Systems and methods for fuselage stabilization in a free-wing aircraft
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTom M. Neuman, Matthew M Warren, Frank K. Kozel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to controlling aircraft elevons to stabilize a free-wing aircraft fuselage. In one embodiment, a system includes a processor and a memory storing machine-readable instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to 1) measure a fuselage pitch attribute of an aircraft, wherein a fuselage and wing assembly of the aircraft freely rotate about a pitch axis of the aircraft independently of one another, 2) measure a wing pitch angle of the wing assembly, and 3) control an angle of an elevon of the wing assembly based on the fuselage pitch attribute and the wing pitch angle.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- measure a fuselage pitch attribute of an aircraft, wherein a fuselage and a wing assembly of the aircraft freely rotate about a pitch axis of the aircraft independently of one another;
- measure a wing pitch angle of the wing assembly;
- and
- control, during a vertical flight mode, an angle of an elevon of the wing assembly based on the fuselage pitch attribute and the wing pitch angle, whereby pitching motion of the fuselage is canceled by rotating the wing assembly forward or back about the pitch axis.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- measure a fuselage pitch rate of an aircraft while in a vertical flight mode, wherein a fuselage and wing assembly of the aircraft freely rotate about a pitch axis of the aircraft independently of one another;
- measure a wing pitch angle of the wing assembly;
- and
- adjust a wing assembly pitch by controlling, during a vertical flight mode, an angle of an elevon of the wing assembly based on the fuselage pitch rate and the wing pitch angle, wherein an adjustment of the wing assembly pitch dampens the fuselage pitch rate, whereby pitching motion of the fuselage is canceled by rotating the wing assembly forward or back about the pitch axis.
A method, comprising:
- measuring a fuselage pitch attribute of an aircraft, wherein a fuselage and wing assembly of the aircraft freely rotate about a pitch axis of the aircraft independently of one another;
- measuring a wing pitch angle of the wing assembly;
- and
- controlling, during a vertical flight mode, an angle of an elevon of the wing assembly based on the fuselage pitch attribute and the wing pitch angle, wherein the controlling stabilizes the wing assembly and the fuselage when the aircraft is in a vertical flight mode, whereby pitching motion of the fuselage is canceled by rotating the wing assembly forward or back about the pitch axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.