System and Method for Verifying Flight Control Software Based on Configuration Settings

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for verifying configuration-based flight control software applicable to multiple types of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), comprising: a step in which a verification server requests certification from a certification server for the flight control software applicable to multiple types of AAM; a step in which the certification server determines whether the flight control software is certifiable based on aviation safety regulations, certification standards, or requirements for each operational stage; a step in which a configuration server generates a configuration file interpretable in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information regarding at least one of an AAM shape, sensor configuration, flight mode, or flight control law input by a user; a step in which the configuration file is transmitted to a verification server to perform verification; and a step in which only the configuration file determined to be executable as a result of the multi-stage verification is transmitted to the AAM, loaded into the actual flight control execution environment, and applied to flight control.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aircraft flight control software technology, and more specifically, to a configuration-based flight control software verification system and method applicable to multiple types of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Background Technology

[0003] AAMs have various airframe shapes and operational concepts, such as multicopter, tiltrotor, and lift-cruise types, and accordingly, the configuration of onboard sensors, flight mode configurations, flight control laws, and transition flight logic differ for each AAM.

[0004] Conventional flight control software is mostly developed based on specific AAM configurations and operational conditions, so there was a problem in that flight control logic had to be modified or newly developed at the source code level whenever the AAM configuration or operational concept changed.

[0005] This approach not only increased development time and costs but also caused the problem of an excessive expansion of the test scope because the safety impact of setting changes was not systematically analyzed.

[0006] In particular, for AAMs operated unmanned or remotely controlled, changes in flight control configuration have a significant impact on aviation safety due to factors such as transition flight, emergency modes, and increased levels of automation. Therefore, even simple configuration changes require prior verification from an aviation safety perspective.

[0007] As a result, configuration-based flight control software for AAMs operated unmanned or remotely controlled still had limitations in that it had to rely on the experience of the developer or tester. Prior art literature

[0009] Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 10-2024-0029396 (Published March 5, 2024) The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a configuration-based flight control software verification system and method that pre-modularizes flight control functions applicable to multi-type AAMs operated by unmanned or remote control, automatically verifies or analyzes changes in flight control configurations defined by user settings from the perspective of aviation safety and real-time control, and enables only verified configurations to be applied to the actual flight control execution environment. means of solving the problem

[0012] The present invention provides a method for verifying configuration-based flight control software applicable to a multi-type Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operated by unmanned or remote control, comprising: a step in which a verification server requests certification from a certification server for the flight control software applicable to the multi-type AAM; a step in which the certification server determines whether the flight control software is certifiable based on aviation safety regulations, certification standards, or requirements for each operational stage; a step in which a configuration server generates a configuration file interpretable in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information regarding at least one of an AAM shape, sensor configuration, flight mode, or flight control law input by a user; a step in which the configuration file is transmitted to a verification server to perform verification; and a step in which only the configuration file determined to be executable as a result of the multi-stage verification is transmitted to the AAM, loaded into the actual flight control execution environment, and applied to flight control.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the configuration server includes a user configuration input section, and the user configuration input section includes at least one of an AAM shape selection area, an onboard sensor selection area, a flight mode setting area, a flight control law setting area, a communication method setting area, and a setting verification result display area.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the verification server includes a configuration file input unit, a function library unit, and a configuration verification unit.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the configuration verification unit refers to reference information stored in the function library unit and performs multi-stage verification including consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis on a flight control configuration defined by the configuration file.

[0016] The present invention provides a configuration-based flight control software verification system applicable to a multi-type AAM, comprising: a verification server requesting certification for flight control software applicable to a multi-type AAM; a certification server determining whether the flight control software is certifiable based on aviation safety regulations and certification standards; a configuration server generating a configuration file interpretable in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information input by a user; the verification server configured to perform multi-stage verification including consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis on a flight control configuration defined by the configuration file; and an AAM that receives only the configuration file that has passed the multi-stage verification and applies it to actual flight control. Effects of the invention

[0018] The present invention implements common flight control software capable of encompassing multi-type AAMs having different airframe shapes and operational concepts into a single execution environment, and by defining the flight control software as a pre-certifiable target, it has the effect of enabling reuse regardless of changes in AAM type.

[0019] In addition, the present invention has the effect of minimizing repetitive software redevelopment and re-certification procedures by applying only the configuration file generated by the configuration server without modifying the flight control software executable file even when the AAM type changes, and significantly reducing the certification burden during field operations while stably ensuring aviation safety. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0021] Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a setting-based flight control software verification system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of a setting-based flight control software verification method according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a configuration server and the configuration file creation flow according to the present invention. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a user setting input screen according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a verification server and the configuration file verification structure according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the structure of a functional library section according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0022] The embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrative for the purpose of explaining the technical concept of the present disclosure. The scope of rights according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented below or the specific description thereof.

[0023] All technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure, unless otherwise defined, have the meaning generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. All terms used in this disclosure are selected for the purpose of further clarifying this disclosure and are not selected to limit the scope of the rights under this disclosure.

[0024] Expressions such as “comprising,” “comprising,” “having,” etc. used in this disclosure should be understood as open-ended terms implying the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence containing such expressions.

[0025] Unless otherwise stated, singular expressions described in this disclosure may include a plural meaning, and this applies likewise to singular expressions described in the claims.

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, since those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments below.

[0027] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the essence of the invention.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, the flight control software verification system (1) according to the present invention includes a verification server (100), an authentication server (200), a configuration server (300), and an aircraft AAM (400).

[0030] The system of the present invention is based on a single flight control execution environment applicable to multiple types of AAMs (400), and is configured so that differences between AAMs are defined through a configuration file (500) rather than by changing the source code.

[0031] At this time, the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file (500) is treated not as a simple parameter change, but as a structural configuration change of the flight control system.

[0032] The server (100, 200, 300) of the present invention may include memory, a processor, and a communication module.

[0033] Here, memory may be implemented as DRAM (dynamic random access memory), SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), CD-ROM, Blu-ray or other optical disc storage, HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), or flash memory, but is not limited thereto.

[0034] Additionally, program code for controlling a server (100, 200, 300) or calculating the method of the present invention may be stored in memory temporarily or permanently. At least one program stored in memory may be executed by a processor.

[0035] The processor and the components of the processor can control the server (100, 200, 300) to perform the steps of the method. For example, the processor and the components of the processor may be implemented to execute instructions according to the code of an operating system contained in memory and the code of at least one program. Here, the components of the processor may be representations of different functions of the processor that are performed by the processor according to instructions provided by the program code stored in the server (100, 200, 300).

[0036] The communication module may provide a function for communicating with an external server or external device via a network. A request generated by the processor according to program code stored in a recording device, such as memory, may be transmitted to an external device via the network under the control of the communication module. Conversely, control signals, commands, content, files, etc. provided under the control of the processor of an external device may be received by the server (100, 200, 300) via the communication module through the network.

[0037] Here, the communication method is not limited and may include not only communication methods utilizing communication networks that the network may include (e.g., mobile communication networks, wired internet, wireless internet, broadcasting networks), but also short-range wireless communication between devices.

[0038] For example, a network may include any one or more networks such as a PAN (personal area network), LAN (local area network), CAN (campus area network), MAN (metropolitan area network), WAN (wide area network), BBN (broadband network), and the Internet. Additionally, a network may include any one or more network topologies such as a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star-bus network, a tree or hierarchical network, but is not limited thereto.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, the system (1) according to the present invention operates as follows.

[0040] First, the verification server (100) requests authentication from the authentication server (200) for flight control software that is commonly applicable to multi-type AAMs having different airframe shapes and operational concepts (S100).

[0041] Next, the authentication server (200) determines whether the request is eligible for authentication in accordance with relevant aviation safety regulations (S200). Here, the authentication server (200) is a server operated by a government agency or an organization commissioned by a government agency, which manages aviation safety regulations, certification standards, or requirements for each operational stage as reference information, and can determine whether the verification results for the flight control software meet the standards.

[0042] Next, the configuration server (300) generates a configuration file (500) that can be interpreted in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information regarding the AAM shape, sensor configuration, flight mode, and flight control law entered by the user (S300). The configuration file (500) may include information that declaratively defines the coupling relationship and execution structure of the flight control function module.

[0043] The above configuration file (500) is transmitted to a verification server (100), and the verification server (100) performs a multi-stage verification including consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis on a flight control configuration defined by the above configuration file (500) by referring to reference information stored in a function library section (120) described later (S400).

[0044] Only the configuration file (500) determined to be executable as a result of the above multi-stage verification is transmitted to the AAM (400), and the configuration file (500) is loaded into the actual AAM flight control execution environment and applied to flight control (S500).

[0046] Referring to FIG. 3, the setting server (300) may include a user setting input unit (310), a setting unit (320), and a setting file generation unit (330).

[0047] The above user setting input unit (310) can receive input regarding flight control configuration from the user through a graphical user interface.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 4, the user setting input section (310) may include an AAM shape selection area (311), a mounted sensor selection area (312), a flight mode setting area (313), a flight control law setting area (314), a communication method setting area (315), and a setting verification result display area (316).

[0049] For example, the user setting input unit (310) provides one of the AAM shapes, such as a multicopter type, a tiltrotor type, or a lift-cruise type, and the user can select a sensor combination corresponding to the shape.

[0050] Additionally, the user setting input section (310) can select multiple flight modes, such as vertical flight mode, cruising mode, transitional flight mode, and emergency mode, and individually specify flight control laws to be applied to each flight mode.

[0051] The above flight control law includes a control algorithm defined to calculate control inputs by receiving the error between the state variables of the AAM and the target state as input, and can be configured to have different control structures or control parameters depending on the stability and operational characteristics of each flight mode.

[0052] The above setting unit (320) structures the user input according to internal rules and organizes the logical relationships between the settings.

[0053] If there is an obvious conflict or omission between the settings during the above process, the error can be immediately provided to the user through the setting verification result display area (316).

[0054] The above configuration file generation unit (330) generates a configuration file (500) that can be interpreted in a flight control execution environment based on structured configuration information.

[0055] The above configuration file (500) is generated in a format that can be interpreted by the flight control execution environment and may have, for example, a JSON, YAML, or XML-based structure.

[0056] The above configuration file (500) includes a metadata block, a sensor configuration block, a flight mode and transition condition block, a flight control law configuration block, a communication configuration block, and a module binding declaration block.

[0057] In particular, module binding declaration blocks declaratively describe the data flow, call sequence, and interface connection relationships between each flight control function module, and this serves as reference information for forming the actual system structure in the flight control execution environment.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 5, the verification server (100) may include a configuration file input unit (110), a function library unit (120), and a configuration verification unit (130).

[0060] The above configuration file input unit (110) receives the above configuration file (500), converts it into an internal data structure, and provides it as input data for verification in a subsequent step.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 6, the function library unit (120) can store reference information for a plurality of flight control function modules that have been previously implemented.

[0062] The above reference information may include the computational load characteristics of each module, the required control cycle, the sensor sampling cycle, the communication bandwidth requirement, and the applicable flight mode information.

[0063] The above function library section (120) may include, for example, a sensor processing module (121), a state estimation module (122), a flight mode management module (123), and a flight control law module (124).

[0064] The sensor processing module (121) is configured to receive raw data input from various sensors, such as GPS, IMU, barometer, and vision sensor, and to output preprocessed sensor data.

[0065] The state estimation module (122) can estimate the position, speed, attitude, and other state variables of the AAM using data transmitted from the sensor processing module (121).

[0066] The flight mode management module (123) above manages multiple flight modes such as vertical flight mode, cruising mode, transitional flight mode, and emergency mode.

[0067] The flight mode management module (123) controls the transition of flight modes by referring to the current flight state, sensor input, or predefined transition conditions, and can control the flight control law module (124) corresponding to the selected flight mode to be applied.

[0068] The above flight control law module (124) can receive the state estimation result as input and calculate the target attitude, thrust, or control input.

[0069] The above-mentioned configuration verification unit (130) can perform multi-stage verification on the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file (500) as follows. Here, the multi-stage verification may include consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis.

[0070] Consistency verification

[0071] First, in the consistency verification stage, the correspondence between flight modes and flight control laws, the presence of missing essential sensor configurations, and the validity of the connection relationships between modules are determined.

[0072] For example, if a required sensor is missing even though the state estimation module has been selected, or if a specific flight mode is defined but the corresponding flight control law is not defined, it may be determined as an error during the consistency verification stage. If such an error is detected, the configuration file may be classified as unexecutable.

[0073] Resource Constraint Verification

[0074] Next, in the resource constraint verification step, it is determined whether the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file can satisfy the real-time control performance required in the flight control computing environment.

[0075] The above-mentioned configuration verification unit (130) verifies whether the entire flight control configuration is executable in a real-time control environment by referring to the module-specific computational load characteristics, control cycle requirements, sensor sampling cycle, and communication bandwidth requirements stored in the function library unit (120) for each flight control function module selected by the configuration file.

[0076] For example, if multiple high-cycle control modules are simultaneously selected in a specific flight mode and the total computational load exceeds the processing capacity of the flight control computer or fails to satisfy the control cycle requirements, the setting verification unit (130) may determine that the setting is in violation of resource constraints.

[0077] Safety Impact Analysis

[0078] Next, in the safety impact analysis step, it is analyzed whether the flight control configuration defined in the configuration file (500) meets the predefined aviation safety standards.

[0079] The above-mentioned setting verification unit (130) determines whether the flight control configuration defined by the above-mentioned setting file (500) satisfies the safety limit values ​​based on safety limit values ​​such as flight mode transition conditions, minimum speed, minimum altitude, and thrust margin conditions.

[0080] For example, if the target speed set in a specific flight mode or transition flight mode is set to be lower than the minimum safe speed, the setting verification unit (130) may determine that the setting is in violation of the safety standard.

[0081] In addition, if the flight path or operating altitude is set below the minimum safe altitude, the flight control configuration may be determined not to meet the safety limit value.

[0082] Furthermore, if the thrust command calculated by the flight control law does not secure sufficient margin relative to the required thrust, or if it does not satisfy the minimum thrust margin condition required in the transition section, the setting verification unit (130) may determine that the flight control configuration does not meet safety standards.

[0083] In this case, the analysis results may be produced as judgment results, such as whether safety standards are met, whether the allowable range is exceeded, or whether boundary conditions are violated, and may be expressed in the form of qualitative or quantitative indicators as needed.

[0084] AI-based judgment

[0085] The above-mentioned setting verification unit (130) may further include an AI-based judgment unit (131) in addition to rule-based verification.

[0086] The above AI-based judgment unit (131) may include at least one of a machine learning model, a statistical analysis model, or a knowledge-based inference model, and may utilize past setting change history, setting file verification results, flight control performance analysis results, and simulation results as training data.

[0087] The above AI-based judgment unit (131) can receive multiple setting items as input, such as AAM shape information, sensor configuration combinations, flight mode configurations, selection and transition conditions of flight control laws included in the setting file (500), and analyze correlations and combination patterns between the setting items.

[0088] Through this, it is possible to identify configuration patterns where a single configuration item does not pose a problem on its own, but the possibility of errors or performance degradation increases when specific configuration items are combined.

[0089] In addition, the AI-based judgment unit (131) can automatically derive a setting item or setting combination that has a relatively high probability of setting error by comparing and analyzing a setting configuration in which verification failure, boundary condition violation, or flight control performance degradation occurred in the past with the current setting configuration.

[0090] At this time, the above analysis results can be quantified in the form of risk scores, reliability indicators, or warning levels and reflected in the setting verification process.

[0091] Furthermore, the AI-based judgment unit (131) can compare the configuration files before and after the configuration change to analyze the range and impact of the changed configuration elements and predict the possibility that the change will affect flight stability, control response characteristics, or real-time control margin.

[0092] For example, if the flight control law changes or there is a change in the sensor configuration in a specific flight mode, the AI-based judgment unit (131) can calculate the possibility of a control response delay, vibration, or unstable state occurrence as prediction information based on past learning results.

[0093] Based on the analysis results of the above-mentioned changed setting items, items requiring additional testing or verification can be automatically identified and generated as test recommendation information.

[0095] The present invention implements common flight control software capable of encompassing multi-type AAMs having different airframe shapes and operational concepts into a single execution environment, and by defining the flight control software as a pre-certifiable target, it has the effect of enabling reuse regardless of changes in AAM type.

[0096] In addition, the present invention has the effect of minimizing repetitive software redevelopment and re-certification procedures by applying only the configuration file generated by the configuration server without modifying the flight control software executable file even when the AAM type changes, and significantly reducing the certification burden during field operations while stably ensuring aviation safety.

[0097] The method or device described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of a hardware component and a software component.

[0098] For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA), a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing unit may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications executed on said operating system. Additionally, the processing unit may access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of the software. The processing unit may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Additionally, other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0099] Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing unit to operate as desired or command the processing unit independently or collectively.

[0100] Software and / or data may be permanently or temporarily embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device, or transmitted signal wave, so as to be interpreted by a processing device or to provide instructions or data to a processing device. Software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

[0101] The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either individually or in combination.

[0102] The program instructions recorded on the above medium may be those specifically designed and configured for the embodiments, or may be those known and available to a person skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory.

[0104] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from the description above. For example, suitable results can be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and / or the components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or assembled in a form different from described, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents. Explanation of the symbols

[0106] 1: Flight Control Software Verification System 100 : Verification server 110 : Configuration file input section 120: Function Library Section 130 : Configuration Verification Section 200 : Authentication Server 300 : Configuration Server 310 : User settings input section 320 : Settings section 330 : Configuration file creation section 400 : AAM 500 : Configuration file

Claims

Claim 1 A method for verifying configuration-based flight control software applicable to multiple types of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), comprising: a step in which a verification server requests certification from a certification server for the flight control software applicable to multiple types of AAM; a step in which the certification server determines whether the flight control software is certifiable based on aviation safety regulations, certification standards, or requirements for operational stages; a step in which a configuration server generates a configuration file interpretable in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information regarding at least one of an AAM shape, sensor configuration, flight mode, or flight control law input by a user; a step in which the configuration file is transmitted to a verification server; a step in which the verification server performs a multi-stage verification, including consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis, on a flight control configuration defined by the configuration file to determine whether it is executable; and a step in which only the configuration file determined to be executable as a result of the multi-stage verification is transmitted to an actual AAM, loaded into a flight control execution environment, and applied to flight control, wherein the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file includes the structural configuration of a flight control system. Claim 2 A method for verifying flight control software based on a setting, wherein the setting server includes a user setting input section, and the user setting input section includes at least one of an AAM shape selection area, an onboard sensor selection area, a flight mode setting area, a flight control law setting area, a communication method setting area, and a setting verification result display area. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A configuration-based flight control software verification system applicable to multiple types of AAMs, comprising: a verification server requesting certification for flight control software applicable to multiple types of AAMs; a certification server determining whether the flight control software is certifiable based on aviation safety regulations and certification standards; a configuration server generating a configuration file interpretable in a flight control execution environment based on configuration information input by a user; the verification server determining whether the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file is executable by performing a multi-stage verification including consistency verification, resource constraint verification, and safety impact analysis on the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file; and receiving only the configuration file that has passed the multi-stage verification and applying it to actual flight control, wherein the flight control configuration defined by the configuration file includes the structural configuration of a flight control system.

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