Flight control system and actuator control electronics and methods

Abstract

A flight control system, actuator control electronics, and method are disclosed. A first actuator control electronics device generates a first control command for controlling aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. A second actuator control electronics device generates a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. The first and second actuator control electronics devices can exchange the first and second control commands, and each selects one of the first and second control commands as the output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the relative reliability of the first and second actuator control electronics devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft, and more particularly to flight control systems and actuator control electronics and methods. Background Technology

[0002] In modern flight control systems, especially fly-by-wire systems, redundancy and backup technologies are primarily employed. Redundancy technology is a method that increases system redundancy and fault tolerance by adding multiple resources (hardware and software) to the control system and managing them appropriately. The goal of flight control redundancy management is to improve the operational safety of the flight control system and achieve optimal control capabilities through redundancy scheduling strategies.

[0003] In fly-by-wire aircraft, cockpit signal sensors and control surface position sensors are the signal sources for aircraft control. However, due to inherent mechanical and electrical errors in the mechanical systems and sensors themselves, the sensors cannot perfectly reproduce the pilot's mechanical actions as electrical signals, thus affecting control accuracy. Traditional redundant control designs for flight control systems typically employ parallel, multi-channel independent control devices, with control errors originating from front-end cockpit sensors, back-end position sensors, and internal signal processing modules. Excessive signal errors can lead to deteriorated pilot control, increased force conflicts, and induced oscillations, posing significant risks to safe aircraft operation.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved flight control system and actuator control electronics and methods. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an improved flight control system and actuator control electronics and method, which can effectively reduce actuator force disputes under a dual-redundant control architecture and improve aircraft stability and safety.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, a flight control system is provided, comprising: a first actuator control electronics configured to generate a first control command for controlling aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals; and a second actuator control electronics configured to generate a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals; wherein the first actuator control electronics sends the first control command to the second actuator control electronics, and the second actuator control electronics sends the second control command to the first actuator control electronics, wherein the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics respectively select one of the first control command and the second control command as an output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics.

[0007] On one hand, the relative reliability is based at least in part on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

[0008] On one hand, when both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode. The reliability of the normal mode is higher than that of the direct mode. In the normal mode, the respective actuator control electronics generates control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In the direct mode, the respective actuator control electronics uses stored control laws to generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals.

[0009] On the one hand, when both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

[0010] On one hand, the first actuator control electronics monitors the operating mode and operating status of the first actuator control electronics and sends them to the second actuator control electronics; and the second actuator control electronics monitors the operating mode and operating status of the second actuator control electronics and sends them to the first actuator control electronics.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, an actuator control electronics device is provided, comprising: an instruction processing module that generates a first control instruction for controlling aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals; an instruction selection module that receives the first control instruction and a second control instruction for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces generated by another actuator control electronics device; and a redundancy management module that generates a selection signal based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics device and the other actuator control electronics device, wherein the instruction selection module selects one of the first control instruction and the second control instruction based on the selection signal as an output control instruction of the actuator control electronics device for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

[0012] On one hand, the relative reliability is based at least in part on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

[0013] On one hand, when both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode. The reliability of the normal mode is higher than that of the direct mode. In the normal mode, the respective actuator control electronics generates control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In the direct mode, the respective actuator control electronics uses stored control laws to generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals.

[0014] On the one hand, when both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

[0015] In one aspect, the actuator control electronics further includes a monitor configured to monitor the operating mode and operating status of the actuator control electronics, wherein the redundancy management module determines the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics based on the operating mode and operating status of the actuator control electronics and the operating mode and operating status of the other actuator control electronics.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a flight control method is provided, comprising: generating a first control command for controlling aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals in a first actuator control electronic device; generating a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals in a second actuator control electronic device; transmitting the first control command from the first actuator control electronic device to the second actuator control electronic device; transmitting the second control command from the second actuator control electronic device to the first actuator control electronic device; and selecting one of the first control command and the second control command in the first actuator control electronic device and the second actuator control electronic device, respectively, based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronic device and the second actuator control electronic device, as an output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

[0017] On one hand, the relative reliability is based at least in part on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

[0018] On one hand, when both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode. The reliability of the normal mode is higher than that of the direct mode. In the normal mode, the respective actuator control electronics generates control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In the direct mode, the respective actuator control electronics uses stored control laws to generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals.

[0019] On the one hand, when both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

[0020] In one aspect, the flight control method further includes: monitoring the operating mode and operating status of the first actuator control electronics and sending them to the second actuator control electronics; and monitoring the operating mode and operating status of the second actuator control electronics and sending them to the first actuator control electronics.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for an actuator control electronics is provided, comprising: generating a first control command for controlling an aircraft control surface based on cockpit operation signals; receiving a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surface generated by another actuator control electronics; generating a selection signal based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics; and selecting one of the first control command and the second control command based on the selection signal as an output control command of the actuator control electronics for controlling the aircraft control surface.

[0022] In one aspect, the relative reliability is characterized at least in part based on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, the operating state including an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

[0023] On one hand, when both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode. The reliability of the normal mode is higher than that of the direct mode. In the normal mode, the respective actuator control electronics generates control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In the direct mode, the respective actuator control electronics uses stored control laws to generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals.

[0024] On the one hand, when both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

[0025] In one aspect, the method for actuator control electronics further includes: monitoring the operating mode and operating state of the actuator control electronics; receiving the operating mode and operating state of the other actuator control electronics; and determining the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics based on the operating mode and operating state of the actuator control electronics and the operating mode and operating state of the other actuator control electronics. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a flight control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flight control computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an actuator control electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a flight control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling an actuator electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, but this should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] This invention provides an improved flight control system and actuator control electronics and method, which adopts a cross-redundancy architecture and can use redundancy management voting to make two actuator control electronics output the same control commands, eliminating or reducing errors from cockpit sensors and command processing modules, reducing the risk of excessive force conflict on the dual actuator control surfaces, thereby improving the stability and safety of the aircraft.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a flight control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flight control system may include a flight control computer 110, a first actuator control electronics device 120, a second actuator control electronics device 130, a first actuator servo control system 140, a second actuator servo control system 142, and control surfaces 150 of the aircraft. The first actuator control electronics device 120 and the second actuator control electronics device 130 can drive the same control surfaces 150 to move via the first actuator servo control system 140 and the second actuator servo control system 142, respectively. The control surfaces 150 may be, for example, spoilers, rudders, elevators, ailerons, etc. The first actuator servo control system 140 and the second actuator servo control system 142 may be hydraulic servo actuators, electronically controlled actuators, etc., respectively.

[0034] The flight control computer 110 can exchange information and commands with the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 via a digital bus. For example, the flight control computer 110 can generate control commands and transmit them to the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130. The first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 can generate instructions for driving the control surfaces 150 based on the control commands from the flight control computer 110. In addition, the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 can feed back information such as the status of the corresponding actuator control electronics, the status of the actuator servo control system, and the status of the control surfaces to the flight control computer 110.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, a first actuator control electronics 120 can generate a first control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces 150 based on cockpit operation signals, and a second actuator control electronics 130 can generate a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces 150 based on cockpit operation signals. The cockpit operation signals can be pilot operations received from cockpit input devices, such as pedals, throttle levers, joysticks, control panels, etc. The cockpit operation signals received by the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 can be the same signal or cockpit operation signals provided by different channels.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first actuator control electronics 120 may send a first control command (shown as command 1) to a second actuator control electronics 130, and the second actuator control electronics 130 may send a second control command (shown as command 2) to the first actuator control electronics 120. The first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 may select one of the first control command and the second control command respectively based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130, as an output control command for controlling the aircraft control surface 150.

[0037] Specifically, the first actuator control electronics 120 has its own generated first control command and the second actuator control electronics 130 has generated a second control command. It can then select the more reliable of the first and second control commands as the output control command and provide it to the first actuator servo control system 140 to drive the control surface 150 accordingly. Similarly, the second actuator control electronics 130 has its own generated second control command and the first control command generated by the first actuator control electronics 120. It can then select the more reliable of the first and second control commands as the output control command and provide it to the second actuator servo control system 142 to drive the control surface 150 accordingly. Thus, both the first and second actuator control electronics 120 output the more reliable of the first and second control commands, reducing errors from cockpit sensors and the command processing module. Furthermore, the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 output the same control commands, which significantly reduces the force disputes caused by inconsistent outputs of each actuator on the dual-actuator control surface.

[0038] In one embodiment, the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 can be based on the operating state and / or operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics. The first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 can send their own operating states and / or operating modes to each other. Figure 1 As shown, the first actuator control electronics 120 monitors its own operating mode (shown as mode 1) and operating status (shown as status 1) and sends them to the second actuator control electronics 130. The second actuator control electronics 130 monitors its own operating mode (shown as mode 2) and operating status (shown as status 2) and sends them to the first actuator control electronics 120.

[0039] The operating state includes an available state and a failed state, with the reliability of the available state being higher than that of the failed state. For example, if one of the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 is in an available state while the other is in a failed state, both actuator control electronics can be selected and output the control commands generated by the actuator control electronics in the available state. If both the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 are in a failed state, the first actuator servo control system 140 and the second actuator servo control system 142 can be disconnected, thereby preventing the control surface 150 from being driven.

[0040] If both the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 are available, the relative reliability is further based, at least in part, on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics. Operating modes include a normal mode and a direct mode, with the normal mode having higher reliability than the direct mode. According to one aspect, in the normal mode, the actuator control electronics can generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer 110 and cockpit operation signals, while in the direct mode, the actuator control electronics can generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals using stored control laws.

[0041] If both the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that the default of the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 has higher reliability. For example, either the first actuator control electronics 120 or the second actuator control electronics 130 can be preset as the default actuator control electronics, and the control commands generated by it will be selected for controlling the aircraft control surfaces when both are in an available state and have the same operating mode.

[0042] Therefore, the flight control system provided by the present invention adopts a cross-redundancy architecture and enables the two actuator control electronics to output the same control commands, eliminating or reducing errors from cockpit sensors and command processing modules, and reducing the risk of excessive force conflict on the dual actuator control surfaces, thereby improving the stability and safety of the aircraft.

[0043] Furthermore, if any actuator control electronics fails and cannot generate a valid control command, the control surfaces can be driven by selecting and outputting a control command generated by another valid actuator control electronics, thereby reducing the failure risk of the flight control system and improving the stability of control surface control.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flight control computer 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flight control computer 210 may be... Figure 1 An embodiment of the flight control computer 110 in the system.

[0045] The flight control computer 210 may include a processor 212, which calculates control commands (e.g., gain) for the control surfaces based on aircraft parameters using a control law. Aircraft parameters may include, for example, airspeed, pitch angle, air-to-ground conditions, engine conditions, throttle position, etc. Compared to the control laws used locally by the actuator control electronics, the processor 212 may employ more complex control laws to calculate enhanced control signals for improving aircraft handling and stability.

[0046] The flight control computer 210 may also include a force conflict mitigation module 214, which generates force conflict mitigation signals to reduce structural fatigue of actuators and associated control surface structures. By way of example and not limitation, the force conflict mitigation module 214 may receive thrust parameters from actuators associated with the control surfaces (e.g., a first actuator servo control system 140 and a second actuator servo control system 142), calculate drive commands to reduce the thrust of the actuator with higher thrust, and / or to compensate for the thrust of the actuator with lower thrust. These drive commands may be sent as force conflict mitigation signals to the corresponding actuator control electronics.

[0047] The control commands generated by processor 212 and the force conflict mitigation signals generated by force conflict mitigation module 214 can be provided to the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 via digital interface 216 (as separate digital information), as shown in reference. Figure 1 As described. Furthermore, the flight control computer 210 can also receive feedback signals from the first actuator control electronics 120 and the second actuator control electronics 130 via the digital interface 216, such as the operating status of the respective actuator control electronics, the status of the actuator servo control system, the control surface status, etc. The feedback signals can also be used by the processor 212 and / or the force conflict mitigation module 214 for their respective calculations.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an actuator control electronics 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The actuator control electronics 300 may be... Figure 1 This is an embodiment of the first actuator control electronics 120 or the second actuator control electronics 130. The actuator control electronics 300 may be implemented using a computer, processor, integrated circuit, programmable logic device, microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine, etc. The actuator control electronics 300 may include an instruction processing module 310, an instruction selection module 330, a redundancy management module 320, a digital interface 340, a monitor 350, etc.

[0049] The digital interface 340 can be configured to receive information (e.g., control commands and force conflict mitigation signals) from a flight control computer (e.g., 110, 210) and can feed back internal data (e.g., the operating status of actuator control electronics, the status of the actuator servo control system, the status of control surfaces, etc.) to the flight control computer.

[0050] The actuator control electronics 300 may include a monitor 350, which can be configured to monitor the operating mode and status of the actuator control electronics. For example, for mode monitoring, the monitor 350 may monitor whether the actuator control electronics 300 correctly responds to digital signals from the flight control computer (hereinafter referred to as the flight control computer). If the actuator control electronics 300 correctly responds to the digital signals from the flight control computer, the actuator control electronics 300 operates in normal mode, in which the command processing module 310 generates control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the control commands from the flight control computer and cockpit operation signals.

[0051] If the digital signal from the flight control computer is incorrect, the flight control computer malfunctions, or the actuator control electronics 300 fails to respond correctly, the monitor 350 can be triggered, causing the redundancy management module 320 to disconnect from the flight control computer (e.g., switch 342), thereby putting the actuator control electronics 300 into direct mode. The actuator control electronics 300 can also select a mode based on a mode control signal from the flight control computer. In direct mode, the command processing module 310 can use stored control laws to generate control commands for controlling the aircraft's control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals.

[0052] In one example, the control command generated by the flight control computer using a control law may be a first gain, and the instruction processing module 310 may generate a second gain using the stored control law. The instruction processing module 310 may multiply the first or second gain with the cockpit operating signal to obtain a control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces (e.g., yaw position or angle). As described above, compared to the actuator control electronics 300, the flight control computer can use a more complex control law to calculate the control command. In normal mode, the actuator control electronics receive enhanced control signals from the flight control computer, resulting in better aircraft handling performance. In direct mode, however, the actuator control electronics may be unable to respond to the control signals sent by the flight control computer due to wiring or equipment failures, thus allowing for safe flight according to a simpler control law, but potentially resulting in poorer aircraft handling performance. Therefore, the control commands generated by the flight control computer in normal mode may have higher reliability than the control commands generated by the instruction processing module 310 in direct mode.

[0053] If the instruction processing module 310 of the actuator control electronics 300 receives a force dispute mitigation signal from the flight control computer (as shown in the reference...) Figure 2 If the force conflict mitigation signal is as described, the command processing module 310 can fine-tune the generated control command based on the force conflict mitigation signal. For example, the command processing module 310 can add the force conflict mitigation signal to the generated control command to reduce the control command of the actuator with larger thrust and / or compensate the control command of the actuator with smaller thrust.

[0054] The instruction processing module 310 can provide the generated control instructions (e.g., a first control instruction) to the instruction selection module 330. The instruction selection module 330 can also receive a second control instruction (denoted as 'foreign instruction') generated from another actuator control electronics for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces. The redundancy management module 320 can generate a selection signal based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics 300 and the other actuator control electronics, such that the instruction selection module 330 selects one of the first and second control instructions based on the selection signal as the output control instruction of the actuator control electronics 300 for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

[0055] On the one hand, relative reliability can be based at least in part on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

[0056] As described above, the monitor 350 can be configured to monitor the operating status of the actuator control electronics 300. For example, the monitor 350 can monitor the validity of the control commands generated by the instruction processing module 310 through multi-channel calculation and verification. A failure state means that the actuator control electronics 300 cannot output correct commands, and these commands cannot be used as servo system inputs; an availability state means that the commands can be used as servo system inputs. For example, incorrect cockpit signals, a faulty instruction processing module, or a faulty internal voltage signal may all cause the monitor 350 to trigger and set the actuator control electronics 300 to a failure state. If the actuator control electronics 300 is monitored to be in an availability state, the first control command generated by the instruction processing module 310 can be set to an availability state. Conversely, if the actuator control electronics 300 is monitored to be in a failure state, the first control command generated by the instruction processing module 310 can be set to a failure state.

[0057] The monitor 350 can provide the operating mode and status of the monitored actuator control electronics 300 to the redundancy management module 320. The redundancy management module 320 can also receive the operating mode and status of another actuator control electronics. For example, the operating status of the other actuator control electronics can be provided to the actuator control electronics 300 along with a second control command. Similarly, the actuator control electronics 300 can also provide a first control command and its operating status to another actuator control electronics. The redundancy management module 320 can determine the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics 300 and the other actuator control electronics based on their operating modes and statuses.

[0058] The redundancy management module 320 enables the command selection module 330 to select the control command with higher reliability from the first and second control commands. For example, if one of the first and second control commands is available while the other is in a failed state, the command selection module 330 can select and output the control command that is available. If both the first and second control commands are in a failed state, no output signal is provided, and therefore the control surface is not driven.

[0059] If both the first and second control commands are available, the relative reliability is further based, at least in part, on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics. Accordingly, the command selection module 330 may preferentially select and output control commands generated in normal mode. If both the first and second control commands are available and generated in the same operating mode (e.g., normal mode or direct mode), the relative reliability is further based, at least in part, on the default relative reliability of actuator control electronics 300 and another actuator control electronics. Actuator control electronics 300 or another actuator control electronics may be pre-set as the default actuator control electronics, and the control commands generated by it will be selected for controlling the aircraft control surfaces when both are available and have the same operating mode.

[0060] In addition, the monitor 350 can also be used to monitor whether the servo control system is operating normally. Once a fault is detected, the redundancy management module 320 can disconnect the corresponding actuator servo control system, thereby preventing the control surface from being driven.

[0061] Although Figure 3 A single monitor 350 is shown, but it should be understood that the actuator control electronics 300 may include multiple monitors 350, each monitor 350 may be used to monitor different status information, or some monitors 350 may redundantly monitor the same status information.

[0062] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a flight control method 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Method 400 can be executed by a flight control system or by a first actuator control electronics and a second actuator control electronics therein.

[0063] In step 402, a first control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces can be generated in the first actuator control electronics based on cockpit operation signals. In step 412, a second control command for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces can be generated in the second actuator control electronics based on cockpit operation signals.

[0064] In step 404, control commands, operating modes, and operating states can be exchanged between the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics. For example, a first control command can be sent from the first actuator control electronics to the second actuator control electronics, and a second control command can be sent from the second actuator control electronics to the first actuator control electronics.

[0065] In step 406, one of a first control command and a second control command is selected in the first actuator control electronics based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics. In step 408, one of the first control command and the second control command is selected in the second actuator control electronics based on the relative reliability. As described above, the relative reliability may be at least partially based on the operating state, operating mode, default settings, etc. of the two actuator control electronics.

[0066] In step 408, the first actuator control electronics outputs the selected control command as the output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces. In step 418, the second actuator control electronics outputs the selected control command as the output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

[0067] Although Figure 4 The steps are described in a certain order, but it should be understood that these steps may be performed in a different order or some steps may be performed concurrently.

[0068] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method 500 for controlling an actuator electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Method 500 may be executed by a first or second actuator control electronic device, a computer, a processor, an integrated circuit, a programmable logic device, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine, etc.

[0069] In step 502, a first control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces is generated in the actuator control electronics based on cockpit operation signals. As described above, the first control command can be generated in normal mode or direct mode.

[0070] In step 504, a second control command generated by another actuator control electronics for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces may be received.

[0071] In step 506, a selection signal may be generated based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and another actuator control electronics. Optionally, method 500 may further include monitoring the operating mode and operating state of the actuator control electronics, and receiving the operating mode and operating state of the other actuator control electronics. As described above, the relative reliability may be based at least in part on the operating states of the two actuator control electronics, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state. If both actuator control electronics are in an effective operating state, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the operating modes of the respective actuator control electronics, with the reliability of the normal mode being higher than that of the direct mode. If both actuator control electronics are in an effective operating state and operate in the same mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that the default of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics has higher reliability.

[0072] In step 508, one of the first control command and the second control command can be selected according to the selection signal.

[0073] In step 510, the selected control command can be output as the output control command of the actuator control electronics for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

[0074] This invention provides a cross-redundant flight control system architecture that eliminates front-end errors caused by dual-actuator servo control systems, including cockpit sensors and command processing modules, and reduces the risk of excessive force conflict between the two actuators. This is of great significance for ensuring safe flight operations.

[0075] It should be noted that the numerical values, thresholds, etc., given in the various embodiments are merely examples and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, as a whole, there may be other components or steps not listed in the claims or specification of this invention. Moreover, a single name for a component does not preclude other names for that component.

[0076] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of sequential terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0077] The various steps and modules of the methods and apparatus described above can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. If implemented in hardware, the various illustrative steps, modules, and circuits described in connection with this disclosure can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic components, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a processor, microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine, etc. If implemented in software, the various illustrative steps and modules described in connection with this disclosure can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted. Software modules implementing the various operations of this disclosure can reside in a storage medium, such as RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, cloud storage, etc. The storage medium can be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium and execute corresponding program modules to implement the various steps of this disclosure. Moreover, software-based embodiments can be uploaded, downloaded, or remotely accessed through appropriate communication means. Such appropriate means of communication include, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web, intranets, software applications, cables (including fiber optic cables), magnetic communication, electromagnetic communication (including RF, microwave and infrared communication), electronic communication, or other such means of communication.

[0078] It should also be noted that these embodiments may be described as processes depicted as flowcharts, flow diagrams, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of these operations can be executed in parallel or concurrently. Furthermore, the order of these operations can be rearranged.

[0079] The disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems should not be limited in any way. Rather, this disclosure covers all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments (individually and in various combinations and sub-combinations of each other). The disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems are not limited to any particular aspect or feature or combination thereof, and no disclosed embodiment is required to have any one or more specific advantages or to solve any particular or all technical problems.

[0080] This invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other modifications based on the teachings of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these modifications are within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A flight control system, characterized in that, include: The first actuator control electronics are configured to generate first control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. as well as The second actuator control electronics are configured to generate second control commands for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. The first actuator control electronics sends the first control command to the second actuator control electronics, and the second actuator control electronics sends the second control command to the first actuator control electronics. The first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics respectively select one of the first control command and the second control command based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics, as the output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces. When both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is at least partially based on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode, with the reliability of the normal mode being higher than that of the direct mode.

2. The flight control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The relative reliability is based, at least in part, on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

3. The flight control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In normal mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In direct mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals using stored control laws.

4. The flight control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

5. The flight control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first actuator control electronics monitors the operating mode and operating status of the first actuator control electronics and sends them to the second actuator control electronics; as well as The second actuator control electronics monitors the operating mode and operating status of the second actuator control electronics and sends them to the first actuator control electronics.

6. An actuator control electronic device, characterized in that, include: The instruction processing module generates a first control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. The instruction selection module receives the first control instruction and a second control instruction generated by another actuator control electronics for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces. as well as A redundancy management module generates a selection signal based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics. When both actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is at least partially based on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode. The normal mode has higher reliability than the direct mode. The instruction selection module selects one of the first control instruction and the second control instruction according to the selection signal, as the output control instruction of the actuator control electronics for controlling the aircraft control surfaces.

7. The actuator control electronic device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The relative reliability is based, at least in part, on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

8. The actuator control electronic device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, In normal mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In direct mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals using stored control laws.

9. The actuator control electronic device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, When both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

10. The actuator control electronic device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: A monitor, configured to monitor the operating mode and status of the actuator control electronics, The redundancy management module determines the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics based on the operating mode and operating state of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics.

11. A flight control method, characterized in that, include: The first actuator control electronics generates a first control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on cockpit operation signals. In the second actuator control electronics, a second control command is generated based on cockpit operation signals to control the same aircraft control surfaces; The first control command is sent from the first actuator control electronics to the second actuator control electronics; The second control command is sent from the second actuator control electronics to the first actuator control electronics; as well as The first control command and the second control command are selected from the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics, respectively, based on the relative reliability of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics, to serve as the output control command for controlling the aircraft control surfaces. When both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is at least partially based on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode, with the reliability of the normal mode being higher than that of the direct mode.

12. The flight control method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The relative reliability is based, at least in part, on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

13. The flight control method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, In normal mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In direct mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals using stored control laws.

14. The flight control method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, When both the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the first actuator control electronics and the second actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

15. The flight control method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: Monitor the operating mode and operating status of the first actuator control electronics and send them to the second actuator control electronics; as well as Monitor the operating mode and status of the second actuator control electronics and send them to the first actuator control electronics.

16. A method for controlling an actuator electronic device, characterized in that, include: The first control command for controlling the aircraft's control surfaces is generated based on cockpit operation signals. Receive a second control command generated by another actuator control electronics for controlling the same aircraft control surfaces; A selection signal is generated based on the relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics; and The first control command and the second control command are selected based on the selection signal to serve as the output control command for the actuator control electronics to control the aircraft control surfaces. When both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state, the relative reliability is at least partially based on the operating mode of the respective actuator control electronics, which includes a normal mode and a direct mode, with the normal mode having higher reliability than the direct mode.

17. The method for an actuator control electronic device as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The relative reliability is based, at least in part, on the operating state of the corresponding actuator control electronics, which includes an available state and a failed state, wherein the reliability of the available state is higher than that of the failed state.

18. The method for an actuator control electronic device as described in claim 16, characterized in that, In normal mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on control commands from the flight control computer and the cockpit operation signals. In direct mode, the corresponding actuator control electronics generate control commands for controlling the aircraft control surfaces based on the cockpit operation signals using stored control laws.

19. The method for an actuator control electronic device as described in claim 16, characterized in that, When both the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics are in an available state and have the same operating mode, the relative reliability is further based at least in part on the fact that one of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics is of higher reliability by default.

20. The method for an actuator control electronic device as described in claim 16, characterized in that, Also includes: Monitor the operating mode and operating status of the actuator control electronics; Receive the operating mode and operating status of the other actuator control electronics; as well as The relative reliability of the actuator control electronics and the other actuator control electronics is determined based on their operating modes and states.

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