Aircraft control system and method
AssigneeJoby Aero, Inc.
InventorsBlake W. English, James W. Denham, Justin D. Paines
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The aircraft control system includes an inceptor with a set of primary inceptor axes and a set of secondary inceptor inputs. The inceptor can optionally include a hand rest, a thumb groove, a set of finger grooves, passive soft stops, and/or any other additional elements. The aircraft control system can optionally include a flight controller, aircraft sensors, effectors, and a haptic feedback mechanism. However, the aircraft control system can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.
Claims20
A system for receiving inputs from a user of an aircraft, the system comprising:
- an inceptor mount defining a neutral position, a base plane, and a plurality of primary axes comprising a twist axis orthogonal to the base plane;
- a grip connected to the inceptor mount at a first end, a length of the grip extending from the first end to a distal end;
- one or more input components mounted to the grip proximal to the distal end;
- and
- for each primary axis:
- a passive force-feedback mechanism mechanically coupled to the inceptor mount about the primary axis, the passive force-feedback mechanism configured to provide varying displacement resistance based on a departure of the grip from the neutral position along the primary axis, the passive force-feedback mechanism providing a dead-band threshold corresponding to a breakout torque in each primary axis, wherein the breakout torque of the twist axis is at least double the breakout torque of each of a remainder of the primary axes;
- and
- a sensor coupled to the inceptor mount and configured to determine an input along the axis based on the departure.
A system for receiving inputs from a user for an aircraft, the system comprising:
- an inceptor mount defining a neutral position, a base plane, and a plurality of primary axes comprising a twist axis orthogonal to the base plane;
- a grip connected to the inceptor mount at a first end, a length of the grip extending from the first end to a distal end, wherein the grip is configured to be grasped by third, fourth, and fifth digits of a hand of the user with a thumb and a second digit of the hand free;
- a plurality of input components mounted to the grip proximal to the distal end and configured to receive inputs from a thumb and the second digit of the hand;
- and
- for each primary axis, a passive force-feedback mechanism mechanically coupled to the inceptor mount about the primary axis, the passive force-feedback mechanism configured to provide varying displacement resistance based on a departure of the grip from the neutral position along the primary axis, the passive force-feedback mechanism providing a dead-band threshold corresponding to a breakout torque in each primary axis, wherein the breakout torque of the twist axis is at least double the breakout torque of each of a remainder of the primary axes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.