Methods and apparatus to validate an aircraft control system command

• US 10,315,752 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Niemiec, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Shardul D
• Application Number:
  US15/383,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20180170518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 701120, 244 49, 244102, 244124, 280414, 92 14
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/56 Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 Drag reduction

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to validate an aircraft control system command are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a detection module to determine a status of a component of a folding wingtip assembly operatively coupled to a wing of an aircraft and determine a flight stage of the aircraft. The example apparatus further includes a sequence and control module to generate a command to control a movement of the folding wingtip assembly, and a gatekeeper module to validate the command based on the status and the flight stage.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a detection module to;

determine a status of a component of a folding wingtip assembly operatively coupled to a wing of an aircraft via a sensor, the status including at least one of the component in an extended position, a folded position, or an intermediate position; and

determine a flight stage of the aircraft;

a sequence and control module to generate a first command to control a movement of the folding wingtip assembly; and

a gatekeeper module to;

validate the first command based on at least one of the status or the flight stage by;

replacing the first command with a second command when the first command violates a folding wingtip rule based on the status, the second command to control the movement of the folding wingtip assembly; and

validating the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule; and

control the movement of the folding wingtip assembly based on the first command or the second command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status is an operational status of the component.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flight stage includes whether the aircraft is in flight or in motion on a ground surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gatekeeper module includes:

a flight stage analyzer to generate a flight stage rule based on the flight stage; and

a safety interlocker to;

replace the first command with the second command when the first command violates the flight stage rule; and

validate the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule and the flight stage rule.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status is a first status and the component is a first component, and further including a monitor and annunciation module to:

determine if the first status is valid;

identify if there is a second component that is redundant to the first component when the first status is not valid; and

replace the first status with a second status when the second component is identified, the second status corresponding to the second component.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the gatekeeper module is to validate the first command based on the flight stage and either of the first status or the second status, a use of either the first status or the second status is based on whether the first status is valid.

7. A method, comprising:

determining a status of a component of a folding wingtip assembly operatively coupled to a wing of an aircraft via a sensor, the status including at least one of the component in an extended position, a folded position, or an intermediate position;

determining a flight stage of the aircraft;

generating a first command to control a movement of the folding wingtip assembly;

validating, by executing an instruction with a processor, the first command based on at least one of the status or the flight stage by;

replacing the first command with a second command when the first command violates a folding wingtip rule based on the status, the second command to control the movement of the folding wingtip assembly; and

validating the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule; and

controlling the movement of the folding wingtip assembly based on the first command or the second command.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the status is an operational status of the component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the flight stage includes whether the aircraft is in flight or in motion on a ground surface.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein validating the first command includes:

generating a flight stage rule based on the flight stage;

replacing the first command with the second command when the first command violates the flight stage rule; and

validating the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule and the flight stage rule.

11. The method of claim 10, further including dropping the first command when the first command violates at least one of the folding wingtip rule or the flight stage rule.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the status is a first status and the component is a first component, and further including:

determining if the first status is valid;

identifying if there is a second component that is redundant to the first component when the first status is not valid; and

replacing the first status with a second status when the second component is identified, the second status corresponding to the second component.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein validating the first command is based on the flight stage and either of the first status or the second status, a use of either the first status or the second status is based on whether the first status is valid.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

determine a status of a component of a folding wingtip assembly operatively coupled to a wing of an aircraft via a sensor, the status including at least one of the component in an extended position, a folded position, or an intermediate position;

determine a flight stage of the aircraft;

generate a first command to control a movement of the folding wingtip assembly;

validate the first command based on at least one of the status or the flight stage by;

replacing the first command with a second command when the first command violates a folding wingtip rule based on the status, the second command to control the movement of the folding wingtip assembly; and

validating the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule; and

control the movement of the folding wingtip assembly based on the first command or the second command.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the status is an operational status of the component.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the flight stage includes whether the aircraft is in flight or in motion on a ground surface.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to valdiate the first command by:

generating a flight stage rule based on the flight stage;

replacing the first command with the second command when the first command violates the flight stage rule; and

validating the first command to be used to control the movement when the first command does not violate the folding wingtip rule and the flight stage rule.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to drop the first command when the first command violates at least one of the status folding wingtip rule or the flight stage rule.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the status is a first status and the component is a first component, and wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to at least:

determine if the first status is valid;

identify if there is a second component that is redundant to the first component when the first status is not valid; and

replace the first status with a second status when the second component is identified, the second status corresponding to the second component.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to validate the first command based on the flight stage and either of the first status or the second status, a use of either the first status or the second status is based on whether the first status is valid.