IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,384,524
Granted Patent B2
US 12,384,524 · App. 18/600,498 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

System and method for flight control in electric aircraft

Inventors: Andrew Giroux (Georgia, VT); Timothy Gerard Richter (Jeffersonville, VT); Nicholas Moy (Burlington, VT)
Assignee: BETA AIR LLC
B64C13/16B64C13/503H04W4/40H04W72/569B64C29/0033
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,384,524
App. No.
18/600,498
Filed
Mar 8, 2024
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3656
USPC
244/76C
Abstract

A system for flight control in electric aircraft includes a flight controller configured to provide an initial vehicle torque signal including a plurality of attitude commands. The system includes a mixer configured to receive the initial vehicle torque signal and a vehicle torque limit, receive prioritization data including a prioritization datum corresponding to each of the plurality of attitude command, determine a plurality of modified attitude commands as a function of the vehicle torque limit, the attitude commands, and the prioritization data, generate, as a function of modified attitude commands, an output torque command including the initial vehicle torque signal adjusted as a function of the vehicle torque limit, generate, as a function of the output torque command, a remaining vehicle torque. The system includes a display, wherein the display is configured to present, to a user, the remaining vehicle torque and the output torque command.

Claims (62)

1. A system for flight control in an electric aircraft, the system comprising:

a mixer configured to:

receive one or more vehicle-level commands, wherein a first vehicle-level command of the one or more vehicle-level commands is determined according to a pilot control command;

determine one or more propulsor limits associated with at least one of one or more propulsors of the electric aircraft;

determine, based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits, one or more modified vehicle-level commands;

generate a plurality of propulsor commands based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits; and

transmit the plurality of propulsor commands to the one or more propulsors, wherein the one or more propulsors are configured to, based on receiving the plurality of propulsor commands, operate to control a position of the electric aircraft according to the pilot control command.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining an expected propulsor inertia;

determining an additional torque required to overcome the expected propulsor inertia; and

determining a modified torque based on the additional torque.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining prioritization data associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands; and

determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits comprises:

based on determining that a required torque associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands exceeds the one or more propulsor limits, determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the prioritization data determines a priority associated with at least one of:

pitch,

roll,

collective force, or

yaw.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the mixer is further configured to determine a remaining available vehicle torque based on the plurality of propulsor commands.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands comprises determining one or more solutions to one or more optimization problems, the one or more optimization problems being associated with the one or more propulsor limits.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first propulsor limit of the one or more propulsor limits is associated with at least one of speed, torque, a first feature associated with a propulsor, or a second feature associated with a second component of the electric aircraft.

9. A method for flight control in an electric aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, by a mixer of the electric aircraft, one or more vehicle-level commands, wherein a first vehicle-level command of the one or more vehicle-level commands is determined according to a pilot control command;

determining, by the mixer, one or more propulsor limits associated with at least one of one or more propulsors of the electric aircraft;

determining, by the mixer and based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits, one or more modified vehicle-level commands;

generating, by the mixer, a plurality of propulsor commands based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits; and

transmitting, by the mixer, the plurality of propulsor commands to the one or more propulsors, wherein the one or more propulsors are configured to, based on receiving the plurality of propulsor commands, operate to control a position of the electric aircraft according to the pilot control command.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the one or more vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining an expected propulsor inertia;

determining an additional torque required to overcome the expected propulsor inertia; and

determining a modified torque based on the additional torque.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining prioritization data associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands; and

determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits comprises:

based on determining that a required torque associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands exceeds the one or more propulsor limits, determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the prioritization data determines a priority associated with at least one of:

pitch,

roll,

collective force, or

yaw.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mixer is further configured to determine a remaining available vehicle torque based on the plurality of propulsor commands.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands comprises determining one or more solutions to one or more optimization problems, the one or more optimization problems being associated with the one or more propulsor limits.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein a first propulsor limit of the one or more propulsor limits is associated with at least one of speed, torque, a first feature associated with a propulsor, or a second feature associated with a second component of the electric aircraft.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media for flight control in an electric aircraft, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a mixer of the electric aircraft, one or more vehicle-level commands, wherein a first vehicle-level command of the one or more vehicle-level commands is determined according to a pilot control command;

determining, by the mixer, one or more propulsor limits associated with at least one of one or more propulsors of the electric aircraft;

determining, by the mixer and based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits, one or more modified vehicle-level commands;

generating, by the mixer, a plurality of propulsor commands based on the one or more vehicle-level commands and the one or more propulsor limits; and

transmitting, by the mixer, the plurality of propulsor commands to the one or more propulsors, wherein the one or more propulsors are configured to, based on receiving the plurality of propulsor commands, operate to control a position of the electric aircraft according to the pilot control command.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein determining the one or more vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining an expected propulsor inertia;

determining an additional torque required to overcome the expected propulsor inertia; and

determining a modified torque based on the additional torque.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands comprises:

determining prioritization data associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands; and

determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data and the one or more propulsor limits comprises:

based on determining that a required torque associated with the one or more vehicle-level commands exceeds the one or more propulsor limits, determining the one or more modified vehicle-level commands based on the prioritization data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2024
From: GIROUX, ANDREW; RICHTER, TIMOTHY GERARD; MOY, NICHOLAS
To: BETA AIR, LLC
Reel/Frame 066709/0517 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17349631 · Jun 16, 2021
Continuation In Part 17197427 · Mar 10, 2021
Related Publication 20240375768A1 · Nov 14, 2024
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