Redundant Actuator Control System with Switching Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuator control systems face challenges in achieving redundancy and simplification for controlling aircraft control surfaces during generic failures, as they require multiple components and complex switching mechanisms, making it difficult to ensure continuous operation from start to finish.
Innovation Solution
An actuator control system with two distinct control portions and monitoring portions that switch between them when abnormalities are detected, allowing for redundancy and simplification by using a switching unit to connect either control signal to the actuator, thereby enabling continuous operation even during generic failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple actuator control apparatuses with different design control portions are provided to achieve redundancy, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple control portions (first control portion 25 and second control portion 26) and their respective monitoring functions into a single actuator control apparatus (12). The switching unit (29, 36) integrates the selection logic to choose between control signals from different design control portions, achieving redundancy without requiring separate apparatuses. This merging approach maintains reliability while reducing configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator control apparatus is designed with multi-functional capability to perform both normal control operations and redundancy management functions. The switching unit can operate in normal mode (using primary control portion) and fail-safe mode (switching to backup control portion), making the single apparatus universal enough to handle multiple operational scenarios without requiring separate specialized devices.
2Reliability
If complex switching mechanisms are implemented to ensure continuous operation during failures, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator control apparatus performs self-monitoring and automatic failover without requiring manual intervention. The monitoring portions (22, 23) continuously check for abnormalities in the control portions, and the switching unit (29, 36) automatically switches between control signals when a failure is detected, enabling the system to serve itself during failure scenarios and maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring through monitoring portions that detect abnormalities in control portions. This feedback mechanism provides real-time information about system health, enabling the switching unit to make informed decisions about when to switch between control portions, ensuring continuous operation while keeping the switching logic simple and rule-based.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An operation control apparatus includes a command generation portion that generates a command signal for commanding operation of a control surface, and first and second monitoring portions that monitor an abnormality of operation of first and second control portions, respectively, of the actuator control apparatus. The actuator control apparatus includes first and second control portions that generate a control signal for an actuator for driving the control surface and that are different in design, and a switching unit that switches the connection to the actuator from one of the first and second control portions to the other, when an abnormality is detected by the first and second monitoring portions. Accordingly, it is possible to monitor a generic failure, and realize redundancy enabling control of the overall operation of the actuator, from start to finish, when a generic failure has occurred, thus realizing further simplification and streamlining of the configuration.