Aircraft with electrical fly-by-wire controls, equipped with an automatic pilot

• US 6,694,230 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Kubica, François
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US09/863,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3-9, 701/11-12, 701/15-16, 701/23-25, 244/3.15, 244/158, 244/4.R, 244/6, 244/75.R, 244/76.R, 244/175-178, 244/180-186, 244/196-197, 244/220-225, 244/234-237
• US Class Current: 701/11
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/506 overriding of personal controls; with automatic return to inoperative position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft with electrical fly-by-wire controls is equipped with an automatic pilot having a navigation computer producing automatic pilot instructions that are sent directly to a flight control computer. The flight control computer produces commands for operating the automatic pilot in respect of the actuators for control surfaces on the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft with electrical fly-by-wire controls, equipped with control surfaces capable of being moved by electrically operated actuators, said aircraft comprising:

controls which are actuated by a pilot and generate electrical control instructions which are sent to a flight control computer;

an automatic pilot operable to pilot said aircraft in place of the pilot, and consisting exclusively of calculation means producing automatic pilot instructions from guidance instructions, of at least heading, vertical speed and altitude, which are put up by the pilot, and from guidance parameters sent to it, wherein said calculation means is connected directly by links to said flight control computer so as to send said automatic pilot instructions to said flight control computer; and

said flight control computer including one control function which produces, either from said electrical control instructions received from said controls and from control parameters or from said automatic pilot instructions received from said calculation means, operating commands and said flight control computer sending these operating commands to said actuators to cause them to move said control surfaces correspondingly.

2. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrical control instructions from said controls and said automatic pilot instructions from said calculation means of the automatic pilot are, by pairs, of the same nature.

3. The aircraft as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said calculation means of the automatic pilot produce, from said guidance instructions and said guidance parameters, three automatic pilot instructions which correspond respectively to a commanded vertical load factor, to a commanded roll rate and to a commanded yaw; and

said controls generate three electrical control instructions which are respectively consistent with a commanded vertical load factor, with a commanded roll rate and with a commanded yaw.