US 11,679,874 B2
Method of controlling an activation system, emergency control system, and aircraft equipped with such system
Burak Yuksel, Esslingen (DE)
Assigned to Volocopter GmbH, Bruchsal (DE)
Filed by Volocopter GmbH, Bruchsal (DE)
Filed on Apr. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/844,098.
Claims priority of application No. 19169586 (EP), filed on Apr. 16, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0331590 A1, Oct. 22, 2020
Int. Cl. B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64D 31/10 (2006.01); H02P 29/028 (2016.01); H02P 101/30 (2015.01); H02P 5/46 (2006.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 39/024 (2013.01) [B64D 31/10 (2013.01); H02P 5/46 (2013.01); H02P 29/028 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); H02P 2101/30 (2015.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling an overly determined actuator system, said actuator system having a first number of actuators (αi), said first number of actuators is greater than a second number of said actuators needed to perform a predetermined physical task with said actuator system, said actuators comprise propulsion units that form part of a multi-actuator aerial vehicle, MAV, which is an electrically powered VTOL aircraft for transporting at least one of loads or passengers, the method comprising:
automatically controlling said first number of actuators (αi) with a control unit (CU) for jointly performing said predetermined physical task;
repeatedly checking a functional state of said first number of actuators (αi) in order to detect an actuator failure of any one of said first number of actuators (αi);
in case of any detected actuator failure, generating at least one emergency signal (EM) representative of an adapted physical task to be performed by a remaining number of said actuators (αi), wherein said emergency signal (EM) is generated based on dynamics and kinematics of the actuator system, on known physical capacities at least of the remaining number of said actuators (αi), and optionally on a computational performance model of the actuator system;
wherein said adapted physical task comprises activating each of said remaining actuators (αi) below a predetermined threshold of maximum physical load on any respective one of the actuators (αi) and activating an ensemble of said remaining actuators (αi) in a way to prevent further damage to the actuator system; and
said emergency signal (EM) is applied to a motion planning device (MP), and said motion planning device (MP) uses the emergency signal (EM) to adapt a pre-planned flight trajectory of the MAV and to determine at least one possible adapted flight trajectory that is modified from the pre-planned flight trajectory.