Methods and apparatus for automatically extending aircraft wing flaps in response to detecting an excess energy steep descent condition
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorSherwin C. Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for automatically extending aircraft wing flaps in response to detecting an excess energy steep descent condition are described. An example control system of an aircraft includes one or more processors. The one or more processors determine whether the aircraft is experiencing an excess energy steep descent (EESD) condition. In response to determining that the aircraft is experiencing the EESD condition, the one or more processors command an actuator of the aircraft coupled to a flap of the aircraft to extend the flap from a current flap position to a subsequent flap position defined by a flap extension sequence.
Claims20
A control system of an aircraft, the control system comprising:
- one or more processors to:
- determine whether the aircraft is experiencing an excess energy steep descent (EESD) condition;
- and
- in response to determining that the aircraft is experiencing the EESD condition, command an actuator of the aircraft coupled to a flap of the aircraft to extend the flap from a current flap position to a subsequent flap position defined by a flap extension sequence.
A method, comprising:
- determining, by executing one or more machine-readable instructions with one or more processors of a control system of an aircraft, whether the aircraft is experiencing an excess energy steep descent (EESD) condition;
- and
- in response to determining that the aircraft is experiencing the EESD condition, commanding, by executing one or more machine-readable instructions with the one or more processors, an actuator of the aircraft coupled to a flap of the aircraft to extend the flap from a current flap position to a subsequent flap position defined by a flap extension sequence.
A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of automatically extending aircraft wing flaps, the method comprising:
- determining whether an aircraft is experiencing an excess energy steep descent (EESD) condition;
- and
- in response to determining that the aircraft is experiencing the EESD condition, commanding an actuator of the aircraft coupled to a flap of the aircraft to extend the flap from a current flap position to a subsequent flap position defined by a flap extension sequence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.