Aircraft Hand Controller With Decoupled Throttle and Rotation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Complex or non-intuitive aircraft controllers can lead to poor navigation by pilots, as they require engagement of legs, feet, or palms to maintain secure seating, potentially resulting in accidental control actions and decreased precision during flight.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft hand controller with decoupled throttle and rotation controls, featuring separate finger controls for throttle and rotation, allowing pilots to maintain a secure grip while navigating with precision, and enabling intuitive control of aircraft movements without accidentally engaging multiple control signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional aircraft controllers are used, then pilots can control the aircraft, but the controller complexity and non-intuitive design lead to poor navigation and accidental control actions
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is segmented into distinct functional zones: a grip portion for hand placement, a throttle trigger for pitch control, and a separate rotation control mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, improving intuitiveness while reducing overall complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation control is extracted from the traditional stick movement and separated into an independent control mechanism (such as a twist grip or separate button) that operates independently from the throttle trigger. This extraction eliminates the coupling that causes accidental control actions and makes each control function more intuitive
2Reliability
If pilots engage legs, feet, or palms to maintain secure seating, then seating security is improved, but control precision decreases due to potential accidental control actions
Solution Approach 1:
The controller design incorporates an intermediary grip structure that mediates between the pilot's hand and the control mechanisms. The grip portion provides secure hand placement without requiring palm engagement, while the decoupled controls prevent accidental activation, thus maintaining both security and precision
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the control functions into separate mechanisms (throttle trigger for pitch, separate rotation control), the design allows pilots to maintain a secure grip on the grip portion without their hand position accidentally activating control signals, thereby maintaining both reliability and precision
3Device complexity
If throttle and rotation controls are coupled, then controller structure is simplified, but control precision decreases due to inability to independently manipulate each function
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is divided into functionally independent segments: the throttle trigger for pitch control and a separate rotation control mechanism. This segmentation enables precise independent manipulation of each control function while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The controller employs dynamic control mechanisms where the throttle trigger and rotation control can operate independently yet coordinate seamlessly. This dynamic design allows for precise control without requiring complex mechanical linkages, achieving both simplicity and precision
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft hand controller is disclosed. The hand controller includes a set of finger controls on a single hand grip structure, the set of finger controls including a first finger control configured to control throttle of the aircraft and a second finger control, separate from the first, configured to control rotation about a first rotational axis of the aircraft.