Patent ID: 11884380
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  Y | IPC B

Claim 7:
8. A method of utilizing a flight control surface actuation system to operate a flight control surface of a wing of a vehicle, wherein the flight control surface comprises one or more control surface segments, and wherein the flight control surface actuation system comprises:
a plurality of control surface actuators, each control surface actuator configured to be operatively coupled to a respective segment end of a corresponding control surface segment of the one or more control surface segments and configured to transition the respective segment end among a plurality of segment end positions defined between and including a stowed position and a deployed position to transition the corresponding control surface segment among a plurality of segment configurations defined between and including a retracted configuration and an extended configuration;
a driveline operatively coupled to each control surface actuator of the plurality of control surface actuators and configured to actuate each control surface actuator of the plurality of control surface actuators; and
a skew detection system configured to detect a skew condition in the flight control surface; wherein the skew detection system is configured to generate a skew detection signal that at least partially represents the skew condition of the flight control surface; wherein the skew detection system comprises a hybrid sensing actuator that includes:
a gear train operatively coupled to the driveline;
an actuator output configured to be operatively coupled to the respective segment end of the corresponding control surface segment to drive the respective segment end between the stowed position and the deployed position; and
an actuator output position sensor directly coupled to the actuator output and configured to generate an actuator output position signal that indicates one or both of a rotational position of the actuator output and a linear position of the actuator output;

wherein the skew detection signal includes the actuator output position signal; and wherein at least one control surface actuator of the plurality of control surface actuators includes the hybrid sensing actuator;
the method comprising:
detecting, with the flight control surface actuation system, a skew condition in the flight control surface; wherein the detecting the skew condition includes:
generating, with the actuator output position sensor of the flight control surface actuation system, the actuator output position signal; and
generating, with a controller of the flight control surface actuation system and at least partially based upon the actuator output position signal, a skew condition signal that includes one or both of:
(i) an indication of a presence of the skew condition in the flight control surface; and
(ii) an indication of a magnitude of the skew condition in the flight control surface; and

detecting a driveline position of the driveline; wherein the detecting the driveline position is based, at least in part, on the actuator output position signal; wherein the actuator output position signal indicates the rotational position of the actuator output; and wherein the detecting the driveline position includes calculating the driveline position of the driveline based, at least in part, on one or both of the rotational position of the actuator output and a gear ratio of the gear train.