Electromechanical Braking Controller Anti-Slip Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft braking systems with electromechanical actuators face reliability issues due to the total loss of anti-slip protection and braking functionality when a braking computer or data concentrator fails, leading to increased equipment and cable requirements for redundancy.
Innovation Solution
The proposed braking system architecture distributes electrical power to actuators based on wheel rotational speed information, allowing each controller to implement anti-slip protection and compensate for failures by directly connecting to a wheel rotation speed sensor, reducing the need for redundant hardware and improving transmission precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single brake control unit is used to control both controllers, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates because a failure leads to total loss of braking power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of the brake control unit and the controller into a single integrated controller. The controller now directly receives wheel speed sensor signals and implements anti-slip protection algorithms internally, eliminating the need for a separate brake control unit. This integration maintains reliability through redundancy of controllers while reducing device complexity by removing intermediate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed with multi-functionality, simultaneously performing actuator control and anti-slip protection functions. It integrates multiple functions (power distribution to actuators, wheel speed monitoring, slip detection, and braking force modulation) into a single component, thereby eliminating the need for separate dedicated brake control units while maintaining system reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple brake control units with data concentrators are used for redundancy, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates data concentrators by merging their function into the controllers. Each controller directly interfaces with the wheel speed sensor and processes speed information independently to implement anti-slip protection. This removes intermediate data concentration components and their associated cabling, reducing device complexity while maintaining redundancy through multiple independent controllers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the data concentrator component from the traditional architecture. By having controllers directly receive and process wheel speed sensor signals, the intermediate data concentration function is removed, simplifying the system architecture and reducing the number of components and connections required for redundant braking control.
3Reliability
If brake control units are used to implement anti-slip protection, then anti-slip reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the anti-slip protection function into the existing controller that already manages actuator power distribution. The controller internally processes wheel speed signals, detects slip conditions, and modulates braking force accordingly. This integration ensures anti-slip reliability without adding separate brake control units or data concentrators, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed as a universal component that simultaneously performs actuator control and anti-slip protection functions. It integrates power management, speed monitoring, slip detection, and braking modulation capabilities into a single multi-functional unit, eliminating the need for dedicated anti-slip control equipment while maintaining protection reliability.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The system has wheels (1) that are braked by respective brakes (2), and each brake has multiple electromechanical actuators (3). A controller (8) distributes electric power (Ps) to the actuators in response to a braking set-point. The controller has an input (Ev) that receives information about the rotary speed of the wheel braked by the actuators associated with controller. The controller includes processor (13) to modulate the power transmitted to the actuators as a function of the speed of rotation of the wheel in order to provide anti-skid protection.