eVTOL Flight Control Command Mixing With Actuator Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft face inefficiencies due to the complexity of determining multiple aircraft parameters, such as position and speed, which is exacerbated by the increased degrees of freedom in electric systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a flight controller to generate an optimal command mix for a plurality of actuators based on a requested aircraft force, incorporating an ideal actuator model with performance parameters to produce a control signal, optimizing the effectiveness of flight components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of actuators and control parameters is increased to handle the degrees of freedom in eVTOL aircraft, then the control capability and versatility are improved, but the device complexity and computational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into modular components: flight controller, actuator models, command mix generator, and control signal producers. Each actuator is modeled independently with its own performance parameters, allowing the complex control problem to be divided into manageable subsystems that can be optimized separately while maintaining overall system versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts control parameters based on real-time aircraft state and actuator performance models. By changing parameters such as command weights, actuator saturation limits, and performance thresholds, the system adapts to varying flight conditions without requiring a complete redesign of the control architecture, thus managing complexity while maintaining adaptability.
2Measurement precision
If traditional control methods are used without actuator models, then the computational process is simpler, but the determination of aircraft parameters becomes inaccurate and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
Actuator performance models are pre-computed and stored before flight operations. These models contain predetermined performance characteristics, saturation boundaries, and response characteristics that are calculated offline and loaded into the flight controller. During flight, the system references these pre-computed models rather than performing complex real-time calculations, thereby achieving high precision parameter determination without excessive computational burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator model serves as an intermediary layer between the flight controller's high-level commands and the physical actuators. This intermediate representation layer translates abstract control objectives into actuator-specific commands while accounting for individual actuator characteristics, improving parameter determination accuracy without directly increasing the complexity of the physical control system.
3Productivity
If the optimal command mix is generated using ideal actuator models with performance parameters, then the control effectiveness and efficiency are improved, but the computational requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs computationally intensive model generation and optimization calculations before flight operations. Actuator performance models are pre-computed offline, and optimal command mix strategies are predetermined based on simulated flight scenarios. During actual flight, the flight controller executes these pre-planned commands and makes minor real-time adjustments, dramatically reducing on-board computation time while maintaining high control efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system uses dynamic command mixing that adapts to real-time flight conditions while leveraging pre-computed models. The optimal command mix is not statically fixed but dynamically adjusted based on current aircraft state, actuator performance, and flight phase, allowing the system to achieve high efficiency without requiring exhaustive real-time optimization calculations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for producing a control signal of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft includes a flight controller configured to obtain a requested aircraft force, generate an optimal command mix, wherein the optimal command mix includes a plurality of commands to a plurality of actuators as a function of the requested aircraft force, wherein generating further comprises receiving an ideal actuator model includes at least a performance parameter, producing a model datum as a function of the ideal actuator model, and generating the optimal command mix as a function of the request aircraft force and the model datum, and produce a control signal as a function of the optimal command mix.