Cooperative control prompting method and system for side rod system
By combining helicopter display interface, side stick jerking, and voice alarms, the problem of control precision and safety caused by side stick system failure in dual-pilot helicopters has been solved, and the pilot's flight perception and control capabilities have been improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511842073.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-03
AI Technical Summary
In a dual-pilot helicopter, when the side stick system malfunctions and degrades to a passive operating mode, the two sticks cannot be linked, resulting in a lack of communication between the pilot and co-pilot, which affects control accuracy and flight safety.
The helicopter provides comprehensive visual, tactile, and auditory cues through a helicopter display interface, side stick jitter, and voice alerts, helping pilots perceive their control authority and margin of error, and ensuring safe operation in different working modes.
It enhances the pilot's flight awareness, avoids overlapping control by two pilots, and improves the safety and precision of flight control.
Smart Images
Figure CN121590740A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of helicopter flight control technology, specifically relating to a side stick system cooperative control prompting method and system. Background Technology
[0002] For dual-pilot helicopters, the two side sticks used by the pilot and co-pilot for input control constitute the side stick system, which is the pilot control mechanism for fly-by-wire helicopters. It is divided into passive and active types. Compared to the center stick, the side stick offers advantages such as improved cockpit layout, precise control, enhanced handling quality, and reduced maintenance costs.
[0003] Traditionally, helicopters use a large-displacement center stick, where the stick position is one way pilots perceive the helicopter's attitude. Side sticks, on the other hand, are small-displacement return-to-center control devices, meaning pilots cannot obtain helicopter attitude information directly from the stick position. Appropriate prompts are needed to enhance flight awareness. Traditional center sticks achieve interactive perception and synchronized control between the pilot and co-pilot through mechanical linkage. Side stick systems, however, achieve synchronized control via electrical signal reverse drive. When a side stick system malfunctions and degrades to a passive operating mode, the two sticks cannot be linked, resulting in a loss of interactive information between the pilot and co-pilot. This can easily lead to superimposed control, affecting the accuracy of side stick control and threatening flight safety.
[0004] In summary, a well-designed side-stick system collaborative control prompting method can effectively compensate for the pilot's lack of attitude perception of the helicopter, solve the problems caused by the inability of the primary and secondary pilots to coordinate, and improve flight safety and flight quality. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Purpose of the Invention: Addressing the lack of flight awareness in helicopters employing active side-stick controls, this invention provides a collaborative control and prompting method and system for side-stick systems. Applied to the flight control design of dual-pilot fly-by-wire helicopters, it provides visual, tactile, and auditory prompts to the pilots through the helicopter display interface, side-stick jitter, and voice alerts. This meets the pilots' safety prompting needs and effectively avoids flight safety issues arising from overlapping control by two pilots.
[0006] To address the above-mentioned technical issues, the present invention provides the following technical solution: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for cooperative control prompting of a side stick system, comprising the following steps: The side bar system begins to operate; Determine the operating mode of the side rod system; When the working mode is the linkage mode, operate the side stick to judge the control margin and get different prompts; When the working mode is non-linkage mode, the side stick system degrades its operation to determine the control mode. When seizing power and manipulating, assess the remaining control capacity and obtain different prompts; During normal operation, control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained.
[0007] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when the working mode is the linkage mode, the side lever is operated, and the green indicator light on both sides of the "lever indicator" is constantly lit.
[0008] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when the working mode is the linkage mode, the side lever is operated to judge the control margin and obtain different prompts, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the red indicator light on both sides will remain constantly lit. When the remaining amount is less than 5%, visual and tactile cues will be provided: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides will be constantly lit in red, and the lever on both sides will shake. When the margin is 0%, visual, tactile, and auditory prompts will be provided: both "lever indicators" will be constantly lit in red, both "lever indicators" will shake, and both "operation limits" will trigger an audio alarm.
[0009] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when the working mode is non-linkage mode, the side rod system degrades to a lower level and is indicated by a solid yellow "status indicator".
[0010] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when one side takes control, the "stick indicator" on that side is constantly lit in green, the "authorization indicator" on the other side is constantly lit in red, and the "driver / passenger control" voice alarm is triggered.
[0011] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when a power grab occurs, a control margin judgment is performed to obtain different prompts, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, the visual cue is: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red, and the "authorization indicator" on the other side is constantly lit in red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be provided: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, the "operation over limit" voice alarm will be issued on this side, and the "permission indicator" on the other side will be constantly lit in red.
[0012] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when the power takeover is completed, the power control is released and the prompt is turned off through the "power control indicator".
[0013] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when driving normally on one side, a control margin judgment is performed to obtain different prompts, specifically: For single-side driving controls, a solid green indicator light on that side will illuminate. Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red; When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, and a voice alarm for "over-limit operation" will be issued on both sides.
[0014] As a further technical solution of the present invention: when both sides are driving normally, a control margin judgment is performed to obtain different prompts, specifically: Simultaneous operation of both sides of the vehicle, with flashing green "lever indicators" on both sides and voice alarm prompts via "dual inputs" on both sides; Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides flashes red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: both sides of the "lever indicator" will flash red, and both sides of the "operation over limit" voice alarm will be given.
[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a side stick system cooperative control prompting system, which includes: The data acquisition module collects driver operation commands and access control commands, and sends them to the logic control module. The logic control module, based on the above instructions, determines the control margin of each axis of the helicopter and the status of the active side stick system, and generates control information. The prompting module receives control commands from the logic control module to complete the prompting process.
[0016] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. This invention provides an alarm prompting method for dual-bar coordinated control using active or passive side bars, which is achieved by combining visual, tactile, and auditory methods.
[0017] 2. When the driver operates the active side lever, the driver can sense the remaining control authority. When the two levers are not linked, the driver can know the allocation of authority and the operation status.
[0018] 3. This invention greatly enhances the pilot's perception ability and improves the safety of flight control through an intuitive, simple, easy-to-accept, and easy-to-implement approach.
[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the tandem cockpit driver and co-pilot prompt windows (not illuminated) of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the side-by-side cockpit driver and co-pilot warning windows (not illuminated) of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the indicator window of the present invention illuminated.
[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the workflow of a side rod system collaborative control prompting method according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0025] In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0026] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0027] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-4 The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.
[0028] Example 1 This invention discloses a method for cooperative control prompting of a side stick system, which includes the following steps: The side bar system begins to operate; Determine the operating mode of the side rod system; When the working mode is the linkage mode, operate the side stick to judge the control margin and get different prompts; When the working mode is non-linkage mode, the side stick system degrades its operation to determine the control mode. When seizing power and manipulating, assess the remaining control capacity and obtain different prompts; During normal operation, control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained.
[0029] Furthermore, when the working mode is the linkage mode, operating the side lever will be indicated by the green constant light of the "lever indicator" on both sides.
[0030] Furthermore, when the operating mode is the linkage mode, manipulating the side stick allows for control margin assessment, resulting in different prompts, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the red indicator light on both sides will remain constantly lit. When the remaining amount is less than 5%, visual and tactile cues will be provided: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides will be constantly lit in red, and the lever on both sides will shake. When the margin is 0%, visual, tactile, and auditory prompts will be provided: both "lever indicators" will be constantly lit in red, both "lever indicators" will shake, and both "operation limits" will trigger an audio alarm.
[0031] Furthermore, when the operating mode is non-linkage mode, the side lever system degrades to a lower operating level, indicated by a constantly lit yellow "status indicator".
[0032] Furthermore, when one side takes control, the "lever indicator" on that side will be constantly lit in green, while the "authorization indicator" on the other side will be constantly lit in red, and a voice alarm for "driver / passenger control" will sound.
[0033] Furthermore, during a power grab, a control margin assessment is performed to obtain different prompts, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, the visual cue is: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red, and the "authorization indicator" on the other side is constantly lit in red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be provided: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, the "operation over limit" voice alarm will be issued on this side, and the "permission indicator" on the other side will be constantly lit in red.
[0034] Furthermore, once the power grab is complete, the manipulation privileges are released, and the notification is extinguished via the "privacy instruction".
[0035] Furthermore, when driving normally on one side, a control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained, specifically: For single-side driving controls, a solid green indicator light on that side will illuminate. Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red; When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, and a voice alarm for "over-limit operation" will be issued on both sides.
[0036] Furthermore, when both sides are operating normally, a control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained, specifically: Simultaneous operation of both sides of the vehicle, with flashing green "lever indicators" on both sides and voice alarm prompts via "dual inputs" on both sides; Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides flashes red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: both sides of the "lever indicator" will flash red, and both sides of the "operation over limit" voice alarm will be given.
[0037] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a side stick system cooperative control prompting system, which includes: The data acquisition module collects driver operation commands and access control commands, and sends them to the logic control module. The logic control module, based on the above instructions, determines the control margin of each axis of the helicopter and the status of the active side stick system, and generates control information. The prompting module receives control commands from the logic control module to complete the prompting process.
[0038] Example 2 This invention provides a prompting method for dual-stick coordinated control of a side-stick system, applied to the flight control design of a dual-pilot fly-by-wire helicopter. It provides visual, tactile, and auditory prompts to the pilot through the helicopter display interface, side-stick jitter, and voice alarms. This meets the pilot's safety prompting needs and effectively avoids flight safety issues caused by overlapping control by two pilots.
[0039] The method described in this invention is applicable to sidestick systems, including active sidestick systems and passive sidestick systems. Active sidestick systems operate normally in a linked mode; if certain faults prevent the two sticks from linking, the system degrades to a non-linked operating mode. Based on configuration, they include 2-axis sidesticks (pitch axis + roll axis), 3-axis sidesticks (pitch axis + roll axis + yaw axis), and 4-axis sidesticks (pitch axis + roll axis + altitude axis + yaw axis).
[0040] The specific details of this method are as follows: Each driver and co-driver has a notification window in front of them, containing three elements: a circle indicating the system status (yellow when lit); a square with text indicating the lever indicator (green or red when lit); and a triangle indicating permissions.
[0041] 1. Active side pole system linkage mode Both the driver and passenger have the authority to operate the side sticks, and both sticks are operated synchronously. At this time, the prompts for the driver and passenger are synchronized and identical.
[0042] a) When the side stick is operated, the stick indicator in the prompt window remains constantly green; b) When the side lever is operated so that the axial control margin is less than 10% of the full range control authority, the lever indicator in the prompt window will be constantly lit in red to provide a visual prompt. c) When the side lever is manipulated to make the axial control margin less than 5% of the full range control authority, the lever indicator in the prompt window will be constantly lit in red, and the side lever will shake, forming a visual and tactile prompt. d) When the side lever is manipulated to make the axial control margin 0% of the full range of control authority, the lever indicator in the prompt window will be constantly lit in red, the side lever will shake, and there will be a "manipulation over the limit" voice alarm, forming a visual + tactile + auditory prompt.
[0043] 2. Active side-arm system non-linkage mode The dual-lever control is out of sync, and the system status indicator in the driver and passenger visual prompt window is constantly lit in yellow.
[0044] a) Both the driver and co-pilot have operating authority. 1) When only one side of the driving control lever is in use, the lever indicator in the driving prompt window on that side will remain constantly lit in green; When the control margin is less than 10% of the control authority, the red indicator light on the driving prompt window on this side remains constantly lit. When the control margin is 0% of the control authority, the lever indicator in the driving prompt window on this side will be constantly lit in red, and there will be a "manipulation over the limit" voice alarm. 2) When both the driver and passenger operate the side lever, the lever indicator in the driver and passenger prompt window will flash green and there will be a "dual input" voice alarm to remind the driver that they are performing superimposed operation; When the control margin is less than 10% of the control authority, the lever indicator in the driver and passenger warning window will flash red. When the control margin is 0% of the control authority, the lever indicator in the driver and passenger seat prompt window flashes red and there is a "manipulation over the limit" voice alarm; b) When the driver gains control by pressing the cut-off button, the authority indicator in the passenger's prompt window will be constantly lit in red to indicate that the passenger has lost control, and there will be a "Driver in Control" voice alarm. The driver's control prompt is the same as 1) in section 2a). c) When the co-driver gains control by pressing the cut-off button, the red control indicator in the driver's prompt window will be constantly lit to indicate that the driver has lost control, and there will be a "co-driver control" voice alarm. The co-driver control prompt is the same as 1) in section 2a). d) When the driver / passenger releases control authority, the authority indicator turns off, and the process returns to step a).
[0045] 3. Passive side pole system Same as the non-linkage mode of the second active side rod system.
[0046] Thus, the objective of this invention has been achieved.
[0047] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for cooperative control prompting of a side stick system, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The side bar system begins to operate; Determine the operating mode of the side rod system; When the working mode is the linkage mode, operate the side stick to judge the control margin and get different prompts; When the working mode is non-linkage mode, the side stick system degrades its operation to determine the control mode. When seizing power and manipulating, assess the remaining control capacity and obtain different prompts; During normal operation, control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained.
2. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the working mode is the linkage mode, operate the side stick, and the green indicator light on both sides will be constantly lit to indicate this.
3. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the operating mode is the linkage mode, manipulating the side stick will determine the control margin and provide different prompts, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides is constantly lit in red; When the remaining amount is less than 5%, visual and tactile cues will be provided: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides will be constantly lit in red, and the lever on both sides will shake. When the margin is 0%, visual, tactile, and auditory prompts will be given: both "lever indicators" will be constantly lit in red, both "lever indicators" will shake, and both "operation limits" will trigger an audio alarm.
4. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the operating mode is non-linkage mode, the side lever system degrades to a lower operating level, indicated by a solid yellow "status indicator".
5. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When one side takes control of the vehicle, the "stick indicator" on that side will be constantly lit in green, while the "authorization indicator" on the other side will be constantly lit in red, and a voice alarm will sound for "driver / passenger control".
6. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When power grabs occur, a control margin assessment is performed, and different prompts are obtained, specifically: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, the visual cue is: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red, and the "authorization indicator" on the other side is constantly lit in red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be provided: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, the "over-limit operation" voice alarm will be issued on this side, and the "permission indicator" on the other side will be constantly lit in red.
7. The side stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Once the power grab is complete, release the control permissions and extinguish the prompt via the "Permission Instruction".
8. The side-stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When driving normally on one side, the control margin is assessed, and different prompts are obtained, specifically: For single-side driving controls, a solid green indicator light on that side will illuminate. Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "lever indicator" on this side is constantly lit in red; When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: the "lever indicator" on this side will be constantly lit in red, and a voice alarm for "over-limit operation" will be issued on both sides.
9. The side-stick system cooperative control prompting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When both sides of the vehicle are operating normally, a control margin assessment is performed, and different prompts are obtained, specifically: Simultaneous operation of both sides of the vehicle, with flashing green "lever indicators" on both sides and voice alarm prompts via "dual inputs" on both sides; Control margin judgment: When the remaining amount is less than 10%, visual cue: the "moving lever indicator" on both sides flashes red. When the margin is 0%, visual and auditory prompts will be given: both "lever indicators" will flash red, and both "over-limit operation" voice alarms will be given.
10. A side stick system cooperative control prompting system, characterized in that, include: The data acquisition module collects driver operation commands and access control commands, and sends them to the logic control module. The logic control module, based on the above instructions, determines the control margin of each axis of the helicopter and the status of the active side stick system, and generates control information. The prompting module receives control commands from the logic control module to complete the prompting process.