Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Aeronautical vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-16
2003-11-18
Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Aeronautical vehicle
C701S003000, C701S011000, C244S175000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650973
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flight control system for controlling a flight of an aircraft. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a flight control system including an actuator control computer and a flight control computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until now, there has been proposed a wide variety of flight control systems for controlling a flight of an aircraft. One typical example of the conventional flight control system is known as Fly By Wire System, hereinlater simply referred to as “FBW” system, which enables to control an actuator actuating flight control surfaces, for example, ailerons, by means of electric signals. The conventional flight control system
1100
is exemplified and shown in
FIG. 2
as comprising an actuator control computer
1300
, hereinlater simply referred to as “ACC”, a flight control computer
1200
, hereinlater simply referred to as “FCC”, and an actuator
1400
.
The FCC
1200
is operative to receive an operational instruction
1500
a
from a pilot and a state signal
1500
b
indicative of the state of the aircraft from the aircraft, and generate an instruction signal
1100
a
to operate the actuator
1400
of the aircraft. The actuator
1400
is operative to actuate the flight control surfaces and output a feedback signal
1400
a
in return. The ACC
1300
is operative to receive the instruction signal
1100
a
from the FCC
1200
and the feedback signal
1400
a
from the actuator
1400
to generate an actuator control signal
1100
b
on the basis of the instruction signal and the feedback signal thus received.
Furthermore, the conventional flight control system
1100
employs various fault detections to prevent failures from occurring in the FCC
1200
and the ACC
1300
because of the fact that the conventional flight control system
1100
is required to accurately control a flight of an aircraft. A processor or software is subjected to failures such as, for example, a failure randomly occurring, hereinlater simply referred to as “random failures”. The FCC
1200
may comprise, for example, a plurality of FCC microprocessors identical in design and software with one another and have a plurality of FCC microprocessors respectively generate a plurality of instruction signals
1100
a
to detect random failures occurring in the processor or software. A processor or software is subjected to another failure consequently occurring due to the characteristics inherent in the processor or software, hereinlater simply referred to as “generic failures”. The FCC
1200
may comprise, for example, a plurality of FCC microprocessors different in design and software from one another and have a plurality of FCC microprocessors respectively generate a plurality of instruction signals
1100
a
to detect generic failures occurring in the processor or software. While it has been described in the above that the FCC
1200
may comprise a plurality of FCC microprocessors to detect random and generic failures, it is needless to mention that the ACC
1300
may comprise a plurality of ACC microprocessors to detect random and generic failures in the same manner.
The conventional flight control system
1100
, however, encounters a drawback that the conventional flight control system
1100
is required to comprise, for example, a plurality of ACC microprocessors different in design and software from one another and have a plurality of ACC microprocessors respectively generate a plurality of instruction signals
100
a
to detect generic failures consequently occurring due to the characteristics inherent in the ACC microprocessor or software related to the ACC microprocessor. This leads to the fact that the conventional flight control system
1100
requires suppliers to develop and produce a plurality of microprocessors different from one another in design and a plurality of software different from one another in design in order to detect generic failures due to the characteristics inherent in the processor or software, thereby making it difficult for the suppliers to reduce the development and manufacturing costs. The present invention contemplates resolution of such problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a flight control system, which does not require suppliers to develop and produce a plurality of ACC processors
320
different from one another in design and software in order to detect failures, thereby making it possible for the suppliers to reduce the development and manufacturing costs while enabling to detect generic failures consequently occurring due to the characteristics inherent in the ACC processor or software related to the ACC processor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flight control system, which does not require suppliers to develop and produce a plurality of ACC processors
320
different from one another in design and software in order to detect failures, thereby making it possible for the suppliers to reduce the development and manufacturing costs while enabling to prevent an actuator from being controlled by failed ACC.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flight control system for controlling a flight of an aircraft, comprising: an actuator for actuating flight control surfaces; a flight control computer for operating the actuator; and an actuator control computer for controlling the operation of the actuator. The flight control computer comprises: an FCC processor for generating an instruction signal to operate the actuator on the basis of an operational instruction signal inputted from a pilot and a state signal indicative of the state of an aircraft, a reference signal on the basis of the instruction signal and a feedback signal from the actuator. The actuator control computer comprises: an ACC processor for generating an actuator control signal on the basis of the instruction signal generated by the FCC processor and the feedback signal from the actuator, and a servo amplifier for amplifying the actuator control signal generated by the ACC processor to be outputted to the actuator. The actuator is operative to actuate the flight control surfaces in accordance with the actuator control signal amplified by the servo amplifier. In the aforesaid flight control system, the flight control computer further comprises: a comparing section for comparing the actuator control signal generated by the ACC processor with the reference signal generated by the FCC processor to detect a failure. The FCC processor is different in design from the ACC processor. In the aforesaid flight control system, the FCC processor may generate the reference signal in accordance with FCC software. The ACC processor may generate the actuator control signal in accordance with ACC software. The FCC software may be different from the ACC software in design.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flight control system for controlling a flight of an aircraft, comprising: an actuator for actuating flight control surfaces; a flight control computer for operating the actuator; and an actuator control computer for controlling the operation of the actuator. The flight control computer comprises: an FCC processor for generating an instruction signal to operate the actuator on the basis of an operational instruction signal inputted from a pilot and a state signal indicative of the state of an aircraft, a reference signal on the basis of the instruction signal and a feedback signal from the actuator. The actuator control computer comprises: an ACC processor for generating an actuator control signal on the basis of the instruction signal generated by the FCC processor and the feedback signal from the actuator, and a servo amplifier for amplifying the actuator control signal generated by the ACC processor to be outputted to the actuator. The actuator is operative to actuate the flight control surfaces in accordance with the actuator control
Aitkin Andrew C.
Marc-Coleman Marthe Y.
Teijin Seiki Co. Ltd.
Venable LLP
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