Control surface jamming devices for aircraft, as well as control surface jamming testing methods and systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a control surface jamming device for an aircraft, as well as a control surface jamming test method and system. The control surface jamming device includes: a human-machine interface device comprising a plurality of discrete switches operable by a pilot to provide input indicating a control surface jamming angle requiring a test flight; and a control surface jamming excitation device configured to: receive a combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from a flight control computer; and to instruct the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command based on the combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and the control surface angle signal from the flight control computer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of aviation applications, and more specifically to control surface jamming devices for aircraft (especially aircraft with digital fly-by-wire flight control systems) and control surface jamming test methods and systems. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, aviation regulations require that an aircraft maintain its maneuverability for safe flight and its ability to land safely even after its control surfaces become jammed. Therefore, designing a device that allows the aircraft's control surfaces to deflect to the Normal Encountered Position (NEP) and then be fixed to simulate jamming is a challenge in conducting control surface jamming flight tests, especially for aircraft using digital full-authority fly-by-wire control systems.

[0003] This disclosure addresses, but is not limited to, the many factors mentioned above. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address this, this disclosure provides a novel control surface locking device. This control surface locking device can automatically determine the timing of control surface locking command injection based on the current control surface position and the state of discrete switches. If the difference between the current control surface position and the required locking angle is within a predetermined range, it automatically sends a control surface locking function call command to the flight control computer, thereby achieving automated identification and injection of control surface locking commands. The control surface locking command is generated by the flight control computer, thereby replacing the control surface control commands issued by the control law under the injection conditions, thus enabling its use in aircraft with digital fly-by-wire flight control systems. This control surface locking device is particularly suitable for various aircraft using flight control systems employing digital bus communication, i.e., aircraft using digital fly-by-wire flight control systems. This control surface locking device simplifies pilot operation and achieves autonomous identification and automated injection of control surface locking commands during the control surface locking signal injection phase. Furthermore, the control surface locking command can be generated internally by the flight control computer, which can ensure the security level of the control surface locking signal through the internal monitoring / architecture of the flight control computer, improving safety.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a control surface braking device for an aircraft is provided, comprising: a human-machine interface device including a plurality of discrete switches operable by a pilot to provide input indicating a control surface braking angle requiring a test flight; and a control surface braking excitation device configured to: receive a combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from a flight control computer; and to notify the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command based on the combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and the control surface angle signal from the flight control computer.

[0006] According to one embodiment, instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command based on a combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from the flight control computer includes: calculating the control surface jamming angle to be tested based on the combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches; and if the calculated control surface jamming angle to be tested is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, then instructing the flight control computer to generate the control surface jamming command.

[0007] According to another embodiment, calculating the control surface jamming angle to be tested based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches includes looking up the control surface jamming angle corresponding to the combined signals from a pre-stored table.

[0008] According to another embodiment, the pre-stored table varies depending on the jamming conditions required for the test flight.

[0009] According to another embodiment, if the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for test flight and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, it is considered that the calculated control surface jamming angle required for test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment, the predetermined range is [-1°, 1°].

[0011] According to another embodiment, notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command includes transmitting a control surface jamming function call command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer generates the control surface jamming command based on the control surface jamming function call command.

[0012] According to another embodiment, the human-machine interface device further includes an injection switch for providing an injection signal to the flight control computer, the injection signal being used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the control surface blocking angle required for the test flight, and wherein the injection switch provides the injection signal to the flight control computer when it is turned on.

[0013] According to another embodiment, notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command further includes sending a control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer determines, based on the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command, that it is necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for execution of control surface jamming.

[0014] According to another embodiment, the number of the plurality of discrete switches is set based on the number of control surface jamming states that need to be tested during flight.

[0015] According to another embodiment, the control surface jamming command causes the flight control computer to switch the flight control system control command from the control law command to the control surface jamming command to execute the control surface jamming.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the control surface includes one or more of an elevator, ailerons, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and spoiler.

[0017] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for testing control surface jamming of an aircraft is provided, comprising: receiving a combined signal from a plurality of discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from a flight control computer; instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command based on the combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and the control surface angle signal from the flight control computer; and switching the flight control system control command from a control law command to the control surface jamming command.

[0018] According to one embodiment, instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command based on a combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from the flight control computer includes: calculating the control surface jamming angle to be tested based on the combined signal from the plurality of discrete switches; and if the calculated control surface jamming angle to be tested is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, then instructing the flight control computer to generate the control surface jamming command.

[0019] According to another embodiment, if the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for test flight and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, it is considered that the calculated control surface jamming angle required for test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer.

[0020] According to yet another embodiment, the predetermined range is [-1°, 1°].

[0021] According to another embodiment, notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command includes transmitting a control surface jamming function call command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer generates the control surface jamming command based on the control surface jamming function call command.

[0022] According to another embodiment, the method further includes sending an injection signal to the flight control computer, the injection signal being used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the control surface braking angle required for the test flight.

[0023] According to another embodiment, notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command further includes sending a control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer determines, based on the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command, that it is necessary to switch the control system control command from the control law command to the control surface jamming command, thereby causing the control surface jamming command to be sent to the actuator for execution of control surface jamming.

[0024] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a system for testing the control surface jamming of an aircraft is provided, comprising the control surface jamming device according to a first aspect of this disclosure and a flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer is capable of generating control surface jamming commands in response to a notification from the control surface jamming device.

[0025] The aspects generally include, as substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and as explained by the drawings, methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, and processing systems.

[0026] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the examples according to this disclosure so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described thereafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily used as the basis for modifying or designing other structures for implementing the same purposes as this disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, in both their organization and manner of operation, and their associated advantages, will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and does not define any limitation on the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features described above in this disclosure, reference can be made to various aspects of the above-briefly summarized content, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as other equivalent aspects are permissible in this description. Identical reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a control surface locking device for an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method for testing the control surface jamming of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example system for testing the control surface jamming of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0031] Figure 4 An example result diagram of the test results of the control surface jamming device of this disclosure being tested in conjunction with the test bench is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Civil aviation regulation CCAR25.671(c) stipulates that: "It must be demonstrated by analysis, testing, or both, that within the normal flight envelope, in the event of any of the following failures of the flight control system and control surfaces (including trim, lift, drag, and feel systems), including jamming, the aircraft can continue to fly and land safely without special piloting skills or physical exertion. The potential failure must have only a minor impact and must be easily manageable by the pilot." To demonstrate compliance with this airworthiness regulation, flight tests are generally conducted to demonstrate that the aircraft possesses the maneuverability to continue safe flight and the ability to land safely after control surface jamming.

[0033] The inventors recognized that for aircraft using digital full-authority fly-by-wire flight control systems (e.g., commercial aircraft), digital buses are used between cockpit controls and flight control electronics, as well as between flight control electronics and actuators. This makes it impossible to input analog jamming signals to the flight control electronics, thus preventing jamming flight tests (i.e., jamming tests). On the other hand, traditional fly-by-wire aircraft control surface jamming devices typically employ a rotating variable differential transformer (RVDT) position signal generator. This generator generates control surface jamming commands through precise manual adjustment, which are then directly superimposed on analog control signals to fix the control surface position (simulating jamming). However, such devices require significant pilot effort to precisely adjust the control surface jamming position, increasing the pilot's workload and the risk of control surface jamming flight tests.

[0034] To address this, this disclosure proposes a novel control surface locking device. This control surface locking device can automatically determine the timing of control surface locking command injection based on the current control surface position and the state of discrete switches (at the human-machine interface). If the difference between the current control surface position and the required locking angle is within a predetermined range, a control surface locking function call command is automatically sent to the flight control computer, thereby achieving automatically identified control surface locking command injection. The control surface locking command can be generated by the flight control computer (to improve safety), thereby replacing the control surface control commands issued by the control law under the injection conditions, thus enabling its use in modern mainstream digital fly-by-wire flight control systems.

[0035] The detailed description that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details.

[0036] refer to Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic of a control surface locking device 100 for an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the control surface jamming device 100 may include a human-machine interface device 102 and a control surface jamming excitation device 104, wherein the human-machine interface device 102 is used to provide input to the control surface jamming excitation device 104, as shown by arrow 106.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the human-computer interaction device 102 may include a plurality of discrete switches ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the diagram), these discrete switches can be operated by the pilot to provide input indicating the control surface braking angle required for a test flight. Those skilled in the art will understand that the discrete switches can be in two states, on and off, providing two different discrete inputs (i.e., logic "0" and "1"). For example, in one example, the human-machine interface 102 may include ten discrete switches, each with a state that can be represented by 0 or 1. Thus, the pilot can provide two... 10 Different combinations of switch states are used to represent different control surface jamming states for the desired test flight. Pilots can input control surface jamming states with different control surfaces and different jamming angles by operating combinations of discrete switches.

[0039] Continue to refer to Figure 1 The control surface braking excitation device 104 can also communicate bidirectionally with the aircraft's flight control computer, as shown by arrow 108. In one embodiment, the control surface braking excitation device 104 can be configured to receive a combined signal (as shown by arrow 106) from the human-machine interface device 102 (specifically, a plurality of discrete switches) and a control surface angle signal from the flight control computer (as shown by arrow 108). Subsequently, the control surface braking excitation device 104 can instruct the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command (as shown by arrow 110) based on the combined signal and the control surface angle signal.

[0040] In one embodiment, to notify the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command based on a combined signal from multiple discrete switches and a control surface angle signal from the flight control computer, the control surface braking excitation device 104 can notify the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command when the actual control surface angle of the aircraft reaches the braking angle required for test flight, thereby causing the control surfaces to brake. For example, the control surface braking excitation 104 can first calculate the control surface braking angle required for test flight based on the combined signal from multiple discrete switches, and continuously compare the calculated control surface braking angle required for test flight with the control surface angle from the flight control computer. If the calculated control surface braking angle required for test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, the control surface braking excitation 104 can notify the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command.

[0041] In a further embodiment of this disclosure, the calculation of the control surface jamming angle requiring flight testing can be performed in any suitable manner. For example, the control surface jamming excitation 104 can use a combined signal from multiple discrete switches as a key to look up the control surface jamming angle corresponding to the combined signal in a pre-stored table. Those skilled in the art will understand that various jamming conditions requiring flight testing can exist; therefore, to reduce the size of the tables, different tables can be set for different jamming conditions requiring flight testing. For example, a first table can be for different jamming conditions of the elevator; a second table can be for different jamming conditions of the aileron; and so on. Alternatively, a certain number of discrete switches can be used to identify the corresponding control surface, while the remaining discrete switches are used to identify the required jamming angle. Those skilled in the art will understand that any suitable method can be used to provide the required jamming state through discrete switches, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0042] In another embodiment of this disclosure, considering tolerance, if the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for flight testing and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, then the calculated control surface jamming angle required for flight testing can be considered equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the predetermined range can be any suitable range, such as [-1°, 1°].

[0043] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the control surface braking excitation device 104 can transmit a control surface braking function call command to the flight control computer, thereby instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface braking command. Upon receiving the control surface braking function call command, the flight control computer can generate the control surface braking command accordingly. Further according to this embodiment, to improve safety, the human-machine interface device 102 may optionally include an injection switch for providing an injection signal to the flight control computer, as shown by the dashed arrow 114. In this embodiment, the injection signal is used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the required control surface braking angle. For example, after the pilot inputs the required control surface braking angle through a discrete switch, the pilot also needs to turn on the injection switch to provide the injection signal to the flight control computer, instructing the flight control computer to conduct the test flight at the required control surface braking angle.

[0044] In a further preferred embodiment, as a supplement to the control surface jamming function call command, the control surface jamming excitation device 104 also sends a control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer, as shown by the dashed arrow 112. In this embodiment, the flight control computer can determine whether it is necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for control surface jamming based on the injection signal (logic 0 or 1) and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command (logic 0 or 1). For example, in a preferred embodiment, if both the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command are logic 1 (logic high), the flight control computer can determine that it is indeed necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for control surface jamming. Thus, in this embodiment, the use of both the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command can further improve the safety and signal integrity of control surface jamming, thereby enhancing flight safety.

[0045] Another advantage of providing injection signals and discrete control surface jamming injection commands is that, in the event of a sudden or emergency requiring immediate interruption of the flight test, the pilot can disconnect the injection state by manipulating the injection switch on the human-machine interface 102, thereby enabling the flight control computer to automatically cut off the injection of control surface jamming commands. Alternatively, the pilot can change the combination state of the discrete switches on the human-machine interface 102, allowing the control surface jamming excitation device 104 to calculate the required (i.e., pilot-input) change in the control surface jamming angle, thereby cutting off the discrete control surface jamming injection commands and ultimately cutting off the injection of control surface jamming commands. When the control surface jamming command is cut off, the flight control computer switches the flight control system control commands from the control surface jamming command to control law commands, so that the aircraft can be normally controlled and flown without human jamming (i.e., without jamming applied through the control surface jamming device).

[0046] In one embodiment of this disclosure, notifying the flight control computer to generate the control surface jamming command means that the flight control computer is responsible for generating the control surface jamming command. This is advantageous because generating the control surface jamming command internally within the flight control computer allows the security level of the control surface jamming signal to be guaranteed through the monitoring / architecture within the flight control computer, thereby increasing security. Further according to this embodiment, the control surface jamming command can be generated in an independent module (e.g., a flight test function module) within the flight control computer. In this embodiment, this independent module is responsible for receiving notifications from the control surface jamming excitation device (including the aforementioned control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command and control surface jamming function call command) and injection signals from the injection switch, and only uses the generated control surface jamming command to replace the control surface control command issued by the control law when the injection conditions are met (i.e., both the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command are logic high), thereby realizing the control surface jamming function.

[0047] The following describes the steps of conducting a control surface braking test flight using a control surface braking device (such as control surface braking device 100) using aileron braking as an example. First, the control surface braking excitation device (such as...) is activated via a human-machine interface (such as human-machine interface 102). Figure 1 The control surface jamming excitation device 104 sends status information (such as combined signals from discrete switches); the control surface jamming excitation device starts operating and continuously makes judgments on whether to issue a notification; the cockpit test personnel (e.g., pilots) manipulate the aircraft to perform coordinated sideslip, and when the aileron angle is consistent with the angle to be tested (i.e., the angle indicated by the status information sent through the human-machine interface), the control surface jamming excitation device drives (i.e. notifies) the flight control computer (e.g., the independent flight test function module included in the flight control computer) to complete the injection of control surface jamming commands.

[0048] Figure 4 Figure 4 shows an example result of a test conducted on the control surface locking device of this disclosure and a test bench. As shown, this verifies the effectiveness of the control surface locking device. Figure 4 In the diagram, the yellow line represents the required aileron locking angle, the blue and green lines represent the feedback positions of the two actuators on the left aileron, and the red line represents the activation signal of the control surface locking function. As can be seen from the diagram, the feedback positions of both actuators on the left aileron are consistent with the required locking angle (within 0.2 degrees of error), therefore the control surface locking device is effective.

[0049] Continue to refer to Figure 1 In another embodiment of this disclosure, the number of discrete switches included in the human-machine interaction device 102 is set based on the number of control surface jamming states that need to be tested, such as 7, 8, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0050] In another embodiment of this disclosure, when the flight control computer applies the control surface jamming command, it causes the flight control computer to switch the flight control system control command from the control law command to the control surface jamming command, thereby executing the control surface jamming.

[0051] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, the control surfaces described herein may include any suitable control surfaces, such as one or more of an elevator, aileron, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and spoiler.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will understand that, although Figure 1 The diagram shows that the human-machine interface device 102 and the control surface braking excitation device 104 are separate, but they can be located in one place or integrated together.

[0053] The following is for reference. Figure 2 It shows a flowchart of a control surface jamming test method 200 for aircraft.

[0054] As shown in the figure, method 200 may include, in block 210, receiving combined signals from multiple discrete switches and control surface angle signals from a flight control computer. For example, combining... Figure 1 The pilot can operate multiple discrete switches on the human-machine interface device 102 to provide input; at the same time, the flight control computer can continuously transmit the current actual control surface angle to the control surface blocking device 100.

[0055] Subsequently, in box 220, method 200 may include instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface jamming command based on the received combined signal and control surface angle signal.

[0056] In one embodiment, instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface locking command based on the received combined signal and control surface angle signal may include instructing the flight control computer to generate a control surface locking command when the actual control surface angle of the aircraft reaches the locking angle required for test flight, so as to cause the control surfaces to lock. For example, combining Figure 1 Method 200 may optionally include the following steps: the control surface jamming excitation 104 first calculates the control surface jamming angle to be tested based on the combined signals from multiple discrete switches, and continuously compares the calculated control surface jamming angle to be tested with the control surface angle from the flight control computer; if the calculated control surface jamming angle to be tested is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, the flight control computer can be notified to generate a control surface jamming command.

[0057] In another embodiment of this disclosure, considering tolerance, if the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for flight testing and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, then the calculated control surface jamming angle required for flight testing can be considered equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the predetermined range can be any suitable range, such as [-1°, 1°].

[0058] In one embodiment of this disclosure, notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface locking command may include transmitting a control surface locking function call command to the flight control computer, thereby notifying the flight control computer to generate a control surface locking command. Upon receiving the control surface locking function call command, the flight control computer can generate the control surface locking command accordingly. Further according to this embodiment, to improve safety, the flight control computer also determines whether the control surface locking command is indeed necessary to execute before applying it. For this purpose, method 200 may optionally include receiving an injection signal from an injection switch. For example, in conjunction with... Figure 1 The human-machine interface device 102 may optionally include an injection switch for providing an injection signal to the flight control computer, as shown by the dashed arrow 110. In this embodiment, the injection signal is used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the required control surface locking angle. For example, after the pilot inputs the required control surface locking angle through a discrete switch, the pilot also needs to turn on the injection switch to provide the injection signal to the flight control computer, thereby informing the flight control computer to conduct the test flight at the required control surface locking angle.

[0059] In a further preferred embodiment, to further improve safety and signal integrity, method 200 may optionally include receiving a discrete quantity command for injecting control surface jamming. For example, combined with Figure 1 As a supplement to the control surface jamming function call command, the control surface jamming excitation device 104 also sends a control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer. In this embodiment, the flight control computer can determine whether it is necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for control surface jamming based on the injection signal (logic 0 or 1) and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command (logic 0 or 1). For example, in a preferred embodiment, if both the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command are logic 1 (logic high), the flight control computer can determine that it is indeed necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for control surface jamming. Thus, in this embodiment, the use of both the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command can further improve the safety and signal integrity of control surface jamming, thereby enhancing flight safety.

[0060] Another advantage of providing injection signals and discrete control surface jamming injection commands is that, in the event of a sudden or emergency requiring immediate interruption of the flight test, the pilot can disconnect the injection state by manipulating the injection switch on the human-machine interface 102, thereby enabling the flight control computer to automatically cut off the injection of control surface jamming commands. Alternatively, the pilot can change the combination state of the discrete switches on the human-machine interface 102, allowing the control surface jamming excitation device 104 to calculate the required (i.e., pilot-input) change in the control surface jamming angle, thereby cutting off the discrete control surface jamming injection commands and ultimately cutting off the injection of control surface jamming commands. When the control surface jamming command is cut off, the flight control computer switches the flight control system control commands from the control surface jamming command to control law commands, so that the aircraft can be normally controlled and flown without human jamming (i.e., without jamming applied through the control surface jamming device).

[0061] Finally, in box 230, method 200 may include switching the flight control system control commands from control law commands to control surface latching commands. For example, when the flight control computer determines that a latching test flight is indeed necessary, it may execute control surface latching commands to drive the actuators to latch the control surfaces at the desired angle.

[0062] Furthermore, after the test flight is completed, method 200 may also include disengaging the control surface jamming command to switch the flight control system control commands back to control law commands. For example, the pilot may disconnect the injection switch, thereby disengaging the control surface control commands.

[0063] refer to Figure 3 The diagram shows an example system 300 for testing the control surface jamming of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] As shown in the figure, system 300 may include a rudder surface locking device 301 (such as a combination of...) Figure 1 The control surface braking device 100 and flight control computer 303 are shown and described. In various embodiments, the flight control computer 303 can generate and apply control surface braking commands in response to notifications from the control surface braking device 301.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, to improve safety, communication between the human-machine interface device 102, the control surface braking excitation device 104, and the flight control computer is achieved through an airborne bus network (such as ARINC), which will not be described in detail here.

[0066] As described above, this disclosure allows for the addition of an independent flight test function module to the flight control computer. This module can directly generate control surface braking commands within the flight control computer based on the call command from the control surface braking device. When applying the generated control surface braking command, the flight control computer determines whether the command is indeed necessary based on the injection signal from the injection switch and the control surface braking injection discrete quantity command from the control surface braking device. Thus, the control surface braking device of this disclosure can be applied to digital fly-by-wire flight control systems and significantly improves safety.

[0067] The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that can be practiced by way of illustration. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples may include elements other than those shown or described. However, examples including the shown or described elements are also contemplated. Furthermore, examples of any combination or arrangement of those elements shown or described are contemplated, or with reference to specific examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein, or with reference to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0068] In the appended claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended, meaning that a system, apparatus, article of manufacture, or process containing elements other than those listed after such terms in a claim is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Furthermore, in the appended claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as designations and are not intended to indicate a numerical order of their contents.

[0069] Furthermore, the order of operations described in this specification is exemplary. In alternative embodiments, the operations may be performed in a different order than that shown in the accompanying drawings, and the operations may be combined into a single operation or broken down into more operations.

[0070] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the examples described above (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in conjunction with other embodiments. Other embodiments may be used by those skilled in the art after reviewing the above description. The abstract allows the reader to quickly determine the nature of this technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted and it is understood that it is not intended to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to make this disclosure flow smoothly. However, the claims may not state every feature disclosed herein, as embodiments may characterize a subset of said features. Furthermore, embodiments may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Therefore, the appended claims are thus incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim existing independently as a separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments disclosed herein should be determined by reference to the full scope of the appended claims and equivalents of such claims.

Claims

1. A control surface locking device for an aircraft, comprising: The human-machine interface device includes multiple discrete switches that can be operated by the pilot to provide input indicating the control surface braking angle required for a test flight. as well as The rudder surface jamming excitation device is configured to: Receive combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches; It continuously receives control surface angle signals from the flight control computer; as well as Based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches and the control surface angle signal from the flight control computer, the flight control computer is notified to generate a control surface locking command, including: The control surface jamming angle to be tested is calculated based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches. as well as The calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight is continuously compared with the control surface angle from the flight control computer. If the calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, the flight control computer is notified to generate the control surface jamming command.

2. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Calculating the control surface jamming angle to be tested based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches includes looking up the control surface jamming angle corresponding to the combined signals from a pre-stored table.

3. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pre-stored tables vary depending on the jamming conditions required for the test flight.

4. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, it is considered that the calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer.

5. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The predetermined range is [-1°, 1°].

6. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The notification to the flight control computer to generate control surface jamming instructions includes transmitting a control surface jamming function call instruction to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer generates control surface jamming instructions based on the control surface jamming function call instruction.

7. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The human-machine interface device further includes an injection switch for providing an injection signal to the flight control computer. The injection signal is used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the control surface blocking angle required for the test flight, and wherein the injection switch provides the injection signal to the flight control computer when it is turned on.

8. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The notification to the flight control computer to generate the control surface jamming command also includes sending the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer determines, based on the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command, that it is necessary to send the generated control surface jamming command to the actuator for execution of control surface jamming.

9. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of discrete switches is set based on the number of control surface jamming states that need to be tested during flight.

10. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control surface jamming command causes the flight control computer to switch the flight control system control commands from control law commands to the control surface jamming command to execute the control surface jamming.

11. The rudder surface locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control surfaces include one or more of the following: elevator, aileron, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and spoiler.

12. A method for testing the jamming resistance of control surfaces of an aircraft, comprising: Receives combined signals from multiple discrete switches; It continuously receives control surface angle signals from the flight control computer; Based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches and the control surface angle signal from the flight control computer, the flight control computer is notified to generate a control surface locking command, including: The required control surface jamming angle for flight testing is calculated based on the combined signals from the plurality of discrete switches; and The calculated control surface braking angle required for the test flight is continuously compared with the control surface angle from the flight control computer. If the calculated control surface braking angle required for the test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer, the flight control computer is notified to generate the control surface braking command. Switch the flight control system control commands from control law commands to the control surface jamming commands.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, If the difference between the calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight and the control surface angle from the flight control computer is within a predetermined range, it is considered that the calculated control surface jamming angle required for the test flight is equal to the control surface angle from the flight control computer.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The predetermined range is [-1°, 1°].

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The notification to the flight control computer to generate control surface jamming instructions includes transmitting a control surface jamming function call instruction to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer generates control surface jamming instructions based on the control surface jamming function call instruction.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, It also includes sending an injection signal to the flight control computer, the injection signal being used to instruct the flight control computer to control the aircraft to conduct a test flight at the control surface braking angle required for the test flight.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The notification to the flight control computer to generate the control surface jamming command also includes sending the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command to the flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer determines, based on the injection signal and the control surface jamming injection discrete quantity command, that it is necessary to switch the control system control command from the control law command to the control surface jamming command, thereby causing the control surface jamming command to be sent to the actuator for execution of control surface jamming.

18. A system for testing control surface jamming of an aircraft, comprising a control surface jamming device according to any one of claims 1-11 and a flight control computer, wherein the flight control computer is capable of generating control surface jamming commands in response to a notification from the control surface jamming device.

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