Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Method and apparatus for aircraft sensor and actuator failure protection using reconfigurable flight control laws
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Application No.: US14321443Application Date: 2014-07-01
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Publication No.: US09701404B2Publication Date: 2017-07-11
- Inventor: Shyhpyng Jack Shue , John James Corrigan , Eric Thomas Bird , Tommie Lynn Wood , Alan Carl Ewing
- Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
- Applicant Address: US RI Providence
- Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
- Current Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US RI Providence
- Agent James E. Walton
- Main IPC: B64C11/00
- IPC: B64C11/00 ; B64C27/54 ; G05D1/00 ; G05D1/08 ; G05B19/042 ; G05B23/02 ; B64C19/00

Abstract:
A method and apparatus for reconfiguring flight control of an aircraft during a failure while the aircraft is flying. The method and apparatus provide a control law that is software-implemented and configured to automatically send flight control data to a mixing/mapping matrix. The method and apparatus also provide a reconfiguration management tool configured to communicate with the mixing/mapping matrix in order to safely transfer authority from a failed actuator to a back-up actuator. The method and apparatus also provide a sensor management tool for providing input to the reconfiguration management tool in order to smooth any transient conditions that may occur during reconfiguration. The method and apparatus provide for a way of smoothing any possible transient situation that might otherwise occur by employment of a fader, the fader being used to gradually convert positioning of failed actuators and positioning of reconfigured actuators. An exemplary aircraft for using the method and apparatus of a reconfigurable flight control system is a quad tilt rotor. The quad tilt rotor provides a variety of redundant and back-actuators, as such, having a robust and highly qualified reconfigurable flight control system is very desirable.
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