US 11,912,426 B2
Thrust allocation using optimization in a distributed flight control system
Tim Allan Wheeler, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Kitty Hawk Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by Kitty Hawk Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/473,668.
Application 17/473,668 is a continuation of application No. 16/794,710, filed on Feb. 19, 2020, granted, now 11,155,356.
Prior Publication US 2021/0403171 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B64D 31/12 (2006.01); B64C 29/00 (2006.01); B60L 15/20 (2006.01); B64D 27/24 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 31/12 (2013.01) [B60L 15/20 (2013.01); B64C 29/0025 (2013.01); B64D 27/24 (2013.01); B60L 2200/10 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aircraft, comprising:
a plurality of flight controllers configured to:
generate thrust values for a plurality of motors in the aircraft, wherein each flight controller in the plurality of flight controllers is configured to generate a complete set of thrust values that includes a thrust value for each motor in the plurality of motors using an optimization problem with a single solution, wherein the plurality of flight controllers include a first flight controller and a second flight controller, wherein the plurality of motors includes a first motor and a second motor, and wherein the complete set of thrust values includes a first thrust value and a second thrust value; and
from each flight controller in the plurality of flight controllers, pass only one of the generated thrust values in that flight controller's complete set of thrust values to a corresponding motor in the plurality of motors in the event the one of the generated thrust values for the corresponding motor and the thrust values for the corresponding motor generated by the other flight controllers of the plurality of flight controllers are within a tolerance amount, wherein the first flight controller passes the first thrust value associated with the first flight controller to the first motor and does not pass the second thrust value associated with the first flight controller to the first motor, wherein the second flight controller passes the second thrust value associated with the second flight controller to the second motor and does not pass the first thrust value associated with the second flight controller to the second motor, and wherein other generated thrust values in that flight controller's complete set of thrust values that are not passed to the corresponding motor terminate at that flight controller; and
the plurality of motors is configured to perform the passed thrust values.