Electrically isolated auxiliary flight controllers for rotorcraft
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsJoshua Andrew Emrich, David Outhwaite, Christopher Dunlop, Mitchell Lichocki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotorcraft includes a fuselage, a flight control computer, an auxiliary flight controller having one or more flight control inputs in the noncockpit section of the fuselage and a relay interposed between the flight control computer and the auxiliary flight controller such that the auxiliary flight controller is in data communication with the flight control computer via the relay. The relay prevents electromagnetic interference affecting the auxiliary flight controller from affecting the flight control computer.
Claims20
A rotorcraft comprising:
- a fuselage including a cockpit section and a noncockpit section;
- a flight control computer;
- an auxiliary flight controller including one or more flight control inputs in the noncockpit section of the fuselage;
- and
- a relay interposed between the flight control computer and the auxiliary flight controller such that the auxiliary flight controller is in data communication with the flight control computer via the relay;
- wherein, the relay prevents electromagnetic interference affecting the auxiliary flight controller from affecting the flight control computer.
A rotorcraft having a hover mode, the rotorcraft comprising:
- a fuselage including a cockpit section and a noncockpit section;
- a flight control computer;
- a hoist system including an auxiliary flight controller having a plurality of flight control inputs configured to transmit flight control commands in the hover mode of the rotorcraft, the plurality of flight control inputs located in the noncockpit section of the fuselage;
- and
- a plurality of solid state relays interposed between the flight control computer and the auxiliary flight controller such that the auxiliary flight controller is in data communication with the flight control computer via the plurality of solid state relays, each solid state relay transmitting flight control commands from a respective one of the plurality of flight control inputs to the flight control computer;
- wherein, the plurality of solid state relays prevent electromagnetic interference affecting the hoist system from affecting the flight control computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.