Bifurcated feel simulator for aircraft
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJ. Burton Berlin, Erwin V. Schweizer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bifurcated feel unit for use in a dual path flight control system includes separate input levers for the pilot and copilot control paths. The input levers pivot about a common axis but are capable of independent rotation upon override of the breakout pogos associated with the control system external to the feel unit. Each input lever is coupled to a source of resistive force, preferably a piston within a hydraulic chamber. Normally the feel force supplied is the sum of the resistive forces applied to each input lever. In the event of a jam in one path of the flight control system, the feel force supplied to the remaining operable path is reduced in proportion to the reduction in available control surface.
Claims3
In a dual path flight control system having separate control paths linking the control surfaces of an aircraft to each of a pilot control stick and a copilot control stick, the improvement comprising a single feel unit coupled to both paths of said control system, said feel unit including:
- a first lever constructed and arranged for pivotal movement about a first axis said first lever being coupled to and driven by said pilot control stick;
- a second lever constructed and arranged for pivotal movement about said axis, said second lever coupled to and driven by said copilot control stick;
- a feel load-generating means for producing a feel force representative of the aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft control surfaces;
- and,
- linkage means associated with said first and second levers and said feel load-generating means for coupling said first and second levers to said feel load-generating means such that said feel force opposes motion of said levers and such that said feel load-generating means is operable in the event of a jam in one path of said dual path system which jam renders inoperative a portion of the control surfaces of the aircraft to provide feel force to the other path of the dual path system that is representative of the aerodynamic forces acting on the remaining operative portion of the control surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.