiation required by critical systems.

[0061] - The flight control system architecture is fault-tolerant to various faults with minimal impact on flight missions.

[0062] - The flight control system architecture facilitates maintenance activities.

[0063] According to the present invention, the advantages of a triple architecture for the flight control computer of a system that provides fault tolerance to any single FCC failure can be advantageously combined with the advantages of a dual CAN network, thereby providing a lighter and simpler solution than a conventional triple network architecture, while maintaining the required availability and differentiation requirements.

[0064] The following advantages and achievements of this invention, realized according to its first and second aspects, have particular technical value:

[0065] - Provides sufficient throughput for a single 200Hz command.

[0066] - Lighter than the full triple architecture.

[0067] -Dual isolation physical path.

[0068] - Single fault tolerance.

[0069] - Fully robust to loss of up to two FCCs.

[0070] - Full robustness to loss of complete CAN network.

[0071] - Full robustness to a single faulty FCC.

[0072] - Complete robustness to several dual-bus faults.

[0073] - Mitigating certain multibus failures: As proposed in the first and second aspects of the present invention, a small number of dual-bus failures will result in the loss of up to two actuators, wherein the impact on the controllability margin of the aircraft is minimized if the actuator loss is well distributed.

[0074] - Reduce the development work related to the flight control system of the aircraft. Attached Figure Description

[0075] Figure 1 The flight control system of the aircraft is schematically shown, which has a user interface for the pilot, a redundant flight control computer system, and an electronic or optoelectronic bus system that connects multiple bus nodes to the flight control computer system.

[0076] Figure 2 This is a schematic top view of a first variant of a canard aircraft, which can be implemented as a single-pilot aircraft with VTOL capability and can be equipped with a flight control system according to the invention.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a schematic top view of a second variant of a canard aircraft, which can be implemented as a single-pilot aircraft with VTOL capability and can be equipped with a flight control system according to the invention.

[0078] Figure 4 In the child Figure 4 a) Wazi Figure 4 b) schematically illustrates two types of lift / thrust units, such as Figure 4 The unit shown in a) has three propulsion engines mounted to or integrated into the flaps, or as... Figure 4 The unit shown in b) has a propulsion engine mounted to or integrated into the flap.

[0079] Figure 5 In the child Figure 5 a), son Figure 5 b) Sub Figure 5 c)Wako Figure 5 d) is shown in the form of a side view. Figure 4 The lift / thrust unit and the corresponding aircraft wing at four different deflection angles of the flaps relative to the wing.

[0080] Figure 6 In the child Figure 6 a) and 6b) show flap actuators or flap actuator arrangements for controlling the respective lift / thrust units and one or more propulsion engines via a common control node or bus node.

[0081] Figure 7 A schematic illustration of a system with redundant electronic or optoelectronic bus according to a first aspect of the invention. Figure 1 The implementation method of the flight control system.

[0082] Figure 8 Show Figure 7 How can a flight control system be implemented in detail for use? Figure 3 An example of a canard aircraft.

[0083] Figure 9 Showing the basis in different ways Figure 8 The document details the implementation of the various lift / thrust units and their positional relationships relative to each other and along the corresponding main wing or canard of the aircraft. Detailed Implementation

[0084] Figure 1A non-limiting example of a flight control system 10 is schematically shown and illustrated. The flight control system has a flight control computer system 12, which can be implemented according to conventional concepts, specifically providing a concept of redundancy. One example is a conventional triple architecture with three redundant flight control computers 12a, 12b, and 12c, which is redundantly connected, on the one hand, to the pilot user interface, and on the other hand, to the components and devices of the aircraft controlled based on pilot commands. Examples of conventional redundancy concepts can be found in US 7,337,044 B2, US 8,935,015 B2, and US 8,818,575 B2.

[0085] exist Figure 1 In this design, various components of the aircraft are schematically represented by elements 14 to 20. These elements can represent various aircraft devices, such as sensors, actuators (e.g., actuators for controllably moving flight control surfaces such as flaps), propulsion engines, etc. More precisely, elements 14 to 20 represent control nodes or bus nodes for these aircraft devices, which control corresponding actuators, propulsion engines, etc., and / or transmit sensor data or status data to the flight control computer system based on commands received from the flight control computer system. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a bus system, preferably a CAN bus system 22, is provided for optically or electrically connecting various components to the flight control computer system 12.

[0086] The flight control system 10 also includes a pilot user interface, which may include a left stick device 30a and a right stick device 30b, the left stick device having a left stick 32a and the right stick device having a right stick 32b. Both side sticks are pivotable in the left-right direction about a first control axis extending at least generally in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, and in the front-back direction about a second control axis extending at least generally in the lateral direction of the aircraft, preferably orthogonal to the first control axis.

[0087] Conventionally known corresponding multi-degree-of-freedom components and sensor assemblies 38a, 38b can be provided for the two side rods, which are sensitive to the pivotal movement of the side rods and / or the pivotal forces acting through the side rods.

[0088] Electronic flight control signals or electronic flight control commands generated by sensor components 38a and 38b are transmitted to flight control computer system 12 via electronic or optical connection links 42a and 42b.

[0089] Figure 2 and Figure 3Two canard aircraft are shown as non-limiting examples to which the present invention can be applied. The canard aircraft 200 has a fixed left rear wing or main wing 202 and a fixed right rear wing or main wing 204 at the rear of the aircraft fuselage 203, and a fixed left front wing or canard wing 206 and a fixed right front wing or canard wing 208 at the front of the aircraft fuselage. Each wing is provided with an array of multiple flaps 210, 212, 214, and 216. For example, each front wing or canard wing may be provided with at least six flaps, and each rear wing or main wing may be provided with at least twelve flaps.

[0090] Figure 2 The illustrated embodiment has two flaps for each forewing or canard and four flaps for each aft wing or main wing. Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment has six flaps for each forward wing or canard wing and twelve flaps for each rear wing or main wing.

[0091] These flaps are pivotally or movably mounted to the respective wings and can pivot about a pivot axis or move together with pivoting moving parts via corresponding electric actuators, preferably being independent of each other. Each flap can pivot between an upper first operating position and a lower second operating position. Each flap can take a position with minimum tilt or zero tilt relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (possibly the upper first operating position) and a position with maximum downward tilt relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (possibly the lower second operating position). However, if the maximum downward tilt position corresponds to the vertical direction of the flap, the lower second operating position can alternatively be a position exceeding the maximum downward tilt position, such that the flap is slightly forward-pointing.

[0092] At least one propulsion engine, in the form of an electrically operated ducted propeller, is mounted to each of these flaps. The ducted propeller is preferably mounted to the upper surface of the respective flap. Alternatively, the propulsion engine may be integrated into the respective flap such that the air passage of the respective propulsion engine, in which the ducted propeller rotates, is located above and aligned with the upper surface of the respective fore or aft wing.

[0093] Preferably, the flaps can be positioned corresponding to a lower second operating position or another operating position between the first and second operating positions, wherein the ducted propeller provides only downward vertical thrust, thus providing the aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability. In the upper first operating position or another operating position between the first and second operating positions, wherein the flaps extend longitudinally or at a minimum angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, the operating ducted propeller provides the aircraft with maximum forward thrust. The flaps are used not only to control the thrust direction of the propulsion engine or propulsion module but also as flight control surfaces that influence the aircraft's movement in the air based on general aerodynamic principles.

[0094] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the flaps are equipped with a propulsion module in which multiple propulsion engines, in the form of ducted propellers, are integrated. For example, such a propulsion module may include three such propulsion engines, such that each flap is equipped with three propulsion engines in the form of corresponding ducted propellers. In this case, the aircraft is equipped with a total of thirty-six propulsion engines.

[0095] Figure 4 a) A schematic diagram of such a propulsion module 230 is shown, which has an array of three propulsion engines 232a, 232b and 232c and is mounted to flaps 234, which may be Figure 2 Any one of the flaps 210, 212, 214 and 216 shown.

[0096] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, each flap is equipped with a corresponding propulsion engine in the form of a ducted propeller. Therefore, the aircraft is equipped with a total of thirty-six propulsion engines.

[0097] Figure 4 b) This schematically illustrates a flap 234 on which a propulsion engine 232 is mounted. The flap 234 can be... Figure 3 Any one of the flaps 210, 212, 214 and 216.

[0098] Figure 4 The corresponding flaps 234, which have a propulsion module 230 or a propulsion engine 232, are schematically shown in a view from the rear of the aircraft.

[0099] Figure 5 This schematically illustrates the corresponding wing 236 of the aircraft for different deflection angles of the flaps relative to the wing. Figure 2 and Figure 3A side view of any one of wings 202, 204, 206, and 208, and the corresponding flap 234 (equipped with the corresponding propulsion module 230 or the corresponding propulsion engine 232). For example, as Figure 5 The minimum or zero deflection angle shown in a) provides the aircraft with the maximum forward thrust, and as Figure 5 The maximum deflection angle shown in d) or a deflection angle of 90 degrees provides maximum or only vertically downward thrust to enable the aircraft's vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability. The maximum deflection angle can even be greater than 90 degrees to provide thrust in directions with both downward and rearward components.

[0100] like Figure 5 b) and Figure 5 c) The intermediate deflection angle of the flap provides thrust in directions having downward and forward components, as determined based on the corresponding deflection angle. This deflection angle is preferably continuously variable between a minimum and a maximum deflection angle. A suitable flap actuator or flap actuator acting between the corresponding wing 236 and the corresponding flap 234 is arranged in… Figure 5 The middle is schematically represented by element 240. A suitable pivot joint or pivot joint is arranged to pivotally connect the flap 234 to the wing 236. Figure 5 The middle part is schematically represented by element 242.

[0101] According to a preferred embodiment, in Figure 2 In this method, the propulsion engines 232a, 232b, and 232c of each propulsion module 230 and the flap actuators or flap actuator arrangements 240 of the corresponding flaps 234 have an associated common bus node 250, which is connected to the bus system, specifically to... Figure 1 The flight control system is connected to the CAN bus system 22 and controls the propulsion engines 232a, 232b, and 232c, as well as the flap actuators or flap actuator arrangement 240, based on command messages received from the flight control computer system 12 via the bus system or CAN bus system 22. This is in Figure 6 As shown in a).

[0102] Similarly, in Figure 3 In this method, each flap 234, with its propulsion engine 232 and corresponding flap actuator or flap actuator arrangement 240, may have an associated common bus node 250, which is connected to the bus system, specifically with... Figure 1 The flight control system is connected to the CAN bus system 22 and controls the propulsion engine 232 and the flap actuator or flap actuator arrangement 240 based on command messages received from the flight control computer system 12 via the bus system or CAN bus system 22. This is in Figure 6 As shown in the image.

[0103] In the following text, on the one hand, as Figure 4 a and Figure 6 a and Figure 5 As shown, on the other hand, Figure 4 b and Figure 6 b and Figure 5 As shown, such combinations of a flap 234 with at least one propulsion engine 232 or 232a, 232b and 232c, flap actuator or flap actuator arrangement 240 and control node 250 are also represented as lift / thrust units of an aircraft, such as Figure 2 aircraft or Figure 3 The aircraft.

[0104] Bus node 250 is such as Figure 1 Bus nodes 14, 16, 18, and 20, etc., are shown. In principle, only bus nodes such as bus node 250 can be connected to the bus system or CAN bus system 22; however, preferably, other aircraft devices with corresponding bus nodes can also be connected to the bus system. It should also be mentioned that flaps 234, propulsion modules 230, and propulsion engines 232a, 232b, 232c, and 232 may have the capability to return information to the flight control computer system, or may be equipped with sensors for returning information to the flight control computer system. For this purpose, bus node 250 can send corresponding information messages to the flight control computer system via the bus system.

[0105] As mentioned, the canard aircraft 200 can be equipped with Figure 1 The flight control system is schematically shown in the diagram. Based on the pilot's control input via two side sticks, the flight control computer system 12 controls the deflection angles of the flaps or lift / thrust units at the fore and aft wings, as well as the thrust of their propulsion engines, by controlling the rotational speed of the ducted propellers. Preferably, the deflection angles of all flaps or lift / thrust units can be controlled independently of each other. Furthermore, the rotational speeds of all ducted propellers can be specified to be controlled independently of each other. This also applies to situations where propulsion modules as mentioned above are provided, each propulsion module having multiple ducted propellers, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 4 a) and Figure 6 As shown in embodiment a). However, in this case, it is more appropriate to decide to provide collective control of the rotational speed of the ducted propeller of each respective propulsion module 230.

[0106] According to the present invention, the bus system or CAN bus system 22 includes a first independent bus subsystem 22a or an independent CAN bus subsystem 22a and a second independent bus subsystem 22b or a second independent CAN bus subsystem 22b, such as Figure 7As shown. The first flight control computer 12a and the second flight control computer 12b are connected to the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem 22a, and the third flight control computer 12c is connected to the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem 22b. Each of the two independent bus subsystems or independent CAN bus subsystems 22a and 22b includes multiple independent communication buses, specifically multiple independent CAN buses. In the case of the first independent bus subsystem or CAN bus subsystem 22a, multiple independent communication buses 24a or CAN buses 24a are provided, and in the case of the second independent bus subsystem or CAN bus subsystem 22b, multiple independent communication buses or CAN buses 24b are provided. These independent communication buses or CAN buses, which are full-duplex capable, are... Figure 7 The middle part is represented by three parallel horizontal lines 24a1, 24a2, 24a3 and 24b1, 24b2, 24b3 respectively.

[0107] Each may represent something like... Figure 6 a) and Figure 6 Bus nodes 14, 16, 18 and 20 of one of the multiple bus nodes 250 of the corresponding flap and propulsion engine combination shown in b) are each connected to one of the independent communication bus or CAN bus 24a1, 24a2 and 24a3 of the first bus subsystem 22a and to one of the communication bus or CAN bus 24b1, 24b2 and 24b3 of the second bus subsystem 22b.

[0108] like Figure 7 As shown, the bus nodes are connected to different communication buses or CAN bus combinations: bus node 14 is connected to communication or CAN buses 24a1 and 24b1, bus node 16 is connected to communication or CAN buses 24a1 and 24b2, bus node 18 is connected to communication or CAN buses 24a2 and 24b2, and bus node 20 is connected to communication or CAN buses 24a2 and 24b3. This allows any pair of communication buses or CAN buses 24a1, 24a2, 24a3, 24b1, 24b2, and 24b3 to typically fail without interrupting communication between more than one of the bus nodes 14, 16, 18, and 20 and the flight control computer system 12. By appropriately assigning the aircraft's bus nodes to the communication or CAN buses of two independent bus subsystems, the effects of such dual or multi-bus failures can be mitigated, ensuring that the aircraft's flight capability and controllability are substantially unaffected.

[0109] For example, if (e.g., Figure 3The failure of either of the two lift / thrust units of the illustrated aircraft due to a fault in either of the two independent communication buses or CAN buses may have a minor impact on the aircraft's lateral balance. Those skilled in the art will be able to provide a sufficient number of aircraft units of a common type, specifically lift / thrust units, and arrange these units in a suitable configuration on the aircraft, specifically on its wings, and appropriately distribute these units to multiple independent communication buses or CAN buses of each of the two independent bus subsystems 22a and 22b to achieve the desired recoverability against such a dual-bus failure. In this context, those skilled in the art will also select an appropriate number of independent communication buses or CAN buses for each of the two independent bus subsystems.

[0110] If each of bus nodes 14, 16, 18, and 20 (specifically, bus nodes such as bus node 250) is configured to communicate via one of independent bus subsystems 22a and 22b according to a first bus communication protocol, and is configured to communicate via the other independent bus subsystem 22a and 22b according to a second bus communication protocol different from the first bus communication protocol, then even greater resilience to bus communication failures is achieved. In the case of a CAN bus, preferably, each of the bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system 12 via one of the two CAN bus subsystems 22a and 22b based on a first CAN bus protocol and via the other of the two CAN bus subsystems 22a and 22b based on a second CAN bus protocol different from the first CAN bus protocol. Correspondingly, the flight control computer system, more specifically its flight control computer, is configured to communicate with the bus nodes via the respective CAN bus subsystems based on two different CAN bus protocols.

[0111] Preferably, one of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol follows one of the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD, and the other of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol follows the other of the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD.

[0112] In the context of this invention, it is indeed highly preferred to provide a CAN bus system 22 having independent CAN bus subsystems 22a and 22b, and a CAN bus system 22 having corresponding multiple independent CAN buses 24a1, 24a2, 24a3 and 24b1, 24b2, 24b3. The CAN bus system is a mature system with many advantages. Bus participants or bus nodes determine whether a bus message is relevant based on the object identifier of the corresponding bus message. Consistent with the so-called "line system is" or "any-to-many" principle, bus participants are not individually addressed. Bus access is automatically controlled based on object identifiers through bit-by-bit arbitration. However, the ARINC-825 specification even additionally provides "point-to-point" or ""-to-" communication, which can be used for certain functions if needed. A typical CAN bus requires only two signal lines, usually provided as twisted pairs, namely CAN-Low and CAN-High. In practice, there is usually also a GND (ground) line and a CAN V+ (power) line. If needed, suitable CAN can be used to send CAN bus data to fiber optic converters, etc., via optical single-mode or multimode fiber.

[0113] The following is based on Figure 8 and Figure 9 right Figure 3 A more detailed embodiment of the flight control system for a canard aircraft will be described. Figure 3 In, such as Figure 6 and Figure 5 The lift / thrust units shown each have a flap 234 with a bus node 250 and a flap actuator or flap actuator arrangement 240, and a propulsion engine 232. Figure 3 The associated identification number shown in the insert is associated with the wing and canard wing.

[0114] The six flaps or lift / thrust units 214 of canard wing 206 are assigned designations 1.1 to 1.6. The six flaps or lift / thrust units 214 of canard wing 208 are assigned designations 2.1 to 2.6. The twelve flaps or lift / thrust units 210 of main wing 202 are assigned designations 3.1 to 3.12. The twelve flaps or lift / thrust units 212 of main wing 204 are assigned designations 4.1 to 4.12. These designations also include... Figure 8 and Figure 9 In the middle, it is used to identify flaps or lift / thrust units.

[0115] Identifiers 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, and 4.1 respectively identify the innermost flaps or lift / thrust units closest to or near the fuselage 203; identifiers 1.6, 2.6, 3.12, and 4.12 identify the outermost flaps or lift / thrust units at the maximum distance from the fuselage 203; and the positions of other flaps or lift / thrust units and their positions along the corresponding wing or canard are determined by… Figure 3 The four identifiers in the insertion are correspondingly identified. Figure 8 and Figure 9 Use these identifiers to identify the corresponding flaps and the corresponding lift / thrust units.

[0116] Figure 8 The detailed designation assigns the bus nodes of the flaps or lift / thrust units (these terms are used synonymously in the context of the following description) to the first CAN bus subsystem 22a (denoted as CAN A), indicated by solid lines, and its six independent CAN buses, and to the second independent CAN bus subsystem 24b (denoted as CAN B), indicated by dashed lines, and its six independent CAN buses. The independent CAN buses of the two bus subsystems are respectively... Figure 8 The identifiers shown in the identifier boxes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

[0117] Bus communication via the CAN bus, identified by identifiers 1, 2, and 3, follows the ISO 11888 standard (known as CANSTANDARD), and... Figure 8 and Figure 9 It is referred to as CAN 2.0B and communicates via a bus through separate CAN buses identified by identifiers 4, 5 and 6, in accordance with SAE J2284-5:2016, which is called CAN FD.

[0118] The independent CAN buses of the first CAN bus subsystem 24a, identified by labels 1, 2, and 3, and the independent CAN buses of the second CAN bus subsystem 24b, identified by labels 4, 5, and 6, are arranged in... Figure 8 The upper part of the diagram shows the independent CAN buses of the first CAN bus subsystem 24a, identified by labels 4, 5, and 6, and the independent CAN buses of the second CAN bus subsystem 24b, identified by labels 1, 2, and 3, arranged in... Figure 8 The lower part of the image.

[0119] For the first flight control computer 12a or FCC1, the second flight control computer 12b or FCC2, and the third flight control computer 12c or FCC3, bus nodes or lift / thrust units 1.1, 1.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.7, 4.8, 1.3, 1.4, 4.2, 4.5, 4.9, 4.10, 1.5, 1.6, 4.1, 4.6, 4.11, and 4.12 (upper part of the figure) belong to the first group of bus nodes, and bus nodes or lift / thrust units 2.1, 2.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7, 3.8, 2.3, 2.4, 3.2, 3.5, 3.9, 3.10, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.6, 3.11, and 3.12 (lower part of the figure) belong to the second group of bus nodes. Flight control computers 12a and 12b communicate with the first set of bus nodes according to the ISO 11888 standard, known as CAN STANDARD or CAN 2.0B, and with the second set of bus nodes according to the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard, known as CAN FD. The third flight control computer 12c communicates with the first set of bus nodes according to the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard, known as CAN FD, and with the second set of bus nodes according to the ISO 11888 standard, known as CAN STANDARD or CAN 2.0B.

[0120] Figure 9 The basic information is given with Figure 8 The same information is provided, but it also shows the positional relationships of different flaps or lift / thrust units relative to each other and along the wings and canards of the aircraft. Bus connectors 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d connecting the CAN bus subsystem portion of the first CAN bus subsystem 24a can be referred to as main connectors to reflect that control of the bus nodes is typically accomplished through the first CAN bus subsystem 24a, and CAN bus connectors 29a, 29b, 29c, and 29d correspondingly connecting the CAN bus subsystem portion of the second CAN bus subsystem 24b can be represented as redundant or auxiliary connectors to reflect that control of the bus nodes is typically accomplished through the second CAN bus subsystem 24b. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the independent CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem 24a is drawn with solid lines, and the independent CAN bus of the second CAN bus subsystem 24b is drawn with dashed lines. Figure 9 The same identifiers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are used to identify the respective independent CAN buses of the two CAN bus subsystems 24a and 24b. This identifies the corresponding CAN bus protocol or CAN standard used for communication via the respective independent CAN bus.

[0121] As previously stated, fault resilience is achieved. A dual bus communication failure in CAN bus 6 of the first independent CAN bus subsystem 24a (denoted as CAN A) and CAN bus 1 of the second independent CAN bus subsystem 24b (denoted as CAN B) will cause lift / thrust units 3.1 and 3.6 of the left main wing 202 to malfunction. Similarly, a dual failure in CAN buses 3 and 4 of the CAN A and CAN B bus subsystems will cause lift / thrust units 4.1 and 4.6 of the right main wing 204 to malfunction. Therefore, lift / thrust units closer to the fuselage and those still relatively close to the fuselage will be affected, resulting in only a minor impact on lateral balance.

[0122] Furthermore, bus communication errors in the independent CAN buses 3 and 6 of the CAN A and CAN B bus subsystems will affect the outermost lift / thrust unit 1.6 of the left canard wing 206 and the outermost lift / thrust unit 4.12 of the right main wing 204, and bus faults in CAN buses 6 and 3 of the CAN A and CAN B bus subsystems will affect the outermost lift / thrust unit 2.6 of the right canard wing 208 and the outermost lift / thrust unit 3.12 of the left main wing 202. Similarly, lateral balance will not be significantly affected. The lift / thrust units are assigned to corresponding independent CAN buses of the two CAN bus subsystems so that any combination of faults in any pair of these buses will not have a significant impact on lateral balance, thus keeping the aircraft's flight capability and controllability largely unaffected.

[0123] Of course, except Figure 8 and Figure 9 It is possible to assign the various bus nodes of the lift / thrust units shown to other CAN buses beyond the separate CAN buses of the two independent CAN bus subsystems. Furthermore, the number of lift / thrust units per wing or canard can, of course, can be selected differently.

[0124] The principle of fault reversibility demonstrated in this invention can also be applied to other faults. Figure 2 Other types of aircraft besides the one shown. This principle can of course also be applied to... Figure 3 The aircraft illustrated can also be applied to entirely different types of aircraft with numerous lift / thrust units, propulsion engines, flaps, etc., not all of which are necessary to maintain the aircraft's flight capability and controllability. To achieve resilience against dual or multiple bus failures, those skilled in the art will be able to assign various aircraft engines to separate buses in a redundant bus system when implementing this invention, thereby minimizing the impact of such dual or multiple bus failures.

[0125] If a conventional type of flight control system is installed, then Figure 2 and Figure 3 The types and variations of aircraft shown are also worth noting.

[0126] This article also discloses the following:

[0127] 1. A flight control system (10) for an aircraft (200), the flight control system comprising a flight control computer system (12) connected to a plurality of bus nodes (14, 16, 18, 20; 200) via an electronic or optoelectronic bus system (22), each of the plurality of bus nodes being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: controlling associated aircraft devices (232; 232a, 232b, 232c; 242) based on command messages received from the flight control computer system via the bus system; and transmitting information messages to the flight control computer system via the bus system;

[0128] The electronic or optoelectronic bus system is characterized in that it is a redundant electronic or optoelectronic bus system (22) comprising multiple independent bus subsystems (22a, 22b), wherein each bus node is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) through two different bus subsystems (22a, 22b) in the multiple independent bus subsystems, wherein each bus node is further configured to communicate with the flight control computer system through a first bus subsystem (22a) in the corresponding two different bus subsystems based on an associated predetermined bus communication protocol and through a second bus subsystem (22b) in the corresponding two different bus subsystems based on an associated predetermined bus communication protocol.

[0129] 2. According to the flight control system of Project 1, each bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the first bus subsystem (22a) based on a first bus communication protocol, the first bus communication protocol being a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the first bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the first group, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second bus subsystem (22b) based on a second bus communication protocol, the second bus communication protocol being a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the second bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the first group, and Unlike the first bus communication protocol, each bus node in the second group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the first bus subsystem (22a) based on the second bus communication protocol, which is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the first bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the second group, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second bus subsystem (22b) based on the first bus communication protocol, which is a predetermined bus communication protocol associated with the second bus subsystem by the bus nodes in the second group.

[0130] 3. The flight control system according to item 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of independent bus subsystems comprises a plurality of independent communication buses (24a1, 24a2, 24a3; 24b1, 24b2, 24b3), and wherein each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus in the first bus subsystem and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the communication bus of the first bus subsystem based on the associated predetermined bus communication protocol, and each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus in the second bus subsystem and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the communication bus of the second bus subsystem based on the associated predetermined bus communication protocol.

[0131] 4. The flight control system according to Item 3, wherein a plurality of bus nodes are associated with each of a plurality of independent communication buses (24a1, 24a2, 24a3) of the first bus subsystem (24), wherein a bus node associated with the same independent communication bus of the first bus subsystem is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the common independent communication bus, and a plurality of bus nodes are associated with each of a plurality of independent communication buses (24b1, 24b2, 24b3) of the second bus subsystem (24b), wherein a bus node associated with the same independent communication bus of the second bus subsystem is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the common independent communication bus.

[0132] 5. The flight control system according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the bus nodes (14, 16, 18, 20; 200) are CAN bus nodes, the plurality of independent bus subsystems are implemented as independent CAN bus subsystems (22a, 22b), and the predetermined bus communication protocol is each one of a plurality of different CAN bus protocols according to a corresponding CAN standard, including a first CAN bus protocol according to a first CAN standard and a second CAN bus protocol according to a second CAN standard different from the first CAN standard.

[0133] 6. The flight control system according to items 3 and 5, wherein each of the independent CAN bus subsystems (22a, 22b) consists of multiple independent CAN buses (24a1, 24a2, 24a3; 24b1, 24b2, 24b3) implementing the multiple independent communication buses, such that each CAN bus node is connected to the flight control computer system (12) through an associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem (22a), and each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system (12) through an associated CAN bus of the second bus CAN subsystem (22b).

[0134] 7. The flight control system according to item 6, wherein multiple or all CAN buses of the first CAN bus subsystem (22a) are each connected to multiple associated CAN bus nodes, and multiple or all CAN buses of the second CAN bus subsystem (22b) are each connected to multiple associated CAN bus nodes, wherein CAN bus nodes connected to the same CAN bus are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the common CAN bus.

[0135] 8. The flight control system according to item 2 and according to item 6 or 7, wherein each CAN bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem (22a) based on the first CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the second CAN bus subsystem (22b) based on the second CAN bus protocol, and wherein each CAN bus node in the second group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem (22a) based on the second CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second CAN bus subsystem (22b) based on the first CAN bus protocol.

[0136] 9. The flight control system according to any one of items 5 to 8, wherein one of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol conforms to one of the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD.

[0137] 10. The flight control system according to item 9, wherein the other of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol conforms to the other of the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD.

[0138] 11. The flight control system according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the flight control computer system (12) is a redundant flight control computer system (12) comprising a plurality of independent flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c), preferably three independent flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c), wherein the plurality of independent flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) are preferably different flight control computers that differ in at least one aspect of flight control computer hardware and flight control computer software.

[0139] 12. The flight control system according to item 11, wherein each flight control computer is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via one of the independent bus subsystems or independent CAN bus subsystems (22a, 22b), and wherein at least one of the flight control computers (12a, 12b) is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem (22a), and at least another of the flight control computers (12c) is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem (22b).

[0140] 13. The flight control system according to item 12, wherein at least one of the flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) is configured to communicate with the bus node or CAN bus node in the first group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol, and to communicate with the bus node or CAN bus node in the second group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and wherein at least another one of the flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) (12c) is configured to communicate with the bus node or CAN bus node in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and to communicate with the bus node or CAN bus node in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol.

[0141] 14. The flight control system according to item 12 or 13, wherein a first flight control computer (12a) and a second flight control computer (12b) are connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem (22a), and wherein a third flight control computer (12c) is connected to each of the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes via the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem (22b).

[0142] 15. The flight control system according to items 13 and 14, wherein the first flight control computer (12a) and the second flight control computer (12b) are configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol, and are configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and wherein the third flight control computer (12c) is configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol or the second CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol or the first CAN bus protocol.

[0143] 16. A flight control system according to any one of items 11 to 15, wherein three flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) are provided.

[0144] The flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) are configured to select one of the flight control computers as the flight control computer with control, and thereby select the other two flight control computers as supervisory flight control computers.

[0145] Each flight control computer (12a, 12b, 12c) is configured to act as a flight control computer with control authority, and to control the aircraft (200) based on command messages sent to the bus node or CAN bus node via the respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem (22a; 22b), and possibly based on information messages received from the bus node or CAN bus node via the respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem.

[0146] Furthermore, at least two, preferably all three, flight control computers (12a, 12b, 12c) are configured to act as supervisory flight control computers and monitor at least one of the following: the operation of the flight control computer currently acting as the controlling flight control computer; and messages transmitted via the respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem.

[0147] 17. The flight control system according to item 16, wherein the flight control computer (12a, 12b, 12c) or at least the flight control computer configured to supervise the flight control computer is configured to: select a new flight control computer with control authority, which is different from the flight control computer currently used as the flight control computer with control authority, based on the supervision performed by the flight control computer used as the supervising flight control computer.

[0148] 18. An aircraft (200) including a flight control system (10) according to any one of the preceding items.

[0149] 19. The aircraft according to item 18, wherein the aircraft (200) is at least one of a single-pilot aircraft, an aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capability, and a canard aircraft.

[0150] 20. An aircraft according to item 18 or 19, wherein the aircraft (200) has a plurality of aircraft devices of a common type, each of the plurality of aircraft devices having an associated corresponding bus node or CAN bus node (200) of a flight control system, wherein the aircraft devices are arranged in a number and configuration at one or both of the fuselage (203) and the wings (202, 204, 206, 208) of the aircraft to achieve fault resilience, such that each subgroup of the plurality of aircraft devices, each comprising at least two aircraft devices of the common type, may fail without jeopardizing the flight capability and controllability of the aircraft.

[0151] 21. An aircraft having a flight control system according to item 4 or 7, as described in item 20, wherein the bus nodes or CAN bus nodes of the aircraft devices of a common type are associated with a number and manner with a corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem (22a), and with a corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem (22b), such that any combination of the two independent communication buses or CAN buses of the flight control system may fail without significantly affecting the flight capability and controllability of the aircraft.

[0152] 22. An aircraft according to item 20 or 21, wherein the aircraft device of a common type or a first common type is a flap (234) having an air control surface, wherein the flap is movably mounted to the wing (234) of the aircraft, wherein each flap has an associated at least one flap actuator (240) and a bus node or CAN bus node (250), the bus node or CAN bus node being configured to control the deflection angle of the flap (234) by controlling the at least one flap actuator (240) based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

[0153] 23. An aircraft according to any one of items 20 to 22, wherein the aircraft device belonging to a common type or a second common type is a propulsion engine (232; 232a, 323b, 232c), wherein each propulsion engine has an associated bus node or CAN bus node (250), the bus node or CAN bus node being configured to control the operation of the propulsion engine based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

[0154] 24. The aircraft according to items 22 and 23, wherein the propulsion engine (232; 232a, 332b, 232c) is mounted to or integrated into an associated flap (234) of the flap, such that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by means of at least one corresponding flap actuator (240) and the corresponding bus node or CAN bus node (250) associated therewith, controlling the deflection angle of the corresponding flap (234).

[0155] 25. The aircraft according to item 24, wherein each of the plurality or all flaps (234) for controlling the direction of thrust has only one associated propulsion engine (232), said associated propulsion engine being mounted to or integrated into the respective flap (234).

[0156] 26. The aircraft according to item 24 or 25, wherein multiple or all flaps (234) for controlling the direction of thrust each have an associated multiple propulsion engines (232a, 323b, 232c), said associated multiple propulsion engines being mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps (234).

[0157] 27. The aircraft according to item 26, wherein a propulsion module (230) comprising a plurality of propulsion engines (232a, 323b, 232c) is mounted to or integrated into the corresponding flaps (234).

[0158] 28. An aircraft according to any one of items 24 to 27, wherein for each flap (234) having an associated propulsion engine (232) or a plurality of propulsion engines (232a, 323b, 232c), the at least one flap actuator (240) of the flap and the associated one or more propulsion engines have an associated common bus node or CAN bus node (250), the associated common bus node or CAN bus node being configured to control the one or more propulsion engines and the at least one flap actuator based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

[0159] 29. A canard aircraft (200), comprising:

[0160] -Fuselage (203);

[0161] - Two main wings (202, 204) extend laterally from the fuselage;

[0162] - Two canard wings (206, 208) extend laterally from the fuselage and are located in front of the main wing;

[0163] -Flap (234), mounted to the wing;

[0164] - Flight control system (10); and

[0165] - Associated aircraft devices, including flap actuators (240) and propulsion engines (232; 232a, 323b, 232c) that can be controlled by the flight control system;

[0166] Each of the main wing and the canard wing is provided with a flap (234) having an aerodynamic control surface, wherein each flap (234) has an associated at least one flap actuator (240) for adjusting the deflection angle of the flap according to a command from the flight control system.

[0167] Each of the main wing and the canard wing is provided with a plurality of propulsion engines (232; 232a, 332b, 232c), which are capable of operating with variable thrust according to commands from the flight control system, and are each mounted to or integrated into an associated flap (234), such that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by means of at least one flap actuator (240) to control the deflection angle of the respective flap (234); and

[0168] The flight control system (10) includes a flight control computer system (12), an electronic or optoelectronic transmission system (22), and multiple control nodes (14, 16, 18, 20; 250). The multiple control nodes are connected to the flight control computer system (12) through the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system and are each associated with at least one of the aircraft devices. The control nodes are configured to control the associated at least one aircraft device based on commands received from the flight control computer system (12) through the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system (22).

[0169] 30. The aircraft according to item 29, wherein each of the plurality or all flaps (234) for controlling the direction of thrust has only one associated propulsion engine (232), said associated single propulsion engine being mounted to or integrated into the respective flap (234).

[0170] 31. The aircraft according to item 29 or 30, wherein multiple or all flaps (234) for controlling the direction of thrust each have an associated multiple propulsion engines (232a, 232b, 232c), said associated multiple propulsion engines being mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps (234).

[0171] 32. The aircraft according to item 31, wherein a propulsion module (230) comprising a plurality of propulsion engines (232a, 232b, 232c) is mounted to or integrated into the corresponding flaps (234).

[0172] 33. An aircraft according to any one of items 29 to 32, wherein for each flap (234) having an associated one or more propulsion engines (232a, 232b, 232c), the at least one flap actuator (240) of the flap and the associated one or more propulsion engines have an associated common control node (250), the associated common control node being configured to control the one or more propulsion engines and the at least one flap actuator based on commands received from the flight control computer system (12) via the electronic or optoelectronic transmission system (22).

[0173] 34. An aircraft according to any one of items 29 to 33, wherein the flight control system is characterized by the features of a flight control system (10) as described in any one of items 1 to 17.

[0174] 35. The aircraft according to any one of items 29 to 34, characterized by the features of the aircraft (200) as described in any one of items 18 to 28.

Claims

1. A flight control system (10) for an aircraft (200), the flight control system comprising a flight control computer system (12) connected to a plurality of bus nodes (14, 16, 18, 20) via a bus system (22), each bus node being configured to perform at least one of the following operations: controlling associated aircraft devices based on command messages received from the flight control computer system via the bus system; And the information messages are sent to the flight control computer system via the bus system; in, The bus system is a redundant bus system (22) comprising multiple independent bus subsystems. Each independent bus subsystem includes a first bus subsystem and a second bus subsystem. The first bus subsystem includes multiple first independent communication buses, and the second bus subsystem includes multiple second independent communication buses. Each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus among the multiple first independent communication buses and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that communication bus using an associated predetermined bus communication protocol. Similarly, each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system via an associated communication bus among the multiple second independent communication buses and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via that communication bus using an associated predetermined bus communication protocol. Each of the plurality of bus nodes is connected to the flight control computer system through different combinations of at least one of the plurality of first independent communication buses and at least one of the plurality of second independent communication buses.

2. The flight control system according to claim 1, wherein, Each bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the first bus subsystem (22a) based on a first bus communication protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second bus subsystem (22b) based on a second bus communication protocol, the second bus communication protocol being different from the first bus communication protocol, and wherein each bus node in the second group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the first bus subsystem (22a) based on the second bus communication protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second bus subsystem (22b) based on the first bus communication protocol.

3. The flight control system according to claim 1 or 2, in, Multiple bus nodes are associated with each of the multiple first independent communication buses (24a1, 24a2, 24a3) of the first bus subsystem, wherein bus nodes associated with the same independent communication bus of the first bus subsystem are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the common independent communication bus, and multiple bus nodes are associated with each of the multiple second independent communication buses (24b1, 24b2, 24b3) of the second bus subsystem, wherein bus nodes associated with the same independent communication bus of the second bus subsystem are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the common independent communication bus.

4. The flight control system according to claim 1, wherein, The bus nodes (14, 16, 18, 20) are CAN bus nodes, the multiple independent bus subsystems are implemented as independent CAN bus subsystems, and the predetermined bus communication protocol is one of multiple different CAN bus protocols according to the corresponding CAN standard, including a first CAN bus protocol according to a first CAN standard and a second CAN bus protocol according to a second CAN standard different from the first CAN standard.

5. The flight control system according to claim 4, wherein, Each of the independent CAN bus subsystems consists of multiple independent CAN buses, such that each CAN bus node is connected to the flight control computer system (12) through an associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem, and each bus node is connected to the flight control computer system (12) through an associated CAN bus of the second bus CAN subsystem.

6. The flight control system according to claim 5, wherein, In the first CAN bus subsystem, multiple or all CAN buses are each connected to multiple associated CAN bus nodes, and in the second CAN bus subsystem, multiple or all CAN buses are each connected to multiple associated CAN bus nodes, wherein CAN bus nodes connected to the same CAN bus are configured to communicate with the flight control computer system via the common CAN bus.

7. The flight control system according to claim 5, wherein, Each CAN bus node in the first group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem based on the first CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the second CAN bus subsystem based on the second CAN bus protocol, and wherein each CAN bus node in the second group of bus nodes is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the associated CAN bus of the first CAN bus subsystem based on the second CAN bus protocol, and is configured to communicate with the flight control computer system (12) via the second CAN bus subsystem based on the first CAN bus protocol.

8. The flight control system according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein, One of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol conforms to either the ISO 11888 standard known as CAN STANDARD or the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard known as CAN FD, and the other of the first CAN bus protocol and the second CAN bus protocol conforms to the other of the ISO 11888 standard and the SAE J2284-5:2016 standard.

9. The flight control system according to claim 1, wherein, The flight control computer system (12) is a redundant flight control computer system (12), which includes multiple independent flight control computers.

10. The flight control system according to claim 9, wherein, The plurality of independent flight control computers are different flight control computers that differ in at least one aspect of flight control computer hardware and flight control computer software.

11. The flight control system according to claim 9, wherein, Each flight control computer is connected to each of the bus nodes via one of the independent bus subsystems, wherein at least one of the flight control computers is connected to each of the bus nodes via the first bus subsystem, and at least another of the flight control computers is connected to each of the bus nodes via the second bus subsystem.

12. The flight control system according to claim 11, wherein, At least one of the flight control computers is configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the first group based on a first bus communication protocol and with the bus nodes in the second group based on a second bus communication protocol, and wherein at least another of the flight control computers is configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol and with the bus nodes in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol.

13. The flight control system according to claim 12, wherein, The first flight control computer (12a) and the second flight control computer (12b) are connected to each of the bus nodes through the first bus subsystem, and wherein the third flight control computer (12c) is connected to each of the bus nodes through the second bus subsystem.

14. The flight control system according to claim 13, wherein, The first flight control computer (12a) and the second flight control computer (12b) are configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the first group based on the first bus communication protocol and are configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the second group based on the second bus communication protocol, and wherein the third flight control computer (12c) is configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the first group based on the second bus communication protocol and is configured to communicate with the bus nodes in the second group based on the first bus communication protocol.

15. The flight control system according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein, Three flight control computers are provided. The flight control computer is configured to select one of the flight control computers as the flight control computer with control, and thereby select two other flight control computers as supervisory flight control computers. Each flight control computer is configured to function as a controlled flight control computer and to control the aircraft (200) based on command messages sent to the bus node or CAN bus node via the corresponding independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem. Furthermore, at least two flight control computers are configured to serve as supervisory flight control computers and monitor at least one of the following: the operation of the flight control computer currently acting as the controlling flight control computer; and messages transmitted via a respective independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem.

16. The flight control system according to claim 15, wherein, Each flight control computer is configured to also control the aircraft (200) based on information messages received from a bus node or CAN bus node via a corresponding independent bus subsystem or independent CAN bus subsystem, wherein the flight control computer, or at least the flight control computer configured to supervise the flight control computer, is configured to select a different flight control computer than the currently used flight control computer as the new flight control computer with control based on the supervision performed by the flight control computer used as the supervising flight control computer.

17. An aircraft (200) comprising a flight control system (10) according to claim 1; wherein, The aircraft (200) is at least one of a single-pilot aircraft, an aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capability, and a canard aircraft.

18. The aircraft according to claim 17, wherein, The aircraft (200) has a plurality of aircraft devices of a common type, each of which has an associated corresponding bus node or CAN bus node of the flight control system. The aircraft devices are arranged in a certain number and configuration at one or both of the fuselage (203) and the wings of the aircraft to achieve fault resilience, such that each subgroup of the plurality of aircraft devices, each including at least two aircraft devices of the common type, may fail without jeopardizing the flight capability and controllability of the aircraft.

19. The aircraft according to claim 18, wherein the aircraft has the flight control system according to claim 5, wherein, The bus nodes or CAN bus nodes of the aircraft devices belonging to the common type are associated with the corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the first bus subsystem or the first CAN bus subsystem in a certain number and manner, and are associated with the corresponding independent communication bus or CAN bus of the second bus subsystem or the second CAN bus subsystem in a certain number and manner, such that any combination of the two independent communication buses or CAN buses of the flight control system may fail without significantly affecting the flight capability and controllability of the aircraft.

20. The aircraft according to claim 18 or 19, wherein, The aircraft device belonging to the common type or the first common type is a flap (234) with an air control surface, wherein the flap is movably mounted to the wing of the aircraft, wherein each flap has an associated at least one flap actuator (240) and a bus node or CAN bus node (250), the bus node or CAN bus node being configured to control the deflection angle of the flap (234) by controlling the at least one flap actuator (240) based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

21. The aircraft according to claim 20, wherein, The aircraft device belonging to the common type or second common type is a propulsion engine, wherein each propulsion engine has an associated bus node or CAN bus node (250) configured to control the operation of the propulsion engine based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

22. The aircraft according to claim 21, wherein, The propulsion engine is mounted to or integrated into an associated flap (234) of the flap, such that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by means of at least one corresponding flap actuator (240) and its associated corresponding bus node or CAN bus node (250), controlling the deflection angle of the corresponding flap (234).

23. The aircraft according to claim 22, wherein, Each of the multiple or all flaps (234) used to control the thrust direction has only one associated propulsion engine (232), which is mounted to or integrated into the corresponding flap (234).

24. The aircraft according to claim 22, wherein, Multiple or all flaps (234) used to control the direction of thrust each have a plurality of associated propulsion engines, which are mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps (234).

25. The aircraft according to claim 24, wherein, A propulsion module (230) including multiple propulsion engines is installed to or integrated into the corresponding flap (234).

26. The aircraft according to claim 22 or 23, wherein, For each flap (234) having an associated propulsion engine (232) or multiple propulsion engines, the at least one flap actuator (240) of the flap and the associated one or more propulsion engines have an associated common bus node or CAN bus node, which is configured to control the one or more propulsion engines and the at least one flap actuator based on command messages received from the flight control computer system (12).

27. A canard aircraft (200), comprising: -Fuselage (203); - Two main wings, extending laterally from the fuselage; - Two canard wings extend laterally from the fuselage and are located in front of the main wing; -Flap (234), mounted to the wing; - The flight control system (10) according to claim 1; and - Associated aircraft devices, including flap actuators (240) and propulsion engines that can be controlled by the flight control system; Each of the main wing and the canard wing is provided with a flap (234) having an aerodynamic control surface, wherein each flap (234) has an associated at least one flap actuator (240) for adjusting the deflection angle of the flap according to a command from the flight control system. Each of the main wing and the canard wing is provided with a plurality of propulsion engines, which are capable of operating with variable thrust according to commands from the flight control system and are each mounted to or integrated into an associated flap (234), such that the thrust direction of the propulsion engine can be controlled by means of at least one flap actuator (240) to control the deflection angle of the respective flap (234).

28. The aircraft according to claim 27, wherein, Each of the multiple or all flaps (234) used to control the thrust direction has only one associated propulsion engine (232), which is mounted to or integrated into the corresponding flap (234).

29. The aircraft according to claim 27, wherein, Multiple or all flaps (234) used to control the direction of thrust each have a plurality of associated propulsion engines, which are mounted to or integrated into the respective flaps (234).

30. The aircraft according to claim 29, wherein, A propulsion module (230) including multiple propulsion engines is installed to or integrated into the corresponding flap (234).

31. The aircraft according to claim 27 or 28, wherein, For each flap (234) having an associated propulsion engine (232) or multiple propulsion engines, the at least one flap actuator (240) of the flap and the associated one or more propulsion engines have an associated common bus node, which is configured to control the one or more propulsion engines and the at least one flap actuator based on commands received from the flight control computer system (12) via the bus system (22).

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