JP2021031007A - Control device of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

To carry out a functional test of an electric drive system at an operation site of an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.SOLUTION: A control device 19 controls an electric drive system 10 having a drive motor 12 that is mounted in an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft 100 having rotor blades 30 and that rotationally drives the rotor blade. The control device controls the electric drive system to selectively operate in either one of at least two types of operation modes including a normal mode and a function test mode. In the normal mode, the control device controls the drive motor in response to a command from an airframe control device 50 that controls flight of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. In the function test mode, the control device controls the drive motor in response to a command that is transmitted from the outside in accordance with a function test program, or in accordance with a function test program preset in the control device itself.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a control device for an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

In recent years, the development of manned or unmanned aircraft called electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) has become active as a type of aircraft different from airplanes having a gas turbine engine. The electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is provided with a plurality of electric drive systems (EDS) having motors, and a plurality of rotor blades are rotationally driven by a plurality of motors to obtain lift and thrust of the airframe. After replacement or inspection of each electric drive system, it is desirable to carry out a functional test to confirm that the electric drive system operates normally and the rotor blades rotate. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for analyzing the function of a gas turbine engine. Similar to gas turbine engines, electric drive systems for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft are also required to undergo functional tests at the time of replacement or periodic inspections.

JP-A-2017-146299

Since an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft can take off and land in a narrow space as compared with a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with a gas turbine engine, it is expected to be operated in various places. On the other hand, the functional test of the electric drive system requires special control for causing the rotor blades to perform the rotary motion for the test, so that the computer for realizing such control is similar to the airplane having a gas turbine engine. It is expected that it will be carried out at an inspection site equipped with dedicated equipment such as. From these facts, the inventors of the present application considered that it is inefficient to move the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft from the operation site to the inspection site or the like in order to carry out the functional test. Therefore, a technology capable of performing a functional test of an electric drive system at an operating location of an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is desired.

The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control device (19) for an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (100) is provided. This control device is a control device used in an electric drive system (10) having a drive motor (12) mounted on an electric vertical takeoff and landing machine provided with a rotary blade (30) to rotationally drive the rotary blade. The control device controls the drive motor to selectively operate in one of at least two operation modes, a normal mode and a functional test mode, and in the normal mode, the control device. The control device controls the drive motor in response to a command from the aircraft control device (50) that controls the flight of the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and in the functional test mode, the control device follows the functional test program. The drive motor is controlled according to a command transmitted from the outside or according to the functional test program preset in itself.

According to the control device of this form of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the control device selectively operates the electric drive system in one of at least two operation modes, a normal mode and a functional test mode. Therefore, the functional test of the electric drive system can be performed at the operation site of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

The present disclosure can also be realized in various forms. For example, it can be realized in the form of an electric vertical take-off and landing machine provided with a control device, a control method for the electric vertical take-off and landing machine, and the like.

It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft equipped with a control device. It is a side view which shows typically the structure of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a graph which shows the example of the functional test result. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of a functional test. It is a perspective view which shows typically the system under test which attached the jig. It is a flowchart which shows the test processing procedure in 2nd Embodiment.

A. First Embodiment:
A-1. Device configuration:
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric drive system 10 (hereinafter, also referred to as “EDS (Electric Drive System) 10”) to which the control device 19 as an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied is an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft 100. (Hereinafter, also referred to as "eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft) 100"), it controls the operation of the rotary blade 30 of the eVTOL 100.

The eVTOL 100 is configured as a manned aircraft that is electrically driven and can take off and land vertically. In addition to the plurality of EDS 10, the eVTOL 100 includes an airframe control device 50, an airframe 20, a plurality of rotor blades 30, a battery 40 shown in FIG. 3, a converter 42, a distributor 44, an airframe communication unit 64, and the airframe communication unit 64. It is provided with a notification unit 66.

The airframe control device 50 is configured as a computer including an airframe side storage unit 51 and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The machine body side storage unit 51 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU functions as a machine-side control unit 52 that controls the overall operation of the eVTOL 100 by executing a control program stored in advance in the machine-side storage unit 51.

The overall operation of the eVTOL 100 includes, for example, a vertical takeoff and landing operation, a flight operation, an execution operation of a functional test of each EDS 10, and the like. The vertical takeoff and landing operation and the flight operation may be executed based on the set air route information, may be executed by the maneuvering of the occupant, and may be executed based on the command from the external control unit 510 included in the external device 500 described later. It may be executed. The machine body side control unit 52 controls the rotation speed and rotation direction of the drive motor 12 of each EDS 10 and the blade angle of each rotary blade 30 in the operation of the eVTOL 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the eVTOL 100 of the present embodiment includes eight rotor blades 30 and eight EDS 10s, respectively. Note that, for convenience of illustration, FIG. 3 shows one rotor 30 and EDS 10 as a representative of the eight rotors 30 and EDS 10 included in the eVTOL 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the airframe 20 corresponds to the portion of the eVTOL 100 excluding the eight rotors 30 and the EDS 10. The airframe 20 includes an airframe main body 21, a strut 22, six first support 23, six second support 24, a main wing 25, and a tail 28.

The body portion 21 constitutes the body portion of the eVTOL 100. The machine body 21 has a symmetrical structure with the body axis AX as the axis of symmetry. In the present embodiment, the "airframe axis AX" means an axis that passes through the center of gravity CM of the airframe and is along the front-rear direction of the eVTOL 100. Further, the "machine weight center position CM" means the position of the center of gravity of the eVTOL 100 when the occupant is not on board and the weight is empty. A passenger compartment (not shown) is formed inside the machine body 21. Further, an acceleration sensor 29 is mounted on the machine body 21. The acceleration sensor 29 is used to control the attitude of the eVTOL 100 during flight. The acceleration sensor 29 is composed of a three-axis sensor and measures the acceleration of the eVTOL 100. The measurement result by the acceleration sensor 29 is output to the airframe control device 50.

The strut portion 22 has a substantially columnar appearance shape extending in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the upper portion of the machine body portion 21. In the present embodiment, the support column portion 22 is arranged at a position overlapping the machine weight center position CM of the eVTOL 100 when viewed in the vertical direction. One end of each of the six first support parts 23 is fixed to the upper end of the support part 22. Each of the six first support portions 23 has a substantially rod-like appearance shape, and is arranged radially at equal angular intervals with each other so as to extend along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. Rotor blades 30 and EDS 10 are arranged at the other end of each first support portion 23, that is, at an end portion located away from the strut portion 22. Each of the six second support portions 24 has a substantially rod-like appearance shape, and connects the other ends (ends on the side not connected to the strut portion 22) of the first support portions 23 adjacent to each other. ing.

The main wing 25 is composed of a right wing 26 and a left wing 27. The right wing 26 is formed so as to extend to the right from the main body portion 21 of the airframe. The left wing 27 is formed so as to extend to the left from the main body portion 21 of the airframe. A rotary wing 30 and an EDS 10 are arranged on the right wing 26 and the left wing 27, respectively. The tail wing 28 is formed at the rear end portion of the main body portion 21 of the airframe.

Six of the eight rotors 30 are arranged at the ends of each of the second support portions 24, and are mainly configured as lift rotors 31 for obtaining lift of the airframe 20. Two of the eight rotors 30 are arranged on the right wing 26 and the left wing 27, respectively, and are mainly configured as cruise rotors 32 for obtaining the thrust of the airframe 20. The rotary blades 30 are rotationally driven independently of each other around their respective rotation axes. Each rotor 30 has three blades 33 arranged at equal intervals with each other. In the present embodiment, the blade angle of each rotor 30 is variably configured. Specifically, the blade angle is adjusted by an actuator (not shown) according to the instruction from the airframe control device 50. As shown in FIG. 3, each rotary blade 30 is provided with a rotation speed sensor 34 and a torque sensor 35, respectively. The rotation speed sensor 34 measures the rotation speed of the rotary blade 30. The torque sensor 35 measures the rotational torque of the rotary blade 30. The measurement results by the sensors 34 and 35 are output to the airframe control device 50.

The eight EDS 10s shown in FIG. 1 are configured as an electric drive system for rotationally driving each rotary blade 30. Six of the eight EDS 10s drive the lift rotor 31 to rotate. Two of the eight EDS 10s rotate the cruise rotor 32, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, each EDS 10 includes a drive unit 11, a drive motor 12, a gearbox 13, a rotation speed sensor 14, a current sensor 15, a voltage sensor 16, a torque sensor 17, and a thrust sensor. It has 18, a temperature sensor Ts, a vibration sensor Vs, and a control device 19.

The drive unit 11 includes an inverter circuit (not shown) to rotate and drive the drive motor 12. The inverter circuit is composed of power elements such as IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) and MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor), and is a drive motor according to the duty ratio according to the control signal supplied from the control device 19. A drive voltage is supplied to 12.

In the present embodiment, the drive motor 12 is composed of a brushless motor, and outputs rotational motion according to the voltage and current supplied from the inverter circuit of the drive unit 11. In addition, instead of the brushless motor, it may be composed of an arbitrary motor such as an induction motor or a reluctance motor.

The gearbox 13 physically connects the drive motor 12 and the rotary blade 30. The gearbox 13 has a plurality of gears (not shown), and decelerates the rotation of the drive motor 12 and transmits the rotation to the rotary blade 30. The gearbox 13 may be omitted and the rotation shaft of the rotary blade 30 may be directly connected to the drive motor 12.

The rotation speed sensor 14, the torque sensor 17, the thrust sensor 18, the temperature sensor Ts, and the vibration sensor Vs are provided in the drive motor 12, respectively. Thrust, temperature, and vibration are measured respectively. The rotation speed sensor 14 corresponds to the rotation speed measurement unit, and the thrust sensor 18 corresponds to the thrust measurement unit. The thrust sensor 18 has, for example, a spring and a strain gauge that detects a strain that is the elongation of the spring, and measures the thrust using the detected strain. The current sensor 15 and the voltage sensor 16 are provided between the drive unit 11 and the drive motor 12, respectively, and measure the drive current and the drive voltage, respectively. The measurement results by the sensors 14 to 18, Ts, and Vs are output to the control device 19 and also output to the airframe control device 50 via the control device 19.

The control device 19 controls the electric drive system 10 as a whole. In the present embodiment, the control device 19 controls the EDS 10 so as to selectively operate in one of the normal mode and the functional test mode. The normal mode controls the rotational drive of the rotary blade 30 by driving the drive motor 12 according to the command value notified from the airframe control device 50, and is set according to the driving operation of the occupant or in advance. This is an operation mode for flying the eVTOL 100 according to the flight program. The functional test mode is for executing a test for confirming the normality of EDS10, that is, a test for determining whether or not the function of EDS10 works normally (hereinafter, also referred to as "functional test"). Operation mode. In the present embodiment, even in the functional test mode, the drive motor 12 is driven according to the command value notified from the airframe control device 50. Details of the functional test will be described later.

The control device 19 is configured as a computer including a CPU 19a, a storage unit 19b, and an input / output interface 19c. The CPU 19a functions as a drive control unit 191, a measurement result acquisition unit 192, a pass / fail determination unit 193, and a thrust estimation value calculation unit 194 by executing a control program stored in advance in the storage unit 19b.

The drive control unit 191 drives the rotor blade 30 by transmitting a control signal corresponding to the command value notified from the airframe control device 50 to the drive unit 11. The command value corresponds to, for example, a target rotation speed of the drive motor 12, a target thrust value, or the like.

The measurement result acquisition unit 192 acquires the measurement result of at least one of the rotation speed, the drive current, the drive voltage, and the thrust of the drive motor 12. Specifically, the measurement result acquisition unit 192 acquires at least one of the measurement results of the rotation speed sensor 14, the current sensor 15, the voltage sensor 16, and the thrust sensor 18. The measurement result acquisition unit 192 may acquire the measurement result not only by the sensor provided in the EDS 10 but also by the rotation speed sensor 34 provided in the rotary blade 30, for example.

The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines the pass / fail of the functional test by using the measurement result acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 192. Specifically, for example, using the estimated thrust value which is the assumed value of the thrust in the functional test mode and the measurement result of the thrust acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 192, the estimated thrust value and the measurement result of the thrust are used. It is determined whether or not the difference is within a predetermined range. Then, if the difference is within the predetermined range, it is determined that the functional test has passed, and if it is not within the predetermined range, it is determined that the functional test has failed. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

FIG. 4 shows the assumed value and the measured value of the thrust. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the thrust generated by the rotor 30. The broken line Fi indicates the estimated thrust value, and the thick solid line Fm indicates the measured thrust value. The estimated thrust value is calculated by, for example, the drive control unit 191 that receives a command from the airframe control device 50 for the output rotation speed of the drive motor 12. The drive control unit 191 calculates a thrust estimated value for each unit time, and obtains a difference between the calculated thrust estimated value and the thrust measured value obtained by the thrust sensor 18. The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines that the functional test has passed if the absolute value of the difference obtained over the entire test period Tt is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and determines that the functional test has failed if it is equal to or higher than the threshold value.

FIG. 5 shows a command value and a measured value of the rotation speed of the drive motor 12. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents motor rotation speed. Further, the broken line Ri indicates the rotation speed command value, and the thick solid line Rm indicates the rotation speed measurement value. The rotation speed command value is a value based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 commanded from the aircraft control device 50 to the control device 19. The rotation speed measurement value is a rotation speed measurement value obtained by the rotation speed sensor 14. The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines the pass / fail of the functional test based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 (rotation speed of the rotary blade 30) in the same manner as the thrust described above.

FIG. 6 shows the command value and the measured value of the current. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents current. The broken line Ii indicates the current command value, and the thick solid line Im indicates the current measurement value. The current command value is a value based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 commanded from the aircraft control device 50 to the control device 19. The current measurement value is a current measurement value obtained by the current sensor 15. The pass / fail judgment unit 193 makes a pass / fail judgment of the functional test based on the current value in the same manner as the thrust described above.

FIG. 7 shows the command value and the measured value of the voltage. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents voltage. The broken line Vi indicates the voltage command value, and the thick solid line Vm indicates the voltage measurement value. The voltage command value is a value based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 commanded from the airframe control device 50 to the control device 19. The voltage measurement value is a voltage measurement value obtained by the voltage sensor 16. The pass / fail judgment unit 193 makes a pass / fail judgment of the functional test based on the voltage value in the same manner as the thrust described above.

FIG. 8 shows the measured values of the motor efficiency. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents motor efficiency. Further, the broken line ηi indicates a predetermined threshold value, and the thick solid line ηm indicates the measured value. Motor efficiency means the workload of the drive motor 12 with respect to the input power. The work load of the drive motor 12 is calculated based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 measured by the rotation speed sensor 14 and the torque of the drive motor 12 measured by the torque sensor 17. The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines that the functional test has passed if the measured value is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value over the entire test period Tt, and determines that the functional test has failed if the measured value is smaller than the threshold value. Such a threshold value is obtained and set in advance by an experiment or the like.

FIG. 9 shows the measured values of the motor temperature. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents motor temperature. Further, the broken line Ti indicates a predetermined threshold value, and the thick solid line Tm indicates the measured value. The motor temperature is a measured value obtained by the temperature sensor Ts. The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines that the functional test has passed if the measured value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value over the entire test period Tt, and determines that the functional test has failed if it is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Such a threshold value is obtained and set in advance by an experiment or the like.

FIG. 10 shows the measured values of the motor vibration. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents motor vibration. Further, the broken line Vibi indicates a predetermined threshold value, and the thick solid line Vibm indicates the measured value. The motor vibration is a measured value obtained by the vibration sensor Vs. The pass / fail determination unit 193 determines that the functional test has passed if the measured value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value over the entire test period Tt, and determines that the functional test has failed if it is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Such a threshold value is obtained and set in advance by an experiment or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thrust estimation value calculation unit 194 calculates the thrust estimation value from the atmospheric density, the command value of the rotation speed with respect to the drive motor 12, and the mounting angle of the rotary blade 30. The estimated thrust value may be input from the outside. For example, the estimated thrust value input to the aircraft control device 50 via a user interface (not shown) may be input to the control device 19 via the input / output interface 19c.

The storage unit 19b includes a ROM and a RAM, and the above-mentioned control program is stored in the ROM in advance. In addition, the measured value of each sensor is stored in the ROM.

The input / output interface 19c is used to input / output assumed values and output values between the control device 19 and the outside. For example, the input / output interface 19c inputs an estimated thrust value from the outside. Further, a command value (command value of the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 or the like) is input from the machine control device 50. Further, the input / output interface 19c transmits at least one of the command value to the drive motor 12, the measurement result acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 192, and the pass / fail result in the pass / fail determination unit 193 to the outside. It also acts as a transmit interface.

The battery 40 is composed of a lithium ion battery and functions as one of the power supply sources in the eVTOL 100. The battery 40 mainly supplies electric power to the drive unit 11 of each EDS 10 to drive each drive motor 12. In addition, instead of the lithium ion battery, it may be composed of an arbitrary secondary battery such as a nickel hydrogen battery, and instead of the battery 40 or in addition to the battery 40, any electric power such as a fuel cell or a generator may be used. A source may be installed.

The converter 42 is connected to the battery 40, lowers the voltage of the battery 40, and supplies the voltage to the auxiliary equipment and the airframe control device 50 of the eVTOL 100 (not shown). The distributor 44 distributes the voltage of the battery 40 to the drive unit 11 included in each EDS 10.

The functional test of each EDS10 is simple for the EDS10 that has been inspected and maintained after the EDS10 has been inspected, including periodic inspections and inspections when a problem occurs, and maintenance such as replacement of components of the EDS10 has been performed. It is executed to confirm the operation. In the present embodiment, the EDS 10 that is the target of the functional test is referred to as a "test target system". In the functional test, it is confirmed that the test target system operates normally and the rotary blade 30 (hereinafter, also referred to as “test target rotary blade”) that the test target system is rotationally driven rotates normally. In the functional test, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, voltage and current are supplied to the rotary blade 30 in a predetermined test pattern, and the voltage value, the current value, the motor rotation speed, and the rotary blade rotation at this time are supplied. The number, temperature, thrust, etc. are measured, and the normality of the test target system and the test target rotor blade is judged based on the difference between the target value and the measured value.

The airframe communication unit 64 has a function of performing wireless communication, transmits and receives information between the external communication unit 520 included in the external device 500 and the eVTOL 100, and is configured to be able to communicate with the airframe control device 50. As wireless communication, for example, private VHF (Very High Frequency) wireless communication and wireless provided by telecommunications carriers such as 4G (4th generation mobile communication system) and 5G (5th generation mobile communication system). Communication, wireless LAN communication according to the IEEE802.11 standard, etc. are applicable. Further, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) or wired communication according to the IEEE802.3 standard may be used. The external device 500 corresponds to, for example, a computer for managing and controlling a server device or the like that controls a functional test and records test results. The management / control computer may be, for example, a server device arranged in an air traffic control room, or a personal computer brought to the operation site of the eVTOL 100 by a maintenance worker who performs maintenance and inspection including a functional test. It may be.

The notification unit 66 notifies according to an instruction from the aircraft control device 50. In the present embodiment, the notification unit 66 is composed of a display device mounted in the passenger room to display characters, images, etc., a speaker for outputting voice, warning sound, etc., and various types of notification units are provided to the occupant by visual information and auditory information. Notify information.

A-2. Functional test procedure:
The functional test sequence shown in FIG. 11 is started by the worker inputting an instruction to execute the functional test from a user interface (not shown) connected to the aircraft control device 50. In the airframe control device 50, the airframe side control unit 52 transmits a test start signal to the EDS 10 of the test target system (step S20). In the EDS 10, the control device 19 confirms whether or not the rotary blade 30 and the battery 40 are in a state in which the test can be started (Ready), triggered by such a signal (step S21). For example, if the rotor blade 30 is used, it is confirmed whether or not it can be rotated by temporarily supplying power. If it is the battery 40, the remaining capacity (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 40 is confirmed. When the rotary blade 30 and the battery 40 are Ready, the control device 19 sets the operation mode of the EDS 10 to the functional test mode, and notifies the aircraft control device 50 that the EDS 10 is Ready (step S22).

Upon receiving the notification of "Ready", the aircraft control device 50 transmits input information such as the test date and time, latitude / longitude, aircraft number, and air temperature pressure to the EDS 10 (step S23), and the control device 19 of the EDS 10 Stores the received input information in the storage unit 19b (step S24). The information saved in step S24 is associated with the pass / fail determination result of the functional test obtained later. The control device 19 of the EDS 10 transmits an output command request to the aircraft control device 50 (step S25). The aircraft control device 50 transmits the estimated thrust value and the command value of the rotation speed to the EDS 10 (step S26). Upon receiving the above command, the control device 19 of the EDS 10 test-drives the drive motor 12 in accordance with the command (step S27). In the present embodiment, the command transmitted from the aircraft control device 50 is transmitted in the aircraft control device 50 according to the function test program. In accordance with such a command, the drive control unit 191 controls the drive unit 11 so as to supply the current value and the voltage value of a predetermined test pattern to the drive motor 12, and as a result, power is supplied from the battery 40. Will be done.

The rotation speed sensor 34 and the torque sensor 35 transmit the data measured during the execution of the functional test to the EDS 10 (step S28). In the EDS 10, the measurement result acquisition unit 192 sequentially stores the measurement data measured by each sensor in the storage unit 19b (step S29). The measurement data measured by each sensor is sent from the EDS 10 to the airframe control device 50, and the airframe control device 50 sequentially stores each in the airframe side storage unit 51 (step S30). The above steps S26 to S30 are repeated by changing the frequency at which the drive voltage or the like is changed.

The aircraft control device 50 transmits a signal to the EDS 10 to complete the functional test (step S31). In the control device 19, the pass / fail determination unit 193 executes the pass / fail determination (step S32) and transmits the pass / fail determination result to the aircraft control device 50 (step S33).

According to the control device 19 of the first embodiment described above, the control device 19 selectively operates the EDS 10 in one of at least two operation modes, a normal mode and a functional test mode. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the place for executing the functional test from being limited to the inspection site or the like. Therefore, the functional test of the system under test can be performed at the operation site of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Further, the control device 19 of the first embodiment includes a measurement result acquisition unit 192 that acquires a measurement result of at least one of the rotation speed, the drive current, the drive voltage, and the thrust of the drive motor 12. It is provided with a pass / fail determination unit 193 that determines the pass / fail of the functional test using the acquired measurement result. Therefore, the control device 19 in the EDS 10 can acquire the measurement result and use the acquired measurement result to determine the pass / fail of the functional test.

The EDS 10 in the first embodiment has a rotation speed sensor 14 corresponding to a rotation speed measurement unit that measures the rotation speed, and the measurement result acquisition unit 192 acquires the rotation speed measurement result from the rotation speed sensor 14. Therefore, the measurement result of the rotation speed of the drive motor 12 can be used in the pass / fail judgment of the functional test.

The EDS 10 in the first embodiment further has a thrust sensor 18 corresponding to a thrust measuring unit for measuring thrust, the measurement result acquisition unit 192 acquires the thrust measurement result from the thrust sensor 18, and the pass / fail determination unit 193 , The pass / fail of the functional test is determined by using the estimated thrust value which is the assumed value of the thrust in the functional test mode and the measurement result of the acquired thrust. Therefore, the accuracy of the pass / fail judgment of the functional test is improved.

Further, the control device 19 in the first embodiment includes a thrust estimation value calculation unit 194 that calculates a thrust estimation value from the atmospheric density, the command value of the rotation speed with respect to the drive motor 12, and the mounting angle of the rotor blade 30. Further prepare. Therefore, the accuracy of the pass / fail judgment of the functional test is further improved.

The control device 19 of the first embodiment further includes an input / output interface 19c corresponding to an input interface for inputting an assumed thrust value from the outside. Therefore, the configuration of the control device 19 can be simplified.

Further, the control device 19 of the first embodiment stores a storage unit 19b that stores at least one of a command value to the drive motor 12, an acquired measurement result, and a pass / fail result of a functional test. Further prepare. Therefore, for example, the command value and the result can be stored in the storage unit 19b for use in pass / fail determination or for output to the outside.

In the control device 19 of the first embodiment, the input corresponding to the transmission interface of the EDS 10 having at least one of the command value to the drive motor 12, the acquired measurement result, and the pass / fail result of the functional test. An input / output interface 19c for transmitting to the outside via the output interface 19c is further provided. Therefore, at least one of the command value, the measurement result, and the pass / fail result of the functional test can be transmitted to the airframe control device 50 via, for example, the input / output interface 19c.

B. Second embodiment:
The configuration of the eVTOL 100 of the second embodiment is that the EDS 10 is provided with the connecting portion 60 as shown in FIG. 12, the electric drive system 10 is not provided with the thrust sensor 18, and the test processing described later including the functional test. It differs from the eVTOL 100 of the first embodiment in that the jig 70 is attached to the machine body 20 at the time of execution as shown in FIG. Since the other configurations in the eVTOL 100 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the eVTOL 100 of the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The connecting portion 60 is used to mechanically connect the EDS 10 to the machine body 20. When the functional test is executed, the jig 70 is connected to the machine body 20 (first support portion 23) as shown in FIG. Therefore, the connecting portion 60 can be said to be a mechanical connecting portion for indirectly connecting the EDS 10 to the jig 70 capable of holding the EDS 10 in the thrust generation direction via the machine body 20. The connecting portion 60 and the jig 70 may be directly connected. Specifically, the EDS 10 may be connected to the jig 70 by the connecting portion 60 in a state where the EDS 10 is exposed from the first support portion 23. In such a configuration, the connecting portion 60 directly connects the EDS 10 to the jig 70.

The jig 70 is fixed to the ground at any place. Further, the jig 70 measures the thrust of the drive motor 12 in the functional test and sequentially transmits the thrust to the control device 19. The jig 70 has a jig-side connecting portion 72, a thrust-related value sensor portion 73, and a main body portion 74.

The jig-side connecting portion 72 is located at the upper end of the jig 70. The lower end side of the jig-side connecting portion 72 is connected to the thrust-related value sensor portion 73, which will be described later. The jig-side connecting portion 72 plays a role of indirectly connecting to the EDS 10 via the body 20 of the eVTOL 100. Specifically, the jig-side connecting portion 72 is connected to the EDS 10 via the first support portion 23.

As shown in FIG. 12, the thrust-related value sensor unit 73 is arranged from the lower end of the jig-side connecting portion 72 to the upper end of the main body portion 74. The thrust-related value sensor unit 73 has a columnar appearance shape. In the present embodiment, the thrust-related value sensor unit 73 connects the jig-side connecting unit 72 and the main body 74, and incorporates a thrust sensor that measures the thrust of the EDS 10 of the system under test. The thrust sensor has, for example, a spring and a strain gauge that detects a strain that is the elongation of the spring, and measures the thrust using the detected strain. By arranging the thrust-related value sensor unit 73 on the jig 70, it is possible to determine the pass / fail of the functional test regarding the thrust even in the configuration in which the EDS 10 does not have the thrust sensor as in the present embodiment.

The main body 74 has a jig-side interface 75 and a measurement result acquisition device 76. The jig-side interface unit 75 outputs the output value of the thrust-related value sensor unit 73 acquired by the jig-side acquisition unit 76c, which will be described later, to the outside. The measurement result acquisition device 76 has a jig-side acquisition unit 76c. The jig-side acquisition unit 76c acquires the command value for the EDS 10 and the output value of the thrust-related value sensor unit 73. In this embodiment, the jig-side acquisition unit 76c can directly acquire thrust from the thrust-related value sensor unit 73.

The test process shown in FIG. 13 means a process for performing a functional test of EDS 10. The functional test of the EDS 10 is performed by attaching the jig 70 to the system under test. In the test process, first, the test jig 70 is attached to the EDS 10 via the first support portion 23 (step S10).

The machine body side control unit 52 in the machine body control device 50 selects a functional test mode and transmits a command to the control device 19 (step S11). The process of step S11 corresponds to steps S20 to S22 in FIG. The control device 19 transmits a command to the jig 70 via the input / output interface 19c (step S12). In the jig 70 that has received such a command, the jig side acquisition unit 76c acquires the measurement result of the thrust by the thrust sensor built in the thrust related value sensor unit 73, and the control device via the jig side interface unit 75. It is sequentially transmitted to 19 and stored in the storage unit 19b (step S13). The thrust measurement result is sequentially transmitted from the control device 19 to the machine control device 50 and stored in the machine body side storage unit 51 (step S14). The process of step S13 corresponds to steps S28 to S29 in FIG. 11, and the process of step S14 corresponds to step S30 in FIG.

The pass / fail determination unit 193 of the control device 19 determines the pass / fail of the functional test (step S15). The process of step S15 corresponds to step S32 in FIG. The storage unit 19b stores the pass / fail determination result (step S16). The pass / fail determination result is transmitted from the control device 19 to the aircraft control device 50 and displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the aircraft control device 50 (step S17).

According to the control device 19 of the second embodiment described above, the same effect as that of the control device 19 of the first embodiment is obtained. In addition, the EDS 10 has a connecting portion 60 for connecting to the jig 70, either directly or indirectly via the body 20 of the eVTOL 100. Therefore, the EDS 10 is prevented from being greatly displaced such as rising or rotating even when the rotary blade 30 is rotationally driven by the functional test. Therefore, various parameters such as rotation speed and vibration can be accurately measured in the functional test.

Further, the EDS 10 has an input interface for inputting the measurement result from the thrust measuring device instead of the thrust sensor, and the measurement result acquisition unit 192 acquires the measurement result of the thrust input from the input interface. The configuration of the EDS 10 can be simplified.

Further, since the control device 19 can input the measurement result from the thrust measuring device for measuring the thrust of the rotary blade 30 (driving motor 12) arranged on the jig 70, the EDS 10 does not have the thrust measuring device. It is also possible to measure thrust.

C. Other embodiments:
C-1. Other Embodiment 1:
In the functional test of each embodiment, the airframe control device 50 commands the output rotation speed of the motor, and the drive control unit 191 of the control device 19 drives the drive motor 12, but the present disclosure is limited to this. Absent. In the functional test, the control device 19 may control the drive motor 12 according to a functional test program preset in its own storage unit 19b. In such a configuration, the airframe control device 50 may send a test execution command to the control device 19 instead of a command value such as a rotation speed. Then, the control device 19 may control the drive motor 12 according to the function test program, triggered by such a command received from the airframe control device 50.

C-2. Other Embodiment 2:
In the first embodiment, the measurement data from each sensor is acquired from the EDS 10 or the rotary blade 30, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Measurement data may be acquired from a sensor configured as another device different from the EDS 10 and the rotor 30.

C-3. Other Embodiment 3:
In the second embodiment, the thrust-related value sensor unit 73 of the jig 70 has a built-in thrust sensor for measuring the thrust of the EDS 10 of the system under test, but in the present embodiment, the jig 70 has a thrust sensor. It does not have to be. For example, as in the first embodiment, the EDS 10 may have a thrust sensor 18 and the jig 70 may not have a thrust sensor.

C-4. Other Embodiment 4:
In each of the above embodiments, an input / output interface 19c corresponding to a transmission interface for transmitting measurement results and the like to the outside is provided, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the output interface corresponding to the transmission interface may not be provided. In such a configuration, the EDS 10 may have a display unit and display a measurement result or the like.

C-5. Other Embodiment 5:
In the above embodiment, the control device 19 includes a measurement result acquisition unit 192, a pass / fail determination unit 193, and a thrust estimation value calculation unit 194, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. A device configured as another device different from the control device 19 may acquire the measurement result, make a pass / fail judgment, and calculate the assumed value of the thrust.

C-6. Other Embodiment 6:
In the above embodiment, the EDS 10 has a rotation speed sensor 14 corresponding to the rotation speed measurement unit and a thrust sensor 18 corresponding to the thrust measurement unit, but it may not be provided. A device configured as another device different from the EDS 10 may measure the rotation speed and thrust of the drive motor 12.

C-7. Other Embodiment 7:
In each of the above embodiments, a storage unit 19b for storing measurement results and the like is provided, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the storage unit may not be provided. In such a configuration, a device configured as another device different from the control device 19 may have a storage unit and store measurement results and the like.

C-8. Other Embodiment 8:
In each of the above embodiments, the pass / fail determination unit 193 performs pass / fail determination using various parameters such as thrust, motor rotation speed, current, and voltage, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, for example, a pass / fail judgment may be made using only thrust, or a pass / fail judgment may be made using all parameters. Further, a pass / fail judgment may be performed by arbitrarily combining any number of parameters.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized by various configurations within a range not deviating from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the embodiments described in the column of the outline of the invention may be used to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems, or one of the above-mentioned effects. It is possible to replace or combine as appropriate to achieve part or all. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

10 ... EDS (electric drive system), 19 ... control device, 12 ... drive motor, 30 ... rotorcraft, 50 ... airframe control device, 100 ... eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft)

Claims (10)

A control device (19) for controlling an electric drive system (10) having a drive motor (12) mounted on an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (100) having a rotor blade (30) and driving the rotary blade to rotate.
The control device controls the electric drive system to selectively operate in one of at least two operation modes, a normal mode and a functional test mode.
In the normal mode, the control device controls the drive motor in response to a command from the aircraft control device (50) that controls the flight of the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
In the functional test mode, the control device controls the drive motor according to a command transmitted from the outside according to the functional test program, or according to the functional test program preset in the control device. To do,
Control device. In the control device according to claim 1,
A measurement result acquisition unit (192) that acquires a measurement result of at least one of the rotation speed, the drive current, the drive voltage, and the thrust of the drive motor.
A pass / fail determination unit (193) that determines the pass / fail of the functional test using the acquired measurement results, and
A control device. In the control device according to claim 2.
The electric drive system has a rotation speed measuring unit for measuring the rotation speed.
The measurement result acquisition unit is a control device that acquires the measurement result of the rotation speed from the rotation speed measurement unit. In the control device according to claim 2 or 3.
The electric drive system further includes a thrust measuring unit for measuring the thrust.
The measurement result acquisition unit acquires the measurement result of the thrust from the thrust measurement unit, and obtains the measurement result of the thrust.
The pass / fail determination unit is a control device that determines the pass / fail of the functional test by using the estimated thrust value which is the assumed value of the thrust in the functional test mode and the measurement result of the acquired thrust. In the control device according to claim 4,
A thrust estimation value calculation unit (194) that calculates the thrust estimation value from the atmospheric density, the command value of the rotation speed with respect to the drive motor, and the mounting angle of the rotor blades.
A control device further equipped with. In the control device according to claim 4,
A control device further provided with an input interface for inputting the estimated thrust value from the outside. In the control device according to claim 2.
The electric drive system is
A mechanical connecting portion (60) for connecting the electric drive system to a jig capable of holding the electric drive system in the thrust generation direction, either directly or indirectly via the airframe (20) of the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. , A control device. In the control device according to claim 7.
The electric drive system has an input interface for inputting measurement results from a thrust measuring device for measuring the thrust of the drive motor arranged in the jig.
The measurement result acquisition unit is a control device that acquires the measurement result of the thrust input from the input interface. In the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
A measurement result acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of at least one of the rotation speed, the drive current, the drive voltage, and the thrust of the drive motor.
A control device further comprising a storage unit (19b) that stores at least one of a command value to the drive motor, the acquired measurement result, and a pass / fail result of the functional test. In the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A measurement result acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of at least one of the rotation speed, the drive current, the drive voltage, and the thrust of the drive motor.
To transmit at least one of the command value to the drive motor, the acquired measurement result, and the pass / fail result of the functional test to the outside via the transmission interface of the electric drive system. A control device further comprising a transmission interface.

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