Aircraft control system

Abstract

To provide an aircraft steering system that improves the safety of an aircraft.SOLUTION: An aircraft 10 includes an engine 20 on each of left and right main wings 14. A control lever 31 for adjusting an undulating state of an auxiliary wing 1406 and an undulating state of an elevator 1802, a rudder pedal 32 for adjusting a swinging state of a rudder 1602, and a thrust lever 33 for adjusting output of the engine 20 constitute a normal operation member. The aircraft 10 includes an emergency operation member 40 that adjusts attitude of the aircraft 10 separately from the normal operation member. An output determination unit 540 determines an amount of output of each of the left and right engines 20, based on an operating state of the emergency operation member 40. The output control unit 542 controls outputs of the left and right engines 20, based on the respective amounts of output determined by the output determination unit 540.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to aircraft flight control systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, aircraft are operated by multiple pilots (usually a captain and a co-pilot) who take turns flying the aircraft. For example, the following Patent Document 1 aims to give an appropriate control feel to the pilot of an aircraft control device, and the control device includes a control end for controlling the aircraft, a reaction force generating device that applies to the control end as a reaction force an offset value that cancels out external forces acting on the control end other than the operating force and a value according to the operating position of the control end, and a reaction force control unit that controls the reaction force generating device. The reaction force control unit sets an offset value that cancels out the external force calculated to act on the control end based on the attitude of the aircraft. This configuration makes it possible to keep the pilot's control feel constant even if the attitude of the aircraft changes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-160339 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Aircraft are equipped with various control devices, and the pilot operates these devices to operate various parts of the aircraft (ailerons, rudder, etc.) to maintain the aircraft's attitude and change direction. However, in case the control devices become unusable or the ailerons or other components become uncontrollable for some reason, it is desirable to provide a redundant configuration for maintaining the aircraft's attitude and changing direction.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an aircraft control system that improves aircraft safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is a flight control system for an aircraft having the same number of engines on each of the left and right main wings, comprising a control stick for adjusting the elevation state of the ailerons and the elevation state of the elevators, rudder pedals for adjusting the swinging state of the rudder, thrust levers for adjusting the output of the engines, attitude adjustment operating members for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft, which are provided separately from the control stick, the rudder pedals and the thrust levers, an output determination unit for determining the output amount of each of the engines based on the operation state of the attitude adjustment operating members, and an output control unit for controlling the output of the engines based on the output amount determined by the output determination unit. One embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the attitude adjustment operating member comprises a first operating member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in a roll direction, a second operating member for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft, and a third operating member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in a yaw direction, and the output determination unit sets an increase in the output of the engine individually for each operation of the first operating member, the operation of the second operating member, and the operation of the third operating member. One embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the output determination portion sets the increase amount for an operation on the first operating member to be greater than that for an operation on the third operating member. One embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the aircraft further includes a switching operation unit that enables operation of the attitude adjustment operation member, and when the switching operation unit is not operated, the aircraft's attitude and flight altitude are adjusted based on the operation state of the control stick, the rudder pedals, and the thrust levers, and when the switching operation unit is operated, the aircraft's attitude and flight altitude are adjusted based on the operation state of the attitude adjustment operation member. One embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the output determination unit detects a horizontal flight output, which is the output of the engine at which the aircraft enters a horizontal flight state when the switching operation unit is operated, and determines an increase in the output of the engine in response to the operation of the first operating member and the operation of the third operating member based on the horizontal flight output. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an attitude adjustment operating member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft is provided in addition to normal operating members such as a control stick, rudder pedals, thrust levers, etc. that are used when operating the aircraft under normal circumstances. This makes it possible to use the attitude adjustment operating member as a redundant configuration for maintaining the attitude of the aircraft or changing direction in the event of a failure of the normal operating members, which is advantageous in improving the safety of the aircraft. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, attitude adjustment using the attitude adjustment operating member is achieved by changing the output of the left and right engines, so that the aircraft's attitude can be maintained and direction can be changed even if components such as the ailerons, elevators, and rudder fail, which is advantageous in improving aircraft safety. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a first operating member is provided for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in the roll direction, a second operating member is provided for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft, and a third operating member is provided for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in the yaw direction, and the increase in engine output is set individually for each operation of the operating members, thereby ensuring that the aircraft's attitude can be maintained and direction can be changed. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a greater output increase amount is set for operation of the first operating member that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft in the roll direction than for operation of the third operating member that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft in the yaw direction, so that the attitude in the roll direction, which is more significantly related to the risk of a crash, etc., can be stabilized with priority over the attitude in the yaw direction. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a switching operation unit is further provided for enabling operation of the attitude adjustment operating member, and the enabled operating member is switched based on whether or not an operation is performed on the switching operation unit, which is advantageous in enabling a clearer switch between normal and emergency situations and improving safety. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal flight output, which is the engine output at which the aircraft will be in horizontal flight when the switching operation unit is operated, is detected, and the amount of increase in engine output for operation of the first operating member and operation of the third operating member is determined based on the horizontal flight output, which is advantageous in reliably detecting the engine output required for the aircraft to assume a horizontal attitude and then adjusting the attitude in the roll and yaw directions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an aircraft according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration inside an aircraft cockpit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an aircraft. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing axes of rotation around an aircraft. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an emergency operation member. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the attitude of the aircraft when turning. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the output of the left and right engines during horizontal flight. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the output of the left and right engines when the aircraft is ascending. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the output of the left and right engines when the aircraft is descending. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the output of the left and right engines when an aircraft that has tilted to the left is returned to horizontal while flying horizontally. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the output of the left and right engines when the aircraft, which has tilted to the left, returns to a horizontal position while ascending. [Figure 12]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the output of the left and right engines when turning right during level flight. [Figure 13] 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an aircraft control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 10 includes a fuselage 12 , wings 14 , a vertical stabilizer 16 , a horizontal stabilizer 18 , an engine 20 , and a cockpit 30 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, rotation around axis X1 along the extension direction (front-to-back direction) of the aircraft 12 is called roll, rotation around axis X2 along the left-right direction of the aircraft 12 is called pitch, and rotation around axis X3 along the up-down direction of the aircraft 12 is called yaw.

[0010] Aircraft 12 accommodates a crew including a pilot and passengers (or cargo). The main wing 14 extends in the left-right direction of the aircraft 12 from approximately the center of the aircraft 12, and generates lift that lifts the aircraft 12. The main wing 14 is fixed to the aircraft 12. A spoiler 1402 is provided near the center of the upper surface of the main wing 14. The spoiler 1402 lies down parallel to the surface of the main wing 14 when the speed brake lever 34, which will be described later, is not operated, but when the speed brake lever 34 is operated, the spoiler rises up vertically to the surface of the main wing 14, and air resistance causes the aircraft 10 to decelerate. The spoiler 1402 is used when making a steep descent during landing, etc.

[0011] Furthermore, a flap 1404 is provided at the trailing edge of the main wing 14, at the center in the extension direction of the main wing 14. The flap 1404 extends along the longitudinal extension direction of the main wing 14 when a flap lever 35, which will be described later, is not operated, but when the flap lever 35 is operated, the flap 1404 tilts downward (toward the ground surface) with respect to the longitudinal extension direction of the main wing 14, thereby increasing the lift of the aircraft 12. The flap 1404 is a high-lift device provided to obtain high lift at low speeds, such as during takeoff and landing.

[0012] Furthermore, ailerons 1406 are provided at the trailing edges of the main wings 14 at the tips in the extension direction of the main wings 14. The ailerons 1406 extend along the longitudinal extension direction of the main wings 14 when a control stick 31, which will be described later, is not operated, but when the control stick 31 is operated, the left and right ailerons 1406 tilt downward (toward the ground) or upward (toward the sky) with respect to the longitudinal extension direction of the main wings 14, respectively, and the aircraft 12 is displaced in the roll direction.

[0013] The vertical tail 16 stands vertically from near the rear end of the aircraft 12, and stabilizes the yaw direction attitude of the aircraft 12. The vertical tail 16 is fixed to the aircraft 12. A rudder 1602 that can move in the left-right direction is provided on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer 16. When the rudder pedals 32 described below are not operated, the rudder 1602 extends along the extension direction of the vertical stabilizer 16 (≈ the extension direction of the aircraft 12), but when the rudder pedals 32 are operated, the rudder 1602 tilts left or right with respect to the extension direction of the vertical stabilizer 16, and the traveling direction of the aircraft 12 changes left or right (yaw direction).

[0014] The horizontal stabilizer 18 extends in the left-right direction from near the rear end of the aircraft 12, and stabilizes the pitch direction attitude of the aircraft 12. The horizontal stabilizer 18 is fixed to the aircraft 12. An elevator 1802 that can move up and down is provided at the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer 18. When the control stick 31 is not operated, the elevator 1802 extends along the longitudinal extension direction of the horizontal stabilizer 18, but when the control stick 31 is operated in the longitudinal direction, the elevator 1802 tilts up and down with respect to the longitudinal extension direction of the horizontal stabilizer 18, and the front end (nose) of the aircraft 12 is displaced up and down (in the pitch direction).

[0015] That is, in this embodiment, the ailerons 1406, the elevators 1802, and the rudder 1602 are provided as attitude adjustment members that adjust the attitude of the fuselage 12 of the aircraft 10.

[0016] The engine 20 generates the propulsive force required for flight of the aircraft 10. In this embodiment, a total of two engines 20 are provided, one on each of the left and right main wings 14. In this embodiment, the engine 20 is a reciprocating engine that converts the thermal energy of fuel into the reciprocating motion of a piston and outputs the motion as rotational motion. A propeller 22 is disposed in front of the engine 20, and the propeller 22 rotates due to the rotational motion output from the engine 20, generating the propulsive force required for the flight of the aircraft 10.

[0017] The cockpit 30 is provided at the interior front end of the fuselage 12 and houses the operating components of the aircraft 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the cockpit 30 is provided with a cockpit 300 in which the pilot sits, a control panel 302 equipped with a monitor and various instruments, and a control stick 31 constituting normal operation members, rudder pedals 32 (32A, 32B), thrust lever 33, speed brake lever 34, flap lever 35, an emergency button 41 constituting emergency operation members 40, a left / right tilt adjustment lever 42, a flight altitude adjustment lever 44, and a left / right turn lever 46.

[0018] The normal operation members 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 are members that are operated by the pilot to control the operated members of the aircraft 10 under normal circumstances (non-emergency situations). In addition, two cockpits 300, two control sticks 31 and two rudder pedals 32 are provided for each of the captain and the co-pilot. In addition to the operating members shown in FIG. 2, the cockpit 30 is provided with various operating members, such as a wheel retracting lever, but in this embodiment, only representative operating members will be described.

[0019] The control stick 31 is a mechanism for controlling the attitude of the aircraft 10, and more specifically, the control stick 31 is an operating member for adjusting the elevation states of the ailerons 1406 and the elevators 1802. The control stick 31 includes a swing shaft 3100 that stands upright on the floor, a gripped part 3102 attached to the tip of the swing shaft 3100, and a connection part 3104 that connects the swing shaft 3100 and the gripped part 3102. When the pilot controls the aircraft 10, he or she grips the gripped part 3102 to control the aircraft.

[0020] The gripped part 3102 is rotatable around a rotation axis (not shown) provided in the connection part 3104. In other words, the connection part 3104 functions as a rotating part that allows the gripped part 3102 to rotate around the rotation axis, and the gripped part 3102 can rotate to the right (clockwise) or left (counterclockwise). The rotation state of the gripped part 3102 is detected by a rotation sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control part 50.

[0021] When the gripped part 3102 is rotated to the right, the aircraft control unit 50 (more specifically, the normal flight control unit 52) ​​raises the aileron 1406 of the main wing 14 on the right side of the aircraft 10 and lowers the aileron 1406 of the main wing 14 on the left side of the aircraft 10. This causes the fuselage 12 to tilt to the right around the roll axis (the right wing tilts downward), and the aircraft 10 turns to the right. Furthermore, when the gripped part 3102 is directed leftward, the aircraft control unit 50 raises the aileron 1406 of the left main wing 14 of the aircraft 10, and lowers the aileron 1406 of the right main wing 14 of the aircraft 10. This causes the fuselage 12 to tilt to the left around the roll axis (the left wing tilts downward), and the aircraft 10 turns left. That is, the control stick 31 functions as an operating member that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the roll direction.

[0022] In addition, the swing shaft 3100 of the control stick 31 can swing in the front-rear direction of the fuselage 12. The swing state of the swing shaft 3100 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. When the gripped part 3102 is moved (pushed out) forward to tilt the oscillating shaft 3100 forward, the aircraft control unit 50 lowers the rear side of the elevator 1802. This causes the nose of the aircraft 10 to lower. Also, when the gripped part 3102 is moved (pulled in) backward to tilt the oscillating shaft 3100 rearward, the aircraft control unit 50 lowers the front side of the elevator 1802. This causes the nose of the aircraft 10 to rise. That is, the control stick 31 functions as an operating member that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the pitch direction.

[0023] The rudder pedals 32 are a mechanism for controlling the direction of travel of the aircraft, and more specifically, the rudder pedals 32 are operating members for adjusting the swing state of the rudder. The rudder pedals 32 are provided near the floor surface near the cockpit 300. The amount of depression of the rudder pedals 32 is detected by a depression amount sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the rudder pedals 32 are provided on the left and right sides of the control stick 31. When the right rudder pedal 32A, which is located on the right side as seen by the pilot, is depressed, the aircraft control unit 50 tilts the rudder 1602 of the vertical tail 16 to the right. This causes the aircraft 12 to rotate clockwise around the yaw axis and turn to the right. When the left rudder pedal 32B, which is located on the left side as seen by the pilot, is depressed, the aircraft control unit 50 tilts the rudder 1602 of the vertical tail 16 to the left. This causes the aircraft 12 to rotate counterclockwise around the yaw axis and turn to the left. In other words, the rudder pedals 32 function as operating members for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the yaw direction.

[0025] As described above, tilting the control stick 31 left or right also causes the aircraft to turn left or right due to the action of the ailerons 1406, but turning using only the control stick 31 or the rudder pedals 32 (rudder 1602) increases the acceleration in the rotational direction, making the passengers uncomfortable. Therefore, during normal turning, it is necessary to combine the left and right rotation of the control stick 31 and the depression of the rudder pedals 32 in a balanced manner.

[0026] The thrust lever 33 is an operating member for adjusting the output of the engine 20. Generally, the number of thrust levers 33 provided is equal to the number of engines 20. In this embodiment, since two engines 20 are provided, two thrust levers 33 are also provided. Of the two thrust levers 33 lined up, the thrust lever 33A located on the right side as seen by the pilot is the thrust lever for the engine 20 attached to the right main wing 14, and the thrust lever 33B located on the left side as seen by the pilot is the thrust lever for the engine 20 attached to the left main wing 14.

[0027] The thrust lever 33 is provided on a center console 304 provided between the left and right cockpit seats. The thrust lever 33 is exposed from a cutout provided in the center console 304 and includes a swing shaft 3300 provided to be swingable in the forward direction of the aircraft 12, and a gripped portion 3302 provided at the tip of the swing shaft 3300 and gripped by hand.

[0028] The thrust lever 33 is tiltable within a range from a neutral position to the front of the fuselage 12. The swing state of the thrust lever 33 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. The aircraft control unit 50 increases the output of the engine 20 as the forward tilt of the thrust lever 33 increases (the swing angle from the reference position increases). This increases the flight speed of the aircraft 10. Moreover, the aircraft control unit 50 decreases the output of the engine 20 as the forward tilt of the thrust lever 33 decreases (the swing angle from the reference position decreases).

[0029] The speed brake lever 34 is a mechanism for adjusting the attitude of the spoiler 1402. The speed brake lever 34 is provided on the center console 304 (control panel) in the same manner as the thrust lever 33. The speed brake lever 34 is exposed from a cutout provided in the center console 304 and includes a swing shaft 3400 that is provided so as to be swingable in the rear direction of the fuselage 12, and a gripped portion 3402 that is provided at the tip of the swing shaft 3400 and can be gripped by hand.

[0030] The speed brake lever 34 is tiltable from a neutral position to a range toward the rear of the aircraft 12. In other words, the speed brake lever 34 tilts in the opposite direction to the thrust lever 33. The swing state of the speed brake lever 34 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. When the speed brake lever 34 is pulled, the aircraft control unit 50 raises the spoilers 1402 provided on the main wing 14 in proportion to the inclination angle of the speed brake lever 34. This increases the air resistance acting on the aircraft 10, and the flight speed of the aircraft 10 decreases.

[0031] The flap lever 35 is a mechanism for adjusting the position of the flap 1404 . The flap lever 35 is provided on the center console 304, similar to the thrust lever 33. The flap lever 35 is exposed from a cutout provided in the center console and includes a swing shaft 3500 that is provided so as to be swingable in the rear direction of the fuselage 12, and a gripped portion 3502 that is provided at the tip of the swing shaft 3500 and can be gripped by hand.

[0032] The flap lever 35 is provided so as to be tiltable within a range from a neutral position to the rear of the fuselage 12. In other words, the flap lever 35 tilts in the opposite direction to the thrust lever 33. The swing state of the flap lever 35 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. When the flap lever 35 is pulled, the aircraft control unit 50 lowers the flap 1404 provided at the rear end of the main wing 14 toward the ground in proportion to the inclination angle of the flap lever 35. This increases the lift of the aircraft 10, making it possible to maintain the lift even when the flight speed of the aircraft 10 is reduced for landing, for example.

[0033] In addition, the cockpit 30 is provided with attitude adjustment operation members, i.e., emergency operation members 40, for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10, in addition to the normal operation members such as the control stick 31, rudder pedals 32, and thrust levers 33 described above. In this embodiment, the emergency operation members 40 are disposed on the left and right ends of the control panel 302. The emergency operation members 40 are backup operation mechanisms prepared for the case where normal control is not possible due to, for example, a malfunction of a normal operation member or a malfunction of the operated members, such as the ailerons 1406, the rudder 1602, the spoilers 1402, and the flaps 1404 (excluding the engine 20).

[0034] The emergency operation member 40 includes a left / right tilt adjustment lever 42, a flight altitude adjustment lever 44, and a left / right rotation lever 46. In addition, an emergency button 41 is provided near the emergency operation member 40. The emergency button 41 is an operating member for switching on and off the control using the emergency operation member 40. In this embodiment, when the emergency button 41 is not pressed (normally), the aircraft control unit 50 described later accepts the control of the aircraft 10 using the normal operation members, that is, the control stick 31, the rudder pedals 32 (32A, 32B), the thrust lever 33, the speed brake lever 34, and the flap lever 35, and ignores the operation of the emergency operation member 40 even if the emergency operation member 40 is operated. When the emergency button 41 is pressed, the aircraft control unit 50 accepts the control of the aircraft 10 using the emergency operation members 40, that is, the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42, the flight altitude adjustment lever 44, and the left-right turn lever 46, and ignores the operation of the control stick 31, the rudder pedals 32 (32A, 32B), the thrust lever 33, the speed brake lever 34, and the flap lever 35. That is, the emergency button 41 functions as a switching operation unit that enables operation of the emergency operation member 40 (attitude adjustment operation member).

[0035] The left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is an operating member for adjusting the left / right tilt of the aircraft 10, that is, the attitude in the roll direction. 5, the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42 is exposed from a notch 302A provided in the control panel 302 and includes a swing shaft 4202 that is provided so as to be swingable left-right, and a gripped part 4200 that is provided at the tip of the swing shaft 4202 and is gripped by hand. The notch 302A is provided along the swing direction (left-right direction) of the swing shaft 4202. The left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is arranged to be tiltable to the left or right from a neutral position, and the swing state of the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. When the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is tilted to the right, the aircraft control unit 50 (more specifically, the emergency flight control unit 54) adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 tilts to the right (so that the right wing is closer to the ground). When the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is tilted to the left, the aircraft control unit 50 adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 tilts to the left (so that the left wing is closer to the ground). In other words, the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 functions as a first operating member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the roll direction.

[0036] The flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is an operating member for adjusting the vertical position of the aircraft 10, that is, the flight altitude (attitude in the pitch direction). The configuration of the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is almost the same as that of the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42, so it will be described using Figure 5. The flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is exposed from a notch 302A provided in the control panel 302 and is equipped with a swing shaft 4402 that is provided so as to be swingable in the left-right direction, and a gripped part 4400 that is provided at the tip of the swing shaft 4402 and is gripped by hand. The notch 302A is provided along the swing direction (up-down direction) of the swing shaft 4402. The flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is arranged so as to be tiltable up and down from a neutral position, and the swing state of the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. When the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is tilted upward, the aircraft control unit 50 (more specifically, the emergency flight control unit 54) adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 increases in altitude. When the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is tilted to the left, the aircraft control unit 50 adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 decreases in altitude. When the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is in the neutral position, the aircraft control unit 50 adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 flies horizontally. That is, the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 functions as a second operating member for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft 10.

[0037] The left and right turning lever 46 is an operating member for adjusting the amount of left and right turning of the aircraft 10, i.e., the attitude in the yaw direction. The configuration of the left / right rotation lever 46 is almost the same as that of the left / right inclination adjustment lever 42, and will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The left / right rotation lever 46 is exposed from a notch 302A provided in the control panel 302 and includes a swing shaft 4602 that is provided so as to be swingable in the left / right direction, and a gripped part 4600 that is provided at the tip of the swing shaft 4602 and is gripped by hand. The notch 302A is provided along the swing direction (left / right direction) of the swing shaft 4602. The left and right rotation lever 46 is arranged to be tiltable to the left or right from a neutral position, and the swing state of the left and right rotation lever 46 is detected by a swing sensor (not shown) and output to the aircraft control unit 50. The aircraft control unit 50 (more specifically, the emergency flight control unit 54) adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 turns to the right when the left / right turn lever 46 is tilted to the right. Also, the aircraft control unit 50 adjusts the output of the engine 20 so that the aircraft 12 turns to the left when the left / right turn lever 46 is tilted to the left. That is, the left / right turning lever 46 functions as a third operating member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the yaw direction.

[0038] 2, the one installed on the right side of the cockpit 300 has independent left / right tilt adjustment lever 42, flight altitude adjustment lever 44, and left / right rotation lever 46. That is, left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 and left / right rotation lever 46 are each provided as lever members that can swing left / right, and flight altitude adjustment lever 44 is provided as a lever member that can swing up / down. On the other hand, the one installed on the left side of the cockpit 300 is provided with a cross-shaped lever 48 in which the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42 and the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 are integrated, and in addition, a left-right rotation lever 46 is provided. That is, the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42 and the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 are provided as a cross-shaped lever 48 that can be swung up, down, left and right, and the left-right rotation lever 46 is provided as a straight-line lever that can be swung left and right. The reason for this configuration is that when stabilizing the attitude of the aircraft 10 in an emergency, it is desirable to give top priority to adjusting the left-right tilt and flight altitude, and the left-right rotation can be adjusted when the left-right tilt and flight altitude are stable. By providing the cross-shaped lever 48 in which the left-right tilt adjustment lever 42 and the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 are integrated, and the left-right rotation lever 46, the priority of aircraft operation is clarified, and operation in an emergency can be supported.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, the aircraft 10 is equipped with the above-mentioned operated members, namely the aileron 1406, elevator 1802, rudder 1602, engine 20, spoiler 1402, and flap 1404, the normal operation members, namely the control stick 31, rudder pedals 32 (32A, 32B), thrust lever 33, speed brake lever 34, flap lever 35, the emergency operation members 40, namely the emergency button 41, left / right tilt adjustment lever 42, flight altitude adjustment lever 44, and left / right turning lever 46, as well as an aircraft control unit 50.

[0040] The aircraft control unit 50 is made up of a CPU, a ROM for storing and recording control programs and the like, a RAM as an operating area for the control programs, an EEPROM for rewritably storing various types of data, and an interface unit for interfacing with each part of the aircraft. The aircraft control unit 50 functions as a normal flight control unit 52 and an emergency flight control unit 54 as a result of the CPU executing the control program.

[0041] The normal flight control unit 52 controls the operated members based on the amount of operation of the normal operation members 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 during normal times (when the emergency button 41 is not operated). That is, the normal flight control unit 52 raises and lowers the ailerons 1406 based on the amount of rotation of the gripped portion 3102 of the control stick 31, and as a result, the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the roll direction is adjusted. Furthermore, the normal flight control unit 52 raises and lowers the elevator 1802 based on the amount of swing of the swing axis 3100 of the control stick 31, thereby adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the pitch direction. In addition, the normal flight control unit 52 tilts the rudder 1602 to the left or right based on the amount of depression of the rudder pedals 32, thereby adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the yaw direction. Furthermore, the normal flight control unit 52 increases or decreases the output of the engine 20 based on the amount of swing of the thrust lever 33, thereby adjusting the flight speed of the aircraft 10. In addition, the normal flight control unit 52 raises and lowers the spoiler 1402 based on the amount of swing of the speed brake lever 34, thereby adjusting the flight speed of the aircraft 10. Furthermore, the normal flight control unit 52 raises and lowers the flap 1404 based on the amount of swing of the flap lever 35, thereby adjusting the lift of the aircraft 10.

[0042] In an emergency (when the emergency button 41 is operated), the emergency flight control unit 54 controls the output of the engine 20 based on the operation states of the emergency operation members 42, 44, 46 (attitude adjustment operation members). That is, in this embodiment, in an emergency, the flight altitude and attitude of the aircraft 10 are adjusted using only the engine 20 without using the aileron 1406, elevator 1802, rudder 1602, spoiler 1402, and flap 1404 among the operated members.

[0043] In other words, when the emergency button 41 (switching operation unit) that enables operation of the emergency operation members 42, 44, 46 (attitude adjustment operation members) is not operated, the aircraft control unit 50 adjusts the attitude and flight altitude of the aircraft 10 based on the operation state of the control stick 31, rudder pedals 32, thrust levers 33, etc., and when the emergency button 41 (switching operation unit) is operated, it adjusts the attitude and flight altitude of the aircraft based on the operation state of the emergency operation members 42, 44, 46 (attitude adjustment operation members).

[0044] The emergency flight control unit 54 includes a power determination unit 540 and a power control unit 542 . The output determination unit 540 determines the output amount of each of the left and right engines 20 based on the operation states of the emergency operation members 42, 44, 46 (attitude adjustment operation members). The output control unit 542 controls the outputs of the left and right engines 20 based on the amount of output determined by the output determination unit 540 .

[0045] The engine output control by the output determining unit 540 will now be described in more detail. When an aircraft 10 is flying and there is no lateral external force such as an air current, the aircraft 10 will fly in a straight line if the outputs of the left and right engines 20 are made equal. At this time, if the output of the left and right engines 20 is set to a predetermined horizontal flight output, the aircraft 10 will fly straight while maintaining its altitude (horizontal flight). This horizontal flight output varies depending on the total weight of the aircraft 10 and its crew and passengers, the shape of the aircraft, wind direction and speed, flight altitude, etc. When the power of the left and right engines 20 is made equally greater than the horizontal flight power, the altitude of the aircraft 10 will rise. The power at this time is called the climb power (= horizontal flight power + α). When the power of the left and right engines 20 is made equally less than the horizontal flight power, the altitude of the aircraft 10 will descend. The power at this time is called the descent power (= horizontal flight power - β). The climb power and descent power also vary depending on the total weight of the aircraft 10 and crew and passengers, the aircraft shape, wind direction and speed, flight altitude, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, for example, if the output of only one of the left and right engines 20 is increased, a difference in lift between the left and right wings occurs due to the difference in speed, causing the aircraft 12 to tilt. For example, if only the output of the engine 20 on the right wing is increased, the right wing will rise up and the aircraft 12 will tilt to the left. For example, if the aircraft 12 tilts to the left or right due to the influence of air currents or the like, the tilt can be eliminated by increasing the output of the engine 20 on the opposite side to the tilted side. 5, when the aircraft 12 tilts to the left, the line of action of the lift (L) acting on the main wing 14 also tilts to the left, generating a horizontal component (centripetal force) that accelerates the aircraft 12 to the left in addition to the vertical component that supports the weight (W) of the aircraft 12. If this horizontal component and the centrifugal force (F) acting on the aircraft 12 are balanced, the airplane will trace a left turning trajectory.

[0047] In this way, in an emergency, the aircraft 10 can adjust its flight altitude and inclination and turn by adjusting the output of the engine 20 without using the ailerons 1406, elevators 1802, rudder 1602, spoilers 1402, or flaps 1404. The output determination unit 540 sets the amount of increase or decrease in the output of the engine 20 individually for each operation of the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 (first operating member), the flight altitude adjustment lever 44 (second operating member), and the left / right rotation lever 46 (third operating member).

[0048] The output determination unit 540 gives top priority to the engine output for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft 10. This is because, among the left and right tilt, flight altitude, and left and right turning of the aircraft 10, the flight altitude adjustment is directly linked to the risk of crashing, etc. As described above, the engine output for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft 10 is determined by factors such as the weight of the aircraft 10.

[0049] Furthermore, the output determination unit 540 sets a larger engine output increase amount for adjusting the left / right inclination of the aircraft 10 (adjusting the attitude in the roll direction) than for turning left / right (adjusting the attitude in the yaw direction). This is because, when comparing the lateral tilt of the aircraft 10 with the attitude in the lateral direction, it is the lateral tilt that is more related to the risk of crashing, etc. For this reason, if it is necessary to change the attitude of the fuselage 12 while the aircraft 10 is flying, the lateral tilt is changed first, and then the attitude in the lateral direction is corrected. Even if the lateral direction shifts due to the adjustment of the lateral tilt, this is tolerated, and the attitude in the lateral direction is corrected later.

[0050] As an example, it is assumed below that when the output of the left and right engines 20 is set to 60% of maximum output as shown in FIG. 7, the aircraft 12 flies horizontally (horizontal flight output = 60%), when the output of the left and right engines 20 is set to 80% of maximum output as shown in FIG. 8, the aircraft 12 ascends (ascent output = 80%), and when the output of the left and right engines is set to 50% of maximum output as shown in FIG. 9, the aircraft 12 descends (descent output = 50%).

[0051] Furthermore, when the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 is operated (when adjusting the attitude in the roll direction), the output determination unit 540 increases the output of the engine 20 on the side opposite the lever operation direction by 20%. Furthermore, when the left / right turning lever 46 is operated (when adjusting the attitude in the yaw direction), the output determination unit 540 increases the output of the engine 20 on the side opposite the lever operation direction by 10%. That is, the output determining unit 540 sets a larger engine output increase amount for attitude adjustment in the roll direction than for attitude adjustment in the yaw direction.

[0052] For example, if the aircraft 12 tilts to the left during level flight (engine output: 60% on both sides), the pilot swings the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 to the right. In this case, as shown in Fig. 10, the output determination unit 540 sets only the left engine output to 80% (+20%) while keeping the right engine output at 60%. This increases the lift of the left wing, causing the aircraft 12 to rotate (roll) clockwise when viewed from the rear while flying level, thereby correcting the tilt of the aircraft 12.

[0053] Also, for example, if the aircraft 12 tilts to the left when ascending (engine output: 80% on both sides), the pilot swings the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 to the right. In this case, as shown in Fig. 11, the output determination unit 540 sets only the left engine output to 100% (+20%) while keeping the right engine output at 80%. This increases the lift of the left wing, causing the aircraft 12 to rotate (roll) clockwise when viewed from the rear, and the tilt of the aircraft 12 can be corrected. In both cases of Figures 10 and 11, it is thought that the aircraft 12 will also turn as it tilts, but once the tilt of the aircraft 12 has been corrected, it can be turned back in the original direction of travel.

[0054] Also, for example, if the pilot wants to turn the aircraft 12 to the right during level flight (engine output: 60% on both sides), he swings the left / right turn lever 46 to the right. In this case, the output determination unit 540 sets only the left engine output to 70% (+10%) while keeping the right engine output at 60%, as shown in Figure 12. This increases the lift of the left wing, causing the aircraft 12 to tilt slightly to the right and turn gently to the right. When the aircraft 10 lands, it is preferable for the pilot to swing the flight altitude control lever downward just before landing to momentarily raise the nose and slow the flight speed before landing.

[0055] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing by the aircraft control unit. If the emergency button 41 is not operated while the aircraft 10 is flying (step S10: No), the aircraft control unit 50 causes the aircraft 10 to fly based on the operation of the normal operation members (such as the control stick 31, rudder pedals 32, thrust levers 33, etc.) by the normal flight control unit 52 (step S12).

[0056] On the other hand, if the emergency button 41 is operated (step S10: Yes), the aircraft control unit 50 switches to flight using the emergency operation member 40 and the emergency flight control unit 54. The output determination unit 540 of the emergency flight control unit 54 first detects the horizontal flight output, the ascent output, and the descent output (step S14). The power output determination unit 540 increases or decreases the power output of the engine 20 by several percent, for example, and detects the power output at which the aircraft 10 can fly at a certain altitude as the horizontal flight power using the detection value of an altimeter, etc. The climb power and descent power may be determined, for example, by actually causing the aircraft 12 to ascend or descend by increasing or decreasing the power of the engine 20 by a few percent from the horizontal flight power, or an estimated value based on the horizontal flight power may be set in advance (for example, the value of α in "climb power = horizontal flight power + α" may be determined in advance based on the weight of the aircraft 10, etc.).

[0057] Next, the output determination unit 540 determines the increase in engine output when adjusting the left / right tilt (when adjusting the attitude in the roll direction) and when turning left / right (when adjusting the attitude in the yaw direction) (step S16). These output increase amounts may be a fixed value determined in advance (when adjusting the left / right tilt: +20%, when turning left / right: +10%, etc.), or may be determined based on the horizontal flight output or the ascent output. When determining the output increase amount based on the horizontal flight output or the ascent output, for example, the difference between the ascent output and the maximum output of the engine 20 is calculated, and the output increase amount is determined within the range of the difference. More specifically, when the ascent output is 85%, the upper limit of the output increase amount is +15%, so the output increase amount when adjusting the left / right tilt is +15%, and the output increase amount when turning left / right is +7.5%, etc.

[0058] That is, when the emergency button 41 (switching operation unit) is operated, for example, the output determination unit 540 first detects the horizontal flight output, which is the output of the engine 20 at which the aircraft 10 enters a horizontal flight state, and then detects the ascent output and descent output (the amount of increase or decrease in the output of the engine 20 in response to operation of the flight altitude adjustment lever 44) based on the horizontal flight output, and further determines the amount of increase in the output of the engine 20 in response to operation of the left / right tilt lever 42, which is the first operating member, and the left / right rotation lever 46, which is the third operating member.

[0059] When the emergency operation member 40 is operated (step S18: Yes), the output determination unit 540 determines the engine output for achieving a behavior corresponding to the operation, and the output control unit 542 adjusts the output of the engine 20 (step S20). Until the aircraft 10 lands (step S22: No), the process returns to step S10 and repeats the subsequent processes. Then, when the aircraft 10 lands (step S22: Yes), the process of this flowchart ends.

[0060] As described above, according to the aircraft control system of the embodiment, in addition to the normal operation members such as the control stick 31, rudder pedals 32, and thrust levers 33 that are used when operating the aircraft 10 under normal circumstances, an emergency operation member 40, which is an attitude adjustment operation member that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft 10, is provided. Therefore, the emergency operation member 40 can be used as a redundant configuration for maintaining the attitude of the aircraft and changing direction in the event of a failure of the normal operation member, which is advantageous in improving the safety of the aircraft 10. Furthermore, according to the aircraft control system of the embodiment, attitude adjustment using the emergency operating member 40 is achieved by changing the output of the left and right engines 20. This makes it possible to maintain the attitude of the aircraft 10 and change direction even when components such as the aileron 1406, elevator 1802, rudder 1602, etc. fail, which is advantageous in improving the safety of the aircraft 10. In addition, the aircraft control system of the embodiment is equipped with a left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 (first operating member) for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the roll direction, a flight altitude adjustment lever 44 (second operating member) for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft 10, and a left / right rotation lever 46 (third operating member) for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the yaw direction, and the increase in the output of the engine 20 is set individually for each operation of the operating members, so that the attitude of the aircraft 10 can be reliably maintained and the direction can be changed. Furthermore, according to the aircraft control system of the embodiment, a greater output increase is set for operation of the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 (first operating member) that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the roll direction than for operation of the left / right rotation lever 46 (third operating member) that adjusts the attitude of the aircraft 10 in the yaw direction, so that the attitude in the roll direction, which is more closely related to the risk of a crash, etc., can be stabilized with priority over the attitude in the yaw direction. In addition, according to the aircraft control system of the embodiment, the system is further provided with an emergency button 41 which is a switching operation unit that enables operation of the emergency operation member 40, and switches the enabled operation member based on whether or not the emergency button 41 is operated, which is advantageous in enabling a clearer switch between normal and emergency situations and improving safety. In addition, according to the aircraft control system of the embodiment, the horizontal flight output, which is the output of the engine 20 at which the aircraft 10 will be in a horizontal flight state when the emergency button 41 is operated, is detected, and the increase in the output of the engine 20 in response to operation of the left / right tilt adjustment lever 42 and the left / right rotation lever 46 is determined based on the horizontal flight output, which is advantageous in adjusting the attitude in the roll and yaw directions after reliably detecting the engine output required for the aircraft 10 to assume a horizontal attitude.

[0061] In this embodiment, the aircraft 10 is a twin-engine aircraft having two engines 20, one on each of the left and right main wings 14, but the present invention can be applied to any aircraft having the same number of engines on each of the left and right main wings. When applying the present invention to an aircraft having two or more engines 20 on one of the main wings 14, the "output of the left engine 20" in the above embodiment can be replaced with the "sum of the output of the engines installed on the left wing" and the "output of the right engine 20" can be replaced with the "sum of the output of the engines installed on the right wing".

[0062] 10 aircraft 12 Aircraft 14 Wing 16 vertical stabilizer 18 Horizontal stabilizer 20 Engine 22 Propeller 30 Cockpit 31 Control Stick 32(32A, 32B) Rudder pedals 33 (33A, 33B) Thrust lever 34 Speed ​​brake lever 35 Flap lever 40 Emergency operation member (attitude adjustment operation member) 41 Emergency Button 42 Left / right tilt adjustment lever 44 Flight altitude adjustment lever 46 Left and right turning lever 50 Aircraft Control Unit 52 Normal flight control unit 54 Emergency Flight Control Unit 540 Output Determination Unit 542 Output control section

Claims

1. A control system for an aircraft having an equal number of engines on each of the left and right wings, a control stick for adjusting the aileron elevation and elevator elevation; A rudder pedal for adjusting the rudder's swing state; A thrust lever for adjusting the output of the engine; an attitude adjustment operation member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft, the attitude adjustment operation member being provided separately from the control stick, the rudder pedals, and the thrust levers; an output determination unit that determines an output amount of each of the engines based on an operation state of the attitude adjustment operation member; an output control unit that controls an output of the engine based on the output amount determined by the output determination unit, the attitude adjustment operation member includes a first operation member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in a roll direction, a second operation member for adjusting the flight altitude of the aircraft, and a third operation member for adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in a yaw direction; the output determination unit sets an increase amount of the output of the engine individually for each of the operation of the first operating member, the operation of the second operating member, and the operation of the third operating member. An aircraft control system comprising:

2. the output determination unit sets the increase amount for the operation of the first operating member to be greater than the increase amount for the operation of the third operating member.

2. An aircraft flight control system according to claim 1.

3. A switching operation unit that enables an operation of the attitude adjustment operation member is further provided, adjusting the attitude and flight altitude of the aircraft based on the operation states of the control stick, the rudder pedals, and the thrust levers when the switching operation unit is not operated, and adjusting the attitude and flight altitude of the aircraft based on the operation state of the attitude adjustment operation member when the switching operation unit is operated.

3. An aircraft flight control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the output determination unit detects a horizontal flight output, which is an output of the engine that causes the aircraft to fly horizontally when the switching operation unit is operated, and determines an increase in the output of the engine in response to the operation of the first operating member and the operation of the third operating member based on the horizontal flight output.

4. An aircraft control system according to claim 3.

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