VTOL Aircraft Control Monitoring for Navigation State Deviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft monitoring systems, particularly in vertical take-off and landing multirotor aircraft, face challenges such as inability to detect faults during the concept and planning phase, common faults due to shared development, undetectable integration and installation faults, reliance on redundancy for fault management, and lack of support for maintenance and service life extension.
Innovation Solution
A novel monitoring system that uses a second computing unit to check if control commands are suitable for the aircraft's physical state, comparing the current navigation state with the desired state within prescribed limits, and generating control signals to address deviations, thereby preventing loss of functionality and enabling continuous operation or warning messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a second computing unit monitors the first computing unit to detect faults, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A second computing unit (MON) is introduced as an intermediary monitoring component that independently validates control commands generated by the first computing unit (COM). The MON unit acts as a mediator that checks whether control commands are suitable for the given physical state of the aircraft and pilot input, detecting faults without requiring complete system redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system implements feedback by having the second computing unit continuously check control commands and provide validation information back to the control system. This feedback mechanism enables fault detection by comparing actual system state with expected behavior based on pilot input and physical constraints.
2Measurement precision
If the monitoring system checks control commands against physical state and pilot input, then measurement precision is improved, but computing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system performs partial validation by checking specific critical aspects of control commands (suitability for physical state and pilot input) rather than complete re-computation. This partial action approach achieves sufficient fault detection precision while consuming limited computing resources and energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the monitoring approach from complete command re-generation to parameter-based validation, checking whether control commands match expected parameters derived from pilot input and physical state. This parameter change reduces computational load while maintaining detection accuracy.
3Reliability
If the second computing unit generates control signals for deviations, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system enables self-service by allowing the second computing unit to autonomously generate control signals when deviations are detected. This self-service capability ensures continuous operation without requiring external intervention while maintaining system reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling an aircraft, in particular a VTOL multirotor aircraft, in which flight influencing units of the aircraft a) are supplied with control commands via a first/control channel from a first computer (COM), which control commands originate or are derived from a pilot input (PE), and b) the control commands are monitored by a second/monitoring channel and a second computer (MON), which checks whether the control commands are suitable for a given physical state of the aircraft and the pilot input, c) the second computer determines whether a current navigation state of the aircraft coincides with the pilot input, which has been transformed into a desired navigation state of the aircraft, preferably by the second computer, within a prescribed deviation, and d) a control signal for controlling the aircraft is generated in dependence on a determination result of step c).