US 4,056,732 A · Voltage regulation in an electronic engine control system having digital effector actuators

Abstract

The unregulated AC electrical power provided by an engine driven alternator to an airborne electronic engine control system which controls the performance of a gas turbine engine, is rectified to provide unregulated DC voltage signals for system electrical power. The system provides position control of a plurality of controlled surfaces within the engine through a plurality of digital effector servo actuators, each of which includes a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator. The unregulated DC voltage signal is presented to one or the other of the solenoids, in dependence on a desired displacement direction, through a corresponding one of a pair of gated switches in response to the ON portion of a position gate signal presented to a gate input thereof, the energized solenoid providing a magnetic field with a polarity in dependence on the selected displacement direction. Voltage regulation circuitry provides voltage regulation gate signals having an ON portion with a time duration proportional to the excess amplitude of the unregulated DC voltage signal amplitude above that of a reference voltage level, and presents the regulation gate signals, simultaneously, to both solenoid gated switches in each of the plurality of actuators in the absence of a position gate signal to the respective actuator to provide cancelling magnetic fields which inhibits actuator displacement while increasing the current load to cause attenuation of the unregulated voltage signal amplitude.

Claims7

Dependent claims

In a system for controlling the position of a controlled surface with a servo actuator of the type having a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the controlled surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator, the system receiving electrical power from an unregulated voltage source and each solenoid providing a corresponding polarity magnetic field in response to an unregulated voltage signal from the voltage source presented through a corresponding one of a pair of solenoid gated switches in response to the ON portion of a gating signal presented to a gate input thereof, the system including a control unit for providing position change gate signals in response to a displacement signal presented thereto, each position change gate signal having an ON portion and an OFF portion with the time duration of the ON portion being proportional to the magnitude of the displacement signal, the control unit presenting the position change gate signals to the gate signal input of a respective one of the gated switches through a corresponding one of a pair of output lines in dependence on the polarity of the displacement signal, circuitry for providing voltage regulation of the unregulated voltage source, comprising:

signal means for providing a reference voltage signal;
summing means, responsive to the unregulated voltage signal and to the reference voltage signal, for providing a voltage error signal in response to an unregulated voltage signal having an absolute value amplitude greater than that of the reference voltage signal, the error signal having a magnitude proportional to the difference therebetween;
and
regulation means, responsive to the voltage error signal and to the position change gate signals, for presenting the voltage regulation gate signals to the gate input of both gated switches simultaneously, in response to the presence of a voltage error signal in the absence of a position change gate signal ON portion, to provide concurrent energizing of both solenoids for a time duration proportional to magnitude of the voltage error signal, said regulation means not presenting the regulation gate signals to the gated switches in the presence of a position change gate signal ON portion.

1 more element

In an electronic engine control system for controlling the performance of an engine by position control of a plurality of controlled surfaces within the engine through a corresponding one of a plurality of servo actuators, the system and the servo actuators receiving electrical power from an unregulated voltage source, each servo actuator having a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the corresponding controlled surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator, each solenoid providing an opposite polarity magnetic field in response to the presentation of an unregulated voltage signal from the voltage source by related one of a pair of solenoid gated switches in response to the ON portion of a gating signal presented to a gate input thereof, the system including a control unit for providing position change gate signals to each of the servo actuators in response to bipolar position command signals provided for each controlled surface, each position change gate signal having an ON portion and an OFF portion with the time duration of the ON portion being proportional to the magnitude of the respective command signal, the control unit presenting the related position gate signals through a pair of output lines to the gate input of one or the other of the solenoid gated switches of each actuator, alternatively, in dependence on the polarity of the command signal, circuitry for providing voltage regulation of the unregulated voltage source, comprising:

signal means for providing a reference voltage signal;
summing means, responsive to the unregulated voltage signal and to the reference voltage signal, for providing a voltage error signal in response to an unregulated voltage signal having an absolute value amplitude greater than that of the reference voltage signal, the error signal having a magnitude proportional to the difference therebetween;
and
a plurality of regulation means, one for each of the plurality of servo actuators, each responsive to the voltage error signal and to the related position change gate signals, each presenting the voltage regulation gate signals to the gate input of both of the related actuator solenoid gated switches simultaneously, in response to the presence of a voltage error signal in the absence of the related position change gate signal ON portion to provide concurrent energizing of both solenoids for a time duration proportional to the magnitude of the voltage error signal, said regulation means not presenting the regulation gate signals to the gated switches in the presence of the related position change gate signal ON portion.

1 more element

In a system for controlling the position of a controlled surface with a servo actuator of the type having a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the controlled surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator, the system receiving electrical power from an unregulated voltage source and each solenoid providing a corresponding polarity magnetic field in response to an unregulated voltage signal from the voltage source presented through a corresponding one of a pair of solenoid gated switches in response to the ON portion of a gating signal presented to a gate input thereof, the system including a control unit for providing position change gate signals in response to a displacement signal presented thereto, each position change gate signal having an ON portion and an OFF portion with the time duration of the ON portion being proportional to the magnitude of the displacement signal, the control unit presenting the position change gate signals to the gate signal input of a respective one of the gated switches through a corresponding one of a pair of output lines in dependence on the polarity of the displacement signal, a method for regulating the voltage signal from the unregulated voltage source, comprising the steps of:

providing a reference voltage signal;
summing the unregulated voltage signal with said reference voltage signal;
detecting an unregulated voltage signal having an absolute value amplitude greater than that of said reference voltage signal, and providing in response thereto, a voltage error signal having a magnitude proportional to the difference therebetween;
providing voltage regulation gate signals in response to the presence of said voltage error signal, each regulation gate signal having an ON portion and an OFF portion, the ON portion having a time duration proportional to the magnitude of said voltage error signal;
and
presenting said voltage regulation gate signals to the gate input of both solenoid gated switches simultaneously, only in response to the presence of said voltage error signal in the absence of a position change gate signal ON portion, to provide a concurrent energizing of both solenoids for a total time duration equal to that of said regulation gate signal ON portion.

3 more elements

An improved electronic engine control system of the type which controls the performance of an engine by position control of a plurality of controlled surfaces within the engine through a corresponding one of a plurality of servo actuators, the system and the servo actuators receiving electrical power from an unregulated voltage source, each servo actuator having a mechanical assembly for providing displacement of the corresponding controlled surface in each of two directions in response to a magnetic field provided by a respective one of two oppositely polarized solenoids disposed within the actuator, each solenoid providing an opposite polarity magnetic field in response to the presentation to an unregulated voltage signal from the voltage source by related one of a pair of solenoid gate switches in response to the ON portion of a gating signal presented to a gate input thereof, the system including a control unit for providing position change gate signals to each of the servo actuators in response to bipolar position command signals provided for each controlled surface, each position change gate signal having an ON portion and an OFF portion with the time duration of the ON portion being proportional to the magnitude of the respective command signal, the control unit presenting the related position gate signals through a pair of output lines to the gate input of one or the other of the solenoid gated switches of each actuator, alternatively, in dependence on the polarity of the command signal, wherein the improvement comprises:

signal means for providing a reference voltage signal;
summing means, responsive to the unregulated voltage signal and to the reference voltage signal, for providing a voltage error signal in response to an unregulated voltage signal having an absolute value amplitude greater than that of the reference voltage signal, the error signal having a magnitude proportional to the difference therebetween;
and
a plurality of regulation means, one for each of the plurality of servo actuators, each responsive to the voltage error signal and to the related position change gate signals, each presenting the voltage regulation gate signals to the gate input of both the related actuaor solenoid gated switches simultaneously, in response to the presence of a voltage error signal in the absence of the related position change gate signal ON portion, to provide concurrent energizing of both solenoids for a time duration proportional to the magnitude of the voltage error signal, said regulation means not presenting the regulation gate signals to the gated switches in the presence of the related position change gate signal ON portion.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Voltage regulation in an electronic engine control system having digital effector actuators

Life of this patent

Voltage regulation in an electronic engine control system having digital effector actuators

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7