Method and apparatus for implementing a databus voter to select flight command signals from one of several redundant asynchronous digital primary flight computers

In an aircraft fly-by-wire control system wherein each of a plurality of redundant, asynchronous primary flight computers produces flight command signals and wherein at least one control surface of the aircraft is controlled by a plurality of actuators, a method for controlling the flight command signals which are passed to the actuators, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a plurality of voter means, each voter means associated with a primary flight computer and one or more actuators, said voter means performing the steps of:
• i) receiving the flight command signals from said primary flight computers,
• ii) processing said received flight command signals through a predetermined selection algorithm and, in accordance therewith
• iii) passing a selected one of said flight command signals to said associated actuator,
• such that all actuators for the control surface receive approximately the same flight command signal.