METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING THE JAMMING OF AN AIRCRAFT CONTROL SURFACE

• US 20130116863A1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE), Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Universite Bordeaux 4
• Original Assignee: Ali Zolghadri, Anca Gheorghe, David Henry, Herve Le Berre, Jerome Cieslak, Philippe Goupil, Remy Dayre
• Inventors: GOUPIL, Philippe, LE BERRE, Herv, DAYRE, Rmy, GHEORGHE, Anca, CIESLAK, Jrme, HENRY, David, ZOLGHADRI, Ali
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0005 Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0218 characterised by the fault detection method dealing with either existing or incipient faults
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/12 using feedback

Abstract

The detection device includes, but is not limited to a device that is configured to determine a control error corresponding to the difference between a first control instruction and a control surface position, a second device that is configured to calculate the difference between this control error and a second control instruction in such a way as to form a comparison signal, and a third device that is configured to detect a jamming of the control surface if this comparison signal is greater than a threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a jamming of a control surface, a position of the control surface is controlled by a feedback loop that forms a part of an electrical flight control system of an aircraft, the feedback loop comprising:

at least one actuator configured to adjust the position of the control surface in relation to the aircraft according to at least one actuation instruction received as a control command;

at least one sensor configured to measure an actual position of said control surface; and

at least one computer that is configured to produce a control surface control instruction, which receives said actual position and produces an actuation instruction that is transmitted to said at least one actuator in a form of a control current,

wherein the method comprises;

determining a control error corresponding to a difference between a first control instruction of the control surface and a corresponding control surface position;

forming a comparison signal with a difference between an absolute value of said control error and the absolute value of a second control instruction of the control surface;

comparing the comparison signal with a threshold value; and

detecting a jamming of said control surface if the comparison signal is greater than the threshold value during at least a confirmation period.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control error E is calculated using the following expression:

E=|i_sv/K|

where;

i_sv represents the control current applied to the at least one actuator; and

K represents a control gain.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a measured position is used for said position of the control surface.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising using a calculated position for said position of the control surface.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising limiting said position of the control surface.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising limiting said first control instruction.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising limiting and said second control instruction.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threshold value is a variable according to particular conditions.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising starting after satisfying particular activation conditions.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising carrying out an auxiliary step during which said first control instruction is filtered using a filter that models a behavior of the at least one actuator and the feedback loop before the determining the control error corresponding to the difference between the first control instruction of the control surface and the corresponding control surface position.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the filter is a second-order discrete linear filter, and adjustment parameters are optimized to improve a response and stability of said filter.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, switching the at least one actuator to a passive mode, and switching an auxiliary actuator previously in the passive mode to an active mode with a function to adjust the position of said control surface if the jamming is detected.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the control surface to be controlled by a plurality of actuators, confirming a jamming of the control surface if a jamming is detected for a predetermined number of said plurality of actuators.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising transmitting an alarm if the jamming is detected.

15. A device for detecting a jamming of a control surface of an aircraft,

a feedback loop forming a part of an electrical flight control system of the aircraft, comprising:

at least one actuator configured to adjust a position of the control surface in relation to the aircraft and the at least one actuator configured to adjust the position of the control surface according to at least one actuation instruction received as a control command;

at least one sensor configured to measure an actual position of said control surface; and

a computer that is configure to produce a control surface control instruction, which receives said actual position and which deduces an actuation instruction that is transmitted to the at least one actuator as a control current;

a first device that is configured to determine a control error corresponding to a difference between a first control instruction of the control surface and a corresponding control surface position;

a second device that is configured to calculate a difference between an absolute value of said control error and the absolute value of a second control instruction of the control surface in such a way as to form a comparison signal;

a third device that is configured to compare the comparison signal with a threshold value; and

a fourth device that is configured to detect a jamming of said control surface if the comparison signal is greater than the threshold value during at least a confirmation period.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control error E is calculated using the following expression:

E=|i_sv/K|

where;

i_sv represents the control current applied to the at least one actuator; and

K represents a control gain.

17. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the threshold value is a variable according to particular conditions.

18. The device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising an alarm that is configured to activate if the jamming is detected.

19. An electrical flight control system of an aircraft, comprising:

at least device that is configured to produce a control surface control instruction for a mobile control surface of the aircraft and at least one feedback control loop to control a position of this control surface, comprising;

at least one actuator that is configured to adjust the position of said mobile control surface in relation to the aircraft according to at least one received actuation instruction;

at least one sensor that is configured to measure an actual position of said control surface; and

a computer that is configured to produce said control surface control instruction, which receives said actual position and which deduces an actuation instruction that is transmitted to the at least one actuator; and

a detection device, the detection device comprising;

a first device that is configured to determine a control error corresponding to a difference between a first control instruction of the control surface and a corresponding control surface position;

a second device that is configured to calculate a difference between an absolute value of said control error and the absolute value of a second control instruction of the control surface in such a way as to form a comparison signal;

a third device that is configured to compare the comparison signal with a threshold value; and

a fourth device that is configured to detect a jamming of said control surface if the comparison signal is greater than the threshold value during at least a confirmation period.

20. The electrical flight control system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said control error E is calculated using the following expression:

E=|i_sv/K|

where;

i_sv represents a control current applied to the at least one actuator; and

K represents a control gain.