VTOL Flight Control With Decoupled Stick Inputs Across Flight Regimes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing VTOL aircraft require pilots to adapt complex control strategies across different airspeed regimes, increasing mental workload and necessitating multiple control elements, which complicates transitions between vertical and forward flight.
Innovation Solution
A flight control system featuring two pivotable stick members and a flight control computer that decouples cross-motions, allowing for intuitive control of longitudinal, lateral, and vertical motions without additional levers or pedals, ensuring consistent pilot input across flight phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different control strategies are used for vertical and forward flight, then aircraft control is achieved in different airspeed regimes, but pilot mental workload increases and control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using a single unified control strategy that functions across all flight regimes (vertical, hover, and forward flight). The control system universally applies decoupled control logic regardless of airspeed regime, eliminating the need for separate control strategies and reducing pilot mental workload while maintaining adaptability through the flight control computer's ability to handle different flight phases with the same control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges previously separate control functions into a unified control system. By combining vertical motion control, longitudinal motion control, lateral motion control, and directional motion control into a single decoupled control framework, the system eliminates the need for multiple separate control elements and strategies, thereby reducing overall control system complexity while maintaining comprehensive control capability across all flight regimes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple control elements are provided for different flight modes, then control functionality is enhanced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased pilot workload
Solution Approach 1:
The control system uses a universal decoupled control approach that works across all flight modes, allowing the pilot to operate the aircraft using the same intuitive control method regardless of whether in vertical, hover, or forward flight. This universality enhances operational ease by eliminating the need for the pilot to learn and switch between different control techniques for different flight phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight control computer automatically determines the current flight phase and applies the appropriate decoupled control logic without requiring pilot intervention to switch control modes. The system serves itself by autonomously adapting the control strategy based on flight conditions, thereby reducing pilot workload and improving ease of operation while maintaining full control functionality across all flight modes.
3Measurement precision
If additional control elements like levers and pedals are added, then control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple control functions into a simplified control interface using only two stick members. By combining what would traditionally require separate control elements (throttle, stick, nacelle angle lever, rudder pedals) into a unified stick-based control system with decoupled axes, the system maintains control precision through the flight control computer's ability to process and decouple control inputs while dramatically reducing the number of physical control elements the pilot must manipulate.
4Measurement precision
If control strategies are adapted for each airspeed regime, then control accuracy is improved, but training requirements and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The unified control strategy provides a universal control method that maintains control accuracy across all airspeed regimes without requiring pilots to learn multiple separate control techniques. This universality significantly reduces training time and requirements while preserving control precision, as pilots learn a single consistent control approach that works effectively in vertical, hover, and forward flight conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a flight control system for a VTOL aircraft comprising a first and a second manual control apparatus for inputting control commands by an operator, a flight control computer, which is connected to the first and second manual control apparatuses and configured to output flight control instructions based on pivot positions of the first and second stick members with respect to the first to fourth control axes, wherein the flight control computer is adapted to derive and output flight control instructions, while at least partially eliminating cross-coupling between the individual directions of motion for longitudinal motion control based on the pivot position of the first stick member with respect to the first control axis.