Flight Control System Autopilot Authority Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric flight control systems require pilots to manually intervene and disengage automatic piloting during external disturbances, leading to pilot workload overload and potential deviations from the initial trajectory, as the automatic piloting device has limited authority and cannot maintain the aircraft within the normal flight envelope.
Innovation Solution
An electric flight control system with a detection element that automatically detects automatic piloting and transmits a predetermined auxiliary control stick position to the flight envelope protection module, allowing the automatic piloting device to remain engaged by simulating the protections used during manual piloting, thus maintaining the aircraft within the normal flight envelope.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autopilot system operates with limited authority to maintain safety within normal flight envelope, then flight safety is improved, but the autopilot cannot handle external disturbances such as wind gusts, requiring manual intervention and increasing pilot workload
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the authority of the autopilot based on flight conditions. When the aircraft is within the normal flight envelope, the autopilot operates with limited authority for safety. When external disturbances push the aircraft outside the envelope, the system automatically increases authority to full available capability, allowing the autopilot to handle disturbances without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the autopilot authority based on detected flight conditions. The flight control computer monitors aircraft state and automatically adjusts whether the autopilot is constrained to normal envelope limits or permitted to use full control surface deflections, thereby adapting the system's behavior to match the operational context.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the autopilot system is disengaged during external disturbances to allow full manual control, then the aircraft can respond to disturbances, but the pilot workload increases and the autopilot cannot be re-engaged until the aircraft returns to normal flight envelope
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service by automatically detecting when the aircraft departs from the normal flight envelope due to external disturbances and autonomously increasing the autopilot's authority to handle the situation. The autopilot continues to operate without requiring pilot disengagement or manual takeover, and can automatically return to normal limited authority once the disturbance subsides, eliminating the need for pilot intervention cycles.
3Device complexity
If the autopilot system uses limited authority to simplify architecture and reduce criticality of failures, then system complexity is reduced, but the autopilot cannot remain engaged during exceptional events requiring full authority
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains a dynamic authority adjustment mechanism that allows the autopilot to transition between limited and full authority modes based on flight conditions. This enables the autopilot to remain continuously engaged while adapting its capability to match the operational context, avoiding the need for disengagement/re-engagement cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of autopilot authority from a fixed limited value to a variable parameter that adjusts based on detected flight conditions. When exceptional events are detected, the authority parameter increases to full available capability, allowing continuous autopilot operation with adaptive performance.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
- The flight control system (1) includes at least one flight domain protection module (M1 to MN) intended at least for manual piloting and an auxiliary element (13) configured to automatically transmit to this protection module (M1 to MN), upon detection of an autopilot of the aircraft by means of an autopilot device (6), a predetermined auxiliary position, representing an equivalent of a control stick position (5), the protection module (M1 to MN) using this auxiliary position as a control stick position to implement the protection during this autopilot.