Steering mechanism with an active force feedback, especially for aircraft

• US 4,236,685 A
• Filed: 02/21/1979
• Issued: 12/02/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm GmbH (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm GmbH (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Kissel, Gerhard K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Application Number:
  US06/013,748
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 244/196, 244/83 D, 244/197, 244/83 E, 244/83 F, 244/83 G, 244/178, 244/180, 244/181, 244/195, 244/194, 91/363 A, 91/363 R, 318/628, 318/584, 318/585, 318/586, 318/580
• US Class Current: 244/223
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/503 Fly-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/507 with artificial feel
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

The present steering mechanism, especially for an aircraft includes a manly operable steering member and an automatic steering system. A difference signal formed from a pilot input and trim signal and from a gyro feedback signal is supplied to a force control and damping circuit twice, once directly and once through an authority limit circuit. The output of the authority limit circuit is also supplied to the motors forming part of the automatic steering system. The force control and damping circuit also receives further input signal or signals representing steering information. The output of the force control and damping circuit is connected to the feel unit of the steering system, whereby an immediate manual control by the pilot is effective, however limited against an excessive control or so-called manual over control.

Claims

1. The steering mechanism with an active force feedback, especially for an aircraft, comprising a manual steering means, automatic steering means, signal providing means including pitch position sensor means (10'"'"') operatively connected to said manual steering means to provide a pilot trim control signal, pitch rate gyro means (13) providing a gyro feedback signal, signal processing means including differential amplifier means (12) operatively connected to said pitch position sensor means and to said pitch rate gyro means for providing a difference output signal, force control and damping circuit means (20), authority limit circuit means (18) operatively connecting said difference output signal of said differential amplifier means (12) to said force control and damping circuit means (20), and means directly connecting the output of said differential amplifier means to said force control and damping circuit means, further circuit means (19a, 19b, 23, 24) operatively connecting said authority limit circuit means (18) to said automatic steering means, said signal providing means comprising means for supplying an additional input signal or signals to said force control and damping circuit means (20), and feedback circuit means for supplying output signals from said force control and damping circuit means (20) to said manual steering means.

2. The steering mechanism of claim 1, wherein said signal supplying means supply a static pressure representing signal (P_s) to said force control and damping circuit means (20).

3. The steering mechanism of claim 1, wherein said signal supplying means supply a pressure altitude representing signal (P_t) to said force control and damping circuit means.

4. The steering mechanism of claim 1, wherein said signal supplying means supply a normal acceleration representing signal (η

_z) to said force control and damping circuit means.

5. The steering mechanism of claim 1, wherein said automatic steering means comprise servomotor means, and wherein said signal supplying means supply a signal representing the speed of said servometer means to said force control and damping circuit means (20).

6. The steering mechanism of claim 1, wherein said signal providing means, said signal processing means, and said automatic steering means are substantially identical in their structure and function for the elevational and directional control of the aircraft.