System and method for rotorcraft heading control
AssigneeBell Helicopter Textron Inc.
InventorsRobert Lee Fortenbaugh, Jillian Samantha Alfred, Luke Dafydd Gillett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a rotorcraft includes operating the rotorcraft in a heading control mode that includes activating a yaw channel path of a heading controller and deactivating a roll channel path of the heading controller when a speed of the rotorcraft is less than a first speed threshold or a heading error is less than a heading error threshold, and activating the roll channel path of the heading controller and deactivating the yaw channel path of the heading controller when the speed of the rotorcraft is greater than a second speed threshold and the heading error is not less than the heading error threshold.
Claims19
A method of operating a rotorcraft, the method comprising:
- operating the rotorcraft in a heading control mode comprising
- activating a yaw channel path of a heading controller and deactivating a roll channel path of the heading controller when a speed of the rotorcraft is less than a first speed threshold or a heading error is less than a heading error threshold, and
- activating the roll channel path of the heading controller and deactivating the yaw channel path of the heading controller when the speed of the rotorcraft is greater than a second speed threshold and the heading error is not less than the heading error threshold.
A flight control system for a rotorcraft comprising:
- a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, the executable program including instructions for:
- operating the rotorcraft in a heading control mode comprising:
- receiving a first parameter from a sensor of the rotorcraft,
- determining a second parameter error based on a second parameter command and a second parameter feedback signal,
- activating a first set of control laws of a second parameter controller and deactivating a second set of control laws of the second parameter controller when a first parameter of the rotorcraft is less than a first threshold or a second parameter error of the rotorcraft is less than a second threshold, and
- activating the second set of control laws of the second parameter controller and deactivating the first set of control laws of the second parameter controller when the first parameter of the rotorcraft is greater than a third threshold and the second parameter error is not less than the second threshold.
A rotorcraft comprising:
- a body;
- a power train coupled to the body and comprising a power source and a drive shaft coupled to the power source;
- a main rotor system coupled to the power train and comprising a plurality of main rotor blades;
- a tail rotor system coupled to the power train and comprising a plurality of tail rotor blades;
- a speed sensor;
- a flight control system operable to change at least one operating condition of the main rotor system and at least one operating condition of the tail rotor system;
- a pilot control assembly configured to receive commands from a pilot, wherein the flight control system is a fly-by-wire flight control system in electrical communication with the pilot control assembly;
- and
- a flight control computer in electrical communication between the flight control system and the pilot control assembly, the flight control computer configured to operate the rotorcraft in a heading control mode comprising
- receiving a speed signal from the speed sensor,
- determining a heading error based on a heading command and a heading feedback signal,
- controlling a heading of the rotorcraft only via the tail rotor system when a speed of the rotorcraft is less than a first speed threshold or the heading error is less than a heading error threshold, and
- controlling the heading of the rotorcraft only via the main rotor system when the speed of the rotorcraft is greater than a second speed threshold and the heading error is not less than the heading error threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.