This application claims the benefit of the French patent application No. 1659775 filed on Oct. 11, 2016, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by way of reference.
The present invention concerns a flight control method and system for an aircraft, in particular a transport aircraft.
It is known that modern civil aircraft are controlled by mathematical piloting laws embedded in dedicated digital computers and the inputs of which come from sensors placed on the aircraft and the outputs of which consist of control surface deflection inputs. These control surface deflection inputs are sent to controllers of actuators of these control surfaces.
The entire control chain linking movements of the aircraft and movements of the control surfaces is therefore subject to a time delay depending on the frequency of refreshing the sensors and sampling asynchronisms between the elements of the control chain and the controller of the control surface.
The piloting law is usually computed using a powerful mathematical tool and then transcribed into the computer in the form of gain tables. This method generates multiple steps before the introduction of the gains into the computer and does not enable modification of the objectives of the law in that computer.
Moreover, on a flexible aircraft, the first structural modes of which are situated at frequencies close to those of the piloting modes, it is necessary to apply frequency-domain filtering to the information from the sensors in order to limit aeroservoelastic coupling between the structure of the aircraft and the piloting law.
The mathematical model representing an entire control chain of this kind can be very complex and make the explicit writing of a corresponding piloting law in a computer impossible.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate this disadvantage. The invention concerns a method for controlling the flight of an aircraft relative to at least one piloting axis of the aircraft utilizing one or more piloting laws that can be generated and written more easily, the aircraft being provided with an electrical flight control system and either at least one control member (control column, rudder pedals, etc.) that can be actuated manually by a pilot of the aircraft at least for control relative to a piloting axis of the aircraft or at least one virtual control member adapted to be controlled by an automatic pilot type device.
According to the invention, the method includes the following steps:
Therefore, due to the invention, the equations of the piloting law are established from a linear representation of the (linearized) control chain, which makes it possible to generate inputs with a non-filtered and non-delayed controlled variable. Moreover, account is taken of a so-called generic set of computation modules, meaning that at least some of those computation modules (that enable computation of particular parameters) can be used to compute inputs relative to different piloting axes (pitch, yaw, roll), using for this purpose appropriate second values (entered by an operator), these second values defining delay and filter characteristics of the control chain relative to the corresponding piloting axis. The piloting law or laws utilized can be generated and written more easily than in the usual situation mentioned above.
Although not exclusively, the present invention is particularly well suited to a so-called flexible aircraft, in which the first structural modes are situated at frequencies close to those of the piloting modes, notably making it possible to implement appropriate frequency-domain filtering.
The linearized control chain advantageously satisfies the following equation:
in which:
At least some of the gains Kuc, Ku, Kudot and Kui are advantageously determined from equations present in the generic set of computation modules.
Moreover, the global filter Fequi advantageously satisfies the following equation:
Fequi=pade(T,2)*B(s)
in which:
In a preferred embodiment, the generic set of parameter computation modules is utilized by a plurality of control steps to control the flight of the aircraft relative to at least two (and preferably three) of the three piloting axes of the aircraft:
The present invention can therefore be applied to one of the three piloting axes of the aircraft or simultaneously to more than one of them.
In a first application, to control the flight of the aircraft at least relative to a piloting axis corresponding to the pitch axis of the aircraft, the control step advantageously comprises computing an input in the form of a deflection input δq of an elevator of the aircraft from a current control value Nzc corresponding to a load factor Nz that represents a position of a control column that can be actuated by a pilot of the aircraft, using the following equation:
in which:
Moreover, the gains KNz, Kq and Ki and the precontrol term KD are advantageously computed from the following equations:
in which:
Moreover, in a second application, in addition to or instead of the first application to control the flight of the aircraft at least relative to a piloting axis corresponding to the yaw axis of the aircraft, the control step advantageously comprises computing an input in the form of a deflection input δr of a virtual yaw control surface from a current control value β3 corresponding to a sideslip angle β of the aircraft that represents the position of pedals that can be actuated by a pilot of the aircraft, using the following equation:
in which:
Moreover, the gains Kβ, Kβdot and Kβint and the precontrol term Kβ
Moreover, in a third application in addition to or instead of the first and second applications to control the flight of the aircraft at least relative to a piloting axis corresponding to the roll axis of the aircraft the control step advantageously comprises computing an input in the form of a deflection input δp of a virtual roll control surface from a current control value pc corresponding to a roll rate p of the aircraft that represents a position of a control column that can be actuated by a pilot of the aircraft, using the following equation:
in which:
Moreover, the gains Kp and Kpint and the precontrol term Kp
The present invention also concerns an aircraft flight control system intended to control the flight of the aircraft relative to at least one piloting axis.
According to the invention, the system includes:
In one particular embodiment, the system includes:
The system advantageously further includes:
The present invention further concerns an aircraft, in particular a transport aircraft, that is provided with a system like that specified hereinabove.
The appended figures clearly explain how the invention can be reduced to practice. In these figures, identical references designate similar elements. More specifically:
The system 1 represented diagrammatically in
According to the invention, the system 1 includes:
Each computation unit 6, 7, 8 is configured to compute the gains of the associated piloting law utilizing at least a part of the generic set of computation modules Mi.
Moreover, each computation unit 6, 7, 8 is configured to compute inputs intended for at least one actuator of a control surface adapted to control the aircraft relative to the piloting axis in accordance with the current control value of the aircraft, using a controlled variable supplied in a raw state. By raw state is meant the state in which the variable is generated (or measured by an appropriate sensor), i.e., non-filtered and non-delayed.
The system 1 further includes:
In the particular embodiment shown in
These computation units 6, 7 and 8 can be part of one and the same computation element.
The inputs computed by each of the computation units 6, 7 and 8 are transmitted to one or more actuators of a respective appropriate (real or virtual) control surface via the link 14.
The set of computation modules Mi is termed generic because computation modules Mi of this set can be utilized by each of the three computation units 6, 7 and 8.
Moreover, the system 1 is generic. It is, in fact, suited to any aircraft (see below). The code determined as described above (which is installed in the central unit 2) is directly usable for any aircraft without modification (provided the system architecture of the aircraft allows embedding of this code).
The system 1 therefore applies to piloting relative to the pitch, roll and/or yaw axes of an aircraft that is equipped with control surfaces enabling movement of this aircraft relative to these three axes.
The definition of the various computation elements utilized in the central unit 2 can be explained on the basis of two successive phases, respectively comprising:
To implement these two phases the following aircraft model is utilized.
The aircraft, without considering the flexible modes or the digital control system, can be represented by the usual flight mechanics differential equations for the pitch axis or for the coupled roll and yaw axes.
In the case of the pitch axis, these equations are written:
where α is the angle of attack, q is the pitch rate and δq is the deflection of the elevator.
The vertical load factor Nz is computed as follows:
Using the Laplace variable, we obtain:
In the case of the roll and yaw axes, these equations are written in the usual way:
where β is the sideslip angle, r is the yaw rate, p is the roll rate, φ is the roll angle, δl is the deflection of the main roll control surface, δn is the deflection of the main yaw control surface, α is the angle of attack, and θ is the longitudinal pitch angle.
The values of α and θ are considered sufficiently small to simplify the sine, cosine and tangent terms. The model commonly used is then:
If the terms in np, lβ and lr can be ignored, or if a first piloting law enables compensation thereof, the model then becomes:
Adopting the notation:
we obtain:
and:
(s−lp)p=δp (iv)
As indicated above, a linearized global control chain is considered, i.e., a system without saturation or parameter thresholds. In mathematical terms this linearized control chain comprises mutually commutative elements. The delays linked to the various steps of this control chain can therefore be grouped into one and the same term.
Consequently, if all the delays and asynchronisms of the control chain are related by an identity function, an equivalent single delay corresponding to the sum of all the delays can be assumed to apply in the final position of the control chain. Likewise, the structural filtering applied to the inputs of the piloting law can in an equivalent manner be placed downstream of the law, on the final inputs.
The usual representation of the control chain is shown in more detail in
In
The control chain can be represented in an equivalent manner, as in
Moreover, the representation shown in
The entire control chain can therefore be considered as a law L applied to non-filtered and non-delayed sensors C the inputs from which pass through a delay unit DT and a single filter FT.
A generalized form of a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) type piloting law is written:
where uc is the setpoint of the law (or control value) and u is the controlled variable, considered non-filtered and non-delayed, i.e., in its raw state.
The control chain corresponding to the
δu is the control surface movement (deflection) generated by this control chain.
The definition of the various computation elements for obtaining the final piloting law can therefore be explained on the basis of two successive phases. The first phase, based on the equation (v) of the control chain, comprises establishing an equivalent representation of that chain and the second phase utilizes that new representation to establish the equations of the piloting law.
Where the first phase is concerned, FILT(s)=delayglobal(s)*Filter(s) is modelled in the form of a single global filter of order N (N≥1) denoted Fequi (s) and enables FILT(s) to be represented with great fidelity in a pass-band corresponding to that of the piloting law.
A preferred formulation enabling the filter and delay characteristics of the control chain to be represented with great fidelity and simplicity is as follows:
Fequi(s)=pade(T,2)*B(s)
where pade(T,2) is a second order Pade filter, with time constant T:
and B(s) is a second order Butterworth filter of angular frequency ω0 and and damping ξ:
The pade(T,2) filter is well known to represent mathematically the effect on a control chain of a delay T.
Moreover, with a second order filter, the structure of the filter B(s) enables a good representation of the low-pass characteristic of a filter whilst also representing very well its Q (overvoltage factor).
A fourth order global filter Fequi(s) is therefore chosen (the fourth order corresponding to the sum of the second order of the pade(T,2) filter and the second order of the B(s) filter) to represent faithfully, at the piloting frequencies of the aircraft, the low-pass filter and overvoltage factor characteristics given by B(s) and the chain delay characteristics given by T.
We obtain
Moreover, concerning the aforementioned second phase, if the pitch or yaw axes are considered, the system representing the aircraft is a second order system (equations (i) and (iii)). On the other hand, if the roll axis is considered, the system representing the aircraft is a first order system (equation (iv)), which is a special case of a second order system, the second order coefficient of which is zero.
The second order general differential equation (enabling representation of the aircraft on each of the axes) of a state variable system u is then considered, where the deflection of the control surface is δu:
(K2s2+K1s+K0)u=δu (vii)
The piloting law is defined by rewriting (vi) with more general notation:
The differential equation (vii) then becomes:
The piloting law therefore includes:
The closed loop system is then:
(T7s7+T6s6+T5s5+(T4−θ2Kudot)s4+(T3−θ2Kuθ1Kudot)s3+(T2+θ2Kui+θ1Ku−θ0Kudot)s2+(T1−θ1Kui−θ0Ku)s+θ0Kui)u=(θ2s2−θ1s+θ0)(Kucs+Kui)uc (ix)
the terms of which are computed via a function coefequationBF such that:
[T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2]=coefequationBF(a,b,d,T K0,K1,K2)
By way of illustration, the following equations are considered in this case:
The system described by the equation (ix) has seven poles, which are defined as the roots of the seventh order polynomial corresponding to the left-hand part of the equation (ix).
The PID type law does not have sufficient degrees of freedom to place the seven poles of the system. It enables only three of them to be constrained.
Three poles of the system are therefore placed by the law on the objectives of the law and are therefore the roots of the polynomial:
where ω and ξ are the angular frequency and damping objectives of the complex mode, and τ is the time constant objective of the real mode.
In a closed loop the last four poles become values that are not objectives but consequences of the law. These four poles are the roots of a polynomial.
The set of closed loop poles therefore defines the polynomial of the closed loop system:
(x4s4+x3s3+x2s2+x1s+x0)·(μ3s3+μ2s2+μ1s+μ0)·u (x)
The left-hand part of the equation (ix) and the equation (x) can therefore be related via an identity function.
This identity function is performed via a cascade of equations, defined in a function equation_law_input, such that:
[Ku,Kui,Kudot]=equation_law_input(μ0,μ1,μ3,T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2)
The three unknowns Ku, Kui and Kudot are defined by a system of three equations:
K11Ku+K12Kudot+K13Kui=D11
K21Ku+K22Kudot+K23Kui=D22
K31Ku+K32Kudot+K33Kui=D33
In this system, the determinants are:
D is not zero if it is assumed that the system is controllable.
We finally obtain:
In these expressions, the following formulas are used:
This piloting law can then be applied to the pitch, yaw or roll axes of an aircraft, the equation (vii) and the equations (i), (iii) or (iv) being related by an identity function. The control chain (vi) of the aircraft and the equation (viii) are related by an identity function.
In a first application, to control the aircraft relative to its pitch axis, the computation unit 6 (
The computation unit 6 computes the deflection input δq using the following equation:
that is to say:
This equation is obtained by rewriting the equation (vi) with the names of variables corresponding to the equation (i).
Using the notation:
we obtain:
[T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2]=coefequationBF(a,b,d,T,K0,K1,K2)
The objectives of the law, which can be selected, are:
We then write:
We obtain:
[Ku,Kui,Kudot]=equation_law_input(μ0,μ1,μ2,μ3,T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2)
and
The precontrol term KD enables compensation of the real mode:
KD=τKi
Moreover, in a second application, to control the aircraft relative to its yaw axis, the computation unit 7 (
The computation unit 7 computes the deflection input δr using the following equation:
that is to say:
This equation is obtained by rewriting the equation (vi) with the names of variables corresponding to the equation (iii).
Using the notation:
we obtain:
[T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2]=coefequationBF(a,b,d,T,K0,K1,K2)
The objectives of the law, which can be selected, are:
We then write:
We obtain:
[Kβ,Kβi,Kβdot]=equation_law_input(μ0,μ1,μ2,μ3,T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2)
The precontrol term Kβ
Kβ
Moreover, in a third application, to control the aircraft relative to its roll axis, the computation unit 8 (
The computation unit 8 computes the deflection input δp using the following equation:
that is to say:
This equation is obtained by rewriting the equation (vi) with the names of variables corresponding to the equation (iv).
Using the notation: K2=0.0, K1 =1.0, K0=−lp
we obtain:
[T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,θ0,θ1,θ2]=coefequationBF(a,b,d,T,K0,K1,K2)
The objectives of the law, which can be selected, are:
We then write:
Because the law to be defined is of lower order, instead of the subfunction equation_law_input a slightly different subfunction equation_law_input is defined:
[Ku,Kui]=equation_law_input(μ0,μ1,μ2,T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,θ0,θ1,θ2)
Ku and Kui are the solutions of a system of two equations:
The following equations are used for these equations:
We obtain:
Kp=Ku
Kpint=Kui
The precontrol term Kβ
Kpc=Tsp·Kpint
The installation and operation of the flight control system 1 as described above can be effected using a sequence of steps E1 to E3 shown in
This sequence of steps comprises:
Consequently, the invention comprises coding equations which, utilized in cascade, enable real time computation of the gains of a piloting law embedded in a computer (central unit 2) of an aircraft. The system 1 is applied to piloting relative to the pitch, roll and/or yaw axes of any aircraft provided with control surfaces enabling maneuvering of the aircraft about those axes.
For reducing the invention to practice:
While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.
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