Aircraft Autopilot Sequence Reset for Exceptional Error Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing exceptional errors in aircraft autopilot systems, such as software bugs and single event upsets caused by external magnetic fields or ionizing particles, often require deactivating the affected computer, which can disrupt flight safety and necessitate redundant systems even when not required.
Innovation Solution
A method that identifies and manages exceptional errors by stopping and reinitializing specific steps of the autopilot system's computer processes, implementing penalty steps to inhibit faulty operations, and maintaining safety through gradual software sanctions, allowing the computer to remain active while preventing aberrant information generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a redundant computer system is used to detect and manage exceptional errors, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error management function into distinct software-sanctioned steps (identification, calculation, stopping, reset, restart, sanction steps) that can be applied selectively to specific sequences of steps rather than requiring redundant entire computer systems. This segmentation allows error handling to be implemented with minimal additional hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The computer system performs self-diagnosis and self-correction through the described method. The system automatically identifies exceptional errors, calculates occurrence numbers, applies appropriate sanctions (stopping, resetting, restarting sequences), and manages its own error recovery without requiring external redundant systems, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing complexity.
2Reliability
If the faulty computer is completely deactivated to manage errors, then reliability is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely deactivating the computer system upon error detection, the patent applies partial actions by selectively stopping only the specific sequences of steps that generated errors while allowing other sequences to continue operating. This partial deactivation maintains essential autopilot functions while isolating and managing faulty operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary reset and restart actions on affected sequences before they can compromise flight safety. By resetting and restarting sequences at the first sign of exceptional errors (when occurrence number reaches threshold), the system prevents error propagation while maintaining overall system functionality and productivity.
3Reliability
If the sequence of steps is restarted from a second cycle considered healthy, then reliability is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains multiple pre-prepared sequences of steps (first cycle, second cycle, etc.) in advance, where at least one sequence is always in a healthy, ready-to-execute state. When an error is detected in the current sequence, the system can immediately switch to a pre-prepared healthy sequence without waiting for lengthy recovery procedures, thereby minimizing time loss while ensuring reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of managing (10) an autopilot system equipping an aircraft, said method of managing (10) being adapted to manage at least one error in at least one succession of steps allowing to generate at least one autopilot instruction of said aircraft, said autopilot system comprising at least one computer allowing to implement a plurality of succession of steps generating different autopilot instructions of said aircraft.Such a process includes an identification step (11) to identify said at least one error, a calculation step (12) to determine a total number of occurrences (N) of said at least one error, a stopping step (13) to stop said at least one sequence of steps, a reset step (14) to reset said at least one sequence of steps, a restart step (15) to restart said at least one sequence of steps.