Aircraft Control Apparatus Redundancy via Signal Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft control apparatuses require multiple arithmetic processing portions with different designs to ensure redundancy, leading to increased complexity and costs due to the need for multiple control channels, which can result in operational failures if generic failures occur among the same software or hardware.
Innovation Solution
The aircraft control apparatus includes multiple control channels with an interface to receive manipulation signals, an arithmetic processing portion to generate operation command signals, and a signal determination unit that compares operation command signals from different arithmetic processing portions to determine a control signal, ensuring redundancy and reducing the number of arithmetic processing portions needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple arithmetic processing portions with different designs are provided in each control channel to ensure redundancy, then the reliability of aircraft control is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the aircraft control into multiple independent control channels, each with its own arithmetic processing portion. This segmentation allows redundancy at the channel level rather than requiring multiple processing portions within each channel, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the redundancy function across multiple control channels rather than within each channel. By merging the arithmetic processing portions into a shared architecture where channels can互为 backup, the system achieves reliability without duplicating entire processing units in each channel.
2Reliability
If multiple arithmetic processing portions with different designs are provided in each control channel to prevent generic failures, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control channels are designed with universal functionality where each channel can perform the same control tasks. This allows the system to use standardized, mass-producible components rather than custom-designed different processors, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining the ability to prevent generic failures through channel diversity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the fundamental design of multiple arithmetic processing portions, the system changes parameters such as the configuration and combination of control channels. This allows reliability to be achieved through architectural parameter changes rather than component-level customization, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If multiple control channels are provided with multiple arithmetic processing portions each, then the redundancy is improved, but the number of arithmetic processing portions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the control architecture into independent channels, where redundancy is achieved at the channel level. This allows the system to use fewer arithmetic processing portions total, as each channel can independently function, rather than requiring multiple processing portions within each channel.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of copying entire arithmetic processing portions multiple times within each channel, the system creates copies at the control channel level. Each channel is a complete, independent control unit that can serve as backup, reducing the total number of arithmetic processing portions needed while maintaining redundancy.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of control channels each include a power supply, an interface that receives a manipulation signal, an arithmetic processing portion that calculates and generates an operation command signal for actuators based on the manipulation signal, and a signal determination unit that determines a control signal for finally controlling the operation of the actuators and outputs the control signal. The arithmetic processing portions respectively provided in the plurality of control channels have designs different from one another. Each of the signal determination units determines the control signal by receiving a first operation command signal generated by the arithmetic processing portion of the control channel in which that signal determination unit is provided, and a second operation command signal generated in the arithmetic processing portion of another of the control channels, and comparing the first operation command signal and the second operation command signal, and outputs the control signal.