Redundant control system

• US 3,338,139 A
• Filed: 12/23/1965
• Issued: 08/29/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1965
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HR Textron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Derek Wood
• Inventors: Wood, Derek
• Application Number:
  US04/515,820
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• US Class Current: 91/510
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/24 Transmitting means
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/42 having duplication or stand-by provisions

Claims

1. REDUNDANT HYDRAERIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING COMMAND FUNCTION SIGNALS FROM AN INPUT STATION TO A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE MEMBERS COMPRISING:

(A) A PLURALITY OF HYDRAERICALLY POWERED CONTROL CHAINS EACH INCLUDING AN OUTPUT ACTUATOR FORCE COUPLED TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID CONTROL CHAINS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CONTROL CHANNELS HAVING MECHANICAL INPUT SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS AND HAVING A SERVO OUTPUT MEANS COUPLED TO THE ACTUATOR OF ITS RESPECTIVE CONTROL CHAIN AND INCLUDING ENGAGE VALVE MEANS INTERCOUPLED THEREBETWEEN RESPONSIVE TO ENGAGE-DISENGAGE SIGNALS IMPRESSED THEREUPON TO COUPLE AND DECOUPLE, RESPECTIVELY, SAID SERVO MEANS FROM ITS SAID ACTUATOR MEANS, EACH OF SAID SERVO OUTPUT MEANS HAVING OPERATIONAL STATUS SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS FOR PROVIDING A MONITOR SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATIONAL STATUS OF THE SERVO MEANS;

(B) MECHANICAL COMMON SIGNAL INPUT MEANS COUPLED TO EACH SAID SERVO VALVE SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS;

(C) MECHANICAL INPUT COMMAND SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS DISPOSED AT SAID INPUT STATION;

(D) INPUT SIGNAL COUPLING MEANS FOR FORCE COUPLING SAID INPUT COMMAND SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS TO SAID COMMON SIGNAL INPUT MEANS;

(E) MONITOR SIGNAL COMPARATOR AND SIGNAL GENERATOR LOGIC NETWORK COUPLED TO SAID OPERATIONAL STATUS SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS OF EACH SAID SERVO OUTPUT MEANS AND TO EACH SAID ENGAGE VALVE MEANS FOR COMPARING SAID MONITOR SIGNALS AND DETECTING, BY ANY PREDETERMINED LACK OF COINCIDENCE THEREBETWEEN, A FAILED CHANNEL WITHIN ONE OF SAID CONTROL CHAINS AND FOR GENERATING A DISENGAGE SIGNAL AND IMPRESSING IT ON THE SAID ENGAGE VALVE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THAT FAILED CHANNEL TO ITS RESPECTIVE SAID ACTUATOR FOR DECOUPLING THE SERVO VALVE OUTPUT MEANS OF THAT CHANNEL FROM ITS SAID ACTUATOR THEREBY TO PERMIT FREEDOM OF MOTION OF THE ACTUATOR WITH RESPECT TO THE LAST SAID SERVO VALVE OUTPUT MEANS;

AND (F) OVERRIDE COUPLER MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MECHANICAL COMMON SIGNAL INPUT MEANS AND EACH SAID SERVO VALVE MEANS FOR PROVIDING OVERRIDE CAPABILITY OVER ANY FAILED MECHANICAL COMPONENT ELEMENT THEREOF.