Patent ID: 7770842

Claim:
An aircraft flight control system, comprising: a plurality of independent communication channels; a flight control avionics channel operable to supply flight control surface position commands representative of a commanded flight control surface position via each of the independent communication channels; a plurality of actuators, each actuator adapted to couple to an aircraft flight control surface, each actuator coupled to receive actuator position commands and operable, upon receipt thereof, to move to an actuator position corresponding to the commanded flight control surface position; and a plurality of remote electronic control units disposed remote from the flight control avionics channel; and a plurality of communication hubs, each communication hub coupled to only one of the plurality of independent communication channels and independently coupled to each of a plurality of the remote electronic control units, wherein each remote electronic control unit is associated with a single one of the plurality of actuators and independently associated with each of a plurality of communication hubs, whereby all communications between one remote electronic control unit and another remote electronic control unit are via one or more of the communication hubs, and all communication between a remote electronic control unit and the flight control avionics channel are via one or more of the communication hubs, and wherein each remote electronic control unit is: (i) coupled to receive flight control surface position commands supplied from each of the independent communication channels, via a plurality of the communication hubs, and operable, in response thereto, to supply appropriate actuator position commands to its associated actuator, and (ii) coupled to receive one or more signals representative of operability of one or more of the plurality of actuators and, via one or more of the communication hubs, one or more signals representative of operability of one or more other remote electronic control units and operable, in response thereto, to (i) determine whether one or more of the plurality of actuators are operating improperly and whether one or more of the other remote electronic control units are operating improperly and (ii) upon determining that one or more of the plurality of actuators are operating improperly or that one or more of the other remote electronic control units are operating improperly, to supply an actuator fault signal to one or more of the communication hubs.