Autopilot Handover Lag Control for Critical Pilot Intervention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electric aircraft, there is a need for an autopilot system that can prevent pilots from performing actions that could endanger the aircraft or violate regulations, such as exceeding safe pitch levels or speed limits, especially in restricted areas like cities or near airports.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a sensor suite and a flight controller to detect critical events, assess urgency levels, and optimize the lag duration for pilot intervention, allowing for timely transition from autopilot to pilot control based on the phase of operation and the severity of the event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autopilot system immediately transitions to pilot control upon detecting a critical event, then the safety response time is improved, but the system complexity increases due to the need for dynamic lag duration optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the lag duration based on the identified urgency level of the critical event. Instead of using a fixed transition delay, the flight controller modifies the lag duration in real-time according to the severity of the detected event, allowing immediate transition for high-urgency events while maintaining longer lags for less critical situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the time parameter (lag duration) of the autopilot-to-pilot transition based on the urgency level of the critical event. By varying this temporal parameter dynamically, the system optimizes safety response without requiring complex structural modifications to the control architecture.
2Device complexity
If a fixed lag duration is used for autopilot to pilot control transition, then the system complexity is reduced, but the safety and effectiveness of pilot intervention deteriorates in critical situations
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static fixed lag duration to a dynamic adjustable lag duration that responds to the urgency level of critical events. This dynamic adjustment ensures that safety-critical situations receive immediate pilot intervention while less urgent situations maintain appropriate transition delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The time parameter (lag duration) is changed from a constant value to a variable parameter that adapts to the severity of the critical event. This parameter change enables the system to optimize pilot intervention effectiveness without requiring complex additional hardware or structural modifications.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for lag optimization of pilot intervention is provided. A critical event may be identified while an electric aircraft is in an autopilot mode and operating primarily under autonomous functions; as a result, a flight controller of the system may switch from an autopilot mode to a manual mode, allowing pilot intervention. System made determine a lag duration as a function of the critical event and a phase of operation of the electric aircraft to determine a lag duration before pilot intervention occurs.