VTOL Emergency Landing Control for Fail-Active Safe Touchdown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flight control systems for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles lack fail-active capabilities to automatically navigate to a safe landing zone during emergencies, such as component failures or damage, requiring pilot intervention in dangerous situations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automated VTOL aircraft emergency landing, incorporating a state data module, vehicle health module, acceptable landing zone module, 3D world model, and damage-tolerant autopilot to monitor aircraft and environmental conditions, assess damage, and generate a safe landing path, enabling autonomous control to a preferred landing zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fail-passive approach is used where the flight control system disengages control and returns it to the pilot in dangerous situations, then the system complexity is reduced, but the reliability and safety of emergency landing is worsened because pilot intervention is required in dangerous situations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-programming emergency landing procedures and contingencies into the flight control system. The fail-active approach pre-establishes automated responses to various failure modes, so when emergencies occur, the system already has predetermined actions ready to execute without requiring pilot intervention. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reasonable system complexity while dramatically improving emergency landing safety through pre-planned automated responses.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight control system provides self-service by autonomously detecting failures, selecting appropriate contingencies, and executing emergency landing procedures without pilot input. The system monitors its own health status, automatically engages fail-active modes when needed, and guides the aircraft to safe landing zones. This self-service capability improves emergency safety while keeping the system architecture relatively simple by eliminating the need for complex pilot-training programs and manual intervention protocols.
2Reliability
If automated emergency landing control is implemented, then the reliability and safety of emergency landing is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional modules and fail-active capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system achieves universality by designing a multi-functional architecture that handles both normal flight operations and emergency contingencies within a single integrated system. The same flight control computer that manages routine flight also executes emergency landing procedures, and the sensor suite used for normal navigation also detects failure conditions. This multi-functionality improves emergency safety without proportionally increasing complexity, as the system leverages existing components for dual purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamics by implementing adaptive control that automatically adjusts its behavior based on detected conditions. The flight control system transitions between normal operation mode and fail-active emergency mode dynamically, selecting appropriate control laws and contingencies based on real-time system health assessment. This dynamic adaptability improves emergency safety while maintaining manageable complexity by using the same hardware platform that flexibly changes its software control strategy rather than requiring dedicated emergency hardware.
3Reliability
If the system continuously monitors aircraft state, environmental conditions, and vehicle health to generate safe landing paths, then the reliability of emergency landing is improved, but the use of energy and computational resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuity of useful action by continuously monitoring aircraft state and environmental conditions even during normal flight, rather than only activating sensors and computations during emergencies. The flight control system continuously executes the navigation function, keeping algorithms warm and data fresh. This continuous operation improves emergency landing reliability by ensuring the system is always ready to generate safe landing paths without requiring intensive last-minute computational bursts that would consume excessive energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary computational actions by pre-calculating potential emergency landing paths and contingencies during normal flight when energy consumption is lower and system resources are abundant. The flight control computer prepares contingency plans in advance, so when an emergency occurs, the system can quickly execute pre-computed solutions rather than performing intensive real-time optimization under stress. This preliminary computation improves emergency reliability while managing energy use by spreading computational load over time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for automated vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft emergency landing is disclosed. The system receives a plurality of inputs from onboard modules including aircraft state, vehicle health, acceptable landing zone (LZ), emergency landing path, and 3D world model to prepare an emergency landing procedure when necessary. If functional onboard an unmanned VTOL aircraft, the vehicle health module determines an emergency landing requirement, the system commands a damage tolerant autopilot to perform the emergency procedure and automatically control the VTOL aircraft. If functional onboard a manned VTOL aircraft, an operator or the vehicle health module initiates the emergency landing. Regardless of initiation, the emergency landing system controls, or provides guidance for manned control of, the VTOL aircraft from the point of initiation through touchdown at a threat differentiated preferred LZ via failure-based flight control inputs for automatic landing, or autonomous autorotation entry, glide, and flare.