Triple channel redundant hydraeric control system

Claim 1

REDUNDANT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR FORCE POSITIONING A MOVABLE MEMBER IN RESPONSE TO INSTRUCTIONAL CONTROL SIGNALS, THE SYSTEM COMPRISING: THREE FUNCTIONALLY PARALLEL CONTROL CHANNELS OF THE CHARACTER TO RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNALS AND EACH BEING CONNECTED TO THE MOVABLE MEMBER, EACH SAID CONTROL CHANNEL INCLUDING: SYSTEM INPUT SIGNAL MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNALS; HYDRAERICALLY DRIVEN ACTUATOR MEANS HAVING PISTON MEANS FORCE COUPLED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER; SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS HAVING OUTPUT PORTS NORMALLY HYDAERICALLY COUPLED TO SAID PISTON MEANS AND HAVING HYDRAERIC SIGNAL INPUT PORT, FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL INPUT MEANS, ENGAGE MEANS AND INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNAL INPUT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ENGAGE MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID SYSTEM INPUT SIGNAL MEANS TO SAID SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL IMPRESSED UPON SAID FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL INPUT MEANS; FIRST STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS HAVING INPUT SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SYSTEM INPUT SIGNAL MEANS AND HAVING HYDRAERIC OUTPUT PORT NORMALLY COUPLED TO SAID HYDRAERIC INPUT PORT OF SAID SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS; CONTROLLABLE ENGAGE VALVE MEANS HYDRAERICALLY INTERCOUPLED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY, RESPONSIVE TO A PRETERMINED FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL, EFFECTING DECOUPLING OF SAID NORMALLY COUPLED HYDRAERIC OUTPUT PORT OF SAID FIRST STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS FROM SAID STAGE VALVE MEANS; AND CONTROLLABLE BY PASS VALVE MEANS HYDRAERICALLY INTERCOUPLED BETWEEN SAID SECOND STAGE VALVE MEANS AND SAID PISTON MEANS OF SAID ACTUATOR MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY, RESPONSIVE TO A FAILOPERATE SIGNAL, BYPASSING SAID ACTUATOR PISTON MEANS WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY CONINCIDENTALLY EFFECTING DECOUPLING OF THE NORMALLY COUPLED SECOND STAGE VALVE OUTPUT PORT FROM SAID PISTON MEANS AND HYDRAERIC COMPARATOR AND SIGNAL GENERATOR MEANS COUPLED TO EACH SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS FOR (1) MONITORING AND COMPARING SIGNALS THEREFROM INDICATIVE OF THE OPERATIONAL STATUS OF EACH SAID CHANNEL AND FOR (2) GENERATING A FAIL-OPERATE SIGNAL WHEN SUCH STATUS SIGNALS FROM ONE CHANNEL DO NOT SHARE A PREDETERMINED COINCIDENCE WITH THOSE FROM THE OTHER TWO CHANNELS, FOR (3) IMPRESSING SAID FAIL-OPERATE SIGNAL UPON THE SAID BYPASS VALVE MEANS OF SAID ONE CHANNEL MEANS FOR CAUSING ITS SAID BYPASSING AND DECOUPLING TO OCCUR, FOR (4) GENERATING A FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL AWHEN THE STATUS SIGNALS FROM THE TWO NON-BYPASSED CHANNELS DO NOT SHARE A PREDETERMINED COINCIDENCE FOR (5) IMPRESSING SAID ENGAGE MEANS OF SAID SECOND STAGE MEANS AND FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL UPON EACH OF SAID ENGAGE MEANS OF SAID SECOND STAGE MEANS AND ENGAGE VALVE MEANS FOR CAUSING THEIR RESPECTIVE SAID COUPLINE AND DECOUPLING TO OCCUR AND FOR (6) IMPRESSING SAID FAIL-SAFE SIGNAL UPON SAID BYPASS VALVE MEANS FOR CAUSING EACH OF SAID BYPASS VALVE MEANS TO OPERATE AGAIN IN ITS NORMAL, NON-BYPASSING MODE WHEREBY POSITION OF SAID MOVALBE MEMBER IS ACHIEVED BY OPERATION OF ALL SAID SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID INSTRUCTIONAL CONTROL SIGNALS IMPRESSED UPON SAID INSTRUTIONAL SIGNAL INPUT MEANS OF EACH SAID SECOND STAGE SERVO VALVE MEANS.