Aircraft Flight Control System for Pilot-Induced Oscillation
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Solution Overview
Problem
During manual aircraft piloting, pilots can inadvertently couple with the aircraft's natural modes, leading to unstable and undamped oscillating commands known as pilot-induced oscillations (PIO), which result from a critical phase shift between the pilot's input and the aircraft's response, causing instability.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that calculate an auxiliary command value closer to the actual commanded value, allowing for servo-control to cancel the difference between the pilot's command and the effective command, thereby reducing the phase shift and preventing instability by applying a corrective action upon detection of controlled pumping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the pilot increases the gain to compensate for delayed aircraft response, then the responsiveness of the aircraft to pilot commands is improved, but the phase difference between command and response increases, leading to instability and pilot-induced oscillations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that monitors the phase difference between pilot commands and aircraft response. When PIO is detected through analysis of command signals and aircraft state, the system automatically adjusts control parameters to reduce the phase shift, thereby maintaining stability while preserving responsiveness. The feedback loop continuously detects oscillatory patterns and applies corrective control actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes control parameters (such as gain values and phase compensation factors) based on the detected flight condition and presence of PIO. By adjusting these parameters in real-time, the system optimizes the balance between responsiveness and stability, reducing phase difference when oscillations are detected while maintaining high gain for normal operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If automatic control systems are implemented to prevent PIO, then the stability of aircraft control is improved, but the complexity of the piloting device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs self-diagnosis and self-correction by automatically detecting PIO conditions through monitoring of command signals and aircraft response characteristics. The system identifies oscillatory patterns and applies appropriate corrective actions without requiring external intervention or complex manual adjustments, thereby maintaining stability while limiting the increase in operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to detect early signs of PIO through continuous monitoring of command signals and aircraft state parameters. By identifying incipient oscillations before they develop into full-blown instability, the system can apply preventive corrective actions, reducing the need for complex reactive control mechanisms and simplifying the overall system design.
Data Source
AI summary
The inventive device (1) comprises means (2) for determining a control value corresponding to an instruction value representing the actuation of a control member (3) by a pilot, means (5) for controlling an effective control value corresponding to said instruction value which is actually applied to the aircraft, means (6) for automatically controlling the aircraft, means (11) for computing an auxiliary control value, which is closer to the effective controlled value and means (16) for monitoring the control value and for detecting a pilot induced oscillation, wherein the automatic control is carried out with the aid of the controlled effective value and the auxiliary control value in the case of the detection of the pilot induced oscillation.