Apparatus, Assembly and Method for Controlling an Actuating System of an Aircraft in an Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Manner

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This patent describes a system, device, and method for both open-loop and closed-loop control of aircraft actuating systems (such as control surfaces, spoilers, or flaps) using acceleration as the primary feedback parameter. The apparatus receives target (reference) acceleration commands and actual acceleration measurements at key points on the aircraft, calculates the needed control action based on their difference, and generates control signals for the actuating system. This concept improves upon traditional position-based or force/moment-based feedback by using local acceleration measurement—directly reflecting aerodynamic effects and disturbances—to achieve precise, robust, and dynamic control, especially for flexible or autonomous aircraft.

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• Primary and backup flight control systems in manned and unmanned aircraft, including fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and drone platforms
• Active turbulence and gust load alleviation systems for commercial airliners or light aircraft
• Advanced control of flexible and morphing aircraft structures with high aspect ratios or novel materials
• Retrofit modules for improving precision and stability in older or existing aircraft control systems
• Smart actuators and distributed/decentralized flight control architectures where high resilience and robustness against structural changes are required
• Flight test instrumentation systems that require accurate compensation of external disturbances
• Enabling technology for autonomous and high-agility aerial vehicles

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• Significantly improved disturbance rejection (e.g., wind gusts), resulting in greater flight stability and passenger comfort
• Enhanced robustness and precision for controlling flexible aircraft or those with uncertain/variable aerodynamics
• Reduction in required tuning or modeling effort during aircraft design, as the local acceleration feedback is less dependent on aircraft-specific dynamics
• Potential for more agile and precise trajectory following, useful for both civil and defense applications
• Facilitates modular and decentralized control architectures, enabling scalability and redundancy
• Can lead to simpler, standardized control system structures across diverse aircraft types
• Supports integration with smart actuators and advanced sensors, paving the way for future autonomous or highly adaptive flight systems

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an actuating system of an aircraft in an open-loop and closed-loop manner. The apparatus has a first input interface, which is designed to receive first input data indicating a reference variable, a second input interface, which is designed to receive second input data indicating a controlled variable, and a control output which is designed to output a control signal. The control signal indicates a manipulated variable for an actuating system of an aircraft which is to be controlled by means of the actuating system. The reference variable indicates a target acceleration at a point of the aircraft which is to be controlled by means of the actuating system, and the controlled variable indicates an actual acceleration of the aircraft at the point. The apparatus is designed to determine the manipulated variable, taking into consideration the reference variable and the controlled variable, in particular from the difference between the reference variable and the controlled variable, and to output the control signal corresponding to the manipulated variable via the control output. The invention furthermore relates to an assembly for controlling an actuating system of an aircraft in an open-loop and closed-loop manner, and to a method.