Electric Aircraft Flight Control With Torque Allocation Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electrically propelled vehicles, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, maintaining aircraft integrity during component malfunctions or failures is crucial to ensure safety for passengers and cargo, as malfunctions can compromise the aircraft's safe landing.
Innovation Solution
A flight control system for electric aircraft includes sensors to capture pilot inputs, an inertial measurement unit to detect aircraft angles and rates, an outer loop controller to generate rate setpoints, an inner loop controller to generate moment data, and a mixer to allocate torque commands to motors, ensuring stable flight control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flight control system is designed to maintain aircraft integrity during component failures, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for redundant sensors, controllers, and failure detection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system is divided into multiple independent controllers (primary flight controller, secondary flight controller) and sensors, each capable of independent operation. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even when one component fails, as the remaining components can continue to control the aircraft safely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates redundant components and failure detection mechanisms in advance, before actual failures occur. The redundant flight controllers and sensors are pre-configured to take over immediately upon detecting a failure, providing a cushion against the harmful effects of component failures and maintaining aircraft integrity.
2Reliability
If redundant flight control components are implemented to ensure safety during failures, then reliability improves, but weight of the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial redundancy by having a primary flight controller and a secondary flight controller, where the secondary controller serves as backup only when needed. This partial redundancy provides sufficient safety during failures without duplicating the entire flight control system, thereby minimizing the weight increase while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If the flight control system continuously monitors for component failures and performs real-time torque allocation, then safety is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system continuously monitors component status and performs real-time torque allocation based on feedback from sensors and system state. This feedback mechanism enables the system to detect failures immediately and adjust torque distribution to maintain safe operation, ensuring continuous safety monitoring while optimizing energy use through intelligent control adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for flight control configured for use in an electric aircraft includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and configured to detect an aircraft angle and an aircraft angle rate. The system includes a flight controller including an outer loop controller configured to receive the input datum from the sensor, receive the aircraft angle from the IMU, and generate a rate setpoint as a function of the input datum. The system includes an inner loop controller configured to receive the aircraft angle rate, receive the rate setpoint from the outer loop controller, and generate a moment datum as a function of the rate setpoint. The system includes a mixer configured to receive the moment datum, perform a torque allocation as a function of the moment datum, and generate a motor command datum as a function of the torque allocation.