Aircraft Flight Control Lever Geometry for Symmetrical Force Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft flight control devices with integrated electromagnetic actuators become bulky, hindering pilots in small cockpits, and require complex servocontrol to maintain symmetrical force feedback during rolling and pitching movements.
Innovation Solution
A flight control device with a control lever connected to transmission shafts and motors outside the body, utilizing a unique plate geometry and Cardan joints to pivot about multiple axes, eliminating the need for specific servocontrol to achieve symmetrical force feedback during rolling and pitching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If electromagnetic actuators are incorporated directly within the body of the control device, then the control device becomes compact, but the control device becomes bulky and hinders the pilot in small cockpits
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is segmented into two main parts: a compact body containing the pivot connections and a separate control lever assembly with motors mounted outside the body. This segmentation allows the body to remain small for cockpit integration while the lever assembly with external motors maintains pilot accessibility and reduces bulk interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The motors are relocated from the internal volume of the body to the external space surrounding the body, utilizing three-dimensional space more efficiently. The inclined pivot connections extend the mechanical linkage into additional spatial dimensions, allowing the control lever to achieve full range of motion without requiring the motors to be housed within the body volume.
2Ease of operation
If particular servocontrol is implemented to make the return force symmetrical during rolling and pitching, then the force feedback becomes symmetrical, but the motor usage is limited and the control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention deliberately introduces asymmetry in the mechanical linkage through inclined pivot connections (fifth axis inclined relative to first and third axes; sixth axis inclined relative to second and fourth axes). This mechanical asymmetry compensates for the coupling effects between rolling and pitching movements, naturally producing symmetrical force feedback without requiring complex servocontrol algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex electronic servocontrol mechanisms with a purely mechanical solution using inclined pivot connections and Cardan joints. The geometric configuration of the pivot axes inherently decouples the rolling and pitching force feedback, eliminating the need for sophisticated control software and reducing overall system complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If the control lever is mechanically connected to transmission shafts with inclined pivot connections, then the device structure is simplified and bulk is reduced, but the mechanical linkage becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined pivot connections serve multiple functions simultaneously: they transmit rotational motion from the control lever to the transmission shafts, they decouple the coupling between rolling and pitching movements, and they enable the motors to be mounted outside the body while maintaining compact overall dimensions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate mechanisms.
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
The solution simplifies the device structure, reduces bulk, and maintains symmetrical force feedback during rolling and pitching, enhancing ease of use and installation in small cockpits without limiting motor usage.
Implementation Method 1
a plate (4) connected to the body (1) by a first pivot connection for pivoting about a first axis (X), the control lever (8) being connected to the plate (4) by a second pivot connection for pivoting about a second axis (Y)
Implementation Method 2
the first shaft (12) and the first connection mechanism being connected to each other by a pivot connection for pivoting about a fifth axis (C) that is inclined relative to the first axis (X) and to the third axis (A)
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a lever associated with a body carrying a plate that is connected to the body by a pivot connection for pivoting about a first axis, the lever being connected to the plate by a pivot connection for pivoting about a second axis, a first transmission shaft and a first connection mechanism for connecting the lever to the first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft and a second connection mechanism for connecting the control lever to the second shaft. The first shaft and the first connection mechanism are connected together by a pivot connection for pivoting about a fifth axis that is inclined relative to the first axis and to the third axis, and the second shaft and the second connection mechanism are connected together by a pivot connection for pivoting about a sixth axis that is inclined relative to the second axis and to the fourth axis.