US 2019/0161182 A1 · System and Method for Pilot-in-Control Sensing in a Rotorcraft

Abstract

A rotorcraft including a control element, a control sensor connected to the control element, where the control sensor is operable to generate trim data indicating a displacement of the control element in relation to a trim position of the control element, and a flight control computer (FCC) operable to monitor the trim data and determine an active detent state of the control element. The active detent state is one of an in-detent state, an out-of-detent state, and an in-transition state. The FCC is operable to buffer a transition of the active detent state from the in-detent state to the out-of-detent state using the in-transition state. The FCC provides a first flight management function when the active detent state is the in-detent state or the in-transition state, and provides a second flight management function when the active detent state is the out-of-detent state.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A rotorcraft, comprising:

a control element;
a control sensor connected to the control element, wherein the control sensor is operable to generate trim data indicating a displacement of the control element in relation to a trim position of the control element;
and
a flight control computer (FCC) in signal communication with the control sensor and operable to monitor the trim data and determine an active detent state of the control element according to the trim data, wherein the active detent state is one of an in-detent state, an out-of-detent state, and an in-transition state, wherein the FCC is further operable to buffer a transition of the active detent state from the in-detent state to the out-of-detent state using the in-transition state, wherein the FCC is further operable to provide a first flight management function when the active detent state is the in-detent state or the in-transition state, and wherein the FCC is further operable to provide a second flight management function when the active detent state is the out-of-detent state.

1 more element

A flight control computer (FCC) for a rotorcraft, comprising:

a processor;
and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor, the program including instructions for monitoring a detent state, the instructions for monitoring the detent state including instructions for:
maintaining a detent state machine associated with a control element of the rotorcraft, the detent state machine having states including an in-detent state, an out-of-detent state, and an in-transition state;
tracking an active detent state, wherein one of the states is the active detent states;
receiving trim data in a plurality of frames, wherein the trim data is received from a control sensor connected to the control element and includes a slip rate of the control element, the slip rate indicating a difference between a trim position of the control element and a position of the control element;
determining that one of the states is the active detent state according to the trim data, wherein determining that one of the states is the active detent state includes determining that the in-transition state is the active detent state in response to at least a portion of the trim data meeting one or more trim threshold conditions according to a predetermined time;
and
providing a first flight management function in response to the active detent state being a first state of the states, and providing a second flight management function in response to the active detent state being a second state of the states, the second state being different from the first state.

6 more elements

A method for operating a rotorcraft, comprising:

maintaining a detent state machine associated with a control element of the rotorcraft, the detent state machine having states including an in-detent state, an out-of-detent state, and an in-transition state;
tracking an active detent state, wherein one of the states is the active detent state;
receiving trim data in a plurality of frames, wherein the trim data is received from a control sensor connected to the control element and includes a slip rate of the control element;
determining one or more trim thresholds according to the active detent state, wherein one or more trim threshold conditions are conditions according to the one or more trim thresholds;
determining that one of the states is the active detent state according to the trim data, wherein determining that one of the states is the active detent state includes determining that the in-transition state is the active detent state in response to at least a portion of the trim data meeting one or more trim threshold conditions for less than a predetermined time;
and
providing a first flight management function in response to the active detent state being one of the in-detent state or the in-transition state, and providing a second flight management function in response to the active detent state being the out-of-detent state.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and Method for Pilot-in-Control Sensing in a Rotorcraft

Life of this patent

System and Method for Pilot-in-Control Sensing in a Rotorcraft

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20