Digital Power Request Latency Compensation in Aircraft Engine Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft engine control systems rely on hard-wired analog signals, which are inefficient and need to be replaced with digital communication methods to determine power requirements, particularly in helicopters where latency issues arise from differing update rates between aircraft and engine computers.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for communicating a digital power request between an aircraft computer and an engine computer using a digital communication bus, where a delay compensation component is applied to the power request gradient to account for latency differences, involving multiplication by a delay constant and a gradient authority limiter, with clamping to ensure accurate and stable power requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hard-wired analog signals are used for power request transmission, then signal transmission reliability is maintained, but system complexity and wiring requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hard-wired analog signal transmission with digital communication over a bus system. The power request is transmitted as digital data packets between the aircraft computer and engine computer, eliminating the need for dedicated analog signal wires and reducing wiring complexity while maintaining communication reliability through digital protocols and error handling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal digital communication bus that can transmit multiple types of data (power requests, sensor data, control signals) through a single communication infrastructure. This multi-functional bus system replaces multiple dedicated hard-wired connections, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable data transmission through standardized digital protocols.
2Device complexity
If digital communication bus is used for power request transmission, then wiring complexity is reduced, but latency due to different update rates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies delay compensation to the power request gradient calculation, anticipating the latency introduced by digital communication and different update rates. By pre-calculating compensation based on known communication delays and update rate differences, the system proactively adjusts the power request signal to maintain accurate engine control despite the time lag inherent in digital bus communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the engine computer monitors the actual power delivery and communicates status back to the aircraft computer. This closed-loop feedback allows the system to detect and compensate for latency effects in real-time, adjusting future power requests based on observed delays and maintaining synchronized operation between the two computers despite different update rates.
3Loss of time
If update rates of aircraft computer and engine computer are synchronized, then communication latency is minimized, but system adaptability to different operational requirements decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows each computer to operate at its own optimal update rate (different parameters) while using delay compensation algorithms that adapt to the specific rate differences. The compensation mechanism dynamically adjusts based on the actual update rates of both computers, enabling the system to maintain low effective latency without forcing rigid synchronization, thus preserving adaptability to different operational requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and system for providing an engine computer with a power request having been determined by an aircraft computer is disclosed. The power request is sent over a communication bus and once it reaches the engine computer, the latency due to the different update rates of the engine computer and the aircraft computer are compensated for.