Remote eVTOL Piloting With Autonomous Flight Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric aircraft piloting systems pose risks to pilots and passengers and are inefficient in handling wide environmental ranges.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for remote piloting of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) using a remote device outside the aircraft to transmit flight command inputs to an onboard flight controller, enabling autonomous flight control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pilot is present in the electric aircraft, then the aircraft can be controlled directly, but the risk to the pilot and passengers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pilot is extracted from the aircraft cabin and relocated to a remote ground station. The flight control functions are separated from the physical pilot, allowing the pilot to operate the aircraft remotely without being physically present in the aircraft environment, thereby eliminating risks to the pilot and passengers while maintaining direct control capability
Solution Approach 2:
A communication system serves as an intermediary between the remote pilot and the aircraft flight controller. This intermediary transmits flight command inputs from the remote pilot through a communication interface to the flight controller, enabling indirect control while maintaining system reliability and reducing direct exposure risks
2Adaptability or versatility
If the aircraft operates in wide environmental ranges, then the versatility increases, but the complexity of handling various conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight controller is equipped with autonomous capabilities to independently handle various environmental conditions and flight scenarios. The system uses sensor inputs from multiple sensors to automatically adjust flight parameters and navigate through different environmental ranges without requiring complex manual intervention, thereby increasing versatility while managing complexity through automation
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors provide continuous feedback about the aircraft's environmental conditions, flight status, and operational parameters to the flight controller. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically adapt to wide environmental ranges by real-time adjustment of control parameters, enhancing versatility while keeping the control system manageable through intelligent automation
3Reliability
If autonomous flight control is implemented, then the pilot risk is reduced, but the automation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous flight control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a flight controller for autonomous decision-making, multiple specialized sensors for environmental perception, a communication interface for remote pilot interaction, and an autonomous navigation subsystem. This segmentation manages automation complexity by distributing functions across independent modules while maintaining overall system safety and reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for the remote piloting of an electric aircraft is illustrated. The system comprises a remote device located outside an electric aircraft, wherein the remote device is configured to receive a flight command input from a user and transmit the flight command input to a flight controller located on the aircraft. The flight controller is located inside the aircraft and configured to receive the flight command input from the remote device and enact the flight command autonomously as a function of the flight command input.