Control system for an aircraft

• US 9,156,543 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE), Airbus SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: De Rammelaere, Werner, Laperche, Jean-Claude, Rebut, Mathieu, Berthe, Benoit, Hintze, Hartmut, Krittian, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US14/475,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/29.1, 701/34.3, 701/36, 714/E11.054, 714/E11.059
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls

Abstract

The control system of an aircraft including at least two communication networks and a controlled device control unit connected to one of them. The system determines control commands for the device with a DAL-A quality assurance level requirement and includes a set of at least three physical units each including at least two computers, an electrical power supply and a network interface device. The electrical power supplies, and the network interface devices, are of at least three different types, the computers are of at least two different types and include operating systems of at least two different types; the computers each have a DAL-C, DAL-D or DAL-E hardware and/or software quality assurance level and at least six of the computers are configured to independently determine control commands for the device. A DAL-A hardware and software quality assurance level selection logic unit is configured to select valid control commands used by the control unit to control the device.

Claims

1. A control system for at least one controlled device of an aircraft, the control system being embedded onboard the aircraft and comprising:

at least two distinct communication networks; and

at least one control unit associated with this at least one controlled device, this control unit being connected to at least one of the said communication networks,

the control system being configured to determine and provide control commands to the controlled device, the determination of the control commands corresponding to a first function of the aircraft having a DAL-A quality assurance level requirement,

the control system further comprising;

a set of at least three physical units each comprising an electrical power supply and a network interface device connected to at least one of the communication networks of the aircraft, in which;

the electrical power supplies of the various physical units being of at least three different types;

the network interface devices of the various physical units being of at least three different types;

each of the physical units comprising at least two computers each comprising an operating system;

the various computers of the various units being of at least two different types;

the operating systems of the various computers being of at least two different types;

at least six of the computers being configured to independently determine control commands for the said controlled device, these control commands corresponding to the said first function;

the various computers each having at least one of a DAL-C, DAL-D or DAL-E hardware and software quality assurance level; and

a selection logic unit whose hardware and software quality assurance level is DAL-A, the selection logic unit being connected to the at least two communication networks and being configured to select valid control commands from among the control commands determined by the computers,

the control unit associated with the said controlled device being configured to control the controlled device as a function of the valid control commands selected by the selection logic unit.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the at least six computers are configured to determine the control commands for the controlled device, corresponding to the first function, according to a mode of formulation of the said control commands that is common to the at least six computers.

3. The control system according to claim 1, in which the various electrical power supplies and the various network interface devices each have at least one of a DAL-E hardware and software quality assurance level.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the set of physical units comprises three physical units, each comprising three computers of three different types, the various computers each having at least one of a DAL-C hardware and software quality assurance level.

5. The control system according to claim 1, in which the set of physical units comprises four physical units, each comprising at least three computers each having at least one of a DAL-E hardware and software quality assurance level, in which:

the various computers are of four different types;

each physical unit comprises computers of at least two different types;

the electrical power supplies of the four physical units are all of different types;

the network interface devices of the four physical units are all of different types; and

the operating systems of the at least three computers of each physical unit are of at least three different types.

6. The control system according to claim 5, wherein each of the four physical units comprises three computers of two different types, each computer being configured to determine control commands for the controlled device, these control commands corresponding to the said first function.

7. The control system according to claim 5, wherein each of the four physical units comprises six computers each have at least one of a DAL-E hardware and software quality assurance level.

8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein some of the computers are not configured to implement a function having a DAL-A or DAL-B quality assurance level requirement, these computers being configured to implement at least one second function having a DAL-C, DAL-D or DAL-E quality assurance level requirement.

9. The control system according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the computers configured to determine the control commands corresponding to the first function are also configured to implement at least one third function having a DAL-A or DAL-B quality assurance level requirement.

10. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the selection logic unit is integrated into a computer distinct from the control unit associated with the controlled device.

11. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the selection logic unit is integrated into the control unit associated with the controlled device.

12. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the first function relates to flight controls of the aircraft and the controlled device comprises an actuator of a movable flight surface of the aircraft.

13. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the various physical units are protected by at least one environmental protection device.

14. An aircraft comprising a control system for at least one controlled device of the aircraft, the control system being embedded onboard the aircraft and comprising:

at least two distinct communication networks; and

at least one control unit associated with this at least one controlled device, this control unit being connected to at least one of the said communication networks,

the control system being configured to determine and provide control commands to the controlled device, the determination of the control commands corresponding to a first function of the aircraft having a DAL-A quality assurance level requirement,

the control system further comprising;

a set of at least three physical units each comprising an electrical power supply and a network interface device connected to at least one of the communication networks of the aircraft, in which;

the electrical power supplies of the various physical units being of at least three different types;

the network interface devices of the various physical units being of at least three different types;

each of the physical units comprising at least two computers each comprising an operating system;

the various computers of the various units being of at least two different types;

the operating systems of the various computers being of at least two different types;

at least six of the computers being configured to independently determine control commands for the said controlled device, these control commands corresponding to the said first function;

the various computers each having at least one of a DAL-C, DAL-D or DAL-E hardware and software quality assurance level; and

a selection logic unit whose hardware and software quality assurance level is DAL-A, the selection logic unit being connected to the at least two communication networks and being configured to select valid control commands from among the control commands determined by the computers,

the control unit associated with the said controlled device being configured to control the controlled device as a function of the valid control commands selected by the selection logic unit.