阅读说明：本技术 机舱可移动机罩的至少一个致动器的飞行器控制架构 (Aircraft control architecture for at least one actuator of a nacelle movable cowl ) 是由 阿坎·马利奥纳 爱丽丝·波塔利耶 朱利安·科宾 于 2019-08-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于控制和/或监测装备机舱的推力反向器(4)的可移动机罩(3a、3b)的至少一个致动器(2a、2b)的架构(1),致动器(2a、2b)由至少一个马达(5a、5b)驱动并且包括至少一个马达传感器(6a、6b)以根据指令提供其控制,所述架构(1)的特征在于,架构(1)包括电子控制系统以处理由马达传感器(6a、6b)生成的至少一个信息并且使用该至少一个信息计算推力反向器(4)的可移动机罩(3a、3b)的位置。(The invention relates to an architecture (1) for controlling and/or monitoring at least one actuator (2a, 2b) equipping a movable cowl (3a, 3b) of a thrust reverser (4) of a nacelle, the actuator (2a, 2b) being driven by at least one motor (5a, 5b) and comprising at least one motor sensor (6a, 6b) to provide its control on command, said architecture (1) being characterized in that the architecture (1) comprises an electronic control system to process at least one piece of information generated by the motor sensor (6a, 6b) and to calculate the position of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4) using this at least one piece of information.)

1. An architecture (1) for controlling and/or monitoring at least one actuator (2a, 2b) equipping at least one movable cowl (3a, 3b) of a thrust reverser (4) of a nacelle, said actuator (2a, 2b) being powered by at least one motor (5a, 5b) and comprising at least one motor sensor (6a, 6b) to ensure its servo control according to a set point, said architecture (1) being characterized in that said architecture (1) comprises an electronic control system for processing at least one piece of information generated by said motor sensor (6a, 6b) and calculating the position of said movable cowl (3a, 3b) of said thrust reverser (4) according to said at least one piece of information.

2. The architecture (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the motor sensor (6a, 6b) is an angle sensor configured to generate said information from an angle measurement of a rotor of the motor (5a, 5 b).

3. The architecture (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, in an in-flight configuration, the architecture (1) is configured to detect the movement of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4) by calculating, by the electronic control system, the difference of two angular measurements of the rotor measured by the motor sensor (6a, 6b) at two different times.

4. The architecture (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, in a thrust reversal configuration, the architecture (1) is configured to calculate, by the electronic control system, the absolute position of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4) according to the integral of the angular measurement of the rotor between an initial time t0 corresponding to the initial position of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) and a given time t.

5. Architecture (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic control system comprises at least one full-authority electronic regulation unit of said motor (5a, 5b) of said actuator (2a, 2 b).

6. The architecture (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said electronic control system comprises an electronic control unit (200) dedicated to the servo control of said motors (5a, 5b) and electrically connected to said full authority electronic regulation unit, said motor sensors (6a, 6b) being electrically connected to said electronic control unit (200).

7. Architecture (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said architecture (1) comprises two dual-channel sensors (7a, 7b, 8a, 8b) of the main locking condition of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4), each dual-channel sensor (7a, 7a ', 7b', 8a ', 8b') being electrically connected to said full-authority electronic regulation unit.

8. Architecture (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said architecture (1) comprises two single channel sensors (7a ', 7b', 8a ', 8b') of the main locking state of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4), each single channel sensor (7a ', 7b', 8a ', 8b') being electrically connected to said full-weight electronic regulation unit.

9. The architecture (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said architecture (1) comprises at least one single channel sensor (9) of the three-stage locking condition of said movable hood (3a, 3b), electrically connected to said full-authority electronic regulation unit.

10. The architecture (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said architecture (1) comprises a single-channel sensor (10) for detecting the position of the movable cowl (3a, 3b) of the thrust reverser (4), said single-channel detection sensor (10) being electrically connected to said full authority electronic adjustment unit.

11. The architecture (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic control system comprises two full authority electronic regulation units to form a dual communication system operating in the event of failure of one of these two units.

12. Architecture (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said electronic control unit (200) is capable of being integrated into said at least one full-authority electronic regulation unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the general field of aircraft. The invention relates more particularly to the field of architectures for actuators for controlling and/or monitoring movable structures of thrust reversers of turbojet engines.

Background

An aircraft is powered by several turbojet engines, each housed in a nacelle that also houses a set of auxiliary actuation devices related to its operation and ensures various functions when the turbojet engine is operating or stopped. These auxiliary actuating means comprise in particular thrust reversers.

During landing of the aircraft, the role of the thrust reverser is to improve the braking capacity of the aircraft by redirecting forward at least part of the thrust generated by the turbojet engine. At this stage, the thrust reverser obstructs the gas nozzle of the nacelle and directs the jet of the motor towards the front of the nacelle, thus generating a counter-thrust which adds to the braking of the aircraft wheels.

The means implemented to perform this redirection of the air flow vary according to the type of thrust reverser. In all cases, however, the structure of the thrust reverser comprises a movable cowl movable between a deployed position, in which it opens a passage for the diverted flow in the nacelle, on the one hand, and a retracted position, in which it closes the passage, on the other hand. These movable cowls can also perform the deflecting function or simply activate other deflecting means.

In cascade thrust reversers, for example, the movable cowl slides along rails, so that when moving backwards during the opening phase, the movable cowl finds the cascade vanes arranged in the thickness of the nacelle. A linkage system connects the movable hood to a blocking door that deploys within the injection channel and blocks the straight stream outlet. However, in a door thrust reverser, each movable cowl pivots to block and divert the airflow and is therefore active in this reorientation.

Typically, these movable cowls are actuated by hydraulic or pneumatic actuators, which require a transmission network of pressurized fluid. This air or this pressurized fluid is conventionally obtained by taking air from the air circuit of the turbojet engine, in the case of pneumatic actuators, or by collecting air from the hydraulic circuit of the aircraft, in the case of hydraulic actuators. Such actuators require a significant amount of maintenance, as the slightest leak in the hydraulic or pneumatic network may be difficult to detect and may have devastating consequences for the thrust reverser and other parts of the nacelle. Moreover, the arrangement and protection of such circuits is particularly delicate and cumbersome, due to the reduced space available in the front frame of the thrust reverser.

In order to overcome the various drawbacks associated with pneumatic and hydraulic systems, thrust reverser manufacturers have sought to replace them and equip their thrust reversers as much as possible with electromagnetic actuators, which are lighter and more reliable. Such a thrust reverser is described in document EP 0843089.

However, electromagnetic actuators also have several drawbacks which need to be addressed in order to fully benefit from the advantages they offer in terms of their gains in terms of mass and space requirements.

In particular, existing solutions require the establishment of an electrical system comprising a large number of these sensors, in order to comply with the constraints of safety and overall reliability of the electrical system. Furthermore, although the mass of the electrical system is reduced with respect to pneumatic or hydraulic systems, it remains a major constraint in the aeronautical field.

Furthermore, in some nacelles, the space requirements often cause installation problems, which require having very specific sensors, thereby increasing the cost of the retained system. This is the case, for example, with some nacelles having dedicated status sensors to detect exclusively the locking or unlocking of the nacelle by means of the hook, and the open or closed position of the movable cowl of the nacelle.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the above drawbacks by proposing a solution that makes it possible to allow reducing the quality and space requirements of the electrical system of the nacelle, while guaranteeing a good level of safety and reliability in the detection of the event of concern.

To this end, the invention relates to an architecture for controlling and/or monitoring at least one actuator of a movable cowl of a thrust reverser fitted to a nacelle, the actuator being powered by at least one motor and comprising at least one motor sensor to ensure servo-control thereof according to a set-point, the architecture being characterized in that it comprises an electronic control system for processing at least one piece of information generated by the motor sensor and calculating a position of the movable cowl of the thrust reverser according to the at least one piece of information.

The motor sensor of the actuator therefore allows to calculate at any time the position of the movable hood, unlike the prior art, where it has the sole function of ensuring the servo control of the actuator, to ensure that the movable hood opens or closes according to a set point received by the electronic control system of the actuator.

The calculation of the position of the movable cowl, performed using the motor sensor, advantageously allows to ease the architecture of the at least one condition sensor. In fact, from the information generated by the motor sensor, through calculations performed by the electronic control system, it is possible to know the open or closed position of the movable hood.

It should be noted that the information generated by the motor sensor is related to the displacement of the actuator, so that the position of the movable hood can be calculated at any time.

According to one feature, the motor sensor may be an angle sensor configured to generate said information from an angle measurement of a rotor of the motor.

The angular measurement of the rotor allows the displacement of the actuator to be determined. For this purpose, from the angular measurement, the number of revolutions performed by the actuator fixed to the rotor can be known. Then, the displacement of the actuator can be calculated from the number of revolutions and the step size of the actuator. Thus, the position of the movable hood moved by the actuator can be known.

According to a variant, in an in-flight configuration, the architecture is configured to detect the movement of the movable cowl of the thrust reverser by calculating, by the electronic control system, the difference of two angular measurements of the rotor measured by the motor sensor at two different times.

The difference between these two angular measurements can advantageously be compared with a predetermined value, according to which the movement of the movable cowl represents a risk of deployment in flight.

According to another variant, in the thrust reversal configuration, the architecture is configured to calculate, by the electronic control system, the absolute position of the movable cowl of the thrust reverser according to the integral of the angular measurement of the rotor between an initial time t0 corresponding to the initial position of the movable structure and a given time t corresponding to the absolute position of the movable structure.

The absolute position corresponds to the position of the movable hood at a given time t. In the deployed configuration of the movable cowl, the absolute position corresponds to the position of the movable cowl at a given time t.

According to a particular embodiment, the architecture may comprise one or more of the following features taken alone or according to any possible technical combination:

the electronic control system may comprise at least one full-authority electronic regulation unit of the motor of the actuator,

the electronic control system may comprise an electronic control unit dedicated to the servo control of the motor and electrically connected to the full authority electronic regulation unit, the motor sensor being electrically connected to the electronic control unit,

the electronic control system may comprise two full authority electronic regulation units to form a dual communication system operating in the event of failure of one of the two units,

the electronic control unit may be integrated into at least one full authority electronic regulation unit.

The architecture may comprise two-channel sensors of the main lock status of the movable cover of the thrust reverser, each two-channel sensor being electrically connected to the full authority electronic regulation unit

The architecture may comprise two single-channel sensors of the main locking status of the movable cover of the thrust reverser, each single-channel sensor being electrically connected to the full authority electronic regulation unit,

the architecture may comprise a single channel sensor of the state of a tertiary lock of the movable hood, electrically connected to the full authority electronic regulation unit.

The architecture may comprise a single channel sensor for detecting the position of the movable cowl of the thrust reverser, electrically connected to the full authority electronic regulation unit.

Drawings

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a functional diagram of the architecture of at least one actuator for controlling and/or monitoring a movable cowl of a thrust reverser equipping a nacelle according to a first embodiment,

figure 2 shows a functional diagram of the architecture shown in figure 1 according to a second embodiment,

figure 3 shows a functional diagram of the architecture shown in figure 1 according to a third embodiment,

fig. 4 shows a functional diagram of the architecture shown in fig. 1 according to a fourth embodiment.

Detailed Description

With reference to fig. 1, an architecture 1 is shown for controlling and/or monitoring the control actuators 2a, 2b of the movable cowls 3a, 3b of a thrust reverser 4 fitted to a nacelle.

The thrust reverser 4 comprises two movable cowls 3a, 3b, namely a first movable cowl 3a and a second movable cowl 3b, each of which is displaceable between an open position and a closed position of the thrust reverser by means of at least one control actuator 2a, 2 b. The movable hoods 3a, 3b together form a movable structure.

The thrust reverser 4 also comprises two electric motors 5a, 5b, each of which monitors the displacement of the movable cowls 3a, 3 b. These electric motors 5a, 5b drive the control actuators 2a, 2b of each movable cowl 3a, 3b via a threaded rod 20 connecting each movable cowl 3a, 3b to its associated electric motor 5a, 5 b.

The electronic control system comprises an electronic control unit 200 dedicated to the servo control of the electric motors 5a, 5b and a full authority electronic regulation unit of the electric motors 5a, 5b, commonly known as FADEC (full authority digital engine control). The full authority electronic regulation unit advantageously comprises an electronic module 100 for monitoring the electric motors 5a, 5b, commonly known as EEC (electronic engine control). The electronic monitoring module 100 itself comprises a first electronic sub-module 100a dedicated to control of the first movable enclosure 3a and a second electronic sub-module 100b dedicated to control of the second movable enclosure 3 b.

According to the illustrated construction, each electric motor 5a, 5b is electrically connected to an electronic control unit 200 which manages the displacement sequence of the two movable hoods 3a, 3b by adjusting the rotation speed of the electric motors 5a, 5 b.

The electronic control unit 200 is electrically connected to each of the electronic sub-modules 100a, 100b by a 100', 100 "bidirectional link. The 100', 100 "bidirectional links are advantageously of the ARINC type. The bidirectional link comprises two data exchange bidirectional channels 100', 100 ". The first channel 100' is electrically connected to the first electronic sub-module 100A and the second channel 100 "is electrically connected to the second electronic sub-module 100 b. Each channel 100', 100 ″ transmits data relating to the position of each movable hood 3a, 3b from the electronic control unit 200 to its associated electronic sub-module 100a, 100b, so that the position of the first and second movable hoods 3a, 3b is known for each electronic sub-module 100a, 100 b.

From these data, the sequence of deployment or retraction of the movable structure of the thrust reverser 4 is sent by the electronic monitoring module 100 to the electronic control unit 200. The electronic control unit 200 may also be integrated into a full authority electronic regulation unit. The electronic control unit 200 is arranged to transform the control set points received by the electronic monitoring module 100 of the electric motors 5a, 5b into current control of the electric motors 5a, 5 b.

The control actuators 2a, 2b of the thrust reverser are electromechanical. They are driven by a gearbox mounted on each actuator. The control law (speed or switch type) of the actuators 2a, 2b of the movable cowls 3a, 3b of the thrust reverser 4 is transmitted from the electronic control unit 200 to each control actuator 2a, 2b via the electric motors 5a, 5b, the threaded actuation rod 20 and the gearbox 21.

Each control actuator 2a, 2b advantageously comprises a motor sensor 6a, 6 b. The angle-type motor sensors 6a, 6b are arranged to generate information about the angle measurement of the rotor of the associated electric motor 5a, 5 b. The information generated by the motor sensors 6a, 6b is transmitted to the electronic control unit 200.

The angular measurement of the rotor allows the displacement stroke of the actuation rod 20 of the associated actuator 2a, 2b to be determined. More specifically, from the angular measurement, the number of revolutions performed by the actuation rod 20 of the actuator 2a, 2b fixed to the rotor can be known. The displacement of the actuators 2a, 2b can then be calculated from the number of revolutions and the pitch of the threaded actuating rod 20. Thus, the position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b displaced by the rods 20 of the respective actuators 2a, 2b can be known at any time.

Thus, the electronic monitoring module 100, connected to the electric motors 5a, 5b of the electronic control unit 200 through the bidirectional channels 100', 100 ", can monitor and/or monitor the position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b at any time.

According to a first application, in an in-flight configuration, the detection of the movement of each movable cowl 3a, 3b can be provided at the actuator 2a, 2b to prevent the deployment of the thrust reverser 4. For this purpose, the electronic control unit 200 calculates the difference between two angular measurements of the rotor of the electric motor 5a, 5b received by the electric motor sensor 6a, 6b at two different times. The comparison of this difference with respect to the reference value allows to detect the displacement of the stroke of the actuation rod 20 and, therefore, the movement of the associated movable cowl 3a, 3 b.

According to a second application, in the thrust reversal configuration, the deployed position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b can be identified by calculating the integral of the rotor angle measurement between an initial time t0 corresponding to the initial position of the movable structure and a given time t corresponding to the deployed position of the movable cowls 3a, 3 b. Then, the deployed position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b can be identified, which does not require a sensor for detecting this position.

In both applications, the motor sensors 6a, 6b allow, on the one hand, to ensure servo control of the respective electric motor 5a, 5b and, on the other hand, to monitor and/or monitor the position of the movable cowl 3a, 3b associated with this electric motor 5a, 5 b.

The thrust reverser 4 may comprise three locking levels, which allow to ensure the retention of the thrust reverser individually.

The first locking stage is performed by a first type of mechanical lock, called main lock, associated with each by means of a movable cowl 3a, 3b of the thrust reverser 4. Each main lock is mounted directly on an electric motor 5a, 5 b. These main locks allow to ensure the retention of the movable cowls 3a, 3b associated therewith. For example, they may be of the disc brake type or of the pin-blocking type which blocks the movement of the actuating rod 20.

Assuming that the two movable cowls 3a, 4b are mechanically connected by a mechanical link (not shown), the primary lock of one of the movable cowls 3a, 3b constitutes the secondary lock of the other movable cowl 3a, 3b, which forms the secondary lock of this other movable cowl. In the event of failure of the primary lock, the secondary lock is used to restore the load of the movable cowls 3a, 3 b. Thus, if the mechanical lock of the first type of one of the movable hoods 3a, 3b is considered to be a primary lock, the mechanical lock of the first type of the other movable hood 3a, 3b may be considered to be a secondary lock, and vice versa.

The third locking is performed by an abutting mechanical lock of the second type, called tertiary lock, positioned at the lateral end of each movable cowl 3a, 3b or of the single movable cowl 3a, 3 b. The tertiary lock or locks may be connected to the electronic control unit 200, to the electronic monitoring module 100 of the electric motors 5a, 5b and/or directly to the cockpit of the aircraft. They are preferably controlled directly from the cockpit of the aircraft to ensure sufficient operational safety and to avoid any possible common modes. In fact, when connected to the electronic monitoring module 100 or to the aircraft cockpit, the tertiary lock(s) remain operable even in the event of failure of the electronic control unit 200. This lock(s) allows to restore the load of the movable cowls 3a, 3b of the thrust reverser 4 in the event of failure of the primary and secondary locks.

In this first embodiment represented in fig. 1, the architecture 1 comprises, for each movable cowl 3a, 3b, two dual-channel sensors 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b of the status of the primary lock. Each dual-channel sensor 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b is electrically connected to each electronic submodule 100a, 100b to ensure redundancy of the data emitted by these dual-channel sensors 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b between each electronic submodule 100a, 100 b.

This redundancy, referred to as first redundancy, is then performed by each electronic submodule 100a, 100b between the states of the dual-channel sensors 7a, 7b of the master lock associated with that electronic submodule 100a, 100 b.

This first embodiment shows a variant in which the motor sensor 6a of the actuator 2a of the first movable hood 3a is electrically connected to the first electronic module 100a, and in which the motor sensor 6b of the actuator 2b of the second movable hood 3b is electrically connected to the second electronic module 100 a. In this variant, the first electronic sub-module 100a may be configured to calculate the position of the first movable hood 3a independently, and the second electronic sub-module 100b may be configured to calculate the position of the second movable hood 3b independently. For each motor sensor 6a, 6b, the generated information is then received by the respective electronic sub-module 100a, 100 b.

Then, another redundancy, called second redundancy, is performed by each electronic sub-module 100a, 100b and each movable hood 3a, 3b between, on the one hand, the position of the respective movable hood 3a, 3b calculated by the electronic control unit 200 and, on the other hand, the position of the same movable hood 3a, 3b calculated by the electronic sub-module 100a, 100b itself.

In case the electronic control unit 200 fails to calculate the position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b, the electronic sub-module 100a, 100b itself may have the authority to calculate the position of the respective movable cowls 3a, 3b and vice versa.

The first and second redundancies used in conjunction with each other allow to perform monitoring and/or monitoring of the position of the movable cowls 3a, 3b to ensure a synchronized position or displacement of one of the movable cowls 3a, 3b with respect to the other movable cowls 3a, 3 b.

It should be noted that this first embodiment allows to eliminate the sensors of the condition of the tertiary lock, and for each movable cowl 3a, 3b, sensors for detecting the position of this cowl.

In fig. 2, a second embodiment of the architecture shown in fig. 1 is shown. The architecture 1 according to this second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the dual channel sensors 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b are single channel sensors 7a ', 7b', 8a ', 8b' and wherein, for each movable hood 3a, 3b, the first single channel sensor 7a ', 8a' is electrically connected to the first electronic module 100a and the second single channel sensor 7b ', 8b' is electrically connected to the second electronic module 100 a. For each movable hood 3a, 3b, the architecture 1 also comprises a single channel sensor 9a, 9b of the state of the tertiary lock of the corresponding movable hood 3a, 3 b.

In this second embodiment, the first and second redundancies are performed identically to the first embodiment, which also comprises an additional redundancy, called the third redundancy, in which the status of the single-channel sensors 9a, 9b of the three-stage lock of the associated movable cowls 3a, 3b is taken into account.

The first redundancy, the second redundancy and the third redundancy are used in combination with each other for the same purpose as the architecture 1 of the first embodiment.

In fig. 3, a third embodiment of the architecture shown in fig. 1 is shown. The architecture 1 according to this third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it also comprises a single channel sensor 10a, 10b for each movable hood 3a, 3b for detecting its position.

In this third embodiment, the first and second redundancies are performed identically to the first embodiment, which also comprises an additional redundancy, called the third redundancy, in which the status of the single-channel sensors 10a, 10b for detecting the relative movable hoods 3a, 3b is taken into account.

In this third embodiment, the first redundancy, the second redundancy, and the third redundancy are used in combination with each other for the same purpose as the architecture 1 of the first embodiment.

Advantageously, in this third embodiment, only the second and third redundancies are used in combination with each other for the same purpose as the architecture 1 of the first embodiment.

In fig. 4, a fourth embodiment of the architecture shown in fig. 2 is shown. The architecture 1 according to this fourth embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that it also comprises a single channel sensor 10 for each movable hood 3a, 3b for detecting its position.

In this fourth embodiment, the first redundancy and the second redundancy are performed identically to the second embodiment, which also includes an additional redundancy, called the third redundancy, in which the state of the single-channel sensor of the three-stage lock of the movable cage 3b concerned is taken into account.

In this fourth embodiment, the first redundancy, the second redundancy, and the third redundancy are used in combination with each other for the same purpose as the architecture 1 of the first embodiment.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the only embodiments of the architecture described by way of example in these different embodiments, without departing from the background of the invention.