Patent ID: 8814085

Claim:
A fault-tolerant actuating system, comprising: at least one flap, adjustable on a respective wing of an aircraft; a control and monitoring device; drive devices that are functionally connected to the control and monitoring device, each drive device being associated with a respective flap, each drive device comprising: (i) two drive motors, and two brake mechanisms, wherein each drive motor is associated with a respective brake mechanism for stopping rotation of an output of the respective drive motor, (ii) a differential that couples the outputs of the two drive motors in a summing manner, (iii) an output shaft for coupling an output of the differential to drive connections, and (iv) a differential lock that is functionally connected to the control and monitoring device, wherein each of the brake mechanisms as well as the differential lock are operated by means of a command signal from the control and monitoring device; adjustment devices, at least two of which are arranged at each flap so as to be spaced apart from each other in the wingspan direction of the flap, with the adjustment devices being coupled, in each case by way of a drive connection, to the drive device associated with the flap, wherein each adjustment device in each case comprises: a transmission gear unit, an adjustment mechanism and a position sensor that is functionally connected to the control and monitoring device for acquiring the adjustment state of the flap; wherein the control and monitoring device comprises: an actuating function for generating command signals for the drive motors for adjusting the flap, and a monitoring function that transmits a command signal to (i) both brake mechanisms of the drive device associated with the respective flap for operating the respective brake mechanisms in order to prevent rotation of the respective drive motors and (ii) to the differential lock of the drive device associated with the respective flap such that the differential lock locks the differential, so that the full brake moment of both brake mechanisms of the respective flap is applied to the drive connections based on a comparison of sensor values of the position sensors of two different adjustment devices of the respective flap that determines different adjustment states of the respective flap.