Patent ID: 8649920
Filing Date: 2014-02-11
Classification: G05D,G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for monitoring lateral guidance orders provided for a flight control system of an aircraft that is provided with a calculation stage for lateral guidance orders, the calculation stage including at least N pieces of equipment, each of which is provided with at least one of a sensor and a trajectory management device able to generate an inlet parameter, and each piece of equipment also provided with one large feedback loop that is able to generate a turning initiation order corresponding to a roll control order from the inlet parameter, N being an integer higher than or equal to 3; and at least one small feedback loop, determining, from the roll control order, the lateral guidance orders of the aircraft, the method comprising: determining, with the large feedback loops of each the at least N pieces of equipment, a turning initiation order corresponding to a roll control order, by using inlet parameters generated from the corresponding at least one of the sensor and the trajectory management device; determining, from the roll control order, with the at least one small feedback loop, the lateral guidance orders of the aircraft; comparing, automatically and repeatedly with a comparison unit of a failure monitoring device, the roll control orders generated by the N pieces of equipment; determining from the comparisons of the roll control orders, with the failure monitoring device, that a piece of equipment is failing concerning the generation of lateral guidance orders of the aircraft; emitting, with alarm devices, when a piece of equipment has a failure, at least one warning, which identifies the piece of equipment that has a failure, in a cockpit of the aircraft, comparing, automatically and repeatedly with a failure anticipation comparator device included in the failure monitoring device, values relative to the inlet parameter, used respectively by the pieces of equipment to determine the roll control orders; determining from the comparisons of the values relative to the inlet parameters, with the failure monitoring device, that, a piece of equipment is anticipated to fail concerning the generation of lateral guidance orders of the aircraft; and emitting, with alarm devices, when a piece of equipment is anticipated to fail, at least one warning, which identifies the piece of equipment that is anticipated to fail, in the cockpit.