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

Abstract

The present application discloses a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, relating to the field of aircraft control technology. The flight control device includes: a control system; a main manipulator, configured to receive control information input by a pilot; a backup manipulator, relatively independent from the main manipulator, configured to receive control information input by the pilot; the control system is configured to identify a target manipulator from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to the control information received from the target manipulator, and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction. Through the above scheme, the present application can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control and improve the safety of aircraft control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of aircraft control technology, and in particular to a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Background Art

[0002] In order to solve urban traffic problems, develop green transportation, achieve energy conservation and emission reduction, and alleviate traffic congestion, the use of eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft has become one of the options for the next generation of urban transportation solutions.

[0003] Existing eVTOL cockpits generally adopt a cockpit layout with a single joystick and a single speed lever. Although the joystick and speed lever adopt a redundant design, they cannot effectively guarantee safety in the event of common mode failure.

[0004] At the same time, eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously realize rotor configuration, fixed-wing configuration, and the transition stage between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design of control equipment for fixed-wing configuration and rotor configuration is different, so the control methods for fixed-wing configuration and rotor configuration are different.

[0005] Therefore, the existing control methods of eVTOL aircraft have the problems of high control complexity and insufficient aircraft control safety.

[0006] The above content is only used to assist in understanding the technical solution of this application and does not constitute an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The main purpose of this application is to provide a flight control device, an aircraft control method and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, aiming to solve the technical problems of the existing eVTOL aircraft control method, which has high complexity in eVTOL aircraft control and insufficient aircraft control safety.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present application proposes a flight control device, comprising:

[0009] control systems;

[0010] a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, the main controller being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system;

[0011] A backup manipulator is provided relatively independently from the primary manipulator and is communicatively coupled with the control system. The backup manipulator is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system.

[0012] The control system is configured to identify a target manipulator from a primary manipulator and a backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to manipulation information received from the target manipulator, and in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0013] In one embodiment, the control system includes an arbitration module, and the arbitration module is further configured to detect a validity signal of the master manipulator to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid;

[0014] When it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid, setting the master manipulator as the target manipulator;

[0015] When it is confirmed that the primary manipulator has failed, the arbitration module is configured to automatically / manually switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator.

[0016] In one embodiment, the flight control device includes an authority switch, and the control system includes an arbitration module, wherein the authority switch is communicatively coupled to the arbitration module, and the authority switch is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide an authority switching signal to the arbitration module;

[0017] The arbitration module is further configured to detect a validity signal of the master manipulator to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid;

[0018] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator suppression state;

[0019] and / or

[0020] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is determined that the primary manipulator is invalid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator inhibit state.

[0021] In one embodiment, the control system is configured to use a signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the target manipulator, and in combination with the preset manipulation mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the manipulation information is at least one of the elevation, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control instruction mapped to the vector control channel.

[0022] In one embodiment, the master manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, wherein the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The control information received by the master manipulator includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the first control information are elevation and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped by the second control information are longitudinal and heading control channels.

[0023] The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, which are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and fourth manipulation information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third manipulation information is the same as the first manipulation information, and the vector control channel mapped by the fourth manipulation information is the same as the second manipulation information.

[0024] In one embodiment, the main manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, wherein the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions;

[0025] The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a manipulation switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick capable of swinging in the transverse and longitudinal directions and performing twisting motion.

[0026] In one embodiment, the control information received by the master manipulator includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the first control information are the elevation and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped by the second control information are the longitudinal and heading control channels; the control information received by the backup manipulator includes third control information and control switch information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the third control information are the heading, lateral, and elevation control channels, and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information is the longitudinal control channel;

[0027] and / or

[0028] The operating switch is arranged on the third operating rod and is operated by the thumb;

[0029] and / or

[0030] The operating switch is any one of a roller switch, a two-way switch and a push button switch.

[0031] In one embodiment, the vector control instruction includes an aircraft heading control instruction, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration;

[0032] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate instruction through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0033] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate instruction through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0034] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is of a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate instruction; and / or

[0035] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control instruction, and according to the ground direction control instruction, control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning movement.

[0036] In one embodiment, the vector control instruction includes a longitudinal control instruction of an aircraft, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration;

[0037] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and a horizontal rate command mode is activated, the control system is further configured to resolve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and control the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control based on the longitudinal speed command;

[0038] When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal acceleration instruction, and manipulate the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control based on the longitudinal acceleration instruction; and / or

[0039] When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction through a preset flight control law, obtain a corresponding ground speed control instruction, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control instruction, thereby manipulating the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration movements.

[0040] In one embodiment, a tilt enable switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the control system is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when a tilt enable signal is received from the tilt enable switch; and / or

[0041] A ground mode switching switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the manipulating information includes ground mode control information;

[0042] The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a ground control mode upon receiving ground mode control information;

[0043] When the aircraft is in a ground control mode, the control system is further configured to use the manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration, deceleration, and turning movements according to the vector control instruction; and / or

[0044] A horizontal rate instruction mode switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, wherein the manipulation information includes horizontal rate instruction mode control information;

[0045] The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a horizontal rate command mode upon receiving horizontal rate command mode control information.

[0046] In one embodiment, a tilt switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the manipulation information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch;

[0047] The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when forward tilt control information is received; and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when backward tilt control information is received.

[0048] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application also proposes an aircraft control method, which is applied to a flight control device, wherein the flight control device includes a primary controller and a backup controller, and the method includes:

[0049] Identify a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator;

[0050] receiving the pilot's manipulation information through the target manipulator;

[0051] generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information according to the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship;

[0052] The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0053] In one embodiment, the backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, the third joystick and the fourth joystick being configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging in the transverse and longitudinal directions. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and fourth manipulation information, the third manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement and a second manipulation displacement, and the fourth manipulation information includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement. The step of generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information based on the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes:

[0054] When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick;

[0055] determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is an elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick;

[0056] determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that a vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is a longitudinal channel, and generating a longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to a control displacement of the fourth joystick in the longitudinal direction;

[0057] According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is determined to be the heading channel, and an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel is generated, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the fourth joystick.

[0058] In one embodiment, the backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a manipulation switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick capable of swinging in the lateral and longitudinal directions and performing torsional motion. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and manipulation switch information. The third manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement, a second manipulation displacement, and a rotational change. The step of generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information based on the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes:

[0059] When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction for the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick;

[0060] determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is an elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick;

[0061] Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that a vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the rotational change is a heading channel, and generating an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel, wherein the rotational change refers to a torsional angle change of the third joystick during the torsional motion;

[0062] The vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information is determined as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and a longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated.

[0063] In one embodiment, the vector control instruction includes an aircraft heading control instruction, and the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction includes:

[0064] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control based on the yaw rate command; and / or

[0065] When the aircraft is in the transition configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate command through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0066] When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command; and / or

[0067] When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the aircraft heading control command is solved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control command. Based on the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled through differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning movement.

[0068] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, the present application also proposes a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which includes the flight control device as described above.

[0069] In one embodiment, the aircraft displays the working status of the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator to the pilot through a display system;

[0070] When the target controller is the backup controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the backup controller is in the activated state and the primary controller is in the inhibited state;

[0071] When the target controller is the master controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the standby master controller is in the active state and the backup controller is in the inhibited state;

[0072] When it is detected that the control device in the inhibited state is misoperated, the aircraft provides a visual and / or audio warning to the pilot.

[0073] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also proposes a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft control method as described above.

[0074] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0075] The flight control device, aircraft control method, and vertical take-off and landing aircraft proposed in the embodiments of the present application specifically receive control information input by the pilot through a main manipulator and provide corresponding signals to the control system; the backup manipulator is set relatively independently from the main manipulator, receives control information input by the pilot, and provides corresponding signals to the control system; the control system identifies a target manipulator from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, uses the signal corresponding to the control information received from the target manipulator, and combines it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and controls the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0076] In the above scheme, the flight control device obtains the target manipulator that can be controlled from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, and then receives the pilot's control information through the target manipulator; then, combined with the preset control mapping relationship, it generates a vector control instruction mapped with the control information; then, the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction. By setting up two sets of manipulators, a "master-backup" redundancy design in the hardware architecture is realized, which avoids the occurrence of manipulator failure and effectively improves the safety level of the control device and the control safety of the aircraft; at the same time, it is achieved by only performing simple manipulation of the manipulator to enable the aircraft to achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby simplifying the aircraft's control method, and using flight control automation technology to reduce the skills that pilots must have to safely control the aircraft, which can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control and alleviate the pilot's operating burden. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0078] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0079] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0080] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flow chart provided for the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0081] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flow chart provided for the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0082] Figure 4A flowchart of the third embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application is provided;

[0083] Figure 5 A flowchart of the fourth embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application is provided;

[0084] Figure 6 A flowchart of the fifth embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application is provided;

[0085] Figure 7 A flowchart of the sixth embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application is provided;

[0086] Figure 8 A simplified schematic diagram of the vector motion of an aircraft involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 9 (a) is an example diagram of a first joystick in a master manipulator involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Figure 9 (b) is an example diagram of a second joystick in a main manipulator involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] Figure 10 This is an example diagram of an evTOL aircraft with a rotor configuration related to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Figure 11 This is an example diagram of a fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Figure 12 This is an example diagram of the change in the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft involved in the embodiment of the present application during flight;

[0092] Figure 13 (a) is an example diagram of the rotor tilt angle of the fixed-wing aircraft in the forward flight phase involved in the embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Figure 13 (b) is an example diagram of the rotor tilt angle during the tilt phase of the aircraft involved in the embodiments of the present application;

[0094] Figure 13 (c) is an example diagram of the rotor tilt angle during the rotor phase of the aircraft involved in the embodiments of the present application;

[0095] Figure 14 This is an example diagram of an evTOL aircraft involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG15( a ) is an exemplary diagram of a third joystick in a backup manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG15( b ) is an exemplary diagram of a first joystick in a master manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG15( c ) is an exemplary diagram of a second joystick in a master manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG15( d ) is an exemplary diagram of a fourth joystick in a backup manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] Figure 16 This is an example diagram of a flight control device in a cockpit of an evTOL aircraft involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] Figure 17 This is an example diagram of a backup manipulator variant involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] Figure 18 This is an example diagram of a flight control device in a cockpit of another evTOL aircraft involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] Figure 19 This is an example diagram of a master manipulator variant involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] Figure 20 This is an example diagram of a method for identifying a target manipulator through an arbitration unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] Figure 21 This is an example diagram of visual prompts of the working status of a main manipulator and a backup manipulator involved in an embodiment of the present application.

[0106] The purpose, features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0108] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0109] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is applied to a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The aircraft configuration of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft is as shown in FIG. Figure 14, including fixed rotors, tilt rotors, and elevator rudders. The elevator rudder is a control surface on the V-tail of a V-tail aircraft. It combines the functions of the elevator and rudder and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft. It should be noted that this application does not specifically limit the number and position of fixed rotors and tilt rotors in the aircraft. The number of fixed rotors can be 0, and there is no specific limit on the position of the elevator rudder.

[0110] The main solution of an embodiment of the present application is: a flight control device, comprising: a control system; a main manipulator, communicatively coupled to the control system, the main manipulator being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and to provide corresponding signals to the control system; a backup manipulator, arranged relatively independently from the main manipulator, and communicatively coupled to the control system, the backup manipulator being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and to provide corresponding signals to the control system; wherein the control system is configured to identify a target manipulator from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to the control information received from the target manipulator, and combine with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0111] Technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application:

[0112] eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing): eVTOL is generally used to refer to novel and uniquely designed aircraft that use energy storage batteries, motors and propellers for propulsion and have the ability to take off and land vertically. eVTOL uses a multi-battery, multi-motor driven multi-rotor design with safety redundancy. Even if some of the rotors of the eVTOL fail, it can still land normally, and its safety is greatly improved compared to traditional helicopters. At the same time, eVTOL is propelled by electricity, and the cost of electricity is much lower than the cost of fuel, and the flight speed of eVTOL is fast, so its operating costs are relatively low. eVTOL can usually be used in scenarios such as urban air traffic, emergency medical services, freight logistics, and sightseeing tourism.

[0113] The existing eVTOL cockpit design does not have sufficient safety design for the control equipment. Unlike the traditional passenger aircraft's dual-pilot dual joystick arrangement (control stick, throttle lever), general eVTOL aircraft are usually operated by a single pilot and use a single joystick and a single speed lever. Once a common mode failure occurs, the safety of the flight cannot be effectively guaranteed. Therefore, there is a problem of insufficient control safety requirements.

[0114] In addition, eVTOL aircraft need to realize rotor, fixed wing and the transition stage between the two at the same time. For traditional aircraft, the design methods of control equipment for fixed wings and rotors are different. For example, the throttle lever of a multi-rotor aircraft (or the collective pitch lever of a helicopter) is used to control the ascent and descent of the aircraft, while the throttle lever of a fixed-wing aircraft is used to control the forward acceleration and deceleration of the aircraft. If the traditional control concept is adopted, the pilot needs to master two different control methods at the same time and make cognitive conversions according to the configuration of the aircraft, which increases the pilot's operating burden and raises the driving threshold of the eVTOL aircraft.

[0115] Therefore, the existing control methods of eVTOL aircraft have technical problems such as high complexity of eVTOL aircraft control and insufficient aircraft control safety.

[0116] The present application provides a solution, which identifies a target manipulator that can be controlled from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, and then receives the pilot's control information through the target manipulator; then combines the preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control instructions mapped to the control information; then controls the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instructions, and realizes the "main-backup" redundancy design in the hardware architecture by setting up two sets of manipulators, thereby avoiding the occurrence of manipulator failure, effectively improving the safety level of the control device and the control safety of the aircraft; at the same time, it is achieved that the aircraft can achieve corresponding vector flight by simply manipulating the manipulator, thereby simplifying the control method of the aircraft, and using flight control automation technology to reduce the skills that pilots must have to safely control the aircraft, which can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control and alleviate the pilot's operating burden.

[0117] It should be noted that the execution entity of this embodiment can be a computing service device with data processing, network communication, and program execution capabilities, such as a personal computer, flight control computer, avionics computer, server, or embedded computing device, or a flight control device capable of performing the aforementioned functions. For certain specific requirements during flight control, the execution entity can also be a high-performance data processing device or industrial control equipment to ensure that it can support all the functions and requirements of this application. This embodiment and the following embodiments will be described below using a flight control device as an example.

[0118] First, an embodiment of the present application provides a flight control device, including: a control system; a main manipulator, communicatively coupled to the control system, the main manipulator being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; a backup manipulator, arranged relatively independently from the main manipulator, and communicatively coupled to the control system, the backup manipulator being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; wherein the control system is configured to identify a target manipulator from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to the control information received from the target manipulator, and combine with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control instruction mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0119] Based on the flight control device proposed above, the present application embodiment provides an aircraft control method, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application.

[0120] In this embodiment, the method is applied to a flight control device, which includes a primary controller and a backup controller. The aircraft control method includes steps S110 to S140:

[0121] Step S110, identifying a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator;

[0122] It should be noted that the controller receives the pilot's control information and converts it into commands recognizable by the flight control system, thereby controlling the aircraft's attitude, position, and trajectory. For example, the controller may include a joystick. The pilot can change the joystick's attitude, position, or direction to cause the joystick to output signals that are converted into corresponding control commands.

[0123] It should be understood that the main manipulator and the backup manipulator have completely the same manipulating functions, but they may differ in hardware structure.

[0124] First, because EVTOL aircraft are typically flown by a single pilot, to avoid dual inputs from the primary and backup controllers, the flight control system must select a single controller, the target controller, from the primary and backup controllers to receive control information and control the aircraft. Therefore, only one of the primary and backup controllers can be active, while the other is inhibited.

[0125] Step S120, receiving the pilot's control information through the target manipulator;

[0126] Specifically, the flight control system receives the pilot's control information through the target manipulator. The control information refers to the motion information and related signal change information generated by the pilot's operation of the target manipulator, such as displacement information, rotation angle, attitude information, switch status signal, etc.

[0127] Step S130, generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information according to the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship;

[0128] It should be noted that the preset control mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the movement and state change of the target manipulator and the vector movement of the aircraft. This mapping relationship is preset by the relevant developers based on the actual flight needs and control requirements of the aircraft. Figure 8 ,The vector motion of the aircraft includes vertical ,downward, longitudinal, lateral and heading motions.

[0129] Furthermore, in the flight control device, the control system is configured to use a signal corresponding to the control information received from the target manipulator, and in combination with the preset control mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control information is at least one of the lift, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control instruction mapped to the vector control channel.

[0130] Specifically, the flight control device combines the control information received from the target manipulator with the control mapping relationship between the movement and state changes of the joystick and the aircraft's vector motion to determine which of the aircraft's vector control channels corresponds to the control information: the elevation, lateral, longitudinal, or heading control channels. This mapping generates aircraft vector control instructions. For example, the control instructions for different aircraft vector motions are mapped by the joystick's displacement information in different directions. Subsequently, flight control is automatically performed based on the aircraft vector control instructions, significantly reducing the pilot's operational burden. Vector control instructions include aircraft lateral control instructions, aircraft elevation control instructions, aircraft longitudinal control instructions, and aircraft heading control instructions.

[0131] Step S140: Control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

[0132] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, combined with the preset flight control law, the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the aircraft vector control instructions.

[0133] It should be noted that the preset flight control law refers to the algorithm used to generate flight control commands in the aircraft's flight control system. The flight control law generally describes the functional relationship between the controlled state variables and the input signals of the flight control devices. The preset flight control law can be designed based on the aircraft's dynamic characteristics and flight requirements to ensure that the aircraft maintains a stable attitude, heading, and altitude under various flight conditions and responds to the pilot's control information. The preset flight control law includes but is not limited to attitude control laws, heading control laws, and altitude control laws. Vector motion includes vertical, longitudinal, lateral, and directional motion.

[0134] Specifically, the flight control device inputs the aircraft's vector control instructions into a preset flight control law, which then resolves the aircraft's vector control instructions and controls the movement of the aircraft's actuation system to manipulate the aircraft for lift, longitudinal, lateral, and directional motion. The aircraft's actuation system typically includes a lift / thrust assembly, a control surface system, and a tilting servo. The lift / thrust assembly consists of an electric motor, propeller, and their accessories. The control surface system is the component on the aircraft used to generate control force and torque, and includes ailerons, elevators, and a rudder, or a tilting rudder.

[0135] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method, which includes identifying a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator; receiving control information from the pilot through the target manipulator; generating a vector control instruction mapped to the control information based on the control information and a preset control mapping relationship; and controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion based on the vector control instruction.

[0136] The present application obtains a target manipulator that can be manipulated from the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, and then receives the pilot's manipulation information through the target manipulator; then, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generates a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information; then controls the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction, and realizes a "master-backup" redundancy design in the hardware architecture by providing two sets of manipulators, thereby avoiding the occurrence of manipulator failure and effectively improving the safety level of the control device and the control safety of the aircraft; at the same time, it is achieved that the aircraft can achieve corresponding vector flight by simply manipulating the manipulator, thereby simplifying the control method of the aircraft, and utilizing flight control automation technology to reduce the skills that the pilot must have to safely control the aircraft, which can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control and alleviate the pilot's operating burden.

[0137] Based on the first embodiment of the present application, in the second embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0138] In the above-mentioned flight control device, the control system includes an arbitration module, and the arbitration module is further configured to detect the validity signal of the main manipulator to confirm whether the main manipulator is valid;

[0139] When it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid, setting the master manipulator as the target manipulator;

[0140] When it is confirmed that the primary manipulator has failed, the arbitration module is configured to automatically / manually switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator.

[0141] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 2 The step S110 may include steps S210 to S230:

[0142] Step S210: Detecting the validity signal of the master manipulator by the arbitration module to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid;

[0143] It should be noted that the arbitration module is used to confirm the controller currently available to the pilot. The arbitration module can be configured as a functional module in the control system of the flight control device, or it can be an arbitration module device relatively independent of the flight control device.

[0144] Specifically, the flight control system first uses a displacement detector to monitor the displacement operation signal or status of the main manipulator, such as the displacement signal strength and response time, and uses the monitored displacement operation signal or status and the preset manipulator validity evaluation criteria to generate a main manipulator validity signal. The arbitration module confirms the status of the main manipulator validity signal to evaluate whether the main manipulator is valid. Among them, the preset manipulator validity evaluation criteria are reliable evaluation criteria for manipulator displacement confirmation set by relevant personnel based on actual control requirements and empirical data on manipulator failure. The displacement detector can be included in the flight control system.

[0145] Step S220: When the master manipulator is valid, setting the master manipulator as the target manipulator;

[0146] Step S230: When the primary manipulator fails, the target manipulator is automatically / manually switched to the backup manipulator.

[0147] Specifically, when the flight control device confirms that the master manipulator is valid through the arbitration module, the master manipulator still maintains control over the aircraft, and the target manipulator is defaulted to the master manipulator;

[0148] When the flight control device confirms through the arbitration module that the main manipulator is invalid, it will immediately and automatically give the control of the aircraft to the backup manipulator. At this time, the target manipulator is the backup manipulator.

[0149] When the flight control device confirms that the main controller is invalid through the arbitration module, manual switching can also be achieved by receiving the pilot's controller switching instruction through the aircraft's voice receiving module, the touch device of the display system, or the flight control device.

[0150] Furthermore, the flight control device includes an authority switching switch, and the control system includes an arbitration module, wherein the authority switching switch is communicatively coupled to the arbitration module, and the authority switching switch is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide an authority switching signal to the arbitration module;

[0151] The arbitration module is further configured to detect a validity signal of the master manipulator to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid;

[0152] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator suppression state;

[0153] and / or

[0154] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is determined that the primary manipulator is invalid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator inhibit state.

[0155] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 3 After step S220, the method further includes steps S310 to S320:

[0156] Step S310, when the authority switching signal is to activate the master manipulator, setting the master manipulator as the target manipulator;

[0157] Step S320 : When the authority switching signal is to suppress the primary manipulator, the target manipulator is switched to the backup manipulator.

[0158] It should be noted that the authority switching switch can receive the control information input by the pilot, thereby changing the switch state change information to issue an authority switching signal to indicate whether the current manipulator needs to be switched.

[0159] It should be understood that when the pilot senses an abnormality in the current manipulator through the control force feedback, the pilot can manually switch to the manipulator through the control authority switch.

[0160] Specifically, refer to Figure 20 As shown, the control system includes an arbitration unit and a flight control computer. Figure 20In the example, the main joystick is the main manipulator, and the backup joystick is the backup manipulator. When the arbitration unit confirms that the main joystick is valid based on the validity signal of the main manipulator, and recognizes that the authority switching signal is in the state of activating the main manipulator, it automatically activates the aircraft control authority of the main manipulator, sets the main manipulator as the target manipulator, and feeds back the output signal of the main manipulator to the flight control computer. When the arbitration unit recognizes that the authority switching signal is in the state of suppressing the main manipulator, it automatically suppresses the aircraft control authority of the main manipulator, activates the aircraft control authority of the backup manipulator, thereby switching the target manipulator to the backup manipulator, and feeds back the output signal of the backup manipulator to the flight control computer. At the same time, the arbitration unit can also output the arbitration result, that is, the information of the target manipulator, to the display system, so that the display system provides the pilot with activation and suppression prompts of the main and backup manipulators.

[0161] Furthermore, when the arbitration module confirms that the primary manipulator is invalid, it can also receive the pilot's operation information to generate an authority switching signal to suppress the primary manipulator, so that the arbitration module responds to the signal and switches the target manipulator to the backup manipulator to ensure the safety of the aircraft.

[0162] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of identifying the target manipulator, the displacement detector is a displacement sensor with a redundant design and is provided on the main manipulator. The step S210 includes steps S2101 to S2102:

[0163] Step S2101, performing redundancy detection on the displacement of the main manipulator by the displacement sensor to obtain multiple detection signals;

[0164] In step S2102 , the arbitration module determines whether the difference between the plurality of detection signals satisfies a preset threshold range, so as to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid.

[0165] Specifically, the displacement detector is a displacement sensor with a redundant design. That is, the displacement detector includes multiple displacement sensors positioned along different control axes of the main manipulator. Multiple displacement sensors are positioned along each control axis of the main manipulator, enabling redundant detection of the displacements of the different control axes of the main manipulator. Using these redundant displacement sensors, the displacement of the main manipulator is redundantly detected, generating multiple detection signals.

[0166] It should be understood that due to the accuracy of the displacement sensor itself, installation location, environmental factors such as electrical noise or mechanical wear, the detection signal values ​​measured by different displacement sensors may have certain differences.

[0167] It should be noted that the preset threshold range is set by the design requirements of the flight control device, the performance parameters of the sensor and the manipulator operating experience, including the difference fluctuation range of the displacement values ​​measured by multiple displacement sensors on different control axes of the main manipulator, which aims to ensure the normal operation of the main manipulator.

[0168] The arbitration module then analyzes the differences between the multiple detection signal values ​​obtained from the multiple displacement sensors. If the differences between the multiple displacements meet a preset threshold range, the primary controller is confirmed to be valid and can be used by the pilot to control the aircraft normally. If the differences do not meet the preset threshold range, the primary controller is confirmed to be invalid and cannot be used by the pilot to control the aircraft. The flight control system should switch the target controller to the backup controller.

[0169] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method, in which a displacement sensor detects the displacement of a master manipulator and generates a validity signal. An arbitration module then confirms whether the master manipulator is valid based on the validity signal, thereby determining a target manipulator for the pilot to use. This avoids dual input of the manipulator and further improves the control safety of the aircraft.

[0170] Based on the first and / or second embodiments of the present application, in the third embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those of the above-mentioned first and / or second embodiments can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0171] In this embodiment, in the first flight control device, the main manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, and the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions. The control information received by the main manipulator includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the first control information is the elevation and lateral control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the second control information is the longitudinal and heading control channel.

[0172] In this application, swinging the joystick refers to swinging the joystick in a certain direction about a fixed point, or reciprocating the joystick in a certain direction about a certain axis within a certain angle range. It should be noted that the joystick in this application may have an automatic return to center function, that is, the joystick can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0173] Among them, the first manipulation information received by the first joystick includes the manipulation displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second manipulation information received by the second joystick includes the manipulation displacement of the second joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions. It should be understood that both the first joystick and the second joystick can receive the pilot's displacement in both the lateral and longitudinal directions to achieve compound control of the joystick; or receive the lateral or longitudinal displacement of each joystick to achieve decoupled manipulation of the joystick in the lateral or longitudinal directions, thereby achieving independent control of each joystick. It should be noted that the manipulation displacement in this application can refer to the linear displacement of the top point of the joystick in the lateral and longitudinal directions due to the swinging motion of the joystick, or the angular displacement caused by the angle change of the top point of the joystick relative to the fixed point of the joystick, or the angular displacement caused by the angle change of the top point of the joystick relative to the axis of the joystick.

[0174] Based on the first flight control device described above, in a first embodiment, the backup manipulator and the primary manipulator have the same hardware structure, both including two two-axis joysticks capable of lateral and longitudinal swinging. The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, each configured as a two-axis joystick capable of lateral and longitudinal swinging. The control information received by the backup manipulator includes third control information and fourth control information, wherein the vector control channel mapped to the third control information is the same as the first control information, and the vector control channel mapped to the fourth control information is the same as the second control information. The third control information received by the third joystick includes the control displacement of the third joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, and the fourth control information received by the fourth joystick includes the control displacement of the fourth joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions.

[0175] Furthermore, the third manipulation information includes the first manipulation displacement and the second manipulation displacement, and the fourth manipulation information includes the third manipulation displacement and the fourth manipulation displacement. Figure 4 The step S130 includes steps S410 to S440:

[0176] Step S410: When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction for the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick;

[0177] Step S420: Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is the elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick;

[0178] Step S430: Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is a longitudinal channel, and generating a longitudinal control instruction for the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the fourth joystick;

[0179] Step S440: Determine, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is a heading channel, and generate an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the fourth joystick.

[0180] Specifically, in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 9 The main controller of the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. Figure 9 As shown in (a), the first joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal direction along the horizontal axis and in the longitudinal direction along the vertical axis, that is, it can swing left and right along the horizontal axis or swing back and forth along the vertical axis; Figure 9 As shown in (b), the second joystick is a two-axis joystick capable of swinging laterally along its transverse axis and longitudinally along its longitudinal axis, i.e., left and right along its transverse axis or forward and backward along its longitudinal axis. The transverse axis of the joystick extends along the aircraft's transverse axis, which points from one wing to the other. The longitudinal axis of the joystick extends along the aircraft's longitudinal axis, which points from the nose to the tail. Either the first or second joystick can swing forward and backward or left and right, thereby generating control displacement.

[0181] It should be noted that the axial movement of the joystick in this application refers to swinging along the horizontal axis of the joystick, that is, the joystick swings left and right in the horizontal direction, and swinging forward and backward along the longitudinal axis of the joystick, that is, the joystick swings forward and backward in the longitudinal direction. It will not be repeated later.

[0182] As shown in Figure 15, the backup manipulator includes a third and fourth joysticks with the same hardware structure as the primary manipulator, and are located on either side of the primary manipulator. As shown in Figure 15(a), the third joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing horizontally along the transverse axis and longitudinally along the longitudinal axis, i.e., it can swing left and right along the transverse axis or forward and backward along the longitudinal axis. As shown in Figure 15(d), the fourth joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing horizontally along the transverse axis and longitudinally along the longitudinal axis, i.e., it can swing left and right along the transverse axis or forward and backward along the longitudinal axis. The first joystick of the primary manipulator, shown in Figure 15(b), and the second joystick of the primary manipulator, shown in Figure 15(c), have been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0183] like Figure 16 As shown, Figure 16 The left and right joysticks are the first and second joysticks of the main joystick, and the left and right backup joysticks are the third and fourth joysticks of the backup joystick. When the cockpit is single-seat, the first and second joysticks of the main joystick are set on both sides of the pilot seat, and the third and fourth joysticks of the backup joystick are also set on both sides of the pilot seat and maintain a certain distance from the main joystick.

[0184] Since the pilot manipulates the joystick at the same time, the joystick generates displacement information in the lateral or longitudinal direction. Therefore, the manipulation information received by the third joystick includes the first manipulation displacement and the second manipulation displacement, and the manipulation information received by the fourth joystick includes the third manipulation displacement and the fourth manipulation displacement. The first manipulation displacement refers to the lateral manipulation displacement of the third joystick caused by the pilot manipulating the third joystick; the second manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the third joystick caused by the pilot manipulating the third joystick; the third manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the fourth joystick caused by the pilot manipulating the fourth joystick; and the fourth manipulation displacement refers to the lateral manipulation displacement of the fourth joystick caused by the pilot manipulating the fourth joystick.

[0185] In this embodiment, the preset control mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick in the main manipulator and the aircraft vector motion, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick in the main manipulator and the aircraft vector motion, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third joystick in the backup manipulator and the aircraft vector motion, and the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth joystick in the backup manipulator and the aircraft vector motion. It should be understood that the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the joystick and the aircraft vector motion is, in other words, the mapping relationship between different axial directions of the joystick and different vector control channels of the aircraft. For example, the control mapping logic for the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the axial movement of the third and fourth joysticks in the backup manipulator is shown in Table 1 below. It should be understood that the control mapping logic for the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the axial movement of the first and second joysticks in the main manipulator is shown in Table 2 below. The mapping relationship between the joystick control channels and the vector control channels in Table 2 is the same as that in Table 1.

[0186] Table 1 Backup manipulator vector control mapping table

[0187]

[0188] Table 2 Main manipulator vector control mapping table

[0189]

[0190] Specifically, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the first control displacement, it confirms that the control channel that generates the first control displacement is the horizontal axis of the third control stick, and combines the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft to confirm that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the lateral channel. Further, based on the specific first control displacement information, the aircraft lateral control instruction is mapped and generated. Among them, the aircraft lateral control instruction includes the size and direction of the first control displacement, the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information, etc. Among them, the vector control channel of the aircraft refers to the channel that controls the aircraft to perform different vector movements during flight. Reference Figure 8 The vector motion of an aircraft includes vertical, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motion. Vertical motion refers to the up and down movement of an aircraft in a direction perpendicular to the ground, thereby changing the altitude of the aircraft. Longitudinal motion refers to the forward and backward movement of an aircraft in the direction indicated by its nose. Heading motion refers to the turning movement of an aircraft in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground, and heading motion includes yaw motion. Lateral motion refers to the movement of an aircraft in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aircraft.

[0191] Similarly, when the flight control system receives a signal corresponding to a second control displacement, it determines that the control channel generating the second control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the third control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial motion of the third control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it determines that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the elevation channel. Further, based on the specific second control displacement information, the aircraft elevation control command is mapped and generated. The aircraft elevation control command includes the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, as well as information about the corresponding aircraft vector control channel.

[0192] Then, when the flight control device receives a signal corresponding to the third control displacement, it confirms that the control channel for the third control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the fourth control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Further, based on the specific third control displacement information, an aircraft longitudinal control instruction is generated. Similarly, when the flight control device receives a signal corresponding to the fourth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel for generating the fourth control displacement is the transverse axis of the fourth control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Further, based on the specific fourth control displacement information, an aircraft heading control instruction is generated. The aircraft heading control instruction and the aircraft longitudinal control instruction include the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information, and the like.

[0193] It should be understood that, considering the different flying habits among different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped to different axes of the first and second joysticks of the main manipulator, as well as the third and fourth joysticks of the backup manipulator, can be interchangeable. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped to the longitudinal axis of the first joystick and the longitudinal axis of the second joystick in the main manipulator can be interchangeable, so that the aircraft vector control channel mapped to the longitudinal axis of the first joystick in the main manipulator is the longitudinal channel, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped to the longitudinal axis of the second joystick is the elevation channel. As shown in Table 3 below, a vector control mapping table of a main manipulator variant is shown. In the main manipulator, the vector control channels mapped to the first control information received by the first joystick are the longitudinal and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped to the second control information received by the first joystick are the elevation and heading control channels.

[0194] Table 3 Master manipulator variant vector control mapping table

[0195]

[0196] The first manipulation information received by the first manipulation stick includes the manipulation displacement of the first manipulation stick in the horizontal and / or vertical direction; the second manipulation information received by the second manipulation stick includes the manipulation displacement of the second manipulation stick in the horizontal and / or vertical direction.

[0197] Furthermore, in combination with Table 3, the control displacement generated by the movement of the first joystick along the transverse axis, that is, the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral direction, can be determined. The mapped vector control channel of the aircraft is the lateral channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the first joystick along the transverse axis, and further map it to generate the aircraft lateral control command.

[0198] Similarly, in combination with Table 3, the control displacement generated by the movement of the first joystick along the longitudinal axis, that is, the control displacement of the first joystick in the longitudinal direction, can be determined. The mapped vector control channel of the aircraft is the longitudinal channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the first joystick along the longitudinal axis, and further map it to generate the aircraft longitudinal control command.

[0199] Combined with Table 3, the control displacement generated by the movement of the second joystick along the transverse axis, that is, the control displacement of the second joystick in the lateral direction, can be determined. The mapped vector control channel of the aircraft is the heading channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the second joystick along the transverse axis, and further map it to generate the aircraft heading control command.

[0200] Combined with Table 3, the control displacement generated by the movement of the second joystick along the longitudinal axis, that is, the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction, can be determined. The mapped vector control channel of the aircraft is the elevation channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the second joystick along the longitudinal axis, and further map it to generate the aircraft elevation control command.

[0201] Similarly, when the aircraft vector control channels mapped to different axes in the main manipulator are swapped, in order to maintain functional consistency, the backup manipulator should also make corresponding changes to the control mapping between the joystick and the aircraft vector control channels.

[0202] In this embodiment, by designing the joystick as a two-axis joystick, the control logic of the aircraft can be simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the flight of the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0203] Based on the first flight control device described above, in a second embodiment, the backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a control switch, and the third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions and can perform torsional motion.

[0204] Preferably, the backup manipulator uses a three-axis joystick and a manipulation switch to realize the same mapping vector control channel function as the main manipulator.

[0205] Preferably, the manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and manipulation switch information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third manipulation information is the heading, lateral, and elevation control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the manipulation switch information is the longitudinal control channel.

[0206] It should be understood that the vector control channel mapped by the third manipulation information and the vector control channel mapped by the manipulation switch information can both be changed by the pilot's pre-setting, and this application does not make specific limitations here.

[0207] Furthermore, the third manipulation information includes the first manipulation displacement, the second manipulation displacement and the rotation change, and the step S130 includes steps S450 to S480:

[0208] Step S450: When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction for the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick;

[0209] Step S460: Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is the elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick;

[0210] Step S470: Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the rotational change is a heading channel, and generating an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel, wherein the rotational change refers to a torsional angle change of the third joystick during the torsional motion.

[0211] Step S480 , determining that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information is a longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generating an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the longitudinal channel.

[0212] For example, the control mapping logic of the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the third joystick and the control switch in the backup manipulator is shown in Table 4 below.

[0213] Table 4 contains the backup manipulator vector control mapping table of the control switch

[0214]

[0215] In this embodiment, the control switch may be a switch disposed on the third control stick and operated with the thumb, such as a thumb button switch or thumb lever. The control switch may also be any of a roller switch, a two-way switch, and a push button switch. The rotational change refers to the angular displacement of the third control stick in the horizontal plane (perpendicular to the axis of the third control stick when the third control stick is centered) caused by the pilot's manipulation of the third control stick, which causes the third control stick to rotate about its vertical axis when the third control stick is centered. The control switch information refers to the digital signal or analog signal generated by the pilot's manipulation of the control switch, resulting from the change in angle or displacement of the control switch.

[0216] Preferably, a method comprising a third joystick ( Figure 17 Backup joystick) and backup manipulator of the control switch Figure 17 As shown in FIG, the operating switch is located on the third operating lever and is a thumb lever. Figure 17 As shown, the third joystick includes four control channels: a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, a rotation axis, and a thumb stick for receiving control information from the pilot. Among them, the rotation axis refers to the vertical axis of the third joystick when it is returned to the center.

[0217] Furthermore, when the backup manipulator includes a third manipulator rod and a manipulator switch, and the manipulator switch is located on the third manipulator rod, the following can be referred to: Figure 18 The layout of the flight control device in the aircraft cockpit is shown. In a two-seater cockpit, a third joystick for backup control is placed on the side close to the pilot, i.e. Figure 18 The backup joystick shown in, for example Figure 18 As shown, a third joystick is placed on the left side of the pilot's seat to prevent passengers from operating it by mistake.

[0218] Similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, when the flight control device receives a signal corresponding to the first control displacement or a signal corresponding to the second control displacement, it maps and generates aircraft lateral control instructions and aircraft lifting control instructions respectively in combination with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third joystick and the aircraft vector movement.

[0219] Then, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the rotational change, it confirms that the manipulation control channel of the rotational change is the rotation axis of the third joystick. Combined with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third joystick and the aircraft vector movement, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Further, based on the specific third manipulation displacement information, the aircraft heading control instruction is generated.

[0220] Similarly, when the flight control system receives a signal corresponding to the control switch information, it determines that the control channel generating the control switch information is the control switch. Based on the control mapping relationship between the control switch changes and the aircraft's vector motion, it determines that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific control switch information, it generates the aircraft's longitudinal control command. The aircraft's longitudinal control command includes the high and low levels, pulse duration, and other information of the switch control signal in the control switch information, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0221] It should be understood that, considering that different pilots have different flying habits, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the first and second joysticks of the primary manipulator, or the third joystick and control switch of the backup manipulator can be interchanged.

[0222] In this embodiment, by designing the backup manipulator as a three-axis joystick and a control switch, and by integrating the control switch on the third joystick, the control logic of the aircraft can be further simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the flight of the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0223] In this embodiment, in the second type of flight control device, the main manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, the first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions, the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the vertical direction, and the second joystick is also provided with a main control switch, wherein the first control information received by the first joystick includes the control displacement of the first joystick in the horizontal and / or vertical directions; the second control information received by the second joystick includes the control displacement of the second joystick in the vertical direction, and the main control switch control information, wherein, according to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control instruction corresponding to the main control switch control information is the heading control instruction of the aircraft. Figure 19 An example diagram of a main manipulator is shown, in which the main manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The first joystick can swing along the horizontal and vertical axes, and the second joystick can only swing back and forth along the vertical axis. The main control switch is a yaw switch, which is mapped to the heading control channel of the aircraft.

[0224] Specifically, in order to further reduce the pilot's control burden, any control channel corresponding to the aircraft vector control channel is simplified to a control signal of the control switch. Therefore, the first joystick is set as a two-axis joystick, and the second joystick is set as a single-axis joystick. The two axes corresponding to the two-axis joystick can be a combination of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the joystick, and the axis corresponding to the single-axis joystick can be any one of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the joystick.

[0225] In this embodiment, the control information received by the first joystick includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement, the control information received by the second joystick includes a seventh control displacement, and a main control switch control signal. The control information received by the main control switch is the main control switch control signal, and the fifth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the sixth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the seventh control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second joystick. The main control switch control information refers to the angle or displacement change of the main control switch caused by the pilot's manipulation of the main control switch, thereby triggering the generation of a digital signal or analog signal.

[0226] In this embodiment, the main control switch can be a bidirectional switch, and the aircraft is controlled by receiving a discrete signal from the bidirectional switch, or the main control switch can be in the form of a roller, and the aircraft is controlled by receiving an analog signal from the roller.

[0227] The preset control mappings include the control mappings between the axial movement of the first joystick and the aircraft's vector motion, the control mappings between the axial movement of the second joystick and the aircraft's vector motion, and the control mappings between changes in the master control switch and the aircraft's vector motion. For example, the control mapping logic for the axial movement of the first and second joysticks in the master controller, and the aircraft's vector motion corresponding to changes in the master control switch, is shown in Table 5 below.

[0228] Table 5 Main manipulator vector control mapping table including main control switches

[0229]

[0230] In this embodiment, when the flight control system receives a signal corresponding to the fifth control displacement, it determines that the control channel generating the fifth control displacement is the transverse axis of the first control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it determines that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the lateral channel. Further, based on the specific fifth control displacement information, the aircraft lateral control command is mapped and generated. The aircraft lateral control command includes the magnitude and direction of the fifth control displacement, as well as information about the corresponding aircraft vector control channel.

[0231] When the flight control system receives a signal corresponding to the sixth control displacement, it determines that the control channel generating the sixth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the first control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it determines that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the elevation channel. Further, based on the specific sixth control displacement information, the flight control system generates an aircraft elevation control command. The aircraft elevation control command includes the magnitude and direction of the sixth control displacement, as well as information about the corresponding aircraft vector control channel.

[0232] When the flight control system receives a signal corresponding to the seventh control displacement, it determines that the control channel generating the seventh control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second control stick. Based on the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it determines that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific seventh control displacement information, the flight control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft. The longitudinal control command includes the magnitude and direction of the seventh control displacement, as well as information about the corresponding aircraft vector control channel.

[0233] Then, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the master control switch control information, it determines that the control channel that generated the master control switch control information is the master control switch. Based on the control mapping relationship between the master control switch changes and the aircraft vector motion, it determines that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Further, based on the specific master switch control signal information, it generates an aircraft heading control command. The aircraft heading control command includes the high and low levels, pulse duration, and other information in the master switch control signal, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0234] Based on the aforementioned second flight control system, in the first embodiment, the backup controller and the primary controller have the same hardware structure, both comprising a two-axis joystick, a single-axis joystick, and a control switch. The backup controller includes a third and fourth joysticks. The third joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick capable of lateral and longitudinal swinging, while the fourth joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick capable of longitudinal swinging. The fourth joystick is also equipped with the same primary control switch as the primary controller.

[0235] The control information received by the backup manipulator includes third control information and fourth control information. The third control information maps to the same vector control channel as the first control information, and the fourth control information maps to the same vector control channel as the second control information. The third control information received by the third joystick includes the third joystick's lateral and / or longitudinal control displacement; the fourth control information received by the fourth joystick includes the fourth joystick's longitudinal control displacement, as well as the main control switch control information. Since the hardware structure and functionality of the backup manipulator are similar to those of the main manipulator, the above description can be referred to and will not be repeated here.

[0236] Based on the above second flight control device, in a second embodiment, the backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a control switch, and the third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions and can perform torsional movement.

[0237] Preferably, the backup manipulator uses a three-axis joystick and a manipulation switch to achieve the same functions as the main manipulator.

[0238] Preferably, the control information received by the backup manipulator includes third control information and control switch information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third control information is the heading, lateral, and elevation control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information is the longitudinal control channel.

[0239] It should be understood that the vector control channel mapped by the third manipulation information and the vector control channel mapped by the manipulation switch information can both be changed by the pilot's pre-setting, and this application does not make specific limitations here.

[0240] The specific instructions for the backup manipulator receiving the manipulation information and thus generating the aircraft vector control instructions can be referred to as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0241] This embodiment provides a flight control device and an aircraft control method, which utilizes two rods, a single rod, and a control switch to realize a combination of different controllers, thereby realizing the mapping function of the aircraft control channel. The aircraft's control logic can be integrated into the joystick, further simplifying the aircraft's control logic, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0242] Based on the first embodiment and / or the second embodiment and / or the third embodiment of the present application, in the fourth embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those in the above-mentioned embodiment one, embodiment two and / or embodiment three can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0243] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, the vector control instruction includes an aircraft heading control instruction, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration; when the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and according to the yaw rate instruction, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0244] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate instruction through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0245] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is of a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate instruction, and according to the yaw angle rate instruction, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder.

[0246] Based on the above flight control device, the vector motion includes the aircraft's lift, longitudinal, lateral, and heading motions. Please refer to Figure 5 The step S140 includes steps S510 to S530:

[0247] Step S510, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, solving the aircraft heading control command according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and manipulating the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the yaw rate command through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0248] Step S520: When the aircraft is in the transition configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate command through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0249] Step S530, when the aircraft is of a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft heading control instruction is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and according to the yaw rate instruction, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder.

[0250] Furthermore, in the flight control device, a horizontal rate command mode switch is provided on at least the main controller, and the control information includes horizontal rate command mode control information;

[0251] The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a horizontal rate command mode upon receiving horizontal rate command mode control information;

[0252] The vector control instructions include longitudinal control instructions for an aircraft, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration;

[0253] When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and a horizontal rate command mode is activated, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed instruction, and control the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control based on the longitudinal speed instruction; and / or

[0254] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and a horizontal rate command mode is off, the control system is further configured to resolve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding pitch angle command, and control the aircraft to perform pitch motion according to the pitch angle command by differentially controlling the rotor speed;

[0255] When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the control information and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal acceleration instruction, and according to the longitudinal acceleration instruction, control the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control.

[0256] The VTOL aircraft in this embodiment is specifically a tiltrotor type VTOL aircraft, which has three configurations: fixed-wing configuration, rotor configuration, and a transitional configuration between the two. Specifically, the rotor configuration refers to the aircraft configuration when some / all of the tiltrotors are in the VTOL position (e.g., a tilt angle of 90°), i.e., the takeoff and landing configuration of a tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. In the rotor configuration, the aircraft, starting from a stationary position on the ground, relies on vector power to climb, or relies on vector power to descend during landing. The aircraft's rotors (including fixed and tiltrotors) are direct force actuators. The fixed-wing configuration refers to the aircraft configuration when some / all of the rotors are in the cruise position (e.g., a tilt angle of 0°), i.e., the cruise configuration of a tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. In the fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft can cruise like a fixed-wing aircraft, using lift provided by the wings. In this configuration, the aircraft's primary control surfaces are ailerons, elevators, or other equivalent mechanisms (elevators, etc.). The transition configuration refers to the aircraft configuration that switches between the rotor configuration and the fixed-wing configuration.

[0257] It should be understood that when the aircraft is in any configuration of a rotor configuration, a transition configuration, or a fixed-wing configuration, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information through any joystick or control switch of the target manipulator, and generates corresponding vector control instructions, and controls the aircraft to perform lifting, longitudinal, lateral, and heading movements according to the vector control instructions.

[0258] It should be noted that the vector motion of an aircraft also includes pitch motion, which refers to the rotational motion of an aircraft around its lateral axis (from one side of the wing to the other).

[0259] It should be noted that the Translational Rate Command (TRC) mode can be activated when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, and the pilot can directly map the longitudinal and lateral speeds of the aircraft through the flight control device.

[0260] In addition, an activation switch corresponding to the TRC mode is provided on the main manipulator, that is, a horizontal rate command mode switch, or an activation switch corresponding to the TRC mode is provided on both the main manipulator and the backup manipulator, for example, it is provided on any joystick of the main joystick, or it is provided on any joystick of the backup joystick.

[0261] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration, the pilot can confirm whether to activate the TRC mode by confirming whether the aircraft's tilt mechanism and GPS are normal.

[0262] The flight control system receives horizontal rate command mode control information input by the pilot via the horizontal rate command mode switch, and then controls the aircraft to switch to the horizontal rate command mode based on the horizontal rate command mode control information. The horizontal rate command mode switch may be a push button switch, and when the horizontal rate command mode switch is pressed, the horizontal rate command mode control information is generated. It should be understood that when the horizontal rate command mode switch is pressed again, a horizontal rate command mode exit message may be generated, indicating that the aircraft may exit the horizontal rate command mode.

[0263] Specifically, on the basis that the GPS of the aircraft is operating normally and the relevant structures of normal flight in the rotor phase are operating normally, by triggering the horizontal rate command mode switch, it generates horizontal rate command mode control information, and then activates the TRC mode. That is, while adjusting parameters such as the pitch angle or roll angle of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and combining it with controlling the horizontal speed, the speed control can be further refined to ensure the stability and controllability of the aircraft, and it can also reduce the pilot's operating burden to a certain extent.

[0264] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 14 The aircraft has an elevator, which is a control surface on the V-shaped tail of a V-tail aircraft. It combines the functions of an elevator and a rudder and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft.

[0265] Table 6 Mapping table between vector control channels and different configuration control instructions

[0266]

[0267] Specifically, in combination with Example 1, Example 2, or Example 3, referring to Table 6, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the received aircraft lift control instruction is solved by the preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding vertical speed instruction; the received aircraft heading control instruction is solved to obtain a corresponding yaw angle rate instruction.

[0268] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is activated, the received aircraft lateral control instructions are solved through the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding lateral speed instructions; when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is off, the received aircraft lateral control instructions are solved through the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding roll angle instructions.

[0269] When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is activated, the received aircraft longitudinal control instructions are solved by the preset flight control law, and the corresponding longitudinal speed instructions are obtained; when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the TRC mode is off, the received aircraft longitudinal control instructions are solved by the preset flight control law, and the corresponding pitch angle instructions are obtained.

[0270] The pitch angle in the table above refers to the aircraft's rotation angle around its lateral axis (from one wing to the other). The roll angle refers to the aircraft's rotation angle around its longitudinal axis (from the nose to the tail). The yaw angle refers to the aircraft's rotation angle around its vertical axis (perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the aircraft). The pitch rate refers to the aircraft's rotation rate around the lateral axis. The roll rate refers to the aircraft's rotation rate around the longitudinal axis. The yaw rate refers to the aircraft's rotation rate around the vertical axis.

[0271] According to the vertical speed instruction, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment instruction is further calculated through the preset control law, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can control the rotor speed of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment instruction, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lifting and lowering movements.

[0272] According to the yaw rate instruction, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment instruction and / or the tilt angle adjustment instruction of the tilt rotor are further calculated through the preset control law. Through the speed adjustment instruction and / or the tilt angle adjustment instruction, the rotor speed and / or the tilt angle differential of the tilt rotor are adjusted to generate a yaw moment, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding yaw movement.

[0273] According to the roll angle instruction in the TRC off mode, the corresponding roll angular rate instruction is further calculated through the preset control law, and then the corresponding rotor speed adjustment instruction is calculated based on the roll angular rate instruction, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can perform speed differential control on the rotor of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment instruction, so that the aircraft generates a rolling torque, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lateral movement.

[0274] According to the pitch angle instruction in the TRC off mode, the corresponding pitch rate instruction is further calculated through the preset control law, and then the corresponding rotor speed adjustment instruction is calculated based on the pitch rate instruction, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can perform speed differential control on the rotor of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment instruction, so that the aircraft generates a pitch torque, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding pitch motion.

[0275] According to the lateral speed instruction in the TRC activation mode, the corresponding roll angular rate instruction is further calculated through the preset control law, and then the corresponding rotor speed adjustment instruction is calculated based on the roll angular rate instruction, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can perform speed differential control on the rotor of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment instruction, so that the aircraft generates a rolling torque, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lateral movement.

[0276] According to the longitudinal speed instruction in the TRC activation mode, the corresponding tilt rotor tilt angle adjustment instruction and the rotor speed adjustment instruction are further calculated through the preset control law. While keeping the pitch angle stable, the tilt angle adjustment instruction and the speed adjustment instruction are used to make the aircraft adjust the tilt angle of the tilt rotor and differentially control the speed of the tilt rotor so that the aircraft maintains an unchanged altitude, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding longitudinal movement.

[0277] When the aircraft is in the transition configuration, the aircraft's longitudinal control commands, lateral control commands, elevator control commands, and heading control commands generated based on the pilot's control information are resolved using a preset flight control law to obtain corresponding longitudinal acceleration commands, roll rate commands, vertical velocity commands, and yaw rate commands, respectively. Based on the longitudinal acceleration commands, the aircraft controls the corresponding longitudinal motion through rotor speed control and / or pitch angle control. Based on the roll rate commands, the aircraft controls the corresponding lateral motion through aileron deflection and / or rotor speed differential control. Based on the vertical velocity commands, the aircraft controls the corresponding elevator motion through elevator deflection and / or rotor speed control. Based on the yaw rate commands, the aircraft controls the yaw motion through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator deflection.

[0278] When the aircraft is of a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft lateral control instructions, aircraft lift control instructions, aircraft longitudinal control instructions and aircraft heading control instructions generated according to the pilot's control information are solved by preset flight control laws, and the corresponding roll angular rate instructions, vertical speed instructions or pitch angular rate instructions, longitudinal speed instructions and yaw angular rate instructions are obtained respectively.

[0279] According to the roll rate instruction, the ailerons of the aircraft are controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lateral movement. According to the vertical speed instruction or pitch rate instruction obtained by solving the aircraft lift control instruction, the elevator rudder of the aircraft is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding lift movement. According to the yaw rate instruction obtained by solving the aircraft heading control instruction, the elevator rudder of the aircraft is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding yaw movement. According to the longitudinal acceleration instruction, the rotor of the aircraft is made to perform variable speed movement, that is, the speed of the rotor is adjusted to adjust the thrust of the aircraft, or the angle of the blade relative to the rotor plane is adjusted and controlled through collective pitch control, thereby changing the lift and drag generated by the rotor, and then controlling the aircraft to perform corresponding longitudinal movement. Among them, collective pitch usually refers to the total pitch of the rotor blades, that is, the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane.

[0280] In order to realize automatic recognition of the aircraft configuration, the current configuration of the aircraft can be further confirmed according to the flight phase of the aircraft. Therefore, before the above step S510, step S500 is further included:

[0281] Step S500: confirming the flight phase of the aircraft by using a preset flight control law and the flight status information of the aircraft, wherein the flight phase includes a rotor phase, a tilt transition phase, and a fixed-wing phase.

[0282] In this embodiment, the flight phases of the aircraft are first divided into the rotor phase, the tilt transition phase, and the fixed wing phase. The rotor phase refers to the aircraft flying in a rotor configuration; the tilt transition phase refers to the aircraft flying in a transitional flight between the rotor configuration and the fixed wing configuration; and the fixed wing phase refers to the aircraft flying in a fixed wing configuration. Figure 10 and Figure 11 , which respectively show the flight configuration diagrams of the rotor configuration and fixed-wing configuration of an eVTOL aircraft.

[0283] Specifically, the flight status information of the aircraft, such as the aircraft's flight altitude, airspeed, rotor tilt angle, etc., is input into the preset flight control law, so as to automatically determine whether the aircraft's flight stage belongs to a specific stage among the rotor stage, tilt transition stage, and fixed-wing stage.

[0284] It should be understood that flight status information can be obtained through the aircraft's avionics system and sensor system, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), inertial navigation system (INS), radio navigation system, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and other sensors.

[0285] Reference Figure 12 , Figure 12It shows the change of the tilt angle of the rotor of the aircraft during the flight phase. Figure 12 The vertical take-off phase and vertical landing phase correspond to the rotor phase of the aircraft, the forward tilt phase and backward tilt phase correspond to the tilt transition phase of the aircraft, and the fixed-wing forward flight phase corresponds to the fixed-wing phase of the aircraft.

[0286] according to Figure 12 As shown, by inputting the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft into the preset flight control law, the aircraft's flight phase can be automatically determined. For example, when the tilt rotor is in the cruise position (e.g., a tilt angle of 0°), the aircraft is in the fixed-wing phase; when the tilt rotor is in the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., a tilt angle of 90°), the aircraft is in the rotor phase; and when the rotor tilt angle is between the cruise position and the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., 0-90°), the aircraft is in the tilt transition phase.

[0287] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By using preset flight control laws and aircraft flight status information, the flight phase of the aircraft is obtained. In any flight phase of the aircraft, aircraft vector control instructions corresponding to the control information can be generated. In combination with the preset flight control laws, the aircraft is controlled to perform automated vector motion, thereby achieving a simplified aircraft control method. In combination with the preset flight control laws, flight control automation technology is implemented to reduce the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the aircraft driving threshold, and also reducing the operating burden of the pilot.

[0288] Based on Example 1 and / or Example 2 and / or Example 3 and / or Example 4 of the present application, in Example 5 of the present application, the same or similar contents as those of the above-mentioned Example 1, Example 2, Example 3 and / or Example 4 can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0289] In this embodiment, in the third type of flight control device, a tilt switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the control information may further include forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; the control system is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration upon receiving the forward tilt control information; and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration upon receiving the backward tilt control information; or

[0290] In the fourth flight control device, a tilt enable switch is provided on at least the main controller, and the control system is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when a tilt enable signal is received from the tilt enable switch.

[0291] Based on the third type of flight control device mentioned above, please refer to Figure 6The method includes steps S610 to S630:

[0292] Step S610, receiving tilt switch control information according to the flight control device, wherein the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information;

[0293] Specifically, the flight control device receives the pilot's tilt switch control information through the tilt switch, wherein the tilt switch control information is motion information and related state change information generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, including the tilt angle or position change of the tilt switch, as well as state change information. It should be noted that the forward tilt control information and the rearward tilt control information are control information generated by the toggle movement of the tilt switch. The forward tilt control information is used to instruct the aircraft to switch the flight configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, and the rearward tilt control information is used to instruct the aircraft to switch the flight configuration to a rotary-wing configuration. In this embodiment, the forward tilt control information is a control instruction generated by toggling the tilt switch forward, and the rearward tilt control information is a control instruction generated by toggling the tilt switch backward. It should be noted that the tilt switch in this application can have an automatic return to center function, that is, the tilt switch can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0294] Additionally, based on the fourth type of flight control device, the tilt switch is used to control tilt enable, and the tilt enable signal is a switch state signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, which is used to indicate that the aircraft is allowed to perform a tilt transition.

[0295] When the flight control device receives the tilt enable signal from the tilt switch, the flight control system is allowed to automatically control the tilt rotor to tilt, or map the tilt control function to a control channel of the target manipulator, such as the longitudinal axis control channel, and realize tilt control through the longitudinal displacement of the first joystick of the main manipulator.

[0296] It should be noted that in the aforementioned fourth type of flight control device, the signal corresponding to the tilt switch also includes a tilt inhibit signal. The tilt inhibit signal is a switch state signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, indicating that the aircraft is prohibited from performing a tilt transition. The generation of the tilt enable signal and the tilt inhibit signal can result from different operations on the tilt switch. For example, when the tilt switch is pressed, the tilt enable signal is generated, allowing the aircraft to perform a tilt transition. When the tilt switch is pressed again, the tilt inhibit signal is generated, prohibiting the aircraft from performing a tilt transition.

[0297] Step S620: When the aircraft is in a rotary-wing configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration;

[0298] Reference Figure 13 (a) The tilt propeller is the tilt rotor, and the fixed-wing forward flight phase is the fixed-wing phase. The preset tilt angle of the rotor in the cruise position under the fixed-wing configuration is set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually set by default to 0 degrees. Figure 13 (c) The preset tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the vertical take-off and landing position under the rotor configuration is also set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually set by default to 90 degrees. The target flight configuration refers to the aircraft configuration that the aircraft needs to switch to at a certain time in the future. Figure 13 (b) The tilt phase is the tilt transition phase, in which the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the transition configuration is between a preset tilt angle in the cruise position and a preset tilt angle in the vertical take-off and landing position, and is usually set by default to, for example, 0 to 90 degrees.

[0299] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical take-off or landing stage, and after receiving the forward tilt control information, the forward tilt control information is solved in combination with the preset flight control law, and the relevant control instructions of the rotor system are obtained through the solution, and then the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, and the tilt angle of the tilt rotor is gradually transitioned from the vertical take-off and landing position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby meeting the tilt angle of the fixed-wing configuration aircraft.

[0300] Step S630: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration.

[0301] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is of fixed-wing configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the fixed-wing forward flight stage, and after receiving the backward tilt control information, the preset flight control law solves the backward tilt control information, and obtains the relevant control instructions of the rotor system through the solution, and then adjusts the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system, and gradually transitions the rotor tilt angle from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby meeting the tilt angle of the rotor configuration aircraft.

[0302] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a tilt switch, it is convenient for the pilot to switch the aircraft configuration, realizing a simplified aircraft control method. In combination with preset flight control laws, flight control automation technology is implemented to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. It can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the aircraft driving threshold, and at the same time reduce the pilot's operating burden.

[0303] Based on the fourth and / or fifth embodiments of the present application, in the sixth embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as those of the fourth and / or fifth embodiments can be referred to above and will not be described in detail. On this basis, the flight status information includes the rotor tilt angle and the longitudinal flight speed. The step S500 includes steps S5001 to S5004:

[0304] Step S5001: confirming the magnitude relationship between the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle based on a preset flight control law;

[0305] Specifically, it should be noted that the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle are the rotor tilt angles of the rotor phase and the rotor tilt angles of the fixed-wing phase obtained by relevant personnel based on actual flight needs through optimization design of the entire flight process of the aircraft, and can be pre-configured in the flight control law. It should be understood that because the aircraft may have angle deviations in actual flight, the aircraft may not fully meet the requirements of the flight control law in actual flight. Figure 13 Tilt angles in different flight phases.

[0306] Specifically, the flight control device first inputs the aircraft tilt angle obtained in real time into the preset flight control law to obtain the relationship between the aircraft's rotor tilt angle and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle, so as to subsequently confirm the flight stage of the aircraft.

[0307] Step S5002: when the flight tilt angle is less than or equal to a first tilt angle, confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is a fixed-wing phase;

[0308] Step S5003: when the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is a tilt transition phase;

[0309] Step S5004: When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to a second tilt angle, it is confirmed that the flight phase of the aircraft is the rotor phase.

[0310] Specifically, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, it means that the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft is close to 0, thereby confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase.

[0311] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, it means that the tilt angle of the aircraft is greater than 0, but has not reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage. Therefore, the flight stage of the aircraft is confirmed to be the tilt transition stage.

[0312] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, it means that the tilt angle of the aircraft has reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage, the aircraft is performing vertical takeoff or landing, and the flight stage of the aircraft is confirmed to be the rotor stage.

[0313] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of the aircraft's flight phase recognition, the aircraft's flight phase recognition can be comprehensively judged by combining the rotor tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed.

[0314] Similarly, the longitudinal velocity during the rotor phase and the fixed-wing phase typically fall within different speed ranges. Therefore, personnel can optimize the entire flight process based on actual flight requirements to determine the first and second longitudinal velocities. These velocities can be used to further identify the aircraft's flight phase. These velocities can be preconfigured in the flight control law. The first longitudinal velocity is typically close to zero. The second longitudinal velocity can be used to characterize the aircraft's cruising speed during the fixed-wing phase.

[0315] For example, specifically, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal speed is greater than or equal to the second longitudinal speed, it is determined that the flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase.

[0316] When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal speed is greater than the first longitudinal speed and less than the second longitudinal speed, it is determined that the flight phase of the aircraft is a tilt transition phase.

[0317] When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal speed is less than or equal to the first longitudinal speed, it means that the aircraft is performing a vertical takeoff or landing, and the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the rotor phase.

[0318] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method that, by combining a preset flight control law with the longitudinal speed and / or bank angle of the aircraft, can automatically identify the flight phase of the aircraft, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft according to the flight phase. This is also beneficial for achieving flight control automation, further reducing the complexity of aircraft control, and alleviating the pilot's operational burden.

[0319] Based on any of the above embodiments of the present application, a seventh embodiment of the present application is proposed. In the seventh embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as any of the above embodiments can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0320] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, a ground mode switch is provided on at least the main controller, and the control information includes ground mode control information;

[0321] The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a ground control mode upon receiving ground mode control information;

[0322] When the aircraft is in a ground control mode, the control system is further configured to use the manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration, deceleration, and turning movements according to the vector control instruction;

[0323] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in a ground control mode, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control instruction, and control the turning direction of the aircraft using differential power and / or differential braking according to the ground direction control instruction to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning motion;

[0324] When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction through a preset flight control law, obtain a corresponding ground speed control instruction, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control instruction, thereby manipulating the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration movements.

[0325] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 7 The vector motion also includes ground acceleration and deceleration motion and ground steering motion. The vector control instruction includes an aircraft longitudinal control instruction and an aircraft heading control instruction. The step S140 further includes steps S710 to S720:

[0326] Step S710: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives the aircraft longitudinal control command, the aircraft longitudinal control command is resolved according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command, and the speed of the aircraft is controlled according to the ground speed control command to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration; and / or

[0327] Step S720, when the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control instruction, the aircraft heading control instruction is solved according to the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control instruction, and according to the ground direction control instruction, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled through differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning movement.

[0328] First, when the aircraft is in the ground phase, the ground mode switch located on any joystick of the main control device receives ground mode control information input by the pilot. The flight control system then controls the aircraft to switch to ground control mode based on this ground mode control information, such as changing the aircraft configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, to enable the pilot to perform ground control operations on the aircraft, such as taxiing. The ground mode switch can be a push button switch, and when the ground mode switch is pressed, ground mode control information is generated. It should be understood that when the ground mode switch is pressed again, ground mode exit information can be generated, indicating that the aircraft has exited ground control mode.

[0329] It should be noted that the ground mode switch can also be set on any joystick of the backup manipulator.

[0330] When the flight control device controls the aircraft to switch to ground control mode, that is, the aircraft is in ground control mode, it is necessary to map the ground control functions to multiple control channels of the target manipulator, such as the longitudinal and lateral control channels of the first joystick of the main manipulator, to achieve ground speed control through the longitudinal displacement of the first joystick of the main manipulator, and to achieve ground steering control through the lateral displacement of the first joystick of the main manipulator.

[0331] In this embodiment, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase, the ground control function is mapped to the control channel of the target manipulator corresponding to the longitudinal and directional movement of the aircraft, while the control channel of the joystick corresponding to the lateral and vertical movement of the aircraft should be in an invalid state. No matter how the pilot operates, it is impossible to respond to the pilot's control information and generate aircraft lateral control instructions and aircraft vertical control instructions.

[0332] Therefore, when the aircraft is in the ground control mode during the ground phase and receives an aircraft longitudinal control instruction, the aircraft longitudinal control instruction is input into the preset flight control law for solution, and a corresponding ground speed control instruction is obtained.

[0333] Alternatively, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase and receives an aircraft heading control instruction, the aircraft heading control instruction is input into the preset flight control law for solution to obtain a corresponding ground direction control instruction.

[0334] Then, according to the ground speed control instruction, the thrust of the aircraft's thrust assembly is adjusted by controlling the aircraft's power system, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform ground acceleration or deceleration movement.

[0335] According to the ground direction control instructions, the thrust of the thrust assemblies on both sides of the aircraft is adjusted, so that the torque generated by the thrust difference of the thrust assemblies on both sides is used to achieve steering, that is, differential power control. Steering can also be achieved by adjusting the braking force difference between the left and right brake assemblies of the aircraft, thereby controlling the aircraft to turn left or right.

[0336] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting aircraft vector control instructions that the aircraft can respond to during the ground phase, and combining them with preset flight control laws to further perform ground acceleration, deceleration and turning control on the aircraft during the ground phase, the aircraft's ground control logic is combined with the in-flight flight control logic to achieve a simplified aircraft control method. Combined with the preset flight control laws, flight control automation technology is implemented to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the aircraft's driving threshold, and at the same time alleviating the pilot's operational burden.

[0337] Based on any of the above embodiments of the present application, an eighth embodiment of the present application is proposed. In the eighth embodiment of the present application, the same or similar contents as any of the above embodiments can be referred to the above introduction and will not be repeated later.

[0338] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, a switching gear is provided at least at a preset control displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction of the first joystick or the second joystick in the main manipulator, and the control information received by the main manipulator also includes switching gear information, wherein the switching gear information includes forward switching gear information and backward switching gear information; when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward switching gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick in the main manipulator to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration; when the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the backward switching gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick in the main manipulator to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration; and / or

[0339] When the aircraft is in the ground control mode, the control system is further configured to control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration using a signal corresponding to the forward gear shift information received from the first joystick or the second joystick in the main manipulator; when the aircraft is in the ground control mode, the control system is further configured to use a signal corresponding to the backward gear shift information received from the first joystick or the second joystick in the main manipulator, and generate a braking instruction mapped to the backward gear shift information, and control the aircraft to perform ground braking according to the braking instruction.

[0340] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the method further includes steps S810 to S830:

[0341] Step S810: receiving gear shift information through the flight control device, wherein the gear shift information includes forward gear shift information and backward gear shift information;

[0342] It should be noted that either the first joystick or the second joystick in the main controller is provided with a shift position at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold. When the pilot manipulates the joystick longitudinally until the control displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold, a shift position information is generated. The preset control displacement threshold is a control displacement threshold pre-set by relevant personnel based on a comprehensive consideration of the joystick characteristics, actual control requirements, and the pilot's control habits; the forward shift position information refers to the signal generated when the joystick's longitudinal forward displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold, which is used to instruct the aircraft to switch the flight configuration to a fixed-wing configuration; the backward shift position information refers to the signal generated when the joystick's longitudinal backward displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold. It should be understood that in order to prevent the pilot from misoperating, the shift position set at the preset longitudinal control displacement threshold of the joystick should have a stepped control force sense for reminder.

[0343] It should be noted that any joystick in the backup manipulator may be provided with a shift position at a preset manipulation displacement threshold in the longitudinal direction to achieve the same function as the main manipulator.

[0344] Specifically, the flight control device needs to receive a gear shift signal from the pilot so as to subsequently switch the flight configuration of the aircraft according to the gear shift signal.

[0345] Step S820: When the aircraft is in the rotor configuration and receives the forward gear shift information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration;

[0346] Step S830: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward gear shift information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0347] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical take-off or landing stage, the current flight stage of the aircraft is the rotor stage. At the same time, after receiving the forward gear switching information, the control instructions of the rotor system are obtained by solving the preset control law, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the vertical take-off and landing position to the cruise position, thereby transitioning to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0348] Specifically, when it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the current flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase. At the same time, after receiving the backward gear switching information, the control instructions of the rotor system are obtained by solving the preset control law, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby transitioning to the rotor configuration.

[0349] Furthermore, in order to reduce the complexity of aircraft control and lower the threshold for aircraft driving, the function of ground control instructions can be highly integrated into the joystick, reducing the number of joysticks in the cockpit. After step S830, steps S840 to S850 are also included:

[0350] Step S840, when the aircraft is in the ground phase and receives the forward gear shift information, controlling the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration;

[0351] Step S850: When the aircraft is in the ground phase and receives the backward gear switching information, a braking instruction mapped to the backward gear switching information is generated, and the aircraft is controlled to brake on the ground according to the braking instruction.

[0352] Specifically, when the aircraft is in the ground phase, upon receiving the forward gear shift information, the flight control system adjusts the tiltrotor from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the cruise position. At this point, the aircraft can perform acceleration, deceleration, and steering movements on the ground. To further reduce the operator's operational burden, the backward gear shift information during the ground phase can be pre-set as a ground brake control signal. Upon receiving the backward gear shift information, the flight control system generates a brake command mapped to the backward gear shift information. The brake command is then interpreted in conjunction with the preset flight control law to obtain the relevant control command for the power system. This command then shuts down the engine in the power system, thereby achieving ground braking of the aircraft.

[0353] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a switching gear on the joystick, it is convenient for the pilot to switch flight configurations during flight. At the same time, the backward switching gear information is set as a ground brake control signal, which is more consistent with the logic of ground control object movement, realizes a simplified aircraft control method, and combines preset flight control laws to realize flight control automation technology to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. It can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the aircraft driving threshold, and also reduce the pilot's operating burden.

[0354] The present application provides a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising: at least one flight control device, including but not limited to the flight control device described in the above embodiment, wherein the flight control device comprises a joystick capable of receiving control information from a pilot, and a control system communicatively coupled thereto.

[0355] Furthermore, the present application also provides a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, wherein the aircraft displays the working status of the main manipulator and the backup manipulator to the pilot through a display system;

[0356] When the target controller is the backup controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the backup controller is in the activated state and the primary controller is in the inhibited state;

[0357] When the target controller is the master controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the standby master controller is in the active state and the backup controller is in the inhibited state;

[0358] When it is detected that the control device in the inhibited state is misoperated, the aircraft provides a visual and / or audio warning to the pilot.

[0359] Specifically, the working status (inhibited state and activated state) of the main manipulator and the backup manipulator can be displayed to the pilot through the aircraft's display system (such as the front display screen, head-up display and control console, etc.), so that the pilot can quickly determine the current target manipulator and prevent the pilot from operating it incorrectly.

[0360] like Figure 21 As shown in the figure, the indicator light located above is used to indicate the working status of the backup manipulator, and the indicator light located below is used to indicate the working status of the main manipulator. When the aircraft does not receive the authority switching signal of the authority control switch, the default target manipulator is the main manipulator, or when the aircraft receives the authority switching signal to suppress the backup manipulator state and switches the target manipulator to the main manipulator, the display system can prompt the pilot through the visual prompt of the indicator light (the lower indicator light is on and the upper indicator light is off) that the main manipulator is in the activated state and the backup manipulator is in the suppressed state.

[0361] like Figure 21 As shown, when the aircraft receives the authority switching signal to suppress the status of the main manipulator and switches the target manipulator from the main manipulator to the backup manipulator, the display system can prompt the pilot that the backup manipulator is in the activated state and the main manipulator is in the suppressed state through the visual prompt of the indicator light (the upper indicator light is on and the lower indicator light is off).

[0362] In addition, by setting image and / or voice warning prompts, when the manipulator in the inhibited state is misoperated so that the position of the manipulator exceeds a certain position or angle, a warning prompt is issued.

[0363] For example, when the primary controller is active and the backup controller is inhibited, the lower indicator light of the controller indicator will illuminate and the upper indicator light will be off. When the primary controller is inhibited and the backup controller is active, the upper indicator light of the controller indicator will illuminate and the lower indicator light will be off. The pilot can know the active / inhibited status of the primary and backup controllers through the visual cues of the corresponding indicators.

[0364] The VTOL aircraft provided in this application can address the technical issues of existing eVTOL aircraft control methods, which suffer from high control complexity and insufficient control safety. Compared with the existing technology, the VTOL aircraft provided in this application has the same beneficial effects as the flight control devices and aircraft control methods provided in the above-mentioned embodiments. Other technical features of the VTOL aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments and are not further described here.

[0365] The present application provides a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the aircraft control method in the above-mentioned embodiment example.

[0366] The vertical take-off and landing aircraft in the embodiments of this application may include, but is not limited to, the following specialized equipment: a flight control computer, an avionics computer, an embedded computing device, a ground control station, an automatic landing system, a lidar system, an inertial navigation system (INS), a global positioning system receiver, a visual navigation system, an infrared imaging device, a radar altimeter, an ultrasonic sensor, and an on-board terminal (such as an on-board navigation terminal). The above-mentioned equipment may be used individually or in combination to ensure that the aircraft control method disclosed in this application can be implemented.

[0367] The VTOL aircraft provided in this application utilizes the aircraft control method of the aforementioned embodiment, which can address the technical issues of existing eVTOL aircraft control methods, such as the high complexity and insufficient safety of eVTOL aircraft control. Compared to the prior art, the VTOL aircraft provided in this application achieves the same beneficial effects as the aircraft control method provided in the aforementioned embodiment, and the other technical features of this VTOL aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the aforementioned embodiment, and are not further described here.

[0368] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent processing scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flight control device, characterized in that: include: control systems; a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, the main controller being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; A backup manipulator is provided relatively independently from the primary manipulator and is communicatively coupled with the control system. The backup manipulator is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system. a control system configured to identify a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; The control system is configured to use a signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with the preset manipulation mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the manipulation information is at least one of the elevation, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control instruction mapped to the vector control channel; The vector control instructions include aircraft heading control instructions, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration; When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate instruction through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the control information and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate instruction through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft heading control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate instruction, and control the aircraft to perform yaw motion by deflecting an elevator rudder according to the yaw rate instruction; and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control instruction through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control instruction, and according to the ground direction control instruction, control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning movement.

2. A flight control device, characterized in that: include: control systems; a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, the main controller being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; A backup manipulator is provided relatively independently from the primary manipulator and is communicatively coupled with the control system. The backup manipulator is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system. a control system configured to identify a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator, use a signal corresponding to manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction; The control system is configured to use a signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with the preset manipulation mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the manipulation information is at least one of the elevation, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control instruction mapped to the vector control channel; The vector control instructions include longitudinal control instructions for an aircraft, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transition configuration; When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and a horizontal rate command mode is activated, the control system is further configured to resolve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal speed command, and control the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control based on the longitudinal speed command; When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in a transition configuration, the control system is further configured to resolve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal acceleration instruction, and manipulate the aircraft to perform longitudinal movement through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control based on the longitudinal acceleration instruction; and / or When the control system generates an aircraft longitudinal control instruction mapped to the manipulation information and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft longitudinal control instruction through a preset flight control law, obtain a corresponding ground speed control instruction, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control instruction, thereby manipulating the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration movements.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The control system includes an arbitration module, which is further configured to detect a validity signal of the master manipulator to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid; When it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid, setting the master manipulator as the target manipulator; When it is confirmed that the primary manipulator has failed, the arbitration module is configured to automatically / manually switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The flight control device includes an authority switching switch, and the control system includes an arbitration module, wherein the authority switching switch is communicatively coupled to the arbitration module, and the authority switching switch is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide an authority switching signal to the arbitration module; The arbitration module is further configured to detect a validity signal of the master manipulator to confirm whether the master manipulator is valid; The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is confirmed that the master manipulator is valid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator suppression state; and / or The arbitration module is configured to switch the target manipulator to the backup manipulator when it is determined that the primary manipulator is invalid and the authority switching signal is in a master manipulator inhibit state.

5. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The master manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, wherein the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The control information received by the master manipulator includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the first control information are the elevation and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped by the second control information are the longitudinal and heading control channels. The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, which are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and fourth manipulation information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third manipulation information is the same as the first manipulation information, and the vector control channel mapped by the fourth manipulation information is the same as the second manipulation information.

6. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The main manipulator includes a first joystick and a second joystick, wherein the first joystick and the second joystick are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions; The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a manipulation switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick capable of swinging in the transverse and longitudinal directions and performing twisting motion.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The control information received by the master manipulator includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the first control information are the elevation and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped by the second control information are the longitudinal and heading control channels; the control information received by the backup manipulator includes third control information and control switch information, wherein the vector control channels mapped by the third control information are the heading, lateral, and elevation control channels, and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information is the longitudinal control channel; and / or The operating switch is arranged on the third operating rod and is operated by the thumb; and / or The operating switch is any one of a roller switch, a two-way switch and a push button switch.

8. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that A tilt enable switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the control system is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to be tilted when a tilt enable signal is received from the tilt enable switch; and / or A ground mode switching switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the manipulating information includes ground mode control information; The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a ground control mode upon receiving ground mode control information; When the aircraft is in a ground control mode, the control system is further configured to use the manipulation information received from the target manipulator and, in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship, generate a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration, deceleration, and turning movements according to the vector control instruction; and / or A horizontal rate instruction mode switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, wherein the manipulation information includes horizontal rate instruction mode control information; The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to switch to a horizontal rate command mode upon receiving horizontal rate command mode control information.

9. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that A tilt switch is provided on at least the main manipulator, and the manipulation information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; The control system is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when forward tilt control information is received; and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when backward tilt control information is received.

10. A method for controlling an aircraft, characterized in that: The method is applied to a flight control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the flight control device comprises a primary manipulator and a backup manipulator, and the method comprises: Identify a target manipulator from the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator; receiving the pilot's manipulation information through the target manipulator; generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information according to the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship; The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, the third joystick and the fourth joystick being configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging in the transverse and longitudinal directions. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and fourth manipulation information, the third manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement and a second manipulation displacement, and the fourth manipulation information includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement. The step of generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information based on the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes: When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick; determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is an elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick; determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that a vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement is a longitudinal channel, and generating a longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to a control displacement of the fourth joystick in the longitudinal direction; According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is determined to be the heading channel, and an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel is generated, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the fourth joystick.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein The backup manipulator includes a third joystick and a manipulation switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick capable of swinging in the lateral and longitudinal directions and performing torsional motion. The manipulation information received by the backup manipulator includes third manipulation information and manipulation switch information. The third manipulation information includes a first manipulation displacement, a second manipulation displacement, and a rotational change. The step of generating a vector control instruction mapped to the manipulation information based on the manipulation information and a preset manipulation mapping relationship includes: When the target manipulator is a backup manipulator, determining, based on the preset manipulator mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first manipulator displacement is a lateral channel, and generating a lateral control instruction for the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the first manipulator displacement refers to the lateral manipulator displacement of the third joystick; determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement is an elevator channel, and generating an aircraft elevator control instruction mapped to the elevator channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third joystick; Determining, based on the preset control mapping relationship, that a vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the rotational change is a heading channel, and generating an aircraft heading control instruction mapped to the heading channel, wherein the rotational change refers to a torsional angle change of the third joystick during the torsional motion; The vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information is determined as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and a longitudinal control instruction of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein The vector control instruction includes an aircraft heading control instruction, and the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control instruction includes: When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control based on the yaw rate command; and / or When the aircraft is in the transition configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion based on the yaw rate command through rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft heading control command is solved by a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command; and / or When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the aircraft heading control command is solved through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground direction control command. Based on the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled through differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning movement.

14. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft comprises a flight control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

15. The aircraft according to claim 14, characterized in that The aircraft displays the working status of the primary manipulator and the backup manipulator to the pilot through a display system; When the target controller is the backup controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the backup controller is in the activated state and the primary controller is in the inhibited state; When the target controller is the master controller, the pilot is shown through the display system that the standby master controller is in the active state and the backup controller is in the inhibited state; When it is detected that the control device in the inhibited state is misoperated, the aircraft provides a visual and / or audio warning to the pilot.

16. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft comprises: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft control method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

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