Distributed Flight Control with Over-Actuation for Failure Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated flight control systems require redundancy to ensure safety, but implementing redundancy can be complex and costly, making it challenging for certain aircraft to adopt systems like triplex redundant flight control systems due to feasibility concerns.
Innovation Solution
A distributed flight control system where each actuator is controlled by a separate processor, allowing for redundancy to be physically built into the aircraft, utilizing over-actuation to ensure flight stability even if one actuator fails, with each processor considering all actuators but controlling only one, and implementing a simple and redundant autopilot hardware setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If triplex redundant flight control system is implemented, then safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system is divided into multiple independent flight computers, each controlling a subset of actuators. This segmentation allows redundancy to be implemented by simply adding more independent computational units rather than replicating an entire complex control system, thereby improving safety while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Each flight computer is designed to be universal and can control any actuator in the system. This multi-functionality means that any flight computer can take over control of any actuator if needed, providing redundancy without requiring dedicated control paths for each component, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high safety standards.
2Reliability
If triplex redundant flight control system is implemented, then safety is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the control system into independent flight computers that each manage specific actuators, the system allows for standardized, mass-producible modular units. This segmentation enables economies of scale in manufacturing each flight computer module, reducing the overall cost compared to building a fully integrated redundant system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic reconfiguration of which flight computer controls which actuators based on operational needs and failure states. This flexibility in control allocation optimizes the use of available hardware, reducing the need for additional redundant components and thereby lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining safety.
3Reliability
If distributed control with separate processors for each actuator is used, then failure isolation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments control functions across multiple independent flight computers, each responsible for specific actuators. This segmentation naturally provides failure isolation since a fault in one flight computer affects only its controlled actuators, not the entire system. The modular nature of this segmentation keeps complexity manageable through standardized interfaces and protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized decision unit acts as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple flight computers and actuators. This mediator manages the complexity of distributed control by providing a single point for arbitration and coordination, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining the benefits of distributed failure isolation.
Data Source
AI summary
A set of commands for each of a plurality of actuators to alter an aircraft's state responsive to one or more inputs is produced. The set of commands is provided to fewer than all actuators comprising the plurality of actuators.