Single-Axis Active Inceptor Control for Redundant Force Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current single-axis active inceptors replicate the inefficiencies of dual-axis inceptors, leading to increased complexity, power consumption, and weight due to unnecessary circuitry and disused voltage inputs, which are critical concerns in control systems.
Innovation Solution
A control unit configuration in single-axis active inceptors that allows for redundancy by driving a motor in the local inceptor and a remote inceptor, with a bus connection and discrete link for message exchange, ensuring rapid takeover in case of failure, reducing complexity and weight while maintaining reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dual-axis inceptor architecture is used for single-axis inceptors, then force feedback capability is provided, but device complexity and weight increase due to unnecessary circuitry and disused voltage inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary second motor and associated circuitry from the dual-axis inceptor architecture when implementing a single-axis inceptor. This leaves only the essential components (one motor, minimal circuitry) needed for single-axis operation, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining the required force feedback capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed with universal capability to drive either one or two motors depending on the configuration. The same control unit can operate in single-axis mode (driving one motor) or dual-axis mode (driving two motors), allowing the system to adapt to different requirements without requiring separate dedicated hardware for each mode.
2Reliability
If dual-axis inceptor architecture is used for single-axis inceptors, then force feedback capability is provided, but weight increases due to unnecessary components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary second motor and associated circuitry from the dual-axis inceptor architecture when implementing a single-axis inceptor. This leaves only the essential components (one motor, minimal circuitry) needed for single-axis operation, thereby reducing device complexity and weight while maintaining the required force feedback capability.
3Reliability
If redundant control capacity is provided in single-axis inceptors, then failure recovery is enabled, but power consumption increases due to disused voltage inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The standby control unit continuously monitors the active control unit and prepares takeover capability in advance. This preliminary preparation allows for rapid failure recovery without requiring the standby unit to consume full power continuously. The standby unit only activates its full power consumption when actually taking over control, thus reducing overall power consumption while maintaining failure recovery capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides efficient, lightweight, and reliable force feedback by ensuring redundancy and rapid failure recovery, minimizing power consumption and weight, and enhancing system reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a first connection configured when an operation is performed to drive a motor and in response thereto the motor to generate an associated force feedback at the active inceptor
Implementation Method 2
a second connection configured when the operation is performed to drive a remote motor in a remote active inceptor and in response thereto the remote motor to generate the associated feedback at the remote active inceptor
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control unit in an active inceptor configurable to generate force feedback in a linked active inceptor system, comprising: a first connection configured when an operation is performed to drive a motor and in response thereto the motor to generate an associated force feedback at the active inceptor; and a second connection configured when the operation is performed to drive a remote motor in a remote active inceptor and in response thereto the remote motor to generate the associated feedback at the remote active inceptor.