Method and apparatus for implementing a databus voter to select flight command signals from one of several redundant asynchronous digital primary flight computers
First Claim
1. In an aircraft fly-by-wire control system wherein each of a plurality of redundant, asynchronous primary flight computers produces flight command signals and wherein at least one control surface of the aircraft is controlled by a plurality of actuators, a processing system for controlling the flight command signals which are passed to the actuators, said processing system comprising:
- a plurality of voter means, each voter means associated with a primary flight computer and one or more actuators, for receiving the flight command signals from all primary flight computers, and including selection means for acting in accordance with a predetermined selection algorithm, to pass a selected one of said flight command signals to said associated actuator,such that all actuators for the control surface receive approximately the same flight command signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Asynchronous, triple redundant primary flight computers (PFC'"'"'s) (12, 14, 16) produce output command signals carried over a data bus (18) to control redundant actuators (32, 34, 36) in an aircraft flight control system. To prevent the transmission of a fault and a force fight among the redundant actuators, which drive a common aircraft control surface (50), a databus voter (52, 54, 56) associated with each PFC receives all PFC commands and, in accordance with a selection algorithm, outputs a voted one of the PFC command signals. A databus voter monitor, (144) associated with each databus voter, deactivates its associated databus voter if it detects a voted command signal which is inconsistent with the selection algorithm.
88 Citations
19 Claims
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1. In an aircraft fly-by-wire control system wherein each of a plurality of redundant, asynchronous primary flight computers produces flight command signals and wherein at least one control surface of the aircraft is controlled by a plurality of actuators, a processing system for controlling the flight command signals which are passed to the actuators, said processing system comprising:
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a plurality of voter means, each voter means associated with a primary flight computer and one or more actuators, for receiving the flight command signals from all primary flight computers, and including selection means for acting in accordance with a predetermined selection algorithm, to pass a selected one of said flight command signals to said associated actuator, such that all actuators for the control surface receive approximately the same flight command signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In an aircraft fly-by-wire control system wherein each of a plurality of redundant, asynchronous primary flight computers produces flight command signals and wherein at least one control surface of the aircraft is controlled by a plurality of actuators, a method for controlling the flight command signals which are passed to the actuators, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a plurality of voter means, each voter means associated with a primary flight computer and one or more actuators, said voter means performing the steps of; i) receiving the flight command signals from said primary flight computers, ii) processing said received flight command signals through a predetermined selection algorithm and, in accordance therewith iii) passing a selected one of said flight command signals to said associated actuator, such that all actuators for the control surface receive approximately the same flight command signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification