Aircraft Brake Control Unit Switch Logic for Auto-Brake Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft brake control systems face challenges in effectively integrating auto-brake and antiskid control systems, particularly in determining the appropriate brake pressure command when both systems are active, leading to potential disruptions and inefficiencies in braking operations.
Innovation Solution
A brake control unit (BCU) that detects aircraft speed and enables auto-brake control, receiving both deceleration control and pilot desired pressures, and switches logic to prioritize the minimum value between these pressures, ensuring seamless integration and operation of auto-brake and antiskid controls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the BCU receives both deceleration control desired pressure and pilot desired pressure simultaneously, then the braking system can respond to both auto-brake and manual controls, but it becomes unclear which pressure command should be prioritized, potentially causing control conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
The switch logic dynamically changes its behavior based on the state of the manual brake control. When manual brake control is detected, the switch logic transitions to prioritize pilot desired pressure; when manual brake control is not active, it prioritizes deceleration control desired pressure. This dynamic switching resolves the control priority conflict while maintaining both control modes.
2Reliability
If the BCU always prioritizes the minimum pressure command between deceleration control and pilot desired pressure, then braking safety is improved by preventing excessive pressure, but the system becomes less responsive to pilot intent when manual braking is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts pressure command selection based on operational context. During normal operation, the minimum pressure rule ensures safety by preventing excessive braking. When manual brake control is activated, the system dynamically switches to prioritize pilot desired pressure, ensuring responsive braking that respects pilot intent while maintaining safety through the antiskid control's independent pressure management.
3Reliability
If the antiskid desired pressure is determined independently from the deceleration control, then the antiskid control can optimize wheel slip prevention, but the integration between auto-brake and antiskid systems becomes complex, making pressure command coordination difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The switch logic serves as an intermediary component that simplifies the integration between independent control systems. It receives pressure commands from both the deceleration control (which works with antiskid control) and the manual brake control, then selectively passes one to the brake control executive based on operational state. This intermediary structure maintains the independence of antiskid control for optimal wheel slip prevention while simplifying the coordination of pressure commands from multiple sources.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed herein for controlling aircraft brakes. In this regard, a method for controlling brakes may comprise detecting, by a brake control unit (BCU) (102), an aircraft speed, determining, by the BCU (102), that the aircraft speed is at least one of at or above a threshold value, determining, by the BCU (102), that an auto-brake control has been enabled, receiving, by the BCU (102), an antiskid desired pressure that is output from an antiskid control, the BCU (102) comprising a brake control executive (BKX) (114), the antiskid desired pressure being received by the BCU (102), and receiving, by the BCU (102), a desired pressure comprising at least one of a deceleration control desired pressure from a deceleration control (DK) (150) or a pilot desired pressure from a manual brake control, the desired pressure being received by the BKX (114).