Flight control systems using interconnected command processors
Techniques for controlling the operation of a component of an aircraft, such as an inverter used to provide electric energy to the aircraft's motor or an actuator used to control positioning of a control surface (e.g., an aileron, an elevator, a rudder, and/or the like) of the aircraft. In example embodiments, a command processor receives a first command pilot signal generated by a first flight controller component from the first flight controller component. The command processor receives a second command pilot signal generated by a second flight controller component from another command processor. The command processor may determine a consolidated command signal based on the two command signals. The command processor may control the operation of the component of the aircraft based on the consolidated command signal.
1 . A flight control system for an aircraft, the flight control system comprising:
a set of flight controllers comprising a first flight controller and a second flight controller, the first flight controller being configured to:
receive a pilot control input to one or more pilot control devices of the aircraft, and generate, based on the pilot control input, a first command signal for controlling a first component of the aircraft; and
a first command processor configured to:
receive, from a first subset of the set of flight controllers, a first set of command signals, wherein:
the first subset comprises a first plurality of flight controllers,
the first plurality of flight controllers comprises the first flight controller and excludes the second flight controller, and
the first set of command signals comprises the first command signal generated by the first flight controller and excludes a second command signal generated by the second flight controller based on the pilot control input;
receive, from a second command processor, the second command signal; and
generate, based on aggregating the first set of command signals and the second command signal, a consolidated command signal to control the first component of the aircraft, wherein the second command processor is configured to:
receive a second set of command signals received from a second subset of the set of flight controllers, wherein:
the second subset comprises a second plurality of flight controllers,
the second plurality of flight controllers comprises the second flight controller and excludes the first flight controller, and
the second set of command signals comprises the second command signal and excludes the first command signal;
receive the first command signal from the first command processor;
generate at least one of a second consolidated command signal or a monitoring signal based on aggregating the second set of command signals and the second command signal; and
provide the second command signal to the first command processor.
2 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first command processor is further configured to receive a third command signal for controlling the first component from a third flight controller, the third command signal generated by the third flight controller based on the pilot control input, and
generating the consolidated command signal is further based on the third command signal.
3 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first component comprises a motor associated with the aircraft,
the first command processor is configured to adjust power supplied to the motor using a first inverter and based on the consolidated command signal, and
the second command processor is configured to generate the second consolidated command signal and adjust power supplied to the motor using a second inverter and based on the second consolidated command signal.
4 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the second command processor is configured to generate the monitoring signal; and
the first command processor is configured to:
determine whether the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, and
based on determining that the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal.
5 . The flight control system of claim 4 , wherein generating the monitoring signal comprises:
receiving the first command signal and the consolidated command signal from the first command processor;
generating the second consolidated command signal based on the first command signal and the second set of command signals; and
generating the monitoring signal based on a comparison of the consolidated command signal and the second consolidated command signal.
6 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein the first component is an actuator configured to actuate a control surface of the aircraft.
7 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein the first command processor is further configured to transmit the first command signal to the second command processor.
8 . The flight control system of claim 7 , wherein the flight control system comprises the second command processor, and wherein the second command processor is configured to:
receive the second command signal from the second flight controller;
receive the first command signal from the first command processor; and
generate the second consolidated command signal for controlling the first component based on the first command signal and the second command signal.
9 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein generating the consolidated command signal comprises:
identifying a third set of command signals comprising the first set of command signals and the second command signal;
for each respective command signal of the third set of command signals, determining a voting score based on a share of the third set of command signals that confirm the respective command signal; and
determining the consolidated command signal based on a highest voting score associated with the third set of command signals.
10 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein generating the consolidated command signal comprises:
receiving a plurality of command signals comprising the first command signal and the second command signal;
determining a central tendency measure associated with the plurality of command signals; and
generating the consolidated command signal based on the central tendency measure.
11 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein the first command processor is not directly connected to the second flight controller via a controller area network bus.
12 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft comprises twelve controller area network busses and the first command processor is directly connected to only eight of the twelve controller area network busses.
13 . The flight control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first command processor is directly connected to the first flight controller, and the second command processor is directly connected to the second flight controller.
14 . A flight control system for an aircraft, the flight control system comprising:
a first command processor configured to:
receive, from a first subset of a set of flight controllers, a first set of command signals, wherein:
the first subset comprises a first plurality of flight controllers,
the first plurality of flight controllers comprises a first flight controller of the set of flight controllers and excludes a second flight controller of the set of flight controllers, and
the first set of command signals comprises a first command signal for controlling a first component of the aircraft and excludes a second command signal for controlling the first component,
the first command signal is generated by the first flight controller based on pilot control input to one or more pilot control devices of the aircraft, and
the second command signal is generated by the second flight controller based on the pilot control input;
receive, from a second command processor, the second command signal for controlling the first component; and
generate, based on aggregating the first set of command signals and the second command signal, a consolidated command signal to control the first component of the aircraft; and
the second command processor configured to:
receive a second set of command signals from a second subset of the set of flight controllers, wherein:
the second subset comprises a second plurality of flight controllers,
the second plurality of flight controllers comprises the second flight controller and excludes the first flight controller, and
the second set of command signals comprises the second command signal and excludes the first command signal;
receive, from the first command processor, the first command signal;
generate, based on aggregating the second set of command signals and the first command signal, at least one of a second consolidated command signal or a monitoring signal; and
provide the second command signal to the first command processor to enable the first command processor to generate the consolidated command signal based on the first set of command signals and the second command signal.
15 . The flight control system of claim 14 , wherein:
the first component comprises a motor associated with the aircraft,
the first command processor is configured to adjust power supplied to the motor using a first inverter and based on the consolidated command signal, and
the second command processor is configured to generate the second consolidated command signal and adjust power supplied to the motor using a second inverter and based on the second consolidated command signal.
16 . The flight control system of claim 14 , wherein:
the second command processor is configured to generate the monitoring signal; and
the first command processor is configured to:
determine whether the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, and
based on determining that the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal.
17 . The flight control system of claim 16 , wherein generating the monitoring signal comprises:
receiving the first command signal and the consolidated command signal from the first command processor;
generating the second consolidated command signal based on the first command signal and the second set of command signals; and
generating the monitoring signal based on a comparison of the consolidated command signal and the second consolidated command signal.
18 . The flight control system of claim 14 , wherein the second command processor is configured to:
receive the first command signal from the first command processor; and
generate the second consolidated command signal for controlling the first component based on the first command signal and the second set of command signals.
19 . A command processor for an aircraft flight control system, the command processor comprising:
a first connection port receiving:
from a first subset of a set of flight controllers, a first set of command signals for controlling a first component of an aircraft, wherein:
the first subset comprises a first plurality of flight controllers,
the first plurality of flight controllers comprises a first flight controller of the set of flight controllers and excludes a second flight controller of the set of flight controllers, and
the first set of command signals comprises a first command signal for controlling the first component and excludes a second command signal for controlling the first component,
the first command signal is generated by the first flight controller based on pilot control input to one or more pilot control devices of the aircraft, and
the second command signal is generated by the second flight controller based on the pilot control input; and
a second connection port receiving, from a second command processor, the second command signal, wherein the second command processor is configured to:
receive a second set of command signals received from a second subset of the set of flight controllers, wherein:
the second subset comprises a second plurality of flight controllers,
the second plurality of flight controllers comprises the second flight controller and excludes the first flight controller, and
the second set of command signals comprises the second command signal and excludes the first command signal;
receive the first command signal from the command processor;
generate at least one of a second consolidated command signal or a monitoring signal based on aggregating the second set of command signals and the second command signal; and
provide the second command signal to the command processor; and
a processing component configured to generate, based on aggregating the first set of command signals and the second command signal, a consolidated command signal for controlling the first component of the aircraft.
20 . The command processor of claim 19 , wherein:
the first connection port is connected to a first controller area network (CAN) bus of the aircraft,
the second connection port is connected to a second CAN bus of the aircraft, and
the second command processor further comprises a third connection port receiving a third command signal from a third flight controller.
21 . The command processor of claim 20 , wherein the first CAN bus is associated with a first region of the aircraft and the second CAN bus is associated with a second region of the aircraft.
22 . The command processor of claim 19 , wherein:
the first component comprises a motor associated with the aircraft,
the command processor is configured to adjust power supplied to the motor using a first inverter and based on the consolidated command signal, and
the second command processor is configured to generate the second consolidated command signal and adjust power supplied to the motor using a second inverter and based on the second consolidated command signal.
23 . The command processor of claim 19 , wherein:
the second command processor is configured to generate the monitoring signal; and
the second command processor is configured to:
determine whether the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, and
based on determining that the monitoring signal permits controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal, control the first component based on the consolidated command signal.
24 . The command processor of claim 19 , wherein:
controlling the first component based on the consolidated command signal comprises controlling a first actuator associated with a first control surface based on the consolidated command signal,
the second command processor is configured to generate the second consolidated command signal for controlling a second actuator associated with a second control surface,
a third flight controller is configured to generate a third command signal and provide the third command signal to the command processor, and
the command processor is configured to provide the third command signal to the second command processor.