CONTROL AND COMMAND ASSEMBLY FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20100200705A1
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EADS Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: EADS Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Perez, Rafael Fradejas
• Application Number:
  US12/422,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20100200705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/76.R
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/0421 control sticks for primary flight controls

Abstract

The invention relates to a control and command assembly for an aircraft, particularly for controlling and commanding aircraft flight control surfaces, as well as for controlling and commanding aircraft devices requiring aerodynamic control, comprising:

• • actuation means for moving the flight control surfaces; an automatic flight control system for the aircraft or aircraft device, connected to actuation means for moving the flight control surfaces; and
  • at least one flight control knob (1) on which the operator or pilot acts and which receives a force (2) applied by the pilot, connected to the automatic flight control system and to the actuation means for moving the flight control surfaces, and which comprises:
  • means for generating force on the knob and
  • means for detecting the position of the knob;
  • the flight control knob (1) further comprising:
  • means for detecting the force (2) applied on the knob (1); and
  • at least one control unit receiving information about the position of the knob (1) and about the force (2) applied on the knob, sending this information to the means for generating force on the knob (1).

Claims

1. A control and command assembly for controlling and commanding flight control surfaces of an aircraft, as well as controlling and commanding aircraft devices requiring aerodynamic control, comprising:

actuation means for moving the flight control surfaces;

an automatic flight control system for the aircraft or aircraft device, connected to the actuation means for moving the flight control surfaces; and

at least one flight control knob (1) on which the operator or pilot acts and which receives a force (2) applied by the pilot, connected to the automatic flight control system and to the actuations means for moving the flight control surfaces, and which comprises;

means for generating force on the knob and

means for detecting the position of the knob;

characterized in that the flight control knob (1) further comprises;

means for detecting the force (2) applied on the knob (1); and

at least one control unit receiving information about the position of the knob (1) and of the force (2) applied on the knob, sending this information to the means for generating force on the knob (1).

2. The control and command assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting the force (2) applied on the knob (1) comprise at least one load cell (6).

3. The control and command assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the aircraft device requiring aerodynamic control is an in-flight refueling boom, the aircraft being a tanker airplane adapted to refuel a receiver airplane.

4. The control and command assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the automatic flight control system is an automatic load relief system.

5. The control and command assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the automatic load relief system is a system for lightening the loads occurring in the boom and its connections to the tanker airplane and to the receiver airplane, when the boom is connected to the receiver airplane.

6. The control and command assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for generating force on the knob (1) are electric motors (7).

7. The control and command assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting the position of the knob (1) comprise at least one resolver (8 or 9) and at least one potentiometer (12, 13, 14 or 15).

8. The control and command assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that it further has second means for generating force on the knob, comprising elastic devices which allow passing into safe mode in the event of a failure.