초록 ▼

A control system for calculating control commands for actuators in an aircraft, wherein the control commands are calculated by computers distributed in the craft in dependence on input signals containing parameters that serve as the basis for said commands, wherein a computer (C) is arranged at each

A control system for calculating control commands for actuators in an aircraft, wherein the control commands are calculated by computers distributed in the craft in dependence on input signals containing parameters that serve as the basis for said commands, wherein a computer (C) is arranged at each respective local actuator (A) and, together with the actuator (A), forms a servo node (S) where the computer (C) receives input signals via data bus (B), whereby the computer (C) in each servo node (S) calculates control commands for the local actuator (A) based on one or more sets of control laws in dependence on received parameters, and wherein the computer (C) calculates, in a corresponding manner, control commands for at least one additional actuator (A) in another servo node (S), and wherein a choice of control commands is used as the control command (7) for the actuator (A) locally in each servo node (S) in dependence on a comparison between the control commands (4) calculated locally in the servo node (S) and a control command (3) calculated for the actuator (A) in at least one other servo node (S) for the actuator (A).

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A control system for actuators in an aircraft, whereby control commands for the actuators are calculated by computers distributed in the aircraft and where each computer is arranged to receive sensor parameters via a data bus and to calculate control commands for a first actu

What is claimed is: 1. A control system for actuators in an aircraft, whereby control commands for the actuators are calculated by computers distributed in the aircraft and where each computer is arranged to receive sensor parameters via a data bus and to calculate control commands for a first actuator and for at least one additional actuator in dependence on received sensor parameters, wherein: each computer is connected to and controls only one actuator and, together with the actuator, forms a servo node with a digital interface to the data bus, the computer in each servo node is arranged to receive, via the data bus, control commands for the actuator determined by a computer in at least one additional servo node, the computer in the at least one additional servo node connected to and controlling a different actuator than the actuator in the servo node and not connected to the actuator in the servo node, the computer in each servo node is arranged to select an executive control command for the actuator in the servo node in dependence on a comparison between the control commands calculated locally in the servo node and the control commands received via the data bus, the computer is arranged to control the actuator in the servo node by means of the executive control command. 2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the computer in the servo node contains programs with control laws for calculating control commands for the actuator in its own servo node, plus control laws for calculating control commands for actuators in at least one other servo node. 3. A control system according to claim 2, wherein each servo node contains a voting function for calculating an executive control command for the actuator based on both the control commands calculated locally in the servo node itself and on control commands calculated in at least one other servo node. 4. A control system according to claim 3, wherein a monitoring function in the servo node receives the executive control command and the locally calculated control commands and compares these control commands, which must be identical. 5. A control system according to claim 4, wherein, as long as no fault is present, the monitoring unit transmits a pulsed control signal to the actuator, whereupon the pulsed control signal must be present at the actuator in order for a control command to be executable, so that if the pulsed control signal ceases, the actuator will be set to its fail-safe mode. 6. A control system according to claim 5, wherein the computer in a servo node contains an internal monitoring function that monitors the computer functionality and, in the event of a fault, sends information to the monitoring unit, whereupon the pulsed control signal is not transmitted, which causes the actuator to be set to its fail-safe mode. 7. A control system according to claim 6, wherein the function of the actuator is monitored by a model monitor that detects any malfunction of the actuator, whereby the monitoring unit obtains information about the fault, whereupon the pulsed signal is terminated and the actuator is set to its fail-safe mode. 8. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the computer contains multiple sets of control laws and compares the control commands calculated in locally in the servo node via double-execution with the actuator command selected by voting, whereupon, in the event that the commands are not exactly identical, the control commands calculated in at least one other servo node are used to determine which of the locally calculated control commands is correct. 9. A control system according to claim 8, wherein the values of the state parameters in the control laws that produced the correct local control command are copied to the set of control laws that failed to produce a correct control command. 10. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the computer contains a set of control laws and compares the control command calculated locally in the servo node with the actuator command selected by voting, whereupon, in the event that the commands are not exactly identical, the value of the state parameters of the control laws in a fault-free servo node is copied to the state parameters in the control laws in the faulty servo node. 11. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the control system signals are exclusively digital in nature, and in that the signals in the system are mediated via a data bus. 12. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the data bus is a logical "broadcast" bus or a star-configured bus. 13. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the servo nodes in the control system work in synchrony. 14. A control system according to claim 2, wherein the control system is used in an airplane, in that the sensors contain gyros for detecting roll rate as well as speed indicators, and in that the actuators are used to operate control surfaces. 15. A control system comprising: a plurality of servo nodes, each servo node comprising: one actuator in the servo node; and a computer arranged at the actuator in the servo node, operatively coupled only to the actuator in the servo node and operable to receive sensor parameters over a data bus, to calculate a control command for the actuator in the servo node, to calculate a control command for an actuator in another of the plurality of servo nodes, to receive a control command for the actuator in the servo node, to select a control command based on a comparison of the control command calculated by the servo node for the actuator in the servo node and the received control command, and to control the actuator using the selected control command. 16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the computer in each servo node is operable to calculate the control command for the actuator in the servo node based on control laws and to calculate the control command for an actuator in another of the plurality of servo nodes based on control laws. 17. The control system of claim 16, wherein the computer in each servo node is operable to select the control command based on a voting function. 18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the computer in each servo node is further operable to compare the selected control command with the calculated control command for the actuator in the servo node and to determine that there is a fault if the selected control command is not identical to the calculated control command for the actuator in the servo node. 19. The control system of claim 18, wherein the computer in each servo node is operable to transmit a pulsed control signal to the actuator and the actuator is operable to execute a control command if the pulsed control signal is present and to set to a fail-safe mode if the pulsed control signal is not present.