US 11,866,154 B2
System and method for controlling an actuator for a control surface of an aircraft
Philippe Goupil, Toulouse (FR); and Hervé Le Berre, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to Airbus Operations (S.A.S.), Toulouse (FR)
Filed by Airbus Operations (S.A.S.), Toulouse (FR)
Filed on Oct. 8, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/065,926.
Claims priority of application No. 1911376 (FR), filed on Oct. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0107628 A1, Apr. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 13/24 (2006.01); B64C 9/00 (2006.01); B64C 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 13/24 (2013.01) [B64C 9/00 (2013.01); B64C 13/02 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for controlling an actuator for a control surface of an aircraft, the system comprising a processing unit configured for:
acquiring, from a set of sources of information on the aircraft, a set of values of a same parameter, the set comprising a number N of values;
determining, by a voter with N inputs, a value, referred to as a voted value, of the parameter according to the set of N values of the parameter; and
determining a control signal for controlling the actuator according to the value of the parameter determined by the voter;
wherein the control system is configured to apply this control signal to the actuator;
wherein when the set of values of the parameter comprises a number N of values greater than three, N being equal to 2×p or to 2×p+1 depending on whether N is even or odd, p being an integer greater than or equal to 2, the voter with N inputs comprises a module for determining two intermediate values from among the values of a subset of 2×p values of the set of N values of the parameter, this module for determining two intermediate values comprising:
a set of at least p+1 voters with 2×p−1 inputs, the voters with 2×p−1 inputs receiving as input distinct subsets of 2×p−1 inputs of the subset of 2×p inputs;
a sub-module for determining a maximum value, receiving as input outputs from the various voters with 2×p−1 inputs and delivering as output a first of the two intermediate values; and
a sub-module for determining a minimum value, receiving as input the outputs of the various voters with 2×p−1 inputs and delivering as output a second of the two intermediate values.