Hoisting flight director mode
AssigneeRockwell Collins, Inc.
InventorAlan L. Kritzman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed and may be used for controlling (e.g., stabilizing) a suspended load. The system may include a hoist, an imaging sensor configured to capture images of a swinging of a load suspended from the hoist, and a controller. The controller may include one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory. The program instructions may be configured to cause the one or more processors to receive the images, determine positions of the load over time based on the images, calculate swing data of the swinging of the load based on the positions, determine flight control commands based on the swing data, and direct a flight control system configured to adjust a flight of an aircraft based on the flight control commands.
Claims14
A system comprising:
- a hoist;
- an imaging sensor configured to capture images of a swinging of a load suspended from the hoist;
- and
- a controller comprising one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory, the set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to:
- receive the images;
- determine positions of the load over time based on the images;
- associate each position with a respective time stamp of a respective image to identify a plurality of time stamps associated with the positions;
- calculate swing data of the swinging of the load based on the positions, wherein the swing data comprises a pendulum period of the load based on the plurality of time stamps;
- calculate a suspension distance corresponding to a length of a cable suspending the load based on the pendulum period;
- determine flight control commands based on the swing data;
- and
- direct a flight control system configured to adjust a flight of an aircraft based on the flight control commands.
A method comprising:
- receiving images from an imaging sensor configured to capture images of a swinging of a load suspended from a hoist of an aircraft;
- determining positions of the load over time based on the images;
- associating each position with a respective time stamp of a respective image to identify a plurality of time stamps associated with the positions;
- calculating swing data of the swinging of the load based on the positions, wherein the swing data comprises a pendulum period of the load based on the plurality of time stamps;
- calculating a suspension distance corresponding to a length of a cable suspending the load based on the pendulum period;
- determining flight control commands based on the swing data;
- and
- directing a flight control system to adjust a flight of an aircraft based on the flight control commands.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.