Remote Electric Aircraft Autopilot Authority Control

The patent introduces an intermediary authority determination mechanism that mediates between fully automated autopilot control and direct user control. The flight controller acts as a mediator that receives user inputs, determines authority status based on safety and regulatory criteria, and selectively applies or blocks control commands. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining automated efficiency while inserting a safety layer that ensures user control and compliance.

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring user inputs against predetermined safety and regulatory criteria, then providing feedback through authority determination. The flight controller evaluates each control input, determines whether the user has authority to execute it based on real-time flight conditions and regulatory constraints, and communicates this determination back to the control system. This feedback loop ensures safety and compliance while maintaining operational efficiency.

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by establishing predetermined safety and regulatory criteria before user inputs are executed. The system proactively defines boundary conditions for safe and compliant operations, then uses these pre-established criteria to evaluate and potentially block user control inputs that would violate safety requirements or regulations. This prevents unsafe actions before they occur while maintaining ease of operation for legitimate controls.

The flight controller serves as an intermediary that stands between the user control interface and the aircraft's flight control surfaces. It receives user inputs, evaluates them against safety and regulatory criteria, and selectively transmits or blocks commands. This intermediary layer maintains ease of operation by allowing free user input while preventing harmful actions through intelligent filtering based on predetermined criteria.

The patent implements multi-functionality by designing the flight controller to perform multiple functions within a single integrated system. The same flight controller that manages basic autopilot operations also performs authority determination, safety criterion evaluation, regulatory compliance monitoring, and selective command blocking. This universal approach improves reliability through comprehensive safety checks while avoiding the complexity of adding separate dedicated safety systems.

The system merges safety monitoring, regulatory compliance checking, and flight control functions into a unified authority determination process within the flight controller. Rather than implementing separate complex safety systems, the patent combines these functions by integrating authority determination logic directly into the existing flight control architecture, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.