Distributed Thrust Allocation for eVTOL Motor-Out Landing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) multicopters lack the ability to glide in case of a motor failure or emergency, posing safety concerns for such vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A distributed flight control system that uses optimization problems with a single solution to generate thrust values for motors, allowing for safer and more controlled emergency landings in case of motor outages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If eVTOL multicopters are designed without wings to simplify structure and reduce weight, then device complexity and weight are reduced, but the ability to glide in case of motor failure is lost, worsening safety
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary safety assessments and generates contingency thrust allocation plans before motor failures occur. Multiple flight controllers pre-calculate optimal thrust distributions for various failure scenarios, cushioning the impact of potential motor failures and enabling safe emergency landings without requiring wing-based gliding capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes thrust parameters of individual motors in response to detected failures. By adjusting thrust magnitude and distribution across remaining functional motors, the system compensates for the loss of gliding capability and maintains controlled flight and safe landing potential despite the simplified wingless structure
2Device complexity
If a centralized flight control system is used to manage thrust allocation, then control logic is simplified, but the system becomes a single point of failure, worsening reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized flight control system is segmented into multiple independent flight controllers, each capable of autonomously performing thrust allocation calculations. This distribution of control logic across multiple units eliminates the single point of failure while maintaining the simplified control approach through parallel execution of the same allocation algorithm on each controller unit
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where each flight controller continuously monitors the operational status of motors and other flight controllers. Based on this feedback, controllers dynamically adjust their thrust allocation calculations and coordinate with each other to maintain system-wide reliability and prevent cascading failures
3Reliability
If multiple flight controllers are used to improve reliability and enable distributed control, then safety is improved, but device complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each flight controller is designed as a universal, multi-functional unit that can perform all necessary thrust allocation calculations and control functions independently. This universality reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for specialized controller roles or complex inter-controller communication protocols, as each unit operates autonomously with identical capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
Each flight controller independently performs its own thrust allocation calculations and self-manages its control outputs without requiring complex coordination or communication with other controllers. This self-service approach minimizes communication requirements and system architecture complexity while maintaining high reliability through redundant independent operation
Data Source
AI summary
Thrust values for motors in an aircraft are generated where each flight controller in a plurality of flight controllers generates a thrust value for each motor in a plurality of motors using an optimization problem with a single solution. Each flight controller in the plurality of flight controllers passes one of the generated thrust values to a corresponding motor in the plurality of motors, where other generated thrust values for that flight controller terminate at that flight controller. The plurality of motors perform the passed thrust values.