Windshield wiper operations for aircraft
AssigneeRosemount Aerospace Inc.
InventorsMuthukumar Murthy, Ashok Kumar Thirunarayana
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is an aircraft having motors operable to actuate an aircraft windshield wiper and an aircraft control surface. The aircraft includes a distributed control system having digital storage and integrated with redundant processors. The aircraft includes controller instructions stored on the digital storage operable upon execution to operate a control surface motor of the motors to actuate the control surface to impact an orientation of the aircraft and operate a windshield wiper motor of the motors to actuate the windshield wipers.
Claims18
An aircraft having motors operable to actuate an aircraft windshield wiper and an aircraft control surface comprising:
- a distributed control system having digital storage and integrated with redundant processors;
- and
- controller instructions stored on the digital storage operable upon execution to:
- operate a control surface motor of the motors to actuate the control surface to impact an orientation of the aircraft, and
- operate a windshield wiper motor of the motors to actuate the windshield wipers,
- wherein:
- the aircraft further comprises status data stored on the digital storage based on a flight status of the aircraft stored on the digital storage, and
- the controller instructions are further operable upon execution by the distributed control system to read the status data and to operate the windshield wiper motor at a predetermined speed command based on the status data in response to the status data corresponding to aircraft taxi and taking off statuses and the controller instructions.
A method for controlling operation of a windshield wiper of an aircraft with a distributed control system having digital storage disposed therein, the method comprising:
- reading weather data from the digital storage, the weather data based on radar density patterns that define a density respective a precipitation threshold and define the precipitation condition as heavy precipitation in response to the density being below the precipitation threshold and define the precipitation condition as light precipitation in response to the density being above the precipitation threshold;
- operating a windshield wiper motor defining an extreme orientation with a predetermined speed command in response to the precipitation condition being light precipitation and with a pause at the extreme orientation,
- wherein the method further comprises:
- reading status data from the digital storage based on a flight status of the aircraft;
- and
- operating the windshield wiper motor with the predetermined speed command only in response to the status data corresponding to an aircraft taxiing status or an aircraft taking off status.
An aircraft comprising:
- a windshield wiper;
- a windshield wiper motor operable to actuate the windshield wiper;
- a weather radar operable to obtain weather data associated with the aircraft;
- and
- a distributed control system having a motor controller blade, the distributed control system including controller instructions operable upon execution by the distributed control system to operate the motor controller blade and control the windshield wiper motor according to a predetermined speed command and a specific time interval pause, the motor controller blade being operable upon execution by the distributed control system to read the weather data to operate the windshield wiper motor based on the weather data and based on aircraft taxi and taking off statuses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.