US 2026/0264845 A1Published application

Flight control system and method for an aircraft

OwnerIsmaël DOUKALI, Camila FRAGA SERAFIMinventors

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Abstract

A flight control system having primary flight control computers and secondary flight control computers. Each secondary computer is configured to: determine if a situation is confirmed, in which no primary computer is functional, the secondary computer receives valid anemo-inertial information from the aircraft and the secondary computer has not received a piloting command originating from a piloting component, for at least a predetermined duration. When the situation is confirmed, the secondary flight control computer activates a piloting mode and is configured to: determine roll and pitch angles based on anemo-inertial information from the aircraft; compute control commands for control surface actuators connected to the secondary computer in order to keep the aircraft flat and at constant altitude; and control the control surface actuators connected to the secondary computer based on the computed commands. Also a method for flight control of an aircraft.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A flight control system for an aircraft, the flight control system comprising:

a set of primary flight control computers and a set of secondary flight control computers, wherein each secondary flight control computer is configured to receive operating information from each primary flight control computer, anemo-inertial information from the aircraft, and piloting commands originating from at least one piloting component of the aircraft,
wherein each secondary flight control computer is configured to:
determine whether a situation is confirmed, in which:
none of the primary flight control computers is functional;
said secondary flight control computer receives valid anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
and
said secondary flight control computer has not received a piloting command originating from at least one piloting component of the aircraft, for at least a predetermined duration;
and,
when said situation is confirmed, activate a piloting mode of the aircraft, in which said secondary flight control computer is further configured to:
acquire anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
determine roll and pitch angles of the aircraft based on said anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
compute control commands for control surface actuators of the aircraft connected to said secondary flight control computer so as to maintain the roll and pitch angles of the aircraft at zero values in order to keep the aircraft flat and at constant altitude;
and
control the control surface actuators connected to said secondary flight control computer based on the computed control commands.

11 more elements

A method for controlling a flight of an aircraft which comprises a flight control system comprising a set of primary flight control computers and a set of secondary flight control computers, wherein each secondary flight control computer is configured to receive operating information from each primary flight control computer, anemo-inertial information from the aircraft and piloting commands originating from at least one piloting component of the aircraft, and

wherein the method comprises the following steps implemented by each secondary flight control computer:
determining whether a situation is confirmed, in which:
none of the primary flight control computers is functional;
said secondary flight control computer receives valid anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
and
said secondary flight control computer has not received a piloting command originating from the at least one piloting component of the aircraft, for at least a predetermined duration;
when said situation is confirmed, activating a piloting mode for the aircraft comprising the following steps:
acquiring anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
determining roll and pitch angles of the aircraft based on said anemo-inertial information from the aircraft;
computing control commands for control surface actuators of the aircraft connected to said secondary flight control computer so as to maintain the roll and pitch angles of the aircraft at zero values in order to keep the aircraft flat and at constant altitude;
and
controlling the control surface actuators connected to said secondary flight control computer based on the computed control commands.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.