RDPC Brake Control Architecture for Redundant Aircraft Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft brake systems face challenges with the weight and complexity of electric brake actuators, which can impact safety and efficiency, particularly due to the need for additional wiring and redundant systems to ensure reliability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a remote data and power concentrator (RDPC) architecture that allows for the primary and secondary brake control units to independently control electric brake actuators without increasing the number of actuators or wires, providing redundancy and improved braking control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electric brake actuators are used with redundant control units, then braking safety and reliability are improved, but system weight and complexity increase due to additional wiring and components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the primary and secondary brake control units into a single integrated architecture where both control units share common wiring harnesses and electrical connections to the brake actuators. This merging approach allows redundant control functionality without duplicating the entire wiring system, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing overall system complexity and weight
Solution Approach 2:
The wiring harness is designed to serve multiple functions and multiple control units simultaneously. The same physical wiring infrastructure supports both primary and secondary brake control units, allowing the system to maintain redundant control capabilities without requiring separate dedicated wiring for each control unit, thus reducing complexity while preserving safety
2Reliability
If electric brake actuators are used with redundant control units, then braking safety and reliability are improved, but system weight increases due to additional components and wiring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wiring infrastructure for primary and secondary control units into a single shared system. By combining the electrical pathways and using common connectors and harnesses, the physical weight of duplicated wiring is eliminated while maintaining the redundant control architecture necessary for safety
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of physically duplicating entire wiring harnesses for redundant control, the patent uses logical copying where the same physical wiring infrastructure supports multiple control units. The redundancy is achieved through control logic and signal routing rather than physical duplication of heavy wiring components
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a system including a primary brake control unit, a secondary brake control unit, a first remote data power concentrator configured to receive a first command from the primary brake control unit and a second command from the secondary brake control unit, and an electric brake actuator configured to receive the first command or the second command from the first remote data power concentrator in response to a first signal.