VTOL Rotor Thrust Allocation Using Health-Based Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft systems that take off and land vertically but also fly forward face limitations in extending flight time and range without adding new components, particularly challenging for ultralight aircraft with stringent weight requirements.
Innovation Solution
A technique that determines commands for rotor modules based on health metrics, such as temperature, voltage, and usage, to allocate thrust more efficiently, ensuring healthier rotor modules handle additional loads and extending the flight time and range by preventing premature landings due to unhealthy rotor modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If flight time and range are extended by adding new components, then duration of action is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes operational parameters by dynamically adjusting thrust allocation based on rotor health metrics. Instead of adding physical components to extend flight time, the system modifies control parameters (thrust commands) to optimize the use of existing rotors, allowing extended flight duration without increasing aircraft weight.
2Productivity
If thrust is allocated without considering rotor health, then productivity is maintained, but reliability deteriorates due to premature rotor failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring rotor health metrics and using this information to adjust thrust allocation. The health-based feedback loop allows the system to maintain productivity by redistributing thrust away from deteriorating rotors, thereby preventing premature failures and improving overall reliability without sacrificing flight performance.
3Reliability
If thrust is reduced on unhealthy rotor modules, then reliability is improved, but productivity decreases due to insufficient total thrust
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by continuously adapting thrust allocation based on real-time rotor health conditions. When a rotor's health deteriorates, the system dynamically redistributes its thrust burden to healthier rotors, maintaining sufficient total thrust for productive flight operations while protecting unreliable rotors from further degradation, thus balancing reliability and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vertical takeoff and landing vehicle which includes an allocation block that receives a set of desired forces or desired moments and a health metric associated with at least one of: (1) a motor controller or (2) a rotor that operates in a vertical takeoff and landing mode at least some of the time. A command signal is determined per a first manner that attempts to satisfy both the set of desired forces or desired moments and the health metric. If the command signal is unable to be determined in the first manner, a second manner is used that prioritizes flight control associated with one or more of a roll axis or a pitch axis over flight control associated with a yaw axis where the axes are mutually orthogonal. The command signal is output to the motor controller that controls the rotor using the command signal.