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US 3,938,320 AGranted
Starting system for a helicopter power plant control
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorRobert E. Nelson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorRobert E. Nelson
Estimating the term…
A control system for a helicopter power plant with three power units driving the lifting rotor system through a main gearbox. Each power unit comprises a gas turbine engine of the gas-coupled type, a hydromechanical fuel control receiving electrical inputs to set a gas generator governor in the fuel control, an engine electronic control, and various engine accessories. The operation of the power plant is normally controlled by the pilot through condition levers and switches on a control quadrant, through a pitch control by which the collective pitch of the rotor blades is controlled, and through a master beeper switch which is operable to trim the setting of an isochronous governor for the rotor system and the gas generator governors. The condition lever of each engine transmits a speed command signal through the electronic control of each power unit to its gas generator governor. A signal of collective pitch transmitted from the rotor control system to each engine electronic control is another factor in setting the governor. The power plant includes a power management control, the principal function of which is to equalilze the power outputs of the engines. It also includes the rotor isochronous governor. The power management control receives inputs of rotor system speed command and actual rotor speed and of the torques of the individual engines and transmits a governor trim signal to increase or decrease engine power to the several electronic controls. All signals are transmitted electrically between the rotor system, control panel, power management control, and engine electronic controls. A starting system for each engine includes logic circuits to test the operation of the electrical signal transmission system and closure of a fuel shutoff valve as a prerequisite to starting of the engine.
A control system for a combustion engine adapted for remote power control and starting and stopping of the engine comprising, in combination, engine control means generating a power output level command signal, load control means generating a load control signal effective to vary the power requirement of the load driven by the engine, fuel control means for the engine effective to meter fuel to the engine to control engine power level, a first servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the power output level command signal, a second servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the load control signal, means responsive to the power output command signal effective to transmit a first driving signal to the first servomechanism, means responsive to the load control signal effective to transmit a second driving signal to the second servomechanism;
A control system for a combustion engine adapted for remote power control and starting and stopping of the engine comprising, in combination, engine control means generating a power output level command signal, load control means generating a load control signal effective to vary the power requirement of the load driven by the engine, fuel control means for the engine effective to meter fuel to the engine to control engine power level, a first servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the power output level command signal, a second servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the load control signal, means responsive to the power output command signal effective to transmit a first driving signal to the first servomechanism, means responsive to the load control signal effective to transmit a second driving signal to the second servomechanism;
A control system for a helicopter power plant including a gas-coupled gas turbine engine adapted for remote power control and starting and stopping of the engine and a lifting rotor driven by the engine comprising, in combination, engine control means generating a gas generator power output level command signal, load control means generating a collective pitch control signal effective to vary the power requirement of the lifting rotor, fuel control means for the engine effective to meter fuel to the engine to control engine power level, a first servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the power output level command signal, a second servomechanism operative to adjust the fuel control means in response to the collective pitch control signal, means responsive to the power output command signal effective to transmit a first driving signal to the first servomechanism, means responsive to the collective pitch control signal effective to transmit a second driving signal to the second servomechanism;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.