Aircraft Control Stick Force Feedback for Synchronized Pilot Input
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piloting devices fail to accurately replicate the control efforts of one pilot on the control sticks of another pilot, leading to a lack of precise cooperation between pilots during aircraft operation.
Innovation Solution
A piloting device with a control module that adjusts the position and restoring forces on control sticks based on the position and restoring forces of the other stick, using elastic mechanisms and actuation systems to ensure identical stick positions and forces are felt by both pilots, without measuring applied control forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the piloting device reproduces the position of one control stick on another control stick, then the position synchronization between pilots is improved, but the ability to transmit and feel control force differences is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control module continuously monitors the positions of both control sticks and dynamically adjusts the force applied to each stick based on the position difference between them. This feedback mechanism ensures that when one pilot moves their stick, the other pilot feels a corresponding force that guides their stick to match the same position, while still allowing detection of force differences through the elastic mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic mechanisms act as intermediaries between the control sticks and the pilots' hands. These mechanisms transmit control forces from the pilots while also allowing the actuation systems to apply corrective forces. The detection system measures the resulting forces to calculate position differences, enabling force information transmission without direct force measurement sensors.
2Measurement precision
If elastic mechanisms are used to apply restoring forces to control sticks, then the natural feel and control precision are improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual model of the control stick positions and forces by detecting the position of one stick and calculating the corresponding force on the other stick. This copying approach allows the system to replicate control sensations without requiring identical physical mechanisms for each stick, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
3Measurement precision
If the control module adjusts position adjustment forces based on restoring forces, then the accuracy of force transmission is improved, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic mechanisms generate their own restoring forces based on the displacement of the control sticks from neutral positions. The control module utilizes these self-generated forces as input for calculating position adjustment forces, eliminating the need for separate force measurement sensors and simplifying the overall control architecture while maintaining accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances cooperation between pilots by providing each with accurate feedback on the other's control efforts, ensuring synchronized stick positions and forces, thereby improving awareness and coordination.
Implementation Method 1
a first elastic mechanism configured to apply a first restoring force to the first control stick, toward its neutral position, a second elastic mechanism configured to apply a second restoring force to the second control stick, toward its neutral position
Data Source
AI summary
A piloting device for piloting an aircraft includes a first and a second control stick movably mounted on a support, a detection system for detecting the positions of the first and second control sticks, an elastic mechanism configured to apply a restoring force to the second control stick, first and second actuation systems configured to apply respective first and second position adjustment forces to the respective first and second control sticks, and a control module configured to control the second adjustment force so that the positions of the first and second control sticks are identical. The control module is configured to control the first adjustment force based on the second adjustment force and the restoring force.