Control panel for an aircraft

• US 8,370,004 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Andre, Raphal
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US13/098,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/11, 701/14, 701/12, 701/15, 701/16, 340/945, 340/963, 340/971
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems

Abstract

The control panel (1) comprises two chains (A, B) of signal acquisition, digitization and processing, which are redundant and which include means (7) for performing crosschecks.

Claims

1. A control panel for an aircraft, said control panel (1) comprising a plurality of members (2, 3) comprising control members (2) being able to be actuated by an operator, as well as control signal acquiring and digitizing means (4), wherein a control signal, being generated by a control member (2) being actuated and being transmitted by said control panel (1), is intended for controlling a controllable equipment of the aircraft, said control panel (1) having a segregation and a redundancy,

characterized in that it comprises:

two acquiring, digitizing and processing chains (A, B) for signals being present in the control panel (1), being integrated in said control panel (1), that are segregated, and having a full redundancy at all levels; and

two signal monitoring units (5, 6), each of which is part of one of said two chains (A, B) and comprising means (7) for performing crosschecks of all signals being present in the control panel (1), the signals present in the control panel (1) comprising at least said control signals.

2. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that said control panel (1) has a full duplication, at the level:

of switches (8) integrated into the control members (2) and allowing the condition of the latter to be determined;

of data acquiring means (4);

of local communication buses (9); and

of sources of energy 10.

3. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that said means (7) for performing crosschecks compare, bit to bit, two corresponding signals being transmitted respectively by both signal acquisition, digitization and processing chains (A,B).

4. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises means (17) for checking the consistency of signals being associated to a member (2, 3) of said control panel (1).

5. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises means for indicating on the control panel (1) that an invalid signal has been detected upon checking.

6. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises means (24) for, should an invalid signal be detected, implementing one of the following operations:

stopping the transmission of such a signal;

transmitting a default signal; and

keeping the last valid signal.

7. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises means (25) for generating a digital signature of a control signal and for completing the transmission of said control signal with such a digital signature.

8. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises two electronic boards (11, 12), one front board (11) and one interface board (12), being connected together by local data transmission buses (9), in that said front board (11) comprises said members (2, 3) and said control signal acquisition and digitization means (4), and in that said interface board (12) comprises at least said monitoring units (5, 6).

9. The control panel according to claim 1,

characterized in that it further comprises at least an external communication interface.

10. An aircraft system comprising a control panel (1) provided with a plurality of control members (2) being able to be actuated by an operator and a plurality of controllable equipment being linked to said control panel (1) via data transmission means,

characterized in that said control panel (1) is such as specified in claim 1.