Vortex generator arrangement and control system for an aircraft
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorBruno Stefes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vortex generator control system for a controlling an aircraft vortex generator arrangement comprising a controller configured to receive one or more deploy or retract command signals from a flight control unit and further configured to send one or more command signals to a fluid control valve, a fluid pressure sensor configured to sense one or more pressure values from an actuator of the vortex generator arrangement and to signal the pressure value(s) to the controller, wherein the fluid control valve is configured to control fluid transfer between the actuator and a reservoir in response to a command signal from the controller.
Claims14
A vortex generator control system for a controlling an aircraft vortex generator arrangement comprising:
- a controller configured to receive one or more deploy or retract command signals from a flight control unit and further configured to send one or more command signals to a fluid control valve;
- a fluid pressure sensor configured to sense one or more pressure values from an actuator of the vortex generator arrangement and to signal the sensed one or more pressure values to the controller;
- wherein the fluid control valve is configured to control fluid transfer between the actuator and a reservoir in response to a command signal from the controller,
- wherein the vortex generator control system is configured to operate a fluidic muscle actuator of a vortex generator arrangement within a pressure range of 0 Pa to +600000 Pa relative to an ambient pressure.
A method of using a vortex generator control system to control actuation of an airflow modification device of a vortex generator arrangement from a first position to a second position, comprising the steps of:
- a flight control unit signaling a controller to move an airflow modification device of a vortex generator arrangement comprising a fluidic muscle actuator operating within a pressure range of 0 Pa to +600000 Pa relative to an ambient pressure from a first position to a second position;
- a controller signaling a control valve to open in order to permit the transfer of fluid between a reservoir and an actuator of the vortex generator arrangement such that the airflow modification device actuates from a first position to a second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.