Active pilot flight control stick system with passive electromagnetic feedback

An aircraft flight control surface actuation haptic feedback system, comprising:

• a flight control stick adapted to receive an input force supplied by a pilot and configured, upon receipt of the input force, to move at least a portion thereof to a control position in a displacement direction;
• a motor control unit operable to selectively supply motor feedback signals;
• a passively damped brushless DC motor coupled to the flight control stick and to receive the motor feedback signals, the motor operable, upon receipt of the motor feedback signals, to supply a variable feedback force to the flight control stick in a direction that opposes the displacement direction, the motor including:
• a rotationally mounted permanent magnet rotor coupled to the flight control stick,
• a multi-phase drive stator at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the permanent magnet rotor and coupled to receive the motor feedback signals, each phase of the multi-phase drive stator includes a first number of turns, and
• a multi-phase damping stator at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the permanent magnet rotor, each phase of the multi-phase damping stator having a second number of turns that is less than the first number of turns.

An aircraft flight control surface actuation haptic feedback system, comprising:

• a flight control stick adapted to receive an input force supplied by a pilot and configured, upon receipt of the input force, to move at least a portion thereof to a control position in a displacement direction;
• a motor control unit operable to selectively supply motor feedback signals;
• a motor coupled to the flight control stick and to receive the motor feedback signals, the motor operable, upon receipt of the motor feedback signals, to supply a variable feedback force to the flight control stick in a direction that opposes the displacement direction, the motor including a rotationally mounted permanent magnet rotor coupled to the flight control stick, a multi-phase stator at least partially surrounding the permanent magnet rotor and coupled to receive the motor feedback signals;
• and
• a plurality of electrical resistor circuits, each electrical resistor circuit having a substantially fixed amount of electrical resistance and electrically coupled in parallel with one phase of the multi-phase stator, whereby the motor is passively damped.