Systems and methods for propeller thrust protection
AssigneeArcher Aviation Inc.
InventorsGiovanni Droandi, Nathan Thomas Depenbusch
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to flight control of electric aircraft and other powered aerial vehicles. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: receiving a descent rate command from a pilot input device, determining a proximity of each propeller of at least two propellers to a vortex ring state; and controlling the aircraft's descent rate to be less than the commanded descent rate when at least one of the at least two propellers is within a first threshold proximity to the vortex ring state.
Claims30
A computer-implemented method for an aircraft, comprising:
- receiving, using at least one hardware processor, a descent rate command from a pilot input device;
- determining, using the at least one hardware processor, a proximity of each propeller of at least two propellers to a vortex ring state;
- and
- controlling, using the at least one hardware processor, an aircraft descent rate to be less than the commanded descent rate when at least one of the at least two propellers is within a first threshold proximity to the vortex ring state.
A control system comprising at least one processor configured to execute instructions to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving a descent rate command from a pilot input device;
- determining a proximity of each propeller of at least two propellers to a vortex ring state;
- and
- controlling an aircraft descent rate to be less than the commanded descent rate when at least one of the at least two propellers is within a first threshold proximity to the vortex ring state.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
- receiving a descent rate command from a pilot input device;
- determining a proximity of each propeller of at least two propellers to a vortex ring state;
- and
- controlling an aircraft descent rate to be less than the commanded descent rate when at least one of the at least two propellers is within a first threshold proximity to the vortex ring state.
An aircraft comprising at least one processor configured to execute instructions to perform operations comprising:
- receiving a descent rate command from a pilot input device;
- determining a proximity of each propeller of at least two propellers to a vortex ring state;
- and
- controlling an aircraft descent rate to be less than the commanded descent rate when at least one of the at least two propellers is within a first threshold proximity to the vortex ring state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.