Next Generation Smart Active Inceptors System development for Tilt Rotor application

Project Information

SAIS

Grant agreement ID: 886538

DOI

10.3030/886538

Project terminated on 1 November 2023

EC signature date 22 April 2020

Start date 1 June 2020

End date 30 November 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 4 894 464,38

EU contribution

€ 3 500 000,07

Coordinated by

MARE ENGINEERING GROUP SPA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - SAIS (Next Generation Smart Active Inceptors System development for Tilt Rotor application)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2023-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The SAIS project is aimed at designing, developing, manufacturing and qualifying a smart active inceptors system for the cockpit of the next generation civil tiltrotor.
The design will focus on inceptors’ mechanical interfaces and at the same time studies on ergonomics, electromechanical senso-actuators, haptic capabilities, command logic including diagnostic capabilities will be part of SAIS commitment. The project will culminate with the achievement of SOF (Safety of Flight) qualification of the system in order to permit flight trials activities, and with the delivery of one EFA shipset to be installed on NGCTRTD aircraft.

Starting from a preliminary system specification provided by LHD at the project start, the SAIS consortium will compile the compliance matrix to be issued at SRR, then the consortium will proceed with the system design, in order to achieve the best inceptor configuration, by considering weight, volumes, power consumption, complexity, integration, availability, reliability and ergonomics as KPIs. A modeling and simulation tool of the flight control inceptors will be also developed and shared with LHD in order to support NextGen CTR FCS.

During the development, special care will be dedicated at exploring and assessing mechanical designs and solutions, which enhance piloting effectiveness for tiltrotor application, at improving functionalities by capitalizing on active features by introducing world-class innovations for such a kind of equipment.

The final SAIS will be such as to fulfil the following main technical characteristics:
1. Reliable inceptor sets composed by mechanical and software sub-systems to be integrated in the NGCTR-TD cockpit.
2. Reliable smart sensor and actuators to translate the pilots’ commands to tilt rotor desired motion. In particular, in the following figures the motions to be assured are depicted. In addition to them, a further command, related to the thrust/power input, shall be added and included in the set of pilot commands.
3. Active and smart functions to provide feedback to the pilot by means of real-time force and/or haptic feedback (for instance but not limited, as described in SAE ARP 5764, variable spring gradients, force breakouts, detents, ramps, gates, soft/hard stops, etc).
4. Virtual development in order to verify in virtual augmented reality environment the more promising inceptor configurations before passing to the prototyping.
5. Cockpit CAD project optimization in an ergonomic key, by means a hands motion tracking viewer and the use of wearable systems in order to obtain an Ergonomic verification of solutions in the immersive environment. Digital Twin analysis in order to speed up the inceptor assembly and the aircraft integration.
6. Designed to be compliant with the aeronautics practice, rules and main references regulations

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first two reporting period (RP1 and RP2), the SAIS Consortium focused mainly on preliminary planning activities, both for the whole project and for specific WP2’s design activities.

The activities performed during RP1 were related to the definition of the planning of both technical and communicative/disseminative activities, to the setup of a risk analysis and to the definition of the systems requirements in order to identify a set of active inceptors’ features performing an optimal system configuration.

During RP2, the activities lead to the completion of WP2 with the target of the System Requirement Review and the realization of the first design’s study with a preliminary architecture.

Finally RP3 focused on the realization of several activities, carried in parallel by the consortium, with the aim of finalizing most of the work related to design (WP2) and manufacturing(WP3).
MARE almost completed both the activities connected to Ergonomics Design: the Ergonomics design of the Inceptors through Virtual Reality environment and the Ergonomics analysis of the Inceptors assembly process with digital twin technique.
During the fourth reporting period (RP4), the SAIS Consortium focused mainly on the activities that lead to the completion of WP2 with the target of the Preliminary Design Review to close the architecture design shared with the Topic Leader.
The Consortium completed the work related the Preliminary Design Review, to ensure that the planned technical activity meets the specification requirements.
MARE completed both the activities connected to Ergonomics Design: the Ergonomics design of the Inceptors through Virtual Reality environment and the Ergonomics analysis of the Inceptors assembly process with digital twin technique. This activity led to the completion of the deliverable D2.8- Ergonomics and Assembly Simulation Data Package.
To implement a project control during the period, the periodic meetings organized to share updates on the results and developments of the project allowed the coordination of the activities. This ensured the implementation of periodic analyzes of the development plan and possible mitigation actions useful for containing the accumulated delay. During RP4 were also continued communicative/disseminative activities, with the participation to an important international aeronautic event.
UNIPI focused on the termination of the development of the inceptor simulation tool for the task 2.6 “Design of Simulation Tool of Inceptors” and completed the detailed deliverable D2.9 -Mathematical modeling and simulation tool for SAIS.
On 2023/09/26 the SAIS Consortium completed a verification of technical feasibility about manufacturing activities fulfilment in accordance with descoping presented with amendment request n. AMD-886538-5, withdrawer on 2023/10/25 (details in SAIS Consortium minute of meeting on 2023/09/26): because of delays of suppliers about the supplying of fundamental components for the realization of the shipset single seat for the RIG, it will not be able to complete the manufacturing and testing activities, related to WP3 and WP4 respectively, as indicated in the Descript of Action presented in the amendment request AMD-886538-5.
So, the SAIS Consortium deliberates that, considering the current circumstances, the option of Termination the only one possible (details in SAIS Consortium minute of meeting on 2023/10/18). So, The SAIS Consortium requested a Temination on 2023/10/25.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected technical progress are all related to the completion of the design phase and to the definition of the technical scenario useful for the implementation of the manufacturing phase of the active inceptor.

Obviously, the active features of the system are an added value that the Consortium can and must exploit as acquired know-how for future research and commercial projects.

Moreover, the ergonomic studies with the virtual reality suite and the feedcak devices on the hands present an interesting scenario for the development of interesting new commercial intentions towards OEMs or companies in the aeronautical sector.

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