AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED MODULAR ARCHITECTURE

• US 20120109424A1
• Filed: 03/10/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Fervel, Marc, Lecanu, Arnaud, Maussion, Antoine, Aubert, Jean-Jacques
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/505 having duplication or stand-by provisions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An aircraft control system in which a plurality of elementary control systems, corresponding to different aircraft functions, can share one or more sensors due to a common AFDX network. The transmission of commands is carried out via AFDX messages sent to network-subscribed actuators. Advantageously, the computers of the different elementary control systems installed in the avionics bay include generic computers hosting software specific to execution of respective functions thereof (IMA architecture).

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An aircraft control system comprising:

a first control system, configured to control a first function of the aircraft;

a second control system, separate from the first control system, configured to control a second function of the aircraft, separate from the first function;

the first control system comprising at least one first computer, a first set of sensors and first actuators, the first computer configured to receive measurements from the first sensors and to control the first actuators of the first set;

the second control system comprising at least one second computation module, a second set of sensors and second actuators, the second computer configured to receive measurements from the second sensors and to control the second actuators of the second set,

wherein the first and second computers, the first and second sensors, and the first and second actuators of the first and second sets subscribe to a same AFDX network and the first and second sets have at least one shared sensor.

17. The aircraft control system according to claim 16, wherein the first and second computers each comprise a control channel and a monitoring channel, each channel including software specific to the function performed by the computer, housed by a generic computer, the specific software of the first channel being different from the specific software of the second channel.

18. The aircraft control system according to claim 16, wherein the first control system is a primary flight control system adapted to control ailerons, elevators, vertical stabilizers, and spoilers of the aircraft.

19. The aircraft control system according to claim 18, wherein the second control system is a secondary flight control system configured to control slats and flaps of the aircraft.

20. The aircraft control system according to claim 19, wherein the secondary flight control system comprises a plurality of sensors to measure respective output amplitudes of the flaps, measurements provided by these sensors being sent to the AFDX network using electronic control modules of the primary flight control system, the electronic control modules being arranged nearby and controlling actuators of the aircraft spoilers.

21. The aircraft control system according to claim 18, wherein the second control system is a propulsion control system, configured to control respective speeds of aircraft engines.

22. The aircraft control system according to claim 21, wherein the second computer is adapted to receive, in manual mode, a thrust reference from a manual thrust control member or, in automatic mode, from the first computer and to deduce therefrom an engine speed reference before sending it to a control unit of an engine of the aircraft.

23. The aircraft control system according to claim 19, wherein the second control system is a braking control system of the aircraft.

24. The aircraft control system according to claim 23, wherein the braking system comprises a plurality of speed sensors and torque sensors mounted on the aircraft'"'"'s landing gear, measurements provided by these sensors being acquired and formatted in a form of AFDX messages by data concentrators before being transmitted to the second computer via the network.

25. The aircraft control system according to claim 24, wherein the speed measurements are also sent to the first computer by the data concentrators, via the AFDX network, the computer determining an output order for spoilers as a function of the provided speed and braking information, in manual mode by brake pedals, and in automatic mode by an automatic braking unit.

26. The aircraft control system according to claim 19, wherein the second control system is a steering system for at least a front wheel of the aircraft.

27. The aircraft control system according to claim 26, wherein the first and second computers receive deflection information provided by a rudder bar and/or control rods of a piloting station and, in manual mode, the second computer determines a deflection angle of the wheel and sends it, via the network, to a steering control unit, situated near it and, in automatic piloting mode, the first computer determines a command of the rudder, sends it, via the network, to the second computer, the second computer deducing the deflection angle therefrom and transmitting it to the steering control unit.

28. The aircraft control system according to claim 19, wherein the second control system is a hydraulic control system of the aircraft, configured to start and stop at least one electric pump mounted on a hydraulic circuit.

29. The aircraft control system according to claim 28, wherein the hydraulic control system comprises at least one contactor subscribing to the network and configured to start/stop the pump, a pressure sensor mounted on the hydraulic circuit, pressure measurements provided by the sensor being acquired and formatted in a form of AFDX messages by a data concentrator, then sent to the first and second computers via the network.

30. An aircraft comprising an aircraft control system according to claim 16.