Gain Scheduling for Aircraft Brake Actuator Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft braking systems face disturbances due to noisy feedback signals from electric brake actuators, which can lead to inconsistent actuator behavior and reduced brake performance, despite efforts to mitigate noise through techniques like hardware filtering and software dead band filtering.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that detect control signals and adjust the controller gain based on threshold values, increasing gain when the signal amplitude is above a certain value and decreasing it when below, to stabilize the operation of electromechanical brake actuators, thereby reducing noise-induced disturbances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gain scheduling is used in brake control to improve response to noisy feedback signals, then actuator behavior becomes more responsive, but system stability deteriorates due to disturbances introduced by gain changes
Solution Approach 1:
The controller dynamically adjusts the gain parameter based on the detected control signal amplitude. When noise is detected (high signal amplitude), the controller increases gain to improve responsiveness. When noise is low, the controller reduces gain to maintain stability. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between responsiveness and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller changes the gain parameter based on noise conditions. By monitoring the control signal amplitude and comparing it to a threshold, the system adjusts the gain parameter to optimize performance under varying noise conditions, thereby resolving the stability-reliability contradiction.
2Measurement precision
If hardware filtering or cable shielding is used to reduce signal noise, then signal quality improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical filtering mechanisms (hardware filters, cable shielding) with a software-based noise detection and gain adjustment system. The controller detects noise in the feedback signal and adaptively adjusts gain parameters to compensate, achieving signal quality improvement without adding complex hardware components.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system performs self-diagnosis by monitoring its own feedback signals for noise conditions. When noise is detected, the system automatically adjusts its gain parameters to maintain performance, eliminating the need for external filtering hardware and reducing system complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If software dead band filter is used to reduce noise effects, then signal stability improves, but response time increases due to filtering delays
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a fixed dead band filter that always delays responses, the system dynamically adjusts gain based on real-time noise detection. When noise is present, gain increases to maintain responsiveness; when noise is absent, gain reduces to maintain stability. This dynamic approach eliminates the time delay penalty associated with fixed filtering.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for reducing disturbances that may result from using gain scheduling in brake controls. This method may include the steps of detecting a control signal, comparing (184) the control signal to a threshold value, and gradually increasing (186) or decreasing (190) a controller gain in response to amplitude of the control signal being above or below the threshold value.