Aerospace Control Voting With Feedback Error Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerospace vehicles operating in high radiation environments face control system failures due to single event effects (SEEs) like single event upsets (SEUs) that conventional modular redundancy systems fail to correct, leading to continuous faulty outputs and potential system downtime.
Innovation Solution
A control system with a voter and multiple control blocks, each equipped with a controller and feedback controller, uses voting algorithms to ensure only correct output signals are provided to the external plant, correcting errors in real-time without system resets, utilizing feedback and combinator algorithms to align faulty outputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional modular redundancy control system is used, then radiation interference is partially mitigated, but errors in individual control blocks cannot be corrected and system downtime occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback controller that receives the output signal from the controller, a reference signal from an external controller, and a plant feedback signal from an external plant. The feedback controller performs a feedback algorithm on the output signal to provide a feedback control signal, and performs a combinator algorithm using the reference signal, plant feedback signal and feedback control signal to provide the input signal to the controller. This feedback mechanism enables real-time correction of errors in control blocks without system reset, thereby maintaining reliability while eliminating downtime.
2Reliability
If triple modular redundancy is implemented, then control system reliability is improved, but system resources and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the feedback control functionality with the redundancy control blocks. Each control block integrates a controller that performs control algorithm with an integral function, and a feedback controller that performs feedback algorithm and combinator algorithm. This integration allows the system to achieve reliability through redundancy while reducing overall system complexity by combining multiple functions into unified control blocks rather than separate components.
3Reliability
If conventional redundancy system is used, then radiation effects are partially addressed, but error correction requires system reset causing operational interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous operation by implementing real-time error correction through feedback mechanisms. The feedback controller continuously monitors the output signal and automatically adjusts the input signal to the controller using feedback and combinator algorithms. This allows error correction to occur continuously without interrupting the control system operation, maintaining productivity while ensuring reliability through constant error detection and correction.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control system for an aerospace vehicle, the control system comprising: a voter; and a plurality of control blocks, wherein each of the control blocks comprises: a controller configured to receive an input signal and perform a control algorithm comprising an integral function on the input signal to provide an output signal; and a feedback controller configured to: receive the output signal from the controller, a reference signal from an external controller, and a plant feedback signal from an external plant; perform a feedback algorithm on the output signal to provide an feedback control signal; and perform a combinator algorithm using the reference signal, the plant feedback signal and the feedback control signal to provide the input signal to the controller; wherein the voter is configured to receive the output signals and perform a voting algorithm on the output signals to determine a control signal to provide to the external plant.