Aircraft Selector Lever Touch Sensor Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft selector levers are prone to unintentional movement and visibility issues, which can compromise safety during flight operations.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a touch sensor on the selector lever handle, connected to a controller that generates notifications and unlocks the lever upon a predetermined touch, preventing unintended movement and providing visual or auditory feedback on the lever and control surface positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional selector lever with shaft and detent plates is used, then the lever can control aircraft control surfaces, but the lever is prone to unintentional movement and visibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical selector lever system with an electronic control system. The electronic selector lever includes a touch sensor that detects user input, a controller that processes the input and generates control signals, and displays that show control surface positions. This electronic system eliminates the mechanical shaft and detent plates, preventing unintentional movement while maintaining control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a touch sensor as an intermediary between the user and the control system. The touch sensor detects user input without requiring physical movement of the lever, and the controller acts as an intermediary that processes this input and translates it into appropriate control signals for the aircraft control surfaces. This intermediary mechanism prevents direct mechanical connection that could lead to unintentional movement.
2Loss of information
If the selector lever position is made visible, then the pilot can monitor control surface position, but the visibility may be obstructed in the cockpit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates visual copies or representations of the control surface positions through displays in the cockpit. Instead of relying on the physical position of a mechanical lever which may be obstructed, the system generates visual displays that copy and present the control surface positions in easily visible locations. These displays provide accurate information about the state of control surfaces without requiring the pilot to see the physical lever mechanism.
3Reliability
If a touch sensor and controller are added to prevent unintentional movement, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller in the electronic selector lever performs multiple functions: it receives input from the touch sensor, processes the input signal, generates appropriate control signals for the aircraft control surfaces, and controls the displays showing control surface positions. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single controller unit, the system achieves high reliability and safety without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances safety by ensuring intentional operation of aircraft control surfaces and improving visibility of the selector lever position, reducing the risk of accidental changes in flight configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a touch sensor arranged on the handle... The touch sensor may be positioned on a top surface 332 of the handle 308 such that the touch sensor will detect or respond to the presence of a hand of a user on the handle 308
Implementation Method 2
The touch sensor may be an inductive, capacitive, pressure, or other type of touch-based sensor
Implementation Method 3
The touch sensor may be an inductive, capacitive, pressure, or other type of touch-based sensor
Data Source
AI summary
Selector lever systems of aircraft are provided. The selector lever systems include a selector lever configured to control operation of one or more aircraft control surfaces, the selector lever having a handle configured to enable manual operation of the selector lever, a touch sensor arranged on the handle, and a controller arranged in communication with the touch sensor, the controller configured to at least one of generate a notification when a signal is received from the touch sensor and unlock the selector lever from a locked state.