Aircraft Landing Gear Control System with Relaying Unit for Pilot Incapacitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft landing gear control systems lack efficient automatic extension and retraction capabilities in case of pilot incapacitation, requiring complex installations and significant alterations to existing systems, which hinders widespread adoption.
Innovation Solution
A landing gear control system with a relaying unit that can extend or retract the landing gear in response to both pilot operation and automatic detection of incapacitation, using a combination of hydraulic and freefall systems with an electric motor for redundancy, allowing for single-pilot operations and easy retrofitting without significant cockpit modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automatic landing gear extension is implemented in case of pilot incapacitation, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A relaying unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the pilot input device and the landing gear control unit. This relaying unit receives signals from either the pilot or the pilot health monitoring system and relays them to the control unit, enabling automatic extension without requiring complex integration into the existing control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The landing gear control system is segmented into distinct functional components: the pilot input device, the relaying unit, the control unit, and the health monitoring system. This segmentation allows the automatic safety function to be added as a separate module rather than redesigning the entire control system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing aircraft systems are converted to include automatic extension capability, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The relaying unit is designed with universal functionality that can be integrated into existing landing gear control systems of various aircraft types. It can relay signals from multiple sources (pilot input or health monitoring system) to the control unit, making it adaptable to different aircraft configurations without requiring custom manufacturing for each platform.
3Ease of operation
If single pilot operations are enabled, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A pilot health monitoring system provides continuous feedback on the pilot's health status. When incapacitation is detected, this feedback triggers the relaying unit to automatically extend the landing gear, ensuring that single-pilot operations maintain the same safety level as multi-pilot operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the aircraft to self-monitor and self-correct in case of pilot incapacitation. The health monitoring system automatically detects the problem and triggers the landing gear extension without requiring assistance from another pilot, allowing single-pilot operations to maintain reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft has a landing gear that can be extended and retracted and a landing gear control system that is configured so that it can cause extension/retraction of the landing gear of the aircraft in response to pilot operation of a landing gear lever. The control system is also configured such that in the scenario of pilot incapacitation, it can cause extension/retraction of the landing gear of the aircraft in response to an automated command for landing gear extension/retraction. A kit of parts including a relaying unit can be used for converting an existing aircraft to one that has this functionality. There is also a method of automatically extending/retracting landing gear, for example in the event of pilot incapacitation when performing single-pilot operation of the aircraft.