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

Abstract

The present application discloses a flight control device, comprising: a processor; a first control stick communicatively coupled to the processor, the first control stick being configured to receive manipulation information inputted by a pilot and to provide a corresponding signal to the processor; and a second control stick communicatively coupled to the processor, the second control stick being configured to receive manipulation information inputted by the pilot and to provide a corresponding signal to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to use a signal corresponding to the manipulation information received from the first control stick and / or the second control stick in combination with a preset manipulation mapping relationship to generate a vector control command mapped from the manipulation information, and to control, on the basis of the vector control command, an aircraft to perform vector motion, and wherein when the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is configured to control, on the basis of the aircraft heading control command and at least by means of tilt angle differential control and / or rotor rotational speed differential control and / or elevator-rudder deflection, the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

Description

Flight control devices, aircraft control methods, and vertical takeoff and landing aircraft

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent applications filed on December 16, 2024, with application number 202411846236.7; Chinese patent applications filed on December 16, 2024, with application number 202511459307.2; Chinese patent applications filed on December 16, 2024, with application number 202510532705.6; Chinese patent applications filed on December 16, 2024, with application number 202510463940.2; and Chinese patent applications filed on December 16, 2024, with application number 202411846233.3, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of aircraft control technology, and in particular to a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Background Technology

[0004] To address urban traffic problems, develop green transportation, achieve energy conservation and emission reduction, and alleviate traffic congestion, eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft have become one of the options for next-generation urban transportation solutions. Existing eVTOL cockpits generally employ a single control stick and single speed stick layout. Although redundancy designs are incorporated into the control stick and speed stick, they cannot effectively guarantee safety in the event of common-mode failure. Furthermore, eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously achieve rotorcraft configurations, fixed-wing configurations, and the transition between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design of control equipment differs between fixed-wing and rotorcraft configurations, thus requiring different control methods for each configuration.

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

[0006] The above content is only used to help understand the technical solution of this application and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The main purpose of this application is to provide a flight control device, an aircraft control method, and a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, aiming to solve the technical problems of existing eVTOL aircraft control methods, which have high control complexity, heavy pilot workload, and insufficient aircraft control safety.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application proposes a flight control device, comprising: a processor; a first joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; a second joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; the processor is configured to use the signals corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in conjunction with a preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command; when the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is configured to control the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0009] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes a flight control device, comprising: a control system; a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; a backup controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; and a control system configured to identify a target controller from the main controller and the backup controller, use signals corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and combine them with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands.

[0010] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes an aircraft control method, which is applied to a flight control device including a main controller and a backup controller. The method includes: identifying a target controller from the main controller and the backup controller; receiving pilot control information through the target controller; generating a vector control command mapped to the control information based on the control information and a preset control mapping relationship; and controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command.

[0011] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes an aircraft control method applied to a flight control device, the flight control device including a first control stick and a second control stick. The method includes: receiving first control information from the pilot via the first control stick, and receiving second control information from the pilot via the second control stick; generating a first vector control command mapped to the first control information based on the first control information received by the first control stick and a preset control mapping relationship; generating a second vector control command mapped to the second control information based on the second control information received by the second control stick and the preset control mapping relationship; controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command; when the second vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, controlling the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0012] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which includes the flight control device described above. The aircraft displays the operational status of the primary and backup controllers to the pilot via a display system; when the target controller is the backup controller, the display system shows the pilot that the backup controller is active and the primary controller is suppressed; when the target controller is the primary controller, the display system shows the pilot that the primary controller is active and the backup controller is suppressed; when a malfunction is detected in the suppressed controller, the aircraft provides the pilot with visual and / or audio warnings. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0016] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0017] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the second embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0018] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the third embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application;

[0019] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the fourth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0020] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the fifth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application;

[0021] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the sixth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0022] Figure 8 is a simplified schematic diagram of the vector motion of the aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 9(a) is an example diagram of a first control stick in a flight control device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 9(b) is an example diagram of a second control stick in a flight control device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 10 is an example diagram of a rotor configuration of an evTOL aircraft according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 11 is an example diagram of a fixed-wing configuration of an evTOL aircraft according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 12 is an example diagram showing the change of rotor tilt angle of the aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application during flight;

[0028] Figure 13(a) is an example diagram of the tilt angle of the lower rotor during the forward flight phase of a fixed-wing aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 13(b) is an example diagram of the rotor tilt angle during the tilting phase of an aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 13(c) is an example diagram of the rotor tilt angle during the rotor stage of an aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 14 is an example diagram of an evTOL aircraft involved in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 15(a) is an example diagram of a third joystick in a backup controller according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 15(b) is an example diagram of a first joystick in a master controller according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 15(c) is an example diagram of a second joystick in a main controller according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 15(d) is an example diagram of the fourth joystick in a backup controller according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 16 is an example diagram of a flight control device in the cockpit of an evTOL aircraft according to an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 17 is an example diagram of a backup manipulator variant involved in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 18 is an example diagram of another flight control device in the cockpit of an evTOL aircraft involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 19 is an example diagram of a variant of the master controller involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 20 is an example diagram of a method for identifying a target manipulator through an arbitration unit according to an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 21 is a visual cues of the working status of a main controller and a backup controller according to an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 22 is a flowchart of the seventh embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application;

[0043] Figure 23 is a flowchart of the eighth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application;

[0044] Figure 24 is a flowchart illustrating the ninth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0045] Figure 25 is a flowchart of the tenth embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application;

[0046] Figure 26 is a flowchart illustrating the aircraft control method of this application in Embodiment Eleven.

[0047] Figure 27 is a flowchart illustrating the aircraft control method of embodiment thirteen of this application.

[0048] Figure 28 is an example diagram of a flight control device in the cockpit of an evTOL aircraft according to an embodiment of this application.

[0049] The purpose, features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0050] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0051] To better understand the technical solution of this application, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0052] This application applies to a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, whose configuration is shown in Figure 14. It includes a fixed rotor, a tilt rotor, and an elevator. The elevator is a control surface on the V-tail of the V-tail aircraft, combining the functions of an elevator and a rudder, primarily used to control the aircraft's pitch and yaw. It should be noted that this application does not specifically limit the number or position of the fixed rotor and tilt rotor in the aircraft; the number of fixed rotors can be zero, and the position of the elevator is not specifically limited.

[0053] In one embodiment of this application, the main solution is: a flight control device, comprising: a control system; a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; and a backup controller, independently configured from the main controller and communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; wherein the control system is configured to identify a target controller from the main controller and the backup controller, use the signal corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command.

[0054] Technical terms used in the embodiments of this application:

[0055] eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing): eVTOL typically refers to a novel and unique aircraft design that uses energy storage batteries, motors, and propellers for propulsion, while possessing vertical take-off and landing capabilities. eVTOLs employ a multi-battery, multi-motor, multi-rotor design, providing safety redundancy. Even if some rotors fail, the eVTOL can still land normally, significantly improving safety compared to traditional helicopters. Furthermore, eVTOLs are electrically powered, and the cost of electricity is far lower than fuel costs. Combined with their high flight speed, eVTOLs have relatively low operating costs. eVTOLs are commonly used in urban air mobility, emergency medical services, cargo logistics, and tourism.

[0056] Existing eVTOL cockpit designs do not adequately address the safety of the control equipment. Unlike the dual-pilot, dual-control stick (control stick and throttle stick) arrangement of traditional passenger aircraft, eVTOL aircraft are typically operated by a single pilot and use a single control system with a single control stick and a single speed stick. In the event of a common-mode failure, flight safety cannot be effectively guaranteed, thus resulting in insufficient control safety requirements.

[0057] Furthermore, tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft need to simultaneously realize rotor, fixed-wing, and the transition phase between the two. For traditional aircraft, the design of control systems differs between fixed-wing and rotor aircraft. For example, the throttle lever (or collective pitch lever of a helicopter) is used to control the aircraft's vertical movement, while the throttle lever of a fixed-wing aircraft is used to control the aircraft's forward acceleration and deceleration. If a traditional control concept is adopted, the pilot needs to master two different control methods simultaneously and make cognitive transitions based on the aircraft's configuration, thus increasing the pilot's workload and raising the operational threshold for eVTOL aircraft.

[0058] Therefore, the existing control methods for eVTOL aircraft have technical problems such as high control complexity, heavy pilot workload, and insufficient aircraft control safety.

[0059] This application provides a solution that identifies a target controller from a primary controller and a backup controller, then receives the pilot's control information through the target controller; combined with a preset control mapping relationship, a vector control command mapped to the control information is generated; and then the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control command. By setting up two sets of controllers, a "primary-backup" redundancy design is achieved in the hardware architecture, avoiding controller failure and effectively improving the safety level of the control device and the control safety of the aircraft. At the same time, it enables the aircraft to achieve corresponding vector flight by simply manipulating the controller, thereby simplifying the aircraft's control method. By using flight control automation technology, the skill required for pilots to safely operate the aircraft is reduced, which can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control and alleviate the pilot's operational burden.

[0060] The executing entity in this embodiment can be a computing service device with data processing, network communication, and program execution functions, such as a personal computer, flight control computer, avionics computer, server, and embedded computing device, or a flight control device capable of performing the above functions. For certain specific needs during flight control, the executing entity can also be a high-performance data processing device or industrial control device to ensure that it can support all the functions and requirements of this application. The following uses a flight control device as an example to describe this embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0061] First, this application provides a flight control device, including: a control system; a main controller, communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system; and a backup controller, independently configured from the main controller and communicatively coupled to the control system, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system. The control system is configured to identify a target controller from the main controller and the backup controller, use signals corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and combine them with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands.

[0062] Based on the flight control device proposed above, this application provides an aircraft control method. Referring to FIG1, FIG1 is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0063] In this embodiment, the method is applied to a flight control device, which includes a main controller and a backup controller. The aircraft control method includes steps S110 to S140.

[0064] Step S110: Identify the target controller from the main controller and the backup controller.

[0065] The controller receives control information from the pilot and converts it into commands recognizable by the flight control system, thereby controlling the aircraft's attitude, position, and trajectory. For example, the controller may include a joystick; the pilot can change the joystick's attitude, position, or direction to generate output signals, which are then converted into corresponding control commands. The primary and backup controllers have identical control functions, although their hardware structures may differ.

[0066] First, because EVTOL aircraft are typically flown by a single pilot, to avoid dual-input situations caused by a primary and backup controller, the flight control system needs to select the single controller currently used to receive control information and perform flight control—the target controller—from the primary and backup controllers. Therefore, only one of the primary and backup controllers can be active at any given time, while the other is suppressed.

[0067] Step S120: Receive pilot control information via the target controller.

[0068] The flight control system receives control information from the pilot through the target controller. This control information refers to motion information and related signal changes generated by the pilot's operation of the target controller, such as displacement information, rotation angle, attitude information, and switch status signals.

[0069] Step S130: Generate vector control commands mapped to the manipulation information based on the manipulation information and the preset manipulation mapping relationship.

[0070] The preset control mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the motion and state changes of the target controller and the vector motion of the aircraft. This mapping relationship is preset by relevant developers based on the actual flight requirements and control requirements of the aircraft. Referring to Figure 8, the vector motion of the aircraft includes climb, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw motion.

[0071] In the flight control device, the control system is configured to use the signal corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and in conjunction with the preset control mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control information is at least one of the elevator, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control command mapped to the vector control channel.

[0072] The flight control system receives control information from the target controller and, combined with the movement and state changes of the joystick, determines the control mapping relationship between this information and the aircraft's vector motion. It identifies one of the following control channels: altitude, lateral, longitudinal, or directional control. This mapping generates vector control commands for the aircraft. For example, it maps the displacement information of the joystick in different directions to control commands for different vector motions of the aircraft. This allows for automatic flight control based on the vector control commands, significantly reducing the pilot's workload. The vector control commands include lateral control commands, altitude control commands, longitudinal control commands, and directional control commands.

[0073] Step S140: Control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command.

[0074] Based on the aforementioned flight control device and in conjunction with a preset flight control law, the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the aircraft vector control command.

[0075] A preset flight control law is an algorithm used in an aircraft's flight control system to generate flight control commands. Flight control laws typically describe the functional relationship between controlled state variables and input signals from flight control devices. Preset flight control laws are designed based on the aircraft's dynamic characteristics and flight requirements to ensure that the aircraft maintains stable attitude, heading, and altitude under various flight conditions and responds to pilot input. Preset flight control laws include, but are not limited to, attitude control laws, heading control laws, and altitude control laws. Vector motion includes heave, longitudinal, lateral, and directional motion.

[0076] The flight control system inputs the aircraft's vector control commands into a preset flight control law. This preset law then calculates the vector control commands and controls the aircraft's actuation system to achieve vertical, longitudinal, lateral, and directional movements. The aircraft's actuation system typically includes lift / thrust components, control surface systems, and tilt servos. The lift / thrust components consist of electric motors, propellers, and their accessories. The control surface system comprises components used to generate control forces and torques, including ailerons, elevators, rudders, or elevator-rudder systems.

[0077] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method, which involves identifying a target controller from a primary controller and a backup controller; receiving pilot control information through the target controller; generating vector control commands mapped to the control information based on the control information and a preset control mapping relationship; and controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands.

[0078] This application identifies a target controller from the primary and backup controllers, then receives the pilot's control information through the target controller. Combined with a preset control mapping relationship, it generates vector control commands mapped to the control information. The aircraft is then controlled to perform vector motion according to these commands. By setting up two sets of controllers, a "primary-backup" redundancy design is achieved in the hardware architecture, preventing controller failure and effectively improving the safety level of the control device and the aircraft's operational safety. Simultaneously, it simplifies the aircraft's control by enabling simple manipulation of the controllers to achieve corresponding vector flight, thereby reducing the need for pilots to possess the necessary skills for safe aircraft operation. This effectively reduces the complexity of aircraft control and alleviates the pilot's operational burden.

[0079] Based on the first embodiment of this application, in the second embodiment of this application, the same or similar content as the first embodiment described above can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0080] In the aforementioned flight control device, the control system includes an arbitration module, which is further configured to detect the validity signal of the main controller and confirm whether the main controller is valid.

[0081] When the master controller is confirmed to be valid, the master controller is set as the target controller;

[0082] When the primary controller is confirmed to have failed, the arbitration module is configured to automatically / manually switch the target controller to the backup controller.

[0083] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, please refer to Figure 2. Step S110 may include steps S210 to S230.

[0084] Step S210: The arbitration module detects the validity signal of the main controller to confirm whether the main controller is valid.

[0085] The arbitration module is used to confirm the control units currently available to the pilot. The arbitration module can be configured as a functional module in the control system of the flight control device, or it can be an arbitration module device that is relatively independent of the flight control device.

[0086] The flight control system first uses displacement detectors to monitor the displacement operation signals or status of the master controller, such as displacement signal strength and response time. It then uses the monitored displacement operation signals or status against preset controller effectiveness evaluation criteria to generate a master controller effectiveness signal. An arbitration module confirms the status of this signal, thereby evaluating the effectiveness of the master controller. The preset controller effectiveness evaluation criteria are established by relevant personnel based on actual operational needs and empirical data regarding controller failures to assess the reliability of controller displacement confirmation. Displacement detectors can be included in the flight control system.

[0087] Step S220: When the master controller is active, set the master controller as the target controller.

[0088] Step S230: When the master controller fails, the target controller is automatically / manually switched to the backup controller.

[0089] When the flight control system confirms the primary controller is valid via the arbitration module, it retains control of the aircraft, and the target controller defaults to the primary controller. When the flight control system confirms the primary controller is invalid via the arbitration module, it immediately and automatically transfers control of the aircraft to the backup controller, which then becomes the backup controller. Alternatively, when the flight control system confirms the primary controller is invalid via the arbitration module, it can also manually switch controllers by receiving pilot control switching commands through the aircraft's voice receiver module, the touchscreen display system, or the flight control system itself.

[0090] The flight control device includes a permission switching switch, and the control system includes an arbitration module. The permission switching switch is communicatively coupled to the arbitration module. The permission switching switch is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide a permission switching signal to the arbitration module.

[0091] The arbitration module is also configured to detect the validity signal of the master controller and confirm whether the master controller is valid.

[0092] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target controller to the backup controller when it confirms that the master controller is valid and the permission switching signal is in a state of suppressing the master controller; and / or

[0093] The arbitration module is configured to switch the target controller to the backup controller when it is confirmed that the master controller is invalid and the permission switching signal is in the state of suppressing the master controller.

[0094] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, please refer to Figure 3. After step S220, steps S310 to S320 are also included.

[0095] Step S310: When the permission switching signal is to activate the master controller, the master controller is set as the target controller.

[0096] Step S320: When the permission switching signal is to suppress the master controller, the target controller is switched to the backup controller.

[0097] The permission switching switch can receive control information input by the pilot, thereby changing the switch state to send a permission switching signal to indicate whether the current controller needs to be switched.

[0098] When a pilot perceives an abnormality in the current controller through the control force feedback, they can manually switch back to the controller using the control authority switching switch.

[0099] Referring to Figure 20, the control system includes an arbitration unit and a flight control computer. In Figure 20, the main control stick is the primary controller, and the backup control stick is the backup controller. When the arbitration unit confirms the validity of the primary control stick based on the primary controller's validity signal, and identifies the permission switching signal as activating the primary controller, it automatically activates the primary controller's aircraft control authority, sets the primary controller as the target controller, and feeds back the primary controller's output signal to the flight control computer. When the arbitration unit identifies the permission switching signal as suppressing the primary controller, it automatically suppresses the primary controller's aircraft control authority and activates the backup controller's aircraft control authority, thereby switching the target controller to the backup controller, and feeding back the backup controller's output signal to the flight control computer. Simultaneously, the arbitration unit can also output the arbitration result, i.e., the target controller information, to the display system, allowing the display system to provide the pilot with prompts regarding the activation and suppression of the primary and backup controllers.

[0100] When the arbitration module confirms that the primary controller is invalid, it can also receive the pilot's operation information to generate a signal that inhibits the switching of the primary controller's authority. In response to this signal, the arbitration module will switch the target controller to the backup controller to ensure the safety of the aircraft.

[0101] To improve the accuracy of identifying the target manipulator, the displacement detector is a displacement sensor with redundant design and is installed on the main manipulator. Step S210 includes steps S2101 to S2102.

[0102] Step S2101: Redundancy detection of the displacement of the main controller is performed by the displacement sensor to obtain multiple detection signals.

[0103] Step S2102: The arbitration module determines whether the difference between the multiple detection signals meets a preset threshold range to confirm whether the main controller is effective.

[0104] The displacement detector is a displacement sensor with a redundancy design, meaning it comprises multiple displacement sensors covering different control axes of the main controller. By placing multiple displacement sensors on each control axis of the main controller, redundancy detection of displacement along different control axes is achieved. Through these redundancy-designed displacement sensors, multiple detection signals are obtained for the redundancy detection of the main controller's displacement.

[0105] Due to factors such as the accuracy of the displacement sensor itself, its installation location, environmental factors, electrical noise, or mechanical wear, the detection signal values ​​measured by different displacement sensors may vary to some extent.

[0106] The preset threshold range is set by the design requirements of the flight control device, the performance parameters of the sensors, and the operating experience of the controller. It includes the range of fluctuations in the displacement values ​​measured by multiple displacement sensors on different control axes of the main controller, and is designed to ensure the normal operation of the main controller.

[0107] Then, the arbitration module performs difference analysis on the multiple detection signal values ​​obtained from multiple displacement sensors. If the difference between the multiple displacements meets the preset threshold range, the main controller can be confirmed as effective and can be used by the pilot to control the aircraft normally. If the difference does not meet the preset threshold range, the main controller can be confirmed as ineffective and cannot be used by the pilot to control the aircraft. The flight control system should switch the target controller to the backup controller.

[0108] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. The displacement of the main controller is detected by a displacement sensor and a validity signal is generated. Then, an arbitration module confirms the validity of the main controller based on the validity signal to determine the target controller for the pilot. This avoids the situation of dual controller input and can further improve the control safety of the aircraft.

[0109] Based on the first and / or second embodiments of this application, in the third embodiment of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to the first and / or second embodiments described above can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0110] In this embodiment, in the first type of flight control device, the main controller includes a first control stick and a second control stick. The first control stick and the second control stick are configured as two-axis control sticks that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The control information received by the main controller includes first control information and second control information. The vector control channel mapped by the first control information is the elevator and lateral control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the second control information is the longitudinal and heading control channel.

[0111] In this application, swinging the joystick refers to oscillating it along a certain direction around a fixed point, or reciprocating it along a certain direction around a certain axis within a certain angle range. The joystick in this application can have an automatic return-to-center function, meaning that it can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0112] The first control information received by the first control stick includes the control displacement of the first control stick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second control information received by the second control stick includes the control displacement of the second control stick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions. Both the first and second control sticks can receive displacements from the pilot in both lateral and longitudinal directions, achieving composite control of the control sticks; or they can receive displacements of each control stick in the lateral or longitudinal directions, achieving decoupled control of the control sticks in the lateral or longitudinal directions, thereby achieving independent control of each control stick. In this application, the control displacement can refer to the linear displacement of the top point of the control stick in the lateral and longitudinal directions due to the swinging motion of the control stick, or the angular displacement caused by the change in the angle of the top point of the control stick relative to the fixed point of the control stick, or the angular displacement caused by the change in the angle of the top point of the control stick relative to the axis of the control stick.

[0113] Based on the first type of flight control device described above, in a first embodiment, the backup controller and the main controller have the same hardware structure, both including two two-axis joysticks that can swing laterally and longitudinally. The backup controller includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing laterally and longitudinally. The control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and fourth control information. The vector control channel mapped to the third control information is the same as that mapped to the first control information, and the vector control channel mapped to the fourth control information is the same as that mapped to the second control information. Specifically, the third control information received by the third joystick includes the control displacement of the third joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the fourth control information received by the fourth joystick includes the control displacement of the fourth joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions.

[0114] The third manipulation information includes the first manipulation displacement and the second manipulation displacement, and the fourth manipulation information includes the third manipulation displacement and the fourth manipulation displacement. Please refer to Figure 4. The step S130 includes steps S410 to S440.

[0115] Step S410: When the target controller is a backup controller, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first control displacement is determined to be the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and the lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel is generated, wherein the first control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the third control stick.

[0116] Step S420: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement as the ascent and descent channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third control stick.

[0117] Step S430: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the fourth control stick.

[0118] Step S440: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement as the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the fourth control stick.

[0119] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 9, the main controller of the flight control device includes a first control stick and a second control stick. As shown in Figure 9(a), the first control stick is a two-axis control stick capable of swinging laterally along the horizontal axis and longitudinally along the vertical axis, i.e., swinging left and right along the horizontal axis or back and forth along the vertical axis. As shown in Figure 9(b), the second control stick is also a two-axis control stick capable of swinging laterally along the horizontal axis and longitudinally along the vertical axis, i.e., swinging left and right along the horizontal axis or back and forth along the vertical axis. The horizontal axis of the control stick extends along the horizontal axis of the aircraft, pointing from one side of the wing to the other. The vertical axis of the control stick extends along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, pointing from the nose to the tail. Both the first and second control sticks can swing back and forth or left and right, thereby generating control displacement.

[0120] In this application, the axial movement of the joystick refers to the swinging along the horizontal axis of the joystick, that is, the joystick swings left and right in the horizontal direction, and the swinging along the vertical axis of the joystick, that is, the joystick swings back and forth in the vertical direction, which will not be described in detail later.

[0121] As shown in Figure 15, the backup controller includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick with the same hardware structure as the main controller, and they are located on both sides of the main controller. As shown in Figure 15(a), the third joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing horizontally along the horizontal axis and vertically along the vertical axis, that is, it can swing left and right along the horizontal axis or back and forth along the vertical axis. As shown in Figure 15(d), the fourth joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing horizontally along the horizontal axis and vertically along the vertical axis, that is, it can swing left and right along the horizontal axis or back and forth along the vertical axis. The first joystick of the main controller shown in Figure 15(b) and the second joystick of the main controller shown in Figure 15(c) have been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0122] As shown in Figure 16, the left and right joysticks in Figure 16 are the first and second joysticks of the main controller, and the left and right backup joysticks are the third and fourth joysticks of the backup controller. When the cockpit is a single seat, the first and second joysticks of the main controller are located on both sides of the pilot's seat, and the third and fourth joysticks of the backup joysticks are also located on both sides of the pilot's seat, maintaining a certain distance from the main controller.

[0123] Because the pilot manipulates the control sticks simultaneously, causing displacement information in the lateral or longitudinal direction, the control information received through the third control stick includes a first control displacement and a second control displacement, and the control information received through the fourth control stick includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement. The first control displacement refers to the lateral displacement of the third control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the third control stick; the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal displacement of the third control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the third control stick; the third control displacement refers to the longitudinal displacement of the fourth control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the fourth control stick; and the fourth control displacement refers to the lateral displacement of the fourth control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the fourth control stick.

[0124] In this embodiment, the preset control mapping relationships include the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick in the main controller and the vector motion of the aircraft, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick in the main controller and the vector motion of the aircraft, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third joystick in the backup controller and the vector motion of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth joystick in the backup controller and the vector motion of the aircraft. The control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft is the mapping relationship between different axes of the joystick and different vector control channels of the aircraft. For example, the control mapping logic of the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the axial movements of the third and fourth joysticks in the backup controller is shown in Table 1 below. The control mapping logic of the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the axial movements of the first and second joysticks in the main controller is shown in Table 2 below. The mapping relationship between the joystick control channel and the vector control channel in Table 2 is the same as that in Table 1.

[0125] Table 1 Backup Manipulator Vector Control Mapping Table

[0126] Table 2. Master Manipulator Vector Control Mapping Table

[0127] When the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the first control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the first control displacement is the horizontal axis of the third control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is the lateral channel. Furthermore, based on the specific first control displacement information, it maps and generates lateral control commands for the aircraft. These lateral control commands include the magnitude and direction of the first control displacement, and the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information. The aircraft vector control channel refers to the channel that controls the aircraft to perform different vector movements during flight. Referring to Figure 8, the aircraft's vector movements include climb, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw movements. Climb refers to the aircraft moving up and down in the vertical direction relative to the ground, thereby changing the aircraft's altitude. Longitudinal movement refers to the aircraft moving forward and backward along the direction pointed to by the nose. Yaw refers to the aircraft turning in the horizontal direction parallel to the ground; yaw includes yaw motion. Lateral movement refers to the aircraft moving horizontally along a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction.

[0128] Similarly, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the second control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the second control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the third control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the ascent / descent channel. Furthermore, based on the specific second control displacement information, it maps and generates an aircraft ascent / descent control command. This command includes the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0129] Then, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the third control displacement, it confirms that the control channel for the third control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the fourth control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific third control displacement information, it generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft. Similarly, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the fourth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the fourth control displacement is the transverse axis of the fourth control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the fourth control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Furthermore, based on the specific fourth control displacement information, it generates a heading control command for the aircraft. The heading control command and the longitudinal control command include the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, and the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information, etc.

[0130] Considering the different flight habits of different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped to different axes of the first and second control sticks of the primary controller, as well as the third and fourth control sticks of the backup controller, can be interchanged. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped to the longitudinal axes of the first and second control sticks in the primary controller can be interchanged, making the aircraft vector control channel mapped to the longitudinal axis of the first control stick the longitudinal channel of the primary controller, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped to the vertical axis of the second control stick the vertical channel the elevator channel. As shown in Table 3 below, in a vector control mapping table of a variant of the primary controller, the vector control channels mapped to the first control information received by the first control stick are the longitudinal and lateral control channels, and the vector control channels mapped to the second control information received by the first control stick are the elevator and heading control channels.

[0131] Table 3. Main Manipulator Variant Vector Control Mapping Table

[0132] Wherein, the first control information received by the first control joystick includes the control displacement of the first control joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal direction; the second control information received by the second control joystick includes the control displacement of the second control joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal direction.

[0133] Based on Table 3, it can be determined that the control displacement generated by the movement of the first control stick along the horizontal axis, that is, the control displacement of the first control stick in the lateral direction, is mapped to the lateral channel of the aircraft's vector control channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the first control stick moving along the horizontal axis, and further map it to generate the lateral control command of the aircraft.

[0134] Similarly, referring to Table 3, it can be determined that the control displacement generated by the movement of the first control stick along the longitudinal axis, that is, the control displacement of the first control stick in the longitudinal direction, is mapped to the longitudinal channel of the aircraft's vector control channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the first control stick along the longitudinal axis, and further map it to generate the longitudinal control command of the aircraft.

[0135] Based on Table 3, it can be determined that the control displacement generated by the movement of the second control stick along the horizontal axis, that is, the control displacement of the second control stick in the lateral direction, is mapped to the flight vector control channel as the heading channel. The flight control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the second control stick along the horizontal axis, and further map it to generate the flight heading control command.

[0136] Based on Table 3, it can be determined that the control displacement generated by the movement of the second control stick along the longitudinal axis, that is, the control displacement of the second control stick in the longitudinal direction, is mapped to the aircraft's vector control channel as the ascent and descent channel. The aircraft control device can receive the signal corresponding to the control information of the movement of the second control stick along the longitudinal axis, and further map it to generate the aircraft's ascent and descent control command.

[0137] Similarly, when the aircraft vector control channels mapped to different axes in the primary controller are interchanged, in order to maintain functional consistency, the backup controller should also make corresponding changes to the control mapping between the joystick and the aircraft vector control channels.

[0138] In this embodiment, by designing the joystick as a two-axis joystick, the control logic of the aircraft can be simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0139] Based on the first type of flight control device described above, in the second embodiment, the backup controller includes a third joystick and a control switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions and can perform torsional movements.

[0140] In one embodiment, the backup controller uses a three-axis joystick and control switches to achieve the same mapped vector control channel function as the main controller.

[0141] In one embodiment, the control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and control switch information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third control information is a heading, lateral, and elevator control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information is a longitudinal control channel.

[0142] Both the vector control channel mapped by the third control information and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information can be changed by the pilot's preset settings; this application does not impose any specific limitations on them.

[0143] The third manipulation information includes the first manipulation displacement, the second manipulation displacement, and the rotational change. Step S130 includes steps S450 to S480.

[0144] In step S450, when the target controller is a backup controller, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first control displacement is determined to be the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and the lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel is generated, wherein the first control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the third control stick.

[0145] Step S460: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second control displacement as the ascent and descent channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel, wherein the second control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the third control stick.

[0146] Step S470: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the rotation change amount as the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel, wherein the rotation change amount refers to the change in the torsional angle of the third control stick during torsional motion.

[0147] Step S480: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel.

[0148] For example, the control mapping logic of the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the third joystick and the control switch in the backup controller is shown in Table 4 below.

[0149] Table 4 contains a backup actuator vector control mapping table for the control switches.

[0150] In this embodiment, the control switch can be a switch mounted on the third joystick and operated by the thumb, such as a thumb button switch or a thumb lever. The control switch can also be any of a roller switch, a two-way switch, or a push-button switch. The rotational change refers to the angular displacement of the third joystick in the horizontal plane (perpendicular to its axis when centered) caused by the pilot's manipulation of the third joystick around its vertical axis. The control switch information refers to the digital or analog signal generated when the pilot manipulates the control switch, causing an angular or displacement change.

[0151] In one embodiment, a backup controller including a third joystick (the backup joystick in FIG17) and a control switch is shown in FIG17. The control switch is located on the third joystick and is a thumb stick. As shown in FIG17, the third joystick includes four control channels: a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, a rotation axis, and a thumb stick, for receiving the pilot's control information. The rotation axis refers to the vertical axis of the third joystick when it is centered.

[0152] When the backup controller includes a third joystick and a control switch, and the control switch is located on the third joystick, the layout of the flight control device in the aircraft cockpit can be referred to as shown in Figure 18. In a two-seat cockpit, the third joystick of the backup controller is placed on the side closer to the pilot, i.e., the backup joystick shown in Figure 18. For example, the third joystick is placed on the left side of the pilot's seat as shown in Figure 18 to prevent passengers from accidentally operating it.

[0153] Similar to the above implementation, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the first control displacement or the signal corresponding to the second control displacement, it combines the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft to generate the aircraft lateral control command and the aircraft ascent and descent control command respectively.

[0154] Then, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the rotation change, it confirms that the control channel for the rotation change is the rotation axis of the third joystick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the third joystick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Furthermore, based on the specific third control displacement information, it generates the aircraft heading control command.

[0155] Similarly, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the control switch information, it confirms that the control channel that generated the control switch information is a control switch. Combining the control mapping relationship between the control switch change and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is a longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific control switch information, it generates the aircraft's longitudinal control command. The aircraft's longitudinal control command includes the high and low levels of the switch control signal, pulse duration, etc., in the control switch information, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0156] Considering the different flying habits of different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the first and second joysticks of the main controller, as well as the third joystick and control switches of the backup controller, can be interchanged.

[0157] In this embodiment, by designing the backup controller as a three-axis joystick and control switch, and by integrating the control switch on the third joystick, the control logic of the aircraft can be further simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0158] In this embodiment, in the second type of flight control device, the main controller includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction. A main control switch is also provided on the second joystick. The first control information received by the first joystick includes the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second control information received by the second joystick includes the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction, and the main control switch control information. According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control command corresponding to the main control switch control information is the heading control command of the aircraft. Figure 19 shows an example diagram of a main controller. The main controller includes a first joystick and a second joystick. The first joystick can swing along the lateral and longitudinal axes, while the second joystick only swings back and forth along the longitudinal axis. The main control switch is a yaw switch, and it is mapped to the heading control channel of the aircraft.

[0159] To further reduce the pilot's operational burden, any control channel corresponding to the aircraft's vector control channel is simplified to a control signal of a control switch. Therefore, the first control stick is set to be a two-axis control stick, and the second control stick is set to be a single-axis control stick. The two axes corresponding to the two-axis control stick can be a combination of the longitudinal and transverse axes of the control stick, and the axis corresponding to the single-axis control stick can be either the longitudinal or transverse axis of the control stick.

[0160] In this embodiment, the control information received through the first joystick includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement, and the control information received through the second joystick includes a seventh control displacement, as well as a master control switch control signal. The control information received through the master control switch is the master control switch control signal. The fifth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the sixth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the seventh control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second joystick. The master control switch control information refers to the digital or analog signal generated by the pilot's manipulation of the master control switch, causing the master control switch to change its angle or displacement.

[0161] In this embodiment, the main control switch can be a bidirectional switch, which controls the aircraft by receiving discrete signals from the bidirectional switch, or the main control switch can be in the form of a roller, which controls the aircraft by receiving analog signals from the roller.

[0162] The preset control mapping relationships include the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the change of the master control switch and the vector motion of the aircraft. For example, the control mapping logic of the axial movement of the first joystick and the second joystick in the master controller and the change of the master control switch corresponding to the vector motion of the aircraft is shown in Table 5 below.

[0163] Table 5 includes the master controller vector control mapping table for the master control switch.

[0164] In this embodiment, after the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the fifth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the fifth control displacement is the horizontal axis of the first control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding vector control channel of the aircraft is a lateral channel. Furthermore, based on the specific fifth control displacement information, it maps and generates a lateral control command for the aircraft. This lateral control command includes the magnitude and direction of the fifth control displacement, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0165] When the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the sixth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the sixth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the first control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the ascent / descent channel. Furthermore, based on the specific sixth control displacement information, it generates an ascent / descent control command. This command includes the magnitude and direction of the sixth control displacement, as well as information about the corresponding aircraft vector control channel.

[0166] When the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the seventh control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the seventh control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific seventh control displacement information, it generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft. This longitudinal control command includes the magnitude and direction of the seventh control displacement, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0167] Then, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the master control switch control information, it confirms that the control channel that generated the master control switch control information is the master control switch. Combining the control mapping relationship between the master control switch changes and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Furthermore, based on the specific master switch control signal information, it generates the aircraft heading control command. The aircraft heading control command includes the high / low level and pulse duration of the master switch control signal, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0168] Based on the second type of flight control device described above, in the first embodiment, the backup controller and the main controller have the same hardware structure, both including a two-axis joystick, a single-axis joystick, and a control switch. The backup controller includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick. The third joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in both the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the fourth joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction. The fourth joystick is also equipped with the same main control switch as the main controller.

[0169] The backup controller receives control information including third control information and fourth control information. The vector control channel mapped to the third control information is the same as that mapped to the first control information, and the vector control channel mapped to the fourth control information is the same as that mapped to the second control information. Specifically, the third control information received by the third joystick includes the lateral and / or longitudinal displacement of the third joystick; the fourth control information received by the fourth joystick includes the longitudinal displacement of the fourth joystick and the main control switch control information. Since the hardware structure and function of the backup controller are similar to those of the main controller, they can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0170] Based on the second type of flight control device described above, in the second embodiment, the backup controller includes a third joystick and a control switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions and can perform torsional movements.

[0171] In one embodiment, the backup controller uses a three-axis joystick and control switches to achieve the same functions as the main controller.

[0172] In one embodiment, the control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and control switch information. The vector control channel mapped to the third control information is a heading, lateral, and elevator control channel, and the vector control channel mapped to the control switch information is a longitudinal control channel.

[0173] Both the vector control channel mapped by the third control information and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information can be changed by the pilot's preset settings; this application does not impose any specific limitations on them.

[0174] For details on how the backup controller receives control information and generates aircraft vector control commands, please refer to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0175] This embodiment provides a flight control device and aircraft control method. It utilizes two sticks, a single stick, and control switches to achieve combinations of different controllers, thereby realizing the mapping function of the aircraft control channel. The control logic of the aircraft can be integrated on the control stick, further simplifying the control logic of the aircraft and making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the control stick, thus reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0176] Based on the first and / or second and / or third embodiments of this application, in the fourth embodiment of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to the above-described embodiments one, two and / or three can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0177] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, the vector control command includes an aircraft heading control command, and the aircraft includes a rotor configuration, a fixed-wing configuration, and a transitional configuration. When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the control information, and the aircraft is a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to calculate the aircraft heading control command using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and, based on the yaw rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0178] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control command using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command, and, based on the yaw rate command, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0179] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control command by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and to manipulate the aircraft to yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command.

[0180] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the vector motion includes the aircraft's lift, longitudinal, lateral and yaw motions. Please refer to Figure 5. Step S140 includes steps S510 to S530.

[0181] Step S510: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration, the heading control command of the aircraft is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0182] Step S520: When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the heading control command of the aircraft is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0183] Step S530: When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the heading control command of the aircraft is calculated by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to yaw by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command.

[0184] In the flight control system, at least a horizontal rate command mode switch is provided on the main controller, and the control information includes horizontal rate command mode control information. The control system is also configured to control the aircraft to switch to horizontal rate command mode upon receiving horizontal rate command mode control information. The vector control commands include longitudinal control commands for the aircraft, and the aircraft includes rotor configuration, fixed-wing configuration, and transition configuration.

[0185] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that maps to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in a rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, the control system is further configured to calculate the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command, and, based on the longitudinal speed command, manipulate the aircraft to perform longitudinal motion through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control; and / or

[0186] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that maps to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is off, the control system is also configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding pitch angle command, and to control the aircraft to perform pitch motion through differential rotor speed according to the pitch angle command.

[0187] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that is mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft through a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal acceleration command, and to manipulate the aircraft to move longitudinally according to the longitudinal acceleration command through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control.

[0188] In this embodiment, the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft is specifically a tiltrotor type VTOL aircraft, which has three configurations: fixed-wing configuration, rotor configuration, and a transitional configuration between the two. The rotor configuration refers to the aircraft configuration when some / all of the tiltrotors are in the VTOL position (e.g., a tilt angle of 90°), which is the takeoff and landing configuration of the tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. In the rotor configuration, the aircraft starts from rest on the ground and climbs using vector power, or descends using power vectoring during landing. The rotors (including fixed and tiltrotor rotors) are direct force actuators. The fixed-wing configuration refers to the aircraft configuration when some / all of the rotors are in the cruise position (e.g., a tilt angle of 0°), which is the cruise configuration of the tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. In the fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft can cruise like a fixed-wing aircraft, using lift provided by the wings. In this configuration, the main control surfaces are ailerons, elevators, or other equivalent mechanisms (elevator rudder, etc.). Transitional configuration refers to an aircraft configuration that allows for switching between rotor and fixed-wing configurations.

[0189] When the aircraft is in any configuration, whether it is a rotor, transitional, or fixed wing, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information through any joystick or control switch of the target controller and generates corresponding vector control commands. Based on the vector control commands, the aircraft is controlled to perform ascent, descent, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw movements.

[0190] The vector motion of an aircraft also includes pitch motion. Pitch motion refers to the rotational motion of an aircraft about its lateral axis (from one side of the wing to the other).

[0191] The Translational Rate Command (TRC) mode can be activated when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration. The pilot can directly map and control the longitudinal and lateral speeds of the aircraft through the flight control devices.

[0192] In addition, an activation switch for the corresponding TRC mode, namely the horizontal rate command mode switch, is provided on the main controller, or both the main controller and the backup controller are provided with activation switches for the corresponding TRC mode, for example, on any of the main joysticks or on any of the backup joysticks.

[0193] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration, the pilot can confirm whether to activate TRC mode by checking whether the aircraft's tilt mechanism and GPS are working properly.

[0194] The flight control system receives level rate command mode control information input by the pilot via a level rate command mode switch. The flight control system then controls the aircraft to switch to level rate command mode based on this information. The level rate command mode switch can be a push-button switch; when pressed, it generates level rate command mode control information. When pressed again, it generates a level rate command mode exit information, instructing the aircraft to exit level rate command mode.

[0195] With the aircraft's GPS functioning normally and the relevant structures operating normally during rotor phase flight, the horizontal speed command mode switch is triggered to generate horizontal speed command mode control information, thereby activating the TRC mode. This means that while adjusting parameters such as the pitch angle or roll angle of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, horizontal speed control can be combined to further refine speed control, ensure the stability and maneuverability of the aircraft, and reduce the pilot's operational burden to a certain extent.

[0196] In this embodiment, referring to FIG14, the aircraft has an elevator rudder, which is a control surface on the V-tail of the V-tail aircraft. It combines the functions of an elevator and a rudder and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft.

[0197] Table 6. Mapping Table Between Vector Control Channels and Control Commands of Different Configurations

[0198] In conjunction with Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2, or Embodiment 3, and referring to Table 6, when the aircraft is a rotor configuration, the received aircraft elevation control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command; the received aircraft heading control command is calculated to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command.

[0199] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is active, the received lateral control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding lateral speed command. When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is off, the received lateral control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding roll angle command.

[0200] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is active, the received longitudinal control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command. When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is off, the received longitudinal control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding pitch angle command.

[0201] In the table above, pitch angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its lateral axis (from one side of the wing to the other). Roll angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its longitudinal axis (from the nose to the tail). Yaw angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its vertical axis (perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the aircraft). Pitch rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its lateral axis. Roll rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its longitudinal axis. Yaw rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its vertical axis.

[0202] Based on the vertical speed command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is further calculated through a preset control law, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can control the rotor speed of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding take-off and landing movements.

[0203] Based on the yaw rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command and / or tilt rotor tilt angle adjustment command are further obtained through preset control law calculation. By adjusting the rotor speed and / or tilt rotor tilt angle differential through the speed adjustment command and / or tilt angle adjustment command, a yaw torque is generated, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding yaw motion.

[0204] Based on the roll angle command in TRC off mode, the corresponding roll rate command is further calculated through preset control law, and then the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated based on the roll rate command, so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft generates roll torque, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral movement.

[0205] Based on the pitch angle command in TRC off mode, the corresponding pitch rate command is further calculated through a preset control law. Then, based on the pitch rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft can generate pitch torque and thus control the aircraft to perform the corresponding pitch motion.

[0206] Based on the lateral velocity command in TRC activation mode, the corresponding roll rate command is further calculated through a preset control law. Then, based on the roll rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft generates a roll torque and controls the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral motion.

[0207] Based on the longitudinal speed command in TRC activation mode, the corresponding tilt rotor tilt angle adjustment command and rotor speed adjustment command are further obtained through preset control law calculation. While maintaining a stable pitch angle, the tilt angle adjustment command and speed adjustment command enable the aircraft to adjust the tilt rotor tilt angle and maintain a constant altitude by differentially controlling the tilt rotor speed, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding longitudinal motion.

[0208] When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, a preset flight control law is used to calculate the longitudinal control commands, lateral control commands, elevator control commands, and heading control commands generated based on the pilot's control information. These commands correspond to longitudinal acceleration, roll rate, vertical velocity, and yaw rate commands, respectively. Based on the longitudinal acceleration command, the aircraft controls its longitudinal motion through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control. Based on the roll rate command, the aircraft controls its lateral motion through aileron deflection and / or differential rotor speed control. Based on the vertical velocity command, the aircraft controls its elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed control to achieve elevator motion. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft controls its yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0209] When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the lateral control command, elevator control command, longitudinal control command and heading control command generated based on the pilot's control information are calculated by the preset flight control law, and the corresponding roll rate command, vertical speed command or pitch rate command, longitudinal speed command and yaw rate command are obtained respectively.

[0210] Based on the roll rate command, the ailerons are controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's lateral movement. Based on the vertical velocity or pitch rate command calculated from the aircraft's climb control command, the elevator rudder is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's climb. Based on the yaw rate command calculated from the aircraft's heading control command, the elevator rudder is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's yaw. Based on the longitudinal acceleration command, the rotor speed is adjusted to regulate the aircraft's thrust, or collective pitch control is used to adjust and control the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane, thereby changing the lift and thrust generated by the rotor and controlling the aircraft's longitudinal movement. Collective pitch typically refers to the total pitch of the rotor blades, i.e., the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane.

[0211] In order to achieve automatic identification of the aircraft configuration, the current configuration of the aircraft can be further confirmed according to the flight stage of the aircraft. Therefore, before the above step S510, step S500 is also included.

[0212] Step S500: Confirm the flight stage of the aircraft by using the preset flight control law and the flight status information of the aircraft. The flight stage includes the rotor stage, the tilt transition stage, and the fixed-wing stage.

[0213] In this embodiment, the flight phases of the aircraft are first divided into a rotor phase, a tilt-transition phase, and a fixed-wing phase. The rotor phase refers to the aircraft flying using a rotor configuration; the tilt-transition phase refers to the aircraft transitioning between rotor and fixed-wing configurations; and the fixed-wing phase refers to the aircraft flying using a fixed-wing configuration. Referring to Figures 10 and 11, flight configuration diagrams of a rotor and fixed-wing configuration of an eVTOL aircraft are shown, respectively.

[0214] The flight status information of the aircraft, such as the flight altitude, airspeed, and rotor tilt angle, is input into the preset flight control law, thereby automatically determining whether the flight stage of the aircraft belongs to the rotor stage, tilt transition stage, or fixed-wing stage.

[0215] Flight status information can be obtained through the aircraft's avionics and sensor systems, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), inertial navigation system (INS), radio navigation system, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and other sensors.

[0216] Referring to Figure 12, which shows the change in rotor tilt angle during the flight phase of an aircraft. In Figure 12, the vertical takeoff and vertical landing phases correspond to the rotor phases of the aircraft, the forward tilt phases and backward tilt phases correspond to the tilt transition phases of the aircraft, and the fixed-wing forward flight phase corresponds to the fixed-wing phase of the aircraft.

[0217] As shown in Figure 12, by inputting the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft into the preset flight control law, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically determined. For example, when the tilt rotor is in the cruise position (e.g., 0° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the fixed-wing stage; when the tilt rotor is in the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., 90° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the rotor stage; when the rotor tilt angle is between the cruise position and the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., 0-90°), the aircraft is in the tilt transition stage.

[0218] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By pre-setting a flight control law and the aircraft's flight state information, the flight stage of the aircraft is obtained. In any flight stage, the aircraft vector control command generated according to the control information can be implemented. Combined with the pre-set flight control law, the aircraft is controlled to perform automated vector motion, thereby simplifying the aircraft control method. The flight control automation technology implemented by combining the pre-set flight control law reduces the decision-making pressure on the pilot, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reducing the pilot's operational burden.

[0219] Based on Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2 and / or Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 of this application, in Embodiment 5 of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2, Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0220] In this embodiment, in the third type of flight control device, at least a tilt switch is provided on the main controller. The control information may further include forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch. The control system is also configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when it receives forward tilt control information; and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when it receives backward tilt control information.

[0221] In the fourth type of flight control device, at least a tilt enable switch is provided on the main controller, and the control system is also configured to allow the tilt rotor to tilt when a tilt enable signal is received from the tilt enable switch.

[0222] Based on the third type of flight control device described above, please refer to Figure 6. The method includes steps S610 to S630.

[0223] Step S610: Receive tilt switch control information from the flight control device, wherein the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information.

[0224] The flight control system receives tilt switch control information from the pilot via a tilt switch. This tilt switch control information comprises motion information and related state changes generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, including changes in the tilt angle or position of the tilt switch and state changes. Forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information are manipulation information generated by the tossing motion of the tilt switch. Forward tilt control information instructs the aircraft to switch its flight configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, while backward tilt control information instructs the aircraft to switch its flight configuration to a rotor configuration. In this embodiment, the forward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by tossing the tilt switch forward, and the backward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by tossing the tilt switch backward. In this application, the tilt switch may have an automatic return-to-center function, meaning that it can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0225] In addition, based on the fourth type of flight control device mentioned above, the tilt switch is used to control tilt enable. The tilt enable signal is a switch status signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, which is used to indicate that the aircraft is allowed to tilt transition.

[0226] When the flight control device receives the tilt enable signal from the tilt switch, it allows the flight control system to automatically manipulate the tilt rotor to tilt, or to map the tilt control function to a control channel of the target controller, such as the longitudinal axis control channel, and achieve tilt control through the longitudinal displacement of the first control stick of the main controller.

[0227] The fourth type of flight control device mentioned above also includes a tilt prohibition signal corresponding to the tilt switch. This tilt prohibition signal is a switch status signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, used to instruct the aircraft not to perform a tilt transition. The tilt enable signal and the tilt prohibition signal can be generated by different operations of the tilt switch. For example, when the tilt switch is pressed, a tilt enable signal is generated, allowing the aircraft to perform a tilt transition; when the tilt switch is pressed again, a tilt prohibition signal is generated, prohibiting the aircraft from performing a tilt transition.

[0228] Step S620: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration.

[0229] Referring to Figure 13(a), the tilt-powered propeller is the tilt rotor. The forward flight phase of the fixed wing is the fixed wing phase. The preset tilt angle of the rotor in the cruise position in the fixed wing configuration is set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 0 degrees. Referring to Figure 13(c), the preset tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) position in the rotor configuration is also set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 90 degrees. The target flight configuration refers to the aircraft configuration that the aircraft needs to switch to at a certain time in the future. Referring to Figure 13(b), the tilt phase is the tilt transition phase. The tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the transition configuration is between the preset tilt angle in the cruise position and the preset tilt angle in the VTOL position, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 0 to 90 degrees.

[0230] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, that is, when the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing phase, and at the same time receives the forward tilt control information, the forward tilt control information is calculated in combination with the preset flight control law. The relevant control commands of the rotor system are obtained through the calculation, and then the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, and the tilt rotor tilt angle is gradually transitioned from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilt angle of the fixed-wing configuration aircraft.

[0231] Step S630: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the rearward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration.

[0232] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, that is, when the aircraft is in the forward flight phase of a fixed-wing aircraft, and at the same time receives the backward tilt control information, the preset flight control law calculates the backward tilt control information, obtains the relevant control commands of the rotor system through the calculation, and then adjusts the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system, gradually transitioning the rotor tilt angle from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby satisfying the tilt angle of the rotor configuration aircraft.

[0233] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a tilt switch, the pilot can easily switch the aircraft configuration, thereby simplifying the aircraft control method. Combined with a preset flight control law, flight control automation technology is realized to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. This can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reduce the pilot's operational burden.

[0234] Based on Embodiments 4 and / or 5 of this application, in Embodiment 6 of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to Embodiments 4 and / or 5 can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated hereafter. In addition, the flight status information includes the rotor tilt angle and the longitudinal flight speed, and step S500 includes steps S5001 to S5004.

[0235] Step S5001: Based on the preset flight control law, confirm the relationship between the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft and the magnitudes of the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle.

[0236] The first and second tilt angles are the rotor tilt angles for the rotor phase and the rotor tilt angles for the fixed-wing phase, obtained by relevant personnel through optimized design of the entire flight process of the aircraft based on actual flight needs. These angles can be pre-configured in the flight control law. Because the aircraft may have angle deviations during actual flight, the aircraft may not completely meet the tilt angles for different flight phases shown in Figure 13 during actual flight.

[0237] First, the flight control device will input the aircraft tilt angle obtained in real time into the preset flight control law to obtain the relationship between the aircraft's rotor tilt angle and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle, so as to confirm the flight stage of the aircraft.

[0238] Step S5002: When the flight tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the fixed-wing phase.

[0239] Step S5003: When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the tilt transition phase.

[0240] Step S5004: When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the rotor phase.

[0241] When the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, it means that the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft is close to 0, thus confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase.

[0242] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, it means that the aircraft's tilt angle is greater than 0, but it has not reached the tilt angle required for the rotor stage. Therefore, the aircraft's flight stage is confirmed as the tilt transition stage.

[0243] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, it means that the aircraft's tilt angle has reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage. The aircraft is then performing vertical takeoff or landing, confirming that the aircraft's flight stage is the rotor stage.

[0244] To improve the accuracy of identifying the flight phase of an aircraft, the flight phase identification can be based on a comprehensive judgment combining the rotor tilt angle and the longitudinal velocity of the flight.

[0245] Similarly, the longitudinal velocity in the rotor phase and the longitudinal velocity in the fixed-wing phase typically fall within different speed ranges. Therefore, relevant personnel can optimize the entire flight process of the aircraft to obtain the first and second longitudinal velocities based on actual flight needs. These first and second longitudinal velocities are then used to further identify the aircraft's flight phases. The first and second longitudinal velocities can be pre-configured in the flight control law. The first longitudinal velocity is close to zero. The second longitudinal velocity can be used to characterize the cruise speed of the fixed-wing phase.

[0246] For example, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle and the longitudinal velocity is greater than or equal to the second longitudinal velocity, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the fixed-wing phase.

[0247] When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal velocity is greater than the first longitudinal velocity and less than the second longitudinal velocity, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the tilt transition phase.

[0248] When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle and the flight longitudinal speed is less than or equal to the first longitudinal speed, it means that the aircraft is performing vertical takeoff or landing, confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is the rotor phase.

[0249] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By pre-setting a flight control law and combining the aircraft's longitudinal speed and / or tilt angle, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically identified, making it convenient for the pilot to control the aircraft according to the flight stage. It also helps to realize flight control automation, further reducing the complexity of aircraft control and alleviating the pilot's operational burden.

[0250] Based on any of the above embodiments of this application, a seventh embodiment of this application is proposed. In the seventh embodiment of this application, the same or similar content as any of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0251] In this embodiment, the flight control device includes at least a ground mode switching switch on the main controller, and the control information includes ground mode control information.

[0252] The control system is also configured to switch the aircraft to ground control mode upon receiving ground mode control information.

[0253] When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to use the control information received from the target controller and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration and turning movements according to the vector control commands.

[0254] When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to solve the aircraft heading control command through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command, and control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power and / or differential braking according to the ground direction control command, thereby manipulating the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

[0255] When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that maps to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control command to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration.

[0256] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 7. The vector motion also includes ground acceleration / deceleration motion and ground turning motion. The vector control command includes the aircraft longitudinal control command and the aircraft heading control command. Step S140 also includes steps S710 to S720.

[0257] Step S710: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives a longitudinal control command, the longitudinal control command is calculated according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command. The aircraft speed is then controlled according to the ground speed control command to manipulate the aircraft for ground acceleration and deceleration.

[0258] Step S720: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control command, the aircraft heading control command is calculated according to the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command. Based on the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

[0259] First, when the aircraft is in the ground phase, it can receive ground mode control information input by the pilot via a ground mode switch located on any of the control sticks of the main controller. The flight control system then switches the aircraft to ground control mode based on this information, such as changing the aircraft configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, allowing the pilot to perform ground control operations, such as taxiing. The ground mode switch can be a push-button switch; pressing the switch generates ground mode control information. Pressing the switch again generates a ground mode exit message, instructing the aircraft to exit ground control mode.

[0260] The ground mode switch can also be set on any joystick of the backup controller.

[0261] When the flight control device switches the aircraft to ground control mode, i.e., when the aircraft is in ground control mode, the functions of ground control need to be mapped to multiple control channels of the target controller, such as the longitudinal and transverse control channels of the first control stick of the main controller. Ground speed control is achieved by the longitudinal displacement of the first control stick of the main controller, and ground steering control is achieved by the transverse displacement of the first control stick of the main controller.

[0262] In this embodiment, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase, the ground control function is mapped to the control channel of the target controller that controls the longitudinal and yaw motion of the aircraft. The control channel of the joystick that controls the lateral and vertical motion of the aircraft should be in a disabled state. No matter how the pilot operates, it cannot respond to the pilot's control information and generate lateral control commands and vertical control commands.

[0263] Therefore, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase and receives the aircraft's longitudinal control command, the longitudinal control command is input into the preset flight control law for calculation, and the corresponding ground speed control command is obtained.

[0264] Alternatively, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase and receives a heading control command, the heading control command is input into a preset flight control law for calculation, and a corresponding ground direction control command is obtained.

[0265] Then, based on the ground speed control command, the thrust of the aircraft's thrust components is adjusted by controlling the aircraft's power system, thereby controlling the aircraft to accelerate or decelerate on the ground.

[0266] According to the ground direction control command, the thrust of the thrust components on both sides of the aircraft is adjusted, thereby using the torque generated by the thrust difference between the two sides of the thrust components to achieve steering, that is, differential power control. Steering can also be achieved by adjusting the braking force difference between the left and right sides of the aircraft's braking components, thereby controlling the aircraft to make left or right turns.

[0267] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting responsive aircraft vector control commands during the ground phase, and combining them with preset flight control laws, the method further performs ground acceleration / deceleration and turning control on the aircraft during the ground phase. This combines the aircraft's ground control logic with its in-flight control logic, achieving a simplified aircraft control method. By combining preset flight control laws with flight control automation technology, the method reduces the pilot's decision-making pressure, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reducing the pilot's operational burden.

[0268] Based on any of the above embodiments of this application, an eighth embodiment of this application is proposed. In the eighth embodiment of this application, the same or similar content as any of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0269] In this embodiment, the flight control device includes a switching position at least at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold on the first or second joystick in the main controller. The control information received by the main controller also includes switching position information, which includes forward switching position information and backward switching position information. When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the forward switching position information received from the first or second joystick in the main controller to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration. When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the backward switching position information received from the first or second joystick in the main controller to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration; and / or

[0270] When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first or second joystick in the main controller to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration; when the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to use a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first or second joystick in the main controller, and generate a braking command mapped to the backward shift gear information, and control the aircraft to perform ground braking according to the braking command.

[0271] Based on the aforementioned flight control device, the method further includes steps S810 to S830.

[0272] Step S810: Receive gear shifting information through the flight control device, wherein the gear shifting information includes forward gear shifting information and backward gear shifting information.

[0273] The main controller has a switching position set at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold on either the first or second control stick. The pilot manipulates the stick longitudinally until the control displacement reaches the preset threshold, generating a switching signal. The preset control displacement threshold is a control displacement threshold pre-set by relevant personnel based on a comprehensive consideration of the control stick characteristics, actual control requirements, and the pilot's operating habits. Forward switching signal refers to the signal generated when the control stick's forward longitudinal displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold, indicating that the aircraft should switch to a fixed-wing configuration. Reverse switching signal refers to the signal generated when the control stick's backward longitudinal displacement reaches the preset control displacement threshold. It should be understood that, to prevent pilot misoperation, the switching positions set at the preset longitudinal control displacement thresholds should provide a stepped control force feedback.

[0274] The backup controller can have a switching position set at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold for any joystick, achieving the same function as the main controller.

[0275] The flight control system needs to receive the pilot's gear shift signal so that the aircraft's flight configuration can be switched accordingly.

[0276] Step S820: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration.

[0277] Step S830: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the rearward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0278] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, that is, when the aircraft is in the vertical take-off or landing phase, the current flight phase of the aircraft is the rotor phase. At the same time, after receiving the forward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained through the preset control law calculation, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the vertical take-off and landing position to the cruise position, thereby transitioning to the fixed wing configuration.

[0279] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the current flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase. After receiving the backward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained through the preset control law calculation, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby transitioning to the rotor configuration.

[0280] To reduce the complexity of aircraft operation and lower the threshold for piloting, ground control commands can be highly integrated into the control stick, reducing the number of control sticks in the cockpit. Following step S830, steps S840 to S850 are also included.

[0281] Step S840: When the aircraft is in the ground phase and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0282] Step S850: When the aircraft is on the ground and receives the backward shift gear information, a braking command mapped to the backward shift gear information is generated, and the aircraft is controlled to brake on the ground according to the braking command.

[0283] When the aircraft is in the ground phase, upon receiving the forward shift signal, the flight control system adjusts the tiltrotor from the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) position to the cruise position. At this time, the aircraft can perform acceleration, deceleration, and turning maneuvers on the ground. To further reduce the operator's workload, the backward shift signal can be pre-set as a ground braking control signal. After receiving the backward shift signal, the flight control system generates a braking command mapped to it. This braking command is then calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain relevant control commands for the propulsion system. Finally, the engines in the propulsion system are shut down, thus achieving ground braking of the aircraft.

[0284] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a shift position on the control stick, the pilot can easily switch flight configurations during flight. At the same time, setting the backward shift position information as a ground braking control signal is more in line with the logic of ground-based object control. This simplifies the aircraft control method. Combined with a preset flight control law, flight control automation technology is implemented to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. This can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the threshold for aircraft operation, and reduce the pilot's operational burden.

[0285] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which includes at least one flight control device, including but not limited to the flight control device described in the above embodiments. The flight control device includes a joystick capable of receiving pilot control information and a control system communicatively coupled thereto.

[0286] This application also provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which displays the operational status of the primary and backup controllers to the pilot via a display system. When the target controller is the backup controller, the display system shows the pilot that the backup controller is active and the primary controller is suppressed. When the target controller is the primary controller, the display system shows the pilot that the primary controller is active and the backup controller is suppressed. When a malfunction is detected in the suppressed controller, the aircraft provides the pilot with visual and / or audio warnings.

[0287] The operating status (suppressed and active status) of the primary and backup controllers can be displayed to the pilot through the aircraft's display system (such as the front display screen, head-up display, and control console) so that the pilot can quickly identify the current target controller and prevent pilot misoperation.

[0288] As shown in Figure 21, the upper indicator light indicates the working status of the backup controller, and the lower indicator light indicates the working status of the primary controller. When the aircraft does not receive a permission switching signal from the permission control switch, the target controller is the primary controller by default. Or, when the aircraft receives a permission switching signal to suppress the backup controller and switches the target controller to the primary controller, the display system can visually indicate to the pilot that the primary controller is active and the backup controller is suppressed through the indicator lights (lower indicator light is on, upper indicator light is off).

[0289] As shown in Figure 21, when the aircraft receives a permission switching signal to suppress the primary controller state and switches the target controller from the primary controller to the backup controller, the display system can use the visual cues of the indicator lights (the upper indicator light is on and the lower indicator light is off) to indicate to the pilot that the backup controller is in an active state and the primary controller is in a suppressed state.

[0290] Additionally, by setting up visual and / or voice alarm prompts, an alarm will be triggered when the controller, which is in a suppressed state, is accidentally operated, causing the controller position to exceed a certain position or angle.

[0291] For example, when the primary controller is active and the backup controller is disabled, the lower indicator light on the controller is lit, and the upper indicator light is off; when the primary controller is disabled and the backup controller is active, the upper indicator light on the controller is lit, and the lower indicator light is off. Pilots can determine the activation / disabling status of the primary and backup controllers through the visual cues of the corresponding indicator lights.

[0292] The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft provided in this application can solve the technical problems of high control complexity and insufficient control safety of existing eVTOL aircraft. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the VTOL aircraft provided in this application are the same as those of the flight control device and aircraft control method provided in the above embodiments, and other technical features of the VTOL aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the methods of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0293] Furthermore, in some other embodiments of this application, the main solution is: a flight control device, comprising: a processor; a first joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the first joystick being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; a second joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, the second joystick being configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; wherein, the processor is configured to use the signals corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in conjunction with a preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command; wherein, when the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is configured to, according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0294] In one embodiment of this application, the flight control device receives the pilot's control information via a first joystick and a second joystick. Then, a processor generates vector control commands mapped to the control information based on the pilot's control information and a preset control mapping relationship. The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands, achieving simple control using only the first and second joysticks, enabling the aircraft to achieve corresponding vector flight. This simplifies the aircraft's control method and reduces the skill required for pilots to safely operate the aircraft through flight control automation technology. It allows pilots to focus on aeronautical decisions rather than skill-based decisions during flight, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the threshold for aircraft operation, and reducing the pilot's operational burden.

[0295] First, this application provides a flight control device, including: a processor; a first joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor; and a second joystick, communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor. The processor is configured to use the signals corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and in conjunction with a preset control mapping relationship, generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command. When the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is configured to, according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, control the aircraft to perform yaw motion.

[0296] To further simplify the aircraft's control methods and achieve a lightweight design for the flight control device of the eVTOL aircraft, the aforementioned flight control device will discard the traditional aircraft's pedals, steering wheel, brake lever, and other control components, and highly integrate the functions of the aircraft's yaw control commands and ground control commands into the control stick. This effectively simplifies the number of control sticks in the eVTOL aircraft's cockpit, reduces the difficulty of pilot training, and also effectively saves cockpit space.

[0297] Referring to Figure 28, which shows a schematic diagram of the flight control device's location within the cockpit of an eVTOL aircraft, the first control stick is a left control stick, and the second control stick is a right control stick. The first and second control sticks are located on either side of the same pilot's seat and the front display screen within the eVTOL aircraft cockpit. In this application, the first control stick could also be a right control stick, and the second control stick could be a left control stick. This application does not specifically limit the location of the flight control device.

[0298] Based on the flight control device proposed above, this application proposes an aircraft control method. The method is applied to the flight control device, which includes a first control stick and a second control stick. Referring to Figure 22, which is a flowchart of the seventh embodiment of the aircraft control method of this application.

[0299] In this embodiment, the method is applied to a flight control device, which includes a first control stick and a second control stick, and the aircraft control method includes steps S2110 to S2150.

[0300] Step S2110: Receive the pilot's first control information via the first joystick and the pilot's second control information via the second joystick.

[0301] A control stick is used to receive control information from the pilot and convert it into commands that can be recognized by the flight control system, thereby controlling the attitude, position, and trajectory of the aircraft.

[0302] For example, a pilot can change the attitude, position, or direction of the joystick to make the joystick output signals, which are then converted into corresponding control commands by the processor.

[0303] First, the flight control system synchronously receives the pilot's control information via a first joystick and a second joystick. This control information refers to the motion information and related signal changes generated by the pilot's operation of the joysticks, such as displacement, rotation angle, attitude information, and switch status signals. Specifically, the first control information refers to the pilot's control information received via the first joystick, and the second control information refers to the pilot's control information received via the second joystick.

[0304] Step S2120: Generate a first vector control command mapped to the first control information based on the first control information received by the first joystick and the preset control mapping relationship.

[0305] Step S2130: Based on the second control information received by the second joystick and the preset control mapping relationship, generate a second vector control command that maps to the second control information.

[0306] The preset control mapping relationship refers to the control mapping relationship between the movement and state changes of the first and second control sticks and the vector motion of the aircraft. This mapping relationship is preset by the relevant developers based on the actual flight requirements and control requirements of the aircraft.

[0307] The aircraft control system receives first control information from the first joystick and second control information from the second joystick. Combining this with a pre-set control mapping relationship between the joystick's movement and state changes and the aircraft's vector motion, it generates a first vector control command corresponding to the first control information and a second vector control command corresponding to the second control information. For example, by mapping the displacement information of the first and second joysticks in different directions, control commands for different vector motions of the aircraft can be generated. This allows subsequent flight control devices to automatically perform flight control based on the vector control commands, significantly reducing the pilot's workload.

[0308] In a first feasible embodiment, the flight control device comprises a first joystick and a second joystick configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging laterally and longitudinally. In this application, swinging the joystick refers to oscillating around a fixed point or reciprocating within a certain angle range around an axis. The joystick in this application may have an automatic return-to-center function, meaning it can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0309] The first control information received by the first control stick includes the control displacement of the first control stick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second control information received by the second control stick includes the control displacement of the second control stick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions. Both the first and second control sticks can receive displacements from the pilot in both lateral and longitudinal directions, achieving composite control of the control sticks; or they can receive displacements of each control stick in the lateral or longitudinal directions, achieving decoupled control of the control sticks in the lateral or longitudinal directions, thereby achieving independent control of each control stick. In this application, the control displacement can refer to the linear displacement of the top point of the control stick in the lateral and longitudinal directions due to the swinging motion of the control stick, or the angular displacement caused by the change in the angle of the top point of the control stick relative to the fixed point of the control stick, or the angular displacement caused by the change in the angle of the top point of the control stick relative to the axis of the control stick.

[0310] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the first vector control command includes the aircraft lateral control command and the aircraft altitude control command, the first control information includes the third control displacement and the fourth control displacement, and step 2120 may include steps A201 to A202.

[0311] Step A201: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement as the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the aircraft lateral control command mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first control stick.

[0312] Step A202: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement as the ascent and descent channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first control stick.

[0313] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the second vector control command includes the aircraft longitudinal control command and the aircraft heading control command, the second control information includes the fifth control displacement and the sixth control displacement, and step 2130 may include steps B201 to B202.

[0314] Step B201: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth control displacement as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the fifth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second control stick.

[0315] Step B202: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth control displacement as the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel, wherein the sixth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the second control stick.

[0316] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 9, the flight control device includes a first joystick and a second joystick. As shown in Figure 9(a), the first joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing laterally and longitudinally, i.e., swing left and right or back and forth; as shown in Figure 9(b), the second joystick is a two-axis joystick that can swing laterally and longitudinally, i.e., swing left and right or back and forth. Both the first joystick and the second joystick can swing back and forth or left and right, thereby generating control displacement.

[0317] Because the pilot manipulates the control stick simultaneously, causing displacement information in the lateral or longitudinal direction, the control information received through the first control stick includes the third and fourth control displacements, and the control information received through the second control stick includes the fifth and sixth control displacements. The third control displacement refers to the lateral displacement of the first control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first control stick; the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal displacement of the first control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first control stick; the fifth control displacement refers to the longitudinal displacement of the second control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second control stick; and the sixth control displacement refers to the lateral displacement of the second control stick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second control stick.

[0318] In this embodiment, the preset control mapping relationship includes the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft. For example, the control mapping logic of the aircraft vector motion corresponding to the axial movements of the first joystick and the second joystick is shown in Table 7 below.

[0319] Table 7. A joystick vector control mapping table

[0320] When the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the third control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the third control displacement is the horizontal axis of the first control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the lateral channel. Furthermore, based on the specific third control displacement information, it maps and generates lateral control commands for the aircraft. These lateral control commands include the magnitude and direction of the third control displacement, and the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information. The aircraft's vector control channel refers to the control of the aircraft to perform different vector movements during flight. Referring to Figure 8, the aircraft's vector movements include climb, longitudinal, lateral, and directional movements. Climb refers to the aircraft moving up and down in the vertical direction relative to the ground, thereby changing the aircraft's altitude. Longitudinal movement refers to the aircraft moving forward and backward along the direction pointed to by the nose. Directional movement refers to the aircraft turning in the horizontal direction parallel to the ground; directional movement includes yaw. Lateral movement refers to the aircraft moving horizontally along a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction.

[0321] Similarly, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the fourth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the fourth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the first control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first control stick and the vector motion of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the ascent / descent channel. Furthermore, based on the specific fourth control displacement information, it maps and generates an aircraft ascent / descent control command. This command includes the magnitude and direction of the fourth control displacement, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0322] Then, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the fifth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel for the fifth control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific fifth control displacement information, it generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft. Similarly, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the sixth control displacement, it confirms that the control channel generating the sixth control displacement is the transverse axis of the second control stick. Combining this with the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Furthermore, based on the specific sixth control displacement information, it generates a heading control command for the aircraft. The heading control command and the longitudinal control command include the magnitude and direction of the second control displacement, and the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information, etc.

[0323] Considering the different flying habits of different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by different axes of the first and second control sticks can be interchanged. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first and second control sticks can be interchanged, so that the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first control stick is the longitudinal channel, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the second control stick is the ascent and descent channel.

[0324] In this embodiment, by designing the joystick as a two-axis joystick, the control logic of the aircraft can be simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0325] Step S2140: Control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command.

[0326] Step S2150: When the second vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion by at least tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection according to the aircraft heading control command.

[0327] A preset flight control law is an algorithm used in an aircraft's flight control system to generate flight control commands. Flight control laws typically describe the functional relationship between controlled state variables and input signals from flight control devices. Preset flight control laws are designed based on the aircraft's dynamic characteristics and flight requirements to ensure that the aircraft maintains stable attitude, heading, and altitude under various flight conditions and responds to pilot input. Preset flight control laws include, but are not limited to, attitude control laws, heading control laws, and altitude control laws. Vector motion includes heave, longitudinal, lateral, and directional motion.

[0328] Based on a preset flight control law, the aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command.

[0329] The flight control system inputs the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command into a preset flight control law. The preset flight control law calculates the vector control commands of the aircraft and controls the movement of the aircraft's actuation system to achieve the aircraft's climb, roll, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw movements. The aircraft's actuation system typically includes lift / thrust components, control surface systems, tilt servos, etc. The lift / thrust components consist of electric motors, propellers, and their accessories. The control surface system comprises components on the aircraft used to generate control forces and torques, including ailerons, elevators, rudders, or elevator-rudder systems.

[0330] When the second vector control command is the aircraft heading control command, the aircraft heading control command is calculated by the preset flight control law, and the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through at least one of the following control methods: tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0331] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method, which receives first control information from the pilot via a first control stick and second control information from the pilot via a second control stick; generates a first vector control command mapped to the first control information based on the first control information received by the first control stick and a preset control mapping relationship; generates a second vector control command mapped to the second control information based on the second control information received by the second control stick and the preset control mapping relationship; and controls the aircraft to perform vector motion based on the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command.

[0332] This application uses a flight control device to receive pilot control information via a first and second joystick. Then, a processor generates vector control commands mapped to the pilot's control information, based on a preset control mapping relationship. These commands control the aircraft to perform vector motion, enabling simple control using only the first and second joysticks. This simplifies aircraft control and, combined with preset flight control laws, automates flight control, reducing the skills pilots must possess for safe aircraft operation. Pilots can focus on aeronautical decisions rather than skill-based decisions during flight, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the barrier to entry for piloting, and alleviating the pilot's workload.

[0333] Based on Embodiment 7 of this application, in Embodiment 8 of this application, the same or similar content as in Embodiment 7 can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0334] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, the first control stick is configured as a two-axis control stick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the second control stick is configured as a single-axis control stick that can swing in the longitudinal direction. The second control stick is also provided with a control switch. The first control information received by the first control stick includes the control displacement of the first control stick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions; the second control information received by the second control stick includes the control displacement of the second control stick in the longitudinal direction, and control switch control information. According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control command corresponding to the control switch control information is the heading control command of the aircraft.

[0335] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the second vector control command includes the aircraft longitudinal control command and the aircraft heading control command. The second control information includes the seventh control displacement and control switch control information. Please refer to Figure 23. The step S2130 includes steps S2210 to S2220.

[0336] Step S2210: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the seventh control displacement as the longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the seventh control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second control stick.

[0337] Step S2220: Determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information as the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate the aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel.

[0338] To further reduce the pilot's operational burden, any control channel corresponding to the aircraft's vector control channel is simplified to a control signal of a control switch. Therefore, the first control stick is set to be a two-axis control stick, and the second control stick is set to be a single-axis control stick. The two axes corresponding to the two-axis control stick can be a combination of the longitudinal and transverse axes of the control stick, and the axis corresponding to the single-axis control stick can be either the longitudinal or transverse axis of the control stick.

[0339] In this embodiment, the control information received through the first joystick includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement, the control information received through the second joystick includes a seventh control displacement, and the control information received through the control switch includes a control switch control signal. The third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the first joystick; the seventh control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second joystick caused by the pilot's manipulation of the second joystick. The control switch control information refers to the digital or analog signal generated by the pilot's manipulation of the control switch, causing the control switch to change its angle or displacement.

[0340] In this embodiment, the control switch can be a two-way switch, which controls the aircraft by receiving discrete signals from the two-way switch, or the control switch can be in the form of a roller, which controls the aircraft by receiving analog signals from the roller.

[0341] The preset control mapping relationships include the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the first joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second joystick and the vector motion of the aircraft, and the control mapping relationship between the change of the control switch and the vector motion of the aircraft. For example, the control mapping logic of the axial movement of the first joystick and the second joystick and the change of the control switch corresponding to the vector motion of the aircraft is shown in Table 8 below.

[0342] Table 8. A joystick vector control mapping table including an actuation switch.

[0343] In this embodiment, when the flight control device receives the signal corresponding to the seventh control displacement, it confirms that the control channel that generates the seventh control displacement is the longitudinal axis of the second control stick. Combining the control mapping relationship between the axial movement of the second control stick and the vector movement of the aircraft, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the longitudinal channel. Furthermore, based on the specific seventh control displacement information, it generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft.

[0344] Then, when the flight control system receives the signal corresponding to the control information from the control switch, it confirms that the control channel that generated the control information is the control switch. Combining the control mapping relationship between the control switch changes and the aircraft's vector motion, it confirms that the corresponding aircraft vector control channel is the heading channel. Furthermore, based on the specific switch control signal information, it generates the aircraft heading control command. This heading control command includes the high / low level and pulse duration of the switch control signal, as well as the corresponding aircraft vector control channel information.

[0345] Considering the different flying habits of different pilots, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by different axes of the first and second control sticks can be interchanged. For example, the aircraft vector control channels mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first and second control sticks can be interchanged, so that the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the first control stick is the longitudinal channel, and the aircraft vector control channel mapped by the longitudinal axis of the second control stick is the ascent and descent channel.

[0346] This embodiment provides a flight control device and an aircraft control method. By designing the first joystick as a two-axis joystick and the second joystick as a single-axis joystick, and using the control switch to realize the mapping function of the aircraft control channel, the control logic of the aircraft can be further simplified, making it easier for the pilot to control the aircraft through the joystick, thereby reducing the pilot's control burden.

[0347] Based on Embodiments 7 and / or 8 of this application, in Embodiment 9 of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to that in Embodiments 7 and / or 8 can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0348] In this embodiment, in the flight control device, when the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is further configured to, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control command through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0349] When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, according to the aircraft's heading control commands, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0350] When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft is yawed by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the aircraft's heading control command.

[0351] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, the vector motion includes the aircraft's lift, longitudinal, lateral and yaw motions. Referring to Figure 24, step 2140 also includes steps S2310 to S2320.

[0352] Step S2310: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and a lateral control command is received, the lateral control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding lateral speed command. Based on the lateral speed command, the aircraft is controlled to move laterally using differential rotor speed; and / or

[0353] Step S2320: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and the longitudinal control command of the aircraft is received, the longitudinal control command of the aircraft is calculated by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command, and the aircraft is controlled to move longitudinally according to the longitudinal speed command by differential control of rotor speed and / or tilt angle.

[0354] Tiltrotor aircraft have rotor configurations, transitional configurations, and fixed-wing configurations. Specifically, a rotor configuration refers to the configuration in which the aircraft climbs using vector power and descends using dynamic vectoring when starting from a stationary ground position. A transitional configuration refers to the transitional mode between rotor mode and fixed-wing mode. A fixed-wing configuration refers to the configuration in which some or all of the rotors are fully tilted to the cruise position as the aircraft's propulsion system.

[0355] When the aircraft is in any configuration—rotor, transitional, or fixed-wing—the flight control system receives the pilot's control information via the first and second control sticks and generates corresponding first and second vector control commands. Based on these commands, the system controls the aircraft's climb, longitudinal, lateral, and directional movements. The first vector control commands include lateral control and climb / desc control commands; the second vector control commands include longitudinal control and directional control commands.

[0356] It should be noted that the vector motion of an aircraft also includes pitch motion. Pitch motion refers to the rotational motion of an aircraft about its lateral axis (from one side of the wing to the other).

[0357] In Horizontal Rate Command (TRC) mode, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the pilot can select to activate TRC mode, allowing direct mapping and control of the aircraft's longitudinal and lateral speeds via the flight control devices. Additionally, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the pilot can confirm whether to activate TRC mode by checking the aircraft's tilt mechanism and GPS for proper functioning. A corresponding activation switch for TRC mode is located on the first and / or second control sticks. Therefore, provided the aircraft's GPS is functioning normally and the relevant structures for normal rotor flight are operating correctly, triggering the activation switch activates TRC mode. This allows for more refined speed control by simultaneously adjusting parameters such as pitch or roll angles while controlling horizontal speed, ensuring aircraft stability and maneuverability, and reducing the pilot's workload to some extent.

[0358] In this embodiment, referring to FIG14, the aircraft has an elevator rudder, which is a control surface on the V-tail of the V-tail aircraft. It combines the functions of an elevator and a rudder and is mainly used to control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft.

[0359] In conjunction with Embodiment 7 or Embodiment 8, refer to Table 6 above, which is the mapping table between vector control channels and control commands of different configurations.

[0360] When the aircraft is a rotor configuration, the received aircraft climb and roll control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command; the received aircraft heading control commands are calculated to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command.

[0361] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is active, the received lateral control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding lateral speed command. When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is off, the received lateral control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding roll angle command.

[0362] When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is active, the received longitudinal control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command. When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and TRC mode is off, the received longitudinal control commands are calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding pitch angle command.

[0363] In the table above, pitch angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its lateral axis (from one side of the wing to the other). Roll angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its longitudinal axis (from the nose to the tail). Yaw angle refers to the angle of rotation of the aircraft about its vertical axis (perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the aircraft). Pitch rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its lateral axis. Roll rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its longitudinal axis. Yaw rate refers to the rate of rotation of the aircraft about its vertical axis.

[0364] Based on the vertical speed command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is further calculated through a preset control law, so that the flight control system of the aircraft can control the rotor speed of the aircraft according to the speed adjustment command, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding take-off and landing movements.

[0365] Based on the yaw rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command and / or tilt rotor tilt angle adjustment command are further obtained through preset control law calculation. By adjusting the rotor speed and / or tilt rotor tilt angle differential through the speed adjustment command and / or tilt angle adjustment command, a yaw torque is generated, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding yaw motion.

[0366] Based on the roll angle command in TRC off mode, the corresponding roll rate command is further calculated through preset control law, and then the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated based on the roll rate command, so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft generates roll torque, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral movement.

[0367] Based on the pitch angle command in TRC off mode, the corresponding pitch rate command is further calculated through a preset control law. Then, based on the pitch rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft can generate pitch torque and thus control the aircraft to perform the corresponding pitch motion.

[0368] Based on the lateral velocity command in TRC activation mode, the corresponding roll rate command is further calculated through a preset control law. Then, based on the roll rate command, the corresponding rotor speed adjustment command is calculated so that the aircraft's flight control system can perform differential speed control on the aircraft's rotor according to the speed adjustment command, so that the aircraft generates a roll torque and controls the aircraft to perform the corresponding lateral motion.

[0369] Based on the longitudinal speed command in TRC activation mode, the corresponding tilt rotor tilt angle adjustment command and rotor speed adjustment command are further obtained through preset control law calculation. While maintaining a stable pitch angle, the tilt angle adjustment command and speed adjustment command enable the aircraft to adjust the tilt rotor tilt angle and maintain a constant altitude by differentially controlling the tilt rotor speed, thereby controlling the aircraft to perform the corresponding longitudinal motion.

[0370] The above step S2140 also includes steps S2330 to 2370:

[0371] Step S2330: When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and a lift control command is received, the lift control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command. Based on the vertical speed command, the aircraft is manipulated to perform pitch motion by controlling the elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed; and / or

[0372] Step S2340: When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration and the aircraft receives the elevator control command, the aircraft elevator control command is calculated by using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command or pitch rate command. Based on the vertical speed command or pitch rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to pitch by deflecting the elevator rudder.

[0373] Step S2350: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and a heading control command is received, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or

[0374] Step S2360: When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and a heading control command is received, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion by differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or

[0375] Step S2370: When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration and the aircraft heading control command is received, the heading control command is calculated by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and the aircraft is manipulated to yaw by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command.

[0376] Based on the aforementioned table, when the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the longitudinal control commands, lateral control commands, elevator control commands, and directional control commands generated based on the pilot's control information are calculated using a preset flight control law. These commands yield corresponding longitudinal acceleration commands, roll rate commands, vertical velocity commands, and yaw rate commands. Based on the longitudinal acceleration command, the aircraft controls its longitudinal motion through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control. Based on the roll rate command, the aircraft controls its lateral motion through aileron deflection and / or differential rotor speed control. Based on the vertical velocity command, the aircraft controls its elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed control to achieve elevator motion. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft controls its yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

[0377] When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the lateral control command, elevator control command, longitudinal control command and heading control command generated based on the pilot's control information are calculated by the preset flight control law, and the corresponding roll rate command, vertical speed command or pitch rate command, longitudinal speed command and yaw rate command are obtained respectively.

[0378] Based on the roll rate command, the ailerons are controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's lateral movement. Based on the vertical velocity or pitch rate command calculated from the aircraft's climb control command, the elevator rudder is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's climb. Based on the yaw rate command calculated from the aircraft's heading control command, the elevator rudder is controlled to deflect, thereby controlling the aircraft's yaw. Based on the longitudinal acceleration command, the rotor speed is adjusted to regulate the aircraft's thrust, or collective pitch control is used to adjust and control the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane, thereby changing the lift and thrust generated by the rotor and controlling the aircraft's longitudinal movement. Collective pitch typically refers to the total pitch of the rotor blades, i.e., the angle of the blades relative to the rotor plane.

[0379] In order to achieve automatic identification of the aircraft configuration, the current configuration of the aircraft can be further confirmed according to the flight stage of the aircraft. Therefore, before the above step S2310, step S2300 is also included.

[0380] Step S2300: Confirm the flight stage of the aircraft by using the preset flight control law and the flight status information of the aircraft. The flight stage includes the rotor stage, the tilt transition stage, and the fixed-wing stage.

[0381] In this embodiment, the flight phases of the aircraft are first divided into a rotor phase, a tilt-transition phase, and a fixed-wing phase. The rotor phase refers to the aircraft flying using a rotor configuration; the tilt-transition phase refers to the aircraft transitioning between rotor and fixed-wing configurations; and the fixed-wing phase refers to the aircraft flying using a fixed-wing configuration. Referring to Figures 10 and 11, flight configuration diagrams of a rotor and fixed-wing configuration of an eVTOL aircraft are shown, respectively.

[0382] The flight status information of the aircraft, such as the flight altitude, airspeed, and rotor tilt angle, is input into the preset flight control law, thereby automatically determining whether the flight stage of the aircraft belongs to the rotor stage, tilt transition stage, or fixed-wing stage.

[0383] Flight status information can be obtained through the aircraft's avionics and sensor systems, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), inertial navigation system (INS), radio navigation system, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and other sensors.

[0384] Referring to Figure 12, which shows the change in rotor tilt angle during the flight phase of an aircraft. In Figure 12, the vertical takeoff and vertical landing phases correspond to the rotor phases of the aircraft, the forward tilt phases and backward tilt phases correspond to the tilt transition phases of the aircraft, and the fixed-wing forward flight phase corresponds to the fixed-wing phase of the aircraft.

[0385] As shown in Figure 12, by inputting the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft into the preset flight control law, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically determined. For example, when the tilt rotor is in the cruise position (e.g., 0° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the fixed-wing stage; when the tilt rotor is in the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., 90° tilt angle), the aircraft is in the rotor stage; when the rotor tilt angle is between the cruise position and the vertical takeoff and landing position (e.g., 0-90°), the aircraft is in the tilt transition stage.

[0386] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. In any configuration of the aircraft, the aircraft vector control command generated according to the control information can be realized. Combined with the preset flight control law, the aircraft can be controlled to perform automatic vector motion, thereby realizing a simplified aircraft control method. The flight control automation technology combined with the preset flight control law reduces the decision-making pressure of the pilot, effectively reduces the complexity of aircraft control, lowers the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reduces the operational burden of the pilot.

[0387] Based on Embodiment Nine of this application, in Embodiment Ten of this application, the same or similar content as that in Embodiment Nine can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0388] In this embodiment, the flight control device includes a ground mode switching switch on the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and the control information includes ground mode control information.

[0389] When the aircraft is in the ground phase, the processor is also configured to use ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick to control the aircraft to switch to ground control mode.

[0390] When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the processor is also configured to use the control information received from the first joystick or the second joystick, and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration and turning movements according to the vector control commands.

[0391] When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking according to the aircraft heading control command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform ground turning motion.

[0392] Based on the above flight control device, please refer to Figure 25. The vector motion also includes ground acceleration / deceleration motion and ground turning motion. The second vector control command includes the aircraft longitudinal control command and the aircraft heading control command. Step S2140 also includes steps S2410 to S2420.

[0393] Step S2410: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives a longitudinal control command, the longitudinal control command is calculated according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command. The aircraft speed is then controlled according to the ground speed control command to manipulate the aircraft for ground acceleration and deceleration.

[0394] Step S2420: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control command, the aircraft heading control command is calculated according to the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command. Based on the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

[0395] First, when the aircraft is in the ground phase, it can receive ground mode control information input by the pilot via a ground mode switch located on the first and / or second control sticks. Then, the flight control system switches the aircraft to ground control mode based on this information, such as changing the aircraft configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, allowing the pilot to perform ground control operations on the aircraft, such as taxiing. The ground mode switch can be a push-button switch; pressing the switch generates ground mode control information.

[0396] When the flight control device switches the aircraft to ground control mode, i.e., when the aircraft is in ground control mode, the functions of ground control need to be mapped to multiple control channels of the control stick, such as the longitudinal and transverse control channels of the first control stick. Ground speed control is achieved by longitudinal displacement on the first control stick, and ground steering control is achieved by transverse displacement on the first control stick.

[0397] In this embodiment, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase, the ground control functions are mapped to the control channels of the joysticks that control the longitudinal and yaw movements of the aircraft. The control channels of the joysticks that control the lateral and altitude movements of the aircraft should be in a disabled state. No matter how the pilot operates, the aircraft cannot respond to the pilot's control information and generate lateral control commands and altitude control commands.

[0398] Therefore, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase and receives the aircraft's longitudinal control command, the longitudinal control command is input into the preset flight control law for calculation, and the corresponding ground speed control command is obtained.

[0399] Alternatively, when the aircraft is in ground control mode during the ground phase and receives a heading control command, the heading control command is input into a preset flight control law for calculation, and a corresponding ground direction control command is obtained.

[0400] Then, based on the ground speed control command, the thrust of the aircraft's thrust components is adjusted by controlling the aircraft's power system, thereby controlling the aircraft to accelerate or decelerate on the ground.

[0401] According to the ground direction control command, the thrust of the thrust components on both sides of the aircraft is adjusted, thereby using the torque generated by the thrust difference between the two sides of the thrust components to achieve steering, that is, differential power control. Steering can also be achieved by adjusting the braking force difference between the left and right sides of the aircraft's braking components, thereby controlling the aircraft to make left or right turns.

[0402] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting responsive aircraft vector control commands during the ground phase, and combining them with preset flight control laws, the method further performs ground acceleration / deceleration and turning control on the aircraft during the ground phase. This combines the aircraft's ground control logic with its in-flight control logic, achieving a simplified aircraft control method. By combining preset flight control laws with flight control automation technology, the method reduces the pilot's decision-making pressure, effectively reducing the complexity of aircraft control, lowering the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reducing the pilot's operational burden.

[0403] Based on Embodiments 9 and / or 10 of this application, the same or similar content as Embodiments 9 and / or 10 in Embodiment 11 of this application can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0404] In this embodiment, in the first type of flight control device, the first control stick or the second control stick includes a tilt switch, and the control information may further include forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; the processor is further configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when receiving forward tilt control information; and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when receiving backward tilt control information; or

[0405] In the second type of flight control device, the first or second control stick includes a tilt switch, and the control information includes a tilt enable signal corresponding to the tilt switch; the processor is further configured to allow the tilt rotor to tilt when it receives the tilt enable signal from the tilt switch.

[0406] Based on the first type of flight control device described above, please refer to Figure 26. The method includes steps S2510 to S2530.

[0407] Step S2510: Receive tilt switch control information from the flight control device, wherein the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information.

[0408] The flight control system receives tilt switch control information from the pilot via a tilt switch. This tilt switch control information comprises motion information and related state changes generated by the pilot's operation of the tilt switch, including changes in the tilt angle or position of the tilt switch and state changes. Forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information are manipulation information generated by the tossing motion of the tilt switch. Forward tilt control information instructs the aircraft to switch its flight configuration to a fixed-wing configuration, while backward tilt control information instructs the aircraft to switch its flight configuration to a rotor configuration. In this embodiment, the forward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by tossing the tilt switch forward, and the backward tilt control information is a manipulation command generated by tossing the tilt switch backward. In this application, the tilt switch may have an automatic return-to-center function, meaning that it can automatically return to its initial center position without external input or operation.

[0409] In addition, based on the second type of flight control device mentioned above, the tilt switch is used to control the tilt enable. The tilt enable signal is a switch status signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, which is used to indicate that the aircraft is allowed to tilt transition.

[0410] When the flight control device receives the tilt enable signal from the tilt switch, it allows the flight control system to automatically manipulate the tilt rotor to tilt, or to map the tilt control function to a control channel of the control stick, such as the longitudinal axis control channel of the first control stick, and to achieve tilt control through longitudinal displacement on the first control stick.

[0411] The second type of flight control device mentioned above also includes a tilt prohibition signal corresponding to the tilt switch. This tilt prohibition signal is a switch status signal generated by the pilot operating the tilt switch, used to instruct the aircraft not to perform a tilt transition. The tilt enable signal and the tilt prohibition signal can be generated by different operations of the tilt switch. For example, when the tilt switch is pressed, a tilt enable signal is generated, allowing the aircraft to perform a tilt transition; when the tilt switch is pressed again, a tilt prohibition signal is generated, prohibiting the aircraft from performing a tilt transition.

[0412] Step S2520: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration.

[0413] Referring to Figure 13(a), the tilt-powered propeller is the tilt rotor. The forward flight phase of the fixed wing is the fixed wing phase. The preset tilt angle of the rotor in the cruise position in the fixed wing configuration is set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 0 degrees. Referring to Figure 13(c), the preset tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) position in the rotor configuration is also set by relevant personnel based on industry experience, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 90 degrees. The target flight configuration refers to the aircraft configuration that the aircraft needs to switch to at a certain time in the future. Referring to Figure 13(b), the tilt phase is the tilt transition phase. The tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the transition configuration is between the preset tilt angle in the cruise position and the preset tilt angle in the VTOL position, and is usually defaulted to, for example, 0 to 90 degrees.

[0414] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, that is, when the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing phase, and at the same time receives the forward tilt control information, the forward tilt control information is calculated in combination with the preset flight control law. The relevant control commands of the rotor system are obtained through the calculation, and then the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system is adjusted, and the tilt rotor tilt angle is gradually transitioned from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the vertical takeoff and landing position, so as to meet the tilt angle of the fixed-wing configuration aircraft.

[0415] Step S2530: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the rearward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration.

[0416] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, that is, when the aircraft is in the forward flight phase of a fixed-wing aircraft, and at the same time receives the backward tilt control information, the preset flight control law calculates the backward tilt control information, obtains the relevant control commands of the rotor system through the calculation, and then adjusts the tilt angle of the tilt rotor in the rotor system, gradually transitioning the rotor tilt angle from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby satisfying the tilt angle of the rotor configuration aircraft.

[0417] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a tilt switch, the pilot can easily switch the aircraft configuration, thereby simplifying the aircraft control method. Combined with a preset flight control law, flight control automation technology is realized to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. This can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the threshold for aircraft operation, and also reduce the pilot's operational burden.

[0418] Based on Embodiments 9 and / or 11 of this application, in Embodiment 12 of this application, the content that is the same as or similar to Embodiments 9 and / or 11 can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated hereafter. In addition, the flight status information includes the rotor tilt angle and the longitudinal flight speed, and step S2300 includes steps S23001 to S23004.

[0419] Step S23001: Based on the preset flight control law, confirm the relationship between the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft and the magnitudes of the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle.

[0420] The first and second tilt angles are the rotor tilt angles for the rotor phase and the rotor tilt angles for the fixed-wing phase, obtained by relevant personnel through optimized design of the entire flight process of the aircraft based on actual flight needs. These angles can be pre-configured in the flight control law. Because the aircraft may have angle deviations during actual flight, the aircraft may not completely meet the tilt angles for different flight phases shown in Figure 13 during actual flight.

[0421] First, the flight control device will input the aircraft tilt angle obtained in real time into the preset flight control law to obtain the relationship between the aircraft's rotor tilt angle and the first tilt angle and the second tilt angle, so as to confirm the flight stage of the aircraft.

[0422] Step S23002: When the flight tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the fixed-wing phase.

[0423] Step S23003: When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the tilt transition phase.

[0424] Step S23004: When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the rotor phase.

[0425] When the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle, it means that the rotor tilt angle of the aircraft is close to 0, thus confirming that the flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase.

[0426] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, it means that the aircraft's tilt angle is greater than 0, but it has not reached the tilt angle required for the rotor stage. Therefore, the aircraft's flight stage is confirmed as the tilt transition stage.

[0427] When the rotor tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, it means that the aircraft's tilt angle has reached the tilt angle of the rotor stage. The aircraft is then performing vertical takeoff or landing, confirming that the aircraft's flight stage is the rotor stage.

[0428] To improve the accuracy of identifying the flight phase of an aircraft, the flight phase identification can be based on a comprehensive judgment combining the rotor tilt angle and the longitudinal velocity of the flight.

[0429] Similarly, the longitudinal velocity in the rotor phase and the longitudinal velocity in the fixed-wing phase typically fall within different speed ranges. Therefore, relevant personnel can optimize the entire flight process of the aircraft to obtain the first and second longitudinal velocities based on actual flight needs. These first and second longitudinal velocities are then used to further identify the aircraft's flight phases. The first and second longitudinal velocities can be pre-configured in the flight control law. The first longitudinal velocity is close to zero. The second longitudinal velocity can be used to characterize the cruise speed of the fixed-wing phase.

[0430] For example, when the rotor tilt angle is less than or equal to the first tilt angle and the longitudinal velocity is greater than or equal to the second longitudinal velocity, the flight phase of the aircraft is confirmed to be the fixed-wing phase.

[0431] When the flight tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle and less than the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal velocity is greater than the first longitudinal velocity and less than the second longitudinal velocity, the flight phase is confirmed as the tilt transition phase. When the flight tilt angle is greater than or equal to the second tilt angle, and the flight longitudinal velocity is less than or equal to the first longitudinal velocity, it indicates that the aircraft is performing vertical takeoff or landing, and the flight phase is confirmed as the rotor phase.

[0432] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By pre-setting a flight control law and combining the aircraft's longitudinal speed and / or tilt angle, the flight stage of the aircraft can be automatically identified, making it convenient for the pilot to control the aircraft according to the flight stage. It also helps to realize flight control automation, further reducing the complexity of aircraft control and alleviating the pilot's operational burden.

[0433] Based on Embodiments 10 and / or 11 of this application, the same or similar content as Embodiments 10 and / or 11 in Embodiment 13 of this application can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0434] In this embodiment, the flight control device has a switching position at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold on the first or second joystick. The control information received by the first or second joystick also includes switching position information, which includes forward switching position information and backward switching position information. When the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the forward switching position information received from the first or second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration. When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the processor is further configured to use the signal corresponding to the backward switching position information received from the first or second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration; and / or

[0435] When the aircraft is in the ground phase, the processor is also configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first or second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration; when the aircraft is in the ground phase, the processor is also configured to use a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first or second joystick to generate a braking command mapped to the backward shift gear information, and control the aircraft to perform ground braking according to the braking command.

[0436] Based on the above-mentioned flight control device, please refer to Figure 27. The method further includes steps S2610 to S2630.

[0437] Step S2610: Receive gear shifting information through the flight control device, wherein the gear shifting information includes forward gear shifting information and backward gear shifting information.

[0438] Either the first or second control stick has a shift position set at a preset longitudinal control displacement threshold. The pilot manipulates the stick longitudinally until the control displacement reaches the preset threshold, at which point a shift signal is generated. The preset control displacement threshold is a control displacement threshold pre-set by relevant personnel based on a comprehensive consideration of the control stick characteristics, actual control requirements, and the pilot's operating habits. The forward shift signal refers to the signal generated when the control stick's forward longitudinal displacement reaches the preset threshold, indicating that the aircraft should switch to a fixed-wing configuration. The backward shift signal refers to the signal generated when the control stick's backward longitudinal displacement reaches the preset threshold. It should be understood that, to prevent pilot misoperation, the shift positions set at the preset longitudinal control displacement thresholds should provide a stepped control force feedback.

[0439] The flight control system needs to receive the pilot's shift signal via the joystick so that the aircraft's flight configuration can be switched accordingly.

[0440] Step S2620: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration.

[0441] Step S2630: When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the rearward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the rotor configuration.

[0442] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is a rotorcraft, that is, the aircraft is in the vertical takeoff or landing phase, the current flight phase of the aircraft is the rotor phase. At the same time, after receiving the forward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained through the preset control law calculation, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the vertical takeoff and landing position to the cruise position, thereby transitioning to the fixed wing configuration.

[0443] When it is confirmed that the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the current flight phase of the aircraft is the fixed-wing phase. After receiving the backward shift gear information, the control command of the rotor system is obtained through the preset control law calculation, and the tilt rotor is gradually adjusted from the cruise position to the vertical take-off and landing position, thereby transitioning to the rotor configuration.

[0444] To reduce the complexity of aircraft operation and lower the threshold for piloting the aircraft, the functions of ground control commands can be highly integrated into the control stick, reducing the number of control sticks in the cockpit. Following step S2630, steps S2640 to S2650 are also included.

[0445] Step S2640: When the aircraft is in the ground phase and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to the fixed-wing configuration.

[0446] Step S2650: When the aircraft is on the ground and receives the backward shift gear information, a braking command mapped to the backward shift gear information is generated, and the aircraft is controlled to brake on the ground according to the braking command.

[0447] When the aircraft is in the ground phase, upon receiving the forward shift signal, the flight control system adjusts the tiltrotor from the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) position to the cruise position. At this time, the aircraft can perform acceleration, deceleration, and turning maneuvers on the ground. To further reduce the operator's workload, the backward shift signal can be pre-set as a ground braking control signal. After receiving the backward shift signal, the flight control system generates a braking command mapped to it. This braking command is then calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain relevant control commands for the propulsion system. Finally, the engines in the propulsion system are shut down, thus achieving ground braking of the aircraft.

[0448] This embodiment provides an aircraft control method. By setting a shift position on the control stick, the pilot can easily switch flight configurations during flight. At the same time, setting the backward shift position information as a ground braking control signal is more in line with the logic of ground-based object control. This simplifies the aircraft control method. Combined with a preset flight control law, flight control automation technology is implemented to reduce the pilot's decision-making pressure. This can effectively reduce the complexity of aircraft control, lower the threshold for aircraft operation, and reduce the pilot's operational burden.

[0449] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which includes at least one flight control device, including but not limited to the flight control device described in the above embodiments. The flight control device includes a joystick capable of receiving pilot control information and a processor communicatively coupled thereto.

[0450] The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft provided in this application solves the technical problem that existing eVTOL aircraft control devices have high operational complexity and a heavy operational burden on pilots. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the VTOL aircraft provided in this application are the same as those of the flight control device and aircraft control method provided in the above embodiments, and other technical features of the VTOL aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the methods of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0451] This application provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the aircraft control method described in the above embodiment.

[0452] The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft in this application embodiment may include, but is not limited to, the following specialized equipment: flight control computer, avionics computer, embedded computing device, ground control station, automatic landing system, lidar system, inertial navigation system (INS), global positioning system receiver, visual navigation system, infrared imaging equipment, radar altimeter, ultrasonic sensor, and vehicle-mounted terminal (such as vehicle-mounted navigation terminal). The above equipment can be used individually or in combination to ensure the implementation of the aircraft control method disclosed in this application.

[0453] The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft provided in this application, employing the aircraft control method described in the above embodiments, can solve the technical problems of existing eVTOL aircraft control methods, which suffer from high control complexity, heavy pilot workload, and insufficient aircraft control safety. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the VTOL aircraft provided in this application are the same as those of the aircraft control method provided in the above embodiments, and other technical features of this VTOL aircraft are the same as those disclosed in the previous embodiment method, and will not be repeated here.

[0454] The above are merely some embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent scope of this application.

Claims

1. A flight control device, wherein, The flight control device includes: processor; The first joystick is communicatively coupled to the processor and is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor. The second joystick is communicatively coupled to the processor. The second joystick is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the processor. The processor is configured to use signals corresponding to the control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick, and combine them with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands; When the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is configured to manipulate the aircraft to yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control command, at least through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the second joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The control information includes a first control displacement and a second control displacement, wherein the first control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, and the second control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The vector control commands include aircraft lateral control commands and aircraft climb / desc control commands, and the manipulation information includes third manipulation displacement and fourth manipulation displacement. The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement as a lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate a lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first control stick. The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement as the ascent channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first control stick.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The vector control commands also include longitudinal control commands and directional control commands for the aircraft, and the control information also includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement. The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth control displacement as a longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the fifth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the second control stick; The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth control displacement as the heading channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate an aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel, wherein the sixth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the second control stick.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The vector control commands include lateral control commands and longitudinal control commands for the aircraft, and the manipulation information includes a third manipulation displacement and a fourth manipulation displacement. The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third control displacement as a lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate a lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel, wherein the third control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the first control stick. The processor is configured to determine the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement as a longitudinal channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and generate a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel, wherein the fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first control stick.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and the second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick that can swing in the longitudinal direction. The second joystick is provided with a control switch. The control information includes a first control displacement, a second control displacement, and control switch control information. The first control displacement refers to the control displacement of the first joystick in the lateral and / or longitudinal directions, and the second control displacement refers to the control displacement of the second joystick in the longitudinal direction. According to the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control command corresponding to the control switch control information is the heading control command of the aircraft.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first joystick and / or the second joystick can automatically return to their initial position after receiving the control information; and / or The first or second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the control information includes a tilt enable signal corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is also configured to allow the tilt rotor to tilt when it receives the tilt enable signal from the tilt switch.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first or second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; The processor is also configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when it receives forward tilt control information, and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when it receives backward tilt control information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first or second joystick is provided with a shift position at a preset vertical operation displacement threshold. The operation information includes shift position information, wherein the shift position information includes forward shift position information and backward shift position information. When the aircraft is in rotor configuration, the processor is also configured to use a signal corresponding to the forward shift gear information received from the first joystick or the second joystick to control the aircraft to transition to a fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration, the processor is also configured to control the aircraft to transition to a rotor configuration using a signal corresponding to the backward shift gear information received from the first or second joystick.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first joystick and / or the second joystick are equipped with a ground mode switching switch, and the control information includes ground mode control information; When the aircraft is in the ground phase, the processor is also configured to use ground mode control information received from the first joystick and / or the second joystick to control the aircraft to switch to ground control mode; When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the processor is also configured to use the control information received from the first joystick or the second joystick, and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration, deceleration and turning movements according to the vector control commands.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, When the vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the processor is further configured to, when the aircraft is in a rotor configuration, manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the aircraft heading control command through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, according to the aircraft's heading control commands, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the aircraft is yawed by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the aircraft's heading control command. and / or When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking according to the aircraft heading control command, and the aircraft is manipulated to perform ground turning motion.

12. A flight control device, wherein, The flight control device includes: Control system; The master controller, which is communicatively coupled to the control system, is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system. The backup controller is communicatively coupled to the control system. The backup controller is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide corresponding signals to the control system. The control system is configured to identify the target controller from the primary controller and the backup controller, use the signal corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate a vector control command mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control command.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The control system includes an arbitration module, which is further configured to detect the validity signal of the main controller and confirm whether the main controller is valid. When the master controller is confirmed to be valid, the master controller is set as the target controller; When the primary controller is confirmed to have failed, the arbitration module is configured to automatically / manually switch the target controller to the backup controller.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The flight control device includes a permission switching switch, and the control system includes an arbitration module, wherein the permission switching switch is communicatively coupled to the arbitration module, and the permission switching switch is configured to receive control information input by the pilot and provide a permission switching signal to the arbitration module; The arbitration module is also configured to detect the validity signal of the master controller and confirm whether the master controller is valid. The arbitration module is configured to switch the target controller to the backup controller when it is confirmed that the master controller is valid and the permission switching signal is in the state of suppressing the master controller. and / or The arbitration module is configured to switch the target controller to the backup controller when it is confirmed that the master controller is invalid and the permission switching signal is in the state of suppressing the master controller.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The control system is configured to use signals corresponding to the control information received from the target controller, and in conjunction with the preset control mapping relationship, determine that the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control information is at least one of the elevator, lateral, longitudinal, and heading control channels, and generate the vector control command mapped to the vector control channel.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The main controller includes a first joystick and a second joystick, which are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions. The control information received by the main controller includes first control information and second control information. The vector control channel mapped by the first control information is the elevator and lateral control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the second control information is the longitudinal and heading control channel. The backup controller includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, which are configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the horizontal and vertical directions. The control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and fourth control information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third control information is the same as that of the first control information, and the vector control channel mapped by the fourth control information is the same as that of the second control information.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The main controller includes a first joystick and a second joystick, the first joystick and the second joystick being configured as two-axis joysticks that can swing in the lateral and longitudinal directions; The backup controller includes a third joystick and a control switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick that can swing laterally and longitudinally and can twist.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The control information received by the primary controller includes first control information and second control information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the first control information is the elevator and lateral control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the second control information is the longitudinal and heading control channel; the control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and control switch information, wherein the vector control channel mapped by the third control information is the heading, lateral, and elevator control channel, and the vector control channel mapped by the control switch information is the longitudinal control channel. and / or The control switch is located on the third joystick and is operated with the thumb; and / or The control switch is any one of a roller switch, a two-way switch, or a push-button switch.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, The vector control commands include aircraft heading control commands, and the aircraft includes rotor configuration, fixed-wing configuration, and transition configuration; When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is a rotor configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the aircraft heading control command through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the yaw rate command through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control. and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command that is mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the control system is also configured to solve the aircraft heading control command through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and to manipulate the aircraft to perform yaw motion according to the yaw rate command by differential control of rotor speed and / or deflection of elevator rudder; and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command that is mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the control system is also configured to solve the aircraft heading control command through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command, and to manipulate the aircraft to yaw motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the yaw rate command. and / or When the control system generates an aircraft heading control command mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to solve the aircraft heading control command through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command, and control the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power and / or differential braking according to the ground direction control command, thereby manipulating the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, The vector control commands include longitudinal control commands for the aircraft, and the aircraft includes rotor configuration, fixed-wing configuration, and transition configuration; When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that is mapped to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in rotor configuration and the horizontal rate command mode is activated, the control system is also configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft through a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command, and to manipulate the aircraft to perform longitudinal motion according to the longitudinal speed command through rotor speed differential control and / or tilt angle control. When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that maps to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the control system is further configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding longitudinal acceleration command, and, based on the longitudinal acceleration command, manipulate the aircraft to perform longitudinal motion through rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control; and / or When the control system generates a longitudinal control command for the aircraft that maps to the manipulation information, and the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to solve the longitudinal control command for the aircraft using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command, and control the speed of the aircraft according to the ground speed control command to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, A tilt enable switch is provided at least on the main controller, and the control system is further configured to allow tilting of the tilt rotor when a tilt enable signal is received from the tilt enable switch; and / or A ground mode switching switch is provided at least on the main controller, and the control information includes ground mode control information; The control system is also configured to switch the aircraft to ground control mode upon receiving ground mode control information. When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the control system is also configured to use the control information received from the target controller and combine it with a preset control mapping relationship to generate vector control commands mapped to the control information, and control the aircraft to perform ground acceleration / deceleration and turning movements according to the vector control commands. and / or At least a horizontal rate command mode switch is set on the main controller, and the control information includes horizontal rate command mode control information; The control system is also configured to control the aircraft to switch to horizontal rate command mode when it receives horizontal rate command mode control information.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, A tilt switch is provided at least on the main controller, and the control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information corresponding to the tilt switch; The control system is also configured to control the aircraft to transition from a rotor configuration to a fixed-wing configuration when it receives forward tilt control information, and to control the aircraft to transition from a fixed-wing configuration to a rotor configuration when it receives backward tilt control information.

23. A method for controlling an aircraft, wherein, The method is applied to a flight control device, the flight control device including a main controller and a backup controller, and the method includes: The target controller is identified from the main controller and the backup controller; The pilot's control information is received through the target controller; Based on the manipulation information and the preset manipulation mapping relationship, a vector control command mapped to the manipulation information is generated; The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the vector control command.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The backup controller includes a third joystick and a fourth joystick, which are configured as two-axis joysticks capable of swinging laterally and longitudinally. The backup controller receives control information including third control information and fourth control information. The third control information includes a first control displacement and a second control displacement, and the fourth control information includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement. The step of generating a vector control command mapped to the control information based on the control information and a preset control mapping relationship includes: When the target controller is a backup controller, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first control displacement is determined to be the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and the lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel is generated, wherein the first control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the third control stick. Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second manipulation displacement is determined to be the ascent and descent channel, and an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel is generated, wherein the second manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the third control stick; Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third manipulation displacement is determined to be the longitudinal channel, and a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated. The third manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the fourth control stick. Based on the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is determined as the heading channel, and the heading control command of the aircraft mapped to the heading channel is generated. The fourth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the fourth control stick.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein, The backup controller includes a third joystick and a control switch. The third joystick is configured as a three-axis joystick capable of swinging laterally and longitudinally and of torsional motion. The control information received by the backup controller includes third control information and control switch information. The third control information includes a first control displacement, a second control displacement, and a rotational change. The step of generating a vector control command mapped to the control information based on the control information and a preset control mapping relationship includes: When the target controller is a backup controller, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the first control displacement is determined to be the lateral channel according to the preset control mapping relationship, and the lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel is generated. Here, the first control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the third control stick. Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the second manipulation displacement is determined to be the ascent and descent channel, and an aircraft ascent and descent control command mapped to the ascent and descent channel is generated, wherein the second manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the third control stick; Based on the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the rotation change amount is determined as the heading channel, and the heading control command of the aircraft mapped to the heading channel is generated. Here, the rotation change amount refers to the change in the torsional angle of the third control stick during torsional motion. Based on the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the control switch information is determined to be the longitudinal channel, and a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein, The vector control commands include aircraft heading control commands, and the step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the vector control commands includes: When the aircraft is a rotor configuration, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to perform yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is yawed by deflecting the elevator rudder; and / or When the aircraft is in ground control mode, the heading control command of the aircraft is calculated by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command. Based on the ground direction control command, the turning direction of the aircraft is controlled by differential power control and / or differential braking to manipulate the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

27. A method for controlling an aircraft, wherein, The method is applied to a flight control device, the flight control device including a first control stick and a second control stick, the method comprising: The pilot's first control information is received via the first control stick, and the pilot's second control information is received via the second control stick; Based on the first control information received by the first joystick and the preset control mapping relationship, a first vector control command mapped to the first control information is generated. Based on the second control information received by the second joystick and the preset control mapping relationship, a second vector control command mapped to the second control information is generated; The aircraft is controlled to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command; When the second vector control command is an aircraft heading control command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion by at least tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control and / or elevator rudder deflection, according to the aircraft heading control command.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, The first joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick capable of swinging laterally and longitudinally. The first vector control command includes a lateral control command and a vertical control command. The first control information includes a third control displacement and a fourth control displacement. The step of generating a first vector control command mapped to the first control information based on the first control information received by the first joystick and a preset control mapping relationship includes: Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the third manipulation displacement is determined to be the lateral channel, and the lateral control command of the aircraft mapped to the lateral channel is generated. The third manipulation displacement refers to the lateral manipulation displacement of the first control stick. Based on the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fourth control displacement is determined to be the ascent and descent channel, and an ascent and descent control command of the aircraft mapped to the ascent and descent channel is generated. The fourth control displacement refers to the longitudinal control displacement of the first control stick.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, The second joystick is configured as a two-axis joystick capable of swinging laterally and longitudinally. The second vector control command includes a longitudinal control command and a yaw control command. The second control information includes a fifth control displacement and a sixth control displacement. The step of generating a second vector control command mapped to the second control information based on the second control information received by the second joystick and a preset control mapping relationship includes: Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the fifth manipulation displacement is determined to be the longitudinal channel, and a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated. The fifth manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the second control stick. Based on the preset control mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the sixth control displacement is determined as the heading channel, and an aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel is generated. The sixth control displacement refers to the lateral control displacement of the second control stick.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein, The second joystick is configured as a single-axis joystick capable of longitudinal swing. A control switch is provided on the second joystick. The second vector control command includes a longitudinal control command and a yaw control command for the aircraft. The second control information includes a seventh control displacement and control switch control information. The step of generating a second vector control command mapped to the second control information based on the second control information received by the second joystick and a preset control mapping relationship includes: Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the seventh manipulation displacement is determined to be the longitudinal channel, and a longitudinal control command of the aircraft mapped to the longitudinal channel is generated. The seventh manipulation displacement refers to the longitudinal manipulation displacement of the second control stick. Based on the preset manipulation mapping relationship, the vector control channel of the aircraft corresponding to the manipulation switch control information is determined as the heading channel, and an aircraft heading control command mapped to the heading channel is generated.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein, The vector motion includes the aircraft's climb, longitudinal, lateral, and yaw motions. The step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command includes: When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and horizontal speed command mode is activated, and a lateral control command is received, the lateral control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding lateral speed command. Based on the lateral speed command, the aircraft is then controlled to move laterally using differential rotor speed; and / or When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and the horizontal speed command mode is activated, and a longitudinal control command is received, the longitudinal control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding longitudinal speed command. Based on the longitudinal speed command, the aircraft is controlled to move longitudinally by differential rotor speed control and / or tilt angle control.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, The step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes: When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and receives a takeoff and landing control command, the aircraft calculates the takeoff and landing control command using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command. Based on the vertical speed command, the aircraft is manipulated to perform pitch motion by controlling the elevator rudder deflection and / or rotor speed; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft's ascent and descent control command, it calculates the ascent and descent control command using a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding vertical speed command or pitch rate command, and manipulates the aircraft to perform pitch motion by deflecting the elevator rudder according to the vertical speed command or pitch rate command.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein, The step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes: When the aircraft is a rotor configuration and receives a heading control command, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through tilt angle differential control and / or rotor speed differential control; and / or When the aircraft is in a transitional configuration and receives a heading control command, the heading control command is calculated using a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw motion through differential rotor speed control and / or elevator rudder deflection; and / or When the aircraft is a fixed-wing configuration and receives the aircraft heading control command, the heading control command is calculated by a preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding yaw rate command. Based on the yaw rate command, the aircraft is manipulated to yaw by deflecting the elevator rudder.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein, The step of controlling the aircraft to perform vector motion according to the first vector control command and / or the second vector control command further includes: When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives a longitudinal control command, it calculates the longitudinal control command according to a preset flight control law to obtain a corresponding ground speed control command, and controls the aircraft's speed according to the ground speed control command, maneuvering the aircraft to perform ground acceleration and deceleration; and / or When the aircraft is in ground control mode and receives the aircraft heading control command, it calculates the aircraft heading control command according to the preset flight control law to obtain the corresponding ground direction control command, and controls the turning direction of the aircraft through differential power control and / or differential braking according to the ground direction control command, and manipulates the aircraft to perform ground turning motion.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein, The first or second joystick includes a tilt switch, and the method further includes: The flight control device receives tilt switch control information, wherein the tilt switch control information includes forward tilt control information and backward tilt control information; When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward tilt control information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the rearward tilt control information, the aircraft is controlled to transition to a rotor configuration.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein, The first or second joystick is provided with a switching position at a preset longitudinal operating displacement threshold, and the method further includes: The flight control device receives gear shifting information, wherein the gear shifting information includes forward gear shifting information and backward gear shifting information; When the aircraft is in rotor configuration and receives the forward shift gear information, control the aircraft to transition to fixed-wing configuration; When the aircraft is in a fixed-wing configuration and receives the backward shift gear information, the aircraft is controlled to transition to the rotor configuration.

37. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, wherein, The aircraft includes the flight control device as described in any one of claims 12 to 22. The aircraft displays the operational status of the main controller and backup controller to the pilot through a display system. When the target controller is the backup controller, the display system will show the pilot that the backup controller is active and the primary controller is suppressed. When the target controller is the primary controller, the display system shows the pilot that the primary controller is active and the backup controller is suppressed. When a misoperation of a controller in a suppressed state is detected, the aircraft provides the pilot with visual and / or audio warnings.

38. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, wherein, The aircraft includes the flight control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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