Hybrid Mechanical-Electronic Aircraft Flight Control System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large and fast aircraft require more forceful control than manual systems can provide, leading to complexity and failure risks in mechanical and fully powered systems, with fly-by-wire systems not being suitable for all aircraft types.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid system combining mechanical and electronic control of aircraft flight surfaces, where a mechanical linkage provides natural feedback and a computing device supplements control, ensuring redundancy and optimal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual mechanical linkages are used to control aircraft surfaces, then the system provides direct and reliable feedback to the operator, but the system has poor failure tolerance and requires redundant load paths
Solution Approach 1:
The control surface is divided into multiple independent segments, each capable of being controlled by separate actuators. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even if one actuator fails, as other segments can still be controlled independently, thereby improving failure tolerance without requiring complete redundancy of the entire control system.
Solution Approach 2:
A control system with multiple independent actuators and control paths is introduced as an intermediary between the operator's input and the control surface. This intermediary system provides alternative control paths that can take over if one path fails, improving reliability while distributing the complexity across multiple independent components rather than requiring complete redundancy.
2Force
If fully powered control systems are used to provide additional force for large and fast aircraft, then manual control becomes adequate, but the systems add complexity and additional failure modes
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of implementing a fully powered control system across all control surfaces, the invention applies powered assistance only to specific segments or portions of control surfaces where additional force is most needed. This partial application of powered control provides the necessary force augmentation while limiting the overall complexity and number of failure modes compared to a complete powered system.
Solution Approach 2:
The control surface is segmented into portions that can be controlled manually and portions that receive powered assistance. This segmentation allows the system to provide additional force where necessary while maintaining simple manual control elsewhere, thereby reducing overall system complexity while still meeting the force requirements for large and fast aircraft.
3Force
If fully powered systems are used, then control force is sufficient, but natural force feedback to the operator is lost requiring artificial feel systems
Solution Approach 1:
The control surface is divided into segments where at least one segment maintains direct mechanical linkage to the operator's controls, preserving natural force feedback. Other segments may be powered, but the mechanically linked segment ensures the operator receives authentic aerodynamic feedback, eliminating the need for artificial feel systems while still providing sufficient total control force through the powered segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges manually controlled segments that provide natural force feedback with powered segments that provide additional control force. This combination allows the aircraft to benefit from both natural feedback through the mechanical linkage and sufficient control force through the powered assistance, eliminating the need for separate artificial feel systems.
4Reliability
If redundant and independent load paths are implemented in manual systems, then failure tolerance improves, but additional hardware and mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The control surface is segmented into multiple independent sections, each capable of being controlled by separate actuators. This segmentation provides inherent redundancy - if one actuator or load path fails, the other segments can still be controlled independently to maintain safe flight, reducing the need for additional redundant hardware compared to traditional fully redundant systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed so that segments and actuators can serve multiple functions - they can operate independently for redundancy, work together for enhanced control authority, and allow for flexible failure modes where remaining functional segments can compensate for failures, thereby reducing the quantity of dedicated redundant hardware needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for a controlling an aircraft with flight control surfaces that are controlled both manually and by a computing device is disclosed. The present invention improves overall flight control operation by reducing the mechanical flight control surface components while providing sufficient back-up control capability in the event of either a mechanical or power-related failure. Through the present invention, natural feedback is provided to the operator from the mechanical flight control surface which operates independent of computer-aided flight control surfaces.