System for a vehicle with redundant computers

• US 9,573,682 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, EADS Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Reischl, Reinhard, Jarasch, Gregor, Delgado Romero, Rosa Maria, Heusinger, Hugo, Lohmiller, Winfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/668,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20150274293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/36, 701/466, 701/117, 701/301, 244/3, 361/31, 318/374
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 15/00 Attitude, flight direction, or altitude control by jet reaction
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls

Abstract

A control and/or management system for a vehicle includes at least one of: (A) at least two redundant vehicle management computers configured to generate system control commands for each maneuvering actuators and for each system actor based on the data acquired by the sensors; (B) at least two redundant remote interface units for interconnecting a sensor or a system actor with a vehicle management computer; (C) at least two redundant actuator control computers configured to generate control commands for each maneuvering actuator based on received maneuvering commands; and (D) a common interface for connecting an external computer, the common interface being directly connected to at least two redundant computers.

Claims

1. A control and/or management system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

maneuvering actuators configured to maneuver the vehicle;

system actors configured to control inner system components of the vehicle;

sensors configured to acquire data associated with the system actors or maneuvering actuators; and

at least two redundant computers configured to control or manage the vehicle,

wherein the system further comprises at least one of

at least two redundant vehicle management computers communicatively interconnected with the maneuvering actuators, system actors, and sensors, wherein one of the at least two redundant vehicle management computers is configured to generate system control commands for each maneuvering actuators and for each system actor based on the data acquired by the sensors,

wherein one of the at least two redundant vehicle management computers is configured to receive control commands or sensor data from at least one other vehicle management computer and is configured to compare control commands or sensor data from different vehicle management computers to determine errors of a vehicle management computer,

wherein a first one of the at least two redundant vehicle management computer is directly connected to a first sensor and a second of the at least two redundant vehicle management computer is directly connected to a second sensor,

wherein data received from the first sensor in the first vehicle management computer is transmitted by the first vehicle management computer to the second vehicle management computer,

wherein, in the case both vehicle management computers are operating correctly, the first vehicle management computer is configured to process the data from the first sensor and/or to generate control commands for an actuator associated with the first sensor, and the second vehicle management computer is configured to process the data from the second sensor and/or to generate control commands for an actuator associated with the second sensor,

wherein the first vehicle management computer is configured to transmit data received from the first sensor in the first vehicle management computer to the second vehicle management computer, and

wherein, when fault control commands generated by the first vehicle management computer are detected, the second vehicle management computer is configured to take over the role of the first vehicle management computer and to generate the control commands for the first actuator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each vehicle management computer is interconnected with each other vehicle management computer by a separate data link.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein it is provided:

at least two redundant actuator control computers configured to receive maneuvering commands from the at least two vehicle control computers, wherein each actuator control computer is adapted to generate control commands for each maneuvering actuator based on received maneuvering commands.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein one of the at least two redundant actuator control computers is configured to receive maneuvering commands or control commands from at least one other actuator control computer and is configured to compare the maneuvering commands or the control commands from different actuator control computers to determine errors of an actuator control computer or maneuvering actuator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two redundant computers comprises at least two processing units with different safety criticality.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

the maneuvering actuators are configured to move control surfaces, or

a control surface moved by a maneuvering actuator is provided by at least one of an aileron, an elevator, and a rudder.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one communication interface to at least one control computer of the vehicle,

wherein the communication interface is directly connected to different vehicle management computers.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a control computer is a mission management system configured to command the system to automatically perform mission relevant maneuvers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one control computer is a communication system allowing a remote pilot to control or monitor the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein it is provided:

at least two redundant remote interface units configured to interconnect a sensor or a system actor with the at least two vehicle management computers.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the at least two redundant actuator control computers is interconnected with each other actuator control computer by a separate data link.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein it is provided:

a common interface, wherein the common interface is directly connected to at least two redundant computers.