Aircraft control method for side stick with front wheel cornering function

Abstract

The application provides an aircraft control method for a side stick with a front wheel turning function, wherein the aircraft control method comprises: the side stick is in a side stick mode from an initial state, and a function of a front wheel turning mode is locked, then the aircraft starts running, when it is detected that the aircraft is on the ground and a wheel speed of the aircraft is less than a first threshold, the front wheel turning mode of the side stick is activated, and the function of the side stick mode is locked, then whether the mode of the side stick is switched is detected; and when the aircraft runs, if it is detected that the aircraft is on the ground and the wheel speed of the aircraft is greater than the first threshold, or if it is detected that the aircraft is not on the ground, the side stick mode of the side stick is activated, and the function of the front wheel turning mode is locked, then whether the mode of the side stick is maintained is detected.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a kind of aircraft control method for side stick with front wheel turning function, specifically, it relates to the automatic switching between the front wheel turning mode of side stick and side stick mode in different operating scenarios of aircraft, and when required, allow pilot override or force initialization side stick, belong to the design field of manipulator of civil aircraft flight control system. BACKGROUND

[0002] It is the development trend of contemporary civil aircraft to realize aircraft pitch and roll attitude control by side stick. The traditional civil aircraft uses front wheel turning hand wheel and side stick as the input of the pilot (or operator) respectively, and converts the mechanical control of the pilot into electrical signal output to the corresponding aircraft onboard computer through displacement sensor, to realize the turning control of the aircraft on the ground and the attitude control in flight.

[0003] At present, the conventional front wheel landing gear turning hand wheel and side stick are used on civil aircraft, and the control logic is as follows:

[0004] Front wheel turning hand wheel: when the pilot turns the turning hand wheel, the position sensor in the hand wheel sends a turning control signal to the brake system control assembly, to control the aircraft turning.

[0005] Side stick: when the pilot manipulates the side stick, the position sensor in the side stick sends a pitch / roll signal to the flight control computer, to control the aircraft pitch / roll attitude.

[0006] However, the conventional front wheel turning hand wheel and side stick assembly arranged separately has the following disadvantages:

[0007] a) Usually divided into two devices, heavy in weight, and occupies more space. Due to the limited space on the side control console, it is difficult to find the optimal arrangement point for the side stick, front wheel turning hand wheel and side display, which may cause discomfort or interference to the pilot;

[0008] b) During the sliding, take-off and taxiing process of the aircraft, the pilot needs to move his hand from the hand wheel to the side stick for flight control, which brings inconvenience to the pilot's control;

[0009] c) The conventional wheel turning hand wheel and side stick respectively convert the mechanical control of the pilot into electrical signal through the displacement sensor inside the respective device, and output to the corresponding computer respectively, to realize the turning control of the aircraft on the ground and the attitude control in flight. This control method cannot meet the control requirements of the integrated side stick with front wheel turning function.

[0010] Considering that the design features of the conventional front wheel steering handwheel and the conventional separate layout of the side stick are not completely satisfactory, a control system for controlling an aircraft is proposed by BAE Systems plc.

[0011] The control system features a new control scheme based on the conventional passive side stick. Specifically, when the aircraft is in flight, the side stick pitch axis controls the aircraft pitch, and the side stick roll axis controls the aircraft roll; when the aircraft is on the ground, the side stick pitch axis controls the aircraft brakes, and the side stick roll axis controls the aircraft front wheel steering.

[0012] However, this integrated control mode is inconsistent with the conventional driving operation habits, making the driver uncomfortable or causing misoperation, resulting in safety risks for the aircraft.

[0013] Currently, the inventor's prior application (application number 202111576724.7) proposes an aircraft control device integrating front wheel steering function and side stick function, including: a support seat, a side stick control part, a steering control part, a locking device, and an actuator, wherein in the locked state, the steering control part cannot be pivoted relative to the side stick control part, so that the aircraft control device is in side stick mode, and in the released state, the steering control part can be pivoted relative to the side stick control part around the vertical axis Z, and the aircraft control device is in front wheel steering mode. This can save installation space and facilitate the pilot's operation, improve the efficiency of the operation, and improve the reliability of the operation.

[0014] The inventor's another prior application (application number 202111576292.X) proposes an aircraft control system, including: an aircraft state sensor, a processing system, and an aircraft control device as described above, wherein the processing system sends a locking control instruction to the locking device based on the state of the aircraft and the switch signal to control the operation of the locking device. This control system can improve the reliability of the aircraft control device.

[0015] However, based on the feedback of the actual driving of the aircraft by the pilot, it is hoped that on the basis of the aircraft control device of the above-mentioned application, different application scenarios are further added to allow the aircraft to automatically switch between the side stick mode and the front wheel steering mode, and the pilot is allowed to override or forcibly initialize the side stick when needed.

[0016] Therefore, there is still a need to further improve the function switching logic and function inhibition logic of the existing aircraft side stick. SUMMARY

[0017] In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present application proposes an aircraft control method based on the aircraft control device and the aircraft control system as applied for, which includes switching between the front wheel turning function of the side stick and the side stick function (pitching and rolling) and allowing the pilot to override or forcibly initialize the side stick when necessary to meet the pilot's driving control requirements in different operating scenarios.

[0018] To solve the above problems, the present application provides an aircraft control method for a side stick with a front wheel turning function, wherein the aircraft control method includes: the side stick is in a side stick mode from an initial state and the function of the front wheel turning mode is locked, then the aircraft starts operating, when it is detected that the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is less than a first threshold, the front wheel turning mode of the side stick is activated and the function of the side stick mode is locked, then it is detected whether the mode of the side stick is switched; and when the aircraft is operating, if it is detected that the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is greater than the first threshold or if it is detected that the aircraft is not on the ground, the side stick mode of the side stick is activated and the function of the front wheel turning mode is locked, then it is detected whether the mode of the side stick remains unchanged.

[0019] According to an aspect of the present application, during the activation of the front wheel turning mode of the side stick, when it is detected that the mode of the side stick is successfully switched, the pilot is prompted about the current mode and is allowed to manipulate the side stick to perform the front wheel turning operation.

[0020] According to an aspect of the present application, during the activation of the front wheel turning mode of the side stick, when it is detected that the mode of the side stick fails to switch, the pilot manually presses the front wheel turning switch of the side stick to perform the mode switching from the side stick mode of the side stick to the front wheel turning mode, then it is re-judged whether the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is less than the first threshold.

[0021] According to an aspect of the present application, if the number of times of pressing the front wheel turning switch reaches a preset value but the front wheel turning mode is still not successfully activated, the pilot is instructed to perform the override operation of the front wheel turning switch to forcibly make the side stick perform the mode switching, then it is re-judged whether the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is less than the first threshold.

[0022] According to an aspect of the present application, during the activation of the side stick mode of the side stick, when it is detected that the mode of the side stick remains unchanged, the pilot is prompted about the current mode and is allowed to manipulate the side stick to perform the pitching and / or rolling operation.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present application, when the side stick is activated in the side stick mode, if it is detected that the mode of the side stick fails to remain unchanged, the pilot manually presses the front wheel turning switch of the side stick, a mode switching from the front wheel turning mode of the side stick to the side stick mode is performed, and then it is re-judged whether the aircraft is on the ground and the wheel speed of the aircraft is less than the first threshold value.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present application, if the number of times of pressing the front wheel turning switch reaches a preset value but the side stick mode is still not successfully activated, the side stick is forcibly initialized to return to the initial state of the side stick, and then it is re-judged whether the aircraft is on the ground and the wheel speed of the aircraft is less than the first threshold value.

[0025] The control method of the present application has the advantage that the side stick mode and the front wheel turning mode of the side stick can be automatically switched based on the operating state of the aircraft;

[0026] Only when the aircraft meets certain conditions (when the aircraft is on the ground (satisfying conditions including but not limited to wheel load, wheel speed, height, etc.) and the wheel speed is less than the threshold value V0), the front wheel turning function of the side stick can be activated; otherwise, when the conditions do not meet the requirements, the side stick is automatically switched to its side stick mode.

[0027] When the automatic control mode fails to activate the front wheel turning function or maintain the side stick function according to the operating state of the aircraft, the pilot can start the corresponding function by pressing the front wheel turning switch;

[0028] When the pilot exceeds the preset number of times of pressing the switch but still does not respond, the flight control computer selectively provides the pilot with an instruction to "start override" or forcibly initializes the side stick according to the flight state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features and advantages of the present application can be obtained, a more particular description, briefly described above, can be had by reference to example embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be understood that the

[0030] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a control method of an aircraft according to a preferred embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The application will be further described below in connection with specific embodiments and drawings, in which more details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the application. It will be apparent, however, that the application can be practiced in a variety of ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the application as set forth in the claims. The application is not limited to the specific embodiments described below, but only to those described in the claims.

[0032] The aircraft typically comprises flight status sensors, an aircraft on-board processing system and an aircraft control device.

[0033] The flight status sensors are configured to sense information about the aircraft's ground speed, wheel rotation speed, distance from the ground, etc. and to send corresponding signals to the aircraft on-board processing system.

[0034] The aircraft on-board processing system is configured to determine, based on the signals from the flight status sensors, whether the aircraft is in a ground flight state or a ground state. The aircraft on-board processing system preferably comprises a flight control computer and a landing gear control computer. The flight control computer is configured to control the attitude of the aircraft, e.g. the pitch and roll attitude of the aircraft, when the aircraft is in flight. The landing gear control computer is configured to control the landing gear of the aircraft, e.g. the turning function of the front landing gear wheels, when the aircraft is on the ground.

[0035] The aircraft control device is, for example, a side stick of the application.

[0036] Figure 1 A flow chart of an aircraft control method 100 for a side stick of a preferred embodiment of the application is schematically shown.

[0037] In this method, first, from an initial state 101, the side stick is in a "side stick mode", as shown in step 103, wherein the side stick is only allowed to perform its side stick mode function, i.e. the rotation of the pitch and roll axes of the side stick is allowed, so that the pilot is able to control the pitch and roll attitude of the aircraft via the side stick, while the "front wheel turning mode" function of the side stick is locked, i.e. the rotation of the turning axis of the side stick is locked.

[0038] Subsequently, the aircraft starts running and enters step 105, in which the flight control computer monitors the flight status of the aircraft in real time when the aircraft is running.

[0039] The method 100 then proceeds to step 107, in which the flight control computer determines, based on the aforementioned signals from the flight status sensors, whether the aircraft is on the ground, i.e. whether the aircraft is in a ground flight state or a ground state.

[0040] If the result of the step 107 is "Yes", the method 100 proceeds to step 109 to further determine whether the aircraft wheel speed is less than a predetermined threshold value V0.

[0041] If the result of the step 109 is "Yes", the aircraft speed is low, which means the aircraft is in the low speed running phase of the ground taxiing state, then the method 100 proceeds to step 111.

[0042] The method 100 enters the first application scenario at step 111, which includes activating the front wheel turning mode of the side stick and locking the function of the side stick mode, i.e., allowing the rotation of the turning axis of the side stick and locking the rotation of the pitch axis and roll axis of the side stick. At this time, the pilot can control the turning of the nose landing gear wheels and the synchronous turning of the main landing gear steering wheels by using the front wheel turning mode of the side stick.

[0043] The method 100 then proceeds to step 113, and the flight control computer determines whether the function mode of the side stick has been switched through the aforementioned signals from the aircraft state sensor.

[0044] If the result of the step 113 is "Yes", the method 100 proceeds to step 115, and the flight control computer prompts the pilot of the current mode of the side stick, i.e., the front wheel turning mode, then the method 100 proceeds to step 117 to allow the pilot to manipulate the side stick (handle) to perform the front wheel turning operation. Subsequently, at steps 119, 121, the landing gear control computer sends instructions to control the front wheel turning according to the front wheel turning position sensor signals from the front wheel turning position sensor group.

[0045] If the result of the step 113 is "No", which means that the mode of the side stick fails to switch, then the method 100 proceeds to step 123, and the pilot can manipulate the front wheel turning switch of the side stick to switch the mode of the side stick, i.e., by manually pressing the front wheel turning switch to send a switching instruction to switch from the side stick mode to the front wheel turning mode.

[0046] At the same time, at step 125, the number of times the pilot presses the front wheel turning switch is collected by a counter, i.e., every time the pilot presses the front wheel turning switch, the value of the counter +1, then the method 100 proceeds to step 127 to determine whether the value of the counter exceeds a predetermined value N, i.e., whether the cycle of continuously pressing the front wheel turning switch without switching the mode after pressing the front wheel turning switch exceeds N times.

[0047] If the result of the determination at step 127 is "No", it means that the front wheel steering mode has been successfully activated within N presses of the switch, i.e. the sidestick mode is switched to the front wheel steering mode. Then the method 100 can return to step 105 to determine again whether the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is less than the threshold V0.

[0048] If the result of the determination at step 127 is "Yes", it means that the front wheel steering mode has not been successfully activated within N presses of the switch, then the method 100 proceeds to step 129 where the flight control computer provides a pilot with a prompt signal (e.g. not limited to an icon, an indicator light, a prompt sound, a voice, etc.) of "using override", and the method 100 proceeds to step 131 where the pilot is instructed to perform an override operation (e.g. long press the front wheel steering switch) of the front wheel steering switch to force the sidestick to perform the mode conversion, i.e. the sidestick mode is switched to the front wheel steering mode. Then the method 100 can return to step 105 to determine again whether the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the wheels of the aircraft is less than the threshold V0.

[0049] Then the method 100 proceeds to step 153 where the state of the aircraft is changed accordingly in response to the control instructions of the landing gear control computer and the aircraft control computer.

[0050] Now back to steps 107 and 109. If the result of the determination at step 107 is "No", or if the result of the determination at step 109 is "No", the method 100 proceeds to step 133.

[0051] Wherein the result of the determination at step 107 is "No" means that the aircraft is already in the flight phase; the result of the determination at step 109 is "No" means that the speed of the aircraft is higher than the threshold speed V0, i.e. the flight is in the high speed phase of preparing for take-off.

[0052] The method 100 enters a second application scenario at step 133, including activating the sidestick mode of the sidestick and locking the function of the front wheel steering mode, at this time, the pilot can control the pitch attitude and roll attitude of the aircraft by using the sidestick mode of the sidestick.

[0053] In the preferred embodiment, the method 100 further proceeds to step 135 where the flight control computer determines whether the function mode of the sidestick has been switched by the aforementioned signals from the aircraft state sensors.

[0054] If the result of the determination at step 135 is "yes", the method 100 proceeds to step 137, the flight control computer prompts the pilot to the current mode of the side stick operation, i.e. the side stick mode, and then the method 100 proceeds to step 139, the pilot is allowed to manipulate the side stick (handle) to perform the operation of the nose wheel turn. Subsequently, at steps 141, 143, the flight control computer issues the command to manipulate the pitch / roll of the aircraft according to the pitch / roll position sensor signals from the pitch / roll position sensor set.

[0055] If the result of the determination at step 135 is "no", it means that the mode of the side stick fails to maintain unchanged, which implies that the mode of the side stick is accidentally changed to the nose wheel turn description. Then the method 100 proceeds to step 145, the pilot can manipulate the nose wheel turn switch of the side stick to switch the mode of the side stick, i.e. by manually pressing the nose wheel turn switch to issue the switching command from the nose wheel turn mode of the side stick to the side stick mode.

[0056] Meanwhile, at step 147, the number of times that the pilot presses the nose wheel turn switch is counted by a counter, i.e. every time the pilot presses the nose wheel turn switch, the value of the counter is incremented by 1, and then the method 100 proceeds to step 149 to determine whether the value of the counter exceeds another preset value N, i.e. whether the cycle of continuously pressing the nose wheel turn switch without switching the mode after pressing the nose wheel turn switch exceeds N times.

[0057] If the result of the determination at step 149 is "no", it means that the side stick mode is successfully activated within N times of pressing the switch, i.e. from the nose wheel turn mode of the side stick to the side stick mode. Then the method 100 can return to step 105 to re-determine whether the aircraft is on the ground and the wheel speed of the aircraft is less than the threshold value V0.

[0058] If the result of the determination at step 149 is "yes", it means that the nose wheel turn mode is not successfully activated within N times of pressing the switch, and then the method 100 proceeds to step 151, the flight control computer forces to initialize the side stick to return to the initial state of the side stick at step 101. Then the re-determination of whether the aircraft is on the ground and the wheel speed of the aircraft is less than the threshold value V0 is performed again, and the method 100 is re-executed until the aircraft state is changed in response to the control command of the landing gear control computer and the aircraft control computer at step 154.

[0059] While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that the disclosed subject matter can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit and essential characteristics.

[0060] The present disclosure also includes various modifications, variations, and equivalents thereof. In addition, various combinations, permutations, and further combinations, further including one or more other elements, are also within the scope of the disclosure.

[0061] Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and are not to be construed as limiting the application in any way.

Claims

1. A side-stick-based access control method for an aircraft with a side-stick-based steering function, characterized in that, The aircraft control method includes: The side stick is initially in side stick mode, and the front wheel turning mode is locked. The aircraft then begins operation. When the aircraft is in operation, upon detecting that the aircraft is on the ground and that the aircraft's wheel speed is less than a first threshold, the front wheel turning mode of the side stick is activated, and the side stick mode function is locked. Subsequently, it is detected whether the side stick mode has switched. When the aircraft is running, if it is detected that the aircraft is on the ground and the speed of the aircraft's wheels is greater than a first threshold, or if it is detected that the aircraft is not on the ground, the side stick mode is activated and the function of the front wheel turning mode is locked. Then, it is checked whether the side stick mode remains unchanged. During the activation of the side stick mode, if the side stick mode fails to remain unchanged, the pilot manually presses the front wheel steering switch on the side stick to switch from the front wheel steering mode to the side stick mode. Subsequently, the system reassesses whether the aircraft is on the ground and whether the aircraft's wheel speed is less than a first threshold. If the number of times the front wheel turn switch is pressed reaches a preset value but the side stick mode is still not successfully activated, the side stick is forcibly initialized, returning to the initial state of the side stick. Then, it is re-determined whether the aircraft is on the ground and whether the aircraft's wheel speed is less than a first threshold.

2. The aircraft control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the activation of the front wheel turning mode by the side stick, when a successful mode switch of the side stick is detected, the pilot is prompted with the current mode, allowing the pilot to manipulate the side stick to perform a front wheel turning operation.

3. The aircraft control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the activation of the front wheel turning mode on the side stick, if the side stick fails to switch modes, the pilot manually presses the front wheel turning switch on the side stick to perform a mode switch from the side stick mode to the front wheel turning mode, and then reassesses whether the aircraft is on the ground and whether the aircraft's wheel speed is less than a first threshold.

4. The aircraft control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, If the number of times the front wheel turn switch is pressed reaches a preset value but the front wheel turn mode is still not successfully activated, the pilot is instructed to perform an over-control operation on the front wheel turn switch to force the side stick to switch modes. Then, the aircraft is reassessed to determine whether it is on the ground and whether the aircraft's wheel speed is less than a first threshold.

5. The aircraft control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the activation of the sidestick mode, if the sidestick mode is detected to remain unchanged, the pilot is prompted with the current mode, allowing the pilot to manipulate the sidestick to perform pitch and / or roll operations.

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